The Penultimate Episode of Who Are You is Filled with Tears of Sadness and Rage for Oppa

Screw you, drama! Seriously, screw you and your nonsensical police procedural plot and your oppa-dangling fan exploitation. I kept my expectations dialed way way way down for the final two episodes of Who Are You, and even then episode 15 of WAY managed to both suck and blow. Well…..without a written or video preview for episode 16 who knows if something crazy and unexpected might happen, but if I take what happened at the end of episode 15 at face value, then I can safely say that the screenwriter wrote the most amazing character in Hyun Joon and then royally screwed him over. She screwed him over in every way possible whether in the past time line or in the present. But what she couldn’t do is screw him over in the hearts of the viewers, because he’s the sole redeeming aspect of WAY and without him there is no drama. I don’t even know what the purpose of tomorrow’s final episode 16 would be, because from the looks of it there is no more story left to tell. The drama can stick Kim Jae Wook in the same outfit of blue shirt, white tank top, and black jeans for 11 episodes straight, complete with white pasty pancake make up, and he’s still more mesmerizing and alive as a character than the living folks in this drama.

Clearly Gun Woo isn’t going to die after getting stabbed, but it’s pretty funny that I didn’t give a fig either way. I like him but he’s about as consequential a presence in this drama as a pretty potted plant in the middle of a hospital room. He and Si On together would probably make one whole brain between the two of them. What I care about is Hyun Joon oppa, that he gets closure, that he gets some measure of happiness in whatever capacity is possible, that he gets everything he deserves even if it’s imaginary or fleeting. This episode tossed in yet anther Oppa-rrific flashback involving Oppa drawing a future house layout with Si On and cajoling his future wifey to have three kids with him. I was already sniffling during that scene, but then the drama dropped a fucking grand piano of angst on top of my head with Si On and Hyun Joon’s conversation in that hospice room. I no longer care about healthy grieving, moving on, Gun Woo being a real good dude – I only care that my Oppa turned into shiny golden light at the end of episode 15 and I was sobbing my guts out while screaming “I am going to pluck all your toenails out, you cruel and inhuman screenwriter!” After watching this, I need to go lay down now.

After telling Si On that he saw Hyun Joon, Gun Woo faints again and Si On cries that he can’t die. Si On summons the doctors to come save Gun Woo.

Gun Woo goes back into surgery while Si On heads to the office. She thinks back to Gun Woo’s confession to her and their times together. Seriously? You want to keep going there, drama? I like Gun Woo, I really really do, but he has about as much sexual or romantic chemistry with Si On as a panda has with a stalk of bamboo it’s nonchalantly gnawing on.

In the most ridiculous solving of a major conspiracy EVER, Police Chief Moon gets a minion to take out his head minion by thwacking him over the head with a bat. The dude is beat up but not dead. The cops arrest him and Si On suddenly puts on her thinking hat and gets the guy to turn on the Police Chief during a bout of interrogation with zero intensity.

Armed with evidence, Si On takes the cops and arrests Police Chief Moon in the middle of a big wig police meeting.

Gun Woo is out of danger and Si On sits by his bedside. She tells him to wake up and come back to her – the question he asked her about wanting to stay by her side, she accepts him and tells him to come when he gets better. That is her answer. I can’t believe Si On chooses Gun Woo in this clinical a fashion, as both a hope for him to get better and forcing herself to let Hyun Joon go. Nowhere does she say she loves or even likes him. It’s just that it’s the right thing to do. Blah.

Si On goes home and takes out her tin of Hyun Joon oppa mementos and this time it’s a sketch of a house interior layout. She flashbacks to Hyun Joon drawing the layout as they planned their future home together. Hyun Joon draw a lot of rooms because he wants three kids with her so they need to have enough room for the kids. He says because she’s so afraid of being lonely, that is why they need to have more kids. *sniffles*

Si On cries and tells her Oppa that she is finally letting him go. She asks Oppa if she did well?

Hyun Joon meets with Hee Bin and thanks her for all her help. She asks if he’s said his goodbyes and Hyun Joon says not yet…….

Si On brings a meal for Gun Woo at the hospital and I don’t know if she’s feeding one man or a small elephant. Gun Woo finally tells Si On that he saw Hyun Joon, not the guy’s spirit but his real body. This scene underscores and highlights why the drama’s insistence on this couple will never ever work – she’s like a nice older sister coming to check on her wayward brother in the way she talks to him.

Si On takes a cab over to the hospice and finds Hyun Joon laying in the bed. She naturally cries buckets of tears over his comatose body, asking how this happened.

SI On hears from the doctor that Hyun Joon is in a coma, but unlike coma patients who feel no pain, Hyun Joon appears to be in distress and seems to be clinging on to life. DA FUQ! Drama, you already screwed Oppa over six-ways to Sunday, and now you want to tell me his physical body is in PAIN as well? I fucking hate you, drama.

Si On gets a box left by the now-departed Detective Choi and inside is Hyun Joon’s belongings from the night of the ship raid, and a letter he left. The letter explains that he saved Hyun Joon and kept him hidden from the real mastermind Police Chief Moon. Turns out that night, he called in a favor and asked a first responder cop to squirrel Hyun Joon away to safety. When Detective Choi shot Hyun Joon that night, his heart died along with Hyun Joon. He tells Hyun Joon never to forgive him. Si On cries as she reads this.

Gun Woo is at the hospital and gets out of bed to hie himself over to the hospice. I feel like the many faces of Taecyeon in pain must be shared with all.

Si On goes to the florist and buys a potted plant for Hyun Joon’s room. It’s a balloon flower, which has the meaning of never-ending love or a love that has no words.

As Si On sits and talks with Hyun Joon, suddenly she hears him call her name – “Si On ah”. Guh, just spork my heart out right now. I don’t think I can survive what’s coming up next. Si On turns around and sees Hyun Joon’s spirit standing in the room, and he speaks with her for the first time. He smiles and tells her to be happy, he wants to see the Si On of old who is cheerful. Si On cries and says how can she when Oppa isn’t here anymore? Good point.

Hyun Joon says:

“I thought in this world, there could be no one else who treasured you as much as I do. But now I can leave. Si On ah….I died six years ago. That is not me, that is just an empty body. Please don’t cry. I’m fine. Don’t be sick, and learn to drive yourself around. Have beautiful children with the person who loves you. Be happy and live your life well.”

The heart monitor starts to beep as Hyun Joon’s body codes. Si On hovers over him sobbing while Hyun Joon’s spirit watches. She cries and keeps screaming no.

Hyun Joon smiles as his spirit glows and then disappears.

Gun Woo arrives and his body fills the frame exactly where Hyun Joon’s spirit was before he evaporated. As if we didn’t already get that Gun Woo is Hyun Joon’s replacement in EVERY WAY, we need this added visual where Gun Woo physically inhabits the space Hyun Joon was just standing. Hateful sadistic screenwriter. Hyun Joon’s heart monitor completely flatlines….

Let me say a farewell to the best character in this drama and one of the best male leads ever. For the many things Hyun Joon did not say to Si On but this is what he felt.

I had it all prepared – the house we were going to live in, the ring, the proposal…… For 20 years we were childhood sweethearts turned lovers – I was your best friend, your driver, your protector, your oppa, your lover. For six years I wore the couple shirt you got me. But this is as far as I can accompany you. Don’t worry, I’m fine. Please be happy, all I want is for you to be happy….

Ugh, imma go buy another box of tissues. Don’t know if there will be anything worth recapping or discussing in tomorrow’s episode 16. For all intents and purposes, this is the last episode of WAY for me.