In The Good Bad Mother, Sam-sik has always loved Mi-joo and disliked Kang-ho, who shows him no mercy once they grow up. Yo In-soo plays the role of Sam-sik.
When a pregnant Young-soon moved to Jou-ri Doldam Village, after a disagreement, she befriended two women, Sung-ae and Gum-ja. While Sung-ae was a new mother, Gum-ja was pregnant just like Young-soon.
Gum-ja and Young-soon gave birth to Mi-joo and Kang-ho on the same day, under the same roof. Sam-sik was also present in that room with his mother, and from that day, Sam-sik became a part of Mi-joo and Kang-ho’s story.
The bully and the thief
Everyone hoped that the three children would grow up to be the best of friends. That turned out to be true in Mi-joo and Kang-ho’s case, but not in Sam-sik and Kang-ho’s case.
Sam-sik bullied Kang-ho in school, as Kang-ho’s mother owned a pig farm and he did not have a father. Young-soon did not allow Kang-ho to fight back, and when he did fight Sam-sik, he was punished at home.
Even in high school, Sam-sik did not stop tormenting Kang-ho. He once locked him in a storage room on his birthday, not knowing that Mi-joo was in there with him. As a result, both Mi-joo and Kang-ho had to spend their birthdays locked up in a storage room.
Kang-ho grows up to be a successful prosecutor, whereas Sam-sik turns out to be a felon. He steals from everyone in the village, even his own parents. He eventually gets mixed in bad company.
Those people use him, and he is arrested for stealing. His mother begs Kang-ho not to send Sam-sik to prison, but Kang-ho has no reason to listen to her, and Sam-sik ends up serving time.
After getting released from prison, Sam-sik learns that one should not let others use them; he considers that to be the worst sin. However, he does not change entirely, as he steals from the prison and dupes his mother the moment he comes out of prison.
He gives his parents the wrong date of his release and makes his mother pay him five million won by making her believe that all prisoners must pay a discharge deposit, which is not a real thing, upon their release. He is long gone by the time his parents find out the truth.
Unrequited love
Sam-sik has been in love with Mi-joo since they were children, but Mi-joo always liked Kang-ho more and kept him company, even though he kept studying. This made Sam-sik angry, and he bullied Kang-ho.
When he comes out of prison, he does not meet his parents but goes to visit Mi-joo. Sam-sik remembers everything that Mi-joo ever told him, including the name she had come up with for her future nail salon, and that is how he is able to find her in Seoul.
He is also aware that Mi-joo never reciprocated his feelings because she was in love with Kang-ho and even dated him in the past. When he visits her in Seoul, he asks her if she is still in love with Kang-ho, but Mi-joo never answers his question.
He is not completely truthful with Mi-joo either, as he tells her that he is working on a fishing vessel when, in reality, he is working as a waiter at the fishing union communal workshop.
However, he continues to be a good friend to Mi-joo. He comforts and encourages her when she loses her job. He is there for her when she needs him, but only time will tell if Mi-joo will ever see him as more than a friend.
Also Read: Kang-ho’s accident in The Good Bad Mother explained
