A poster in another kdrama forum I used to frequent asked if the title, “Ghost Detective” implied that Lee Da-Il is a ghost who is a detective.
I replied that there were four ways of interpreting that title. I suggested that —
There are four Ghost Detectives here.
1. Lee Da Il because he’s a ghost-apparition of a detective.
2. Detective Park, because he’s about to start hunting ghost and solving this ghost mystery.
3. The medical officer Chae Won is also a ghost detective because she sees ghosts.
4. And lastly, Yeo Wool because, with the way she doggedly carries on and on about the Woman in Red till she’s dead-tired, she’ll soon turn herself into a ghost. lol. (She’s a ghost detective, too, because she’s the only one who can actually see, hear and interact with Ghost Detective, Lee Da Il.)
I forgot Sung Seob. He’s also a ghost detective because he’s a detective who survived being turned into a ghost himself.
I’m not yet finished with Episode 5. Thinking that I could multi-task, I watched the show while baking cookies, and totally missed the middle section when SS attempted the suicide. However, I was able to catch the tail end of the episode when Yeo Wool was driving the car and she was stating how mystified and amazed she was that people were helping them even when they didn’t HAVE TO.
She told Da-Il, “Why did Attorney Baek do this (gather data) for you without asking any questions? Mr. Han almost died, but he won’t quit. Detective Park doesn’t understand, but he’s helping us. Ms. Gil quit being a shaman because she hates seeing ghosts. But why?”
Da-Il responded, “They probably have their reasons. Whether it’s for themselves or others or for something they believe is right. Like what you’re doing for YiRang.”
And just like that, very subtle, this kdrama displayed one effective way that suicide could be prevented: by forming connections. When people at risk of suicide feel connected to somebody or something, they are less likely to attempt to kill themselves.
Previously, Yeo Wool felt that she was the only one in the world who cared to find out about her sister’s killer. She secretly delivered yellow sticky notes to Detective Park. She hid the real reason she wanted to work for Lee Da-Il. She felt nobody believed her, and she was slowly going crazy that she couldn’t get help.
Now, she’s discovering that so many strangers and newfound friends are willing to assist her and lend her support. She isn’t alone anymore in trying to seek her sister’s elusive killer. She can rely on people, other than herself, to find and confront the Woman in Red.
…Which was the whole point of that horrifying story recounted by the caregiver/nurse in Episode 4. Nobody came to that helpless spirit trapped in the pot and so all that fury and hatred festered within him. He wasn’t angry at his imprisonment. He was wrathful that no one came to help and rescue him. It was as if he didn’t at all exist or matter to anybody in the world.
“A poor fisherman took out the fishing net from the water. But instead of catching any fish, he had caught an old pot. The lid was shut tightly with beeswax and it was sealed with the king’s seal. He was curious so he opened the pot and along with some smoke, a huge and scary evil spirit suddenly came out. The moment the evil spirit came out, he tried to kill the fisherman, but the fisherman asked the spirit why he was trying to kill him when he was the one who had freed him. And the spirit told him, ‘when I was first locked in the pot, I had planned to lead the first person that freed me to a place filled with treasure. But for a long time, nobody released me. So then, I made a vow to grant three wishes of the one who releases me. Still, nobody saved me. So I became furious and made a vow. If anyone saved me, I’d kill him.'”
I took a screenshot of the new Ghostbusters — or YeoWool and her sources of strength.
Will try to watch both episodes tonight. We’re going sailing this weekend. Blue skies, blue sea will be a welcome change from all the drama this week. 🙂
Have a good weekend, y’all.
Edited: I found gifs. Credit: baek1nho
