This article contains spoilers. 4/5 stars Over the past month and a half, Yumi’s Cells has been an engaging romantic comedy putting a fresh spin on commonplace, relatable situations. But while it has featured rather low stakes, even for a romcom, something unexpected happened over its last two weeks. Yumi (Kim Go-eun) and Woong’s (Ahn Bo-hyun) relationship reached a real crisis point and suddenly the romantic threat posed by Bobby Yoo (Got7’s Jin Young) became palpable. Having a charming and sweet secondary lead appear before the heroine is a common trope in Korean romantic dramas. Usually, this romantic threat is mitigated by the comforting foreknowledge that in the closed-loop of a one-and-done Korean drama, this screen gentleman will merely be an obstacle to overcome, and consequently serve to strengthen the relationship between the leads. Compared to its peers, however, Yumi’s Cells has a crucial difference: it went into production as a multi-season project. This variable adds a great deal of tension to the final episodes of the season. Much as in real life, uncertainty clouds each moment, each decision. Yumi’s Cells midseason recap: a refreshing K-drama romcom Despite an awkward start to their very first date, Yumi and Woong have got on fantastically, with the latter proving to be kind and thoughtful, not to mention good in a crisis. A few tiffs brewed here and there, notably whenever Woong’s colleague Sae-yi (Park Ji-hyun) entered the picture, but for the most part, their relationship has been all smooth sailing. But the devil is in the details, and when the couple swiftly approach their crisis point, we realise these problems have been there all along. After showing up unannounced at Woong’s place, only to discover that Woong had neglected to tell her that Sae-yi had moved into the same building, Yumi once again gives Woong a surprise visit only to get a nasty shock. This time, Woong isn’t home, even though he claims to be there. We learn that he’s sleeping at his office. In fact, he’s been doing so for a month after having sold his apartment to finance his struggling business. Unperturbed by Woong’s financial struggles, Yumi invites him to live with her and after initially balking at the idea, Woong relents. What follows is an almost idyllic period of cohabitation, their love seemingly growing as they shop and cook together and share intimate moments. On the surface, eluding any mention of his new neighbour Sae-yi seems like the bigger problem, but it is behaviour we can understand. Woong, who had no control over that turn of events, knows it will upset Yumi. He is unwise not to say anything, but it is realistic behaviour. 9 new Korean dramas to look out for in November 2021 On the other hand, not telling Yumi that he sold his apartment turns out to be a much more serious issue. This, as well as earlier moments in the show, highlight Woong’s pride problem. We know that it is he and not Yumi who tops the priority list in his mind’s “village”, and his prideful behaviour illustrates that to a tee. Woong is an obsessive cleaner, which at first delights Yumi when he moves in, but this trait is also a manifestation of his pride. His seemingly carefree attitude masks a need for things to be in their right place. His proud behaviour sees him make sacrifices for his company, but when it comes to his relationship, his priorities aren’t as clear-cut. Yumi learns this the hard way when she blurts out the question of whether they should get married on his birthday. Hearing a non-committal response provokes a change in Yumi that brews over the coming days. The very next day she starts her job in the marketing department with Bobby at her side, who soon gets callously dumped by his girlfriend, with Yumi by chance sitting in the same cafe, overhearing their conversation. A break-up piñata appears in Yumi’s village and some of her cells try to break it open whenever Woong does something wrong or annoying. The piñata proves remarkably resilient but even after Woong moves out, it’s only late one night when Woong pithily responds to Yumi’s thoughtful goodnight text that it suddenly breaks open – it’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Yumi asks for a timeout and with things headed toward disaster, we wait for either Woong to emerge with a big gesture of love or Yumi to have a change of heart. But in the show’s closing moments, they both decide to call it quits. Separating at the fountain where they first met, a tearful Yumi walks to the camera and Woong’s silhouette shrinks in the distance, and suddenly the season ends. It’s a wrenching emotional moment and though this isn’t the end of our journey with Yumi, the suddenness of the season’s close gives us an opportunity to savour the highs and lows of their relationship and consider what went wrong - and, of course, what will happen next. Is Bobby destined to take a bigger role in Yumi’s life? Will Woong finally pocket his pride? Or will something else enter the picture? For the answer to those questions and more, we’ll have to wait until next year, when this charming and disarmingly effective drama returns. Yumi’s Cells is streaming on iQiyi.