Mr. Plankton – K-drama Episode 10 Recap, Review & Ending Explained

Episode 10

Episode 10 of Mr. Plankton begins with Jae-mi walking back, crying and cursing Hae-jo for leaving her. We learn that her mother, unable to be bold, stayed silent when faced with Jae-mi, as she had her own family.

Meanwhile, Heung’s mother, with John’s help, finds Gi-ho and intends to enlist Jae-mi’s help in finding Heung. Bong-suk also arrives, searching for her “son.” Both decide to wait for Jae-mi to return, so Gi-ho sends her a location, telling her she’ll find Hae-jo there.

Elsewhere, Hae-jo opens up to Heung about how his misfortune began when he asked for a sibling. At that time, his mother discovered that Hae-jo was not her husband’s son. Although she wanted to keep it a secret, she became increasingly depressed. When Hae-jo asked his father for a sibling, his father visited a clinic and learned the truth.

Hae-jo’s parents began arguing frequently, and eventually, when Hae-jo refused to go with his mother, fearing she’d take him away from his father, she took her own life. From that point on, his relationship with his father was completely severed.

When his father didn’t show up at his high school graduation, Hae-jo left everything behind, including his certificate of excellence. While scavenging for food in bins, he met Bong-suk, who took him in and raised him.

At this moment, we realize that Heung is not a figment of Hae-jo’s imagination but is really there, taking care of him. It’s revealed that before leaving Jae-mi with her mother, Hae-jo had texted Heung his location, asking him to come. While traveling together, Hae-jo advises Heung to never set a destination, suggesting that by doing so, he’ll never be lost but simply a drifter, as Heung confides about feeling aimless.

Meanwhile, Jae-mi arrives at the specified location and finds everyone waiting for her. Heung’s mother uses her phone to text Heung with Jae-mi’s location, while everyone expresses their anger at Jae-mi’s mother for abandoning her on the day she was born, which brings comfort to Jae-mi. Eventually, Hae-jo and Heung arrive. Heung’s mother lets him go, telling him to have fun and come home whenever he wants her cooking.

The group spends the night together, sharing a family-like bond. This motivates Hae-jo to finish the journey he started, and he leaves everyone to visit his father. They share a heartfelt hug, revealing that his father had never truly abandoned him and had always loved him. Hae-jo finds his childhood photos intact, along with his graduation certificate.

While there, Jae-mi comes to pick him up, and together they leave on a journey. Hae-jo’s estranged father, who is not his biological father, finds “I’m your son!” written on his business card, which brings tears to his eyes after Hae-jo has left.

As they travel, we learn that Heung has truly become a drifter, creating his own travel video streaming channel. Hae-jo and Jae-mi spend their days together until, one day, Hae-jo collapses in the snow and dies peacefully, looking at Jae-mi smiling at him through her tears.

The Episode Review

To say the finale is a tearjerker would be an understatement. The show masterfully portrays the characters’ journeys of self-healing and self-discovery, ending with a bittersweet, life-affirming message rather than a melancholic, painful one. The final scenes convey the clarity of Hae-jo’s realization that he is content with his life, having had plenty of fun along the way. No longer scared of death, he feels more alive in the face of his terminal illness, savoring every moment in the end.

Simultaneously, each character experiences real growth. Bong-suk has taken Gi-ho under her wing, so he is no longer alone or dependent on Hae-jo. Heung’s mother has adopted John, who finds his identity as he accepts her offer to be her second son. This shift in Heung’s mother, who now values human connection over familial bloodline, is touching. And Heung, taking Hae-jo’s advice to heart, finally ventures out to carve his own path, traveling and gaining new experiences he’d never had before.

Overall, the finale is a fitting and bittersweet close to a story about healing and self-discovery, making Mr. Plankton a must-watch!