Goodbye Gongjin
What happens at Gam-Ri’s funeral?
The episode opens with Hye-Jin heading to pay her respects to Gam-Ri. It is the day of her funeral and Hye-Jin can barely keep it together as she places the white flower down before Gam-Ri’s picture. As Du-Sik explains, the last event Gam-Ri wanted to organize was her funeral and the whole town are gathered together to honour her memory through food and drink. It is a beautiful ceremony, one that sees day turn to night and everyone start to peel away and head home. ..
Du-Sik, the last living relative of the late Gam-Ri, spoke at her funeral service on Saturday. Du-Sik happily revealed that Gam-Ri had a good life and she even had her implants so she could enjoy squid and other food again. Won-Seok, Gam-Ri’s son, was understandably torn up though and contemplated how he was going to carry on now. ..
As the townsfolk head out to say their final goodbyes, a really beautiful and teary moment between Mat-Yi and Sook-Ja ensues as the pair promise one another that they won’t die for many years.
Hye-Jin hands over an envelope for Du-Sik, from our very own Gam-Ri. Within this, she tells him he needs to eat, going on to essentially call him her son. It’s such a beautiful moment and one that paves way to a montage for all our different villagers, who learn to move past Ga-Ri’s death in their own ways, remaining confident in the fact she’s with them now in their hearts forever.
Ji-Won opens up to Seong-Hyeon and admits that she really likes him. She initially chose not to work with him anymore because she didn’t want her feelings to be compromised – and didn’t want it to get complicated given Seong-Hyeon has been caught up with Hye-Jin for such a long time. As she gets up to leave, Seong-Hyeon reflects on her words.
Does Hye-Jin takes the job in Seoul?
This show has been in limbo for a while. Hye-Jin, the new dentist, has made a big decision and chosen to stay in Gongjin after all. She’s happy to stay around and help the other residents, confident that she’s the one and only dentist here and that the other residents need her too.
It’s a beautiful way to round out her story and one that eventually sees the pair hug, as Hye-Jin admits that she loves Gongjin now.
Who is the lottery winner?
Eun-Cheol had been buying the same lottery ticket every week, and Mi-Seon was convinced she’d found the winner. But when she checked the ticket, it was actually last week’s numbers. She quickly comes crashing back to reality.
Eun-Cheol won the lottery and decided not to tell anyone because he wanted to be a police officer. Mi-Seon cares for him more when she finds out.
What happens with Seong-Hyeon and Ji-Won?
Meanwhile, I-jun and Bo-Ra prepare for Squid Game Season 2, playing a game of sugar honeycombs. In a really cute move, I-Ran gives Bo-Ra his heart-shaped treat before they skip away hand in hand. I can’t even; these two are so cute!
Du-Sik and Seong-Hyeon sit outside as Du-Sik gets to the root cause of his friend actually showing up. It turns out he believes he’s losing his way in life, partly thanks to what’s happened with Ji-Won.
Du-Sik is worried that making a hasty move could result in him losing Seong-Hyeon forever. He gives his friend some advice, but ultimately this is Seong-Hyeon’s decision to make. ..
Ji-Won is struggling not to smile as she drives back home after seeing Seong-Hyeon at work. She knows that she can’t keep living in her head and must finally face the reality of her situation.
Do-Ha is excited to hear about his father’s progress. He has been waiting for years for this day and is grateful that his father is finally able to walk again. Do-Ha is hopeful that their project can help his father in some way and make a difference in his life.
Do Hye-Jin and Du-Sik get married?
Meanwhile, Hye-Jin makes a big decision and chooses to propose to Du-Sik the following day. Mi-Seon too has plans to propose to Eun-Cheol but the attention here is squarely on Hye-Jin. She’s determined to make this a moment he’ll never forget.
The next day, Hye-Jin sets everything up and encourages Du-Sik to meet her on the beach. Everything is perfect… until Du-Sik says no to her proposal. Why? Well, it turns out Du-Sik had plans to ask her first and actually, he’s been planning this for ages. It’s absolutely hilarious and Hye-Jin encourages him to look at this like a relay race and have the final say. And he does.
Du-Sik shows her a beautiful necklace which he’s spent 637 hours working for. Eventually it leads to the pair kissing passionately on the beach… but the tide comes in and the pair race in the water to grab the missing shoe. This is a lovely little throwback to the early season moments where Hye-Jin lost her shoe.
As the pair head back home, more romance ensues as Du-Sik cooks breakfast in bed for Hye-Jin. The conversation between the pair turns from marriage to kids, as Hye-Jin decides she’d like to have two. The pair have a great morning before eventually heading out and telling the whole village about their marriage pans. It’s a beautiful sequence and one that eventually sees all of them cheering.
That evening, all of the Gongjin residents gather to watch Seong-Hyeon’s video. This inspires Chun-Jae to receive a call from producers on KJBC’s flagship show - they want him on to star given that he was once a singer. It’s a massive moment and one he’s been waiting for this entire season. ..
How does Hometown Cha Cha Cha end?
The next day, Hye-Jin and Du-Sik dress up to prepare for their marriage but all the villagers join in on the celebrations. What begins as a simple and romantic gesture soon turns into everyone organizing their wedding photos.
Du-Sik and Hye-Jin run away from the group to the top of the hill, where they take photos together. Apparently, Hye-Jin ran all the way there in her heels just to take photos. ..
Du-Sik and Hye-Jin run together in the last few minutes of the episode, just as the season comes to a close. ..
The Episode Review
After a season that featured Hye-Jin and Du-Sik’s love story coming to a beautiful, satisfying end, Cha Cha Cha bows out with a bang. The ending is perfect for the characters and their story, and it rounds out all the big plot points in an entertaining way. The funny way everything concludes is a nice touch, and it ultimately sums up the season – and what this breezy slice of life series has done so well at capturing.
The main plot of Hometown Cha Cha is that a young couple, Hwa-Jeong and Yun-Gyeong, move to the small town and fall in love. However, their relationship is complicated by their different backgrounds and cultures. Despite this, they are able to work together to make things work. In the end, they have a happy ending and are able to move on with their lives.
Hometown Cha Cha Cha is a well-written and great addition to the 2021 kdrama line-up. Season 2, anyone? ..
