The K-drama “Trolley” has finally entered its final week, and it looks like there is no stopping with the plot twists! Hye Joo and Joong Do’s relationship is weaker than ever, Yeo Jin has a fair share of secrets to reveal, and Joong Do’s political career is starting to stagger—all of this is caused by a few crimes, mistakes, and coverups in the past that have snowballed into a threatening situation. Let’s take a look at how much damage has been done before the storm ultimately settles down in the finale episode of “Trolley.”
Spoilers Ahead
‘Trolley’ Episode 15: Recap – Does Hye Joo Attend The Press Interview?
“Trolley” Episode 15 opens with Hye Joo and Joong Do in the newsroom, where Hye Joo speaks about her assault case from 20 years ago. Joong Do has a stoic expression on his face, and he makes a show of giving support to his wife during her speech. After the interview, we see that in the dressing room, Hye Joo proceeds to remove her wedding ring and also talks about divorce proceedings. But Joong Do stops her, citing that it would send the wrong signal to the public and hamper his bill proposal as well. Hye Joo reluctantly agrees, and just then, she receives a phone call from the hospital stating that Yeo Jin tried to commit suicide by overdosing on pills. She thankfully survived but is being kept under observation. Hye Joo is still under the impression that Yeo Jin and Joong Do had an affair. Hye Joo asks Joong Do to go ahead with his day and decides to stay back with Yeo Jin. Seung Hee’s mother is admitted to the same hospital as Yeo Jin. After Hye Joo’s interview, there was a stir in the media, and several people reached out to Hye Joo for an interview. We also see that the employees at Ki Young’s workplace start gossiping about the connection between Hye Joo and the owner of the place.
After Yeo Jin wakes up, she comes clean about Joong Do’s sexual assault from five years ago. Hye Joo finds it hard to believe, but when she recounts Yeo Jin’s aversion to entering Joong Do’s study, it cements her belief that Yeo Jin is telling the truth. Yeo Jin also tells her that Ji Hoon heard only a part of her conversation with Joong Do all those years ago, and it was a misunderstanding he had. Hye Joo is shattered to know the truth. She does not inform Yoon Seo about Yeo Jin’s hospitalization and makes up an excuse that she is going to be out of town for a while. At school, Yoon Seo is admired for her father’s brave stand regarding the bill and also for her mother’s interview. But she is reprimanded by a few of her classmates, for Ji Hoon is still a sex offender in their eyes. Her friend stands up for her, and the moment has passed.
Hye Joo confronts Joong Do about his misdeeds, and he profusely apologizes to her. He still continues to chime in that he has dedicated his life to bettering society and that the Namgoong Sol bill is his way of repenting for his misdeed. Hye Joo is done listening to the same tape over and over and bursts out at Joong Do. Later, when Joong Do meets Woo Jae, he asks Woo Jae if he knows about Yeo Jin, to which Woo Jae says that he knows everything. In the flashback, we see that Woo Jae had asked Yeo Jin to keep silent about the matter. His words were no less than a threat, and Yeo Jin had kept her word. Hye Joo has also lost her faith in Woo Jae and switches how she addresses him. She used to address him by his first name earlier, but now she only addresses him by his job title and surname. This switch goes to show the extent of Hye Joo’s detachment from Woo Jae.
In the elevator, Hye Joo meets a doctor at the hospital who shares her story with her. She tells Hye Joo that the Namgoong Sol bill will help people like her who are reprimanded by saying that they are reporting a false crime. In the meantime, the real estate scam that Joong Do was after also comes out into the open. Seung Hee’s mother is shocked and frantically looks for Seung Hee. Subsequently, Seung Hee finally spots Hye Joo in the hospital. She has also seen Hye Joo’s interview and asks her to go on air again and take her statement back. She also demands a public apology from Hye-Joo. After all this time, Seung Hee is still not off Hye Joo’s back.
Soo Bin eventually finds out about Hye Joo’s interview and goes to confront her. She also finds out about Yeo Jin’s suicide attempt and reaches the hospital, where she overhears Joong Do and Yeo Jin’s conversation. She secretly records it, but Woo Jae finds her and deletes the recording. Soo Bin then goes to Yeo Jin and asks her to reveal Joong Do’s crime, which she refuses to do. Hye Joo soon comes back, and Soo Bin is angry at Hye Joo for keeping Ji Hoon’s truth under wraps. Hye Joo says she did it for the sake of the bill proposal. Soo Bin also tells her to come clean about Joong Do’s misdeed, but Hye Joo instead says it will only cause more pain to Yeo Jin.
But at the end of “Trolley” Episode 15, we see that Hye Joo does eventually come clean about it in front of the press. Instead of addressing herself as Assemblyman Nam Joong Do’s wife, Kim Hye Joo, she simply addresses herself as Kim Hye Joo.
‘Trolley’ Episode 15: Ending Explained – How Does Hye Joo Deal With The Truth?
“Trolley” Episode 15 was simply one truth bomb after another for Hye Joo. The woman had to go live with her assault story, find out about her husband’s crime, and also deal with Seung Hee’s drama, all in a day’s time. There was not a moment’s respite for her as she went about putting out small fires to the best of her ability, given the dire circumstances. After everything has happened, she still continues to lie about Ji Hoon being a sexual assaulter, only to help the Namgoong Sol bill pass. She chose the greater good instead of clearing her son’s name. After Yeo Jin talks to her about keeping Joong Do’s crime under wraps, she is opposed to the idea but eventually comes to terms with it. Soo Bin, who by now knows everything, shakes Hye Joo’s conscience once again with her words. Just at the end of the episode, we see that Hye Joo holds a press conference and begins her speech by saying that her husband assaulted a woman five years ago.
Hye Joo’s admission of Joong Do’s crime is the last nail in the coffin of Joong Do’s political career. The statement alone is able to steer public opinion against Joong Do, thus reducing the chances of Namgoong Sol’s bill being passed. Joong Do never comes clean as to why he did what he did to Yeo Jin all those years ago. He only sticks to apologies, which seem less and less heartfelt as time goes by. He almost eventually forgets the incident and, like a heartless individual, asks Yeo Jin not to bring it up anywhere either. He tells Hye Joo that the bill proposal is his way of repenting for his crime, but will it truly make any difference to what he has done and what Yeo Jin has to suffer for the rest of her life?
Episode 15 of “Trolley” has been more or less a commentary on the characters. It is in Episode 15 that we truly see Hye Joo embrace bravado. When she shouted at Joong Do after finding out what he did to Yeo Jin, that was the last straw for her. All this while, she never once raised her voice or spoke loudly with anyone, much less Joong Do. Even when she was suffering, she kept her voice low, and her reaction never went beyond a few silent sobs. Seeing a woman as close as Yeo Jin go through something as heinous as rape shook Hye Joo to the core. Hye Joo breaks out of her cocoon of fear and ignorance as she finally comes face-to-face with reality.
We know Woo Jae to have been a ruthless, career-oriented man. People in positions of power are infamous for covering up small cases every once in a while. But keeping one’s mouth shut about something as heinous as rape only goes to show how heartless and inhumane one can truly be. Woo Jae’s ambition completely blindsided him from being human and helping those in need. His only goal was to boost Joong Do’s career, and he saw nothing else except that.
“Trolley” Episode 16 will be a stunning finale for a story with so many layers and lessons. Joong Do and Hye Joo’s daughter is another victim in all this, for she will have to bear the brunt of the actions of her parents, or mostly her father. Perhaps Seung Hee will also finally learn the truth about her brother.
