I suppose Queen of Tears is one of the most unique K-dramas specifically because it manages to keep us hooked for 3 hours every weekend, but it’s finally come time for the show to end, and I think viewers are expecting a happy ending for Hae-In and Hyun-Woo. Additionally, episode 15 makes for the perfect penultimate episode with the perfect amount of suspense for the finale, while also providing us with just enough hope of a happy ending. I mean, there was no way this show was going to end sad, despite its title, but it’s okay to worry. Queen of Tears episode 15 takes us to the events after Hae-In’s surgery. Hyun-Woo is now in prison back in Korea, and Eun-Sung has taken his spot next to Hae-In. We already know that he’s kept the family away from her, so now let’s see how long he thinks he can hold her hostage from her own memories.
Spoiler Alert
Does Hyun-Woo get convinced?
We know that there’s only one way Hae-In can remember everything about Hyun-Woo, and that is if she reads her notebook. However, the first thing Eun-Sung does after Hyun-Woo drops the notebook while getting arrested is throw it in a binfire near the hospital. Through the gossip of the hospital, we learn that Eun-Sung has told them that he is Hae-In’s fiancé and even donated a ton to the hospital, but of course, the staff is confused as to who Hyun-Woo was then. For a month in Germany, Eun-Sung fills Hae-In’s mind with nonsense about her own family, Hyun-Woo, and lies about how she’s in love with him. In the meantime, Hyun-Woo tries to gather evidence regarding the murder of the broker so he can be released from prison. As expected, Hae-In doesn’t believe anything her family says when she’s back at Seoul airport. Apparently, Eun-Sung and she promised to get married after the surgery, and he told her to leave the planning to him.
When Eun-Sung confronts his mother about the planned accident before Hae-In’s surgery, she nonchalantly admits that it was her doing. However, now it’s Eun-Sung’s turn to show her who’s boss, and he tells her that he has a video of her poisoning the chairman. On the other hand, we learn that Hae-In’s family had her secretly followed in Germany, just so they could keep an eye on her. Hae-In goes back to her own home despite Eun-Sung trying to get her to live with him and slowly starts finding things that would, in other circumstances, remind her of Hyun-Woo. When curiosity takes over her, she goes to prison to see Hyun-Woo, and he throws her off her game. What she’s imagining is a comic book villain, a cunning womanizer, but Hyun-Woo worries for her and simply asks her to look after herself. At work, Hae-In gets greeted with love and thanks from the employees that Hyun-Woo supports in her name. She thinks she was a kind-hearted soul like Mother Teresa, completely opposite of the unapologetic, cruel boss that she actually was. Secretary Na reminds Hae-In that she’s like her external hard drive.
At the trial, Hyun-Woo’s team brings out all the evidence they’ve gathered about the murder. This is a collective effort by the Hong family and Hyun-Woo’s friends, who all make sure that there’s enough evidence to prove that Hyun-Woo is innocent and that it was a hitman who killed the broker. They’re successful, and Hyun-Woo is freed, much to Eun-Sung’s disappointment. Additionally, things aren’t looking great for him at the office either.
How Does Hae-In Get Her Memory Back?
Hae-In decides to ask Secretary Na to help her follow Hyun-Woo around so she can learn what kind of person he is. She sees that he has a loving family and also notes down special things about him. Finally, Secretary Na, who has signed an NDA, tells Hae-In that “the body always follows the heart,” implying that Hyun-Woo is her real love. While celebrations take place in Yongdu-ri for Hyun-Woo’s return, somebody finds Hae-In’s burnt-up but mostly intact notebook in Germany. The hospital staff remember that it belongs to Hae-In (plus, it’s written in Korean; don’t think it’s that hard to figure out).
A lot goes down in Yongdu-ri, too. Beom-Ja accidentally confesses her feelings to Yeong-Song on a microphone, basically getting the whole town to (embarrassingly) support their relationship. On the other hand, Da-Hye gets kidnapped by Seul-Hee’s men, but Soo-Cheol, who has worked hard to learn how to protect his family, fights hard and ends up unconscious, saving his wife. Back in Seoul, Hae-In finds a delivery, but Grace distracts her from it.
Later, Hae-In tells Hyun-Woo to quit work because he makes her uncomfortable. Soon after, she gets an invitation to the aquarium where Hyun-Woo proposed to her. She’s surprised to see that she’s sent the invitation to herself, and what’s more is that Hyun-Woo and she are the only two people in the aquarium. It seems she planned it all before her surgery, and then on a screen, clips from their wedding play out where they promise to stay by each other’s sides until the end (aww). After it’s over, Hyun-Woo tells Hae-In that it’s fair for her to be cautious of him, but she should do the same for Eun-Sung too.
At the end of Queen of Tears episode 15, Hae-In goes to Eun-Sung’s house, and while he’s pouring himself a drink, she notices some videos on her iPad. To her shock, it’s a video of her grandfather going unconscious in his office. This makes Hae-In suspicious of Eun-Sung, and she somehow returns home. Finally, Hae-In gets the time to open the untouched package and find her notebook. She reads through the whole thing, getting a full memory reset, remembering that Hyun-Woo is her one true love. She rushes to find him, and they’re at a crossroads, and there’s a signal. As they wait to embrace each other, a bus passes by, and Hae-In disappears. As Hyun-Woo walks across to try and find Hae-In, he gets hit by a speeding car (a real jumpscare). Of course, it’s Eun-Sung driving the car, but we don’t really know where Hae-In disappeared in the meanwhile. The episode ends with Hyun-Woo’s closing eyes, but we know he’s going to be just fine.
In the epilogue, we see that Hae-In never actually got along with Eun-Sung in the hospital. She always treated him like a stranger and never let him help her.
