Ah, I am so exhausted watching the final episode of The Impossible Heir. It seems the whole build-up was for a really bleak and somewhat unsatisfactory ending, just to have something ludicrously astonishing happen. I’m not even sure. The Impossible Heir follows Tae-Oh, In-Ha, and Hye-Won on their journey up the ranks to make it in the big leagues. As a concept, it’s nothing new, nor is it something that sounds terribly boring. However, it managed to be exactly that with its convoluted storyline, overabundant subplots, and terrible editing. The final episode of the show has a rather dark outcome, which, for me, didn’t quite work. I suppose as long as one of the two male leads succeeded, the show would have a good conclusion, or at least that’s what the showrunners seemed to have thought. I personally don’t quite agree, but I’m glad I won’t have to tune in again next week. With that said, let’s dive into the recap of The Impossible Heir‘s finale.
Spoiler Alert
Does Seong-Ju give up on Kangoh?
I’m not sure why Seong-Ju told Tae-Oh in episode 11 that he would like to side with him in the battle against In-Ha, because at the beginning of The Impossible Heir episode 12, Seong-Ju tells his mother that he’s tired of it all and doesn’t want to fight anymore. His imprisoned mother yells that Kangoh is hers and she didn’t work so hard just for it to go to some lowlife like In-Ha; however, her son tells her that it was only her greed that pushed her and not what she wanted for them together, so he doesn’t want to continue down this terrifying path any longer. In the meantime, a sorrowful Tae-Oh reads a letter written by his mother from before she died. She tells him that the answer is not always rage, and sometimes you require tolerance in your heart (I agree, ma’am). Tae-Oh then makes his way to the hospital to tell the Chairman that he will protect the company for him.
It appears as if Tae-Oh has also given up on his vengeful ways, but maybe he has enough to make sure he can protect the company without resorting to any of the methods he’s been using thus far. At a shareholders’ meeting, the two sides are revealed: In-Ju’s wife, Dong-Uk, and more are on In-Ha’s side, whereas Hui-Ju is on a much more relaxed Seong-Ju’s side. I suppose this is because just as the meeting is about to begin, Dong-Uk gets a call regarding In-Ha’s arrest. Apparently, there’s yet another subplot that seemingly comes out of nowhere. Park Sa-Jin is on his way to set things up with In-Ha when he gets a call from his daughter. He tells her that his dream is finally coming true, but she stops him and apologizes. She tells him that In-Ju was a terrible person to her and also got her addicted to drugs. Sa-Jin is shocked and tells her that he only bothered to yell at her for doing the wrong thing without looking into what she really went through. Now is his time to be a good parent, so I suppose it means In-Ha’s deal is falling through as well.
How Did In-Ha Get Arrested?
It seems Mo Gi-Jun didn’t end up dying in prison like we assumed in The Impossible Heir episode 11. In-Ha thinks the arrest is a sham, but Myung-Jun has all the evidence he needs to keep In-Ha imprisoned for life. It is revealed that Gi-Jun is still alive, and he is mad! Shamelessly, In-Ha doesn’t seem to care and calls Gi-Jun a dog to his face. It was Tae-Oh, of course, who sided with Gi-Jun when he was at his lowest, and two dogs working together always makes for a better outcome (maybe I went too far, but you know, it’s In-Ha’s language). Sa-Jin gets Kangoh Energy as something of a repayment for everything he’s been through. After all, he is a partner, no?
In-Ha gets a letter in prison that reads that permission has been given for his name to be legally changed from “Kang” to “Baek.” He finds it hilarious because, I suppose, In-Ha was never truly a Kang. His ego was too large, and he assumed a simple blood tie was enough for him to get to the top. So, he stepped on others, only to have a mighty fall. It’s then time for his trial, and In-Ha doesn’t plead innocent. In fact, he has no words at all. However, in a somewhat dream-like clip, we see In-Ha tell his friends that he thought they were on the same path, but when they got to the top, what they each wanted was different. This isn’t really true, because Tae-Oh and Hye-Won were always loyal to In-Ha. It’s he who decided to jump ship at the last moment. He gets sentenced to life imprisonment.
In what seems like their last conversation, In-Ha doesn’t apologize to Tae-Oh, but Tae-Oh shares a picture of the three friends from the day of their graduation, when they were all smiling together. It seems all’s well that ends well because Hui-Ju gets Tae-Oh to come home to meet her father, who is all well now. She then decides to take a vacation away from home. On the other hand, Tae-Oh and Hye-Won drink together like old buddies, discussing how far they’ve come.
What Happens to In-Ha?
Ultimately, I think it’s the guilt of destroying his friendships—the real deal—that makes In-Ha take his own life. The same picture lies in front of him as tears flow from his eyes where he’s hanged himself. In-Ha realizes at the end that he was in the wrong, but it’s a shame that he decided to end his life. There could’ve been some sort of redemption arc for him. Three years later, Jeong-Mo’s dream of the Royal Road Project was successfully completed (dang, that was quick). Kangoh Group has grown by 10% since Seong-Ju became CEO of the Co-Prosperity Cooperation Centre (so he did win some). Tae-Oh and the Chairman (who is in a wheelchair for real this time) are happy to see the project come to life in front of their eyes (it looks like a hologram if you ask me).
In a flashback, we see Jeong-Mo and Tae-Oh having a discussion in the house. Apparently, only someone who can truly protect what is theirs deserves to be on the 151st floor (the Chairman’s office). Jeong-Mo tells Tae-Oh that he can’t protect his friends, his family, his lover, or anybody; however, he wants to still give him another chance. Earlier, we saw a tear fall from his eye when he was comatose in bed, and Tae-Oh told him he’d protect his company.
During The Impossible Heir‘s ending, Hye-Won works closely with the President and gets invited to the Blue House. It is finally revealed that Tae-Oh became the Chairman of the Kangoh Group—the impossible heir, I suppose, no? At the end, he watches fireworks from his office on the 151st floor, just like he saw when he first moved to the city where he met In-Ha. He’s about to start an orphanage in Kangoh’s name as well. Everything is perfect, and we can imagine Hye-Won and he are also together.
