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Thirty-Nine revolves around three best friends played by Son Ye-jin, Jeon Mi-do, and Kim Ji-hyun. The show’s premiere episode captures the lives of the three women who are 39-years-old and single. Each of them have struggles of their own, but when they are together, they become each other’s support system.
However, one of them may not make it to the very end. The prologue of the show teases a funeral that will soon take place, and future episodes will reveal more details.
Mi-jo, Chan-young, and Joo-hee’s friendship in Thirty-Nine
Thirty-nine begins with Mi-jo (Son Ye-jin) narrating how her friendship with Chan-young (Jeon Mi-do) and Joo-hee (Kim Ji-hyun) began at the age of 16 and is still ongoing. The three of them became friends over tteokbeokki and cola at 16. They have been together through different stages of their lives since.
In Thirty-Nine, they go to spa sessions together, hang out over food and drink, and continue to be each other’s support system. The tteokbeokki outings remain, and now they have it with soju instead of cola.
The three of them are not from the same school or even the same neighborhood. Mi-jo meets Joo-hee in the metro while she is on her way to meet her biological mother. Mi-jo loses her wallet in Thirty-Nine, and Joo-hee tries to help her by lending her some cash. However, Mi-jo misinterprets her kindness and tries to pick a fight with her. Later, Joo-hee accompanies Mi-jo in her quest to find her mother.
When they arrive at the tteokbeooki house where Mi-jo believes she will find her biological mother, a surprise awaits them. The lady owner of the tteokbeokki house is a mother to another daughter. Upon checking, Mi-jo and Joo-hee realize that the girl is also in 11th grade, and is as old as them.
After a few minutes of confusion, the three girls figure out that Mi-jo was mistaken about her biological mother’s address. The incident marks the beginning of a friendship that has lasts more than two decades.
What are Mi-jo, Chan-young, and Joo-hee currently up to in Thirty-Nine?
Mi-jo is getting ready to leave the country in anticipation of her sabbatical in Thirty-Nine. She will be going away for a year and plans to stay in Palm Springs, California and learn golf. She tells Joo-hee and Chan-young of her plans. However, she also meets a man, Doctor Sun-woo, who may change her mind about her sabbatical.
The two meet in the orphanage where Mi-jo used to live before her adoption. He is instantly attracted to her, and the coincidence brings them back together. During their third meeting, Sun-woo tells her that he would like to take her home that very day and she accepts.
Chan-young, on the other hand, ends her long and complex relationship with Jin-seok. She met him through Mi-jo and the two fell in love. However, they separate when Jin-seok has to head abroad for higher studies. He also marries someone else, but continues to talk to Chan-young. The two are not involved romantically, but their platonic relationship does feel like an affair.
Joo-hee is the most intriguing character in the K-drama, and she is also the one who continues to remain a mystery. It would be interesting to see what awaits the three friends next.
