WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Gyeongseong Creature season 2.The highly anticipated second season of Gyeongseong Creature sees the K-drama end on a surprisingly similar note to its first season. Starring big K-drama names Han So-hee and Park Seo-joon, Gyeongseong Creature 2 takes its central characters out of the initial setting of Japanese-occupied Gyeongseong (Seoul) and throws them into the present day. The first season presented many questions Gyeongseong Creature 2 needed to answer, and the Netflix K-drama does so with a high-tension finale.

In season 2, episode 7 the bad blood between Gyeongseong Creature‘s main characters comes to a head. Lady Maeda’s wishes for revenge separate the recently reunited Yoon Chae-ok and Jang Tae-sang, who find themselves back in the remnants of Onseong Hospital, now the site of Jeonseung Biotech. An ultimatum sees Jang Tae-sang choose three innocents over Yoon Chae-ok, leaving his partner’s life in balance. Though Gyeongseong Creature‘s ending may not be the most satisfying, it answers some key questions and leaves others waiting to be explored. ​​​​​​

Does Yoon Chae-ok Survive Gyeongseong Creature 2’s Finale?

Jang Tae-sang & Yoon Chae-ok’s Relationship Is Full Of Barriers

Much like in Gyeongseong Creature‘s first season, Yoon Chae-ok’s life hangs in the balance in the final episode of the show’s second season. Seung-jo paralyzes her najin at the start of episode 7, which proves to be detrimental for the sleuth. She is thrown into a tank of water and left for dead after her mother’s najin leaves her body, with Captain Kuroko aiming to take the parasite for himself. However, it is presumed that Chae-ok escapes with Tae-sang, who punches the tank open with his bare hands.

Despite this, Chae-ok does not survive Gyeongseong Creature 2 as herself. Now separated from her mother’s najin, Chae-ok appears to have no memories of her former life. She instead lives as a university student with Ahn Jong-hyuk’s grandmother, who is revealed to be a descendant of Mrs. Nawol. Though it’s unclear how Chae-ok falls under the woman’s care, this likely comes at the request of Jang Tae-sang himself, who is noticeably absent from Chae-ok’s new life.

Chae-ok and Tae-sang’s love remains even if they can’t be together.

While Chae-ok is no longer the person she used to be, hints of her former life remain. She wears the bracelet that Tae-sang gave her in season 1, and appears to recognize her former lover during a brief encounter on the street. It is unknown how much of Chae-ok’s memories remain, particularly as her personality has changed to fit her new life. Yet, there are hints that Chae-ok and Tae-sang’s love remains even if they can’t be together.

Who Was Jang Ho-jae In Gyeongseong Creature After All?

Park Seo-joon’s Return Raised A Lot of Questions

One of the biggest questions in the finale episode of Gyeongseong Creature season 1 was who was Jang Ho-jae, and why does he look so much like Jang Tae-sang. Park Seo-joon’s return to the Netflix K-drama provided a surprisingly simple answer to the question. Jang Ho-jae is the persona Jang Tae-sang took on after losing his memories following the loss of a najin, which was forced into him almost 70 years prior.

Though it is not shown on screen, it is heavily implied that Tae-sang murders Mrs. Nawol and eats her brain.

Back in the 20th Century, Jang Tae-sang’s store was raided by Lady Maeda’s Kuruko warriors as revenge for attempting to kill her at her husband’s funeral. She spares Tae-sang by forcing him to ingest a najin but brutally kills the rest of the workers at The House of Golden Treasure. Tae-sang is presumed to have lived as himself until a year before the events of Gyeongseong Creature season 2, where he was separated from his najin by those at Jeonseung Biotech, and soon takes on the persona of Ho-jae. His memories are returned in episode 5 as he becomes reinfected.

Why Was Gyeongseong Creature 2 Set in the Future?

The Time Jump Is One of Gyeongseong Creature’s Biggest Mysteries

The tone of Gyeongseong Creature season 1 was strongly defined as a K-drama set during the Japanese Occupation of Korea. This made season 2’s move to the future all the more confusing, as it was a strikingly different tone to the message Gyeongseong Creature depicted in its first season. While Gyeongseong Creature doesn’t explicitly say why the series chose to move to the modern day, a conversation between Seung-jo and Tae-sang in episode 10 could provide insight into why such a bizarre choice was made.

The true story behind Japanese Unit 731 in Gyeongseong Creature in season 1 gave a heartbreaking foundation for the series’ decidedly human message. The sentiment is echoed in season 2 as Tae-sang tells Seung-jo in episode 7, that he chooses to keep fighting so that Lady Maeda and the living workers of Onseong Hospital don’t forget what they did there. This could act as a mirror for the present day, with the K-drama choosing to take inspiration from real historical events so that they are not forgotten in the modern day. However, Gyeongseong Creature never addresses this further.

How Lady Maeda Finally Meets Her Demise

She Surprisingly Survived The Explosion in Season 1

Claudia Kim’s return to Gyeongseong Creature season 2 is one of the biggest plot twists of the series. Lady Maeda’s Gyeongseong Creature season 1 fate saw her survive the bombing of her husband’s funeral. This, as revealed in season 2, was thanks to the najin. Lady Maeda was given a najin by Colonel Kato in the season 1 finale, giving her the ability to regenerate and live in the present without aging. However, the najin that she has had such a heavy investment is her ultimate downfall.

For a woman who sees humans as weak, Lady Maeda’s end seems fitting.

In episode 10, Tae-sang injects a serum into Lady Maeda’s neck which paralyzes the najin inside of her for 24 hours. This then gives Seung-jo ample opportunity to kill the Japanese courtesan using his unique abilities. For a woman who sees humans as weak, Lady Maeda’s end seems fitting. Seung-jo throws Lady Maeda into the same dungeon where many innocent Koreans met their deaths in season 1. She is then burned by anthrax after being stabbed in the stomach by her adoptive son, who watches as she succumbs to her injuries.

Who Seung-jo Is & His Role In Gyeongseong Creature 2

He Is An Interesting Addition to the Netflix K-drama

As one of the main villains of Gyeongseong Creature season 2, Seung-jo adds an unnerving ferocity to the series. Seung-jo is the son of Myeong-ja (Akiko) and Commissioner Ishikawa, who was the baby shown in season 1’s finale being held by Colonel Kato. Due to his mother’s death, Seung-jo inherited the mature najin that possessed Myeong-ja and was raised to be Lady Maeda’s son. Their relationship is anything but familial as Lady Maeda and Colonel Kato used Seung-jo as a new experiment subject to understand more about the najin and its properties.

Seung-jo’s loyalties within Gyeongseong Creature 2 come very much into question. He is reckless and has a distaste for everyone except for Ho-jae. The reason for their closeness is left vague within Gyeongseong Creature, much like Seung-jo’s role in the series. Yet, it is implied that Seung-jo acts as another vice for Gyeongseong Creature ‘s explorations into humanity as he has never experienced human life, instead living as a monster. This is something the Netflix K-drama is likely to explore in the future with Seung-jo at the helm.

The Najin & Who Is Still Infected After Gyeongseong Creature 2’s Finale

The Najin Play An Entirely New Role In Season 2

While the najin played a significant part in Gyeongseong Creature‘s first season, their role in the second is entirely different. Monsters such as Seishin are few and far between. Instead, the najin is used as a vice for enhanced physical and regenerative abilities as well as seemingly eternal life. Those infected with the najin look human but will turn to bloodshed after losing a significant amount of blood themselves. They can also be disarmed for 24 hours with a serum that returns the hosts to their human selves, allowing them to be maimed and killed.

There are many characters who at some point in Gyeongseong Creature, find themselves infected with a najin. Most are given larvae, with varied success rates as seen in season 1. In season 2, it is revealed that those who ingest adult larvae, like Seung-jo and Chae-ok, are almost certain to survive the transformation. However, only a few characters keep their parasite until the end of the season. The three key najin infectees who remain infected are Seung-jo, Tae-sang, and Ahn Jong-hyeok, who could be crucial to the next part of Gyeongseong Creature’s story.

How Gyeongseong Creature Season 2’s Ending Sets Up Season 3

The Netflix K-drama’s Story Seems To Be Far From Over

Although a third season of Gyeongseong Creature is yet to be confirmed, the thriller K-drama has provided a lot of set-up for future installments. Yoon Chae-ok’s new life presents many questions, especially as she has been separated from Tae-sang once again. Plus, the disappearance of bloodthirsty najin-infectee Jong-hyeok sets up a potential issue for the residents of modern-day Seoul. However, this may not be such a problem as Seung-jo enacts his final plan in a mysterious post-credits scene.

In the scene, Seung-jo and the workers of Jeonseung Biotech place najin larvae into bottles of water, which are then sold on mass throughout Korea. This could hint at a big future storyline to come, as Seung-jo attempts to turn the residents of Seoul into monsters just like himself. It would also change the tone of Gyeongseong Creature once again, as it deals with the impact of the monsters on a much larger scale. Gyeongseong Creature season 3 may not be a reality yet, but the ending of the Netflix series’ second season suggests its story is far from over.