Ji Yul’s ex-girlfriend Min returned from the USA and came straight to Huidong to meet Ji Yul. She wanted to reconcile with him, but Ji Yul was over her. In “Once Upon A Small Town,” Ji Yul and Ja Young started thinking about their feelings toward each other after Min’s arrival, as her presence had made both of them drift apart.
Spoilers Ahead
Did Ji Yul Confess To Ja Young?
Ja Young was startled when she saw Min kiss Ji Yul and drop the box of corn. Ji Yul immediately went to help her, but she ran away, leaving him behind. Ji Yul ran after her with her bicycle that she had forgotten to take with her. He tried to explain to her that the kiss didn’t mean anything, but Ja Young didn’t find that an explanation was necessary. Both Ji Yul and Ja Young were feeling low, and Ja Young sought Sang Hyeon out to talk.
She finally gives Sang Hyeon the answer that he was waiting for. She postponed giving him an answer because she felt terrible about rejecting him and was worried that their relationship would be ruined. However, Sang Hyeon accepted her decision and told her that he would always be by her side. He joked that she might regret rejecting him later when he meets another girl.
Ji Yul had been looking for Ja Young since the early morning, but he missed the opportunity to meet her. He went to the police station and found out that Ja Young was volunteering at some places that day, one of them being the peach farm. Ji Yul waited for her at the farm and found Sang Hyeon interrogating him about his background. He understood that Sang Hyeon had been rejected by Ja Young and Sang Hyeon teased him for being the next.
Ji Yul finally met Ja Young at the peach farm and confessed his feelings toward her, but Ja Young rejected him, saying he was confused about his feelings. She thought that Ji Yul liked his childhood friend, but Ji Yul made it clear that he liked the young woman, Ja Young. Ji Yul came back to the hospital and told Min that she should get over him because nothing was possible between them.
Min informed Ja Young that she was leaving earlier because Ji Yul had rejected her, and that’s when Ja Young told her that she liked Ji Yul but couldn’t accept it. The news of Ji Yul leaving the town spread, and Ja Young couldn’t hold herself back. She ran to Ji Yul’s house and asked him when he was leaving. When he told her that he was leaving in fifteen days, she kissed him and confessed that she also had feelings for him.
Two New Couples In Huidong
Ji Yul understands that Ja Young rejected him because he is going to Seoul soon, but now they have started dating anyway. On their first date, Ji Yul takes Ja Young to Seoul to show his hospital to her and also to let her know that Seoul isn’t that far away. It is an eight-hour round trip, but Ja Young says that she wouldn’t mind it, and Ji Yul promises her that he will use the time they have wisely.
The new couple has to be careful around their town because they don’t want to let others know that they are dating. Ja Young is more concerned about it than Ji Yul because she doesn’t want the villagers to tease them every chance they get and start preparing for their marriage. However, Ja Young’s behavior has changed, which makes everyone wonder what is wrong with her. She has been unusually happy and cheerful and has been laughing alone while zoning out.
Ji Yul makes the excuse of delivering Ja Young’s dog’s food and takes her on a ride with him. When they were about to kiss, Seon Dong knocked on his truck’s door. Seon Dong and Hui Won have started dating, and they bribe Ja Young and Ji Yul with candies to keep their secret from the elders. Ja Young points out that even kids know how this town is, and that’s why she and Ji Yul should be careful as well.
After their careful dinner date in the town, Ja Young expresses to Ji Yul that she has been feeling confident and better about herself. She asks him if it is a positive effect of dating. She is happy in her new relationship and wants to tell her friend about it. Ji Yul takes Ja Young to meet with Sang Hyeon, and she tells him that she has started dating Ji Yul. Sang Hyeon doesn’t respond very enthusiastically, but he is happy for Ja Young.
On their way back, Ji Yul walks Ja Young home because it would look suspicious if he gave her a ride every day. It is late at night, and they finally eat the candies that Hui Won gave them. Before returning back to his home, Ji Yul leans in to kiss Ja Young, but some ladies make noise and turn on their flashlights, and Ja Young gets afraid that they have been caught.
Why Did Ja Young Announce Her Relationship With Ji Yul Publicly?
A lady has seen a suspicious car in the middle of the road and hence makes a noise and flashes the light on the car. Ji Yul and Ja Young follow the noise, and Ji Yul recognizes the car. It is his friend, Yun Hyeong, from Seoul, with nurse Lee in his car. They went on a date and announced that they had been dating for some time.
The lady got suspicious of Ji Yul and Ja Young as well, so Ja Young told her to go and that she would take care of the matter. Yun Hyeon tells Ji Yul that he is serious about nurse Lee and wants to be with her for a long time. This makes both Ji Yul and Ja Young think about themselves in the future, and they are relieved that they will not be the only ones in a long-distance relationship.
Both Ji Yul and Ja Young had taken a day off to enjoy their date, but emergencies arose for both of them early in the morning. Ji Yul has to help an animal who has gone into early labor, and Ja Young has to find an old woman with Alzheimer’s who has lost her way back home. Ji Yul finishes his work earlier, but Ja Young has to work until late at night. She gets drunk out of frustration and announces on the community broadcast that she is dating Ji Yul and that people should not bother her like before.
The women tease Ja Young and Ji Yul for trying so hard to hide their relationship because the entire town already knows that they are dating. Ja Young regrets not dating openly before because Ji Yul needs to leave the town soon. However, they spend the rest of their time together without any worries. Two weeks after Ji Yul left for Seoul, nurse Lee asks Ja Young if she talks with Ji Yul every day, and it makes her insecure.
‘Once Upon A Small Town’ Ending Explained
Ja Young makes a surprise video call to Ji Yul and finds out that he has injured his hand. She gets mad at him for not informing her but later regrets it. Sang Hyeon lends her his truck, and she goes to Seoul to visit him, but Ji Yul has travelled to Huidong to visit Ja Young. They finally meet in Seoul after Ji Yul travels back for four hours again. They reconcile, and Ja Young understands that Ji Yul feels lonelier than she because he has only one friend in Seoul while she has an entire town to herself.
After some months, Ji Yul surprises Ja Young by going to Huidong without notice. He congratulates her on her promotion to sergeant and announces that he has also been promoted to become a director. Ji Yul has permanently moved to Huidong to take care of his grandfather’s hospital as he wants to retire now. Ji Yul tells her that this time he has come to Huidong by choice, and they place a ring on each other’s finger as a promise of forever.
“Once Upon A Small Town” portrays a classic love story of a city man falling in love with a small-town girl. Childhood love is one of the most popular tropes in Kdramas, and it is present here as well. However, our main characters didn’t choose each other involuntarily because of their childhood connection but took their time to get to know each other and fall in love naturally.
Neither Ji Yul nor Ja Young put their careers on the back foot and stayed in a long-distance relationship while respecting each other. In the end, the cold-hearted and selectively social city man, Ji Yul, chooses to move to Huidong, where he is okay with people interfering in his life, only because he wants to live with the love of his life. This short series is something you would love to binge-watch on a relaxing weekend.
See more: ‘Once Upon A Small Town’ Episode 7, 8 & 9: Recap and Ending – Who Makes A Surprise Visit To Huidong?
