Since Powerful Opponents made me think about drama endings. Now, we all know about those infamous ‘last minute unhappy endings’ which seem to be tacked on to inflict utmost misery (Glass Slippers’ infamous ending, I am looking at you) or those dramas which would pretty clearly end happily as are giggle-fest or unhappily, as they involve hot people with terminal illnesses.

But how about that rare yet delightful category of dramas: surprising happy endings. Not ones that could have gone either way (Smile Again, QSS) but ones you did not expect at all. Behind the cut are Dangermousie’s Top Dozen Most Surprising Happy Endings.



1. Beautiful Days: My most surprising happy ending (and one of the most delightful ones as I adored the OTP). Take one gorgeous icy woobie from dysfunctional family. Throw in one plucky, feminine orphan who melts his cold cold heart and comforts his hot hot angst. Add in plaintive, haunting soundtrack, long tracking shots, cinematography reminiscent of those uber-weepies Stairway to Heaven and Autumn Tale (only this came first). Add in her case of leukemia (well foreshadowed), manly weeping, her outstretched hand as she is rolled away. She dies? He mourns? WRONG. Her surgery is a success and they live happily ever after. A kdrama where leukemia-prone heroine survives? You could have knocked me down with a feather. Pigs do fly. If, as what I read, they changed the ending because of tons of fan letters (BD was a huge hit) than this is one fan campaign I am happy about!

2. Tatta Hitotsu No Koi: I would have placed bets on the heroine of this lovely, underrated gem of a jdrama appearing toes first at the end. She is a leukemia survivor, there is forbidden love, the story has voice-overs by the hero which indicate separation and regret. NOPE! They do have a two-year separation but the story ends up happily with the two of them together.

3. Robbers: our hero is a beat-up gigolo trying to turn a new leaf who has constant nose-bleeds (SIGN OF DOOM in a kdrama). Our heroine is a plucky widow raising a small daughter. Can you see how this can lead to big tragic redemptive death? The dread of such an ending was what made me stop this kdrama. More fool me! While he has a condition which might eventually kill him, you never know, he can live to a ripe old age too, and at the conclusion of the drama is shown happy with his new family, as the story seems to say you never know how long anyone has, him included, so this is no different from any other situation. Points to the writers.

4. Time between Dog and Wolf: Our hero, Su Hyun, stares mournfully at the wall of honor to those who died in the line of duty. Our hero starts the drama being shot and drowned and the story flashbacks. Our hero has PTSD of gigantic proportions and more issues than a lending library. Guess what? He has conquered some demons by the end and there is even hope for his future with his OTP! I guess they thought they tortured him so much during the run, it would be unfair to off him.

5. Crazy For You: Hero runs over Heroine’s fiancé with a car, accidentally. Hero has nose-bleeds. Hero needs operation. Heroine has noble Best Friend ready to pick her pieces. We get? Hero and Heroine with hope for their future, successful surgery, and no death.

6. One Fine Day: Basically like Autumn Tale (quasi-cest love, psychotic relatives, DOOM) only without death. I guess Gong Yoo (or Sung Yuri) are too hot to die?

7. Green Rose: How many revenge stories end well? Have you seen Mawang? Yeah. Yet, GR protagonist, after suffering Dantean tortures, is allowed his victory, bittersweet though it is, and his happy ending.

8. Lobbyist: I would think a story about arms dealers, which also involves such cuddly pasts as family tragedy (hers) and child abuse (his), plus the mob, guns, and bloodthirsty evil people, would have no chance in hell of ending well yet…I guess they felt they owed it to Song Il Gook for EotS and Jumong :P

9. Winter Sonata: It’s a Four Seasons drama! It has Bae Yong Joon in scarves and amnesia and deadly illnesses! More weeping than there is water in the entire Indian subcontinent during a monsoon. Yet…happy ending.

10. Love Story in Harvard: heroine of epic love story gets deadly disease but is cured and is happy with hero and their kids? I’d put the WTF higher, but this drama rather bored me…the ENGRISH!

11. Bad Love: drama starring Kwon Sang Woo, weepy heroines, tragic love, and with such a title. Who knew it would end well.

12. Whatever I fixate on next…