Even in the face of tragedy, life goes on. Our protagonist does her best to live to the fullest, appreciating her life in a new way. But staying positive in the wake of her loss is still a struggle. Thankfully, she has a host of close friends and family by her side. They might’ve had a tough several months, but they’re all growing stronger and braver, ready to forge their own paths.
EPISODE 15
We get a three-month time jump after Myeol-mang’s disappearance. Doctor Jung is marveling over the impossible way Dong-kyung’s tumor is shrinking with each passing day. He excitedly notes that she can finally have that wedding she’s been postponing.
Dong-kyung’s eyes are sad as she explains she intends to continue postponing it because her boyfriend “went somewhere far away.” Dong-kyung peeks into the goddess’s hospital room before she leaves, but it’s been cleared out. Everything that happened with Myeol-mang now feels like a dream.
Elsewhere, Joo-ik tries to get writer Young to sign with his new company. Young dismisses him, arguing he has no time and doesn’t want to tarnish his image by writing novels. Joo-ik threateningly points out that Young’s boy-next-door image would be wrecked if his identity as a “superstar” writer was outed.
Young refuses to work with anyone other than Dong-kyung, so Joo-ik calls her and orders her over. Dong-kyung rants to Ji-na that he still treats her like his underling but heads to meet him anyway. She asks Ji-na to join her, but Ji-na is keeping her distance from Joo-ik while she figures out her feelings.
When Dong-kyung compliments her friend on growing up, Ji-na argues taking Dong-kyung to all her medical appointments over the past few months has made an adult out of her. Dong-kyung promises to repay her, but her good health is payment enough for Ji-na.
At his apartment, Joo-ik pitches his new company Top Ten Media to Dong-kyung. He’s already begun recruiting some of the best writers and is willing to pay her well as a team leader. Dong-kyung wonders why Ji-na isn’t on his recruited authors list since she’s been successful lately.
He thinks he should give Ji-na space and argues they both need some time, but Dong-kyung reminds him that time isn’t a given. It’s courage, not time, that’s necessary. Joo-ik cocks his head. “You’re kind of cool.” Heh.
Dong-kyung then coolly tells him she’ll think on his offer and get back to him. Not content to let her be the only advice-giver, Joo-ik remarks that some feelings like longing grow stronger when given time. Dong-kyung grumbles that he’s so annoying with how he’s always teaching her stuff.
That night, Dong-kyung waits at a crosswalk and thinks back to how Myeol-mang would grab her hand and walk her across. Now, she prepares to cross alone but is startled when someone grabs her hand. It’s Sun-kyung who peppily shows off how well the shoes she bought him goes with his outfit. He reveals he has a real dream now but refuses to tell her until it’s a reality.
They bicker their way back to her place where Soo-ja is waiting to have dinner with them. Soo-ja calls Dong-kyung’s recovery a miracle, and she and Sun-kyung wonder what made it possible. Sun-kyung scoffs when Dong-kyung says love saved her, but then agrees that his love did the trick. Pfft.
Soo-ja shocks the kids by announcing she’s moving back to Korea. Kevin is getting things in order and will join her soon. Then, Dong-kyung makes her own announcement: she wants to go back to work.
Sun-kyung and Soo-ja are against it, but Dong-kyung assures them the doctor said it’s fine. She’s healthy now and doesn’t want to sit around. Soo-ja reluctantly gives in.
Later, Soo-ja and Sun-kyung whisper about what happened to Myeol-mang. Dong-kyung told them he went to the States but won’t say anything else. They’re afraid to ask since talking about it might stress her out and worsen her condition.
Meanwhile, Ji-na gets excited every time her phone dings, but it’s just delivery notices. When her doorbell rings, she tries to tell herself it won’t be Joo-ik but can’t help getting her hopes up. She opens the door and finds Joo-ik on the other side.
He explains he came after hearing he needed courage not time. Ji-na says Dong-kyung told her the same thing, but she couldn’t muster up the courage. Joo-ik hands over a contract and asks her to work with him – he can’t stand not seeing her.
Joo-ik acknowledges it’s his fault things got awkward and is okay with being the bad guy. Ji-na doesn’t think he’s a bad guy but can’t sign with him. She’s done with writing romances since it’s not her strong suit. A writer should create not only write about their experiences.
He invites her out for drinks sometime, encouraging her to “make mistakes” with him again. Ji-na surprises him by honestly admitting the kiss wasn’t a mistake but her true feelings. Joo-ik argues she’s good at romance – she just made his heart flutter. He vows to come back when she’s ready to sign with him or kiss him.
The next morning, Dong-kyung wakes and opens her bedroom door. She’s stunned to see Myeol-mang sitting on his couch, their apartments joined as before. Dong-kyung walks to him in a daze and throws her arms around him, crying.
She asks if this is a dream and cries that she’s missed him. Myeol-mang wonders at how she can miss him this much after only a night apart. They hold each other until Dong-kyung wakes up on her tear-stained pillow.
That day, Dong-kyung meets up with her old coworkers who are happy to hear she’s going to work at Joo-ik’s new company. Ye-ji and Da-in throw their hats in the ring for jobs when Top Ten Media starts recruiting, but Jung-min wants to work his way to the top at LifeStory.
CEO Park has been so desperate not to lose any more employees that he even yelled at the sleazy writer when Ye-ji – who is now a team leader – threatened to quit. As usual, the sleazy writer blamed his dwindling readership on everyone but himself and asserted that readers’ “low standards” are why this Shanghai Park or whoever ranks so high.
Da-in had cut in to say that “Shanghai Park or whoever” is her. (Cue shocked looks from her colleagues.) Does he want to hear why she’s ranked highly and he’s not?
Dong-kyung can’t believe Shanghai Park is Da-in, but Jung-min looks less than thrilled. Apparently, no one told him that Ye-ji was promoted or about Da-in’s secret author identity. Da-in tries to placate him, calling him “honey” to Dong-kyung and Ye-ji’s shock.
After Jung-min reveals that he and Da-in are dating, Dong-kyung calls to share the news with Joo-ik and says she’s heading to his office despite his protests. On her way, Dong-kyung buys a rose that reminds her of the ones Myeol-mang bought her.
She’s dismayed when she arrives at the “office” which is essentially a spruced-up warehouse with a few desks. She bemoans being a team leader without a team, but Joo-ik argues she can be the team leader and the team. Ha.
They start gossiping about Da-in and Jung-min before the conversation turns to Ji-na. Joo-ik shares that she wants to quit writing romance, but he thinks she’s suited to it. Dong-kyung offers to get Ji-na to sign the contract and is exasperated when Joo-ik says he already gave it to her and is waiting.
Dong-kyung reports back to Ji-na about her conversation with Joo-ik. Ji-na admits she likes him but isn’t sure what to do yet. Dong-kyung advises her to take the plunge and write her own story. She can always write a new one if it doesn’t go well. Dong-kyung vows to cheer her on no matter what.
Ji-na takes the opportunity to cautiously as what happened to Myeol-mang. Dong-kyung says he went somewhere far away where she can’t follow. “Until I can see him again, I’ll wait happily and in good health.” She knows that’s what he wants.
To get Ji-na to sign the contract, Dong-kyung plays the sympathy card and reminds Ji-na of her promise to do anything for her. Ji-na sighs and hands over the contract she already signed. She encourages Dong-kyung to try writing too, suggesting she treat it like a diary if she doesn’t know what to write.
At the café, Sun-kyung wonders what his next step should be. Dong-kyung’s illness made him question his own life and choices. Hyun-kyu offers to let him run a second café on the spot. Sun-kyung excitedly accepts but turns serious as he says he has a confession first.
Sun-kyung explains how he knows Ji-na and apologizes for not telling Hyun-kyu earlier. He calls Hyun-kyu a good person and had hoped he and Ji-na would work things out. But Hyun-kyu has finally accepted that he and Ji-na are over and plans to move forward.
When Sun-kyung asks about him and Joo-ik, Hyun-kyu just smiles sadly and ruffles Sun-kyung’s hair. That night, Hyun-kyu stops by Joo-ik’s apartment to invite him to the batting cage. For the first time, Hyun-kyu wins, although he suspects Joo-ik let him. He suggests they start over and cancel their previous bet.
Joo-ik asks about Hyun-kyu’s new place and if he needs anything. Hyun-kyu knows it might take time, but he hopes they can play baseball and get drinks together on occasion. They smile at each other, and Joo-ik ruffles Hyun-kyu’s hair affectionately.
Dong-kyung arrives home and busies herself with some cleaning. She then replaces her withered bouquet from Myeol-mang with the single rose she bought earlier. She wonders how Myeol-mang is and tells him she got sad looking at the withered flowers, so she’ll pretend this new rose is from him. Going forward, she’ll continue buying flowers and imagining they’re from him.
That night, Dong-kyung takes Ji-na’s advice and begins writing her story titled “One Day, Doom Walked in Through My Front Door” (the Korean title of the drama). Still wearing the bracelet Myeol-mang gave her, Dong-kyung chronicles their meeting up to when she decided to take his hand.
Dong-kyung meets with Young the next day and uses his fear of Joo-ik to get him to sign the contract. In turn, she promises to ensure his identity remains hidden.
Young excitedly mentions that he read the first chapter of the novel with the doom predicament Dong-kyung asked him about before. He assumes she’s friends with the writer and asks about the ending. He doesn’t want to get invested if it has a sad ending.
After she leaves, Dong-kyung recalls the goddess telling her she needs to live to reach the moment she realizes everything had to happen the way it did. Then, it’ll be a happy ending. Dong-kyung isn’t sure how her story will end, but she still feels Myeol-mang embracing her and sees him in the things that disappear.
Dong-kyung takes her family out that evening to the restaurant Myeol-mang brought her to in her dream. Everyone fights over who will foot the bill, but Dong-kyung wins. The atmosphere is happy as she extols the beautiful day, so Soo-ja nudges Sun-kyung.
He casually says it would’ve been nice if Myeol-mang could join them. Soo-ja jumps in to ask how he’s doing, and Ji-na offers to buy Dong-kyung a plane ticket so Dong-kyung can visit him. Dong-kyung promises to relay that they miss him.
Later, she visits Myeol-mang’s house and leaves a framed photo of them on his table. When she texts him that everyone misses him, Dong-kyung hears his phone ding nearby. She opens his messages and sees all the texts she’s been sending over the past few months.
Then, she sees an unsent text he’d written to her. “I thought really hard about what to say in my first text to you. You’re happy, right? I believe you are.” A tear falls as Dong-kyung clicks send.
She goes into the bedroom and lies on Myeol-mang’s bed. When she turns on her side, she sees Myeol-mang lying beside her. Slowly, she reaches over to touch his face, but his image vanishes, leaving her alone with her tears.
It’s raining when Dong-kyung exits the bus, but this time, she has an umbrella. She’s surprised to see the goddess waiting for her at the bus stop. The goddess explains that she got a heart transplant and says this’ll be her longest lifetime thanks to Dong-kyung.
Dong-kyung and the goddess are both relieved to find each other alive and in good health. The goddess only stopped by to check on her but promises to see her again. Dong-kyung pushes her umbrella into her hand. When the goddess worries that she’ll get wet, Dong-kyung echoes Myeol-mang and says with a smile that it won’t take her long if she runs.
The goddess carries the umbrella into her garden and turns to greet Meyol-mang behind her. He’s worried about Dong-kyung, but the goddess tells him not to be sad on this happy day. The flower in her little flowerpot has fully bloomed.
She compliments it on becoming a kind child and growing well. She explains that a butterfly died in the pot and “fertilized” the flower, which allowed it to bloom.
“It’s a flower you bloomed. It’s you,” she reveals to Myeol-mang. “You’re no longer a butterfly. You’re the first flower I’ve created.” His destiny is to live happily as one of the humans in her “garden.” She couldn’t be certain how things would turn out, but she believed in Myeol-mang and Dong-kyung.
The goddess tells him to go – he can resent her later. Myeol-mang says he doesn’t resent her; he’s glad that he got to see her again. She’s happy to see him smile and sends him off to live and love well.
Myeol-mang is worried about the goddess being alone again, but she assures him she’ll always be with him, caring for him and wishing for his happiness. Far in the future, they’ll meet again in the goddess’s garden.
She hands him Dong-kyung’s umbrella and wishes him a happy birthday before sending him back to Dong-kyung. “Goodbye, Saram,” she says to his retreating back.
Dong-kyung continues living her life as usual, working and doing the mundane tasks of living. She has infuriating moments, boring moments, joyful moments, and moments where it hurts to death. But she keeps living the life Myeol-mang gifted her.
As she watches people pass by, she wonders where Myeol-mang is and if he’s living an entirely different existence with a face she wouldn’t recognize. The possibility makes her curious about strangers since he could be one of them. “If I pass you by, can you hold my hand like you always did?”
The bus screeches to a halt, causing Dong-kyung to lose her balance. Someone grabs her wrist to steady her. Of course, it’s Myeol-mang. She’s stunned and asks wonderingly, “What are you?” Myeol-mang grabs her hand with a smile and replies, “Your handle.”
All of our characters have matured and seem so much happier and stronger now than they were at the start. Ji-na is taking the time to figure out what she wants and be honest with herself. Hyun-kyu is accepting that he lost his chance with Ji-na and finally moving on. Joo-ik is striking out on his own and starting a business he cares about. Sun-kyung is taking responsibility for his own life. I liked the parallel that existed between Hyun-kyu and Sun-kyung both learning to take responsibility for themselves and leaving the nest. It’s nice to see everyone making healthier decisions and being better versions of themselves. I didn’t have much hope for our messy love triangle participants, but I’m glad to see those three pulled themselves together pretty well in the end.
That doesn’t change the fact that I could’ve done without the love triangle altogether. Even without Ji-na as the bridge, Joo-ik being Dong-kyung’s boss and Hyun-kyu being Sun-kyung’s was enough to connect them to our main plot on their own. I honestly found Joo-ik and Hyun-kyu’s relationship much more interesting and emotionally resonant than either of their relationships with Ji-na. Family has been a major theme in this drama, so exploring the bond between Joo-ik and Hyun-kyu would’ve fit nicely. We only got a passing comment or two about how they became so close, but it would’ve been nice to learn more about their history and dynamic. Hyun-kyu was so dependent on Joo-ik who was uncharacteristically parental and protective toward him, and I wish we had more insight into all that. I did like the parallel that existed between Hyun-kyu and Sun-kyung both learning to take responsibility for themselves and leaving the nest.
Given that the main plot points were mostly wrapped up this episode, I hope there’s enough substance for the finale. I expect we’ll lean into the rom-com angle more with cute couple moments from Dong-kyung and Myeol-mang (perhaps an actual wedding?) and maybe some heartwarming family bonding. And with all that buildup, I doubt we’ll escape some romance between Ji-na and Joo-ik. It looks like everyone might get their happy ending after all.