CAN you believe it? After nearly three months this show is at its end. Today is the finale, I am both excited and sad at the same time. Here’s to hoping it is a satisfying end! Care to join me?

Estelle’s [Whirlwind] Recap

SPOILER ALERT: Do not proceed if you do not want to know what has happened so far!

Pan-seok stands in front of the press and reveals all they know about the case. He plays the recording for them, but declines to confirm whether Assemblyman Yoo is the culprit or not. After risking his job to make this announcement, a prosecutor named Lee Jong-min brings Pan-seok away in order to audit him thoroughly.

The next day all major digital and print media are plastered with Pan-seok’s breaking news. The words gets to Ae-yeon and she confronts her father about his deception. He states that he had only deceived her in order for her to divorce Ji-il, not for her to kill anyone. She then asks about Chief Kang, and Assemblyman Yoo tells her Chief Kang is the one who covered up the Masan nurse murder 11 years ago. The two continue to blame each other for the way things turned out. We also learn that apparently Ae-yeon’s mother was rich and left no inheritance for her father, which is probably why he schemed so much to get his daughter’s money.

In the team’s moment of despair, Toad enters the room and announces that the prosecutor’s office has requested further investigation! He gives the team some new technology – hidden cameras and tracking devices. Of course, Toad doesn’t forget to pat himself on the back and say this is all because of the red beans he threw before.

Meanwhile Assemblyman Yoo is playing sympathy card again, this time in public. He holds a press conference to declare that he is resigning and gives a fake apology on behalf of his daughter. After shedding some forced tears he goes on to say he must preserve his dignity and reveal the truth behind Chief Kang’s murder. He does his bow (remember the one at the hospital?) and thinks everything is still in his control.

Assemblyman Yoo catches the team off guard by voluntarily walking in for investigation. The team is completely unprepared to speak to him, but Dae-gu does anyway. Instead of getting Yoo to confess or respond to any questions, Dae-gu becomes irate due to Yoo’s sarcastic and disrespectful remarks. The scene ends with Dae-gu choking Assemblyman Yoo, but of course, the team rushes in to stop him. After recovering Yoo tells his lawyer Kim Ha-shin to get a hold of the video footage.

Eun-dong visits Pan-seok and gives him video clips from outside Assemblyman Yoo’s residence. At the station, Dae-gu reviews the video from Hyung-chul’s car and takes note of the logo on the envelop Hyung-chul hands over. He takes a closer look and sees that it is an old logo of the Chasung company (Ji-il’s company) from 2003. Dae-gu deduces that the money the lawyer handed over to Hyung-chul was not for Dae-gu’s murder but for the content in the envelop.

Remember the envelop Pan-seok found in Hyung-chul’s belongings? Apparently it was a subtle clue for the team to take note of the envelop to begin with. Soo-sun suspects the content in the envelop might have been a small cellphone on which Hyung-chul recorded his dealings with Assemblyman Yoo. Of course, Yoo would pay whatever it cost to get that phone, and therefore the lawyer paid Hyung-chul a large sum.

Elsewhere Ji-il calls Ae-yeon (I don’t know how she got home) to tell her that he has given away his stocks and transferred his ownership to the employees as well. Apparently Gi-jae also gave away Ae-yeon’s stocks to the employees, so Ae-yeon and her father are effectively broke at this point. Assemblyman Yoo overhears this and the two of them get into a blame fight again.

At some point later, Yoo returns to his office. He receives a picture on his phone of the Chasung envelop. He then gets a call from Dae-gu tricking him by saying that Ha-shin has already handed over the cell phone in the envelop. Yoo calls Ha-shin immediately and tells him to bring the cell phone right away if he wants to live.

A terrified Ha-shin drives straight to a bookstore owned by his sister, completely unaware that Soo-sun and Gook are tailing him not far from behind. He goes to his bookshelf and digs out a box containing the cell phone and the Chasung envelop.

Outside, a moderately disguised Gook runs up to Ha-shin’s car and pretends to clean the windows. When Ha-shin comes out, Gook starts to advertise some host club and bows before Ha-shin leaves. The sister thinks Gook and Ha-shin are acquainted so when Gook comes in asking for Ha-shin’s room, she shows it to Gook. Gook finds the cell phone and leaves the bookstore.

Just as the team celebrates outside the bookstore, a black van pulls over and a group of gangsters with bats come out. The four of them split up, but the gangsters were able to catch Dae-gu and Soo-sun.

Dae-gu and Soo-sun are brought to some dark basement where Assemblyman Yoo awaits them. The gangster plays the recording on the cell phone, which contains incriminating evidence of Yoo ordering Dae-gu and his mom’s deaths. After a short conversation, Assemblyman Yoo tells the gangsters to get rid of both Soo-sun and Dae-gu. Dae-gu declares that he is willing to commit suicide if Yoo will spare Soo-sun and Yoo consents. As the gangsters pull Soo-sun away, she tells Dae-gu she loves him. Please let Dae-gu live! This CANNOT end as a tragedy!!!

Before pulling the trigger, Dae-gu asks Yoo if he had killed both Chief Kang and Hyung-chul, to which he responded with a resounding yes. Instead of shooting himself, Dae-gu drops the gun and stands up. He tells Assemblyman to kill him if he wants to.

Not to worry! The rest of the team used the tracking device to locate Dae-gu and are already on their way to save him. Gook also receives a video of Assemblyman Yoo pointing a gun at Dae-gu. Back in the dark basement, Dae-gu shows the video device to Yoo and tells him that everything is already transmitted out. Just then, Pan-seok arrives, in a funny hat, nonetheless, and points a gun towards Yoo. Yoo gets distracted and Dae-gu uses this opportunity to fight back.

The rest of the team arrives on scene, but the situation is already under control. Dae-gu handcuffs Assemblyman Yoo and he is taken away. Soo-sun comes back downstairs and the rest of the team leaves. Soo-sun threatens to kill Dae-gu if he ever does that again, and the two unites in yet another hug. (Is LSG worried Yoona will get mad if they kissed?)

At Pan-seok’s discplinary hearing he explains that he had no choice at the time, but he is willing to accept any punishment. As it turns out Pan-seok will be transferring out of Gangnam station. Before he leaves, Toad gives him an amulet to help him fix his jinx, Gook gives him a hug, Eun-dong cries, and Sa-kyung asks him to phone her. When the team returns to the office, Eun-dong finds a notebook Pan-seok left behind. Dae-gu immediately runs after the car with it in hand. In front of the car, Dae-gu finally tells Pan-seok he is thankful for everything and salutes. As his car rolls away, Pan-seok mutters to himself “Ji-yong, take care.”

A year later, Pan-seok is out in the countryside investigating missing chickens and the like. He receives a package from everyone back in Seul which includes a picture and a letter written by Soo-sun. Apparently Toad became the chief, and actually does not get mad. Eun-dong caught a thief and an escaped prisoner so he received the president’s award, AND his wife is pregnant with a sixth child! Tae-il got into forensic science, and Gook found a girlfriend. What about Dae-gu?

We get a cute scene of Soo-sun sneaking up on Dae-gu as he naps. She is caught red handed as she tries to kiss him while he is asleep. In turn he tries to give HER a kiss, but they get interrupted by some other policemen! The two hide behind some boxes until the two policemen leave. Finally, the two share a tender kiss, which Soo-sun concludes as “getting along well” in her letter.

Pan-seok gets a call and he runs out to meet Sa-kyung. As the two are about to go on a date, he sees a man drive by with CHICKENS on the back of his bike. Pan-seok immediately runs after the man, and Sa-kyung chases after as well. Meanwhile, the team in Gangnam respond to a burglary and what confidence they exude!

Afterthoughts

So I didn’t think I would feel this way about the ending. I thought they would just capture Assemblyman Yoo and give Soo-sun and Dae-gu a happy ending, but I did not envision so much CUTENESS. There were a couple of questionable plot points though, such as how did Ae-yeon get out, how lucky was Soo-sun’s guess that it was a cell phone in the envelop, and where did those gangsters suddenly come from etc., but overall it was very satisfying. I never thought I would love this drama as much as I did, and I am so glad I watched it. Now that it’s over, there is going to be a Wed/Thurs hole in my schedule! Hopefully the one that comes after will be good. Don’t worry — there’s one more You’re All Surrounded post yet and that is the series review. Watch out for it!