Love to Hate You Season 1 Ending Explained – Will Mi-ran and Kang-ho Get Together? first appeared on Ready Steady Cut.
This article contains major spoilers for Love to Hate You Season 1, Episode 10, “A Passionate Goodbye,” including an open discussion about the ending of Love to Hate You Season 1.
An appropriate outing for the February romance season, love to hate you is a south korean romantic comedy series with atypical attitudes towards gender roles and stereotypes. It’s about the relationship between a cynical and promiscuous lawyer named Mi-ran and a darling of the Korean rom-com scene, Kang-ho, who is secretly a little dirty. Under contrived circumstances, they meet, fall in love, and face all the usual challenges that rom-com leads always are — or at least their versions.
But does it all have a happy ending? Let’s break down the finale, “A Passionate Goodbye.”
Love to Hate You Season 1 Ending Explained
Why did Mi-ran and Kang-ho break up?
The main inciting incident of love to hate you Episode 10 of Season 1 is the public revelation of Mi-ran’s promiscuity, which causes all sorts of problems in her personal and professional life.
She is harassed while on the move. His boss tells him to quit. Advertisers don’t want any part of her and crazed fans go so far as to throw things at her. Of course, this is exacerbated by Kang-ho’s fame. Society is ill-equipped to deal with a woman who behaves like a man at the best of times, but when is that man a beloved public figure? The odds are definitely against Mi-ran.
It seems the best course of action is for Mi-ran and Kang-ho to part ways, for the sake of their lives. The workaround appears to be announcing a breakup but maintaining a relationship in secret, but not everyone gets this memo, including Won-jun, who takes the opportunity to never see Na-eun again to confess his feelings for her.
Mi-ran and Kang-ho try to pursue their relationship privately, but this proves impossible given their public profiles, and they are spotted leaving a karaoke bar together. Everyone, including Won-jun, is annoyed by the deception, so a decision must be made.
Kang-ho holds a press conference to explain himself, apologize for the ruse, and finally announce that he won’t break up with Mi-ran at someone else’s request. Rather, it stages a very grandiose and public marriage proposal that Mi-ran actually rejects in order to spare her further humiliation and murder. She’s trying to protect her reputation and her career, but that means what was once an act is now real – Mi-ran and Kang-ho are legitimately going their separate ways.
Do Mi-ran and Kang-ho end up together?
Fortunately, everything works out and love to hate you built towards a happy ending. Much like how Mi-ran’s tattered public image was the beginning of the downfall for her and Kang-ho, mending that reputation through anonymous testimonials from people extolling her virtues and good deeds is what finally allows them to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Mi-ran’s actions against predatory males were a big part of the season – and aren’t forgotten here in the finale either – so it makes sense that all of her good deeds ultimately count for something.
At Na-eun’s request, Mi-ran calls Kang-ho to meet and work things out. SO, Mi-ran and Kang-ho end up together. Similarly, do Na-eun and Won-jun. Everyone is a winner at the end of this long romantic saga, even if it took time for everything to come to fruition.
You can stream Love to Hate You Season 1, Episode 10, “A Passionate Goodbye,” exclusively on Netflix. Do you have any thoughts on the Love to Hate You Season 1 ending? Let us know in the comments.
Further reading:
- Will there be a season 2 of Love to Hate You?
Love to Hate You Season 1 Ending Explained – Will Mi-ran and Kang-ho Get Together? first appeared on Ready Steady Cut.
