Hey, thriller fans! Karma, a South Korean crime series, is a captivating tale of lives colliding in unexpected ways. Dropped on Netflix April 4, 2025, this show hooks you with a guy named Park Jae-yeong, a broke dude buried under a mountain of debt. When he stumbles on his dad’s juicy life insurance policy, he’s like, “Jackpot!” and hires a shady hitman, Jang Gil-ryong, to cash in. But here’s the twist—his plan goes off the rails, dragging in a rich doctor, Han Sang-hun, his smooth-talking girlfriend Lee Yu-jeong, and a creepy witness who catches their dirty secrets. At TV Acute, we’re obsessed with how these folks’ past and present screw-ups pile up, leading them straight to their own epic showdowns. Buckle up—it’s a bumpy ride!
What’s Karma All About? A Quick Recap
This South Korean crime thriller, released on Netflix on April 4, 2025, promises to captivate you with its captivating narrative. The story revolves around a group of individuals whose lives become entangled in a complex network of fate, poor choices, and the repercussions of past actions. At the center of it all is Park Jae-yeong, played by the wonderful Park Hae-soo. A ruthless loan shark, ready to carve him up if he doesn’t pay, has left Park Jae-yeong drowning in debt. Desperate times call for desperate measures, right? At that moment, Jae-yeong discovers a valuable opportunity: his father’s substantial life insurance policy. He figures, why not cash in? Therefore, he enlists Jang Gil-ryong (Kim Sung-kyun), a dubious hitman who was recently fired from his job, to assassinate his father and stage a hit-and-run. Easy money, right? Nope—things go sideways fast.
The plan flops hard. Instead of a clean “accident,” Gil-ryong’s sloppy work leaves Jae-yeong’s dad, Dong-sik, dead and buried in the mountains—not exactly subtle. The cops catch on quick, and Jae-yeong’s insurance payout dreams start crumbling. However, this is only the beginning. While Jae-yeong’s plotting patricide, another drama’s brewing across town. Han Sang-hun (Lee Kwang-soo), a fancy acupuncture doctor, and his slick girlfriend Lee Yu-jeong (Gong Seung-yeon) are out for a late-night drive, buzzed on booze and bad vibes. They slam into a guy—or so they think. Freaked out, they bury the body to cover it up, but a biker named Kim Beom-jun sees it all and starts squeezing them for hush money. Here’s the twist: Sang-hun’s dashcam later shows the “victim” was already dead, and Beom-jun set them up. Talk about a con gone wrong!
From there, it’s chaos. Sang-hun snaps and kills Yu-jeong, Beom-jun takes out Sang-hun, and Gil-ryong’s still chasing Jae-yeong for his cut. It all crashes together at an abandoned building in Guhoe, where a fire lights up the night and leaves one survivor. Enter Dr. Lee Ju-yeon (Shin Min-a), the doc who pulls him from the flames—and trust me, her story’s about to get personal. Karma hooks you with these messy lives colliding, and every episode peels back more layers of deceit and payback.
Karma Ending Explained
The Big Fire and the Survivor: What Happened?
Let’s rewind a bit. Weeks before the fire, Jae-yeong’s in deep trouble. Jae-yeong’s loan shark threatens him with organ loss if he doesn’t pay within 30 days. That’s when he hatches the insurance scam with Gil-ryong. But when the plan flops and the payout’s delayed, Gil-ryong demands cash from Jae-yeong, who refuses. Cue Beom-jun, fresh off murdering Sang-hun and running from the law. He teams up with Gil-ryong, and the trio ends up at that fateful building. A fight breaks out, the place goes up in flames, and only one dude makes it out alive.
Rescued by Ju-yeon and her team, the survivor says he’s Park Jae-yeong. But here’s where it gets tricky—Ju-yeon knows that name from a dark chapter in her past. As a teen, she was lured into a trap by Yu-jeong and assaulted by Jae-yeong and his crew in, you guessed it, an abandoned building. The trauma’s haunted her ever since, and now, she’s face-to-face with somebody who might be her tormentor. Or is he?
Is the Survivor Really Jae-yeong? The Identity Twist
The show drops a bombshell early on: the survivor calls himself Jae-yeong. But as the story jumps between timelines, doubts creep in. For one, he doesn’t seem to recognize Ju-yeon, which is weird considering their history. Burned beyond recognition and with no ID, his identity’s a puzzle. Ju-yeon hires a private investigator, Hwang Cheol-mok, to dig into it. Turns out, the real Jae-yeong was at the fire—but he didn’t make it out.
Here’s the truth: Kim Beom-jun, the blackmailing biker, set the fire to fake his death and steal Jae-yeong’s identity. With Sang-hun’s murder pinning him as a fugitive, he saw a way out. The fire’s burns and surgery only helped his disguise. But karma’s sneaky—by taking Jae-yeong’s name, Beom-jun inherits his enemies, including that ruthless loan shark. So, when Dr. Yoon steps in later, it’s Beom-jun, not Jae-yeong, who meets a grisly end.
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Who Does Dr. Yoon Kill? The Shocking Reveal
Dr. Yoon, Ju-yeon’s colleague and fiancé, seems like a good guy at first. He talks her out of killing the survivor, warning her about the legal and emotional fallout. But there’s a dark side to Yoon—he’s been moonlighting for the loan shark, harvesting organs to pay off his student loans. His final job? The survivor on his table, who he believes is Jae-yeong.
Yoon doesn’t buy Beom-jun’s pleas about his real identity. Convinced he’s facing Ju-yeon’s abuser, Yoon goes full vigilante. He skips the anesthesia and harvests Beom-jun’s organs, letting him die in agony. Jae-yeong’s debt is “settled” through Beom-jun in a brutal and personal manner. The kicker? Yoon walks away with a parting gift: a Rolex that looks suspiciously like the one Jae-yeong stole from his dad. Coincidence or a hint of more to come? You decide!
Why Does Ju-yeon Spare the Survivor?
Ju-yeon’s arc is all about wrestling with her past. Nightmares of her assault keep her trapped, and saving “Jae-yeong” feels like a cruel twist of fate. She almost lets him die on the table—stopping Yoon from giving him morphine—but once he’s stable, her revenge kicks in. She plots to swap his meds for fentanyl, ready to stab him and end it. However, when the situation becomes dire, she falters.
Yoon’s there to pull her back, reminding her that murder would ruin her life, not heal it. Even believing he’s Jae-yeong, Ju-yeon chooses mercy over vengeance. It marks a pivotal moment as she leaves feeling lighter and prepared to move forward. Later, when Hwang offers proof the survivor wasn’t Jae-yeong, she shuts it down. She’s done chasing ghosts, and that first snow she steps into? It’s a sign of peace.
Is Yoon Hiding Something From Ju-yeon?
Okay, let’s talk about Dr. Yoon—Ju-yeon’s fiancé and the guy who seems to have her back. He’s all about supporting her, digging into her past to figure out why “Jae-yeong” freaks her out so much. As she prepares to stab the survivor, Yoon intervenes heroically, calming her down. He’s all, “Hey, don’t ruin your life over this jerk!” It’s sweet—he clearly cares. But hold up, there’s a catch. Yoon has a secret life that will astound you. While he’s playing the good boyfriend, he’s been sneaking off to work for the loan shark, harvesting organs to pay off his student loans. Sketchy, right?
He says Beom-jun’s his last job, and he’s ready to quit and marry Ju-yeon. However, the Rolex gift from the loan shark is strikingly similar to the one Jae-yeong took from his father. Is it a coincidence, or a hint Yoon’s not as clean as he seems? He’s got good intentions with Ju-yeon, no doubt, but his shady side leaves us wondering. Could his past blow up their future? The show keeps us in suspense, leaving us to wonder if Yoon has truly moved past his dark past or if trouble is still chasing him.
How Are They All Connected to Ju-yeon?
Karma resembles a complex puzzle, with Dr. Lee Ju-yeon serving as the connecting element. Let’s break it down. First up, Park Jae-yeong—he’s the ringleader who wrecked her life back in high school. He tricked her into a trap where she was assaulted by him and his buddies in an abandoned building. Brutal, right? Then there is Lee Yu-jeong, the envious individual who orchestrated the entire situation simply because she could not tolerate Ju-yeon’s brilliance. She is the mastermind behind that unfortunate evening. She was the mastermind behind that terrible night. And Kim Beom-jun? He exhibits a greater degree of cunning; he was Yu-jeong’s older friend who encouraged her to undermine Ju-yeon out of spite, thereby instigating the entire situation.
The others, like Jang Gil-ryong and Han Sang-hun, don’t link to Ju-yeon directly, but their shady deeds—murder-for-hire and covering up a hit—pull them into the same chaos. Jae-yeong’s greedy plan to kill his dad initiates the chaos, triggering a series of events that ultimately lead to a fiery showdown. Ju-yeon’s at the heart of it, not by choice, but because her past haunts the main players. Everyone’s sins circle back to her, proving no one escapes their karma. Pretty wild how one person connects this whole twisted crew, huh?
Did They Deserve Their Fates?
Park Jae-yeong’s a total sleaze—stealing his dad’s Rolex while he’s laid up in the hospital? That’s cold. His greed and zero remorse for anyone, especially Ju-yeon, make his fiery end feel spot-on. Then there’s Lee Yu-jeong, the jealous mastermind behind Ju-yeon’s assault. She develops into a con artist, deceiving wealthy men without any remorse, and her demise at the hands of Sang-hun is a fitting conclusion. Kim Beom-jun’s the worst of the bunch—murder, blackmail, arson, plus egging Yu-jeong on back in the day. His organ-harvesting demise? Harsh, but earned.
Jang Gil-ryong’s no angel either—killing for cash seals his fate in that fire. Han Sang-hun’s not directly tied to Ju-yeon, but burying a body (even a fake one) and offing Yu-jeong? Yeah, he had it coming when Beom-jun took him out. All of them made poor decisions, and Karma holds them accountable. Beom-jun’s end, posing as Jae-yeong, even doubles up the payback. It’s like the show’s saying, “You mess up, you pay up.” Their outcomes aren’t arbitrary; they serve as the ideal retribution for their wrongdoings. Would you consider this fair or too harsh?
The Loan Shark Doctor: Who’s Behind the Table?
Let’s delve deeper into the eerie operating table scene—it’s truly captivating! Dr. Yoon, Ju-yeon’s fiancé, is the one making the decisions. The individual in charge is none other than Dr. Yoon, who is engaged to Ju-yeon. Indeed, the same person who has been portraying the supportive boyfriend is also involved in a side venture with the loan shark pursuing Jae-yeong’s debt. Dr. Yoon has been performing surgeries to pay off his student loans, and Beom-jun—disguised as Jae-yeong—ultimately becomes his last assignment. Yoon has been cutting and dicing organs to pay off his student loans, and Beom-jun—posing as Jae-yeong—becomes his final client. Beom-jun’s so good at his fake identity act that the loan shark hands him over, thinking he’s settling Jae-yeong’s tab. Yoon, fueled by loyalty to Ju-yeon, doesn’t hold back—he skips the anesthesia and lets Beom-jun suffer as he harvests his organs. Talk about a savage send-off!
As a “thanks” for his dirty work, the loan shark tosses Yoon a Rolex—eerily like the one Jae-yeong nabbed from his dad. Is it the same watch, or just a nod to his shady past? Yoon swears he’s done with the gig, ready to marry Ju-yeon and go legit. However, that gift raises a question: does it signify his freedom, or does he remain connected to the dark side? It’s a gray spot in a show that loves its black-and-white justice. What’s your take on Yoon’s exit?
So, who does Dr. Yoon kill? Kim Beom-jun, masquerading as Jae-yeong, in a savage twist of payback. Karma’s ending ties up loose ends while leaving just enough mystery to spark debates. Ju-yeon’s healing, Yoon’s secrets, and that Rolex—it’s a finale that sticks with you. Do you have thoughts on the show? Drop them below, and let’s chat about this wild ride!
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