Responses
i rly love this comment well said! i agree that this is the best way they could end this story, an ambiguous open ending might feel bad at first but it definitely fits the entire narrative of this piece more.
i am definitely delusional though as i didnt even consider that the twins would die down there until you said that lmao
I made an account just to say how much I appreciate the open ending lol hear me out. The juxtaposition between “noona” and Junsu is apparent—both being victims of abuse whom gradually succumb to mental illness/instability. Even that one scene where they’re all lying together peacefully mirrors each other.
I’m guessing the mom was SA’d by the pastor, who spread lies about “noona” to ostracize her from the church. It’s heavily implied (imo it’s intentional why they didn’t show her stabbing herself on screen to tie into the ending) that she kills herself to “free” herself from this hell on earth. The twins felt this as the ultimate betrayal; their mom was the only person who seemed to truly care about them, and she had abandoned them.
The twins eventually let go of their control & send Junsu up the lift towards “heaven” (freedom). Junsu is fearful and feels abandoned. It’s a complete subversion in character…but still selfish as the twins waited until the very end. To me, the open ending could imply that Junsu chose to (1) “free” himself from hell by moving on & escaping or (2) jumping down/killing himself to reunite with the twins in the afterlife—there was no chance that they’d survive in the mines after the earthquake hit.
Obviously the SA tropes aren’t tasteful if you’re not into it, but the storytelling here is great imo. It was a tragedy from start to finish. My only complaint is that the latter chapters felt rushed, but you could argue that suddenness & mundaneness of their last moments together adds to the absurdity of it all.