One of the popular 2015 K-dramas, Reply 1988, is a series about friendship, family, and more. Starring Lee Hye-Ri, Go Kyung-Pyo, Park Bo-Gum, and others in lead roles, this K-drama garnered a lot of attention. It also collected one of the best viewership ratings. A relatable plot and impressive cast performances make this a popular show among viewers.
The drama revolves around five childhood friends and their families who live in the same Ssangmundong neighborhood of Seoul. They lean on each other while facing challenges and deal with them together. Each person and their family have a different background from one another, making the narrative more interesting. So, without wasting any more time, let’s take a look at how the K-drama ended and whether it had a happily ever after.
Reply 1988: Is it a happy or a sad ending?
Reply 1988 is a complete tearjerker. At the end of the drama, Sung Deok-Sun (Lee Hye-Ri) ends up with Choi Taek (Park Bo-Gum) and not Kim Jung-Hwan. Ryu Jun-Yeol plays Jung-Hwan in the drama, whose mind only works in soccer. Taek is a genius baduk player who drops out of school to become a professional in his art. On the other hand, Deok-Sun is the middle child of a poor family. Coming back to Deok-Sun and Choi Taek’s relationship development, the way the drama showed the evolution – it’s just wholesome.
However, there was a slight chance that Deok-Sun could end up with Jung-Hwan. They have been friends since childhood. There were many instances shown in the drama through which the viewers could see the chemistry between them. But when Taek confesses his feelings for Deok-Sun, Jung-Hwan decides to suppress his thoughts for the sake of their friendship. On the other hand, Sung Sun-Woo (Go Kyung-Pyo), the perfect guy in the area, ends up with Bora at the end.
But the only thing that Reply 1988 didn’t clarify by the end of the finale is what happens to Jung-Hwan and Ryu Dong-Ryong. Do they find their happily ever after, like their friends? Well, probably the creators have left that part for the viewers to decide. However, the drama covered the family dynamics beautifully. It not only has a love story blooming but also shows how a group of teenagers grow up to take care of their family issues, be it Choi Taek and his dad, Jung-Hwan with his parents, or Sun-Woo with his mom.
All of the actors in this drama portrayed their characters with a lot of dedication and diligence. Reply 1988 is such a K-drama that you can revisit it every now and then and enjoy its beauty. Lee Hye-Ri, Park Bo-Gum, and Ryu Jun-Yeol’s chemistry was probably one of the highlights of the show. Many renowned South Korean actors played supporting characters in the drama.
Check out the Reply 1988 trailer here:
The drama Reply 1988 will make you nostalgic about your youth days. Have you watched it yet? If you still haven’t, then stream it on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or Viki.
