The thread is now open for spoilers, rants, comments, analyses, theories and kudos to Kim Go Eun, Lee Minho, Woo DoHwan and Kim Kyung Nam.
gif credit: itsjenniejennie’s tumblr
And yeah, Lee Jung Jin. I want to taser the old guy.
Let’s enjoy the show.
the new teaser preview makes me ask “what is happening?, was there a time reset?”
SPECIAL PREVIEW FOR EPI 13 (FULL/HD)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtH1tv4XVAE
It is actually a collage of highlights from previous episodes & then towards the end, new scenes for upcoming episode/s are shown.
So here is the TRIMMED VERSION OF THE PREVIEW
In the segment of the new scenes notice the photographs on LR’s side while LG’s side is that familiar red balloon marker/s?
LR has a darkroom where he develops & keeps pictures of those he targets. Isn’t it interesting? That while LG has markers or geo-tags in his InBetweenPlace in his quest to open up doors to find a way to TE (my assumption), LR has photos of people he brought down / will bring down or use as targets for his selfish purpose?
One seeks to light up his path while the other chooses to remain in the dark. As I have mentioned before (not here but in another forum), anti-thesis till the end.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAt_5rSp9_v/?igshid=yked1ds3k1in
Seems like happy ending lol. Bcs lee gon hold bouquets flowers on his hand and he wear suit.
Spoiler from fans
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAvJSDZJnQX/?igshid=rn5wwqorgyk5
Another post 🤣
Its spoiler. Just dont open it lol
Tons of spoilers out there esp that they finished shooting but not necessarily all referring to Epi 13 since shootings are rarely sequential.
One interesting picture & video showed LG wearing a naval uniform but his name tag indicates LJH, his doppelganger – how is that for a shocker?!
This was accompanied by a video where TE is shown crying after the alleged LG doppelganger just passed her by, not recognizing her.
Time loop, perhaps?
So, only 1 episode this week-bummer. From that preview, it looks like people who guessed that somehow LG goes back in time to save himself as a child were correct. He’s wearing the black clothes of the shooter and staring down LL. Not sure what to make of his frantic running scene where everyone around him is frozen except TaeEul?
Over at lunch, I tried learning a new skill by adding sub-titles to the video I uploaded earlier. Not the translation – I got some help there – but I dig the now easy-to-use feature of YT in adding subtitles.
EPI 13 PREVIEW NEW SCENES ONLY W/ ENGLISH SUB
https://youtu.be/tgWiXAa8qBk
OK, break time over. See you later guys!
The wait for episode 13 is too much for me. I’ve resorted to rewatching episode 12 thrice.
The King has only four episodes left and with only one episode this week, I just realized how fascinated I am about the story and our leads to the point of obsession.
I wasn’t like this with other dramas before. I sometimes wait for dramas to be halfway done before I start trying the first episode. And I don’t usually get upset when there is a broadcast cancelation or delay. This drama has overtaken much of my thoughts. Sigh. I could only imagine how it would be once the drama ends.
@mychoiyoung: I liked your comparison between the light and dark! And thank you thank you thank you for the vid WITH SUBS, plus sacrificing your lunch hour to do it. I was searching & couldn’t find a subbed version, so yours is an answered prayer!
Since everyone is talking about spoilers again, I’m going to stick my updated proposed timeline here (made some edits after posting in the other thread). I shared this over at the Ep 11-12 open thread, but that thread is getting long! Thought it would be interesting to see how it pans out against Ep 13. @arihsi, I’m also excited to see if it is going to be a shooting, or poison 😉 Whatever the case, I’m still on #teamLGforever. Give us that happy ending already!
___________________
I’m trying to fit everything in, so here’s noting what we already know:
Glimpses into the future:
– 2020 interrogation of LL by SJ and TE (or Luna?), at the start of episode 1. They have case notes with the KOC emblem on them.
– LG dressed in the suit, holding the sword, in front of the portal
– LG from the future visiting TE to give her flowers, dressed in the same suit
– 2022 video of TE walking past the bookstore, with yoyo girl outside
– Spoiler pic on IG (not verified if true): Adult LG visits child TE, & gives her her mother’s black belt
– Spoiler pics on IG (not verified if true): Lee Ji Hun as an adult, in a blue Navy uniform
Assumptions:
– Time travel is possible (2 instances are shown), but I can’t go into the mechanics because all the quantum physics stumps me.
– LG recognises that there is a God, and he will not attempt to disrupt the balance/flow of events if possible (he mentions this when talking to the traitor in ROK).
– However, something later happens to make him try to move things along more, since he starts to travel back in time.
– The 2 worlds existed even before the splitting of the flute, since Lady Noh crossed from ROK to KOC before that. This also means crossings between the 2 worlds was possible even before LG/LL started crossing, so I take it that the flute is needed to open the portal, but splitting the flute created 2 different pathways to cross.
My ideas (am still unsure for this but I want to account for Ep 13 spoilers):
– They discover that Luna is in ROK impersonating TE, so LG crosses back with TE (hence the phone call where TE speaks with Luna, and Luna says they can’t meet).
– LG gets shot by LL (hence the pic of him in hospital, I am assuming he is in ROK since the ward looks spartan & not like a ward for a king).
– LL gets caught & arrested by ROK police for the shooting. Cuts back to the scene of the 2020 interrogation where LL tells his incredible tale. They have the KOC case notes because LG passes them to SJ.
– SJ starts to believe this whole crazy idea that the 2 worlds exist, Luna (who is impersonating TE) has to pretend all this is new to her.
– LL is eventually released on lack of evidence, especially since he does not exist in ROK.
More ideas (to tie up time travel, the scenes from the future, & give us a happy ending)
- LG discovers some way to travel back in time. He realizes that he was the one who saved his child self, & that he has to go back in time to allow this sequence of events to play out as they have. So he brushes up on his terrible shooting skills, taught by TE. LOL.
– He goes back in time to save himself as a child. Timeline then continues as we have seen it so far.
– But after this, LL manages to kill TE, or something equally drastic. Probably at the point of time just before LG marries TE (I had the impression that the suit was actually a wedding suit, since LG mentioned he would wear it when he was holding flowers, like a groom waiting for his bride). He then drops the ID card on TE’s body to mock LG, just like how he left the ring on Prince BY’s hand.
– LG is distraught, & this pushes him to try to change history more, in order to save TE. Hence, while wearing his suit, he decides to go to battle with LL (cue the scene in Episode 1) & returns to the scene where his father was killed by LL.
– Before going to battle, he goes back to the past to visit TE and give her flowers (this is the scene in Episode 10, he says he realized he never gave her flowers, it seems as if she has died in the future). It’s his way of telling her to hang in there, plus him bolstering his courage to face LL (just like how he crosses to call TE to hear her voice, before he faced off with LL on New Year’s Day).
– So now he changes the course of history more, in order to save TE’s life. So instead of the masked shooter, we have adult LG with the sword, & he kills LL on the spot. (Or maybe, he confronts LL in the forest after he runs away, since the adult LG appearing to so many people might be an issue)
– But this means history has to rewind itself at this point & there is a totally new sequence of events. All the grief, murder & trouble LL has caused is undone. But there is one problem: LG’s child self would have no way of knowing or meeting TE in the future. So adult LG leaves the ID tag with the child LG as a reminder to his future self, just like in the previous flow of events.
– He assumes he can still cross over the ROK to find TE when he grows up, since he still has the (now intact) flute. But it will be the case of being him being Kim Gaedong again, & there will no longer be all these dangerous events helping to draw them closer together. It is likely that flat-earther TE will just dismiss him as a nutjob.
-So he time travels one last time, this time to TE’s past as a child, just after her mother dies. He gives her her mother’s black belt, tells her to be brave, & asks her to remember that in the future her bravery would earn her the title of Queen in another world.
(Edited to add: I think going by the spoilers, this might have happened in cycle 2 instead, he visits her after he goes to the scene of his father’s murder. This means the child TE would recognise LG next time when the grown LG meets her… or she might even been waiting for him.)
– Since all of LL’s work is undone, it means that SJ grows up in KOC, and his double just passes away from illness. He is poor, but I assume his mum loves him (which was why she wanted to see photos of how her son was doing in ROK).
– LG’s double Lee Ji Hun does not die. Since this show talks about the idea of the power of choices that determine your fate, I’d like to think that Ji Hun’s mother chooses to leave her abusive husband & brings him up alone, & he grows up well & becomes a Navy officer. (So apt because I vaguely recall LL asking LJH’s mum about whether her actual son would have turned out as well as LG did.)
– Then we cut to 2022, TE is now queen of Corea. It’s her birthday, but she just wants to have an ordinary day being an ordinary citizen of the Kingdom. So she goes for a walk (what we see in surveillance footage previously) & walks past the now cleaned up Eosu bookstore. She sees yoyo girl again, & thinks to herself that the girl looks familiar… She goes into the bookstore, finds a copy of Azaleas, opens it, and finds her former ID card & a birthday card from LG. (“How did you know I would choose that book?””I am the King, I know everything” But of course he put a card in every single book. :p)
@JT7
Fascinating.
questions: where does LG get the black belt from?
Why did that black rabbit jacketted Luna/figure run across LG’s race course? In a lr-less world what would be the fate of Luna?
ES singing is squeeeeeeee
@JT7 waiting for you to see the ep.
I really, really don’t think the final screen freeze of the savior is LG. They focus in HD on his eyes. The show makes it ample clear that LG has pretty eyes (he says so himself ep 2). Also, they are not jet black. More like pretty shade of Hazel (I don’t know about LMH in real life. I’m talking about the drama).
Okay. I rewatched. Notice LG eyes throughout the final crucial moments of the episode. Not hard because the camera is literally shoved in his face. I’m positive that the savior in the final shot is not LG.
And the savior not being LG, fits with the show harping on the fact that he’s not a good shooter. Both LR and LG miscalculated. They need to remember the rules of time travel elsewhere (meaning Harry Potter, where else 😛)
In @pm3 style, 🛑✋⏱️ STOP
Before I harp on too much… Waiting to see if you guys see what I see.
Dashed over here once I finished the show because @Arihsi!!! Are you KES’s double or something? Here’s some half & half & MSD for guessing correctly it was poison!
I still think the shooter was LG. In the still cuts at the last part of the show, you can see his ears clearly. I noticed LMH has these rather unique ears, there is a slight dip at the top of the ear (was that a tear from his accident last time?), & the shooter def has LMH’s ears. But I agree that in some of the shots/angles the shooter does not look like LG. I think someone previously did mention the possibility of 2 shooters, with different shoes? When I watched Episode 1 previously, it felt like 2 gunmen, but I think the presence of 2 gunmen might be too complicated a solution to be feasible.
Now we have to find another reason why LL was all bloody in the 2020 interrogation. Heh!
I had goosebumps when TE gave LG the black jacket. And it was like a reflection of the other time, when JY gave TE a similar looking black paper bag, with her jacket in it, for her to go to explore KOC for the first time.
Sigh now we have to wait for a whole week before the next episode… but I’ll assume LG is gonna live through the poisoning!
@arihsi will review ep13 now. Thanks for the heads-up.
@JT7 I just finished rewatching the end stills. Yes, def LG from LMH’s left ear with the dip. I must agree at some point I did think there were 2 shooters or the shooter could be SinJae bcos of the height, shooting precision and body build. That’s why I always kept notice of Sinjae’s shoes but never did he give any hint of being the shooter.
THe eyes!
https://mobile.twitter.com/kdrama_menfess/status/1266768868409634816?s=05
I’m not really sure. I thought I was sure those were Jo Young’s but looking at them again, it kinda look like LG’s.
How are they going to wrap this up in three episodes lol? It was a good episode but boy do I wish the time travel mess had started sooner. And the savior revelation took too long.
I wasn’t confident the first time I saw the ending scene, but I think LG is still the savior at the end. I can see why somehow his eyes don’t quite look as LMH-ish as they usually do. It is possible that the savior has actually changed, and that the last shot as LG collapses is his memories being altered due to the fact that he is no longer his own savior…who knows
But by far the biggest “???” for me – the woman in the van! She is not the same woman as the pregnant lady in the apartment IMO. At the very least they are not wearing the same clothing. Just similar. To me, the woman in Luna’s van (but it’s not Luna’s van anymore is it, didn’t she give it to the yo yo kid?) looks like JTE. The lid on the water bottle is the same color as the lid on the bottle from when JTE was sedated in Ep. 11. If anyone can figure out what the crumpled paper in the van says, that would be great to know.
@JT7 brb looking at the ears (yes I’ve noticed LMH has unique ears. Maybe since birth, I don’t know. I have funny shaped ears too. Was teased mercilessly in school. But they do the job well. So 👍) But I really don’t think it’s LG. Simply because so many think it that way 🙂
About the poison, LR has a very vast experience of murder. If they were true to his character, he would have choosen his poison well. He has no procurement issues either. So there’d be zero chances of survival.
Also, the real life problem with poisons that can technically be survived, is wide spread nervous system damage. For example, the breathlessness that LG faces would be due to the damage of neurons regulating breathing. And that damage is permanent in real life. Or there is hypoxia in the brain due to lack of oxygen in turn leading to permanent damage. It’s just hard to survive poisons in real life. But so is true with gun shots. Unless you’re in a kdrama, isn’t it 😉 in Kdrama people survive gunshots as if they’re mere scratches. So maybe LG will survive this as if his drink was simply been spit upon.
@sofrito You’re absolutely right. Did you look at the preview of episode 14?
Luna stabs JTE. So I’m sure the woman in that van is JTE in absolute pain. Good catch 👏👏👏
Hi Arihsi i just finished ep 13. I know what you meant but its only the one scene capture that i thought it didnt look like LG the rest did though. LG admitted himself that he saved his younger self! Today’s episode explained alot better what packmule3 and the rest here proposed! Yayy !! Its coming true!
But i am wounded (…. Lee Gon drank tainted beer!!! Oh nooo and i have to wait till next week to see if he survives it!
@Sofrito i think it was Luna in the van and she got some medicine prescribed (the crumpled paper) and there was South Korean flag sticker on the van, so I am assuming it cannot be Luna’s KOC van? We know that Luna is terminally ill right.
@all maybe I am wrong 🙊 I’ve never pretended to understand this drama (because quite simply,I don’t)
but it’s just fun to speculate 🙂
@JT7 I can’t see the ears 🙈 I’m sorry. Maybe I’m biased 🙊 I still think it’s not LG. I’m likely wrong.
I hope James Cameron is watching this.
I think it’s quite possible that there are 2 saviors. In some of those shots, it looks like LG and in others it looks like YJ.
I think Kang Shin Jae will see his doppelganger in the daycare room, which is why the lady looked at him weirdly.
If they need to restore balance, won’t they have to start with LG’s grandfather since he is the first known person that started bringing people from ROK to KOC? Though he did it with good intentions…
And I can’t believe Jo Yeong left LG to buy drinks at such a crucial moment…
James Cameron? Why?
I still associate him with the “iconic” Titanic pose.
Hee hee. Me too. Also only one will survive even if there is enough space for two (ref Titanic) ?
Everything is coming together and it is so exhilarating to watch!
The piano music playing in the restaurant where the mothers of Shin Jae and Ji Hun met is Consolation # 3 by Lizst.
I am not sure about the eyes. We are supposed to believe that they are LG’s, but they looked like the eyes of an older man to me. I need to rewatch to be sure.
@pikapika you may be right !! SJ saw himself. And the show will now have to explain why the grandfather opened the portals too on top of so many other explanations needed in such a short space of time left…geeez
@Packmule3 I think James Cameron did Avatar the movie
@Shinca – Thank you, that makes a lot more sense. The scene did happen right after Luna speaks to TE, so she knows she needs to find some other place to sleep.
@Alxmar97 – Thanks, Alxmar, but now I’m not sure about my observation based on Shinca’s comment haha. I think Shinca’s explanation is better than mine. Maybe I was too overeager in wanting the time travel to start for real.
Did you guys notice we now have 2 more doppelgängers to add to our LOOOOOONG list? The forensics lady plus Jangmi’s double. And the PPLs are back with a vengeance!
@Alxmar97 Definitely not JY, he has these very distinctive eyes that are slightly upturned at the side. Speaking of him, I thought ES was dashing in this episode, dressed up all proper like JY but with his funny gestures haha.
@Juliette, I think it’s not SJ, as in an earlier episode (2 I think), LG pulled SJ’s hood over his head to see if he looked like his saviour, and said he didn’t look like it.
@sofrito, you have sharp eyes! Like @shinca I thought it was Luna. The sequence of scenes doesn’t flow if its TE since we see her walking around after the van scene. But seeing TE was stabbed later it might be her too.
@arihsi, given you are supposed to be KES’s double (since you were spot on for the poison bit), maybe you might be right this time too haha
@pikapika, I took the imbalance thing to be more about people killing their doubles, rather than folks just crossing over. If there is a switch, balance is there, but if one double is killed, the balance is upset. Maybe that’s why only those who have their doubles killed have the lightning scar?
I think another important detail of this episode would be the stars stuck on both the ceiling of Tae-Eul’s room and that of Luna’s (?) van. When Luna was lying on TE’s bed she mentioned about the stars being the constellation Gemini (born May 20 to June 20). “It’s a Gemini, that sucks”.Gemini’s symbol would be twins.
The myth behind the twins: “Gemini is depicted by the twins Pullox and Castor. According to Greek mythology, the twins were said to have different fathers. Castor was the mortal son of the king of Sparta and Pollux was the divine son of Zeus. They are said to have been born from the same egg. When the mortal Castor was killed, Pollux, being a demigod, asked Zeus to let him share his immortality with his twin to keep them together. They were then transformed into the constellation Gemini. Geminis are thus said to have a dual personality and their strength lies in their versatility. (https://www.woodgeekstore.com/blogs/woodgeek-stories/personality-traits-of-every-gemini-ever)
In TKEM, could it be that Luna isn’t really TE’s doppelganger but her twin? Episode 11 LL and captured Luna:
LL: Throws the family pic of young TE with parents on the floor
“These are your parents that you haven’t seen”
When TE and Luna had a telephone conversation:
TE: “If you ever touch anyone around me…”
Luna: “If I was planning on that, I would’ve done it while you were away. I came here to see you. I’ll see you soon”
Luna’s interaction with TE’s dad while eating with him “am I a good daughter?”, feeding the cat, kissing SJ after he asks her if she was ok/sick gives me the vibe that she wanted to know the life she was missing out on and how “fate” has not given her that same thing.
Remember in the salt warehouse where she was confronted by LL and he was goading her about the life that TE had and her response was “How nice. She had everything. This pisses me off. I’m actually hurt.”
She also has the stars stuck on the ceiling of her van and she looks at it while crying and in pain.
I’m thinking that it maybe it was Fate (the yoyo child) that brought Luna to KOC taking away any trace of her existence in ROK in order to start the events connected to LG like one divine plan. Luna agreeing to go to ROK wasn’t because she was siding with LL. She made it obvious that she was her own person when she scoffed at LL at their first meeting then stole from him while in ROK. I think she went to ROK because she wanted to know the life she was missing, the life that TE has before she succumbs to cancer.
@sofrito The girl in the van is Tae Eul, the fact she looked up and saw the stars tells us it’s her. The show plays with duality. Luna had done the same at TE’s bedroom, now it was TE’s turn to look at the stars in Luna’s “bedroom”.
Your assumption was correct. I’m 100%.
How did Luna get a van in ROK? Well, she’s an experienced thief.
Looks like we are in for major heartbreak for next epi.
PREVIEW EPI 14 HD w/ Eng Sub
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ8f6C7RqXw
Be back later later
Looks like SJ is alive, eh?
@JT7 – you’re welcome!
@Alxmar97 – That’s a good point about things happening in doubles. I wouldn’t mind being right, that’s for sure! It’s quite possible it’s TE. I checked the outfits though and Luna wears a baggy, dark coat the day she kisses SJ, just like the woman in the van. So that’s one point towards the Luna theory.
I really liked PM and LG’s conversation. I wish these two weren’t so out of sync the entire show. She wasn’t entirely wrong about him and how only love moves him. TE is more duty-bound. My sense is that if LG wasn’t a king he’d move to the Republic for TE in an instant.
I have seen the picture of the supposed Lee Ji Hun & here’s my theory.
Maybe when LG goes back to the past this time, he fixes everything so LL doesn’t make it to ROK to kill people so Ji Hun is still alive and he walks past LGE in present time. Eventually, LG finds a way to JTE & we get our happily ever after?
But JTE’s life in ROK?😣
Hello everyone. Just finished today’s episode. Lots of answers but also more questions. Seems like Luna has her own agenda, which actually makes sense. she’s been alone all of her life. One thing that I’m curious about is Luna’s real name 🤔. I don’t know why they are delaying to reveal that. Gonna watch today’s episode again. I can’t believe we only got one episode this week 💔
@packmule3 – James Cameron wrote the script for Terminator. John Connor sends the Terminator back in time to save his younger self.
Thank you for this fab blog on the show which I found a few weeks ago 😉 learned so much and have been so much vigilant when watching the episodes since…
Ep 13 – the one scene that made my heart skipped me was the one where LG met JTE’s dad. LG has come such a long way! The LG ‘HM don’t like to be touched’ and being bowed to all his life until then, did a 90 deg bow to JTE’s dad and introduced himself as ‘lee gon’ (the name that should not be spoken. i paraphrased, but you get the idea) to him. *respect*
Someone mentioned that JY went out at a crucial moment to get drinks – what’s with that? Isn’t he supposed to be with LG all the time as his Unbreakable Sword? hmm…
The last 3 episodes will be some ride!! Wheeee.
Spoiler
@mychoiyoung Bazinga! ROK’s SJ might still be alive at the care centre. No wonder Ji-hun’s mom was suprised when Sin-jae’s mom said SJ woke up from coma after 1 year. I feel that the care centre functioned like a preparation centre for LL’s army. 😫😫😫
Poor my heart as I watched ep 13. I’ve given this episode an undivided attention from the moment it started. So my heart really went on a roller-coaster ride. That is a sign of a great storytelling, for me. Another Alice going down the tunnel.😂
On another note, how is LG going to break free from this vicious cycle? 😫😭😭😭 The moment he fell down after drinking, I freaked out.
1. What will happen to him?
2. What will happen to his whip?
3. Oh, please someone rescue him from the danger!
@Rahrah
1. LG must of got saved somehow since (1) he still saves his younger self and (2) previews show that he runs and embraces JTE in his new new clothes.
2. Luna is the wild card. I’ll be bold and predict that she doesn’t hand the whip over to LL. Maybe she’ll team up w/ LG and set a trap for LL using the whip as a bargaining chip.
3. JY or ES or SJ to the rescue??
This is more Nolan-esque than Cameron-esque, IMHO!
@John L, my concern for the whole situation stems from my understanding that everything is a repeated event.
LGs from the different timelines might have experienced the exact cycle…He’s been trapped there, under the root symbol, and TE is the powerful zero he needed to break free. However, even with TE in the equation…. the vicious cycle continues.
My heart’s heavy for thinking that fate’s intervension was only to bring him back to the night of treason… 😭😭
Ms Writer, please add something powerful into the storyline to stop LG’s series of unfortunate events.😢😢😢
Since Ep1 I have always believed it was LG who saved his young self. But with Ep13, I’m with @Arihsi on LG not being his own saviour and that “LG and LR miscalculated” and “simply because so many think that way”. If KES intends to really twist the plot why not go all the way, right? Lol
@rahrah, my understanding (going by the proposed timeline I prev posted of what might happen) is that LG is trapped partially because he does not want to disrupt the balance, or change the course of history. He mentioned that only God can do that, when talking to the traitor previously. So even when he discovers how to time travel, he will not want to change the course of events too much, except to fulfil what has already happened (that he goes back in time as the shooter to save his child self).
But I think something happens to TE later (we do see Luna stabbing TE in Ep 14 spoilers), that makes LG change his stance. Perhaps she dies, and that drives him to time travel again, but this time he does something more in an attempt to save TE. Maybe he kills LL, or prevents the flute from being stolen. TE being killed (which means, in a way, LG’s zero is nullified heh), drives him to change history, thereby releasing him from this endless looping of the same events. So TE (as his zero), releases him from the root symbol in that way.
@John L: I think 3 is likely, since JY stepped out just to buy soju, so he should be back in time to save LG?
@kdramakat: ooooh your theory is interesting! That would explain why Luna has been a Jane Doe so far.
FYI, the only that Lady Noh brought from her home to KOC was the book of poems by Kim Sowol.
I wonder if the flute has a doppelganger in ROK. If so LG should get his hands on it, then he would have 1.5 flutes? Much better odds for him.
@JT7 Finally had more time to read the comments! I love your happy ending theory about TE walking to the bookstore in 2022 and finding her ID plus a birthday card in every book there. Hahaha!
@mychoiyoung Yes, thank you for the English subs. I’m at the point where I “try” to appreciate all the uploaded Korean language content of TKEM but fail miserably so I rely on facial expressions or the comments of others to understand it. Also, episode 14 seems like a real heartbreaker BUT still holding on to @packmule3 theory that it’ll be a happy ending. 🙂
@maximess ES singing is love! So too was the scene where he said that having the twins and Nari was the best reason not to exchange places. Awwwwwww
Can I just say Secretary Mo’s expression is so on point when she couldn’t believe that TE hasn’t answered LG’s proposal yet?! That was the most important in her agenda and I think HCL trained her well. @Phoenix where you at?! Secretary Mo should definitely be an esteemed guest in the next Shallow Island party! LOL
Guys, I thought the traitor Kim Ghi Hwan was beheaded? His head was definitely connected to his neck. Did he die because of the scar? I’m thinking now if the scar causes a heart attack because of the pain.
The bouquet of flowers LG gave to JTE, why is it attached to a lamp and hanging upside down?
Dear @Say08, the flowers are a memento from Lee Gon’s encounter. She let them hang upside down to let them dry (to preserve them).
Oh, I see! That’s a pretty unique way of preserving it.
3 eps left. I sure do hope all the loose ends will be tied up neatly and beautifully, KES-nim, jebal.
@kdramakat – you’re welcome. I can easily get the previews but I need help in the translation. I do share with your frustration about watching w/o subs. I can’t understand why that is still done to this day of streaming & global exposure.
Can I please say something?
I am mostly likely as wrong as the wizard who thought the time is ripe for the invention of a cheese cauldron but please bear with me.
@JT7 someone took screenshots of the ears involved in the saving scene. There are minimum two sets. One definitely belongs to LG.
Our primary clue so to speak is the TE ID card. The source of all confusion. The card that got stolen from the palace and was given to Luna is now in the possession of the open palm of an unconscious LG. So what if this card was taken by JY and given to SJ for return to TE. Only, he never ended up giving it to her (maybe because she was stabbed.) The card that young LG pulled, wasn’t from his own self. It was from SJ. And LG has already considered this possibility very early in the drama. But he himself admits not remembering a lot from the scene. We’re relying on a subjective narrative. His narrative can be flawed because he was a traumatized, bleeding child on the verge of loosing consciousness. SJ being one of the saviors would also make sense in terms of the screen time given to his character.
Btw they mirrored his childhood scene. Both LG lying with TE card in their open palms. I hope TE is given more role to play in the grand scheme of things by EP 16. She’s such a strong character. She needs to be given more than to be a tsundere love interest of the king for whom he’d even turn back time. It’d be wonderful if she’s given the chance to match him in love.
RE POSSIBLE REVELATION OF SJ’s DOPPELGANGER BEING ALIVE (still comatosed)
Based on the reaction of the care center administrator upon seeing SJ, we can deduce that SJ doppelganger is alive.
My previous theory —
still holds true because as you can see in the UPDATED TABLE BELOW, those who have NO SCARS – as in SJ’s case – is still consistent (blue & black font)with the rest e.g. TE/Luna, JY/ES, Nari/Seung Ah, Palace spy/SJ’s mom’s doppelganger.
https://i.imgur.com/N2KJdTo.png
Hello everyone! First time posting here, I’ve only recently come across this website after episodes 11 and 12, and boy, am I glad I did. Y’all have helped me confirm my personal theories as well as enlighten me on things I might’ve missed during my first time watching the show. I’m new to kdramaland (this is only my 2nd month, lol) and am not familiar with the usual tropes that they employ, so I ask for a wee bit of your patience and understanding. =)
I only have one major question with regards to TKEM: How did ORIGINAL Lee Gon survive the ordeal with his Uncle Lee Rim? Now that it has been confirmed that adult Lee Gon went back in time to save his 8 y.o. self (episode 1). I may be adding confusion by using the adjective ORIGINAL to describe Lee Gon here, so let me just rephrase that into Lee Gon 1.0 (the Lee Gon who survived w/out the help of his future self, and presumably the one we also saw at the end of episode 10, crossing the universe and the time-space continuum to see Tae Eul). The one we are now following, allow me to just name him Lee Gon 2.0 — the one who can hopefully end the time loop, defeat his Uncle Lee Rim before bringing chaos upon both worlds, and save (even possibly marry!) his future Queen Jeong Tae Eul. Maybe I’m just nitpicking but I’m confident some of you have already figured this out, or maybe it was indirectly explained in the show but I just wasn’t able to catch it.
I only read about adult Lee Ji Hun from you guys, but I was not able to see him in the teaser. Was the the one who got hugged by Tae Eul, but seemingly did not recognize her? That would make a whole lot of sense, because I see no other way for Lee Gon to get rid of his lightning / burning curse apart from fixing things before his Uncle Lee Rim gets the chance to even begin — thus ensuring that Lee Ji Hun of RoK survives.
Thank you everyone for your wonderful insights! Looking forward to your responses.
LG AS SAVIOUR OF HIMSELF
It does not discount the possibility of multiple saviours, based on the shoes and the overall timing of that regicide sequence. (I posted that somewhere in this blog)
In the 1st place, LG as a saviour is a no brainer to LMH fans or those who are familiar with his work. As I mentioned in my post about this, the saviour got that City Hunter vibe & let’s face it, LMH has that hard-to-miss silhouette. So in terms of plot development, am sure the team knows that this is a dead give-away.
To even confirm that LG is the saviour NOW w/ 3 more episodes to go should clue us in that there is more to be revealed about the regicide scene.
I still maintain the multiple saviour theory.
I agree there were 2 different hooded men but the one who checked on young LG might not be adult LG. On JY giving TE’s ID to SJ is possible too because I’m still waiting for SBS news mentioning that LG will be disappointed with JY so that might be it.
On King Haejong bringing HCL Noh to KOC where there is no war. It would mean he used the flute but why didn’t he “When the flute is played, enemies would retreat, the country would be peaceful” instead? Let’s say King Haejong basically “created” KOC. If LG travels to 1950 and stops his grandfather from using the flute, we’ll have Lee Ji Hun (from fan pic at the shooting scene) who didn’t recognise JTE.
Just throwing some crazy ideas around. This is I guess what a week’s wait will do. Lol
Lee Gon being bad a shooting is actually a red herring. Having survived the night of regicide, he probably has trained hard not only in self defense but actually shooting as well. His superior officer’s comment about him being bad at combat can be explained. I think he purposely pretended to be unskillful so his enemies may underestimated him. The reason that he didn’t do well at the arcade is because he didn’t know arcade owner messed up the sign post to cheat the customers. JTE won big at the arcade because she was well aware the owner’s trick and didn’t aim to shoot.
From next episode’s preview, we can guess that KSJ discovers his comatose doppelgänger and goes to visit someone (likely his ROK father) in jail and learns something that makes him cry. My guess is that the father maybe in the know about the swap and probably helped LR in some capacity.
From pictures of the last shooting location, it looks like that LG and JTE travel back to 1940s. You can tell by the movie posters and the style of their clothing. I think this is where Lady Noh’s part of story comes in to play.
If my Evil dopplegänger was wandering in my world, I would find a test or a question that people I know have to ask me to be sure it’s really me… Honestly, I think TE reacts a little too cool for the situation. Luna didn’t hurt her father but it doesn’t mean she can do it in the future. She can destroy TE’s reputation, career, etc.
I really like Yeong’s straightforwardness, he asked the questions that hurt but in the same time he forces them to think about the futur, the consequences.
Looks like SJ found his dooplegänger. I’m curious why they didn’t kill him. What the point to keep him if he’s in a coma?
Episode 13
About the efficiency of the script, episode 13 avoids some mistakes that were made before:
– No disruptive flashback series at the beginning of the episode, with blurry context, or with scenes unrelated to the previous cliffhanger. The drama keeps the viewer immersed in the action.
– Reminder: this drama didn’t need that, because the story’s enigmas are good enough to hold without the excess of artificial confusion generated by an incomprehensible narration. What must be incomprehensible are the mysteries of the story, not the narration!
– Use of flashback when necessary, instead of showing bits of scattered scenes that are worthless.
– Example: the PM Koo. Her meeting with Lee Lim is evoked at the right moment. I had already mentioned that the scattering of the script in the first 10 episodes was damaging, because it prevented to follow one or more storylines. So it was better to show things at the right time. That’s it! It’s done. Demonstration of efficiency by example.
– The cliffhanger was well rendered, but predictable regarding the revelation about Lee Gon’s return in time. I hope it was a false conclusion, and that a surprise will come to contradict it.
Note about the cliffhanger: did you notice the shot on the mirror? Luna is completely motionless. The resolution of the cliffhanger may involve a time stop. While Luna was trying to trap Lee Gon, the time stop is taking place. Then why is he collapsing? Is he faking it? I don’t know. I have no idea. Another clue about this is that we see Lee Lim in a scene similar to Episode 3, in the same place, and there was a timestop in the next scene (of course, it’s not rendered in real time).
Unfortunately, episode 13 also repeats mistakes that were made before:
– Episode 13 started well, but it didn’t last long.
– An important time dedicated to focus on minor characters, who since the beginning have sunk the drama to the bottom of the ocean. All that was missing was the nurse (the one who had the handicapped child) .The story continues to be broken, time wasted, and of course, this weakens the main plot.
– In fact, the main plot has not made much progress. It is exhausting. I doubt that at this rate, the end of the drama will be satisfactory.
– The eviction of characters, when they have not been useful, and whose fate is also useless. Here, it affects a more important character: PM Koo. This character had enormous potential that was never fully exploited. Such as his conflicting relationship with Lady Noh, or here with Tae Eul (it comes too late after their first meeting). It would have been nice to see her rage grow more, and more conflict between her and Lee Gon. As prime minister, she could also have executed a deadly plan, plot-twist, suspense.
– As a general rule, dooplegangers will not have played any active role, threat, plot-twist, criminal act. No atmosphere of paranoia. The only one who’s getting results is Luna. It’s immediately apparent that it’s a driving force for suspense and dramatic tension.
– Bad rendition of the director, once again. The king’s corpse in the morgue in episode 1 was hardly recognizable. Here, the corpse of PM Koo’s clone is also unrecognizable. The viewer can’t rely on visual detail to understand the situation, which fortunately is confirmed afterwards.
– Attention, potential plot-hole. To be confirmed later. Lee Gon deduced that bringing the two pieces of flute together will close the passage between the two worlds. However, at the beginning of the episode, we learn that the former king, his grandfather, went to North Korea to look for Lady Noh. And at that time, the flute was whole. And how does Lee Gon deduce that?
Various, and scenes that impressed me:
– The meeting between PM Koo and Lee Lim.
– Luna kissing Shin-Jay.
– Luna in general, when she goes to Tae Eul’s father’s house, or traps Lee Gon.
– Nice scene where Lee Gon introduces himself courteously to Tae Eul’s father.
– The best product placement scene of the drama. Triple product placement!!
+ Weird stuff that’s eaten out of a bag
+ Sports car
+ Sunglasses
I might be wrong, but there’s something suspicious about the heels PM Koo bought in ROK. Would she really paid so much attention to them (she probably has a lot of pairs, and even if that’s the evidence of her staying in ROK for a while it’s not that convincing…) if they were just an ordinary “souvenir”…? Or, are they her symbol of what happened in ROK? I’m so curious!
I am glad that Tae Eul saw her buying them.
@summerwind yes I was curious about how vintage the spoiler pics looked for the last scenes!
The preview of Ep 14 shows LL meeting another version of him. I am wondering if that means he also starts time travelling, since I don’t think the other version is his double, since he killed his double earlier?
@wenchanteur: I didn’t notice the time stop, I must go take a look again at that part! The stuff eaten out of the sachet is red ginseng extract. They are currently promoting it in my country. They’ve been sneaky about some of the product placements I realized: the plum blossom necklace from LG to TE was one, & the face balm thingy was included in the convo between TE & her dad when she intro LG as her BF heh.
@Wenchanteur Eeeeek… If the time were to stop, LG would be writhing in agony with the poison that much longer because the time doesn’t stop for him ! Help will be late by more than an hour. That would take the survival chance to zero, but creative license! Long live the king!
Now everyone actually have their own doppleganger like we initially suspected? Even SJ and LG? Wow. That is a massive pool of characters to keep track. I got an instinct when watching ep. 1 and 2 that the ROK LG, that boy was not killed. Apparently, he is alive. Hmm… keep writing ladies & gens. Love reading your take on the drama 🙂
Otherwise, it looks like the No Man Lands is between the 2 worlds. ES with his suitcase leaving when TE and LG are talking.
@wenchanteur It’s not a plot hole because only JTE knows about Lady Noh’s origin. She asked JTE to keep it a secret, so I assume JTE didn’t share that information with LG.
@WEnchanteur – thanks for your cinematic analysis. You help me appreciate certain things better.
A couple of things though
1. CLIFFHANGER W/ LG & LUNA
I also thought for a while that there was a time-freeze, esp since it was shown that LR is back in KOC.
From the way the camera panned from Luna’s back to when LG got the ID from her pocket, then to the mirror as LG looked at himself & realization dawn on him. BUT while looking at the mirror, Luna blinked 2x. Then when LG was falling, camera focused on Luna & she moved.
2. CORPSE OF PM’s CLONE
I also had no problem recognizing the corpse of PM’s clone cos that story segment was very clear that TE was looking for her.
– from TE & SJ visiting her home,
– to TE & SJ deducing that she has been reported missing & therefore might be dead & is in the care center
– to TE showing her picture to the admin head of care center story
Aside from the look of the corpse, these above steps aided me to conclude that the corpse was the PM clone. I don’t see how the director could be more clear than this.
Just my 2 cents (literally, haha).
Luna’s story is really
@Arihsi @JT7
Here are pictures of LG w/ his “clipped” ear
https://i.imgur.com/rAGAPIj.png
https://i.imgur.com/eJg5hNZ.png
So yeah they are LMH’s.
PLUS – picture of the shoe during the saving scene vs picture of LG when he was poisoned
SAVING SCENE
https://i.imgur.com/Qfb9yoc.png
AT THE HOTEL FAINTING & POISONED
https://i.imgur.com/qc8OCj0.png
SO WHOSE PAIR OF SHOES IS THIS AT THE SAVING SCENE?
https://i.imgur.com/L5dYp51.png
When JY left to buy soju, I was like WT?!! How about ROOM SERVICE? Is soju or any kind of alcohol available in hotels in Korea?
That is just my beef about the cliff hanger cos it was so convenient for Luna to come in when JY left to buy soju
In the same time, if LG didn’t see that it wasn’t TE, Yeong could miss it and drink too or leave to let them to be alone. LG didn’t see right away and it’s the same for Shin Jae, yet they are the ones who know the best TE.
Luna’s agenda is really not clear.
@Arihsi @J7
Here are pix of LG showing his “clipped” ear. Those are LMH’s alright
https://i.imgur.com/rAGAPIj.png
https://i.imgur.com/eJg5hNZ.png
RE THE IDENTITY OF THE SAVIOUR
Let’s review the shoes.
Shoes during the Regicide
https://i.imgur.com/Qfb9yoc.png
Shoes of LG when he was poisoned
https://i.imgur.com/qc8OCj0.png
Are they a match?
So, whose pair of shoes is this during the night of the regicide?
https://i.imgur.com/Z4dRgcd.png
@packmule3-
Regarding @John L’s comment on James Cameron.
He directed and co-wrote the script for the 1984 film “The Terminator”, which uses the same time travel concept of sending things/people back in time to change the future. It takes it a bit further than TKEM in some ways. In this first film, the bad guys send the Terminator back in time with the mission to kill John Connor’s mother before she becomes pregnant with JC so he will never be born/not exist. JC then sends his right hand man back in time to save his mother from being killed by the Terminator, and kill The Terminator.
If we credit James Cameron, then we must also say Harlan Ellison is also watching this drama from above. Is KES a Harlan Ellison fan as well?
@Table122000
If you saw James Cameron’s interview about the making-of Terminator 1.
As far as the script goes:
He didn’t want the action and the plot to be slowed down. So he put explanations or clues within the action scenes. Example: the scene where Kile Reese and Sarah Conor are driving in the underground parking lot. And they’re being chased by the terminator in the car. This scene contains a short explanation during the dialogue.
-> If Kim Eun Suk had been able to see this interview with James Cameron, her drama would be much less flabby.
@Table122000 in Terminator, it was the right-hand man who fathered John Connor, so that was one eternal paradoxical loop. If John had not existed, the Terminator would not have been sent back. Then the father would not have been sent back in which case John would not have existed.
It was because there was a reason for him to have gone back in time that John existed, therefore he caused the need for himself to go back to save his son. And what took the cake was that it was John of the future, who sent back his father to the past. Boggled my mind!!
An Epiphany: Remember some were complaining how lax was the security of Prince Buyeong such that lone LR was able to kill all the guards & the Prince easily? I realized how it happened based on the “impatience” talk of LG & TE.
The autopsy report said that his bodyguards were all killed without hesitation and no defensive wounds. Which could only mean LR attacked when time froze. He walked in & massacred them all like sitting ducks. :skull: The longer time stops, the greater is LR’s chances to just attack the Palace or anywhere and just slaughter while people are frozen.
Am scared for OkNam, Sec Mo & the rest of the Palace staff for that matter. Am reminded of GOT’s red wedding…
@miracle23 If the rule is that only people whose counterparts died an unnatural death get the fiery scars, then LG’s counterpart, Ji Hun, is really dead.
@Sayaris, the hint of a threat over TE’s dad is already out with the info of parricide by counterparts of the families of their doppelgangers. That troubled me from the previous episode. Yes TE is a little too complacent, since her father was already fooled by Luna. She told him to be careful but of course she could not say why. I’d have liked to have her dad under JY’s watchful eyes. Danger to her dad would totally change the way she operates. Right now she’s only thinking that Luna wants to get her. She forgets that LG is also in ROK and can be fooled.
The first thing she should have done is inform him that Luna has been fooling her dad.
@kdramakat Definitely Luna has an agenda of her own. She will appear to play along with LL, but may not do everything he wants or in the way he wants. I too feel that she definitely wanted a taste of TE’s life.
I was thinking about her kissing poor SJ: this was a bit of a puzzle but maybe it was just for the heck of trying out something different that she’d not have to be accountable for. She’s a thief… so stealing a kiss that Shin Jae would have wanted with TE? Stealing TE’s kiss so to speak, after stealing her identity and her home.
I wonder if the photos of SJ and TE in the phone gave her the hint that he liked TE. Even Jo Yeong could tell. So maybe she just went for it because ‘What the heck, why not?’ 🙂
@mychoiyoung Great catch!
So that must have happened when LG crossed the portal just to hear TE’s voice but ended up meeting her.
@mychoiyoung Killing during the time freeze is definitely possible and likely what LL would plan. However, in Ep 1’s killing scene, LL walked with a whole posse of henchmen who were shooting those in front. No one was frozen, that we could see.
@GB
Since I feel you’re very interested in Luna’s kiss…
Enjoy this!
http://w4worlds.eklablog.com/the-king-eternal-monarch-meme-16-top-priority-a187940168
😀
@WEnchanteur oh dear poor SJ. What a rude awakening. Lol.
He may be a dull character, but I’m waiting to see him be the unexpected Sword or Knight who’ll make taking LL down easier.
@GB
Not everything is negative for Shin-Jay!
I see a beautiful romance between him and Luna.
Too bad it’s episode 13… T T
@GB
Ah, I forgot something, but it’s a pity it’s not directly understandable in the meme.
It’s not an awakening!!!
We can assume that Tae Eul has been talking to him like this all the time for years!
And that this complete idiot still hangs on her.
Drama second male lead rule, extreme version.
I should write this in the explaination.
My explanations suck, in fact I explain almost nothing.
There are a lot of hidden gags in all these memes.
I’m as dumb as KES at stashing stuff. 🙂
@mychoiyoung the shoes oooo 🧐 two different sets ??
About the murders in frozen time. Yikes. Gruesome. Definitely something LR would do. There seems to be no stoppage to the madness of this man.
By the way, are we clear on those red balloons ? There seem to be many more visible now ! Is it the no of times LG crosses the place ? That can’t be it. He isn’t shown to carry a balloon each time he visits TE? Also, he hasn’t crossed that many times during the series? Is it the no of loops ? Something unknown?
That scene when LG and JY reunited at the chicken restaurant really cracked me up. How JY was imitating JTE when LG asked how he was and if he’d been well.
First off, thank you to PM3 for this blog. It’s been really fun and engaging to read everyone’s plot theories and episode analysis. These are truly tough times for a lot of us and this blog is definitely a moment of happiness for me. I truly appreciate how everyone is respectful, kind, and considerate of each other’s thoughts, even when there’s disagreement. I love that we’re all essentially acting as detectives, trying to figure out the director’s next move!
Episode 13 was MUCH more crime thriller flavored, which I thoroughly enjoyed. LG and JTE are finally working like two in sync detectives, sharing revelations (the location of LL’s portal), clues (PM Koo’s scar), and understanding each other’s next steps even before the other has a chance to vocalize it. I loved the scene where JTE confirms that PM Koo i) crossed over to the other side and ii) has a scar similar to LG’s. During that intense confrontation scene in the Palace hallway, JTE shows us that she’s a masterful interrogator and a tough detective, even in the face of KOC’s most powerful woman. Note that JTE does not give PM Koo an INCH during this scene, but is able to deduce from PM Koo’s veiled language that Koo did indeed cross over to ROK and that she most likely killed her own doppelganger due to the scar (JTE mentions heavy heartedness and guilt to Koo, which Koo subtly smiles at). With that info, she runs to LG and they deduce that PM Koo is in bed with LL.
There’s a load of foreshadowing in this episode. For example:
– JTE warns LG that criminals act recklessly when cornered. He replies something to the effect of, “No one can stop me if I decide to start acting recklessly as well. No one can beat me.” I think this might hint at some person or event forcing LG’s hand, making it so that he’s no longer able to be his normal, calculating self. From this episode’s ending and the EP 14 preview, we can guess that something major will happen to JTE, almost confirming everyone’s suspicions that she either dies or is gravely injured, which will force LG’s hand.
– JTE is sad upon realizing that LG is truly alone when time stops, and that time will stop for longer and longer increments the more LL and LG cross over. She embraces him and asks how they can fix this, to which LG comforts her and says, “you were with me a couple of times when that happened.” I know at face value he means that time froze when she was around (the scene in the park and at church), but I sense something lurking beneath those words that might point to JTE also being able to time travel or move when time is frozen. The EP 14 preview almost confirms that, as we see LG running through a crowd of frozen people to a very un-frozen JTE.
– At the BBQ Chicken restaurant, JY asks SJ why he hasn’t told JTE that he likes her because these sentiments are abundantly clear to even an outsider like JY. JY expresses that he doesn’t think LG and JTE can be together, their worlds are too far apart. SJ forcefully replies, “This is why you get shot. I’ll shoot you next time.” I think this scene alludes to more than just SJ’s feelings towards JTE. He’s protective of her, even at the cost of his own feelings. I can’t help but feel like the director is priming us for some sort of shoot-out scene with SJ, maybe even in conflict with JY? We’re reminded that he’s self-sacrificing (putting JTE’s feelings for LG above his own feelings for her), that he’s good with guns, and that he’s willing to use these skills to protect her. This might lend credence to the theory that SJ is LG’s second savior if you believe in the 2 savior theory.
– “If you see me now, you die.” This is what Luna told JTE when she finally got ahold of her over the phone. Definite foreshadowing to the next episode, and almost confirmed given the stabbing we see in the EP 14 preview. This is in line with how the characters that LL brought over behave – only one of them can survive in any given universe and the one that crosses over must kill their doppelganger. Luna is warning JTE of a violent ending when they finally meet – only one of them can remain.
– JTE hands LG the black bag filled with black clothing. She mentions that she bought it “a long time ago” as an excuse to stop him from leaving. She chose dark and plain colors so he can “blend in”. Now we obviously know that these clothes are the ones the LG’s savior wore, and it’s confirmed that present LG went back in time to save younger LG. I think Kim Go Eun’s acting here is really superb. Ever since she had the conversation with Court Lady Noh (CLN), I sensed a subtle change in her demeanor. To me, she’s not only shocked by the revelation that CLN is from ROK, but also by some other off-screen revelation between her and CLN which I’m sure we’ll get insight into as a flashback in a later episode. She interacts with LG afterward as if she’s burdened by a secret that only she and CLN know – did anybody sense this as well?
Recall the scene where she’s handing LG the black clothes. I’m not convinced she just bought it for him as a romantic gesture. I think KGE acts in a way that imparts a sense of sadness and knowing. She’s pulling invisible strings based off of something that CLN told her, gently guiding LG towards a certain path (time travel). I think this was foreshadowed when CLN told her at the very beginning of the episode that, since her ID fell into his hands, ” [she’s] the one guiding [LG] to his fate.” To me, she’s suggesting that JTE has or will have to orchestrate certain events in LG’s future to ensure that he goes back to save himself, to find JTE, and to prevent LL from gathering the whole flute. I think JTE in this episode is guiding LG’s actions by giving him the black clothing AND for asking him to wear it when they meet later that night (!!!). We’re not sure of the reasons why yet, but I think they would’ve been revealed had JTE and LG actually met.
Also, JTE acts with the same knowingness that CLN does whenever LG rushes off to cross worlds. As PM3 pointed out, the more bizarre the storyline gets, the less anxious CLN is – she’s acting with the knowledge that things are going “as planned”. In the same way that CLN planned for LG to have his half of the flute, JTE’s ID card, JY as his unbreakable sword, and Maximus, I think JTE is also leading LG to something fated.
Some last tidbits. LG should’ve known it wasn’t JTE when he opened the hotel door. JTE explicitly stated that she would call him when she was off work and to pick up when she did. There was no phone call. Luna must’ve snuck past JY as he was on his way to buy alcohol. Also, Luna was in a different set of clothes than what JTE was wearing that morning. Obviously, LG figures this deception out later, but not until it was too late. JTE is truly LG’s weakness, which Luna masterfully uses to her advantage. The lovers, LL, and Luna are well aware that JTE will be LG’s Achilles heel. Remember that one of LG’s rules for JTE was to not ask him to stay? What rule did they break this episode? JTE asked him to stay after she handed him the clothes, just for one night! And he agreed, happily. Interesting that the one time he breaks his own rule for her, he’s harmed.
OK, last thing. JTE adds a 10th rule to the list of 17 rules: don’t worry about things in advance. LG muses at this and agrees, but says it’s only the 9th rule. Her face is cryptic here, but she simply answers “Oh, is it the 9th?” then quickly deflects. Is it possible she realized she told her 9th rule to a future LG, and present LG had only heard 8 rules up until this moment? Adds further evidence to future LG traveling back in time to see JTE and that JTE is aware of the fact that she’s interacted with future LG in the past.
Thanks again for letting me add to the discussion!
Great ideas and comments here. 🙂 I’ll rewatch it but from first watch I liked that both LG and Te are working together on the issue. ES is soooooo cute and funny! I hope he’ll definitely learn how to drive with his brand new car since his got a drivers licence already. hahaha I’ll miss WDH when he goes for his military service this year. 🙁
I’m glad TE’s Dad finally met her boyfriend. That look of LG when she introduced him, he said, I wanted it to be sweet and emotional but this will have to do. LOL. That’s some bow for the Dad from a King. 🙂
I thought TE might have given LG some warning that Luna has been spending time with her Dad but I didn’t see that? How ominous that it was TE who gave that black jacket and hat to LG which made him realized that it was him who saved himself. I still think it is LG.
SJ is shocked by having TE and Luna in his world. I want him to be one of those people who will save LG.
JY is still doubting that LG and TE can be together. Maybe when he left to buy soju is when he disappointed LG. Hopefully that’s it. He should have been warned too about Luna.
@agdr03 and all who’ve been wondering about JY disappointing LG (from the spoilers, I believe)… I’m guessing it’s to do with JY’s NOT believing that TE and LG should be together in KOC. When given a choice to make it easier or possible for TE to be with LG or vice versa, I feel JY will err on the side of caution and put the KOC first. He may be instrumental in keeping them apart for his own good reasons. Thus, LG will be disappointed in him.
@WEnchanteur
Hah… I did and still do play around with the possibilities of this.
What I did not say earlier is that another big reason for Luna’s kiss is that she was caught suddenly and had to think fast. She gambled that a kiss between colleagues would totally throw SJ off with that distraction, instead of alerting him that she was not TE. TE’s call at that time was another great distraction and enabled her to disappear before SJ could get to the bottom of the kiss.
Poor guy was baffled and yet hopeful. After all, JY had just told him that LG and TE should not be together, and suggested that SJ should confess his feelings (to put an obstacle in the path of LG and TE) and here, he locates ‘TE’ who plants a kiss on him. The timing is the best in the way of dramas.
Then he ‘falls face down on the ground’ when the real TE calls him hyung-nim and is on about the false TE, who had bamboozled him for a few minutes.
This part I imagine you have imagined for your meme making LOL. I will give you that she is blunt but not likely to reveal much personal activity details, especially to a guy.
She did note that even Na Ri was not phased when she said she’d spent the night with a guy in his house. I’d think from a female point of view, she’s more likely to confide in Na Ri than in a guy, even if he is her hyung-nim. 😉
@agdr03 Ah, the ‘92-‘94 liners up for ms – Park Bo Gum, Seo Kang Joon, Nam Joo Hyuk, & WDH. Glad Yoo Seung Ho & Lee Hyun Woo enlisted earlier.
It was indeed disappointing how JY talked to JTE on the weight of being with LG and then meddling with SJ affection towards JTE. Although it’s really not hard to see why from his pov.
@GB The scene I was referring to was when LR killed PRINCE BEYEONG, not the night of the regicide. Time freeze not yet applicable in Epi 1, right? Cos flute not yet broken.
Thanks @GB, I think I saw that cautioned/worried look of JY that he gave to LG after telling him that the jacket and hat were from TE. If only one can easily choose 1 world and not worry about the other. What is the cost for LG and TE to be together? We will see. 🙂
@Say08, yes there’s a few of them going aren’t they? I’ll miss Park Bo Gum and WDH for sure. I’m glad Yoo Seung Ho’s finished with his service. 🙂
@WEnchanteur- I certainly agree KES should have definitely taken some notes from James Cameron on how to write action type of script.
@Growing Beautifully- Indeed, the time travel paradox of The Terminator is completely mind boggling. I tried to wrap my head around it and failed. This type of time travel “time loops” stuff does not make sense to me, and I do not enjoy it, TBH. I guess I’m just too rooted in the present linear time universe.
I’m trying to just roll with the time manipulation/time travel aspects of The King. I find the time manipulation/time freeze a little easier to take than the time travel/time loop stuff. Although someone in another forum ranted about the impossibility of time freezing and how this was a major plot hole because of the laws of physics and the script was crap, so to each his own.
I’m staying with this drama to solve the mystery of Shin Jae and why he was kidnapped, witness the final battle between good & evil, see how evrything gets resolved for our OTP. (Hopefully a happy ending) And watch WDH.
Ahm. So I have one more question (I feel like I’m sitting for one of those ppts that are intentionally nebulous and meant to be understood by no one)
1) If the ’94 LR/LL now knows that LG will be his own savior, then obviously on the night on the original regicide he’ll come prepared, correct? And that will change the outcome?
2) There are more than one saviours If is TE is one of them and ends up dieing (taking the bullet for LG?) DURING the regicide? The reason he’s soooooo head over heels with her since before she actually even acknowledged him in current timeline.
Oh my god. What a hot mess that’d be 🤕
I mean the adult time travelling TE taking the bullet for the adult LG of time traveling LG to save the child LG of ’94.
Ha ha ha ha. What confusion that’d create! 😅
Oh man @arihsi I can’t even figure that out! Hahaha
Side note: have all of you watched this?
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CA2jkXbAx1W/?igshid=5mo5bbawirld
Nearly died laughing
Actually @JT7 a similar concept was there in a previous LMH drama, Legend of the blue sea (not written by KES). There, the endless loop of reincarnations of the protagonists is stopped by the FL taking the bullet for ML (quite literally). I quite liked the FL there. Very funny and extremely demonstrative of her affection 🙂
The trouble here is, there’d be no way to save a shot TE since adult LG can’t be seen anywhere in ’94. This actually might prompt him to time travel further. Not to save himself but TE on the night of regicide. TE, who is now dead because of him,not Luna.
No one expects anything like this to happen 😂
I started typing the following many hours ago, then got distracted and didn’t post it. I apologize if this is a repeat of what anyone else posted since I started typing. But with the new restriction on cut and paste on this blog (which I fully support, to make plagiarism more difficult), I can’t copy and save this for later. If I refresh this page to see what people have written since I started, I’ll lose my work. I don’t want to waste all the time and effort I put into writing this, so here goes.
@Arihis, Lee Gon has said he’s gone into the pathway realm to explore its properties in terms of space (trying to find the edge) and time (discovering 1 minute inside = 1 hour outside). His first red balloon was a scientific experiment, and the results were that it didn’t move at all and didn’t pop even after ten days. He suspended a coin in the air and it also remained right where he put it, but noticed that TE’s seeds sank into the ground. I suspect he’s gone in many times to conduct his experiments and explore, and that going in does not trigger a time stop. You might be able to consider the red balloons as check marks: tried that, don’t need to do that again.
I want to point out that @packmule3 was right in calling out something way back in episode 1, that TE’s excellent sense of smell would play a part later in the drama. She was able to recall that where she entered KOC during her kidnapping had an odor like cotton candy. I’m so glad KOC Jangmi, like ROK Jangmi, is also attuned to scents and knew about the cinnamon trees. As it stands in Episode 13, LG and TE realize knowing the location of LL’s bamboo forest and portal is not an advantage for setting guards to catch LL returning to KOC, because of the time stop. However, if LG knows LL is in KOC, he could trap him there by keeping his exit under guard. I’d be very surprised if math whiz LG has lost track of the number of time stops and how that relates to LL’S movement between worlds.
@mychoiyoung, LL could not have killed PB’s security detail utilizing the advantage of a time stop. LG experienced a time stop on Lunar New Year, then had his confrontation in Haeundae with LL. LG visited PB after that, and PB was very much alive. The next time stop LG experienced was after he’d received PB’s autopsy report.
Note: LG tells TE after they were together at the Catholic Church that the time stops are getting longer, and “Now, time stops for over an hour.” The first instance of a time stop being more than an hour is when the prime number is 61, so Lee Gon has confirmed that there have been at least 18 crossings between worlds via portal including the one that happened while he was with TE in front of the Catholic Church. Any of the crossings between #18 and #23 (prime numbers 61, 67, 71, 73, 79, 83) would cause time stops more than one hour but less than two hours. We don’t know with certainty which time stop it was when they were in front of the Catholic church, but his use of the word “now” suggests there has been a change from before.
Now I’m wondering more about the nature of the time stops. We’ve seen that time stops for everyone but LG and LL in both worlds when the portal is used in either direction. So what happens to people (and Maximus) when they’re being brought through the portal by one of the holders of Manpasikjeok? Are they affected
on arrival, freezing at the moment they exit and remaining still for the duration of the time stop? Or are those who are in physical contact with a person holding half of the flute also immune from the time stop? The only time we’ve been shown an arrival is when LG brought TE to KOC the first time as they rode Maximus together, LG’s arms around TE. As crossing #5 or #6, it would cause a time stop of 2.8 or 4.8 minutes. We weren’t shown any stop in TE’S motion (or Maximus’s). If it is true that guests being accompanied through the portal need to be in physical contact with LL or LG to 1) pass through the portal, and 2) not become deadweight the moment they step into the other world, that means there are limitations to the number of people who can pass through at one time.
Based on what we saw during the time stop in front of the Catholic church, when LL’s use of a portal causes a time stop, Lee Gon being in physical contact with TE doesn’t make TE immune to it.
@Welmaris just wanted to chime in with regard to your last paragraph:
If I am not wrong LG does not have his piece of the flute on him on the day of the church visit. I wonder if he had it on him while the time stop happened (because of The other half of the flute being used) and while he was still in physical contact with JTE would Time stop for JTE or not?
@JT7! I love that Instagram post! Thanks 🥰 I wish we can just have that or something similar at the end.
@Arihsi, I liked Legend of the Blue Sea as well. ☺️ Yes, I found JJH was funny there. Nice kissing scenes too. 🤪
Someone also pointed out elsewhere that at the time of the attack of LR at the Prince, the time freeze was below 1 hour. Since Prince’ residence is in Seoul & LR’s portal is in Busan, he might not have enough time to reach his the Prince’s residence to make the assault. But it is still interesting that the autopsy report stated that they did not have defensive wounds.
Granted that, it is still a grim prospect for the people in the Palace, now that the time-freeze is more than 1 hour and that LR’s portal is in Busan. The logistics to take advantage of the time-freeze against the Palace when LG is elsewhere has become heightened.
@arihsi: Wasn’t thinking straight just now (toddler barely napped today sigh), but I had some time to mull over your suggestion & it makes sense!
So maybe it was 2 shooters, LG & TE who followed along secretly. TE takes the bullet for LG that night, because LL is also better prepared & shoots at the adult LG (I assume LL also time travelled back to warn his younger self). Adult LG doesn’t know she followed, or who she is. He goes back to the present time, & prepares for his wedding… but she never turns up cos she died when she went back to the night of the regicide. Poor guy is in his nice suit but the bride is missing, & he realizes what happens. So he time travels back again to try to fix things & save her. He does, but he’s so scared of time looping around again that he tells TE they should time travel waaaaay back to the 1950s & get married then instead lol (I’m trying to account for the scenes they shot that look like they were in the 50s)!
Argh my head. At this rate I wonder if they can wrap up everything neatly in just 3 episodes!
On a side note, have you ever watched the Korean movie ‘Il mare”? It sorta reminded me of this situation. The couple in the show are living in separate timelines, 2 years apart. Girl is in the year 1997 I think, while guy is in 1995. They connect via exchanging letters in a mailbox. Girl gets guy to help to change her past, but when he is on his way to do so he gets run over by a car & dies. Later, girl realizes the guy died when trying to help fulfil her request as she searches for him but can’t find him… & writes a note to him to tell him warning not to go on that fateful day.
@ Welmaris – I agree that the balloons serve as marks or reminders of how TG might have made experiments inside the portal. Your questions regarding the time stops and whether or not people being brought through the portal are affected, either freezing or moving is another mystery! I for one think that there are limitations to the number of people who can pass at a certain point in time. Or could it be that while walking in the portal/no man’s land with someone, time freezes outside but as soon as they exit, time unfreezes? We’ve only been shown episodes where time froze for one (LL or LG) while they were either in ROK or KOC but they knew one was using the portal.
this made me laugh: https://www.instagram.com/p/CAknJdXh3WK/?igshid=39qk598xs6j3
@adrift – I agree that SJ is very protective of TE. His one-sided love would be at least a decade in the making since he first laid eyes on her. I think it was further cemented by TE’s selflessness when she fought his bullies in high school. Never one to make TE uncomfortable, I don’t think he will ever confess given what he said to JY in the BBQ chicken place.
@GB – Yes to Luna thinking fast and planting a kiss on SJ. Poor guy. He looked so flustered that the only thing he told TE was to go to the station and cancel her vacation! Seriously SMH. Also, if TG finds out that JY was egging SJ to confess his feelings for LE, me thinks JY won’t be the unbreakable sword anymore. LOL.
@agdr03: Here’s another for you https://www.instagram.com/p/CAsAdPHp7zP/?igshid=vty2dz0mddqk 😉
@adrift: I also noticed that TE broke one of his rules, & that actually led to the chain of events leading to him being poisoned, sigh… Also, aside from not calling him first, LG should have noticed that TE skipping work to be with him wasn’t characteristic of her. She previously told him that for her the citizens come first. It was ironic too, that LG deduced that the family members of those doubles who were swopped would notice the change, but Luna actually managed to deceive both TE’s dad as well as LG himself.
@no one: Sorry I forgot to reply you! TBH I am not sure. I suggested the black black because there were spoilers on IG showing the adult LG giving the child TE the belt. Maybe TE gives it to him in the current time frame, & he goes back to the past to give it to her?
Regarding Luna: This is more fanfic that prediction already… but maybe SJ grows up to be a police officer in KOC, meets Luna when he arrests her one day… and falls in love. Heh!
@JT7 Noooo… LG must realise TE’s sacrifice! If not, he might be banished from competing with Xiao Nai for the best kdrama boyfriend prize. If at all, she’d die in his arms. Isn’t that a thing in all dramas, not just Korean?
About the movie, interesting that you mention it. I haven’t heard of this Korean version but I have seen “The glass House”! It has Sandra Bullock and Reeves I think ? Long time…but as I remember,it has a similar concept!
Why specifically did LG & TE mention the 17 rules? Were there any significant to the number 17?
@Packmule, you’ve mentioned at least once that you wanted to talk about LL’s association with rain, which is why he’s put his half of Manpasikjeok (and a sword, too!) into the umbrella he’s always carrying. In rewatching ep. 13 it dawned on me that PM Koo’s earrings are most often a teardrop (or raindrop) shape.
@JT7, ooohhhh another good one. Now I will wait for the royal heir. LOL.
@Welmaris, I noted PM’s earrings too. She wears it all the time.
@Packmule3
Dear Bitches, thank your for this discussion forum. It complements the story well. In TKEM, I like LG role as the King, Mathematician, handsome, rich, regal and everything. I will die for this man. Hopefully one day there will be a simulator machine which create a virtual reality to be with him.
Anyway, I like to give my comments too.
1. In episode 12, when LG met JY for the first time and LG told him about PM, LG is not happy with JY because the palace security is compromised.
2. @GB, I agree that SJ is willing to sacrifice his love for TE, because he must know LG and TE are already in relationship.
3. I just wonder if JY will change his loyalty to LG. May be not likely.
4. I think Court Lady Noh (CLN) is hinting to TE to take the role of the Queen to help the King. She disclosed to TE about her past just to make an example of herself, leaving RoK and settle in KoC for over 60 years.
5. I like LG character as a mathematician. From the beginning I also speculated the writer (KES), if not a mathematician savvy herself, has a group of mathematicians advising her. He does behave like one. Appears absent minded, but he is actually thinking deeply. He is numerate, can handle two or more issues in one sentence, for example, when he was describing about Einstein QM and pause o comment about his beautiful eyes. Or when TE said “I love you” and he was mesmerized by her statement but he responded to her query about JY instead and awkwardly he reverted back to her initially confession. There are many of those moments which portray him as a typical mathematician, which are funny and entertaining. There are many jokes about mathematicians. KES captures these well in her atypical love story. Of course I like the breakfast scene with his father in law to be. The three were startled awkwardly by the lovers’ confession. So beautiful.
5. I think many mathematicians envy him for having 3 levels of black board full of mathematical derivations.
6. I do not know how, but I hope the drama will have a happy ending.
7. I did not like to see too many doubles get resurrected. In episode 14, Why LL has his double. I thought his double died and was cremated?
8. I think Luna is good and will eventually sided with LG and TE.
9. How I like it to end? I hope LG marries TE and make her Queen. Luna will continues to impersonate TE in RoK and marries SJ. So happy ever after.
10. Of course I hope LL will be destroyed, defeated whatever. And I hope there will be a session 2 for TKEM. In session 2, PB’s son will be the bad guy. In this way, I can see LMH continues to be LG and the joke about mathematician and scientist continues.
I see a similarity between the design on the King’s Ring
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17z8sulfcpGaXKoBUwHTv6y3DFobJsm4r/view?usp=sharing
And the roots of the ancient tree growing in the courtyard of the palace.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EUe5ovq_lbkkhAjSS-
HnnqyREle09FK4/view?usp=sharing
We see this tree a lot, because this courtyard is one of King Lee Gon’s favorite places to stand and contemplate. The camera angle of this shot is interesting: rather than place LG & TE in the center, they are on the left and the composition is balanced by the tree on the right. Our attention is being drawn to the importance of the tree.
Sorry that the links above don’t work. Can’t copy and paste, and even though I proofread after manually typing the addresses…fail! To see the shot of the tree I was talking about, go to ep. 13, time mark 35:57. To see a picture of the ring, go to the thread about the ring, the sword, and the flute.
@Mel About ’17’ – This was the number of times that TE telephoned LG when she was first in KOC and unable to get back to Busan. So to make up for not being able to reach him by phone, she made up 17 rules that he had to abide by, only to begin with, she had just 6 rules in mind (I think). More get added to the it bit by bit, until I guess, there will really be 17 rules. We’ll see by the end of the show! 😉
Thanks, @GB.
Lee Gon is right. It’s only the 9th rule.
I listed the first 7 in the Number Theory, Part 2 post.
The 8th rule was “Don’t ask me to come with you.” (Ep 9, 54:00)
The 9th rule was “Don’t get scared in advance.” (Ep 13, 37:42)
Lol. TaeEul lost track but LG remembered. 😂
I’ll do a separate post for this so it’s easier to retrieve.
I’m glad you’re keeping track, @pkml3. I know I’m sort of losing it. I take notes and put in time stamps here and there, then I have a hard time locating stuff that I want to check up on. 🙄 😑 I need a secretary LOL.
This is such a great forum. My new morning routine is having a coffee and reading new posts on this site.
I am new to K drama and have enjoyed all the insights and theories here. TKEM was my first k drama and I have also finished CLOY.
In the midst of a pandemic and other world events that can feel heavy and confining how lucky we are to have a forum where we can escape to different islands and be brought together by a love story that hopefully will have not end.
Thanks to packmule3 I believe it was you that made this all happen.
Your explanation of how young LG survives makes sense- he survived by divine intervention not saved by older LG. However older LGs need to return to the event might be necessary to push some other aspect of the story forward like righting all the wrongs that LL committed. Perhaps his return to the past is not to save himself but to change the trajectory of the story.
I am just trying to figure out who travelled back with him given two distinct pairs of shoes different in size and style.
Another question that might not be significant is did LLs counterpart in Korea have a family wife or child? I know he was ill but I am wondering if he did because then it would be fair to assume LL had a family and child as well given the parallel between the two worlds. What’s his attachment to SJ. Why protect him all these years.
Take care all wherever you may be.
An interesting picture posted on Lee Minho’s instagram. Looks like some kind of celebration in the Kingdom of Corea…opinions anyone? I have my suspicions and I’d say prospects are looking good for that happy ending.
https://www.instagram.com/actorleeminho/?hl=en (Possible Spoiler)
THE SAVIOUR CLIFFHANGER
Due to the cliffhanger in epi 13, the talk about the still unresolved issue with the Saviour has been revived in all forums & blogs.
If you are familiar with my previous posts about this, my theory is that that LG was not alone in the rescue ops. Based on additional info we got from Epis 12-13, I re-framed the data posted before to have a clearer comparison.
https://i.imgur.com/CzkPJX3.png
Looking at the data in the comparative chart (which you can zoom in, btw), we get the following:
1. Epi 13 informed us that LG is the saviour who checked out Kid LG. That saviour was the 3rd entrant.
2, But Epi 13 also informed us that LG was wearing the same get-up & pair of shoes of the 1st & 2nd entrants (see remarks with accompanying photo).
This implies all entrants are LG invalidating the multiple saviour theory.
Buuuuut why was the 3rd entrant who is supposed to be LG wearing a different pair of shoes vs 1ST or 2ND entrants who were also supposed to be LG as well? You see where it gets confusing now?
If it is just a simple case of wardrobe gaffe, then dang!
But if it is NOT a wardrobe gaffe, then the revelation of LG at epi 13 being the lone saviour is indeed anti-climactic cos anyone familiar with LMH’s silhouette knows LG has to be in the rescue ops. However, revealing LG as the saviour this early in the storyline may mean a bigger plot twist.
Is it possible that all 3 entrants are all LGs in different timelines?
* If yes, then that is a twist that would compensate for the early reveal
* If no and it is not a wardrobe gaffe, there must be some scenes not yet revealed to us on the Night of Treason which may still support the theory of the multiple saviours.
What do you think?
Hi @pkml3, just letting you know that I’ve emailed you the Character Info updated up til Ep 13. 🙂
We’ve all seen that the case on TE’s phone (the one she had before Luna got it) has the logo from Back to the Future. Now there’s this reference:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q8MTyO3QhGLu18ifc5POj5Jac5Kn84Tp/view?usp=sharing
Lee Gon’s choice in car for ES was no coincidence!
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TeamTimeCar.com-BTTF_DeLorean_Time_Machine-OtoGodfrey.com-JMortonPhoto.com-07.jpg#/media/File:TeamTimeCar.com-BTTF_DeLorean_Time_Machine-OtoGodfrey.com-JMortonPhoto.com-07.jpg
We’ve got a lot to think about coming into the final three episodes of TKEM, but I’ve been mulling over this for a couple of days…was anyone else struck by what Lee Lim said to PM Koo during their meeting at Eosu Booksore?
LL: Your parents at least respected me. They feared me, listened to me, and kept their heads bowed.
That does not sound like the mom we’ve seen running the fish store. That woman had a hunch when she saw Lee Lim, but had to look him up in a textbook to be sure. If she had been one of his acolytes 25 years ago, you’d think she’d have recognized him instantly, especially since he hasn’t aged. And PM Koo’s mom seems grounded and humble, but not fearful. She isn’t cowed by her daughter’s haughty behavior and judgmental words.
I wonder if we’ll learn that PM Koo isn’t the biological daughter of the woman she calls mom. That could partly explain the vast differences in their personalities. It is possible that Lee Lim, working his evil plans long before his open act of treason, took a child to punish loyalists who disappointed him, or saw to the placement of a child orphaned because a couple lost their lives while supporting him. PM Koo was born in 1982, twelve years before the coup. She likely would remember a switch in family at that age. But if she’d been taken from, or lost, her biological parents at a younger age, she might not remember.
Let’s see how this plays out in the plot!
And much as we love to hate Lee Lim and PM Koo, their scene together in Eosu Bookstore was masterfully done. The lighting was intimate, their bodies moved close to each other (LL circling behind PMK…eek!), their faces were inches from each other as they spoke, their thoughts naturally on the same plane…these two were made for each other, and we could see they were aware of it. TKEMistry, indeed!
@Welmaris, when I heard this:
I thought that he regarded all the citizens of Koo’s parents generation to be more respectful and submissive towards anyone in the royal family, including him.
But if we take his words ‘feared me, listened to me’ to mean that he had a personal connection with her parents, then yes, it’s not likely her current mother would have failed to have recognised LL immediately. Also, LL would have been wary of leaving his umbrella at the fish shop, or of retrieving it himself, if he had known her mum would recognise him. It’s an interesting thought of yours if Koo had other parents.
It’s hard to imagine so much more new stuff to discover this late in the series. 😬 🤔 😳 🤪 But who knows. 🙄
@arihsi: Ah then if she dies in his arms we’ll see more of that “I’m gasping for air” desperation from him. Oh man! Oh, the Lake House was a remake of Il Mare apparently. I’ve not watched that, but the latter was beautifully shot!
@NewtoKdrama: Looks like a wedding for Ep 13, but I suspect TE might die in the same episode…
Speaking of spoilers, there’s another one released regarding an “emerald phone booth”: https://www.instagram.com/p/CA9HIKjJifw/
I noticed there was a similar booth in Ep 1, when LL crosses over to ROK in 1994. As he stands at the newspaper stand, the booth is obvious & there is a queue of people using it. Also, there is a green phone side by side with a red one during the scene where TE calls the palace after being abducted… and she uses the green phone. Hmmm.
BTS EPI 13 FULL
Thanks @mychoiyoung! I’m going to enjoy watching this!! 😀