See You in My 19th Life (2023) K Drama Episode 4

See You in My 19th Life episode 4 starts with a flashback to Ji-geum’s third life as Hae-wol. This time when the memories of his second life came flooding back, he raced to embrace his mom. He soon realized that was a mistake as she failed to recognize or believe him. Since then Ji-geum has always wondered if she should tell anyone about her reincarnation.

There was a moment when she lived as Ju-won that saw her contemplate telling her mom. At the time, her mom was worried that she was acting strange and wanted to know if something was wrong. Ju-won was scared that telling the truth would lead to her being shunned. However, even though she didn’t say anything, her mom embraced her. Ju-won was touched by her love and promised to return in her next life.

As she remembers all this and cries outside Cho-won’s house, Seo-ha approaches. For a moment, he mistakes her for Ju-won. Ji-geum composes herself and confesses to him again. As they talk, Yu-Seon (Cho-won’s mom) comes back outside so Seo-ha grabs Ji-geum’s hands and they start running away.

They soon stop after getting away and Ji-geum is pleased that Seo-ha is holding her hand. He asks her why she’s crying and she explains that she dropped Cho-won off after drinking and saw Yu-Seon, who reminded her of her mom. She tells him about her current mom who left her when she was young and they talk about how sometimes sustaining a familial relationship is hard.

Ji-geum asks if he wants to visit Cho-won and advises him not to try so hard. She is sure that Cho-won is willing to give him time. They end up at a convenience store eating ramen as Ji-geum brags about how much she can drink. Seo-ha questions why she is interested in whether he smiles or not and she slips and says, “That’s why I was reborn this time.”

Seo-ha is struck by those worlds as they remind him of Ju-won. Seo-ha gets curious and Ji-geum teases him saying that he is slowly turning into her fan. Of course, Seo-ha denies it so Ji-geum gets close to listen if his heart is beating fast and Seo-ha gets flustered. They finish their noodles and Ji-geum calls a taxi for Seo-ha, seeing him off. During the ride, Seo-ha keeps thinking of Ji-geum so much that he starts to wonder if he has been brainwashed.

On her way back, Ji-geum comes across a mysterious man. This guy also takes note of Ji-geum, however none of them approach or acknowledge each other.

Instead of going home, Seo-ha visits Do-yun and we get to meet Do-jin (Do-Yun’s cute little brother). Do-jin is training to join the national athlete team as he is a fan of Seo-ha. Seo-ha notices that he missed the memorial service for Do-yun’s dad but the latter tells him that he is not family so it doesn’t matter. Seo-ha decides to sleep over so excuses himself to go shower.

Ji-geum makes it home safely and is welcomed by Ae-Gyeong. Ji-geum is having a tough time so they have drinks as she tells Ae-Gyeong her plans to make Seo-ha forget Ju-won. She thinks Seo-ha needs to move on and she can bring him happiness as Ji-geum. Ae-Gyeong is concerned that Seo-ha will find out the truth later and that will bring trouble for Ji-geum.

Speaking of Seo-ha, he confesses to Do-yun that he is scared that he might stray with Ji-geum. Do-yun asks him to explain what he means but Seo-ha only says he is afraid of turning into a fan. Do-yun admits that he finds Ji-geun strange but he is grateful to her because she makes Seo-ha less depressed.  Even as the night hours tick by, Seo-ha still can’t stop thinking about Ji-geum’s statement of being reborn for his happiness.

Elsewhere, the strange man, Min-ki who came across Ji-geum opens a box and takes out what looks like a shaman rattles.

The next morning, Seo-ha and Do-yun visit Cho-won’s garden Cho-won is surprised and happy, she invites them to take a look around and Ji-geum also arrives. As Do-yun and Seo-ha walk around the garden, Cho-won apologizes to Ji-geum for drinking too much the previous night. Ji-geum plays it cool and says she can’t remember much either.

Cho-won remembers Ji-geum running her hands through her hair as Ju-won did. She asks if they have never met before and Ji-geum is tempted to tell the truth but holds back. She stands up to leave and accidentally hits the tray with the cups.

The noise from the glasses breaking startles Seo-ha and Do-yun who come running to check what is wrong. Seo-ha immediately gets into protective mode and helps Ji-geum clean up the mess. Ji-geum and Cho-won start teasing him. He is saved when Ji-geum receives a call and he excuses himself to give Do-yun and Cho-won some privacy.

Cho-won prepares tea for Do-yun and straight up asks him on a blind date. Sadly, Do-yun turns her down and Cho-won wonders why. At the same time, Seo-ha is trying to dodge the cupid arrows. Ji-geum tells him that moving forward she will only ask him out three times. If he turns her down on these three occasions she will give him up.

On the way back to the hotel, Ji-geum gets a call from her brother, Dong-U. He wants money but Ji-geum quickly hangs up on him.

Seo-ha also has a bad interaction at the hotel after he spots Chan Hyeok walking leisurely. He had banned Chan Hyeok from entering the hotel but it seems Ms Jang is testing his patience. He has security escort Chan Hyeok out and confronts Ms Jang. He warns Ms Jang that he knows things but the latter doesn’t seem scared. She takes it as a challenge and asks what he thinks he knows. I wouldn’t put it past her to have messed with the car and caused the accident that killed Ju-won!

After his confrontation with Ms Jang, Seo-ha asks Do-yun to get him the hotel’s budget for the past three years. He wants to start gathering evidence against Ms Jang. Do-yun sneaks into the accounting offices and grabs a few files. He takes them to Seo-ha but asks to clock out because he has a meeting with Mun Jeong-Hun.

The scene cuts to Min-ki being in a club, where he seems interested in the lead dancer, Han-na. Later, Han-na says that she is interested in a few people.

After a long day at the office, Seo-ha heads home. He still can’t stop thinking about Ji-geum, and while he is in a taxi, he sees her being chased by Dong-U in the streets. Dong-U wants to get money from Ji-geum and won’t stop bothering her. He grabs her hair aggressively and they start bickering back and forth. Seo-ha steps in and Dong-U accidentally hits him. This makes Ji-geum angry and she starts beating Dong-U for real so he runs away.

Ji-geum is embarrassed by her brother so she apologizes because she is afraid Seo-ha will think she approached him for money. Seo-ha doesn’t think so and invites her for drinks. They drink as they talk about strained family relationships and Ji-geum continues to flirt with Seo-ha. Ji-geum brags about her knowledge of Soju and its origin and they continue to down bottle after bottle.

In the end, Seo-ha gets drunk and they go for a walk. During this walk, a drunk Seo-ha wonders why Ji-geum reminds him of Ju-won when they have no resemblance. He keeps pulling her face close and she warns him that she might kiss him. He asks what is stopping her and she replies that he’s too drunk. Seo-ha opens up about the accident and why he is not a fan of physical touches, eventually falling asleep on her shoulder and she comforts him.

Later, Ji-geum tries to contact Do-yun to come get Seo-ha but he is unavailable. She opts to carry him with a cart, she got the skill from her 16th life. Seo-ha keeps falling off the cart so she calls Cho-won to help him. Cho-won is surprised when Ji-geum insists that Seo-ha must sit in the front seat. She realizes that the accident really messed him up.

Concurrently, the meeting with Mun Jeong-Hun goes as usual. Do-yun tells him that Seo-ha and Ms Jang are already butting heads but it is nothing serious. Mun Jeong-Hun tries to buy his loyalty with money, but Do-yun turns him down. Since he is pissed at Mun Jeong-Hun, Do-yun asks him a sensitive question about why he wanted Seo-ha back in South Korea. This question makes Mun Jeong-Hun lose his cool and Do-yun leaves.

Meanwhile, Cho-won and Ji-geum take Seo-ha home. They realize they don’t know his passcode so they call Do-yun who gives them the code. They get Seo-ha into bed but he starts having a nightmare about the accident. This leads him to confuse Ji-geum for Ju-won. He grabs her hand and starts crying asking her not to leave. As the episode ends, Ji-geums narrates that the hardest part about reincarnation is always letting go of the people she loved in that life.

The Episode Review

We are learning more about Ji-geum’s past lives but I wish the writers would stop making it seem like she invented everything under the sun. However, it is curious how her past loves have played out and how Min-ki and Han-na factor into her story.

It’ll be interesting to know why Do-yun turned down Cho-won because it is evident he likes her. What is his story and why is Mun Jeong-Hun trying so hard to use him against Seo-ha? I am also not sure if Mun Jeong-Hun is the villain we thought he was. I feel like he is hiding something.

Lastly, Ms Jang is suspicious and she seems like she has been up to no good for a long time. It’s certainly suspicious how Seo-ha’s mom died and what happened with that accident. Something is definitely suspect every time Ms Jang pops up! Hopefully we find out next week when this enticing drama returns.