‘Kokdu: Season of Deity’ Ending Explained
Title: Kokdu: Season of Deity
Hangul: 꼭두의 계절
Cast: Kim Jung-hyun (Mr Queen, School 2017), Im Soo-hyang (My ID is Gangnam Beauty),
Kim Da-som, Ahn Woo-yeon, Cha Chung-hwa, Kim In-kwon
Writer: Baek Soo-chan, Kim Ji-hoon
Director: Heo Joon-woo, Kang Yi-hun
Network: MBC
Episodes: 16
Kokdu: Season of Deity: Happy or Sad Ending?
Kokdu: Season of Deity has a happy ending.
The drama ends with all the main characters alive and all the couples end up together.
Kokdu: Season of Deity Ending Breakdown
What Happened to Kokdu?
After Kokdu’s 99 days on Earth are up, he decides to stay with Gye-jeol instead of returning to the underworld like he’s supposed to.
The Creator is displeased with this decision and Kokdu begins to feel the ill effects of his rebellion. His wound won’t heal, the voices in his head are relentless, etc.
The pain soon becomes unbearable and Kokdu begs Gye-jeol to free him from his punishment. With just three words, she can relieve him of his misery but she refuses because she doesn’t want to lose him and be left alone.
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Does Kokdu Break His Curse?
Yes, Kokdu’s curse is broken.
At the end of episode 15, Gye-jeol relents and tells Kokdu she loves him and breaks his curse, freeing him from his suffering.
How does Kokdu return to the mortal world?
Thanks to Gye-jeol and Kokdu’s relationship contract, Kokdu returns on the day of Cheol and Jung-won’s wedding.
One of the terms in the relationship contract Kokdu and Gye-jeol signed was Kokdu needed to meet all her family members. Cheol and Jung-won got married making Jung Won Gye-jeol’s sister-in-law. She is a new family member Kokdu needs to “meet”, opening the door for his return to the mortal world at the end of Kokdu: Season of Deity.
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What Happened to Gye-jeol?
After Kokdu’s curse is lifted and he leaves for the afterlife, Gye-jeol has trouble moving on. She goes through denial, depression, and the other stages of grief.
Gye-jeol decides to use Kokdu’s money to start her own practice. She helps out those who are poor and less fortunate. All she asks in return is for her patients to pray for Kokdu.
5 years later, Gye-jeol has not dated anyone since Kokdu but not for lack of trying. She has tried going on dates but is always getting stood up.
She shows Gak-shin the relationship contract she and Kokdu drew up years ago. One of the terms is she is not allowed to meet other men without him present.
Gye-jeol tries to cross off the term in red pen but the ink dissolves every time.
Does Gye-jeol break her curse?
In all of Gye-jeol’s previous lives, she committed suicide after losing someone she loved. Gye-jeol successfully breaks her curse as she successfully moves past her grief to live a healthy and fulfilling life without Kokdu.
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How Did Kokdu Return from the Underworld?
Kokdu returns to the land of the living after 5 years because of the relationship contract he and Gye-jeol signed. One of the conditions is Kokdu must be introduced to all her family members.
Since Cheol and Jung-won got married, Jung-won is now part of the Han family and must be introduced to Kokdu, allowing him to return to the mortal world and reunite with Gye-jeol at the end of Kokdu: Season of Deity.
Do Kokdu and Gye-jeol End Up Together?
Yes, Kokdu and Gye-jeol end up together at the end of Kokdu: Season of Deity.
After the 5-year time jump, Kokdu returns and resumes his relationship with Gye-jeol.
Since the curse is broken, Kokdu is no longer tormented by voices screaming in his head and he no longer has to kill to quiet them.
However, he struck a deal with the Creator.
Kokdu will remain the god of the underworld guiding the recently deceased into the afterlife.
In exchange, he gets to be with Gye-jeol every time she is reincarnated and spend their lives together until she dies.
Rinse and repeat for eternity. Kokdu and Gye-jeol forever.
Do Cheol and Jung-won End Up Together?
Cheol and Jung-won end up together…eventually.
But first, they go through the obligatory kdrama last-minute breakup.
After Jung-won’s father (Kim Pil-soo’s trusty minion) is arrested, Jung-won breaks up with Cheol because of her guilt over her father’s actions. She can’t bring herself to be with Cheol after her own father kidnapped Cheol and tried to kill Gye-jeol.
Of course, Cheol is a stand-up guy and does not hold Jung-won’s father’s actions against her. But Jung-won refuses to budge and breaks up with him.
5 years later, Cheol is still working as a police detective. He is also still single, refusing to move on from Jung-won.
Cheol and Jung-won reunite at a drama production meeting where they both serve as consultants.
Jung-won treats Cheol coldly and makes it clear she wants nothing to do with him.
But Jung-won is won over when she finds out about Cheol’s act of devotion: cooking her omelettes and selling them to her favourite side dish store for the past 5 years.
Romance!
Jung-won visits Cheol at his home to rekindle their romance and the two get back together. After a short time jump, the two get married.
Did Yi-deun Survive?
Yi-deun was stabbed on the way to the courtroom where he was about to serve as a witness in the case against Pilseong/Chairman Kim. He slipped into a coma and was still unconscious when Kokdu says goodbye to him before leaving for the afterlife.
5 years later, Yi-deun has recovered from the stabbing and also appears cancer-free. He has resumed his career as a famous golf star.
Sadly, he remains in the dark about Kokdu and believes his absence from the wedding is because he’s studying abroad. No one tells him the truth about who/what Kokdu truly is.
Kokdu: Season of Deity ends without the brothers reuniting after Kokdu’s return from the afterlife.
Do Ok-shin and Gak-shin End Up Together?
Yes, Ok-shin and Gak-shin end up together!
Kokdu’s long-suffering companions officially become a couple after Kokdu returns to the mortal world.
Kokdu: Season of Deity Ending Review
Kokdu: Season of Deity episode 16 does a serviceable job tying up storylines and giving characters happy endings. But I’m disappointed by the ending the writers chose for Kokdu.
I’m not a fan of Kokdu and Gye-jeol as a couple so my ideal ending was always for Kokdu to die and rest peacefully, freed from all his pain.
So the Kokdu: Season of Deity ending was pretty much my worst nightmare.
Kokdu choosing to remain the god of the underworld instead of moving on so he can be with Gye-jeol every time she is reborn?
Kokdu and Gye-jeol together forever? No thank you.
I find it sad that Kokdu willingly chose to remain immortal, forever waiting for Gye-jeol so he can fall in love and lose her over and over for the rest of eternity.
And while he waits, he has to guide the dead to the afterlife, a job that took its toll on him as the dead took out their pain and resentment on him.
If I was invested in Kokdu and Gye-jeol’s love story, maybe I would be happier about the ending. There is something romantic about Kokdu choosing to literally love Gye-jeol forever.
But I’m not a fan of Kokdu and Gye-jeol as a couple and this happy ending just made me really really sad for Kokdu.
What did you all think of Kokdu: Season of Deity?