'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On April 19 and 20, Heavenly Ever After's episodes 1 and 2 premiered on Netflix. In the series, the apparent 50-year age gap between Lee Hae-suk and her husband Ko Nak-jun is a narrative choice that explores themes of love, identity, and aging in the afterlife.
Nak-jun, who died earlier, chooses to appear in his 30s in heaven, while Hae-suk, who passed at 80, keeps her elderly look. It's because he once said she was most beautiful in her later years.
The K-drama opened with two loan collectors knocking on a door. Lee Hae-suk (played by Kim Hye-ja) answered and claimed to be the mother of Jang Gi-hwan, the borrower.
Trending
She said he wasn’t home and used psychological tactics to make them leave. However, Hae-suk was actually a loan shark herself, there to collect money from Gi-hwan.
Inside, Gi-hwan was asleep. Hae-suk entered and hit him to wake him up. She was joined by her assistant, Lee Yeong-ae (played by Lee Jung-eun). Hae-suk then used knives to intimidate Gi-hwan, and he eventually handed over the money.
Heavenly Ever After episode 1: Why is Lee Hae-suk a loan shark?
Heavenly Ever After episode 1 continued with Hae-suk and Yeong-ae at a local market. While returning, they ran into a few old borrowers from whom Hae-suk had once reclaimed her dues.
Back home, Hae-suk told her husband, the older Ko Nak-jun (played by Park Woong), that she would make his meal. He had been bedridden ever since a tragic accident left him paralyzed at a young age. Before hitting thirty, she had turned to lending money to keep him alive and manage the household.
Later, Hae-suk and Yeong-ae visited a borrower’s house — he had passed away, and it was the day of his funeral. Yeong-ae hesitated, saying it wasn’t the right time to collect debt. However, Hae-suk shared her own struggles that how she had used her insurance payout to become a lender after her husband's accident, and how hard she had worked since.
Hae-suk then walked inside and spoke to a grieving woman. The woman handed her the money, and Hae-suk offered a condolence gift in return. The woman threw both sums away and told Hae-suk she should be ashamed of herself.
She cursed Hae-suk, wishing her to go to hell. Hae-suk quietly took the money and left. On the metro, she asked Yeong-ae if heaven and hell were real. Yeong-ae said good people go to heaven and bad ones to hell.
Hae-suk said she’d end up in hell, but Yeong-ae disagreed, saying Hae-suk had been kind to her. A flashback showed Hae-suk giving Yeong-ae’s father money and signing a paper that said if he didn’t repay her, she’d take Yeong-ae—who had suffered abuse from him.
How did Lee Hae-suk's husband, Ko Nak-jun, die in the Heavenly Ever After episode 1?
Heavenly Ever After episode 1 saw Hae-suk and Yeong-ae return home. That night, Hae-suk dreamed of the afterlife and feared being parted from her husband, Nak-jun. She woke up, quietly walked to his room, and slept holding his hand.
The next morning, a woman visited, saying she was struggling and wanted to enter the money-lending business. Hae-suk refused her request. Later, Hae-suk brought flowers to Nak-jun.
He gently told her she looked most beautiful now, even in her eighties. She reflected on his words and chose to visit a church, hoping that prayer might help both of them find peace in the next life.
While there, Hae-suk fell asleep and dreamed of a man in traditional robes trying to take Nak-jun away. She thought he had died. In the dream, their cat Sonya jumped in to protect Nak-jun, and Hae-suk woke up in a panic and rushed home.
Nak-jun was still asleep, but Sonya had died. Hae-suk buried the cat and placed a cross on the spot, thanking her for her sacrifice. Nak-jun never woke up, and Hae-suk grieved in silence.
Heavenly Ever After episode 1: Lee Hae-suk also died, mourning her husband's death
The main female lead, devastated by her husband's loss, stopped taking her medication in the Heavenly Ever After episode 1. Life moved on, and she continued visiting borrowers with Yeong-ae. When Yeong-ae showed interest in a borrower’s son, Hae-suk tried to match them.
But Yeong-ae realized it was Hae-suk’s quiet way of letting her go, and became emotional. She then asked Hae-suk to teach her the “umbrella move”—a trick to dodge things thrown by angry vendors. Hae-suk agreed. A year later, Hae-suk also died.
At her funeral, only Yeong-ae mourned. A modern-looking soul collector appeared, keeping Hae-suk’s spirit grounded and assigning her a subway ride to the afterlife. Hae-suk had been offered many transport options, but she picked the subway.
Inside, others were seen praying to enter paradise, so Hae-suk did the same. When the Hellstop arrived, many were sucked out violently, but Hae-suk stayed seated, meaning she was headed to Heaven.
In Heaven, people were asked to surrender their belongings before entering, like passing through airport security. Some were comforted by the staff. Hae-suk walked in empty-handed. She was met by a help desk worker and asked two questions.
First, who she wanted to spend eternity with. She picked Nak-jun, knowing the choice was final and only possible if he also chose her. The other, what age she wanted to appear. Hae-suk considered her 20s but remembered Nak-jun once told her she looked best now, so she chose to remain 80.
She then selected the fastest route to meet him, though it carried risks of getting lost or landing in the wrong place. At the episode’s close, Hae-suk reached their home, saw both their names on the door, but was shocked to see Nak-jun had returned to his younger self.
Lee Hae-suk and Ko Nak-jun met in Heaven in Heavenly Ever After episode 2
Episode 2 of Heavenly Ever After began with 80-year-old Hae-suk meeting her younger-looking husband, Nak-jun (played by Son Suk-ku), outside their home in the afterlife. The couple sat together in the backyard.
Nak-jun later took her out, showing her that he could now walk, something he had once wished for when he was paralyzed. He brought her to a park and ran in circles until he was worn out, finally living the moment he had missed during his life.
Back home, he showed her old belongings, asking if she remembered their shared memories. Though he treated her lovingly, Hae-suk started feeling insecure about her age. She stepped outside for air and saw a young couple, which left her feeling lonely.
That night, Hae-suk still chose to sleep apart. It is just like before, on a floor mattress beside Nak-jun’s bed, the way she used to when he couldn't move.
Heavenly Ever After episode 2: Lee Hae-suk visited Ko Nak-jun's workplace
The next morning, Nak-jun brought Hae-suk to his workplace in Heavenly Ever After episode 2. Later, they wandered through Haven, which mirrored a lively street on Earth. Hae-suk still felt gauche as others stared at her aged appearance.
They eventually arrived at the Service Centre, where Hae-suk mistook the head of the office for God. She soon learned Nak-jun worked there. The Centre operated afterlife concerns. She met the director, who glowed with a white halo, showing his high rank.
During orientation, residents were told that Haven wasn’t a prize, but a neutral space. Anyone breaking rules (like swearing or fighting) could still be sent to hell. The session ended with a reminder: nothing in Haven was permanent, and good behavior was still expected.
On her way out, Hae-suk noticed a woman she thought she had a grudge with, but she got distracted when Nak-jun invited her to eat. In Haven, meals were paid for with a wrist device, and you just imagined the dish you wanted.
Nak-jun called it their first official date. After enjoying the unique food, they headed home. On the way, Nak-jun remembered that he used to tell Hae-suk the weather every morning. Years later, he found out she had been splashed at the market, which is why he started reminding her to carry an umbrella. They were about to hug when Hae-suk thought she saw the same woman again.
Later that night, she heard Yeong-ae crying, mourning her deeply. Flashbacks revealed how Hae-suk had protected Yeong-ae from her abusive father and raised her with care and warmth. Feeling heavy-hearted, Hae-suk quietly slipped into Nak-jun’s room and fell asleep, holding his hand.
Did Lee Yeong-ae die in Heavenly Ever After episode 2?
In Heavenly Ever After episode 2, Hae-suk headed out for another session but felt out of place among the youthful crowd the next day. She ended up trailing behind a group of elderly people, only to realize they were actually dogs who had taken human form to be recognized by their former owners.
Watching the reunions, Hae-suk noticed three dogs left behind and sat nearby. There, she saw a woman in black again, the same figure she had spotted several times. She soon realized it was her cat, Sonya.
In Heaven, Sonya appeared to Hae-suk in human form, unlike the others who returned to their animal selves once reunited. But when Nak-jun arrived, Sonya quietly disappeared.
There, Hae-suk blamed Nak-jun for her current look, reminding him he had called her beautiful at 80. They tried to reverse their chosen ages, but it wasn’t allowed—once picked, it was permanent. Nak-jun even teared up, but the rule stood.
On their way home, they reflected on their shared past. Nak-jun recalled how a caretaker once told him how lucky he was to have Hae-suk. He had cried privately, feeling helpless and ashamed that she had to endure so much for him.
They shared a rare moment of closeness and walked home together, hand in hand. Meanwhile, on Earth, Yeong-ae visited a shaman who told her that Hae-suk’s soul still lingered because of her deep concern for Yeong-ae.
Determined, Yeong-ae set out to find her and suddenly crashed into something offscreen. It suggested she may have died. Back in Haven, Nak-jun had planned a surprise for Hae-suk. But chaos hit when a mysterious woman appeared and hugged him tightly.
A furious Hae-suk barged in, grabbing both by the hair. Heavenly Ever After's episode 2 ended with comedic mayhem.
Heavenly Ever After is available to stream on Netflix every Saturday and Sunday for international viewers. In South Korea, it airs on JTBC at 10:30 PM (KST).
