First off, I am a happy ending type person so I will interpret the ending in that fashion.
A lot of people were confused why Jin Sung stabbed Oh soo. He stabbed him because President Kim had his family and threatened to kill them if he didn't kill Oh soo. We see that Jin Sung was about to stab Oh Soo a second time but couldn't and watched him die on top of the rooftop. Some say what was the point of not stabbing him a second time if he wasn't going to help him anyway. It is his brother. It was difficult to stab him to death but he couldn't let him go either so he was torn between these to conflicts and could only watch him die.
The major answer to the story is that both Oh Soo and Youngie lived. Some say that Oh Soo must have died because Hee Sun asked Jin Sung what flower they should bring to Oh Soo implying that he died and they are bringing flowers to visit the grave. But this is only to mislead the viewers because after at the restaurant we see flowers on the table which I would interpret that they are bringing flowers to visit Oh Soo at the restaurant. Some say that Jin Sung was sad because Oh Soo died but I think he's sad because he feel ashamed that he betrayed Oh Soo to save his family. Although they somehow escaped from president Kim and death, Jin Sung is still remorseful that he had chosen his family over Oh Soo. If Oh Soo had really died, how would Hee Sun be that happy when she is visiting his grave?
Overall I loved every bit of this drama aside from the ending. It was very moving and I cried in every single episode. It was filmed beautifully with beautiful casts and stellar actors that played their character well. The music in this drama was also really good. I like A Winter Story by The One. Here's a live version of it click here. I would definitely recommend this drama to anyone who likes melodrama and korean dramas.side note:
in episode 8 soo brings Youngie up to the top of snow covered mountains. There were lots of branches covered in snow and there is bell sounds all around. He explains the "bell sounds" comes from the wind blowing on the iced branches. I luved that part. It connects the bells sound that Youngie cherishes with the title of the drama. Curious to how the bell sound phenomenon works because I have never heard of it before, I decided to youtube it to see if there are instances in real life and this is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNR29ZUnPNg. Well in real life, that "bell sound" is nothing more than crackles and wind. Once again drama life is a lot prettier than real life.any other confusions or thoughts please comment
Have fun watching dramas :)
btw my heart melts when I see Kim Bum's smile
I love your review ! thanks !
ReplyDeletewell it's 5 years after this review and I have just finished watching this beautiful drama. like you, i like happy endings, but i also love melodramas so sometimes I suffer, lol.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about your review and interpretation. I do think the writers and directors left the ending somewhat ambiguous for people who actually like to think everyone is dead and in heaven, lol, but you're right about Young and secretary wang, and her ex fiancee, and friends at the community center. unless they were all dead, why would they be in heaven with her? also, in heaven wouldn't her sight be perfect because its heaven. but that isn't the case at the end of the drama, her sight is still impaired, though better than it was before the operation.
I will admit that if people wanted to, they could argue the fact that maybe Young dies after the chemo, thereby getting to heaven later than Soo, who died after being stabbed, and that before she died,while going through chemo ( remember that the dr told soo that if the surgery didn't kill her, the chemo would) secretary wang told her that Soo was in heaven and it would be okay....
and that's where I think the writers decided to play around and leave loopholes open so that you could sort of decide and interpret fro yourself. but for me, the fact that she's with all the people she knew before the surgery, after the surgery at the community center etc, means that no one died, and that there really is a restaurant where Soo works, and she and he do unite. thanks for your review! I've only been watching dramas for about three years and am still catching up on all the dramas out there. I love the older ones the most!!
When does the relationship between the brother & sister change ?? When does she come to know that he is not her real brother ?? In which episode ??
DeleteEpisode 12
Deletei finally had the courage to watch TWTWB.. and as expected i cried in every single episode, OMG my heart!!! I really like SHK and JIS! They're amazing actors. They always give justice to the characters they portrayed. Well done.
ReplyDeleteI've just (over the past week) rewatched it. A year since the last time and I loved it even more! I'm obsessed with this drama. Just finished it and I still wish oh soo hadnt been stabbed. I do believe they're alive and happy at the end but still....
ReplyDeleteWow you're a dedicated fan. I luved the drama and cried a ton. I watched another drama starring Jo In Sung "It's Okay That's Love" and I love it too bits." Jo In Sung plays a popular writer but we find that he has mental disease. The show really taught me to look at people with behavior problems in a different light and to not treat them like plague but look at them just like other disease. I also cried a ton in the drama. All the actors have done very well too.
ReplyDeleteIt's okay that's love, has been on my "to watch" list for a while! I'm definitely gonna watch it soon!
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree that they are both alive, well aside from the above explanations, Youngie also mentioned that Oh Soo didnt just want Wang to tell her that he has been staying at that i-dont-know-if-it-is-a-restaurant-or-coffee shop for the past 6 months. Their conversation at the end answers if they are both alive or is someone is just dreaming of another. I have watched this drama for the 3rd time and still cried every episode ❤
ReplyDeleteIt will always be a drama I love for sure. 💕
DeleteI just finished watching is. They are both alive, and maybe the oh soo that they are referring to visit is the other oh soo.the real brother
ReplyDeleteagree with the last comment they were talking about the other oh soo ..i have just finished this drama ..its amazing!
ReplyDeleteWhen does the relationship between the brother & sister change ?? When does she come to know that he is not her real brother ?? In which episode ??
DeleteHonestly I cant remember which episode the secret comes out in, but its towards the last few. 13 or 14 I think.
DeleteThanks to all these reviews and the detailed explanation of this open ended ending. I loved, loved, loved this K- drama. I think I’ll watch it another dozen times before I can satisfy my joy of this beautiful, such a well written series. Korean series and dramas are all excellent. I’ve learnt a handful of words by now. Great culture, excellent polite, serene, respectful and oh so beautiful acting in every single one I watched. I thought the previous 2 different series I watched on Netflix were amazing. Then I watch this. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️💕
DeleteI will think that too ❤❤
ReplyDeleteJust binge-watched TWTWB for the third time. SUCH a classy production, brilliant acting by all throughout, so emotionally engaging. But that ending! You guys are all very forgiving of the writers in your interpretations. I feel really grumpy each time I get to it as I feel we have had our emotions deliberately manipulated. Really, all our beloved characters should be dead, apart from gorgeous Kim Bum. Well, I shall take comfort from the comments and tell myself they are all alive! :)
ReplyDeleteI STILL have my email notifications set to let me know when there is a new comment on this old thread, because I love TWTWB so much.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you.
Never in a drama have I seen someone in such real death throes as our main lead, and when he finally subsides, his eyes are open (dead eyes.)
I feel our heroine died either during surgery, or later during treatment, upon hearing that he had died. The success rate of her surgery was so small and she at some point had said without him she wouldnt make it.
All of Kim Bums family and gf should've gotten hit by the truck?
The only thing I question is the secretary and family lawyer being in the scene at the end. Not sure why they would also be dead and in Heaven with her.
Anyway, yes. The writers left all kinds of opened emotional holes and if I'm honest, I think she and he both die and find one another up there.
Still love that drama so much.
No one died. Oh Soong works (maybe even owns?) the cafe/restaurant in the final scene. Remember he said he wanted to be a "cook" when Youngie asked him what he wanted to do in one of the episodes?
ReplyDeleteI do remember. I always rewatch hoping I feel different at the end but I always think the same thing I did the last time I watched it.
ReplyDeleteProof this drama is so good is that people still watching it and talking about it. 😀😍
I only finished watching the drama last night. What took me so long to discover it😭 Anyways,that ending hurts me a lot. Even though how many times I convince myself,they both clearly died. And I just can't accept😭 All JIS kdrama are superb👌
ReplyDeleteI was crying every time I watch this drama. Every episode brings tears in my eyes. I really love this drama❤❤❤... They gave us to options for us to end the drama on our own way... First is the happy and last is the sad ending... Since I cried a lot in this drama, I want to end it happy. Oh so and oh young were alive. Hee sun brought flowers to oh so for him to give it to oh young. I'll follow what oh so said, he said that he cannot bring himself to oh young because she might not like him. For the past six months, only hee sun and jin sung are communicating to oh young. Jin sung's sad face represent guilt for what he did and anger towards himself. This drama is worth watching... I just finish watching this korean drama of 2013 today September 23, 2020... ❤❤❤
ReplyDeleteI was crying every time I watch this drama. Every episode brings tears in my eyes. I really love this drama❤❤❤... They gave us to options for us to end the drama on our own way... First is the happy and last is the sad ending... Since I cried a lot in this drama, I want to end it happy. Oh so and oh young were alive. Hee sun brought flowers to oh so for him to give it to oh young. I'll follow what oh so said, he said that he cannot bring himself to oh young because she might not like him. For the past six months, only hee sun and jin sung are communicating to oh young. Jin sung's sad face represent guilt for what he did and anger towards himself. This drama is worth watching... I just finish watching this korean drama of 2013 today September 23, 2020... ❤❤❤
ReplyDeleteYes just watched it again on Netflix, definitely Oh So still alive, because Oh Young told him that Secretary Wang told her about him since 20 days, but Oh So told Secretary Wang not to tell Oh Young about his return.
ReplyDeleteIt's 2021 and I'm still binge watching this drama (been watching 4 - 5 times, I guess).
ReplyDeleteFrom the fist time this drama aired back in 2013 (or 2014?), I always feel that there's something between Jo In Sung and Song Hye Kyo at the time and still shipping them hard to this day (kinda sad when Song Hye Kyo married Song Joong Ki in real life).
I really like the review and I agree that the ending was really ambiguous.
But, I'd like to give Oh Soo and Oh Young chance to be happy.
No more sad and depressed life.
I think the supporting evidence would be there were scene where Oh Young joined community event with Secretary Wang, Director Lee, and Lawyer Jang.
I mean if Oh Soo and Oh Young were really dead, the imagination (or afterlife?) was very vivid.
So, yes, I'll go with the happy ending.
10th July, 2021.
ReplyDeleteI knew about this drama since a long time but I just finished watching it today. I’d like to believe that it was a happy ending for both the lead characters but the last scene when Oh Young got down from the cab became blurry suddenly (all the four corners of the screen) seemed like the scene was surreal. It made my heart so heavy honestly. Both the characters suffered so much throughout their lives and they both deserved better. I’d love to rewatch this drama but I am not sure if I can take this much of pain again 😭
Just wished I didn’t wait this long to watch this wonderful heartfelt series. I cried in most of the episodes especially Ep. 15 & 16. Not sure which episode it was when he said he was left abandoned left under a tree for a long time but survived just showed how resilient Oh Soo’s character is. So the ending makes sense that he survived that single stab. While Oh Young on the other hand most likely survived too since the surgeon did say her chances of survival went up more than 50%. I loved the ending so much that I rewatched it 2x in Netflix & Viki 2x. Will definitely keep it in my Watchlist🥰❤️❤️❤️
ReplyDeleteAlthough I am late to the discussions, I just finishing watching this drama. It was really well made and I agree with most that the ending was open to interpretation. I think the show creators did this to appease the audience who wanted them to have a happy ever-after wherever that may be. Therefore, if you wanted them to live or accepted their fate, either way they got to be together in the end. One could say that Oh Soo survived and found peace somewhere and opened a restaurant. And Young survived the surgery and her vision was not 100% restored and she sees thing a little blurred. Or if you think Oh Soo's character died on the rooftop and Young died some six month's after. I think the ending was shown from Young perspective. She reconciled with her life and disability. And If she died, although she has no more disability in heaven, she is still holding on to her disability a little. But you see gradually she stops using her cane and things gradually start to come into focus. Because she needs to accept herself and fully let go when they meet again. I think either interpretation does not take away from a beautiful story.
ReplyDeleteHi, can anyone tell me how oh Soo survive from the attack . they didn't explain at the end. that is so confusing, and how come Yung didn't see him passing by riding in a bicycle, although. She can already see. just finish watching.
ReplyDeleteI don't think her side vision was very good yet. She seems to only see straight ahead.
DeleteI thought that they were talking about flowers for the real Oh Soo's grave.
ReplyDelete