Maestra: Strings of Truth (2023) K Drama Episode 12 (Episode Final)

Episode 12 of Maestra: Strings of Truth begins with a flashback of Ru-na’s nefarious acts. She overhears A-jin and Phil after the art centre concert and cuts A-jin’s car brakes. She then overhears Cha and Se-eum talking about Remington’s when she is in the hospital after the car crash.

Ru-na gets the poison from Jin-yeong and whenever she is alone with Se-eum’s bag, whether in her room or office, she poisons the perfume. She then injects Bong-ju and Phil who sees her face before he blacks out.

At present, Assistant Hwang sees Jeong-jae and Se-eum rummaging through Ru-na’s office and reveals that Tae-ho asked for Ru-na’s address. Jeong-jae panics as he calls him. Meanwhile, Ru-na knocks out Tae-ho and runs off. Se-eum and Jeong-jae show up at her place with the cops. They barge in and Jeong-jae is shocked to see Tae-ho bleeding.

Why does Ru-na target Se-eum?

At the hospital, Se-eum comforts Jeong-jae. He stays beside the injured Tae-ho the whole time. The cops begin casing the crime scene. The chairs are questioned along with Ru-na’s sister, Hae-na. 

Hae-na finds Se-eum at their house and reveals that Ru-na was obsessed with her. Turns out, Ru-na was adopted a second time along with Hae-na. Their mother had diabetes and Ru-na looked after her. Everyone was touched by her caring nature but Hae-na realised that Ru-na would manipulate the numbers whenever it seemed their mother wanted to leave the hospital.

Back then she wasn’t sure, but now she thinks Ru-na overdosed their mother till she died. After her death, Ru-na then starts obsessing over Se-eum. Hae-na explains that Ru-na sees Se-eum as her new mother figure and will do everything in her power not to be abandoned.

How does Se-eum catch Ru-na?

This gives Se-eum an idea of how to draw Ru-na out. She changes the concert piece to a Handel duet which she and Ru-na will perform as violinists. Chu goes through Ru-na’s diary and her dream is to perform the piece with Se-eum. But the chairs refuse to let Se-eum perform alone as it will be her last concert.

Even Assistant Oh shows up and offers to conduct the piece. A-jin volunteers as well and confesses that it will be her last concert too as she is leaving for Canada. Se-eum compliments her, saying she shouldn’t stop playing the horn. A-jin is moved and apologises for everything.

Tae-ho wakes up and Jeong-jae is relieved. However, he finds out that Se-eum is acting as bait and tries to stop her. She explains that it is the only way and it is the least she can do for Ru-na. Se-eum puts out an interview saying she will be playing the violin for the first time in years and is eager to perform with Ru-na who watches her in disbelief. Chu finds Jin-yeong and is hellbent on catching Ru-na before the concert.

It is D-Day and the concert begins smoothly. Se-eum conducts the overture as usual. Yu-ra watches with Han-gil and decides to focus on her work rather than chase after Jeong-jae. Ru-na is at the bus station as she watches the performance. Everyone is nervous as she doesn’t show up. 

Se-eum continues with the concert and switches to the violin. Just as the Handel piece begins, Ru-na arrives and joins Se-eum. As Se-eum encourages the performance, Ru-na forgets everything except their happy moments together. Se-eum smiles at her as the performance ends and Ru-na tears up.

In the green room, Ru-na thanks her for making her dream come true. The cops suddenly surround her and she is hurt by the betrayal. She takes a screwdriver and claims that Se-eum will never forget her. They think Ru-na is about to attack Se-eum but she stabs herself in the neck.

How does it end for everyone in Maestra: Strings of Truth?

It cuts to Se-eum discussing her upcoming trip with Hye-jeong and her father. She assures them that it is a short trip. She then visits Phil whose memory is messed up because of the lethal dose and he keeps composing pieces for her. Next, she meets with Hanphil for barbeque. Oh is the chief conductor and Tae-ho has recovered. She looks fondly at everyone as they enjoy themselves. Ru-na is alive but has a scarred neck and refuses to meet Se-eum in prison.

Finally, Se-eum visits her mother’s grave and checks the results of her Remington’s test. She has a teary smile and Jeong-jae shows up. They banter as he reveals that he has quit as chairman. He wants to join her on her trip and she jokes that he is not the only one. He realises that she hasn’t said no and she just smiles. They bump shoulders as they leave the cemetery at the end of Maestra: Strings of Truth Episode 12.

The Episode Review

Well, with Maestra: Strings of Truth Episode 12, a fun little K-drama comes to an end. All the loose ends are tied and everyone gets a satisfying ending. The bad guys pay for what they have done while the good guys prevail. It also makes sense why they don’t show Se-eum’s report as it doesn’t matter now whether she has Remington’s or not. 

With Phil out of the picture, the report is not a threat to her. It is not like she could change her fate even if she got it. She gets her last wish of performing at Hanphil and decides to travel as she wants. Though, we wouldn’t be mad if we got a season 2 which reveals if she has the disease or not and how she goes about navigating this new change. 

The K-drama also gives us a reasonable resolution for Ru-na’s story though it is peppered with a little extra drama and theatrics. But from her obsession with Se-eum to her delusions about the duet, it ties up perfectly with her character. The same goes for Jeong-jae who is still toxic and possessive. The show leaves us with an open ending for the romantic angle, satisfying fans who are Team Jeong-jae and those who aren’t.