🙂  Aren’t you getting tired yet of me telling you that I know this director’s style?

I leapfrogged Episodes 13 and 14 and went straight to Episode 15 to see what the buzz was all about. 🤦‍♀️I can tell you that this director did EXACTLY the same setup for the second lead in The King in Love. In the penultimate episode, he REHABBED the guard (Kyung’s equivalent in that drama) who tried to steal the girl from the King and attempted a coup (and failed). IIRC, the guard stabbed himself on the King’s sword.

The guard apologized with big, fat tears.  Mea culpa! mea culpa! mea culpa! to everyone: the girl whom he tried to get to fall in love with him; his father and family because he ruined their name by joining the coup; and his best friend, the King, who trusted him. The King forgave him.

But the ending STILL ended in ambiguity… for the fangirls. 🙂

That’s why I wasn’t move by Kyung’s redemptive act. Been there, done that. As Dohwa would say, I’ve seen this cliche and this sobfest before in the TKiL. The redemption arc was exploited. 

It was exploited to create ambiguity and gain sympathy for the guard/second lead. When he escorted the King’s woman to safety in the final scene, fangirls misinterpreted this as the guard and the King’s woman getting together in the end.

That’s why I’m waiting for the end of this drama to see where this redemption act will lead. Typically, the second lead’s redemption act or rehabilitation would mark the end of his loveline with the girl. However, with this director, I can’t be sure. 🙂  I’ll have to wait and see.

Besides, you already saw that Kyung’s redemption was a foregone conclusion.

Ever since Episode 6 when he defied his father and shouted at him to stop using DanOh and her illness to advance their ambitions, he was being rehabbed by the manhwa writer herself. He was kicked out of the vehicle on the way to his movie date with DanOh because he dared to speak up DanOh’s behalf.

There were other occasions when the manhwa writer was clearly setting up his rehabilitation. On Stage, he began treating DanOh nicely — to the point that DanOh remarked that his new and kinder Stage act was creeping her out.

I could remember at least three instances:

1. He gave DanOh the towel at the aquatics center of the school, on stage. He was kind to her on stage, then bullied her and Haru off-stage.

2. He invited DanOh to the movies in Ep 6.

DO: I know it’s a movie invitation.
Kyung: I’m asking you on a date.
DO: (mentally: What the heck is this? face is grimacing)
Kyung: (reading her face) You don’t want to?
DO: No, I’m just a bit worried.
Kyung: About what.
DO: Honestly, I don’t know how you truly feel. You said you didn’t like me because I was ill.I think you only said what you said at NamJoo’s party because I said the engagement was off.
Kyung: Then, should we not go?

I even told you back then…when did he show such consideration for her preference? THAT was new.

3. He told DanOh on stage that they could break off the engagement in Ch 18.

KY: Are you okay?
DanOh: Ah. Thank you.
KY: My family told me yesterday that our wedding will be moved up. Do you really want to marry me?
DanOh: Yeah.
KY: Don’t do it. I’m giving you an out for your sake. It doesn’t matter to me whether I get married or not, but you’ll get hurt.

Again, I pointed out that the writer gave him a weird line right here. It was out-of-character of him to show he cared for DanOh on Stage.

See those?

I always found it curious that the writer was already reforming his character ON STAGE. To me, the aborted kiss was ALSO a chance given to Kyung by the manhwa writer to redeem himself. The writer could have easily forced them to kiss on Stage by completing the kiss. But the Stage ended at the most “convenient” moment to give HIM a choice to abort the kiss.

It was Kyung’s character OFF-STAGE that became increasingly worrisome and obsessive.

So although I liked and approved of his Off-Stage character halting the kiss, I’m not giving him a “participation trophy” for his change of heart.

I’m not impressed.

I say it’s about time he realized that he was doing something wrong. It was clear that his conscience was bother him from the beginning of this episode.

1. At 1:01 mark. She called him Kyung. She ALWAYS called him BAEK Kyung.

2. When Haru tried to reason with him and told him that DanOh would be TORTURED if she knew what was really happening to her, he looked guilty.

Kyung: The writer intends for her to stay by my side.
Haru: And that will torture her. It tortured her then, and it will this time as well. I’m going to find the real DanOh. So that she can truly be herself.

3. When DanOh couldn’t remember anything she wanted to do with him, that should have been a red flag for him.  She couldn’t remember them because Off-Stage/In the Shadow, she had even stopped answering his calls. (Remember first scene)

Kyung: Is there anything you want to do, anything you want to eat or anything you want to have.
DanOh: There are tons. I want to watch movies with you, eat delicious food, and … and…gosh. There are tons…(and she continued to say that she couldn’t remember them now that they were talking about them)
Kyung: Why didn’t I ask that sooner? You want to do so many things with me. If you don’t remember it, I’ll just do whatever I want to do. You told me that your affection for me was all fake. But I’ll believe that your affection for me is genuine.

And that last sentence was sad. He was now deluding himself, too. He was believing the comicbook version of her love for him.

4. The day at the beach, her heart ached. This should have alerted him that something’s off with her. She had a successful surgery.

Her heart ached because she knew, deep down inside, she was with the wrong guy. Her heart was telling her something wasn’t right. It’s like Haru’s scar on his palm. They twinge, ache and throb when something’s wrong.

5. After the day at the beach, he was too thankful. He must have had an inkling that he was “living the dream”. If something’s toooo good to be true, it probably is.

Kyung: DanOh. I’m so glad.
DanOh: For what?
Kyung: That we reached each other. Thank you. Everything got better thanks to you, and it’ll continue to get better.

You know, I ACTUALLY feel sorrier for him during these scenes when he was deluding himself. He looked pathetic because he was falling for the manhwa’s trap.

For me, his realization that he was deluding himself and turning himself into a monster was a RELIEF. Like that adage about truth and lies, I’m one of those people who prefer to be hurt by the truth, than be soothed by lies.

6. When DanOh unconsciously called him by Haru’s name after the Stage ended, this should have upset his heart.

DanOh: I want to thank you too. You turned me into someone who’s healthy and in love, not a girl who had a crush on you for 10 years with a heart condition. Thank you so much, Haru-ya.
Kyung: Haru?
DanOh: What?
Kyung: (grimacing in silence) Haru.
DanOh: Oh, do you have to go and practice tennis with him? Right now? It’s pretty late.
Kyung: You don’t remember, but you still…
DanOh: What?

He was beginning to be aware that his pretense is futile. And he was beginning to sense that the writer was tricking him, too.

lol. DanOh’s hairstyle (no bangs!!) and boring tops (she was wearing school uniform. Her cute blouses were gone) should have alerted him that this was no longer the real DanOh.

7. When DanOh sat at Haru’s seat, he should have felt a déjà vu.

Kyung: Eun Danoh. That’s not your seat.
DanOh: I know. But this is the best spot to look outside the window. I’m sure Haru will understand. He’s a close friend of yours. (does he look sheepish?) Kyung, apart from being sick and a student here, what kind of person do you think I’ll become? (she doesn’t wait for his response; he stares at her) I can’t wait to find out. the person I’ll become now that I’m all better.
Kyung: All better?
DanOh: Yes. My heart is no longer hurting. (sigh) It’s a wonderful thing. But at times, I feel…
Kyung: How do you feel?
DanOh: …(she doesn’t respond but her face is crestfallen)

At this point, he must be remembering how DanOh looked like when Haru disappeared. DanOh looked listless, despondent and melancholic all over again. She was sighing as she was claiming that she felt all better.

8. When her heart monitor went off as Haru passed them by, this should have triggered warning bells in him, too.

DanOh: That’s odd. The doctor said I was almost completely healed.
(Haru looked back at her. She looked back at him.)
DanOh: It has never beeped this much before. My heart has never hurt this much before.

Kyung should have known what was going on. DanOh was recognizing Haru all over again. Her heart and consciousness were waking up to Haru’s presence. Kyung couldn’t do anything. He never set off her alarm.

9. The wall.  This was most poignant.

The setting itself should be symbolic. They were standing in front of a WALL, meaning now they’re at an impasse.  They were confronting a barrier between them. They grew up together but moving forward wasn’t an option for them.

On Stage.

DanOh: But I do have something that’s bigger than yours.
Kyung: And what is that?
DanOh: My love for you.
Kyung: Do you love me that much?
DanOh: Yes.
Kyung: Then let’s meet at school tomorrow night. Tomorrow is our 10-year anniversary.
DanOh: What do you mean?
Kyung: Don’t you remember? We’re going to measure our height after 10 years.
DanOh: Did we? It’s obvious that you’re much taller than me.
Kyung: DanOh. Thank you for always being by my side back then and now as well.

She closed her eyes and he leaned to kiss. Stage ended and he missed her mouth instead.

DanOh: What’s wrong?
Kyung: Both the memories and you haven’t changed. I desperately wanted everything to go back to its place. I hoped that the stage was the reality.
DanOh: Stage?
Kyung: But it wasn’t the real you on stage. And wishing to keep you by my side knowing that you weren’t yourself makes me a monster.

Yes! A monster is NOT an understatement.

I said this earlier in the post on Philomel, the nightingale. If he was forcing her to stay by his side BECAUSE he knew SHE couldn’t say no due to her memory loss, then what’s the difference between between DanOh and a woman who’s silenced, raped, and murdered?

DanOh was the nightingale.

credit: tickledorange.com

 

 

Both Haru and DanOh already told him a lllloooong time ago to figure out why his setup was bullying and hurting people.  But he’s not only realizing that he was torturing DanOh by forcing her to stay with him.

But he didn’t act right away on his EPIPHANY, or his realization of his own villainy. lol. He waited until the following night when he was about to meet DanOh under the tree to do the right thing. And it was a last minute decision to let Haru take Haru’s rightful spot by DanOh.

And the interesting thing was he told Haru to change the Stage himself because he hated the writer.

“I’ve no desire to help you but Eun DanOh’s wish is probably you. No. I’m doing this because I hate those ignorant writers.”

Of course, he would be upset (like DanOh was originally when she found out about her setup) that the writer has been fooling around with his life and his emotions like that. The writer had been yanking his chain, trying to get him to believe something that isn’t true.

This is the writer. “Hahaha. Sorry. Just kidding!”

So, was it really a redemption act to give up DanOh? Yeahhhhhh, okay, if you say so.

But when I look at the events leading up to his change of heart, it’s more like an epiphany than a redemption to me. He finally realized that the manhwa writer was BSing him, and he was telling the writer to kiss his ass. He was pissed off.

DanOh’s forgiveness the following day was the closure he needed.

***********

I’ll add the screenshots later when I’ve time. Gotta run.