I know this is bothering a lot of MinHo supporters, so let me weigh in on this.

For me, when a director or scriptwriter does a scene over and over again, there’s a point being communicated. The challenge for me is trying to get into their “heads” and understand what they mean by the images and words they’ve constructed.

I know people complain that “Hey! She’s just a dumb blonde anyway. What does she know of Korean culture and mindset?” And all I can answer is that I’m not Nigerian, Russian, Portuguese, Mexican, French, German, Japanese, Chinese, and Indian but I can read their literature and grasp the HUMAN condition. There may be variations in how we express or codify values and ideas. But at the end of the day, we all aspire for the same things. To cherish, to be cherished, to understand and to be understood….

Nothing vital gets lost in the translation if one sees us all as interconnected. 🙂

When I look at BoYoung’s hallucinations, I don’t view them as threatening or depressing because I can see the encouraging message left behind by the director and the scriptwriter. I’m not listening to BoYoung’s monologues to internalize her emotions. Instead, I’m observing what the director and scriptwriter are SAYING about her angst.

Let me go over her words.

Dr. Ye, I’m sorry for picturing us walking on the beach together. I decided to overcome this because it’s no big deal and I really should get over you but it’s not easy to do.

She’s depressed of course but MinHo breaks her out of her moping and tells her to hurry up. Notice that? He doesn’t call her “Cry Baby BoYoung.”

I must point out that MinHo was actually the one walking beside her but she began imagining Dr. Ye when a couple crossed her path. To me, this means that metaphorically, her ORIGINAL companion in the “walk of life” was MinHo but she momentarily got distracted because of her desire to be for REQUITED love back in Episode 8. She had fancied herself in love with Dr. Ye because 1) she thought she was being favored as the Ye Line, 2)  she was teased by Dr. Kim as “Mrs. Ye”, and 3) Dr. Ye did NOT treat her as rudely as others.

In Episode 8, she told MinHo to stay out of her love life. She said, “I’ll deal with any rejection or pain that comes my way.” But now, MinHo reappears to call her back from her rejection and pain. Literally and symbolically, he’s getting her out of her grief.

And remember when she told Dr. Ye that she was worried that the Love of Her Life would think that she was an “easy girl”?  Dr. Ye told her not to worry because the Love of Her Life would look at it as “favorably” upon her “innocent days of your past.”

lol. So pompous of him!

Well, in reality, MinHo is looking at her “innocent days” right now and he doesn’t see her as an “easy girl.” Nor does he look upon her pain “favorably” – or whatever that word means. Instead, he sees her as a girl hurting and needing comfort. Plain and simple. He’s not judging her and her situation as either “favorable” or “unfavorable.”  Do you get it the difference?

So, it’s fitting that MinHo is the one at her side to help her heal because MinHo, for all his asshattery, is the one who CONSISTENTLY has her well-being in mind.  Not Dr. Ye, like those silly fangirls insist. 

Dr. Ye, I’m sorry for imagining you again. But eating delicious food makes me want to eat it with you. I know this is just my imagination but seeing you enjoy the food makes me happy.

Namwoo and JoYoon interrupts her daydreaming with their argument. “Do you have have a death wish?…I had my eyes on that abalone since earlier, you know.”

She cooks more shellfish for them but gets splattered on by hot shellfish spit. MinHo quickly hands her tissue to wipe it off.

For me, splatter here simply means a dose of reality. In life, sometimes you get burned, when you’re handling “hot” stuff like love. When you get splattered on by hot clamfish SPIT (it’s saliva!), the only thing you can do is wipe it off and continue cooking.

Looking at such beautiful scenery reminded me of you again. I shouldn’t have confessed my feelings to you. If I had’t we’d be able to get along like close colleagues. If I think about how awkward it’ll be between us, I feel sad.

Namwoo and JoYoon again breaks her reverie with their argument. “My alligator will fall off! My alligator will fall off! …How dare you mock my TOEIC score!”

The two guys fight and seaweed is hurled. It misses its intended target but smacks BoYoung straight on her face.

For me, seaweed on her face is better (i.e., gentler) than a kimchi-slap.

But the action is the same. The seaweed is a slap. It’s a wake-up call.

BoYoung washes her faces. Meaning, she rinses off her sad memories. It’s like when she wiped the clam spit on her face, but now the CLEANSING action involves more work. She has to use soap and water.

But then, Namwoo discovers that the alligator has come off his shirt and they panic.

But wait! There’s a symbolism here: the BELOVED ALLIGATOR finally came off!  lol. The detachment of NamWoo’s precious alligator means that she too can DETACH herself from her infatuation with Dr. Ye. There’s much ado about the alligator but when you look at this, it’s trifling thing. NamWoo’s friends have been humoring his “attachment” to his alligator all this time. But really you can’t hold onto something forever that was meant to come off.  In the same way, they’ve been humoring BoYoung with her crush on Dr. Ye.

I didn’t think about you this time though. I didn’t think about wanting your help lifting this rock. Seeing how you showed up like that, you must be in my subconscious. No, the truth is all I can think about is you. What do I do? How do I forget you?

Again, NamWoo and JoYoon are “Let go of me! … Hold still!”

The alligator is accidentally thrown into the sea. And she’s called to help rescue the alligator. But she falls in the cold, refreshing sea water.

Falling into the water is the ultimate cleansing action. She’s totally soaked, and this means she’s totally purified of her burden. This whole fantastic (= unreal) and irrational infatuation with Dr. Ye is symbolically washed off of her.

That’s why it’s significant that she comes back wearing borrowed clothes. Those are her new clothes. As if she’s reborn again…

Then, when MinHo puts his jacket over her, that’s the sign for me. MinHo advances from “Leaning” to the “Likely” End Game.  

If you’re a Reply 1988 viewer, you’ll know what I’m referring to. If not, read the Throwback Tuesday, I just posted on Reply 1988 and Taec as Forrest Gump. lol.  (You didn’t think I posted that for no good reason, did you?)

Do you see it? Do you see the progression in how she gets rid off the unhappy memory? To me, there’s nothing much to fear about her fantasy. She MUST get this fantasy out her system and she’s only projecting to help her deal with her sadness. I’d rather that she talks to herself than talk to Dr. Ye face-to-face because then she’ll look really pathetic.

The conversation with MinHo and the poem are going to be significant, too, in relation to this beach conversation with herself. But I’ll explain those next. I’ve to go now. Take care, ladies!