The ninth episode of "Would You Marry Me" commences with a flashback, revealing how Woo-ju's selfish nature led him to discover that Me-ri had not filed for divorce. He mistakenly interpreted this as a sign of her undying love for him. That night, he gathered flowers and drove to the Beaute Palace, where he overheard two women discussing the house lottery. After checking the site, he saw Me-ri and Woo-joo in the pictures, resulting in his unexpected arrival at Me-ri's doorstep, seething with anger.
Me-ri attempts to send Woo-ju away, but he forcefully enters the house. He confronts her for her deceit and eagerly asks her to take him back, believing there's no use for Woo-joo in her life. However, Me-ri is deeply in love with Woo-joo and ready to confess her feelings. Woo-ju realizes the seriousness of her feelings for his rival and changes his approach. He gives Me-ri an ultimatum: break up with Woo-joo or he will use him to tarnish Myunsooondang's reputation. Out of love for Woo-joo, Me-ri agrees to his conditions. She calls Woo-joo, pretending to be sick, and asks him to cancel their plans. Woo-joo, understanding as always, heads home.
At home, Pil-nyeon asks Woo-joo to investigate J Consulting and shows him the financial records. Later, Woo-joo recalls seeing the same papers in Han-gu's office. He reaches out to an old friend in the US, John, and asks him to look into J Consulting.
In the following days, Me-ri wallows in misery, finding ways to avoid Woo-joo. On the other hand, Woo-joo wonders if Me-ri was hurt by his grandmother's words at the lunch party. He overhears Eung-soo giving Won-suk dating advice and takes notes. He calls Me-ri and invites her on a date, but she turns him down again, using work as an excuse. Woo-joo remains understanding and supportive, always there for her.
A few days later, John sends Woo-joo an email filled with his findings on J Consulting. To his surprise, he discovers that J Consulting has recently closed its doors, and the address listed in the documents belongs to a restaurant owned by Jessica. Delving deeper, John uncovers that Jessica is not only the owner of the now-defunct consulting firm but also a Korean immigrant and a mother to an 8-year-old son.
Meanwhile, Miyeon visits a fortune teller who warns her of a forthcoming betrayal. Fearing the worst, Miyeon calls Han-gu, thinking the culprit might be her mother. Han-gu laughs off her fears, calming her down with his reassurances. However, Jessica overhears their conversation and demands a commitment from Han-gu that he will divorce Miyeon. Despite his hesitation, Han-gu promises to do so once he returns to Korea.
In a separate development, So-ri returns Henry home after babysitting him for a while. Jessica rewards her with a generous tip, thanking her for her discretion.
The next day, Woo-joo uses work as an excuse to set up a meeting with Me-ri. To his surprise, she has other plans – a picnic date planned by Woo-joo. Me-ri uses this opportunity to lie about changing her mind about reporting herself, claiming that Pil-nyeon won't accept her either way and that it's not worth the money. She asks for a breakup and walks away before Woo-joo can process what she just said. Later, Woo-joo sends her a sweet apology message, apologizing for not being considerate of her feelings and giving her time. Me-ri tears up after reading the message.
At Beaute Palace, the mayor continues to pester Sung-woo about a house unit. In turn, Sung-woo presses Sang-hyun to find a solution to the problem. At Myungsoondang, Woo-joo waits impatiently for Me-ri's response. Instead, Jin-gyeong texts him to apologize for messing with his relationship, offering to apologize to Me-ri as well. However, Woo-joo tells her it's not the right time and to hold off a bit.
Jin-gyeong exhales a sigh of relief as Woo-joo's forgiveness washes over her like a gentle breeze. She assumes, with a hint of a twinge, that the couple's tenuous balance has tipped, based on Woo-joo's response. That night, she laces up her running shoes and embarks on a jog that leads her to Sang-hyun, another soul struggling under the weight of life's burdens. After their run, they share a few drinks and Jin-gyeong unburdens herself of her tangled emotions towards Woo-joo. Sang-hyun opens up about the relentless pressure of his job, and Jin-gyeong wonders aloud why he can't simply walk away. Sang-hyun admits that leaving his company or disobeying his boss would likely mean bearing the brunt of the fallout himself.
The next day, the Myunsoondang team gathers to hash out their new marketing strategy, inviting everyone to lunch to celebrate a colleague's birthday. Me-ri, however, remains absent, lost in her own thoughts about her chaotic first encounter with Woo-joo and the tumultuous state of their relationship.
In the evening, Woo-joo attempts to reach out to Me-ri, driving to her place. She shuts off the lights and doesn't answer his calls, making it seem as if she's not home. The next day, Myunsoondang security reports Woo-ju's visit to Woo-joo. Woo-joo tries to contact Me-ri again, but she's too busy with Woo-ju at her place, this time determined to corner her into a reconciliation.
Me-ri is having none of it, rising determined to go to Sang-hyun and confess her actions. Woo-ju grows furious, insisting that she can't risk losing the house, half of which belongs to him! They argue outside the house, determined to put an end to Woo-ju's blackmailing game. Woo-ju begins to accuse her of faking her breakup with Woo-joo, but just as he's about to strike, Woo-joo arrives in time to intervene.
Woo-joo challenges Woo-ju to face him as a man and stop using Me-ri as a pawn. Woo-ju threatens to report the couple, but Woo-joo plays him the recording of his own threat against Me-ri if she were to come clean. Realizing he can no longer deny his complicity in Me-ri's scheme, Woo-ju departs.
As Woo-joo comforts Me-ri, promising to protect her until the very end and asking only for her continued presence by his side, it's hard not to feel a flutter in one's chest. At work, Woo-joo learns that Beaute has been invited to Myunsoondang's anniversary party. Fortunately, Sang-hyun declines the invitation since he and Sung-woo are bound for Japan. During their flight, they meet David, who informs them that he has left his position at the Kaltz hotel.
Meanwhile, Pil-nyeon encourages Woo-joo to bring the woman he likes to the party. Woo-joo invites Me-ri, and she happily accepts. At the party, Pil-nyeon warmly welcomes Me-ri, but their chance for a conversation is short-lived.
As Pil-nyeon delivered her speech with poise, Han-gu received a distressing message that Sung-woo and Sang-hyun had unexpectedly arrived, their business trip abruptly cut short. They managed to find time amidst their hectic schedule to attend the event. Woo-joo, with a sense of urgency, texted Me-ri, urging her to depart. On her way out, Me-ri stumbled upon Pil-nyeon, who inquired about her connection to her grandson and kindly promised to make time for a meeting. Sang-hyun, overhearing their exchange, realized the truth behind Me-ri's deceit and promptly called Sung-woo, suggesting that he might have a loophole to reclaim the house unit.
Concurrently, Woo-joo collided with Sang-hyun, and the episode concluded with Me-ri leaving the event amidst her haste, while Woo-joo was left flustered as Sang-hyun inquired about the true nature of their relationship.
