How Did "Amercan Hagwon" by Min Jin Lee End? All of the Plot Twists and Spoilers!

 

How does "American Hagwon" by Min Jin Lee end? Have you finished reading "American Hagwon" and desperately need to discuss it? Or maybe you've read it, but can't remember how "American Hagwon" ends, or do you want to skip ahead to discover all the spoilers? Need a refresher on "American Hagwon" before heading off to book club tonight? Keep reading to discuss this fiction novel and all the twists and turns at the end!

 

 

Spoilers ahead!

 

How Did "American Hagwon" by Min Jin Lee End?

What Are the Twists and Spoilers?

Peter's mom comes to visit, a new hagwon is imagined

Peter's mom, Renee, comes to visit. Peter tells his mom that he is dating Mido. She wants to have all of his friends over for dinner. Mido, DH, and Lion meet at Peter's apartment. Renee tries to become more acquainted with Mido, but she is shy. Mido asks Renee when Peter's birthday is because he will not tell her. Renee is surprised and lets her know that tomorrow is Peter's birthday, and that is why she came to visit him.

The next day, Renee joins Peter for work at the hagwon. Digging for information, Renee asks Lion pointed questions about Mido being a tutor when she has not graduated from college. Lion tells Renee that Mido is an excellent tutor who has proven herself in other ways. Renee and Lion discuss the merits of having Korean children come to the United States for college.

Renee suggests that Lion open a new hagwon in Seoul. Renee says that they can use floors of buildings that she owns there. She also suggests that the fees collected could go towards subsidizing kids attending hagwons who might not otherwise be able to afford it.

After Renee leaves town, Peter asks Mido if she would like to move in with him. Mido declines, but they both excitedly discuss the prospect of temporarily moving back to Korea to open a hagwon there. 

Peter, Mido, and DH move back to Seoul 

Peter and Mido move to Seoul to work on the new Hagwon. Renee gets DH a job as a lawyer in Korea. Mido lives with DH, doing housework for him in place of paying him rent. DH enjoys his new job and has also gone on several dates, but he hasn't met anyone he wants to pursue further. DH is finding it hard to meet a woman who values family the same way he does. DH asks Mido if she plans to stay with Peter at all when they are in Korea. Mido says that she does not; Peter is followed here by the press because of his wealthy family. Mido does not want a story to get out that negatively affects either of their reputations. 

The new Hagwon in Seoul opens. They accept a small group of students, with some on a scholarship paid for by Renee. These students will also have their college tuition paid by scholarships as well. Renee admits that she is doing this so that Peter will come to Korea, but also because she saw how much the scholarship she provided to DH benefited him, as well as Peter, his friend.

Ginny, the young girl who lived with Yun and Lion, is taking a semester off of college to live in Korea and assist Mido at the hagwon.

We also learn that Sonya has moved out of her home but is still working for the Chairman, who attempts to control how often she visits the United States. The Chairman insists that he misses Sonya too much when she is gone for her to leave as often as she would like.

The Danbi's money schemes implode

George is borrowing money from the church fund to provide cash to help Danbi purchase investment properties. Chairman Han tells Danbi that he will purchase a home from her. When he arrives to see the house, he asks Danbi to reduce the price. The Chairman knows how much Danbi paid for the home and is put off by her attempt to leverage their relationship into a quick sale that takes advantage of him. When Danbi refuses to lower it, she is unable to sell the home. The church discovers the missing funds, and George is arrested. Danbi is also arrested at the airport trying to escape.

Nari goes to Brazil to retrieve her husband

Nari, Yun's mother, goes to Brazil to ask her husband to come back to the United States with her. She tells him that he is a grandfather now; Yun and Lion had a baby boy. Yun has already lined up a job for him as the manager of a nail salon. Her husband agrees to return and is overjoyed that she came to get him. It is hard for me to capture in this summary how sweet a moment this was in the book; it took me off guard!

Mido runs into Tek; they go out to dinner together

While visiting the lawyer for the hagwon, Mido runs into her ex-boyfriend, Tek. Tek is ecstatic to see her, and after a quick confirmation that she isn't married, Tek invites her out to dinner. Mido tells Peter. Peter is unbothered and tells Mido to have a nice time out. 

Mido has a nice dinner reconnecting with Tek. Tek asks her to get back together with him, but Mido reminds Tek that she is dating Peter. After dinner, she arrives home to find Peter visiting with DH. When they are alone, Mido asks Peter if he is upset with her. Peter says no but also acknowledges that Tek would not have asked her to dinner to reconnect unless he was interested in something more than friendship.

DH cautions Mido about jeopardizing her relationship with Peter. Mido asks if he is worried because if her relationship with Peter ends, the job Peter's mother got for DH might be in jeopardy too. At first, Mido is surprised that her brother isn't just worried about her, but DH tells Mido that Peter was "knocked out" by Mido choosing to have dinner with her ex-boyfriend.

Shin needs a favor, but Mary is torn

DH tells Mido that George and Danbi were arrested. The story turns to Mary, who is getting a call from her estranged husband, Shin. Shin needs to find a lawyer to represent him in the case to prove that he was not involved. Both of Shin and Mary's sons are lawyers, and Shin is hoping they might know of someone who can help. Ultimately, the sons do connect their dad with a lawyer, in large part to help their mom and also because one of the brothers is engaged and does not want his father's legal troubles to jeopardize that.

The sons also insist on helping Mary finalize divorcing from Shin. Mary is in part torn because she feels that she is abandoning Shin in a crisis, however awful he has been towards her. Taking full advantage, Shin tries to convince Mary to help him get in contact with John. 

John also goes to Shin's church and is a fellow elder there. Shin hopes that John will put in a good word for him. Of course, that is an absolutely *wild* thing to ask considering all that Shin has put John through, and how untrustworthy he has proven himself to be! Shin tells Mary that he will sign the divorce papers if Mary can get John to support his innocence, and so Mary makes the call.

The Seoul Hagwon sticks to its guns

At the end of the first year in Seoul, the new hagwon has more applications than ever. The staff weighs their options: do they expand the school or capitalize on the interest and charge more? Mido reminds the staff that the reason they came to Seoul was to be an affordable option that focused on finding students to reward with scholarships. Peter speaks up, saying that he is not sure how much longer he can work in Korea; he does not enjoy the dynamic because the parents put so much pressure on the children and, in turn, they are very stressed out during their time at the hagwon. Tom reminds Peter of the good he is doing for the students by being there to relieve much of that pressure.

Tek and Mido having a falling out

Tek invites Mido to dinner again. They discuss work, and Tek asks Mido when she last took a vacation. Mido can not remember taking a break from work since they moved to the United States. Tek asks Mido when she is going to finish college, and Mido makes the observation that not having a college degree was not a problem in the US but comes up constantly in Korea despite the huge success of the hagwon.

Tek comments that he does not plan on having children because of the stories that he has heard from colleagues about them as a burden. Tek implicates Mido by saying, "Koreans aren't having kids because of you." Tek claims that because of the cost of hagwons, and their view as a necessity, Koreans are deciding not to have kids. The conversation is tense as Tek tells Mido that she should leave the hagwon and return to her passion for plays and acting. Tek tells Mido that he broke up with his girlfriend. The argument continues until Mido leaves asking Tek to not call her anymore.

Mido and Peter have a heart to heart

Mido leaves dinner with Tek and has a conversation with Peter. She tells Peter that she wants to have children and asks Peter if he wants to have them also. Peter says that he does and asks Mido how many she wants to have. Mido tells him that she liked being one of three, but she doesn't know how many she wants, and Peter says, "Let's have kids then. You'd be good at being a mom."

John and Mary meet regarding Shin

John asks Mary what Shin needs from him, and she says that she does not know. Shin has said that he did not know that Danbi is borrowing money, but as the reader we know that is not true. Shin did not want Danbi to take money from the premium accounts, but he absolutely knew that she was and had a conversation with her about not doing it previously in the novel.

John admits to Mary that he feels he played a part in his falling out with Shin. John tells Mary that he shouldn't have been resentful about the lack of credit he got because Shin was willing to take risks that John was not. John also says that Shin asking him to fire Danbi was wrong, and he should not have cooperated.

Mary tells John that Shin has told her he will sign the divorce papers if Mary can get John to speak with Shin. Mary confides in John, saying that she feels selfish and hypocritical asking for John's help, but John tells Mary that he has known Shin his whole life and does not think he would steal money. John asks where Shin is now, and Mary points to the parking lot. John gathers the divorce documents and tells Mary to stay there, and he will return after speaking with Shin.

Shin commits suicide

When Shin steps out of the car, John tells Shin that they are going to the bank because they have a notary; the divorce papers are signed, and Mary leaves. Later, Shin asks John if he will take care of Anna because he has to go away for a few days. John says yes and asks Mido and Bo to help. 

Going through Anna's suitcase, John finds a suicide note for John and another for Anna. Shin did not have a trip, but committed suicide. Shin left Anna and John's three children a one million dollar life insurance policy. Shin had also arranged for Anna to already be attending a hagwon close to where John lives; it is clear in the novel that this was a plan he had fully thought out and tried to make amends through.

Lion and Yun invite Yun's parents to live at their home in a garage apartment. They are initially hesitant, but after Yun shares that she is expecting another child they happily agree.

Kenny, Helen's brother, visits with Mido and DH. They talk about Helen and reminisce about their time together and the warm things she shared with Kenny about her beloved children. Kenny tells Mido that it was important to Helen that Mido complete her college degree.

John visits Danbi in jail

Danbi asks her lawyer to tell John not to bring her daughter, Anna, because Danbi does not want her daughter to know that she is in jail. Instead, they have been telling Anna that Danbi went to Korea for work. No one in Danbi's family is willing to take Anna. Mary, however, has offered to help. John tells Danbi that no one is comfortable with lying to Anna and that the plan isn't fair to her daughter.

Seoul Hagwon continues to grow

The Seoul Hagwon continues to have a lot of interest. They decide to implement a lottery system for admission fairness. Parents come to the Hagwon to try to convince them to take their son. They are shocked to learn that Mido, who teaches the consultants, does not have a college degree. The father becomes enraged that Mido has that job because he claims the hagwon is "pretending to be qualified." The family attempts to bribe Peter and Mido, but they are both firm and do not accept the boy.

Mido sees the boy and stops to speak with him. He shares with Mido about a friend of his who wants to go to an Ivy League school but can not afford the tutoring fees and did not make it into the hagwon on scholarship. Mio offers to meet with them once privately to offer guidance for their applications. 

Mido and Peter move back to California

Mido and Peter move back to California so that Mido can finish college. Mido decides she wants to teach young children and catch them early in their education. She hopes that she can help the kids foster a healthy appreciation and good relationship with education.

At her hagwon, Anna learns the truth about her mother. Anna hears from the other girls that her mother is in jail, and asks John if that is true. When John tells her it is true, Anna asks if she can stay with him and his family until her mother is free, and he agrees. The book ends with this sweet moment, and I so appreciate the author's choice to not make Anna a vindictive or cruel individual because of who her mother is.

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What else were you surprised by reading "American Hagwon" by Min Jin Lee? Did you see the ending coming for each character? Did "American Hagwon" end how you had hoped? Comment down below and let me know!