Number of episodes: 16

Released Year: 2024

Main Plot:

Queen of Tears starts with establishing a married couple consisting of Baek Hyun-woo and Hong Hae-in where they feature in a documentary about their lives. They appear idyllically on the surface, but it does not take long to see cracks in their relationship. The episode progresses but we are able to see their initial meeting, loveland and how they ultimately got married. But their current life is no longer romantic, with tension, family stress and Hyun-woo dreaming of a divorce in secret.

Main Cast:

Kim Soo Hyun as Baek Hyun-woo

Kim Ji Won as Hong Hae-in

Park Sung Hoon as Yoon Eun-seong

Kwak Dong Yeon as Hong Soo-cheol

Lee Joo Bin as Cheon Da-hye

Episode 1: Tears of Love

Episode 1 of Queen of Tears introduces us to Baek Hyun-woo and Hong Hae-in, a married couple who appear in a documentary where famous people talk about their lives. On camera, they reflect on their relationship, but it’s clear to the interviewers and to us that their marriage is not going well. Hyun-woo insists he still loves his wife, but deep inside, he is already thinking about divorce.

We then go back to their past and see how they first met. Hae-in had just started to work in Queens Group when she met Hyun-woo as an intern. Being the daughter of a great chaebol family, she was spoiled, blind, and arrogant. Hyun-woo would assist her, fearing that she would end up fired. Hae-in took his gentleness to be a romantic interest. Eventually, Hyun-woo even admitted that he liked her. Among the most delightful recollections is when he brought her his umbrella in the stormy rain, although he was nearly soaked by it. But when he discovered that Hae-in was not her, but the heiress of the Queens empire, he was overwhelmed and quit his job and vanished off her life.

The irony of that moment becomes the central theme of their marriage, because years later, Hyun-woo finds himself constantly crying because of his wife and her controlling family.

The story then shifts to three years into their marriage. Hae-in is now the cold and commanding president of Queens Department Store, while Hyun-woo works as the group’s legal director. There is a daily conflict in their personalities. She is a shrewd, exacting, and mean businesswoman, and Hyun-woo is a tender, benevolent and usually helpless man at her feet. She puts him into things he does not agree with at the workplace and at home, the matter is even worse.

In the Hong family residence, Hyun-woo has no voice at all. Hae-in’s parents control every decision, while he is treated like an outsider. They pressure him and Hae-in to have a child, while Hae-in’s brother Soo-cheol humiliates him and uses him for small and unimportant legal tasks, refusing to respect his position. After another tense family meeting, Hyun-woo numbly accepts his situation, but later drunkenly vents to his friend, lawyer Kim Yang-ki. Through tears, he jokes that Hae-in fell for him because of his drunken cuteness, but behind the humor is his deep unhappiness.

Meanwhile, Hae-in, in her own cold way, shows that she does care in bits—when she threatens to punish Soo-cheol if he dares to disrespect her husband again. Still, her actions do little to change how isolated Hyun-woo feels.

Hyun-woo also has a chilling encounter with his aunt-in-law Beom-ja, who is serving time for assault. She warns him that divorce is not about goodbyes but about destruction, terrifying him since he is secretly planning to leave Hae-in.

The episode ends with the entire Hong family gathering for the grandmother’s memorial. The chairman, Hong Man-dae, now openly has a much younger girlfriend, Mo Seul-hee, which causes tensions. Only Hyun-woo performs the proper rituals, since the mother-in-laws are excluded and forced to cook in the kitchen like servants. They all confess how miserable life is within this powerful family. On top of it all, Hyun-woo cannot even visit his father for his 60th birthday because of his suffocating duties as the Hong son-in-law.

Episode 2 : Secrets and Struggles

The second episode of Queen of Tears starts with Hyun-woo attempting to appear loving and caring towards Hae-in. He informs her that he does indeed love her and is concerned about her well-being, but Hae-in does not think that he has just changed his mind. She is in cold demand, asking, If thou really lovest me, willst thou die with me? Being totally shocked, Hyun-woo shifts the subject matter fast and does not give a direct answer to her.

It then changes to a flashback. Hae-in gets a telephone call at the hospital. She requests that Hyun-woo go with her there, but he rejects her proposal and sends her away alone. Hae-in also loses her sense of time and sees bizarre hallucinations at the hospital. She ends up in the office of the doctor, where she receives some dire news. The physician informs her that she has a rare brain tumor that cannot be cured either through an operation or through medication. The disease will simply initiate the terrifying effects such as hallucinations, forgetfulness, and intense headaches. Hae-in, a person who has never lived a life of junk food or soda, is bitter and angry about the injustice of it. As she shares it with Hyun-woo, the latter casually proposes that she should have the diagnosis checked one more time, to be on the safe side.

At night, Hyun-woo gets a sound sleep with his skin glowing with rest. After he goes to Hae-in in her bedroom, he thinks she is dead, and runs away, but she wakes and sarcastically remarks that his flushed skin is a reflection of how happy he must be that she is sick.

Reluctantly, Hyun-woo accompanies Hae-in back to the hospital for a second opinion. She insists they must keep her illness from her family, fearing that they will immediately start dividing her wealth and assets. Once again, the doctor confirms her condition. Hyun-woo, trying to calculate his own position, even asks the doctor about the small chances of so-called “miracles.” He is conflicted between his frustration with his wife and the possible freedom her illness might offer him.

Meanwhile, another problem brews in the Hong family. Hae-in’s brother Soo-cheol is scolded harshly by his grandfather, Hong Man-dae, after making a huge mistake and overpaying 8 billion won in corporate tax. It was Hyun-woo who pointed out the error, and although he saved the company from further damage, Soo-cheol suffers a panic attack due to the stress. Later, Hae-in’s mother confronts Hyun-woo angrily, blaming him for making the situation worse and for causing her son’s breakdown. Their exchange shows just how strained their relationship really is.

Also Read: Top Dramas of Kim ji-won.

Elsewhere, Hyun-woo meets his friend Kim Yang-ki at a crowded restaurant. Yang-ki has agreed to represent him in his divorce, but Hyun-woo later reveals Hae-in’s illness to him. Instead of urging him to leave her, Yang-ki jokingly suggests that Hyun-woo should use the situation to win her love back and maybe even benefit from her will. This complicates Hyun-woo’s plans further.