'Private Lives' Ending Explained: Did the finale have to see Edward die? Here's how Hanson betrayed Joo-eun
'Private Lives' Episode 16 ended on a rather confusing note as Joo-eun and Jeong-hwan got ready to walk down the aisle again, but somehow, we don't see them say "I Do". There seems to be another problem as if to indicate that Joo-eun and Jeong-hwan's life will always be filled with excitement and unexpected twists and turns, but this doesn't come across too well in the finale episode. In fact, many of the loose threads are haphazardly portrayed resulting in a pandemonium of sorts. The biggest shocker was when Edward was shot at point-blank range. We believed, until the very last few minutes. Turned out he was hurt and probably paralyzed due to his injury but is very much alive and continuing to con people with Bok-gi.
Similarly, we see how Mr. Kim of GK's plans falls apart in the most unexpected manner. Sure, they had planned everything to the best of their knowledge but we all know how best-laid plans are the ones set up to fail. So everyone that Mr. Kim had cornered the night before end up escaping. If Mr. Kim has expertise in handling scams and scandals for the rich and famous, Joo-eun, Bok-gi, Edward and Jeong-hwan are all experienced in conning people and escaping from the riskiest situations at a moment's notice. That is exactly what happens now too. In fact, Bok-gi and Edward also end up getting an essential piece of evidence that could very well lead to Mr. Kim's downfall along with presidential candidate Yoo Byung-jun.
However, in the last moment, Edward is shot and the evidence that he had acquired along with Bok-gi gets taken away. Also, just as we had called, Edward, Bok-gi, Joo-eun and Jeong-hwan along with Hanson decide to work together. So what we really expected was to see them become super strong and smart. But, we see Jeong-hwan get hit again, and by a car this time. Turns out Hanson has his reasons for wanting to work along with the four and it has to do with GK's Vision Room. He works for the competitive company of GK's called UI and the president of the company is the one that Hanson is in league with.
So when Jeong-hwan crashes into a car, he is picked up by Hanson and transferred to a hospital. However, Hanson doesn't inform Jeong-hwan about this and this way, he also ties Mr Kim's hands. You see the only person who would know Jeong-hwan's whereabouts is not aware of where her husband is. From this point, we see how quickly things progress. Jeong-hwan wakes up, finds himself an ally, manages to meet the man who runs GK, proves to him that Mr Kim is a narcissist who believes that GK's success is a result of his hard work and that the founder is helpless without him. This of course marks the beginning of Mr Kim's fall from the pedestal.
Just as expected, things are neatly wrapped for the four main characters, however, what is left for the audiences to gather is the fact that neither Jeong-hwan nor Joo-eun are "good" people. They are both con artists, and they both con people in different ways. Their scale may be different but what they both do at the end is fool people. So the ending where the two of them fail to walk down the aisle is to indicate that they are not people who have changed, but they are people who will remain the same.
'Private Lives' airs on JTBC on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 9:30 pm KST and can be streamed on Netflix outside of South Korea.