EXO Suho’s Missing Crown Prince Ending Explained & Episode 20 Spoilers: Happy or Sad Ending?

Missing Crown Prince episode 20 (finale) aired on Sunday, June 16, 2024, on MBN and Viki. Led by EXO’s Suho, Hong Ye-Ji, and Kim Min-Kyu, the historical romance K-drama focuses on an ill-fated love story leading to chaos among the royals.

In the previous episode, Choi Sang-Rok and Queen Dowager Min Soo-Ryun learned about her pregnancy. Sang-Rok joined forces with Do Sung’s grandfather, Yoon Yi-Gyeom, and created a rebellion army. The episode ended with Crown Prince Lee Gon (Suho) becoming the King of Joseon.

The finale episode begins with the new king announcing Queen Yoon and Grand Prince Do Sung’s exit from the palace. Angry, Do Sung barges into his elder brother Lee Gon’s chamber, and the guards outside can listen to their heated argument. When he leaves the palace in frustration, Do Sung is brought to his grandfather, Yi-Gyeom, who has broken out of the prison. The older adult takes Myung-Yoon hostage and threatens Do Sung to seek revenge from Lee Gon. The Grand Prince agrees.

Will the brothers fight for the throne? Will the characters get a happy ending? Let’s find out!

Suho’s Missing Crown Prince episode 20 recap: How did Kim Min-Kyu become the king?

In Missing Crown Prince episode 20 (finale), Yi-Gyeom gathers officials from the palace to join Sang-Rok’s rebellion. While they plan an attack on the king, a flashback shows the moment when Do Sung and Lee Gon argue in the latter’s chamber. It appears the brothers pretended to fight to show Yi-Gyeom and others that Do Sung truly wanted to kill his brother.

The night of the attack, Sang-Rok learns that Yi-Gyeom has betrayed him and sent men to kill Soo-Ryun. On the other hand, Yi-Gyeom raises a toast before leaving for the palace. As soon as the group drinks the alcohol, they fall sick. Yi-Gyeom then sees King Lee Gon has arrived with his army, which makes him realize that his grandson has played him. After arresting the culprits, Lee Gon rushes to the palace to capture Sang-Rok and Soo-Ryun.

Yi-Gyeom’s men attack Soo-Ryun, but Sang-Rok appears at the right time to save her. When Lee Gon arrives with his men, Sang-Rok is badly hurt but still tries to defend his love. He begs the king to show mercy to Soo-Ryun and eventually takes his last breath. Seeing Sang-Rok and Soo-Ryun’s love, Lee Gon orders his troupe to lie to the world that Soo-Ryun has died that night. 

Once the bad days are over, the king is pressured to bring a queen to the palace. Lee Gon twists the marriage selection process to buy some time. The next step he takes is to smartly manipulate the officials to abolish the “guilty by association” rule. This way, Yi-Gyeom’s family, Queen Yoon and Do Sung, and Sang-Rok’s daughter, Myung-Yoon, will not be considered criminals.

Furthermore, he summons Do Sung to the palace. When he arrives, Lee Gon is nowhere to be seen. He has left a letter and his throne to his little brother. The letter reads, “From now on, you are the king of this country, Joseon.” Do Sung calls out his brother in frustration after reading it. His reaction adds a comical tone to the scene.

Missing Crown Prince episode 20 ending: Did Suho & Hong Ye-Ji end up together?

Missing Crown Prince episode 20 further shows Lee Gon’s next venture after leaving the throne to his brother. In the city, a royal guard opens the gate of Myung-Yoon’s clinic and announces, “Secret Royal Inspector has arrived!” 

The inspector accuses the clinic of money extortion. Physician Myung-Yoon looks confused and tries to clear the misunderstanding. The inspector then orders, “If you do not want to die, serve me tonight in bed.” While Ye-ji attempts to clarify that she is a physician, the inspector says a name, “Baek-Goo.” For context, this is the name Lee Gon had given her when the two started falling for each other but didn’t know each other’s real identities. 

As she looks up, Myung-Yoon sees Lee Gon, who asks her to call him “Dear husband.” The two end up hugging each other while everyone looks away. Later, they meet pregnant Soo-Ryun, who dies after giving birth.

Towards the end of The Missing Crown Prince, the couple lives an everyday life raising their child and Sang-Rok and Soo-Ryun’s daughter. The final scene shows a happy ending for all the characters.

MBN K-drama Missing Crown Prince currently streams on Viki.