The end of Heavenly Ever After was quite random in my opinion. The final episode felt rather haphazard and didn’t really connect that well with the rest of the show. Also, it just seemed like the showrunners wanted to add some random bits at the end to extend the story a little more. The show also tries to end on a bittersweet note, but the final product turns out a bit confused, rather than coming across as a sad ending or something about letting go. I guess we could say that if something is meant to be, it will continue to be that way. But it just doesn’t end with a bang, making the whole show rather undeserving of a watch. But I won’t bore you with my opinions, let’s jump straight into Heavenly Ever After’s finale.
Spoiler Alert
Does Young-Ae Win the Lottery?
Episode 12 begins with Nak-Joon erasing Som-I-like “creatures” on Earth. The first target is an evil man who did wrong back in the day and continues to do so in his next reincarnation. But the second person that Nak-Joon finds is a woman in the body of a small girl. She just wants to see her daughter, who is pregnant, before leaving. She tells Nak-Joon that she’ll happily go with him if he just lets her see her daughter. All the young girl does is grab the woman’s hand and leave. I suppose it was just a sense of reassurance she wanted to leave her with, “Everything will be okay.”
The next thing we see is Hae-Sook visiting Young-Ae in her dream. The whole thing is a big deal in heaven, and Hae-Sook is made to dress like an angel. She finds Young-Ae sleeping on the couch and notices she isn’t eating very well, but she tells her she has to leave soon, so she gives her the lottery number that she’s won, thanks to the whole ordeal with Eun-Ho. Young-Ae obviously wants more time with Hae-Sook, but she has to rush, so Nak-Joon teaches her a rhyme for Young-Ae to remember when she wakes up.
While Young-Ae remembers the lottery number, she doesn’t actually buy the lottery ticket and instead ends up chasing a man who owes her money. She ends up catching him and then realizes that she’s got the lottery numbers of the day, only for it to be too late. However, I suppose you could say that Young-Ae may have figuratively won the lottery, because this man who owes her seems to be interested in seeing her, and Hae-Sook did wish for Young-Ae not to meet a “bad guy.” So I suppose this is, in a way, a heavenly blessing. I do hope Young-Ae ends up happy.
What Does The President Do?
On the other hand, the president of heaven is on vacation on earth, while his hellish twin’s taken over heaven for a day. On earth, the president finds a woman who is suicidal, and decides to put Jajjang there to save her. A heavenly act, if you will. It’s nice to see Jajang reincarnated as a female dog. The president’s plan works, and instead of killing herself, she takes the dog home and gets herself a job to look after it, finding a reason to live and believe in heaven. Also, the show really pushes the idea that dogs are basically life savers. The president then meets with Nak-Joon, and they share a drink together. They talk about how it’s bittersweet, just like the memories and resentful thoughts he keeps erasing. It’s a difficult job, so the president wants Nak-Joon to move on to spiritual advancement, but he wants to reincarnate because he owes Hae-Sook too much. Nak-Joon is surprised to hear that he’s going to end up with Hae-Sook again in his next life, as husband and wife. The president tells him that their bond is like a prison that ties them to the same chain forever. I suppose Nak-Joon sees all their past lives and breaks down.
Do Nak-Joon and Hae-Sook Meet Again?
In heaven, Nak-Joon and Hae-Sook are made to do interviews and take a video about their life because they’re heaven’s best couple. Hae-Sook is free to reincarnate because she has no emotional baggage left from her old life. They share their favorite memories, talk about how Nak-Joon was shocked by the fact that Hae-Sook decided to stay old, and make fun of each other, but eventually, when they’re talking in a video by the beach, Nak-Joon plants a kiss on her forehead, making us realize their bond is truly incredible and beautiful. While walking back home, Nak-Joon takes Hae-Sook piggybacking, and they talk about how the last time he did that on earth was when she learned she was pregnant with Eun-Ho. But the happy couple has to finally say goodbye, because they’ve been husband and wife 23 times before, and Nak-Joon thinks he should say goodbye for real this time. I suppose it’s because Nak-Joon seems to have always made Hae-Sook suffer, or at least that’s how he feels about it. She’s basically always struggled, so he feels like she should meet somebody better. But I think they’re bound together, so this is impossible.
In Heavenly Ever After’s ending, Hae-Sook and Nak-Joon split, and we skip to Hae-Sook dying in what seems like her next life. As she’s dying, Nak-Joon shows up as the guy to take her to heaven. He looks like an angel, or like he’s taken the role of president himself, but either way, he’s there to help Hae-Sook say goodbye to this life. He tells her she’s worked hard and done well, but they tell each other that they can’t do it without the other. Guess they realized it was especially true after they split up for the one life. I think the end of the show signifies that Nak-Joon and Hae-Sook are soulmates, and no matter what they do, they will eventually end up together. Finally, we see two random young faces, who stand on opposite sides of the road. Out of the blue, they end up looking at each other, and something strange happens. They run towards each other. These two people are Nak-Joon and Hae-Sook, who have found each other yet again. The ending of the show also feels like an ode to the vows husband and wife take while getting married. Nak-Joon and Hae-Sook may have suffered with each other, with the whole Eun-Ho thing and more, but their bond is too strong to be broken even by that suffering. They’ll always eventually come back to their “Heavenly Ever After.”
