We start out with scenes from modern life in Korea, and the clips converge on a central theme of birth and death. Old life passing, making room for the new.
Playing a guitar on the ledge of a high-rise (because, sure, why not?) is our pretty-boy Grim Reaper (Jung Il-woo), looking over his domain with a detached eye.
Down below, a traffic jam strands three young ladies in a cab, with an engagement ceremony fast approaching. The stressed-out bride - er, fiancée-to-be - is about to lose it; SHIN JI-HYUN (Nam Gyuri) has many nicknames, one of which is "crybaby," and she's about to prove its aptness here.
Averting disaster is her stalwart best friend, SHIN IN-JUNG (no relation) (Seo Ji-hye), who urges Ji-hyun and their third friend PARK SEO-WOO (Bae Geu-rin) to make it on foot. When Ji-hyun's heel breaks, it's In-jung who gives up her flats and runs on in her stocking feet.
Elsewhere, an architect works at his desk, only looking up when he is reminded that the engagement ceremony is approaching. This is HAN KANG (Jo Hyun-jae), who dresses in his suit and heads toward the venue.
A classic misdirect makes us think (if we haven't read the plot synopsis by now) that he's the late groom-to-be, and he tugs nervously at his tie like a bachelor with cold feet. But no, it's a fake-out: He bursts into the ceremony as it's just winding down.
The happy couple isn't greatly disturbed so there's no big drama here - at least, until we pan back to Kang's uncomfortable face and realize that no, he's not the fiancé. He's the guy who wishes he were.
It's one of those subtle things we don't realize right away, but comes through the more we see Kang in the couple's presence. In fact, the dynamic niggles at my memory... Where have I seen this before? (Aside from every other drama ever.)
Ji-hyun greets Kang with friendliness, but he coldly ignores her and focuses on talking to his hyung, fiancé KANG MIN-HO (Bae Soo-bin). We get the sense Ji-hyun is used to being snubbed but keeps trying because she wants to win Kang over, but he's not having it. (AH! It'sLove, Actually.)
Case in point: Min-ho asks Kang to hold Ji-hyun's hand because she keeps tripping over her dress, and he stutters an excuse to avoid it. She's miffed at his rejection, but Kang is working in self-preservation mode here, and just trying to get along without being found out.
The only person to pick up on something in Kang's behavior is Ji-hyun's dad, who looks at him quizzically. Min-ho explains that they met while he was studying for his MBA in the States. Kang is a high school classmate of Ji-hyun's, and "practically a genius" as an architect.
Now on the other end of the income bracket, we have poor SONG YI-KYUNG (Lee Yo-won), who hunches in her tiny apartment eating a bowl of instant ramyun for dinner, looking like all the life has been drained out of her eyes. She trudges lifelessly to her soul-sucking job at a small convenience store, where she works in a dull daze. Even when a customer tries to engage her with a friendly smile, she looks right through him and dismisses him.
Ji-hyun's father is called away from the engagement ceremony with an upsetting call, and he stumbles home drunk that night. Guess the news must've been bad, because he urges the kids to marry right away - like, this month. They protest, but he reverse-psychologies them, asking, So of a sudden you don't want to marry, is that it?
Clearly there's some reason prompting them to hurry - I'm guessing it's financial, related to Dad's investment business - but he doesn't divulge it.
The hasty wedding isn't what Min-ho or Ji-hyun had planned, but they dutifully go along with it, and Min-ho makes his official proposal to seal the deal. Then, they call their wedding party for dinner that night (where, we may note, Kang acts distant toward Ji-hyun but happens to know all of her food preferences).
