K-drama Mr. Plankton recently debuted on Netflix, and the series ends on an ending filled with romance, tragedy, revelation, and more.
After uncovering he is terminally ill, Mr. Plankton takes Hae-jo on an adventure to finally meet his birth father (due to him being the product of incorrect artificial insemination) and reconnect with his one true love, Jae-mi.
Does Mr. Plankton Have a Sad Ending?
Flashbacks Unveil Hae-jo's Tragic Childhood
Those following Mr. Plankton will be well aware that Hae-jo was born to Choi Yeong-jo and his wife, being conceived through IVF treatment. However, due to a mix-up with the sperm at the clinic, it ultimately turned out that Hae-jo was not Choi Yeong-jo's biological son.
Mr. Plankton revealed through a flashback in the series finale that, after uncovering the truth about Hae-jo's parentage when he was eight years old, their family relationships deteriorated.
This eventually led Hae-jo's mother to her death, perhaps by suicide, after driving her car off a mountain. The tragic loss only strained the relationship between father and son, leading Hae-jo to eventually abandon Choi Yeong-jo after his high school graduation.
Who Is Hae-jo's Biological Father?
In the present day, Hae-jo and Jae-mi are preparing to travel to Gangwon to meet the fourth and final candidate to be the former's biological father, from whom he inherited his rare brain disease.
While Mr. Plankton certainly led viewers to believe Hae-jo was off to meet the fourth sperm donor, he had gone to meet Choi Yeong-jo at his house. This marked a long-awaited reunion for the father-son duo, who had not seen each other since graduation day.
Ignoring all past tension, the two hugged and Hae-jo came to discover his father had left his childhood room alone all those years, with all his belongings still there and placed as they were when he left.
When Hae-jo ultimately left to prepare for another road trip, he left a note for his father, saying, "I’m your son, Choi Seung-hyeok."
As such, Hae-jo appears to let go of his quest to find his biological father, accepting that was never important and Choi Seung-hyeok was his true father all along.
Hae-jo and Jae-mi's Romance Ends in Tragedy
Going into Mr. Plankton's finale, Hae-jo had fulfilled his promise to Jae-mi earlier in the season to reunite her with her birth mother, albeit while abandoning her at the doorstep so she couldn't witness his final days.
However, after Jae-mi's birth mother was unable to even recognize her daughter, she set course to reunite with Hae-jo, returning to find him in Seoul.
After sharing a meal with Jae-mi's ex-fiance, Eo Heung, and realizing he should never have abandoned his loved ones, Hae-jo reunited with Jae-mi and promised to stay with her until his last day.
Speaking of Eo Heung, he was finally able to accept Jae-mi's choice to stay with Hae-jo and began his own traveling adventures, even documenting his escapades online as a content creator called "Heung the Drifter."
The lovers began traveling Korea in Hae-jo's jeep until, unfortunately, Hae-jo succumbed to the terminal illness which has been killing him all along.
While in a snowy location over the winter, Hae-jo's nose began bleeding and he began to see flashes of his life, signaling that his time had come.
In a tragic and bittersweet note, Mr. Plankton closes out as Hae-jo and Jae-mi confess their love for each other in their final moments before the scene shifts to the jeep driving off into the distance.
Will Mr. Plankton Return for Season 2?
Netflix has yet to officially comment on Mr. Plankton's future, and the K-drama has neither been canceled nor renewed for Season 2, at the time of writing.
While Mr. Plankton has accrued a strong following since its release on Netflix, the Korean romantic tale is unlikely to return for Season 2.
As the season ends with its key mysteries resolved and the lead protagonist of Hae-jo dead, it's tough to see where a follow-up could take the Korean tale.
Mr. Plankton is streaming now on Netflix.
