The Eggs
Hi Bye, Mama has so far managed to convey some important messages about life, death and how important the little things are in life. In this episode, we see how some people and their small gestures can light up someone’s day, which is quite the nice touch. Episode 9 of Hi Bye Mama starts in 2013 as Yu-Ri waits for Gang-Hwa at the bus stop. She surprises him and hugs him to light up his day knowing that his job can sometimes be difficult. We then see a montage of Gang-Hwa depressed after his wife died, with Hyeon-Jong bringing him food that he never ate while Yu-Ri looks at him helplessly. One night, Min-Jeong came to sit with him in a restaurant. He was surprised when he saw her eating a lot of food and smiled for the first time in a long time. In the present, Yu-Ri’s father contemplates deleting the pictures of himself and Seo-Woo after his wife got upset, while her sister cries as she goes inside her room. We the cut back to where we left off as Yu-Ri collapses on the floor crying next to Hyeon-Jeong. Her mother falls on the floor from her bike then starts walking in shock towards her. We then cut to Gang-Hwa as he receives a call to go to hospital. He rushes over to her bedside as we learn that she fainted. When she regains consciousness, he hugs her daughter in disbelief. Moo-Poong and Yeon-Ji arrive too who, of course, share her shock and surprise. Returning home with her husband, Hyeon-Jeong is inconsolable. She tells her husband that Yu-Ri doesn’t want her life back, as she remembers her words regarding Gang-Hwa loving Min-Jeong. At the same time, we see Yu-Ri’s family enjoying her return. Yu-Ri later goes in her room and sees that her family have kept all her things. We also learn that Eun-Sook has a heart condition and Gang-Hwa used to treat her until Yu-Ri died, which is when she asked to have another doctor as she wanted him to carry on with his life. Meanwhile, the ghosts find out on the news that Kang-Bin was being investigated for a match fixing scandal before his death. We also see an interview from Geun-Sang where he explained that he wasn’t suffering from any mental illnesses. Min-Jeong drops Seo-Woo off at school and is greeted by Yu-Ri, who offers her some canned coffee. Leaving the nursery, Min-Jeong overhears the mothers talking about Yu-Ri always playing with Seo-Woo, and the resemblance between them. In the charnel house, Pan-Seok talks about Mr Baek with Mi-Ja. He explains that he will always be grateful as he paid for his daughter to have surgery after a third degree burn. She understands that he should take him with him when he goes up. At the same time, Min-Jeong brings one of her coffees to Hyeon-Jeong and explains that she is now looking for a job. Today is Yu-Ri’s first day as a pick-up helper and she is determined to take the girl home and get rid of the lingering ghost. Unfortunately, she gets texts from Min-Jeong asking her to take her to different classes. Walking home, they come face to face with Min-Jeong whom Seo-Woo gives a painted egg to and calls her mum, which pains Yu-Ri a little. Min-Jeong thanks her for the day and says goodbye. After seeing how disappointed this made Seo-Woo, she invites Yu-Ri back home. Back in the charnel house, Baek and Pan have a heart to heart while Gang-Hwa returns home, surprised to see Yu-Ri there. He acts a little awkwardly though and quickly retires in his office to avoid her. Yu-Ri tries to find the ghost but he is nowhere to be seen. Min-Jeong and Seo-Woo then walk her out and say goodbye, thanking her for cherishing her. After posting a picture of himself on social media, Geun-Sang gets recognised and blamed for the death of Kang-Bin. As he returns home, he is greeted by angry fans who throw eggs at him, calling him a murderer while Yu-Ri decides to go back up to get the painted egg Seo-Woo gave her. Unbeknownst to them, Gang-Hwa has been eating them and as they reach the house, they are shocked to see him, causing Yu-Ri to shout at her ex-husband. In the epilogue we flashback a little to see Seo-Woo walking and holding hands with her two mothers as she lights up their day. The first half of the episode sees Yu-Ri reuniting with her grateful family, which was really touching, while the second part concentrated more on Yu-Ri doing her best to take care of Seo-Woo’s ghost problem. Unfortunately, it proves harder than she planned it to be as she has to deal with Min-Jeong and Gang-Hwa, who are still not sure how to act around her. The relationship Yu-Ri is forming with Min-Jeong is really interesting to see though and I can’t help but admire (and also feel a little sorry) for Yu-Ri as she has to watch her daughter call another woman “Mum”. After all the emotional reunions, we can expect some very sad goodbyes in this drama in the coming weeks when Yu-Ri runs out of time. Just what will happen exactly remains to be see but for now, Hi Bye, Mama continues to deliver strong drama through its episodes.
