Yani

Maybe the grey haired guy is the father of the murderer and that is why he is so ashamed of what happened and lives with the knowledge that his son did those things. And the mother wants to protect that despicable being because it's maybe her son.

She definately doesn't remember everything. I think it's obvious she came back for his sister after and that's when she saw her dying and she almost died - that's also when her mother showed up. What she remembered was them running away for the first time, but then they were again taken by the kidnapper and this time the big tragedy happened. I think she saw the murder after, when they were put in the basement for the second time , hence her grandma saying- dont turn back, because she did turn back the first time and that almost ended her life. So sad and awful...especially for his little sister...
Her mother and grandmother keeping the truth, that she turned back and didn't leave her alone is not good...they shouldn't keep this whole incident from her, it's hurting too many people and is just poorlyl thought out.

And Maybe the grey haired guy is the father of the murderer and that is why he is so ashamed of what happened and lives with the knowledge that his son did those things in the house prior to him officially bying it in 2005. And the mother wants to protect that despicable being because it's maybe her son.

I find the crown prince so attractive, he's becoming a favourite honestly

That's called toxicity - obviously showing forms of abuse and at the same time explaining then with love, the mother lacks true empathy and is a really bad judge of character. She makes people believe what she does is for a good reason because she "cares", even she believes it's true. I think the mother has psychological issues that she can't solve and victimises her child, this is not a parent behaviour by any means. She is shown with a caring gaze here and there, but that's just a twisted emotion in her - we judge people by actions and she hasn't shown a single parenting one till now, she will never show it because she doesn't have it within her, she's too toxic and narcissistic. I don't even "hate" her, just analyzing behaviour I have unfortunately seen in people before, you can't argue with someone so unreasonable like her, you're better off to exit the whole situation.

About LJG being an accomplice from a little child, luring victims, helping his criminal dad - exactly what I thought too and wrote in my theories earlier. He grew up in a family of a psychopath and is now one himself.
DaHyun was one of the victims for sure, and the sister of ML. Probably LJG helped DH escape and her grandma and mother also helped, that's why they told her to not turn back - not go there to save GyeHoon's sister, not turn back to the red gate, it's possible sbe wouldn't be able to help be ause she was already dead.

I am sure from some episodes before that Li Jin Geun is not the actual murderer of anybody and probably the guy who kid napped kids and killed women is a family member - maybe his father. I think he grew up in such a twisted "family" being witness to many instances of crimes against children and women, knowing of the crime scene his father is a part of. Still absolutely doesn't excuse his behaviour now and that he's a psychopath and a criminal, even if not a real murderer. In the past maybe the two girls were kidnapped and only Da hyun managed to escape, It's possible Jin Geun either lured her because that's what his father taught him, or helped her escape, or both. Her grandma and mom also helped her escape and maybe she wanted to turn back and help the sister of Gye Hoon (probably they were in the same place) and that's why her family told her to never turn back and run from that place. Im sure even if she did, she couldnt really help. Just my theories, I really like this show

My Big theories

A single person can't express an objective opinion in the first place when talking about preferences. AoS and Link are two entirely different dramas. Their genre is different, their character building, their atmosphere, the audiences they cater to and even their numbers.
The number of people watching a show in fact makes it more mainstream than it's speaking of its subjective quality. People watch shows for many different reasons, it's not like they are all film critics that decided on the best piece if entertainment, aside from personal preferences these numbers are also the product of a good marketing strategy. Epic fantasies have always drawn more people, they're very entertaining to younger audiences especially and easier to watch, they also have bigger budget.

I can only honestly compare AoS to Arthdal Chronicles and say for example - for me Arthdal was better, better character building and has a more mature feeling to it as a whole. Like one difference lays in that I can make an even better comparison of Arthdal to Game of Thrones but AoS to the Percy Jackson movies- one is for more mature audience, the second is made more for younger teens to enjoy.

It doesn't come that later though, I'd say after the 24-25 year lol(not that it's funny)
Mi Jung is around 30 I think
Anyway, yes, a very relatable, simple but profound drama!

Mr Gu is so deep in depression and pain...my heart breaks seeing people like that. He really needs help, professional with that. He shouldn't give up on life! Right now he seem to have given up but that's because of his state of mind. He never healed, who knows from when he feels like that, seems like a long time ago. I wish every character could be given the support they need and find it in themselves to get up and continue feeling different and at some peace eith themselves

Yes....I could see the red flags in the beginning. First red flag - the man has a child, so a she will never be given the attention she deserves. and that willl create numerous complications in the future. She still doesn't have a child and he will never be willing to create that kind of family with her (but he wasn't honest about that and decided to give her hope) 2. His passive personality 3. She liked him more than he liked her from the start and with time this is impossible to change 4. Poor Gi-Jeong was too desperate and he sensed that and latched on to her , not with malicious intent right away, but he saw she likes him and decided to use that in his favour knowing he would never be able to be a deserving partner

People don't need to be fully "bad people" to do bad and damaging things to others. ...They're not for each other. She has to liberate from the idea of a relationship giving her everything ahe desires

A nice observation. Also, Mi Jeung is with short hair and how would he know that she actually has short hair in 2022, what is the probability of him dreaming of her like that? I think it's definately real, and also the whole preview seems real

What is a "pointlessly sad story "and how you measure the sadness and that it has no point? I'd interested
If you want to say something and be left alone in your world of single opinion, this is not the place as this is a discussion board , not a news site for single author columns.

But I think all lifes are different...how can you know for sure that for some people tragedies don't come one after the other? Very often it happens exactly like that.
Some problems are not visible situations happening to you and others will never know why you're feeling a certain way. There are emotions and things silently taking place in the span of years and many people can't even pinpoint from where a feeling is coming from, why are they feeling unhappy and unaccomplished,. It's not easy to heal and with time problems are adding up and lucky are the people with strong support system - in this series the main characters don't have a strong support system and that can be pretty realistic. It depends on our experiences. That's how I see it.

If it is a hallucination I don't think he'll see her with the short hair she actually has in 2022 - how would he know she has cut her hair?

Having grown up in a similar family, in a way, seeing how it looks from a third person perspective makes mes realise that in fact it's not normal or healthy to grow up like that. Not that I didn't know it before(I already had a realisation very early in life), not that you don't try to change it...but you do it with time.

So the question "Does it get any better at some point?" felt so personal and philosophical lol Yes, maybe, as you grow older it tends to get better in some aspects :) But it's difficult to teach the oldest people in the family to behave entirely different. Not to mention, the inability to express everything is passed on to the children and creates numerous difficulties

Many families are like that , parents didn't show how to express emotions, they're keeping everything inside. It's a reality in many countries with traditional leaning cultures.

I agree with this. While the actor of Mr Gu portrays very well with expressions that he likes her, there has not been outward affection shown between them, none at all. As for the kiss - I found the decision to cut it in that way not the right thing to do, given that it could have added to an important part of their relationship if they developed physical i intimacy. Since now they broke up, I don't know how they will become affectionate in the future and if it will ever happen... Mi Jung has yet to show the warmth that Mr Gu has shown through his eyes only, she is veeery closed and doesnt express feelings, there needs to be development so that we can see the change, the healing

In regards to what @sumi angel said - I agree but I also want to point out something else and why I don't really agree with that scene and it seems a bit unrealistic that they would tell her that. We don't live in an ideal world where everyone has good intentions- in fact, most people have their own interests and also the dating styles and what men and women seek from relationships is different . That is not something parents tell us when younger - how a woman experiences a relationship is entirely different than a man(also, we're more inclined to look for a partner). And not to mention individuals because that is also such a big part. As younger women are easy to become emotional and attached they tend to become the victim of their emotions and people will use that excitement, that honesty - this quality is the easiest to be used against you and also leads to not properly assessing the situation you're getting into , you're too swept up by emotions. Women have more to lose and also - full investment is not something to brag about when given so easily, full investment is reserved for lifetime partners, the ones that have prooven they are the ones worth pursuing something very serious with.
The culture of the man courting the woman , is also there to give a little assurance that this guy is looking for someone for all the right reasons. You need to test them, to find the one to whom you can show more and it is a process. A good building needs a good foundation - with every stage, with little steps and not doing more then people deserve. You need that confidence of a little healthy restraint, it shows character. Ki Jung , though at this age, is not appearing to be very confident and that's why she's quick to fall in love and pursue - and I think she will learn a lesson from that.
It's not as easy as saying - that's me, take it or leave it. No, be smart about it, be honest with yourself what you're getting from that kind of thinking. And who exactly is benefiting from this.This for me is not a sign of acquiring freedom but of loosing it to naivety and to other people's needs eventually. This is learnt through experience, just because a character in a series says something you want to hear doesn't make it the absolute truth, it is fiction - it presents different ideas and it purposely exaggerates, I don't see it tied to reality that much no matter the slice if life genre
But yes, agree, seeing for ourselves what works and doesn't is the best teacher in life

I think in the first stages of getting to know someone, you definately need to restrain from being all out , as sometimes Ki Jung is, because otherwise you're in for all kind of mistakes that are ok to be made earlier so you learn from them but after that it comes as a natural instinct (and a lesson learn that is now time to act upon) to know what to do and don't in order to better express your desires and expectations and find the right person.
Honesty is good, I am not talking about playing games and pretending, but as women are naturally in a more risky position when searching for a partner, restraining from revealing everything about yourself and your every thought to a man is a good way to not only be on the safe side but also have a better experience as a whole - and more fun one with that.
Men and women are inherently different and there is beauty in that ^^
if someone is turned off by you fully investing, for example, there can be nothing between you, yes, but you can know that without having to fully invest from the get go, that's part of what I mean(there are signs, there are things before the full investment that every one of us goes through). You don't show all your cards in the beginning, it's not a smart move (a game metaphor here, in a healthy way though)