‘W’ Finale: Did MBC Just Set Up Oh Yeon Joo’s ‘Happy Ending’ So That She, Kang Cheol, And Her Father Have To Die In K-Drama Finale? [Video And Spoilers]

K-drama fans around the world are waiting with baited breath for Wednesday, September 14, as that is the day when the popular series W, also known as W – Two Worlds, concludes. First initiating back on July 20, W has grown to become one of the most popular K-dramas to watch for the summer season. As a matter of fact, it was the one K-drama to truly seal the fate of Uncontrollably Fond, a K-drama the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) was hoping would become their next series to become just as popular at Descendants of the Sun.

Nevertheless, W gave Lee Jong Suk, the Korean actor who plays the male lead character Kang Cheol, an opportunity to indirectly promote some of his humanitarian endeavors. He did this by wearing a t-shirt that reads “My Will Is Good” which were made to support the end of child abuse. Besides that, behind-the-scenes footage was used to really push the popularity of the main lead actors, especially the scene when Jong Suk and Han Hyo Joo, the actress who plays the female lead character Oh Yeon Joo, had their first awkward kiss, the one Yeon Joo uses to get out of the comic book world of “W.”

Now with just three days left as of the publication of this article, K-drama fans will find out how W will conclude its “final chapter.” However, it is possible that the “happy ending” Oh Yeon Joo wants may result in her, Kang Cheol, and her father dying or ceasing to exist from the comic.

The theory comes from the very limited preview trailer shown after the 15th episode of W. [WARNING: Spoilers Ahead!] For those who were faithful to K-drama know, at the end of that episode, Kang Cheol removes his wedding band from his finger but also removes the wedding band from Oh Yeon Joo’s finger. Cheol than claims he removes Yeon Joo from his family registry, giving her the freedom as a main character to decide on how the “final chapter” will end. It is at that decision the episode ends.

To be frank, the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) could have ended the episode with no preview for the final episode. It would have built hype in which we might see a major increase in viewership for the finale. However, they decided to leave a confusing preview that will have K-drama fans of W arguing and debating on what will happen next until it actually airs.

As shown in the teaser preview above, we hear Oh Yeon Joo state that she wants both Kang Cheol and her father to stay by her side. With a sad look, Cheol finally says that he loves Yeon Joo, something that he has not said to her throughout the entirety of the K-drama. Those words are truly heartbreaking after the next scene of the preview airs in which Cheol is shot. It is unknown if Cheol dies or not, but with Yeon Joo’s words in the background saying they should “all go together” brings up a very debilitating possibility. Oh Yeon Joo’s “happy ending” may end with her, Kang Cheol, and her father dying or ceasing to exist.

Oh Yeon Joo’s choice may seem easy, but it is actually one that borders impossibility at this point. The reason why Kang Cheol gave Yeon Joo a choice is because by the conclusion of “W,” by how things are set up, Yeon Joo will either have Cheol or her father. Yeon Joo’s father, Oh Sung Moo, has become too much like the culprit, having his memories and tenacity to kill, that if he doesn’t do bad things, he will cease to exist. It is probable that Cheol believes that the side who succeeds after the “final chapter” will live on. If he loses, the culprit and Han Cheol Ho will continue on. If Kang Cheol wins, the villains lose which might possibly mean that Oh Sung Moo will no longer exist.

However, if both Kang Cheol and Oh Sung Moo die or cease to exist, Oh Yeon Joo may also join them given that she is a main character with what Cheol calls “variability.” Plot-wise, her existence is dependent on either Cheol or Sung Moo. If both are no longer a part of “W,” she will lose her purpose and will also disappear from the comic too.

We do know about the possibility of Oh Yeon Joo disappearing if she loses her purpose in “W” because it almost happened to Yoon So Hee, Kang Cheol’s secretary. In the eighth episode, right after Cheol realizes he is in a comic, he decides to live for himself, wanting a relationship with Yeon Joo. He shutters “W” and announces his marriage to Yeon Joo. So Hee leaves her post as secretary now that “W” is done. Also, she cannot bear to be around Cheol now that he is married to the woman she is extremely jealous of. By taking herself out of her purpose in the comic, she was no longer needed and starts to disappear. If it weren’t for Kang Cheol saving her, she would have disappeared entirely.

At this moment, all that is written above is just stipulation until the finale airs. It is by all means not the guaranteed direction MBC will go with W. It is possible they might given the acceptance of more negative situations into K-dramas (knives and guns are not blurred anymore, actual suicide shown in Master: God of Noodles, suggested rape scene shown in Entertainer), but it isn’t set in stone.

The only way we will find out what happens is by watching the finale of W this coming Wednesday at 10 p.m. KST on MBC. For those who do not have access to MBC, W can be viewed for free, with ads, exclusively on Viki pending region. Afterwards, MBC said they will air a special bonus episode showing behind-the-scenes footage and bloopers.

[Image via Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC)]