Heavenly Ever After ending explained: Heartbreaking secrets, painful goodbyes and a love that spanned 23 lifetimes

In a sea of K-dramas that start to feel like déjà vu with a different OST, Heavenly Ever After is refreshing. With its whimsical take on the afterlife and a love story that literally spans lifetimes, this fantasy romance starring Kim Hye Ja, Son Suk Ku, and Han Ji Min hits all the right emotional notes, without sermonising.

At the heart of the drama is Lee Haesook (played brilliantly by Kim Hye Ja), an 80-year-old woman who reunites with her husband, Ko Nakjoon (Son Suk Ku), in heaven. She chooses to appear in her elderly form, the way he always saw her as most beautiful, only to find a younger version of Nakjoon waiting for her.

And just as they begin figuring out how to love again in heaven, along comes the enigmatic Somyi (Han Ji Min), who’s clearly got some unfinished business with Nakjoon… or so it seems.

Heaven, by the way, isn’t all fluffy clouds and harp music. Haesook keeps getting into trouble for bending the rules, so much so that Heaven’s director (Chun Ho Jin) sentences her to attend church. There, she meets a kind pastor (Ryu Deokhwan), who is desperately searching for his long-lost mother. (Yes, your plot radar is going off for a reason.)

By Episode 11, we get a plot twist. Somyi: She’s not a person, she’s the living embodiment of Haesook’s guilt. Turns out, Haesook and Nakjoon once had a son, Eunho, who went missing as a child. Haesook's trauma was so deep that her mind erased the memory entirely. Nakjoon kept the truth hidden, protecting her all these years.

And the Pastor is Eunho, we were all right. Mic drop.

In a beautifully heartbreaking scene, Eunho finally reunites with his parents before reincarnating, but not before giving Haesook the closure she never knew she needed. Somyi, her job complete, quietly fades away.

In the finale, Nakjoon discovers that he and Haesook have been reincarnated together 23 times. Feeling guilty for tying her down, he suggests she go solo in her next life. She agrees, and off she goes — breaking hearts everywhere.

Fast-forward 80 years later: Nakjoon, now wiser, realizes that their time on Earth was filled with joy. As Haesook’s new incarnation prepares to leave the world again, she and Nakjoon reunite in heaven — this time with no guilt, no regrets, and a promise to start over together.

We’re treated to a glimpse of their next lives: A young woman and man cross paths, lock eyes, and smile knowingly — suggesting a sweet, reincarnated love story just beginning.

In a touching post-credits scene, Haesook is asked what she’d like to be in her next life. Her answer: An actress. It’s a meta moment and a perfect nod to Kim Hye Ja herself, the actress whose portrayal of Haesook will stay with us long after the final credits roll.