Unkind Women (2015)

The drama is about four women spanning three generations in one household, who share the same hot-blooded temperament.

Thirty years ago, when her husband passed away in an accident, Kang Sunok raised her teenage daughters alone. She became famous for her cooking classes with the help of a talented young disciple named Park Eunsil. The oldest daughter, Hyeonjeong, eventually became a well-known news presenter. She has worked hard and never married, but as the story starts, changes are about to come as her boss favours younger women. Sunoks second daughter, Hyunsuk, cared more about pop music than about schoolwork, and stirred up intense dislike within her teacher. She got expelled from school due to a series of events, got married and had a daughter, Jeong Mari, at a young age. She made her child’s success her life’s priority and Mari studied hard to get her PhD in Korean literature before the age of 30.

As the drama starts, Hyunsuk is desperate to make more money to help her family, but things don’t go well. She happens to befriend a wealthy woman, Jang Moran, who becomes deeply involved with the family. Moran is elegant and rich, but she has kept a secret for 30 years – but can, or should, secrets be kept forever?

Jang Moran isn’t the only woman to enter the struggling family’s life. Na Hyeonae, winner of the Teacher of the Year award and a doting mother, and none other than the person who ruined Hyunsuk’s life, shows up. Hyunsuk makes a promise to herself to force an apology out of this woman – a mission that turns out not to be so easy.

In the meantime, Hyunsuk’s estranged husband does his best to quietly help, while three men with the same family name, Lee, also become important parts of the women’s lives.