Bad-Memory Eraser: Episodes 11-12
Our resident amnesiac is drawn back into the fragmented memories of his past, while those around him desperately try to maintain their fragile facade. But the cracks in their relationships have already deepened, and the impending fallout threatens to tear them all apart.
Fresh from the emotional high of their kiss, Gun invites Joo-yeon to spend the night at his grandma’s empty house. Under a blanket of stars, they share childhood stories in the front yard, the nostalgia palpable. In a quiet, stolen moment, they fall asleep together in the trunk of his car, wrapped in a sense of peace and contentment.
But the next morning brings tension. Media day at the athlete’s village arrives, and Shin’s anxiety about the cameras is spiraling. Joo-yeon finds him on the sidelines, and for the first time, Shin admits his imposter syndrome — a fear of being exposed as a hollow shell of his brother. Joo-yeon offers sincere empathy, urging him to face his insecurities head-on. With renewed courage, Shin hands her a marker, asking for a good-luck charm. She draws a playful smiley face on his palm, a simple but heartfelt gesture.
Meanwhile, Sae-yan is tangled in her own drama. Her mother arrives, insisting she abandon the search for her biological father, reminding her of the life her Italian stepfather provided. Overhearing, Gun jumps to Sae-yan’s defense, spinning a work visa story to save her—until panic strikes when he learns her father is linked to one of Italy's most notorious mafia syndicates.
As Gun accompanies Sae-yan on her search, a villager recognizes him and recounts a haunting memory: “Someone died because of that child.” These words trigger a migraine, and Gun’s buried trauma resurfaces. He remembers a girl pulling him from a creek after he nearly drowned, but she never reemerged. That girl, his first love, vanished without a trace. Shaken to his core, Gun rushes back to the training center and clutches Joo-yeon, pleading, “Don’t leave me. I thought you died because of me.” Her embrace is tender, reassuring — but Shin, witnessing the scene from a distance, is crushed. The smiley face on his palm suddenly feels like a mockery, and in frustration, he scrubs it off.
Sae-yan’s troubles escalate as Shi-on, in a petty move, spikes her drink with a laxative and traps her in a wetsuit. Mortified, she pleads for help from the first person to pass by — none other than Shin. He reluctantly helps her out of the wetsuit, and despite the embarrassment, the two share an awkward but strangely bonding moment.
Sae-yan’s mother, determined to stop her daughter’s search, turns to Joo-yeon for help, insisting it's for everyone's benefit, including Joo-yeon’s. Hints are dropped, secrets begin to unravel, and Joo-yeon pieces together the truth — Sae-yan is Gun’s real first love. Devastated, she stands Gun up and confronts Shin instead, only to be met with his bitterness: “Did you fall for Gun while pretending to be his first love?” Before she can respond, Shin impulsively pulls her into a forceful kiss just as Gun arrives. A heated confrontation ensues, ending with Gun being shoved into the pool — where his old trauma kicks in, leaving him frozen and helpless until Joo-yeon and Shin pull him out.
In the aftermath, Joo-yeon distances herself, avoiding both brothers and drowning herself in household chores. Meanwhile, Gun falls ill, and a well-meaning but hilariously inept Sae-yan takes it upon herself to nurse him back to health. Amid this chaos, Joo-yeon stumbles upon Gun’s old emotion diary — filled with entries about his first love, the one he longs to see again. Shin also finds the diary, and the tension between the brothers intensifies.
Later, when Joo-yeon returns home, she finds Shin casually playing cards with her mother, claiming he had no other way to reach her. He confesses that his kiss wasn’t just to sabotage Gun — it was because he genuinely likes her. But Joo-yeon coldly rebuffs him, unaware of his feelings and uninterested in reciprocating.
Things take a darker turn when Gun, recovering from his illness, challenges Shin to a tense game of tennis. Mid-match, Gun throws out a pointed question: “Where’s the neon bracelet you always wore? Did you lose it in the Han river?” The question strikes a nerve, and Shin freezes.
That night, in a fit of desperation, Shin burns Gun’s diary, only for it to be retrieved by a mysterious figure. The next day, Shin receives a threatening message: a photo of the burned diary and footage of the brothers’ confrontation at the bridge. A dangerous blackmail scheme unfolds, and in a tense chase, Shin narrowly avoids being hit by a car as he races after the anonymous sender — but the episode ends before he can catch up.
With buried secrets unraveling and relationships on the verge of collapse, the stakes are higher than ever, and the drama promises even more twists in the episodes to come.
DramaZen's Opinion
Every week, we find ourselves questioning whether to continue watching this drama, but Kim Jaejoong’s undeniable talent pulls us back in. If you’re not already a fan, you soon will be after seeing him not only nail the rom-com lead but also show off his impressive skills as a singer. Honestly, if it weren’t for the oddly toxic portrayal of Ju-yeon early on, this K-drama would be nearly perfect.
Setting aside the romance in the first eight episodes, Bad-Memory offers a refreshingly thoughtful exploration of mental health, manipulation, family drama, and self-love. Episode 11 is especially compelling, with Gun finally finding love, reconnecting with his true first love, and still maintaining his lovable, goofy charm—even as he regains some of his most traumatic memories. The only way to keep enjoying the show? Pretend the first half never happened.
But we still have questions. How does Sae-yan not remember saving a boy when she rescues Gun at the bridge? Shouldn't there be some spark of recognition, some déjà vu? And what exactly does her mother mean when she says Sae-yan’s real father should remain uncontacted for both Sae-yan and Ju-yeon’s sake? Could her father be involved in Ju-yeon’s own family tragedy?
Or is this somehow tied to Gun? We’re bracing ourselves for a convoluted plot twist revealing Ju-yeon was the true first love all along. Now that we've said it, it seems painfully likely.
Episode 12 steers back into frustrating territory as Ju-yeon avoids Gun once again, trying to push him toward Sae-yan instead. Her heartbroken musings don’t exactly inspire sympathy, and viewers will probably find themselves rooting for Gun and Sae-yan, who share far more chemistry. It’s strange for a show to give the lead charisma with everyone except the supposed love interest.
Shin doesn’t fare much better in this episode, diving headfirst into his “evil arc.” Sure, we get that he has a complicated relationship with his brother—he resents him but would still save him from drowning. But the childish antics, like kissing Ju-yeon just to mess with Gun and pretending he spent the whole day with her while Gun was sick? The writers really need to balance giving these characters depth while keeping them likable. Otherwise, it’s hard to root for anyone.