This post does not contain ending spoilers
This may be an unpopular opinion — with so many people cheering on Nabi x Jae Eon or Nabi x Do Hyeok — but it’s actually okay if Nabi ended up alone in “Nevertheless.”
In the series, Nabi recently got out of a toxic relationship. Her ex-boyfriend tried to dominate her, manipulated her, and even cheated on her. She then meets Jae Eon, who is known to be a player with commitment issues, and she ends up starting a “friends with benefits” kind of relationship with him — despite Nabi initially wanting to have a serious relationship. Problems arise more when her childhood friend, who has feelings for her, becomes part of the picture.
There are too many men in Nabi’s life. But what Nabi really needs is self-love and self-respect; she needs to grow her own wings — just like a real butterfly — on her own. Nabi needs to understand her value without affirmation from another person. She doesn’t need to feel perfect, she just needs to feel whole — Nabi just needs to feel like her own person, like Nabi.
The thing is, endings where the female lead ends up with no one or an ending where the female and male lead don’t end up together, are not exactly sad endings. If there’s growth, if both of them ends up learning from each other and, in turn, become better people, then — in reality — it’s actually a realistic ending as the beginning of healing can be a bridge to a better, if not always happy, ending.
Closing a door and letting go when you’re not yet ready and taking time to heal (whether it takes months or years) to understand yourself is a form of bravery.
Nabi and Jae Eon don’t need to end up together for them to be happy. Nabi and Do Hyeok also don’t need to be the end game for either party to be happy. A person’s happiness should not rely on another person. You don’t look for a partner because you’re lonely. You, yourself, need to feel “whole” before entering a relationship. Whether these three meet different people one day or either of them ending up seeing each other again after some time, such endings would have been better if they were given enough time to heal as this gives them a chance to work on their existing traumas, forgive, and, again, be “whole” — to prevent the possibility of breaking up due to unresolved conflict.
“Nevertheless” may not be about how Jae Eon is “misunderstood” or how Nabi is easily swayed. Maybe these characters are not meant to be understood, maybe, as viewers, we’re not supposed to make excuses for their actions — especially when they’re clearly wrong. Instead, maybe we should understand that they’re not perfect, that there are people who went through the same situation, and what’s important is if they will change for the better or not — without excusing their past actions while learning forgive their present selves.
We sometimes get so scared of the word “alone,” but it’s not actually terrifying once you’ve learned to love yourself.
The series ended tonight. What are your thoughts about tonight’s finale?