Crash Course in Romance season 1 episode 16 recap, review & ending explained

In Crash Course in Romance episode 16, Hae-e announces a shocking decision while Haeng-Seon and Chi-Yeol proceed to the next phase of their relationship.

Recap

Hae-e drops the bombshell on the family when she announces that she’ll be leaving home to go live with her biological mother, who, along with the rest of them, is quite surprised to hear this.

Haeng-Seon confronts Hae-e about it but she is adamant about leaving, hearing none of what either her aunt has to say of her biological mother. Chi-Yeol tries to give Haeng-Seon some courage and perspective regarding the situation.

When Haeng-Ja sees how much the prospect of drifting apart is hurting both Haeng-Seon and Hae-e, she leaves quietly for Japan, leaving a letter for her sister thanking her for all that she’s done and appreciating her in a gesture befitting of her older sister role that she’s never been able to deliver for some time.

Meanwhile, Chi-Yeol meets the piano player he dated shortly in the past, and their meeting is photographed by a random woman who posts it online and fuels rumor of a new romance brewing and Chi-Yeol’s relationship with Haeng-Seon coming to an end.

To alleviate her misunderstanding, Chi-Yeol goes leaps and bounds and buys engagement rings, but before he can clear her misunderstanding and propose to her, Haeng-Seon takes the lead and proposes to him first. The two exchange rings, both pairs, and promise to marry after Hae-e goes to college and Haeng-Seon passes her sports instructor exams.

Meanwhile, Haeng-Seon also learns that Jae-Woo and Yeong-Ju are an item, and after learning that they’re serious about it, she’s only happy for them. At the end of Crash Course in Romance episode 16, Yeong-Ju is pregnant with her and Jae-Woo’s baby.

Sun-Jae’s family starts healing as Ms. Jang takes a break and even a trip with Hui-Jae. Su-A learns about her parents’ fight and later gives her mother the green light to divorce her husband, saying she won’t mind it. Su-Hui, later on, becomes a counselor at the Pride Academy.

Hae-e and Su-A go to college and Sun-Jae asks Hae-e about his proposal, to which Hae-e replies with a kiss on the cheek. Geon-Hu also makes progress in his education and forms a bond with Su-A.

Haeng-Seon finally passes her exams and she and Chi-Yeol finally get ready for marriage, as Crash Course in Romance concludes.

Crash Course in Romance season 1 ending explained:

Who does Hae-e end up with?

Hae-e was proposed by Sun-Jae shortly after she recovered from her coma. However, she had rejected Sun-Jae at that time, asking him to give her until she was done with her CSAT exams.

Meanwhile, Geon-Hu, who has gotten rejected many times, also held out hope that there may still be a chance for him as well, although he was always facetious whenever he expressed that he was still in the running to be Hae-e’s boyfriend.

Two years after her CSAT, Hae-e is in college and ready to get into medical school, and the time has finally come for Sun-Jae to get her answer. She asks him for some more time but Sun-Jae reminds her that she won’t have much time since she’s going to be busy with her med school stuff.

Finally, Hae-e gives her answer to Sun-Jae by planting a quick little kiss on his cheek. Sun-Jae is bewildered by what just transpired and jumps in excitement, asking Hae-e repeatedly to confirm if this means that they’re dating, and she does.

What happens to Dong-Hui?

Dong-Hui’s real identity is revealed to Choi Chi-Yeol, and he also learns that he has been murdering people left and right. Before Dong-Hui, aka Jeong Seong-Hyeon gets to kill Hae-e, Chi-Yeol stops him.

They confront for the last time on the terrace of the hospital where Chi-Yeol asks his manager why he did what he did. Dong-Hui reveals the bits of his past that Chi-Yeol already has learned about.

Saying that he’s too tired and that he has nobody to protect anymore, Dong-Hui jumps off the ledge and to his death.

Do Chi-Yeol and Haeng-Seon get married?

Chi-Yeol and Haeng-Seon propose to each other at the same time, unaware that they were going to before doing so. They exchange the rings and decide to get married.

However, they choose to do so only after Hae-e has passed her CSAT and Haeng-Seon has passed her sports instructor exams. They do wait until that and it takes quite a while, as Haeng-Seon keeps failing her tests.

However, she finally managed to pass them, and everyone who was awaiting the positive results with bated breath finally rejoice. Chi-Yeol and Haeng-Seon have their happy-ever-after as the two get ready to marry each other before Crash Course in Romance rolls the credits.

Review

• Crash Course in Romance ends with a merry and saccharine episode 16 as the arcs are given closure and characters get their happy-ever-afters.
• Haeng-Ja’s arrival and closure feel a bit pointless as her departure isn’t followed by Hae-e and Haeng-Seon’s reunion with their pent-up emotions being released.
• However, they are back to being the mother-daughter they were before, and it’s nice to see that their love remains unchanged and just as formidable as ever.
• Bang Su-A makes good with Hae-e but an apology might have been good, considering what she so unfairly put her through.

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Also Read: Choi Chi-Yeol’s dark past in Crash Course in Romance explained