5 Types Of Noble Idiocy That Episodes 11-12 Of "Wedding Impossible" Used To Wrap Things Up

“Wedding Impossible” has been a rather strange ride. It started off promising with what could have been one of the most unique, well-executed romances that the year had to offer. The characters were messy, flawed, and not all together dislikable. But this finale takes everyone into well-trod territory as Na Ah Jung (Jeon Jong Seo), Lee Ji Han (Moon Sang Min), and Lee Do Han (Kim Do Wan) deal with the fallout of Choi Seung Ah (Park Ah In) having exposed Ah Jung and Ji Han’s fledgling relationship. Here’s everything we found interesting about how the ending was executed and the various kinds of noble idiocy involved in it!

Note: spoilers for episodes 11-12 of below.

1. The pushing-you-away-for-your-own-good noble idiocy

Where did the man who pledged to never let go of Ah Jung’s hand first go? This new Ji Han drops it like a hot potato and announces to all and sundry that he was the one chasing Ah Jung, that Ah Jung had no feelings for him, and to direct all blame at him. Ah Jung runs to the hotel in which he’s having the press conference, only to find that he’s gone. Bizarrely, none of the reporters lingering there pay any heed to her. What proceeds is familiar. She rages and mopes and calls him, begging for a response, while he ignores everything because he’s certain she’ll be happy without him. One would think that Ji Han had learned by now to stop making decisions for others, whether it’s dictating his brother’s life for him, or breaking up with Ah Jung, certain that she’ll be happier without him. Alas, he’s too busy hallucinating Ah Jung at every turn to realize that his character arc has regressed.

Ji Han runs away from the company, from his life as a chaebol heir, and it isn’t even fully clear why he’s running. Perhaps it’s because he thinks his grandfather, Hyun Dae Ho (Kwon Hae Hyo) must hate him now after soiling the family name with a love scandal? Despite his half-brother having a drunk driving scandal and being fine? Alas, I’ll never understand his logic.

2. The gaslit-into-doing-it noble idiocy

Now, this one is particularly egregious. Do Han has heard the word “coward” more often than he’s heard the word “gay” in this show. Ah Jung, Ji Han, his ex – everyone’s accused him of being cowardly at some point, and he’s fully internalized it. So, he prepares to go out himself to the world but finds the press conference called off and Dae Ho waiting there for him instead. It turns out that Dae Ho always knew that Do Han was gay. As for why he didn’t say anything throughout Do Han’s lonely, fearful adolescence and adulthood? Well, his belief was that Do Han taking over the company and hiding that he’s gay forever would give him the power to protect his interests (whatever that means). And the reason he called off Do Han’s press conference? Because apparently Do Han’s being a coward by outing himself when Ah Jung and Ji Han have given up so much to save him. Basically, Do Han’s a coward if he comes out and a coward if he doesn’t. Great.

Alas, poor Do Han, who has been gaslit by everyone in his life at this point, internalizes this some more.  So, Ah Jung’s hit with another press conference where Do Han admits that he’s gay and that his marriage with Ah Jung was fake. He takes all the blame. When Ah Jung tries to call Do Han, he tells her that he’s done being a coward (poor guy). Now that he’s come out of the closet, no one in LJ Group wants him to head the company, which is fine by him because he’s going to take control of his life by going to New York and pursuing his art. He’s happy when he leaves, but completely gaslit into believing that he was a coward.

In a nutshell, Do Han faked an engagement so that he wouldn’t be outed by Seung Ah in a homophobic society and was prepared to elope with Ah Jung to avoid having to inherit a company he has no qualification or interest to run. These are both valid reasons, and Ah Jung wasn’t forced into anything. But because his brother and Ah Jung caught feelings and couldn’t communicate with him, he’s suddenly the bad guy. Wild stuff.

3. The we-just-can’t-be-together-for-no-reason noble idiocy

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Ah Jung finally tracks Ji Han down in the same town they’d had their first date at. Only, she isn’t there to yell at him for breaking up with her via press conference and vanishing into the ether. She’s there to break up with him too. She feels guilty that her and Ji Han’s relationship basically forced Do Han to come out of the closet and wants punishment, so this is how she’s punishing herself. They both acknowledge that they care for each other, but they can never be together. Sigh.

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It’s worth noting that the Ah Jung of old wouldn’t have cared. She would have relished being the main character for once and gone out proudly with Ji Han. He and Do Han, especially, risked everything to prove that she wasn’t two-timing them. She literally just stood up to Dae Ho for Ji Han and Do Han, so she doesn’t lack courage. Only she can tell us why she’s running. It isn’t clear as to how much the public knows about Do Han’s wedding contract or whether Ah Jung was being paid for it or not, but the point is that nothing is stopping Ah Jung from living her life. She signed that wedding contract out of love for her friend. She has every right to stand by that decision. And while getting with Ji Han was messy, she wasn’t cheating on anyone and can stand by that decision. All of Korea already knows their business, there’s no need to run away. But the two bid each other farewell. And it’s onto a time-skip.

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4. The I’m-faking-being-happy noble idiocy

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A year later, and both Ah Jung and Ji Han are spinning their wheels in the same rut. She’s getting gigs as an actress and has secured a rather good one that promises to lead into bigger roles. Ji Han’s started his own company that threatens to rival LJ. And Seung Ah, who has given me a newfound love of Park Ah In (her acting is just delightful and so natural!) has discovered her grandfather’s hidden CCTV footage that displays, as many have guessed, that her father was behind her mother’s death. Her acting in all five stages of grief is so good that I want to demand a spin-off. She tosses her father in jail, retires from manipulating the company against her grandfather, and focuses on charity work while still mocking her money-hungry siblings. Best character arc in the show.

Do Han’s been up to some cool stuff as well and is returning to Korea for an exhibit. Even grandpa Dae Ho is trying to make amends with Ji Han by admitting that he never hated Ji Han. He was just forced to choose between saving him or his daughter from an explosive car, and seeing Ji Han reminded him of his choice everyday, so he felt guilty. Ji Han, Ah Jung, and Dae Ho should form a club. Ji Han runs into Ah Jung on the anniversary of his mother’s death, and they both decide to play it cool and pretend that they’re doing fine without each other. Even Do Han’s confused at this point, wondering why they aren’t dating. The road is clear! But Ji Han and Ah Jung are still hiding in the treeline for reasons.

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5. The I’m-getting-drunk-instead-of-communicating noble idiocy

Where would dramas be without alcohol to reveal a character’s innermost thoughts?

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Ah Jung’s faking that she’s fine so hard that she pretends that her co-star in her current drama (cameo by the charismatic Ryu Kyung Soo) is her boyfriend. Ji Han immediately goes on a drinking spree with his former first love, Yoon Chae Won (Bae Yoon Kyung), who has given up all pursuit of him and is super cool. She’s moved on with her life, busy being a successful CEO while dodging blind dates her dad keeps setting up. She’s also over Ji Han whining about his love life when he and Ah Jung have been moping over each other for a year. She finally calls Ah Jung, who has to deal with a clingy drunk Ji Han mumbling about how much he misses her. It’s only after hearing that he’s been doing equally as poorly as her that she’s honest with him in turn. Communication!

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And just like that, they’re dating again. Why this is was so hard to do earlier is beyond even them, seeing as a year of clarity changed nothing. More importantly, Chae Won gets a cute side arc where Kim Bum cameos as her blind date who’s been obsessed with her since meeting her at her wedding years ago. He has been trying to get a date with her since hearing that she was divorced. Now, I would watch the heck out of this drama. Call it “After Her Wedding“ or something. Also, yes to two “Tale of the Nine-Tailed” boys cameoing in this drama.

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We end with Ah Jung walking down the aisle… to film a wedding scene with Lee Soo Hyuk. The show really saved all its cameos for the last episode. It starts to rain, and Ji Han pops up with an umbrella, because he’s no longer afraid of the rain (that was a plot point for maybe two episodes?). Ignoring the cast and crew who are beyond confused, they race away from the film set, hand in hand, looking utterly happy.

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Well, that was a cute ending scene if you don’t look at it too closely, which summarizes the bulk of this show. A drama that leaned into its flawed, confused, messy characters is a rarity, but it felt like “Wedding Impossible” couldn’t fully commit towards the end and veered hard into noble idiocy territory. Still, the drama made some important strides. While the way Do Han’s character was treated narratively was infuriating, the representation matters. The show still treated him as a human being with a whole life of his own that he got to live without compromise. As more representation enters dramaland, I hope LGBTQ people are given character arcs written with the nuance and care that they deserve. This show’s central conflict arose because a gay, closeted man couldn’t live freely and a struggling woman, belittled over the course of her career, just wanted to feel like the main character for once. For both people, it took no small amount of courage to rise above it all, look their fears in the face, and blow past them anyway. Perhaps that, more than any chaebol inheritance, is what defines a main character. And when you’re living with that philosophy, then nothing is impossible.

And the OST sure was a banger!

 

cr: Soompi