3 Emotional Scenes In Episodes 5-6 Of "Serendipity's Embrace" That Left Us Teary-Eyed

With just two episodes left, “Serendipity’s Embrace” is finally approaching its conclusion. While the last episode was filled with the heart-fluttering romance between Lee Hong Joo (Kim So Hyun) and Kang Hoo Young (Chae Jong Hyeop), the audience also got a deeper look into the main couple as well as Bang Joon Ho’s (Yun Ji On) struggles. Here are three emotional scenes from episodes five and six of “Serendipity’s Embrace” that left us teary-eyed.

Warning: Spoilers for episodes 5-6 ahead!

Loss of Hong Joo’s teenage love

Hoo Young’s inability to confess his love for 10 years is something that most viewers found slightly frustrating. But in episodes five and six, we finally learn what actually prevented teenage Hoo Young from confessing his true feelings to Hong Joo. Spoiler alert: it was his mother.

Years ago, after the main leads spent time together in a ditch, they grew closer. The teenage Hoo Young, deeply in love, even buys all of Hong Joo’s favorite animated movies to gift her. But just as he is about to give them to her — and probably confess his crush — he receives a call from his mother, who informs him that they are moving to the States. When Hoo Young tries to reason with her, she bluntly tells him that she never reconsiders her decisions and ends the conversation.

What could have been a decade-long love is abruptly cut short simply because Hoo Young’s mother decided to move to another country for work. Moving for work is not unusual or evil. However, not allowing your almost-adult child the right to choose whether they even want to accompany you is entitled and toxic behavior — something some parents often consider their right. This flashback once again highlights the unhealthy nature of Hoo Young’s relationship with his mother.

The unchangeable love that changed

Hong Joo once told Joon Ho that the color of her love for him was black — something that couldn’t be changed by adding other colors. In last week’s episode, a drunken Joon Ho demands an answer from Hong Joo as to why her love had changed. How could something alter even the darkest shade? Unfortunately, it seems he forgot that the white color of loneliness, distance, and uncertainty has enough power to lighten even the darkest hues.

Every character in “Serendipity’s Embrace” is so human that analyzing them feels almost immoral, like judging a real-life person. Just like last week, Joon Ho leaves viewers in a dilemma. He is certainly not the best human being or boyfriend, but seeing the situation from his perspective makes it easier to understand his mistakes and empathize with him.

It might seem manipulative for Joon Ho to drunkenly text Hong Joo in the middle of the night, demanding to know why her love for him changed. But it is equally heartbreaking to see him crying while reading Hong Joo’s decade-old letters. He clearly cherished them enough to have kept them for so long.

He made a grave mistake, and since we know Hong Joo is destined to end up with Hoo Young, the general consensus is that Joon Ho doesn’t deserve a second chance. But maybe, in another universe, they might rekindle their lost love.

True extent of Hong Joo’s abandonment issues

“Serendipity’s Embrace” is a romance-focused drama with a straightforward plot. However, one of the biggest mysteries since the premiere week has been why Hong Joo pretended not to know Hoo Young. The most popular fan theory was that she might have once loved Hoo Young, and the pain of that unrequited love caused her to act this way. While this theory isn’t entirely accurate, the truth isn’t far off.

In previous episodes, it was hinted that Hong Joo had been abandoned by her parents as a child and was living with her aunt and uncle. But in episodes five and six, we see the full extent of her abandonment issues.

A dream/flashback sequence reveals how Hong Joo’s mother left her in the middle of the night when she was barely 10. She ran after her mother, calling her name, but her mother never turned back. The scene shifts, and now she is being abandoned by her aunt. She does the same thing — she runs after her — but just like her mother, her cries are ignored. Lastly, she sees Joon Ho in her dream, walking towards his departure gate at the airport, and just like everyone else, he doesn’t stop for her either. This entire dream sequence clearly illustrates her abandonment issues.

So, it’s possible that when Hoo Young left for the States without telling her, she felt abandoned once again. This feeling of abandonment by yet another person she considered close to her bubbled up inside for over a decade. When she finally sees him again, she acts like a stranger, trying to preserve her pride and protect herself from further heartbreak.

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Hello Soompiers! Did you watch episodes five and six of “Serendipity’s Embrace”? What are your predictions for the finale? Let us know in the comments section below!

Javeria is a binge-watching specialist who loves devouring entire K-dramas in one sitting. Good screenwriting, beautiful cinematography, and a lack of cliches are the way to her heart. As a music fanatic, she listens to multiple artists across different genres but believes no one can top the self-producing idol group SEVENTEEN. You can talk to her on Instagram @javeriayousufs.

Currently watching: “I Hear the Sunspot,” “Serendipity’s Embrace,” and “Bad Memory Eraser.”
Looking forward to: “Squid Game Season 2,” “Love Next Door,” and “Good Boy.”