Hae-in & Hyun-woo’s Fate In Queen of Tears Was Foreshadowed Twice (& You Didn’t Notice It)

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Queen of Tears.

The fate of Queen of Tears’ Hong Hae-in and Baek Hyun-woo has been a hot topic of discussion for the past two months, however, Queen of Tears’ ending was actually hinted at multiple times throughout the series. Played by Kim Ji-won and Kim Soo-hyun, Hae-in and Hyun-woo’s relationship has been anything but smooth sailing. However, each obstacle led Hae-in and Hyun-woo back to one another, allowing them to live happily together for the remainder of their lives.

From the same writer as Crash Landing on You and My Love From the Star, Queen of Tears is full of tiny details that make Hae-in and Hyun-woo’s love story feel even more epic. From the star on Hyun-woo’s ceiling to the deeper meaning behind Hae-in’s beloved Sanssouci, every moment of Queen of Tears is well orchestrated to elicit an even deeper emotional connection to one of the best K-drama couples of all time. This extended to Queen of Tears’ finale, where two of writer Park Ji-eun’s well-hidden clues foreshadowed exactly how Hae-in and Hyun-woo would meet their end.

Hae-in’s Hallucinations Were Predictions For The Future

Hae-in Was Laid To Rest Where She Felt Happiest

Hong Hae-in’s memory loss is a key theme throughout Queen of Tears, as she begins to lose not only the memories of who she is but of those around her too. Hae-in’s illness also resulted in her experiencing various hallucinations, including that of her older brother, Hong Soo-wan (Ko Dong-ha) who tragically died in a boating accident. However, one hallucination in episode 14 of Queen of Tears, looked to the future instead of the past and directly told viewers exactly how this legendary K-drama series would end.

While on their honeymoon in Germany, Hae-in and Hyun-woo walked through a cemetery in a park, with Hae-in expressing how she liked how this graveyard felt like being buried close to home. Here, she notices an elderly Korean man placing lavender flowers on a grave. In episode 16, this is later revealed to be Hyun-woo who places the same lavender flowers on Hae-in’s grave, suggesting that Hae-in would be buried in a place where she saw happiness, rather than agonizing over places that stifled her.

Hae-in also notes in episode 14 that the elderly man she sees looks like a husband who visits his late wife’s grave every day. Hyun-woo is quick to tell her he would never do such a thing and would follow her the day after she passes. However, in episode 16, the elderly Hyun-woo spends multiple seasons in Germany alone, suggesting he would not be able to keep his promise. Therefore, he visits Hae-in and the places they had enjoyed together every day to keep her memory alive until he can follow her into the next life.

Hae-in Kept Her Promise To Hyun-woo in the Afterlife

She Waited For Him So He’d Be Less Scared

Episode 14 of Queen of Tears wasn’t the first episode to hint about Hae-in and Hyun-woo’s eventual fate, with the first clue coming during an exchange in episode 6 after Hae-in briefly goes missing while following an apparition of her older brother, Soo-wan. Hae-in tells Hyun-woo that when people are about to die, the person they love the most comes to them as an angel to pick them up. With Hae-in’s prognosis not looking good, she believed her brother was coming to make her passing easier, so she promised to do the same for Hyun-woo after her death.

In episode 16’s final scene, Hae-in kept her promise. Though Hae-in and Hyun-woo were able to spend a lifetime together, Hae-in ultimately passed first and left Hyun-woo alone in a world darkened by her absence. However, when Hyun-woo’s time finally came, Hae-in met him in the same lavender field where they had gone on their honeymoon. Dressed angelically in white, Hae-in held out her hand and helped Hyun-woo pass into his next life, just as she had promised all those years ago.

Queen Of Tears’ Foreshadowing Made The Finale Even Better

Hindsight Makes Hae-in and Hyun-woo’s Final Moments Sweeter

Thanks to the success of Queen of Tears, the final episode was well anticipated, despite being shrouded in fears that one of the leads would die in the end. Although Queen of Tears finale predictions didn’t guess that both leads would die, the ultimately happy ending was sweetly satisfying. The foreshadowed elements throughout Queen of Tears may seem obvious in hindsight, but it makes Hae-in and Hyun-woo’s final moments together even more poignant, delivering a beautiful final scene that makes Queen of Tears worthy of its royal title.