Here’s the question: Did Manwol reincarnate?
The way I see it the naysayers have only two arguments while the champions have five. The naysaysers believe that Manwol couldn’t have reincarnated because:
one, the writers said that the story ended.
“Hong Jung Eun: Hotel del Luna is a place where dead people come. In other words, the goal is to “send them off well.” The most representative ghost in it is Jang Man Wol. Jang Man Wol was seen off by Goo Chan Sung, which was a prerequisite for the establishment of space. I’m sure the viewers expected it. Since Man Wol is a dead person, and Chan-sung is a living person, there is no way we can do it together in this life. It was impossible unless it was forcibly woven. It’s a pleasure, too, for hotel staff to wash away the pain of life and move on to their next life. Man Wol walked to the Judo Bridge in a good way, and Chan Sung thought it would be a two-person ending to send Man Wol in a nice way. Rather than a forced ending, I think this ending is much more in line with Hotel del Luna.”
“Hong Miran: If Jang Man Wol and Goo Chan Sung reincarnate according to the “Hotel del Luna” worldview, they hope to meet again and love each other comfortably and happily. We also have a wish. It’s not like “they met”. But in our story, I think it’s a happy ending. She was a person who should have gone, and as Jang Man Wol left, the story ended.”
This is an excerpt from a translated interview of the Hong sisters. Credit goes to @melloviciousiu.
But I can easily torpedo this argument.
You see, as far as the Hong sisters are concerned, THEIR story of Changsung and Manwol’s relationship ended at the bridge. Manwol was sent off to the afterlife by Changsung. Mission accomplished. The end.
However, in the finished product, the story didn’t end there. With or without their approval, the director appended an epilogue to the Hong sisters’ version. The kdrama we watched showed MORE than Manwol walking to the Judo Bridge in a “good way.” But it showed Manwol suddenly looking back, impishly smiling, then continue on walking while insouciantly swinging her flower. After that we learned that it’s Christmas and Chansung was packing for New York. He had a meeting later that day with the hotel intern. After their meeting, he visited the library to regard the Baekdu painting. MaGo 1 happened to drop by, too, but she avoided him with a grim face. Then, the last scene was of Chansung sitting in the middle of a park in Seoul reading a book “Being and Time.”
We didn’t imagine watching those scenes, did we? Yet the Hong sisters didn’t mention them in their interview. lol. Ultimately, the “boss” or decision-maker of any kdrama is the director, and he expressly added those scenes to give hope to the viewers that the ending of Manwol and Chansung was NOT at the bridge.
two, it didn’t make sense that Manwol would just show up in front of Chansung in the park like that.
CS: You came early. I though you would be late.
MW: I was worried you would be waiting so I came quickly.
Hello?? In case people didn’t notice we’ve been watching a supernatural show. You know…it’s called supernatural because the freaky-deaky things that happened in all 16 episodes didn’t make sense in the natural world.
As I pointed out, Chansung’s dreams had an odd way of becoming reality. For instance, he was dreaming of a scene that occurred 1000 years ago. In that dream, a leaf was drifting in space to land on his shoulder in the present time. He’d asked, “Did it come from a dream? That split second from Jang Manwol.”
To him, too, it didn’t make sense, too, that the leaf would show up on his sleeve while he was dreaming like that. But it did. Why?
Because in that split second when Manwol weakened and thought about sitting right next to him, there was a breakthrough in their continuity. In that split second when Manwol DESIRED to sit next to him, their existences and times from two different worlds meshed together.
Thus, a 1000-year leaf was conjured from his dream and reappeared in his reality.
So yeahhhh… the naysayers are going to be hindered by their obtuseness to the workings of the supernatural. If they’re going to look for scientific proofs or irrefutable logic, then they would definitely NOT understand how Manwol could simply show up in front of Chansung on one sunny day.
Do you see how easy it was to debunk the naysayers’ arguments. It’s important to remember that the ending the Hong sisters’ discussed in the interview wasn’t the ending as seen in the drama, and we aren’t watching a documentary here; you’re allowed to give free rein to your imaginative faculty.
So what are the arguments for Manwol’s reincarnation? I already posted two here:
I still owe you three. Truth be told, I delayed posting this because I wanted a robust exchange of ideas, not a brain-picking session. Nobody’s entitled to pick my brains when my brains cells are already seriously depleted, anyway. 🙂
To recap the two arguments I already proposed:
1. The Magos made an error.
Manwol died in Chansung’s arm while dreaming. (Get over it, folks. She did.) They didn’t break the connection between them. Instead, in their dreams, they re-established their connection that began a long time ago when they met as children. In a voiceover, he said, “I’ve crossed the long passage of time and met you there, embracing the flower that is dreaming of the moon.” Instead of tying him to her with a red string, like that Wannabe Bride in Episode 5, she placed her brand on him. She wrote her name on his palm.
The Mago3 wanted that connection severed before Manwol went off to the afterworld. Hence, she offered.
MG3: Shall I sever the connection which is growing painfully worse?
CS: Are we still connected? Can you see it? Are there still ties left to cut?
Of course, he had no intentions of cutting their link. But he leveraged this information by requesting for MORE connection with Manwol. Little did MaGo3 know that she was adding more memories and building more connection by allowing the couple to spend a winter together. lol.
This unsevered connection made it easier for them to find each other after her reincarnation.
2. The dream
I wrote that dreams create a new reality. There was the leaf moment and the bride moment in Episode 5. Chansung was forced to become a groom and he psyched himself for the wedding. He thought to himself, “Let’s think of it as a dream. It’s just a meaningless dream. It’ll all disappear when I wake up.” Then he repeated it again, like a hypnotic “power word,” before opening the bridal chamber, “I’m just dreaming for a bit.”
When he opened the door, he was transported back in time, saw a vision of Manwol from 1000 years ago. This vision then again merged with the image of Manwol in the present time. He chalked this improbable experience to another dreamscape…or dream-escape. “I guess I just had a real dream.”
See that oxymoron? How can you have a “real dream”? Tsk tsk tsk. Only in a supernatural, fantasy world.
If you wish however, think of his dreams as some kind of portal. Their existences and times from different worlds are woven together and become continuous.
Not only can he can find her again in his dreams, but she can also return to him in his dreams when she reincarnates.
Now, here are the final three propositions.
3. The Baekdu painting and tiger
On Christmas Day, Chansung arranged to meet the young intern. She asked him if he could still see spirits and he let the intern believe that didn’t. Of course, he still saw the spirit as he gave the intern the only available potion. To me, it was a foregone conclusion that he wouldn’t take the potion when he refused to have his connection severed by MaGo3.
After his meeting with the intern, he proceeded to the library where he contemplated the Baekdu painting and the tiger. He remembered his conversation with Manwol.
CS: Did the tiger really go into the painting and see what he wanted to see?
MW: Because he went to see, like in a dream, the times he would never be able to return to, he is lucky.
The tiger and Baekdu painting hold a key to interpreting the final scene. In Episode 2, Chansung realized that two couldn’t be separated. Manwol had ordered him to request the painting from the rich CEO because the painting and the tiger belonged together as a set.
According to Manwol, the spirit of the tiger could no longer return to its homeland. The land no longer existed in time and space. It only remained in the memories as depicted in the painting of the old Baekdu. So once Manwol received the painting, she visited the tiger’s taxidermy mount in the museum. She summoned its spirit and told it that she was bringing it back to its home.
When the spirit of the tiger walked into the painting, the painting transformed into a real place and the tiger’s body, too, became real. It gave one loud roar as it finally returned home.
The painting now depicted a homecoming. In a secret world which no other people could see, the tiger had gone home.
Do you see the connection?
Similarly, for Manwol and Chansung, everything they cherished no longer existed in time and space. Hotel del Luna was gone; the colleagues were gone; even the tunnel going to the Samdocheon was gone. But for Chansung, Manwol lived on in his memories and visions of ghosts. She wasn’t gone.
CS: You are there, in the memory of the secret world which other people cannot see. And I remember my promise to you.
They come as a set, like the tiger and the Baekdu painting. He was waiting for her to return.
Don’t you see why Chansung was in that beautiful park in the middle of the Seoul? His surrounding was as picturesque as the Baekdu painting. His tigress, Manwol, was returning to him.
Why! You could almost hear Manwol’s voiceover saying that she was one of the lucky ones, too. She had left this world in a dream. But like the tiger, she was coming back to see, like in a dream, the time she could never be able to return to. Like the tiger, she went back into a “real painting” and found who she wanted to see, waiting for her.
The Baekdu painting and the tiger is an allegory of Manwol’s homecoming after her death and reincarnation.
4. Manwol
See this face? By no stretch of imagination could you call that a happy face.
MaGo looked displeased and unhappy with him. This is noteworthy because Chansung always considered himself favored by the MaGos. So what do you think made MaGo1 angry with him? She even ignored him.
Was it because he didn’t take the potion? No. What’s it to her if somebody else took the potion?
Was it because he didn’t send off Manwol properly? He did. He performed his job well.
Was it because he tricked MaGo3 to give him and Manwol a snowfall? If she has complaints, she should take it up with her romantic sister, MaGo3.
I think she’s upset with him because of this.
See that? Manwol was sashaying on that bridge and waving that white lily as if she’s untroubled by her death and separation from Chansung.
I thought she’d be sobbing all the way because MaGo described the crossover to death so poetically. She said:
MaGo: Where could you find no regret and no sadness in disappearing? Just as a tree dreams of blooming again after its flowers have withered, one lives again like that, meets again like that, and loves again like that. That is… the arrogant, immature and love stricken, I hope that is the beautiful road you have chosen.
MaGo sounded so solemn that everybody felt regret and sadness upon death because they were leaving a loved one behind. But Manwol was the exception. She’d been walking sadly, then she stopped and turned around with a thoughtful look on her face.
Then, she smiled.
She turned around like and walked on with that new look on her face. Contrary to what MaGo said, she didn’t look sad or regretful at all.
Why?
To me, Manwol looked like she had come up with a plan (like she always did) on how to get back quickly to Chansung. There was no mistaking that saucy smile and that jaunty walk. Although her eyes were luminous, she didn’t look like she was going to cry for having left Chansung.
She figured out a way to return.
Ha! MaGo had compared her to a tree that dreamt of blooming again after the flowers withered. But Manwol hated that tree that she couldn’t escape for 1000 years. It only bloomed for her twice: when Chansung’s dad picked the blue flowers from its branch (and Manwol resented that) and when Chansung came into her life. If ever she was going to bloom again, it would be with Chansung.
To me, then, MaGo was unhappy because Manwol was beyond her control. Like Chansung’s dad, and like the dead student in the museum who refused her white lily, there were people in the secret world who refused to accept her authority over life and death.
From the very beginning, before MaGo tied her to Hotel del Luna, Manwol was very much a strong-willed and determined person. She refused to die when she was a child, didn’t she? She single-handedly killed all of Captain Firefly’s men, didn’t she? And she survived 1000+ years, didn’t she?
So if there was a way to immediately return to Chansung’s side, she would find it. I’ve no doubts.
This was a “Oh yeah? You can’t get rid of me that easily. I’ll be back soon.” challenging look.
5. Heidegger’s book “Being and Time”
These were the final words in the drama.
CS: Did the tiger really go into the painting and see what he wanted to see?
MW: Because he went to see as in a dream, the times he would never be able to return to, he is lucky.
…
CS: In the memory about the secret world which other people cannot see, you are there. And I remember my promise to you.
…
CS: You came early. I though you would be late.
MW: I was worried you would be waiting so I came quickly.
CS: Someday
MW: Someday
CS: If we cross time in some lifetime together,
MW: I am looking forward to always being together in that lifetime. While the “we” of that time face each other and dream, and smile in each other’s arms, we will be happy with each other for a very long long time.
What was his promise?
He could have been referring to this one, when he promised to meet her again in the next life without fail.
Let’s not forget that he made an earlier promise, too, in Episode 12.
Back then, he told her to go in peace. Because he loved her that much, he’d shoulder all the pain and sorrow of her death. That was his promise so she could leave him when the time came.
MW: When I first saw you, the flowers in this neighborhood were blooming so prettily. Now they’re nowhere to be seen. At the time, you were so scared because you’d just seen a ghost. Today, I’m the same. The flowers are withering.
CS: I see.
MW: They won’t even remain as flower petals. They disappear even before they hit the ground. Nothing seems to remain.
CS: Perhaps the flowers that bloomed in your tree just like how the first leaf, they might be falling for me. They might pile up and become very heavy and painful. I will handle them as my share. So don’t be scared when you leave me. This, to the weak human that I am, who is now doing his best with all of his might, is love.
MW: Being left only as a petal which will vanish is too sad. (And she kisses him.)
This conversation reminds me of Heidegger.
Heidegger said that we exist in space or spatially because we have a body. For example, I’ll dig my bony elbow into your tummy, and it’ll hurt you because my elbow is in your space. 😈
And we also exist in time or temporally because we have thoughts, awareness, consciousness, memories, and hopes. For example, I wake up in the morning, I know I’m not a stone. I’ve a husband to hug, a full day’s work ahead, coffee to drink, people to defend, and a kdrama to watch that night. I remember all these details about me before I get out of bed because I exist as a person with a past, present and future. 🙂
In a way, Manwol was like a spring flower that was swirling around her and falling to the ground. She existed spatially.
However, she was also UNLIKE the flower petal because she was aware of the passage of time. She felt sadness at thought of vanishing, and she didn’t want to leave Chansung in the future. She existed temporally.
If she’d been a mere flower petal, she wouldn’t fear death. She’d have nobody to worry about leaving behind (can you imagine a petal feeling sorry for another?) and nobody she’d want to stay alive for. But since she was human, not a petal, she was scared to leave Chansung behind.
That’s Heidegger’s philosophy.
Since we exist in time, we’re very much conscious of our finite time, of our deaths. With this certainty of death in the unseen future, we begin to FEAR a lot of things, like missing people, saying goodbyes, being lonely, and squandering opportunities.
Manwol herself was discovering her FEAR of leaving Chansung behind. She didn’t want to go.
You see, hand-in-hand with this discovery of FEAR is learning how to CARE for someone. Fear and care are almost like two sides of the same coin. Manwol didn’t want to go and she began to fear her looming death because she didn’t want to hurt Chansung. She’d come to care that he would be hurt and lonely once she was gone.
In like manner, Chansung was aware of Manwol’s limited time in this world and her anxiety about leaving him. She felt conflicted about leaving him because she didn’t want him to hurt. So he reassured her that, as frail a human that he was, he would deal with the pain when she left him behind. That’s love. Although it pained him to do so, he let her go because she must go.
And that’s another point of Heidegger.
When we become aware of our deaths and our limited time, we begin to understand who we really are and what we truly care for. Our AUTHENTIC selves come out. For Chansung, his whole existence became devoted to loving that one woman who eventually passed on. That’s his authentic self and all the subsequent choices he made, from refusing MaGo’s offer and giving away the potion, to visiting the library and reading the book “Being and Time” in the park, were all done in light of the POSSIBILITY of her returning to him soon after her reincarnation. He was living his life as authentically as possible.
To me (mind you, I wasn’t a student of philosophy, but neither were the Hong sisters and the director, so I’m in good company) the scene in the park was Chansung’s transcendental moment or his “moment of Zen.” Heidegger actually had a term for that experience, too. He called it “ecstasy” or that moment when we’re thinking about the past, present and future all at once and these three times meld together.
When that ecstasy happens, we cease to exist in time as we know it. We separate or remove ourselves from the normal flow of time with its division of seconds, minutes, hours and exist BEYOND these constructs or notions of time. We become one with time itself.
Thus for me, Chansung’s moment of ecstasy came when he was contemplating on the subject of the book “Being and Time.” Being faithful to his promise to wait for Manwol, he became fully aware of having loved her so much in the past that he would still seek her out in the future “someday.” See that? The present, past and future are one.
It’s this moment of Heideggerian ecstasy (or Zen if that’s make it easier to understand) which summoned Manwol to his side.
It’s a mirror image: just like the leaf that came out of his dream because of Manwol’s fleeting “weakness” (lol) and desire to sit with him, Manwol came back from the afterlife because of his meditative thinking and desire to be reunited with her.
So there you go.
My five reasons why I choose to believe that Manwol was reincarnated. I’ve always believed that it requires more brain exercise and better mental perspicacity to go against the mainstream. It’s always easier to accept the general view that this kdrama has a sad ending. The sad ending was always the path of least resistance.
But when the director made an extra effort to create an open-ending, I saw that as a challenge for us Bitches to ponder and consider different perspectives that non-bitches don’t. After all, it’s what makes us different from other recap/blog sites. We thrive on challenges and thinking outside the box.
Go ahead and try it too. If you come up with a different one, share it here. 🙂
UPDATED: 5/30/2021
Okay, folks! This was written back in November 2019. Why are you still reading this? Did you chance upon this drama recently? Or did you happen to pull this up from Google for a homework on Heidegger? Good luck with that. 🙂
Had to dust off my HDL memory for this one. Great exposition on Heidigger! We agree on your evidence and main points but I still don’t interpret her appearance as strict reincarnation. I think it’s better than that. That’s why I’ve always maintained it was a happy ending. They discovered the ‘real dream’, the ‘secret place no one else can see’, which is both a culmination of time and being and outside of it. Therefore, to me, through all the good and bad their various reincarnated lives might throw at them, even if they don’t meet, they are always togeth er and will always recognize each other. That’s what I liked about that ending – there were some great philosophical interpretations possible even with the Hong Sisters input.
I did interpret MW looking back differently, mainly because I had been anticipating the ‘look back’ from the beginning of the show. Stems from Orpheus and Eurydice when he retrieves her from hades and is told not to look back or she will stay in hades. This to me was the opposite trip: MW looks back to say “Don’t follow me. This is my ending and I’m happy with it. Be well. I love you. May we meet again. ”
I think it possibly defeats Heidigger (I’m shakier on him than you), in an existential text like Being and Time, to posit she believes, though she might hope, in that moment in reincarnation.
Thanks this is great! I have next to no experience with Korean dramas. Or asian dramas in general so the first question is to even ask. Was it intended to be an open ending? And is it normal to throw a scene like that one into it to show us … I guess the actors can act in one scene together?
On ur counter points:
1. Makes perfect sense to me. The writers wanted an ending and they got it and director added more.
2. My biggest shock to the end is why even have this scene heh. Either it has meanings or it cheapens the whole cry fest five minutes before. And our respect for our main male lead… is cheaper too if the scene is a day dream/wish.
Ur main arguments:
1. This scene is so damn confusing heh and I am glad u added some thoughts. First off… I took it at face value. The love gold gives him a chance to end the pain. But… why is she so flustered. And why did she give in to the winter wise. My take was… at least… he has an opportunity to bring her ghost to the past and have her walk the bridge there…
Otherwise it’s same as above. Is this a cheap scene to show our male lead has the power of time travel/ asking god a favor and he chooses to have ten minute scene of snow fall? And than it abruptly shows a sick and frail IU at show tree to a put together IU saying farewell.
2 and 3. The dream part was over my head 🙂 thank you for ur notes. I just literally took it as. Tiger went in and died. I forgot all about male leads dream power… I thought it was always poorly explained why he can see the captain so clearly. But I do agree that he has a lot of dream powers that’s never explained.
4. As the other comment or said. I took IU leaving and smiling as a triumphant breaking the fourth wall nod to the show watchers: that she is ok and happy ending. If they ended the show there… fine. The end.
But they don’t heh and than u start to wonder. Did they intend something and didn’t execute well? Previously we are told every step kills ur memories and helps u let go. When she was with captain she can barely remember to come back. When she came back she insists she forgot everyone and everything.
That’s a lie. Since she remembers yuan so? Her friend from the past and the princess. The male lead asked her and she’s like nope. Don’t remember and wink wink. So the more obvious answer is… she can remember and she will be back one day.
But if not this lifetime than he won’t remember her… so I agree whole heartedly
5. Hehe over my head. I read ur point twice and I am almost wondering if u implying he is day dreaming hehe.
Ultimately I am just confused. I know it’s fan fiction almost. But I wonder why they can give us a ridiculous shock ending. She shows up and they kiss. Than we can peice the clues and say that’s it!
Or they can have no ending scene and we just end it there.
Instead they give us:
– time travel power
– dream power
– instances of ghost staying and waiting for their love ones to die to cross together
– iu literally coming back from the dead bridge in episode 15
– mago being angry at our male lead….
– our male lead keeping his ghost perception with no protection from bad ghost
And so on. And just insists on ending heh.
But ya I will chose to believe that I don’t understand asian dramas and maybe it was crystal clear that all these was resolved because she was reincarnated!
Sorry last note. They really should have not bring back the hotel workers. Ridiculous
🙂 Kei. If I were to psychoanalyze the Hong sisters, I’d say that they grew up and their view of romance has become jaded. That happens to the best of us, you know.
I said in one of my last posts on HdL that 10 years ago, when they wrote that hit, “My Girlfriend is a Gumiho,” it seemed to me that they shoehorned that happy reunion between the couple in the last 5 minutes of the drama. I don’t know about their next hit, “The Master’s Sun.” IIRC, the couple did end up together in real time…after a year’s separation where she tried to “find” herself.
But in “Hwayugi,” they killed off the heroine. She returned for a day (or something) to say goodbye. But she stayed dead, and the Monkey hero vowed to search for her to the ends of the world (or something).
Then this Hotel del Luna happened.
Clearly, the Hong sisters have a death obsession. In their previous dramas, they were fiddling with, and trying to figure out how love and romance fit into this world where everything has an expiry date.
What’s the point of loving when you know everything’s going to end? What’s the point of loving when you know that you’re “fated” to die, and you can’t fight fate? What’s the point of loving when YOU KNOW it’s a futile exercise?
To be honest, from my western perspective, there’s something inherently fatalistic and nihilistic about the dramas of the Hong sisters. But I’ve been going along with them because a) I like how their minds think, that is, they don’t bore me. And because b) they so wittily capture and communicate their awareness of the Koreans’ spirit of the times…or what’s fashionably known as the “zeitgeist.”
But why do I consider the Hong sisters fatalistic?
Because whatever the protagonists do, NOTHING that they do really matters in the end. The moral lesson in many of their dramas is: it’s useless to challenge and wrestle with “fate” because “fate” determines everything.
But that’s not how I see the world. And I’m biased…bitchily so.
In as much as the Hong sisters are a product of their milieu, I too am a product of my “western” upbringing. And a fate-driven worldview has been rejected largely by Western world, thanks to the Judeo-Christian tradition and formation of our history (lol, the “deniers” will have a field day with this comment of my, but I wish them luck trying to debunk that).
The Western world has always considered itself as a) the “chosen people of God” and thus favored to succeed, b) destined for greatness, and c) endowed with the spirit to conquer adversity. lol. People can blame the arrogance of the West on this superiority complex…but that’s for another topic.
You see, according to Christians, God made us in His image and likeness….so how could we fail? How could we fail if we’re like “mini” versions of a powerful and wise God? Moreover, in the Christian philosophy, our relationship with the deity is INTER-PERSONAL, a loving relationship. If we’re struggling or failing, God will come through for us. Sure, we might not know what His plans are for us, but we’re not afraid because God is with us.
Now do you see the value of this positive reinforcement? Even if you don’t happen to believe in the heavens, you can still that all this positive optimism is self-fulfilling. Because something Greater than you believes in you, you believe in yourself. And because you believe in yourself, you don’t give up until you succeed. Faith in God is a self-fulfilling prophesy. 🙂
In contrast, in the Hindu/ Confucian/ Buddhist worldview, there’s no such loving relationship with a divine being. You’re on your own. Sink or swim, you’re just following your fate. You have to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps because your salvation will come only by dint of your own hard work. If you fail, there’s no choice for you but to be reincarnated and do it all over again and again and again and again….
You have nobody to rely on to get out of your endless rebirths because the gods are indifferent. There may be 2, 3, 4, 10, 100, 10,000 gods and minor gods out there, but NONE of them would get off their asses, choose to be born as an infant, live as a carpenter’s son, sacrifice on the cross, and save the insignificant souls.
BTW, the Hong sisters also wrote a drama based on a fictional hero, Hong Gildong. The ending scene showed him and his merry band of rebels dying in a shower of burning arrows that look like shooting stars falling on them. From what I saw of the last scene, it was very artistically conceived. But I could easily argue that it’s all nihilistic gloom and doom, and that the ending would be their signature style.
I would never expect the sisters to write about a character like Christopher Columbus (Ha! I think people who reject him as a hero are obtuse and blinded by their agendas.)
For people who don’t know Columbus: He’s the guy who discovered the Americas. Based on just his theory (or “belief,” if you wish) — which he backed up with research and calculation — he petitioned the King and Queen of Spain to fund his westward exploration of the sea. He never gave up hope and he risked his life and those of his men for the uncharted seas and unknown lands. He believed in himself and in his God.
Now, if the Hong sisters were to envision a hero like Columbus and write about him, Christopher Columbus would have died in the seas in Episode 14, and his girlfriend, a stowaway on board the ship, would pine for him for the rest of her life on an island. For the Hong sisters, the constant refrain of their OSTs would be “You’ll never make it…Turn around….You’ll never make it.” And their moral lessons would range from a) Columbus’ dreams of greatness would cause his downfall, b) only idiots would believe in rewriting their stars, c) nothing good would ever happen by defying fate, to d) why even bother, Columbus?
Do you get what I mean?
There’s something pessimistic and nihilistic about the Hong sisters’ philosophy because it denies a human’s effort to carve his or her own destiny.
I’ve long accepted the Hong sisters’ dramas as representative of THEIR mindsets and as such, they interest me because they’re different from mine. If I weren’t older than them and comfortable with my own worldview, I would be dismayed, perturbed, or even rattled by their message. But since I am older and set in my ways — bitchily so — I can critique and judge their philosophy like I would study a specimen under a microscope.
Remember this as you watch more dramas: All kdramas present their writers (and directors) understanding and vision of life. It’s really up to you, Kei Ng, to discern whether they’re true or not, and to accept them or not. 🙂
In my memory, I saw this scene like they are fated to be together, but without necessarly in this life, in a future not determinate.
In the final scene, we can see all the reborn characters of the hotel.
I remember thinking “there’s no way she, with that personality, would go quietly into oblivion.” So when she reappeared, my response was “hah, I was right.” I didn’t take it any further than that; really appreciate you working out the rest of the story. It’s lovely.
I agree the director deserves serious appreciation for making the ending so wonderfully open ended.
High five!
The way she always defied MaGo1 and tried to outwit MaGo1 every time (like with that revenge curse she had planned for the reincarnated Princess, what’s her name?), not to mention she schemed to get money from the clients 😂😈 each and every time with her devious little mind…. yes, it was UNLIKE her character to go meekly or sadly into the afterworld. She would have plotted to get back quickly to Chansung’s side.
Then, she looked back with that knowing expression on her face (like a cat that swallowed a canary) and she walked across the bridge with a swagger!! 😂😂
If you add all these to MaGo’s sour face in the library, you know something’s up.
So yes, even though the Hong sisters said that *their* story ended at the moment CS sent off MW to the afterworld, the director’s ending scenes gave us many reasons (I gave five; there could possible be more) to believe in a happy ending.
Just finished watching the series last night with my wife and we were flabbergasted and a bit disappointed with the ending. We were thinking not even a hug before Changsung sent off Manwol and why didn’t they show a scene in the future of them meeting up again? Admittedly we were confused if the scene in the park was real or just a dream. We did note Manwol turned around in the bridge and that she was quite happy. Surely the smile meant something. I actually read another blog and same as you the author said Manwol is back but your explanation is more detailed and more believable. I do have a question for you. What made you say that Manwol died in her sleep? Would that mean the Manwol that Changsung sent off was already reincarnated?
I strongly agree that the Magos are trying to break the connection between Manwol and Changsung. Surely the Mago (I think she is Mago6) in the Joseon era is in contact with Mago3 in the present time. They are the most powerful of deities after all.The Magos don’t have an issue with Joseon Manwol but they do with the present day Manwol. Present day Manwol does not have a reason to reincarnate had Changsung chosen to stay with the Joseon Manwol.
Also what is your take on the moon flower in Changsung heart? The Magos have been saying that Manwol is connected to the moon tree and that she should leave for the afterlife once all of the flowers have fallen. If that is the case then as long as Changsung is still alive then Manwol still has a connection to the moon tree and thus can still stay in the real world.
Will post a reply to you on the blog later. I’m with in-laws who insist on going to the Black Friday/After Thanksgiving sales — ugh! I’m having an “existentialist’s crisis” here and asking myself, “Why am I here? What am I buying this for?? Who dragged me here? Where is the exit? When can I go home?” Hopefully, I’ll survive this madness. 🙂
Hi. I wanted to ask that if Man Wol returned then how come do we see all the other employees reincarnated? Is it the next life even for Chan Seong?
I believe there’s another big clue that Manwol and Chan Sung will reunite in a very-near lifetime, if not even in CS present life. We know that ManWol represents the full-moon-now-become-new-moon, and we found out that due to his father’s error with the hanja Chan Sung’s name means “shining star”. Strictly speaking, in astronomy, a star is a sun of another solar system. Moon and Sun are meant to be together, their paths have to cross and meet.
Keeping with the astronomy theme, the bridge to the afterlife pierces a field of stars with the Samdo River below. I believe this to represent the Milky Way and intentionally reference the Korean/Asian legend of celestial lovers meeting across the Milky Way on a bridge (of crows, in most versions). In most scenes in the drama, we’re shown that a crowd of people go together. Except, it seems, when two people cross together as lovers. We saw this when Manwol accompanied CM across the bridge, and even though their love was a toxic and ill-fated one, they were lovers in their lifetimes nonetheless. The bridge was clear. It’s like there’s a special bridge, or god makes a special exception, for the crossing of lovers, and they get to walk across with just the two of them.
So I found it strange at first that Manwol was all alone on the bridge when she crossed. I now think it’s because their connection wasn’t cut or emptied (like it was with CM), and the spirit-afterlife realm legally recognized that Manwol was one-part of a lover-pair and so could not be processed the normal way of having her memories of that connection erased and reincarnated after an x amount of waiting-time, and that she and CS would inevitably be reunited. The bridge that’s meant to lengthen time (a few minutes crossing there is 49 days in the living world) and weaken connections, in her case might accelerate her time to be cycled back to the living world and reinforce the connection.
As to why the other hotel staff were back when CS and MW were reunited. IF we take the CS = Sun and MW = Moon analogy further, perhaps the hotel staff are like the planetary bodies (what sometimes on earth gets called “stars” but are planets, or loose rock formations, etc.) that are pulled into the gravitational forces of those 2. When they appear on the scene/on the same plane of existence, the hotel staff under the influence of their gravity are also reborn/pulled into the same setting/timeline. I hope I’m making sense ^^;;
Just to clarify, I’m not belittling the hotel staff as rocks in my above comment. Rather they may represent what we commonly call “stars” that are in the gravitational fields of actual stars or large planets. ^^;;
Pingback: Hotel Del Luna – 爱情原来的开始是陪伴
I don’t get why mago had that look in the end towards him when she herself had placed the flower in his heart?
Because her plan was thwarted. 🙂
In the end, if Manwol came back in that very same lifetime to rejoin her man Chansung (like I proposed), then Mago didn’t her way.
MaGo wanted to teach Manwol a lesson. She found Manwol tooo fierce, wily, and cunning. She trapped Manwol in that Hotel del Luna for centuries for atonement. Then she wanted Manwol to remove that grudge in her heart and take that silly Capt. Glowing Butt across the river too. Mago always has the upper hand.
But not this time. Mago didn’t expect Manwol to come back and find CS right away because the string between them wasn’t cut off. 😂
Okay, folks! This was written back in November 2019. Why are you still reading this? Did you just hear about this drama? Or did you happen to pull this up from Google for a homework on Heidegger? Good luck with that. 🙂
Anyway, don’t binge-read my old posts; that isn’t healthy. Enjoy life.