Summary
One of the best and most jam-packed episodes of Queen of Tears yet finally justifies the feature-length runtime.
Episode 12 of Queen of Tears is the first installment to really justify the runtime. I know, I know – I keep going on about it. But it’s especially relevant fear given how momentous a feature-length episode feels when it’s full of developments and emotions. This felt like the payoff for the last few episodes.
Episode 11, as we know, ended with a lot of drama, and Episode 12 begins by revisiting some of the events from a new angle. First, Hae-in and Hyun-woo pore over the CCTV footage from the warehouse where they thought the Chairman’s hidden slush fund was, but Hae-in recognizes the truck. The money was transported from the warehouse to the Hong household.
Playing Nice
Things then catch back up to that cliffhanger ending, with Hae-in mistaking Eun-sung for Hyun-woo. Eun-sung approached her near the warehouse, played along, and drove off with her. Hyun-woo saw her climb in and gave chase.
When Hae-in comes to, she plays along in return and leaves with Eun-sung. While the two of them have very fake conversations and poke around the Hong house – Eun-sung tries to force niceties on Hae-in using her grandfather as leverage and takes credit for stories from their past that later turn out to be completely false – Hyun-woo is jumped by the broker.
Luckily, Hyun-woo is able to finesse the situation rather easily. When the broker calls Eun-sung to tell him he has completed the assignment, Eun-sung predictably delays the payment. A conman until the end.
Hyun-woo Has A Request
Hae-in is dismayed to see the condition her grandfather is in, but despite his confusion, she leaves him the pen with a hidden recording device and a quiet urging to leave a message. She scoots out while things escalate between Eun-sung and Seul-hee, who berates him for the stupidity of bringing Hae-in home.
Despite some confusion about whether it’s really him – understandable given recent events – Hyun-woo takes Hae-in away with some assurances he’s the real thing. He takes her to the place he has been staying since the divorce, and then later to see a sunset, where he gives Hae-in a ring and asks her to renege on the divorce.
Hae-in doesn’t accept the ring, citing her confusion over seeing him as Eun-sung earlier as the reason why, but I think we know where this is going, don’t we?
The next day, Hyun-woo catches Hae-in trying the ring on, deciding against selling it since she’s looking for excuses to wear it.
The Chairman’s Death
Queen of Tears Episode 12 | Image via Netflix
At the end of Queen of Tears Episode 12, Seul-hee catches the Chairman hiding his medication, which has allowed him to stay lucid during his home imprisonment.
However, the Chairman has had more than enough of the whole thing. He’s a prisoner, and the people who were supposed to love him just want his money. In a final grand gesture, he wheels himself to the top of some stairs and… well, you can work out the rest.
This was a final act of rebellion. With his death, the Chairman’s assets are distributed according to his will, and Seul-hee doesn’t stand to benefit.
The episode ends with the Hong family going to the house and opening the secret elevator backdoor into the panic room, which Hyun-woo figured out is where the money is.
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