Episode 10 of "Perfect Family" unfolds with a poignant flashback, casting us back 12 years to a fateful moment when Jin-hyeok lay hospitalized, the victim of a brutal attack orchestrated by Hyun-min. Eun-joo and her son, Sang-ho, hover anxiously by Jin-hyeok's bedside, their hearts heavy with concern, while he endeavors to brush off the severity of his situation with a faint smile.
Concurrently, Hyun-min's path converges at his mother's abode, where he collects Sun-hui and escorts her to the same hospital, their destination: to address Hyun-min's life-threatening peanut allergy. An uncanny coincidence brings Jin-hyeok and Hyun-min face to face, their shared hospital appointment an unlikely reunion. Over casual conversation, Jin-hyeok plays down his ordeal, jesting that he merely stumbled after indulging in a bit too much libation.
Hyun-min confides in Jin-hyeok, sharing the burdens that weigh heavily on his shoulders—the struggle to sell insurance policies, the sole responsibility of caring for his daughter and ailing mother. Amidst these trials, he entrusts Jin-hyeok with the temporary guardianship of Sun-hui while he undergoes a medical examination. Before departing, Hyun-min makes a detour to the convenience store, emerging with an armload of snacks, unbeknownst to him, including a peanut-laden treat that would prove disastrous.
Ignorant of Sun-hui's allergy, Sang-ho innocently offers her the forbidden snack, triggering a catastrophic reaction that sends her into a life-threatening coma. The hospital rushes Sun-hui to the ICU, leaving Sang-ho shaken to the core by his inadvertent role in the tragedy.
In a gesture of empathy and support, Jin-hyeok proposes to Hyun-min, offering to purchase insurance policies for himself and his colleagues, a move that seems to soften the hardened exterior of Hyun-min. Eun-joo, too, extends an olive branch, inviting Hyun-min and Sun-hui over for dinner, hoping to facilitate a healing encounter between Sang-ho and the young girl he inadvertently harmed. Hyun-min, however, cannot resist flirting with Eun-joo, though she remains largely unimpressed by his advances, her focus firmly on the delicate dance of rebuilding bridges and fostering understanding amidst the wreckage of the past.
Hyun-min cunningly harnesses his newfound connection with Jin-hyeok, exploiting it as a leverage to extort funds from nefarious individuals. Over dinner, he orchestrates a self-pitying spectacle, involving Sun-hui, which inadvertently prompts Jin-hyeok to procure an additional insurance policy, safeguarding the names of Eun-joo and Sang-ho. In a display of gratitude, Hyun-min prostrates himself before Jin-hyeok, thanking him profusely for his generosity.
Jin-hyeok's colleague, sensing the treacherous undercurrents, endeavors to caution him against Hyun-min's manipulative ways, urging him to embrace his calling as a civil rights lawyer, as his innate kindness was deemed unsuited for the unforgiving realm of prosecution.
Unbeknownst to Hyun-min, his failure to repay his debt to ruthless loan sharks lands him in a brutal beating, exposing his attempts at insurance fraud. The sharks, now enraged, threaten him with dire consequences unless he settles his dues.
Returning home battered and bruised, Hyun-min is met with the distressing news of his mother's illness. Desperate for funds, he concocts a treacherous plan, leading Sun-hui to the beach with the intention of pushing her off the dock to claim the insurance money. Yet, at the eleventh hour, his conscience prevails, and he hesitates, preparing to abandon his sinister scheme.
Just as he turns to flee, the loan sharks, who had been tailing him, call, insistent that he completes his sinister task. Little does Hyun-min know, his conversation with the sharks is being eavesdropped upon by Jin-hyeok, Eun-joo, and Sang-ho, who had arrived for a familial picnic.
Ignoring the menacing phone call, Hyun-min leads Sun-hui to the edge of the cliff, poised to carry out his heinous act, when Jin-hyeok unexpectedly interrupts, rescuing Sun-hui and confronting Hyun-min with a steely gaze. Jin-hyeok, aware of Hyun-min's intentions, gently removes Sun-hui from harm's way and inquires about his wellbeing, his tone betraying a deeper understanding of Hyun-min's predicament.
In a moment of candor, Jin-hyeok reveals that Sang-ho represented a beacon of hope for a brighter future, just as Sun-hui did for Hyun-min, inadvertently shedding light on the depths of Hyun-min's desperation and the fragile web of deceit he had woven.
Days pass, unveiling a grim reality for Jin-hyeok: the insurance policies Hyun-min had peddled to him and his colleagues were nothing but a deceitful web. With a heavy heart, he extends his apologies to his colleagues and sets out to confront Hyun-min at his makeshift office, determination etched on his face.
Within the cramped confines of Hyun-min's office, Jin-hyeok confronts him head-on about the fraudulent insurance schemes, his voice laced with urgency. He demands, with unwavering resolve, that Hyun-min return the stolen funds to him and his colleagues forthwith. In a moment of mercy, Jin-hyeok offers Hyun-min a glimmer of hope, a chance to redeem himself, before turning away to return home.
To Eun-joo, he unfurls a tale fraught with emotion, relaying how they had inadvertently welcomed a wolf in sheep's clothing into their midst. He then shares a poignant memory, his voice trembling as he recounts how his brother's silence in the face of school bullying led to his tragic death, a burden Jin-hyeok carries on his shoulders. He confesses that this悲剧 fueled his misguided trust in Hyun-min, seeing him almost as a surrogate brother.
Meanwhile, the loan sharks tighten their grip on Hyun-min, administering a brutal lesson before granting him one final reprieve to settle his debts. Desperate, Hyun-min rushes to the hospital, where his mother lies ailing, and gathers Sun-hui, before making his way to Sang-ho's school. With a sense of urgency, he collects Sang-ho and brings him to his office, the scene closing on a cliffhanger, leaving their fate hanging in the balance.
