No Gain, No Love- (Final) Episode 12

As much as I hate to say it, the time has come to say goodbye to the show that’s brought us endless joy and laughter over the past six weeks. While the finale takes us on an emotional rollercoaster—quite the shift from the fun we've grown to love—No Gain, No Love wraps things up on a heartwarming note, delivering satisfying resolutions to its key storylines.

In the final episode, the emotional weight of the story takes center stage as Hae-young and her foster sisters grieve the passing of their beloved Mom. With Ji-uk's help, they arrange the funeral, and Mom’s other foster children gather to bid their heartfelt farewells. It is a bittersweet goodbye, and as Hae-young listens to stories from her foster siblings, she discovers facets of her mother’s life she never knew. Ultimately, Hae-young comes to the understanding that Mom lived a full, meaningful life and did not suffer in her final moments.

Following the funeral, Ji-uk confesses to Hae-young that he had made a promise to Mom to hold on to her. However, Hae-young, fed up with the endless cycle of promises, finally reaches her breaking point. She is tired of being the reason behind Ji-uk’s obligations. Ji-uk had previously explained his disappearance after their fake wedding, saying he feared breaking the promise of not revealing his past as a foster child. He also refrained from visiting his mother due to another promise made to his grandmother.

Now, his decision to stay by Hae-young’s side stems from yet another promise. Overwhelmed, Hae-young tells him that he no longer needs to be bound by these promises, urging him to prioritize his own life. In a moment of finality, she removes her wedding ring and walks away, leaving both Ji-uk and viewers stunned.

We could have expected Ji-uk to assure Hae-young that his desire to be with her was driven by love, not obligation. However, the episode leaves this unspoken, sending Ji-uk abroad and leaving Hae-young—and viewers—in emotional turmoil. It’s an unfortunate turn for a couple once known for their strong communication, and it’s easy to see why it leaves many feeling conflicted.

Six months later, the narrative picks up with Hee-sung thriving in her voice acting career. She chooses to keep her pregnancy, raising the child alongside her boyfriend after reconciling with him. Ja-yeon, no longer hiding her vibrant writer persona, is giving guest lectures at a university, while continuing her relationship with Gyu-hyun, who has successfully elevated Ggulbi to the top of the industry. Additionally, Ggulbi has introduced equal benefits for both single and married employees, marking a progressive change.

Yet, despite Hae-young’s hard work, Woo-jae still thrives at the company—a frustrating development that drives her to resign and launch her own startup. She recruits Ha-joon to pursue his dream of coding, but their journey inevitably leads them back to Gyu-hyun for investment. Although Gyu-hyun agrees to invest in what he jokingly calls "Traitors One and Two," it’s hard not to feel some frustration that they are now indebted to him, especially after the events that led to their departure. Here’s hoping the check Gyu-hyun cuts is substantial—after all, he played a significant role in their decision to leave.

Meanwhile, Gyu-hyun's father is still planning on creatig havoc as he tricks his son into going on a blind date. Despite being obviously uninterested in each other, the two our discovered taking a selfie by Ja-yeon, who is at the hotel for a meeting. Angry at Gyu-hyun, Ja-yeon takes a step towards him, but slips instead, only to be caught in the arms of her new adorably cute assistant. This leads to an awkward show down and an argument in the car between the couple.

Ji-uk returns to Korea with a mysterious woman, and the show wastes no time in trying to convince Hae-young (and us) that he’s about to tie the knot. But don’t worry — the only thing between Ji-uk and this woman is a shared English conversation that was hard to catch and, oh yeah, the fact that they’re siblings. Yep, Ji-uk made a pit stop in Canada during his world tour and got close to his mom’s side of the family. Good for him!

While the discovery of Ji-uk is being processed by Hae-young, our other couple is on a sight seeing tour together. As Gyu-hyun and Ja-yeon enjoy the arcade, food, and even a private yacht ride, they look like they are completly in love. The two finally end their tour at night on the beach, where Gyu-hyun presents couple rings to an overly happy Ja-yeon. She is so happy she ends up kissing him and then shyly burrying her face in his chest shyly as he picks her up and spins her.

While our lovely second lead couple is romancing it up, Ji-uk comes across a crying Hae-young infront of the now closed down convenience store. She tearfully wishes him luck on his new marriage, but Ji-uk reassures Hae-young that marriage isn’t on the table. He chases her down and steals her beer, chugging it down for some liquid courage before saying, “I came back to where I left my heart, so you’ll just have to deal with it,” he says. Then he drunkenly falls on her shoulder and cutely pouts, "I'm not that heavy to carry."

Hae-young happily takes him back to her home and tucks him into her bed. However, when she awakes she realizes he isn't there and in a panic starts searching for him. As she rushes back down from the roof top, he enters inside the gate. She pouts that she thought he disappeared again and he replies, "And run away with the ring.' With the air cleared, Hae-young tells him she loves him, rings go back on fingers, and we’re given the obligatory kiss to wrap things up.

DramaZen's Opinion

But honestly? I was really holding out for an actual wedding! And while I get why we didn’t get one — actually, no, I don’t get it at all — I absolutely cannot believe we reached the final episode of a rom-com and spent nearly all of it without a single swoon-worthy moment between our lead couple. A last-minute kiss doesn’t count because, let’s be real, this last-second OTP reunion felt completely out of place in a show that was on the brink of rom-com greatness!

That being said, despite my frustrations, No Gain, No Love still stands tall. It managed to pull off nearly every trope in the rom-com playbook and made them feel fresh and fun. Sure, the finale wobbled a bit, but let’s not forget the eleven episodes of peak rom-com excellence we were blessed with. From the healthy romance to the found family warmth with the sisters, to the sheer charm of Hae-young — hands down one of the best-written female leads in dramaland — this show had it all. So what if the landing wasn’t perfect? It’s still a solid 8/10 in my books, and that’s pretty great.

But, oh, we were so close to perfection! K-dramas just can’t resist throwing in a curveball at the finish line. It’s almost like logic got buried with Hae-young’s mom because what happened to the show after the funeral? I mean, I understand, in theory, that Hae-young wanted to release Ji-wook from all those heavy promises, but was the forced separation really necessary? There were better, less convoluted ways to give Ji-wook time to reconnect with his family in Canada and figure out his life, without making it all feel so... unnecessarily complicated. She could of easily said, "Take some time out and go rekindle your family connections, but come back to me. I'll be waiting for you to come back."

😩Ughhh....Wishful thinking on my part, I guess...lol!