Carpe diem. It’s Korean (lol just kidding) for “seize the day.” It means that one should enjoy life while one can. The full quote is actually Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero, or “seize the day, trust as little as possible in the future.”

That’s TaeEul’s philosophy.

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TE: I guess the one that took me here is Lee Lim. Do you have any idea why?
LG: Did you see the umbrella he was holding?
TE: Umbrella? I didn’t actually see him. I only saw his men.
LG: I told you last time that we each have a piece of something we both want. I think he hid it in his umbrella. And me.
TE: You hid it in your whip.
LG: He would’ve realized by now where mine is.
TE: That’s why he brought me here. To make a deal. So I guess if you lose it, the door closes on your side.
LG: Mmm.

I noticed that he didn’t say “yes.” He just said “Mmm” which I thought was noncommittal, like he didn’t want to discuss this matter just yet.

TE: So now the fight is about who steals the other’s piece first?
LG: No. It’s about not losing mine. It’s an all-or-nothing fight.

I hope his strategy isn’t to play defense because Lee Lim’s strategy is certainly to go on offense. As the skirmish again the Japan navy revealed, Lee Gon is good when he’s attacking. No war can be won solely on defense. Going on attack saves more lives in the long run.

TE: But you’d be at a disadvantage in this fight. You’d have to carry that (the flute) when you’re visiting me.

Remember Luna’s principle earlier. When she was beating up the man in the ice cream parlor in Episode 6, she said the man, “Do you know what’s good about having nothing? I have nothing to lose. You have a pretty wife and an ugly son, who looks just like you…. Why would a doucebag like you even get married, knowing it’d be nothing but your weakness? I don’t get it.”

For Luna, having people to care about is a “disadvantage.”

Certainly, for Lee Gon, too, having people he cared about is a disadvantage. In fact, as soon as he learned that Lee Lim was alive, he knew he had to protect TaeEul. “Since I have its other half, he will definitely come to me to retrieve it. So, the Head Court Lady was wrong. Jaeng TaeEul was not a danger to me. But I am a danger to Jaeng TaeEul.” And that’s why he showed up at TaeEul’s home that night.

LG: That’s why you shouldn’t treat me harshly.

This is one of the reasons I like the dynamics of this couple. I said it was a role reversal, right? Lee Gon needs loving attention while TaeEul is “tsundere” type. Here, he’s complaining that she isn’t as demonstrative and affectionate as he is with her. This reminded me of that time in Episode 3 when he chided TE for not giving him a popsicle. He said he was returning home to the palace because he was needed home after a long absence, and he didn’t get a popsicle. Then, in Episode 12, he’ll complain, “But one big flaw is that she only says what she wants to say whether I make her food or express my love to her.”

But then, he noticed that TaeEul was hiding her tears.

LG: Don’t worry. I won’t lose anything that belongs to me.

He wasn’t just referring to the flute here. He was also referring to her. He wouldn’t lose her because she belongs to him. But Fate said the same thing about TaeEul. Fate/Yoyo kid used the blade given by Luna to protect what “belonged” to her, meaning, TaeEul.

LG: (continuing) But if you’re still worried, why don’t we go and pray together? Let’s pray for God’s blessing as well.

I like this idea. I like the idea that when two people are about to start a serious relationship, they visit their house of worship to ask for blessings from a Supreme Being.

LG: I searched for this place in your world. This church is the only place that’s the same in both worlds.

What he meant was that in appearance, the church in her world and the church in his world were the same. Their church would be something familiar for both of them.

Unlike the library.

Although they shared parallel spaces in their home libraries in Episode 4,

From the outside, his library looked nothing like hers. This was her library.

This was his. That’s why he looked back and wondered if they were the same, “Do you the library is in the same place here?

TE: Really? Why did you search for this church?
LG: This is where my parents got married. My father saw my mom lecturing at a seminar and fell in love at first sight. It was held by the World Academy of Sciences. My mother was a scientist.
TE: So you take after your mother.
LG: Yes. My father proposed to her, but my mother was Catholic. So my father studied the religion of six months. He came here every single week.

Oh I see now. That’s why he doesn’t mind taking long treks to see her. It’s probably ingrained in him that the men go all the way out for the women when they love. They’ll adapt and make the necessary changes for the woman.

TE: Wow.
LG: So they got married and had me. But my mom passed away after three years. She had been frail from birth. I don’t really remember it, but everyone knows it, and it’s the first time telling someone myself. But it’s nice that you’re the one I’m telling this story to.

Yes. I’m glad that he reserved his parents’ love story for her. It would have been annoying had he been sharing this story with every girl he knew. It would make his parents’ romance appear like a cheap dating tactic.

TE: You turn out great, Lee Gon. We skipped a lot of things. When I was five, my parents ran the Taekwondo center together. My mother was a really popular instructor, but she died of cancer. I’m still wearing my mother’s black belt.
LG: (patting her hair) You’ve turned out great, Jeong TaeEul.

This is the third time that TaeEul mentioned that their relationship had skipped a lot of things. She first mentioned this on the day she dropped by his hotel and confessed to him. She told him, “In the beginning, you ask about everything. We just skipped too many things.” I explained that she was aware that a new couple would have gone through this “getting to know you.” But since they were in a unique situation, it would seem to her that they rushed through their relationship.

The second time, she mentioned “skip” was when Lee Gon rescued her at the intersection, she said, “Let me skip the thanks.” He answered, “You’re skipping so much.”

What she meant her was she’d cut the chase and deal with important things first. So instead of thanking him for rescuing him, she told him that she missed him. So she said, “I missed you. I missed you. I missed you.”

For me, the reason they were tacitly skipping the conventional steps in a typical relationship is because both of them privately knew that their time was running short.

However, their approach to this problem was different. On one hand, TaeEul liked to live each day to the fullest. She said, “I’m just going to live for today and not think about anything else.” She would like to live as if the present is an ordinary day when they can break all the rules and be “scandalous” without caring about tomorrow.

From Ep 11 at 42:11

But on other hand, Lee Gon wanted to cling to her and bind her to him through marriage. That’s why he proposed on that second day after they met. Then, when they were walking by that empty field in Episode 11, he brought up the marriage proposal again and asked her what her answer was. He said, “In moments like this, couples pledge their eternal love.” ‘

He was disappointed that they would only live for the day.

TaeEul was adamant that there’d be no thoughts of tomorrow for them. All she hoped for is a very long day to spend with Lee Gon.

I’m sure TaeEul’s idea doesn’t sit well with many viewers. They wouldn’t get TaeEul’s hesitation.

Here’s my take on it. It’s counter-intuitive.

TaeEul is neither Luna nor Lee Gon.

Luna has nobody to worry about, so she can face death easily. In fact, in Episode 11, she asked that her cat Luna be fed and said almost pessimistically that the gods would punish her.

In comparison, Lee Gon has someone to worry about: TaeEul. He also has whole country to worry about. Lee Gon will go down fighting as if he’s the last defense for the people he’s protecting. He believes that God is on his side, and that he can speak for God. In Episode 8, he reminded Lee Lim’s minion that “Only God can restore that ‘balance.’”

Now, TaeEul is similar to Lee Gon in the sense that she has people to worry about: Lee Gon, her father, Eunsup, Nari, her police colleagues, and ShinJae. If she had been Luna, she would have paralyzes to face death…just as Luna said that man she beat up.

However, for TaeEul, living just for today, and remembering that there’s no tomorrow, she can then make the biggest choices without any fear. Nothing holds her back if there’s no tomorrow.  In matters of life and death, she can give it her all, without hesitation, since she doesn’t have to worry about tomorrow. She can be brave and face the toughest ordeals TODAY because she only has to live for TODAY. There’s no tomorrow. It’s the carpe diem quam minimum credula postero, or “seize the day, trust as little as possible in the future.”

She insisted on holding his hand, “That’s why I’m holding your hand. Because we’ll only live today.”

Of course, Lee Gon did the role reversal again. He complained that all they were going to do was hold hands. lol. He wanted more demonstrative and affectionate gestures from her.

LG: And yet we’ll only hold hands and do nothing else? Do you know what “scandalous” means?

And that’s how I linked this to the church scene in Episode 12 when the priest arrived.

LG: Hello, Father.

The priest glanced at their hands. They remained holding hands. They didn’t let go. lol. Remember: to hold hands was nothing scandalous and they weren’t trying to hide anything from the priest.

Priest: I wasn’t notified of your visit.
LG: It’s not an official schedule. I was just passing by.

Ominous remark. He’s just passing by because in the future he’s going to be a time traveler, and he was just going to “pass by.” I think TaeEul recognized the full import of his words. Hence, she bit her lips. She already knew that LG was going to travel to the future because he visited her.

LG: (pausing) Are you good at keeping secrets, by any chance?
Priest: Pardon?

What the priest said is a Korean interjection that’s similar to our “huh?” meaning, he didn’t understand the question. But the polite way of expressing confusion is “Pardon?” or “Excuse me?” And that’s how Netflix subbed it.

In the Catholic Church, however, if there’s one thing that a priest cannot absolutely reveal is a confession. When a sinful man asks for “pardon” from the God for the sins he’s committed, the priest must keep it secret.

Why? It’s because a confession is said to God himself, not the priest. A confession is a dialogue between God and the sinner. The priest is merely a conduit. The priest listens to the confession, not as a human being, but in the name of God.

To me, when Lee Gon asked, “Are you good at keeping secrets, by any chance?” he actually wanted to confess (in the romantic meaning, not in the religious meaning) that he loved this woman TaeEul, and he wanted the priest to keep it a secret between LG and TaeEul, and God. She was the special woman whom he was willing to be photographed with, and to be seen holding hands with in public.

Priest: God told me to set a guard over my mouth, and keep watch over the doors of my lips.
LG: Then would you take a photo for me?

TaeEul looked up at him in surprise. TaeEul knew that Lee Gon was breaking a rule of theirs. She never left a trace of him in her world, and he too said that the king never left  a trace. And now, he wanted a picture.

LG: I want a photo of us together.

And TaeEul looked pensive after that. Isn’t it interesting that she never said a word the whole time. Later on, I’m sure the priest wouldn’t remember much about her, except that she was the one Lee Gon brought to the church with him.

Then, the priest began to count for the pictures.

Priest: Alright. Three. Two….

Time froze again.

It’s clear from the photo that Lee Gon was the one clinging to her and keeping to her side.