@s.moureen commented:

Insightful explanation, pkm3, the Ultimate Show Whisperer! Thank you. Glad I finally know why the ceiling fell.

But would we need an oracle, if these episodes didn’t have flaws? A show referencing Alice-ah Through the Looking Glass shouldn’t be talking onscreen about Alice in Wonderland. That creates purposeless confusion. In an Ep 1, not knowing who the characters are is an expected obstacle. But when such confusion continues through Ep 2, either the script is structurally weak, and/or the director hasn’t created enough visual clues. (Ep 1 of this writer’s Mr. Sunshine had the same weakness. But she mastered her material by Ep 3, and I loved the show from there on.)

I think KES’ problem (and the director’s for that matter) began when they decided to keep the time-loop and the time-travel aspects of the story secret. The director could have intended these to be a “reveal” later. But the decision to withhold this critical aspect of the story caused confusion among viewers because they felt like they tumbled down a…you guessed it… a rabbit hole. lol. Life was imitating art.

For me, one major hint that time travel was involved (aside from the ID, of course) came from the Old Court Lady. Her words and actions were not what they seemed.

I’ll give three examples.

1. At the King’s funeral

The whole country mourned his death. Following the royal tradition, the 8-year-old boy had this wailing ceremony in the middle of the courtyard for his father. Personally, I thought that was cruel to force a child to display public grief like that, but oh well…

On the side, the Old Court Lady was crying. I thought that was strange because I expected her to hold in her sorrow to bolster the child. But then I remembered that the dying king had shed a tear, too, upon seeing young LG struggle to lift a heavy sword.

It seemed as if that two were crying FOR the child out of pity for the arduous journey ahead of him.

Next, the camera switches to the alternate universe in ROK, where the wife of the alternate king was laughing gleefully that her husband was dead. She wanted her husband cremated at the state’s expense. lol. In a way, that’s a state ceremony, too, like the king’s funeral rite in Kingdom of Corea.

Then the camera returns to young LG at the funeral. Rain fell in the foreground

but when the camera zooms in on LG, we see that he was dry. (Strange, right?)

Even the child Jo Young walked on dry stones.

He approached the young LG. He handed LG a cookie which was turned down. From the sidelines, his father fretted.

JY Father: He’s not moving an inch.
Old Court Lady: Right.
JY Father: He shouldn’t talk to the King like that.
Old Court Lady: It’s all part of a plan … Just wait and see.

There! This was my first hint that something was going on. What plan was she talking about??

Sure, on one hand, she could just be applying Psychology 101 here: a grieving child needs a new playmate.

But on the other hand, this Old Court Lady could be very sneaky. At the children’s book reading, she planted a child to ask LG if he had a girlfriend already. This scene told me that the Old Court Lady was the type to work behind the scenes. She was a “planner” in the sense that she plans ahead.

Next the camera switches to a study hall. Young LG was still dressed in his funeral clothes.  The 26 days of mourning wasn’t over yet. But he was already hard at work solving logarithms. That would appear unfeeling of the child who just lost his father, but I think math is way of escaping the world.

By the way, can somebody please translate the Chinese titles of these books? Thanks.

Then the young boy came to interrupt him.

JY: Hey, is it fun to study?
LG: How are you getting into this place? Get out!
JY: Do you think this whole place is yours.
LG: Yes, this place is all mine. So get out.
JY: You’re lying.
LG: Who’s your father?
JY: He’s your father’s friend!

After the funeral process was over, the Old Court Lady led him back to the palace and consoled him, “You’ve done well in performing your first duty, Your Majesty.” That’s when he broke down for the very first time and cried, “I miss my father.”

But young JY appeared and started crying louder than LG. In attempt to make stop, LG gave him a sword, saying, “You should stop crying, too. Here. From now on, you’re the Unbreakable Sword.”

Young JY misheard him, “The Unbreakable Board? What’s that?” Then, for the very first time, LG laughed. So he asked JY what his name was.

JY: Jo Yeong. What about you?
LG: I am Lee Gon, the King of the Kingdom of Corea.
JY: (not impressed) Okay, I get it. (taking the sword) Thank you for this.

I thought this scene was important because we saw that the Old Court Lady’s plan was coming true. On the same night when young LG broke down and cried because he was all alone, he also laughed and made a new friend.

When they grew up, JY followed his father’s footsteps. His father was a military man and the King’s best friend. Likewise, JY joined the royal guards in service of protecting LG and he became LG’s best friend. He’s his father’s son, alright.

But he wasn’t into fairy tales. Even as a child, he didn’t understand the meaning of an “Unbreakable Sword” which was a staple in fairy tales. In fairy tales, swords never break no matter how many times they strike armor.

When he grew up, JY still wasn’t into fairy tales, to LG’s exasperation.  JY didn’t get what LG was mumbling about rabbits and clocks.

JY: Why did you suddenly run like that?
LG: I just saw the White Rabbit with the clock.
JY: Are you saying a rabbit or a clock?
LG: Weren’t you listening while I read Alice in Wonderland?
JY: I was busy organizing my team’s schedules.
LG: You really need some fairy tales in your life.
JY: And I think you need some shoes, Your Majesty.
LG: These aren’t my shoes.

 

Thus, we see from this exchange of words that the Old Court Lady was right. She did have a plan all along. She planned for the two of them to become lifelong friends.

I also thought it was weird that he didn’t know the size of LG’s feet. LG would have to cram his big feet into small shoes.

It reminded me that the “savior” also had small shoes for a tall guy. I hope he didn’t have to borrow those shoes, too.

2. The future Queen

It intrigues me that Old Court Lady (OCL) didn’t want the Prime Minister to be Queen,

but she wasn’t at all concerned that LG chased an unknown lady who was involved with bad men. I guess she was a #NeverPrimeMinister.

JY reported to her that LG was still missing.

OCL: Did you investigate the assailants from the rowing competition?
JY: Yes, but they seem irrelevant to His Majesty’s absence. I found one lead though. It’s the woman who caused the incident. It seems that His Majesty was after that woman as well.

See that? Shouldn’t this be a red flag for the Old Court Lady? A woman involved with thugs?? lol.

OCL: His Majesty was after whom? A woman?

LG’s exact description of the woman was “a White Rabbit with a clock.” He knew he couldn’t share this bit of info with the Old Court Lady.

JY: It’s just my suspicion. I’ll let you know when I find concrete evidence.
OCL: Make sure to make a thorough investigation.
JY: Yes, ma’am.
OCL: The talismans haven’t been working, so I was just about to go and grab the shaman by the hair. (because the shaman was a phony). I might end up bowing to her to show my appreciation.

Meaning, if LG was chasing a woman who was destined to be his Queen, then she would bow before this shaman because her talismans worked!

Despite the fact that this female stranger seemed to be a troublemaker since she was the one who “caused an incident” at the rowing competition, the Old Court Lady would rather have her as Queen than the Prime Minister.

This tells me that she either had very low standards for a Queen or she was expecting the Queen to appear in LG’s life in an very unconventional way.

Two more noteworthy things:

a. She had been hiding the talismans for finding a lover in counterclockwise order. However, since LG discovered what she was doing, she plan to reverse it. She ordered the palace maid to do it clockwise. I thought that was a foreshadowing that LG was a bringing a woman from the alternate world.

b. LG had the habit of disappearing by himself. Every time he disappeared, the Old Court Lady and Prince BuYeong had to invent an excuse for his absence, e.g., acute gastritis, acne, and math fever. I suspect that whenever he disappeared, he was off looking for TaeEul somewhere.

3. Last but not the least, the return of the flute and ID 

This flashback was odd, too.

LG had been eating chicken with TaeEul. She mocked him for spending time looking up the history of ROK in the library. She said, “Do you write novels online? Is that what you wrote until now?”

I think he was triggered by her remark because she trivialized his work. She ridiculed it as a waste of time, like writing “fantasy novels.” But remember, the historical research he did in the library, just like his mathematical problem solving, were all done in his quest for his purpose and reason in life.

That’s why he suddenly remembered at time when he had asked the Old Court Lady, “Do you think it’s here? The reason why I survived that day.” He recalled a scene when he stood in front of a paddock with Old Court Lady (OCL).

OCL: Even on a night like that, a baby is born. Isn’t it great?

She was referring to the night of the King’s assassination. On such a tragic night when his father was murdered, an auspicious event as the birth of a white foal, happened. This was similar to that night when he made friends with JY but attended his father’s funeral. Contrasting happy and sad events occurred at the same time.

She side-eyed him.

Take note of two things here: she was the one who began talking of the night of the assassination AND she was gauging his reaction.

LG: That night, I heard the sound of a flute. Do you think it was the sound of the Manpasikjeok?
OCL: No way. The Manpansikjeok doesn’t many sound, Your Majesty.
LG: That’s not true. I definitely heard it. (she looked worried) That’s why I went to Cheojongo. I couldn’t hear anything because the flute was so loud. I couldn’t hear the gunfire.

This was news to her. She didn’t know that the flute was producing loud sounds that night. To me, if the “savior” hadn’t fired his gun at the glass ceiling to create a diversion, an alternative way of breaking the glass was to play a high-pitch sound.

The foal galloped near them. You could hear the sound of his gallop.

OCL: (sighing) I didn’t know you remembered everything because you never mentioned what happened that day.
LG: I held onto two things that night. I’m asking if one of them is in the whip you are holding.

But her hands were inside her gown. How did she know that she had brought the riding crop and the ID with her at that time?

LG: (continuing) Also whether or not you have the other one. (meaning the ID)
OCL: (she closed her eyes and nodded.) That’s right. I’ve been keeping it secret. And I brought it to give it back to you despite my fear. What an odd thing it is. Something that is silent yet makes a sound. And something that cannot be identified yet exists. Which is why I wish you’d forgotten everything.

LG: Is this a secret between us?
OCL: Yes, Your Majesty.
LG: Do you think it’s here? The secret why I survived that day.

It seemed to me then that the Old Court Lady had brought him out there to the paddocks in order to gauge whether he was ready to be given back the two items or not. It didn’t seem accidental that they were watching the foal run free that was born on the night of the King’s death. She had this moment planned.

She was returning them to him despite her fear and trepidation.  She knew that she couldn’t hang onto them indefinitely. She only had them with her for safekeeping.

Moreover, when LG asked her if this is a secret between them, I don’t think he was ordering her to keep it a secret. It seemed more like he was seeking CONFIRMATION from her that this was to be secret (another one??) between them.

Thus, just like with a) her plan to make JY the best friend of LG, and b) her plan to marry LG off to the “right/wrong” Queen, the Old Court Lady also had planned to return the flute and the ID back to him. That’s why I grew suspicious of her. She was like a fairy godmother preparing LG to fight a battle.

Now, her actions only made sense if she knew what was going to happen in the future. She wouldn’t be planning and laying the groundwork if she didn’t expect something big and catastrophic would happen to LG in the future.

I also think that Lee Gon himself was aware that something magical and mysterious was unfolding. That would explain why he wasn’t at all shaken or perturbed when he saw the portal opening. He didn’t get off his horse to explore around. He didn’t retreat. He only looked down at his riding crop and he jumped right through. That told me that he was mentally prepared to encounter whoever it was on the other side.

One last thing about the “Alice in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass” —

Unfortunately, I read both books a long time ago and I could only remember bits and pieces. More people would be familiar with the first book written, “Alice,” than than the sequel, “Looking Glass.” If the writer had written about, “Through the Looking Glass,” viewers would have gone, “Huh?”

Lastly, when the glass shattered and fell on top of young LG and the Uncle, the effect was similar to Alice falling through the rabbit hole. She was confused and bewildered by what she saw. She couldn’t figure out what was happening.

Similarly, young LG must have felt shocked. He thought he was going to die when the glass ceiling crashed down. It was pandemonium after that with LG shooting down the bad guards. He didn’t know what was going to happen next.

See that? The “Alice” can work too. It just so happened that I remembered “Through the Looking Glass” more.