A string of murders leads the police to Seo-ha’s aunt, Yoon Myung-hee. In The Bequeathed, Cha Mi-kyung plays Myung-hee.
After Seo-ha and her mother were abandoned by her father, she lost contact with him and his family.
It is only when her father’s younger brother passes away that Seo-ha learns about her father’s extended family. She comes to know that he had two siblings, both now deceased.
However, Seo-ha’s father’s sister, Yoon Myung-hee, is still alive, and meeting her leads to Seo-ha discovering the bitter truth about her father’s past.
Forbidden love
Yoon Myung-hee was born with a cleft palate, which made her a target for bullying during her school years. She eventually had surgery and got it fixed.
Throughout her childhood, whenever she faced bullying, her older brother, Myung-ho, protected her. Even when she grew older, Myung-ho never left her side.
Although Myung-ho got married and had Seo-ha with his wife, there were rumors that Myung-ho and Myung-hee were in a romantic relationship.
Their father attempted to arrange a marriage for Myung-hee with a man who had no interest in her, but the siblings protested. Myung-hee pleaded with Myung-ho to stay with her.
Soon after, Myung-hee got pregnant with Myung-ho’s child, resulting in Myung-hee getting kicked out of the house by her father. Myung-ho chose to leave his family and follow her.
The two of them got a house and lived together with their son, Young-ho, for a few years, but they could not get rid of the rumors.
As a result, Myung-ho returned home, while Myung-hee, who could not raise her son on her own, went to live at a temple so that no one would be able to find her.
To protect her son from the shame associated with being born into an incestuous relationship, Myung-hee tried to hide him from the world.
She even left Young-ho with Myung-ho and disappeared from their lives. However, she never stopped looking out for her son.
Fighting for her son’s rights
When Myung-hee comes to know that her brother, Myung-gil, has died and that Seo-ha will be getting the family burial ground, she is furious.
Young-ho’s name was never added to the family registry, but Myung-hee believes that he should be the one inheriting the land.
While Myung-hee has the legal right to claim the land, she is reluctant to reveal that she is alive and reignite old rumors.
Myung-hee resorts to eliminating anyone who stands between Young-ho and his rightful inheritance. Additionally, she controls Young-ho from a distance.
She leaves messages for Young-ho, and he is forced to follow her orders in an effort to prevent further murders.
Myung-hee eventually manages to kidnap Seo-ha, but she cannot kill her because Seo-ha is the only one who can rescue Young-ho from Choi Tae-seong.
In her attempts to save Young-ho, Myung-hee gets caught by Choi Tae-seong’s men. Even when they shoot her, she keeps trying to break open the kiln in which Young-ho is trapped.
Her efforts bear fruit, and Myung-hee manages to save her son with Seo-ha’s help.
Fully aware of the consequences of her crimes, Myung-hee has long accepted that her fight for her son’s rights would not end well for her.
Rather than face arrest by the police, Myung-hee chooses to take her own life. After Myung-hee’s death, Seo-ha decides to bury her alongside Myung-ho, the man Myung-hee loved.
