This article contains SPOILERS for Sweet Home season 3

Summary

• Eun-hyeok survived due to monsterization, turning into a neohuman in Sweet Home season 3.
• Neohumans can be reborn after death but struggle with emotions, setting up a new story arc.
• Eun-hyeok plays a vital role in defeating Sang-won and setting up coexistence between humans and neohumans.

The final reveal of Eun-hyeok's return in Sweet Home.

Sweet Home season 3 blended elements from its first and second seasons to conclude its tale, which sees a viral infection turn humans into monsters. Though Sweet Home's second season didn't receive the same critical acclaim as its first, its final reveal that Lee Do-hyun would be reprising his Sweet Home role had been well anticipated. There had been many theories as to what role Lee Eun-hyeok would play in Sweet Home's ending, as well as how his character survived a fate that seemed so certain in season 1's finale. Fortunately, Sweet Home 3 answered these questions.

How Eun-hyeok Is Alive In Sweet Home Season 3

He Was Thought To Have Died In Season 1

Though Eun-hyeok sacrificed himself for his fellow Green House residents' future, Eun-hyeok's saving grace was the fact he had been infected with the monsterization virus. One of the benefits of monsterization is accelerated healing, which is likely to have played a part in increasing Eun-hyeok's chances of survival. As such, Sweet Home confirms that Eun-hyeok survived the building’s collapse because he turned into a monster.

Though Sweet Home 2 ended with the cliffhanger of Lee Do-hyun's return to the series, he does not appear on-screen until episode 3.

It’s unclear as to exactly when Eun-hyeok turned into a monster. However, he is presumed to have turned just as the building was collapsing, as Eun-hyeok began to show major monsterization systems as the building fell through excessive nosebleeding. This would explain his miraculous survival and a regular human would likely not make it in such circumstances. Following this, Eun-hyeok is then presumed to have spent some time as a monster before entering the next phase: cocooning.

Eun-hyeok’s cocooning phase explains his late return to Sweet Home. Much like his prior phase, it is unknown how much time Eun-hyeok spent inside his cocoon. However, it was enough time for him to enter the last stage of the monsterization process. As seen in the final moments of season 2, Eun-hyeok emerges from the cocoon as a neohuman. Though he looks similar to his season 1 character, Eun-hyeok’s appearance in Sweet Home season 3 proves he is now an entirely different person.

Why Eun-hyeok Looks So Different In Sweet Home Season 3

Sweet Home Season 3's Eun-hyuk Is Not Human

Neohumans may look human, but they are anything but. Neohumans are entirely new beings that have the ability to be reborn after their death, making them almost immortal. Eun-hyeok demonstrates this process in episode 3. He dramatically takes his own life after having been attacked by Sang-won (Lee Jin-uk) at Bamseom but is quickly pulled into a cocoon and reborn again as the same Eun-hyeok as before. Though this process acts as a gateway to immortality for the neohumans, it comes with its own issues.

Throughout Sweet Home 3, Eun-hyeok carries a family picture with him. This family picture has sentimental value for Eun-hyeok, who was last seen holding this photo just before his death. This implies that Eun-hyuk can his past life. However, Eun-hyeok's status as a neohuman means that he cannot experience any emotions. This takes a toll on his reunion with his younger sister, Eun-yu (Go Min-si), who asks him to use his accelerated learning skills to learn how to use emotions, in the hopes she can regain more of the brother she once had.

Neohumans like Eun-hyeok are proof that monsterization isn't the end of humanity, but perhaps even a new beginning.

The introduction of the neohumans adds a welcome new twist to Sweet Home. These beings add a new dimension to monsterization but they also provide a sense of hope. Up until now, all cures made for the virus had been destroyed or hidden by Dr. Lim (Oh Jung-se), who saw humanity as a sickness rather than something that needed to be cured. Neohumans like Eun-hyeok are proof that monsterization isn't the end of humanity, but perhaps even a new beginning.

Eun-hyeok’s Role In Sweet Home Season 3 Explained

He Proves Monsterization Isn't the End

Eun-hyeok's new role in Sweet Home sees him act as the on-screen representative of neohumans. Neohumans are briefly introduced at the start of season 3 as three mysterious figures approach the stadium in search of their "kin" but are ultimately killed by Sang-won (Lee Jin-uk) and the special infectees. Eun-hyeok's reappearance allows the audience to easily delve into the backstory and characteristics of this new kind of being in Sweet Home without feeling too overwhelmed and ultimately sets up the beginning of the end of the thriller K-drama's story.

Eun-hyeok plays a vital role in the defeat of Sang-won and the special infectees as his latest team-up echoes one of season 1's best on-screen pairings. Though he is initially consumed by his monstrous side, Cha Hyun-su (Song Kang) reunites with Eun-hyeok to stop Sang-won for good. Eun-hyeok and the neohumans believe that the special infectees are disrupting the natural order of the monsterization process and seek out Hyun-su's help as only a monster-human can defeat someone like Sang-won, who became a half-human half-monster due to the experiments of Dr. Lim.

What Happens To Eun-hyeok At The End Of Sweet Home

The Start Of His New Life Mirrors His Death

Sweet Home's ending sees Eun-hyeok's new life parallel his death and ultimately sees him begin to live life anew. Initially, Eun-hyeok offers up his body as a sacrifice for Sang-won, knowing that he needs a new body to possess after the failed possession of his daughter, Yi-su (Kim Si-a). As a neohuman, Eun-hyeok can kill Sang-won's monstrous entity but can also be reborn after throwing himself into the fire. Though Cha Hyun-su also offers to do this, a surprise reappearance from Sang-wook, whose body Sang-won has possessed for seasons 2 and 3, leads Sang-won to his ultimate defeat.

Humans learn that monsterization is not the end, but a new beginning.

Though Eun-hyeok was presumed to have met a dire fate in the final moments of season 1, Sweet Home 3 gives Eun-hyeok's character hope for the future as humans and neohumans find a way to co-exist with each other. Sweet Home’s monster virus is never eradicated. Instead, humans learn that monsterization is not the end, but a new beginning. Especially for Eun-hyuk and his sister, Eun-yu.

Some of Sweet Home’s characters have remained human, while others are becoming monsters or have gone through all the stages to become a neohuman. Eun-yu’s presence suggests she’s now a neohuman like her brother. However, Eun-hyeok’s smile hints that neohumans can learn how to emote once again. While this provides hope for their future, it’s also a bittersweet callback to Eun-hyeok’s death as he last appeared as a human, smiling. Though sad, it acts as a continuation of Eun-hyeok's life, as his new life starts where his old life ended.