That ending would have been awesome- I was on that ship as well. One other thing I really wanted at the end of this drama was for Sang Mi to give her father one last verbal smack-down before being able to turn away from him, completely free of him and his damaging beliefs

Oh, I love it! I love it so much!

I want to watch your ending so bad 😭😭😭

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!

I was riveted to this story at the beginning and then stopped--it was so grim and I was so angry at what happened to Dong-chul. I mean, keep-you-up-at-night angry. His life ruined because he stood up and did the right thing. Even now, just thinking about it...yeah, I was overly invested, obviously. So I stopped watching.

I picked it up again towards the end, but this time I was just perplexed. Why were they so determined to make Sang-hwan the main protagonist when he so obviously wasn't? He didn't make the sacrifices of Dong-chul, he didn't take the risks, he didn't suffer, he didn't overcome as many obstacles, and he just wasn't anywhere near as interesting.

So what gives? Is the actor who played Sang-hwan more famous? Is he considered better-looking because he's taller and looks more Western? I mean, I even wondered if subtle racism was a factor. It just didn't make sense that Sang-hwan emerged as the hero. Maybe because their names match?

Look, it's not just that Dong-chul deserved to end up with Sang-mi more that Sang-hwan. It's that she obviously had a connection (and chemistry, too, btw) with him that she didn't have with the other guy, no matter how hard they tried to push that relationship.

And wouldn't Dong-chul and Sang-mi have a better chance of a good life together? They've both been through so much; they can understand each other, and have an appreciation for the tender mercies of the days ahead. I don't like the odds for the two Sangs together.

All in all, I like your ending MUCH better. As a matter of fact, I'm choosing to remember the ending your way. Thank you! :)

I was completely satisfied with Rescue Me's ending because everyone had their small closures while leaving room for a possible second season. I'd be lying if I say I didn't have a smile on my face reading your ending but emotionally, it would be the same ending but with her being with Dongchul instead of Sanghwan.

I really like that simple-but just right, we already know Dong-chul was devoted to his grandmother and probably needs someone to devote himself to. He has been shown to have alot of love to give and unwavering loyalty towards the people he cares for.

this alternate ending made my thought on Rescue Me series... thank you... very thank you...

Oh my God!! Thank you so much for this perfect ending❤️️
You made my day...Now,I will always remember Rescue Me with your ending scene..❤️️

That's definitely a nice ending I wish we got see

This post hurt me, mostly because my heart aches for what could have been! 💔 All those lingering stares for nothing. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Poppy!

Oh lords. I'm torn between hugging you for that sweet and simple epilogue or giving you a "fire prayer" for making me badly want something we'll never get to see.

Aw. I totally loved the show's real ending, but yours is so sweet.

I think the main reason why I didn't have a problem with the real one is that I didn't see it as indicating romance between her and Sang-hwan at the end. She just escaped from horrible isolation and has finally found, maybe for the first time in her life, real friends. She'll have more time and emotional freedom for romance (with Dong-chul, of course!) later. ;)

I didn't watch the drama,only checked out some recaps here and there as I was curious about this peculiar,unusual story.
Though I see that it turned out to be a sort of mess, they definitely get pointers for being different. And for a new idea, it wasn't extremely bad and was kinda excusable?!? Meh, I dunno. I don't have the right to anger the beanies who went through all the eps and know the pain first hand,I guess. Sorry😅.
However, what I wanted to say is, you've used a beautiful array of words to write this post and your alternate ending, conjuring up fascinating imagery, making it gloomy-poetic and sounding like a should-watch drama!
Keep it up Poppy!👏😃🌷

Yes! This is the ending I want! OMG Thank you sooo much!!!

muuuuuch better, INDEED!
I was on that ship so hard !
Sang-Mi and Dong-Chul MUST have had a thing. there was a zing in the air whenever they faced each other, and as you rightly said @poppy , it seemed really unlikely for Sang-mi to do more than just forgive Sang-hwan for his past INACTIONS; falling in love with him seems absurd.

I have to confess: I do not like Sang-hwan as a character, or Taecyeon as an actor. so I am somewhat biased. I actually put off watching the show until it was over because of that.

I gave it a shot and discovered Woo Do-Hwan. It's been love ever since. lol. So much so, that I finally started watching MAD DOG and I reeeeally like their ragtag ensemble. Woo Do-Hwan, Ruy Hwa-Young AND Jo Jae-Yun ("Curly" in RESCUE ME) make my day whenever they're on screen.

anyways, back to this show: Thank you for the better ending, Poppy!

After so much improve of other characters, Sang Hwan nothing change, stupid ( i really don't want to use this word), random appear in right time.
Your ending really amazing, I also want know more about ending of Lee Jae Joon (the guy in The Lover) too.

I love your ending!

The problem with the writers were they made Dongchul was so charming as a bad boy? with his street smart solution while Taecyeon was not so realistic thinker and bad solution maker in that so realistic world. WDH has better acting skill with expressive eyes made Taecyeon was less appealing with us. Dongchul had better chemistry with Sangmi was also not helping while in other kdrama, I realized we usually can see strong chemistry from both of MCs even though the second lead usually are really likeable.

I really love Dongchul Sangmi's moment in that forest pic esp with back light from Dongchul's back.

Woohoo, I love your ending! It's a prelude to what Girlfriday said on her thoughts on the matter and I quote, "In my mind, Sang-mi bakes a cake for Dong-chul because that's the least you can do for a guy who joins a cult to save you,and then he asks her out to jajangmyun and the rest is history."

Thank you Poppy (and Girlfriday too,hee) for articulating and visualizing the kind of ending I want for this show :)

Love this ending. Dong-chul did all of the dirty work. Sang-Mi could have invested some time thanking him.

I like your ending! I also liked the open ended ending. I do think there was something there with SM and DC, but I also feel like after such an experience Sang Mi might have wanted to do her own thing for a while before considering romance.

If I could change the ending, I would just have had her in a different outfit. The slow mo of her walking in the blazer looked like "Wow, she's great, she's doing well, she's a survivor, she's in a power suit!"...and then the scene zooms out and she's in the most awkward jorts. 😭 😂

I actually thought the ending was quite neat as it is except for that slow-mo smile at the end but I like yours as well. Its simple and it ends on a hopeful note.

Great write-up! So...for a viewer who hasn't seen the original--that would be me--is Rescue Me still worth a watch??