What is Min-Joo's Real Motivation?

[Avalon]

Just saw episode 125 where Min-Joo faced off with Sang-Min regarding placing his son on his family registry. What is her real reason for opposing this? Does she feel threatened by the possible intrusion of Sang-Min's natural son into her life? Afterall, she is not able to produce a son and Ji-Min's presence would reinforce that unpleasant fact. She would also be reminded of her hubby's former relationship with Ji-Min in their lives. Her counterargument she gives to Sang-Min seems to put her on JY's side and expressing dissatisfaction with the present Korean law regarding family registry. Is she really thinking about the welfare of Ji-Min or the preservation of her current family situation with Sang-Min and Yuna?

[aYsHuN]

I have no damn clue what u just said. but keep at it! xP

[JadeEyes]

Having seen the ep. in question at last, I feel comfortable now offering an opinion on your question.

As a modern woman who defies traditional social stereotypes of the role of females in Korean society, a woman who owns her own company, a working mother w/ a thirst for wealth and power, I would guess Min-joo would be likely to have the socio-political objections she claims to have to Sang-min's position and to the antiquated laws and customs of Korean society that favor men almost exclusively.

I can believe that if she was polled on the subject and had no personal involvement at stake in the matter, she would side the way she said. However, her asserted beliefs this time around are conveniently self-serving. We have seen how insanely jealous and possessive she is, how fanatically in need of total control she is at all times...and how easily and terribly threatened she is by anyone or any thing she perceives as a rival or something that could claim some measure of control over anything in her life.

She positively hates the idea that Ji-min has something she can't have--a biological child, and a child of MJ's own husband, no less. It drives her nuts that SM, about whom she likes to believe will care about what she tells him to care about, is showing a rebellious streak and is daring to express interest in and possible feelings for a child he created w/ another woman. Nothing could be more unacceptable to her.

She's outraged at SM for defying her absolute rule, at Ja-young for having the baby and for ever having been in SM's life, for being in their lives now, at SM's father for driving the whole unpleasant business and for daring to show interest in a child that is not Yuna, at SM's stepmother for being a mouthpiece for all of this, and at Korean law for making it possible. I wouldn't be surprised if she was outraged at Ji-min too, just for being born. Being able to kvetch about a law she doesn't like and that gums up the monkeyworks for her, makes a handy target right now in her fury. Plus, I think her feelings about the law, which mirror those expressed by other characters on YH (JY, YJ, the co-workers, etc), serve to express a message the writers/producers of YH are quite clearly wanting to send.

None of this will make a lick of sense to aYsHunN, no doubt. But if you get most of it and it answers your question, Avalon, in your quest for the POV of others, that's all that concerns me.

Jade

[petirrojo]

I would add too that Min-joo's barren state probably has added additional levels of complexity here. After all, she was pregnant and miscarried the baby when she had her emotional breakdown after discovering some of Sang-min's past with Ja-young, so she blames that loss on SM's 'infidelity'. That she was further unable to have children because of a tumor has become almost a negligible defense for SM. For her to not be able to have his child would be grounds for him to divorce her, and she's trying to look out for both her emotional and financial interests when she reminds him that he promised her that she alone would be enough for him in their marriage, that he would never hold it against her that she couldn't have a child.

Too, I think there is a part of her that really understands Ja-Young and her intense feelings towards her own child. These feelings are intensified by her own sense of loss. The miscarriage was, in a sense, as if SM had taken away HER baby, and now he wants to take away JY's baby. That SM's intrusive father has complicated matters further just makes her even more angry and emotional on the topic.

[galacticchick]

JadeEyes said:

She's outraged at SM for defying her absolute rule, at Ja-young for having the baby and for ever having been in SM's life, for being in their lives now. Jade

This is so true. The only time I have ever seen Min-joo "happy" is when Sang-min and everyone else does exactly as she says.

What is so unbelievable to me is the absolute lack of sense of responsibility (not sure if that made sense). If she would have never pushed Sang-min into getting involved with her, because she was the one after SM, maybe things between JY and SM would have worked out. She has been the catalyst for most of the things she complains about. As is obvious, I'm not having a very good day trying to express myself, but I just thought I'd give my humble, even though scatterbrained , opinion.

[Avalon]

Here is another angle:Min-Jo is living in a house where no one is related by blood except for her and her half-sister who doesn't get along with her. Her step-mother and adopted daughter are not related to her at all and so she has to make an extra effort to maintain relations. Indeed, it can be said that Min-Jo is quite alone at home as well as at work. Adding Ji-min to the family registry would further complcate her already complicated life. This underscores her current state of barreness...the one thing which keeps her from having an equisitely loving relationship with a her own child. Check out her stlited interaction with Yuna vs. JY's more natural interaction with Ji-min.