This article contains spoilers for Queen of Tears Episode 16
For almost two months, the lead-up to the Queen of Tears ending pondered what fate would have in store for beloved couple Hong Hae-in and Baek Hyun-woo, and its feature-length final episode finally answered many fans’ burning questions. Directed by Jang Young-woo and Kim Hee-won and written by K-drama mastermind Park Ji-eun, Queen of Tears is a romantic comedy that follows the hardships of married couple Baek Hyun-woo (Kim Soo-hyun) and Hong Hae-in (Kim Ji-won) as they navigate life on the brink of divorce, and the terminal illness that Hae-in is diagnosed with.
Queen of Tears’ cast gives career-best performances in this emotional tale of love, hardship, and business, and is a key reason for Queen of Tears’ success. Many of the predictions for Queen of Tears’ finale came true, with Queen of Tears delivering a happy ending for Hae-in, Hyun-woo, and their families that did not seem to have been possible only a few weeks before. Much like the rest of the series, Queen of Tears’ finale is not short on emotions, and after a showdown between Hae-in, Hyun-woo, and Eun-sung (Park Sang-hoon) where Eun-sung eventually meets his demise, Queen of Tears concludes, showing just how much the Hong family’s perspectives have shifted for the better.
Baek Hyun-woo’s unconditional love for Hae-in has been constantly proven throughout Queen of Tears, and he has put himself in danger multiple times to ensure Hae-in’s safety. The Queen of Tears finale is no different. Despite being run over by Yoon Eun-sung in the final moments of episode 15, Hyun-woo promptly leaves the hospital to rescue Hae-in with the help of his trusted best friend, Kim Yang-g (Moon Tae-yoo)i. Hyun-woo, however, is significantly injured, which hinders his escape plan and results in him and Hae-in being caught by Eun-sung, before sacrificing himself for her in one of Queen of Tears’ best scenes.
Hyun-woo’s second near-death experience is even more emotional than the first, as it only re-affirms the emotional memory and information that Hae-in had gathered from her previous life. It also triggered some of her old memories as the Déjà vu experience of Hyun-woo lying on a hospital bed preparing for surgery reminded her of her own. Although Hae-in is unable to remember Hyun-woo’s parents, this sequence also proves just how close the Baek and Hong families have become with everyone waiting by Hyun-woo’s bedside for days before he finally wakes up next to Hae-in.
At the end of episode 15, Hong Hae-in seemed to disappear into thin air. Yet it is quickly revealed in Queen of Tears’ finale that this was all the work of Yoon Eun-sung. Despite Eun-sung and Hae-in having had a brief relationship at university, Eun-sung’s one-sided infatuation with Hae-in only seemed to strengthen throughout Queen of Tears as Eun-sung desired something of his own, rather than as a part of his mother, Mo Seul-hee’s, preconceived plans. Episode 16 affirmed just how far Eun-sung was willing to go to get what he wanted, even if that meant going against his mother and Hae-in.
Although Hae-in’s memories had not fully returned, Hae-in’s emotions from before her surgery still lingered. Combined with the knowledge she had gained from her notebook, Hae-in finally realized that Eun-sung was not a person to be trusted after months of manipulation from him. Despite Hae-in’s feelings, Eun-sung attempts to kill Hae-in, so no one else can have the thing that he desires most. However, this plan soon backfires and Eun-sung is killed by the police during a tense climax.
This showdown highlights the tragic life of Yoon Eun-sung, and his desire for love that he never got. Mo Seul-hee (Lee Mi-sook) had manipulated Eun-sung her entire life, prioritizing the bigger picture over her son. In this scene, Eun-sung’s love for Hae-in was the one thing he felt that he was able to control, and would be able to grant him the happiness that the constant abandonment and betrayal by his mother never allowed him. Yet, Yoon Eun-sung would remain blinded by his own desires until the very end, and would never recieve the love he always craved.
Queen of Tears’ Mo Seul-hee has continually proven that nothing will get in the way of her lifelong plan to overthrow Queens Group, not even the death of her estranged son. Seul-hee tries to use Eun-sung’s death to her advantage and take control of his shares in the company, though her illegal actions finally catch up to her, and she is sent to prison after footage of her poisoning Hong Man-dae (Kim Kap-soo) comes to life. Cheon Da-hye (Lee Joo-bin), a key witness in the trial, turns herself in alongside Grace (Kim Joo-ryung), and the two spend some time in prison before reuniting with the Hong family on good terms.
The Hong family, now the rightful owners of Queens Group, return to an overwhelming welcome from the Queens Group staff, yet their attitudes towards the business and each other are truly changed for good. Hae-in and Hyun-woo return to their positions in the company and the atmosphere is brighter than ever. It’s implied that Hong Beom-jun (Jung Jin-young) steps down from his duties within the company, instead choosing to live a quiet life in Yongdu-ri, and allows older brother Hong Beom-seok (Park Yoon-hee) to take his rightful place as the chairperson of Queens Group.
The subject of Hae-in’s memories has been a key focus throughout Queen of Tears and has only grown in significance throughout the series as Hae-in’s memories become one of the most important things to her. In Queen of Tears’ final episode, Hae-in does regain some of her memories, though it is unclear whether she regains all the memories of her previous life. However, this does not seem to matter as Hae-in chooses to look forward and not back and create new memories with Hyun-woo that she can cherish for the rest of her life.
Communication was never a strength in Hong Hae-in and Baek Hyun-woo’s relationship, but Queen of Tears’ final episode shows how far they’ve come when it comes to expressing their feelings. Hae-in and Hyun-woo both share their fears about their future, with Hae-in even suggesting that she would have rejected Hyun-woo if he were to propose. They instead choose to take things slowly, especially with Hae-in only partially regaining her memories, and dedicate themselves to being by each other’s side rather than labeling their relationship. However, the final scene of Queen of Tears suggests something more.
Following their new beginning, Hae-in and Hyun-woo’s lives flash before our eyes, showing us that they truly did keep their promise to one another and stayed by each other’s side for as long as they lived. Afterward, an elderly Hyun-woo is pictured wearing his wedding ring and walking alone around Sanssouci. However, in the final moments of the episode, where Hae-in and Hyun-woo reunite again for the last time, Hae-in is shown to be wearing her wedding ring, suggesting that at some point in their lifetime, they would get remarried.
Hong Soo-wan’s (Ko Dong-ha) tragic death haunted the Hong family for a long time. However, it had a particularly significant impact on Kim Seon-hwa (Na Young-hee) and Hong Hae-in and be a big strain on their relationship. However, flashbacks reveal that Mo Seul-hee had tampered with the boat that Hae-in and Soo-wan would end up capsizing in, with hopes that both children would die so that she could continue with her plan of overthrowing Queens Group. Yoon Eun-sung was also aware of this and kept his mother’s secret, hoping they could reunite sooner.
Unfortunately for them, Hae-in survived the accident and was rescued by an unknown boy. However, Seon-hwa would soon uncover the identity of the mystery child after diving through old photo albums of her children, which would point her to a photo of a group of children in red uniforms. In episode 12, Hyun-woo’s mother Jeon Bong-ae (Hwang Young-hee) showed Seon-hwa photo albums of her children, which included an almost identical picture of Hyun-woo’s Marine Corps Camp group. This, plus further discussions between the two mothers, confirms that it was Hyun-woo who saved Hae-in on that fateful day.
Germany has always been an important place for Hyun-woo and Hae-in. It was where they went on their honeymoon, rekindled their relationship for the first time, and Hae-in was given a second chance at life. However, the finale would see Hae-in and Hyun-woo revisit Sanssouci multiple times, alone and later with their daughter. Despite being a palace, Sanssouci (which translates to no worries) was emphasized as a place of relaxation rather than a place of power. For a metaphorical queen such as Hae-in, her return to Sanssouci shows how her attitude towards power has changed drastically and that her life is less burdened than before, thanks to her family.
Hyun-woo later returns to Sanssouci alone as an old man in the winter, having previously visited with his family in the summer. This seasonal difference is significant, with summer representing happiness and prosperity while winter represents death and change. It can be presumed that this is when Hae-in died, leaving Hyun-woo alone. Hyun-woo would then visit Hae-in’s grave, where he would place lavender. The meaning of lavender is incredibly significant. Firstly, they represent royalty and luxury – a nod to Hae-in’s reign as the Queen of Tears. Though beyond this, they represent devotion and spirituality; a nod to Hyun-woo’s love for Hae-in extending beyond the realm of the living.
The final sequence of this montage sees Hae-in dressed in all white, holding out her hand to Hyun-woo. This symbolizes that Hyun-woo most likely had died, and re-united with Hae-in, who had waited for him after her passing. This lavender field was also the same field where Hae-in declared in episode 14 that she intends to cherish and draw strength from her memories and to live and die as herself. Hae-in and Hyun-woo being together once again in the lavender field suggests that despite Hae-in’s initial memory loss, she lived and died as herself, and can finally spend her next life relishing the memories she had made alongside Hyun-woo.
Queen of Tears’ epilogues have always excelled at adding new information to a scene that was already done, and the final epilogue of the series is no different. Unlike previous epilogues, episode 16 changes the format and instead titles the last epilogue as “Happy Ending”, confirming that Hae-in and Hyun-woo’s relationship was finally without complications. Then, the epilogue shows various photos from Hyun-woo and Hae-in’s past, present, and future. This includes Hyun-woo’s school and Marine Corps photos, the family portrait in the chairperson’s office, and multiple photos of Hae-in and Hyun-woo’s future daughter and the memories they made together.
Memories have played a huge significance in Queen of Tears. Echoes of their old relationship haunted Hae-in and Hyun-woo, and memories of their lost child were always silently present in their relationship. Hae-in then lost her precious memories. Yoon Eun-sung, too, stripped Hae-in and Hyun-woo of their old memories by throwing out all of their old possessions. Therefore, the epilogue being a collection of photographs of Hae-in, Hyun-woo, their family and their daughter, is especially significant as against all odds, it is something they can never forget and can draw strength from even as they move on to their next life.