Bo-ra! Deborah [True to Love] (2023)

Title: Bo-ra! Deborah / True to Love
Hangul: 보라! 데보라
Writer: Ah Kyung
Director: Seo Min-jung, Lee Tae-gon
Network: ENA TVING
Episodes: 14

Bo-ra! Deborah Cast and Characters

Yoo In-na as Yeon Bo-ra aka Deborah
Yoon Hyun-min as Lee Soo-hyeok

Joo Sang-wook as Han Sang-jin
Hwang Chan-sung as Noh Ju-wan
Park So-jin as Lee Yu-jeong
Lee Sang-woon as Yang Jin-woo
Koo Jun-hoe as Yang Jin-ho
Kim Ye-ji as Yeon Bo-mi

Bo-ra! Deborah Ending Explained

Does Bo-ra! Deborah (True to Love) Have a Happy Ending?

Bo-ra! Deborah (True to Love) concludes on a high note, with all the main characters happy and in committed relationships.

What Happened to Bo-ra?

Bo-ra Steps Back into the Spotlight

Yeon Bo-ra (Yoo In-na) makes her triumphant return to radio, not as a dating coach but as a break-up icon. But the comeback doesn’t go entirely smoothly as Ju-wan calls into the show, talking about how he wants to get back together.

Bo-ra closes the book on Ju-wan

Bo-ra is doggedly pursued by Ju-wan and in the finale, she receives a proposal and a ring from him like she desperately wanted at the beginning of the drama. She calmly rejects Ju-wan’s proposal, putting an end to their story for good.

Bo-ra’s Book Release

Bo-ra’s book is released by Jinlee Publishing and becomes a best-seller.

RELATED: Touch Your Heart Ending Explained

What Happened to Su-hyeok?

Lee Su-hyeok (Yoon Hyun-min) grapples with his fears, insecurities, and feelings for Bo-ra in the final episodes of True to Love.

Su-hyeok Backs Down

When Bo-ra makes her radio comeback, Su-hyeok drives to the radio station with flowers ready to make a romantic gesture. However, he’s dissuaded when Ju-wan calls into the show trying to win her back, and when he sees her leave with Ju-wan.

Su-hyeok admits to Sang-jin that he doesn’t want to be the bad guy and come in between if Bo-ra was happily getting back with Ju-wan.

However, he misses her and cries while out drinking with Sang-jin.

Do Bo-ra and Su-hyeok End Up Together?

Yes, Bo-ra and Su-hyeok end up together. After all the misunderstandings and emotional turmoil, they finally confess their feelings for each other and start dating.

Bo-ra and Su-hyeok’s Argument

Bo-ra and Su-hyeok have a heated argument about the ending of her book that quickly turns personal. Bo-ra decides to cancel the book entirely even if she has to pay a penalty.

Su-hyeok’s Drunken Reveals

Su-hyeok drunkenly calls Bo-ra several times after being ditched by Sang-jin and Bo-ra eventually arrives to pick him up. He tells her multiple times not to get back with Ju-wan.

Bo-ra takes a drunk Su-hyeok home and makes a few discoveries. She realizes Su-hyeok lied to her about where he lived, telling her he lived nearby so he could drop her off at home.

At Su-hyeok’s home, Bo-ra finds a gift and love note expressing his feelings that he never gave her.

Bo-ra’s Love Confession

Bo-ra bravely confesses her feelings for Su-hyeok but he remains silent, mirroring the first episode when Su-hyeok was dumped by his ex-girlfriend, Yu-ri.

Bo-ra advises him not to show his feelings if he can’t also verbalize them because it will lead to the other person feeling like a fool.

Bo-ra wants a man that can tell her directly that he likes her.

When Bo-ra is leaving, Su-hyeok finally speaks up, telling her that he’s unsure if dating is right for them. Bo-ra is sad and disappointed but accepts it.

Su-hyeok Gets a Clue

After reading a draft of Bo-ra’s complete novel and seeing Bo-ra’s feelings for him laid out on paper, Su-hyeok rushes to meet her. He goes the restaurant where she’s having dinner with Ju-wan and pulls her away.

Su-hyeok’s Love Confession

Bo-ra tells Su-hyeok to tell her what he feels and what he likes about her.

Su-hyeok’s eventual and long-awaited confession…is a mess.

Some highlights from Su-hyeok’s meandering confession include:

• Kim Tan’s iconic “Do I like you?” line from The Heirs (did Su-hyeok google “drama confessions” for inspiration?)
• mentioning the time she peed on the street (why Su-hyeok why?!)
• bringing up how Bo-ra is skinny fat

Su-hyeok tells Bo-ra he doesn’t know why he likes her, but he loves everything about her.

Honestly, it’s easily one of the worst love confessions I’ve watched in a kdrama and…now I understand why Su-hyeok doesn’t talk about his feelings.

He is legitimately terrible at it.

But I also found his confession endearing and perfectly in character for Su-hyeok. Amidst all the mess, Su-hyeok is able to articulate to Bo-ra how much he loves her. And Bo-ra gets her drama-like moment as she and Su-hyeok share a passionate kiss on the street.

Bo-ra and Su-hyeok Become Official

Bo-ra! Deborah (True to Love) offers us only a few minutes of Bo-ra and Su-hyeok being an official couple…and it turns out they’re the sickeningly sweet and obnoxious couple that makes everyone cringe.

Su-hyeok is even confident and secure enough in the relationship to write poetry about his love for Bo-ra and do aegyo for her.

Do Bo-ra and Soo-hyeok Get Married?

There is a wedding at the end of True to Love but sadly, it isn’t Bo-ra and Soo-hyeok’s (boo).

Bo-ra! Deborah ends with Su-hyeok giving Bo-ra a pair of mittens with a ring hidden inside for Christmas. Su-hyeok does not actually formally propose but the implication is there.

Considering how shambolic his confession was and how cringe Su-hyeok is while in love, perhaps it’s best we didn’t get to hear him propose to Bo-ra.

What Happened to Ju-wan?

Noh Ju-wan, Bo-ra’s trash ex-boyfriend from hell, tries to win her back despite making it clear that he doesn’t love her.

He invites Bo-ra to dinner and after talking incessantly about himself and his chicken company (I almost died laughing at the Maternal Grandma Chicken rebrand), Ju-wan proposes to Bo-ra presenting her with a ring.

However, Bo-ra firmly rejects his proposal.

Just as he’s trying to convince her, Da-mi, the girl he cheated with, shows up and confronts Bo-ra. Bo-ra calmly gets Da-mi to direct her anger towards Ju-wan instead and Da-mi throws a glass of wine in his face.

Ju-wan finally got what he deserved.

What Happened to Sang-jin?

In the final episode of True to Love, Sang-jin plays a significant role in Bo-ra and Su-hyeok getting their shit together. Which is funny considering how gung-ho he was about Bo-ra and Ju-wan potentially getting back together because of the impact it would have on Bo-ra’s book sales.

Sang-jin takes Su-hyeok out drinking his argument with Bo-ra and leaves him passed out at the bar to push him and Bo-ra closer. His plan is a success as Su-hyeok calls Bo-ra several times and she eventually arrives to take him home.

Sang-jin also gives Su-hyeok Bo-ra’s completed draft and asks if he’s up for working on it. Sang Jin giving him the draft to read is what pushes Su-hyeok to finally use his words and confess his love to Bo-ra.

Do Sang-jin and U-ri End Up Together?

Yes, Sang-jin and U-ri end up together. Sang-jin initially rejects U-ri but ultimately reconsiders and decides to give her a chance. The couple takes things slowly by doing things together like going on a movie date.

I’m not a big fan of Sang-jin and U-ri as a couple with their big age difference, the power imbalance at work, and lack of chemistry.

I never really saw an indication that Sang-jin was actually interested in her so the two of them ending up together is baffling.

Do Jin-woo and Yu-jeong Stay Together?

Yes, Jin-woo and Yu-jeong decide to stay together despite Yu-jeong contemplating divorce and Jin-woo putting zero effort into their relationship. 14 episodes and I haven’t seen anything in this marriage worth salvaging.

Yu-jeong spent most of the drama trying to resuscitate her lackluster marriage with her indifferent husband to no avail. She discovers Jin-woo’s secret basement hideout where Jin-ho has been living.

However, after accidentally eavesdropping on Jin-woo and Jin-ho’s conversation about love, Yu-jeong realizes that he truly loves her and divorce is not the answer.

The two make up despite Jin-woo not actually apologizing to Yu-jeong for his behaviour. They are later shown spending quality time together in Jin-woo’s lair playing video games…one of Jin-woo’s interests, demonstrating yet again that Yu-jeong is the one making the effort to make the relationship work.

I really wish Yu-jeong had filed for divorce. She deserves better than Jin-woo.

Do Bo-mi and Jin-ho End Up Together?

Yes, Bo-mi and Jin-ho end up together. After finding out she’s pregnant, Bo-mi and Jin-ho decide they will get married. Jin-ho looks for a place for them to live together and they start planning a wedding and life together. Even though they don’t have the money for that.

How will they pay for all this? Who knows.

On Christmas Day, Bo-mi and Jin-ho show up to dinner in wedding attire and announce they’re holding their wedding today.

The epilogue reveals Bo-mi gave birth to twin girls.

Bo-ra! Deborah (True to Love) Ending Review

The ending of True to Love felt rushed and unsatisfying because of the drama’s insistence on juggling 4 different couples. I was frustrated with the amount of screen time the other couples got because frankly, I didn’t give a damn about them.

The only couple with chemistry in the drama are Bo-ra and Su-hyeok and it was frustrating watching precious screentime wasted on the other characters’ love stories at their expense.

Complaints about screentime aside, I was satisfied with the Bora and Soo-hyeok’s journeys as individuals and as a couple.

Bo-ra’s Journey

I’m really pleased watching Bo-ra’s journey of growth and self-discovery in True to Love.

Bo-ra was willing to put herself out there and be vulnerable. She knows that Su-hyeok has feelings for her and isn’t afraid to tell him what she needs (verbal confirmation of his feelings). If he won’t do the bare minimum and speak up, it’s over for them.

I love that Bo-ra took control of her life and confessed to Su-hyeok despite knowing a happy ending wasn’t guaranteed. She was content with how things would turn out as long as she was the one writing them.

Su-hyeok’s Journey

Compared to Bo-ra, Su-hyeok doesn’t actually grow or change all that much.

True to Love began with Su-hyeok’s inability to express his love for U-ri in words and in the end, he comes dangerously close to repeating his mistake and losing Bo-ra.

I understand people’s frustration with Su-hyeok freezing when Bo-ra pours his heart out to him. Hasn’t he grown?! Why is he still like this?

But I think it was consistent with who Su-hyeok is and realistic. People don’t change easily, are set in their ways, and sometimes regress.

As a fellow introvert who absolutely despises talking about feelings and has torpedoed a few relationships because I wouldn’t speak up, I understood and empathized with Soo-hyeok’s struggle in the finale.

I thought Yoon Hyun Min did a great job expressing Su-hyeok’s emotions without saying a word. During Bo-ra’s confession, you could see in Su-hyuk’s eyes how desperately he wanted to say something but was paralyzed by fear.

Su-hyeok already had low self-esteem because of what happened with Yu-ri and his confidence was shaken further seeing Ju-wan and Bo-ra together and with Ju-wan bulldozing his way back into Bo-ra’s life.

Su-hyeok knew Bo-ra’s true feelings about Ju-wan but once a little bit of doubt crept in, it quickly snowballed and Su-hyeok began spiralling and doubting his relationship with Bo-ra.

I wish Bo-ra’s love confession had happened in an earlier episode and we could’ve seen Su-hyeok open up and become the cringe boyfriend who’s open about his feelings.

The change feels abrupt and having 2 more episodes or getting Bo-ra and Su-hyeok on the same page earlier would have benefited the drama.

What did you think of Bo-ra! Deborah (True to Love)?