First Impressions: When Opposing Forces Unite in “Our Universe”

Spoiler Warning: This article contains spoilers for Our Universe.

What begins as a detour becomes a new universe in tvN’s latest romantic comedy. Nearly three years after the airing of Stealer: The Treasure Keeper in April 2023, South Korean television network tvN re-established its Wednesday-Thursday time slot with Our Universe — the perfect remedy for your mid-week slump. Directed by Lee Hyun-seok (Heartbeat) and Jung Yeo-jin, the romantic comedy series follows in-laws Woo Hyun-jin (Roh Jeung-eui) and Seon Tae-hyung (Bae In-hyuk), who unexpectedly become the legal guardians of their orphaned nephew Seon Woo-jo (Park Yoo-ho). 

As they navigate a world they never thought they would be part of, the duo, who once dreamed of success and singlehood, begin to see it in a brand new light. Through moments of chaos and calm, the past hurt they endured becomes healed as they find solace in their unconventional family. 

Two Worlds Diverging 

Right as the first episode begins, viewers are met with a glimpse into the disorderly lifestyle of the new parents, before we are taken back in time to see what life was like in the past. Three years before the unexpected circumstances, Hyun-jin and Tae-hyun, blissfully unaware of their burgeoning family ties, were simply living their lives — not their best lives, but still living. 

Nearing the end of her college days, a high-achieving Hyun-jin spent her spare time making money moves. From delivering food to joining apps that pay you to walk, and even taking advantage of special rainy-day discounts, she was aware of all the little ways to save and earn extra cash. What exactly led her to become so frugal? It is revealed early on that Hyun-jin does not have parents to take care of her, and the only person she relies on is her older sister, Hyun-ju (Park Ji-hyun). Although she is the younger of the siblings, Hyun-jin, being grateful for her sister’s sacrifices over the years, wants to repay her in any way she can.

After it is revealed that Hyun-ju will be getting married to her long-term boyfriend, Seon Woo-jin (Ha-jun), Hyun-jin jumps into action, taking on the role a parent would take on when sending their child off. In a candid moment with her soon-to-be brother-in-law, viewers see just how serious Hyun-jin is about her sister, “I’m basically Hyun-ju’s mom and dad,” she tells Woo-jin in the midst of giving him her blessing.  

Elsewhere, living an even lonelier life, is Tae-hyung, who is seen working as a photographer’s assistant. Despite never receiving any formal training for the craft, it is expressed that his skillset surpasses that of his superior. As a means to hang on to his dreams, Tae-hyung typically bit his tongue when it came to interacting with his egotistical boss. But after getting drunk at an after-work outing, he made the mistake of letting his inner feelings out.

When he wakes up in a hungover haze the next morning, Tae-hyung is unaware of the damage he caused, and it isn’t until he sees a text from his now ex-boss that reality sets in. And to make matters worse, he notices he ran up an insane bar tab, which puts his bank account in the red. 

Even though his photography work didn’t bring in much money, Tae-hyung made a point of living an outwardly luxurious lifestyle. As viewers gain a look into his apartment, it becomes apparent that he is materialistic and a clean freak. When his friends Kim Eui-joon (Oh Hyun-joong) and Oh Seung-taek (Yun-woo) enter his space, instead of greeting them with a warm hello, he sprays them with disinfectant and prevents them from touching any of his furniture. Despite his obvious issues, Tae-hyung’s friends still care for him, and when they find out he lost his job, they begin brainstorming ways he can make cash fast.

The Not-so Meet Cute

While participating in the wedding preparation with her sister, Hyun-jin notes a designer lamp that her sister Hyun-ju takes a keen interest in. Although it appears to be on the more expensive side, she is determined to acquire it. When discussing her plan with her college friend, it is suggested that she search for the lamp on a second-hand marketplace app.

At the same time, Tae-hyung’s friends have proposed the idea of selling some of his possessions for cash, but they are met with much opposition. While vetting potential items to list on the second-hand marketplace, Tae-hyung expresses distress as he can’t see himself parting with any of the items that have kept him company. 

In this moment, viewers gain a brief insight into the root cause of Tae-hyung’s aloof behavior when one of his friends comes across a box containing an old camera and a picture of a younger Tae-hyung with another boy. “You have an older brother?” one of his friends says with surprise. “I’m an only child,” Tae-hyung sternly replies while snatching the items and placing them back where they were found. 

Following the awkward moment, the trio lands on the perfect item to sell: a designer lamp — the same one Hyun-jin is looking for. As soon as the lamp is listed on the marketplace app, Hyun-jin immediately makes an offer and promptly sets up a time to meet with the anonymous seller. 

In an effort to avoid paying full price for such an expensive lamp, the queen of frugality tries to bargain with Tae-hyung using various heartfelt tactics: “[It’s a wedding gift for] my sister who raised me from the time I was nine,” she says. In rebuttal, Tae-hyung straightforwardly states: “I’m not interested in your family history. I grew up an orphan, so that kind of sentiment doesn’t move me.” Even after several more rounds of pleading, the outcome remains unfavorable. With a broken lamp and a newly formed mutual disdain, the pair part ways, hoping never to see each other again.

Complicated Family Ties   

Unbeknownst to Hyun-ju and Tae-hyung, they will soon be crossing paths once more, but this time with more permanent ties. Shortly after their disastrous exchange, Tae-hyung realizes that he accidentally picked up Hyun-ju’s phone. When he reaches out to her to return it, he sees her phone background and learns that the sister she kept mentioning is getting married to none other than his long-lost older brother, Seon Woo-jin. As he stares at the phone in disbelief, a flashback sequence appears, revealing that Woo-jin abandoned Tae-hyung at an orphanage without explanation when they were younger, which, sadly, makes all of his previous claims true. 

Brimming with resentment, Tae-hyung decides to crash the couple’s pre-wedding family dinner. When he arrives, the pleasant mood turns sour as he continuously throws snide remarks at his brother, who has seemingly been living a happy life. At the end of the meal, Woo-jin attempts to clear the air, but with Tae-hyung’s heightened emotions, the conversation ultimately fizzles out. Just before walking away, Tae-hyung delivers one final blow, stating, “This time I’m the one leaving you. Let’s never see each other again.”  

Despite the sudden new revelation, the wedding between Hyun-ju and Woo-jin goes on without a hitch. Following a quick recap of their happy union, the first episode jumps three years, showcasing the leads in their new, almost improved lives. 

On the one hand, Tae-hyung made a swift change from freelance work to full-time, which offered him enough money to design his dream home. On the other hand, Hyun-jin, despite all of her hard work, is stuck as a part-time worker in a company she doesn’t like all that much. Her dream career instead encompasses working at BS Foods, an organization with an insane application process — which she failed once before. Even in the face of adversity, Hyun-jin is not the type to reach out to anyone for help, but her sister knows her too well to let her suffer alone.

Being in a better place to support her younger sister, Hyun-ju offers to let Hyun-jin stay in her home while she prepares to reapply to BS Foods, but the offer is unfortunately taken the wrong way. When she sees the room set up for her, the emotions that Hyun-jin has been holding back bubble to the surface. As she lets her inner feelings flow, she explains that her sister’s constant fixes make her feel like she’s not capable of doing anything right. “Every time you [offer help], I end up hating myself,” she says while holding back tears. “It’s too much for me. Sometimes I honestly wish I were on my own. Just Woo Hyun-jin.” As the conversation progresses, her sister tries to calm her down, but Hyun-jin resists and makes one final statement: “I’m never moving into this house. So please, just leave me alone.” 

Universe in a Universe

Following the dramatic tonal shift, things take an even darker turn after Woo-jin receives a text stating that his father will soon be released on parole. Before this, there was no clear mention of what happened to either of the leads’ parents, which makes this sudden reveal all the more shocking. Immediately after receiving the text, Woo-Jin’s first line of action is to contact Tae-hyung, who unsurprisingly ignores all of his calls.

As the days go by, he tries not to let the news bother him too much since he’s supposed to be happily celebrating his third wedding anniversary, but the bad luck keeps coming. While on the way to their anniversary dinner, Woo-jin and his wife Hyun-ju become victims of a deadly traffic accident.

In the last moments of episode one, the death of their siblings is disclosed to Hyun-jin and Tae-hyung, who both have very different reactions. However, the varying effects of grief are interrupted by the appearance of their baby nephew, Seon Woo-ju (Park Yoo-hoo), who has now become an orphan after surviving the crash.

When the funeral proceedings finally come to an end, the pair is left with one more matter to handle. Who will take care of Woo-ju? Tae-hyung, not wanting anything to do with his brother anymore, flat-out refuses, while Hyun-jin decides to step up to the plate. However, in episode two, the tides turn when Tae-hyung is tasked with babysitting his nephew during Hyun-jin’s interview with BS Foods. Although the day encompasses nothing but chaos, he ultimately has a change of heart — but not for the reason you may think. 

On the day he was looking after Woo-ju, he was unable to check on the renovations at his new house. And even though the contractors warned him that the design he wanted was overambitious, he still proceeded with the plans, which led to his dream home being flooded. With his apartment lease up and nowhere else to stay for the month, Tae-hyung made the uncomfortable decision to temporarily move in with his in-laws. Will the opposing duo be able to survive their month-long cohabitation, or will they put their nephew through another tragic loss? 

Get ready for answers to those questions and more by tuning into Our Universe, available for streaming now on Viki and HBO Max! 

Looking for more romantic comedy moments? Check out our First Impressions of the Thai drama Duang With You here.