*Â This review contains spoilers for Episode 12 of A Time Called You
In the last episode, we learnt that Min-Ju had regained control of her body, trapping Jun-Hee in order to resume her romance with Si-Heon. However, Si-Heon is able to recognize Min-Ju, and in an act of desperation, she lies and tells him that Jun-Hee was all in her imagination. At the same time Chan-Yeong, now in possession of his brother’s body, is determined to kill Min-Ju. Will Jun-Hee be able to save everyone in time?
READ | A Time Called You Episode 11 Recap
Min-Ju makes a decision
The morning after her confrontation with Si-Heon, Min-Ju is feeling despondent. Her brother and classmates remark that she seems like the “old Min-Ju” again, and add that they prefer her ‘new personality’. Min-Ju is overwhelmed by this, whispering that she now hates the “old Min-Ju” as well. She tries to approach Si-Heon, but he tells her to stop looking at him, because it reminds him of ‘Jun-Hee’.
Later, In-Gyu notices Min-Ju on the school roof, and watches her. There, Min-Ju asks Jun-Hee if she is “watching her thoughts from the inside”, as she replays all the comments from people asking her not to return to her former self. She walks to the roof edge and a desperate Jun-Hee apologizes for coming into her life and making things more difficult.
Min-Ju tells Jun-Hee that she has nothing to feel sorry for, as allowed Min-Ju to experience what it was like to be popular and loved. However, she says it is now time for her to “wake up from the dream”. She reveals that today is Oct 13, and that she plans on letting herself be murdered, as it will ensure people will remember her forever. Jun-Hee then realizes this was what Chan-Yeong meant when he said she was responsible for Min-Ju’s death.
Meanwhile, In-Gyu reads Min-Ju’s lips and is able to understand all that she is telling Jun-Hee. He runs to the next building, but she has disappeared. We then see Min-Ju leaving school and running into Chan-Yeong. She gives him a knowing look, and the two of them walk away together.
The night of the murder
In-Gyu runs to Si-Heon to tell him what he saw Min-Ju say on the roof. They realize that it is the date of the murder, and search for Min-Ju all over town. Both boys then realize she must have gone to the spot of her original attack.
We then see Min-Ju has led Chan-Yeong to the abandoned building at the attack site, and is waiting for him to kill her. Jun-Hee watches helplessly from within, unable to stop them. Just as Chan-Yeong is about to kill Min-Ju, he is woken up in 2023 by the police and arrested.
Back in 1998, we see that Chan-Hui is now in possession of his body. He tries to explain to Min-Ju that it “wasn’t him”, but the desperate girl begs him to kill her. After a brief struggle, Chan-Hui manages to escape.
Min-Ju walks to the edge of the building, telling Jun-Hee that she hates herself more than anything. In-Gyu comes across the scene. Both he and Jun-Hee try to tell Min-Ju that there are people who care for her, but she insists that she feels utterly alone.
In-Gyu tells Min-Ju he loves her and asks her to give him a chance to prove it, but she says that she is determined to “wake up from this nightmare”. As a horrified In-Gyu and Jun-Hee look on, she throws herself from the building, landing on the ground below. Jun-Hee wakes up in 2023, and cries as she sees the cassette tape has unraveled itself.
In-Gyu cradles Min-Ju’s body, just as Si-Heon finds them. He tells Si-Heon that he killed her, which we now see was his way of ensuring that Min-Ju would always be remembered. Si-Heon later looks on as the police take In-Gyu away.
Jun-Hee’s final visit
Back in 2023, Jun-Hee has repaired the tape player and tries to play it while she sits in her car. It fails, and she begs Si-Heon’s spirit to help her one last time. Miraculously, the tape begins playing and Jun-Hee returns to Min-Ju’s body just before she fell.
In-Gyu is able to grab her in time and pull her back in. She cries and embraces him, thanking him for “saving Min-Ju”. Stunned, he realizes that she is Jun-Hee. Later, both he and Jun-Hee go out to meet Si-Heon. Si-Heon embraces Jun-Hee, telling her he recognized her by the look in her eyes.
She later shows them the cassette player and tells them what happened with Chan-Yeong. Jun-Hee promises In-Gyu that Min-Ju will be back after she has taken care of some things. They realize that by preventing Min-Ju’s death, they have changed future events. Si-Heon says that the new timeline would mean that future Jun-Hee would never return to the past for them to meet for the first time.
Jun-Hee later speaks to Min-Ju who is back inside her head, telling her that she now understands her pain. She implores Min-Ju to not let the world overwhelm her again. She adds that despite everything, she was glad to have known Min-Ju.
Saying goodbye
The next day, Jun-Hee hands the cassette tape player to In-Gyu, telling him to destroy it and the tape. He says this will mean she can never return to 1998, which will hurt Si-Heon. She insists that this is the only way to stop Chan-Yeong from traveling to the past, and that she can’t be allowed to meddle in Min-Ju’s life again.
Jun-Hee and Si-Heon spend the day together, enjoying their final moments before she returns. He tells her he knows that the tape has to be destroyed so that “everyone can live”. He tells her that he will always love her, and promises to find her again in the future. They share a final kiss as the sun sets.
In-Gyu heads to the abandoned building, where he burns the cassette tape. At that moment, both Jun-Hee and Si-Heon disintegrate into pieces as their version of the timeline ends. Back in 2023, Jun-Hee wakes up and heads home, seeing the parts of her life with Yeon-Jun evaporate before her eyes, before she herself disappears. Back in 1998, Si-Heon watches as his sketch of Jun-Hee is erased, and he later appears to have lost all memories of her.
The new timeline begins
We later watch Min-Ju wake up in the hospital, with In-Gyu by her side. He tells her that she was struck by a car shortly after her birthday party. Later, In-Gyu and Si-Heon pass by the record store which is playing Gather My Tears. Si-Heon pauses to listen and tells In-Gyu that whenever he hears this song, he feels as though he has “forgotten something important”.
When Min-Ju returns to school, she tells In-Gyu about a vivid dream that she had while in the hospital. She tells him that a girl in her dream helped her realize that she wasn’t alone in the world, and that she is happy that In-Gyu is there to support her.
We then cut to the year 2011, and find that Si-Heon is the head of a webtoon platform. He finishes work and boards the bus, along with a college-age Jun-Hee. Gather My Tears plays on the bus radio, and he notices her singing along. he addresses her, calling her “Min-Ju”, before apologizing for mistaking her for someone else.
Jun-Hee eventually gets off the bus, and he follows her. He calls out to her and they stare at each other as Si-Heon’s final promise to Min-Ju is replayed: “Even if I have to search through time and space for you. One day, we’ll be together again. I will come and find you, in a time called you.” He approaches her, just as the scene ends.
Our opinion
This final episode provided plenty of cathartic moments, as we finally understood the reason for Min-Ju’s pain, and all the pieces fell into place for certain events that took place in the original time paradox. Jeon Yeo-Been did an amazing job as Min-Ju and Jun-Hee in this episode, portraying the emotional rollercoaster both characters go through. Jun-Hee’s solution to the time paradox broke our hearts, and while it does not answer all the questions, it gave all our main characters a chance at a new life. The final scene left us hopeful that Si-Heon and Jun-Hee will be able to fall in love on their own terms, and build a new future together.
In case you want to relive the experience of A Time Called You, why not return to the very beginning of our recap series:
READ | A Time Called You Episode 1 Recap
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