My Perfect Stranger ending explained - Can Hae-Joon bridge the gap between 1987 and 2021?

While My Perfect Stranger might pull you in with its swoon-worthy romance and heart-fluttering moments, it has an intriguing science fiction plot as well. This genre-bending element throws a captivating wrench into the narrative, taking the story far beyond that of a typical rom-com. It compels viewers to not only root for the blossoming love story but also to piece together the puzzle of time-travel mysteries.

My Perfect Stranger plot

Released in 2023, this K-drama dives into the extraordinary tale of two strangers who meet through a twist of fate: a time warp. Yoo Hae-Joon, a sharp news anchor, finds himself ripped from reality and is taken back to the unfamiliar year of 1987 through a spooky tunnel. There, he encounters Baek Yoon-Young, an ordinary office worker who is also trapped in the same year as him. Despite their differences, the duo tries their level best to find a way to get back to the present (2021).

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What does the ending reveal?

When Hae-Joon and Yoon-Young can't find a way to escape from the past, Yoon-Young asks Hae-Joon how he stumbled upon the time machine (a car) in the first place. The mystery deepens when Hae-Joon reflects on the strange voice inside the time machine that constantly echoed that only they can fix everything. While wondering who that could be, the writer surprisingly exhibits a mysterious figure, revealing the truth that it was his voice while standing in front of them.

When Hae-Joon asks why and how he did this, the man instantly reveals that it was he who kept the time machine under the tunnel because he wanted his parents, who are Hae-Joon and Yoon-Yong themselves, to solve the mysterious and unresolved murder case that occurred in 1987 and help the police catch the killer. The killer is actually his grandfather, Hae-Joon’s father.

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The ending is reasonably satisfying

My Perfect Stranger paints Yeon-Woo as the murderer who left a trail of destruction throughout his lifetime by killing innocent people one after another. He can easily be called a psychopath and a serial killer who has no sense of sympathy. The not-so-surprising part is that even if Yeon-Woo had not been in Hae-Joon’s life as his father, it would not have affected him, and he would not have felt any loss.

In fact, it's really inspiring to see that Hae-Joon raised his son quite well without his grandfather Yeon-Woo’s influence in his life. While the story effectively contrasts the paths that Yeon-Woo and Hae-Joon chose despite similar circumstances, why they showed such differences is not answered by the writers. And for that, it remains puzzling. However, considering the murder mystery to be a less important aspect of the drama, the happy ending between Hae-Joon and Yoon-Young seems like a satisfactory conclusion.

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