Between Steps Ending Explained: Directed by Ahn Pan-seok and written by Min Hyo-jeong, The Disney+ Korean drama ì—°ì• ë°•ì‚¬ stars Choo Young-woo as Park Min-jae and Kim So-hyun as Im Yoo-jin in the lead roles, alongside Kim Min-seok as Im Yu-seong, Shim Hye-jin as Hong Eun-ju, Seo Jung-yeon as Seo Mi-yeong, Park Hyuk-kwon as Im Yong-seok, Kim Min as Choi Han, Lee Kyu Sung as Um Tae-ho and others.
Between Steps Ending Explained
Why Did Min-jae Break Up With Yoo-jin?
The primary reason why Min-jae chose to terminate his relationship with Yoo-jin is due to his fear of losing her and not being able to handle the insecurity of his condition. As Min-jae’s cancer remained in remission for the last ten years, he was always worried that he could be vulnerable to any kind of problem at all. With all his experiences in his past life, such as his cancer, his disability, and the hard time he has had with his own mother, Min-jae can be considered to have already built his emotional defence mechanism.
However, as he grew more serious in his relationship with Yoo-jin, he became concerned about what would happen should his cancer come back again and have Yoo-jin go through suffering with him. He also feared abandonment, which caused him to split from Yoo-jin. Yet again, life took its turn against Min-jae as he got sick once more. In Canada, where Min-jae was working, doctors discovered a tumour in his lungs that had to be treated by means of surgery and chemotherapy. Yet, Min-jae was not willing to share this information with Yoo-jin due to the fact that he was afraid of scaring her.
On his return to South Korea, at first, he simply persuaded her that he had grown tired of their cohabitation. Even though they had started their relationship again, Min-jae’s health problems affected his decisions anyway. After the second diagnosis, which showed that there were some suspicious lung nodules, Min-jae once again decided to give up on Yoo-jin because he thought she deserved to live happily without the fear of getting cancer again.
Does Min-jae’s Cancer Return?
Yes, in Between Steps episode 12, we learn that Min-jae has once again acquired cancer. After Min-jae completes his postdoctoral education in the US and returns to South Korea, he reconnects with his old lab buddies. It may appear that all is well at first glance, but before long, Min-jae becomes ill and starts throwing up blood at night while at his place. Min-jae is taken to the hospital, where he is diagnosed with having stomach ulcers. An endoscopy is performed on him to save him from bleeding out, and he is informed that his condition was caused by stress and alcohol. However, Min-jae is not just burdened with one health problem alone.
His second health problem arises during his consultation session with his physician while he still has a fever, and his physician advises him to get a chest X-ray done. When Min-jae shares the results of the test with Yoo-jin, he informs her that he will need to have a biopsy to determine if the growths are cancerous. Although Yoo-jin tries hard to keep an optimistic attitude, she simply can’t help but feel like she will lose him in such a way.
Eventually, the test results confirm that his nodules are indeed malignant, and that Min-jae’s cancer has relapsed once again and spread throughout his body. The doctors inform the young couple that they will have to operate on him to remove the bottom part of his lungs. Unlike the previous time when Min-jae was by himself, this time Yoo-jin is with him.
Do Yoo-jin and Min-jae Get Back Together?
Indeed, Yoo-jin and Min-jae reunite after some time towards the end of Between Steps, although not at once. At the point when Min-jae goes back to South Korea to begin his job after completing his postdoc in Canada, Yoo-jin has been contemplating that she has broken off their connection, as she has not wanted to be with him for a year already. However, the encounter proves to be a highly emotional experience for both of them, as she is unaware of the war with cancer that Min-jae fought during his stay in Canada. Min-jae lets her know that he discovered a lump in his lungs and had surgery and chemotherapy.
Yoo-jin is upset that all of this happened without her knowledge. However, what Min-jae does not know is that she believes that she is about to get married; thus, he hopes that this encounter will help them both move on from this phase of their lives. Also, he thinks that she is seeing Professor Lee, as he has seen her with him and therefore rejects Min-jae’s proposal. Min-jae’s condition becomes even more complicated when he falls ill and gets hospitalised after spitting up blood. Upon his return from the hospital, he tells Yoo-jin that he will move back to Canada and stop doing robotics because seeing her was unbearable for him.
While they engage in a heated discussion, he discloses to Yoo-jin the reason he ended the relationship, which was the fear of being abandoned by her. Yoo-jin comforts him and tells him that he mattered to her during the relationship. Although they reconnect, Yoo-jin is not ready to get back into the relationship. It is at the point where Min-jae finds out that he has nodules in his lungs and wants to put an end to their romance once again that the true difficulty lies.
This time around, however, Yoo-jin refuses to let fear speak for both of them. Rather, she tells Min-jae that she chooses to be with him and that he has the nerve to take her love. After finding out that her cancer has come back, the two of them walk out of the hospital together. At a supermarket in a moment of peace, Min-jae asks Yoo-jin which kind of strawberries she likes and ends up holding her hand. It is a simple gesture, but it shows that they have chosen to face the future together.
Do Su-bin and Se-jin End Up Together?
Yes, Su-bin and Se-jin turn out to be a couple even though it takes them some time to get to know each other. Initially, Se-jin is shown as a rather conceited boy and harsh enough in the evaluation of Yoo-jin’s abilities as a mechanical engineer. Nevertheless, as the story moves forward, he turns out to be more tolerant, and his real nature reveals itself. He falls in love with Su-bin as well; particularly after being advised by Min-jae to do that. Yoo-jin helps them spend some time alone as a couple. Se-jin succeeds in impressing Su-bin by taking care of her when she gets a headache.
Though they start spending more time together, they still maintain an unclear relationship for a rather long period of time; Se-jin even tells Min-jae that they were only friends. They decide to go snowboarding together; however, Se-jin calls off their deal suddenly when Min-jae wants to see him, forcing Su-bin to go alone. Firstly, the turning point in their love story is when the parents of Yoo-jin plan a blind date for their daughter with a good man named Su-bin. Having heard about this from Se-jin, the young man becomes very uncomfortable and tries at once to contact Su-bin.
Finally, he approaches her on the college campus and expresses his feelings, saying that she is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. However, he does not suggest any commitment, just telling her that she should not feel the pressure to go out with someone unknown while she has enough freedom to choose her boyfriend by herself. With that, he confesses his feelings, which causes Su-bin to finally ask him if he wants to be her boyfriend. The boy gladly agrees and makes it clear that he had been waiting for just this opportunity.
How Does Between Steps End? Do Yoo-jin and Min-jae Get Married?
At the end of the Korean drama Between Steps, one can see an optimistic conclusion since, despite the fact that there was no answer concerning Min-jae’s health condition, it is shown that Yoo-jin and Min-jae managed to create their own life. When the two realised that he had relapsed, they stopped trying to escape the situation and started solving it together. In this episode, there was also a flash-forward since the drama revealed that Min-jae was wearing a couple ring while working at the university instead of robotics.
In addition, Yoo-jin’s family prepared for a pre-wedding conference, which means that they are going to get married soon. Her father wanted her mother, Mi-young, to attend this conference, but initially, she refused. Nevertheless, she later agreed to go to the restaurant. However, while walking down the street, she almost got into a car accident. However, Min-jae, who was walking nearby with the flowers in his hands, saved her and avoided the accident. As a result, their flowers fell, and they had to buy new ones.
From their conversation, Min-jae learns that the woman he helped is Yoo-jin’s mother. He introduces himself to her and takes her to the restaurant where his own mother arrives. It is surprising that during their dialogue, when asked whether the two mothers knew each other, Min-jae’s mother said that she did not know Yoo-jin’s mother, though she had already met her. The final scene of the drama takes place where Yoo-jin and Min-jae sit. Yoo-jin leans on Min-jae’s shoulder and teases him, saying that he should not take his mother’s side after they get married.
Min-jae wonders what she was thinking about, but the girl asks him the same thing. Then she tells him that he thought about kissing her, and he does. In the ending of Between Steps, we get to see a kiss between Min-jae and Yoo-jin, who looks like they found a solution for their life together.
What Does Between Steps Signify?
The Kdrama Between Steps revolves around coping with uncertainty and not fearing the future or letting the fear of what might happen in the future dictate our present life choices. The experience of having cancer has shown Min-jae that his happiness might be temporary, and getting into a relationship will inevitably lead to him experiencing unbearable pain. Despite the number of years Min-jae lives without cancer, he cannot think about the future or make any plans due to the fact that he does not know anything about his health anymore.
In contrast to Min-jae, Yoo-jin is a woman who lacks confidence in herself and her abilities. The switch in career paths from fashion and textiles to mechanical engineering clearly shows that a change of lifestyle need not always be viewed as a mistake. It may take a wrong turn in life to achieve happiness. Yoo-jin and Min-jae’s love story also serves to prove that love is not about making life easier for someone in the future. Love is about letting someone make their own choice rather than making that choice for them because you are scared.
Korean drama Between Steps can also be analysed based on the travels made by the characters as their destinies revolve around the minor issues such as the decisions, failures, changes, and courage that take them through various stages in life. It is not always the case that every single step will bring one closer to his/her destination; sometimes one may have to stop and rethink, and start again. In the end, it is clear that it is not necessary for one’s life to follow any specific pattern in order to pursue happiness.
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