Pachinko season 2’s last episode aired on Apple TV+ 11 October and left fans with many unanswered questions. The eight-episode series began with a looming darkness and ended with the hope for a better tomorrow. Curious to know if Noa finally discovered his true identity and if Solomon was able to take his revenge on Abe-san? Our Pachinko season 2 ending explained has it all covered.
One of the best Apple TV+ shows, Pachinko is a drama adaptation of Lee Min-jin’s 2017 Korean novel of the same name. It stars popular Korean actor Lee Min-ho and rising star Kim Min-ha in leading roles. Created by Soo Hugh, the series follows protagonist Sunja and three generations of her family through World War II and its aftermath. While Pachinko season 1 proved to be an instant hit and took home the Best Foreign Language Series title at the 28th Critics Choice Awards in 2023, season 2 has been equally promising.
Throughout the first seven episodes of season 2, viewers are introduced to two timelines. In 1940s Osaka, Sunja and her family fight endlessly to survive through World War II. Meanwhile, in 1980s Tokyo, Sunja’s grandson Solomon tries to re-enter the real estate business after CEO Abe-san sabotages his career.
Spoilers ahead!
Pachinko season 2 ending explained: Does Noa leave to study at Waseda University? What happens to Mozasu?
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The last episode of the period drama opens in 1951 when Sunja (played by Kim) and her family are celebrating Noa’s (played by Kang Tae-ju) enrolment at Waseda University. While Noa is initially against studying far away from home, he eventually agrees to move to Tokyo. Before his departure, Hansu (played by Lee) meets Noa and gives him his gold watch as a present. He also advises Noa to make the most of his time at Waseda.
Later, Sunja accompanies Noa to Tokyo on his first day at Waseda University. As the days pass, Noa comes across a Japanese girl named Akiko Nakazono (played by Kilala Inori) and is instantly enamoured. A year passes and the duo start dating each other in secret.
Back in Osaka, Mozasu, now a 15-year-old boy starts using magnets to cheat at games in Pachinko parlours. One day he is caught at a parlour by its owner, Goto-san (played by Ichiro Hashimoto). While the latter turns out to be Sunja’s acquaintance, he warns Mozasu saying, “Because I like your mother’s noodles so much, I’ll show you some mercy.” Later in the episode, he tells Sunja that Mozasu will flourish in business and suggests he start working alongside him in the parlour. While Sunja initially has a difficult time agreeing to let Mozasu drop out of school, she agrees to Goto-san’s offer.
Pachinko season 2 ending explained: What happens to the Yoseb, Kyunghee and Mr Kim love triangle?
Throughout the first seven episodes of the Apple TV+ show, Kyunghee (played by Jung Eun-chae starts falling for Mr. Kim (played by Kim Sung-kyu). However, when her husband Yoseb (played by Han Joon-woo) returns home after the Nagasaki bombings, she is torn between her duty as a wife and her heart’s true desires. In episode 8, Mr. Kim decides to travel North and contribute to the war. When he informs Yoseb the same and thanks him for allowing him at his home, Yoseb informs him that he always knew about Kyunghee’s feelings. He urges Mr. Kim to not leave Osaka because that will break Kyunghee and when the latter disagrees, Yoseb tells him that Kyunghee is free to go with him. Mr. Kim runs to Kyunghee but is disheartened when the latter chooses to stay with her husband. However, she makes Mr. Kim promise that he “will win the war and come back to us and bring your beautiful children and wife along with you”.
Months later, Yoseb receives a letter from Mr. Kim and goes back to his room to hide it with all his previous letters. Eventually, a guilt-ridden Yoseb meets Kyunghee, hands her all the letters and apologises for not letting her read any of Mr. Kim’s letters until that day.
Pachinko season 2 ending explained: Is Solomon able to take revenge on Abe-san?
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In 1989 Tokyo, Solomon successfully destroys Abe-san (played by Yoshio Maki). Abe-san fails to acquire the land due to Solomon’s plan of leaking its history of having been the burial ground for Japanese soldiers to the public. As a result, Abe faces a massive loss. Meanwhile, the real estate market across Japan suffers a crash.
Elsewhere, Mozasu spots Mamoru during one of Solomon’s presentations and warns him to stay away from Solomon. Through a flashback, it is then revealed that Mozasu first met Mamoru when the latter was a seven-year-old kid accompanying his Yakuza grandfather to the Pachinko parlour Mozasu worked at in the 1950s. The narrative then shifts to the present where Mamoru retorts with a bitter truth and tells Mozasu that he was never responsible for the strain in the father-son relationship. He also makes it clear that he never forced Solomon to work with him and that it was always the latter’s decision.
Elsewhere, Solomon hears the news of Abe-san committing suicide on television.
Pachinko season 2 ending: Why does Noa abandon his previous life? Where does he disappear?
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During one of their meetings, Akiko tells Noa that she wants to meet his secret benefactor (Hansu) and be a part of his lavish dinner. For context, Hansu and Noa meet every month for a meal. To Akiko’s displeasure, Noa firmly voices that she can never meet his benefactor. The same night when Noa is having his dinner with Hansu, Akiko barges into the hotel and breaks her promise. Hansu learns that Akiko’s father Hitoshi Nakazono is the the foreign undersecretary and urges her to convince Noa that politics is a better career option for him rather than becoming a Teacher.
Later that night, Noa, who is unhappy with Akiko, breaks it off with her. In response, Akiko questions Noa why he was so against her meeting Hansu and if it was because he already knew that Hansu was his biological father and wanted to hide it from the world. This triggers Noa and in a fit of rage, he immediately returns to Hansu’s hotel and demands to know the truth. Hansu agrees to be his biological father. Noa then lashes out at Hansu and accuses him of forcing himself on his mother. Hansu is shocked that it’s so hard for Noa to believe that Sunja once loved him. Noa in return calls him a “selfish, venal and vile” man. Hansu retorts saying that Noa has the same blood running in his veins. He then suggests that the boy should sleep it off and that things will get better the next morning. But, they don’t. Noa goes missing. Even after Hansu’s attempts, they are unable to locate Noa. Sunja is shattered and she believes that both she and Hansu are to blame for Noa’s disappearance.
Towards the end of Pachinko season 2, an older Sunja serves dinner to Mozasu in 1980s Osaka, all the while wondering, “Why do some people in this world manage to survive while others do not? Is it those who find their shadows, and those who don’t? Because a body cannot live without its shadow. Those shadows tell us where we are.” Sunja then goes on to find solace in the present, because “Whatever it is, you [Mozasu] and I are here. Though so many of those we have loved are gone, we are here, sitting at this table. And Solomon is here as well.”
Before the credits roll, the timeline once again shifts to 1950s Osaka. As a beautifully haunting rendition of Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” by BLACKPINK‘s Rose plays, viewers see a tired Noa selling Hansu’s gold watch. He travels to Nagano with the money and takes on the job of a sweeper at a Japanese restaurant. When asked if he is “one of those Koreans”, Noa denies and introduces himself as Ogawa Minato.
All seasons of pachinko are now available to stream on Apple TV+
(Hero and Featured image: Courtesy Apple TV+)
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Sushmita Mahanta
Digital Writer (Growth) - Entertainment
Sushmita is a writer with a passion for crafting engaging and informative stories. An avid fan of K-pop and K-dramas, Sushmita mostly writes about Korean culture and entertainment. When not writing, you can find Sushmita dancing, reading, collecting books, learning about fashion, art, motion pictures, and appreciating BTS.
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