Our Blooming Youth – Episode 20 Recap, Review & Ending Explained

Will You Be Mine?

Episode 20 of Our Blooming Youth begins with Jo Won-bo remembering meeting the Queen when she was a courtesan. He was the one who suggested they fool the king and make him believe she is from the Jo family. The queen later seduced the king when he attended a party at the Jo family house, claimed to be pregnant for the king and maneuvered her way into the palace.

Elsewhere, Tae-kang saves the Crown Prince from taking the tea the queen gave to Sung-on. He told the Crown Prince about the special fish and they all remark on the extent their enemies will go to fulfil the ghost’s prophecy.

Back at the palace, Jo Won-bo confronts the queen and threatens her with the life of her son. He insists that he will still make the Grand Prince the king and amass more power. He informs her that he will also be heading to Naean to kill the Byeokcheon survivors and the Crown Prince.

Pinned between a rock and a hard place, the Queen visits Court Lady Kwon Deok-Sim who is on her deathbed thanks to Jo Won-bo.

Court Lady Kwon Deok-Sim begs her not to desert her people and save herself and her son. The Queen makes the decision to take the eggs of the fish and requests the Princess to deliver a message to the King to save the people. She gives the Princess the map to Naean and

Outside the palace, Chief State Councilor Kim An-Jik and a fellow court official visit Left State Councilor Han Joong-Eon and give him the tombstone. Left State Councilor Han Joong-Eon shows them the letter the Queen gave Sung-on about Min Jae-yi. He also shows them the treaty between Sung-on and Jo Won-bo to kill the Crown Prince.

Meanwhile, Jo Won-bo sets out to recruit skilled male fighters to attack Naean village. He also asks for help from the officials who helped him deal with Byeokcheon ten years ago. He promises to compensate them generously if they support his attack on Naean village.

At the Naean village, the Crown Prince and his entourage are captured but Bok-soon, Man-deok and other villagers who know the Crown Prince attest to his benevolent nature. Tae-kang also tries to convince his brother that the Crown Prince is there to help. The villagers agree to let them be and share their truth about what happened in Byeokcheon.

Ten years ago, the people of Byeokcheon were suffering under the rule of Jo Won-oh. The villagers came together to write an appeal to the king but their plans failed. Jo Won-oh’s men found the letter and arrested the people who wrote the appeal. The villagers decided to attack the jailhouse to free the innocent people and even though they found and hurt no official when they went to the jailhouse, they were framed for treason.

Jo Won-oh made it look like he was hurt in the attack and his brother Jo Won-bo took care of the rest. Song was arrested as he tried to fight back, declared the leader of the bandits and ultimately killed at the capital. The queen decided to avenge the death of her husband and the other people from Byeokcheon.

The Crown Prince assures them that he knows they were never bandits and promises to help them reclaim their land. Unfortunately, he can’t do much for them other than give them their land and free them from discrimination.

Sung-on promises to be their new governor and to help them rebuild. Out of guilt, the Crown Prince spends the better part of the day and night trying to build a well for the villagers. The villagers are touched by this gesture and even though they know it is futile, they still join him in digging the well.

Back at Hanyang, Chief State Councilor Kim An-Jik informs the King that Jo Won-bo is forming his own military and requests the King to allow them to gather the military too.  The Princess arrives at the same time and relays the Queen’s message.

Unfortunately, by the time the king gets to the Queen, she has already eaten the fish’s eggs. She apologizes for her deceit before she loses her mind. The King is forced to let her out of the palace. She roams around the streets unable to remember her son. In her mind, he is still an infant so she carries a doll with her acting like it is her child.

The next morning, Jo Won-bo and his men arrive at Naean and start their attack. The military also arrives in time to protect the villagers and the Crown Prince.

An intense fight ensues, and Jo Won-bo tries to kill the Crown Prince, but sadly San protects him with his life. Before dying, he asks the Crown Prince to keep his promise and apologizes to his brother. In the end, the villagers and the Crown Prince win the fight and Jo Won-bo and his men are subdued.

How Does Our Blooming Youth End?

Jo Won-bo and his brother, Jo Won-oh, are found guilty of treason and they are sentenced to death. The other guilty parties are removed from their position and exiled.

The Queen is also removed and Prince Myungan removed from the palace and sent to live with Sung-on in Byeokcheon. Later, he is reunited with his mom but she is still not of sound mind. Sung-on becomes Byeokcheon’s Governor and the town thrives under his rule. He occasionally writes letters to the Crown Prince and complains about the Princess’s letters, not knowing she was trying to flirt with him.

Min Jae-yi is declared innocent, while she and Ga-ram move into the house the Crown Prince bought for her. She’s able to get over the pain and forgive the Queen for killing her family. She takes  the Crown Prince’s advice to stop the cycle of violence by forgiving instead of avenging.

One year later, she and the Crown Prince are yet to move forward with their relationship. The Crown Prince starts suffering from being lovesick and everyone advises him to seek out Min Jae-yi. Sung-on, in particular, asks him to start looking after his heart and gives them his blessing.

There is also Ga-ram, who falls for Myung-jin but they refuse to act on their feelings. This forces Myung-jin’s parents to intervene and disown him so that he can find happiness with Ga-ram. (As he’s a noble, he’s not allowed to marry a servant unless he’s disowned)

After much consideration, the Crown Prince decides to follow his heart and pursue Min Jae-yi. He visits her house and asks for her hand in marriage and she accepts. The episode ends with them sharing a heart-fluttering kiss after confessing their feelings.

The Episode Review

Our Blooming Youth delivers a perfect ending and the cast do an amazing job. Everyone got what they deserved and our protagonists had a happy ending. I wish we could have seen more of Myun-jin and Ga-ram though as they made such a cute couple.

This series was quite enjoyable and I am glad that the storylines were wrapped up well. However, I question why Min Jae-yi decided to give up her freedom for love. She had always wanted to be free of the laws that forbade women in Joseon to follow their dreams.

Did the Crown Prince change the laws for her? If she moved to the palace, she will be limited in the things she can participate in, which is the only issue I had with the storyline.