Hotel Del Luna is finally closed their business for good.
This drama has been filling up my mind and heart for the past two months. It is an absolute lie if I said that my heart does not long for it anymore after it ended last week. And finally it has come to an end, where everyone worked there were sent off beautifully.
There were few things I wanna touch on the last two episodes of Hotel Del Luna- which in my point of view, resolve every questions I have for the connections between Manwol and Chansung, as well as the back story of Del Cuties. (long writing alert!)
The beautiful ending of ManChan couple and other characters.
The connections between Manwol and Chansung which kinda shook me.
The messages delivered in the ghosts’ stories and also our Manwol
1. The beautiful ending
The ending was perfect- at least for me. Go Chansung is just a normal and weak human being that fell in love with Jang Manwol and he is not someone who has the ability to stop the natural process of living and death. Many said that it was from Chansung’s dream on the night before he went to New York because he hoped to meet again with his love, Jang Manwol. But for me, I would stand on the reincarnation of their next life.
It was an open ending and we are free to express how we would like them to be in the end. They had given us how they are supposed to be now- living happily with big smiles and laughs painted on their face instead of being cold and full of resentment. Is that what we want for them in beginning? Living happily and let go of their painful past. And Hong Sisters gave us that. There’s nothing more I hope from them. It ended in a very amazing note.
It would be feel very uneasy and unusual for me if they created an ending where Manwol didn’t go to the afterlife and stayed with Chansung. I had that thought too in the first place, because of the last Moon flower that bloomed were in Chansung’s. And we knew that Manwol was originally tied to the Moon Tree and expected to leave when the tree produced flowers. She could have just drink the wine again to stay as Hotel Del Luna’s owner, but, Chansung being very rational and gentle towards Manwol, stopped her. He understood that she was, in fact, a dead person and supposed to go where she was supposed to be now- the afterlife.
His deep and devoted love towards Manwol was unbeatable, was bigger than any love he has for his entire life.
2. The Connections
For me honestly, Chansung was originally meant for Manwol. At first, I just thought he was sent there to help Manwol to relieve her resentment. I never thought him as Chunmyeong even though there were like resemblances were too much. I had a thought for a while that he was Yeonwoo, but in the end, he was the merchant’s son who saved her while she was dying in the wild.
Even in the younger days, Chansung was meant to save Manwol. And it lasted for a long time until the next 1300 years later. Manwol was choosen by Mago to become the owner of the Guest House of Moon at her self-fight to stay alive. As said by Magos before, they were just throwing choices at humans, and they were the ones to make the decision. Chansung’s father wanted to leave but Chansung saved her and gave her the scarf which had been with her for a long time.
Chansung’s was there with Manwol all the time.
Another connection that I was kinda shocked, but it is not a confirmed theory and it is entirely my guts and feelings. We knew that Manwol never took pictures before with her manager or the hotel workers and it were all meaningless meetings for her. Somehow, I feel like Chansung in the previous life might have become the manager for the guest house too. We saw how Mago sent Chansung to Manwol’s Inn in Joseon Dynasty to find the Moon Flowers but he ended up helping Manwol from the beggar Mago, and stopped her from gambling. He was the one who suggested Manwol to have the hobby of gourmet touring, but Mago actually twisted her memories that it was not Chansung.
He was given the chance to stay there with Manwol and became her 85th human steward. If he made a choice to stay there and be by Manwol’s side, he would just a meaningless 85th human steward and all her memories of Go Chansung as 99th human manager in current life would be erased. It was either way and Chansung didn’t want to be just a normal human to Manwol.
When Manwol said that a young man came to her and saved her from gambling, it could actually be Go Chansung too. Or other managers that she has mentioned before. The little Chansung could have died and reincarnated into few life before he came as Go Chansung who fell in love with Jang Manwol.
It was ambiguous but their connection was deeper than ever.
3. The Messages Delivered
It is very clear that the messages they want to deliver through this drama are to live well and leave in a good way. Hotel Del Luna served services to comfort scarred souls and helped them to fulfill whatever wishes they have which they couldn’t do during their lives. It was enticing to watch each of the ghost solved their wishes with the help of Jang Manwol and the weak-heart Go Chansung.
At first, we were presented with ill-tempered Jang Manwol, and very selfish Go Chansung. Manwol who has been there for 1300 years had developed a very bad behavior and Go Chansung who ran away everywhere to avoid her changed over the time. She was once a very cold, nasty, rude, materialistic woman changed because of the weak Chansung. And he was once a show off Harvard graduate, hated ghosts and perfectionist changed because of the weird Manwol. Over the time, they didn’t realize that they were actually touched by each other’s action, protecting each other, and became a soft-hearted person because of each other.
This bring the message where human could be change by the things we don’t even notice. We thought that it would something that would pass very quickly but instead it left an immense impression in our heart. That’s how I think how Manwol viewed Chansung in the first place. The same goes with him, he said he would work there for a short time, but now, he’s not leaving the world Manwol has created for him to keep the promise.
Another thing I love about this drama was they touched on how we have to let go of some thing we thought we couldn’t let go. It was hard, tiring and difficult enough to even think of it, but when it comes to the time to let go, we have to let go. I am so happy that Hong Sisters didn’t stick to the ‘cliche’ happy ending but it was still a happy ending for all of them. Go Chansung, on the other hand, might appeared very pitiful and sad to the audience as he still living in the world of ghost, but remember, it was all his own decision.
Which shows us that he actually has moved on. He supported Manwol to go to the afterlife, knowing that it was very tough and hurtful to live as a dead person in the world, even they are together. Even so, he would keep the memories, the only thing he has now about Manwol until the end of his life.
Thus, for me, it was a drama full of surprises and beautiful messages that we could remember as we living now. I don’t need the sequel or Season 2, it was enough for me to know that both of them are going to meet again in the next life. As what Mago said at the end of Hotel Del Luna:
“Feeling sad and dissapointed is only natural when witnessing disappearances. When a flower withers away, just like it dreams of new blossom, you’ll live, meet and love again. I hope that is the answer you two, an arrogant, foolish yet beautiful lovers, have chosen.” - Mago
Till we meet again Jang Manwol and Go Chansung. Goodbye.
