Abhiroop Das
Helmed by Lee Jeong-rim, Netflix’s ‘As You Stood By‘, originally titled ‘Dangsini Jugyeotda’, follows Eun-su, a seemingly regular retailer who is burdened by a deeply traumatic past. When she learns that her best friend, Hui-su, is a victim of domestic abuse, she decides to take matters into her own hands, using force if necessary. Although the plan she devises to kill her husband, Noh Jin-pyo, is nearly flawless, a surprise variable in the plan turns out to be a bigger threat than she thought. One by one, the cards begin to fall, and Eun-su, along with everyone involved in this crime, is swept into a swirl of deceit and violence. In the ending of this Korean psychological thriller series, things come full circle for Eun-su and Hui-su, and they decide whether to lead the rest of their life in fear or with courage. SPOILERS AHEAD.
As You Stood By Plot Recap
The story begins with Eun-su, a retailer at a luxury fashion outlet, showing the costliest watches in the collection to a mysteriously charming customer. However, when the same watch later goes missing, she decides to hunt the man down solo, recalling details from their exchange to pinpoint his identity. The man, named Chen Shaobo, turns out to be a wealthy businessman operating a gambling center, who promises to return the watch after being outsmarted. In time, Eun-su and Chen become friends, and we gain a deeper insight into her life through their conversations. Eun-su had a traumatic past due to her father physically abusing her mother, and things reached a tipping point when she found her mother attempting suicide. Although it has been years since then, Eun-su finds herself surrounded by instances of domestic violence. When her best friend Hui-su starts avoiding her, Eun-su gets suspicious, only to find out that Hui-su is also being abused by her husband.
A flashback reveals that Hui-su has been enduring violence for quite some time and has tried numerous measures to leave that toxic life behind. Although she nearly managed to escape at one point, her husband, Noh Jin-pyo, held her mother hostage till she returned. With seemingly no way out, Hui-su tries to take her own life, but is stopped by Eun-su in the last minute, who determines to kill Jin-pyo instead. The key piece in the puzzle turns out to be Jang Kang, an illegal immigrant working for Chen, who also happens to be a lookalike of Jin-pyo. Eun-su hatches an elaborate plan to stealthily murder Jin-pyo and then let Jang Kang impersonate him on his way back to China. Although Jin-pyo catches hold of the plan, Eun-su and Hui-su ultimately manage to defeat him and bury his corpse in the mountain. As planned, Jang Kang returns home in China, and Hui-su is ruled out of suspicion, and has a chance to return to a normal, safer life.
However, things get out of hand when Jang Kang suddenly returns to Korea, demanding more money as an accomplice in murder. While Hui-su agrees, things only get worse as a guard notices Jang and mistakenly believes him to be Jin-pyo. In response, Jang murders the guard in secret, creating yet another fiasco in his wake. Meanwhile, Jin-pyo’s sister, Jin-young, grows suspicious of her brother’s escape to China and begins tailing Hui-su and Eun-su. On one such excursion, she runs into Jang Kang, and the entire mystery falls into place. Instead of going to the police, however, she tries to bury the entire case by pressuring Hui-su into attempting suicide. Ultimately, Hui-su survives, but Jang Kang is not as lucky, as he is killed by Jin-young’s mother, who believes him to be a home intruder impersonating her son. While Jin-young tries to get rid of the body, she is ambushed by Eun-su, who is eager to get revenge for what Jin-young did to her best friend.
As You Stood By Ending: Do Eun-su and Hui-su Go to Prison?
‘As You Stood By’ ends with Hui-su and Eun-su confessing to killing Jin-pyo, following which they are sentenced to prison. However, the nuances of this conclusion come with how they use the court proceedings as a platform to reveal the truth to the entire world. While Eun-su corners Jin-young on her way to disposing of Jang Kang’s body, Hui-su, on the other hand, realizes that they have collectively reached the point of no return. As such, she decides that the only way to truly save her and her best friend’s lives is by confessing to the one police officer she has come to trust the most: Choi. The scene functions as a step up from her previous suicide attempt, in which she also left a note detailing her admission of murder. While she perceived that letter to be her final say in life, this time Hui-su treats the confession as a chance to finally move forward and wipe the slate clean. Eun-su understands that thought process, and thus, when the time comes, she follows suit.
While Eun-su and Hui-su are arrested, Chen works from behind the scenes to give them the best legal defense possible. However, that doesn’t seem to be necessary, as the duo’s lived experience is resonant enough to make the judge and the jury empathize with them. During her final statement, Hui-su admits that she killed her husband out of self-defense, and while the process itself was carefully planned and executed, the reasonings behind it were rooted in a deep fear for her own life. She recalls the violence she had to endure during her married life, explaining how every method of resistance led to the same endpoint, with Jin-pyo physically and psychologically abusing her. As such, the act of killing him is recontextualized as a last-ditch effort to end the suffering for good. While the court does find her guilty, it is implied that she gets a lighter sentence due to the complex nature of her crime.
For Eun-su, who confesses to being an accomplice in the murder of Jin-pyo, the tale begins from an altogether different perspective. As a child, Eun-su was unable to raise her voice against the domestic abuse her mother had to endure. While the police did come at one point, Eun-su, both out of fear and the innocent desire to reunite the family, ended up lying. Many years later, the continued suffering nearly leads her mother to the point of taking her own life, and that haunts Eun-su even into the present. As such, her decision to help her best friend can be reframed as an attempt to make amends for the past. While it is Chen who initially suggests that an abusive husband should be killed for his actions, Eun-su is ultimately the one to plan out the murder and its aftermath, and in court, she takes full accountability. Though her crime is undeniable, the circumstances behind it paint a compelling picture, resulting in a similarly lighter sentence for the protagonist.
What Happens to Jin-young?
Although Eun-su and Hui-su are incarcerated, that ironically comes with a new sense of liberation, as not only can they bid goodbye to a life of secrets and violence, but also welcome a future with no boundaries. The same, however, cannot be said about Jin-young, as in the end, she is declared a co-conspirator along with her mother in the murder of Jang Kang. Furthermore, she is also found guilty of attempting to kill Hui-su by coercing her into suicide, and with both charges in place, Jin-young is sentenced to prison. Although we never see the exact details of her court proceedings, her defeat is strongly implied. The framing of her arrest is also significant, as it is Choi, who was once her protege, who brings her to justice. In the same scene, we also see Jin-Young’s mother being presented in court, and it is likely that a similar fate of being imprisoned befalls her.
Jin-young’s character arc throughout the series is defined by her desperation to get a high-profile position in the police, working directly under the president. In that course, she makes a series of corrupt decisions, willingly turning a blind eye to Hui-su’s suffering. When the realization of her brother’s death finally dawns upon her, instead of making the details public, she chooses to actively hide the truth, ensuring that no familial drama affects her journey on the career ladder. Despite knowing the truth about her brother’s abusive nature, she continues covering up for him, instead putting the onus on Hui-su by accusing her of self-harm. This utter absence of empathy is what ultimately leads to her downfall, as her attempts to cover up Jang Kang’s murder are what ultimately lead to her getting caught. Even in the entire chaos that follows, Jin-young’s primary concern remains her spotless official record, and in the end, that prospect is gone for good.
Why do Eun-su, Hui-su, and Chen Go to Vietnam?
Following a timeskip, we learn that bots Eun-su and Hui-su have found their groove in life and bear no regrets over their decision to speak the truth. Their brave action appears to have rippled out into the narrative, as Eun-su’s mother reveals that she left her toxic marriage behind. Later, we learn that Hui-su’s mother passed away, likely due to natural causes. The moment brings Hui-su more closure than pain, as she understands that her mother no longer has to suffer. Eun-su is the first to be released from prison, and later, she joins Chen on a ride to meet Hui-su on the day of her release. From there, we jump into a second timeskip, and this time, the entire scenery shifts. Navigating through bustling markets and bright beaches, we learn that Eun-su and Hui-su have settled in Vietnam. While they are accompanied by Chen, it is likely that he is merely visiting as their friend and mentor figure, and it is the two best friends who will be starting their life anew.
Earlier in the story, Chen prepares for Eun-su and Hui-su to escape the country and don new identities, as it is the only sure-shot way to escape police attention. While that course of action is ruled by fear and paranoia, the ending puts a new spin on the best friends’ journey abroad. Instead of an escape, their life in Vietnam points to a fresh opportunity, righting wrongs, and living a life with no regrets. This also lines up with Hui-su’s previous desire to leave Jin-pyo’s lavish house behind and reconnect to her urban routes. This transformation is best symbolized by their changes in hairstyle, particularly with Eun-su dyeing her hair blonde. A life in Vietnam brings that exact flavor back into her mundane life, and we learn that Hui-su has made the best of it by taking on painting again. Meanwhile, Eun-su becomes a talented surfer, soaking in her environment and the freedom it brings.
Why Does Eun-su Return the Blue Belt?
While Eun-su’s journey to Vietnam liberates her from a traumatic past, there are various other symbolic devices that make the scene richer. In the final sequence of the show, Eun-su’s jiu-jitsu coach gets a package containing a blue belt, the same belt he gave to Eun-su mere days prior. Usually, a jiu-jitsu student begins with a white belt, before advancing to blue, then purple, brown, black, and beyond. Given Eun-su’s exceptional martial arts skills, it is unusual for her to be held back at the earlier levels, but the coach’s decision turns out to have a psychological component. While promoting Eun-su, he reveals that he knew from the very first day that she was using martial arts as a way to process and channel her negative energy. The lack of internal clarity, as such, was the primary reason that she was never given a blue belt. However, by the final episode, Eun-su not only saves the person she cares for the most, but also resolves her internal demons, making her fit for the belt.
Eun-su’s promotion can also be interpreted as the coach bidding goodbye to his student, as the entire final episode plays on the sense of finality in her actions. To that end, returning the belt signifies that Eun-su not only survived her ordeals but has also grown past them. Her interest in martial arts was likely born out of a desire to become stronger and fight against domestic abuse, and on more than one occasion in the narrative, the skills she has accumulated over time play a key role in her victory. However, with a new life ahead of her, Eun-su no longer needs martial arts to channel her frustrations. Thus, the act of returning the belt does not necessarily imply her quitting Jiu-Jitsu, but rather her vanquishing her greatest fears.
