-고 말다
go mal-da
You tried to stop it and it ran to the end: -고 말다
The picture A hand reaching out to stop it, and the thing running all the way to the end and dropping there anyway. -고 말다 is an end it slid into; -아/어 버리다 is an end your own hand cleared away.
Where the picture shows up in -고 말다
-
the ending you couldn't block
결국 지갑을 잃어버리고 말았어요.
gyeol-guk ji-ga-beul i-reo-beo-ri-go ma-ra-sseo-yo
In the end I lost my wallet.
Patting every pocket again and again, and still being left with empty hands
-
the break after holding on
참다가 울고 말았어요.
cham-da-ga ul-go ma-ra-sseo-yo
I held it in and then cried.
A face holding out with bitten lips, finally collapsing at the last moment
-
a machine that ran out of strength
기계가 멈추고 말았어요.
gi-gye-ga meom-chu-go ma-ra-sseo-yo
The machine ended up stopping.
The machine rattling on until it loses its sound and sits down where it stands
-
the thing you missed again
약속을 또 잊고 말았어요.
yak-so-geul tto it-go ma-ra-sseo-yo
I forgot the appointment again.
You had even written it on the calendar, and you see the square only after it has passed
-
pushing it to the end on purpose
이번에는 꼭 끝내고 말겠습니다.
i-beo-ne-neun kkok kkeun-nae-go mal-get-seum-ni-da
This time I'm going to finish it, no matter what.
Rolling up your sleeves, determined to push all the way to the end point
In the past tense it carries regret; in -고 말겠다 it flips into hard resolve.
All of it in one picture
-고 말다 is an ending that ran all the way through. You pat your pockets and the wallet is still gone; you bite your lip and the tears still fall; the machine rattles on and still sits down. Even an appointment written on the calendar slides past its square. And when you are the one pushing the flow instead, it flips: 끝내고 말겠다, I will see this through.