True Beauty's Finale Still Hailed as a Master Class in K-Drama Endings

Summary:

• True Beauty ends with a time-jump, a risky move that leaves fans satisfied.
• The show does good by every single character, especially the main couple, as they navigate the rocky resolution of the penultimate episode.

True Beauty is a South Korean drama show that aired in 2021. K-drama fans all agree that it is fun and entertaining, albeit slightly clichéd. It’s a good introduction into the world of Korean TV-shows—tropes, clichés, and that sweet balance between the comfort of predictability and surprising twists.

Now, make no mistake—tropes aren’t inherently bad. We do use the word “comfort” when talking about them; they are a nice blanket to wrap up our souls in after a particularly long day.

Tropes and clichés can be good, but only if they’re executed properly. We don’t need another predictable meet-cute and a love triangle if they’re dire and overused. True Beauty brought exactly that fresh perspective into the HS rom-com that has charm, heart, and humor.

The final episode jumps two years ahead, with the characters that haven’t quite managed to move on. Ju-Gyeong is still hung-up on Su-Ho, even though he’s spent his last two years in America. But once he’s back, her best friend comes and saves the day, pushing the two together and making his own dreams come true at the same time.

The way the writers handle Ju-Gyeong’s growth needs to be applauded—they could’ve given into the cliché and made her skin problems go away. Instead, she grows and stops internalizing her issues, giving way to a somewhat healthy relationship with her body image. We can believe that she accepts her true self, a far-cry from the first episodes that had the character split into two personas.

Some fans were disappointed when Su-Ho dumped Ju-Gyeong, claiming there wasn’t enough reason to do so—after all, long-distance relationships can work, and he can have her visit him or vice versa because the money is no issue for the characters, obviously.

Some say, though, that the couple were supposed to go through all of this to realize the strength of their relationship and trust that when push comes to shove, they would choose each other—again and again.

There are only rumors and speculations about the potential nature of Season 2, with many fans believing the show would continue to explore the characters and their struggles. True Beauty only has one season so far, as is often true for K-dramas that tend to wrap it up soon, making the story come full circle in one sitting.

True Beauty, however, is no ordinary show; it was adapted from the namesake webtoon that had more than one season, ending in the summer 2023. If it's any indicator, then we're in for a multi-seasoned treat—fingers crossed!