Arguably the strongest in Crash Course in Romance, the relationship between Hae-e and Haeng-Seon is one of the more heartwarming parts of the romcom, but there is a depth to their relationship that’s not immediately obvious at a cursory glance.
Hae-e is a bright student in the eleventh grade. She excels at academics but mathematics has been one of the thorns pricking at her with its curveballs.
When she finally shares her struggles in the subject with her mother, Haeng-Seon sets off to provide her with the best tutoring there is.
Haeng-Seon runs a Banchan shop and despite not being that economically sound, she does and would do anything to care for her loved ones — her neurodivergent brother Jae-Woo, and daughter Hae-e.
The truth
Haeng-Seon and Hae-e are not actually mother and daughter in the biological sense. While they care for each other and act like they’re a mother-daughter duo in front of others, their real biological relation to each other is that of an aunt and a niece.
It’s Haeng-Seon’s sister who gave birth to Hae-e and left her at her mother’s door when she was only a small child. She never returned to get her back and shortly after, her mother, i.e., Hae-e’s grandmother, died due to a car accident.
So the responsibility of caring for Hae-e falls on Haeng-Seon, who adopts her and begins acting like her mother. From picking up Hae-e from school to making food for her, Haeng-Seon officially becomes a mother when a little Hae-e asks her if she can refer to her as her mother, to which the young Haeng-Seon agrees immediately.
More than just blood
The truth about Hae-e and Haeng-Seon’s relationship is only known to Yeong-Ju and Jae-Woo, who have always been there with the two. Meanwhile, the rest of the world sees them as a biological mother-daughter duo.
It’s understandable too since the two never make it appear as if their relationship is anything less than that of a mother and daughter. The two love and care for each other immensely.
When Chi-Yeol asks Hae-e about her life and how her grandmother’s passing may have been tough, Hae-e seems to want to reveal the true nature of her relationship with Haeng-Seon but stops herself from doing so.
Difficulties & the future
There are no merits to revealing it either, except for a rather immediate one where revealing the marital status of Haeng-Seon can solve the romantic equation between her and Chi-Yeol, as well as the barrage of smear campaigns they’re going to receive from the people, now that Chi-Yeol’s role as Hae-e’s private tutor has been exposed.
A rumor started by Yeong-Ju in the days of the past follows that Haeng-Seon’s married and her husband is a businessman working abroad. Chi-Yeol and other perhaps other prospects in the past may as well have steered clear of approaching her romantically, hesitating to do so because of the rumor.
While only time will tell if this relationship and its nature, as well as the truth about the Banchan shop owner’s love life, is revealed. In the meantime, the two characters have each other’s backs, and while not mother and daughter in blood, they have definitely become mother and daughter in essence.
Also Read: Who is Hui-Jae? Crash Course in Romance character explained