Episode Recap
Episode 16 of Crash Course in Romance begins with the bombshell announcement that Hae-e is moving to Japan. Haeng-ja is also confused by his daughter’s decision and decides they should really talk about it, clearly hesitant to label her.
How does Haeng-seon take Hae-e’s confession?
Back inside, Jae-woo doesn’t know how to feel and calls Hae-e a traitor. While talking inside, Haeng-seon heads off to talk to the girl he’s known as his daughter for a long time. Hae-e doesn’t want to discuss it considering she’s already made up her mind.
Meanwhile, Su-hui gets a wake-up call when she goes home and finds her husband on the couch. The couple ends up having another argument, discussing the mistress and everything that happened between them. When Su-a is mentioned and involved, the couple are unaware that she is actually outside the door and the couple decide to keep it a secret… even though social media is a thing and the video goes viral. As Fate wrote, Su-a has already seen the video.
Chi-yeol comforts Haeng-seon and decides that they should go for a walk. Haeng-seon laments that she’s confused and can’t do more as Hae-e’s aunt. Chi-yeol discusses Haeng-seon’s future plans, when he admits that he actually wants to go back to school and start studying again.
Why are Haeng-seon and Hae-e fighting?
When Su-hui sends her daughter off to the Academy, she tells her mother to divorce her if she wants. He gives Su-a time to think about it as he decides to go home that evening. While Haeng-ja and Haeng-seon shop and browse the shops, Jae-woo actually walks around when he decides to go outside and get some air.
Chi-yeol continues his studies, but this time it’s not all fun and games like before. There is a darker and more serious side to what is happening. A student passes out and falls to the floor after taking medication for ADHD. Chi-yeol worries about his students and wonders what the solution is. There doesn’t seem to be an easy way out, and what Chi-yeol is having here feels like a larger discussion about the Korean education system.
Speaking of solutions, Haeng-ja is once again in the middle of another family feud when Haeng-ja gets into a heated conversation with Hae-e. Hae-e refuses to accept it, even though he thinks about her and buys her a whole lot of cosmetics. Finally, Haeng-seon leaves the room, determined to keep cleaning, and calls Hae-e a rude brute. Hae-e takes herself to her room and starts crying. Haeng-ja is left alone to think about her feelings.
After leaking exam papers, Seo-jin is released with a slap on the wrist and fined 10 million won. It’s enough to get him out of the mood he’s in. Later, he sits down to dinner with his family. Even Hui-jae is there. Seo-jin asks Hui-jae to join her on a trip away, trying to repair her broken relationship with her son.
Haeng-ja makes a big decision and decides to leave without taking Hae-e with him. For the first time in her life, she felt shame, breaking the relationship between Hae-e and Haeng-seon. Haeng-ja has some nice words for her sister, including how proud she is of raising Hae-e so well and how lucky Chi-yeol is to be.
After reading the letter, Haeng-seon sees Yeong-joo and Jae-woo being romantic together. He sits them both down and learns that they have only been together for a few days. He hopes their feelings are sincere, but gives them his blessing. As they part ways, Haeng-seon learns some sad news. Chi-yeol was filmed having coffee with the girl he went on a blind date with all those episodes ago.
Are Chi-yeol and Haeng-seon getting married?
Haeng-seon heads out to get some air, while Chi-yeol struggles to control her breathing when she sees her breath trending online. In fact, he talks to Hyo-won about this scandal, and together they decide that the best course of action is a ring. A ring that shows Chi-yeol’s commitment to Haeng-seon and a promise that they will marry in the future.
When Chi-yeol shows up at the Side Dish restaurant that night, he talks to Haeng-seon alone and tries to explain himself. Only Haeng-seon walks in and decides to get married. Chi-yeol is amazed, especially when he shows off a ring of his own. The couple agrees to get married on a date set after Hae-e graduates and Haeng-seon receives his sports certificate.
Then we jump a little to prepare for the new school season ahead. Sun-jae has her GED and is being homeschooled, Seo-jin goes on a road trip with Hui-jae, and Haeng-ja is still talking to Hae-e, deciding to text her and tell her daughter what she’s been up to. comes in Japan. But now Hae-e is back to calling Haeng-seon her mother, and it’s all smiles and joy for them. Ch-yeol continues to stand out for his students and maintain his charisma, while Haeng-seon is busy studying.
How does a Crash Course in Romance end?
Fast forward 2 years and Su-hui is now working as a school counselor! Su-a is a doctor at Hanguk University, and Hui-jae is in the military. As for our kids, Geon-hu and Su-a get close, Hae-e kisses Sun-jae on the cheek, and the pair are presumably having an affair.
Haeng-seon takes the exam and gets the results back… he passed! Chi-yeol is also overjoyed, talking to his class and prompting everyone to cheer loudly. As the episode ends, Haeng-seon and Chi-yeol are walking down the street together, happy to be together and no longer caring about the scandals. Now that they have each other and the people around them, that’s what they need.
Episode Review
A Crash Course in Romance comes to a satisfying conclusion, albeit with a slightly shaky script that feels tonally all over the place. There is a much-needed scene to bridge the gap between Haeng-seon and Hae-e, and a few annoying issues.
In between Haeng-ja’s letter, we don’t talk about Hae-e and Haeng-seon, and we’re angry that we’re suddenly happy and the whole situation went downhill. I appreciate that there’s a letter, but unless I’m missing something here, we never get an explanation as to why Hae-e wants to leave — nor do we get Haeng-ja to deal with the money issue. While the scene outside the academy was very good, we needed a one-on-one between the pair to settle things down.
Jae-woo and Yeong-joo’s relationship still feels like an odd choice that needs more development early on to foreshadow their reunion, but this whole Sun-jae/Hae-e thing has a very satisfying conclusion situation to fix what we’re doing. It’s nice to see Su-a come out in one piece as well, Seo-jin’s day in court is just what she needs to get out of her mood. Thankfully, she can now work on her relationship with her boys and do what’s right for them without overworking them.
Overall, this wildly popular Korean drama ends with a mostly satisfying conclusion, with a few issues thankfully overshadowed. One thing is for sure, we need more Jung Kyoung-ho novels in the future!