Familiar Wife – My Wife is a Monster. Can I Switch?
“Familiar Wife” is a 2018 Korean drama series, with 16 episodes, categorized as Romance, Comedy, Time Travel, Fantasy, and Family; streaming on Viki.
SUMMARY: A man was given magic coins that allowed him to go back in time and change his future by making different decisions. He went back and changed his wife.
♦ My Wife Has an Anger Management Disorder. Can I Get Another Wife?
In “Familiar Wife”, Cha Joo-hyuk is a bank employee, and his wife, Seo Woo-jin, works as a masseuse. They have two beautiful children and struggle to balance work and family life. They are both experiencing pressure, but Seo Woo-jin seems to be taking it harder than her husband. She tends to explode! Cha Joo-hyuk tells his friends that he’s afraid of her because she has an anger management disorder. Deep down inside, he wishes he could get another wife. They’re both under the same pressure. Why does she have to explode and take it out on him?
Two things happened to Cha Joo-hyuk:
#1: He bumped into Lee Hye-won, his first love. She confessed that she had always liked him, but he heard he got married and hoped he was happy. He was surprised because he never knew she felt that way. Lee Hye-won came from a well-to-do family. She was elegant and refined, and most of all, she was “calm”. Cha Joo-hyuk began to wonder what his life would have been like if he had married her instead.
#2: A strange man on a subway train gave him magic coins. He didn’t know they were magic until he was driving home one day and had to go through a toll booth. Funny? He has driven that way many times and didn’t notice a toll booth. He used the coins to pay the toll fee and … ???? … not sure what happened, but he went back in time 12 years. Since he already knew what had happened in the past, he realized he could change the events.
- He met his wife, Seo Woo-jin, on a bus. He changed the decision he made that day so that the two of them would never know each other.
- Lee Hye-won, his first love, had invited him out. This time he accepted her invitation and then … he woke up!
What? Was this all a dream? Wait! Who is the woman lying in the bed? The woman rolled over and smiled. It was Lee Hye-won! He did it! He actually did it! Cha Joo-hyuk had changed wives! Not only that, but he lived in a big, beautiful home, he drove a really nice car, he had rich in-laws, but … he still had the same job at the bank. Oh well! Who cares? He can come home and not get yelled at! He’s in heaven! Or is he?
It wasn’t long before Cha Joo-hyuk realized that the decision he had made had also changed Seo Woo-jin’s life. She was a single, attractive woman and … Oh no!! … What happened to their kids? Cha Joo-hyuk had erased them. They no longer existed, and Cha Joo-hyuk was devastated. He hadn’t thought of it. He didn’t mean for that to happen.
Something else he had not thought would happen. Seo Woo-jin now worked at the same bank where he worked. That meant he would see her every day, and she looked very attractive and appealing. But what could he do? He had married his first love. As time passed, he discovered that living with Lee Hye-won as his wife was not a fairy tale marriage, where they lived happily ever after.
Main Characters:
- Cha Joo-hyuk (played by Ji Sung, “Confession”, “Connection”, “Adamas”, “The Devil Judge”, “Defendant”)
- Seo Woo-jin (played by Han Ji-min, “Miss Baek”, “Behind Your Touch”, “Rooftop Prince”, “Love Scout”, “Yonder”, “The Light in Your Eyes”, “Detective K: Secret Of Virtuous Widow”, “Cadaver”, “The Fatal Encounter”, “Lee San, Wind of the Palace”, “A Jewel in the Palace”)
- Lee Hye-won (played by Kang Han-na, “Frankly Speaking”, “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo”, “Start-Up”, “Designated Survivor: 60 Days”)
- Yoon Joong-hoo (played by Jang Seung-jo, “Secret Zoo”, “Heart Blackened”, “Nothing Uncovered”, “Strangers Again”)
Viewership and Rating:
My personal rating is the same as Dramabeans.
“Familiar Wife” poses a familiar question. If we had the chance to go back in time, would we change anything in our present life? The main character in this series chose to change his wife. The storyline was predictable but cute!
LINKS OF INTEREST:
2018 Korean Drama Quick Reviews: “Familiar Wife” & “Are You Human?” | Hello Kpop
Familiar Wife: First Impressions & Unfiltered Thoughts | Dramas with a Side of Kimchi
Flash Review: Familiar Wife | The Fangirl Verdict
K&M Conversations: Familiar Wife | The Closet Fangirls
Final Review: Familiar Wife | The cat that watches TV
TRAILERS/TEASERS:
CJ ENM Global. (2024). Familiar Wife [Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=9NC4F2cR64w&pp=0gcJCdgAo7VqN5tD.
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