Queen of Tears – K-drama Episode 16 Recap, Review & Ending Explained

Episode 16

Episode 16 of the Queen of Tears begins with Hyun-woo’s accident but it’s revealed that Eun-seong isn’t the one behind the accident. He’s rushed to the emergency where his parents visit him and find that he’s had his ribs and liver ruptured. But Hyun-woo’s nowhere to be found.

Hae-in wakes up from a dream which is a memory from when Hyun-woo proposed to her in the aquarium. It’s revealed that Hae-in warned him about her family and Hyun-woo, nevertheless, wanted to marry her. She finds herself in a different place and see’s Eun-seong.

From his demeanour that screamed madness, she ascertains that it would be safer for her to play with his games and she acknowledges her mistake and agrees to marry him. Eun-seong reveals to her that a helicopter will be coming to take them to the States at dawn where they will be getting married.

Hyun-woo arrives where his friend Kim Yang-gil is inspecting the CCTVs to find Hae-in. They arrive at the hunting grounds of the Queens family where Eun-seong and Hae-in are.

In the meantime, Grace has revealed to Seul-hee that Hae-in had disappeared on Hyun-woo’s orders since Hyun-woo thinks that Seul-hee will be able to find Eun-seong faster. She calls someone to get the slush fund transferred to another bank but finds that Eun-seong has them converted into dollars and moved already. And so, Seul-hee also arrives at the hunting grounds.

What’s the truth behind Hae-in’s brother’s death? 

When Seul-hee asks for the recording, Eun-seong tells her where it is along with the password. Through Eun-seong, it’s revealed that it was Seul-hee, who tinkered with Hae-in and her brother’s boat, leading to her brother’s death. And Hae-in listens to this conversation.

This is when the lights go out and Hyun-woo comes to find Hae-in while Eun-seong desperately looks for her and sees the two leaving. He grabs the hunting rifle and goes after them.

What happens to Eun-seong?

Hyun-woo and Hae-in somehow make it out. In the meantime, Kim Yang-gi has ushered the police and the ambulance in. But Eun-seong catches upto the two and is hysterical.

He begs Hae-in for the last time to come with him and the helicopter arrives but Hae-in refuses and so, since he cannot have Hae-in, he shoots at her even when the police have him at gun point. But Hyun-woo intervenes and takes the bullet, saving Hae-in and before he can shoot again, the police fire at Eun-seong and he dies. Hyun-woo is rushed to the hospital.

In the meantime, Seul-hee has been searching the cottage with her men and discovers the slush fund money hidden inside boxes. She’s in the process of moving them, when a police officer informs her about Eun-seong’s death.

Amidst this chaos, Hae-in’s parents are reminiscing over old memories and Seon-hwa seems to be getting over her son’s death. She also recognises Hyun-woo from a picture in the beach and figures out that it was him who saved Hae-in. At this time, Beom-ja relays the news about Hyun-woo and they rush to the hospital.

Hyun-woo’s parents also arrive and the entire family wait for his surgery to get over. Seon-hwa also tells Hyun-woo’s mother about the beach incident from years ago when Hyun-woo saved Hae-in. Elsewhere, Seul-hee decides to buy 7% of the Queens stock and emphasises that since her son has died, she has legally inherited his stocks as well and to get them transferred to her. Her plan is to own Queens, sell it and make a profit as fast as possible.

Does Hyun-woo survive? 

After a few days, Hyun-woo wakes up and the family is overjoyed. Hyun-woo explains to the entire Baek-Hong family that Seul-hee has bought more stocks of the Queens but because many are bought with the slush fund money, they can sue her for fraud. Meanwhile, the three Hong siblings are reunited and visit their father’s grave. Beom-ja declares that they will avenge him.

Around this time, Da-hye proposes the idea to turn themselves in to Grace, since they would have to be a witness in Seul-hee’s trial. It’s revealed that Grace had helped Hyun-woo with planting the MP3 player in Hae-in’s room along with making sure that she receives the package from Germany without Eun-seong’s knowledge. And so, she is a bit hesitant. This is when Soo-cheol finds about Da-hye’s plan and tries to change her mind.

Da-hye takes Soo-cheol to the orphanage and confesses that she had liked him from when she met him. But after a while, he had never returned. It’s also revealed that Da-hye’s parents had abandoned her in the orphanage. She convinces Soo-cheol that she wants to live a just life and they hug.

What happens to Seul-hee?

During the court proceedings against Seul-hee, the video where she drugged the chairman is uncovered. Da-hye also appeared as a witness. It’s revealed that Grace switched the tablet so Hyun-woo could have the original recording. Hae-in also reveals that Grace was involved in her brother’s death much to the horror of the entire family. She’s finally arrested and the Hongs reclaim the Queens Group.

What happens to Hyun-woo, Hae-in and Baek-Hong family?

Napoleon’s picture is replaced by the Baek-Hong family portrait. Soo-cheol has matured and is taking care of Geun-woo until Da-hye returns. Beom-ja and Yeong-Song finally start dating on a slower pace since Yeong-song had never dated before. It’s revealed that he had been waiting for Beom-ja multiple times in Yongdu-ri as well.

Hyun-woo’s parents clear the air with Mi-sun that her husband is not cheating on her and that the woman who picked up the phone was his 60-year-old professor. They ask her to unblock him and relay his message that his husband still loves her and hands her a ticked to the States.

Meanwhile, Hae-in as assumed her position as the CEO again and Hyun-woo and Hae-in’s team are now friends, thanks to the favourable relations among the two. Later, Hae-in remembers the conversation regarding the nursery.

While on a walk, Hyun-woo and Hae-in discuss about their relationship amidst fears that they could probably turn antagonistic to each other again but decide to neither resent nor hurt each other and promise to stay by each other’s side no matter what happens. Hyun-woo proposes to Hae-in and she agrees but asks to take things slowly because it’s still new to her.

After some years, Da-hye, Soo-cheol and Geun-woo are reunited. Grace also finds a home with the Hongs as they start afresh. Beom-ja and Yeong-song still haven’t shared a kiss depite Yeong-song’s failed attempts but they seem happy together, sipping tea in Yongdu-ri. Hyun-woo’s brother still has his boxing academy and pays rent to his parents.

Hae-in’s father passes the company to his older brother and now, the two enjoy their holidays with their in-laws having kimchi and ramyeon together. Hyun-woo and Hae-in are married and have a daughter, and they visit Germany again together.

Many years later, a much, much older Hyun-woo arrives to visit Hae-in sometime around 2074, who’s laid to rest in the park cemetery that she once talked about. The episode ends with numerous photographs of the family over the years.

The Episode Review

Queen of Tears concluded with a bang, encompassing its signature melodrama, comedy and a bittersweet, heartwarming ending. All the plot lines were beautifully tied together and seemed relevant. Eun-seong’s mania and obsession with Hae-in could only have ended with his death, as he acknowledges it in the side as well.

We also witness Eun-seong’s tragic history since he always pined for his mother but couldn’t get enough of her to make him feel safe which is possibly why he obsessively held on to Hae-in even if it cost him his life. Due to this episode, he ends up more like a pitiful tragic character than an evil one.

Overall, Queen of Tears has been a wild and bumpy ride and we couldn’t have asked for more. It had it ups and occasional downs but it made our hearts race with anticipation and thrill and made us laugh in the darkest of times. In the end, all it left were feelings of satisfaction, hope and contentment.