I'm curious if you've mellowed your opinions on the ending or the drama as a whole after so much time. I felt so empty after watching it the first time, but rewatched it a couple of times to come to terms with it.
On rewatching (and also paying careful attention to some of the Korean) I could see all the scenes where they foreshadowed the ending, or when they showed some ambiguity as to how much each soul was in charge and it certainly helped me accept the ending, though I still think it's by far the weakest part of the show.
By the end of the drama I'd estimate the character that we see as about 80% So Yong, but they really dropped the ball hard on tying it all together or getting over that belief hurdle. I view it as a reincarnation drama, which helps me deal with the whole thing, but that was only really hinted at in the show itself.
It's a fan theory and discussed on Reddit if you look at the wrap up discussion I think.
There's a dialogue about reincarnation and original lives in episode 5; it answers the question about why Bong Hwan was pulled into her life specifically; why he could never communicate with So Yong despite having access to her memories, emotions and skills; it also gives an explanation for how authentic some of the scenes were in bringing out SY's personality and perspective: the scenes with her father especially the one where she confronts him in ep 13 and comforts him in ep 15, but also the bit with that children's book in episode 16.
SY originally died with grudges (being told she was powerless for being a woman, her love was rejected cruelly, she was manipulated by her family and societal expectations) and BH was the polar opposite of all of that. Also, once he returns to Seoul, his past has been changed. He's a fair bit more justice minded and always has been. His grudges from a previous life have been somewhat resolved, or his soul had been changed from the experience, but this is retroactive.
Viewed that way, the relationship with the king once he returns can be interpreted that although something has changed, it's basically the same soul that he's fated to be in love with.
It's a fan theory, they never really state it explicitly in the end, but I feel that they could have. It's open to interpretation.
I've come round to viewing it as a reincarnation story. There's enough there to support it, especially in the special episodes. She's him in the past, he's her in the future.
I've read 10 pages of reviews and this is the best, and it's not close. Thanks for this; it really helped me get my head around some things that I couldn't put into words.
On rewatching (and also paying careful attention to some of the Korean) I could see all the scenes where they foreshadowed the ending, or when they showed some ambiguity as to how much each soul was in charge and it certainly helped me accept the ending, though I still think it's by far the weakest part of the show.
By the end of the drama I'd estimate the character that we see as about 80% So Yong, but they really dropped the ball hard on tying it all together or getting over that belief hurdle. I view it as a reincarnation drama, which helps me deal with the whole thing, but that was only really hinted at in the show itself.
There's a dialogue about reincarnation and original lives in episode 5; it answers the question about why Bong Hwan was pulled into her life specifically; why he could never communicate with So Yong despite having access to her memories, emotions and skills; it also gives an explanation for how authentic some of the scenes were in bringing out SY's personality and perspective: the scenes with her father especially the one where she confronts him in ep 13 and comforts him in ep 15, but also the bit with that children's book in episode 16.
SY originally died with grudges (being told she was powerless for being a woman, her love was rejected cruelly, she was manipulated by her family and societal expectations) and BH was the polar opposite of all of that. Also, once he returns to Seoul, his past has been changed. He's a fair bit more justice minded and always has been. His grudges from a previous life have been somewhat resolved, or his soul had been changed from the experience, but this is retroactive.
Viewed that way, the relationship with the king once he returns can be interpreted that although something has changed, it's basically the same soul that he's fated to be in love with.
It's a fan theory, they never really state it explicitly in the end, but I feel that they could have. It's open to interpretation.