Episodes 9 and 10 of “My Youth” mark a deeply emotional turning point for Sunwoo Hae (Song Joong Ki). When he realizes he might lose Sung Je Yeon (Chun Woo Hee), he finally lets go of his guarded composure and confesses that he can’t live without her. It’s the start of a new chapter in their relationship. It’s tender and cute as well as honest. Both learn to accept each other’s vulnerabilities, finding love in truth rather than perfection.
Even as his illness continues to cast a shadow, Sunwoo Hae refuses to let it define their future. He tries to protect Je Yeon from worrying while also making peace with those around him, encouraging his half-sister to reunite with their mother and confiding in his step-brother about his condition. For perhaps the first time, Sunwoo Hae stops pretending to be invincible. In doing so, he empowers not only himself but everyone who loves him. Here are four empowering moments as Sunwoo Hae and Je Yeon find courage and happiness in the most trying times.
Warning: spoilers from episode 9 and 10 ahead!
Sunwoo Hae is honest about his feelings to Je Yeon
In the previous episode, Sunwoo Hae’s blunt rejection leaves Je Yeon heartbroken, but fate turns the tables when she suddenly meets with an accident. The moment he learns of it, panic takes over. Rushing to the hospital and seeing her lying in bed, recovering from appendicitis, Sunwoo Hae’s carefully built walls crumble. In that quiet moment, he finally admits what he has long been denying—that he cannot live without her.
He confesses that during the hours he spent frantically searching for her, the worst thoughts crossed his mind—the fear of losing her forever. For a man who has always felt life has only taken from him, this admission marks a turning point. “I’m not the person you think I am,” he tells her honestly, acknowledging his flaws and insecurities. Yet, despite that, he’s certain of one thing: he never wants to let her go.
Sunwoo Hae’s confession is not just about love; it’s about vulnerability and growth. For someone who has always been afraid to love, fearing it would be taken from him, this moment of raw honesty becomes his greatest act of courage. It’s a quiet but powerful transformation. Love is no longer something to run from but something to hold on to.
Je Yeon takes charge of her life
Love can do curious things to people, and for Je Yeon, it’s given her the courage to finally just be. After Sunwoo Hae’s quiet yet earnest confession, she feels lighter than ever before. His love hasn’t just filled her heart; it has made her see herself differently. For the first time, she feels whole.
For years, Je Yeon’s identity revolved around her work. Feel Entertainment wasn’t just a job—it was her world, her measure of worth. Under the sharp gaze of Kim Pil Do (Jin Kyung), she learned to equate success with validation, and her beliefs were shaped more by others’ expectations than her own desires. But something shifts within her. With Sunwoo Hae’s sincerity grounding her, she decides to quit her job—a simple yet powerful act of independence. For once, she isn’t anxious about what lies ahead. Je Yeon finds herself slowing down. Sunwoo Hae’s resilience, his way of taking life as it comes, begins to rub off on her. The uncertainty that once frightened her now feels freeing. She no longer feels the need to be perfect; it’s enough to just live.
There’s also a gentler honesty emerging in her. Je Yeon has always been quietly conscious of not having graduated from a prestigious university, her life shaped instead by circumstance and responsibility. It was never shame, just a small part of herself she tried not to dwell on. But now, she no longer sees it as something that defines her.
In a heartfelt letter to Sunwoo Hae, she opens up, not just about her feelings for him, but also about the layers of herself she has long kept guarded. Her confusing reactions, her guarded nature, her longing to rediscover the innocence and simplicity of youth—she lays them bare, not seeking pity but connection.
As she writes, Je Yeon feels her old burdens slip away. For the first time, she allows herself to be vulnerable, imperfect, and hopeful. Her worth is no longer tied to her achievements or her past, but to her courage to live honestly and love fully.
Je Yeon and Hae staying strong despite his illness
Je Yeon and Hae can no longer resist what has always been between them. Together, they’re disarmingly endearing—two people finally finding joy in the simple act of being with one another. After all the time lost to hesitation, confusion, and unspoken emotions, they now make up for it in quiet, meaningful moments. Their happiness radiates so effortlessly that those around them can’t help but feel relieved that they’ve finally found their way to each other.
Between Sunwoo Hae’s adorable jealous streaks and Je Yeon’s newfound giddiness in love, it’s easy to forget the shadow that looms over them: his illness. He has told her everything, hoping she’ll understand, yet the question lingers—can she truly cope with what lies ahead?
We find our answer one winter evening. On a date together, Sunwoo Hae suddenly gets a dizzy spell. Not wanting to worry her, he excuses himself, saying he needs to visit the bathroom. Minutes stretch into hours. Concerned, Je Yeon searches for him and finds him, crumpled and struggling to steady himself. For a moment, she wants to rush in. But she doesn’t. Instead, she stands at a distance, watching quietly, her eyes never leaving him. When he finally gathers himself and returns, she’s already back at their table, waiting as though nothing has happened.
It’s a quiet act of love, her way of giving him dignity, not pity. She doesn’t question him, doesn’t draw attention to what just transpired. Instead, she simply shifts the moment, pointing out how the first snow of the season has begun to fall. Je Yeon knows their time together may not be forever, but she’s content to walk beside him for as long as fate allows, for better or worse. And Sunwoo Hae, aware of his own limitations, wishes only to make her happy. What he doesn’t realize is that his love is her happiness, the light that steadies her through every storm.
On the surface, their relationship is soft, even playful, but beneath that lies something profoundly tender. It’s a love that accepts life’s fragility, a bond that finds meaning not in forever but in the courage to love despite the inevitable.
Sunwoo Hae’s quiet transformation
Sunwoo Hae has always been the dependable one, the anchor for both his half-sister Nu Ri and step-brother Seok Ju (Seo Ji Hun). Even as he silently carries the weight of his illness, he realizes that the time has come to prepare them for a future in which he may not always be there.
In recent episodes, he is visibly unsettled by the reappearance of Nu Ri’s mother. Initially, it stirs frustration in him, but he quickly sees the bigger picture: Nu Ri needs stability, and this reunion could be a part of that. Encouraging her to reconnect, he faces her initial resistance as she assumes he is angry about her grades and about her secretly meeting with their estranged father Sunwoo Chan (Jo Han Chul). But gradually, she softens. In a deeply tender moment, Sunwoo Hae retrieves an album he has kept for her over the years and urges her to share it with her mother. As he waits patiently in the car, he finally allows himself a quiet vulnerability. When Nu Ri asks to spend more time with her mother, he agrees, and for the first time, we see tears in his eyes, a silent acknowledgment that he is learning to let go.
Meanwhile, his relationship with Seok Ju has always been complicated, clouded by the animosity of Seok Ju’s mother Kim Pil Do. Yet even here, there is a subtle transformation. Sunwoo Hae does not protest when Kim Pil Do drives Nu Ri to her exam, and he even sends her a small token of gratitude. More significantly, he brings Seok Ju along to a hospital visit, confronting the reality of his illness together. Overcome with emotion, Seok Ju breaks down, confessing how difficult it is to cope, but also revealing the deeper truth: Sunwoo Hae has always been the one giving him the confidence to stand on his own.
Through these gestures, Sunwoo Hae quietly orchestrates their emotional independence, nurturing strength and resilience in those closest to him. And yet, there remains one connection he has not mended—the one with his selfish, distant father, who, despite everything, has never been a part of this effort. Will he finally take the olive branch that Sunwoo Chan has been trying to extend? The finale promises to be an emotional rollercoaster.
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Puja Talwar is a Soompi writer with a strong Yoo Yeon Seok and Lee Junho bias. A long time K-drama fan, she loves devising alternate scenarios to the narratives. She has interviewed Lee Min Ho, Gong Yoo, Cha Eun Woo, and Ji Chang Wook to name a few. You can follow her on @puja_talwar7 on Instagram
