It bugs me that the main takeaway of  many viewers about the “butterfly effect” is the dumbed down version of the theory, and therefore, an incomplete understanding. Since we aim to be smart bitches on this blog, and not mere adoring fans of Rowoon Oppa! (snort), let’s take 6:28 minutes to know the real deal about this chaos theory.

There are lots of other videos on YT explaining the Chaos Theory but this is the shortest I found. If you ignore the infomercial at the end, you shorten it to 5 minutes. Watch it because I’m giving a test later (just kidding).

To me, the butterfly effect is most apparent in DanOh and Haru’s attempts to find meaning in the manhwa world.

Whenever DanOh and Haru struggled to change a teensy-weensy bit of her Stage, their action set off a ripple effect. The outcome of their effort was always unpredictable, sometimes drastic, occasionally off-kilter and messy, and frequently chaotic.

It didn’t help that Squid was always warning them of doomsday. Really, his name should be Chicken Little; he’s such an alarmist. lol.

It was only in the end that our lovely couple realized that even during those unsettling, unfair, arbitrary situations, they could create an order and find their own MEANING derived from chaos.

To me, that should be the takeaway of the butterfly theory. Sure, every little thing that we do may bring about a significant change in the future. But whether the change is bad or good, it’s up to us to interpret it and give it significance.

Now, for some viewers, Haru’s journey to self-actualization appears redundant AND DanOh’s desire to change her fate at all costs appears selfish. But for me, that’s the point of this kdrama. Their goals might be redundant or selfish, but for them, it’s a matter of greatest importance. Kyung, for instance, never could understand why DanOh insisted on changing her setup.

From Ep 12 (Ch 24 at 16:08):

DO: It seems like we’re going to get married.
KY: So what? You were the one that always wanted to get married.
DO: Fine! That’s why you always yell, get mad, and push me away. You pretend to like her even though you hate it to death. But you have to (pretend that you like her) because of your family.I really pity the Eun DanOh who only got hurt by you for the last ten years, who has a heart that can stop at any moment, who doesn’t know if she has a long future, and who has been holding onto someone who doesn’t even love her. That’s why I want to change it before my heart stops.
KY: What?
DO: It’s already enough that the writer can make me move however they want and play with my illness.
KY: Don’t bother.
DO: What?
KY: No matter how much you try, it won’t change. You have to be my side. It was already decided. Then and now, too.

Kyung was willing to stick with his setup because he thought it was advantageous to him. It was only in Ep 15, when he had that “epiphany” that a) he was turning himself into a monster forcing his childhood friend to be by his side, and b) the writer had been duping him with his delusions of love from DanOh, did he finally decide to change his setup, too. Giving his coat to Haru was his way of saying, “I’m done!” and “I’m not playing this sick game anymore!”

 

The concept of the butterfly effect was first introduced in the romcom in Episode 5 (Ch 9 at 12:38) when DanOh consoled a sad DoHwa after he learned she was going to die.

DanOh: Do you know what a butterfly effect is? It’s a theory that states that even the small flutter of a butterfly’s wings could start a huge typhoon.
DH: What does that have to do with you?
DanOh: A small action of an extra could change this entire world. Although Dried Squid says I’m messing things up. So even if the stage has nothing to do with me, if I keep changing it, I won’t need things like this (her medicine bag for her heart condition).

Later, DoHwa would tell Jooda about the butterfly effect and draw a butterfly on her shoe. Although Jooda declined DoHwa’s proposal, she would be an agent of change herself when she stepped up to her role as “main character.” Jooda’s butterfly wings changed the attitudes of the bullies.

But I think most viewers missed that DanOh spotted the butterflies flitting around Haru while he was still an unknown “backmate” in Episode 3 (Ch 5 at 21:04).

Remember this scene? She decided to check again whether #13 was the key to changing her fate. The butterflies were there.

That’s why I wasn’t too surprised when a butterfly reappeared and led DanOh to the sketch of a couple under a tree.

BTW, the sketch was the last drawing that Haru drew on the sketchbook he left for her. lol. The manhwa writer recycled the props, remember?

Per Kissasian, the words scribbled on top of the said, “I hope this becomes an unforgettable gift for DanOh.”

Beside the sketch was a poster of an art festival on October 10.

In turn, the sketch led her to discover the 300-year-old tree. She must have only regained her self-awareness while sitting under the tree.

After leaving the tree, she remembered a conversation she once had with Haru. She said, “Whether we’re on or off the stage, let’s meet there every October 10th. It feels like then, somehow, we will be able to get together for a long time.” Haru had replied, “When we’re 19 and when we’re 20, too.”

She ran back to the tree to search for him. When he reappeared, her first words were “I found you.”

Three things are noteworthy here for me.

First, the reunion was once again told from DanOh’s perspective, not Haru’s. SHE was the one looking for him first; SHE was the one who found him first; SHE was the one who approached him first; SHE was the one who caught his attention first. 

She did this, too, in “Secret.” He was already lingering around her but she initiated contact.

This was true in “Flower” as well. As the guard, he was hovering around, already curious about her, but she befriended him first when they met in the field of flowers. Then, at that meeting in the pavilion, she was the one to cling to him first.

From Ep 12 (Ch 24 at 13:48)

DanOh: You know that we can’t do anything about our feelings even if we close our eyes and block our ears.
Haru: I will not listen to you. (Because he was conflicted between his emotions for her and his duty as a loyal guard.)

He moved away; she grabbed his sleeve to hold him back. Then she hugged him. He was teary-eyed but he didn’t return her embrace.

In all these three encounters, the story was told DanOh’s viewpoint. It’s clear that she was the one who made the first move to attach herself to him.

Second, she offered him the drawing, saying “Haru-ya.” Remember what I said in a previous post? Calling him affectionately as “Haru-ya” was a sign that she already remembered their previous life together.

This scene is like a replay of her finding him in “Secret.” Back then she said, “Finally. (clutch her audibly beating heart, lol) I found you. I won’t lost you this time.”

She chased after him too and offered him an… umbrella, lol. The umbrella had a flower decoration.

In both re-encounters, she was the one who found him AND she introduced herself to him with an object that was a carryover from the previous lifetime. In “Secret,” the flower decoration on her umbrella came from the flowers in her garden in the past. Then, in this new world, the drawing she handed Haru was the sketch from his sketchbook in “Secret.” I find that comforting that there were objects from the past that survived and remained in their current time.

Third, like history repeating itself, Haru’s reaction to her reaching out to him was enigmatic. The expression on his face was deadpan. Frankly, I would have felt cheated and disappointed had HIS face actually registered shock this time around. lol.

From “Flower” Ep 12 (Ch 24 at 14:21):

From “Secret” Ep 3 (Ch 5 at 0:54):

Of course, he already recognized her at this point in “Secret.” He was only pretending not to know her.

Remember this? From from Ep 5 (Ch 9 at 0:04) —

Haru’s beginnings.

He first appears outside the closed gates of the school. He takes in the sunshine as if it’s his first time feeling it. He wonders, “Who am I?” Next, he sits by the window and observes at scar on his hand. He contemplates, “I want to know where I came from and where I’m headed.”

He walks between the aisle in the library, touching books. He sees the book “Secret” floating on the shelf. He sees the characters, but his eyes gravitate to the drawing of a minor character at the corner of the book. Eun Dan Oh. It describes her as “female, 18 years old. Baek Kyung’s fiancée. Her body is weak due to a heart condition.” He looks at the shelf again, and sees a black hole, just like DanOh previously did. Next, he studies his hand again in sunlight. He raises the scar to block the glare. He sees the blackhole floating in space. He observes that no one else notices the blackhole, except for a girl standing on the skywalk. He stares at her.

Next, he’s walking toward her in class. She’s sitting beside the window, with her eyes closed. She seems to be enjoying the soft breeze and sunlight coming through the window. He approaches her and calls her name, “Eun Dan Oh.” She startles and comes out of her daydream; she doesn’t see him beside her. But his vision of her is slightly distorted. She looks hazy; her outline a bit blurry, fuzzy.

He thinks, “For the first time, I heard my voice.” He tests his voice some more while observing her interact with classmates. Her nametag shows her name. He sees that that she’s the Eun Dan Oh in the book. He looks at his nametag but there’s no name on it. He thinks again, “How do I know that girl’s name when I don’t even know my name?”

Then, there’s a flash of his accidental meeting with her on the stairs. He protects her head with his arm. He thinks, “Why do I only have my eyes on you?” And he remembers running to save her in dodgeball and again he protects her head with his arm. “I don’t even know who I am.”

Next scene, he’s looking at his sketches of her taped on the wall. “Tell me why it’s you.”

To me, when DanOh stopped him with the floral umbrella, he pretended not to know her because he was being cautious. He wanted to know why it was her and why he only had eyes for her.

He could hardly go and confess that he was obsessed with her and drawing pictures of her night and day, right? So he played it cool.

That’s why I’m not surprised anymore when he didn’t react when DanOh greeted him.

He looked down at the sketch and then at her.

She was dismayed that he didn’t move to take it nor smile at her.

She backed away slowly and left the drawing on the park bench.

She walked away, and he called her name.

He ran after her and hugged her.

They said they missed each other.

Now, I could come up with three different interpretations of this scene. (Ha! Go ahead and think of more.)

A. The actor’s facial expression was really terrible. lol.

B. Haru didn’t recognize her immediately. When she handed him the drawing, he didn’t know her, and he wasn’t expecting her. To him, she was just an odd girl handing him a sketch. When she left the painting on the bench and walked away, his memory snapped back into place, and he chased after her.

C. It was a breathless moment for him, too.

But unlike DanOh who consistently wore her emotions on her face, he was holding his emotions in. He was looking at her and watching all the emotions pass through her face like when someone who’s having an out-of-body experience and watching a scene play in front of his eyes.

Memories were flooding in. He was struck dumb thinking how much she had (or hadn’t) changed from the last time they met.

When she handed him the sketch, he must have briefly remembered the time he drew it. Did she discover his sketchbook in the previous lifetime or was she just randomly handing this sketch to him? It didn’t matter, really. He wouldn’t be eager to take back that framed sketch. It was a sad reminder of their separation.

But when she left the picture on the bench, and turned her back to walk away, he snapped out of his introspection (or paralysis-by-analysis), and chased her.

In “Flower,” he couldn’t hug her.  He had developed feelings for her but she was the Prince’s fiancee and he was King’s guard.

In “Secret,” he couldn’t acknowledge her, much less hug her. To him, she was somebody familiar and important to him, but he couldn’t remember who she was and why she was important.  Also, before he could do anything, her Stage began and she was zapped out of his company.

This time around, he remembered her instantly. He was overwhelmed to meet her again and could only stand and stare at her. Her departure galvanized him to action, and this time, he was the one to cling to her and hang on.

Finally.

To sum, the flutter of DanOh’s butterfly wings spanned three manhwas. In their first time, nothing made sense to them, and she paid the price with her own life. The second time around, Haru brought meaning to their secret connection, and he willingly paid the price with his own life. This last time together, there’s hope that they’ve finally found the separate peace and happiness they’re looking for.

Edited 11/28/2019 to add these gifs.

Credit: Lee_taeri’s tumblr