My thoughts.
1. The Poem
Haewon was reading again from the book “The Person I Love.”
She selected the poem, “To the Daffodil,” but the first lines, “Don’t cry. To be lonely is to be human,” made her remember Eunsub reading this same poem in class back in high school. Excited, she went down to the bookshop to tell him. But he had gone out. His sister told Haewon that he’d gone to the mountain.
This is the poem as subbed in Kissasian. The poet is Jeong Ho Seung who also wrote “A Glass of Drink” in Episode 2.
To the Daffodil
by Jeong Ho Seung
Don’t cry.
To be lonely is to be human.
To live is to endure loneliness.
Don’t wait for the call that never comes.
The black-chested sandpiper in the reed field is watching you.
Sometimes even a god cries in loneliness.
Birds sit on branches because they’re lonely.
You sit by the water because you’re lonely.
The mountain shadow comes down to the village
once a day because it’s lonely.
The peal of bells rings out because it too is lonely.
Ugh! Why is this book of poetry so full of “han”?
Eunsub must have known of Haewon’s loneliness. After reading the poem in class, he looked directly at her, as if to address her. He would have heard the gossip about Haewon’s mother by then, and would have known that she was being ostracized.
2. Eunsub’s secret blog post
Eunsub wrote:
She’s asleep right now, under the same roof as me.
She came into my room earlier, and said the old lamp on my desk was beautiful.
I suddenly felt a surge of happiness and wanted to get on my knees and hold her hands. And tell her how I felt about her.
But I didn’t want to surprise her, so I just said, “Thanks.”
Something unbelievable is bound to happen someday, everyone.
As to be expected, he would be so thrilled to have her staying at his house that he wrote about this important turn of events in his blog. He tried hard to convince her to stay. When she said that she could just move back to Seoul, he dropped the pile of books in panic, then shelved a book carelessly.
lol. He was covering his mouth in case he said something embarrassing like, “Kajima! Don’t go!!!”
I thought this blog entry was just so like him: restrained. He’s cool on the outside but giddy inside. And I like how he’s upbeat in the end. He wrote, “Something unbelievable is bound to happen someday.” To me, that sounded like he had high hopes of winning her heart if he was given time to spend with her.
I also don’t think Eunsub is anything like their high school friend, Jang Woo. Jang Woo appears cheerful and scatterbrained all the time but he’s shrewder than he let on. Because of his easy-going nature, people tend to forget that he graduated at the top of his class and went on to Seoul National University. You don’t get to be number one when you’re naive and gullible.
It’s noteworthy, too, that for all Jang Woo’s jovial ways, he was the one who managed to put both Eunsub and Haewon in a bind.
One, when they were drinking, he turned the spotlight on Eunsub and egged him on to reveal his crush in high school. Two, when they were drinking again, he agitated Haewon enough to get her to open up about her “misunderstanding” with best friend, Boyeong. He gave Haewon’s number to Boyeong without her permission. Tsk tsk tsk.
Jang Woo got the two most reserved people to reveal something they kept secret since high school. To me, that’s no mean feat.
3. On taboos
After sharing their legends, Eunsub’s sister asked why people would do the opposite of what they were told. Eunsub replied, “Because a taboo is naturally difficult to keep, after all.”
What he meant here was if a taboo was easy to practice or to accomplish, then it wouldn’t be at all a taboo.
I thought this was another way of looking at the cause of Haewon’s estrangement with Boyeong. Haewon had confided in her best friend about her mother’s scandal. Her mother killed her father and was sentenced to seven years in prison. Tearfully, Boyeong then promised never to tell anyone of her secret and they pinky-swore to seal the promise.
To me, the girls agreed to keep secret two things here. One was her mother’s crime. Obviously, that became a forbidden topic, a taboo. But the other secret that was implied here was Haewon’s shame for her mother. Her shame became a forbidden topic, too. A taboo. Her shame became private. She didn’t have to deal anymore with the shame of having a criminal for a parent. She didn’t have to talk about her shame, face it, and confront it. She had built a defensive wall against the shame.
But of course, it was difficult for Boyeong to keep it a secret. As Eunsub said, “A taboo is naturally difficult to keep after all.” Boyeong might not have maliciously intended to reveal the truth; she might have a good-hearted or kind reason for doing so. But once she broke a taboo, and revealed the truth about Haewon’s mother, Haewon’s wall crumbled and she became defenseless. She became a target of bullying in school. And more importantly, she herself couldn’t separate herself from the shame.
To me, that’s key here: the dual nature of the taboo. There was the crime that couldn’t be disclosed, and then there was the shame that she couldn’t revealed, too.
She would mention this later in Episode 4. She could have tolerated the bullying and taunting that would have ensued from another sort of rumor, e.g., she was kicked out school because of teen pregnancy. She wouldn’t have minded that kind of harassment because she knew the basis of her peers’ ostracism was false. But she couldn’t endure the shame of her own mother being a murderer.
From Ep 4 at 21:02:
BY: But because bad rumors about you were being—
HW: Being spread, so you did it for me, is that it? Thank you, Boyeong. But it would have been better actually.
BY: What?
HW: It would have been better.
BY: What?
HW: That bad rumors were spread about me.
BY: How coult that be better? There was a rumor that you were pregnant –
HW: But at least that was a lie. Because it was a lie, no matter how much I was teased or mocked for it, I wouldn’t care. But because my mom’s story was true, because it was so very true, I couldn’t be alright at all.
She didn’t need to feel ashamed had the gossip been a false one. But since the gossip was in fact real, she had to endure the shame in silence and pretend that she was fine…and shameless.
4. On loneliness
ES: There are people who never say what they really feel.
HW: Even to family?
ES: Yeah. Saying it’s hard when it’s hard. Saying they’re hurt when they’re hurt. These people never voice what they really feel. They sometimes take those feelings to their grave. (looking at each other) There are people who build a shelter in their heart and keep everything locked up in there. They don’t say when they’re lonely. They actually prefer being alone, instead of being with family. Maybe Noona is one of those people.
One one level, he was explaining to Haewon why her aunt didn’t want to open up about her illness.
But on another level, he could have been describing himself and Haewon. Both of them bottled up their feelings.
For Haewon, it was out of necessity that she kept things to herself. Her mother’s crime not only stigmatized, branding her as a murderer’s daughter, but it also traumatized her because she became ashamed of her own mother whom she was attached to. (Later in Episode 4, she would reveal that when she was young, she would feel uneasy everytime she woke up and found her mother missing.)
As for Eunsub, the reason for his introversion was still unknown. But he definitely built a wall around his heart, especially when it came to Haewon. He gave her a fictional name, Irene. He waited for her return every winter. And even now that she reappeared, he restrained himself from showing his feelings for her. Nobody knew that he’d been in love with her for this long.
The two of them are so similar to each other that they could be described as “two peas in a pod.” It’s too bad however that they’ve living in two separate pods all these years.
5. On the legend of the “Wolf’s Silver Eyebrow”
I think Eunsup only narrated half of the legend.
Remember how the book club members have been telling legends but they were finishing off each other’s stories? The legends were told as a group effort.
For me, that’s the context of Eunsup’s storytelling. He was sharing an old tale, but the ending wasn’t finished yet. He said his part of the legend, and Haewon added her ending later.
ES: A long time ago lived a young boy. This boy always got hurt by people. Because the boy was naïve, people always tricked or betrayed him. Then, one day, the boy meets a wolf in the mountain. The wolf plucks one of his eyebrows and tells him, do you want to put this silvery eyebrow before your eyes and try looking at people through it? You will be able to see people’s real form. A cunning monkey, a sly fox, a mean pig, a wicked raccoon. In the world the boy saw, there was no real people. So the boy decided to leave to find a place where real people lived.
HW: Did he find such a place?
ES: No.
HW: He couldn’t.
ES: No. He couldn’t find one anywhere.
And this was how Haewon ended his story.
ES: So there wasn’t anywhere like that. So this is the story of the boy living a lonely life and dying.
HW: He’s so pitiful.
ES: Who is?
HW: The boy who got the wolf’s silver eyebrow. He must have been so lonely. It was terrible and dreadful. How cold must the boy have been?
ES: What could we do for that boy?
HW: We would have to give him a hug. We have to give him a big hug. Give him a hug using all of our strengths so that he can get warm. We have to hug him tight.
Remember “Wind in the Willows”? Eunsub said that he collected different versions. From Ep 1 at 46:31:
HW: Why do you have so many of the same book?
ES: “Wind in the Willows”? I like the storyline. I bought other editions to see if the story was the same, and –
HW: Was it the same?
ES: Yeah. Almost.
There were different versions because the book’s illustrations were done more than once. Also, some editions left out some chapters like Chapter 7, which I mentioned in my last blog post. In the finale that I read, Toad was converted. He’d been a wild, uncontrollable, and narcissistic animal. But at the end of the story, after his friends, the Rat, Mole and Badger, fought off the squatters in his beloved home, he was forced to rein in his atrocious behavior. He changed for the better.
Now, I find it interesting that somebody who enjoyed the happy story line of “Wind in the Willows,” would also enjoyed the depressing story line of “Wolf’s Silver Eyebrow.” The WitW showcased a world where anthropomorphic animals (i.e., animals with human characteristics) were good to each other and helped each other out.
In “Wolf’s Silver Eyebrow,” it’s the opposite. With the wolf’s eyebrow, the young boy saw that people were similar to bad animals under the skin, e.g., “a cunning monkey, a sly fox, a mean pig, a wicked raccoon.”
To me, it was Haewon’s ending that put things in proper perspective. It wasn’t true that no real people live anywhere. The story only meant that even real people had to wear a mask. Thus, it was important to look beneath the surface and discover people’s true identity under all the disguises, pretensions, and defenses.
Moreover, the purpose of wolf’s silvery eyebrow was to help the boy see the motives of the people so he wouldn’t be deceived again. The unintended and unfortunate consequences of this gift (kinda like the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden) is that he lost all innocence and faith in people. He became cynical.
That’s why Haewon’s unexpected twist of his story was a critical point. With her story revision (or extension), she was proving that not everything was lost yet. True, people were imperfect. They had masks on and ulterior motives. But they were still capable of empathy. They could feel pity for a lonely child. They could do something. They could reach out to hug that child in comfort.
Do you see what I mean?
The legend is only one version of a story. In real life, legends are made to be rewritten, surpassed, and transcended. 🙂
To prove my point, I’m leaving you with one version of the “Wolf’s Silvery Eyebrow” (is it eyebrow or eyelash? lol) which I found in the internet. It was written by C.P. Estes and included in her collection of stories, “Rowing Songs for the Night Sea Journey, Contemporary Chants.” Enjoy!
The Wolf’s Eyelash
If you don’t go out in the woods, nothing will ever happen and your life will never begin.“Don’t go out in the woods, don’t go out,” they said.
“Why not? Why should I not go out in the woods tonight?” she asked.
“A big wolf lives there who eats humans such as you. Don’t go out in the woods, don’t go out. We mean it.”Naturally she went out. She went out in the woods anyway, and of course she met the wolf, just as they had warned her.
“See, we told you,” they crowed.
“This is my life, not a fairy tale, you dolts,” she said. “I have to go to the woods, and I have to meet the wolf, or else my life will never begin.”But the wolf she encountered was in a trap, in a trap this wolf’s leg was in.
“Help me, oh help me! Aieeeee, aieeee, aieeee!” cried the wolf. “Help me, oh help me!” he cried, “and I shall reward you justly.” For this is the way of wolves in tales of this kind.“How do I know you won’t harm me?” she asked – it was her job to ask questions. “How do I know you will not kill me and leave me lying in my bones?”
“Wrong question,” said this wolf. “You’ll just have to take my word for it.” And the wolf began to cry and wail once again and more.
“Oh, aieee! Aieeee! Aieeee!
There’s only one question worthy asking fair maiden,
wooooooooor aieeeee th’ soooooooool?”“Oh you wolf, I will take a chance. Alright, here!” And she sprang the trap and the wolf drew out its paw and this she bound with herbs and grasses.
“Ah, thank you kind maiden, thank you,” sighed the wolf. And because she had read too many of the wrong kind of tales, she cried, “Go ahead and kill me now, and let us get this over with.”But no, this did not come to pass. Instead this wolf put his paw upon her arm.
“I’m a wolf from another time and place,” said he. And plucking a lash from his eye, he gave it to her and said, “Use this, and be wise. From now on you will know who is good and not so good; just look through my eyes and you will see clearly.For letting me live, I bid you live in a manner as never before.
Remember, there’s only one question worthy asking fair maiden,
wooooooooor aieeeee th’ soooooooool?”And so she went back to her village, happy to still have her life.
And this time as they said, “Just stay here and be my bride,”
or “Do as I tell you,” or “Say as I want you to say,
and remain as unwritten upon as the day you came,”
she held up the wolf’s eyelash and peered through
and saw their motives as she had not seen them before.
And the next time the butcher weighed the meat,
she looked through her wolf’s eyelash and saw that he weighed his thumb too.
And she looked at her suitor who said “I am so good for you,”
And she saw that her suitor was so good for exactly nothing.
And in this way and more, she was saved,
from not all, but from many misfortunes.But more so, in this new seeing, not only did she see the sly and cruel, she began to grow immense in heart, for she looked at each person and weighed them anew through this gift from the wolf she had rescued.
And she saw those who were truly kind
and went near to them,
and found her mate and stayed all the days of her life,
she discerned the brave and came close to them,
she apprehended the faithful and joined with them,
she saw bewilderment under anger and hastened to soothe it,
she saw love in the eyes of the shy and reached out to them,
she saw suffering in the stiff-lipped and courted their laughter,
she saw need in the man with no words and spoke for him,
she saw faith deep in the woman, who said she had none,
and rekindled hers from her own.
She saw all things with her lash of wolf
all things true, and all things false,
all things turning against life
and all things turning toward life,
all things seen only through the eyes of that
which weighs the heart with heart,
and not with mind alone.This is how she learned that it is true what they say, that the wolf is the wisest of all. If you listen closely, the wolf in its howling is always asking the most important question – not where is the next food, not where is the next fight, not where is the next dance?…. but the most important question in order to see into and behind,
to weigh the value of all that lives:
wooooooooor aieeeee th’ soooooooool?”
wooooooooor aieeeee th’ soooooooool?”
Where is the soul?
Where is the soul?Go out in the woods, go out. If you don’t go out in the woods, nothing will ever happen and your life will never begin.
Go out in the woods, go out.
Go out in the woods, go out,
Go out in the woods, go out.
[Excerpted from “The Wolf’s Eyelash,” original prose poem by C.P. Estes, copyright 1970, from “Rowing Songs for the Night Sea Journey, Contemporary Chants” … reprinted in _Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype_ by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D.]
@Packmule3, I looked up this legend as well to see if it was real, apart from this drama and found the Estes version. It’s got redemption via seeing good as well as flawed, while HW thought of redemption through the flawed people doing good as well as bad. I wondered if the C.P. Estes got it from Korean (or Eastern) legend or if the screen writer modified Estes’ poem/story. It is similar to First Nation stories.
When his sister told HW that ES had gone to the mountain and said that he is like a wild animal, my first thought was that she was going to find him, as she would want to find and comfort the boy in the poem. She hugged him so hard when they met. I don’t think it was 100% accurate when she told him that she was upset because of her mother leaving her as a child, but perhaps a combination of the two things.
When ES read ‘To the Daffodil’ at school, it looked to me like HW had chosen the same poem to read, which would have been embarrassing unless there was a very limited number of poems from which to choose.
Jae Woo is complicated, too. I think the actor is very natural in this role. (He’s only 20/21 Korean age and I really like his deep, slightly Ralph Fiennes-type voice, but that may be more a Shallow Island point.) He seems to have his fingers in several pies. Do you think he’s stirring the mud on purpose?
“When ES read ‘To the Daffodil’ at school, it looked to me like HW had chosen the same poem to read, which would have been embarrassing unless there was a very limited number of poems from which to choose.”
I read this interplay of scenes to mean that she didn’t “get” his original intent in the first reading during class. I forget but did he throw a side glance at her right at the end of that recital? I do remember that for her the second reading (her own) at his house years later was her epiphany. That’s why her face lit up when she remembered him reading it in class. She didn’t get it then but she got it now. He was directing the poem to her (in his very cryptic indirect way 😂). Hence her response to want to “tell him that she got it now”, only to find that he had disappeared into the mountains on his own. She had connected with him now so the thought that she could potentially lose that newfound connection caused her to panic as she recalled how she panicked before when her mom left her alone in the house. Except she was not entirely alone in the house now? His sister was there. But importantly for her, he wasn’t. She has become irreversibly linked to him now because she knew he “understood her”.
Thanks @packmule3 for that Estes version. It makes a lot more sense than ES’s abbreviated version.
“The legend is only one version of a story. In real life, legends are made to be rewritten, surpassed, and transcended.”
Yes to this. You cannot change your beginning (what’s past) BUT you can rewrite the ending.
Yes. Haewon repeated the two lines of “To the Daffodil”. The first time, she was just reading them. The second time, she was transported back in time when EunSeub was reading the same poem in class. That meant she remembered him reading it. It’s like a lightbulb 💡 went on in her head.
Too bad he was gone. 🙂
ES would have frustrated me back in high school. I didn’t like guys who were cryptic because I wasn’t a mind-reader. But I’m enjoying HW and ES’ car dates. Lol. HW got to ask him questions and since he couldn’t go anywhere, he had no choice but to answer her.
“ ES would have frustrated me back in high school. I didn’t like guys who were cryptic because I wasn’t a mind-reader.”
Yes. Even now…getting a straight answer from him is like pulling hen’s teeth. I think when you’re quiet and prefer living in your own mind (like me), when you do start to talk, the sound of your own voice is such a shock to the system that it takes a while to get accustomed to. Like an old car you crank start, you will sputter a few times before getting started for real. He’s so terribly non confrontational. The only time I ever saw him register even the faintest hint of negative emotions was when he found her wandering in the mountains on her own. He seemed visibly annoyed/frustrated that she didn’t think it through and put herself in danger. He’s just so very frustratingly INERT. 😂. Unflappable, unnervingly centered as an individual. Everyone’s pillar of support.
I have my reservations about JW’s character. I feel like there’s something more to his rambunctious exterior. Is it a cover for having to “prove himself” as deserving in the eyes of others? He seems very eager to please?
I found JW pretty simple for now. He’s kinda the glue between everyone and takes this role seriously.
I’m curious how ES reacted to the bullying of HW. Did he try other things than the poem? Or was he too lonely himself to do something else.
@nrllee, I agree with your and @packmule3’s take on ES. Especially the crank start. I think he’s not great at thinking on his feet when surprised. His bland, sheep-like face is his mask while his mind scrambles for a safe, useful response because he knows that his unedited responses can get him in trouble. Haha. I can relate. There was one shot of him in the shop kitchen with his back to the book club where he had a big, dimple-making grin. There’s hope.
I’m surprised and glad ES took the initiative to get HW a pair of winter boots after noticing the similarities between her shoes and the shoes of the lost woman.
Ref JW – Yes, he’s a bit of a politician. Competitive and certainly an organiser of people and situations. I wish he’d organise MY class reunion. Although he genuinely seemed as shocked as everyone else at ES’s public confession at the reunion, I’m also sceptical that he didn’t know that ES can’t drink after knowing him for so many years. It seemed in both instances, he wanted to get ES drunk or at least tipsy. Tipsy, also as in shaking something balanced. He was borderline harassing ES I thought, but the crowd, after some protest, went with it. Now he’s planning a bigger, official reunion, even knowing how HW feels about her schoolmates? Maybe as a friend, he just wants ES to find someone to bring him out of his shell and he’s trying to effect that? Or if he’s feeling family pressure to marry and settle, again he doesn’t want to be the ‘only one to go down.’
Yes, it took me a second look at ep. 3 to see the ‘lightbulb moment’. Thank you both for pointing it out.
No worries, Fern. It was kind of confusing how the director wove in the flashback with the poetry, “To the Daffodil.”
Working on Ep 4 later.
@Sayaris, ES had a voice over saying, ‘I’m an idiot who doesn’t know how to comfort anyone.’ He also said he didn’t know what to do when she cried and I took that to refer back 10 years. I agree with you that he wanted to help but couldn’t/didn’t know how to do it directly, so he feels guilty.
He does make her cups and cups and cups of coffee and tea. Almost ‘Bonkers’ English style – in any emergency, quickly put the kettle on, get some tea down their gob. ☕😄
The other thing that bugs me are the class reunions…if HW had NO friends and was bullied mercilessly back in high school…where were all these classmates of hers then? ES was there but what of the others? JW? The other girls who seemed pretty chummy with her? They were obviously NOT amongst the bullies (HW seemed happy enough to sit with them at the reunion bar her friend who betrayed her) but were they silent observers of her pain? The story about her mom would’ve been big news through the school? Did they just stand by and gossip too? 😑.
True. That bugged me about that homecoming.
Where were those girls when she was being bullied? Did they just come out of nowhere?
I’m like you. I’m reserving judgment on JW. He seemed to be a nice guy now. But we know this actor’s skills. He couldn’t just be playing a jokester, right? That’s tooooo easy a role for him. There has to be depth to his character.
It’s not ideal behaviour, but I think that sometimes young people simply don’t know how to react in situations of bullying and gossip. They may not participate, but don’t have the life experience, education or confidence to actually brave the peer pressure and make a stand. Also, they may simply be trying to cope with their own worlds, in a similar way to HW’s explanation of why she stopped reading. My daughters’ schools offered direct guidance of what to do in cases of bullying, but that is pretty modern. It certainly wasn’t discussed when I was a child. And even so, there can still be codes of silence or non-involvement amongst children, depending on the unwritten ethos of the school.
When HW was looking through the feather on the rooftop, was she trying to determine who was friend and who was foe? I couldn’t determine who called out to her when she waded into the river?
True. In real life, kids don’t know how to react when they witness bullying. But I just don’t know where the writer is going with this angle. Right now, there’s a bit of inconsistency.
For instance, if HW felt like the whole school bullied her and nobody came forward to help her, then she should have felt trepidation, anxiety and reluctance attending a high school reunion…because she wouldn’t know who would show up. What if the bullies attended? She wasn’t ready to deal with her issues with Boyeong, was she ready to face her bullies, especially those kids she got in a fight with in the bathroom? I can see HW being stoic but I can’t imagine her walking into a homecoming without sparing it a thought, given how traumatized she was in high school.
For that particular homecoming scene, the writing didn’t hold up.
But maybe we’ll get to know more backstory.
Fern wrote: Ref JW – Yes, he’s a bit of a politician. Competitive and certainly an organiser of people and situations. I wish he’d organise MY class reunion. Although he genuinely seemed as shocked as everyone else at ES’s public confession at the reunion, I’m also sceptical that he didn’t know that ES can’t drink after knowing him for so many years. It seemed in both instances, he wanted to get ES drunk or at least tipsy. Tipsy, also as in shaking something balanced. He was borderline harassing ES I thought, but the crowd, after some protest, went with it. Now he’s planning a bigger, official reunion, even knowing how HW feels about her schoolmates? Maybe as a friend, he just wants ES to find someone to bring him out of his shell and he’s trying to effect that? Or if he’s feeling family pressure to marry and settle, again he doesn’t want to be the ‘only one to go down.’
You made a good point here about JW being a bit of a politician. True, right? He’s the type to kiss babies and treat everybody to coffee (or some energy drink) at a meeting. He panders to people.
But right now (Ep 3) he seems to be a good guy to our couple so I’m letting him be. I just made a mental note that he was the one who opened the can of worms for ES and HW. On the surface, he didn’t appear to be instigating trouble. But the thing is he did end up complicating things a) between ES and HW, and b) between HW and Boyeong.
Bottom line: I don’t know much about JW’s motives because I only saw the outcome of his interference. So we shall wait and see….
I was surprised that HW agreed to go to the reunion, too. I thought she must have become more resilient. Perhaps we’ll find that things improved somehow by the time she left the school. The 10 year anniversary reunion will be interesting. Not least since the mother is back and provoking reactions already.
My daughter and I have discussed how the ‘sins of the father’ are shared down generations in Kdramas and in real life news articles. HW was fighting against this when she left the counselling room after the strawberry/fight meeting. Her grandmother was kneeling, trying to apologise, appease the other families and to save HW’s position at school, but HW didn’t accept that then, no more than she accepted her student’s accusation years later.
The Story – Yeon-i and the Willow Boy
I’m not actually thinking that the little folk tale has major bearing on the interpreting the relationships or what may happen in this show, however I noticed it because it mentions once again ‘willow’. When something is repeated, I wonder if it has any significance.
This is the synopsis edited from Dramabeans’ recap and below that is my paraphrased version from http://world.kbs.co.kr/service/contents_view.htm?lang=e&menu_cate=culture&id=&board_seq=129462&page=49&board_code=
Soo Jung begins the story of a girl named Yeon-i who is forced to find herbs in the dead of winter by her evil stepmother. (Sounds like which Western fairytale …Snow White and Rose Red?)
Geun Sang continues the tale: Yeon-i meets Young Master Willow who takes her to his cave and gives her herbs. But the stepmother is presumably jealous that anyone is nice to Yeon-i and kills him for his kindness.
Gil Bok continues: Yeon-i found a flower that she brewed into a medicine which revived Young Master Willow.
Geun-sang finishes that they lived happily ever after.
The fuller tale has Yeon-i wandering lost and afraid in the mountains where she finds a door to a whole new world (portal alert!) where there was no Winter. The willow boy comes, listens to her sad tale, gives her herbs/greens and 3 bottles: red, blue and yellow ones. She can use the bottles in that order in case of emergency.
Stepmother is unpleasantly surprised that Yeon-i not only returned alive but was able to bring back the greens. So she sends her out again the next day, and again Yeon-i comes back with the greens.
The third day, stepmother follows Yeon-i. The next day she kills the boy. Returning, she tell Yeon-i to get greens again. Yeon-i is dismayed at finding the boy dead, but remembers the 3 bottles.
Opening the red bottle, brings colour to his cheeks. The blue bottle got him breathing again and the yellow bottle got him waking up.
He tells Yeon-i that he had come from heaven to save her. A rainbow appears from above and taking her hand, the willow boy rides the rainbow to the sky with Yeon-i.
After I paraphrased it, it came to me that saving Yeon-i sounded like letting her die and go to heaven. Yikes! So stepmother had her way in the end and got rid of the girl.
If I wanted to ‘force’ the tale to fit the characters, then would ES be something like the willow boy, resilient like a willow, ensconced in his warm bookshop home like the un-wintry land of the folk tale, offering HW (Yeon-i) all the greens she needs (coffee, tea, a place to warm up in).
Her real mum might almost be the evil step-mum, since she ruined HW’s safe world by committing murder, after being absent without notice from time to time, and leaving her alone to face the stigma. Practically sending HW/Yeon-i out into the cold of winter to fend for herself.
HW seems to have run away from her life in Seoul to an equally barren life with her aunt, but she finds a warm and happy respite from Winter on the other side of the door of Good Night Bookshop.
(Gotta run … maybe more later!!)
I’m back … so was I trying to make a point? Only that among the many meanderings of the plot, I may try to look out for more willow characteristics: medicinal/healing, and able to adapt and bounce back.
I like the idea that it’s not only Willow/ES who saves Yeon-i/HW but she has the chance to save him too. I believe that’s what will be the healing end for this OTP and their families.
And while the story is being narrated, Hwi was commenting that first it was a rom-com, then a horror story and LOL finally that it had many plot twists. Might this be what we are in for as well. We are in the sweet couple getting together phase, and the evil step-mother is about to turn up and shake the tale/twist the plot.
Poking at ES and HW
I felt that it was not only Jang Woo who’s a persistent poker and presser for ‘truth’, but the rather tiresome sister, Hwi who also does quite a job of forcing something out of someone… not always getting the truth, however.
The result of her endless ribbing about ‘Irene’ in front of HW, is that Hwi pushes ES to lie. And now he has to live that lie without inflating it and yet trying not to reveal it. And Hwi remains happily deceived and puzzled LOL.
The Wolf’s Silver Eyelash
Thanks @pkml3 for your analysis of the tale as told by ES/HW and for the lovely prose poem by Estes. Yes, so there are other versions to what we see and it’s not that there are no genuine people but that one has to look beneath the masks to find them.
However taken at face value, ES’s version is such a sad story about being naïve and constantly deceived, hurt, betrayed, of going out in search of people who were genuine. This, I guess, is the hint of ES’s unhappy past. We wonder if he was abused and abandoned and why he is alone. It is good that he went out (“into the woods”) in search of truth so that his life too could begin/has begun.
It’s great that it was HW, invested in ES’s tale, who says that the boy should be hugged. It would be nice if she could apply the analogy to herself. The tale of loneliness and hurt could have other versions and a better ending for HW too, and people could be given a chance to empathise with her, or she to empathise with them. At the moment, she’s unforgiving towards Bo Yeong. But she will always be burdened with that resentment. Only forgiving will free her. And while we like poetic justice in our dramas, we know in RL that we don’t get the apologies we would like, but that forgiving anyway, does more good for us than for the other.
I wonder if HW is starting to think about this, as she finds the blue feather and tries to peak through it.
@GB, thank you for this. I would add the story the little Jung Seung-ho read about the owl who let Winter into his house. It would be easy to relate this to the burst pipes, but perhaps Winter is HW’s mother. I agree that each of the fables/legends relates to people in the group. I am not familiar with this story so I don’t know how it ends.
I think that HW was thinking hard about the discussion about how people can’t control themselves when told not to do something. But yes, it is hard to forgive before receiving an apology especially when the effects were so devastating and she feels increasingly righteous. But without forgiveness or at least coming to an understanding, the situation deteriorates, such as HW’s last point being that BY is a perennial victim. It may be true, but I was a bit shocked by that counter-attack. Perhaps they need a mediator.
Or the kindly owl might be ES letting HW into his house? 😯 Not that HW is Winter herself, but is linked to Winter.
Sorry for multiple posts, just found this which tells the rest of the story. The owl reminds me of the words ES wrote about a good life: Eat well, sleep, well, wake up well, work well, have a good rest. Sounds so undemanding and one dimensional but not always easy to achieve. http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/owl-at-homel.pdf
I think one of the major differences between HW and ES is that whilst both seem lonely and have issues, ES (as @packmule3 has astutely pointed out referencing the “Han” way) has accepted his “fate” and has found contentment and peace with his predicament. HW is still finding her way there. ES’s blog entries are a window into his state of mind and thus far they have been optimistic and hopeful. He’s content with the little that he’s received from “Irene” and delights in what’s on offer. He isn’t greedy for more. He’s just grateful for what is. I like that about him. It really is a huge blessing to be content with your lot in life and not want more or begrudge what little you have.
@packmule3 yeah I thought her decision to just go to the reunion didn’t quite fit with the events that unfolded in later episodes. It’s just something that bugged me with hindsight because we didn’t know about how awful high school life was for her till later.
As for JW, he is much like a politician. Everyone’s best friend (or he tries to be). But I have noticed a certain cowardice about him when the going gets tough. He backs out/retreats. There’s a limit to how far he will go for you. He was the one who noticed his colleague’s less than ideal footwear on the hike. He was also the one who saw how she didn’t seem particularly well. Yet…he didn’t act on it. He could’ve stayed and walked with her at the back of the crowd but he didn’t. ES probably would have. Probably not overtly but ES would’ve just checked his pace and walked right up back to ensure she makes it down the mountain. JW was too busy trying to keep ahead with everyone else. This is what I like about LJW the actor, you can see all these conflicting emotions run through his mind just with his body language and eyes…he hesitated up on that mountain when he saw her discomfort, but he chose to ignore it to keep pace with the rest of the herd. Riddled with guilt after, he rings ES to bail him out. He (JW) didn’t want her death to be on his conscience. I wonder if this scenario played out in high school for him too. He was so hellbent on being popular and getting ahead that he ignored the bullying of HW by the others. He chose to “pretend not to see” and walked away.
Great points, @nrllee. I was thinking the same when he noticed the footwear and how unwell she looked. Any organised hike I’ve ever been on had an experienced person at the front and at the rear to prevent just such situations. Actually, he’s not the only one to let her down, but he did actively notice her condition.
Awesome, GB!
Thanks for doing the research. I always appreciate additional info because it ends up adding to context.
And I still remember Hotel del Luna where some viewers were annoyed with the side stories or vignettes when actually they were important in the female lead’s growth and development. So who knows where these book club reading material will lead us?
“ Actually, he’s not the only one to let her down, but he did actively notice her condition.”
Agreed. Everyone on that hike was just as responsible. But because the camera opted to just highlight JW, the writer/PD wanted to use him as the representative of the herd mentality. We’ve all been there. In situations where we opted to say nothing or do nothing only to be racked with guilt after for failing to choose to walk the road less travelled.
“representative of the herd mentality” is an echo of HW’s classmates 10 years ago. Agree that we’ve all been there. Herd mentality scares me. Let’s hope no one gets figuratively crucified.
JW is Mr Popularity, but he isn’t responsible. Responsible is ES and I’m glad that JW called ES right away, not just to bail him out, but because he knew ES was the best man for the job. Having said that, JW then misrepresented ES’s meeting to this girl. I just want to shake him. Thank you for helping pick up the boxes Mr Nice Guy, but no thanks for involving your friend without his consent, Mr Insensitive. Or, given that he’s not stupid, would you call this a low-level betrayal? This personality is so interesting within the story.
@GB3, I agree that Hwi is another poker. Very realistic, too. My younger daughter is about that age and persistent/insistent doesn’t begin to describe her.
I’m looking forward to PM3’s take on ep. 4 and I wish this week would fly by so I can see what happens next.
@Fern I agree about JW being duplicitous and therefore his character is interesting. I look forward to greater insight into him as the drama unfolds.
I still can’t get the poem ofor the silver wolf’so eyelash from my mind. The author is have no experience from the rest of his novels but in this drama I got a chance to feel for the character Eun Won and Eun Sop, to look for someone real.