Upamanyu Biswas
Netflix’s Korean melodrama ‘The Trunk’ ends by revealing the killer’s identity while navigating the relationship issues between Han Jeong-won and Noh In-ji. The show builds up to its grand finale by slowly closing the gap between the music producer and his fake wife, who manage to overcome their initial discomfort and realize their real feelings. However, several roadblocks manifest themselves through Jeong-won’s jealous ex-wife, Lee Seo-yeon, who attempts to coerce her former lover in a variety of toxic ways. In the final moments, the two achieve some level of closure despite not looking eye to eye from the start. The role reversal in the relationship also manifests in other parts of the story, which concludes in an ambiguous scene that leaves Jeong-won and In-ji’s fate up in the air. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Trunk Season 1 Plot Recap
Following a devastating separation from his ex-wife, Han Jeong-won, a music producer, falls into drug addiction and a joyless existence made worse because of his shy and anxious nature. He pines after his former lover, Lee Seo-yeon, trying his best to repair their broken relationship and win her back. However, she rejects him unflinchingly, telling him that he must adhere to her condition if he wants to stay in her life. The condition is that both Jeong-wo and Seo-yeon are going to live a year of their life with fake spouses arranged by an off-the-books company named New Marriage. While Jeong-won remains unconvinced by the whole proposal, he has no choice but to accept. Seo-yeon is already through the process, having been married to her partner, Yoon Ji-o. Not long after, Jeong-won meets his new wife, Noh In-ji.
Although Jeong-won accepts the new status quo of living with an arranged partner, he remains cold and distant from In-ji. Meanwhile, he develops feelings of jealousy against Ji-o for replacing him as Seo-yeon’s husband. The chaotic nature of the situation often boils over into vented comments directed towards In-ji. However, soon, the protagonist realizes that she is not to blame for his circumstance and, in some ways, is helping him through a variety of situations. Their trust in each other grows so strong that Jeong-won ends up falling asleep one night without the use of medication and drugs, which he has become dependent upon for any manner of rest and respite. Their newfound compatibility begins bothering Seo-yeon, who harbors an ulterior motive for bringing Jeong-won and In-ji together.
Things get further complicated when secrets emerge about Jeong-won’s past and In-ji’s history. The former has a tragedy in his childhood, having played a part in his mother’s suicide, whom he witnessed being regularly abused by his father. Meanwhile, the latter has a broken view of marriage because of how her first husband left her a few days before the wedding ceremony. It also played a significant role in her becoming an NM worker, someone who goes around being a contracted marriage partner to strangers. Eventually, she grows protective of Jeong-won’s happiness, wishing to keep him shielded from his ex-wife’s toxic clutches. However, problems arise on a personal level when a stalker from her past resurfaces in the present day, threatening to sabotage her relationship with Jeong-won.
The Trunk Season 1 Ending: Why Does In-ji Break Her Ties With Seo Do-ha?
It is obvious from the start that Noh In-ji harbors a complicated past that she is unwilling to divulge on her own. As the narrative progresses, viewers are made aware of the character’s difficulties with her first husband, particularly how he abandons her a few days before their wedding after a video surfaces online about his bisexual identity. His name was Seo Do-ha, and In-ji always knew his real nature despite most other people having no idea. However, In-ji’s mother disapproved of her relationship with him and wanted to break them apart. Thus, she released a video to the public that marred Do-ha’s reputation and made it untenable for him to marry In-ji. When he left her, In-ji understood his reasoning, but she grew increasingly angry with him when he never contacted her again.
Therefore, to mete out revenge against Do-ha for abandoning her, In-ji decided to stay in his apartment for five years, using it as her own home instead of moving out. While this was part of her reasoning, the other part of her also held out hope that one day he would return and close the hole that opened in her heart when he left. Because of the drastic manner in which he fled, Noh In-ji lost all faith in the institution of marriage, which became a driving force for why she started working for New Marriage. Ironically, she became wedded to the idea of being married to different people without it ever meaning anything important. Of course, those feelings change after her encounter with Han Jeong-won. However, something big happens near the end, which pushes her into breaking her ties with Do-ha for good.
As it turns out, Do-ha returns from his exile and starts discreetly visiting In-ji’s/his apartment at night. In-ji’s neighbor, Ms. Do-dam, is the first to notice the clues that the man is back. Subsequently, In-ji learns the truth, and she and Do-ha meet. This follows after a scene where the latter corners In-ji’s stalker, Eom Tae-seong, outside the apartment and stabs him with a knife, threatening him to stay away from the girl. During their meet-up, In-ji and Do-ha finally let out their bottled emotions, blaming one another for the mistakes they had made in the past and how they both failed each other. It is clear from the interaction that whatever hope In-ji had of making up with Do-ha was pointless, and she leaves the apartment upset about the loss but also freed from a burden she has carried for a long time.
Who Killed Eom Tae-seong?
While ‘The Trunk’ largely centers around the relationship between Han Jeong-won and Noh In-ji, another equally essential plot thread is the murder investigation of Eom Tae-seong in the present day. His dead body is found in a lake, and a homicide case is set up around it to find out who killed him. It is common knowledge by this point that he was In-ji’s stalker. In fact, he was instrumental in helping In-ji’s mom uncover the footage that was uploaded on the internet to spread the rumors about Seo Do-ha’s bisexual identity. Due to him, everything in In-ji’s life fell apart completely, including the cancellation of her marriage. Thus, it comes as no surprise that the prime suspect in the murder case is In-ji. However, the real killer’s identity emerges at the end as Yoon Ji-o, the fake NM husband of Lee Seo-yeon.
Undeniable as it is that In-ji had an extreme dislike towards Tae-seong, the cops and viewers learn that the stalker had numerous enemies everywhere he went. He was an abrasive, obnoxious, and psychopathic individual whose fixation on In-ji made him disregard the humanity in others. As such, he was responsible for the death of innocent people who became collateral damage in his pursuit of In-ji. The first person he killed was a security worker at the NM building many years in the past, which Ji-o witnessed firsthand. Subsequently, the stalker also killed a local pharmacist who tried to call the cops on him because he was trying to steal medicines. His unhinged state made him a dangerous liability for everyone, not just In-ji, particularly her employer, New Marriage.
Worried that a public scandal was around the corner, especially given how brash and arrogant Tae-seong was with his methods, NM prepared to have him assassinated. The company’s CEO, Lee Seon, ordered Yoon Ji-o to handle the task himself. Although he is not an assassin by trade, he is an adept fencer and also harbors a grudge against Tae-seong for the security guard colleague he murdered at the NM building. As such, Ji-o took a boat out to the middle of the lake, where he ran into Tae-seong, stranded on his motorboat. After threatening to end their relationship at the kayaking spot, the latter fled from an altercation with In-ji and Jeong-won. However, while escaping with the trunk, he is stabbed through the heart by Yoon Ji-o and perishes quite swiftly, leaving the luggage at the bottom of the lake.
What Happens to Lee Seo-yoon? Does She Move On From Jeong-won?
Undoubtedly, Lee Seo-yoon’s unhealthy obsession with Han Jeong-won is a critical plot point in the story. In fact, she and Eom Tae-seong showcase some similar behaviors in that regard, albeit different in their extremities. Still, the architect uses a whole host of questionable methods to manipulate Jeong-won into doing her bidding, going so far as to get him addicted to drugs and unnecessary medication while also installing spy cameras in his house to keep an eye on him. This is even after knowing that Jeong-won has a terrible history with spy cameras in his house, especially as they were his father’s favorite method to keep an eye on his mother. Therefore, it comes as a relief in the end when the parasitic relationship is fragmented for good after Jeong-won breaks his ties with her.
It is evident from the start that Seo-yeon is a controlling type of person. While it makes her a formidable person by nature, it also leaves her with a whole host of insecurities. Thus, if she senses someone losing interest in her, Seo-yeon becomes increasingly manipulative in regaining their attention in any way she can. This became a real problem for her during her pregnancy when she was expecting Jeong-won’s child despite not wanting it herself. Fearful that he might leave her if she did not give him a baby, she went through with it but became depressed the closer she got to giving birth. Eight months into her pregnancy, Seo-yeon did something drastic to escape her situation. She jumped in front of onrushing traffic and got her baby killed. Her plan was to die in the incident as well, but fortunately, she survived.
In the aftermath, a shocked Jeong-won told the doctors to save the baby first before they went on to save Seo-yeon. His wife was so hurt by hearing this comment that she realized she had no control over Jeong-won and he might slip away from her at any point. As a result, she decided to concoct a deeply troubling plan by getting him married to a stranger through the NM service, which she believed would make him pine for her even more. However, the plan ended up backfiring as Jeong-won fell in love with Noh In-ji. In the end, the woman decides to leave him and commit herself to her NM husband, Yoon Ji-o, even after he is incarcerated for Eom Tae-seong’s murder. She considers it the correct choice, accepting herself as a “bad person” who is meant for an equally mean partner.
What Promise Do Han Jeong-won and Noh In-ji Make? Do They End Up Together?
At the heart of ‘The Trunk’ lies the slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance unfurling between Han Jeong-won and Noh In-ji. The artificially arranged husband and wife start off on a difficult footing but become emotional pillars for one another as the story progresses. Although neither seems interested in forming a genuine relationship, they inevitably catch real feelings while living out the make-believe fantasy dictated through the NM marriage contract. However, frustratingly, they are constantly held back from a consistent run as a couple because of their personal issues or inability to communicate their thoughts and feelings more honestly. Thus, it seems less than ideal for the two when they decide to split and go their own ways at the end of the story. Yet, this is predicated on a promise they make to one another.
In the final moments, Jeong-won sets up his palatial house to be demolished, intending to let go of it entirely and the bad memories they have harbored for him. Before its destruction, In-ji stops by the place to collect her last belongings and leave for her own path. As she gives up working for NM in the end, it brings a new beginning to her life and the possibility of renewing her professional career in a more standard type of job. She and Jeong-won converse for the last time in the house, wondering if their relationship was ever meant to be. However, before departing, Jeong-won tells In-ji that if the two meet one another two times in the future, they will give each other a chance and not run away anymore. Although not overtly shown, In-ji gives it her approval.
A year or so later, a reinvigorated and rejuvenated Jeong-won and In-ji run into one another outside a collection of shops in the city’s marketing area. They are surprised but happy to stumble across one another. Jeong-won tells her that he is looking to find a vet for one of his cats while In-ji seems to be enjoying a drink. Although they don’t go into any details about how they are and how they have been, the two remind themselves that this is their first out of the two encounters they promised. Clearly, they still remember what they told one another a while back, showcasing how much they genuinely cared about each other. As such, it seems inevitable that their relationship will spark into existence in the near future, even if it is delayed by a few years until they run into one another again.
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