“Pachinko” on Apple TV+ has just returned with episode 8 of its second season. Previously, it followed Noa’s journey toward Tokyo’s Waseda University. While he got the admission, Hansu’s father-in-law forbade him from attending his daughter’s wedding. So, Hansu murdered the old man as an act of revenge. Yoseb felt sorry for Kyunghee and decided not to be a barrier in her relationship with Chang-ho. However, Kyunghee refused to break her marriage. In 1991, Sunja became close friends with Kato-san. Mozasu got concerned and dug into Kato-san’s past. He found some shocking details that affected Sunja’s opinion of Kato-san. Now, “Pachinko” (season 2 finale) episode 8 mainly follows Noa’s time at Waseda University with Nakazono Akiko. After learning a shocking truth about his past, he takes an irretrievable step.
Spoilers Ahead
Pachinko (Season 2 Finale) Episode 8 “Chapter Sixteen” Recap:
“Pachinko” (season 2 finale) episode 8 follows Noa’s (Kang Tae-Ju) journey at Waseda University a year after he moved to Tokyo. There, he gets close to his classmate, Nakazono Akiko (Kilala Inori), the same student leader he noticed shortly after stepping onto the premises. In a literature class, Akiko shares her opinion about a Leo Tolstoy story. Noa partially rejects her interpretation and points out her biases. After the class, he and Akiko meet at a hidden spot on the campus and kiss each other. He is afraid someone will see them. She isn’t.
Throughout his year in Tokyo, Noa receives special treatment from Hansu (Lee Min-ho). Akiko notices that. Still, Noa doesn’t lose touch with his humble beginnings which shaped his outlook toward life. He understands hunger and desperation unlike how Akiko, a girl from a privileged family does. She isn’t afraid to ask what she wants. So, seeing Hansu, i.e. the ‘mystery person’ who pays for Noa’s boarding room, she demands to meet him. Noa refrains her from meeting him. Later, he joins Hansu for one of their planned visits.
At the time, Hansu speaks with a young party member about their real estate deal. Once Noa enters the room, Hansu sings praises of Noa and thinks he is the hope of the future. The young party member doesn’t think highly of Noa because of his Korean identity. Still, he has to make peace with Hansu’s decisions since Hansu now holds the authority over matters of the party.
Mozasu’s Mischief
Back in Osaka, 14-year-old Mozasu (Mansaku Takada) sneaks into Goto-san’s (Ichirô Hashimoto) store with a friend. Goto-san catches Mozasu stealing some items. He feels sorry for Sunja (Minha Kim) who had raised Mozasu through thick and thin. So, he brings the kid back to his mother to share the truth. Sunja says she will punish Mozasu for his mistake. Goto-san thinks it won’t help teach Mozasu a lesson. He rather offers Mozasu a job at his parlor. Kyunghee (Jung Eun-chae) doesn’t think Mozasu should work in a pachinko parlor.
Unlike Sunja, Kyunghee thinks their days of working out of desperation are behind them. Still, Sunja allows Mozasu to work for Goto-san’s business. As it happens, Yoseb (Han Joon-woo) conceals letters from Chang-ho (Kim Sung-kyu). However, he eventually feels guilty about hiding them from Kyunghee. So, he hands them over to her and apologizes for not sharing them before. Kyunghee gets emotional as she reads them.
Mamoru and Mozasu’s Past
In 1991, after his successful deal with Mamoru Yoshii (Louis Ozawa), Solomon (Jin Ha) paid off Mozasu’s (Soji Arai) pending loan amount. Shortly before, Solomon was facing some financial issues. So, Mozasu doesn’t understand how Solomon could pay such a big amount. He realizes that the repayment originated from Tokyo. Soon, he learns about an event for Solomon’s new golf club and attends it. There, Mozasu notices Solomon diplomatically answer queries about his venture without being as vulnerable as before. Solomon defends his ambitious plan despite its potential labor-related issues.
As it happens, Mozasu realizes that Solomon has joined hands with Mamoru. After the event, Mozasu meets Mamoru to discuss his deal with Solomon. Turns out, Yoshii is Goto-san’s grandson – the same Goto-san, who offered teen Mozasu a job in his pachinko parlour. Goto-san trusted and loved Mozasu as his kin. That’s why Mozasu believes Mamoru wants to settle the score against him for the love Mozasu robbed him of from Goto-san by bringing Solomon into his venture. So, Mozasu decides to seek revenge against Mamoru.
As it happens, Sunja (Youn Yuh-jung) meets Kato-san (Jun Kunimura) and tells him about Mozasu’s investigation. She asks him about his difficult past with the Japanese army. Kato-san admits he is a murderer and regrets his past choices. However, he looks for a fresh start away from that past and has no ulterior motives behind his friendship with Sunja. Still, Sunja decides to distance herself from Kato-san.
Solomon’s Guilt
Solomon meets Tom (Jimmi Simpson) for drinks. After leaving the Shifleys, Tom decides to work for Yoshii-san instead of returning to the States as planned before. They denigrate Katsu Abe without even a shred of remorse for their actions. Shortly after, Solomon hears the news of Katsu Abe’s alleged suicide that led to his death. Unlike before, this shocking news affects him.
Pachinko (Season 2 Finale) Episode 8 “Chapter Sixteen” Ending Explained:
Does Noa learn the truth about his relationship with Hansu?
Noa joins Hansu for dinner and reveals his desire to be a teacher after he gets out of the university. Hansu thinks Noa should have bigger ambitions, considering his intellect and hunger for knowledge. As they discuss these details, Akiko shows up unannounced and shocks Noa. Hansu recognizes her as the daughter of Hitoshi, the Foreign Undersecretary. He asks her to convince Noa to have a bigger ambition. After dinner, Noa gets angry at Akiko for not respecting his wishes about meeting Hansu.
Akiko says she does not let others define her and believes Noa shouldn’t either. She refuses to leave Noa despite him telling her to. So, he decides to distance himself from her. Hearing that, she claims what she has been thinking for a while: Hansu is Noa’s father. Until then, Noa had never discussed it with Hansu. After Akiko leaves, he finally asks Hansu if that’s the truth. Hansu accepts that he is Noa’s father and says that he has not forced himself onto Sunja. Shocked, Noa returns to Osaka to meet Sunja. She is surprised to see him arrive unannounced.
Sunja asks Noa to stay for the night but Noa refuses to do so. After he leaves, Sunja realizes that Noa came to meet her for the last time. She walks out looking for him but to no avail. Hansu decides to find Noa but fails to do so. He regrets his life choices and realizes there is no turning back. Away from them, Noa starts his new life in Nagano, hiding his Korean identity, and posing as Ogawa Minato.
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