Flower of Evil — Ending Explained

The overarching mystery reveals that Hyun-soo was never a serial killer or his father's accomplice. When the Gagyeong village foreman was murdered, it was actually Hyun-soo's sister Hae-soo who struck him in self-defense to stop a sexual assault; Hyun-soo deliberately took the murder weapon and assumed the blame so his sister could live a normal life.

Following a hit-and-run accident 15 years prior, Hyun-soo was struck by Baek Hee-sung. To hide their comatose son's crime, Hospital Director Baek Man-woo and his wife Gong Mi-ja struck a deal with Hyun-soo: he took on their comatose son's legal identity, living comfortably while they concealed his fugitive past. The real Baek Hee-sung was Do Min-seok's actual protege and partner in the Yeonju serial killings. Upon awakening from his 15-year coma, Hee-sung resumes his killing spree, murders the Baek family housekeeper, stabs Hae-soo (mistaking her for Ji-won), and frames Hyun-soo.

In the climactic confrontation, the police corner the real Hee-sung. Hee-sung steals an officer's gun and aims at Ji-won; Hyun-soo dives in front of the bullet, taking the hit to the head before police shoot Hee-sung dead. Hyun-soo survives brain surgery but loses all memories of his 14-year marriage to Ji-won. At his trial, Hae-soo and Ji-won clear him of all historical murder charges. Though initially frightened that his feelings for Ji-won were an illusion, Hyun-soo visits his old workshop, recognizes the profound depth of his innate connection to Ji-won and Eun-ha, and weeps as they reconcile to begin a new, truthful life together.

Interpretations of the series center on two primary discussions:

• The Medical/Psychological Lens vs. The Emotional Metaphor: Some viewers view Hyun-soo's emotional dysregulation as severe Alexithymia combined with Complex PTSD resulting from childhood trauma and ritualistic shamanistic abuse, rather than true antisocial disorder. Others interpret his condition allegorically as a metaphor for how internalized social shame makes individuals feel undeserving of human warmth.
• The Controversial Amnesia Finale: The decision to give Hyun-soo retrograde amnesia in Episode 16 prompted debate among critics. Some considered it an overused K-drama trope that stalled emotional payoff, while others saw it as a thematic necessity: for Hyun-soo to genuinely love Ji-won, he had to be stripped of the fabricated Baek Hee-sung persona and make the conscious choice to love her as his true, unburdened self, Do Hyun-soo.