Let me put it this way! the ending was not just a "happy ending" for the couple or the Audience but also a "happy ending" for film enthusiasts and critics.
The ending was phenomenally well done! The way they decided to do it was very risky and could have easily gone wrong but thanks to attention to detail, they pulled it off.
What do I mean by that? Lets go through it step by step (heavy Spoilers from here on):
- she wakes up from her sickness and overwork induced "semi-coma" after the events in the "dreamworld". Her first reaction is, understandably, thinking of her "love" Han Shou since last she saw him, he was in a bad condition and she just woke up and had no time to adjust yet.
- after that she looks around, still dazed from the experience (and because she was lying there for who knows how long), the next actions of her are basically "automated" routine reactions.
- only after a while she comes to a full realization of what happened. She realizes that everything was just a dream and her FIRST TRUE LOVE was nothing more than a figment of her Imagination. In this moment, she is shattered since she understands that her love can never be fulfilled/is impossible (like in the Greek Fable of Narcissus).
- Emotionally shaken, she tries to go on with her life, namely the Script and calls the Director to ask him to give her more time. When he asks why, she subconsciously answers with the Truth (I lost my love) only to later turn it into more convenient reason (because there is something wrong with the script).
- the news that the project has been postponed for 3 months gets her attention since its something unexpected enough to break through her sadness.
- when she hears that it was because of the Actor having a Car Accident, she becomes worried (the Actor is by now linked in her Brain, even though only by appearance, with Han Shou, so she automatically cares more for him by this point) and when she hears that he has "hurt his lungs", the exact same that happened to Han Shou, she is immediately thrown into a state of "confused excitement".
- she immediately decides to visit him (which may just as well be by reflex and not really a conscious decision).
- when she enters his Hospital room, we first see Actor Han looking at the gizmo on his Hand with bewilderment (on my first watch, I thought he did that because he could not believe he was involved in a car accident and was now in a Hospital. Later I realized he did that because he was still shaken by his "dream" experience)
- then when he sees her, he is clearly startled and takes a defensive posture (on my initial view, I thought that was because he thought "oh no its the scriptwriter, she is gonna pester me with question and I am in no mood", later I realized it was an instinctive reaction resulting from his experience and the unexpected presence of basically a woman he has conflicting emotions with)
- what then follows is a very nervous, very careful and very odd interaction of the two with each other, where both try to navigate through the situation well aware that they might be reading too much into it and lose face! There is always the Danger that the other person might think that he/she "lost his/her mind"....and both dont want to risk that. On the other side, both are looking for answers and are driven by emotions and curiosity. So they take careful steps towards each other.
- Actor Han ends the Discussion with a snide remark, remaining "cool" in the process (as I said, both dont wanna lose face). Scriptwriter leaves the room, seemingly disappointed and sad while thinking about what he said. It is at this moment she realizes a fine detail. Actor Han calls her "Ms. Orange", however, she never gave them any script including Orange, that was something that was invented solely in the Dreamworld. It is basically impossible for Actor Han to know this.
- She storms back in to the Room realizing that he must have been there with her (I love his reaction when she comes back). She sees that he is holding a Banana and calls it out. He again takes a defensive position but this time starts rambling talking about not knowing what is real and dream anymore and how he thinks of Oranges and Bananas and how all he can think about is her.
- It is this moment where she is confirmed and she understand that he was indeed part of her Dream. Even if he did not experience the Dream as clearly as she did, even if he was not in control of the Character like she was, he was clearly there and he also lived through the Emotions.
- With the comfort this thought gives her, she no longer needs to hold back the tears and the joy she feels and calms enough to call the whole thing "Silly", which prompts Actor Han to also calm down and realize that what he has been through was indeed connected to her and that his feelings for her are not some kind of "mental issue" (as he probably feared). He also can relax and let his guard down.
- she is no longer able to hold back and runs into his arms and he, after getting over the initial shock, welcomes her and realizes that all the feelings are not only authentic but also reciprocal.
Its short, its sweet and most importantly it makes as much sense as the overall circumstances of the drama world allows it to be. There was nothing about this ending I would change. It was not too long, not too short, not too silly, not too serious, not too emotional, not too dry.....it was just right!
