"That Winter, The Wind Blows" Does Kim Tae Woo's fate foretell what is to come in the last episode?
Oh Soo's (Jo In Sung) first love Moon Hee Joo (Kyung Soo Jin) gives up on everything to be with him. Regardless of her parents who tried to stop her, she had become pregnant with Oh Soo's baby. At the time, Oh Soo was not ready to face the realities of a baby so he rejects both Moon Hee Joo and the baby. While Moon Hee Joo tried to catch up to Oh Soo, who tried running away, she was hit by a car. She had died on the spot in front of young Oh Soo's eyes.
Nobody cared about the fear, the guilt or the sadness Oh Soo was feeling at the time. Everybody just saw him as a piece of trash who brought a tragic death upon the woman who was carrying his child. This could be a possible reason why Oh Soo wasted his life away. Without any specific reason to live or to live for, he lived inside of a world of temptations that he always fell for. Maybe Oh Soo needed forgiveness. Oh Soo needed forgiveness for his guilt. However, Moon Hee Joo was gone and nobody would ever forgive him for what he did.
Moon Hee Joo's little sister, Moon Hee Sun (Jung Eun Ji) asks Oh Soo one day, "Why should a piece of trash like you continue to live?" Even though Oh Soo acts as though these kind of words do not affect him, his scars have been getting deeper and deeper without even getting a chance for them to heal.
Oh Soo's first love Moon Hee Joo had also been Jo Moo Cheol's (Kim Tae Woo) first love. For a young man who worked at a chicken place in order to feed his little siblings, Moon Hee Joo was his only ray of sunshine. It was love. Oh Soo knew about Jo Moo Cheol's feelings for Moon Hee Joo but she had chosen Oh Soo. Oh Soo then asked Jo Moo Cheol to let her go. In reality, Jo Moo Cheol had no choice since his feelings for her were not mutual.
Even though Jo Moo Cheol had let Moon Hee Joo Go, Oh Soo failed to protect her. He failed to surround her with his love. Even though Oh Soo did not kill her, if he found it in his heart to understand her, she never would have died. How did Jo Moo Cheol feel after realizing Oh Soo had pushed her away? It makes sense for Jo Moo Cheol to despise Oh Soo for running Moon Hee Joo's life.
Oh Young (Song Hye Kyo) on the other hand comforts Oh Soo when he reveals his story to her. Oh Young becomes the one that forgives Oh Soo for his past. Viewers find it hard to understand why Jo Moo Cheol is so deathly disgusted by Oh Soo. It is because he lost somebody he loved. Oh Young and the viewers are able to forgive him because a loved one was not killed because of him.
When Oh Soo falls deeply in love with Oh Young, Jo Moo Cheol begins to understand. After seeing Oh Soo willing to sacrifice his love for Oh Young, Joo Moo Cheol begins to forgive Oh Soo as well.
Jo Moo Cheol had concluded that one last thing he could do for Moon Hee Joo is to protect Oh Soo from being killed by Mr. Kim. It was his duty to protect the unconditional love that has been passed onto Oh Soo from Moon Hee Joo.
In the 15th episode, the death of Jo Moo Cheol was featured. It appears as though the fate of Oh Soo and Oh Young could be predicted by Joo Moo Cheol's death. Jo Moo Cheol sacrificed his life in order to save Oh Soo's love for Oh Young. Then, it is up to Oh Soo to do everything to save Oh Young's life. It will be the only way for Jo Moo Cheol's death to be reasonable. If Oh Soo successfully saves Oh Young, will she be able to save him? Maybe... Oh Soo will have a reason to live for. There is no greater reason for Oh Soo to desire life than his love for Oh Young.
One of the reasons why "That Winter, The Wind Blows" is a masterpiece is that it provides reason and understanding at the same time. Unlike a typical drama, the story is not developed with a good guy and a bad guy. Characters like Jo Moo Cheol and Secretary Wang (Bae Jong Ok) have stories of their own and their actions are reasonable when we think in their perspective. This drama contains a message that we should not make conclusions about people after seeing the results before we are aware of the reasons and the process of how each person ended up where they are at.
The reason the characters continued to scar each other is because they were only focused on their own perspectives instead of trying to understand one another. However, as the story is about to end, they are starting to understand each other more. There is a theme of hope that appears after Jo Moo Cheol's tragic death because he sacrificed his life for love. Wouldn't Oh Soo and Oh Young deliver a story of life and love to the viewers? This is the reason why we carefully assume that the story will conclude with a happy ending.
