In Family by Choice, Episode 9, Ju-won and Jeong-jae discover that San-ha and Hae-jun plan to move out, despite Dae-wook’s strong objections. San-ha manages to persuade Dae-wook to let them go to Seoul. Ju-won, feeling betrayed, stops eating with the family. With just a day left before their departure, tensions run high.
San-ha learns that Ju-won went to Seoul alone to meet him and rushes to find her. Meanwhile, Hae-jun shares a meal with Park Dal. San-ha finds Ju-won at a café and promises that he’ll return to her once his goals in Seoul are met. Hae-jun assures Jeong-jae that he’ll work hard, succeed, and come back.
The following day, as the duo prepares to leave, Ju-won avoids saying goodbye. Jeong-jae and Dae-wook send them off instead. After they’ve gone, Ju-won, hiding on the stairs, finally asks Jeong-jae for food. She tears up while eating, already missing them.
As time passes, Ju-won grows distant from San-ha and Hae-jun. By her 26th birthday, they barely talk. Ju-won now owns a bakery and lives with Park Dal, who has become a lawyer. On her 27th birthday, Jeong-jae invites her home for seaweed soup.
Outside her bakery, a man in a hoodie waits. While Ju-won steps out to pick cherries, the man sneaks inside. When she returns, a confrontation ensues, leading to a fight. At the police station, Jeong-jae and Dae-wook arrive, shocked to find the man is Hae-jun.
San-ha, sensing something’s wrong, rushes to the station. However, Ju-won no longer sees them as family. Hae-jun reveals that he was discharged from the military, quit basketball due to an injury, and failed to graduate. Later, back at Jeong-jae’s home, Ju-won shares her feelings with Park Dal. At dinner, she feels out of place as San-ha and Hae-jun announce they plan to stay this time.
In Episode 10, Jeong-jae hopes for a joyful birthday celebration but faces Ju-won’s rejection. Ju-won insists San-ha and Hae-jun are not her family and leaves. Undeterred, they follow her, but she distances herself and takes a cab home.
The next morning, Ju-won and Park Dal are surprised to learn that San-ha and Hae-jun have rented the apartment next door. San-ha, now a third-year medical resident, reconnects with old friends Lee Jun-ho and Hui-ju at the hospital. Meanwhile, Jeong-jae and Dae-wook worry about Hae-jun’s unemployment, though Hae-jun himself is planning to open a restaurant.
One night, after closing her bakery, Ju-won finds San-ha waiting outside for hours. They walk home together. The next day, Hae-jun, searching for Ju-won, crosses paths with Park Dal. Elsewhere, San-ha’s mother, now in a wheelchair, struggles with the urge to call him, as So-hee advises her to keep her distance.
On Ju-won’s birthday, the family gathers, eagerly waiting for her to arrive. Despite ignoring their calls, Ju-won eventually shows up and shares a meal with them. After lunch, she blows out her birthday candles and questions Hae-jun about his absence. San-ha reveals that Hae-jun’s leg injury forced him to quit basketball.
Later, Hui-ju and their old school friends join Ju-won and Park Dal for dinner to celebrate Hae-jun’s return, though San-ha misses the gathering due to a hospital emergency. He leaves a gift outside Ju-won’s door, which delights her.
San-ha soon learns from Jun-ho that Ju-won might be seeing someone. When he confronts her at the bakery, he confesses his feelings. The episode ends with this heartfelt moment, leaving the future of their relationships uncertain.