Welcome to Samdalri K Drama 2023 Episode 16 with Ji Chang Wook and Shin Hye Sun

Episode 16 of Welcome to Samdal-ri begins with all the reporters realizing they’ve been duped by Sam-dal as they’re taken over to the Meteorology Department. While all the reporters wait outside, the Squad are en-route and they surround them, with Mi-ja leading the charge. With the Jomnyeo Squad holding the front and keeping the reporters in check, Mi-ja and the others sneak in round the back and prep for the exhibition.

It works a treat, and as the Squad drive away, the Meteorology Department receive the news that the exhibition has been cancelled. Sang-do shows up with his squad and they put pressure on Chung-gi to spill the beans over his plan to help Sam-dal. With sunglasses on, the gang play the tough guys and take him outside the hotel, accusing him of bribery. And just like that, he admits to Eun-ju’s charges and, unfortunately for him, it’s all recorded by a lawyer who’s waiting round the corner.

Does Eun-ju get her comeuppance?

With the recording in place, the news breaks of Eun-ju’s abuse of power. The scales tip, Eun-ju’s career starts tumbling down around her, and news breaks of her true illegal sponsorship and what sort of woman she is. She’s shocked, and as all of this comes out, Sam-dal sees a flood of messages come in over how these people have always known Sam-dal was innocent. These chameleons fly the same way as the wind and Sam-dal takes it all with a pinch of salt.

However, with the reporters having left and gone to focus on other things, Sam-dal embraces her home town and decides to set up her exhibition. As fate would have it, all the reporters minus a couple hang about – including the infamous Reporter An. This is the guy who wrote scandalous articles about Sam-dal earlier in the show. Yong-pil tells him to focus on the exhibition – and he does just that.

When Reporter An shows up and sees all the work, along with the community spirit, he’s moved. The entire exhibition has a wonderful theme and there are some great photos. Seeing these and their origin makes for a beautifully touching watch. Sam-dal finally combines her photography skills with embracing her hometown, and it all comes together in this amazing celebration. And naturally, he writes a really nice article about her exhibition.

After, Sang-do speaks to Sam-dal and she realizes that he’s the one who was sending her all those bouquets of flowers in Seoul, addressed from “Bu”. When she questions him about her being the one he loves, he brushes it off and claims that it’s not her. It’s a nice way of showing that he’s starting to move on and also shield her from any unnecessary heartache.

What happens between Hae-dal and Ha-yul?

Meanwhile, Hae-dal decides she’s going to embrace her swimming again and look into diving. She doesn’t want Ha-yul to make decisions because of her. As they discuss what she’d be like growing up, potentially hanging out with a boyfriend, Hae-dal and Ji-chan cutely contemplate getting together in a relationship.

The thing is, they get along so well and Ha-yul knows this too. She even snapped a photo of them together at the Center and she ends up drawing it that evening. Mi-ja sees all of this and realizes there’s something going on here. That night, Hae-dal speaks to Ha-yul about her dream to be a swimmer. It’s here it becomes clear that Ha-yul only drew this because she wants to try and live in her mother’s image and give her what she couldn’t achieve herself.

Hae-dal speaks to her plainly, admitting that she chose to quit because she loved her a lot more than swimming. Hae-dal tells her daughter to achieve her own dreams and go for what she wants to do, while Hae-dal is going to do the same thing herself.

And just like that, Hae-dal decides she’s going to start swimming again and asks her mum to help teach her to dive.

Do Dae-young and Jin-dal get together?

Meanwhile, Dae-young sleeps in the car after spotting a cockroach in the motel. Jin-dal rings, contemplating his love confession, and he races out to meet her. She’s eating alone and drinking soju. She admits she was worried that he’d fall for her again and that much has happened between them. She wants him to be the president of AS Group and leave, given Mi-ja is against the theme park construction.

Dae-young though decides to ask her what her feelings are. Instead, she just decides to drink constantly… and Dae-young tries to catch up. In their drunken state, Jin-dal admits that she’s in love but she won’t suffer again. In the morning, they both end up at the motel, where they kiss and end up in bed together. “Right now my mind’s not working, let’s talk tomorrow,” Dae-young though decides that maybe they should just embrace their feelings for one another, chip off AS Group completely and just love one another.

Does Yong-pil head off for the WMO?

Yong-pil continues to decline his opportunity to leave for the WMO in Switzerland. When Sam-dal realizes just how big an opportunity it is, she contemplates how to handle this with Yong-pil. In fact, she learned about this beforehand during the art gallery exhibition, having seen the paper stuffed away in the trunk. Now though, she speaks to him that evening and, holding his hand, speaks to him about opportunities and regrets. Sam-dal doesn’t fear anything now thanks to him and she believes he should go for it.

We then jump forward two years later. Sam-dal gets up with all her friends. Eun-bi and Gyeong-tae are now a couple, even after not being able to speak for the first six months of being together give he was so tongue-tied!

Over on Jeju Island Hae-dal is part of the Haenyeo Group, while Dae-young and Jin-dal are now married again. She’s working as a flight attendant and the pair are married. Remember Kim Man-Su from the convenience store? It turns out he’s actually a really famous Prince and has been hiding out all this time! Who would have known!

Back in Seoul, the photoshoot is in disarray and Sam-dal needs a model pronto. Well, despite only speaking once it turns out she shows up. It’s Kim Tae-hee, who’s a great actress! Anyway she jumps on being their model and she notices how at peace Sam-dal looks now. It turns out Tae-hee actually sent her some stuff to try and reassure her but Sam-dal missed it, believing Seoul was just full of hate. In reality, there were still people in the mainland that loves her.

How does Welcome to Samdal-ri end?

Speaking of love though, Yong-pil hasn’t been reading her texts lately. As they approach Christmas time, Sam-dal prepares to leave to meet him in a month. But why is he unreachable? Well, it turns out he’s shown up early to see her. And he even passes Hae-dal and Ji-chan on the way, telling them it’s going to snow. And just like that, it does!

As the episode closes out, Yong-pil shows up in Seoul and claims it’s going to snow on Jeju Island. It’s just like before, with Yong-pil forced out and restrained from the microphone, while his seniors over on Jeju Island smile. And Sang-tae is also smiling too, having made peace with his grief and finally spending time with Pan-sik, as they eat together. And Hae-dal is even diving with the other ladies too!

The Episode Review

Welcome to Samdal-ri bows out with a wonderful finale, one that rounds out all of the little subplots and storylines in a really satisfying way. There’s a great focus on Hae-dal and Jin-dal’s subplots too, and thankfully they both get some closure in their respective angles. The way the Hae-dal/Mi-ja/Ha-yul and Ji-chan plot is wrapped up works so well in the context of the story and there’s a lot of layers to this that helps it work well.

Likewise, seeing Jin-dal and Dae-young embrace their true feelings and not be swayed by company politics or anything of the like is a nice way of showing how love can overcome these superficial things.

The real love story here though is Yong-pil and Sam-dal, who are clearly soulmates and destined to be together forever. It’s a nice way of bringing some closure to their story, especially as they both achieve their own dreams and maintain a healthy relationship, even if it is tricky with it being long-distance for the pair.

The rest of the story interweaves around all of this, and seeing Sam-dal embrace her community and hometown is something that echoes a little of what Hometown Cha Cha Cha did so well with several years back. All in all though , this has been a thoroughly enjoyable watch and a wonderful way to round out the story.