DNA Lover- Episode 2
The Man’s Pheromones
Episode 2 of DNA Lover kicks off with tension brewing as Yeon-u arrives at So-jin’s lab, playing it cool while waiting to see how she reacts. So-jin, on the other hand, tries to keep calm, pretending she has no idea why his sideburns are a mess. But when the anti-balding serum comes up during their conversation, So-jin lets her guard down and starts boasting about how effective it is. Yeon-u quickly catches on, realizing she’s hiding something and quietly plans his revenge.
As they discuss a difficult case involving one of Yeon-u’s pregnant patients, Yoo-young, So-jin’s compassionate nature shines through. She’s determined to find a way for the mother and child to meet, even if only for a brief moment. Yeon-u, however, remains cold and logical, believing there’s little hope. Yet, So-jin’s heartfelt perspective seems to strike a chord with him.
After the tense meeting, Yeon-u cryptically messages So-jin, thanking her for making him part of her “experiment,” and the realization hits—he knows everything. Panicked yet convincing herself Yeon-u deserves it, So-jin tries to move on, but things take a whimsical turn when she attempts to train a dog to sniff out her dream man. Instead, the dog leads her to her childhood friend, Gang-hun, who teases her for her romantic experiments. Their playful banter continues as he gives her a safety bell, worried about her drunk antics at his family restaurant. So-jin, for a moment, wonders if Gang-hun could be her ideal man, but doubts soon creep in.
Meanwhile, the drama deepens as Yeon-u's patient, Yoo-young, wrestles with a life-altering decision about her pregnancy. She’s the same woman Gang-hun once saved, and now her fate hangs in the balance. As Yeon-u grapples with his own emotional walls, we learn about his complicated family past—his mother still trapped in grief over a failed marriage, which shaped his cynical view on love.
So-Jin ends up meeting Yeon-u at his office to check his hair growth and take samples to figure out a reversal serum for the excess hair growth. This leads to a pretty comical interaction between the two and even some sparks start to fly. So-Jin apologizes, collects the samples, and then hurries off to her lab to try and work out a solution to meet the deadline Yeon-U has given her.
While So-Jin is hard at work, we get a glimpse into Yeon-U's background and childhood. It seems his father left his mother when he was small and his mother still remains in denial many years later that he will return. As he stands and talks to his mother, she tells him dinner is ready and that she can't leave incase his father comes home, leaving Yeon-U staring at a full-spread of food lavishly placed on the table.
The stakes rise when So-jin uncovers a critical piece of Yoo-young’s genetic profile—she carries the “dying gene,” signaling suicidal tendencies. A race against time ensues as Yoo-young contemplates ending it all on the hospital rooftop. So-jin and Yeon-u rush to the scene, with firefighters setting up a rescue. In a heart-pounding moment, So-jin’s vulnerability shines through as she shares her own struggles with loss, begging Yoo-young to reconsider. Just as hope flickers, Yoo-young makes her choice to jump, but So-jin grabs hold, pulling her back from the brink.
In a twist of fate, both So-jin and Yeon-u tumble off the rooftop, crashing into the inflatable jump bag below, setting the stage for a chaotic, emotional showdown. Will So-jin’s passion and heart continue to break through Yeon-u’s cold exterior, or will the chaos they’ve been thrown into keep them apart?
This episode is packed with thrilling moments, emotional revelations, and a simmering chemistry between the leads that promises even more drama ahead!
DramaZen's Opinion
This episode took us on an emotional rollercoaster, shifting from moments of laughter to heart-wrenching tears in an instant. It masterfully captured the overwhelming weight of depression, showing how life can feel relentless when everything seems to go wrong.
Yoo-young’s story is especially devastating—her joy after learning about her pregnancy quickly turns to despair when she’s faced with an impossible choice: end the pregnancy to save her own life. Even after the delivery, the doctors are not hopeful, believing her child won't survive long. It’s a gut-wrenching dilemma, and you can feel why Yoo-young is pushed to the edge, overwhelmed by a future filled with loss.
At the same time, this episode dives deep into the emotional scars of both So-jin and Yeon-u. So-jin’s obsession with finding a "DNA lover" stems from her desperate desire to recreate the family she tragically lost, while Yeon-u’s fear of love runs even deeper. He's terrified of ending up like his mother—abandoned and heartbroken—so he’s built walls around his heart to protect himself. Yet in doing so, he’s unknowingly hurting those around him.
This episode isn’t just about love and loss; it’s about confronting the pain we carry and the choices we make to shield ourselves from it. It’s a powerful reminder of how human connection can heal—or wound—depending on how we face our fears.