Trigger Ending Explained: Does Kim Nam Gil's Netflix thriller have a happy ending and who survives the rampage of gunplay?

Indian Express

6 days ago

Trigger is a new Korean drama streaming on Netflix, spotlighting South Korea's escalating violence through a world where deadly guns suddenly start appearing across the country. The show is set in a fictional version of Korea, where strict gun laws are ignored and illegal firearms flood the streets. It follows the story of Lee Do and Moon Baek, two men whose lives were wrecked by gun-related crimes but who grew up in completely different circumstances. One is hell-bent on destroying the country, that failed to protect him; the other tries to stay on the right side of the system. Here's breaking down the ending of Trigger.
Spoiler Alert
The villain of the story is Moon Baek (Kim Young Kwang). With only six months to live, he facilitates the entry of a powerful black-market arms group called the International Rifle Union (IRU) into the country using his old connections. Baek was trafficked from Korea to the U.S. for his organs as a kid. He was later rescued by the IRU, who raised him as one of their own. Jake, one of the group's higher-ups, saw something valuable in the desperate, vengeful boy, and used it. As an adult, Baek returns to Korea, knowing he's dying of cancer, and starts laying the groundwork to unleash chaos. His plan is to hand over guns to people already pushed to the edge including bullied workers, struggling citizens, and let them crack. For Baek, the 'trigger' lives in their hearts. All it needs is a reason to be pulled.
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On the other side of the system is Lee Do (Kim Nam Gil), who is not a staunch supporter of gun culture, despite having served in South Korea's military. He carries a traumatic past, as his mother and brother were murdered during a robbery when he was a child. However, unlike Baek, he was rescued by Captain Jo, a father figure who raised him with the same love he gave his own daughter, and trained him to stay on the right path. But, as the situation starts getting worse with a record number of violence being recorded, Lee Do does everything he can to stop the spread of violence. He tries not to use a gun, but as shootings increase, he's forced to pick one up again.
When Lee Do starts getting on Moon Baek's nerves, he grows intrigued by this cop, and to get closer to him, he acts as just another recipient of one of the illegal weapons and offers his help in trying to stop shootings. Do, however, recognises his ill intent. After escaping police, Baek goes after Captain Jo too. When Jo's daughter is driven to suicide by a scam, he takes matters into his own hands and chases the scammers with a gun. Lee Do stops him just in time, reminding him that revenge won't ease the pain. 'How did you bear this pain at such a young age?' Jo asks Do. 'It was all thanks to you, Captain.' But Baek, who is the mastermind behind everything, is not a fan of what he's seeing, so he shoots both Jo and Do. Jo dies, and Do wakes up to a country already driven mad into chaos.
Time takes a brief leap. Now, the public is terrified. People are buying guns for self-protection. The president is considering martial law. Baek organizes a 'Free Guns' rally, where he plans to turn the city into a warzone. He soon drives a truck full of guns into a crowd, throws smoke bombs. Baek's final goal is for Lee Do to shoot him, as the shooting sound would cause the crowd to go mad and eventually everyone would start pulling the trigger to save their lives. But, Do refuses. He instead asks him, 'Wouldn't pulling a 5-milimeter trigger in pursuit of revenge spread fear in the minds of many?' To which Baek replies, 'All I did was hand them a gun. It's up to them whether they pull the trigger.' Baek disappears in the smoke.
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Later in the crowd, Do finds a crying boy in the crowd holding a gun and drops his weapon to hug him. This moment gets captured live, and suddenly, people watching realise what's at stake. The violence stops. The image of Lee Do hugging the boy becomes a symbol of peace. People begin turning in their guns, including a nurse who was about to kill her bullies. In the end, Baek is found shot, possibly by himself, and left in a coma. His condition is critical. Meanwhile, foreign IRU members plan their next move, and a woman is seen walking into Baek's hospital room, likely sent to finish the job. Lee Do survives and adopts the boy he saved. He continues to live by the same values Captain Jo taught him – protect, not punish. He picks up the boy from school and walks him home, trying to pass on the peace he fought so hard for.