Second Shot at Love- Episodes 7-8

Truth Bombs, Love Confessions, and Pitchfork Justice

Episode 7 of Second Shot at Love delivers everything we’ve been waiting for—emotional closure, redemption arcs, small-town chaos, and finally, a real kiss.

We open with a wedding revelation bomb. Gwang-ok’s friend accidentally stumbles into Ju-yeop’s shotgun wedding and immediately calls Gwang-ok, which explains her drunken spiral. The family is upset, Gwang-ok is regretful, and Geum-ju is awkwardly stuck in the center of it all. But instead of bottling it up, she finally lets herself cry—in Ui-joon’s arms. She admits she never told anyone because she didn’t want pity. Now, she’s just relieved someone knows.

Meanwhile, in a slightly more comedic subplot, Seon-hwa tries to play matchmaker for Seon-wook, misreading his attempt to reconnect with Hyeon-ju as some taekwondo recruitment effort. Girl, read the room.

The mystery man angle heats up, too. CCTV confirms that the man who broke into Ui-joon’s house is his estranged father. Oh, and the truck that nearly hit them? Stolen. Things are getting darker.

But there’s good news too—Geum-ju’s company wants her back. Gwang-ok is proud and teary-eyed, making up for all the past doubt. Even Ui-joon, who’s clearly struggling with his own feelings, steps back as she prepares to leave, though Seon-wook clocks his gloomy vibes during a sparring session. Bros understand bro-heartbreak.

In true village fashion, gossip explodes after Gwang-ok finally reveals the truth about Ju-yeop. Instead of shaming Geum-ju, it sparks a wave of support. Even Seon-wook visits a fortune teller to bless her journey. Adorable.

As Geum-ju packs to leave, her family returns the money she’d given them. They’re finally stepping up. They hold a farewell party, and in a heartwarming twist, Gwang-ok offers Geum-ju a celebratory drink. Geum-ju declines. Proud moment? You bet. Cue cheering.

Then it escalates: the townsfolk show up with pitchforks, ready to attack Ju-yeop. Geum-ju laughs, realizing that for once, she’s not alone. She has a village—literally and emotionally.

A flashback reveals that Ui-joon is actually the new tenant in Geum-ju’s old apartment. She finds out, confronts him, and finally says the words: she did like him. That’s why she was so hurt by what she thought was pity. It’s raw, honest, and awkwardly cute.

Back at work, Chief Kim is suddenly acting like a semi-decent human. He even defends Geum-ju when the team suggests a welcome-back drinking party. But when everyone leaves her alone, the creepy smirk returns. A friendly co-worker warns her: Kim holds grudges.

Ui-joon clearly wants to check on her but holds back. Nurse Baek encourages him to follow his heart, but he’s haunted by a flashback—his father once caused a violent scene at his hospital that left a nurse injured. That’s why he’s scared. That’s why he pulled away.

In town, Seon-hwa misreads things again and assumes Seon-wook is in love with Geum-ju. Meanwhile, Hyeon-ju tells Seon-wook they can’t be more than acquaintances. He drops a bomb—he didn’t believe in love because of his family, but she changed that. Watching him with her kids, she starts to see him differently.

Back to the main drama: Ui-joon returns home to find his love note to Geum-ju crumpled. Flashback—his dad found it and used it to threaten Geum-ju’s safety. That’s when Ui-joon realizes: she’s still in danger.

And he’s right. Geum-ju is headed home when a truck slams into her car. But Ui-joon shows up just in time and takes the driver down.

At the police station, they learn the attacker was a former patient—an abusive alcoholic who blames Ui-joon for losing everything. Once the situation settles, Ui-joon panics again when he thinks Geum-ju’s gone. But no—she’s walking to the station to check on him.

She tells him to stop pitying her. That she can’t tell if his concern is real or not. And then, he says it:

"I love you."

They kiss.

Epilogue: Geum-ju visits a fortune teller and asks about Ui-joon. The fortune teller says, “You kissed 10 years ago.” Geum-ju scoffs, “Okay, you’re a fraud.”

Secret Dates, Gossip Wars, and the Return of the Drinking Queen

Episode 8 of Second Shot at Love is rom-com heaven with a shot of thriller—and I’m sipping every second of it.

We kick off with official couple mode activated. Geum-ju and Ui-joon are finally dating, and it's giving cute, flirty, and painfully awkward energy. He shows up at her place for a midnight stroll, and she goes into full closet panic mode. Their chemistry? Off the charts. Their composure? Completely gone.

Nurse Baek, ever the watchdog, catches on thanks to Ui-joon’s spontaneous happy dance. Surprisingly, she agrees to keep their relationship hush-hush—because small-town gossip travels faster than Wi-Fi.

Meanwhile at work, Geum-ju’s glow-up is making waves. Director Park wants to promote her, but Chief Kim—petty as ever—tries to block it by weaponizing her recovery status. When that fails, he buries her under a mountain of work. But Geum-ju’s on cloud nine and couldn’t care less. Her BFF Mi-yeon warns her anyway: don’t underestimate the man-child.

Ui-joon, in full boyfriend mode, enlists his Seoul mentor to look after Geum-ju’s health. Said mentor urges him to stop blaming himself for the past. Flashback alert: during the infamous hospital incident, Mr. Seo was about to stab someone. So yeah, there’s trauma.

Back in Bochun, Ui-joon surprises Geum-ju by picking her up after work. She’s touched. He cooks, she primps in the bathroom, and everything screams “first sleepover energy.” Geum-ju even decides to stay in town for him. He’s thrilled.

Elsewhere, Seon-wook asks Hyeon-ju for three dates to win her over. She accidentally says yes, and he spirals—in the best way. Skin-care routines, romantic tutorials, the whole nine yards. Seon-hwa finds a Polaroid of him with Geum-ju and Hyeon-ju and teases him for being whipped.

The next morning, Geum-ju wakes up… fully clothed. Ui-joon says he wanted her to rest. She melts. They kiss. Cue: the sound of shattering ceramic. Ms. Nosy strikes again.

Geum-ju intercepts her before she spreads rumors, only to find out the dish-dropping incident was due to her dog humping Ms. Nosy’s dog. Just your average village drama.

Plot twist: it wasn’t even Ms. Nosy who saw them kissing—it was Seon-hwa, who instantly assumes Geum-ju is two-timing Ui-joon and Seon-wook. Geum-ju, officially done with everyone’s drama, spills: she’s dating Ui-joon. Of course, the whole town hears.

Anytime someone makes a comment, Ui-joon magically appears to defend her. White knight mode: engaged.

Meanwhile, Seon-hwa privately admits she was warming up to the idea of Hyeon-ju dating her brother, but her past makes her hyperprotective. She wants Seon-wook to have a perfect life—cue guilt and awkward feelings.

The Hans are thrilled about Geum-ju’s relationship. Even Jeong-su wonders when Hyeon-ju will find “the one.” She shuts it down but not without emotional impact.

Geum-ju is shocked when Nurse Baek fully accepts her. Flash to a cute date montage and—finally—they sleep together.

Over in subplot paradise, Hyeon-ju goes on her first date with Seon-wook intending to end it quickly. But every time she tries, he does something kind or hot, and she ends up blushing. Love is brewing.

Ui-joon, still clueless about Seon-wook’s crush, tries to get info from Young-woong. Jeong-su hilariously crashes the convo and tells Ui-joon to behave himself.

But happiness has a short shelf life in K-dramaland. Geum-ju gets promoted, but Chief Kim pulls a final dirty move. He claims responsibility for harassing her and reports her for assault. The first push was self-defense, but the second? Not so much. He offers a twisted deal: beat him in a drinking competition, and he’ll drop the complaint.

Geum-ju agrees, wins (of course), and stumbles to her favorite riverbank to sober up. Ui-joon finds her, and she opens up about why she drinks. He looks crushed. She imagines him walking into the ocean, telling her he doesn’t want to lose her.

Then she wakes up. Alone. On the beach. Was it a dream? A memory? A metaphor? K-dramas, man.

Epilogue: Nurse Baek heads to the secret basement of a facility. And who’s locked up down there? Mr. Seo. She confesses she would have killed him herself—if he weren’t in a vegetative state.

DramaZen's Opinion

Episodes 7 and 8 were everything—messy, heartfelt, hilarious, and finally, so satisfying.

Episode 7 gave us the emotional release we’ve been waiting for. Geum-ju breaking down in Ui-joon’s arms? Gut-wrenching. And then the pitchfork-wielding villagers showing up to defend her? Iconic. Watching her realize she doesn’t have to go through everything alone was such a powerful moment. And yes, I cheered when she finally admitted she liked Ui-joon.

Then Episode 8 delivered the fluff and the fire. Geum-ju and Ui-joon dating is awkward perfection—from the midnight walks to the not-so-steamy sleepover. The gossip explosion, Seon-wook’s adorable date prep, and that chaotic dog scandal? Peak small-town rom-com. And yet, underneath all that charm, the tension is building—Chief Kim’s manipulation, Ui-joon’s past trauma, and the growing threat of Mr. Seo.

Also, shoutout to Geum-ju for reclaiming her power one drinking competition at a time. That beach scene? Haunting. I don’t even care if it was a dream—it wrecked me.

This show balances real recovery, soft romance, and high-stakes drama better than any I’ve seen in a while. Episodes 7 and 8 just proved it’s only getting better.