"Soulmate" Movie 2023 Explained: Love of Friends Transcends Life

This Korean movie showed the heartbreaking reality of losing your true love and soulmate. It depicted how their memories and traces would linger in your life, haunting you with their absence.

"Soulmate" movie ending explained

There are 3 ending versions:

1. Haeun blog’s version

She meets Miso at her university and decides to travel abroad after spending some time together. This is the scene where they have lunch with the older woman. Also, she gives Miso the earrings at the airport, but this never really happens. That’s why Miso finds them later when she is packing Haeun’s clothes.

2. Version Miso told Jin Woo

Miso finds out that Haeun is pregnant when she visits her at her university. Haeun delivers the baby and leaves it for Miso to raise. She then travels the world and lives the life she wants. This is the scene where Haeun takes a taxi and leaves the hospital, but this is also not true.

3. The real version

Haeun dies a few days after giving birth. The scene where they lie on the bed and talk about how much they miss each other is probably real, as well as the scene where Miso tells Haeun that they can raise the baby together and that she will teach her how to flirt.

The rocky relationship between the trio

1. Did Miso and Haeun love each other romantically?

“It felt weird seeing your back as you took off. I realized that I don’t remember seeing your back, because you were always beside me.” (Haeun to Miso)

I think we can see "Soulmate" as a love story, not just a friendship. Their relationship was not sexual but might be because of their situation. Still, their feelings were deep and strong.

As you can see, these two girls who may or may not have hidden romantic feelings for each other shared a love that transcended time, space, and boundaries. They both secretly resented Jinwoo, and how they acted around him changed their lives.

Haeun was a dutiful person for her first 26 years. She left her fiancé who didn't understand or appreciate her. She spent the next nine months drawing Miso, the person who meant the most to her and who got her the most. She wanted to have a life with her friend and her baby. 

Even if Ha-eun wasn't romantically attracted to Miso, I think there was a part of her that wanted to be like her and vice versa. They were two halves of a whole. Their love for each other was amazing.

2. The complex love triangle

Interestingly, Haeun seemed to not really care much about Jin Woo and just did what people expected of her (like her teaching career). Jin Woo clearly liked Miso from the first time they met on the scooter and they had more chemistry, but I liked that Miso’s feelings for him (if she had any) were not stronger than her love for Ha-eun (whether it was romantic or platonic).

It sounded like Jin Woo was drawn to Mi So because she was the adventurous one and Ha-eun was the stable one. Miso had some wounds in her soul, so Jinwoo felt more useful and important to her. He also wanted to help her heal a bit. But he only realized how much he cared for her when he grew up a bit when it was too late and she had left him on their wedding day. 

Jin Woo didn't know anything about Haeun :(

I was also amazed by how well Miso knew Haeun and what she was up to when they saw each other at the fancy hotel restaurant. Miso knew that Haeun had some resentment towards her, even though she had shed tears for her when she left with the musician guy to move to Seoul. How cool and confident she is! No wonder everyone was curious about Miso

3. Why didn't Miso tell Jin Woo about Haeun's death?

It seems to mean that Miso doesn’t want to let go of Haeun. She keeps her alive by writing the blog, finishing the painting, and getting her work exhibited. She lets her experience everything she wants to do. Besides, she may not want Jin Woo to blame himself for Haeun's death (due to pregnancy).

4. Did Miso sleep with Jin Woo?

We don’t know for sure if she did or not. She said she didn’t, but she was very drunk and sad after her lover killed herself. She might not remember if she slept with him or not.

5. Why did she borrow a necklace from Jin Woo (Haeun’s boyfriend)?

I think it was because Jin Woo said that his necklace could protect him from bad luck. Miso wanted to borrow it to stay alive until she was 27.

She said, “You said this kept you alive, I think I need this. I don’t want to die until I’m 27.” Miso was inspired by Janis Joplin, who was her role model. She wanted to live wildly for 10 years and die at 27 like Janis Joplin did.

P/S: If you have time, I recommend watching "Soul Mate," the original Chinese movie too. It gives a relatively different vibe and is great.