Thirty-Nine (서른 아홉) is a Korean drama TV series directed by Kim Sang-ho and stars Son Ye-jin, Jeon Mi-do and Kim Ji-hyun, alongside other cast members. The series has 12 episodes and Thirty Nine episode 6 is titled Conviction and has a runtime of 67 minutes.
Netflix describes the series as:
Leaning on each other through thick and thin, a trio of best friends stand together as they experience life, love and loss on the brink of turning 40.
– Thirty Nine episode 6 recap contains major spoilers –
Thirty Nine episode 6 starts with the series giving us a taste of Mi-jo’s strong personality and conviction for doing what is right. That’s because we are dropped straight to the clinic in the present – where Seon-u’s very rude father crudely asks So-won why she’s there. After inviting himself to their dinner plans, he asks So-won to join them as well after she tries to leave the situation.
Yes, it’s as uncomfortable as you can imagine. He continues to ramble and badgers So-won for being an orphan. It’s weird, he adopted her, but somehow thought that he can remove that part of her life? People are hopeless. Mi-jo tries to defend the poor girl and tells his father that orphans tend to feel this way, it can’t be helped. This somehow enrages him more. It gets worse, if you can believe it, when he asks Seon-u whether something is wrong with his son since he’s surrounded by orphans. I feel embarrassed for him and very annoyed.
Mi-jo catches up to So-won and they go out for drinks to forget this uncomfortable time. The three go out together and Mi-jo encourages her to go to the orphanage she frequently visits. Although So-won is hesitant, she looks like she might be interested in the idea. Meanwhile, Joo-hee talks to her mother to find out about Mi-jo’s birth mother, who looks very uncomfortable with the situation. We later see that she’s holding an envelope from prison and says that Mi-jo wouldn’t have grown up to be such a good person had her birth mother raised her.
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Mi-jo, on the other hand, goes to meet Chan-young and they meet outside the latter’s house on the playground. Mi-jo cries after a short conversation, lamenting the fact that she’s going to miss her friend. She then ends up wanting to stop drinking and Chan-young and Mi-jo cry together.
The next day, Mi-jo and Joo-hee promise to visit Chan-young as much as they can since they cannot live together at the moment. Seon-u finds Mi-jo sitting alone later, looking lost. He later spends time cheering her up while So-won visits the orphanage to get some closure. However, Joo-hee faces some horrible customers at work (think, Karen) and Mi-jo visits Chan-young to tell her that Joo-hee and she will take turns to visit her. The conversation becomes even more hilarious when she shows Chan-young a portrait of her that “artist” Seon-u drew of her.
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That night, after hanging out with Hyeon-jun at the restaurant, Joo-hee joins her friends and the three of them spend a nice night together watching Korean dramas together. The next day, a very hungover Joo-hee goes to work and Mi-jo plans on a camping trip with Seon-u, much to Chan-young’s excitement. With the many exciting things lined up that day, Joo-hee leaves her job after a horrible customer acts like, well, a Karen.
News reaches Mi-jo and Seon-u proposes that they go back. However, Mi-jo refuses and opts to go with him. He, however, takes her back anyway. Meanwhile, Jin-seok comes over to Chan-young’s place. Although she asks him to leave, he cries and pleads for her to let him stay there – a request she cannot refuse. They all decide to meet at Chan-young’s place but before that, though, Chan-young’s mother comes to her place and is over the moon seeing Jin-seok there. As all of them have a fun little party, Mi-jo opens the door to find Sun-joo at the door.
Mi-jo rushes her outside before anyone can see her and pleads with her in the cold to let them be just this once. Sun-joo refuses to listen to her and calls her a monster but she begs and pleads with her to let them be. Seeing Mi-jo freezing in the cold with blue lips, she relents and leaves. But Mi-jo collapses from the cold, right into Seon-u’s arms.
Final Thoughts: Thirty Nine Episode 6
Thirty-Nine continues to be extremely well made but equally heartbreaking. The series juggles with all of its characters tactfully, none of the seeming forced but still keeps us privy to the main storyline. If I had to say, I’d mention that the series is just so sad. Like, if anyone has an ounce of happiness, be rest assured something horrible is going to happen soon. Like, according to the next episode’s sneak peek, apparently Chan-young and Jin-seok are going to get into a horrible accident. I just can’t even take it anymore, my heart is absolutely breaking.
Anyway, the only true happy moments are the ones which the women spend with each other and although those, too, are laced with sad moments, it still instils you with hope because you know that these three are going to be there for each other, whatever happens. Plus, the guys that they have with them are really nice. Although, I’d say that Jin-seok is just a smidge dud, but well, when your wife lies to you this badly, the lines get a bit blurred. Either way, Thirty-Nine is a heartbreaking story, but one that makes you want to watch it with how it weaves the good and the bad together.
Thirty-Nine is streaming on Netflix.
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