With only two more episodes to go, “A Hundred Memories” has revealed the final pairing of its main love triangle. Due to the brevity of the episodes and the time jump, we never got to see Young Rye (Kim Da Mi) and Jae Pil (Heo Nam Jun) become inseparable, but the latest episodes finally gave us what many have been waiting for — some truly romantic moments between the main leads. From Jae Pil telling Jong Hee (Shin Ye Eun) that he cannot imagine his life without Young Rye to the two knowing each other like the back of their hands, here are the five best moments from the latest episodes of “A Hundred Memories.”
Warning: spoilers ahead!
The drink switch that everyone notices
There’s a classic trope in romance dramas where everyone except the couple realizes they’re in love. This week’s drink-switching scene perfectly captured that sentiment.
After an accident, Jong Hee ends up in front of Jae Pil’s hospital. Soon after, Young Rye and Jeong Hyeon (Kim Jung Hyun) also arrive. While the women chat, the men grab drinks. Jeong Hyeon, holding a single peach-flavored drink, hands it to Young Rye, only for Jae Pil to swiftly take it from her and replace it with another drink. This is followed by Young Rye opening Jae Pil’s drink for him as he seems to struggle with it.
Whether this moment was meant to highlight Jae Pil’s jealousy toward Jeong Hyeon or the couple’s instinctive awareness of each other’s preferences and quirks, one thing is clear: he’s in love with her. Even if he doesn’t yet realize it himself, both Jeong Hyeon and Jong Hee seem to notice what’s happening right before their eyes.
“A friend I can’t live without”
Technically, this could be considered a Jae Pil and Jong Hee moment since Young Rye isn’t physically present, but it powerfully conveys just how significant she is in Jae Pil’s life.
When Jae Pil finds out that Jong Hee, now a hospital patient, refuses to eat her bland meal, he brings her a pork cutlet to cheer her up. As she enjoys the food, she reminisces about her and Jae Pil’s first date. Out of nowhere, she asks how he feels about Young Rye. Without hesitation, he says Young Rye is “a friend I can’t live without.”
It might have been better if he hadn’t called her just a “friend,” especially after admitting in earlier episodes that “she’s not just a friend.” But his words still reveal the emotional depth of their bond.
After all, friendship is often the foundation of lasting love, and deep down, Jae Pil seems to know that if there’s anyone he wants in his future, it’s Young Rye.
The spicy tteokbokki challenge
This hilarious yet heartwarming scene shows just how much the seven-year time jump has transformed Jae Pil and Young Rye’s relationship.
After work, Young Rye meets Jae Pil and Jong Hee outside the salon, and the trio goes out for a casual night together. They end up at a tteokbokki shop, where the girls enjoy their spicy dishes while Jae Pil opts for something milder. When Jong Hee teases him, Young Rye immediately points out that Jae Pil has low spice tolerance, something she knows all too well.
Irritated, Jae Pil decides to prove himself and digs into the spicy tteokbokki, only to cough and turn red as the others laugh. Jong Hee finds the moment amusing, but Young Rye quietly offers him tissues and water.
It’s a small yet telling scene. While Jong Hee and Jae Pil’s relationship remains stuck in the past, Young Rye and Jae Pil have become like family, understanding each other’s habits and quirks instinctively.
Jong Hee’s sandwiches and relationship confusion
Even in scenes where Young Rye isn’t physically present, her presence still lingers.
After confessing her feelings for Jae Pil to Young Rye and asking for her help, Jong Hee is taken aback when Young Rye admits she loves him too. The next day, Jong Hee decides to pursue him on her own and brings sandwiches to his workplace.
If Jae Pil still harbored feelings for Jong Hee, his face would have softened or shown joy, but instead, he looks utterly confused. When his coworkers tease him for hiding such a “beautiful girlfriend,” he immediately clarifies that she’s just a friend. It’s yet another sign that his heart has already moved on.
Confession under the moonlight
From a purely cinematic perspective, the confession scene that closes episode 10 is one of the most breathtaking moments of “A Hundred Memories.”
On the beach, under the moonlight, Jae Pil and Young Rye finally open their hearts to each other. As Yerin Baek’s rendition of “(They Long to Be) Close to You” by The Carpenters plays softly in the background, Young Rye’s eyes glisten with tears while Jae Pil speaks with newfound certainty. He tells her that she has always been by his side, giving him strength, that he loves her smile, and can’t imagine life without her.
It’s tender, heartfelt, and beautifully earned, a confession that feels both cinematic and deeply human.
From landing a better job after being fired from her previous one to finally being confessed to by her first love, episodes nine and 10 were full of wins for Young Rye. But the same can’t be said for her best friend, Jong Hee. Not only is she struggling to keep up with her adoptive mother’s thoughtless demands, like staying away from her friends, but her brother and former manager at Cheong Ha also seem to be out for her blood.
The stakes for the finale episodes couldn’t be any higher.
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Javeria is a binge-watching specialist who loves devouring entire K-dramas in one sitting. Good screenwriting, beautiful cinematography, and a lack of clichés are the way to her heart. As a music fanatic, she listens to multiple artists across different genres and stans the self-producing idol group SEVENTEEN. You can talk to her on Instagram @javeriayousufs.
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