Episode 4 of "Perfect Family" unfolds with Hyun-min intriguing Sun-hui to delve into a mysterious room within her own household. As Sun-hui ventures inside, Eun-joo's concerned inquiry lingers, yet she remains tight-lipped about the enigmatic figure, evading Sun-hui's questioning gaze.
Retreating to her chamber, Sun-hui's thoughts are consumed by Hyun-min's enigmatic remark. That very night, fueled by curiosity, she attempts to窥探 the room Hyun-min had alluded to, only to scurry back to her sanctuary as her parents' footsteps fade down the hallway.
The following dawn, Hyun-woo confronts Sun-hui with the weight of Kyeong-ho's passing and their unbreakable bond of friendship. He vows to stand by her side, astutely perceiving that Sun-hui harbors secrets she dares not reveal. Together, they forsake half a day of school, their urgency leading them straight to Sun-hui's abode.
With a strategic phone call to Eun-joo confirming her mother's absence at the supermarket, Sun-hui seizes the opportunity to embark on her quest. Navigating through her parents' sanctuary and Jin-hyeok's studious retreat, she scavenges for a key that would unlock the forbidden door.
A fleeting memory from her youth resurfaces, Jin-hyeok's stern warning echoing in her mind, cautioning her against trespassing. Gathering her resolve, Sun-hui attempts to breach the lock's barrier, but her efforts prove futile. Desperate, she enlists Hyun-woo's aid, utilizing a ladder to scale the window and gain access from the exterior.
As Hyun-woo masterfully distracts Jin-hyeok and Eun-joo, Sun-hui finally breaches the threshold of the room. The scene that greets her is astonishing—it resembles a young boy's bedroom, brimming with a masculine aura. Her eyes fall upon a photograph frame, her heart racing with a mix of awe and trepidation.
Simultaneously, Hyun-woo's attempt to deflect Sun-hui's parents falters, and they hurriedly enter the house, their eyes scanning frantically for Sun-hui's presence. Eun-joo, with a sense of urgency, informs Jin-hyeok that Sun-hui is nowhere to be found in her room. Jin-hyeok, unfazed, reaches into his pocket and withdraws the key to the upstairs bedroom, poised to unlock its mysteries, only to be interrupted by Sun-hui emerging from her shower, wrapped in a bathrobe. She calmly assures her parents of her whereabouts before retreating to her chamber.
Eun-joo, intrigued, inspects the bathroom, searching for signs of Sun-hui's shower. Her suspicions are aroused when she discovers the trash bin impeccably clean, devoid of any remnants of a recent bath. Sun-hui, sequestered in her room, gazes intently at a photo frame, a cherished memento from the forbidden room.
As the night descends, Sun-hui confides in Eun-joo about her adoption, voicing her bewilderment at their choice of a girl over a boy. She selflessly shoulders the blame for Eun-joo and Jin-hyeok's estrangement from their extended family. Eun-joo, her patience fraying, sharply reprimands Sun-hui, begging her to cease such self-deprecating remarks.
Later that evening, Eun-joo relays her heartfelt conversation with Sun-hui to Jin-hyeok, who, with a decisive air, proposes advancing their plan. The following day, Sun-hui reveals to Hyun-woo her intention to visit someone after school, and the duo embarks on a journey to an antiquated abode.
The steward, upon hearing Sun-hui's name, grants the children access to the house, summoning its mistress—a frail, wheelchair-bound elderly woman. Sun-hui introduces Hyun-woo to her grandmother, but her attempts at conversation are met with a fierce rebuke. When Sun-hui presents the photo frame, revealing a poignant family portrait featuring Jin-hyeok, Eun-joo, her grandmother, and a teenage boy, she embarks on a series of inquiries about the boy, inadvertently igniting her grandmother's ire.
In a fit of anger, the grandmother banishes Sun-hui from the house, her wrath unleashed as she hurls a glass vase, shattering it against the floor and leaving Sun-hui injured in its wake. The scene is charged with emotion, each action and reaction painting a vivid portrait of the complexities that bind these characters together.
Hyun-woo chivalrously escorts Sun-hui on an outing, attentively tending to her injury while soothing her frayed nerves. He bravely confronts the elephant in the room, expressing his heartfelt sentiments about Sun-hui's secrecy surrounding Kyeong-ho's demise. Amidst his words of comfort, he declares her a cherished confidante, a bond he holds dear. As the evening draws to a close, he ensures her safe return home.
That solitary night, Sun-hui's pen dances across the pages of her journal, confessing that Hyun-woo stands as the solitary beacon of trust in her tumultuous world. Her thoughts wander back to a bygone era, when adolescence painted her life with hues of innocence. It was then, on her birthday, that her parents gifted her a fresh journal, a vessel to hold her deepest thoughts.
Days later, as Sun-hui trudges home from school, weighed down by the burdens of a trying day, her brother Jin-hyeok's curious fingers find their way into her private sanctuary—her journal. There, he uncovers the tale of a relentless bully who had haunted Sun-hui's days. But fate, it seems, had other plans. Whispers of the bully's untimely demise reach Sun-hui's ears through the grapevine, whispered by one of her few friends.
The narrative seamlessly weaves back to the present, as Sun-hui, resolved, steps out of her home's embrace to rendezvous with Hyun-woo. Her parents' eyes narrow with suspicion, and Jin-hyeok, sensing something amiss, sneaks into her chamber, seeking answers amidst the shadows of her room.
Delving into the depths of his internet browser history, he stumbled upon Sun-hui's meticulous search for information on adoption and death certificates, hinting at a concealed narrative. Among her private journals, he chanced upon a heartfelt entry confessing that Hyun-woo was the solitary beacon of trust in her life's stormy seas.
As they convened near her abode, Sun-hui shared a weighty desire to embark on a journey alone, yet Hyun-woo, ever attentive, offered his ear and solace. Amidst this poignant conversation, the shadows of law enforcement lurked, their gaze fixed on Sun-hui's every move.
At the crescendo of their dialogue, Sun-hui summoned the strength to unravel the truth behind Kyeong-ho's tragic demise, leaving Hyun-woo puzzled why she hadn't sought justice against Soo-yeon, the alleged perpetrator. Sun-hui, however, hesitated to expose a deeper, darker secret—the suspected role of her own parents in the fire that consumed Kyeong-ho's family, choosing silence over disclosure.
The following dawn brought an ominous text from an anonymous number, its sender posing as Soo-yeon, summoning Sun-hui to a fateful meeting outside their school. Driven by curiosity and unease, Sun-hui raced outside, only to confront an eerie emptiness.
In a poignant epilogue, Sun-hui's grandmother's gaze lingered lovingly on a framed photograph, her melancholy evoking a sense of long-suppressed sorrow. The seasoned steward, who had served her faithfully for a quarter-century, attested that he had never witnessed such profound distress in her. Sharing a poignant tale, the grandmother recounted how her unwavering pursuit of business success had inadvertently blinded her to her son's plight, leaving him vulnerable to bullying. This revelation struck the steward like a thunderbolt, illuminating a facet of his employer's life he never knew existed.
