‘Lovers of the Red Sky’: Finale Explained and Recap of Episode 16 of the K-Drama
The fantasy-romance Korean drama Lovers of the Red Sky was successful with audiences on Viki and cable TV. Throughout its 16 episodes, the K-drama has received incredibly high ratings. Lovers of the Red Sky debuted its finale on Oct. 26, but its ending scene left fans with questions.
The K-drama, set in a historical time period, centered around two destined characters who are the answer to stopping the Demon King. As fans watched their story evolve, the overall plot found a resolution. But, a rare final epilogue raised the question of whether or not the story really is over.
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers about Lovers of the Red Sky.]
‘Lovers of the Red Sky’ gets a heartwarming finale
For Lovers of the Red Sky episode 16, Ha Ram (Ahn Hyo-seop) and Hong Chun-gi (Kim Yoo-jung) must do whatever possible to seal the Demon King in the royal portrait. The episode had fans on edge as Chun-gi must finish the painting on time. Ha Ram is now fully possessed by the Demon King and has no control. In a twist of events, Ha Ram is far too powerful and breaks the protection seal and steals his eyes back from Chun-gi. Having originally been cursed blind by the Demon King, Chun-gi can no longer see.
In a desperate need to finish the portrait before it is too late, the painting spirit Hwacha allows the spirit of Chun-gi’s father to guide her. With the portrait done, the main characters can seal away Ma Wang forever. As Chun-gi and Ha Ram reunite and their troubles are gone, the K-drama shifts into an epilogue.
Five years later, Ha Ram and Chun-gi live away from the palace and have a son. Having sealed Ma Wang in the royal portrait, his curse on her family was lifted and her eyesight restored, along with Ha Ram’s. Grand Prince Juhyang (Gong Myung) visits them with gifts on their birthdays. He is soon informed of an urgent matter at the palace. After a romantic moment between Chun-gi and Ha Ram to close the K-drama, viewers get one more post-credit scene.
The palace is under a coup d’etat led by Grand Prince Juhyang in K-drama finale
The finale of Lovers of the Red Sky has audiences believe it ends with Ha Ram and Chun-gi revisiting the peach trees from their childhood. But, one more scene ends the K-drama and leaves fans with an unresolved story. Grand Prince Juhyang escapes prison with the help of Ha Ram’s former ally Mae Hyang (Ha Yu-li). In episode 15, Mae Hyang feels betrayed that Ha Ram took Chun-gi’s side and threw away their revenge plan.
As a form of retaliation and to achieve her plan, she becomes Grand Prince Juhyang’s (Kwak Si-yang) ally. Epicstream theorizes that “Mae Hyang also has divine power, mainly because she was so confident in making Prince Juhyang the king.” On Reddit, some fans wished their allegiance was better fleshed out from the start.
Lovers of the Red Sky episode 16 has Grand Prince Juhyang and his followers staging a coup d’etat in the palace. Grand Prince Yangmyung arrives to stop his brother from taking the throne. The K-drama ends with both sides rushing toward each other ready for battle. Ha Ram and Chun-gi’s storyline comes to a close, but it seems Grand Prince Yangmyung still has a lot left to resolve. Who will win and become the new king? Sadly, fans are likely never to know who wins between the brothers.
On Reddit, one fan commented, “Why would they tie up the prince’s story? The story is that there would always be a fight for the throne; more good and more evil will always battle one another for the seat of power.”
Will there be a second season of ‘Lovers of the Red Sky’?
The Viki K-drama received a high viewership rating throughout its time on the air. “The finale recorded average nationwide viewership ratings of 10.4 percent,” according to Soompi. Episode 15 of the K-drama received an 8.9 rating. While the drama ended on a tumultuous cliffhanger, season 2 is not in the works.
The K-drama’s creators or writers have not expressed a public comment about a possible second season. Its main cast has also not expressed and details of returning for another storyline. After the finale aired, the actors had closing remarks about their time in the drama. Their comments elude Lovers of the Red Sky coming to a close indefinitely.
According to Soompi, actor Kim expressed, “Like ink melts into paper, I hope our drama melts into your hearts and is remembered for a long time.” The rest of her castmates congratulate each other, the director, and the crew for their dedication to creating Lovers of the Red Sky.
