Platinum Fox

I hope this movie gets more attention because of the drama as it is a wonderful movie. I am enjoying the drama as well.

I found it interesting that the ghosts she helps are those who were in auto accidents. This is great foreshadowing for what is to come.

The drama is based on this movie. Actually, the writers of the drama have a done a great job of capturing the spirit and essence of this movie. Since I have not watched Hotel del Luna, I can't say anything about whether it is more like it or not.

Yes, I understand what you are saying and agree. And, I, too, found her death rather pointless. Writing was weak there. But it was just the set up for him to start investigating his former commander.

I loved the second and third seasons more than the first. I thought the first season, except for the first two cases, was just one huge trope and lazy writing. But the last two seasons really took on what the premium taxi was all about.

Happy drama watching.

I understand what you are saying and it's okay. We all have different preferences in dramas.

Happy drama watching.

Yes, it is called Spellbound. It is found on Tubi and Kisskh. The actress from Crash Landing on You is the main female lead. It is much darker, but very cute. If you want a hint just read my post under discussions. I loved it and loving this as well.

I know. I have to go back to school in two weeks!

Thanks, I haven't watched The Haunted Palace all the way through again, except for the last scenes as they are the funniest. I remember it very well thanks to talking it over with you. I loved all the symbolism in it.

Here is my theory and it is based on all the ghost stories from the the ghost boy to the twins.

On the yacht Ji Hwan confesses to Yeo Ri and explains the importance of the necklace to her. This is when we hear in the background, "I will die in your place." Little does he know that is exactly what happens as the accident or wave comes pretty quickly after that. Since Yeo Ri is wearing the necklace she is of course saved while Ji Hwan dies. Remember the ghost boy saves his dad and then his sister. The sister was not in the movie, just the dad. So the writers added the sister for some reason to the drama. Something tells me that Min Hwan had to make a choice as to who to save first. He of course chooses Yeo Ri because he is in love with her. Because Yeo Ri thinks of him as a brother, Min Hwan essentially saves his sister. By not choosing the brother first, Min Hwan now has a shot at Yeo Ri (Prince's jealousy) and gets to take over the family business (twin). The last ghost though is a pretty chilling thought will Min Hwan kill Yeo Ri in order to steal her estate? His shares will now allow him to decide her fate as head of the company.

The writers have done an excellent job of keeping with the plot and spirit of the movie. Which is why Min Hwan will never have her.

As it stands right now and this is my understanding, Yeo Ri's uncle is the CEO of the whole conglomerate. When Yeo Ri's parents passed away, the Reina Hotel and Siena wedding venue (which falls under the Cheon conglomerate) went to her as part of her inheritance. Now, she (ghosts and all) has done an excellent job of running the hotel as it is the highest grossing hotel in Korea.

But Yeo Ri's aunt and cousin want Yeo Ri to step down because they have been laundering money through their art galleries. Art that has been put up in the Reina Hotel. If they take over Reina and Siena, they can keep this a secret and tear down the Siena which isn't making money because it is cursed. The aunt, the cousin, and grandma want to tear it down and build another art gallery and Ha Ri wants a department store.

This is why Yeo Ri needs to change her image and reputation and Siena's image and reputation which is really one and the same, so she can protect her parents' legacy (their ghosts).

Now, between the two brothers Ji Hwan is the literal ghost who protects Yeo Ri as best he can from unsavory characters like Cha Ga. It appears that on their first date Ji Hwan was going to ask Yeo Ri to wear matching rings. However, after talking with Min Hwan, who was going to do the same thing, Ji Hwan ends up giving his necklace (that is meant to protect him from death/ghosts?) to her instead. Once he does so, something happens (the translation said a wave) to both Yeo Ri and Ji Hwan. She is wearing the necklace and he is not. Now, how and why JH dies is still a mystery, but we know it is because he isn't wearing the necklace.

Now, Min Hwan is the living breathing person who just wants to be recognized and acknowledged by Yeo Ri. Grandma wanted Yeo Ri to merge with his hotel, and if marriage came out of it, wonderful. However, Yeo Ri has no interest in him. MH is a ghost to her. His thinking on how to win her (which he won't), is to do two things: return the necklace to its rightful owner (Yeo Ri) and purchase enough shares that will make it so that he has the deciding vote (director Park, Gong? shares). Also, since her health is bad, grandma is also making her move by giving Prosecutor Ma shares of the company as well to combat this. Otherwise her shares would be up for grabs as well if she dies.

Do I want Min Hwan and Yeo Ri together, no. Min Hwan is living in the past. His memory is of Yeo Ri from the past, not the present. Notice he doesn't even have an updated photo of her. It is her school picture. Why don't they have any pictures together if they were such good friends. Just as he is a ghost to her, she is a ghost to him. He thinks he knows her, but he really doesn't.

Side note: Remember in The Haunted Palace where the ghosts represented past decisions made by kings and how those decisions (good or bad) haunt future kings? Well, the ghosts in this story represent guilt. The necklace (if it really does protect people from ghosts) means that it will protect people from guilt.

Happy drama watching.

Yes, her grandmother wants Yeo Ri to take over the whole conglomerate. But the aunt and the cousin (Ha Ri) want her out of Reina and Siena as well which would leave them with all of the conglomerate. Yet, with Reina serving as the highest grossing hotel in Korea, Yeo Ri has proven that she is capable of running the conglomerate: ghosts or no ghosts.

However, reputation and image are everything in Korea. Now, Yeo Ri's fatal flaw, she can see ghosts. Because of this, she has isolated herself and allowed people to see her as a cold, uncaring person. Yeo Ri, in one scene while talking with Prosecutor Ma, describes herself as a ghost. Ha Ri refers to her as a water ghost. Because of Yeo Ri's condition, she could literally drag down the whole image of the Cheon conglomerate. This is why they want Yeo Ri out of the conglomerate. There are other reasons as well, but the ghost issue is the most important.

Now, go back to when Prosecutor Ma's grandma gets on him about volunteering to build up his image. Yeo Ri needs to do the same thing. She does lots of volunteer work, but it is behind the scenes. Nobody sees it. She is a ghost. She needs to change her image. With the help of Prosecutor Ma, she is doing that in more ways than one.

The writers here are playing with every definition of the word ghost from literal to the figurative. Korean dramas are wonderful at using literary elements to bring abstract ideas alive. It's why I watch them.

For example: Ji Hwan is a literal ghost. Something that is not seen by humans. However, Yeo Ri can see him. Yet, she can't see Min Hwan, a living breathing person. Min Hwan is a ghost to her. He is trying everything to get Yeo Ri to see him.

For me, what it is going to come down to is that Yeo Ri's ability to see ghosts will essentially protect her rather than cause her downfall which is what Ha Ri wants. The main theme of the drama is protecting what you love.

In addition, I have been reading some of your other posts, especially about the necklace. My thoughts, the writers definitely kept the significance of the necklace from the movie. But they put their own spin on it. The ghost in the movie haunts Yu Ri in order to get her necklace back and to be seen by others. Once the ghost has the necklace, the main lead's friend hits on her and she is happy. The necklace is back with its rightful owner. In the drama, the necklace holds the same significance, so if they follow the movie, Yeo Ri will need the necklace back in order for her to stop seeing ghosts long enough for her take over the conglomerate.

This is where Min Hwan comes in and where he can get Yeo Ri to finally see him. He has the necklace and with the shares of director, he now has control over Reina and Siena. He can show her that he can help her protect what she loves. It is all to pay her back from the time that she protected him. Min Hwan is the personification of the ghost in the movie.

Now, Prosecutor Ma's with Ji Hwan's heart. You are really scared that it is a random heart donor. I don't think so, nor do I think Prosecutor Ma and Ji Hwan are related. Grandma is someone who does lots of volunteer work and works with charities. She is obviously someone with wealth, even her name suggests wealth as it was a title given to powerful people in the past. I think, grandma and Ji Hwan's mother met through a charity event or at the temple and became friends.

For me, Yeo Ri's ghosts represent her survivor's guilt. She helps them because she feels guilty for surviving. Once she acknowledges and accepts the fact that she survived and Ji Hwan didn't, the ghosts will become less and less.

The writers have done an excellent job of creating a character who personifies the ghost found in the movie. It is a very creative drama, but most viewers don't see it because they are too busy just watching it to be entertained, not to really thinking about what is actually going on in the drama. Which is okay. I am not like that.

Hope everything is going well after your surgery. Happy drama watching.

Okay, I loved this last season, and my favorite was the idol case. I just loved the music right before the rehearsal and the crew (especially the two to the right) laughing in the sound booth. It was all just comedy gold.

Yes, I found that a little weird as well but would it have served the same purpose if she had lived. There would have been no need for revenge which is the purpose of the taxi. jmt

It's really hard to see Park Eun Bin as villain but I love it.

I agree. I think that is the point of the drama. Why should she have to step down from her position just because she sees ghosts? It is the hightest grossing hotel in Korea, so she has done her job and done it well. Also, she has helped the police solve many cases. So she is not entitled chaebol like Ha Ri, who thinks she should have the hotel with a department store.

Because of the MDL synopsis, viewers think this drama is about the two of them going out and solving ghost crimes together. That is far from the truth. Yes, multiple times they run into each other at the same crime scene, but they are not investigating together.

This is not a detective style drama. That is all I am saying.

Yes, it was cute. I love Park Eun Bin.

No, they did not investigate the golfer together. She is at the water tank before him and he figures out that that is where the body is and starts to climb up and grabs her leg. Then they fall. They run into each three times before they specifically work together. Their final investigation together will be the 12 year old incident.

I'm not sure what scene you are talking about. Are you talking about when he comes out of the elevator, grabs her hand, and they head out onto the balcony? He does grab her and kiss her at the end. It is how episode 8 ends.

My thoughts:

Okay, I know that I am the only one, but I have second male lead syndrome. Who could not feel broken hearted when Ji Hwan comes in with matching rings for Yeo Ri, especially on their first date (outing). Even back then, Min Hwan has always come in second. Also, Yeo Ri made it pretty clear even back then that she didn't care about Min Hwan. When he was dealing with the revelation of his birth, she just wanted to play Pickle Ball. Yet, she could tenderly place her hands over his ears just before that. No wonder he is trying to do everything he can to make her see him. Min Hwan is a ghost to her. It makes me wonder if she was actually his friend or just nice to him because of Ji Hwan.

Secondly, while a small matter, the writers were really lazy with the whole "let's expose Yeo Ri" by Ha Ri. It was the one time that Yeo Ri could have told the truth, and she could and would have come out on top.

The running theory is that Min Hwan has had something to do with Ji Hwan's death due to his jealousy of his brother. That is a good theory as there have now been two ghost stories dealing with jealousy: one between twin brothers and one between lovers. But why did Yeo Ri go overboard? It is said something about a wave. Did she fall overboard due to a wave? Did Ji Hwan dive in to save her and because he had given her the pendant, she is saved and he dies. In the movie that is how it works. And the writers have been very faithful to recreate the significance of the necklace from the movie, but they have also put their own spin on it.

What if the necklace is only there to protect him from dying in this accident that his grandmother clearly foresaw. But something good came from his death, Prosecutor Ma got a new heart. Ji Hwan still lives on in Prosecutor Ma. This gives meaning to Ji Hwan's death rather than just letting him die. While Ji Hwan's mother has every right to be upset over the death of her son, she should be happy that his death was not just a tragic accident, but could bring life to someone else. This is why Yeo Ri talked about Prosecutor's Ma shell. He protects Ji Hwan's heart.

Now, after the accident Yeo Ri starts seeing ghosts. Ji Hwan's ghost is the first one she sees. For me, she sees ghosts not because she is cursed, but because of survivor's guilt. The ghosts represent her guilt for surviving. This is why she helps them because she feels guilty for surviving. Once she acknowledges and accepts why she survived and her friend didn't, the ghosts will disappear.

In the end, Yeo Ri will need to know that Ji Hwan's heart is in Prosecutor Ma, as it will help her get over her guilt of surviving. Ji Hwan's death allowed someone else to live.

That is the running theory. However, upon a rewatch it is said that there was a wave and Yeo Ri went overboard. Now, Ji Hwan must have jumped in to save her and because he gave the pendant to Yeo Ri, she is saved and he dies. This follows the movie to a T.

Now after this experience she is haunted by his ghost and others. One she has even become friends with. So you can tell that she has become comfortable with her ability. She no longer needs the pendant to protect her from ghosts.

Actually, she doesn't teleport back in time. She accidentally teleported to a sageuk filming set. It later comes on TV, and one of her friends catches the blooper.

But I can see why you would connect them.