I will miss Ro Hee and Myeong Jun on my screen. They were the highlight and heart of the show. I like their brief scenes together. And although I know they may be reunited in the future, it wouldve been nive if we were shown a timeskip to that point in an epilogue. It would be a hopeful ending than the one shown with Eun Seon in Singapore.

Thanks for the recap @solsrices! I agree with everything you said about Hye Eun. She is complicated and "toed the line between victim and perpetrator". But she did get one thing right, she set in motion the events that saved Ro Hee from her father's control. Ro Hee will be better off with Taek Kyun and possibly with MJ in the future.

I enjoyed Kang Ha Neul's cameo. It was electrifying especially with that cold and discincerting grin he wears as he exacts his revenge. I was hoping for Ho Young's redemption but I will take this. He got his revenge instead.

This is really a story about ethics and morality. Also stories wherein human play god with their experiments never end well.

YuNa was amazing in her scenes. This kid should win a breakout role or best new actress award for this role. Also I expect we will see more of her in the future.

Oh bittersweetness. But wholesome bittersweetness haha

Both Ro Hee's "father" and Hye Eun were unhinged. Being experimented on will do that. I'm still not sure why he considered his wife a nuisance. Because she wasn't as cruel and uncaring about Ro Hee's well being? And Hye Eun was gonna set Myeong Jun up for murder "just cause why not?" I know I just called her unhinged but seriously what the ****? He was just living his life, raising their daughter, and she was going to set him up because "life is unfair"?

And once again, Myeong Jun is just a really good guy because he STILL managed to have empathy and compassion for her despite everything she did and how she manipulated him leading to their kid being left alone.

How did the guy who killed Jaden know what Jaden had said before killing the enforcer guy?

Aww, I smiled at Hee Ae calling Ro Hee "unnie" and the fact they are now living together like sisters. That's sweet.

When Ro Hee introduced herself saying how rich she was, all I could think is she's gonna have alot of fake people trying to latch on to her. Good thing she'll have a genuine friend in Hee Ae.

The final scene made me wonder was Ro Hee a clone, twin, or triplet? Were whole people created in labs? Was the story the drama is based on a part of a series?

@solstices thank you for the recap. I do not think I have ever seen a heart symbol in any of the recaps in DB and to include it here really shows the drama is really well made.

Yes, shout out to the "Insider" reunion. Jayden died in the same lame manner as Sun Oh (which is a coincident or intentional meta).

The back and forth conversation scene between Ro Hee and Hye Eun was insane. Both the actors owned their characters and the screen was bursting with an immense energy of talent.

The scene were child Hye Eun replaced adult Hye Eun in the final confrontation scene made me realize that she never grew up. She was stuck in self pity and Kim Myeong Jun's love wasn't enough for her to escape it.

The core of the drama was the relationship between the kidnapper and the kidnappee and the drama sold it well enough for me to give a 9/10 rating.

“It’s rare for a drama to start strong and end well”
I have a minor disagreement here. I thought 💖 Kidnapping Day 💖 started strong and ended not just well, but brilliantly. Those last 3 episodes were 🔥🔥🔥
For any beanie on the fence whether to watch this or not - 💯% recommended.
Ro-Hee and Myung-Joon’s incredible daughter father chemsistry stole the show. Hye-Eun was looking for sympathy but I’m not as empathetic as Myung-Joon. His ability to forgive and empathize is beyond my ability. I see his level of empathy as something I strive for. A small personal gripe of mine is shouty actor/actress, and Hye-Eun does it a bit much.
I don’t know about you, but now I have the urge to buy a wood back scratcher and I’m hungry for simple flour pancakes.
I’m going to miss Ro-Hee and Myung Joon very much. I would have been immensely satisfied if this was 16 episodes with the last 4 episodes of those two found family bickering, fighting, and supporting each other.
The final epilogue scene was a bit of a head scratcher. I think that was the intent.
9/10 for me as well

Forgot to mention:

Yu-Na as Ro-Hee

I’m a faaaaaaan! 🙌 🙇🏻
Spectacular performance.
Best acting of the year goes to…a kid?

I watched the scene toward the end when Ro-hee visits Myung-joon in prison three times. Once to know what happened, twice to watch Myung-Ro be their amazing selves again, three times so that I could just focus on Taek-kyun’s expressions the whole time. What an endearing trio they make. I’m happy Taek-kyun’s acting as her legal guardian until Myung-joon is more fully available.

When Hee-ae begged Hye-eun to stay with her, my heart broke. And for a second it looked like Hye-eun’s broke too, and as she turned back I wondered if she would stop the whole thing. But no. I guess she was too far gone. I’m glad it didn’t seem like Hee-ae internalized her mom’s message not to trust anyone, and that she is living her best life as Ro-hee’s new sister.

I also loved Ro-hee’s interactions with the police this episode. She was just the right amount matter-of-fact to establish her dominance early on. I laughed so much just watching her handle them as if she had always been in charge.

Definitely one of my favorite dramas of the year and I’m so excited to give it all the beans in a few weeks!

Thank you @solstices for your wonderful recaps with carefully selected screenshots which add much charm to the overall drama experience.
Low-key disappointed at not getting to see our trio's happy life together.
The epilogue was chilling.
Conflicted whether I hope for another season with the other girl or not.

I just want to comment I love Ro-hee's fashion. This screams that 'quiet luxury' that's on trend. She is like mini version of Gwyneth walking into court room 😅

I am really glad I picked this little gem of a show. My husband also loved this. The best scenes in this episodes are 1) the court scene , 2) confrontation with Hye-eun (like watching an acting battle with) and 3) Rohee finally breaking down after visiting MJ and getting her backscratcher gift. I was already ugly crying by this time.

I just wish Jayden had not died too quickly, he deserves to be in prison and being tortured for years by his prisonmates but I will take a Kang Haneul cameo anytime.

My only wish is for a better send-off to Sang yoon's character, he just faded like that. I was hoping to see him get promoted and his team rewarded for solving this case. But I am glad he did not disclose the genius child project to protect Rohee.

Not the ending that I would have hoped for, but still a good ending. For me, episode 11 is still the peak of the drama. Some missing plots didn't make sense along the way (won't go into details on those) but some (albeit not all) of the endings are what we would have hoped for.

MJ confirmed that Ro-hee is now his family, he made it clear to Hye-eun when he persuaded her to release Ro-hee from the hostage situation. The note on the back-scratcher MJ gave to Ro-hee as a gift also confirmed that MJ considered Ro-hee as his filial daughter now. I am sure MJ will adopt Ro-hee as soon as he gets out of jail.

I'm quite disappointed that MJ is still not released from jail by the end of the season, I was hoping he could be released after Ro-hee's testimony. I guess that only helped to reduce the sentence. How long MJ will need to serve time in jail was also not being made clear.

I am also happy that Ro-hee and Hee-ae are going to school together, and Hee-ae calling Ro-hee "eonni" (elder sister). That means Ro-hee took Hee-ae to live together with her after she's been discharged from the hospital. I'm sure MJ will take care of both of the girls later once he's out of jail, and in the meantime, Taek-kyun is taking care of them for now. I was hoping that we would be able to see more of the two sisters and if they can get along (I know Rohee gave in to her sister's request for her to wear the hairpin in class, lol).

Overall, I feel the ending is a bit rushed. I guess they tried to pack a lot of things into one last episode. But overall, The Kidnapping Day is an awesome drama. I really love it very very much. All the actors and actresses did a very good job in portraying the characters, and while the performances of Kye-sang and Shin-rok are spectacular, Yuna is the brightest star of the show. Her acting skills throughout the season, particularly in the last two episodes, are awesome and outstanding for her age. I’m sure she will be nominated or even win some of the Best New Actress awards next year, and I’m looking forward to Yuna’s next projects soon.

I don’t think there will be a second season. This drama is based on a single novel in which the story has been completed. Even if they try to push for one, I don’t think its quality will be able to match the current amazing quality of the first season. So I guess the scene with Elena will just be an ambiguous ending instead of a cliffhanger.

Thank you, @solstices, for the weecap! I agree ... this is one of the best dramas for this year! The beginning and ending were all solid for me - unlike some of the shows I've finished lately. Yes, I would have loved to know how long Myung-joon is going to be in prison (and he's enjoying it, too, this time around); how Ro-hee and Hee-ae are doing at home without an adult (assuming Mr. Lawyer doesn't live with them) but most of all, how Mr. Park is doing now that the true killer has been unmasked. He might still be in jail as an accomplice but still, he's the only one who cared for Hye-eun.

What a wonderful drama and it’s certainly among the best in 2023 (together with Moving and Call It Love in my book).

I fully agree with @lostpanda that it started strong but ended brilliantly - a rare feat these days. I certainly don’t know how Ep 12 would be like after the emotional roller coaster that is Ep 11 - but it delivered with a much stronger emotional punch and depth that what I anticipate. The face-off between Ro-hee and Eun-hye is magnificent - huge kudos to the two actresses! And the aftermath for each character is meaningful and satisfactory. I don’t necessarily want it to be explicit as in a tidy bow but the implied trajectory for each is fine. The only thing I quietly wish for is Park Cheong-won to become the newly found family in the not too distant future as he doesn’t deserve the lonely and tragic fate of his.

This is a drama I’d been wanting to watch when it was announced as it has three of my favorite actors in Yoon Kye-sang, Kim Sin-rok and Park Sung-hoo. Never would I know Yu-na utterly stole the show as the brightest star here. Nonetheless, the kidnapping pair is certainly the heart and soul of this drama in which they change not only their future destiny but all those surrounding them.

On that note, a remarkable achievement of this drama is not a single character gets wasted and each actor is given the chance to shine - from the detective crew to the investors (aka Dr Mo and Jayden), the HQ’s henchman Ho Young (and the unexprected arc of his revenge brother in Ep 12), to Park Cheol-won and lawyer Tak Hyun. I was quite worried at the beginning that Kim Shin-rok and Park Sung-hoon would be wasted here - but thankfully no. KSR is simply spectacular as the menacing and neurotic puppet-master. And PSH has much more to play here than in Not Others - hope he will headline a police procedural with more depth (aka Though The Darkness).

I wholeheartedly recommend this drama to the undecided Beanies!

I hoped to see Myung-joon with the two girls in the ending scene and even if not likely to happen, I hoped we would get probation. Compared to the other characters, he wasn't the slightest bit evil.

The ending is satisfactory enough. But it did what it has been all this while - finished it's run with lots of hearts.

I didn't expect that Myeong-jun would still be remanded in jail. I was thinking he'd get probation instead.
Another one. I was looking forward to them utilizing the storyline where they revealed Hye-eun stole Myeong-jun's life, at least a scene where his intellect shined brightly like the sun. But we get another empathy session, which, is good in its own merit but wasn't what I needed in there. Especially the scene where Hye-eun paid a visit to the mansion. That was the perfect moment for the writer to show us that important facet that was revealed but still highlight that nonetheless, he remains a bubbly man with a heart of gold.

I really commiserate with Hye-eun. Her environment was the genesis of her problem. But she herself over time became a major part of her problems. She never owned up to her errors. You put Myeong-jun in trouble because he should have been the one in this mess but you forget that you stole his place. And then you screech at Ro-hee's sus father that he is living your life. I highly recommend therapy for her. She has been through a lot. But she has also gotten confused with what she passed through. In her story, she's not one of the villains, she's the victim.

I'm so glad Attorney Choi is fully recovered. There's no male better to manage Ro-hee's assets in the absence of Myeong-jun.

And that's a wrap for me.

Man, little did I know that Kang Ha Neul can be SO CREEPY! He can easily be the best Joker ever in a new Batman redition.

Other than that, I wholeheartedly agree with all the positive things my fellow beanies said: this is hands down the best drama of 2023.

I loved this drama and all the actors were brilliant, but I'd like to point out the stellar acting of the girl who is the young Hye-eun, who had to shoulder that dramatic scene final scene. (Also I was miffed that the cops watched the final confrontation from the van on the street and there was nobody closer to Ro-hee, to intervene faster).
I'd really love for a season 2, but it should be as good as this one, which is a very difficult feat. Dramas that start strong and end even stronger are so rare!
Also, now I am curious about the book. Guess I'll have to learn Korean for this!

If there will be no season 2, it may be good to have a special final episode, may be 1.5 hours to 2 hours, to cover:

- How will Ro-hee and Hee-ae be getting along while waiting for MJ to be released from jail. Will Hee-ae be informed eventually that her mother was the one who killed Ro-hee's father?
- When will MJ be released and how will he take care of the girls after his release? Will he adopt Ro-hee eventually?
- Will MJ and Hee-ae still be seeing Hye-eun in prison, since MJ promised that he will not hate Hye-eun in the past, present and future? How will Ro-hee react to that?
- There's possibility that Hye-eun's jail time may be reduced since she can claim that she killed Ro-hee's father in self defence (since Ro-hee's father tried to kill Hye-eun first after killing Ro-hee's mother). How will Hye-eun's release from jail affect MJ, Hee-ae and especially Ro-hee? Will she continue to be a threat for Ro-hee after her release?
- X Capital has invested lot of money on Jin-tae's research. Will they still continue to be a threat for Ro-hee? What if Richard Choi become the new Jaden to represent the company who still want to claim their investment on Ro-hee? Who was the English-speaking boss in X Capital?
- Is X Capital also involved in Elena in Singapore and other research subjects in the other 3 countries? What happened to the remaining research subjects and how are they related to Ro-hee?
- Will Mr Park's jail time be reduced, since he was not the one who killed Ro-hee's parents?
- Will Sang-yoon be promoted after successfully resolve this case?
- Last but not least -- what happened to Ro-hee is very tragic. She has been subjected to her father's experiment since birth. Her mother was killed by her crazy father. And with her exposure to violence throughout the season, can she handle it psychologically, especially at her young age?

A lot of things on my mind after watching the amazing drama. I really can't move-on from this drama lol.

Such a beautiful show.

"Ro Hee is my family now".
The relationships and bonds the characters formed in this show were all so strong.

Myeong Joon ahjussi and Ro Here VS Hye Sun and the guard.

Myeong Joon ahjussi and the guard both started their relationship with the girls in a bad note. And both of them felt bad about it and tried to make things right.

The problem is that the guard ahjussi seemed to have no limits. After what happened to his family it seemed like he decided to dedicate his life for Hye Sun and support her no matter what. And Hye Sun took advantage of that.

But Myeong Joon ahjussi, even tho he also followed Ro Hee's plans, he had limits and he had a life he wanted to go back.
And Ro Hee instead of using him as a shield she wanted to protect him.

2. The scene at the court really made me think "at the end of the day, Ro Hee is just a kid. Hahaha". Not her trying to get things her way just by asking hahaha. I was like, "girl, you asking the judge to not send him to jail is just making things more sus".

3. The final scene with Ro Hee talking about her assets in front of the class almost made me cry. I felt really bad for her.
I hope she doesn't lose the chance to act as a kid. I hope she gets her childhood back.

And they better be sending her to therapy.

I loved everything about this show.
And give the kid a daesang or something. Those acting skills 10/10. Yu Na was awesome.

SPOILER if you are seeing this comment from the Beanies page.

I remember Jayden saying in an earlier episode that the world will be shocked when they hear about genius child cloning. It's weird that there was no other mention of it until the very last second. I had decided that it was a translation mistake, and then...!

So glad I found another kdrama that is good and not surprised it’s NOT on Netflix 😆. Thanks dramabeans for compiling the annual Editors Pick cuz that’s how I usually watch good kdramas that I missed during the year. Moving and now this!

I want more Ro-hee and Myeong Jun interaction. When I first started the drama, I was intrigued of the comedy factor in this drama. Then the storytelling of peeling each layer into the story. I enjoyed binging this drama very much. No fast-forwarding here.

I somehow missed the show when it was live and only came across it as a couple of beanies mentioned it on the 2023 Bean of Hiddenness post. Thank goodness they did as this is an amazing show, up there as one of the best from 2023 for me.
 I usually steer clear of anything to do with kidnapping kids but there is a twist to the premise, the two lead characters are phenomenal in their roles and make this work. 
2023 overall was a year of disappointing, quality shows.
I sincerely say you won't be disappointed with The Kidnapping Day for a few reasons;
All the cast are really fabulous actors and it is well paced for 12 episodes with no filler. (You won't want it to end)
No obvious, jarring PPL to take you out of the story.
The writing is tight , the script is brilliant for all the characters. 
There is sooooo much heart, warmth and affection mixed in with touches of comedy that sit well alongside each other. 
The end scene literally gave me goosebumps on my body.  Well played show, I applaud you- it has to be one of the best ending scenes for a long while. 
You just have to read the other beanies posts here to see how much it was loved. 
Highly recommend. 

I agree - one of the best I’ve watched in 2023 (even if I watched in 2024). Maybe the best for me, I guess.

This drama had so many of the things that I love about Korean dramas: an absorbing story. Moral complexity, Humor at unexpected moments. Characters I care about. Complex characters. And some heartwarming bits that make me feel sappy!

I love found family stories, and this one was great.

Oh the way Ro-hee sniffed scornfully at the ribbon offered to her by her new sister, and seeing it on her head at the end…. I loved the message that this rich genius was still a little girl and wanted to be a little girl.

Wah. I miss it.