Now, I’m ready to write about our dear Captain Firefly.

This is what @growing_beautifully had to say about Capt Firefly. I agree with her.

About those horrid last words… made to sound so ‘caring’ but actually a curse!! It was not enough that he’d already robbed her of family, self-worth and choice in killing him, stupid firefly had to go and take MW’s name as well, curse her with stalking her all her life and spoil her enjoyment of the moon!

It turned out true in the end that there would be ‘carrying’ done, however it was not CM who carried MW, but the other way around, with him weak and useless in a jar, not even able to pass over without help. Again, he had done it to himself: gotten himself stuck in the hotel, doing no good whatsoever, until he finally popped up in the tunnel in time to save CS. No one knew or cared that he had been the first guest for a millenium. Way to go to have a total failure of an existence CM!

Here are my additional comments.

1. The Name of the Inn

If we go back to Manwol’s first conversation with Mago, we’ll see that it was Mago who named the Inn. I’m copying what I’d written down in my First Impressions. Hopefully, viki subbers didn’t switch them again.

Old Woman: It seems you have been wandering for a long time. Are you looking for some place?
ManWol: I’m searching for an inn somewhere in in this wilderness. I heard it said that there’s an inn where the souls of the dead may be put to rest.
OW: You’re searching for the Inn of the Moon.

See that? Mago was the one who named it. MW was only looking for a generic inn that she’d heard somewhere.

MW: Do you know it?
OW: It’s the inn where the dead souls floating aimlessly are tied down.
MW: Where is it? Where should I go?
OW: You can’t go there. That’s where the dead go. Like the ones over there (glancing at the spirits behind her). How many souls did you bring in this coffin?

WARNING: THIS IS A TRICK QUESTION. lol. There was a stowaway.

These were the possessions of the people Capt Firefly had killed to save his firefly-lighting ass.

The items were going to be burned but he stopped his men and told them to return the things to the survivors who would hold a funeral service for the dead. Then before closing the “treasure” box aka coffin, he laid his hairpin on top of Yeonwoo’s lute.

Look now: there could only be one reason he threw that hairpin in the coffin. It was because he knew he’d never EVER have a chance to give it to Manwol after what he did. However, he didn’t foresee (how could he? He wasn’t MaGo) that he or his spirit would be carried along with the possessions when he placed his hairpin with the rest of the possessions.

In a way, it’s both symbolic and a foreshadowing.  The hairpin *accidentally* ended up in the coffin among the possessions of the dead people he had ordered killed (lol, I’m going to keep repeating that so fangirls don’t forget) because he too *inadvertently* ended up at Hotel del Luna. He trapped himself into staying at Hotel del Luna because of his own parting words. He said,“Man-wol. I will carry you with me and become a restless moon, watching over you.”He meant this as a curse but it ended up cursing him instead.

His words came to bite him in the butt, and as a firefly, it’s been twinkling ever since.

Let’s continue.

2. She didn’t kill the Captain.

Mago asked her how many souls she had in the coffin. I dislike these rhetorical questions!  She already knew and she wasn’t playing fair. She knew that the Captain’s soul was one of the souls in the coffin but Manwol didn’t.

Manwol thought she had brought only her own people. Shhhh. There was a stowaway. 

MW: They were killed because of me.
OW: Who else did you kill for the sake of the dead?
MW: (drawing her sword to slice the throat of the Old Woman) Shut up and tell me where to go.

I had written back then:

It’s noteworthy that Manwol became defensive here. She regretted that people ended up dying because of her and she accepted that their dead spirits accompanied her. But when the Old Woman asked her who else died in her counterattack or retaliation (I’m presuming here that she avenged those deaths), she overreacted and became belligerent. She resented that the Old Woman questioned her decision to kill “for the sake” of her dead compatriots.

Now we have a better idea of what actually happened that fateful day.

Manwol resented Mago’s words because she killed the Princess, guards, and so many people BUT she did NOT get to kill the Captain.

That’s HER grudge. Her real one. She didn’t get to kill the Captain. Her mission was aborted.

This is her conversation with Chansung in Ep 13.

CS: Are you very confused? (she’d just learned about Mira and Yeonwoo2’s relationship)
MW: The most previous person to me and the person I hate the most as lovers…They said it’s a grudge that won’t get resolved even if I kill someone whom I want to kill.
CS: You, at that time, were you unable to kill that man?
MW: He did die. He died that day. (flashback) After he died that night, I was crazy for revenge and killed many people. And took the belongings of my people whom I couldn’t collect and I went looking for The Moon Inn. I killed everyone who came after me. And the moment I arrived at the Inn of the Moon what I met was myself covered with blood. My sins are heavy and my resentment is deep. This is my bottom. I’ve been waiting for that man all this time. I was going to drag him down to that bottom once he appeared and then disappear.

See that?

He died but she didn’t kill him. She’d been waiting for him to be reincarnated and to die, just like the Housekeeper who was also waiting for the last descendant of her husband’s family to die.

Manwol was waiting for the Captain to appear before her as a ghost so she could kill him PROPERLY.

Once she killed him, her grudge would end. She didn’t care about MaGo4’s punishment of complete obliteration. She didn’t care that she’d disappear forever. As long as she accomplished her task to kill the Captain with her own hands, she was fine with the consequences.

Now, do you see the problem?

That stupid lightning bug of a Captain cursed himself to become a firefly by her side. That’s dramatic irony. lol. Manwol had been waiting for NOBODY to arrive for 1300 years because SOMEBODY (yes, that Captain Genius!) trapped himself as a firefly and couldn’t reincarnate. She’d been waiting for him to reappear when he’d been right under her nose.

I need a collective facepalm here.

Remember what MaGo said in Ep 12:

Mago: Manwol is this pretty.
Reaper: When the flowers bloom then will the life of the Moon Spirit Tree be over?
Mago: That’s right. This place that is tied up with that girl’s death.
Reaper: Now Boss Jang Manwol will be able to go to the afterlife.
Mago: It’s been a long time. For both Manwol who is in full bloom… and for him who remained as a small light. He returned from the afterlife to which he was going with me. He too has endured for so long. (addressing the firefly) You too should go now. (flashback)
Reaper: You told me not to take it, so I just let it be. That the spirit of a human remains as a small light and has endured so long, it’s surprising.
Mago: It’s a curse he brought to himself. It’s because of a promise made to Manwol that he’s staying on like that.

lol. MaGo wasn’t praising the firefly. She knew that he’d been CURSED and he did it all on his own.

lol. Viki subbers had called it a “promise” but the right word is “curse.” Before Capt Genius killed himself, he SWORE to Manwol that he’d watch her. The difference between cursing, promising, vowing, swearing, and pledging lies in the emotions and intentions of the person declaring the words. When Capt Firefly said those words to Manwol, he was angry and full of resentment that she killed him. I’ll explain this in a bit.

Let’s continue.

3. The meaning of the full moon

“Full moon” was written on her sword. The Old Woman MaGo saw it.

OW: Full moon? It’s a moon that’s full of deep-seated grudges.

I had written back then:

Here we have a defining trait of Manwol. She was filled with resentment and ill-will. In a Hong sisters’ kdrama, full moons will always have different meanings and associations. For the female lead in this particular kdrama, the full moon meant harboring grudges.

It’s only after Episode 14 that we discover that the Captain was also the full moon. He told her, “Man-wol. I will carry you with me and become a restless moon, watching over you.”

The symbolism is obvious in that scene. He was wearing a white robe like a full moon. Then when Manwol slashed his back, he looked like the hairpin. A moon with a slash.

And viewers can interpret this moment in two ways.

One, he became “Manwol” himself. He could be called “Full Moon.” Before Manwol learned Chinese script, she wrote her name as a moon with a slash through it. And now, Capt Firefly became the human representation of her name, Full Moon.

Thus, MaGo spoke of the moon as being “full of deep-seated grudges,” she was ALSO referring to him.  It’s her doublespeak.

And two, he became “her” possession…her BAGGAGE to carry around. He was branded as hers, like Chansung had branded his palm with her symbol to denote that “he was hers.”

In this sense, I agree with @bogummypipeu. @growing_beautifully kindly shared this with us.

@Bogummypipeu says: “I think this is the reason why the drama is Hotel Del Luna instead of De La Luna. The hotel was built because of CM and he became the moon that have been watching over her since its inception thus the moon is masculine.”

In Spanish, the moon is idealized as feminine. But in Manwol’s reality, the moon is very much male, and he’s the Captain. She hated the moon because he said he’d be the restless moon, watching over you.

Good job, @bogummypipeu!

Now, let’s discuss the fight scene in Eps 13 and 14.

4. Duplicity and lame excuses

This is what the Captain said before he entered that bridal room with his sword,

“I’ve been waiting for you. I hope there won’t be any hesitation as you swing your sword at me. If so, I won’t hesitate to throw myself at the sword.”

Here’s the Viki sub, for crosscheck, “I waited. So that there is no indecision behind the sword that is aimed towards me. If that is so, there will be no hesitation in running toward that sword.”

Here’s the fangirling/fanboying perspective: Capt. Genius Firefly was expecting her arrival. He wanted her to swing hard at him because he was already prepared to die by her sword.

In the pro-Captain’s minds, run towards that sword = impale himself

Nope! That makes ZERO logic.

If the Captain didn’t want her hesitating to kill him, IF he REALLY was prepared to be killed, THEN all he had to do was to DISARM when he entered the room so she could slay him in five seconds. Leave that sword at the door, and she’d come full swing at him anyway.

No sword = instant death

She was ready to gore him like this bull.

That would be the TRUE meaning of running toward her sword. He would let her run the sword through him without him parrying it or fighting back. But he fought hard.

So what did he mean by this, “I waited. So that there is no indecision behind the sword that is aimed towards me. If that is so, there will be no hesitation in running toward that sword”?

Here’s this Bitch’s interpretation of the Captain’s words. He wanted her to come swinging at him with her sword so HE TOO could fight her hard with his sword. The Captain wanted them to fight each other with no holds barred.

No holds barred = without restriction or reservation.

He wanted her to fight him hard so he had an EXCUSE to fight back hard, too.

5. The encounter

And that’s how they ended up fighting. They were going hard at each other and she beat him of course. Once she had her blade on his throat, he started talking.

Capt Firefly: I guessed you stayed alive.
MW: I did. To keep the promise of killing you.
CF: How impressive. Man Wol.

Note: He didn’t call her “Noui” just like he often did. Calling her by her full name meant that they were meeting as equals, as enemy combatants.

CF: (seeing her name on the sword) You learned to write well. Did Yeonwoo engrave it for you? Yeonwoo was good with his hands.

Hmmm…

Why does the script keep on mentioning how dexterous Yeonwoo was? This was mentioned in Ep 11. Manwol said that he was good with his hands and made her clothes. We also knew that he was good with playing the lute; he probably even made the instrument himself. Then, as a Detective, he was good at sketching, too; Chansung teased him already that he was good with his hands. lol. I hope this isn’t yet another foreshadowing because I’m tired of people getting killed.

CF: In this sword, I guess YeonWoo has a portion of it.
MW: A lot of people still have a portion in it. And you must see it all. You must die painfully and miserably.
CF: Is there any portion of us left? (tearing up) I’m happy to see you once again. You’ll greet me as a beautiful bride. You will say I missed you and you will touch me (stepping closer)

That’s the Viki sub, and here’s the Kissasian version. The Kissasian sub is more direct and less “poetic.”

CF: I guess the blade of this sword carries YeonWoo’s grudges, too.
MW: There are many who have grudges against you. You need to learn of them all and die in pain and misery.
CF: Does that include us? (he smiles tearfully) I’m just happy to see you again. You’d welcome me as a beautiful bride and I’d say that I missed you while stroking your face.

Although I prefer the Kissasian version because it was straightforward, I like the nuance that the Viki subs brought here.

Manwol’s words implied that her sword was a sword of justice and retribution. She was seeking justice for the people whom the Captain had betrayed in order to save his sorry flickering ass. It wasn’t just “her” wielding the sword. The dead ALSO had a hand on that sword of hers.

They had a portion = they had a “share” in it.

But when the Captain suddenly switched topic and began talking about “any portion of us left,” he was reminding her of their “shared” moments with each other. He was buttering her up to avoid his punishment.

He was persuading her that, although others might bear him grudges, he and Manwol were drinking buddies. They couldn’t possibly harbor such grudges and resentments like the other people who wanted to see him die a “painful and miserable” death.

That’s why he suddenly said that he was happy to see her again.

And at first, she looked mesmerized or stunned.

Ha! Smart bitches like us over here knew what he was up to. He tried this once with her before – when she captured him.

Back then, he tried to flirt with her (kinda like Chansung but Chansung didn’t need any favors from Manwol)  to see if he could get Manwol to release him.

Remember, he tried to do this in Episode 3. For the record:

Captain: I’m a low-ranking officer who was in charge of escorting my superiors. If you’re holding me as a hostage, there’s no way you’re going to get ransom for me.
Manwol: I saw where you came from.
Captain: What?
Manwol: More than the bundle wrapped in silk which the noble young lady carried, is there something here she considers precious? I don’t think you’re just the low-ranking warrior escort of the young lady.
Captain: On her personal trips, I’ve talked to her a few times so she wouldn’t be bored. As you can see, I look like this. I just talked with her. That’s what it is.
Manwol: Pfft. You’re going to collect money for your face.
Captain: (laughing) Just by talking, can’t I persuade you to release me, Nooi? I could convince you even better if only my arms and feet were free. 
Manwol: You’re talking nonsense. If I cut your tongue, will the price of your face decline?
Captain: Why are you saying such scary things?

So here again, he was seducing her with words. He was trying to get out of a painful and miserable death by appealing to their relationship. And he wasn’t just alluding to their Budweiser moments by the lake.

Now, he leveled up his game.

He was evoking visions of them as a married couple (when he just married the Princess! Ewww).

With sweet words and tearful eyes, he said that she was his beloved wife and he was her beloved husband stroking her face.

lol. He was appealing to emotions so he could escape his CAPTURE and punishment.

And then he took a step closer to her. Manwol stepped back because she SAW through his seductive words.

MW: Shut your mouth.

They stared at each other. Too late! The poor Capt Firefly realized that his “magic” words failed to enchant her. He looked down and saw the writing on the wall sword.

He saw the Chinese script, “Manwol,” which was engraved by Yeonsoo. He must have remembered that Yeonwoo told him to be a traitor and save Manwol.

Then, he looked up at Manwol and his eyes hardened.

Believe me, that wasn’t a look of love on his face. His face hardened because he decided to rob Manwol of her victory. He was a traitor, in that sense. Just when Manwol was about to “win” for the people he had ordered kill, he decided to be a traitor and betray her. He would DENY her the satisfaction of seeing him

a) face the people who had grudges against him AND
b) die a painful and miserable death.

He would thwart her goals. And so, he tugged her sword and impaled himself with it.

6. Dragging each other down with curses

Long-married couples will agree with me that over a period of time, couples develop mental telepathy. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer when the wife asks, “Honey, do I look fat in this?” Some days, the wife wants honesty. Some days, the wife wants tact and diplomacy. And some days, the wife just wants a new outfit. There’s a language that only two people in a relationship can understand.

This is what happened next to our couple. The viki subs says, “This is our last moment.” I’m using Kissasian subs:

CF: This is the end for us.

He cupped the back of her head in his hand.

Fangirls/fanboys all over the internet cheered when they saw this. For them, it was a tender moment. Ha!

In my opinion, Manwol interpreted it differently. She knew when he held her head that he wanted her to go down with him. This is “THEIR” last moment, “THEIR” end.

This is the end for us = This is the end for BOTH of them.

The point here was on the phrase “for both of them.” He meant that if he was going down, then SHE, too, was going down with him. He was clinging to her until the end, the last moment. His death was ON HER, literally and figuratively.

That’s why Manwol was enraged. You would have thought that she would have felt guilt or remorse killing him. You know, a tear did fall down her cheek.

But she became more furious. She pulled out her sword from him, and cursed him to death.

MW: I’m going to kill all of your people. And burn down this place too. Our last moment is like this. You will witness all that before you die.

CF: (cursing her back) Manwol, I will carry you in my heart. And be a moon that doesn’t rest to watch over you.

That’s the reason why, in Ep 13, Manwol told Chansung that she was going to “drag” the Captain to bottom with her when he appeared.

The Captain had held her in an embrace and clasped her head so she couldn’t get away. He killed himself but his death was going to blamed on her. He denied her the justice which the dead people wanted.

And now, 1300 years later, she was waiting for his reappearance so she could kill him and get the satisfaction of finally dragging him down to both their destruction, to their “end.”

MW: My sins are heavy and my resentment is deep. This is my bottom. I’ve been waiting for that man all this time. I was going to drag him down to that bottom once he appeared and then disappear.
CS: But I came instead. I can’t turn your painful memories into something that didn’t happen. But I want to bring you up from that bottom.

She understood that the Capt. Firefly was full of resentment and hatred for her too for killing him. No way were his final words to her meant to be loving or devoted. Only fangirling/fanboying viewers would delude themselves into thinking that he had forgiveness in his heart when he said that.

Remember, only Yeonwoo died smiling when he was about to be hanged for her.

7. Letting go

When they faced each other, they had nothing more to say.

MW: If you have anything else to say, then do so. I’ll listen.
Capt Firefly: What other excuses do I have, Nooui?

Kissasian subbed it as, “There’s no more excuse to tell you.”

lol. See? He called her “Nooui” again. Yeonwoo knew back when the Captain captured him, that the Captain was giving stupid excuses.

And now, he was admitting that he’d run out of excuses for his actions. Manwol was willing to listen because she already emptied herself of her hatred for him. The most hated guy was just a pathetic firefly.

MW: You, at the very last moment, said that you would keep watch on me. While I was tied to the Inn of the Moon, filled with resentment, you were tied by those words and were unable to leave.

Note here: He didn’t attempt to say that it had been BY HIS OWN CHOICE that he stayed with her. lol. He never had a choice because he cursed himself. He was bound by his words which he uttered in resentment because she killed him. It would be wishful thinking that he stayed for love. He was TRAPPED, too.

MW: (sighing) I…I think I have emptied it all. So you should stop, too.

This could have two interpretation. Her grudge was gone therefore

a) he should stop watching over her and leave now.
b) he should stop carrying a grudge against her, too, and they should call it even. He suffered as a firefly because of his curse. She suffered as a vengeful woman because of her grudge.

Either way, she was saying that he should let go. They had been both collateral damage of their grudges against each other. And 1300 years was enough hell and punishment for both of them.

Capt Firefly: Is this really the last of us?
MW: Yes. It’s the last.

Here, he was repeated the same word that he said 1300 years ago but this time the emphasis was different. The emphasis was on the FINALITY. He wanted to know if there really wasn’t going to be anymore “us” moving forward. And Manwol answered him, Yes. He would go his way; and she would go hers.

It was THE END for both of them. The end of their connection.

They already said their goodbyes at the lakeshore more than 1300 years ago. He was the one who had clung to her by sending that message of the bottle in the tree and buying her a hairpin…so uncool.

8. Carrying the Captain

MaGo1: This soul doesn’t have the strength to go to the afterlife. If you leave it this way, then it will dissipate. He won’t be able to live his next life. In order for that not to happen, you should send him off. That is …the last punishment you have in this world.

lol. She could have made lame excuses like the Capt did. But she bore it. She probably realized the ordeal the Capt went through, too, as a pathetic firefly.

She at least was able to live as a human and had someone like Chansung waiting for her at the end of 1300 years.

I liked that she leaned on Chansung after Mago’s words. She had a terrible burden but he gave her strength to bear it.

He’s also holding her hand because with that hand, she’s going to carry the heavy burden of such a lightweight lighting bug.

So there you have it. My 2 cents on the Captain G. Firefly.

And that’s G for Genius.