BTS Universe K-Drama Begins ≠ Youth Part 1 Ending Explained & Spoilers: What Happens to Park Ha-Ru?

Part 1 of the BTS Universe-inspired K-drama Begins ≠ Youth debuted on April 30, 2024, on Xclusive. The first part has four episodes, titled “Am I Wrong..?”, “Mama,” “Lie,” and “Anpanman.” Here, seven young boys struggle with their secrets and pain and fight their own battles. However, they soon start to sympathize and support each other during hardships.

In the final episode of Begins ≠ Youth Part 1, the seven boys go to the sea beach to have a relaxing time together. Moreover, they cherish their friendship, leaving the worries of their lives behind even if it’s for a short period. But the ending of part 1 sees some hard-hitting moments. One of the boys, Park Ha-Ru (Kim Yoon-Woo), gets haunted by the trauma from his past.

BTS Universe K-Drama Begins ≠ Youth Part 1 ending: Park Ha-Ru is haunted by a trauma from his past

Episode 4 of Begins ≠ Youth Part 1 begins with a flashback. Kim Joo-An (Jung Woo-Jin) tries to distract Min Ce-In (Noh Jong-Hyun) on the street for unknown reasons. However, he feels awkward while doing so and eventually runs away. Suddenly, a massive fire breaks into a nearby place.

The episode then returns to the present time, where Park Ha-Ru struggles with his mental health due to a traumatic experience from his past. Jeong Ho-Su (Ahn Ji-Ho) tries to communicate with him to give him support, but Park Ha-Ru avoids talking to him. Then, Kim Joo-An’s father hits, leading him to lose his balance and fall. It is revealed that his father is angry at him for keeping contact with his mother and sister, who left him.

Following this, Begins ≠ Youth episode 4 sees the school principal meeting Kim Hwan (Seo Ji-Hoon) and his father, an influential Assembly member. The principal persuades Kim Hwan to follow in his father’s footsteps. He ends up cleaning the principal’s office in exchange for higher marks in examinations. Meanwhile, Park Ha-Ru continues to struggle with his mental health but avoids seeking professional help.

The episode also sees the seven boys playing on the field. While playing, Kim Hwan accidentally hits Kim Joo-An in the right ear with the ball, and he loses his hearing for a moment. When he goes to see the doctor, the latter informs him that his right ear is alright, but he has lost his ability to hear in his left ear. As such, he becomes deaf in that specific ear. However, Kim Joo-An soon realizes that it is due to his father hitting him in the left ear.

Later, Kim Joo-An takes his anger out at Kim Hwan but then completely breaks down. However, he still decides to stay with his father since he does not want him to live alone. In the meantime, Min Ce-In asks the principal questions about his deceased mother, but the principal refuses to give him answers.

Towards the end of Begins ≠ Youth episode 4, the seven boys enjoy themselves on the sea beach, leaving their worries behind momentarily. When Min Ce-In returns home, he sees that the principal has come to visit him and his father. The principal tells him shocking news about his mother, which disheartens him.

At the end of the episode, viewers see Park Ha-Ru deciding to go to a psychiatric hospital for treatment. However, at night, his traumatic past starts haunting him. The episode ends with a flashback scene from when the boys were at the sea beach. The scene shows a person’s hand under a pile of garbage at the beach. It looks like the same person with whom Kim Do-geon (Seo Young-Joo) had a brief encounter before.

Viewers can watch Part 1 of Begins ≠ Youth on Xclusive.

Nikita Nath

Nikita is a K-Drama News Writer. She loves to explore different genres of Korean dramas, from evergreen classics like Goblin, Descendants of the Sun, Reply 1988, Coffee Prince to the freshly launched thrillers and rom-coms like The Uncanny Counter, Flower of Evil, True Beauty, Twenty Five Twenty One and many more.

She is also a K-Pop enthusiast and all things BTS!