‘Go Back Couple’ Ending Explained
Title: Go Back Couple
Hangul: 고백부부
Cast: Jang Na-ra, Son Ho-jun,
Heo Jung-min, Han Bo-reum, Jang Ki-yong, Go Bo-gyeol, Lee Yi-kyung
Writer: Kwon Hye-joo, Im Yeon-seo
Director: Ha Byung-hoon
Network: KBS2
Episodes: 12
Series Finale: A
Finale Grade: A
Go Back Couple: Happy or Sad Ending?
Go Back Couple has a happy ending.
The drama ends with Ban-do and Jin-joo reconciling in the past before returning to the present to their son. Bo-reum and Jae-woo are also back together and Seol is no longer missing from their lives.
Go Back Couple Ending Breakdown
What Happened to Ban-do?
Ban-do is hospitalized and undergoes surgery after he gets hit by a car saving Jin-joo and a child. In the hospital, Ban-do struggles with his feelings, remembering Jin-joo’s request for a divorce and his near-death experience.
Ban-do refuses to see Jin-joo but eventually, Jin-joo pushes her way into his room and the couple have a much-needed heart-to-heart.
Ban-do suggests that Jin-joo continue to live in the past with her mom and forget their shared history because they don’t know if or when they will return to the future. Jin-joo brings up Seo-jin and Ban-do claims that Jin-joo’s happiness is more important to him than his wish to meet their son.
However, Ban-do is still consumed by thoughts of his son and is relieved when he meets Jin-joo and she tells him “let’s go home”.
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What Happened to Jin-joo?
Jin-joo is devastated watching Ban-do get hit by a car saving her. She feels helpless when she can’t authorize Ban-do’s surgery and seeing Ban-do hurt makes Jin-joo feel as terrified as she was when her mother died.
She and Ban-do talk in his hospital room and he tells her to live happily in 1999 and forget about their past. Jin-joo reminds him of Seo-jin but Ban-do expresses a willingness to give up their son for her happiness which brings her to tears.
Some time later, Jin-joo spends more time with her mother, drinking and singing together. At the end of the night, Jin-joo’s mother reveals that she knows her daughter is from the future.
She tells Jin-joo to go back to her baby and advises her that you can live without your parents but a parent can’t live without their child. She urges Jin-joo to become strong and heal from her pain.
After Jin-joo and Ban-do decide to go back to their time, Jin-joo says a final goodbye to her mother, who tells her to take care of her father.
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Do Jin-joo and Ban-do End Up Together?
Jin-joo and Ban-do are back together at the end of Go Back Couple.
Initially, Ban-do urges Jin-joo to forget their past and live happily in 1999 with her mother but ultimately they decide to go home.
In the last episode of Go Back Couple, the two reconcile in 1999, put their wedding rings back on, and reunite with their son, Seo-jin, in the present.
They also both get notifications reminding them of the deadline to submit their divorce paperwork but obviously, Jin-joo and Ban-do decide not to proceed with their divorce.
Later, Jin-joo decides to return to the present with Ban-do. Upon their return, they share a joyful reunion with their son, Seo-jin.
What Happened to Nam-gil?
After Ban-do is hit by the car after saving Jin-joo, Nam-gil goes with her to the hospital with Jin-joo and starts piecing together the relationship between Ban-do and Jin-joo.
Nam-gil sees Jin-joo’s extensive knowledge of Bando’s medical history, her dedication to Ban-do during his hospitalization, her frequent visits, and her interactions with Ban-do’s mother.
Nam-gil realizes Jin-joo loves Ban-do and will never return his feelings. He never had a chance from the start.
Despite his realization, Nam-gil takes Jin-joo out for the day on his not-birthday. He opens up about his childhood to Jin-joo and confesses being with her makes him feel like a warm-hearted person.
Nam-gil confesses his feelings to Jin-joo once more and thanks her for making him feel cared for. Jin-joo thanks him for liking her and making her realize she is still worthy of love.
Nam-gil says he understands Jin-joo’s heart belongs to someone else before leaving.
In the present, Jin-joo and her family walk by a happy Nam-gil taking care of his young son.
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Do Bo-reum and Jae-woo End Up Together?
In the present, Bo-reum and Jae-woo reconnect while on separate disastrous dates.
Some time later, Jin-joo reveals Bo-reum and Jae-woo are not only back together but are getting married! Bo-reum told Jae-woo about her infertility and the couple plan to remain childless and travel the world together.
What Happened to Dok-jae?
Dok-jae receives his military notice and cycles through the 5 stages of grief.
Dok-jae’s last scene in Go Back Couple is him getting a haircut in preparation for his military service.
Dok-jae is not shown when Go Back Couple returns to the present timeline.
What Happened to Hyun-suk and Ye-rim?
Back in the present, Hyun-suk remains trash, lying to his wife about attending a conference when he’s actually meeting a girlfriend.
Meanwhile, Ye-rim is thriving without him and has a husband that adores her.
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What Happened to Seol?
Seol takes a leave of absence from school without explanation just as she did in the original 1999.
She left to enter the workforce and found a job working at Dok-jae’s father’s restaurant. Seol’s father lost his business during the financial crisis and she feels guilty for her parents working so hard and spending their money on her education.
Jin-joo and Ban-do contact Seol’s parents and find Seol which they didn’t do the first time around.
After a heartfelt conversation with her mother, Seol returns to school.
In the present, Seol no longer disappears from their lives. She is a travel book author currently in Madagascar and promises to call Jin-joo as soon as she returns.
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What Happened to Ban-do’s Parents?
In the new present, Ban-do’s parents are revealed to be wealthy, arriving in an expensive car with a personal driver. They made a lot of money from investing, thanks to Ban-do’s advice in the past.
What Happened to Jin-joo’s Parents?
Jin-joo’s mother reads Jin-joo’s letter and diary and gains clarity and understanding about her daughter’s strange behavior. Jin-joo’s mother urges her to return to her baby and tells her she will become strong while raising her child.
She also asks Jin-joo to look after her father if she’s no longer there.
In the present, Jin-joo and Ban-do take Jin-joo’s father and their son, Seo-jin, out for dinner. The family is happy with Jin-joo no longer resenting her father and fulfilling her promise to her mother to care for her father.
How do Jin-joo and Ban-do Go Back?
Jin-joo and Ban-do can travel back to 1999 and back again using their wedding rings.
In the first episode of Go Back Couple, they take off their wedding rings and quickly find themselves back in 1999.
In the new 1999, Ban-do goes to the same store and buys the wedding rings again. He and Jin-joo return to the present once they put the rings on.
The ending of Go Back Couple shows two gods resembling Jin-joo and Ban-do having a lovers’ quarrel.
They angrily throw their rings and they land in a jewelry store on Earth where Jin-joo and Ban-do are ring shopping.
The store employee tells Jin-joo and Ban-do that the gods’ rings make wishes come true.
Jin-joo and Ban-do purchase the gods’ rings for their wedding rings and make a wish to never separate.
What did you think of Go Back Couple?