Teach You a Lesson Ending Explained: Directed by Hong Jong-chan, this Netflix Korean drama 참교육 stars Kim Moo-yul as Na Hwa-jin, Lee Sung-min as Choi Gang-seok, Jin Ki-joo as Im Han-rim, Pyo Ji-hoon (P.O) as Bong Geun-de and others. The 10-episode series is based on the popular webtoon Get Schooled by Chae Yong Taek.
Teach You a Lesson Ending Explained
Why Was the Education Rights Protection Bureau Established?
The ERPB was founded specifically because of the failure of the education system and the unfortunate death of Choi Ga-Yun. Prior to the foundation of the ERPB, educational institutions had consistently failed to safeguard not only their students but also their staff from abuse, bullying, corruption, and threats. This can be seen throughout the series through the manipulative actions of some parents who have authority, the helplessness of teachers due to false accusations against them, and the violence that students endure without proper intervention.
For Minister Choi Gang-seok, it was also personal. His daughter, Ga-yun, was a teacher who felt passionately about being there for her students and being on the right side of things. The death of Ga-yun revealed how defenceless teachers were in such a situation where they were trying to deal with the harsh realities in school institutions. Upon her death, Gang-seok decided to form ERPB together with Na Hwa-jin.
Although many detractors argued that the bureau used brutal means in its operations, its intention was not purely vengeance. On the contrary, it sought to create an environment in which teachers and students could feel safe by providing protection where conventional systems have failed to do so. In the entire play, it becomes clear that the bureau’s operations are not limited to dealing with violent students only.
Why Was Ga-yun Murdered?
In the beginning, the death of Ga-yun seems to have occurred due to an unnecessary crime by a disturbed teenager named Cho Gyu-cheol. During his hearing, Gyu-cheol stated that he had killed her due to his love for her, thereby establishing the fact that the criminal action was based on his obsession or mental disturbance. As he was underage then, the court gave him a somewhat lenient punishment. This decision left both Hwa-jin and Gang-seok feeling frustrated about the incomplete justice done.
Yet, when the truth is revealed later on, it tells a completely different story. Ga-yun had found out that Gyu-cheol was running a drug trafficking business through the educational system. Being true to herself, Ga-yun could not turn a blind eye to such information and told Gyu-cheol about his dealings. Doing so puts at risk an illegal operation, one that would endanger many students’ lives. Instead of taking responsibility for his actions, Gyu-cheol took the easier way out and murdered Ga-yun. It turns out that Ga-yun was murdered, not due to love, but due to her interference in a criminal business.
How Did Cho Gyu-cheol Get Released from Prison?
While Cho Gyu-cheol was in prison for the murder of Ga-yun, he was released because of the occurrence of some events that changed the public opinion on him. While serving time in jail, Gyu-cheol came into contact with four juvenile delinquents who were involved in a drug-dealing business at school and took advantage of being minors since they couldn’t be given a harsher punishment than they deserved. Hwa-jin ensured that they were charged for their crime and locked up in a juvenile jail, where an unfortunate event befell them.
Gyu-cheol saved one of the boys named Ji-ung from being stabbed during a violent brawl that had broken out within the facility. This brave act, witnessed by Hwa-jin among others, cost Gyu-cheol an injury to his hand. It made such an impact that the staff members at the detention centre, especially the guards, started to believe that he was making serious attempts at rehabilitation. Such an admirable feat could not remain unnoticed for long. Opposition leader Hwang Gi-tae came to know about it through a detention centre officer, and he himself paid a visit to Gyu-cheol in jail.
Later on, Gi-tae took advantage of the situation to sway public sentiment about Gyu-cheol by portraying him as an ex-criminal whose efforts had transformed him into a mature individual who put his life at stake to rescue another prisoner. This story was conveyed to the media, and it worked wonders as Gyu-cheol’s parole hearing was taking place. This helped him gain sympathy from the committee through his apparent transformation, despite the severity of the acts he had committed before. In the end, Gyu-cheol was granted parole, and he got out of jail.
Why Was the Education Rights Protection Bureau Suspended?
The Education Rights Protection Bureau received criticism from the first day of its operation due to its radical activities, but the incident which put the future of the organisation at stake was specifically orchestrated by Cho Gyu-cheol after his imprisonment period was over. By this time, the man had managed to convince a lot of people that he was changing himself for the better. In order to prove this statement, he contacted the ERPB with complaints of bullying which was taking place in his new school. The story sounded quite credible since one student, Chi-ho, was extorting money from his fellow, Seong-gu, bullying him.
This was part of a bigger plan, however. As the investigation got underway, it was discovered that Gyu-cheol was working behind the scenes to manipulate everything. Gyu-cheol made Chi-ho hire a lawyer and taught him how to complain in a way that made it seem as if Seong-gu was the one at fault and that Chi-ho was the victim. While Chi-ho’s misdeeds were finally exposed by the bureau, this was what Gyu-cheol wanted all along. Once he brought Chi-ho down and ruined his reputation, Chi-ho then went after Gyu-cheol at the school rooftop because he couldn’t take his ruined life anymore due to the investigation.
While having their discussion, Gyu-cheol at last confessed that he had been responsible for all of it right from the beginning, and then pushed Chi-ho off the rooftop to kill him. In order to make his crime look like suicide, Gyu-cheol included a brief clip where Chi-ho felt helpless and thought that there was nothing else left but suicide due to how the ERPB treated him. Through editing the conversation and making use of only those few seconds, Gyu-cheol made it look like Chi-ho had killed himself out of frustration with the actions of the bureau. The fake tape was given to Hwang Gi-tae.
After the release of the audio, both the media and the general population started to wonder if the tactics of the bureau were doing more harm than good. The whole affair was blown up into an enormous issue that provided the political opponents of the bureau with their much-awaited chance to act. Confronted by the harsh backlash from the public, the Education Rights Protection Bureau was temporarily shut down pending an investigation into the charges regarding the death of Chi-ho. This shutdown was seen as a triumph by Gyu-cheol and his followers, but it became another hurdle for Hwa-jin.
Did the Education Rights Protection Bureau Succeed in Stopping Gyu-cheol?
Yes, by the end of Teach You a Lesson, ERPB did succeed eventually in bringing down the network that had spread out across the various schools. When the Bureau itself was disbanded, Gyu-cheol started acting like his old self once again and got himself involved in selling drugs again. This time around, he did not succeed since Hwa-jin was well-prepared to deal with the threat.
For the sake of monitoring the process, the ERPB cooperated with the teachers who had come into contact with those who operated from their respective schools before. From the information gathered from different places, they uncovered a larger network whose job was to distribute the drugs to the students. Ultimately, this led them to conclude that Gyu-cheol was at the heart of the process.
This is especially important since it determines how much Hwa-jin wants to seek revenge against Gyu-cheol. For many years, he suffered due to the loss of Ga-yun, and he had every right to feel hatred towards this man. But at the crucial moment, he does not kill him. He does not take justice into his own hands. Instead, he lets the legal system take care of him. Gyu-cheol, who used to be intimidating and scary, was exposed as a terrified youngster who could not comprehend care and instruction from adults. He gets arrested one more time, and now that he is off his chest, Hwa-jin can go on with his life.
What Does the Ending of Teach You a Lesson Signify?
The ending of Teach You a Lesson reinforces the idea that the place of learning must be a secure space where both learners and educators can be protected and valued as individuals, as well as have the chance to develop. Through watching the drama, the viewers see many acts of violence taking place, such as bullying, corruption, deception, cyberbullying, libel, and criminal activities. Most often, these issues are caused by the neglect of the adults or the failure of the system to provide protection to the people.
Furthermore, this resolution points out the distinction between vengeance and justice. While it is true that the ERPB originated due to the suffering brought about by the murder of Ga-yun, it has come to represent something beyond the private vendetta of Gang-seok and Hwa-jin. Unlike vengeance, which revolves around exacting punishment against those who are wrong, the ERPB protects all its victims regardless of whether they are students, teachers, or even families in complicated positions. The act of sparing Gyu-cheol on Hwa-jin’s part is the best representation of this lesson.
Ultimately, the bureau moves on with its mission, indicating that the struggle to improve the state of the educational system goes on. The series sends the message that there are repercussions for the wrongdoings of individuals, but at the same time, these repercussions will ultimately result in lessons learned and responsible citizens. Through this, the end of Teach You a Lesson conveys that the essence of education goes beyond just attaining knowledge and includes character building.
