QUICK POLL: Controversial Endings - Who Did the Female Lead REALLY Love? The crazy obsessed emperor / chaebol or the first love from back home? (featuring Empress Ki, The King's Woman, Something Happened in Bali)

[partyon]

QUICK POLL: Controversial Endings - Who Did the Female Lead REALLY Love? The crazy obsessed emperor / chaebol or the first love from back home?
(featuring Empress Ki, The King's Woman, Something Happened in Bali)

 

We all know those controversial endings where there is STILL debate years later over who the Female Lead really loved in the end. Three dramas that have this component are:

 

• K-drama Empress Ki (2013)
  
• C-drama The King's Woman (2017)
  
• K-drama Something Happened in Bali (2004)
  

 

Let's see what Soompi Forums thinks!

 

A short introduction to the characters and synopsis if you don't remember them.

 

Empress Ki (k-drama)

Spoiler

Synopsis:

The series revolves around Ki Seung Nyang, a Goryeo-born woman who ascends to power despite the restrictions of the era's class system, and later marries Toghon Temür / Ta Hwan (emperor of the Yuan dynasty) to become a Yuan empress, instead of her first love and father of her first child, Wang Yoo (king of Goryeo).

 

Seung Nyang / Empress Ki

 

Ta Hwan (the crazy obsessed emperor)

 

Wang Yoo (king of Goryeo - the first love from back home)

 

Tal Tal (the loyal confidant)

 

TRAILER:

 

 

The King's Woman (c-drama)

Spoiler

Synopsis:

Gongsun Li (Li'Er) is the beautiful granddaughter and disciple of military commander Gongsun Yu. Jing Ke (first disciple) and Sunli are lovers and forced to escape when Qin troops attacked. However, Sunli catches the interest of the Qin Emperor, Ying Zheng, and she’s captured and sent to his palace. It’s then that she discovers she’s pregnant with Jing Ke’s child. Ying Zheng treats him as if he’s his own child. The tragic day arrives when Jing Ke tries to assassinate Ying Zheng.

 

Gongsun Li (Li'Er)

 

Ying Zheng (the crazy obsessed king)

 

Jing Ke (the first love from back home)

 

Han Sheng (the loyal confidant)

 

TRAILER:

 

 

Something Happened in Bali (k-drama)

Spoiler

Synopsis:

Lee Soo Jung is a travel agent who is seeking her good luck in Bali after a harsh and unforgiving childhood. She meets Jae Min, Kang In Wook, and Young Joo in Bali, three seemingly perfect people entangled in a triangle of love. When Lee Soo Jung finds herself back in Seoul, her desire for success leads her to seek Jae Min for a job, unwittingly setting off a course of events that further complicates the love triangle.

 

Lee Soo Jung

 

Jae Min (the crazy obsessed chaebol)

 

Kang In Wook (the guy from back home)

 

TRAILER:

Couldn't find a trailer, peeps. Here's a video of Jae Min having some of his epic meltdowns instead.

 

 

Feel free to leave your comments below, and let us know how you liked the endings.

 

Your Event Organizers,

@partyon @Sleepy Owl @confusedheart @agenth

 

tagging:

Spoiler

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All credits go to the video/image/gif owners.

[larus]

1 hour ago, partyon said:

Feel free to leave your comments below, and let us know how you liked the endings.

 

Sorry, I can`t comment on this event. I only watched 18 of 51 episodes of Empress Ki  and I did not watch or read about the other two dramas. I think I read that in Something Happened in Bali,  the three lead characters died and some fans were making fun of Jo In Sung`s crying scenes. Or it was So Ji Sub`s crying scene... Or both. I don`t remember.

 

 

 

 

 

[MayanEcho]

Vic Zhou over Vin Zhang 😅

[partyon]

Just now, MayanEcho said:

Vic Zhou over Vin Zhang 😅

 

Sorry, what does this mean?

Am not that familiar with c-dramas....

[MayanEcho]

2 minutes ago, partyon said:

Am not that familiar with c-dramas....

 

Er, the Cdrama in the poll, the male leads' names 😅

[partyon]

17 minutes ago, larus said:

Sorry, I can`t comment on this event. I only watched 18 of 51 episodes of Empress Ki  and I did not watch or read about the other two dramas. I think I read that in Something Happened in Bali,  the three lead characters died and some fans were making fun of Jo In Sung`s crying scenes. Or it was So Ji Sub`s crying scene... Or both. I don`t remember.

 

We need @africandramalover here. ASAP - she has watched everything! I also need to rant about the Something Happened in Bali ending with her.

Just now, MayanEcho said:

Er, the Cdrama in the poll, the male leads' names 😅

 

What male leads' names? I think I only have the drama character names in the poll? I don't think I included any of the actors' names in the poll... I hope at least.

 

https://mydramalist.com/22292-the-kings-woman

 

Nope, they are all drama character names. Don't scare me chingu

[larus]

3 minutes ago, partyon said:

We need @africandramalover here. ASAP - she has watched everything! I also need to rant about the Something Happened in Bali ending with her.

 

It is true that all the leads died? Why you did not like the ending? 😅

[sweetroad]

17 minutes ago, partyon said:

We need @africandramalover here. ASAP - she has watched everything! I also need to rant about the Something Happened in Bali ending with her.

 

@africandramalover is amazing, and her recall for details is so impressive given that she's usually watching 25 dramas all at the same time, and she can still remember stuff from 15 years ago.

 

[UnniSarah]

Hello everyone 

@partyon  You chose the three dramas that confused me the most. I had to rewatch some for clarity.

The King's woman

An intense drama with a lot of intrigue and mystery. Gongsun Li (Li'Er) loved two men in her life but for two different reasons. 

LiEr loves the king with passion and hate. Her first love was pure and is the person who would have given her a normal life. 

The Empress Ki

Empress Ki loved only one person in my opinion. It was the weak King, but for her, he became strong and gave her the world. There were too many factions trying to control/kill him. The funniest thing, it was implied she controlled him but she did not. She just told him the truth and let him make his own decision. 

Something about BAli

I watched this but couldn't watch this again because it was to melo for me to rewatch. 

 

1 hour ago, partyon said:

 

Sorry, what does this mean?

Am not that familiar with c-dramas....

Vix Zhou was the male lead in The Flame's Daughter with Dilbara and Comparing The King's Woman ML Vin Zhang

[WeunXK]

 I watched only early parts of EK , for me  her love for Wang Yu was more liked she sees him only as her king, was  loyal to him and admired him , rather than her true love.  While her love for the emperor, since their teenager years, is more spontaneous , she was physically attracted to him, she can't hate him even when she should , get jealous being him with another woman. I think it was not maternal love.

====

 

cto

 

The King's Woman (2017 )Such a sad heart wrenching love story. The storyline is not very engaging but I kept watching until the end, and it  was  bec. the chemistry between Vin Zhang and Dilraba. 

My unpopular opinion: Always rooted for forever  between the King and his consort Li. Didn't like Jing Ke.

 It could be better it the ending would be like these scenes🥲  

cto

instead the ending 😠

 

[maribella]

I didn’t watch any of the three, perhaps a few of SH in Bali. I always got the show mixed with “I am sorry I love you”. 

This is the time when kdrama vied to give the most miserable endings that killed off any hope for parts 2,3 etc. Ha Ji Won was also in great demand. 

 

There are so many shows with the man raising somebody’s else’s child. I find it irksome and FFW much of those parts.

Thank goodness, someone developed the DNA test. 
 

I’ll be voting just on wild guesses.

 

 

[Gumiho]

@partyon I forget these dramas and I never watched dilraba drama LOL..

 

btw I prefer JCW in his new kdrama "Queen Woo". He looks very man and macho there. 

[africandramalover]

23 hours ago, partyon said:

We need @africandramalover here. ASAP - she has watched everything! I also need to rant about the Something Happened in Bali ending with her.

 

 

 

Aqui estoy! Here I am!

 

I loved What Happened in Bali! I rewatched it earlier in the year and yep, the drama still holds up! I think the ending was wonderful because they went for the most dramatic ending and nailed it.

 

First time round, I wanted Ha Ji Won to end up with So Ji Sub even though I felt "small small" pity on Jo InSung, but second time round, I'm okay with the idea that they took their toxic threesome into the next world. 

 

NB: having schmex with one guy is a realistic way for her to decide she was in love with the other guy

[leo2020]

Hi everyone, and thanks for tagging me. 

I want only comment on one drama, The KIng's Woman. While watching it was clear for me that DD's character loved both the Emperor and Jing Ke equally, just not in the same way and certainly not simultaneously). The other question is - if they deseved her love. Bcs both guys kind of betrayed her feelings, one way or another. Han Shen was a good guy, who, on the contrary,was IMO a really good husband material, but it was never ment to be, so he was always just a third wheel.

 

[partyon]

On 11/4/2024 at 7:13 PM, larus said:

It is true that all the leads died? Why you did not like the ending? 😅

 

It is true. It's not that I hate the ending, but it is so shocking, and they don't make dramas like that anymore. My question is why?

 

All drama plots are so unbelievably boring nowadays - all similar. Where are the Empress Ki, King's Woman and Something Happened in Bali that weren't necessarily makjang but dove into the deep end with regard to the human psyche and having flawed leads who make their characters so much more interesting? And whose endings can be tragic and sad, but it just makes sense, you know?

 

On 11/4/2024 at 7:17 PM, sweetroad said:

@africandramalover is amazing, and her recall for details is so impressive given that she's usually watching 25 dramas all at the same time, and she can still remember stuff from 15 years ago.

 

I know, chingu! @africandramalover is a true hero to all the EOs on this forum.

 

22 hours ago, UnniSarah said:

You chose the three dramas that confused me the most. I had to rewatch some for clarity.

 

Me too, me too They all have a similar set-up though:

• the crazy obsessive rich ML who is a bit of an antagonist and who has MAJOR trust issues - even towards the FL
• the other ML who is seemingly the good person from back home - familiar to the FL's world
  • in The King's Woman and Empress Ki she loses her virginity to these guys and have their babies
•  the FL who is a badass and struggling to fit into the crazy obsessive rich ML's world + we have no idea which guy she loves the most

19 hours ago, WeunXK said:

 It could be better it the ending would be like these scenes🥲  

 

I actually found the ending of The King's Woman to be very fitting. I was glad it was a sad ending, because the emperor needed a major reality check. I admire the FL for her decision.

 

19 hours ago, maribella said:

There are so many shows with the man raising somebody’s else’s child. I find it irksome and FFW much of those parts.

 

Of these 3 dramas only one of them was actually raising somebody else's child. The King's Woman and he actually was a great dad to that boy. 😎 Why does it irk you?

 

17 hours ago, Gumiho said:

btw I prefer JCW in his new kdrama "Queen Woo". He looks very man and macho there. 

 

Oppa made me want to FF his scenes in QW Not sure if even @agenth managed to get through them

I prefer a showered oppa with abs.

 

9 hours ago, africandramalover said:

Aqui estoy! Here I am!

 

I've been waiting for you, chingu!

 

9 hours ago, africandramalover said:

I think the ending was wonderful because they went for the most dramatic ending and nailed it.

 

Are you also of the opinion, that they don't really take risks anymore? I mean, this ending just kinda made sense, if you know what I mean?

I truly didn't like any of the leads that much - none of them - not even Ha Ji Won's character. Found her flaky and opportunistic. I think they all got what they deserved in the end in Bali. Ooops, did I say that out loud?

8 hours ago, leo2020 said:

Bcs both guys kind of betrayed her feelings, one way or another. Han Shen was a good guy, who, on the contrary,was IMO a really good husband material, but it was never ment to be, so he was always just a third wheel.

 

This I agree with! Unlike the other two dramas on this list, the FL in The King's Woman was probably in a way the least opportunistic of the lot, even though she also made me question her choices several times throughout the drama. Still, she was probably the one who deserved a good man the most, and Han Shen's loyalty and love for her was the most pure of them all. It was too bad that it wasn't meant to be

 

@Nermeen نرمين @UnniSarah @africandramalover @WeunXK @joccu @willenette @MayanEcho @leo2020 @rocat @maribella 

 

I would be SUPER curious to know the reasoning behind your votes in the poll. Why do you feel that your choice was the man the FL was truly in love with? These endings have caused so much debate, and it would be fun to hear your thoughts. I will share mine in a separate post.

[agenth]

11 minutes ago, partyon said:

Oppa made me want to FF his scenes in QW Not sure if even @agenth managed to get through them

 

i watched ep 1 to ep 3.

 

does JCW appear in the later episodes?

 

 

[partyon]

1 minute ago, agenth said:

does JCW appear in the later episodes?

 

If you have to ask, am assuming he wasn't attractive enough for you to find out.

[agenth]

Just now, partyon said:

If you have to ask, am assuming he wasn't attractive enough for you to find out.

 

well he died so i assumed it was done for me.

 

and i didnt like the FL, so there was no appeal.

 

not even evil LSH was enticing enough. 

[partyon]

@Nermeen نرمين @UnniSarah @africandramalover @WeunXK @joccu @willenette @MayanEcho @leo2020 @rocat @maribella @larus @sweetroad 

 

Here is my reasoning:

 

1) Empress Ki - Seung Nyang's true love was Emperor Ta Hwan (Toghon Temür)

 

I know there is always a major debate about this, but I think it was pretty clear to me that she fell in love with him from the very beginning when they met. I don't think she only fell in love with him when she was his maid or the empress. It goes further back than that - when she was still cross-dressing and he thought she was a boy.

 

The testament of this is when we see the last scene of the drama, when we go back to that fateful day in the beginning of the drama, where Seung Nyang is forced to choose between the two men in her lives. The king of her nation (Wang Yoo) or the boy who one day would become the king of her enemy (Ta Hwan)?

 

Already back then she chose Ta Hwan...

 

Yes, we can argue that it was because she didn't want to inconvenience the King, but I am 100% sure it wasn't just that.

 

You see, from the start of Ta Hwan's and Seung Nyang's relationship, the two are more equal. She can banter with him and fight with him, and laugh with him. You never see her laugh as much with anyone than when she is with Ta Hwan in the early parts of the drama. She can in essence, be herself around him.

 

She is attracted to him and sees him like a man. We can see that in the scene when he bathes. She would have been used to being around men as a cross-dresser but for some reason Ta Hwan makes her blush.

 

She is also extremely worried about him when he gets hurt. She is crying for him.

 

She has fallen in love with him already, and had the scene with him being responsible for her father's death not happened, she would have continued to love him - her first love. That's why his betrayal hurts so much.

 

Even when she is about to marry the King Wang Yoo and falls pregnant with his child, we see Seung Nyang in agony and crying for Ta Hwan.  In my opinion, Seung Nyang's love for Wang Yoo was more about admiration and feelings of loyalty to her home country. Ta Hwan was her enemy and to admit that she is in love with the antagonist indirectly responsible about the state of her country, can't have been easy. That's why we see so much resistance in her.

 

Later when she becomes empress, and she sees all the good he does for her and his love for her, she learns to let go of the past. It's a pity that she is only able to reveal her love for Ta Hwan out loud on his deathbed.

 

Still, I think Ta Hwan knew in his heart the whole time that Seung Nyang loved him from the start. Ta Hwan was Seung Nyang's first and last love.

 

Will share my thoughts about the 2 other dramas separately.

 

credits to the gif owner.

 

[sweetroad]

1 hour ago, partyon said:

It's a pity that she is only able to reveal her love for Ta Hwan out loud on his deathbed

 

These dramas do not seem happy, chingu. JCW dies? I didn't expect that (I'm too naive). And then to hear that all three main characters die at the end of the Bali drama.... but then again I'm currently in the middle of nonsensical The K2 and can't seem to stop watching it so what do I know.