Queen of Tears reveals Hae-in’s grim storyline fans aren’t ready for

Netflix’s Queen of Tears reveals Hyun-woo and Hae-in’s complex marriage is about more than just falling back in love, as Hae-in’s storyline is given an upsetting reality fans aren’t ready to see unfold.

Queen of Tears K-drama centers on a less-than-ordinary romance than what fans are used to. Hea-in (Kim Ji-won) and Hyun-woo (Kim Soo-hyun) once got married for love, but their current marriage is anything but. Hyun-woo feels trapped in a family he cannot relate to, and his relationship with Hae-in is void of warmth.

The K-drama had fans believing that while Hyun-woo contemplates divorce, Hae-in begins to see him in a new light. A cold and calculated businesswoman starts to fall in love all over again. But Queen of Tears Episode 2 features a jaw-dropping reveal and the storyline takes a dark turn.

While Hyun-woo wants nothing more than to divorce her, her current predicament gives him a new opportunity. But amid turmoil, the two will find a new purpose in their relationship. Warning: Spoilers ahead!

Queen of Tears has Hae-in face an upsetting reality

Episode 2 of the K-drama reveals that Hae-in will die in three months from a very rare illness that had caused scattered tumors in her brain and memory loss.

At the end of the first episode, Hyun-woo is ready to serve divorce papers to his wife. But she drops the bombshell that she was dying and would die in three months. While Hyun-woo shifts gears to pretend to become the doting husband, he only sees a way out.

Queen of Tears Episode 2 shows the grim and heartbreaking truth through Hae-in’s eyes. She was asked to come into the hospital for test results, hence why she asked Hyun-woo to join her but was rejected. The K-drama reveals that Hae-in’s health is far from okay.

Various instances are shown of Hae-in losing track of time or suddenly being in the same spot but hours later without her recollection. Sometimes she “wakes up” and is somewhere else with no idea how she got there. Her doctor reveals she has Cloud Cytoma, a rare disease.

In her case, small tumors are embedded across her cranial nerves. There’s no cure or treatment. K-drama fans soon theorize that her condition likely caused her to forget many of her loving memories with Hyun-woo. Hae-in’s storyline adds a darker twist to the K-drama as Hae-in will see Hyun-woo’s actions as loving, while in reality, he can’t wait for his freedom.

K-drama fans weigh in on what’s to come

Queen of Tears has proven to be a March K-drama that throws a curveball, making it riveting and complex to watch unfold. Episode 2 added in much-needed drama that will change how Hae-in and Hyun-woo begin to see each other.

While Hyun-woo has fallen out of love and only wishes to end the marriage, Hae-in’s heart may get broken at some point. She starts to mistake his “loving” intentions as genuine, unaware he hates her. Fans believe that neither character is ready for what’s to come, and neither are they. They both will realize the gravity of her oncoming death as they fall in love again.

“The most annoying part of this is he didn’t ask how it will affect her daily activities, difficulties she will have, he just wanted to know if she will die. It will hit him eventually and he’ll be back bawling his eyes at the same doctor begging him to save his wife,” said one fan on X/Twitter.

Another fan agreed, saying, “We’re all ready but also not ready for that if you know what I mean.”

“This just breaks my heart, someone as strong as she is fall prey to an illness she cannot treat or fight, something so cruel eating away at her memories and sense of time, and she currently has no one on her side, hopefully she find a way to beat it,” said one fan.

A fan agreed at the heartbreaking reality, saying, “Dejected sadness in his eyes when she said that you have never take care of me before, I genuinely feel he has been taking care of her since day one but because of her illness those precious memories fade away and she feels this way.”

Queen of Tears is available on Netflix, with the streaming platform set to release many worthwhile K-dramas in 2024. You can also check out more of Kim So-hyun’s popular K-dramas.