Netflix Unlocked ending explained: Does Jun-yeong get caught?

Do you ever feel like your smartphone is watching you? Isn’t it weird when you think about something and suddenly start getting targeted advertising related to that thing? The protagonist of Netflix’s latest Korean thriller film Unlocked knows what it’s like to be spied on. After losing her phone one night, a mysterious man steals it and installs spyware so he can stalk her every move.

This South Korean movie directed by Kim Tae-joon in his feature directorial debut is based on a popular Japanese novel by Akira Teshigawara and stars Chun Woo-hee as Nami, Im Si-wan as her stalker Jun-yeong, and Kim Hee-won as Detective Ji-man.

Spoilers ahead for the Netflix film Unlocked

Keep reading to find out how Unlocked ends and to discover the answers to questions you might have thought of while watching the movie like what the syringes are used for, what happens to Na-mi, and whether or not the stalker in question gets caught.

Netflix Unlocked ending explained: Is Jun-yeong the killer?

Despite the movie hinting that the serial killer/stalker is detective Ji-man’s son, a reveal in the third act shows that Ji-man and his partner don’t even recognize the killer when they see him outside of Na-mi’s apartment, meaning he’s not Ji-man’s son but has been impersonating him. We learn that Jun-yeong was one of the killer’s first official victims and after learning about his life, he began impersonating Jun-yeong, stealing his identity.

Netflix Unlocked ending explained: What’s the deal with the plant food syringes?

When the detectives find the bodies near Jun-yeong’s plum tree, they discover each one is buried with a syringe containing plant food. At the end of the movie, the killer reveals that he placed traces of Jun-yeong inside the syringes, which is super creepy on multiple levels. It was yet another way for him to torment Ji-man as he leads the detective to learn what really happened to his son.

Netflix Unlocked ending explained: What happens at the end?

At the end of the movie, Na-mi inadvertently walks into a trap when she has the detectives drop her off at her dad’s house, unaware that “Jun-yeong” has been hiding out there after taking Na-mi’s dad hostage.

He comes close to killing Na-mi and her father using ducktape and the bathtub to drown them, even forcing Na-mi into the tub to push her dad down into the water, telling her that she’ll be the one to kill him.

However, we find out that Na-mi managed to outsmart the killer. When the detectives dropped her off, she told them verbally that she would continue to text them and if the texts stopped that meant something bad happened. Realizing that “Jun-yeong” could still be listening to her through her phone, she writes “no texts, calls only,” on the detective’s business card and shows it to them through the window.

Later, when he forces Na-mi to text the cops and let them know she’s going to bed, they know something is amiss and arrive at the last second to rescue Na-mi and her dad. They apprehend the killer and handcuff him, but Ji-man can’t bring himself to shoot him despite knowing what he’s done to his son and many other victims. Na-mi doesn’t have that problem. Once she’s been rescued, she steals the gun off of the other cop and walks into the living room, shooting him in the stomach twice.

The killer survives the shooting, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t cathartic to see Na-mi shoot him! In Unlocked‘s final scene, we learn through news reports and articles that Ji-man took the blame for the shooting so that Na-mi could move on with her life. But the killer survives and is in a coma at the hospital.

As for Na-mi, her story goes viral, attracting significant attention from the press and true crime enthusiasts who visit her at her dad’s coffee shop. The last visual in Unlocked is of someone using their phone to take a close-up photo of Na-mi when she’s not looking, though at the last second, she looks toward the camera, as if realizing someone is watching her.

Poor Na-mi, she got rid of one stalker only to end up with the whole country watching her.

Netflix Unlocked ending explained: Does Na-mi’s dad survive?

Yes, the detective manages to use CPR to resuscitate Na-mi’s dad after he’s attacked and nearly drowned by “Jun-yeong,” and the father-daughter duo are reunited.

Netflix Unlocked ending explained: Does Na-mi get her job back?

It’s unclear if Na-mi returns to her other job at the marketing start-up, but we do know she’s back at the coffee shop with her dad at least. It’s unlikely she was able to go back to the other place as the CEO even said that even if she did believe Na-mi was telling the truth about being hacked, it doesn’t change what happened.

Netflix Unlocked ending explained: Do Na-mi and her best friend make up?

Yes, at the end, we see that Na-mi and her best friend, a.k.a. “Drop Dead Gorgeous,” are friends again as they’re both seen hanging out at the coffee shop.

Netflix Unlocked ending explained: Who is the killer?

We don’t find out who the killer is in the movie (as in, we don’t learn his name/real identity), we know he’s not Jun-yeong, but the articles at the end of the movie reveal that he was not registered at birth and his identity is still unknown. The police will attempt to determine who he is when he wakes up from his hospital stay. Could there be a sequel film?

What did you think of the Unlocked ending?