My Lovely Boxer (2023) Episode 12 (Final Episode)

Episode 12 of My Lovely Boxer starts with Sang-cheol and a team of Mr. Kim’s enforcers abducting Tae-young from the boxing match venue. They take him to an old warehouse, which also happens to be their hideout. Mr. Kim tells Tae-young that he will only kill him if Kwon-sook wins the match. Tae-young tells him to get it over with since Kwon-sook will win. Soon after, the men bring in Chul-yong. 

Meanwhile, Kwon-sook gets ready to enter the ring. A-ra’s fans cheer on Kwon-sook, Yeon-kyung is also among the audience. Her colleagues from Hadong Kindergarten, including Jae-min, are running to get their seats. The reports are nervous as they wait for the match to begin. 

Who wins the match between Kwon-sook and A-reum?

Kwon-sook is the first to enter the ring, and he notices Tae-young missing from the audience. Kwon-sook is nervous as A-reum enters the arena next. Chul-yong then arrives at the arena.

Kwon-sook loses focus since Tae-young is still not in the audience. She gets knocked out and almost does not get up until she hears Tae-young’s voice in her father’s command to get up.

The match continues for five rounds, and Kwon-sook is unable to break through A-reum’s defense. She begs her father to tell her how to defeat her. She is desperate and wants to win.

Chul-yong tries to talk her out of the desire to win to save Tae-young, but he remembers Tae-young’s plea. Kwon-sook wants to win the match, and he should help her. He finally gives her a strategy to get through A-reum’s defense and possibly knock her out. 

In round six, A-reum is saved by the bell from Kwon-sook’s punch. The match is in round 9, and Kwon-sook lands an excellent punch on A-reum, making her lose balance. The final round begins and the test is about who will remain standing in the ring. Both A-reum and Kwon-sook are determined to give it their all until the end. The judges’ decision will decide the winner, and A-reum wins. Kwon-sook hugs A-reum before leaving the ring. 

What happens to Tae-young and Chul-yong? 

Chul-yong realizes that Tae-young has involved Kwon-sook in match-fixing. Tae-young pleads with Mr Kim to let Chul-yong go and not meddle with the match. Mr Kim holds that the stakes for this match are the highest, and if it goes as he wants it to, not only will Tae-young be able to settle his debt, but he will also earn some extra cash. 

Mr. Kim tells Chul-yong to go to the arena and tells Kwon-sook that if she wins, he will kill Tae-young. She needs to get knocked down a few times too, since winning by decision is risky. He tells his men to escort Chul-yong out. 

Chul-yong does not tell Kwon-sook about Tae-young’s predicament and instead starts helping Kwon-sook break through A-reum’s defense. Mr. Kim’s men pull Chul-yong aside to remind him to lose the match or Tae-young will die. He arrogantly tells them to go and tell her if they dare. 

Back at the warehouse, Tae-young and Mr. Kim are watching the match, and he realizes that Kwon-sook has not been informed of the impending death if she wins.

Mr. Kim asks Tae-young if his life is worth a mere championship belt, but Tae-young tells him it is not about the belt. Mr. Kim wants to know the reason, but Tae-young tells him he will never understand the reason why they will never listen to him. While this is going on, Chul-yong knocks out Mr. Kim’s enforcers following him around and calls the police. 

Mr. Kim is happy about Kwon-sook losing, but he still wants to kill Tae-young since he betrayed him during the process. He holds a gun to Tae-young’s face. The police arrive at the hideout, and a gunshot is heard inside. The police arrive and find Tae-young lying on the floor.

What happens to Kwon-sook after the match?

Kwon-sook finds her father waiting in her dressing room and asks about Tae-young. Chul-yong tells her that Tae-young has left. Kwon-sook wants to go looking for Tae-young, but Ho-hoong tells her that she cannot, especially now that she lost. Ho-hoong tells her to wait until Tae-young contacts her, but she is afraid he never will. Ho-hoong reminds her that he promised Tae-young to make sure Kwon-sook is not mixed up in the problem.

Kwon-sook talks to the reporters after the match. She sincerely tells her she hates boxing and that the match with A-reum was her last. She wants to live peacefully but is still thankful she came back. She met people who are dear to her due to the sports she hates.

Later, as Kwon-sook bids the ring goodbye, Tae-young appears but leaves before Kwon-sook can get to him. Chul-yong prevents Kwon-sook from running after Tae-young. He implores her to let him go since he did his best for Kwon-sook. 

Is Chairman Nam Hyun-ki/ Kim O-bok arrested for match rigging? 

One year later, the police invade Mr. Kim’s restaurant when he is having a meal with his assistant, Sang-cheol. He tells the police to give him a chance to finish up his meal before they arrest him. The police arrest Chairman Nam Hyun-ki, AKA Mr. Kim O-bok and a police officer watching at a distance tells Tae-young that everything is over now. He thanks him for his cooperation.

What happens to Tae-young after the arrest? 

The court sentence Tae-young to four months in prison and ten months’ probation since he helped the police arrest the ring members.

How does My Lovely Boxer end? 

Kwon-sook wakes up early to go for her morning run. She then goes to clean the boxing ring and get ready for the day’s lesson with the kids. She joins A-ra to watch Ho-hoong training with Chul-yong for his comeback match after five years. Ho-hoong and A-ra are also in a relationship. 

Elsewhere, A-reum continues to train, and Coach Song has more boxing students. Jae-min joins Soo-yeon’s agency as an agent. Sun-jae of Sports & Passion promises to work hard to ensure that other agencies do not steal the athletes signed by Tae-young as their contracts end. Young-joo and Ye-joon visit Hee-won’s burial site, and Ye-joon realizes that Tae-young has visited the site recently. 

Kwon-sook is overjoyed when the messages she has been sending Tae-young are finally read. That day, during her morning run, she runs into Tae-young, who is waiting for her. He gives her a lollipop, but she asks for a kiss. He says he cannot think of a better place to be than right here, in front of her. They hold hands and walk along the path as cherry flowers fall in the spring. 

The Episode Review

The final episode of My Lovely Boxer is nerve-wracking to watch, especially with the suspense of who wins the match between A-reum and Kwon-sook. The episode twist where A-reum is pronounced the winner is so unexpected making the series unpredictable until the last episode.

The villains are arrested, which is predictable but also quite satisfying. The series provides a look at the aftermaths of everyone’s life after one year. Hence, there are neither cliffhangers nor plot holes. The main characters get their happy ending as they find their way back to each other.