This is the follow-up post to the Flash Poll on Episode 7:

 

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lol. I didn’t know I signed up to watch “Animal Planet” when I started with “A Poem a Day.” Last Episode 6, I explained how BoYoung was like that Snail Bride in Korean folklore who diligently prepared food for her farmer. This Episode 7, I’m comparing her to a cricket, a female cricket.

As always, it began with the title, The Cricket and I. I knew right away to look for the crickets.

BTW, I detest bugs!! Do you remember why I fell off the bed and broke my wrist? I mentioned it in one of my posts. I said that I had a nightmare that crickets were after me and they got under the blanket. I was kicking the sheets when I rolled off the bed.

https://bitchesoverdramas.com/2018/03/20/bitch-talk-im-back/

I was on guard for hints of those evil creatures and I had my first suspicion in the elevator when she quickly sidled next to MinHo.

That’s the thing with crickets. They make sudden movements.  They turn so swiftly that if a person is unprepared for the sneak attack, like MinHo was, they’re brushing right against him, like BoYoung was. lol.

But I became more certain when they walked out the elevator. Minho rushed forward to grab her wrist. He wanted to get out of the weekend volunteer work she had signed them both up for — without his consent.

See what he did there? That’s the NORMAL way of stopping somebody ahead of you. You either call out their name or you reach out for their arm or elbow. You do NOT jump on them like BoYoung did here?

What the heck?? Why was she tackling him in a hospital corridor??

The actress Lee Yoo Bi was ordered by the director to do that action. That leap was an obvious directorial choice.

Why?? What’s the point? It would have been easier to just do a wrist grab like Minho’s. Why did the director tell her to leap onto the JangDongYoon’s back, almost breaking his neck as she did so?

Because that’s what female crickets do to their mates. They MOUNT on the male crickets.  Very very very sneaky, Director!

I understood MORE about the role of the cricket when I heard the poem. This is the poem. I’m not sure if the kdrama only used an excerpt but it suffice.

The Cricket and I
by Yoon Dong Joo

The cricket and I had a chat on the grass.
Cricket, cricket. Cricket, cricket.
We promised to keep our chat a secret between the two of us.
Cricket, cricket. Cricket, cricket.
The cricket and I chatted under the bright moonlight.

This poem uses a literary device called anthropomorphism. (lol. If there’s a literature major here, please correct me if I’m wrong because I’m not a lit major.) “Anthropos” means man and “morphe” means to transform or to morph. The poet is assigning human actions or thoughts onto a non-human thing to transform it into something we, the readers, can relate with. Realistically speaking, we can NOT chat with crickets because our languages are different. It’s pretty clear from the way the poem is structured.

The poet describes the scene: The cricket and I had a chat.
But the cricket responds in cricket sounds: Cricket, cricket. Cricket, cricket.
The poet toys with the idea that he and the cricket have something in common: We promised to keep our chat a secret between the two of us.
And again he is met with cricket sounds: Cricket, cricket. Cricket, cricket.
Thus, he ends because he has nothing more to add: The cricket and I chatted under the bright moonlight.

lol.

To me, the point of the poem is this: to a solitary person with untold secrets and unknown joys and burdens, the cricket sounds become infinitely more companionable and comforting than the deafening silence of the night.  

Thank god for crickets!

The poem is beautiful because it’s simple yet profound… but if you don’t get it, you don’t get it. It has to mean something to you personally, otherwise the words are nothing but a string of nonsense.

Now, with this in mind, let’s go back to the scene after the therapists had their morning chat. BoYoung and MinHo were in the office by themselves.

MH: Do you like Dr. Ye that much?
BY: I’ve never liked someone this much before. (and she’s curling her toes.)

MH: What a joke. Hey, you said the same thing when you liked me. “I’ve never liked someone this much before.” That’s what you said.

Good job for calling her out, MinHo. She was indeed exaggerating there. Like any lover of poetry, she’s learned to use hyperbole to aggrandize her crush on Dr. Ye.

BY: Hey, be quiet.

See that? She didn’t deny having said the same thing before about MinHo. Technically then, she HAD liked somebody that much before: MinHo.  Moreover, just like in the poem, she was telling him to keep it a SECRET between the two of them. And by not refusing, he tacitly agreed to keep their previous relationship secret.

In contrast, during the chat between BoYoung and Dr. Ye, there was no “secret” or confidences exchanged. As a matter of fact, Dr. Ye told her that her being attractive is NO SECRET. It’s OBVIOUS to anyone’s eyes that she’s attractive. Didn’t you get that? lol.  He told her, “When I heard that I believed it. I didn’t question it one bit. Because you’re an attractive person in anyone’s eyes. So lift your head up high and don’t feel embarrassed.”

MH: Come to think of it, you use the same lines AND the same tactics. You’re a repeat offender. You’re an ex-convict in the field of love.

I don’t know if you noticed it, but I think this is the first time I’ve heard MinHo use such “poetic” language. “Ex-convict in the field of love” is a cheesy line that newbie and wannabe poets would say. It’s bad Shakespeare, of course. But it’s very common practice to use metaphors like jail, prison, ward, crime, and imprisonment to describe love as an emotional entrapment.

BY: Hey, why do you keep bringing up the past? You better not bring that up in front of Doctor Ye.

There she goes again. She’s evoking the line from the “Cricket and I” poem, “We promised to keep our chat a secret between the two of us.” When you think about this poem again, the poet had NO way of guaranteeing that the cricket would keep silent about the secret. The poet could only ASSUME that a “promise” was made and the cricket upheld its promise although it was chirping non-stop that night.  Cricket, cricket. Cricket, cricket. 

MH: What?
BY: What if he thinks of me as an easy girl who falls for everyone?
MH: Hey? Who care if he does? Would that change anything? There’s a zero percent chance that you’ll work out anyway.
BY: What? Zero? How are you so sure?

And here we go. BoYoung’s ego was pricked by MinHo’s words. She was challenged to disprove him. She focused on chances, probabilities, and certitude. It became a “conquest” issue for her.

MY: Isn’t it obvious?  You don’t have the charm that all men fall for.

lol. I know: it’s a jerk thing to say. But when you stop for a moment here and parse his words, you’ll understand better. He wasn’t saying that NOBODY would fall for her charms. He only said that NOT ALL men would fall for her charms. Some would and some wouldn’t. There could be one man, a few, half, or even many who’d fall for her. However, NOT all men. Also, as we know from Episode 4, he said “Cry Baby Bo Young has no problem looking good in front of me.”

And if fangirls quit hating on Minho, they’ll realize that this is actually FAIRER assessment of her charms than what Dr. Ye told her. Dr. Ye told her an ABSOLUTE. “You’re an attractive person in anyone’s eyes.”  In anybody’s eyes = to everybody. We know that’s totally wrong. To the Dubai man, BoYoung was NOT at all attractive. Dr. Ye was EXAGGERATING or speaking in hyperbole while MinHo was just speaking the plain unvarnished truth.

Unbiased truth vs exaggeration.

MY: (he continues) First of all, you’re just a boring person who’s always serious and you’re like an old person who’s trapped inside a young body.

Again, cruel words from MinHo. But what I noticed here is that he said “young body.”  Note that at the beginning of this kdrama, we all thought that MinHo rejected her based on a SUPERFICIAL knowledge of her. But more and more, we’re beginning to discover that MinHo actually knows her pretty well.

They’re more than acquaintances. She was invited to NamWon’s birthday party and to a friend’s wedding. And she knew MinHo’s birthday. To me, MinHo only wants her to lighten up. He’s seen her acting like a wet blanket too often enough that he wants her fun-loving side to shine more. Honestly, I also found her tactless when she cried at NamWon’s celebration and created a “scandal” at the wedding.

BY: What?
MH: Anyway, you’re not the type that guys like. So don’t get your hopes up. Ex-convict of love. Cry Baby BoYoung. You’re going to get rejected by Dr. Ye just like I rejected you in the past.

Sure. These are mean words. Sure. He’s taunting her. Sure. He’s being a big league jerk. But I get what he’s REALLY trying to say. He’s using reverse psychology here. He’s trying to STOP her from going after Dr. Ye by DARING HER to go on after him. It’s like telling her, “Go on! Go chase after him. Prove me wrong. Show me that you’re the type of guys like. Show me that you’ll win over Dr. Ye. See if I care!!”

His outburst is a sign of him losing a grip on himself. He’s frustrated and he’s anxious about losing her. But I also see this outburst as — ironically enough — a sign of his slow but steady growth and development.

You see, he didn’t collapse and have one of his colossal tantrums. He used words this time. (Thank god for small mercies! lol.)

credit: Ahjummanshies

As he stalked off, BY could only mutter, “That little…”

lol. To me, that was last proof I needed about crickets…because there’s no way that MinHo could be considered little when compared to her. But of course, if we’re talking about crickets… then, yes, MinHo is definitely a little bugger. I mean, cricket. He’s a little cricket. But then so is she.

That’s why I say that the poem “The Cricket and I” wasn’t about BoYoung and Dr. Ye but about BoYoung and Minho.

It’s just like in Episode 6 with the poem “Morning.” Again, Dr. Ye was the distraction there. The morning was all about Minho feeling “lucky” because of the “good news” that he had gotten rid of BoYoung.

In this poem, BoYoung wanted MinHo wanted to keep their past relationship secret, but all she was getting from MinHo was the metaphorical “cricket chirping.” MinHo ignored her request because he wanted it known that she had once loved him.

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Next up: I’ll have to explain about the uses of Defcon. I see some tweets suggesting that he and JooYoung’s airtime is irrelevant. Au contraire, their segment actually dovetails with the whole love angle of the lead characters.