Which Characters Get Different Endings In The Itaewon Class Webtoon?

I got into 'Itaewon Class' through the webtoon first, and I still prefer its edgier, sometimes bleaker epilogues. To put it bluntly: several key folks end up different than the drama shows. Sae-ro-yi doesn’t get a neatly packaged romantic finale — the webtoon keeps his focus on DanBam’s mission and gives him a quieter, more adult closure. It felt like the author wanted to reward personal growth over romantic neatness.

Oh Soo-ah’s future is noticeably more complicated in the comic; she faces real consequences and spends more time reckoning with her choices instead of sliding back into her old life. Jo Yi-seo gets deeper introspection too—her growth is internal and the webtoon doesn’t force her into a predictable coupling. On the antagonists, Jang Dae-hee’s and Jang Geun-won’s endings are darker and less redemptive: the webtoon explores legal and social consequences with less of the dramatic catharsis the TV version sometimes grants. Secondary players like Ma Hyun-yi and Tony (Kim) also receive endings that emphasize career and personal identity shifts rather than just romance beats. If you liked the drama for its neat arcs, the webtoon will surprise you by keeping things rawer and, honestly, more memorable in some ways.

I still think the webtoon of 'Itaewon Class' reads as the tougher sibling to the TV series—several characters end up with different fates that underline that point. Sae-ro-yi’s finale is less about romantic closure and more about what he built and who he becomes; Jo Yi-seo grows into independence rather than serving as a simple love interest; Oh Soo-ah is shown living with the aftermath of her decisions instead of an easy redemption. The family-and-power villains get starker comeuppances in the comic too, and supporting characters’ endings often favor realistic personal changes (career moves, self-respect) over neat plot resolutions. I liked that the webtoon didn’t shy away from imperfect endings — it made the whole story feel more honest to me.

It still thrills me how the webtoon version of 'Itaewon Class' takes some characters down paths that feel grittier and less TV-friendly. In my reading, the biggest differences are in emotional closure and who ends up paired with whom. Park Sae-ro-yi's ending in the webtoon is more work-focused and introspective: he achieves his goal of building DanBam into a meaningful place, but the romance side is handled with more restraint—it's less of a tidy, cinematic coupling and more of an ambiguous, mutual respect that leaves room for growth rather than a conventional ‘happily ever after’. That felt truer to the tone of the comic to me.

Oh Soo-ah and Jo Yi-seo are the other two who shift noticeably. Soo-ah’s arc in the webtoon leans harder into the consequences of her choices; she becomes more of a repentant, self-aware figure rather than someone who simply returns to normal life. Yi-seo, meanwhile, is given more agency and complexity; the webtoon emphasizes her independence and emotional maturation, and she doesn’t get the same clear-cut romantic finale that some viewers of the drama might expect. Villains like Jang Dae-hee and Jang Geun-won also face harsher, less flattering reckonings in the comic, with outcomes that underline the cost of their cruelty instead of a softened public downfall. I love that the webtoon trusted its readers with messier, more realistic endings—it stuck with me long after I closed the chapters.