I didn’t plan to watch the hit Netflix horror Kdrama Sweet Home, but after checking out the first episode, I was hooked. Sweet Home debuted way back in 2020. Quickly renewed for a season 2, it took until 2023 for Season 2 to air. Fortunately, since Seasons 2 and 3 were filmed concurrently, Season 3 hit Netflix in July 2024. Which is good because I’m looking for answers in Sweet Home Season 3. I have a lot of questions.
- Series Title: Sweet Home (Korean: 스위트홈)
- Starring: Song Kang, Lee Jin-wook, Lee Si-young, Park Gyu-young, Go-min-si, Lee Do-hyun, Jung Jin-young
- Written by: Hong So-ri, Kim Hyung-min, Park So-jung
- Directed by: Lee Eung-bok, Jang Young-woo (season 1), Park So-hyun
- Network: Netflix
- Where to watch in the US: Netflix
- Year Released: Season 1/2020, Season 2/2023, Season 3/2024
- # of episodes: Season 1/10, Season 2/8, Season 2/8
- KafeNook Rating: Season 1/4.4 sips, Season 2/4.1 sips, Season 3/4.1 sips – 4.2 sips overall
Looking for Answers in Sweet Home Season 3 — !! Spoilers Ahead!!
Sweet Home Season 1 takes place at the Green Home apartment complex. Within the span of a day, residents find themselves battling against people who have turned into monsters. Unlike zombies, it doesn’t take a bite or inflicted injury to turn a person into a monster. Instead, the process involves what a person desires most.
Teenager Cha Hyun-su (My Demon’s Song Kang) moved to Green Home after the death of his family in a car accident. A loner, Hyun-su discovers he is experiencing pre-monster symptoms. But unlike other residents who give into their monster selves, Hyun-su fights his transformation. Self-appointed leader of the residents, Lee Eun-hyuk (Lee Do-hyun of Death’s Game Part 2), a former medical student, gives Hyun-su the option of helping them or facing death. Throughout the season, Hyun-su teams up with the residents including former firefighter, Seo Yi-kyung (Lee Si-young), to help protect their home.
Looking for special infectees who resist “monsterfication”, the military locates Hyun-su. But their attempts to capture him are thwarted by Jung Ui-myeong (Kim Sung-cheol), a monster who can shift into other bodies. In the final episode, Hyun-su’s hidden monster ability is finally revealed while UI-myeong takes on the body of deceased contract killer, Pyeon Sang-wook (Lee Jin-wook). Though many of the residents either die or become monsters, several escape Green Home before the military can destroy it and survive into Season 2.
Sweet Home Season 2
Residents who make it into Season 2 include Eun-hyuk’s adoptive sister, Lee Eun-yu (Go Min-si) – an abrasive young woman who seems to care little for the other residents, and guitarist Yoon Ji-su (Park Gyu-young – A Good Day to Be a Dog). Cha Jin-ok (Kim Hee-jung), a mother who lost her daughter and now takes care of two orphaned children, also makes it out along with cowardly Kang Seung-wan (Woo Jung-kook). Recognizing the early symptoms of monsterfication, Eun-hyuk made the choice to stay behind at the end of Season 1.
Believing Eun-hyuk is still alive, his sister, Eun-yu, tries to go back for him at the beginning of Season 2. When she and the other survivors are rescued from monsters by soldiers, including former baseball star, now Private Park Chan-young (Jung Jin-young of Love in the Moonlight), Eun-yu forces them to return to Green Home. Failing to find Eun-hyuk, they seek shelter at the stadium. No sooner do they arrive than the stadium comes under fire by weapons controlled by leaders gathered at the scientific institute. Guitarist Yoon Ji-su, who had begun to exhibit the first symptoms of monsterfication perishes in the attack. (And sadly, does not return for season 3.)
The Institute
Hyun-su decides to turn himself in to the scientific institute where he is subjected to brutal tests by maniacal Dr. Lim (Oh Jung-se of It’s Okay to Not be Okay). Curious if the experience will change Hyun-su’s desire to protect humans, Ui-myeong tags along and is captured in the process. Before the stadium is completely destroyed, a military unit known as the Crow Platoon takes out the leaders. Meanwhile, Hyun-su battles it out with Ui-myeong. But after enveloping Hyun-su in a hardened slime-like substance, Ui-myeong appears to get the upper hand.
Elsewhere in the institute, Yi-kyung who learned she was pregnant in Season 1, searches for her fiancé. He happens to be Dr. Lim’s friend and test subject number 1. As the institute falls, Yi-kyung’s pregnancy unnaturally progresses to full term and she gives birth to a non-human child.
A Time Jump
After a time jump of a year, most of the remaining survivors of Green Home reside in what is left of the stadium. This is thanks to Chief Ji (Kim Shin-rok), the secretive manager of the facility and Master Sergeant Tak In-hwan (Yu Oh-seong), leader of the Crow Platoon. When the story picks up, Eun-yu is an outcast who is accused of killing Chief Ji’s husband. She spends her days venturing outside to look for her brother, believing he is the one who protects her from the monsters. It doesn’t matter to her if he has become one himself. Worried about her, Private Park follows Eun-yu out on one of her quests and the two immediately run into trouble.
Sergeant First Class Kim Young-hoo (Kim Mu-yeol), second in command of the Crow Platoon, finally convinces Master Sergeant Tak to let him find a missing soldier. Tak agrees if he will take Dr. Lim. The doctor wants to know why one of the residents had monster elements in his blood without showing signs of monsterfication. The secret is an ability of Yi-kyung’s daughter (Kim Si-a) who can turn people into monsters with a touch. She also has a dislike for Eun-yu since the mysterious person who keeps rescuing Eun-yu is killing her monster friends. When the young girl pushes Eun-yu into a deep hole, it’s Hyun-su who saves her, not Eun-hyuk.
The Emergence of a New Type of Monster
Somehow escaping from his slime shell, Hyun-su found Yi-kyung and her daughter. Hyun-wu then stepped in to raise the child after her mother abandoned her. Though the three eventually reconnect, Yi-kyung continually struggles between her desire to love and protect her child vs her absorbance at bringing a monster child into the world. After Yi-kyung is fatally injured in a fire, Hyun-su convinces her estranged daughter to visit her mother before she dies. But instead of saying goodbye, the girl turns Yi-kyung into a monster.
Back at the institute, Sergeant Kim and his men locate the missing soldier. However, their escape is barred when they encounter survivors who appear to be a new kind of monster. Dr. Lim is diverted from his weird fascination of the cocoon pods when he runs into Ui-myeong. Happy to see his old “friend” again, Ui-myeong confesses that he is patient number 1, aka Yi-kyung’s fiancé. In the final moments of Season 2, one of the pods opens and out pours a human looking Eun-hyun. But the slow smile on his face begs the question of what exactly has emerged.
Looking for Answers in Sweet Home Season 3
While Sweet Home Season 1 features a tight, gripping narrative focused on the residents of Green Home, Season 2 expands the world to more locations and characters. Though not as effective as Season 1, there is still plenty to like about Season 2. But there are a lot of questions at the end of Sweet Home Season 2 that need answers.
Hyun-su and Eun-yu
How did Hyun-su escape his slime shell? Before Hyun-su disappeared for three episodes (boo), he was last seen encased in lava-like skin by Ui-myeong. Given that he appears to Yi-kyung shortly after the birth of her daughter, he could not have been trapped for long.
At the end of the last episode in Season 2, Hyun-su is injured after trying to help the now monsterfied Yi-kyung. This leaves his monster self is in control. What will monster Hyun-su do to Eun-yu now that he has her corned? Is he living out Hyun-su’s attraction to Eun-yu? The fact that he protected her all this time seems to indicate he has feelings for her beyond that of just a fellow Green Home resident. So far, the show has stayed away from romantic threads. Is it time for one? Eun-yu obviously cares about Hyun-su but why does it seem like she is really in love with her “brother” Eun-hyuk?
Season 3 Answers Concerning Hyun-su and Eun-yu
In the first episode of Season 3, Eun-yu effectively shuts down monster Hyun-su, while at the same time refusing to give up on the human side of Hyun-su. After making a deal with Hyun-su’s monster side that she can bring back human Hyun-su, her efforts largely fail. Eun-yu fears she has lost human Hyun-su until he finally emerges after a confrontation with Eun-hyuk and a metalic acid spewing special infectee. They way he breaks free from his metalic acid prison, provides the clue needed to how he freed himself from the slime shell in season 2.
As for a potential romantic thread – a small one is revealed when Eun-hyuk congratulates Hyun-su on his first crush. Even emotionally challenged, neo-human Eun-hyuk can see that Hyun-su likes his sister. Eun-yu clearly cares a lot about Hyun-su, but her feelings are not explored further and even overshadowed by her longing for a safe home with her brother.
The People Who Protect the Stadium
Who is Chief Ji hiding? Based on the way she looks at her family picture, it’s possible the monster is her son. She chooses Seung-wan because she knows he is going through the first monsterfication stages. Is he just bait for the monster in the basement or a full meal? What lengths will Chief Ji go through for this monster and how will that put the other residents of the stadium in danger?
Master Sergeant In-hwan is fighting his own monsterfication. He supposedly killed his family. What kind of monster will his desire turn him into? And – will he be able to continue to fight it like Hyun-su in order to protect the stadium?
What will become of the Sergeant Kim and the other soldiers at the institute now that they have been captured by the special infectees? Will they find themselves “recruited” into the monster ranks? Given that Dr. Kim has reunited with Ui-myeong/Sang-won, will the two continue their experiments to create more special infectees? Or will Dr. Kim’s missing antidote come into play?
Season 3 Answers for the People Protecting the Stadium
Season 3 reveals that Chief Ji is indeed hiding her monsterfied son. In atonement for her actions, Chief Ji gives Master Sergeant In-hwan a map to the stadium’s hidden exist, then seals herself in with her son. When the Crow Platoon later unseals the area, they find the remains of the symptomatic people Chief Ji locked in there to “feed” to her son. At the same time, they note that the “son” is a class green monster – meaning he would not attack people. Whether or not Chief Ji’s monsterfied son killed these people is not fully answered.
Master Sergeant’s Tak In-hwan’s fate comes as no surprise. Upon reuniting with Sergeant Kim, In-hwan reveals that he is symptomatic and asks Kim what kind of monster the sergeant thinks he will turn into. Sergeant Kim wisely says that In-hwan has been a soldier most of his life so he will either kill or protect. While helping the stadium inhabitants escape from Ui-myeong and his special infectees, Master Sergeant In-hwan succumbs to monsterfication. Though he initially threatens people with an explosive, In-hwan ultimately turns that explosive on himself. Then, proving the protective side of him is stronger, becomes a barrier that only un-symptomatic people can pass through.
Sergeant Kim may have survived the institute but at a heavy cost. All of the soldiers who went with him are dead and the person they set out to rescue is a neo-human. Kim is the first person to meet up with neo-human, Eun-hyuk who he recognizes – saying that he saw Eun-hyuk die. Eun-hyuk also thanks the sergeant for being the one to free him from his cocoon/heart. Both statements reveal sloppy writing/editing given that there is no scene in season 1 or 2 with Kim watching Eun-hyuk die and no scene in season 2 between Kim and Eun-hyuk.
Ui-myeong/Sang-won is no longer interested in creating more special infectees now that he knows the whereabouts of his daughter. His master plan is to move into her body which will give him the ability to turn everyone into monsters. Dr. Lim’s “antidote” turns out to be hidden in the body of one of the special infectees. Instead of being an antidote to monsterfication, it is actually the last bit of Ui-myeong/Sang-won’s blood and will turn someone into a special infectee. Dr. Lim ends up not using when he finds out the ability of Ui-myeong/Sang-won’s daughter because all he wants is to become a monster. Instead, Ui-myeong/Sang-won turns him into toast.
The Fates of Yi-kyung and Eun-hyuk
Is newly monsterfied Yi-kyung a lost cause? Her daughter has given her a horrible fate. Unlike other monsterfied people who are fully taken over by their monster selves, she appears to be half human/half monster. It’s an appropriate representation of the internal battle she endured as a human before “dying”. Will she be able to evolve into a neo-human? Is reconciliation possible between her and her daughter? And now that it’s been revealed her fiancé is still alive as Ui-myeong/Song-won, will the family reunite? The fact that he is the girl’s father explains a lot about the child’s abilities.
Eun-hyuk, who has returned, may look human on the outside but what type of monster will he be? Is gestating in a pod a requirement to becoming a neo-human? The first pod appeared in Season 1 with Green Home resident Im Myung-sook (Lee Bong-ryun of Hometown Cha Cha Cha). She ends up in cocoon-like pod and is not seen again until season two when she emerges looking fully human. One of the things she and Eun-hyuk have in common is their desire to protect others – just like Hyun-su. Is this a key component to resisting monsterfication and becoming a neo-human? To have a soul that can overcome the mind?
Season 3 Answer to the Fates of Yi-kyung and Eun-hyuk
Hyun-su succeeds in reversing Yi-kyung’s monsterfication and, rather than becoming a neo-human, she is fully human once more. This is Hyun-su’s key ability – turning monsters back into human. Whoever he reverts back ends up with ladder-like scars on their arm just like his. Yi-kyung finds her daughter at the stadium where the two have a heartfelt reunion. She convinces the girl to leave with her only to be stopped by Ui-myeong/Sang-won. The anticipated family reunion ends with Ui-myeong/Sang-won killing Yi-kyung as she tries to protect her daughter. It’s a fate that Yi-kyung did not deserve but ultimately shows her daughter what sacrifice looks like.
Eun-hyuk’s return sees several reunions, the first with the monster side of Hyun-su. The tension these two characters showed in the first season is happily back on display as they battle it out. Ultimately, they agree to work together to stop Ui-myeong/Sang-won. Hyun-su knows how important Eun-hyuk is to Eun-yu and is determined to keep Eun-hyuk from harm – not to mention where he can see him in order to return Eun-hyuk safely to his sister.
Eun-hyuk’s reunion with his sister is even more painful. As a neo-human he has his memories – but is missing his emotions. Fortunately, neo-humans are quick learners. He may not currently be the brother Eun-yu remembers but she is certain he can re-learn his emotions. The family picture he carries confirms he still has an attachment to her regardless of what he tells her. Eun-yu’s disappointment in Eun-hyuk triggers her own monsterfication and path to becoming a neo-human. Hyun-su and Eun-hyuk both vow to find Eun-yu once the threat of Ui-myeong/Sang-won is eliminated with Hyun-su hoping to turn her back into a human.
The Big Questions
In terms of the big questions – is this really all caused by a curse on humans? And if so, are humans in other countries affected or only South Korea? Will Season 3 provide any hints about the rest of the world? What will be the final result? Will humans, neo-humans and monsters learn to live together, or will one dominate and/or wipe out the others? Hears hoping the answer to all of these questions will be in Sweet Home Season 3.
The Big Questions Answered?
Are all of the big questions from Sweet Home answered? The entire start of monsterfication is still a bit nebulous. Is it a curse? Did is start with subject number 1, Yi-kyung’s fiance and Dr. Lim? Still no clue about the rest of the world in Season 3, but since no other country comes to South Korea’s rescue, it’s safe to assume the rest of the world is in the same boat.
Having learned sacrifice from her mother, Yi-kyung’s daughter sacrifices herself to extract evil dad from her body. Fortunately, being part monster/part neo-human – she returns to life. In a surprising (and a bit confusing) twist, contract killer, Pyeon Sang-wook (from season 1) manages to regain some control over his body with Ui-myeong inside. Sparing both Hyun-su and Eun-hyuk the trouble, it’s Sang-wook who ultimately destroys the evil monster who usurped his body. It’s a nice, if somewhat convenient, throwback to season 1 where Sang-wook also “died” a hero.
Sweet Home ends with Hyun-su helping to turn monsters back into humans. Then the group of human survivors meet up with a group of neo-humans and decide to live together. As practically the only remaining residents of Green Home, Hyun-su, Eun-hyuk and his sister, Eun-yu are all back together. In a scene reminiscent of the first time he met Eun-yu, Hyun-su looks up at her on the roof and smiles. But he’s not alone. Eun-hyuk looks up and smiles as well – showing how far he has come in the emotion game. Eun-yu seems detached emotionally, and in all likely-hood is a neo-human who is learning emotions again. But she has Hyun-su there to help her remember – just as he promised.
Sweet Home Season 3 Final Thoughts
Sweet Home season 3 picks up right where season 2 left off. As a result, it mostly feels like additional episodes of season 2 but with elements of season 1 thrown in for good measure. While I’m happy for the additional seasons of Sweet Home and a chance to experience more of that world and its characters, seasons 2 and 3 never manage to regain the magic from season 1.
Master Sergeant Tak had the best ending in the show, fulfilling the arc of his character nicely. It seems like a waste to save ex-firefighter Yi-kyung from monsterfication only to kill her. Didn’t she deserve some happiness with her daughter? Baseball player Park Chan-young manages to avoid becoming either a monster or a neo-human but can’t avoid being a chick magnate. Poor guy. The one girl he wants is the one he doesn’t get.
Eun-hyuk and the dynamic he shares with Hyun-su and his sister was sorely missed in Season 2. It’s good to have him back in season 3 – but I wanted more of his character. Hyun-su – arguably the best character in the entire series – finally has more screen time in season 3 than in season 2, but it is still not enough. As the heart of the show, the series loses its emotional core when he is not around.
