The series opens with Seo Dong-ju drifting unconscious in the open sea, wearing an expensive watch, establishing a mysterious and dangerous situation. The scene then shifts to a parliamentary hearing on energy affairs where Heo Il Do, president of Daesan Energy, testifies. Seo Dong-ju watches the hearing with a cryptic expression and secretly communicates with Yeom Jang Seon, a shadowy power broker, indicating his involvement in a political slush fund scheme.

Seo Dong-ju is introduced as the head of Public Affairs at Daesan Group, appearing loyal but secretly ambitious and calculating. He hacks into a two-trillion-won political slush fund to save himself from threats within the company. This hacking marks the start of his dangerous game of survival and power plays, as he maneuvers through corporate intrigue and betrayal.

Dong-ju's position is threatened when it is revealed that Dong Ju (a different character with the same name) is related by blood to the Daesan family, potentially claiming a stake in the company. Seo Il Do, who has tried to kill Dong Ju multiple times, feels guilt and attempts to make amends. In a critical scene, Seo Il Do saves Dong Ju from an attack but dies in the process. Before dying, Seo Il Do asks Dong Ju to scatter his ashes at sea, the place where their conflict and reconciliation occurred.

Dong Ju's relationship with Seo Il Do is complex, marked by betrayal and attempts at redemption. Seo Il Do's death softens Dong Ju's grievance against him, adding emotional depth to their conflict.

Meanwhile, Dong-ju (Seo Dong-ju) continues to consolidate power by secretly imprisoning Yeom Jang Seon, the shadowy power broker, in a hidden room behind the chairman's vault. Dong-ju sedates Jang Seon and confines him in a small storage room filled with cash and gold bars. Dong-ju demands Jang Seon's entire fortune, asserting his dominance. Jang Seon, however, expresses a desire to die in his own home, highlighting his tragic downfall.

Bo-yeon, Jang Seon's wife, dismisses Gu-ho, who was searching for Jang Seon, and reveals she is moving and converting their house into a kindergarten. She shares a photo of herself with young Dong-ju and speaks about Dong-ju's mother, emphasizing her goodness despite desperate circumstances.

Throughout the series, Dong-ju's hacking of the political slush fund and his ruthless ambition drive the plot. He navigates betrayals, power struggles, and personal vendettas within the Daesan Group, proving himself far more capable and ruthless than expected.

In the climax, Chairman Yeom's own misdeeds are exposed when he unknowingly admits to crimes while being recorded by a drone, leading to his downfall. This moment turns the tables on his search for the Dandelion Files, a key element in the power struggle.

The series ends with Dong Ju holding power but burdened by the cost of his actions, Seo Il Do's death, and the imprisonment of Jang Seon, leaving a complex web of ambition, betrayal, and survival within the Daesan Group.

Short, Simple Narrative of the Ending

In the finale of Buried Hearts, Seo Dong-ju finally achieves his revenge by imprisoning his enemy, Yeom Jang-seon, in a secret vault, but the victory leaves him emotionally hollow. He scatters his father's ashes at sea, fulfilling a final wish, but feels no peace. Meanwhile, Seon-u, in a shocking act, kills Taeyun, throwing the family into chaos. Dong-ju, now president of Daesan, gives the vault password to Eun-nam, hinting she may take control, then leaves on a solitary journey. The fates of the main characters remain unresolved, with the chairman senile, Seon-u in charge, and Eun-nam left behind, painting a future she may never share with Dong-ju.

Expanded, Chronological, Scene-by-Scene Narrative of the Ending

The final episode of Buried Hearts opens with Seo Dong-ju jolting awake from a nightmare in which Yeom Jang-seon shoots him. He is visibly shaken, clutching a pistol beneath his bed, a physical reminder of the violence that has defined his life. Heo Il-do, his father's old associate, enters and urges Dong-ju to dispose of the hidden firearms, warning that they nearly cost him his life. Dong-ju, still tense, leaves his apartment and visits a burger shop, purchasing food to bring to the chairman's office. Outside, Cheon Gu-ho, Jang-seon's right-hand man, watches him from a car, a silent witness to the shifting power dynamics.

Inside the chairman's office, Cha Gang-cheon sits with Dong-ju and Choi Gi-hyeon. The atmosphere is strained. The chairman mentions Jang-seon's expected presence at Dong-ju's official appointment, but Choi counters that Jang-seon has been missing for weeks, with rumors circulating online that he may have been eliminated by rivals. The conversation is tense, with unspoken threats lingering beneath the surface.

The narrative then reveals the truth about Jang-seon's fate: he is not dead, but imprisoned in a secret vault, a prisoner of Dong-ju's elaborate revenge. This act is both cruel and calculated, a punishment that strips Jang-seon of his freedom and power without ending his life. Dong-ju's actions are driven by a complex mix of anger, betrayal, and longing, but the completion of his revenge leaves him emotionally empty. He does not find the closure or satisfaction he expected.

In a quiet, melancholic scene, Dong-ju scatters his father's ashes into the sea, fulfilling Il-do's last request. The act is solemn, the waves carrying away the physical remains of a man whose legacy has shaped Dong-ju's path. Yet, this moment of ritual does not bring Dong-ju peace. He sits by the water, holding the same gun his father once used to shoot him, and the camera lingers on his hollow expression. The implication is strong that he contemplates taking his own life, but the show does not provide a definitive answer. The memory of Jang-seon's wife, who once urged Dong-ju to live in honor of his mother, lingers as a possible counterweight to his despair.

Meanwhile, the family drama reaches a tragic climax. Seon-u, in a sudden and brutal act, pushes Taeyun off a wall to his death. Taeyun, who never wanted to be part of the family business and only sought his grandfather's love, dies instantly. Deok-hee, Taeyun's mother, is driven to madness by grief, while Guk-hee, another family member, is left confused and saddened. Dong-ju remains unaware of Taeyun's death as he prepares to leave Daesan.

Dong-ju's relationship with Eun-nam, which once seemed to offer emotional support, ends on a note of separation. Instead of a romantic reconciliation, Dong-ju gives Eun-nam the password to the vault--a key to the final piece of his revenge and, symbolically, to the future of Daesan. Eun-nam, realizing the gravity of what he has done, does not stop him. She drops him off as he prepares to sail away, mirroring a painting she once made of a yacht on the sea. This time, the painting shows two figures, a silent hope for a future together that may never come to pass. Eun-nam asks Dong-ju to return, if only for a little while, but he leaves without promise.

In a mid-credit scene, Ji Yeong-su and Seon-u pose for a portrait with Chairman Cha, a visual representation of the new order at Daesan. Guk-hei is shown in her office, Deok-hei lies sick in a hospital bed, consumed by grief, and Eun-nam continues to paint, her art a silent testament to the emotional scars left by the family's conflicts.

The chairman, once a powerful patriarch, is now senile and largely irrelevant to the company's future. Seon-u, having eliminated Taeyun, is effectively in control, though the stability of his rule is uncertain. Dong-ju, having achieved his revenge, is left adrift, emotionally scarred and without a clear purpose. Eun-nam, though given a measure of power with the vault password, is left behind, her future uncertain.

The finale is marked by unresolved tensions and open-ended fates. The story suggests the possibility of a larger family conflict to come, with Seon-u at the helm and Eun-nam holding a key to the company's secrets. The emotional arcs of the characters--Dong-ju's hollowness, Eun-nam's hope, Seon-u's ruthlessness, Deok-hei's grief, and the chairman's decline--are left hanging, the drama's central conflicts unresolved but vividly etched in the final frames.

Fate of Each Main Character at the End

• Seo Dong-ju: Achieves his revenge by imprisoning Jang-seon, becomes president of Daesan, but is emotionally hollow and contemplates suicide. He leaves the company and Eun-nam, sailing away alone, his future uncertain.
• Yeom Jang-seon: Imprisoned in a secret vault by Dong-ju, alive but stripped of power and freedom.
• Eun-nam: Given the vault password by Dong-ju, symbolically entrusted with the future of Daesan. She is left behind, painting a hopeful future that may never come, and asks Dong-ju to return.
• Seon-u: Kills Taeyun in a shocking act, takes control of Daesan, and is shown in a portrait with the chairman, signaling his rise to power.
• Taeyun: Killed by Seon-u, his death driving his mother to madness and leaving the family in chaos.
• Deok-hei: Driven to madness and hospitalized by grief over Taeyun's death.
• Guk-hei: Shown in her office, confused and saddened by the family's collapse.
• Chairman Cha: Senile and largely irrelevant, his legacy overtaken by the next generation.
• Heo Il-do: His final wish--the scattering of his ashes--is fulfilled by Dong-ju, but his relationship with Dong-ju remains unresolved.

The ending leaves the audience with a sense of melancholy and anticipation, the characters' fates hanging in the balance, their conflicts unresolved, and the possibility of future turmoil strongly implied.

After Jang-sun is placed on house arrest instead of police custody, he disappears mysteriously between the police station and his house. A month passes with no sign of him, and the investigation is suspended. It is later revealed that Dong-joo hijacked the car that night, injected Jang-sun with a needle, and drove off into the fog with him, but the exact fate of Jang-sun remains unknown at that point.

Chairman Cha's dementia diagnosis is revealed publicly by Jang-sun with help from Sun-woo's mother, which causes Daesan's stock to plummet. This leads Chairman Cha to let Dong-joo handle securing investors to prevent Jang-sun from buying up all the shares. As Chairman Cha's memory declines, he decides to turn himself in for ordering Il-do's murder, implicating Jang-sun as well, which escalates the conflict between the characters.

Dong-joo and Seo Il Do have a complicated relationship marked by betrayal and attempts at redemption. Seo Il Do feels deep guilt for trying to kill Dong-joo multiple times and ultimately sacrifices himself to save Dong-joo, dying in the process. Before his death, Seo Il Do asks Dong-joo to scatter his ashes at sea, symbolizing his repentance. This act helps soothe Dong-joo's grievances against him to some extent.

Eunnam is a character whose motivations and actions are controversial. She chooses revenge over honesty and love, betraying Dong-joo and others. Her redemption arc is seen as unearned and inconsistent, with critics noting a lack of emotional payoff and flat acting during key moments. Despite her manipulative and vengeful behavior, the story attempts to portray her sympathetically, which some viewers find unconvincing.

Dong-joo's arc is considered the most coherent. He endures multiple personal tragedies, including the deaths of his birth mother, adoptive mother, and adoptive sister, as well as betrayals by loved ones. His decision to leave at the end is seen as earned and realistic. However, a controversial moment is a kiss with Eunnam after she betrays him, which some viewers felt undermined the emotional impact of his departure.