After 12 episodes and several weeks, our favorite Monday-Tuesday show has come to an end. Doesn’t it seem like it only started yesterday since we’ve been hearing “Gyeon U yaaa?”
It is almost surreal to believe that the story of our new beloved couple has now concluded. Though it’s hard to say goodbye, I was slightly disappointed with the final two episodes. While I appreciate the writers’ intention to give us a beautiful closure, along with heartwarming and cute moments, the story and the core spiritual-fantasy narrative deserved a stronger conclusion.
Episode 11
The episode opens in the aftermath of General Dongcheon’s death, and we see Seong A vowing to protect Yeom-hwa, which makes sense, since her mother lost her life for this reason. Determined, she goes out on a date with Bongsu, who is impersonating Gyeon U. While we see them sharing tender moments — eating ice cream and clicking selfies — in reality, it was all part of Seong A’s plan. She kisses Bongsu and lightly throws salt over him. She lures Bongsu out of Gyeon U’s body and asks him to follow her. And then, our main female lead goes missing for months. This was an emotionally shattering moment. As viewers, we yearned for romantic moments between our two main leads, yet the date felt like a mirage. The irony of Seong A saying, “I will be back before graduation,” when Gyeon U and Ji-ho actually celebrated graduation without her, was gut-wrenching.
On the other hand, despite winning medal after medal and even having reconciled with his old friend, a desperate Gyeon U goes to Seong A’s house, only to come face-to-face with Yeom-hwa. The latter informs him that Seong A is still alive; if she were dead, she would appear in their dreams, dressed in white, to say goodbye. She gives him a way to find her. Armed with hundreds of amulets made by the Flower Master Shaman, Gyeon U tries to capture a faceless ghost — his servant — who could help locate Seong A. This reflected strong character development for Gyeon U, who goes from ill-fated and passive to courageous and driven by purpose. However, since it was Yeom-hwa’s trap, she finds Seong A first and tries to kill her to get rid of the evil entity. Luckily, Gyeon U arrives in time, and Seong A escapes once again.
Fast forward again. Years pass, and we see a new Gyeon U, now a champion archer. Then there’s Pyo Ji-ho, who has started living in Gyeon U’s house. Perhaps, aside from the romantic storyline, the meaningful connection (and bromance!) between Gyeon U and his new friend Ji-ho truly resonated with many of us.
At one point, Gyeon U starts having dreams of his high school class and realizes it’s Seong A’s dream. However, despite having access to her dream, he couldn’t find her, as she and Bongsu kept hiding themselves every time. In the dream, Gyeon U remembers seeing the home of the Flower Master Shaman. Going there, he ends up seeing Seong A, now in her dark and twisted alter ego version.
Episode 12
In the last episode, we are introduced to a new Seong A. Gone were the floral and cute pastel outfits; now she was decked in all black, bold and daring clothes. With Bongsu taking over her body, he traded her sweet and soft attitude for a kick-ass and spunky one.
Eventually, upon finding her (and being kissed, also!), Gyeon U brings her home. Pyo Ji-ho is stunned at first, and then realizes the whole situation. Even though I mentioned that the ending narrative felt too unfocused, the first few minutes of this one were pure comedy. From Bongsu surprising and kissing Ji-ho to the boys’ awkward reaction to Seong A’s daring outfit choices, I found myself smiling and laughing a lot. Soon, Seong A’s return sparks an impromptu high school reunion, where you finally see a realization dawn upon Bongsu: he’s stealing the life of Seong A, his first love.
After Gyeon U’s countless attempts to get Seong A back, Bongsu reveals that if he doesn’t get out of Seong A’s body soon, he’ll completely take over and she’ll disappear. Going back to the high school dream, Gyeon U finds Seong A. They have a heartfelt discussion, and at last, the “real” kiss takes place.
So, this is the part I genuinely don’t understand. Throughout the show, every single supernatural event, ritual, or action came with a clear explanation that made perfect sense. But this? How can a simple kiss cause Bongsu to return to Gyeon U’s body? Even in the previous episode, when it happened, I wanted to point out this confusing element.
Another surprising element was how Yeom-hwa and Gyeon U teamed up for a ritual to drive out Bongsu from his body — of course, both agreed to sacrifice themselves to save Seong A. While the ritual causes Yeom-hwa and Bongsu unimaginable pain, Seong A wakes up to find Yeom-hwa’s goodbye letter, which also mentions Gyeon U. Rushing to the shrine, she pleads with her Fairy God to give her back her powers. Awakened again in her shaman form, she goes to the haunted mansion along with the spirit of General Dongcheon. She stops the exorcism ritual and manages to get Bongsu’s real name: Jang Yoon-bo.
In the end, we are shown how Gyeon U is now part of the national archery team, and Seong A is carrying out her duties as Fairy Shaman. The show ends with a beautiful kiss from our main leads.
Final Thoughts
Watching K-dramas made me realise just how challenging it might be for writers to craft an ending in a way that does justice to the whole show. ‘Head Over Heels’ became somehow a Monday-Tuesday ritual, just like ‘Lovely Runner.’ However, I feel like the final acts of these two shows can’t be compared.
This drama had the potential to go further than ‘Lovely Runner’, considering the whole fantasy-supernatural narrative. However, the climax felt a bit underwhelming. Not gonna lie, a sad or bittersweet ending would’ve made the show linger more in our minds.
That said, the buzz is real, and this drama has and continues to stir hype. I guess, “Gyeon U yaaa” is going to stick with us…for a very long time!
Written by Diksha Gangadeen
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