‘Little Women’ Writer Addresses Do-il and In-joo’s Romance: ‘If There Were 13 Fictional Episodes Outside of This Story, They Would Have Met’
Amid the turmoil in the K-drama Little Women, fans were hooked on the ever-evolving relationship between Do-il and In-joo. At first, Do-il seemed like a man who only cared about his own plan, with money as his main priority. But as the K-drama progressed, fans started to get the inkling that Do-il developed feelings for In-joo, regardless of whether he wanted to admit it or not. By the finale, the two characters parted ways. But, according to the K-drama writer, their story could have gone further.
[SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers regarding Little Women.]
In-joo decides not to venture to Greece with Do-il in the ‘Little Women’ finale
While Do-il is a closed-off character who prefers not to show his true emotions, his subtle actions toward In-joo say it all. While claiming he only cares about his money, he often finds ways to rescue In-joo. By the final episodes, fans got a subtle confession of his feelings for her.
When on his way to rescue In-joo, Sang-a’s henchwoman Su-im fights him off. But fans are aware that Su-im speculated from the get-go that Do-il harbored some sentiment toward In-joo. While having him trapped, she loudly proclaims that Do-il is in love with her. If not, he would not have come to rescue her.
In return, Do-il does not confess but says, “You shouldn’t have done this if you thought I loved her.” For fans, it sounds like a confession. Later on, fans also learn that Do-il protected her from the start by having her sign documents to keep the money safe without her knowing. Why? Because he knew that keeping In-joo in the dark was the best way to keep her protected.
The Little Women finale had a bitter-sweet goodbye between In-joo and Do-il. He offers to take her to Greece at the airport as she has always dreamed of. In-joo refuses. As Do-il is ready to set off, he smiles and promises to see her again someday. A fair ending that broke some fans’ hearts. But the Little Women writer reveals what would have happened if the characters got another episode.
‘Little Women’ writer reveals Do-il did fall in love with In-joo
Like fans, many of the cast were curious to know if Do-il and In-joo were meant to develop a relationship. Actor Kang Hoon revealed he had asked the director multiple times while filming. The answer he got was a simple “I don’t know.”
Chung Seo-kyung, the writer of Little Women, reveals to fans what would have happened if the K-drama had the thirteenth episode. In a Naver article, Chung explains fans would have seen Do-il’s true feelings.
“I think that if there were 13 fictional episodes outside of this story, they would have met. Do-il and In-joo needed time for that,” explained Chung in a rough translation. “The person Do-il fell in love with was In-joo. If Do-il fell in love with someone and started living with someone else, it would have been In-joo.”
But the writer admits that the director saw a relationship between Do-il and In-joo and ran with it while filming. Chung admits that it was not her original intention, especially for In-joo. “I also thought that it was not because I did not support the connection between Do-il and In-joo, but because In-joo was a relationship-oriented person, I had to focus on my own growth and independence,” explained Chung.
‘Little Women’ fans are content with how the romance storylines ended
Not seeing Do-il and In-joo shift into a full-blown relationship might have been upsetting. But in reality, fans realized it served a bigger purpose, especially for In-joo. Her story ends with her younger sister leaving her a bigger share of the money. In-joo has provided all her life, and it was now time for her to be selfish and only think of herself.
A fan on Reddit comments that the finale for all three sisters was realistic. “Possibly unpopular, but I LOVE what this episode did with the romantic plots. A “happy ending” wouldn’t have given the characters what they needed. These sisters have so much more to learn about themselves, so many people to meet, so many places to explore, and so much time to do so. It didn’t feel like a happy ending at all–it felt like a happy beginning, and that’s what I wanted out of this finale more than anything,” explained the fan.
The popular K-drama ended with In-hye breaking free of the confines of her life and exploring her own desires and wishes. In-kyeong realizes her romantic feelings for Jong-ho and decides to leave for the United States with him. All the while, she will continue the education she gave up to help provide for her family.
