Basically, Longing for You has been a show about people feeling bad that they did Jin Woo wrong. The emotional arcs of this entire show are disordered, and we simply don’t understand why half the things are happening the way they are. However, if episode 13 was a long interrogation, Longing for You Episode 14 was a trial. Again, there are no surprises here, but it all ties up—not neatly, but there is an end to it after all. This is a recap of how Longing for You ends.
Spoilers Ahead
What happens at the trial?
The trial is a long-winded attempt to prove that Jinjin Medical was involved in killing Jin Woo for Young Woon’s benefit, and the hospital also tried to do the same for their funding partner, Chris. The latter is easily proved when they bring the witness on stage who was deemed a good match for Chris. Some tests were conducted on him, which are only done when organ compatibility is being checked, and the existing reports are also sufficient proof of it all. But this was an easy task. The herculean effort goes into trying to establish Jinjin’s intentions for Jin Woo. Woo No has already been spending time in jail, and Jeong Sook seems to know that her time is not far away. She has some words with Woo No about the kind of trusting relationship they share and how that will not change no matter what happens.
In another scene, we also see Jin Sang’s mother come to visit Jeong Sook. There seems to be a general sentiment among the mothers (Marie and Ms. Hong) that what Jeong Sook did was wrong, but they respect it. That is because they could not protect Jin Woo in the same way that Jeong Sook did for Young Woon. In fact, they even failed to do the bare minimum. Ms. Hong always gave preferential treatment to Jin Sang, and Marie abandoned Jin Woo when she got the chance. If we had to push the matter, we would even say that she prioritized everything else over him. In a way, neither Ms. Hong nor Marie had really filled in the shoes of a good mother, the kind that Jin Woo deserved, and when they face someone who literally altered so many fates for her child, they are left facing the many ways in which they were lacking for Jin Woo. There is anger towards Jeong Sook, but an accompanying respect as well. Jeong Sook seems to share that emotion from her end. She feels bad for the grief that the mothers have to face, but she refuses to apologize, saying that she would do the same thing again if she had to.
At the trial, as the witnesses are called one by one, Young Joo builds the case against Jeong Sook. She proves that Woo No was the one to harm Jin Woo by producing the footage of him as required. Then Gi Yeong comes on board and admits everything he did and his reasons for doing it. He had said in the previous episode that he had copied Young Woon all his life because he wanted to be worthy of the love of the Cha family. While we can see his point, we are once again left fuming at the plothole of him organizing his life exactly like Young Woon’s, even after coming to know the entire truth. Meanwhile, at least his father apologizes to him and says that he wants to try and be his parent once again.
Finally, as Jeong Sook is called to the stand, she is stonily silent as always. The trouble is that had she kept her crime only till Jin Woo, there may not have been such a strong case against her. For whatever reason, she was tempted to repeat that with Chris, and that has sealed the deal for her. There is no doubt that she is a criminal. But Young Joo and Jin Sang’s fight is to prove one particular crime of hers. Jeong Sook refuses to talk at any cost, but when Young Woon comes to the stand as a witness, she is left truly speechless.
Is There Justice For Jin Woo?
Justice for Jin Woo came in the form of Young Woon. In the scene where he takes the witness stand, we don’t know if the subtitles did not translate properly or if it was actually gibberish, but Young Woon said something along the lines of always being his mother’s son while opposing her actions. We can see why he granted her this grace. It is because he is happy to be alive, and whatever his feelings for her methods, he loves her and appreciates the efforts she has put in for him. But Young Woon seems to forget that there is one thing that makes her truly evil. It isn’t that she pulled the plug on Jin Woo, of which he has a video. It is the fact that she was willing to do the exact same thing to someone else for money. However, this is an inconsequential detail for the characters. As for Young Woon, we sincerely don’t understand what changed with the video. He knew that his mother wanted Jin Woo to be brain-dead. Even if she had not physically pulled the plug, she might as well have. But that video turned his conscience to the good side, and he handed it over to Young Joo. When Young Joo plays it in court, Jeong Sook finally accepts defeat and admits her part in the whole affair. But as expected, she doesn’t apologize for any of her actions and declares that she did love Gi Yeong when she could.
During Longing for You‘s ending, Jeong Sook and Woo No are sentenced to life imprisonment, and it is understood that justice for Jin Woo is delivered. However, everyone is still forgetting Young Woon’s father and his role in the matter.
A year after these events, life is back to normal for almost everyone. Jin Sang’s ex-supervisor is still eating well. Hui Joo is still confused about what she wants to do, and Gi Yeong and Min Gyu are plotting away in prison. Since they can’t serve more time than life imprisonment, they decide to spend their time coming up with schemes to break out of jail. But as a silver lining, Gi Yeong’s father has built a relationship with him. We suppose he doesn’t mind that his son is a murderer. As for Young Woon, he is still waiting for his mother to meet him. He loves her, and she loves him, but she is angry at him for ruining all her efforts. Finally, our polyamorous couple is going strong, and Marie invites them to France to hold Jin Woo’s memorial. We don’t know how this is good for Jin Woo, but whatever works for these characters is good enough. Meanwhile, Young Joo has still not agreed to marry Jin Sang, but he is determined, and she will eventually come on board.
Final Thoughts
Honestly, Longing for You had an excellent plot. It just had terrible execution, and the writers did not know what to do with the idea they had on hand. We could have forgiven a lot if, at least, the serial killer plot had been better handled. That is the part that made this show unbearable for us. The actors’ dedication was just not enough to save this story, and we hope they get better opportunities in the future.
