From the start we were told that Lee Gon didn’t believe in superstitions.
So how would he deal with the latest lightning strike? What did it mean?
He was watching CCTV recordings of TaeEul’s free day in Busan.
LG: I’m seeing something beautiful again.
He clicked on another file. This time TaeEul was walking in a small alley and passing by a kid playing yoyo.
Put yourselves in Lee Gon’s shoes. You have no previous dealings with this bookstore. You’re just watching TE enjoy her solitary exploration of the side streets. She just past a store with books and flowers placed outside. Suddenly, the yoyo boy stares hard at you through CCTV.
If you were Lee Gon, of course, you’d be taken aback.
He stared at the screen because he sensed that the kid had a message for him. But then, the kid broke off eye contact with him and began playing with the yoyo again.
Let’s be honest here. When we all saw the yoyo boy for the first time, all of you wondered who he was, right? I was the only one who said that kid was the Grim Reaper and he reminded me of the Fates in the Greek mythology who decided fortunes and the end of life. Well…Lee Gon didn’t have me at his side to interpret these things for him, lol, so you must be patient with him and give him the benefit of the doubt.
The yoyo boy now caught Lee Gon’s attention and LG continued looking at the boy.
Dark clouds gathered above the yoyo boy. The CCTV recording captured the lightning and thunder striking, just as a similar lightning and thunder flashed in Lee Gon’s room. He groaned in pain from his shoulder’s scar.
With full attention now, LG studied the video. It looped from the beginning. TaeEul walked past a bookstore and the yoyo boy continued.
And that’s when Lee said, “What? Was I mistaken? Haesong Bookstore. May 27, 2022. 2022… Is it an error?”
What did he mean by that? Let’s break this down, shall we?
“What?” He was waiting for the boy to look at the CCTV again like he did earlier. But the boy didn’t stare at the camera like he did earlier. He ignored the CCTV.
“Was I mistaken?” Meaning, did he imagine the boy looking him straight in the eye?
In other words, he was questioning the authenticity of what he was viewing. Did the vision really happen? Or did he just imagine the kid staring back at him?
“Haesong Bookstore” He was looking for clues now in the video.
“May 27, 2022.” He should know that this was TaeEul’s birthday. He’d been looking at the ID card of hers for 25 years. And if he could memorize Euler’s e, then he should remember this much.
“2022… Is it an error?” He was wondering if it was a computer error. A technical difficulty.
Then he clicked on replay.
LG: TaeEul wasn’t wearing that on that day. What is this?
He confirmed that May 27, 2022 wasn’t a computer glitch because TaeEul wasn’t wearing the same winter clothes she wore when she visited.
And that’s when he said, “What is this?”
What did he watch? None of it made sense. It wasn’t a simple technical problem because the image of the child staring at him vanished. This should have set off warning bells because he’d seen this before: the TaeEul’s ID. As Lady Noh would say, “something that cannot be identified exists.”
To me, even if he didn’t believe in the supernatural, what he just witnessed couldn’t be explained scientifically or mathematically. This incident would have set off warning bells that that TaeEul was a target, and he should be on guard.
The following day (or possibly days), he was told by his Assistant Captain that the bookstore couldn’t be found.
Now, if you’re a thinking person like Lee Gon what should this tell you? That this bookstore was associated with his uncle. Remember? In the beginning of Episode 9, he and TaeEul couldn’t find the whereabouts of his mother.
They had the right address but they were staring at the empty field. TE said that, “the address was set here on purpose. If she’s being this thorough about hiding, it’ll take some time to find her.” But he added that it confirmed what he already suspected. That “Song Jeonghye is with Lee Lim.”
Similarly, if this bookstore couldn’t be located after an exhaustive search, then it wasn’t meant to be found.
In sum, I thought the yoyo boy was in helping Lee Gon. He was warning LG. After she gave LG, the lightning and thunder struck at that moment. They both were warning LG of danger coming TaeEul.
With this in mind, let’s look at the previous incidents of thunder and lightning in the story.
Episode 3 at 43:16
While resting in his hotel in Korea, lightning struck.
What could have precipitated it?
Well, in Corea, the palace spy/Shinjae’s mom went to the bookstore to drop off a note that the King wasn’t in the palace. She met the yoyo boy outside but didn’t exchange words with him. I would consider the lightning and thunder as a signal for LG to return to the palace.
What happened next?
The day after lightning struck, Lee Gon experienced time stopping for the first time. Next, he visited the bamboo grove portal in Seoul. He realized that the flute was both the lock and key. He also witnessed TaeEul fight gangster. Then, he bid her goodbye as he was returning to his kingdom because he left the palace empty for too long.
Was the lightning a good omen? I’d say it was. It made him go back to the palace… and just in time to fight off the PM Koo.
Episode 4 at 59:04
While going through paperwork with his secretary in Corea, lightning struck.
What precipitated it?
It was November 11, 2019, it was the day TaeEul’s ID was issued and the day the first snow fall of the season occurred.
What happened next?
He fled the palace and went to visit TaeEul because he thought she missed him. He brought her back with him to his kingdom.
Was the lightning a good omen? Yes.
The lightning and thunder distracted his Jeong and gave him the chance to leave the palace. Although her ID ending up in the hands of Lee Lim, I thought the benefits of visiting him far outweighed the bad.
Episode 6 at 1:07:06 (for Lee Lim)
Lee Lim had coffee at Nari’s place. He told her he liked the neighborhood so he’d be visiting often.
He also said, “It seems that a typhoon is coming. Be careful. There are many typhoons in the summer months. But typhoons in the winter cause the most damage.”
As he walked out the place, there was thunder and lightning and scar on his face lit up. I thought this scene was interesting because, because unlike Lee Gon, he didn’t feel the pain. I wonder if it was because he’d grown accustomed to the pain?
His half of the flute was hidden in an umbrella. It would be logical to deduce that he’d be the “god” of the rain because he always carried an umbrella.
But I don’t think so. You see, he had nothing but contempt for the gods. He would consider being the “god” of the rain as a silly delusion of weak humans, to paraphrase him.
I think he chose the umbrella to give him an air of respectability. A gentleman strolling with an umbrella would blend in nicely with the crowd. He wouldn’t stand out as a killer.
Unfortunately, however, everytime there was lightning and thunder, the real monster came out because the scar. I see this visible scar as a punishment of the heavens.
In contrast, if ever there was somebody whom the rain favored, it would be Lee Gon. It rained one day at his father’s funeral while he was performing the ritual. But curiously enough, the rain kept away from the courtyard, so he stayed dried. I considered it a sign that young Lee Gon didn’t need an umbrella because the gods were shining on him as the once and future king.
Furthermore, I think Lee Lim’s visit to Nari’s coffee shop which is across from TaeEul’s home was meant to signal the start of LL’s fight against Lee Gon. He was bringing the winter typhoon, he said.
Sure enough, in his corner of the world, LG was informed that Prince Buyeong had faked the autopsy report. He immediately realized who would be the one in real danger because of Lee Lim’s reappearance.
He said, “The Court Lady Noh had a good reason to worry. I am in danger now. Lee Lim, the traitor, is alive. What had been added to the Lee Lim was the gate to the other world. If the purpose of his treason had been the Manpasikjeok, since I have its other half, he will definitely come to me to retrieve it. Thus, Court Lady Noh had been wrong. Jeong TaeEul is not a danger to me. I am a danger to Jeong TaeEul.”
Anyway…
if you ask me why I think that the ending of this kdrama won’t be tragic — despite all these sad forecasts for TaeEul’s future — it’s because the natural elements like lightning and thunder are rooting for this couple to succeed.
Typically, lightning and thunder are regarded as threatening weather. They’re used to create a sense of foreboding that a destructive force, like Lee Lim, is coming. However, as I’ve shown you, the lightning and thunder in this kdrama have become gods’ way of intervening on behalf of TaeEul and Lee Gon. Even Lee Gon who didn’t use to believe in superstitions, no longer thought it was odd that the lightning and thunder were helping him.
Ohhh, so that’s what it’s doing, helping or warning LG. It’s certainly playing a part like you said and while doing the character information on episode 9, there’s those line written on the sword that young LG was reading from “the sky bestows the heart upon us and the ground helps the spirit. The sun and the moon are formed. As the mountains and streams form, lightning strikes. A sage is moved to defeat the evil of the mountains and streams.”
So can we expect LG to use lightning in some sort too in fighting LL? Did I just made him become Thor or maybe He-Man? LOL.
@agdr03, yes. Lightening strikes and so does a sword. ⚡🗡😎
Yeah let’s go with the Four Tiger Sword as it is a pretty powerful sword and LG has it. ☺️
Dear @packmule3
Loved reading this. Interesting connections 🙂
Two small points:
– LG begins with not being superstitious but mid-way there is some dialogue when he tells Lady Noh that the last talisman worked so I am guessing he is converting 🙂
– I do not know where did I read this but it seems that the Assistant Captain could not find the bookstore as LG did not give him the address but just the name and the name of the current bookstore is not the same as the one in the video (date stamp 2022).
right now the drama makes me treat all characters with suspicion. From JY to the chief to Jangmi.
I am with GB with regard to the placement of No Man’s Land though some of what you have described is interesting. Kudos to @Welmaris and @Gb and one more person who decided to look into characters (sorry I cant open more tabs on my mobile so I don’t remember the last person’s id). This blog has some dedicated talent.
I am sorry that I cant help but that is simple because I am not good with recognizing faces or analysis. Like some forum actually said that Doctor Uncle’s daughter’s look alike is Sj’s shrink (I tried checking by keeping screenshots together but I was no good. I couldn’t tell).
Last a question:
– in episode 9-10’s timeline @packmule3 you speak about JTE peeved about LG returning. But I keep wondering that given that she is a cop who is calm and collected, if she is so peeved why doesn’t she accompany him? I also did not find her reasons for not accompanying him very convincing. She actually says how can I leave this (plants, naari, her dad and the station)? I have had girlfriends who take leaves and stay put with their boyfriends for a few days if they are missing him that badly.
I have not seen old Kdramas but they generally don’t show long distance relationships yet I know that many Korean couples end up working in different cities. So… given that it has just been a few months that she has met him and of that time, she has spent quite a few days with him, is her being as teary eyed as she is makes sense?
I don’t know if I have put it well but a part of me feels that she is a level-headed modern woman in love with a King so would she be reduced to weeping that easily given that she knows that it is difficult for him too? And also, because mostly it comes across as a relation where he is far more invested and ready for the relation than she is?
Maybe I am saying too many contradictory things but this is just me trying to make sense…
@Gb: I know I have to respond to a comment of yours but I will soon. However, irrespective of what I say your words are beautiful and your thoughts are sorted. So I will try to give an apt answer (if one was required) but I am a meanderer and not great with articulation, so… 🙂
Once again… I like reading so many different takes. Thanks for sharing.
LG is not immune to the pain yet when the lightning strikes. Whereas LL who is already used to it. I wonder too if is it because he’s been using the flute longer than LG?
It makes me curious even more on ep 10 ending scene when LG visited TE wearing somewhat like a royal garment, it was the same clothing he wore at the beginning of ep 1 looking at the portal not carrying the flute but with the sword this time. this was shown when LL was interrogated by TE and SJ. There was also an appearance of the lightning but LG didnt feel pain.
Very quickly by the way, I didn’t finish the article.
Yoyo Boy watches Lee Gon on CCTV.
Great time!!
Now, I have a bonus:
Lee Gon watches the video again, no Yoyo Boy on it. 😀
Taking off from the inscription on the sword, I agree with your postulate re the lightning as the latter is what moves the sage, in this case LG.
One small point re the store – instead of checking the name of the store, LG should have his men check the address. Cos across the years — 2019 and 2022, the names may be different but the address is the same #20 something, something…
https://imgur.com/wu4pJDW
https://imgur.com/cclzNk1
Ooops, I should have finished reading the article before I answered.
Sorry!!!!
I’ll finish reading. ^^
Seeing the scene in the drama, I couldn’t understand why Lee Gon said “I made a mistake” !!! It’s really frustrating. I thought he was saying that because of the date, although his line sounded weird to me.
Maybe I was focused on the subtitle rather than the image.
I just watched the scene again. Actually, I didn’t pay attention to when he rewound the video. He presses a red button (no idea it’s a replay button). Yet, we see Tae Eul passing in the background (for the second time), but nothing to do. The kid is seen in tiny in the blurred video, hardly any way to know if his head is up or down. And on top of that, there are other disturbing events in between (the lightning, live shots).
If we had seen the video rewind itself in accelerated reverse, it would have been visible. Maybe in a drama, that’s the kind of visual code you’d expect.
A close-up on the yo-yo boy, but with his head down would have helped to understand that this time he’s not looking at the camera. A close-up he’s looking, a close-up he’s not looking. Cognitive connection is made easier for the viewer.
So… (clears throat)
– Either I’m really distracted
– Or it’s really bad!
– Or this bad rendering is desired, like everything else. Even more annoying.
I want to watch drama, not play Nancy Drew! Besides, I hate hidden object games, I prefer strategy games.
I didn’t understand why they were in the middle of the field at the beginning of the episode.
For one thing, I can’t remember the Korean name of the person mentioned. And how much more, no way to hang up the cars in this conversation.
What clarity!!!!!! (sarcastic)
As the scene is parachuted in at the beginning of the episode, I don’t automatically know when it happens, why they are there, and in what world… And I automatically think more about that than anything else. The rest of the scene flies away in the mist, I think I end up watching the subtitle without reading it… Besides, if I see this scene again, I forget to read the subtitle from the start, it’s so painful. 🙂
This drama really puts all the chances on its side not to want to be seen.
I’m delighted to read your article, which relates simple facts, having been made unnecessarily complicated to detect in the drama, when it was part of the vital information for the spectator’s understanding.
The detail about the rain that doesn’t fall on the prince, when he is crying for his father.
At least it’s not vital for understanding the story. So, I appreciate it!
But to notice something like that?! 1/2 sec shot.
Besides, it’s not really raining that day, it might as well be the housewife of the palace emptying her bucket.
😀
@pkml3 Thanks! I’m glad that my take on it (in another post) which said that rain seemed to be associated with LL does not veer off too far from this.
I’ve re-watched episodes for different reasons, but now I feel I have to re-watch to see how the rain did not wet LG. LOL.
But first, I may have to continue work on the character info in Ep 10. I confess I fell asleep this time around, so the character info might end up in some weird order, and not be listed chronologically as portrayed. I’m still fighting off sleep at the moment. 🥱 😴 LOL
Hi @GB! I’m trying to finish episode 9 but I’ll email it to you so you can check it first and see if it’s ok. I have a feeling I’ve gone overboard. LOL. Thanks 🙂
Hello everyone! I’m super newbie and happy to discover your blogs! Really amazing work all you guys are doing!
I’m relieved to read @packmule3 analysis about the lightning and the good omen for LG and JTE. I could smile and sleep soundly! It’s easier to look it that way, it’s as if we can find light in the dark tunnel and it eases the complexity in the drama. I’m hoping that your theories are working in their favor.
Waiting to read more of your intellectually stimulating comments!
Have you been emailing me too? I haven’t checked my email in days. Give me heads-up okay. Then I’ll transfer to my laptop. Am on my phone right now.
I was writing about the rain and water but I forgot to post it.
I’m working on King Arthur piece which is long-overdue. I dictated bits and pieces on my phone so I’ve to compile everything. 🙂
“Have you been emailing me too?”
Howdy! 🙂 No, I haven’t. I’ll email @GB and she can pass it on to you with the corrections. I just want to make sure that what I’m doing is right. hehehe
Thanks. 🙂 My email is full of spam so tell me when you’ve sent me anything so I can “fish” it out.
Sure! No worries. Thank you. 🙂
@packmule, I sent you 2 emails, but not important, more like coincidences.
Hi @agdr03, sure thing. Just send it to me. I hope to have some time to compile your lot with my lot with @Welmaris’ lot. LOL… How did I get myself into this, hmmm? But no worries. I will love to read the character info and get myself straightened out!!!
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At first I thought the yoyo boy was Shin-Jae. Evil Uncle did not age in ROK because he’s from KOC so I thought the rule applied because the yoyo boy was switched from ROK with Shin-Jae from KOC, which is why he didn’t grow up.. BUT OF COURSE I immediately scrapped that idea because Shin-Jae is an adult now. Haha also, someone else pointed out that the yoyo boy is actually a girl actor so I was like WHAAT!
Does anyone have a thought about the role of the red balloon? JY is carrying one when he and LG meet the security guards in the bamboo forest to arrest the doppelganger working in the stables. In a later episode he is riding Maximus through the no-mans-land (my term for it) looking for where LL portal might be, after failing to catch him in the bamboo forest. In that scene there are balloons everywhere.