The end of Buried Hearts episode 16 has definitely left a lot of us baffled, if not plain disappointed. In this finale, Dongju gets his revenge, but at what cost? There’s some time jumps in the final episode, which is basically just there to make a point of how long Yeom’s been missing. The show’s ending feels really dry in comparison to the rest of it, where we were spoiled with thrilling episodes that kept us on the edge of our seats. So, I guess if you haven’t watched the show yet, I’d suggest not getting into it at all. But if, like me, you found the last two episodes terribly disappointing, then join the club while I try to break down the important stuff that happens in episode 16. With that said, let’s not waste any more time moping about that ending and jump straight into it.
Spoiler Alert
What’s In The Vault?
Buried Hearts episode 16 begins with Dongju having a nightmare that Yeom is at the side of his bed ready to shoot him dead. When he wakes up, he also hallucinates that Ildo tells him not to keep the gun under his bed because it’s an awful thing to have. This is Dongju’s wishful thinking. Before you know it, a month has passed, and there’s still no news of Yeom. Meanwhile, Dongju is appointed the CEO of Daesan, a big blow to Yeom, and wants to merge Daesan Energy and Daesan Chemicals. In terms of business plans, Dongju’s always miles ahead of everyone, making him the perfect CEO. Later, Dongju straight up tells Gukhui to stop working with Yeom because she won’t get anything from a partnership like that.
Eunnam suspects Dongju killed Yeom, but instead of reprimanding him, she tells him that he’s done a good job. I suppose she loves him just that much, and Yeom was pretty atrocious towards Dongju anyway, but she should trust he’d never kill a man. Meanwhile, Seonu’s mom asks Dongju to teach her his ways. She says that after he’s gone, she wants to be the best support Seonu needs. I already said it a gazillion times, but Seonu isn’t a good guy, and he’s definitely not on Dongju’s side. All he wants is his father’s money. Seonu gets Dongju to open the vault, but Dongju hesitates. The Chairman tells Dongju to show him from the outside, and that’s when we realize Dongju’s worried because he’s hiding Yeom in there, and he’s going to do so for a whole year.
Taeyun and Eunnam have a heart-to-heart while standing on a tall wall. Apparently, when they were little, everyone believed that Eunnam pushed Taeyun off that wall, but she tells him that she never did it. Taeyun tells her that he knows she didn’t do it, but asks her about how she thought Ildo and Deokhui killed her dad. Eunnam tells him that it was a misunderstanding, basically holding up an olive branch between them. But the second Eunnam is gone, Taeyun is pushed off the wall by none other than Seonu. However, he grabs him by the hand and pulls him back up, almost as if it was a warning.
What Happens To Yeom?
Dongju and Huicheol are actually friends now because Huicheol has actually started to do good work and will defend Wonbae in his trial against the restaurant. For Huicheol, it was always that he was desperate to listen to his uncle and become a powerful man; his animosity wasn’t exactly towards Dongju himself—he was just jealous of him. On the other hand, when the Chairman goes missing, Dongju knows exactly where to go find him, and he and Eunnam do so. Finally, the show skips to a year ahead and reveals Yeom in the vault. Dongju’s kept him there, feeding him only hamburgers for one whole year.
Dongju visits Yeom’s wife, who has let Guho go and is moving out of their old house. She says she’s going to turn it into a kindergarten called “the Kindergarten of Overflow.” She says that the house was at its warmest when Dongju and his mom were around, and she just wants to help the kids. Makes sense since she doesn’t have any of her own. Finally, Dongju tells Yeom that his revenge will be complete if Yeom signs over his entire fortune to Dongju. Surely the man doesn’t need that much money, but he’ll definitely use it for a good cause. Meanwhile, Dongju also basically blackmails the Elder into giving up the two trillion won. Finally, Yeom gives up, surrenders his fortune to Dongju, and Dongju sets him free. Yeom is arrested soon after, when he’s discovered as a “homeless” man.
Are Eunnam and Dongju together?
Finally, Dongju has done everything for the company and has “won.” But does he feel satisfied? Not at all. In fact, Dongju looks worse than he did before he became a part of the Daesan group, and everything changed forever. Dongju says his goodbyes to the Chairman, without words but through a lollipop, just like old times. Suppose he finally did replace the soju. He then gives Eunnam the vault password, which makes her realize he’s leaving, even if it’s for a long vacation.
At the end of episode 16, Eunnam drops Dongju off by the sea, and they part ways with a kiss. She knows it’s not the last one, but it sure feels that way. Dongju then scatters his dad’s ashes in the ocean where he saved his life earlier, just as he wished. Dongju becomes nostalgic about everything that’s happened, and despite having the girl, a fancy job, and all the power in the world, he still feels dissatisfied. So what was the point the whole time?
What Happened To Taeyun?
The finale leaves us with the most astonishing death in the whole show. At the end of Buried Hearts (just as I suspected), Seonu murders Taeyun so that he can ultimately take over Daesan. In the end, Dongju scatters his dad’s ashes in the ocean while the family mourns Taeyun’s death. In the end, Deokhui goes crazy after having lost her only son, and the Chairman’s dementia worsens. So Seonu and his mom take full advantage of this situation, leaving Gukhui worried. Meanwhile, Yeom is still alive and well and could definitely attack Dongju, wherever he is. In the end, Eunnam paints herself into the painting of Dongju sailing in the ocean, and in the voiceover, she tells Dongju to come back whenever he wants to, and that there’s no rush. She’ll probably hold the fort down till he shows up, and her support is always with him.
