Thanks for the lurkers who came out and posted. I’ll respond to them later. I’m fighting jetlag now and barely winning.
I promised my husband our vacation was going to be krama-free. He was the masculine version Emma. Within 10 feet of him, all my kdrama implements like ipad, laptop and iphone would be confiscated. 🤦♀️ But I fortunately found a glitch in his sub-routine. 😈Every morning when he played golf, I was free to log on my blog. lol. 🤪
I’m responding to goyangi’s post. Her comments are in blue italics.
Lovely. I really enjoyed your thoughts here, especially in light of what we learned in the last post about the romance plot being kind of a “bonus”—which resonated with me because I didn’t really go into this drama particularly expecting or desiring a romance?
Same here! I was fine just analyzing the game aspect of the game because I’ve compartmentalized the fantasy, mystery and romance. I usually do that. For instance, with the kdrama “Fluttering Alert,” I focused on the romance of the couple, and left the family intrigue on the side until I realized that the intrigue was fast overshadowing the romance and I had no choice but to scrutinize the family dynamics.
Conversely, here, I focused on the action and ignored the romance until I began noticing the shift from a purely action-based story to a romantic quest.
I think it happened in Episode 9 when Jinwoo paid Heejoo a visit to explain why he stopped her from going to Granada on her own. Prior to this scene, I thought the writer would only go off on a tangent and insert HeeJoo randomly to stall the the action (mirroring her role as game delay when she’s an “obstruction” 😂) and to give us viewers a time-out.
However, that scene in Episode 9 when a tear dropped on his jacket while she was attending to a scratch on the neck drew my attention.
I didn’t think viewers paid much attention to it because as we all know love is all about the kiss, right? 😂
However, when I saw the teardrop, I felt like Mrs. Potts from Beauty and the Beast singing, “Well, bless my soul! Who’d have known? You know perhaps there’s something there that wasn’t there before.”
This was JW and YJ’s dialogue:
HJ: Have a seat.
JW: I should get going. I don’t want to be late.
HJ: Please sit. You’re bleeding.
JW: (he rubs his neck to wipe off the blood) I’m fine now.
HJ: Can’t you just have a seat? Why don’t you listen to others? Stop being so pretentious and sit. What makes you all high and mighty anyway? (lol. This is her modus operandi. When he doesn’t listen to her, she lets loose an offensive barrage of words. Like rapid fire, so he has no choice but to surrender. But then, she calms down.) It won’t talke long. Only five minutes.
JW: Did your friend leave?
HJ: He probably did.
JW: What is he anyway? He’s not family, but he says he’s just like one. Is he your betrothed? (She stops and looks at him.) Is that it?
Frankly, I don’t find his jealousy fluttering. To me, he’s just fooling around, like he does with Minjoo, because he knows that she has a crush on him and wants to embarrass her. He did this earlier too when he overheard that he was supposedly going to buy her ring and propose. He ruffled her feathers further by joking to get her the ring or at least present her with a bouquet of flowers. He’s just too flippant to be taken seriously.
HJ: (ignoring him) Look the other way.
JW: I don’t approve of him. He lacks battle skills too.
HJ: (sternly) Being good with a sword is nothing to brag. Only kids do that. So childish.
JW: Whatever. I still don’t approve so think wisely.
Again, his display of jealousy still doesn’t register on my romance-o-meter but he’s pinging off my bullshit-o-meter. I’ve seen guys do this to girls to mess with their brains.
HJ: I’ve never thought of him that way, but I should since you’re so concerned.
JW: (scoffs) Why? Must you do the opposite of what I say? That’s not how you should choose a spouse. If you do it out spite, and you’ll end up like me.
This is the writer’s way of telling us that no love was involved in his previous marriage.
JW: (continuing) Isn’t that what you were making? (referring to the guitar he broke). How much does it cost?
HJ: Don’t worry about it.
JW: How much is it? (He persists but she doesn’t answer.) I’ll put in an order then. I’d like to buy a custom-made guitar. (She stops.) Will you not accept my order? Do you refuse certain customers? Am I that hopeless? I’m not even worthy to buy a guitar.
He bought her “one-of-a-kind” hostel from her before. Of course, she won’t sell anything to him again especially a specialty guitar. lol.
Then a tear drops on his jacket. She sniffs. He turns around and sees her teary eyes. He’s surprised.
JW: Why are you crying?
Here’s why I say that, in this moment in time, he doesn’t LOVE her yet. There’s no mutual connection between them…or at least the connection is just one-sided.
She’s definitely connected and keenly aware of his every feelings and thoughts but he isn’t conscious of her in THAT personal and private way. Usually in kdramas, this sensitivity to the other person’s emotional needs, especially her sufferings, signals the beginning of love. Usually in kdramas, the hero-in-love can anticipate the response of the girl and “read” her feelings as well as his own.
It can be argued, however, that Jinwoo worked hard to get her brother back and he proceeded with his search with utmost care not to give her worries. Surely, this diligence and concern for her signify his devotion to her. Right?
Well, I don’t think so. To me, his mission to find her brother was a task he found himself inadvertently doing. He took it upon himself to get SeeJoo back so he could understand and solve the glitch in the software AND so his investment in the game wouldn’t go to waste. He was searching for SeeJoo NOT so much FOR HER but for himself and his company. There’s a difference.
HJ: I don’t know. (she shifts topic) So you’re saying that you’ve been playing the game to find SeJu. And now that you’ve almost reached his level, he really contacted you. Only you are qualified to contact him. Even if I go to Granada, I’d be useless because I can’t see anything. That’s why I should stay here and watch you through a monitor. That’s the only way I can see SeJoo alive. Isn’t that what you’re saying?
JW: Do I still seem insane to you?
HJ: Yes. (then they have a staring contest, lol) But I’ll believe you. I’ll give you a chance. I’ll wait for you here until I hear from you.
Here, Heejoo is actually taking a leap of faith. Often, belief is used interchangeably with trust and faith. But philosophically speaking (with a shoutout to Kierkegaard 🤪), belief is reserved for things that CAN be proven or demonstrated as TRUE with the use of evidence, logic, or reasoning. Like, I believe the sun will rise tomorrow or I believe in ice cream as a cure for my kdrama woes.
On the other hand, faith is reserved for things that cannot be proven to be true…or false.
In Heejoo’s case, she “cannot” believe in Jinwoo because the fact of the matter is, he DID dupe her. That’s why her Oppa Sangbum questions her sanity for “believing” in Jinwoo when he conned her and everybody thinks he’s a crook. He thinks she’s being delusional but he mistakes her FAITH for belief.
She already knows that Jinwoo was lying about the hostel and was hiding her brother’s disappearance. Yet she chooses to take a leap of faith and put her trust in Jinwoo. Why? Because she has faith in him. She has faith in him that he’ll do the right thing. She has faith in him even when what he says make zero sense.
And faith is always more powerful than belief.
JW: Why do you trust me? I’m a fraud, supposedly.
HJ: Otherwise, I’d live in misery. (He studies her)
Meaning, it’s worse for her if she doesn’t trust in him. Distrusting him makes her miserable.
JW: I could be fooling you again.
HJ: Trying not to be conned by you is more distressing anyway.
Meaning, it’s more distressing if she’s always trying to outwit him simply because she presumed that he’s out to fool to her. It’s more exhausting if she’s forever on the defensive because she expects him to fool her. It’s worse for her if she keeps fighting him.
Giving him the benefit of the doubt is easier. She’s not longer going to assume that there’s malice in his intentions and actions. And don’t forget now… she has faith in him.
HJ: Damn it.
JW: That’s what I usually say.
HJ: Who cares if you do? It’s not exclusively yours. (then she continues cursing.) Damn it. (he smiles at her.) Why do you keep tormenting me? Why did you have to pop up in my life? Why do you make it hard for me to hate you?
JW then lifts a hand to her face to wipe away her tear.
In a voiceover as his taxi leaves, he says, “Although Heejoo didn’t come with me, it was obvious that this journey was the most crucial moment of both our lives.
For me, this statement indicated a growing shift in his priorities and HeeJoo’s rising influence in the story. Although his mission in Granada remained the same, that is, to rescue SeeJoo, there was an additional meaning now. On one level, it was still important for him to succeed in his quest because:
A. Rescuing SeeJoo was his primary task.
B. Finding SeeJoo would prove that the game is flawed and development should be stopped.
C. Solving the glitch would end the nightmare of seeing bloodied HyunSik every day for the rest of his life.
But on a deeper level, it became imperative for him to succeed in this mission because it would “prove” to HeeJoo that her faith in him wasn’t misplaced. Suddenly now, Heejoo and the romance angle became a pivotal element in the action.
To me then the bridge scene in Episode 11, when he asked her if she STILL trusted him was only a demand to reaffirm her complete faith in him. By this time, he already failed the mission and as you mentioned, hit “rock bottom.” He wanted to make sure however that she was still with him and she said yes. (I’ll have to talk about this another time, because my jet-lag is getting to me now….)
And I think without that expectation, I’ve always been pretty content with what we were shown, found it believably one-sided until recent episodes when Jinwoo’s at rock bottom and I could see why he *needs* Heejoo. To accept her love, finally (remember all the times he was ?? at Minjoo shipping them lol), and to let his caring for her develop into actual love too. Maybe their loveline isn’t what you’d typically see in a kdrama—it’s not an innocent first love or a fluttering love or a passionate love—but they got there in spite of some pretty terrible circumstances. I’m rooting for them lol 😊
Well, I think they got to this point through tears and blood. Her tears and his blood. And we know that the tears of Heejoo represents the emotional suffering while the blood of Jinwoo represents the physical suffering.
I’ll have to sign off now. I’m not sure I’m coherent… Don’t drink and drive. Don’t sleep and type. 😴
I love this! It was faith definitely because if I were HJ I wouldn’t place my trust and faith on him at all especially with that whole year of no communication. Like you said it was all about the game from the beginning and the company but with that tear drop it was a new beginning. JW was more determined to find SJ and he knew that HJ is there for him.
I’m glad I actually didn’t stop watching because of the game parts and because I’m not into gaming stuff. ☺️
“Well, I think they got to this point through tears and blood. Her tears and his blood. And we know that the tears of Heejoo represents the emotional suffering while the blood of Jinwoo represents the physical suffering.”
What a beautiful way of putting things – her tears and his blood. I really liked that scene in the workshop between JW and HJ that you have recalled so well – it was full of unspoken words but the emotions were conveyed nevertheless to the viewers. Great acting by the leads!
I found your explanation of the turning point of the relationship very interesting, as well as the difference between belief and faith.
Yes, I liked that scene because to me it’s the first time HE connected to her, as in SAW HER as a woman.
She’s always been connected/attracted to her but he pooh-poohed it because
1) MinJoo’s teasing. Really. He was a 40 year old ahjussi and a CEO to boot, taking love advice from a teenager??? Of course, he didn’t want to give MJ’s teasing serious thought.
2) he’s a skeptic. After two failed marriages, of course, he wouldn’t believe in love that easily. Didn’t he say that two days was too soon to fall in love? lol. So he didn’t take HJ’s feelings seriously, either. He probably thought it was some sort of puberty crush or something.
He’d seen her cry a couple of times already:
in the hospital when he got injured,
at the train station when he left Granada, then in the rain after he finally revealed the truth about his lies.
But this is the first time he wiped away her tears. And to me that gesture means something. When he wiped away her tears (that she shed for HIM, mind you) then he was finally showing compassion and empathy for her feelings. He wasn’t just a spectator anymore.
Remember his previous reaction to her tears:
in the hospital, he laughed at her. He said something like huh? Are you crying??
Then, in the train, he just observed her chasing the train like she was an odd curiosity.
Then, when they were in the car and she was crying, he offered her a blanket and brandy. When she was reading the report, he even got out of the car to give her privacy.
See that? HER tears were HER tears. He wasn’t having any part of her tears.
But now in Episode 9, he actually wiped away her tears. 😀
So for me, yes, that was a significant moment. That was the beginning of something new for him. A thawing of sorts.
Yes, most people don’t see the difference between faith and belief.
Belief is like the mailman who comes to deliver your mail. “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night” will stop him from coming. You believe that he’ll come because he does.
Faith is like the dinner guest you invited but is already 5 minutes late. He didn’t cancel and he hasn’t called up to say that he was going to be late. So you wonder where he is and what’s happened to him. BUT you have faith that he’s coming because he said he would. (Just like HeeJoo waiting up all night and watching the clock at 6am for Jinwoo to arrive because he said he’d be there in the morning.)
If you peek out the window and see your friend up the driveway, you say, “Oh! He’s here!” You don’t say “I believe he’s coming” because he’s actually there. Belief has nothing to do with his physical presence. lol.
But if you can only HEAR your friend’s car in the driveway (and not see the actual car), you can say, “Oh! I BELIEVE that’s him parking right now.”
But if you can neither see his shadow nor hear his footsteps then you say, “Hmm…I wonder what happened to him. But I know he’s coming. He won’t break his word without letting me know. I’ve faith in him.”
See the differences? 😀
Wow! I’ve never thought of it that way, but it makes sense to me now. Your analogies are perfect!
That got me thinking – in that scene in the rain on the bridge, didn’t JW ask HJ is she still believed in him? So when she said she did, she was basically implying that though she doesn’t understand what he’s doing (she still hadn’t been brought into the game), she has faith that what she’s doing in right? The difference between the words “fairh” and “belief” may have been lost in translation, for all we know!
By the way, I’m still very curious as to how JW could deduce that HJ had faith in him from the kiss. I do know that a kiss can be indicative of depth of feelings – so does that mean that without faith, there can be no true love? I’m inclined to think so 🙂
Yessss! That’s faith when you believe with all your heart and mind! 😊
I really admire HJ as a woman. I didn’t find her weak because really she’s got her family to take care of, her guitar business and JW. Her hope, faith and love for JW will save him.
😂 no, the subbers wouldn’t be able to distinguish belief and faith. As I said, most people wouldn’t see the difference. Linguistically, the concepts of belief and faith might be intertwined and interchangeable, just like most kdramas (and subbers and recappers) don’t differentiate between fate and destiny. (Lol. I keep on explaining that there’s also a difference between the two, but does anybody ever listen to this bitch?? 🤪)
Park is someone who SAYS he believes but does not have strong faith. That’s why he switches from trusting to distrusting JW depending on the circumstances and the bad report. He’s a good guy — at heart — but he needs proof before he truly believes. Kinda like a doubting Thomas of the bible. “Show me your wounds first before I believe you, Jesus!” said Thomas to the Lord.
In contrast, HJ is the believer who doesn’t need proof because she has faith.
HJ is the individual whom the Lord was referring to when he told doubting Thomas, “Hey, Tom! You could see me right here with my wounds so you finally believed that I rose from the dead. ‘But blessed are those who have NOT seen, and yet believed.’”
I told people here that it wasn’t by accident that Park was standing in front of that painting with the church. 🙂 He’s Jesus…err… Jinwoo believer but a low-level believer. 😄
Yes, faith is integral to love. As a matter of fact, you CANNOT have true love without faith. For instance, how can you guarantee that you’ll love each other forever and ever? Do you know what will happen a year from now? 10 years? 25 years? 50 years?
You don’t have proof or evidence of you two being together IN THE FUTURE. 🙂 You take a LEAP OF FAITH when you say your marital vows that you’ll love each other in sickness and in health, for better or for worse.
And yes, a kiss is usually considered one of the litmus tests of love. It is a symbol of love, if you wish. But for faith, it’s the sign of the cross. 🙂
Will watch Ep 15 later.
“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” – Hebrews 11:1
👍That’s right.
Or this. It’s scratched on to a wall by an anonymous victim of the Holocaust:
I believe in the sun, even when it is not shining. I believe in love, even though I don’t feel it. I believe in God, even when he is silent.
Faith is for strong people. Me? Give me 🍪 🍪 and I’ll join the dark side, as they say.
It’s sports weekend here. College basketball yesterday, football tonight. No time for kdrama. 😕
I see it yes, HJ is part of those who believes but have not seen while Park is like Thomas, he needs to see to believe 🙂
2 cookies and you’ll be on the dark side? heheheh
Enjoy the sporting events 🙂
I will watch TCC tonight, episode 3 and 4 🙂
I really really love the analogy too, on faith and belief. And on tears and blood.
After reading the writer’s interview, I was also one of those who had doubts about the writer’s caliber? But now I feel like maybe she really tried too, but failed to maximize her ideas to the fullest level.
Don’t judge the writer by her interview, nearsea. 🙂
Many writers WRITE because they have problems communicating ORALLY, like they’re timid or they fear being in the spotlight (like Seejoo) or they have a brain freeze 🥶 or they’re intimidated by the interviewer or they feel defensive (which was probably the case for MotA writer).
Writing is a solitary pursuit. She does that every day. She’s used to writing rather than public speaking. And the poor thing! The only time she probably gets to SPEAK to an audience is to face a furious mob demanding explanation. 😂🤪 I would have an anxiety attack and become tongue-tied, if I wasn’t accustomed to dealing with media. 😈
Besides this was her fourth (?) time writing a script that tv networks produced. She must be doing something great or she’d be out of the industry.
I have been reading your articles about memories of the Alhambra and I agree with every word. Thank you for your insights. Reading your comments on Hee Joo’s faith made me remember a poem I read long ago:
Wait for me, and I’ll come back!
Wait with all you’ve got!
Wait, when dreary yellow rains
Tell you, you should not.
Wait when snow is falling fast,
Wait when summer’s hot,
Wait when yesterdays are past,
Others are forgot.
Wait, when from that far-off place,
Letters don’t arrive.
Wait, when those with whom you wait
Doubt if I’m alive.
Wait for me, and I’ll come back!
Wait in patience yet
When they tell you off by heart
That you should forget.
Even when my dearest ones
Say that I am lost,
Even when my friends give up,
Sit and count the cost,
Drink a glass of bitter wine
To the fallen friend –
Wait! And do not drink with them!
Wait until the end!
Wait for me and I’ll come back,
Dodging every fate!
“What a bit of luck!” they’ll say,
Those that would not wait.
They will never understand
How amidst the strife,
By your waiting for me, dear,
You had saved my life.
Only you and I will know
How you got me through.
Simply – you knew how to wait –
No one else but you.
Thanks for sharing, Snow Flower. Yes! That poem says it all! Just by waiting for him, she saved his life. I like that. Do you happen to have the poem’s author?
And don’t forget too. He trusted in her to wait for him, too. Jinwoo was about to go off and finish his task when he suddenly remembered that she was waiting for him. And that’s why to me, it made sense that Jinwoo was shooting NPCs and helping out those gamers in order to be found by Heejoo.
That’s the only logical reason I could think to explain why he hadn’t returned to Heejoo already. He wasn’t trapped in that instance dungeon because he could be seen by other gamers. Instance dungeons made the user invisible.
It’s not as if Jinwoo enjoyed playing this game again… he was already battle-wearied before the game reset, right? He prayed that it would all end.
And he didn’t have a user name so he was an unidentified and “unknown” player in the game. His location couldn’t be tracked by the servers and his Programmer friend AND Dir. Park didn’t know he was alive. The only way he could be “noticed” was by calling attention to himself. Just like Episode 7 when he returned. lol. HeeJoo was his game exit because she was the only one waiting for him to return.
@Snow Flower: This is so romantic…and ties so beautifully with the theme of “faith” that packmule3 has been emphasizing to us all along. I want back and saw portions of MOA just to relive the moments of Hee Joo waiting patiently for Jin Woo’s return, when everyone else has given up, just like Penelope kept waiting for Odysseus for 20 long years. Loved it..thanks for sharing 🙂
It’s a beautiful love story when you view outside-the-box of kisses, hugs, and rainbows.
And I’m not frustrated at all by the open ending. I believe that HeeJoo and Jinwoo will survive their temporary separation and will be stronger when they met again.
Sometimes with these romantic kdramas, I seriously doubt the couple lasting two years because the character growth is uneven and I don’t see fidelity as a couple trait.
So true, @packmule3. But we know that Hee Joo and Jin Woo’s lòve story is more mature and beyond these rainbows and fervent declarations of love. Once it has weathered the toughest circumstances and stood the test of time and “faith”, it is bound to last a lifetime. Just thinking about it makes me so happy ❤ I dont mind the kisses though 😝
The poem is by Konstantin Simonov, a Russian poet, writer, and journalist. It was written in 1941, just before he left for the front line as a war correspondent. He dedicated it to his future wife. He did survive the war.
How come I’m not surprised he had written it before he set off for the war? I’ve read love letters from my family members and ancestors when they fought in battles (even the American Revolution), but this one by K. Simonov is especially moving, timeless, and communal. Thanks again for sharing. I would never have known about this poet and poem had you not de-lurked.
I cared only about the game and, by extension, Se Joo. I teared up when all the J.One employees clapped for Se Joo. I felt so proud of him, and I loved when his noona said, “Because Se Joo is a genius.” Anytime Jin Woo was not playing the game, the show dragged. The romance was unconvincing, so I’m not mad there was no reunion between Jin Woo and Hee Joo until the end. Yu Ra and Oppa were complete wastes of space. The “memories” in Memories of the Alhambra must mean “flashbacks.”