In Mask Girl, Yeom Hye-ran stars as Kim Kyung-ja, a grieving mother who takes matters into her own hands. After losing to Kim Mo-mi in episode four, we can't help but wonder what happened to Kim Kyung-ja.
Yeom Hye-ran is no stranger to Netflix K-dramas. She has starred in TV shows and movies like The Uncanny Counter, Juvenile Justice, and The Glory.
In Mask Girl, however, Hye-ran shows her effortless acting skills as she stars as the show's surprise antagonist.
If you started watching the series, you might wonder what happened to her by the end of episode four. Here's an explanation of her character.
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Who Is Kim Kyung-ja?
When she was young, Kyung-ja never dated. She saw it as a luxury after being raised by a poor family. Thanks to a matchmaker, Kyung-ja was able to meet a husband who had a steady job. This was her only criterion.
Unfortunately, her husband left her after only three years of marriage. Left with nothing but a newborn son, Ju Oh-nam (played by Ahn Jae-hong), Kyung-ja had no choice but to fend for themselves.
She diligently worked various jobs to provide for Oh-nam's needs. Finally, she saved enough money to start her restaurant.
Through these circumstances, Kyung-ja became tough and independent. So much so that it appeared like she did not realize her son was being bullied in school.
When Oh-nam landed an office job, she felt disappointed. She always wanted him to become a doctor so he could care for her one day. Her frustrations led her son away from her as he decided to live alone.
Still, she continued to nag her son about finding a spouse and his shortcomings in life. It never dawned on her that her son was becoming an unhappy loner with sexual frustrations.
What Happened to Kim Kyung-ja in Mask Girl?
When Oh-nam disappears, Kyung-ja seeks help from the police. This led them to find a dismembered body at Oh-nam's house.
At first, the police thought it was Oh-nam's body. But after checking, they could check that it was someone else. The police question Kyung-ja, who gets mad at the thought that they believe Oh-nam is a killer.
This prompted Kyung-ja to do her investigation. However, Kyung-ja had to learn how to use a computer to do this.
Her drive allowed her to trail Kim Mo-mi, aka Mask Girl, who was now believed to have killed Oh-nam.
Kyung-ja closes her restaurant and withdraws all her money from the bank so she can focus on looking for Mo-mi. She gains help from one of Mask Girl's fans, which leads her to a dancer from another town who moves similarly to Mo-mi.
After seeing the necklace on the dancer's neck, she is convinced that Kim Chun-ae (played by Han Jae-y) is Mask Girl. She kidnaps Chun-ae and brings her to an isolated location.
As she's ready to pull the trigger, Chun-ae convinces her she's not Mask Girl. What Kyung-ja doesn't realize, however, is that Chun-ae is actually close friends with Mo-mi, who is called A-reum at this point.
After trusting Chun-ae, Kyung-ja lets her go. Chun-ae warns A-reum about Kyung-ja, and the two plan their escape together.
Their plans get spoiled, however, when Chun-ae's beat-up boyfriend, Choi Bu-yong (played by Lee Jun-young), discovers her sneaking out. The two kill Bu-yong together as an act of self-defense. But they put his body in a suitcase and threw it into a river outside town.
Again, this plan gets intercepted by Kyung-ja, who shoots Chun-ae. Mo-mi hits Kyung-ja and puts her unconscious body in the car before pushing it into the river.
Is Kim Kyung-ja Still Alive at the End of the Show?
It is originally perceived that Kyung-ja has died at the river. But towards the end of the show, it is revealed that she managed to escape.
She decides to lie low and continue to wait for her opportunity to get revenge on Mo-mi. But to do that, she undergoes plastic surgery, too.
Unfortunately, she doesn't get a chance to kill Mo-mi since she surrendered to the police and has been locked up for years. Instead, she stalks Mo-mi's daughter, Kim Mi-mo (played by Shin Ye-seo).
She presents herself as the caring tteokbokki granny to Mi-mo and is always there to help whenever she has problems at school. Mi-mo doesn't realize, though, that her tteokbokki granny has spread rumors about her.
Kyung-ja manages to earn Mi-mo's trust and even decides to take her in. Unfortunately, this was only a front. Kyung-ja has since planned to avenge Mi-mo and send the recording to Mo-mi.
Just before she can execute her plan, she visits Mo-mi in prison and reveals that she has gained the upper hand over Mo-mi. This alerts Mo-mi, who is determined to escape to protect her daughter.
In the final episode of Mask Girl, we see Kyung-ja killing Mo-mi's mother, Sim Young-hee (played by Moon Sook). She also tries to kill Mi-mo, but Mo-mi shields her daughter.
After firing the shotgun, the police shot Kyung-ja in the head. Mo-mi has also died at this point, which means that Kyung-ja has managed to get the revenge she desperately wanted.
Hye-ran's performance as Kyung-ja has been a moving one. She breathed life into the character and made it her own. Her role as the surprise antagonist in Mask Girl highlights her denial of accepting her son is a disturbed man.
And we're left to wonder, could she have been the reason for how her son turned out in the first place? After all, we heard she kept nagging Oh-nam about his failures for being a good son from the start.
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