The thread is now open for spoilers and discussions.
Thanks, @Phoenix for listing the titles.
Ep.1: How Many Bowls of Gamjatang is a Modigliani Painting Worth?
Ep.2: Could Brand Name Watches Capture Eternity?
Ep.3: What is ‘Untitled’ About?
Ep.4: Can you Tell if Someone is Rich by How they Eat Yogurt?
Ep.5: Does Rain seem Different from a Hotel than a Motel?
Ep.6: Can Garbage become Art?
The titles are a fun way to begin the analysis of the episodes. 🙂
Gifs from idakosuke’s tumblr
I think, in Dali’s eyes, a big part of his attraction is that he’s unfiltered. He says what he thinks, and he does what he thinks is right. Fortunately, he’s essentially a good person. But being unfiltered” is the polar opposite of being “refined” and Dali’s refined, too refined. If I were Dali, I’d be in a quandary about whether to change him to suit me or to accept him as he was: a rough diamond. 🙂
Let’s enjoy the show!
Thanks @pkml3! I tried to find out if we can know tonight’s episode title, but instead happened on this little Soompi article. Hmm, not surprising 😉
https://www.soompi.com/article/1492405wpp/dali-and-cocky-prince-achieves-its-highest-ratings-yet-as-hometown-sinks-to-new-all-time-low
🙂
I think the soompi article was talking about a different “Hometown” here, @GB. It’s not “Hometown Cha Cha Cha” but another drama titled simply “Hometown.” The poster doesn’t feature KSH (hahaha).
But I’m glad that Kim Min Jae’s drama is doing well. He’s a good actor. And what more, his leading lady doesn’t annoy me. I don’t know why he gets paired with dull actresses like Gong Seong Hyun in “Joseon Marriage Agency” and Park EunBin in “Do You Like Brahms?” A slug moves more muscles when it crawls than Park EunBin moves facial muscles when she acts. 🙂
LOL you’re right @pkml3! The Soompi article is referring to this other show on TvN … https://asianwiki.com/Hometown_(Korean_Drama)
The actress, Park Gyu Young, I seem to often see as a supporting actress, and usually not dolled up. She was fun to watch in It’s Okay to Not be Okay (PBIO) and good in Devil Judge. In this Show, she’s gorgeous and delivering her part well.
I’d forgotten that Kim Min Jae was also in Goblin. He had little opportunity to do much in that Show, but still managed to be compelling, even when in the same frame as Gong Yoo.
Yes! I remember Kim MinJae in Goblin. Yes he definitely held his own against GongYoo. He looked like an enraged and jealous King who would have no compunction ordering his older brother-in-law and his wife killed. He was only appeared briefly but he made an impression on me because of his intensity.
Episode 7, “Does Death Mean the End?” There were a number of resurrections in this episode: Artist Hong’s damaged artwork returns for the exhibit;
the missing patrons return despite whatever it was that Dali’s cousin schemed, thanks to Tae-Jin;
The Gallery has a successful exhibition after all of its troubles;
Tae-jin hopes to resurrect his relationship with Dali;
Dali’s father stops by after the opening, but only in Dali’s imagination;
Moo-hak wakes in a coffin in the art installation, having rectified his ‘mess’ with this activity and with the purchase of a mysterious artwork.
Moo-hak’s memories of his mother are re-ignited and briefly tamped by the actual warmth, comfort and smell of the coffin. But his hope that her death was absolute and the end of all her pain, sorrow and worry was emphasized by him recounting the bitter cold on the day of her funeral – even the cemetery workers cursed as they tried to dig the frozen ground. As far as he could remember, his mother had a difficult life, a slow and painful death and finally a distressing funeral. I think it is too hard for him to imagine her still existing to watch over him.
Moo-hak wished to explain about his mother, but he apologises to Dali first. He said he recognised that her father just died, but he can’t stem his words and Dali encourages him. I like how Dali very gently reassures him verbally. When she covers his hand with hers and kisses him lightly, it is very soft and comforting to both of them, I think. It didn’t seem to me that he had ever spoken to anyone else about it.
Tae-jin may have brought the patrons but Moo-hak stayed to the end and got Dali’s unreserved attention and kiss.
Thanks for the summary, @Fern. I watched the ending. They both did well. I liked that kiss. It was a gesture that was meant to give him comfort and reassurance. And it happened naturally, organically, without looking like the screenwriter forced it because we’re now in Ep 7, midway through the drama. 👍 Now off to watch the beginning of the show.
Why Dali’s number was saved as “Eternity” in Moo hak’s phone? can someone give the answer? I think I missed clues somehow.
Welcome to the blog @Rye.
Let’s see if the other ladies here can help you out. Fern? Phoenix? Old American Lady? Do you have any guesses? Thanks!
@Rye and @packmule3, I wondered, too. It’s potentially significant. But it could also the show name of an impressive B.O.B. pedigreed sow.
Pwahahaha. You’re guessing that he named her after a prized pig? 🐷🐖🐷🐖
I love that!
Yes. When I saw that “Eternity” I thought he couldn’t be referring to the romantic notion of “I love you forever and ever.” At least, NOT just yet. It’s too soon. Besides, does he know English?
So I think it has something to do with time. She still has his expensive gold watch, right? Is there a brand name or special edition of a timepiece called Eternity?
My guess: the name is a reference to the watch he gave her.
And it just so happens that he wants her to keep it forever because that’s how he loves her.
However… the prized sow idea of yours, Fern, would be tooooo funny. I love that!
Personally, I think that’s more romantic because it’s unique and soooo him. He loved that piggy painting, didn’t he? In that room full of masterpieces, he chose the unknown work because he loves pigs and pigs are his business.
So, if he loves her more than pigs, and pigs are his “raison d’etre”, then that’s means he’s going the whole hog for her. 🐷🐖🐷🐖🐷🐖
You guys are too funny.
Could the name be linked to the title of Episode 2? May have to rewatch the episode to find the link. LOL
I haven’t mentioned this, have I?
I finally understand why Dali’s hairstyle is like that? Why she has those odd curls in her hair.
She’s channeling Modigliani’s lover. Jeanne Hebuterne. I told you about her, right? She jumped off a building after he died, killing herself and her unborn baby. She and Modigliani had another daughter. IIRC, the daughter held an exhibition of Jeanne Hebuterne’s artwork because she was an artist, too.
@Rye, they had a discussion about time at 1:30 min episode 2, where Dali said Buddhists measures relationship in Geop. One Geop is the amount of time for drops of water to wear off a rock. It takes 100 years for a drop of water to fall over a rock. They met after having 3000 geops.
He saved her phone number as 3000 Geop (that is a long time) and I think geop could be something like a short form for eternity in Korean language.
🐷🐖🐷🐖
@CoffeeandTea,
Ohmigosh! You’re right! The titles are listed in this thread, thanks to @Phoenix. “Could Brand Name Watches Capture Eternity?”
So🐷🐖🐷🐖🐷🐖 my guess about the watch was right? 🤪🤪
I still prefer a pig reference if I were Dali. He could make me laugh with the jokes. For example,
He’ll be in pig heaven if she accepts him.
They’ll be like two pigs in a blanket.
Pigs finally flew when he fell in love with her.
He’ll stop being a chauvinist pig.
He promises not to make a pig’s ear of their relationship.
And when he texts, he can sign off with a “🐷&💋”
That means “Hogs and kisses.”
🎉🎉🎉 You found it! Thank you, @Feifei.
Well done, Bitches! As to be expected from posters and readers of this blog, we put on our thinking caps and 🔍 look for answers.
🐷&💋
@packmule3, it probably is the watch. There hasn’t been a word or even a hint about it since he gave it to her. When she was putting a watch on before the opening in episode 7 I was reminded of it again. I recall that Moo-hak’s secretary predicted that he would get stopped by customs if he wore it on an overseas trip – perhaps that’s where it is lingering. She was really in a daze once she heard that her father died, so may not remember it. He hasn’t reminded her. As you say, he may want her to keep it. Also he may think it unnecessarily harsh to badger her about it. If she lost or sold it, he may prefer not to know. I don’t think she sold it and I would believe that he doesn’t either.
I couldn’t see a specific gold watch called Eternity, nor a painting or sculpture. I did hear about The Empress of Blandings (P G Wodehouse) and at the Hay Festival for Literature the winners of the Bollinger Everyman Woodehouse Prize for comic literature have a local pig named after their book. “Reasons to be Cheerful”, “The Improbability of Love”, “The Mark and the Void” just some of the porcine names.
Ah, well done, @Feifei and @Coffee&Tea! 3000 Geop makes more sense than Eternity in the context of their interactions.
True, @Fern. This is where we see the limits of translation. The subs don’t work because the literal “3000 Geop” is the critical part. They talked about it and it’s lost in the translation “eternity.”
🙂I only watched Ep 1 in its entirety. I did it for My First Impressions. The rest I’ve been skimming bec I don’t have time. But I’ll catch up with y’all soon. Enjoy today’s episode!
To go along with the pig quotes, ‘You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.’ I think this is the sort of thing Tae-jin is referring to when he alludes to Dali’s upbringing vs. Moo-hak in episode 7 – the imcompatibility of someone gently raised with someone roughly raised. I’m glad that Moo-hak stood up for himself.
I also like his words and motto, “I’m here to clean up my mess. My Mess is My Duty.” And he brings Gamjatang, kneels for forgiveness, buys an expensive piece of art and volunteers to be part of the exhibit – all quietly without letting Dali know – to ensure the installation will take place. Can a person be a pig’s ear and also be a diamond in the rough?
Incompatibility, that is.
@Fern,
Viki didn’t have the subs yet when I scanned the episode last night. But I gather that he brought a keychain ??? A pig keychain? Was that the piece of art that he bought to salvage the exhibit?
Hi. La. Rious. 🐷🐷 This show is very witty when it comes to poking fun at Moohak’s situation.
But yes, “My Mess is My Duty” sounds about right. I still remember his art critique of the pig’s poop in Ep 1.
Yes. A sow’s ear can be diamond in the rough.
I’ve been fast-forwarding the second lead’s scenes, but I’m sure he’s the stereotypical snob here. He’ll want Dali as his “trophy wife.” As opposed to Moo hak who wants her as his 3000 geo ps.
Slow-dripping water isn’t fun though. I used to go to this cavern. The sight of the stalagmites and stalactites and the awareness that they were formed because of the slow dripping of water is a great reminder for me that nothing worthwhile is achieved in a flash. Even love at first sight. 🙂 It takes time to create something terrifyingly awesome.
I enjoyed your pig name allusions @Fern. Yes, absolutely. Moo Hak is definitely both a pig’s ear and a diamond, and though rough, he is already shining quite brilliantly. It would be a shame to cut and polish him!
After asking about the identity of the ‘trashy character’ and hearing Dali’s defense of Moo-hak, Artist Hong says, “Congruity within incongruity. You two go well together.” She is perceptive.
I really liked so much about this episode. I liked the interactions between Moo-hak, Dali and ‘uri’ Won-tak, between Moo-hak and his secretary who both knows all his rules and characteristics and so is surprised by his variations regarding Dali. I have to admit that both Moo-hak and Tae-jin were needed to make the exhibition the success it was. I liked the conversation in the car. Did Moo-hak really think he could fool Dali about the tattoos? And his killer body remark that set her off laughing. He laughs in response. They seem to be the only people to be able to amuse the other that way.
@pkml3 I was looking at that ‘gold’ pig key chain, and it looks like it was really also a USB or thumbdrive, (as it’s called here), which might mean that it could contain something of value. At least he can also store precious data in it. 😉
@Fern How similarly did our minds work! I started writing the bit below but did not post it and ran out of time to continue.
Adhoc Thoughts Ep 7
LOL about how at the police station, Dali changed from being refined and reasonable to suddenly becoming so good at using words to threaten the robber and then resorted to violence as well! Such a smooth transition. I rather liked seeing her feisty, angry side.
Loved the split screen conversation of Dali and Moo Hak in the car, especially how she was selling Won Tak as the ideal tenant and trying to control her laughter at Moo Hak’s killer body. Their expressions were great! And LOL we got the answer to the tattoos … stickers where the claws of the tiger (of all things) were peeling off! True comment on how Moo Hak is really a pussy cat without claws when it comes to Dali.
The garbage art was so much trash LOL, even the conversations around it were ‘trashy’. It was so apt that the normal Korean expressions that mention garbage came coming up. LOL how that old sneaker got the royal treatment. (I was actually thinking that so much of the exhibition was installation junk – sorry, not sorry).
Artist Hong has already noticed that there are some connections between Moo Hak and Dali. She gave a side eye to Tae Jin’s attempts to pass Dali off as ‘his woman’. However it’s Moo Hak who gets Dali’s kiss of commiseration and comfort (not a kiss to wake him from death’s sleep or the kiss of death LOL) although he’d been dead to the world in the coffin a moment before.
I hope Show does not just brush that kiss under the carpet but continues where they left off in Ep 8!!
“Congruity within incongruity.”
If the subbers got it right, then Artist Hong is simply saying that even nonsense makes perfect sense. You can make sense out of nonsense.
It’s easy to see that an odd couple/coupling like Dali and Moohak works like a dovetail. No need for nails when joints can be connected by dovetail.
Plus we all know that “God writes straight with crooked lines.”
Please fill me in. Who’s Won Tak again? I get that he’s Moohak’s tenant (does he live upstairs? The one who flushes the toilet that Moohak can hear through the floors?) but why was Dali worried that Moohak would discover that he’s her cousin? friend? brother?
@packmule3 thank you for welcoming me ❤️
@fern your first guess was hilarious 😆
@Feifei, yeah, you are correct. now i get it. 🙏
All of yours comments are precious. Loved this thread.😇
@pkml3 Won Tak is one of the proteges of Dali’s father (Dir Kim). He grew up either in an orphanage supported by Dir Kim or on his own, I can’t recall… and he was a wild one who continually got into scrapes. Dir Kim and Dali had a special place in their hearts for him, frequently bailing him out at the police station. Dali considered Won Tak her ‘brother’ and Dir Kim also considered him a ‘son’.
In the way of kdrama coincidences, Won Tak is indeed Moo Hak’s tenant who lives on the floor above Moo Hak. Dali at first did not know who the landlord was, but she heard Moo Hak threatening Won Tak that if he caught him allowing another person to live in his apartment, that he’d have to pay more rent.
Now that she’s the extra person living in the apartment, she does not want Won Tak to get into trouble with his landlord over her. So her being there is a secret.
In addition to this, I believe she’s embarrassed to be living just above Moo Hak (who had been curious as to where she had moved to), and she knows that Won Tak, now a police officer, would not take kindly to thuggish Moo Hak and vice versa. So she wants to keep these two apart from each other.
What she did say was that she didn’t want Won Tak to tell anyone that they were living in the same apartment. I’m guessing that it would be embarrassing in more than one way, generally, and that in particular she does not want Moo Hak to know, because she likes him and does not want him to get the wrong idea about her relationship with Won Tak.
She did call Won Tak ‘our dear Won Tak’, and she did admit that she’s ended up going to the police station many times because of Won Tak, therefore she is not hiding that she’s close to Won Tak.
Oh, BTW, since Dali noticed that the fangs and claws on Moo Hak’s tiger sticker were missing, she must have looked long and hard at his chest!!! LOL.
Interesting… @pkml3 My comment in reply to your question is awaiting moderation.
~ヾ(＾∇＾)
Thanks for the explanation, @GB. So they’re not blood related, but raised close enough to feel like siblings.
I hope he’s not like that leech of a cousin.
Lol. So the Tiger on MooHak’s chest wasn’t a tattoo. It wasn’t a see through tshirt. And it wasn’t henna.
It was just stick on?
Lol. I shouldn’t be laughing because I’ve been there, done that. When I rode with my husband, I put stickers on too. The big thing was the Memorial Day bikers parade, Rolling Thunder, to honor veterans and to make people remember the POWs and MIAs. But we stopped that when we gave his “hogs” (😂 which coincidentally is the nickname for Harley-Davidson 🐷) to a nephew who’s bike enthusiast.
I couldn’t be a “biker babe” without leather and (stick on) tattoos. 😉 But my stickers were dainty ones: roses, stars and Cupid. Nothing like a tiger!
I don’t know why that happens, @GB. But it’s been approved now.
I notice that my comments are double-posted under packmule3 and as “anonymous.” So I’ve deleting some of my comments.
I’m still waiting for Viki to finish the English subs on Episode 7. They’re only 62% done. Seems slower than usual. I suppose I shouldn’t complain, since those doing the subbing have skills I don’t have. In the meantime I’ve been rewatching parts of previous episodes and have noticed subtitles in those have been revised.
A thought hit me. I’m guessing that Moo Hak is bound to find out that Dali is living with his tenant, and he’s going to be soooo scandalised that he’ll force Won Tak to live with him so that Dali can have the apartment upstairs for herself. LOL.
@Welmaris, the comments on Dramacool also say that the subbing is slow. But episode 8 is available now.
@Growing Beautifully, I think that Dali is more embarrassed (in front of Moo-hak) and less worried about violating his tenancy contract. You brought up the kiss to awaken from death and the kiss of death. Did you know that a headbutt (similar to when he woke in the coffin) is also called a Glasgow or Liverpool kiss?
@packmule3, Dali peered intently at Moo-hak’s chest when he showed up with the chefs, so she had figured it out then.
I’m surprised that Dali hasn’t figured out the extent to which Moo-hak influenced the exhibit. There was a frame, when she visited Artist Hong’s house that clearly showed the Dondon Gamjatang bag.
Also, at the exhibition Artist Hong noticed how Tae-Jin was directing Dali – steering her around to introduce her to people – and how uncomfortable Dali looked.
I personally must have misinterpreted the ‘congruity within incongruity’ – it made me think of a hurricane or typhoon. Outwardly discordant or chaotic but calm at the core.
I won’t write about ep. 8 if some people still don’t have ep. 7 subs!
@Fern, No, I didn’t know that there was such a thing as a Glasgow or Liverpool kiss. LOL. The right kind of kiss for a ‘thug’ only it was Dali who was more on the receiving end! So a hidden, or even inadvertent allusion to a kiss that got rounded off nicely with a couple of real pecks.
All I’ll say about Ep 8 is that it was great how the kiss scene kept inspiring much comprehension boo-boo. Loved yet another split screen in-vehicle conversation where we get to see all the expressions of our OTP.
@Feifei thank you for explaining the translation thing with Eternity and 3000 Geop 👏 I really like how that sheds new light on the title of Episode 2. I love that “Could Brand Name Watches Capture Eternity” could be about the idea of time when it comes to the longevity of Moo Hak and Da Li’s relationship. Brand name watches are typically advertised to be everlasting – the clockwork is just that good. But this title challenges those brand name watches, asking whether Moo Hak and Da Li’s relationship will outlast the quality craftsmanship.
I just want to comment on how well the show transitions between chaotic comedy and more sombre moments, like those between Da Li and Tae Jin. In other dramas I would find it jarring, but I think there’s enough complexity in the characters that the show can make the switch quite smoothly during an episode. I really want Park Gyu Young and Kwon Yool to star as leads in a melodrama because there’s this slow burn chemistry between them.
I really appreciated the concepts underlying the garbage art. It made me think about ‘godoksa’, which describes the concept of people dying alone (often without being discovered for a long time). It’s quite prevalent in South Korea because many people live alone. There is this liminal space between people dying and people knowing that they have passed on. It make me think a bit about Schrodinger’s cat. I also like that idea of waste production being linked to ideas of life and death, that producing waste can to some extent be a privilege, that some people leave very little behind besides the waste that they’ve produced.
I won’t write too much about Episode 8 yet, but I recently learned that in Chinese culture, putting your hand on someone’s shoulder is often a show of dominance. This is so different to where I live, where it’s considered something you do with your mates or a comforting gesture. I noticed that Moo Hak seems pretty peeved when Ki Cheol puts a hand on Moo Hak’s shoulder, so I guess it’s also a show of dominance in Korean culture.
I just finished episode 7 and I figured out the eternity reference too, the link to episode 2’s title. Didn’t link it to the 3000 geop reference though, so thanks @Feifei for that.
I found Artist Hong’s character interesting – I had put her down as an art snob in last episode but I now think she is a keen observer of human behavior and secret supporter of Dali-Moo Hak. I noticed her comment about “Congruity within incongruity” too and my interpretation was she is talking about how completely different personalities of Dali and Moo Hak are still perfect for each other. I like all your interpretations too. I think Dali and Moo Hak are the perfect example of how two people with completely different backgrounds and auras can get along so well, without clashing. Like many of you, I too like their conversations, how they tease each other and yet support each other, all the while pretending that they aren’t romantically involved. I think they are more friends and compatriots first who understand each other despite their differences, and that’s how it should be.
I agree with @packmule3 on Kim Min Jae’s acting. He is vastly underrated, as opposed to dimpled wonders like KSH 😛 I liked his acting in the scene where he was talking about his mother’s death. Not over the top, yet so poignant. His comic timing is great, but now I see how well he is able to emote in other scenes as well. I’m glad this drama’s ratings are going up – it deserves more publicity and viewers, it shouldn’t be only the dramas with famous actors which draw crowds.
@packmule3 Did you notice another painting frame shot when Moo Tak was lying in the coffin? As I had mentioned, certain shots in many episodes zoom in or out as if they are framed in paintings.
Let me rewatch over the weekend and I’ll share the timings of such shots.
Also agree with you on the naturalness of the kiss scene, it felt like comfort and unlike kisses in other dramas where it’s more about romance. But agree with you, @packmule3, the writer-nim os clever to get in a kiss in episode 7, which is even before the half-way mark. From what I saw in ep.8 preview, Dali seems to try to avoid the kiss reference while Moo Hak wants to take that as a relationship progression? Not sure if my interpretation is correct till I see it though.
@Phoenix, I feel the same way about Artist Hong. Her character is very clever and not just there to provide tension. I’m not sure if she actually supports Dali and Moo-hak yet or is just aware of the reasons for the way they supported each other and is observing from a scientific distance.
I think enough time has passed to say that Moo-hak’s father, although seemingly thick about some things, also recognises that his son has an attachment to Dali that goes beyond business. I thought that it was interesting during the family meal that Moo-hak expresses the thought that he feels alienated from them. I wondered if he sensed that they were working behind his back as well, even before his secretary gave proof.
There was so much confrontation in this episode. Moo-hak and Dali about the kiss and about the rent-a-celebs, Dali and Tae-Jin (who infuriated me, literally dragging her to their former home), Dali and the jealous Gong-joo, Dali and her horrid cousin, Dali and the burglar – that was like a’Don’t attempt this at home’ warning. Since ‘Is It Possible to Buy Someone’s Feelings?’ was the title, the answer is a resounding NO, unless perhaps you are the thugs beating up Dali’s cousin. In this episode, only Won-tak seems to be Dali’s confident.
@Growing Beautifully, I laughed about your theory with Dali, Moo-hak and Won-tak’s accomodation. I’d go one further and say perhaps Dali will get Moo-Hak’s nice flat (because she’s a LADY). Moo-hak and Won-tak will share the top floor because neither will want the other to be closer to her. Then the guys can fight over the bed and TV upstairs. Effetively Won-tak will be Moo-hak’s landlord. lol.
@Fern I noticed that too about Moo Hak’s father. I hope he consistently sticks with his advice amid winks … to go for the one he loves and not the one who loves him. It’s obvious that step mother will prefer Moo Hak to go for the tiresome Chak Hee so as to have some influence with her Assemblyman dad.
There’s some kind of shady land-buy-up and construction deal that they are trying to bring about with Assemblyman An’s help. Seems like lazy good for nothing cousin Kim is also trying to get a finger into this shady land acquisition deal by acquiring the gallery by hook or by crook to sell it.
You may be right that in the even all 3 of them live in Moo Hak’s place, Dali gets the nice house and the 2 guys have to fight it out upstairs. It may have been suggested in the preview.
I am glad that my little contribution is helpful to the community here. I don’t usually post comments because I am not used to writing my thoughts down but I do enjoy reading the comments here, smiling and nodding away while reading. Thanks to @PM3 for opening up this space for the community.
I have not finished episode 8 yet but I find Won Tak’s biceps kinda of sexy in the scene where he is out to throw the rubbish …… is it okay to say this here? Hmm now I don’t know to end my comment, let’s enjoy the show.
@Growing Beautifully, I missed that in the preview. I hope that those 2 join forces to help Dali.
Regarding the land deal, is Tae-jin’s business involved in that as well? It seemed from the preview that Tae-jin knows Dondon is involved and Dali learns about it, too.
I liked the conversation Dali had with Moo-hak about using money to hire the guests. She agrees with him on one level – that it would be wrong for the gallery to be empty, but hates that it took money to bring visitors – she feels it was dishonest and disrespectful. Dali also disliked Tae-Jin’s point that the investors supported the gallery based on the force of her father’s personality and that with him gone, they had no other reason. This is all contrary to her feelings that art should be supported, valued and loved for itself. I’m waiting for Dali and Moo-hak to find a way for the gallery to support itself so she doesn’t have to rely on others for help.
I worry that she has so little concern about her own physical safety. She entered an empty apartment with her ex; that could have gone very wrong. She didn’t leave Won-tak’s flat even though she knew someone had broken in and was still there. She didn’t tell him or let him call some nearby police. She confronted her cousin alone, without any witnesses or security nearby. I wouldn’t be surprised if her cousin thinks of something like kidnapping or worse to get his way.
@Fern, are you watching this on Viki? If so, I’m wondering if subbers working on episodes that will air in the British market work faster than the ones for the USA releases. I finally watched Episode 7 today, but Episode 8 here in the USA is still only 15% subbed as I write this at 3am Pacific Time.
I’m also finding that your translations seem to be different than what I’m seeing. The words Artist Hong spoke were translated here on Viki as “The harmony of the disharmonious.” I actually like that better than “Congruity within incongruity.” To be congruent is to be in agreement or harmony; in geometry, forms are congruent if they coincide exactly when superimposed. With harmony the music notes aren’t the same, but have a pleasing effect when combined. Dali and MooHak differ greatly, but complement one another. By only looking at their upbringing and education, it may seem that Dali and MooHak are so different as to clash with one another, but their strengths and weaknesses work well together.
@Fern, another place our translations are different are when MooHak goes to apologize and appeal to Artist Hong. You report your subs read, “I’m here to clean up my mess. My mess is my duty.” During that scene MooTak, Artist Hong, and Secretary Yeo all use the word 똥 (ttong), which means poop, shit, crap. It sound similar to the English word dung. It’s the same word MooHak uses several times in Episode 1 when he’s critiquing the expensive, high-end gamjatang:
“What a load of crap.”
“What a serious load of crap.”
“I mean, do you think I postponed my business trip to listen to this load of crap?”
In Episode 7 the English subtitles on Viki in the USA are:
MH: I’m here to clean up my crap.
Artist Hong: What sort of crap is that?
MH: I.C.M.C.
AH: Say What?
MH: I clean up my own crap. That’s my belief.
AH: What a load of crap.
Secty Yeo: What a load of crap, real…(she cuts herself off while saying jinjja [really]).
The name under which MooHak stores Dali on his phone is 3천겁. My Papago translates it as 3000 scared, but translates just 겁 as fear. My Viki English subtitles has Secretary Yeo saying, “3000 fool. Oh, that’s not right. 3000 fear! Fear!” In Google Translate, 3천겁 is translated into English as three thousand eons, but just 겁 is translated as cowardice. So if some viewers’ English subs only showed the word eternity, the wordplay joke was missing. And yes, MooHak’s nickname for Dali hearkens back to a conversation they had in an earlier episode when Dali explained the Buddhist concept of eon: the time it took for dripping water to wear away a boulder. But the setup for the joke about Dali’s nickname on MooHak’s phone happened earlier in Episode 7, when MooHak was driving Dali back to the museum from the police station. This was the first part of their conversation:
MH: What is your relationship with “our” Won Tak?
Dali: What?
MH: I don’t think you guys have an ordinary relationship.
Dali: It is not an ordinary relationship but it’s a bit long to explain.
MH: I guess it’s a relationship involving more than three thousand eons? Is it about five thousand? Six thousand? Seven thousand?
MooHak remembers the content of his earlier conversation with Dali (he probably remembers in detail every encounter he’s had with her), and throws it back at her as a taunt. The man is jealous…and fearful he’ll lose Dali.
I think my USA Viki subs have caused me to lose some of the humor in that conversation in the car between Dali and Moohak. It seems from the comments above that the subtitles other viewers read refer to MooHak’s killer body. This is how my English subs read (and I was confused as to why Dali was so amused).
MH: I thought you said you had forgotten it all. (This in reference to the Netherlands power outage situation.) But it seems you remember stuff like that clearly. Of course not, how could you forget it? I am a walking sculpture.
Dali (laughing): Sculpture?
MH: What does that laugh signify?
Dali: But, I did not laugh.
MH: I definitely heard you laugh.
Dali: It must be your imagination. [After a pause, Dali laughs again and claps.] You said sculpture! Scul– You are definitely no sculpture. [Continuing to laugh and clap, MooHak smiling with her.] Sculpture…
MH [dropping his smile]: Aren’t you laughing a bit too much?
Dali [her smile gone]: I am sorry.
With the translation being sculpture, this exchange doesn’t seem to warrant the humor. Killer body, however, would make it funny. Even funnier would be if in Korean sculpture and killer body were homonyms.
@Packmule3, I found the painting of Jeanne Hébeterne with her hair similar to Dali’s. Good catch. Dali adores the paintings of Modigliani, so I suspect you’re correct. And if you do an images search on Google, you’ll see Salvador Dali used his waxed and shaped moustache as another art medium. But I can’t unsee Betty Boop when I look at Dali’s hair.
https://www.wikiart.org/en/amedeo-modigliani/jeanne-hebuterne-with-necklace-1917
I am finding that I’ve warmed to the flamboyant characters in this drama. I don’t expect “slice of life” while watching this Kdrama. I should know better, since the title of this show evokes the flamboyant Salvador Dali.
Did anyone else flinch when MooHak’s stepmom, clothed all in white, was handed a glass of red wine? I thought that was an accident waiting to happen, but Show didn’t go there.
The confrontation between MooHak and Tae Jin at the exhibition opening…dang! MooHak was definitely the alpha. Tae Jin is blandly handsome and handsomely bland.
Watching Tae Jin maneuver Dali through the exhibition meet and greet with his hand on the small of her back gave me the shivers. Women, how many times have you been inappropriately touched by men in a way that seems to be within societal norms, but is really demeaning, uncomfortable, and unwelcome? I know it has happened to me. That kind of touch is not harmless: it’s a power play. It’s sexist. And I’m glad more and more people are becoming aware it is sexual harassment.
There was so much I liked about this episode: MooHak being emotionally open with Dali, and Dali supporting him. The philosophical consideration of the grey area between life and death.
@hotatoes, kudos to you for bringing up Schrödinger’s Cat. I wonder if Artist Hong had that in mind herself when she used so many boxes in her art installation.
Gosh, I wish I could visit that museum and see the pieces that were part of the Spaces exhibition. It’s hard to believe that was all put together as background for a show. It all seemed so real to me. I want to get my hands on the exhibit brochure and peruse it, if I can’t get to the exhibit itself. Well done Show Art Direction, well done.
Hello, @Welmaris. I’m watching on Dramacool that was advert-debugged by my daughter. (Thank you, DD.) How interesting to hear the significant differences in translation.
I can get behind both the harmonious and congruent translations. To me it’s all about Artist Hong’s first guest being Moo-Hak who wants to clean up his ‘mess’ himself (not involving Dali) and he goes to great lengths to do so. Her 2nd guests were Dali and Sa-Bong who arrive not knowing that Moo-Hak solved it. Artist Hong doesn’t reveal this, either that day or at the exhibit. When Hong asks Who is that trashy person, she notices that Dali defends Moo-hak rather than simply naming him. In short, Moo-hak and Dali support and defend each other. Outwardly they would seem to clash, but inwardly they are on the same page.
When I rewatched the phone scene, I heard Secretary Yeo say geop. But I would never have understood the play on words. Even so, it’s better than eternity. The subbers had already explained geop, so why fall back on another word?
Maybe Moo-hak meant that he had a body like Michelangelo’s David? Pffft. And yes, white dress, red wine. It’s almost a shame that it didn’t happen.
I agree that the back touch/woman-steering is disturbing. It is something I only tolerate when dancing or if I’m unclear about a direction and then, only my husband could do it. Also, there’s a big difference between the way Tae-Jin grabs Dali’s arm or hand and drags her in episode 8, compared to an arm grab by Moo-hak, which is done gently – as a means to get her to slow down. I don’t like this aspect of Tae-Jin. It makes him seem like a patronising or controlling person. He could simply have asked her if she wanted to stay there, but I think he was relying on her emotional response to the flat and their past. Ha. Be careful of what you wish for, Tae-Jin.
On a similar note, I didn’t like how Dali made Won-tak bow to Moo-hak, while putting words in his mouth. -But I know it was supposed to be funny in that context.
I have a theory about the land deal and construction shady dealings that GB is referring to. Do you remember the sneaky stepson listening from the door when Dali’s father was murdered? I’m not sure how the murder was made to look like a normal death (because neither Dali nor Woo Tak seems to be aware of it). However her father definitely knew the murderer – I think there was a conversation he was having with the murdered when he was killed which the stepbrother of Moo Hak overheard (I will need to rewatch that episode).
My theory is that Tae Jin killed her father – it would kill (unintended pun 🙂 )two birds with one stone. It was mentioned that the gallery is located on a land whose price is going to shoot up soon because of the government restriction on land use in that prime area being lifted (which is what the stepbrother was asking Minister Ahn about). In one episode, it was mentioned that Segi Group was eying that and too. Also, after Dali’s breakup with Tae Jin, her father has snubbed Tae Jin whenever he had tried to contact her again.
I think Tae Jin was behind the mysterious fall in the gallery’s image and creditors lining up and he was deliberately trying to pressurize Dali to sell the gallery. I think what he wants is not motivated by something as paltry as fascination for Dali. There is a hardcore business reason behind it.
That is why he has come back to woo her again, as pressurizing the gallery to sell hasn’t worked.
One more theory: the 100000 dollar pendrive artist Hong sold to Moo hak will save the Gallery…
Thanks for the 3000 geops (which really lasts for an eternity!), ladies.
@Phoenix, in Episode 1 it was shown through a conversation between Director Kim Nak Cheon and Curator Song that Nak Cheon had a heart condition for which he needed to regularly take medicine. He also should have generally taken care of his health, such as eating well, getting rest, and avoiding stress; like his daughter, he wasn’t good about doing those things for himself, so his doctor asked Song Sa Bong to look after him. I think it would be very difficult to prove it was murder if someone caused him so much stress he succumbed to the preexisting weakness in his heart. Messing with his medication would be murder, but we haven’t seen hints of that.
I am still dubious that no CCTV footage exists of the two visitors–wicked stepbrother, then the mystery person–coming to Kim Nak Cheon’s house on the day he died. Even if Director Kim didn’t have video cameras as part of his home’s security system (hard for me to believe with the artwork we see in his home), there could have been CCTVs on the streets leading to his house. Is this a plot hole, or did the mystery guest have the connections to make CCTV footage disappear? We don’t know, because we viewers haven’t been shown that any investigation went into Kim Nak Cheon’s death.
We have seen that Dali’s good-for-nothing cousin has been conspiring with Assemblyman An to cause Cheongsong Art Museum to fail. Their motive is to snap up the valuable land it sits on, then develop it. The surrounding land is currently zoned as a greenbelt and unable to be developed, but Assemblyman An intends to use backroom influence to get the zoning changed. In the meantime, he and his cronies are quietly buying up the greenbelt land so they’ll be well positioned when development is made possible. It is all shady, insider dealings.
Director Jang Tae Jin of Century Group is contracted to purchase artwork from the gallery where Assemblyman An’s daughter works. She claims he made the arrangement because of Assemblyman An. As we learned from watching Vincenzo, buying and selling artwork is a good way to move shady money. Also, based on Secretary Yeo’s research for MooHak, about five or six years ago deals–which shouldn’t have been taking place in the restricted development area–started secretly happening, then picked up again after Kim Nak Cheon passed away. What happened five or six years ago? Century Group’s Jang Tae Jin broke up with Dali three days before their wedding, and refused to entertain her father’s entreaties done on his knees. My impression is that Dali is still unsure why TJ broke their engagement so close to their wedding. Could it have been because she refused to hand over to him her interest in Cheongsong Art Museum? Back then had he been buying land adjacent to Cheongsong Art Museum, unknown to Dali and her father, and was angered when they refused to give him control of a key piece of property?
One key piece of information shared about Jang Tae Jin, briefly mentioned when talking about his attendance at the SPACE Exhibition opening, is that lots of mothers have their eyes on him for their daughters because he’s divorced. I don’t know if his marriage and divorce happened before or after his engagement with Dali. If it was after, that makes him even more of a cad for claiming he’s been thinking of Dali all the years since they split.
I have a prediction. Remember that the evil stepbrother was gloating he has in his possession a thumb drive that contains information with which he can blackmail someone. He did have his phone in his hand when he squatted in fear on the other side of the door, which he’d cracked open to eavesdrop, while Kim Nak Cheon died in the other room. Who could he blackmail? It would have to be someone with power and money to make it worth his while. Dali’s cousin doesn’t fit that description: he’s in debt, he’s been cast out of his own family, and he hasn’t made a success of the business opportunity his uncle gave him with running the museum cafe. I do think he was present when Kim Nak Cheon died, because we hear someone say, “You can’t. You can never, Uncle.” Kim Nak Cheon is looking down as he responds, as if he’s looking at someone who is kneeling. But then there’s the sound of footsteps and Kim Nak Cheon suddenly looks over his left shoulder and watches with his mouth slightly agape. It is at this point the spying stepbrother goes into a panic, but he does have his phone in his hand. Was he recording?
Remember also that MooHak is also in possession of a special thumb drive: an expensive work of art by Artist Hong. (He got a bargain, buying a piece by an established, award-winning artist for one hundred million won [$84,545.80 USD]. In March 2021 at an auction at Christies, the artist Beeple sold a purely digital work of art for $69 million USD. That price didn’t even include a thumb drive, as Beeple’s artwork was an NFT [non-fungible token] on blockchain technology…and if you understand all of that, you’re doing better than me.)
My prediction? Somehow the thumb drives in the possession of MooHak and his step brother are going to get switched, and the reveal of the contents of the switched thumb drives will happen at a critical time.
There’s something else that has traded hands between the stepbrother and MooHak: a big jar. As MooHak is leaving dinner at the family home, his stepbrother chases after him and hands him a bag of extra food that was ordered for him, and a large sealed ceramic jar with a flowering tree branch design on the side.
Ki Cheol: And take this as well. [Hands jar to MooHak]
MH: Is it soybean paste?
KC: It’s soybean paste from a 100-year-old family. Make some soup out of it.
MH: You should’ve wrapped it in some cloth! You’re ruining my style.
When I went back to Episode 1 to watch for clues, I noted this part of the conversation between Director Kim Nak Cheon and Jin Ki Cheol.
JKC: My father found out about the money I lent you. He’s going crazy. This is a disaster. Why did you have to send that useless chamber pot? Damn it.
KNC: What do you mean? [The doorbell rings.] Excuse me for a moment. [He gets up and leaves the room. He dies a few minutes later. We do not hear JKC’s explanation of the chamber pot.]
Because of where Writernim puts the hint about the chamber pot, right before the Director’s suspicious death, it’s got to be important. I want back earlier in Episode 1 to learn more about the jar. MooHak is leaving Dondon to go to the airport. He receives a phone call from his angry father, who’s just arrived at Dondon.
Father: Did you loan money to some art gallery or a museum?
MH: I’m telling you I never done that– Do we have an infinite well of money? I would be crazy to lend money to a place like that.
F: Then, why is Cheongsong Art Museum sending you this kind of chamber-pot crap? [He’s holding it by the rim, one handed. On the side is a flowering tree branch design with two birds.] When I asked them about it, they said they sent it to thank you for loaning them money.
MH: [to himself] Gosh, so unnecessary… [into the phone] I said I don’t know. There must be some kind of misunderstanding. Don’t break someone else’s chamber-pot crap and leave it with Secretary Yeo. [She’s vigorously shaking her head no.] I’ll send her over now.
As their confrontation over the phone continues, MooHak lies to his father and says he’s already at the airport, only to get stuck in Dondon’s front revolving door opposite his angry father. The father is still holding with one hand the thank-you gift from Cheongsong Art Museum, and we can see the jar is empty.
That jar was allegedly sent as a thank you from Cheongsong Art Museum, but the museum director, who’d requested and received the loan, knew nothing about the gift. Then who sent it? And why was the thank you gift sent to the father, when MooHak says [to himself while riding in the taxi] “I lent my own money, so what can Father do about that?” The gift was delivered to MooHak’s father at a location other than Dondon headquarters. That is also odd for a formal thank-you gift. Wrong recipient, wrong location. That makes me wonder if the gift was not a thank you, but sent to stir up trouble.
The jar with soybean paste in it (according to Ki Cheol) is the same one we’d seen his stepfather carrying empty into Dondon Headquarters in Episode 1. We don’t know who filled the jar and sealed it. I suspect Ki Cheol wanted to get that jar away from him and his home because it is a link between him, the loan to Cheongsong, and the death of Director Kim Nak Cheong. We’ll see if that jar is hiding any more clues about the mysteries surrounding Cheongsong Art Gallery.
We have heard that Assemblyman An and Dali’s cousin are looking for some item that is critical to their plan. Dali’s cousin has pressured the museum staff member Na Gong Joo to look for it, plus engage in other nefarious activities. In Episode 1 we saw Director Kim Nak Cheong receive a phone call. We don’t hear what the other person said, but the Director responded, “What? What did you say? You, can you take responsibility for what you said?” Later at night, alone in the darkened museum, we see the Director searching through the delivered artwork, then prying open the back of a painting to remove a thick envelope. The next morning, Curator Song greets him in his office and scolds him for having spent the night at the museum. We learn from Curator Han Byung Se that artwork that had been delivered the day before from New York looks like it may have been tampered with. Director says, “Oh that…I went because I had to check something but I made a mistake. That work is fine, but I think the frame needs to be fixed.” When asked by Curator Song how he could make such a mistake, he lies, “Oh, since I’m growing old the strength in my legs just sometimes gives out.” The one who will oversee the repair of the frame is Na Gong Joo, who is doing dirty work for Director’s nephew. She may have noticed that when she and Curator Song entered Director’s office earlier, he was holding in his hands the thick envelope he’d retrieved from the back of the painting.
Later in Episode 1, someone comes to Director’s home while he’s meeting with Jin Ki Cheol. Through closed doors, KC hears Director shout, “How dare you come here?” We don’t hear any more of the confrontation until KC cracks open the door to eavesdrop, and we hear someone saying, “You can’t. You can never, Uncle.” We assume that’s his ne’er-do-well nephew, Kim Shi Hyeong. Director responds, “Still, I can’t bury the truth. If something is rotting, it must be carved out. If there’s been a mistake, you have to fix it right away.” That’s all we hear him say before his attention is drawn by approaching footsteps. He is dead shortly after that.
Assemblyman An, in talking later with Kim Shi Hyeong, says he considers Kim Nak Cheong’s death to be help from the heavens. It does not sound like he orchestrated Director’s murder, but is happy to benefit from it. In another phone conversation, Kim Nak Cheong mentions information that if found and released, would ruin Assemblyman An. It seems to me that powerful people are engaging in illicit activity, Director Kim Nak Cheong found out, secretly gained possession of something important, and hid that important something somewhere. We have speculated it is in Dali’s childhood art supply tube, in which she keeps Chupa Chups lollipops. At the end of Episode 8, when the lid of the tube popped open due to her cousin’s violent rage, it appears Dali noticed something sticking out of the tube and quickly went to close it.
I am angry about how Episode 8 ended, not because of plot developments, but because Writernim and PD had Dali, an intelligent woman, doing very stupid things, especially given that she’s recently been the victim of robbery. People, if you encounter the door of your lodging unexpectedly open, especially if it looks like force was used to open the door, don’t go inside. You not only put yourself at risk if the intruder is still inside, but you’ll be contaminating a crime scene. Get away quickly, then call the police. Yes, I know Show wanted heightened drama, but everything about Dali entering a ravaged flat, alone, in the dark, intentionally approaching an unknown person using a flashlight, and not informing the police even when one of them calls her…it is all wrong, wrong, wrong!
@Welmaris!
Why are you still up? 🙂 Go to sleep now.
Oh! I didn’t know that TaeJin broke up with Dali. I thought it was Dali who broke up with him. And three days before the wedding? Dali is too nice to keep calling him “oppa.” I’d call him @#$&@#$!
I’m opening a thread for HCCC shortly.
@Packmule3, I’ve got my nights and days turned around while my hubby has been out of town for a couple weeks. He gets back Sunday, so I’d better shape up! I get tired in the afternoon and take a long nap, then get wound up at night with whatever grabs my interest. It used to be reading, then genealogical research, then watching Kdramas, and now writing about Kdramas. Most of my time these days is unscheduled because I’m an empty nester, retired, and…you know…pandemic. But I’m treating myself tonight by attending a ballet performance.
@Welmaris, I agree that writernim has Dali doing dangerous things. Even though Won-tak is somewhat aware and trying to keep her safe… He can’t be there all of the time and she doesn’t really let him know. In fact, Won-tak is probably more concerned about Moo-Hak than he needs to be and less concerned about other characters.
Thank you for recapping all of the hints that passed so quickly in the first couple of episodes. This drama is really well constructed and different.
@Welaris, enjoy the Ballet. what a treat!
@Welmaris Thank you for analyzing the clues in the first episodes and recapping them. I think your theories on the pen drive and chamber pot are great and very plausible. Now that you have recounted those scenes, they do sound fishy. It backs up my theory that Da Li’s father was deliberately scared or shocked by someone known to him, who also knew his poor heart condition. Of course, as you said, it can never be proved (without the stepbrother’s recording). My bet is still on Tae Jin. His sudden cutting off with Da Li five years back and now doing an about turn to pursue her again are very suspicious. I had missed the part where it was mentioned that he is divorced, like you I’m interested in knowing too if he got married in the five years since he broke up with Da Li.
The show is very cleverly hiding the clues, I think. I like the way the writernim unfolds the story and ita eccentric characters layer by layer.
Enjoy the ballet, @Welmaris!😄
Annyeong,
as usual, thank you BOD peepz for your enlightened comments. Bravo!
ep 7: Does Death mean the end?
ep 8: Is it possible to buy someone’s feelings?
i gather Ep 7 has to do with the art (coffin) scene/history and Moohak’s recalling his Mom’s passing. i liked Dali ~ who explained the art to the attendees after hearing from the curator that the art has something to do with Artist’s Hong’s Mom’s passing. the dead no longer accumulate trash as they are dead. only the living does. reminds me of Psalm 115:17a that says “the dead do not praise the Lord.” to live is to trash and to praise. i choose the Psalm over the trash ☺
was moohak gonna stay in that coffin all night if Dali did not wake him? he must have been tired. before their first kiss, i notice that they have a lot of crashing into each other moments where either one was on top of the other. i would gather these crashing moments is a prelude to this kiss 💋 finally! and to moohak, this kiss is very meaningful and not something to throw under the rug. i hope Dali will have courage to also own it up.
i agree to those who also think that ep 8 title puts Tae Jin and Moohak on the stand. Tae Jin meant well when he offered their “marital” home to be – very audacious and presumptuous of him. like @Pm3, i can’t believe Dali still calls him Oppa. eeeks. cringe. also, Moohak means well by paying for publicity – but i see the underlying motive – selfish? to see Dali smile and happy. when they showed Dali looking at the throng of museum attendees, did she realize what Moohak actually did? to make the ART more public and not just for the elite?
@welmaris,
i also appreciate your theories on the mystery of Dali’s dad’s death. so many clues indeed. you’re also making me think that the pot is more than just a gift, but a ploy to say “i know what you did.”
i also agree that Miss Dali is not very careful lady. too trusting? when i saw the open door, that was already a WARNING. hello??? then the flashlight??!! what was she thinking?? it’s baffling. smh