What happens to Seo-Jin in court?
Episode 14 of Penthouse Season 3 begins this finale with Su-Ryeon thrown in the water and Seo-Jin taken away in a police car. As authorities scramble to the scene, news reports confirm that Su-Ryeon is yet to be found and after 3 days, things don’t look good. With the situation gaining massive traction in the press and tensions high, Seo-Jin’s court case is a high profile affair. Seo-Jin feigns ignorance, claiming she has amnesia. Drama ensues though when Eun-Byeol is the one to come out and testify against her own Mother. Despite the pain she feels, Eun-Byeol confirms that Seo-Jin is faking the whole amnesia shindig and claims that she’s responsible for both Su-Ryeon and Yoon-Hee’s death. Eun-Byeol goes on to admit, miserably, that she’s the catalyst for all these tragedies. The issues at the university and the death of her own Grandfather have come about because of her. She pleads with the court for forgiveness, admitting she wants to end it all now and be done with this guilt and pain. And how is she going to do this? Eun-Byeol decides never to sing again. With a necklace holding a sharp point, she slits her own throat and collapses to the ground in a heap. With Eun-Byeol bleeding out, Seo-Jin is sentenced to life behind bars.
What happens to the other Hera Palace residents after the time jump?
After jumping forward 3 years later, we catch up with the other residents. Kyu-Jin has been released from prison, and he’s now working at the bathhouse, scrubbing down a chairman. Only, this chairman happens to be head of a farm, so his years of work in grooming this man has been for absolutely nothing. However, his scam doesn’t go unnoticed, as the police eventually arrest him. Oh Kyu-Jin, will you ever learn? Ma-Ri meanwhile, is moving up in the world and is now the true victor out of everyone in Hera Palace. She’s been through a lot but her kindness is rewarded. She’s now moving over to the penthouse suite of Simoon Palace. Seok-Kyung has been doing pretty well for herself too, helping to teach a couple of students how to sing. Her relationship with Seok-Hoon is still good, and although he continues to send over money, she’s actually working hard and grafting rather than skimping a living.
Does Seo-Jin commit suicide?
At the Cheongju Women’s Penitentiary, Seo-Jin is granted a special 3 day leave given she’s been diagnosed with laryngeal cancer. She’s given a slip of paper, allowing her to travel over to Seoeun Jeil Church where Eun-Byeol is alive, and now working as a conductor for a choir group. A nasty scar across her neck prevents the girl from being able to sing, but she helps others to do what she can’t. Seo-Jin shows up to see her but thinks twice about actually speaking to her daughter. Instead, she stands atop the motel roof and ends up taking a handful of pills, hoping that Eun-Byeol doesn’t live like she does. As she passes away, Seo-Jin’s operatic singing helps her pass. It’s a bittersweet conclusion for a really prolific character in this show.
What happens to Ro-Na?
Ro-Na has been working in Italy and she’s become a pretty prolific Soprano. She’s a rising star in the scene and even winning awards too. Seok-Hoon and Ro-Na meet up again after 3 years. With Ro-Na so busy with her singing career, she finally takes some time to hang out with her old crush. Well, they decide to eat pasta together, which is obviously a throwback to last season where he promised to buy her this exact dish. He even has a git for her too, which happens to be keys to his place in Vienna. This will allow her to stay with him when she’s on tour there. And just like that, he leans over and gives her a big kiss. The day of Ro-Na’s performance goes ahead and the kids all meet up behind the scenes. Everything is much less hostile now between them, with Seok-Kyung and Ro-Na even seeing eye to eye. However, one thing remains unclear – an anonymous figure keeps sending blue roses. It’s certainly not Logan Lee though, who continues to support Ro-Na from afar.
Are Logan Lee and Su-Ryeon really dead?
Yes, as we find out from the final act of the show, the pair are definitely dead. The final performance for Ro-Na is played out twice, with the second run-around showing what really happened. Logan and Su-Ryeon came to an agreement over how to take down Seo-Jin. Logan had a specially made life-jacket for her, which he wanted Su-Ryeon to wear in order for her survive the plunge, just in case things went sour. Only, Su-Ryeon decided not to wear it. Su-Ryeon decides to let herself die as a final defiant act to take down Seo-Jin once and for all. She waned her to be arrested for life. And Logan Lee? Well, it turns out he’s also dead. He had a relapse with his bone marrow cancer shortly after Su-Ryeon’s death and this pushed him over the edge, Despite managing to help Ro-Na with her performance, his life comes to a tragic end. I guess he could survive a bomb blast to thee face but not cancer. This afterlife is finally confirmed as Logan Lee and Su-Ryeon head off to thee afterlife together, walking through that familiar tunnel used in many other K-dramas in the past, including Hotel Del Liuna, Goblin and Hello, Me, bringing this crazy makjang to an end. So Logan Lee and Su-Ryeon head off to the afterlife together, walking through the familiar tunnel from Hotel Del Luna and Hello, Me.
The Episode Review
So Penthouse bows out with a final conclusion that borrows heavily from some of the better Korean dramas out there. You can tell the screenwriter wanted to make this a really memorable makjang and to be fair, most of the supporting characters do have a consistent arc and a good amount of closure. However, there are some obvious issues here too. The whole Su-Ryeon suicide-death is a little silly and inconsistent with her character. She’s been established as selfless and there for her kids no matter what. The idea that she’d give all off that up just to see Seo-Jin behind bars feels weird and ill-placed. After all, it’s the dash-cam footage from Yoon-Hee’s death that’s really the evidence that can be used against her more effectively. Sitting here and picking apart the entire show’s plot holes would be a mammoth ordeal and honestly, you guys probably don’t want to read that so I won’t bother! Penthouse has been an incredibly messy show and this third season is a result of dragging out a story that really didn’t need to be. The show had a decent enough conclusion during season 2 but everything this year has just felt contrived and borderline nonsensical. The one character in this who does come out well though is Seo-Jin. Her whole arc is beautifully written and the tragic way she commits suicide atop the motel roof, unwilling to see her daughter take the same walk in life as her, is a bittersweet and perfect way to send-off her character. Beyond that though, most of the other material here has been pretty sloppy. The endings for the kids are pretty poetic but for everyone else, this final fake-out death twist will likely leave a bad taste in many people’s mouths. This has certainly been a memorable show though, it’s just a shame that it’s gone on for one season too many.
