Miss Night and Day – K-drama Episode 16 Recap, Review & Ending Explained

Episode 16

Our recap and review of ‘Miss Night and Day’ episode 16 begins with Mi-jin’s parents finally discovering the special condition Mi-jin is in, where her body transforms into Lim Sun during the day and reverts back to Mi-jin during the night. They try their best to cheer her up with skincare products to reduce aging. Meanwhile, Baek Cheol-gyu is awarded a reduced sentence for his cooperation with the police and on Mi-jin’s request for leniency.

Even after the case comes to an end, Mi-jin doesn’t return to her old self. She decides to take matters into her own hands and future-proof her situation by joining a gym to reduce aging, applying for insurance, and making necessary adjustments for her parents to live their lives if she is not around. It’s as if she has begun living life properly, going on trips with her parents and hanging out with Da-young, acutely aware of the inevitability of life and realizing that her youth had been the greatest gift she had been given. During these experiences, she reminisces about her time at the prosecutors’ office and finally discovers what she truly wants to do in life.

Mi-jin begins preparing for the civil services exams again, this time not to fulfil her mother’s dream but for herself.

Meanwhile, we find that Ji-ung has been transferred back to the Seoul office, and he visits Mi-jin’s parents one last time. Her father tries to buy time for Mi-jin to come back home but eventually has to let Ji-ung go. It’s later revealed that Mi-jin had seen Ji-ung in front of her house and decided to keep out of his way until he had left.

Later, Byeong-duk is almost scammed again while trying to buy a second-hand ring for Da-young, but fortunately, Ji-ung had been watching him with the fraudster. This is also when Ji-ung bids goodbye to Byeong-duk while tolerating his objections regarding his transfer. Elsewhere, while hanging out with Da-young, Mi-jin as Lim Sun spots a familiar-looking cat but doesn’t pay much attention to it. That night, Lim Sun, Mi-jin’s older self, visits Mi-jin in her dream, bidding her a final goodbye. And sure enough, Mi-jin finds herself back to normal.

The next day, for the first time in many months, Mi-jin is simply herself during the daytime and also appears at the court as a witness against the fake Na Ok-hui’s trial, pleading for a severe punishment against her. On judgment day, Mi-jin finds that Ji-ung is going back to Seoul while the killer is awarded a death sentence for the heinous crimes she committed. Later that night, Mi-jin’s family celebrates their victory regarding the trial while Ji-ung secretly drops off Mi-jin’s cactus that she had looked after while working together with him.

Time passes by with Ko Won returning as a pop star and releasing his popular single inspired by his time with Mi-jin. In a flashback scene, we find Ko Won and Mi-jin talking together with Mi-jin thanking Ko Won for being her friend but also saying that things between Ji-ung and herself haven’t ended. Da-young and Byung-duk get engaged.

Six months later, Ji-ung is back at the Seoul office and having lunch with his colleague when he comes across Mi-jin, the new top investigator at the office. Although his colleague shows interest in her, Ji-ung is finally able to reclaim his spot as the two rekindle their relationship and move towards a happily ever after.

The Episode Review

This episode of ‘Miss Night and Day’ conveniently ties up all loose ends – whether they make sense or not is a different question. It’s undeniable that the themes of ageism and perseverance present it as an uplifting finale and Mi-jin’s struggle with her past failures and her courage to move beyond them are the highlights of the episode.

However, in terms of plot logic, it falters severely. The episode shows Mi-jin’s older self as a conscious entity separate from Mi-jin’s younger self, which makes no sense and only shows the inability of the writers to reconcile the fantastical age transformation aspect of the show.

Despite its heartwarming themes, ‘Miss Night and Day’s’ finale is a bland and uninteresting attempt at tying the loose ends in the show. With this, we come to the end of the series. Let us know in the comments below what you think about the finale!