Episode Recap
As Haebom, Sung Ho and his daughter head into town, Sung Ho tells Haebom more about his background and how he and his daughter came over from America. Haebom wonders how Sung Ho brought his daughter here if she didn’t have a name. So Sung Ho explains how she was technically given a name by her mother, but it’s “Unknown.”
He goes on further to explain how he wasn’t even aware that his daughter was born. They were broken up at the time and she showed up a year later with the baby. He’s grateful to his ex for the baby, but he wants to name her something else.
When they arrive at the welfare center, Haebom immediately recognizes members of the Young Men’s Association of Ohnjeongri hanging out in the parking lot. While Haebom talks to the men, Sung Ho heads inside.
Although the place goes completely silent upon his entrance, he’s warmly welcomed by the head of the town’s women’s association. The members begin to barrage Sung Ho with questions. They ask Sung Ho about his wife, and when he tells them that it’s just him and his daughter, their questions and comments turn more personal. The women ask if he’s divorced and that it’s not easy for a man to raise a baby alone. While Sung Ho understands their intentions are not ill-willed, the questions and comments become increasingly difficult for him to address.
The women continue to discuss his village as he steps away to play with his daughter. They touch upon various topics, including the village’s history, such as an arson incident a decade ago and the reputed ill temper of the village head. They continue gossiping about Haebom, mentioning Haebom’s father-less upbringing and how he didn’t complete high school. They suggest that he’s only the village head because of he owns a lot of the land.
A sudden shout from outside grabs Sung Ho’s attention. He turns to look at the commotion and sees that one of the men from parking lot, the president of the Young Men’s Association, has grabbed Haebom by the collar.
My Takeaways
I will forever stick with the idea that Sung Ho’s daughter is not yet a year-old. I refuse to agree with the series description; I don’t care if I’m retconning. His baby is three-months-old at the point we meet them in episode one (Sung Ho even says so himself). She was given to him by his ex-girlfriend when the baby was a newborn (at about a month of age). Then, if you add a nine month pregnancy… yeah, that’s a year.
A whole year of the baby’s life didn’t elapse THEN she was given to Sung Ho. It would make no sense for a mother who didn’t even want her daughter to have her for that long before giving the baby up. Also, if they were broken up for a year THEN he was given his daughter, that means she’s not his biological daughter either. Neither of those situations fit this story. Therefore, Your Honor, she is not a year old. Period.
Anyway… enough of that soapbox.
For brevity’s sake, I didn’t mention this in the recap, but I thought that the story Haebom shared about Grandma Non-Son was really sweet. It’s obvious that naming his daughter means a lot for Sung Ho and that maybe he’s putting too much pressure on himself to come up with a “good” name for her. In telling Sung Ho such a story, Haebom’s trying to tell him, not that her name won’t matter but that with whatever Sung Ho names his daughter, she is sure to have a good life.
And ugh, those gossiping ladies at the community center. Sung Ho was in such a difficult spot. Being asked such invasive questions and hearing offensive comments, though they may not have malicious intent, is never an easy situation to handle. For some, it may be obvious to look at that situation and say, “He should have stood up for himself.” But it’s not that easy. He’s new to the area, and he’s there specifically to be around other parents like him and possibly make friends. Although, I’m sure he’s not really looking for their friendship anymore after hearing what they were saying.
Plus, I assume that the gossiping and commentary is a norm for the women of the area. As an “outsider,” saying anything against that, telling the women their questions are too intrusive, would pretty much be making him AND his daughter an outcast. Not only that, it would give them more gossip fodder. I think Sung Ho took the right approach by not saying anything, and bless his daughter for taking him out of the situation just because she wanted to play in the bouncy chair.
SERIES DETAILS
Original Title: 해 뜨는 집
Author/Artist: Jeong Seok-Chan
English Publisher: Lezhin US
Audience: NSFW
