Previously on The Good Bad Mother: A tragic accident left prosecutor Kang-ho with the mind of a 7-year-old. Young-soon was determined to help him recover, and she used a unique method: hunger. She withheld food from Kang-ho until he was forced to use his own body to get what he needed. At first, it was difficult, but eventually Kang-ho was able to use his hands to pick up a spoon and scoop rice by himself.
The Good Bad Mother episode 4 recap: Kang-ho recovers astonishingly quickly. Meanwhile, Young-soon learns about his son’s dark side. When going to pack up at her apartment in Seoul.
Kang-ho, who has the memories of a seven-year-old, is able to use his upper body normally again, even though his lower body is still paralyzed. He can now get around in a wheelchair, and he enjoys going out to play with Seo-jin and Ye-jin, Mi-joo’s twin siblings who are also around seven years old.
The three of them have fun playing with a flashing ball. However, Kang-ho’s mature body causes him to play so hard that the ball bounces far away. Little Ye-jin yells at Kang-ho in a big way, because the ball is the one she claims her mother had bought for her from America.
Meanwhile, Mi-joo wears a worried expression on her face. She was scammed by a friend, a senior partner at a nail salon, and lost all her hard-earned money. The money she had saved for the future of Seo-jin and Ye-jin is now gone, and she finds herself struggling as a single mother. This situation reminds her of the past when she and Kang-ho lived together in Seoul while he was preparing for the bar examination.
In a flashback, after Mi-joo got into a motorcycle accident, Kang-ho lost a full year of his exams. In the meantime, Kang-ho arrived in Seoul to prepare for his exams, and Mi-joo took care of everything so that he could study for the exam to the fullest. Mi-joo worked at a nail salon to earn money, cooked food, and did all of the household chores. Finally, Kang-ho successfully passed the bar exam, and Mi-joo happily kissed him, proud that the man she loved had achieved his dream.
Returning to the present, Woo-byeok confronts Congressman Oh Tae-soo in a secret location, “Who would have thought that an honorable MP would kill his own future son-in-law?”
Congressman Oh Tae-soo smirks and calmly pours himself a glass of brandy. He reveals that he had to kill Kang-ho because he seemed suspicious and because Woo-byeok had previously killed Kang-ho’s father. However, Woo-byeok remains unfazed, as he has always known Kang-ho’s true identity. He only intends to exploit Kang-ho’s abilities to the fullest and then dispose of him later.
Meanwhile, Young-soon visits Kang-ho’s apartment in Seoul to pack up his belongings, including storing some items at the prosecutor’s office. It is during this process that she realizes the truth: her son is not a prosecutor working for justice but a corrupt prosecutor who only seeks personal gain.
Heartbroken, Young-soon returns home and looks at Kang-ho, who sits innocently in his wheelchair. She breaks down in tears, releasing a torrent of complaints and curses. However, deep down, she realizes that she is blaming herself. She realizes that her strict parenting, aimed at ensuring Kang-ho’s financial and social success to protect him from bullying, had inadvertently shaped him into a bully himself. Overwhelmed with guilt, Young-soon embraces her son tightly.
Later that afternoon, Kang-ho asks his mother to help him find the lost ball. Using his hands to propel the wheelchair, he searches tirelessly for the ball to return it to Seo-jin and Ye-jin. However, no matter how hard he looks, he cannot locate it. It isn’t until nightfall that Kang-ho finally discovers the ball stuck in a tree. Overjoyed, he quickly rides his wheelchair to Seo-jin and Ye-jin’s house, calling their names. And at that moment, the sound of the door unlocking becomes louder and louder.
Standing behind the gate is Mi-joo!
Images via JTBC Korea
Watch The Good Bad Mother Episode 4 on Netflix: click here