After making viewers feel warm and fuzzy with friendship, love, and frothy wholesomeness for six weeks straight, “Brewing Love” has finally come to an end. As expected, the finale is just as perfect as the drama itself.
From Min Ju (Lee Jong Won) and Yong Ju (Kim Se Jeong) learning to grow as a couple through conflict, to Ah Reum ( Shin Do Hyun) and Chan Hwi (Baek Sung Chul) becoming a family, and Min Ju’s father (Lee Ki Young) finally leaving behind his toxic masculinity to embrace his true emotions, here are five reasons why the “Brewing Love” finale episodes were just perfect.
Warning: spoilers for episodes 11-12 ahead!
50 + 50 makes 100
While the book industry continues to popularize toxic love stories, K-dramas once again prove how appealing healthy romantic relationships can be. Since the beginning of “Brewing Love,” our Ju-Ju couple is mature, communicative, and non-toxic through and through, only improving in episodes 11–12.
As the first few episodes focused on the couple falling in love, the middle showcased their life together and cute dates. And the finale shows them navigating conflict and coming out stronger. While some viewers might mistake fictional conflicts as a sign of incompatibility, conflicts are not inherently negative. In fact, facing and resolving challenges together helps couples assess their potential as lifelong partners. Unsurprisingly, the Ju-Ju couple passes this test with flying colors.
In the final episodes, the couple’s collaborative beer, “Together,” comes out of production less than perfect. This leads to an argument where Min Ju wants to halt shipments to ensure the beer’s quality, while Yong Ju argues that doing so would cost the company 5 billion won. Despite their differing opinions, both remain respectful and even compartmentalize the issue, sharing a meaningful dinner together. This storyline exemplifies their ability to navigate challenges maturely, a hopeful sign for their happy future.
Ah Reum and Chan Hwi’s happy ending
It is rare for a second couple not to get a happy ending, so Ah Reum and Chan Hwi’s happy ending was set in stone from day one. However, it is still heartwarming to see them enter the healthy relationship they both deserve.
Despite having every luxury one could desire, all Ah Reum truly wants is a family, which she finally finds with Chan Hwi. He reveals his birth name to her, a name he changed after returning from the military because it is associated with the man he used to be, someone who had taken another human life. Chan Hwi tells Ah Reum that the name “Chan Ran” is known only to his immediate family, and since she is now part of his family, he wants her to know and remember it as well.
As for Chan Hwi, he initially struggles with insecurities about not fitting into the social class Ah Reum comes from. In one scene, he nervously asks Ah Reum what she would do if her mother rejects him because of his financial instability. She reassures him that it doesn’t matter, as she is successful enough for both of them. Later, she buys her own proposal ring, something Chan Hwi cannot afford, which he happily puts on her finger, further proving that they truly complete each other.
Kang Beom’s well-deserved cool moment
Love triangles in rom-coms are notorious for traumatizing audiences. Often, the second male lead is either written as perfect, causing viewers to root for him despite the female lead always choosing the first male lead, or is treated as the butt of the joke with an unsatisfying arc. Kang Beom seems to follow the latter path, until he doesn’t.
From the start, Kang Beom is portrayed as an average joe and not as charismatic as Min Ju. He inadvertently helps Min Ju realize her attraction to Yong Ju. However, after fulfilling this narrative purpose, the Kang-Beom-likes-Yong-Ju subplot abruptly ends, leaving audiences unsure whether his feelings are genuine or just a massive plot hole. That is, until the finale.
In episode 12, Kang Beom gets his well-deserved moment of closure. With dignity, he confesses his love for Yong Ju, ending that chapter of his life and moving on.
Min Ju’s father finally escaping from toxic masculinity
It is often said that intention matters, but for Chang Suk, his intentions finally align with his actions.
Since episode one, Min Ju misunderstands his father, Chang Suk. Seeing the story through Min Ju’s eyes, audiences expect his father to fit the emotionally unavailable, heartless archetype. While the emotionally unavailable aspect was accurate, episodes nine and 10 reveal that his father is never actually heartless. However, simply loving someone isn’t enough if you don’t make an effort to express it, and Chang Suk finally seems to understand that.
He learns from his son and tries to become a more emotionally present father and husband. After years of withholding his emotions, he finally tells Min Ju that he misses him. Moreover, the man who once rejected his child’s pink teddy bear for being “unmanly” wears a frilly apron to cook a meal for his family.
Yong Ju's career change
One part of Yong Ju’s ending that might go slightly unnoticed is her decision to change careers in adulthood. Throughout the show, it is clear that she joins the military and later Jisang Liquor not out of passion but to financially support her grandmother. In the final episode, after successfully saving the Busan branch, she leaves the company to open her own beer shop, where she plans to curate the menu and play music she loves.
In a world where teenagers are pressured to choose their careers before turning 18, Yong Ju’s journey is a refreshing and inspirational reminder that it’s never too late to build a life around your passions.
Even though on the surface, “Brewing Love” was advertised as a story about romance, beer, and making beer while romancing, at its core, this K-drama ended up being a hopeful promise: anyone can find love, friends, and even family in their late 20s and early 30s. All it takes is opening your heart and letting people in.
Start watching “Brewing Love”:
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Javeria is a binge-watching specialist who loves devouring entire K-dramas in one sitting. Good screenwriting, beautiful cinematography, and a lack of cliches are the way to her heart. As a music fanatic, she listens to multiple artists across different genres and stans the self-producing idol group SEVENTEEN. You can talk to her on Instagram @javeriayousufs
Looking forward to: “Squid Game Season 2” and “Reborn.”
