Part 1 is here: Extra-ordinary You: Ep 5 (Chapters 9 – 11), part 1
Part 3 should follow later.

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5. The first day of their new life

She enters the empty classroom and goes to his desk. I like that his desk is always the sunny and airy spot in that classroom. In Kdramas, the weather is often used to reflect a person’s attributes. For instance, a hero who’s moody would have rain (i.e., Goblin and his first encounter with his bride) and a heroine who’s happy-go-lucky would always have the sun shining on her (i.e., Oh Kang Soon in “Top Star Yoo Baek”). I would call this trope a “pathetic fallacy” but hey! I’m less likely to suspect Haru of having a depraved past because his desk is a sunny and airy spot.

DanOh happily touches his desk like she’s eager to meet him, and she’s totally unaware that he’s behind her until he calls out her name. She turns around and he waves his hand in greeting. What an awkward “Hi!” But their smiles make up for it.

Sitting outside, they look like they’re dating. She feels awkward. Like a curious girlfriend, she wants to ask him how much he remembers but she hesitates to ask because there are so many embarrassing things she’s done. But he’s eager to know, too, and isn’t self-conscious so he takes the lead.

Haru: How much do you remember?
DO: (defensively) What? What? I don’t remember anything. Who are you?
Haru: Nothing?
DO: (changing topic) Ohh. It’s a little chilly this morning.
Haru: (suddenly lifting his shirt up)
DO: (covering her face) Hey! What are you doing?
Haru: You said to take it off when you were cold.
DO: (covering HIS mouth) Hey. The situation from then and now is different.
Haru: So you do remember everything.

Hahaha. He watches her as she pouts. And she notices that, too.

DO: What are you looking at?
Haru: You. I was always looking at you.
DO: Why?
Haru: Just because. I felt like I should.

She wonders what else he knows about her, and he rattles off the factoids from the manhwa, including her heart problem and terminal illness. DanOh doesn’t sound too happy that he’s read them so he apologizes formally. Now, that’s strange, right? It’s something you’d expect from someone in the Joseon period.

Her bestie comes along and notices him for the first time. She asks DanOh, “Who is this?” and before DanOh can reply, he answers brightly “Haru.”

To me, his eagerness shows that he likes the name DanOh gave him, and he remembers its significance. DanOh had told him, “You showed me a different path. I’m sure of it. Thanks to you, I think my day can change. Can I call you Haru?”

But what else is more appropriate on a day like this. Figuratively speaking, this is a new day for both of them because she’s no longer the fiancée of Kyung. And Haru has replaced Kyung as the person beside her.

So she introduces him to DoHwa and the quirks of their manhwa high school.

6. Meeting Squid Guy

The problem starts later when they visit the kitchen. DanOh and DoHwa teach him about Shadow and Stage.

DoHwa also introduces him to the concept of the “butterfly effect.” Paraphrasing what DanOh has told him before, DoHwa explains that, even a small butterfly, when its fluttering is combined with other butterflies’ flutterings, can generate a weather change. Likewise, DanOh’s wings when combined with their wings, can produce a typhoon.”

Haru picks up a puppet but he quickly drops it when the scar on his palm throbs. Conveniently, the Squid guy walks in, too, and picks up the puppet.

Squid guy: You shouldn’t touch other people’s things without permission.

He stares pointedly at the scar on Haru’s palm and smiles a fake one. Haru stares at his face.

To me, there are two meanings here. On one hand, he’d warning him not to touch these items. But on a deeper level, he’s warning him not to touch DanOh who doesn’t belong to him.

DanOh shows the guys the scene in “Secret” where she breaks her engagement off and DoHwa praises her.

DO: Look at this. Isn’t it strange that my character suddenly changed when she’s like Baek Kyung for 10 years? And the storyline has changed so many times, too!
Squid: It would be best if you stopped.

Haru stares at him intensely. To me, Haru is sensing an undercurrent here, that Squid guy was actually addressing him, not DanOh.

Squid: Why are you trying so hard to change things?
DO: Why can’t I do that?
DH: (agreeing) Wow. Hyung is so scary. You know how DanOh’s heart is.

Haru keeps on staring at Squid. I think Haru is figuring out that DoHwa’s glib remark that “Hyung is so scary” might not actually be a joke at all. There might actually be truth to it.

DO: You always say I can’t do anything. All I want to do is use my own time more freely, to eat when I want to, hang out with friends when I want to, and not going to the hospital when I don’t want to.
Squid: (closing book) Those little things will ruin this world.
DO: Then you want me to do nothing and wait until the day that I die? I just want to reclaim my life. Instead of the Eun DanOh who says and does what she’s written to do, (Haru looks pensive here), I want to be the Eun DanOH who can say and do things freely. (she stands up to leave). If you’re not going to help me, then don’t stand in my way either.

She storms out of there. DoHwa follows her and drags Haru along. Haru turns to look at Squid guy.

After this encounter, Haru walks DanOh to her car and walks back to the school alone. This is where the fun starts for our guy.

He stops and stares at his hand.

Note: I believe his hand tingles whenever he senses danger happening. I think that happened earlier when he dropped the puppet. He was fine holding it when DanOh was talking. But the second the Squid guy appeared behind him, his hand ached.

See the black shadow by the door? He dropped the puppet right then.

And now, he’s feeling the scar on his hand again. He waits a second, and then Kyung appears from behind and grabs him.

Kyung saw him outside with DanOh and followed him inside. He now asks him “What are you? Who are you?”

Haru: You can’t remember.
Kyung: What?
Haru: My name is Haru.
Kyung: Haru?
Haru: You won’t remember when the scene changes—
Kyung: The scene changes? I won’t remember? Is this some kind of joke? (grabs his shirt) Say it in a way that I can understand, you bastard.
Haru: (removes his hold) Stop it, Baek Kyung. (moving away)

I think Kyung is stunned because Haru spoke his name as if he knew Haru while he can’t even remember him.

After leaving Kyung, he’s met by the Squid guy. The Squid had just come from the library where he consulted another manhwa called “Flower.” The sketch Haru made of DanOh is before him. He closed book and investigated a noise in the bookshelves. He discovered the blackhole that DanOh had told him.

I wonder what this comic strip says.

To me, this black hole is a surprise to the Squid guy. Although DanOh told him already about seeing a black hole once before, he didn’t expect to see it.

He makes a paper airplane of Haru’s drawing and threw it at Haru’s feet. Haru unfolds it.

Squid: I thought that some of the comic books had recently gone missing. It turns out there was someone other than me checking them out. (grabbing the sketch from Haru) You’ve managed to wake up.
Haru: Who are you?
Squid: Me? The Dried Squid Fairy.
Haru: Have you always known me?
Squid: I’m not sure.
Haru: How?
Squid: Somehow.
Haru: You don’t seem like you want to tell me. But that doesn’t matter. (He grabs the sketch back.) I’ll find the answer on my own. (walks past him)
Squid: (grabbing him) You won’t be able to. The pain will get worse (squeezing on scar) if you mess up the stage trying to find the answer. (Haru pulls his hand away) Stop Eun DanOh. That’s the reason you exist.

Haru seems to be a quick learner. He was baffled earlier when he met the Squid guy in the kitchen. Now, he was dismissing him, like he did with Baek Kyung, because he didn’t have time to play their games.

7. Cha Ji Hyeon

Noteworthy things:

a. Haru recognizes her when she dropped by.’

b. She doesn’t look happy when her precious son, NamJoo, is compared to his older brother. The principal’s comment does sound like a back-handed compliment, “He’ll be smart as his brother.” implying that, in the future, he become as smart as his brother. But NamJoo is already 18/19 years old, lol.

c. Her husband then rudely says that his older son, HeeJoon’s intelligence does take after him. No mention of NamJoo however.

This meeting is illustrated in the manhwa.

 

By the way, the dad is the one sitting in the middle, in the maroon jacket. The principal of the school is seated across from Cha Ji Hyeon.

8. Haru’s sketchbook

DanOh joins Haru at his desk and borrows his sketchbook. She flips through it and sees pictures of buildings and parks.

lol. Remember the title of the duplicate books on the bookshelf? “Contemporary Residence in a Historical.” I believe the missing word is “setting,” and the complete title is “Contemporary Residences in a Historical SETTING.”

DO: Why do you draw these things?
HR: To remember. I want to know where I came from and where I’m headed.

He flips through the pages. There’s a beautiful sketch of the flower. DanOh doesn’t seem to recall it. Meanwhile, the camera zooms in on their fingers touching while holding the sketch book. Haru doesn’t seem to be aware that he’s touching her but DanOh is conscious of it. She studies him seriously instead of the book.

The reason I’m pointing this out is that there are two levels of self-awareness here. The first level is just being conscious that one is awake, and thinking and feeling.  It’s being perceptive of one’s inner world.

The other level of consciousness is what she’s beginning to feel here. She’s becoming aware of him as a person. She can sense his touch, she’s conscious of his nearness, she’s beginning to be curious about him as a person different from her. She’s moving outwards her inner world.

Now, Haru has always been aware of her but it’s not the same for her…yet.

9. Being a second lead

DanOh and Haru watch the Stage of DoHwan being the second lead to Jooda. DanOh thinks his lines are so lame but Haru disagrees. He says, “I don’t think it’s too bad. He’s spending every moment with Yeo JooDa while I always had to search for you.”

Smooth. But I believe him. That’s why he ended up at the bottom of the stairs when DanOh tripped, on the soccer field to save her in dodgeball, right behind her to reach for the umbrella, on the beach trip with them even though he was a nameless extra, at the cliffside to stack the tower of rocks, in the forest looking for her, and at the amphitheater to punch Kyung.

He isn’t lying. But DanOh tells him to stop talking like that while looking at her with those sincere eyes. She lectures him that if she had been Shin Sae Mi, her bestie, her heart would have fluttered and she would presume that he wanted to date her.

He doesn’t understand that DanOh isn’t really displeased with his confession. So when she tells him that she has a lot to teach her, “Where should I even begin?” he smiles.

Later, he spots DoHwa looking at JooDa from afar. DoHwa thinks the people are stupid because they aren’t aware of the discrepancy in their surroundings (like the English book being unreadable to DanOh, or that Kyung was kicking a basketball in the soccer field).

DH: How stupid. But I seem more stupid for liking such a stupid girl.
Haru: That’s because of your character set-up.
DH: Why is it that my character created by the writer and the real me are the same when I’ve become aware of myself. That’s unfair! Will our relationship be different if JooDa becomes aware of herself? Has anything changed for you after you’ve become aware of yourself?
Haru: I wanted to know more about myself.
DH: I’m jealous of you because you have things that you want to know and do. Not having a character setting means you can do whatever you want. Having a predetermined role is a sad thing. My role is…just to watch her.

And Haru stares at him.

lol. If ever there was a time when I thought that Haru was meant to be a second lead material, this was it. He’s like DoHwa.

Haru’s character that was created by the writer in a different manhwa remains similar to his character in this manhwa where he’s become self-aware. He still has his eyes on DanOh. Whether there’s a predetermined role for him or not, his role is… just to watch her.

He told DanOh more than a couple of times that he always looked at her.

10. The preview

DanOh gets another preview as she mulls over her bestie’s words that she and NamJoo are “meant to be.” DanOh sees NamJoo’s birthday party, NamJoo kneeling at Jooda’s feet to strap her shoes on for her, asking her for “A birthday gift?” NamJoo telling the waiter to take care of the strawberry cake as his girl loves strawberries, the waiter tripping down the staircase, Namjoo pulling Jooda out of the way of the cake and NamJoo announcing to the guests, “I’m making an official declaration. From now on, Yeo JooDa is the only woman for me.” And he drinks champagne.

DanOh tells the guys and Dohwa worries that once the main couple are officially dating, his role as a second lead male is done. He thinks it’s unfair that he helped the female lead according to the law of the second male lead, and the male lead takes all the credit and glory.

Note: This is another time I felt that Haru has the attributes of a second male lead. He’s helping the female lead, DanOh, move closer to the male lead.

Both DanOh and DoHwa want Haru to help them Haru refuses.

DO: Why are you saying that you’re not going to go?
HR: I don’t want to. (Remember what I said about the beach scene and needing HR’s consent to do a change? Here you go.)
DO: You said we should change the story together, so why are you suddenly changing your mind?
HR: Because it might become dangerous.
DO: For whom? Me? You?
HR: That stage has nothing to do with you anyway.

DO: Why is everyone saying “no” when I’m just trying to change something? You know that I don’t have much time left. I need you to change the Stage. You’re the only one who can do that. Please? (uh oh, she’s pulling the self-pity card here. NOooo, DanOh! Nooo.)

I like this scene. The two of then are under the veil of the curtain. It sets the two apart as a couple. And Kyung is the interloper who pulls the curtain away.

Kyung: Eun Dan Oh. (she doesn’t respond so Kyung grabs her wrist) We need to talk.
DO: Ouch. That hurts! What’s with you? (glancing at Haru, too) Why are you all like this?

I think she’s throwing a tantrum here because Haru is refusing her something.

Kyung pulls her away and this time Haru puts an end to it. He grips Kyung’s wrist, and tells him, “I don’t think Eun DanOh has anything to say to you.” He squeezes hard on Kyung’s wrist till he lets go. Kyung asks him, “Why do you care?” They glare at each other, but Haru gently moves her behind him.

Kyung notices that.

Kyung: Yah! Yah! I said that I have something to say to her.

Note here: For the first time, he doesn’t ask Haru his normal question: “What are you? Who are you?” He doesn’t remember his name, but he calls him “Yah!” or “Hey!” instead.

But he notices DanOh staring up at Haru and that enrages him. He’s used to her looking at him.

Note: Earlier that day, in the “shadow,” he already got irritated with her when she walked past him without greeting him (Chapter 9 at 29:13) He stopped her, “Eun DanOh. Why are you just passing me by? It’s strange. You would always–”

And she continued for him, “I would always act so miserably toward you. I feel sorry for myself, too.” She explained however that when they were in the “shadow,” she would like to act as she pleased. Kyung didn’t get what she meant by “shadow” and wanted her to explain so he could understand. She said he’d only get hurt if she explained. Meaning, he’d find out that she was never in love with him for real.

And that’s why Kyung gets upset that DanOh is looking at Haru. Although he can’t remember that morning’s encounter with DanOh, his annoyance that she’s ignoring him continue. In fact, this has been a CONSISTENT strain with Kyung. In Episode 1, his first words to her were “Eun DanOh. Why aren’t you picking up my calls?” In the shadows, he’s the one who’s clinging to her.

Anyway…

Kyung: What do you keep looking at? (noticing that she’s only looking at Haru)
Haru: I’m going to the birthday party. (then turning around to face DanOh) I’m going to help you. (then faces Kyung again)

Kyung kicks a chair but Haru isn’t intimidated. He meets his eye. Kyung then walks away. He stares at his hand again because it’s painful, and he looks after Kyung.

Note: Every time Haru stares at his hand now, just consider it as a sign that he’s feeling pain.

11. The tennis match

In the next scene, DanOh is at the tennis court wondering what just happened in the classroom. She knows the confrontation wasn’t a Stage scene but it didn’t make sense that Kyung would fight a nameless extra. He didn’t ask “Who are you?”

She knows that “everything is changing bit by bit.”

Sure enough when the Stage turns on, everything has changed. The match is between Haru and Kyung. Instead of being able to serve properly and move freely, he’s stuck like a regular extra. Haru notices that something’s wrong when he can’t move.

Kyung complains that he’s bored and Haru glances at DanOh who’s of course acting like the same old fangirl of Kyung, instead of the girl who broke up her engagement. I like that his first instinct is to look at DanOh to check on her.

Then the Stage ended and they were back in the shadow. DanOh looks at Haru, and Haru realizes that he’s free to move. And he aces his first serve.

This tennis match is important because he’s beginning to remember Ha Ru. Hence the illustration of Haru changes, too.

12. The engagement announcement

lol. What more can I say except that Haru’s right to avoid this party? He said it was dangerous. But DanOh insisted, cajoled and entreated him to change the plot for DoHwa. To be fair, there was no way she could have predicted that her interference would boomerang on her and Haru.