The last two episodes of Blood Free feel like a fever dream because the things that happen in the show seem to be further from reality than ever before. The show is simultaneously interesting and a little bit too over the top, which makes for an underwhelming watch. Occasionally, I thought I watched it simply for the cast, but then something interesting happened that steered my interest back into the show. There’s a common thread among Disney+ K-dramas. They start off strong and then fizzle out when things get complicated and the big budget, fancy CGI, and even the massive cast can’t save it anymore. Though Blood Free is not Disney+’s worst K-drama (we all know I’m giving that award to The Impossible Heir), the ending of the series might make it almost as bad. I guess I had high hopes because Han Hyo-Joo’s last collaboration with the streaming giant was such a big hit, but nah, this one’s just not it. Anyway, with all that said, here’s me attempting to recap the last two episodes of the show.
Spoiler Alert
Who was responsible for Azoran?
Episode 9 begins with Chae-Woon meeting with Seonu Jae’s mother and asking her for the truth about what happened at Azoran. She immediately calls up her son to find out if he’s the guy who really sent Chae-Woon to see her. When he confirms it, she tells Chae-Woon that her ex-husband had some incriminating evidence on his phone even before the terrorist attack occurred; however, he gaslighted her into believing that she saw the information after the attack. On the other hand, the PM’s big plan is to use Chae-Woon to take over BF and DORSON and also avenge his grandfather. Maybe that last bit’s just fake.
The ex-president had an incident after hearing back from Chae-Wook, who really attempted to kill him. When his grandson visits him, he thinks it’s Chae-Woon and tells him not to tell his grandson the truth about who attempted to kill him. I guess he wanted to protect his grandson from the truth, but we all know the guy is the one from whom he needs protection. In the meantime, On San meets the sister of the farmer who jumped off a building and landed on top of Ja-Yu’s car in the first episode. He shows her a picture of the runaway engineer and learns that he pretended to be a pastor to force the man to jump from a building. At this point, he’s a serial killer, but he’s smartly disappeared, because he knows when DORSON has no work from him, he will be killed too.
It’s finally been revealed that Kir’s cousin was responsible for the terrorist attack, and he threatened to kill Kir’s family if he didn’t take the fall, as instructed by Seonu Geun. Kir never knew that it was DORSON’s chairperson who was responsible, but all he knew was that he was the richest man in Korea and Kir would be at greater risk in Korea, so he should really keep his mouth shut. Ultimately, Chae-Woon’s suspicion is proven right. He also records the conversation to help the man escape prison (plot-hole number 1).
At BF, group assistant Jung pretends to be dead and uses the broken spoon to threaten her way out of the hidden basement. It makes no sense that she has the strength to hold someone hostage after four days of no food and that much torture, but sure. She then gets into a car while holding Hong hostage and tries to drive out of the building, only for Seo to get the AI system to shut the main gate. Jung rams into the gate (more like a shutter) and ends up with severe head injuries. In the meantime, San tells the media that Ja-Yu will not go ahead with the procedure. This is the first time he’s revealing himself in the media and to the public, and he’s adamant that though they have the system and the organs that Ja-Yu spoke about, he will not allow her to undergo the actual procedure.
Ultimately, the trio of Ja-Yu, San, and Chae-Woon realize that the PM placed Chae-Woon at BF to gather proof about Seonu Geun’s wrongdoings and to take over BF. They also find out the real identity of the engineer. In the meantime, Seonu Jae promises his father samples of BF cultured organs so that DORSON can make them instead, and they’ll basically have the best of both worlds. I don’t get it. Does the PM hate his father or not? Ah, but he’s just using him for his personal gains, alright? Ja-Yu then tells Chae-Woon to go find Kir’s cousin in Dubai. He asks her to promise that she won’t do the surgery before he returns. There’s definitely some romantic tension between these two, but I guess we’ll never get to see it (I bet that would’ve been a more entertaining turn of events).
Episode 9 ends with a limousine full of the best transplant surgeons in the country coming to BF Labs for Ja-Yu. Though she does plan on keeping her promise to Chae-Woon, she’s just getting her research done. At the end of episode 9, with Chae-Woon gone, Seonu Jae decides to do a forced search in BF Labs. He also has some hackers who manage to get into Jang Yongshil’s AI system (now all hell’s breaking loose).
What Happens to Ja-Yu?
Blood Free episode 10 begins with all the doctors enjoying their tour of BF’s AI technology. Seo asks the surgeons to input all their surgical knowledge into the Yongshil system. They’re obviously confused as to how they could put all their hard work into a computer so quick and easy(for some reason, none of them are protesting the fact that BF wants to do human-free surgery). This is when Ja-Yu interferes and tells them that she’s in no hurry for the procedure since it’s her life on the line and all (plot hole 2). Apparently, 10 years of work is enough for the cultured organs and also to impress the surgeons who immediately get to work. In the meantime, San works on his resignation when he’s interrupted by Ja-Yu. She decides to meet the murderer because she realizes that DORSON also doesn’t know where he is, and she can get him on their side.
The guy is camping in a forest alone, but he’s found out by DORSON’s guys soon enough. He gets badly injured by Seonu Geun’s men, but he manages to make it to the location where he’s meant to meet Ja-Yu. This is because Seonu Geun’s guys have driven him there. In the meantime, Seo learns that the AI system is glitching, but when he checks, everything seems fine. Ja-Yu gets driven to the location the murderer calls her to, and San follows her in his car. He’s worried because Chae-Woon isn’t around either. Ja-Yu tells her guards to help the injured man into their car because he asks her to take him to BF so she can save him. I guess she agrees because it’ll help her company, but to no one’s shock, the DORSON guys are there, and they ram into the car with Ja-Yu and the murderer in it.
Does Ja-Yu survive?
However, none of the doctors have input any of their information, and the AI system isn’t fully ready. They have to transplant loads of organs into Ja-Yu because of the impact of the accident. Whatever she had in mind is, well, becoming a reality now. While they’re trying to do the surgery, San also learns that the government-initiated search is about to begin. He locks up the basement so that nobody can interfere with the surgery, plus nobody should know about it since it’s technically illegal activity. Though all the precautions have been taken, Yongshil stops working just in time for some men to enter the building. They’re, of course, sent by the PM too, but illegally. At the same time, Chae-Woon has made it back. He makes it into the building too and tries to beat them all up single-handedly. With the help of everyone in the basement, Chae-Woon somehow manages to stop all the “police” guys trying to “search” the building. While Ja-Yu lies on the surgery table, her chest is open. The murderer ends up giving up on his survival, seeing how the situation’s turned out.
The scene then cuts to the PM doing an interview with a news anchor. It’s all about the allegations against his father and what’s happening at BF currently. Everybody knows Ja-Yu’s on her deathbed at the moment. The PM pretends to support his father and claims that investigations can be done, but his father is innocent and would never have tried to kill his own father-in-law. At the end of the interview, there’s an audio clip of Seonu Geun speaking with assistant Jung. But the new anchor announces that the female voice was AI, and BF is analyzing the male voice to get to the crux of the situation. Basically, the PM wanted his father to be caught so he could take over DORSON (I’m so confused right now, like, why are they using the country’s resources for their family feud?).
He then resigns as the PM of the country, looking righteous and wonderful in the public eye, while his father will go to prison. He then tells his father that he’ll give him the 1000 years he wants to live for, so what’s a few years in prison? Also, it turns out that Seonu Geun attacked the ex-president (on such a large scale) because he wasn’t listening to him anymore after he made him the president of the country (wait, what?!). Like grandfather, like grandson, apparently, because now his own son’s betrayed him too.San then meets up with Jung in the hospital to check if she’s still faking her memory loss. San warns her to look after herself because she might end up like Professor Kim or the engineer. She’s then later seen speaking to the doctor in tears, telling him that she probably lived a very ordinary life—an almost boring life. I guess it’s an implication that she actually does remember everything but is pretending so her life is spared.
Blood Free ends with Seonu Jae as the chairman of DORSON, with all of BF’s research. He’s also informed that Ja-Yu’s dead. Seonu Jae questions the thought of her death, and we then see the kids who hacked into the BF system. They’re all dead in front of their computers, i.e., the PM had them killed for doing his work, obviously. San’s at the prosecutor’s office trying to explain the deaths of all those men at the BF labs. He tells the prosecutor that at first he thought the men were the police, which is why he didn’t report them earlier. He also claims that everyone helped kill those people, except for Ja-Yu, of course, who was on the operating table. He claims that Ja-Yu told him to explain everything to the prosecutor. The episode ends with San seeing that Chae-Woon found the guy who was responsible for the terrorist attack and came back. More importantly, we are taken back inside the BF basement, which is desolate now, but we hear Ja-Yu’s voice asking Yongshil where she is. The scene then cuts to Chae-Woon in bed, opening his eyes.