Backstreet Rookie Ep 16: 5 moments from Ji Chang Wook, Kim Yoo Jung’s series finale that left us overjoyed

It was a bittersweet weekend for Backstreet Rookie fans who would faithfully wait every weekend, for the past few weeks, to watch the romantic comedy. Starring Ji-Chang Wook and Kim Yoo-jung, Backstreet Rookie centered on the love story between Choi Dae-hyun (Chang-wook), a convenience store manager and Jung Saet-byul (Yoo-jung), his part-time employee. Along with the pair, we were introduced to a bunch of crazy characters that we started to get invested in towards the latter half of the series.

*SPOILERS ALERT* Backstreet Rookie Ep 16 kickstarts from when Dae-hyun finds out that Saet-byul left his family home without revealing her next destination. However, Dae-hyun still finds out eventually thanks to the pair’s matchmaking friends/lovebirds Han Dal-shik (Eum Moon-suk) and Hwang Geum-bi (Seo Ye-hwa). While Dae-hyun confessed that he would wait for her, Saet-byul still had her doubts. Eventually, as one would expect, the two find their way back to each other and live happily ever after, webtoon style! There’s also that almost kiss tease towards the end which we will talk more about in the pointer below.

As Backstreet Rookie reached its end, we look back at five moments from the series finale that left us happy high:

The almost kiss tease

Towards the end of the couple’s reunion, it seems as though we’re finally getting that long-awaited passionate kiss. Alas, what we got was a major tease instead. Breaking halfway through the kiss, Dae-hyun and Saet-byul slyly look at the camera with a smirk and show us a montage of how the story arcs of the other characters end (The cheesy sequences about Dae-hyun’s parents takes the cake!) We’re then brought back to the pair who say their final goodbye to Dae-hyun and Saet-byul and instead, we get Chang-wook and Yoo-jung who proceed to show love to the crew of Backstreet Rookie before saying adios to the viewers. While that kiss was awaited, we still loved this quirky ending too.

Dae-hyun tries and fails spectacularly to be Robert Downey Jr.’s version of Sherlock Holmes

When Dae-hyun finally finds Saet-byul working at a flower factory, the pair is interrupted by a bunch of goons. Dae-hyun asks Saet-byul to pick between two options - a completely different side to Dae-hyun or the man she's always known. Saet-byul, as expected, chooses the former and what we see is Dae-hyun impersonating Robert Downey Jr.’s version of Sherlock Holmes. While he tries to smartly calculate his opponent's attack, he’s hit smack in the face. Eventually, it’s Saet-byul who ends up beating up the goons yet again. We still can’t stop laughing at this hilarious turn of events. That too, it was K2!

Dae-hyun recalls his first meeting with Jung Saet-byul

During their reunion, Dae-hyun proclaims that he will happily wait for Saet-byul to become who she wants to be and then finally be with him. However, as a parting remark, Dae-hyun stumps Saet-byul by telling her that he does remember their first meeting at her father’s Taekwondo class and how it was after Saet-byul thanked him for saving her life that Dae-hyun was inspired to help people. Saet-byul’s lovestruck expression at Dae-hyun’s honest confession was too cute to handle.

Dae-hyun’s mother apologises to Jung Saet-byul

Enough can’t be said about Kim Sun-young’s spectacular act as Gong Boon-hee, Dae-hyun’s mother who had some of the best heartwarming sequences in the series, especially with Saet-byul who she treated as her own daughter. When Saet-byul returns to Dae-hyun’s house to slyly take her GED certificate, she encounters both Boon-hee and Dae-hyun’s father, Choi Yong-pil (Lee Byung-joon). The heartwarming conversation that takes place after with Boon-hee apologising to Saet-byul for what she said and that tearful hug made us all reach for the tissue box.

Dae-hyun provides catharsis to his parents

Finally, it's the dinner table conversation between Dae-hyun and his parents when the former tells them that he wants a life exactly like theirs rather than becoming rich and having a wealthy lifestyle. The look of adoration on the faces of his parents as they realise that they have done good in their lives to have such a noble son is overwhelming.

We'll definitely miss watching Backstreet Rookie!

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What was your favourite moment from Backstreet Rookie? Let us know your views in the comments section below.