While “What Comes After Love” has come to an end, I’m glad to announce that Hong (Lee Se Young) and Jungo’s (Sakaguchi Kentaro’s) love will keep growing like cherry blossoms in the spring. And when winter comes, it’ll become snowflakes, but it will never die.
Beyond the satisfaction of seeing Hong and Jungo reunite, here are three more things we loved about the finale of “What Comes After Love.”
Warning: spoilers for episode 6 ahead!
They communicated finally
You can love someone with all your heart and be willing to sacrifice everything for their happiness, but if there is no healthy communication, your beloved will never truly know your feelings. The lack of communication, and often miscommunication, becomes the killer of relationships and is also one of the reasons why Hong and Jungo separated. Finally, in the last episode, they gather the courage to speak their minds and discuss their mistakes.
In the very first scene, Hong goes to Jungo’s hotel and finds him sitting with Kanna. Heartbroken, Hong, thinking he has moved on with Kanna (Nakamura Anne), runs out of the hotel without giving him the flowers she bought for his birthday. She sits in her car crying, thinking she may have lost her chance at love. This scene truly captures the essence of Hong.
“I wanted to tell him how I felt. I wanted to thank him for being good to me and showing me what love is. I wanted to apologize for complaining all the time and never thanking him. I wanted to say that we should let go of our regrets.” – Hong
She loves Jungo deeply, but instead of opening her heart to him, she often bottles up her feelings until she can’t hold them back, and her emotions spill over in tears. However, this time, something different happens.
Though Jungo runs after her, she has already left the hotel without knowing the full story. When Jungo thinks this might be how it all ends, she calls him, wishing him a safe flight—still bottling up her true feelings, but slightly opening up. The call leads to a much-needed meeting where the pair finally discuss their breakup.
Even though Hong lies about still having a boyfriend, despite breaking up with Min Jun (Hong Jong Hyun) in episode 5, the conversation helps them both come to terms with their five-year-old breakup and the mistakes they made in their relationship. This conversation also confirms to Hong that she is still in love with Jungo and wants to be with him.
Kanna’s positive portrayal
One of the best aspects of “What Comes After Love” is its humane portrayal of the second leads—Min Jun and Kanna. In the previous episodes, it was admirable that the writers did not make Min Jun an evil fiancé but rather just a man in love who sees his beloved slipping through his fingers like sand. And in episode 6, the same grace was shown to Kanna, Jungo’s ex-girlfriend and manager.
Not only does she tell Jungo about Hong’s visit to prevent further misunderstandings, but she also advises Jungo to speak his heart to Hong. Often in media, it is easy to put two women against each other and make the ex an evil woman who wants to get back with the male lead no matter what. But Kanna is shown to truly love Jungo, because otherwise she would not have chosen his happiness over her own.
In one way or another, Kanna and Hong are similar. Both ended their relationship with Jungo for his refusal to communicate. This makes one wonder if Hong had not shown up in their lives, would Kanna and Jungo have found their way towards each other in the end?
A poetic ending
It’s not the first time Jungo has shown up at the lake park near Hong’s house. However, the entire scene shows two completely different Jungos. The main problem Hong had with Jungo was how he made her feel alone. For him, it was enough that they lived in the same house—as long as they went to bed together at night, he didn’t see her as being alone.
The last time Jungo showed up in the park near Hong’s house, he stood to the side of the path, watching Hong approach. When she ran past him, he didn’t follow; he let her be alone once again.
However, episode 6 was different. Instead of standing in the corner waiting for Hong to appear, he ran to find her. Rather than hoping she’d stop to talk, he ran alongside her, the way she’d always wanted him to. He finally understood how lonely she must have felt running alone all this time and decided to end her pain once and for all.
It’s a sweet full-circle moment as Jungo also expresses his interest in Hong during her morning run. The parallel highlights how they are giving their relationship another chance—their love remains the same, but now, unlike before, Jungo has changed and can finally run alongside Hong.
“What Comes After Love” promised to be a romance drama with beautiful cinematography, and it delivered on that promise, but offered a lesson on love as well.
As Jungo said, “It’s a sad irony. Only after love do we realize what it truly means. That’s why I believe we’re always filled with regret.” Only after this drama ends do we realize that we may not see such a well-written, well-acted, and well-directed melodrama for some time.
Thank you to Lee Se Young and Sakaguchi Kentaro, who brought Hong and Jungo to life on screen and were at times able to tug at our hearts with just the pain in their eyes.
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Hello ers! If you could change one thing about “What Comes After Love,” what would it be? Let us know in the comments section below.
Javeria is a binge-watching specialist who loves devouring entire K-dramas in one sitting. Good screenwriting, beautiful cinematography, and a lack of cliches are the way to her heart. As a music fanatic, she listens to multiple artists across different genres and stans the self-producing idol group SEVENTEEN. You can talk to her on Instagram @javeriayousufs.
Currently watching: “Dear Hyeri” and “Family by Choice.”
Looking forward to: “Brewing Love,” “Squid Game Season 2,” “Good Boy,” and “Reborn.”