-(으)ㄴ 끝에 — After much..., At the end of a long process, After a long period of

This expression is used to indicate that a result wasn’t obtained until after a long period of time or a difficult process. It typically indicates that the preceding action proceeded in a very time-consuming and difficult manner. It only attaches to verbs.

Details

When used after a noun, this expression is used in the form 끝에.

그는 10번의 도전 끝에 외교관 시험에 합격하여 꿈을 이룰 수 있었다.

임금 인상과 관련하여 노사 갈등을 거듭하던 회사가 밤샘 협상 끝에 합의에 도달했다.

노사 갈등: labor and management dispute
밤샘 협상: overnight negotiations

가: 윤광래 작가님, 이번에 발표하신 소설은 조선 시대 역사책에 짧게 실린 한 궁녀의 이야기를 보고 영감을 얻었다고 들었습니다. 나: 네, 그렇습니다. 그런데 자료가 없어서 1년 넘게 박물관이며 역사학자며 쫓아다니면서 조사한 끝에 소설을 써 나가기 시작했습니다. 가: 쉬운 작업이 아니셨겠네요. 저는 개인적으로 이 소설의 결말 부분이 의외였는데 머릿속에 미리 생각해 두신 게 있으셨나요? 나: 아닙니다, 결말이 마음에 안 들어서 고치기를 여러 번 했지요. 원고를 다섯 번이나 수정한 끝에 이번 작품이 완성된 것입니다.

A: Author Yoon Gwangrae, I heard that you received inspiration for your newly released novel after reading a short piece about a court lady in a history book on the Choseon Period. B: Yes, that’s correct. But there weren’t any other sources to be found, so I spent over a year researching more material by visiting museums and historians, after which I started writing the novel. A: That must not have been easy. Personally, I was surprised by the ending of the novel, but was that something that you had in mind to include from the beginning? B: No, it wasn’t. I wasn’t happy with the original ending, so I changed it numerous times. Then, after editing the draft as many as five times, the novel in its present form was completed.