This episode has lots of dialogues which I consider to be building blocks. Meaning, we must take note of them now, because they’ll be relevant to the story later on.

1. No to the reincarnation theory

This is one of my pet peeves with many kdrama writers.

They take ideas from Catholic theology without understanding them, then present them as fake facts or half-truths to move the plot forward. This screws up people who are ignorant of Catholic teachings and traditions to begin with.

Take for instant this concept of reincarnation. YeonSeo isn’t the reincarnation of KangWoo’s Dead Girl.

Dan and the Head Angel are Catholics, and so was KangWoo before his falling out with the angels. The Catholic Church finds reincarnation contrary to the teachings of Christ and condemns it as flawed thinking. I would find it illogical to write the main characters with a Catholic background only to contradict the tenets of Christianity.

By reincarnation, I mean the rebirth and transfer of a human soul in another body, whether human again, animal, insect, amoeba or tree. For one, Christians believe that, from the womb, we’re already created in the image of God. Thus, we can’t be reborn as a worm or a horse (although we act like a horse’s ass sometimes).

For another, when Jesus was dying on the cross, he didn’t tell the Good Thief, “Don’t worry, buddy! You’ll be reborn so you can atone for your sins in this lifetime and perfect yourself in another life.” He said, “Truly, I tell you, today, you will be with me in paradise.” We only die once and face judgment once because Jesus died once to take away our sins. He didn’t reincarnate. He resurrected.

For me, KangWoo is transferring his memories of the Dead Girl onto YeonSeo.

If his loss had been sudden and tragic, then it would be understandable that he was still suffering even after 15 years.

Yesterday was D-Day’s 75th anniversary.  On that day, the biggest air and sea invasion occurred to rescue France from Nazi Germany. Many Americans, including some family members, were at Normandy, France yesterday to commemorate the sacrifice of so many young men on that single day and to honor the remaining veterans. Those men ensured that we can enjoy all the freedoms we still have today. When I view at the crosses at the Normandy American Cemetery, I pray for their souls’ resurrection and eternal rest, not reincarnation.

2. The Dead Girl’s shoes

As I pointed out in another post, YeonSeo was NOT in KangWoo’s mind when he asked her to dance again in Episode 5. I said it was a slip of the tongue when he mentioned the tennis shoes. “I like you. Because I like you, I’m going crazy. You shouldn’t be just walking on land in your gym shoes. You should be prancing on the clouds and running in celestial paradise. But you are just standing still. Ballet…let’s do it again together.”

YeonSeo doesn’t wear sneakers. She wears dainty flats. But the metaphor here is that she’ll be made to wear the Dead Girl’s shoes, despite not fitting in them. When she agrees to perform Giselle for the Kangwoo, the artistic director, she’ll be wearing the ballet shoes intended for the Dead Girl. Kangwoo will use her as the vessel to bring back to life his departed lover.

If you remember from the lantern ceremony, YeonSeo had an empty lantern. She had not wish written on paper to put in the lantern. Kangwoo did. I’m sure he was wishing for a pink pony for Christmas. lol.

Here in this episode, we see Kangwoo committing another Freudian slip. As he wraps YeonSeo in a blanket, she moves away from him. He explains, “Getting caught in the summer rain can make you sick. Whenever you get a cold, it always starts with body aches.”

YeonSeo wonders, “Me? That’s not true.”

In a flashback, we see him saying to the Dead Girl, “You get a fever when you catch a cold. Come on, quickly.” The girl squirms and says prettily, “It’s stuffy. I don’t like it.” And he tells her to “stay still” while they watch the horizon.

Three things I find noteworthy in this incident:

One, the somber, lifeless seascape in Kangwoo’s memories is the total opposite of YeonSeo and Dan’s happy, springtime scene.

Two, the Dead Girl is played by the same actress, Shin HyeSun, just like in Odette and Odile are usually danced by the same ballerina.

And three, the Dead Girl seemed to be delicate which YeonSeo is definitely not. Although the Dead Girl looked like YS, I think the Dead Girl resembled Nina more in spirit. They both come off as needy.

Didn’t the Dead Girl call herself a “hot mess”? A hot mess is an attractive, alluring person (typically female) who’s also over-the-top and self-destructive. I’d consider Britney Spears and Angelina Jolie (in their youths) a hot mess.

On the other hand, YeonSeo is determined not to be a hot mess. In Episode 10, when Dan urges to call it a day after practicing at the barre all day, she tears up. “I hate you. Don’t be worried about me. Don’t care for me. I hate…receiving love. It makes me wanna become weak. It makes me think that it’s okay to be weak.” She wipes her tears to signify that she’s fighting not to become a hot mess.

To continue about the Dead Girl:

When he goes on that night he spotted Dan and YeonSeo kissing, KangWoo starts talking to the Dead Girl’s image on the big screen.

KW: I wasn’t mad. No…I was actually mad. So mad!

He hears Dan in his head, saying, “You were concerned for YS because she was alone, and you’re mad?!” He’s denying that he feels jealousy at the sight of the two kissing. He’s asserting that he’s angry purely on a professional level.

KW: (grumbling) It’s because of the ballet. I’ve barely managed to get her this far. Now all I have to do is put her on the stage, in order to fulfill my promise to you. Still, how could she (make out) with that secretary?! (becoming angry)

Obviously, when he says “fulfill my promise to you,” he’s addressing the Dead Girl, not YeonSeo. We don’t know yet what kind of pledge he made to the Dead Girl that required  YeonSeo to dance “Giselle” on the stage.

You might ask, “What’s so unique about Giselle plot, anyway?” I don’t know myself. lol. It’s like one of those makjang kdramas. However, the dance can move me to tears.

In brief, Giselle forgave the guy who caused her heartbreak and death. Although she was pressured by an ensemble of angry dead virgins, the Willis, to haunt the guy and avenge her death, she rescued the guy from his own death. She then returned to her grave to rest forever in peace. And the guy lived on.

I’ll post this finale here.  It’s easy to understand. The church bells ring to signal that the dawn is breaking and the Willis leave. She helps him and he tells her not to leave. He carries her dead body. She leaves him with a single flower, a reminder of death. But unlike the Willis, she has eternal peace because of her love and forgiveness.

 

It’s clear that somebody (cough. cough. KangWoo) desperately needs his own closure and must lay to rest his ghost from the past. But right now, I don’t want to speculate on how Giselle fits in with the plot. I’ll let the writer and director develop this on their own time.

It’s also interesting to learn of the backstory of KangWoo and the Dead Girl. According to the Head Angel, an angel got in trouble, 15 years ago, for falling in love with a human.

HA: There was this angel who was in charge of art. He took on the human form and was given a mission to inspire the artists.

This is what we call a “muse” in the art world. KangWoo used to be a muse – which is very much different from Dan’s line of work. Dan rescues cats and dogs. That’s why he witnessed Nina running over the cat in Episode 1. He was there to pick up the cat.

To continue…

HA: He met his person as he began to grow tired of picky artists. They say it’s easy to get confused, angels of art especially. He mistook inspiration for love.
Dan: An angel? Loving a being aside from God? Is that even possible?

Then in flashback, we see the Dead Girl asking KW about a rite they were about to perform.  “So, you can become a human with this?” KW replies, “No angel knows how, but I’ve to make this confession.” He puts a ring on the Dead Girl, and speaks to the crucifix at the altar, “From this moment on—no, from that moment on, my love belongs to her. That I could meet her, and fall in love with her, is all Your doing. Please, give us your blessing.”

Note what Kangwoo switched here. He swapped “From THIS moment on” to “From THAT moment on”. I’m not exactly sure what moment he was referring to. But I think he meant his first encounter with the Dead Girl. It seems to me that he was blaming God and telling God that his fate was sealed the second he met her and fell in love at first sight with her.

The Head Angel continues his story.

HA: Believing that you can love someone other than the deity, this is an act of arrogance and sin.
Dan: What happened to him? That angel?
HA: What do you think would happen to an angel who threw God aside?

The Head Angel answers the question with a question of his own. I dislike this because it’s unhelpful. The Head Angel leaves everything open to interpretation.

Dan envisions being punished by the Head Angel. I think this is Dan’s guilty conscience speaking to him.

3. Lazy kdrama writers, part 2

I already said earlier that I dislike kdramas screenwriters who appropriate elements of Christianity and distort them in their stories. These writers should either do their goddamn research or limit themselves to topics of expertise. When they make up ridiculous stuff about my religion, it causes confusion among their viewers. And I’m obligated to clear up their shit.

Please, kdrama writers, do your research well or quit writing about angels, priests, nuns, and whatever Catholic fetish you have.

In this episode (and the next), I find it offensive that the writer depicts my God as a murdering, jealous god who’ll slay angels (with a gun no less! I saw it in the next episode!) if they dare love somebody other than Him.

What???! A Designer gun? This writer’s idiocy is proof that God has a wicked sense of humor.

Thanks to the Head Angel scaring him to death, Angel Dan thinks that God will mete out a severe punishment to those who defy him.  A montage of his “sins” flash in his head.

Head Angel: Dan, an angel will be judged.

You dare to meddle in the life that the deity had control over.

You neglected and forgot your mission, given to you by the deity.

By not carrying it out, you have sinned.

Above all, you’ve deluded yourself into thinking, that you loved an insignificant being more than the deity.

You shall disappear.

Christianity 101: God is love.

Even if you are nonreligious or you possess only half a wit, it’s easy to comprehend why “Love the Lord your God” is the first and greatest of all commandments.

We become who we love.

When God rules in our heart, soul and mind, we begin to mirror His love and demonstrate this love to others. Loving God first and foremost is not unreasonable. It enables us to show greater love than is humanly possible to our spouses, family, neighbors, strangers, and even lazy kdrama writers. 

The point here is we’re imperfect beings. We can only love impatiently, selfishly, greedily, grudgingly, unwisely. (Or if you’re me, bitch-ily.) That’s our human condition: we’re fragile and fallible creatures.

However, when we aspire to imitate God’s infinite love for us, we level up. Sure, his love surpasses our own understanding of love. But by experiencing His love and grace, we also learn to express our love in ways that exceed our human limitations. We become more patient, more selfless, more sacrificing, more sincere, more forgiving in our love.

God is love. He loves us and His mercy endures forever.

And that’s what Angel Dan has forgotten.

He ran to the church seeking guidance,

but he walked out of the church, more off-kilter and unbalanced than he was going in.

lol. The Dutch angles…

4. “War”

KW tells YeonSeo to prepare for “war.” He wants her to check her body condition, do some cardio, weight training and stretching.

KW: People would rather see others fail than succeed. The people who were clapping for your recovery, will be the first ones to point if out if you fail. You’re standing at the edge of a cliff.
YS: Whether I’m standing on a cliff or in hell, it’s me who’s standing there, not you.
KS: The head director of the dance company is me. If you fail, I’ll be humiliated along with you.

See the difference between KW and Dan?

While KW pressures her to do well because a) because she’ll be targeted, and b) HIS reputation rides on her success, Dan asks nothing from her but to dance for herself. Because she’s the prettiest when she dances. Because she sparkles.

Dan doesn’t want her to feel targeted. He said, “Instead of feeling like someone is targeting you, I hope you can feel that everyone is amazed with your dance.”

That’s why Dan gave her his handkerchief with his special blessings. If YeonSeo believes in amulets, then his hanky serves as a talisman or lucky charm to fend off the “evil eye.” That works, too.

But if she’s a believer in God, then she’ll see this hanky as a reminder of the virtues (such as fortitude or perseverance) she needs to uphold and the grace bestowed on her. Simply put, it’s a reminder that she’s loved so she needed not be afraid.

And he gave it with no strings attached.

In contrast, too, remember when KangSoo returned YS’s heart necklace to her? To me, there was a dubious reason there. To me, he was using her necklace to establish a tenuous connection with her and to show that SHE owed her life to him because he found her.

That’s why I cheered her on when she threw her money at him. She said, “Here. This is my life’s worth. Tell me if it’s not enough. I’ll give you however much you want. Don’t dare to bring that night as your excuse to be bossy ever again.”

KangWoo has attempted many times, and adopted different tactics to push YeonSeo to dance. Now, he is doing again and he’s justifying it as an act of war.

YeonSeo versus the world. And that’s the last thing YeonSeo wanted. To be the target in a war-zone.

5. “Selfish” Nina

Can we give this girl a hug? She deserves a hug. She confesses her love for Kwangwoo and gets scolded.

KW: Why today? Your rival has recovered after three years. On a day like this, that you would be so preoccupied with your trivial romantic feelings and make a pointless confession … it’s truly disappointing.
Nina: Trivial?
KW: Let’s stop wasting time. I’m not the Prince Charming that you think I am.
Nina: Then, you can show me, can’t you? That’s what I most want to know. What kind of person are you?
KW: A bad person. Far worse than you could imagine or bear.

Nice shot here. The “Dutch angle” is obvious now, right? Then the steel posts look like steel claws. Considering that he just coldly shredded her little heart, I say the steel poles were appropriately menacing.

To me, however, being brutally honest to Nina was probably an act of kindness. I’d rather that he was honest although the truth was painful for her to hear, than act courteous but lie to his teeth about his motives — like he was with YeonSeo.

I like Nina’s Unnie, too, when she blasted her. “Why would anyone look your way when you’ve already become a shadow in your mind?”

I like that she didn’t sugarcoat this.

“Don’t you have any pride? Aren’t you angry?!! Just now, you were utterly dismissed both as a woman and a ballerina. I’m indignant as hell on your behalf, but all you can do is sit there crying like a child? Stop acting like a baby. No one’s going to fix this for you.”

Again, it’s obvious that Nina’s the exact opposite of YeonSeo. They handle rejection from their guys differently.

When Kangwoo asks YeonSeo if there’s really nothing wrong with her mind and body,

she remembers feeling disturbed and confused around Dan. Something IS wrong with her mind and body. lol.  But instead of admitting this, she shakes her head and denies anything wrong with her. “I’m fine,” she says.

Then, the following morning after their kiss, YeonSeo is dark as a cloud.

She’s thinking of ways to dismiss Dan for running away from her and leaving her alone in the rain. lol. And she refuses to put her hand through the crook of his elbow again.

It’s silly. If she doesn’t need his arm to walk, then what’s the point of even pinching his arm sleeves? For contact? lol.

Later, YeonSeo hears Angel Dan talking to Nina. Instead of sulking, she grabs his phone from him and asks Nina directly, “What is it? Why are you talking with my secretary?” Then she tells her off. “Don’t bother calling my secretary anymore.”

She’s jealous of course. But rather than fume in silence like Nina would, she lashes out. She accuses Dan, “How do you two know each other? You’re close? …Really. Here, there, this woman, that woman. If you meet her a couple more times, maybe another incident will happen that you have to forget.”

The problem with Nina is she’s nice. And I said before that Dan would notice this quality about her.

I had to snicker when YeonSeo gave him a death stare and asked, “And me?”

Nina reminds me of the Greeks bringing the Trojan horse to their enemy camp when she shows up at YeonSeo’s gate delivering ballet shoes as gift. But I still don’t know whether she’ll end up being evil on her own or she’ll be manipulated to become KangWoo’s tool. Her unrequited love for KW may impel her to drastic actions in the “name of love.”

6. Apologizing

This is a funny dialogue.

Dan: I’ve something to tell you.
YS: Go ahead.
Dan: Yesterday. Yesterday, I… I behaved badly. Please forget it.
YS: What are you saying? Nothing happened yesterday.

Her response is the right one. She immediately resets her memory as he requested. However, I don’t think she gets that he was saying a standard form of apology. That is, “Please forget my bad behavior” is an expression like, “Kindly excuse my shortcomings.” He didn’t mean that she should literally forget it right away.

YS: (continuing) Between you and me, nothing happened. That’s right.

lol. Now, he doesn’t get her. He thinks she actually doesn’t remember about their kiss so he protests.

Dan: There was.
YS: There wasn’t.
Dan: There was!
YS: (whacks him) What the hell are you trying to do, you bastard? You told me to forget. So I was pretending it hadn’t happened. Don’t you have any tact? Can’t you get it right for once?
Dan: I can’t act as if nothing happened when something did. Pretending it never ha-

In Catholic tradition, a confession is made by professing and acknowledging one’s wrongdoings. Only then shall a priest absolve the sins. To me, Dan is expecting YeonSeo to give him an absolution after confessing his sin of kissing her. He expects her to say out loud, “Yes, that kiss is wrong. Fine! Let’s agree not to remember it. Let’s go in peace after this.” He isn’t expecting a TACIT agreement to forget the incident.

YS: Stop. That’s exactly what I was going to say. I wanted to be the one to say it first.

Meaning, she doesn’t the kiss swept under the rug either. She doesn’t want it denied that it happened, but since he broached the topic of forgetting it with his “Please overlook it,” she went along with it.

YS: (continuing) Right now, if I’m to train and recondition myself, I can’t have distractions.

HA! That’s exactly what KangWoo expects of his prima ballerinas. She’s focused on getting ready for the ballet event, unlike Nina.

YS: Good. Let’s act like yesterday never happened, as if we’re meeting for the first time today. Let’s do that. Okay?

Dan: What a relief that we’re thinking the same thing.
YS: That’s settled.
Dan: If you need anything, just let me know. Young lady…fighting!

He’s using “Young lady” now to establish distance. And this interesting. Before, when he was calling her by her name, he was more childish and quarrelsome. But now, when he’s addressing her in a more formal way, he’s slowly transitioning to become her protector. There’s a subtle shift from treating her like an equal he can bicker non-stop with to treating her like a loved one. He still gets irritated with her, but he minds his language with her now.

YS: (alone) “Fighting”? “What a relief that we’re thinking the same thing”? Ha! The way he’s able to just brush off a kiss like that means he’s the type to take things lightly. Is a kiss just an everyday, common thing for him? Whatever. I don’t need it either.

I think she’s acting like she’s never been kissed before. lol.

7. The ballet by the beach

I’ll discuss this more in the next episode (hopefully Viki will be done soon with the subs. I just skimmed through it).

There are four things that I want to comment on about this ending scene:

a. I like that he was the one who figured out what needed to be done to get her to dance as soon as he saw the picture and read the note on the back, “Mongyu Island, 2005. The day I started ballet once again.” This fits with the romance of the story since he was also her first dance partner when she regain her eyesight.

b. I like that she suspected right away that everything was arranged by Dan. She knew it was Dan’s handiwork. Then she ordered him out, “Ya, Kim Dan! Where are you? Come out!” Recognizing someone’s creation, even without being informed, is a sign of familiarity and connection. He would know her dance and be moved to tears by it (although he doesn’t remember meeting her before). Likewise, she knew he had a hand in it although he was out of sight.

At this point, he truly was like an angel to her. An invisible angel. And this ties in with the scene earlier when KW wanted to hire more people to help her with her comeback and she declined because she had Dan with her. She pointed to him casually. But again, this is what a guardian angel is. He’s right there behind her.

 

c. Her outfit and her earrings. They were stars. lol. The costume designer wanted to show that she was the most “sparkling” when she dances so she used stars on the costume to emphasize that.

d. The setting. They were on stage while Dan was in the hut?? outhouse? changing room?

I’ll continue this later. Will edit later. I’m in a hurry to post this before I leave. Toodles!