I love love love this series but one thing that's gnawed at me is what reason Korn had for taking the extreme measure of killing himself. Even if their two fathers had forcefully separated the boys, it would have been temporary at worst. Korn and Intouch would have eventually become adults and been able to tell their families to go pound sand.
Also, Korn *did* promise Intouch that he'd never leave him. This is at the core of the reincarnation storyline. So the fact that he *did* leave him -- and did the unthinkable right in front of him -- was uncharacteristically cruel.
In the series there was recently a scene where Korn's dad warned him that if he kept seeing Intouch, then Intouch himself would be in trouble, implying that the dad would bring harm to him or even kill him. Now, I can see where *this* could have been the premise for Korn's suicide. If it were to come to the point that Korn's dad had told him that he was, in fact, going have Intouch killed, then Korn could have used the threat of suicide to try to make his father back down. If his dad were to call his bluff, so to speak, then the reason for Korn's suicide could have been more well-intentioned: to sacrifice himself in order to spare Intouch from any harm.
Intouch wouldn't have had to be on the scene to witness it -- he could have reacted to Korn's death later, perhaps after he confirmed for sure that Korn was dead and that Korn's dad wasn't just trying to deceive him. In his despair he could have decided that he himself had nothing to live for.
The scene with the disgraced cop was there for more reasons than to give Yi Seo the realization that she loves Sae Ro Yi (which really didn't depend on that setting) .... the cop will be a big part of the endgame.
The only satisfying fate for Jang Dae Hee and Jang Geun Won is that they both end up in prison for life. The cop is the guy who can put them there. So, 10 to 15 years after we saw him on his knees in front of Sae Ro Yi, he'll get back up on his feet and come forward.
We didn't see him at this point in the series for nothing.
I'm just two episodes in and this is the third K-drama I've watched with a character named Soo-ah who is the evil princess (or in this case seems destined to be the evil princess.)
Does "Soo-ah" happen to mean something bad in Korean?
I had some of the same thoughts... so I worked it out and posted this below. It's easier to just repast it here…
Your comments on this series are so insightful. I wonder if you'd consider bringing them together for an article that's posted on this site. I just finished watching SoOD last night and this comment as well as another one of yours farther down the board have already made me want to watch it again, just so I can notice the things you talk about.
I especially love your thoughts on the hero's journey -- one of the great foundations of storytelling, and probably one of the reasons why this drama has touched us so deeply.
Even if you don't write an article, thank you for what you've given us here!
If you can't find a subbed version, I can summarize it for you:27 year old Li Zi Wei is in his art studio, drawing…
What I liked in this scene was how LZW's face took on this knowing/expectant expression when he opened his eyes and saw that MJJ had turned off the lights. It was like he knew he was about to see HYX and you could sense happiness that was surging inside him.
I wonder, though, are we supposed to think that this is the *first* time they're meeting in this new timeline (aside from when HYX was a young girl)? To have it be in this setting wouldn't make much sense especially in light of how well thought out the rest of the series was.
You make some excellent points. The more distance I have from the series the more I see its flaws. And the level of adulation for Mew and Gulf online has started to look a little absurd. I've unfollowed a lot of accounts on twitter recently lol.
This story is not BL at all for those who are wondering. I find Puen and Singha's relationship actually purely…
I believe that an early draft of the script probably took the relationship aspect a lot farther. I've noticed that Bank tends to play characters who are pursued by other guys but who never end up consummating anything, so I wonder if his participation required that the script for Spike be toned down.
I really like the side story for Xuan DaYu. He's handsome and wealthy but has such a chip on his shoulder due to his unrequited feelings for Xia Yao, so it's touching to watch him slowly open up to what has to be one of the most unlikely pairings in BL. (And yes, this is a BL drama. For me the subtext is part of the fun, and I'm grateful that they did as much as they could to push the limits of Chinese censorship.)
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Also, Korn *did* promise Intouch that he'd never leave him. This is at the core of the reincarnation storyline. So the fact that he *did* leave him -- and did the unthinkable right in front of him -- was uncharacteristically cruel.
In the series there was recently a scene where Korn's dad warned him that if he kept seeing Intouch, then Intouch himself would be in trouble, implying that the dad would bring harm to him or even kill him. Now, I can see where *this* could have been the premise for Korn's suicide. If it were to come to the point that Korn's dad had told him that he was, in fact, going have Intouch killed, then Korn could have used the threat of suicide to try to make his father back down. If his dad were to call his bluff, so to speak, then the reason for Korn's suicide could have been more well-intentioned: to sacrifice himself in order to spare Intouch from any harm.
Intouch wouldn't have had to be on the scene to witness it -- he could have reacted to Korn's death later, perhaps after he confirmed for sure that Korn was dead and that Korn's dad wasn't just trying to deceive him. In his despair he could have decided that he himself had nothing to live for.
The only satisfying fate for Jang Dae Hee and Jang Geun Won is that they both end up in prison for life. The cop is the guy who can put them there. So, 10 to 15 years after we saw him on his knees in front of Sae Ro Yi, he'll get back up on his feet and come forward.
We didn't see him at this point in the series for nothing.
The way the series ends is gonna be so sweet and satisfying!
Does "Soo-ah" happen to mean something bad in Korean?
I especially love your thoughts on the hero's journey -- one of the great foundations of storytelling, and probably one of the reasons why this drama has touched us so deeply.
Even if you don't write an article, thank you for what you've given us here!
I wonder, though, are we supposed to think that this is the *first* time they're meeting in this new timeline (aside from when HYX was a young girl)? To have it be in this setting wouldn't make much sense especially in light of how well thought out the rest of the series was.