Surely Tomorrow Episode 2 Ending Explained: The Hidden Motive Behind Ji-Woo’s Sister’s Photo Leak

Episode 2 of Surely Tomorrow ends with a mean little twist: the person who leaks the photo that restarts Ji-woo’s scandal isn’t some rando or a tabloid — it’s her sister, Seo Ji-yeon. And yeah, it looks ugly. But the why behind it is a lot messier, and honestly, pretty heartbreaking.

The photo, the rumors, and the hit to Ji-woo’s already messy public life

A picture of Ji-woo and Kyeong-do gets published, and the internet does what it does best: decides they’re a couple and connects the dots to her divorce. Cue another wave of public scrutiny that Ji-woo absolutely does not need right now. On the surface, it feels like a betrayal. Underneath, it’s a Hail Mary from Ji-yeon, who’s running out of time.

Ji-yeon’s secret and why she pulls the nuclear option

Ji-yeon finally tells Kyeong-do what’s really going on: she has early-onset Alzheimer’s, and it’s advancing faster than expected. She knows what’s coming — she’ll lose her grip on JARIM, the family’s luxury brand, and eventually lose names, faces, paperwork, the whole thing. With their mother weakened and a husband she does not trust circling, Ji-yeon’s terrified she’ll be declared unfit, the company will get sold off, and everything they built will collapse. That’s the context for the leak. It isn’t malice; it’s triage.

Why Ji-yeon needs Ji-woo to take over JARIM

Right before the leak, Ji-woo was planning to bolt to England to get away from the nonstop humiliation of her husband’s affair — a clean break, new start, the works. But if she leaves, she can’t step in at JARIM, and that’s exactly what Ji-yeon is trying to force: keep Ji-woo in the country, in the conversation, and ultimately in the big chair.

• Ji-yeon is losing cognitive ground and won’t be able to steer the company much longer.
• She fears her husband will legally push her out and cash out the business while their mother can’t fight it.
• If that happens, the company could crumble — and Ji-woo could be left with nothing.
• Ji-yeon genuinely believes Ji-woo has what JARIM needs: the public connection, the taste, the influence — even her outfits sell out fast.
• So she engineers a brutal short-term hit to Ji-woo’s reputation to keep her from disappearing overseas. In her mind, she’s sacrificing their relationship to protect the family legacy.

Kyeong-do gets pulled into it — and sprints straight into chaos

Knowing she can’t hold the line alone, Ji-yeon goes to Kyeong-do and asks for help stopping Ji-woo’s escape. He’s not exactly eager to get involved — until she tells him about the diagnosis.

"You are the only one who can make her stay."

Next day, Ji-woo heads for the airport anyway. Kyeong-do shows up, grabs her suitcase, and literally runs with it to keep her from boarding. Security intervenes, the scene turns into a mess, and we end on a tableau: Ji-woo furious and exhausted, Kyeong-do wrestling with guards, no clear answer on whether he actually prevented her from leaving.

So... did he stop her?

We don’t know yet. The episode cuts before we get the resolution. That said, Kyeong-do just tanked his own dignity (and maybe his record) to block her from making what he believes is a life-altering mistake. That kind of effort tends to get through.

When do we find out?

We’ll see where the suitcase standoff lands when the next episode drops on Saturday, December 13. Surely Tomorrow streams every Saturday and Sunday on Prime Video.