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Hometown Cha Cha Cha ended on a happy note, but not before it put the audience through a wringer emotionally. The show, from the very beginning, was about learning to grieve a loss.
Be it Hye-jin’s (Shin Min-ah) mother who died when she was young, or Du-sik’s (Kim Seon-ho) grandfather’s death, the two leads of the TV show experienced unspeakable loss when they were young.
That is something the two could draw from when they began their relationship. One reason things worked out between Hye-jin and Du-sik in Hometown Cha Cha Cha was this common ground.
The show was about two lost people finding their way back in life and love.
Gongjin and its people saved Hye-jin and Du-sik in Hometown Cha Cha Cha
Hey-jin found her true self in Gongjin and escaped from Seoul’s cutthroat world in Hometown Cha Cha Cha. She became Gongjin’s only dentist, and the role helped her earn money and kept her happy.
She grieved her mother’s loss for a long time, and Gongjin helped her heal from the loss.
Similarly, Du-sik ended up in Gongjin after he suffered a huge loss. The seaside town and its people helped him move on from the loss, but he hadn’t grieved well.
He survived an accident that his best friend and brother-like figure didn’t. A man had tried to die by suicide because he could not respond to his call for help.
All of this had triggered a sense of guilt in him. Nightmares, loneliness, and the constant struggle to maintain emotional distance from people became the norm in Du-sik’s life. It was after he met Hye-jin that things began to change gradually.
All of that came to a head in the finale of Hometown Cha Cha Cha.
One of the town’s elders, and the woman who pulled Du-sik from the pits of depression five years ago, died in her sleep.
Gam-ri Halmeoni took care of Du-sik after the death of his grandfather. She fed him and helped him become a well-rounded adult as well.
The loss marked a full circle for Du-sik. He believed that he was the reason why people close to him died. With Hye-jin’s help, he was able to let go of his guilt and grieve for Gam-ri Halmeoni.
The letter that she had left for him when the entire town had found out about his Seoul stint unlocked something in him and allowed him to sob it all out in Hometown Cha Cha Cha.
It was liberating, heartwrenching, and satisfying all at the same time. The happy ending came after Du-sik was able to let go of his paranoia related to the loss of his loved ones. The days after in Hometown Cha Cha Cha were filled with love and warmth for Du-sik and Hye-jin.
So much so that the two decided to propose for marriage on the same day. Du-sik was disappointed that Hye-jin was able to get to the proposal before him, and yet, the two managed to make their proposal event a memorable one.
Audiences did not get a wedding scene, but they did get a wedding shoot scene which was more apt for Hometown Cha Cha Cha.
