Honestly at this point I honestly don't want Il Ri and Hee Tae to stay together. Until he starts helping Il Ri deal with his family, until he truly appreciates all that Il Ri has done for him and his family, I don't think he deserves her. He does next to nothing when his parents and younger brother bully her. That seems pretty awful. I really feel like he takes her for granted.
I’m not sure I totally agree, because the idea of “deserving” someone is a little tricky for me. I do think he and his family take her for granted, but I also think she’s never tried to make it clear to them how much they do, and how much it stresses her out.
Perhaps it should be obvious to Hee Tae, but he’s… well… kind of that absent-minded professor type, y’know? Like… he’s well-meaning and good-natured and clearly loves his wife, but he’s not all that observant. He knows that taking care of Hee Soo is a stress on her, and I think he’s aware of how difficult his family can be (and I believe, from the little they’ve shown, that he stands up for her and tries to do what he can, even though he’s often gone on the boat or at the research station). He did, after all, try to convince Il Ri that they should put Hee Soo in a care facility, since he could tell it’s hard for her caring for his sister.
But he’s the good-natured type, so he’ll go along with the stronger personalities. And Il Ri is definitely a strong personality, so I think he just takes her at her word without reading between the lines. So when Il Ri says she’s fine, he assumes she’s fine.
I genuinely believe they have a happy marriage, as marriages go. But I also think what is important is that Il Ri has been living her life for others for so long that this awakening she has with Carpenter Kim will show her who she truly is and what she truly wants out of life. Il Ri has been supporting her family since she was young — her mother may not necessarily be an alcoholic, but there are hints that she might have had a drinking problem, and growing up in a single parent household is difficult. Il Ri seems to be the one who took on most of the burden of raising her sister, and chose to become a house-painter instead of going to college because she could make money to help pay for her sister’s tuition.
So whether or not this helper personality is truly who Il Ri is still remains to be seen, but it does seem like she’s been a “giver” most of her life and demanding very little in return. Which does take a toll, no matter how indomitable the spirit.