South Korea's entertainment industry is known for producing truly epic, genre-bending shows, and Netflix's Gyeongseong Creature is no different. Set in Japanese-occupied Seoul (then called Gyeongseong) in the spring of 1945, the historical K-drama takes inspiration from real-life historical events to tell a supernatural horror story that centers on a mysterious, deadly creature. Itaewon Class and The Marvels star Park Seo-joon plays Jang Tae-sang, a wealthy pawn shop owner known as "Mr. Omniscient" who is tasked with finding the missing Korean courtesan of a Japanese general. For the task, he teams up with sleuth Yoon Chae-ok (My Name's Han So-hee), who has arrived in Gyeongseong in search of her missing mother. The pair's search for the missing woman leads them to a hospital where the Japanese military is conducting sadistic, monstrous experiments on the people of Korea.
Season 1 of Gyeongseong Creature—which premiered in two parts on December 22, 2023, and January 5, 2024—is packed to the brim with heart-wrenching plots, from Chae-ok's search for her mother to Tae-sang and Chae-ok's star-crossed romance to the discovering the titular creature's identity. By the time the 10-episode season ends, the show has set up plenty of cliffhangers for what Tae-sang and Chae-ok could face in the second season... and then the post-credits scene adds another truly mind-bending twist. Read on for what we know so far about Gyeongseong Creature season 2.
What happens in the finale of 'Gyeongseong Creature' season 1?
The final three episodes released as part 2 of Gyeongseong Creature season 1 confirmed the mastermind behind the military's monster experiments: Japanese noblewoman Lady Maeda (played by Avengers: Age of Ultron's Claudia Kim) who both provided the funds to conduct the tests and hand-picked its subjects, including her husband's mistress Myeong-ja and Chae-ok's mother. The final battle saw Tae-sang and Chae-ok burning down Onseong Hospital and fighting against dozens of Maeda's henchmen, only to be saved by the appearance of the monster... who turned out to be Chae-ok's mother. When the monster prepares to attack Tae-sang, Chae-ok dives in to take the blow and tells it to not hurt the man she loves. This makes the monster stop attacking, even crying out with Tae-sang as Chae-ok appears to succumb to her wounds.
In the aftermath of the fight, Tae-sang dedicates his wealth to funding the fight for Korean independence, believing that Chae-ok has died. However, one of the final scenes shows Chae-ok floating in a body of water as the monster resurrects her using the najin, a parasite that the military used in the monster experiments. The najin infects humans' brains and takes over their synapses, mutating the victims into deadly predators. (Chae-ok's mother, the only survivor of the experiments so far, only became a monster because she was injected with anthrax when given the najin.) No one knows the full scope of the najin's abilities, so it's unclear what powers Chae-ok will get from the najin.
Episode 10 ends with a quick mid-credits montage to show Gyeongseong's fate after the Japanese's surrender (which took place in real life only six months after the events of the series). A television shows key events in South Korea's history, including the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the rise of K-pop. The camera pulls back from the TV to show a man with a scar down the back of his neck, walking around an office in modern-day Seoul. He turns around, and it's Tae-sang, now called Ho-jae, somehow the same age after nearly 80 years.
Has 'Gyeongseong Creature' been renewed for a season 2?
In a rare feat for K-drama productions, Gyeongseong Creature season 2 was confirmed way before season 1 even aired. In November 2022, Netflix confirmed to Korean news outlets that the show had already been renewed for a second season, with filming expected to begin the next year. Then, in August 2023, Our Blues actor Bae Hyun-sung was tapped for a main role in season 2, which Soompi reported was in production at the time. In November, several fan-captured photos from the series' set surfaced of Park Seo-jun and Han So-hee in present-day clothing, hinting that the new season will largely take place after the time jump.
When will 'Gyeongseong Creature' season 2 come out?
Netflix has revealed that Gyeongseong Creature will return sooner than expected, with season 2 arriving on the platform on September 27, 2024. The streaming giant revealed the news along with new character posters of stars Park Seo-joon and Han So-hee, as well as newly-added stars Bae Hyeon-seong (Our Blues, Gaus Electronics) and Lee Mu-saeng (The Glory, Blood Free).
Is there a trailer for 'Gyeongseong Creature' season 2?
The first teaser for Gyeongseong Creature season 2 previews the emotional moment when Chae-ok encounters a man who looks just like Tae-sung. However, the now-stranger introduces himself as Jang Ho-jae instead. While the clip doesn't offer any clues of how the pair ended up reunited in 2024 Seoul, it does give a glimpse of season 2's main conflict involving the Kurokos, "an elite group of operatives following secretive orders, crafting a sinister plan in the labs of Jeonseung Biotech," per the season's description. It seems that the Kurokos are connected to the experiments of season 1, though now the results appear to be more humanoid monsters.
What will happen in 'Gyeongseong Creature' season 2?
Netflix is keeping a tight lid on any spoilers, so the little we know about season 2 so far comes from the cliffhangers: both Chae-ok and Tae-sung's doppelgänger are alive, and they're now living in the present-day at the same age as 1945. Judging by his last name, Jang Ho-jae could be a descendant and Chae-ok's now immortal, monster or not, after she was resurrected. Judging by the scar on Ho-jae's neck, Tae-sang could also have been infected with the najin sometime during the time jump and has also become a humanoid, immortal monster.
In addition to the fates of Tae-sang and Chae-ok, a few of season 1's subplots could likely lead to a new villain in forthcoming episodes. Lady Maeda had chosen Myeong-ja as a test subject because the courtesan was pregnant with her husband's baby. By the final episode, Myeong-ja had been contaminated with the najin and had also begun to go into labor. In one of the show's final scenes, a soldier discovers the evil General Kato sitting by Myeong-ja's dead body and holding her newborn baby. We see part of the najin slithering under the baby's skin before it opens its green, inhuman eyes.
If that isn't enough material to theorize on, there's also Maeda herself, who somehow survived the hospital fire (even though she was right by the bomb when it exploded). The now badly burnt widow was visited by Kato, who asks if she will return to Japan to live out her days or "continue to explore new possibilities." He leaves her with a glass of water, which may or may not have been contaminated with the najin. We don't see whether she decides to continue the experiments, raise Myeong-ja's baby herself, or even drink the najin water to get her own powers. Whatever she does, the show's biggest villain (maybe minus Kato) will likely have a part to play heading into season 2.
