Pump Up the Healthy Love – K-drama Episode 12 Recap, Review & Ending Explained

The Review Geek

10 hours ago

Episode 12
Episode 12 of Pump Up the Healthy Love begins with Mi-ran and Hyeon-joong dating in secret with lots of giggles and hand-holding involved. However, the three gym regulars soon reveal that everyone already knows they are dating. The two officially make their relationship public.
However, things aren't as rosy as they seem. The gym soon experiences a leak in the ceiling. The plumber tells them that they will have to redo the pipes and the ceiling if they want to keep functioning. Of course, the landlord refuses to help.
The first thing to go is a brand new piece of equipment that Hyeon-joong endearingly called Mi-cheon. A woman agrees to buy the machine but while they are moving it, Hyeon-joong ends up injured. He lands up in the hospital with a fractured rib and sprained wrists. Soon, the gym loses electricity as well.
Hyeon-joong is worried about losing the place he calls home but Mi-ran assures him that he isn't alone, and together, they can work things out. But she ends up in a conundrum when she goes to work the next day — her boss tells her she has been accepted for the Hawaii program! If she goes, she will have to spend a year there.
She goes home and seeks advice from Ji-ran and Dan, who say that leaving someone while they are struggling is tantamount to betrayal. Later, she visits the hospital but Hyeon-joong isn't there. She finds him at the gym instead. He's worried and leans on her for support.
As a result, Mi-ran is ready to tell her boss that she can't go to Hawaii. However, this leads to a fight between her and Ye-jin, her colleague. Ye-jin is jealous of the opportunity but she tells Mi-ran to value it since she worked hard to get it. Everyone overhears the argument, including Joon-seok. He takes Mi-ran aside and speaks to her.
He points out that she's making a decision for a man again. He then pulls a wig off his head to reveal a scantily clad scalp. He says this was the real reason for him not sleeping with Mi-ran, he was afraid of showing her this side of him. She realises that her body was never the problem. She admits that she's spent all this time wanting the love of other people but she didn't love herself.
She runs over to see Hyeon-joong and tells him that despite all her misgivings, she wants to go to Hawaii. He supports her decision and tells her to chase her dreams. He, in fact, berates her for not telling him before.
Hyeon-joong then tells Rosa and Alex that since the gym is close to shutting down, Roy has offered to hire Rosa and Alex. The 24-hour health club then officially closes. The members pack their things and say goodbyes. Although Hyeon-joong promises to open a new gym in six months.
Rosa then tells Roy she can't work with him because she has feelings for him. He tells her he's opening a new branch and will work there. She will be the director at the original branch. She's delighted and takes up the offer.
The gym staff and members have one last party aka a workout session at the gym. Afterwards, Director Dong gives Hyeon-joong a visit. He thanks Hyeon-joong for protecting the gym all this time. He's now off to Venice and tells Hyeon-joong to visit.
At work, everyone bids Mi-ran goodbye. Ye-jin even gives her all her research from her honeymoon in Hawaii. We then shift to the airport. Hyeon-joong gives Mi-ran a letter with a workout schedule and after one last hug, she leaves.
One year later, Rosa and Alex are flourishing at Roy's gym. They haven't heard from Hyeon-joong in a while. Dan and Ji-ran are singing their original song when Dan proposes to her. Mi-ran then calls Ji-ran and tells her to pick her up from the airport next week. Ji-ran asks about Hyeon-joong but Mi-ran just puts the phone down.
Even the three gym regulars wonder where he is and what he's up to. When they leave the restaurant they're eating at, Hyeon-joong appears in front of them. He takes them to his new gym which turns out to be on the roof of a building.
Roy, Rosa and Alex arrive as well. Hyeon-joong says he spent a year studying his customers. He worked at an office and even spent time doing housework to understand why exercise is difficult for his members. He's cheering his members on to exercise more than ever when they are interrupted by someone — it's Mi-ran! Everyone welcomes her and she and Hyeon-joong share a warm reunion.
Pump Up the Healthy Love Episode 12 ends with a photo shoot with all the gym members and a voiceover from Hyeon-joong about taking care of our bodies.
The Episode Review
Like most of the show, Pump Up the Healthy Love Episode 12 is sweet and wholesome. The finale throws obstacles in the path of our characters but also sees them overcome and persevere. The final episode nicely traces Mi-ran's journey from someone who constantly prioritised her partners to someone who puts herself first.
The reveal about Joon-seok feels like mixed messaging again but the show has never truly committed to a strong theme/message; it's more about its individual characters. Hyeon-joong's struggles with the gym are poignant as well and it's also amusing that he goes from a basement gym to a rooftop one.
In the end, most loose ends are wrapped up, the gym kicks off again, and all of our characters are together and happy. There are a few questions left behind, though. Will Rosa and Alex keep working with Roy? Will Hyeon-joong find new trainers? Also, what about his bodybuilding? Does he not want to return to it?
Of course, it would have been nice to learn more about Mi-ran's time in Hawaii and also how she and Hyeon-joong dealt with long distance. The drama around Hyeon-joong's disappearance adds some unnecessary suspense and is a bit unrealistic that he stayed out of touch with everyone. Nevertheless, the reveal that he's been studying his members' lives is a wholesome one.
As expected, Mi-ran and Hyeon-joong's romance is all sorts of adorable and all the exercise references actually give it a pretty unique flavour. It's criminal that we only got this for one episode! Still, all in all, this one was a lovely, heartfelt finale.
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