I was one, but I didn’t know—and when I did, I immediately dropped everything (A K-drama Deep-Dive Review)
There are some topics that are hard to talk about—not because they’re rare, but because they’re real. One of them? Being “the other woman.”
This drama—Doctor Cha—brings that conversation right to the surface, and while I usually avoid these kinds of stories, I couldn’t look away.
I want to approach this article with caution because some of us may have been “the other woman” at some point. I nearly became one myself.
Thankfully, no one in that equation was married at the time. But when I found out, I left—immediately, completely. I burned every bridge, but not without pain.
The misery was deep, the betrayal scarring.
Which is why when I watch Seunghi, the “other woman” in Doctor Cha, I just want to go shake some sense into her. Please, ditch this man already. That was something she should have done from the start—on the very day he cheated on her. (For more context on the drama, check out my intro piece.)
Yes, she finally came to her senses in the end. She made peace with the situation, and most importantly, with herself. But why did she live like that for years? Even her daughter, Eunseo, asked her the same question.
For Seunghi, Inho wasn’t just a man she loved—he “belonged” to her. When he cheated on her, got Jeongsuk pregnant, and then married Jeongsuk, Seunghi couldn’t comprehend it. So, she had to have her own child with him, believing that it was only fair—her “right”—to have him.
Yet, the irony is clear: she hides their relationship. She works in the same hospital as Inho, but they keep things a secret. She goes on vacations with him but posts only her solo pictures on Instagram. Deep down, she knows what she’s doing is wrong.
So why keep going?
Inho was never going to leave his wife for her. If he had intended to, he would have done it years ago. She wasted decades waiting for something that was never going to happen. For her own sake, she should have let go, built her own life, and raised her daughter without him.
Was it love? Or was it pride? And even if it was love, is it right to love a man who belongs to someone else? At some point, Seunghi needed to sit down, face reality, and make a choice—to stop.
On top of that, Seunghi is a doctor—an intelligent woman. And yes, it’s just a drama, but fiction often mirrors life. Would anyone really live like this for over 20 years? I certainly hope not.
But perhaps that’s the thing about the human mind and the human heart. It’s complicated. It’s stubborn. No one can ever fully understand or control its thoughts, its desires, its delusions. It’s ultimately selfish and self-centred—it acts for the benefit of self, not others.
If watching Seunghi was frustrating, watching Jeongsuk was heart-breaking. She realised her husband had been cheating on her for years, and now she has to endure that infidelity and figure out what to do next.
And yet, unlike Seunghi, Jeongsuk made a decision. She moved out. She didn’t let the situation destroy her dignity. It was painful—gutting, even—but she worked through that pain. And though she didn’t have to, she chose to walk away with quiet strength.
And the husband? He’s not even worth discussing. He is, without a doubt, one of the most disgraceful characters in K-drama history. Okay, maybe not the worst, but still. The only thing I wish is that someone could shake some sense into him, too.
In the end, he came to realise the weight of what he had done. But by then, he got the three words no one wants to hear—it’s too late.
On second watch, I do wish Jeongsuk would forgive him. After all, he was truly repentant in the end. But that’s another story—one the drama subtly teases in its conclusion.
Having unknowingly dated a man who was already in a relationship, and seeing Inho, Jeongsuk, and Seunghi—the pain, the chaos, the agony—I can say this: it’s not worth it. Sometimes, the most important thing we can do is recognise when to walk away.
If there’s one word we all need to remember, it’s this: Stop.
Stop before you waste years on someone who will never choose you.
Stop before you justify the unjustifiable.
Stop before you break someone else’s heart—or worse, your own.
📢 Join the discussion on Twitter
🗣 Have thoughts to share? Let’s talk on Reddit! Click here to comment.