Summary
The finale of Mine wraps up the story nicely — episode 16 reveals the killer and gives the audience a taste of life after Ji-yong. There are strong themes of female empowerment in the finale that works well in the story’s conclusion.
This recap of the Netflix k-drama series Mine season 1, episode 16 — the finale/ending explained — contains significant spoilers.
Read the recap of the penultimate chapter.
After 8 eight intriguing weeks, we have made it to the finale. Although the final episode suffers a little bit for revealing the “whodunnit” right at the finish mark, it’s still an eventful chapter all the same.
And so, Mine episode 16 ends with a blow for the police — Investigator Hwang has conceded his investigation as all evidence only leads to suicide — you can tell he’s frustrated as he knows something else happened, but he cannot prove it. Hi-soo sits in the rocking chair, tears flowing from her face looking at a portrait of Ji-yong. This is the start of the finale, and everything is up in the air at the Hyowon Estate. Jin-ho asks Seo-hyun who killed Ji-yong, but she tells him it’s best he doesn’t know.
The new Kim Yu-yeon and optimism within the family
But before we get into the meat of the murder, there’s a hint of a new era for the family following on from Ji-yong’s death. There’s a calmness in the family.
Kim Yu-yeon turns up at the estate, but not as a maid, but as a member. She will officially be the daughter-in-law of Seo-hyun, and she welcomes her to the family. She gives her a tutor so she can learn English, art, and cooking. Her life has dramatically turned around, and it’s all thanks to Seo-hyun. She’s invited for family dinner, and Han Suk-chul asks for a fresh start. There is optimism in the family. Seo-hyun reminds everyone that Hi-soo is the mother of Ha-joon. She’s slowly but surely ensuring that they can be a modern family rather than appease patriarchal and traditional practices.
That fatal night part 1 – poison in the bunker
And then we return to that fatal night that is split into two parts.
There’s no optimism for Hi-soo, who is struggling with the events of that night as traumatic memories hinder her. And a flashback begins, and Seong-tae is handling the poison, looking rather worried, which concerns head maid Joo. Meanwhile, Soo-hyuk thanks Seo-hyun for raising him well and calls her “mother.” It’s a sweet moment between the pair as Soo-hyuk feels she will be a brilliant Chairwoman.
The finale returns to the family evening, and they applaud Kim Yu-yeon and Soo-hyuk for their established relationship. With Ji-yong present, everyone is eyeing each other up. Seong-tae tells Ji-yong that his brother wants to meet him in the bunker.
And so Ji-yong heads to the bunker, and no one is there. Seong-tae heads to the valves in the basement and pours poison down the oxygen tube that leads to the bunker. Ji-yong feels uneasy as the bunker fills with poisonous gas. He can’t get out as Seong-tae has locked him in. Meanwhile, Hi-soo is debating whether to leak the video proving Ji-yong is a killer and sends her husband a text reminding him.
Ji-yong rings Hi-soo as he’s desperate and dying. She can hear him struggling. Ji-yong collapses to the floor. But then, Seong-tae changes his mind due to guilt and closes the valve to stop the gas from feeding through into the bunker. Seong-tae tries to open the bunker door, but it will not budge. He runs to the other entrance and opens the hatch door, and drags Ji-yong out.
The finale of Mine proves Seong-tae was not the eventual killer — episode 16 wanted to provide another twist.
That fatal night part 2 – the killer of Ji-yong revealed
Ji-yong reaches the staircase, and Hi-soo sees him, so he checks if he’s okay. But Ji-yong starts strangling her, believing she poisoned him. Seo-hyun hears the commotion at the staircase. Head maid Joo gets there before Seo-hyun and smashes Ji-yong at the back of the head, and both Hi-soo and Ji-yong fall down.
Head maid Joo killed Ji-yong to save Hi-soo.
Seo-hyun sees Ji-yong and Hi-soo on the floor, and she’s shocked. Mother Emma then enters and sees what has happened; she runs outside briefly, and she’s in shock. Hi-soo wakes up and sees her bloody and dead husband next to her and cries. Seo-hyun kicks into action and picks Hi-soo up to take her away from the murder scene. She tells her that they can’t be seen. Before they leave, Seo-hyun gets rid of the murder weapon — the fire extinguisher. Mother Emma heads back inside, and Seo-hyun hides. The nun is distraught, and as she looks up, she can see Hi-soo (which is why she thought Hi-soo was the murderer. She knows there were two people on the floor; Mother Emma asks Seong-tae to call an ambulance.
The aftermath of the murder
Seong-tae and head maid Joo see Ji-yong’s dead body, but Seo-hyun reassures them that the doctor is heading over. Joo and Seong-tae get to work to clean up the blood. Head maid Joo tells Mother Emma that she can’t disclose anything that’s happened in the house and asks her to leave quietly. Seo-hyun drives Hi-soo to the hospital as she’s badly hurt. She tells her she will handle everything.
In private, head maid Joo is angry at Seong-tae for not going through with the plan and to kill Ji-yong with poison. She knows she’s now responsible for Ji-yong’s death, and she breaks down in tears. She tells him to run away and not come back.
Seo-hyun tells Han Suk-chul and Mother that Ji-yong has fallen to his death.
It was fitting in the end for Joo to be the murderer — she wasn’t part of the family, and she knew all their secrets, so it makes sense.
Back to the present – Joo’s choice
Hi-soo remembers what happened. She tells Mother Emma that she feels she has nothing now. Head maid Joo tells Han Suk-chul that she’s quitting the family — the guilt of killing Ji-yong weighs on her. She tells Seo-hyun that she killed him because Hi-soo was in danger. Seo-hyun tells her she knows too much about the family and leaving is the only option left. She gives her a choice — if she takes the blue diamond necklace, she will be Han Ji-yong’s murderer, but if she leaves it, she was just trying to help Hi-soo.
Before Joo leaves, she gives Han Suk-chul the blue diamond necklace. He asks her to give it to Mother, who is very happy about it, obviously.
The reason Hi-soo faked memory loss
So now the killer is revealed, Mine episode 16 mops up the rest of the plot points for good measure.
Lee Hye-jin asks Hi-soo why she is pretending to have lost her memories. Hi-soo raises how Ji-yong tried to kill her, and that would have been too much for Ha-joon on top of his father’s death, so she couldn’t tell the police. Lee Hye-jin is moved by her reason, knowing she did all she could as a mother. She tells Hi-soo that Ha-joon is her son, and that she will never forget that. This is a conclusive moment between both women.
Hi-soo thanks Joo for what she did that night
Before Joo leaves, Hi-soo thanks her for what she did that night, and it reduces the former head maid to tears. Joo tells her Seo-hyun thought she was the killer and was willing to protect her to the very end.
6 months later
Life has returned to normal at Hyowon (as normal as it can be). Kim Yu-yeon has really embraced the privileged life, even kicking out one of the maids herself. Chairwoman Seo-hyun is the leader. She wields the ultimate power. Meanwhile, Hi-soo has returned to acting — she can do whatever she likes now.
Lee Hye-jin is still in the fold tutoring Ha-joon. Both Hi-soo and Lee Hye-jin have a good setup. Hi-soo thanks Lee Hye-jin for everything as both women hold Ha-joon’s hand. All the leading women have got their empowerment. It’s a full-circle feeling for the k-drama series.
Seo-hyun visits Hi-soo on set. Hi-soo recognizes that the relationship they have is special. But something is missing in Seo-hyun’s life — Suzy Choi. She rings her and plans to meet her — she misses her. She wants what is hers. We’ll end the recap there, as that was probably the most important plot point to end the series — Seo-hyun finally manages to have both lives as a lesbian and a chairwoman –she can have power, and the love of her life; that’s a powerful statement to end the k-drama series.
The finale of Mine wraps up the story nicely — episode 16 reveals the killer and gives the audience a taste of life after Ji-yong. There are strong themes of female empowerment in the finale that works well in the story’s conclusion.
Additional points
- Jin-ho wins 5 million won in a scratch card and gave it to one of the maids as he doesn’t need the money.
- Jin-hee argues with her husband’s mistress — she wants him to take her husband, but neither of them wants him. The women attend the same Bible study group as well, and it’s a handsome Father. The women are smitten.
What did you think of Mine season 1, episode 16 (the finale), and the ending? Comment below!
