* This review contains spoilers for Episode 9 of Doona!
Now that Doona has left, Won-Jun moves out of the student house to focus on his studies and finding a job. Meanwhile, Doona settles back into her life as an idol. Time passes by, with the two of them missing each other.
On his way back from cram school, Won-Jun runs into Doona on a pedestrian bridge. Over dinner, she explains that the company took her cell phone away, leaving her unable to message him. He says that she doesn’t need to explain, and adds he knew she was born to sing onstage. He also tells her that he is going for his military service, and Doona says that will help time to pass quickly.
READ | Doona! Episode 8 Recap & Review – A heartbreaking decision
She begins to tell him that once she has fully established herself, they can go public, but he tells her not to worry about him. Doona suddenly asks if he is giving up, and says that she wants to be with him. However, Won-Jun tells her he wants to break up with her.
Later, Doona yells at him for giving up, saying that she still wants him in her life. She points out that he was the one who said she should go back, and that he wanted to hear her sing. She accuses him of breaking his promise, and that he is “no different from the rest”. He reluctantly agrees, causing her to storm off.
Time passes by
Four years pass, with Doona focusing on her music career. Won-Jun goes for his military service before returning to college. We also learn that the other residents of the student house have moved on. Yun-Teak is now a dating coach, while Jeong-Hun and I-Ra both have careers and are now living together. Jin-Ju moved to Brazil, and only recently returned to Korea.
She pays a visit to Won-Jun and Su-Jin in their hometown, and shows them photos of Brazil on her phone. Won-Jun sees a picture of Doona, and Jin-Ju admits that they met up when Doona held a concert there. Won-Jun tries to hide his distress.
Later, the former residents hold a gathering at their old student house, which is to be demolished. Yun-Teak accidentally mentions Doona, causing I-Ra to shush him up. Won-Jun tells them that he has a job interview the next day, and everyone is happy for him. That night, Won-Jun returns to the deserted student house to pick up his jacket. To his surprise, he finds Doona in the courtyard, smoking a cigarette.
The final confrontation
They head out for drinks and he tells her that everyone is doing well. She asks if he has listened to her music, but he doesn’t reply. She returns to her apartment in tears, before deciding to confront Won-Jun once more. She shows up at his apartment and bangs on his door, demanding to know how he can be so calm about all this. He replies: “Is that how it looks?”
She tells him that back then, she was in complete despair until he came into her life. He tells her that things are different now, and she agrees. She tells him that her life is going great now, and that she has people who will stay by her side. He tells her that he already knows that.
She tearfully says it is his turn to beg. She tells him to apologize, and to admit that what he did was wrong. Through tears, he admits that he should have gone back for her. He finally confesses that he regrets not fighting for them, and begs her to leave him alone. They then embrace, both admitting that they missed each other.
The episode ends by showing us Won-Jun landing a job as a civil servant, and Doona continuing to achieve success in her career. The final scene has them unknowingly crossing paths in Japan. As they walk away from each other, Doona turns around, but doesn’t notice him.
What we thought of Doona! Episode 9
The series ends on a sad note, with Doona and Won-Jun effectively going their separate ways. While we are sorry to see things end this way, at least Doona and Won-Jun were able to get some closure. The previous scene – where they admitted they missed each other – was cathartic and much-needed, even though the end result was heartbreaking.
Both Bae Suzy and Yand Se-Jong were amazing throughout the season. Their on-screen chemistry was off-the-charts, and if there was any downsides to the episode, it’s that there were not more scenes where they acted together.
But is this really how things end between Doona and Won-Jun? In our personal opinion, too much has happened for them to get together again. Both of them have changed over the years, and their brief romance is now a bittersweet memory.
However, for true believers, there is still some hope. At the beginning of the episode, Doona mentioned that she planned for them to go public once she had established her career. So fans can choose to believe that Doona and Won-Jun ended up getting back together, and are just keeping their relationship secret for now.
As a romance drama, Doona! was certainly a rollercoaster ride of emotions. And just like the romance between Doona and Won-Jun, even though we shed plenty of tears along the way, it is certainly an experience we will cherish.
In case you want to relive the experience of Doona!, why not return to the very beginning of our review series:
READ | Doona! Episode 1 Recap & Review – A promising start
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