Welcome to Samdal-ri follows a photographer who, after suffering a fall from grace, returns to her hometown and bumps into her ex-boyfriend, rekindling an unfinished romance. The show is available to stream on Netflix.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary
Welcome to Samdal-ri revolves around Cho Sam-Dal and Cho Yong-Pil, two lovers who broke each other’s hearts eight years ago.
They broke up with each other hoping it was the right decision for the assured happiness of the other one and their family.
However, they could never move on. Cho Sam-Dal went on to become a famous fashion photographer and accomplished great things.
Yong-Pil returned from Seoul, though, and remained in the village of Samdal-ri, working as a weather forecaster to ensure the village’s elderly remain safe.
One day, Sam-Dal’s career comes crashing down after her assistant Bang Eun-Ju fakes suicide and alleges that Sam-Dal’s abusive treatment was the cause.
Without any investigation of proper coverage, the media hunted her down like witch trials, and all stakes got pointed at her.
Her clients backed away and her projects all ended.
When reporters become too big a problem, she decides it best to return to her hometown, Samdal-ri.
There, she reunites with her ex Yong-Pil, who takes no time to get back to his old ways with her.
She tries her best to not fall for him again but fails to do so.
The two get back together, but familial problems hold them back again.
They sort it all out with the help of their friends and family members, as well as expose the truth to the media.
The lovers reunite and continue to enjoy their bliss, as Welcome to Samdal-ri rolls the credits.
Ending explained:
Why did Eun-Ju commit suicide?
Bang Eun-Ju had a flurry of personal issues she wanted to contend with.
The way she went on to contend with them was anything but sane.
She was jealous of the competent and relentless Cho Eun-Hye, who had no time for fuss and slacking.
Eun-Ju, meanwhile, had always wanted to prove that she was ready to step up the ladder of her career.
Eun-Hye disagreed as there was still a long way to go until Eun-Ju could fully attain a grasp over work.
Eun-ju wanted nothing more than to take away all that Eun-Hye had and claim it as hers. She took her boyfriend first.
She was in an affair with him and she eventually showed the proof of it to Eun-Hye, to tip her off her balance. But it didn’t suffice.
So she attempted a fake suicide and went to the media with a fabricated audio recording, making it look like Eun-Hye has been abusing her power and authority as her boss.
She made it look like she had been on the receiving end of such abuse which ultimately led her to commit suicide.
There was another reason she pulled this stunt. It was the illegal promotion of minor brands she was doing to get paid.
She would sneak in products that never with the theme all the time.
These products were from brands that were not the main clients for the photoshoot.
She continued this stint even after Eun-Hye left and all her gigs were now Eun-Ju’s.
Ultimately, though, her lies and incompetence are exposed to one and all.
Long before she’s exposed for illegal promotions, she loses all the gigs and projects, and the ones she’s left with she can’t make their heads from the heels.
Assistants don’t want to work with her because of her rude behavior, the clients back away because there’s no progress and she lacks ideas.
Furthermore, the marketing agency involved in the illegal promotions also gets impatient because their products don’t get promoted even after they’ve paid Eun-Ju.
Welcome to Samdal-ri ends with no epilogue about her status, as if she’s not even an important enough part of this story, which fits her character, as she always overestimated herself.
Do Cho Sam-Dal and Cho Yong-Pil get together?
Eight years ago, Cho Sam-Dal and Cho Young-Pil, two best friends since childhood who were almost joined at the hip all the time, and later became lovers, broke up with each other.
It causes immense heartbreak and the two could never truly move on from each other.
Yong-Pil remained in Samdal-ri, while Sam-Dal went to Seoul, and got success, but with a giant Yong-Pil-sized hole in her life.
After her career is destroyed by false allegations, Samdal returns to her hometown.
Their reunion is marked with awkwardness but Yong-Pil falls back to his old ways with her.
He cares for her, worries for her, and is always there for her in whatever problem she’s facing.
What’s more, is that he’s been caring for her mother for eight years in her and her sisters’ absence.
She can’t stop herself anymore from loving him or expressing it, and the two finally get back together again.
Their happiness is short-lived, though, because of Yong-Pil’s father, Bu Sang-Do, who hates her and her family.
His hatred stems from the day his wife, who was a fellow diver died after a storm took her.
Sam-Dal’s mother, Go Mi-Ja, was insistent on diving that day and so when her best friend died, her husband came to hate her for being responsible for it.
Sang-Do never moved on from his wife’s death and so he let his resentment for Go Mi-Ja and her daughters fester and fester to the point he became blind to his son’s happiness.
It was he who asked Sam-Dal eight years ago, to break up with her.
She had to do that when she realized it was the only way Young-Pil could stay with his father and continue to care for him.
Yong-Pil begged her to not go and she did return soon, only to hear from Yong-Pil that he is ready for a breakup.
The situation was reversed and this time, Yong-Pil was the one who wanted the breakup because he thought all others might hurt less if he was the only one taking all the pain.
However, it caused everyone involved immense pain for years.
Finally, eight years later, the two lovers decide to do things right and stay adamant about changing Sang-Do’s heart.
They manage to do so, with the help of Go Mi-Ja and others.
Sang-Do gives them his blessings and the two are free to love again.
Before Welcome to Samdal-ri ends, though, the two spend some time away from each other.
It’s because Yong-Pil has to achieve his dream of working at the WMO in Switzerland.
After he helped her achieve her dreams, it was Sam-Dal’s turn to do it for him, and she supported him.
Two years later, the two reunited on Christmas Eve, as Yong-Pil returned to Korea. Soon, the credits follow and the show ends.
Also Read: The love triangle in Welcome to Samdal-ri explained