Woo-joo Arrives
Episode 1 of Our Universe begins with an introduction to Woo Hyun-jin and Sun Tae-hyung. Woo Hyun-jin works hard as a food delivery worker while Tae-hyung makes a living as a photographer's assistant. Hyun-jin has an older sister named Hyun-joo, with whom she has dinner. Hyun-joo knows Hyun-jin hasn't been able to bag a full-time job yet and assures her that she will soon be able to.
Later, Hyun-jin finds an engagement ring in her sister's purse. After Hyun-joo is asleep, Hyun-jin goes to the police station where Hyun-joo's boyfriend, Sun Woo-jin, works. She confronts him with the ring and tells him that she gives her approval, as Hyun-joo's family, and says they should have an official meeting of the families soon.
Meanwhile, Sun Tae-hyung is at a club with the rest of his team when his boss makes some crude comments about him being from an orphanage and not having a degree. Tae-hyung gets drunk and retaliates by quitting on the spot. Unfortunately, this leaves him in dire financial straits and his friends encourage him to sell a few of the fancy, branded things he has in his apartment.
Elsewhere, Hyun-jin, Hyun-joo, and Woo-jin go wedding dress shopping. Hyun-jin notices that Hyun-joo likes a wall lamp featured in a magazine. She wants to buy it as a wedding gift for her sister, but it's too expensive.
Tae-hyung finally agrees to sell his lamp (the same one Hyun-jin wants) and puts it up on an app called Pimang. Hyun-jin sees his post and reaches out to buy the lamp. She tries to bargain when they meet, but they end up in a fight and the lamp's bulb breaks. They part on terrible terms, but Hyun-jin's phone ends up with Tae-hyung. Through the pictures and messages on it, he realises that Hyun-jin's sister is marrying his brother, whom he hasn't met in a long time.
A flashback shows a little Tae-hyung crying while his older brother walks away. The next day, Tae-hyung gatecrashes the family meeting, accusing his brother of abandoning him at an orphanage. Tae-hyung storms off, telling Woo-jin they shouldn't see each other again. A flashback shows Woo-jin celebrating Tae-hyung's birthday with him, buying him a camera and new shoes. He then takes Tae-hyung to an orphanage and tells him to wait there, promising to come back soon.
The following scene shows Hyun-joo and Woo-jin getting married. Tae-hyung doesn't turn up. The story then skips three years. Tae-hyung quit photography and now has a corporate job instead. It's paid off, though, since he's just bought an apartment for himself!
On the other hand, Hyun-jin is working at an office but doesn't get picked for a full-time job…again. Hyun-joo tells her to move back home but Hyun-jin gets offended, thinking her sister doesn't believe in her, and storms off. She doesn't respond to Hyun-joo's texts over the next few days.
Meanwhile, Woo-jin gets a text message saying that his father is being released from prison and considers calling Tae-hyung. He and Hyun-joo head out in the car, which is when a truck hits them and kills them both. We see Hyun-jin mourning at the funeral. Tae-hyung soon arrives and it is there that he meets Woo-joo, Hyun-joo and Woo-jin's little boy.
When Hyun-jin gets injured with a ligament tear, Tae-hyung takes over as chief mourner and ends up taking care of Woo-joo till she returns. Later, one of Woo-jin's colleagues brings up the issue about Woo-joo's custody since Tae-hyung and Hyun-jin are his only relatives. Tae-hyung refuses to have anything more to do with his brother but Hyun-jin agrees to raise him. Tae-hyung bids both of them goodbye and leaves.
The Episode Review
Our Universe doesn't exactly grab your attention from the get-go, but it kicks off to a decent start. Episode 1 offers a fairly quick introduction to our leading characters and their respective backstories. Hyun-jin and Tae-hyung both come with fleshed-out backgrounds and unique struggles of their own. Hyun-joo and Woo-jin add to the protagonists in interesting ways, with Hyun-jin struggling to accept her sister's help and Tae-hyung still hurting from his brother's sudden departure. It's clear that there is a lot about Tae-hyung and Woo-jin's past that we don't know yet.
At the same time, this entire episode is covered in the show's premise itself and there's nothing new or unexpected here. It feels like the episode is rushing through all the main plot points, making even Hyun-jin and Tae-hyung's meet-cute come across as contrived. We also get some unnecessarily extended scenes, like the one with the lamp, which go on for far too long.
Little Woo-joo himself makes quite the impression, though. The episode waits for just the right time to bring him on screen and the drawn-out introduction works. He pretty much sets the tone for the show. Here's hoping Woo-joo will add a nice dose of charm and heart to this drama in the coming episodes!
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