Gyeongseong Creature Ending Explained: Shocking Twists, Heartbreaking Sacrifices, and What’s Next

Netflix wrapped up 2023 and stepped into 2024 with Gyeongseong Creature, a Korean historical thriller that thrilled audiences. The series, set in 1945 during the final year of Japan’s occupation of Korea, draws inspiration from real events, particularly the gruesome human experiments carried out by Unit 731.

The Japanese military conducted horrific biological and chemical weapon research on civilians in the 1930s and 1940s. Gyeongseong Creature crafts a gripping story around that dark chapter of history, following Yoon Chae-ok (Han So-hee), and Jang Tae-sang (Park Seo-joon).

Chae-ok (Han So-hee) is a skilled investigator while Jang Tae-sang (Park Seo-joon) is the most influential figure in Gyeongseong. The two form an uneasy alliance to infiltrate Onseong Hospital and rescue Myeong-ja (Ji Woo), the pregnant mistress of Japanese police Commissioner Ishikawa (Kim Do-hyun).

By the end of Part One, shocking discoveries are made. The military has been infecting Korean civilians with a parasitic worm species called the Najin, torturing them in the name of science. The so-called “creature” of the title turns out to be Chae-ok’s long-lost mother, Choi Seong-sim (Kang Mal-geum), who had been missing for a decade.

Some military officials, like Lieutenant General Kato (Choi Young-Joon), view Seong-sim as a formidable weapon capable of influencing the outcome of World War II. Others believe she represents the next evolutionary stage of humanity, while many see only a monstrous threat.

Chae-ok, however, recognizes her mother, the woman stripped of her humanity and experimented upon. Their reunion is heartbreaking—Seong-sim remembers her daughter and instinctively shields her from harm, but Chae-ok prioritizes freeing the hospital’s captives.

Meanwhile, Tae-sang stays behind as a distraction and suffers life-threatening injuries. With three more episodes left, Tae-sang’s survival is guaranteed by the demands of storytelling.

He manages to flee Onseong, recover from his wounds, and then return to the fight after Chae-ok assassinates Onseong’s Director, Ichiro (Hyun Bong-sik).

Knowing that the powerful figures behind these atrocities will never face justice, she abandons any hope of peace and takes matters into her own hands by executing him. However, this sets off another chain of events—Lady Yukiko Maeda (Soo Hyun), Commissioner Ishikawa’s wife, seizes the opportunity to kidnap Chae-ok.

Once an ally of Seong-sim, Maeda has now become one of the driving forces behind the hospital’s gruesome experiments. She believes it is fate that she now holds Chae-ok as a tool to manipulate Seong-sim. Wealthy, powerful, and highly influential, Maeda is not someone to cross.

But Tae-sang does not hesitate. He loves Chae-ok, and he will risk everything to save her. He embarks on a new rescue mission—this time, for the woman he loves.

Who Lives and Dies in ‘Gyeongseong Creature’?

It is never a wise move to threaten a parent by putting their child in harm’s way. When General Kato aims a gun at Chae-ok’s head, Seong-sim breaks free from captivity, unleashing chaos and destruction across the hospital.

The military is thrown into a panic, and Kato makes a run for it, clutching the Najin vials. Meanwhile, Tae-sang, always ready for sacrifice, hands over two boat tickets to Yoon Jung-won (Jo Han-chul), Chae-ok’s father, giving him and his daughter a chance to flee Joseon safely.

But Jung-won refuses. Tae-sang’s plan requires someone to detonate the explosives inside the hospital, and Jung-won insists on being the one to stay behind. Still deeply in love with his wife and devastated by what has been done to her, he decides to remain with Seong-sim in her final moments.

Tae-sang protests, but there is no changing Jung-won’s mind. His last request is for Tae-sang and Chae-ok to survive, leaving him to perish alongside his past. Kato, meanwhile, finds his escape route cut short by a devastating mistake—his vials of Najin shatter on the ground.

At the same time, he hears Myeong-ja’s cries as she goes into labor. Since Ishikawa had already discarded her after she became infected, no one would come looking for her or the child. With Ishikawa now dead, Myeong-ja is utterly alone.

Offscreen, Kato brutally extracts the baby from her womb, and when he reappears, he is cradling a horrifying newborn—half-human, half-infected. Elsewhere, Tae-sang reaches Chae-ok, while Jung-won finally reunites with Seong-sim. In a heartbreaking moment, he sings to her, hoping she will recognize him.

Though she does not fully remember, she senses that he is not a threat. With tears streaming down his face, Jung-won tells Seong-sim that it is time for them to “leave together.”

As the hospital erupts into flames from the explosives, Tae-sang holds Chae-ok tightly, comforting her as she mourns. The two manage to escape—unbeknownst to them, Seong-sim also survives, still drawn toward her daughter.

Do Tae-Sang and Chae-Ok Survive?

Once back in Gyeongseong, Chae-ok suggests that she and Tae-sang part ways. She knows that the authorities will never stop hunting her, and she refuses to let him suffer because of her. Tae-sang, however, refuses to walk away. “I won’t ever give up on you,” he vows.

After all their shared moments—stolen kisses, lingering touches, unspoken promises—this is their breaking point. Either they stay together, or they do not move forward at all. Lady Maeda does not give them the luxury of choice. She tracks them down with an army of assassins and coldly orders their execution.

Despite their skill, Tae-sang and Chae-ok find themselves outmatched; sheer willpower is not enough. But Seong-sim’s motherly instincts once again take over. She tears through the assassins, ensuring her daughter’s safety. However, in the chaos, she misinterprets Tae-sang’s presence as a threat.

A deadly tentacle shoots toward him—but Chae-ok steps in, taking the full hit. As she collapses in his arms, blood pouring from her mouth, she pleads with her mother to stop. Tae-sang and Seong-sim both cry out in anguish as life leaves Chae-ok’s body.

What Does ‘Gyeongseong Creature’s Final Scene Mean?

Time moves forward, but grief lingers. Tae-sang keeps up appearances, smiling in public, but in private, he flinches at every familiar sound, still hoping Chae-ok will miraculously return. When he is not grieving, he plots revenge. A carefully laid trap nearly kills Maeda, but she barely escapes.

Kato later visits her in the hospital, offering her a second chance—by drinking Najin-infested water. If she accepts, her wounds will heal, but at a terrible cost. Meanwhile, Chae-ok’s body sinks into the ocean. Seong-sim follows, cradling her daughter.

In her final act of love, she sacrifices herself, allowing the Najin worm inside her to transfer into Chae-ok. As Seong-sim fades into the abyss, Chae-ok’s eyes suddenly snap open. If that was not shocking enough, Gyeongseong Creature drops one final mystery during the credits.

A young man stands by a window, gazing over what is unmistakably modern-day Seoul. Someone calls out “Ho-jae,” and as he turns, he bears Tae-sang’s face. Could this be Tae-sang himself? A descendant? A doppelgänger? Did he and Chae-ok find each other again?

Could a potential second season be set in present-day Korea? Whatever the truth is, one thing is certain—this story is far from over.