This is for @alpacaLlamas who asked,

There’s a lot of resentment that Inhye has for her sisters, so I’m curious now that Park Jaesang has shared his story, what she is going to do. Also does anyone know what the whole emphasis about Ariadne and what it represents? Was her story the one about mazes and labyrinths… and does it bother anyone else that they switch it around in Korean like it’s Adriane? 😅

And for @Snow Flower who replied,

@AlpacaLlamas, Ariadne was a Cretan princess who was in charge of the Labyrinth, the dwelling of the monstrous Minotaur. Every 7 years young men and women had to be sacrificed to the Minotaur. Ariadne fell in love with Theseus, one of the sacrificial victims, and helped him slay the minotaur and find his way out of the labyrinth (she gave him a string of yarn/thread to follow).
I still don’t see the connection between the myth and the drama, but maybe it will be explained.

and for @birdie007 who shared the info about the nose. Good job!

I’ve watched episode 3 but not episode 4 and wanted to see if there was discussion yet on Ariadne’s significance. My first thought when she was brought up during the family dinner was to the goddess? who led the way out of the maze, but the context in which she was mentioned talked about her physical resemblance. I did some light googling and there’s a sculpture in the louve titled The Head of Ariadne, which needed restoration because a piece of the nose was missing, there’s a painting by Titian depicting bacchus and Ariadne, and I’m sure there’s many other instances in art where Ariadne is depicted but, how did she see the doll in the house and decide that was Ariadne?

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

First, great job, ladies, for summarizing the myth and researching about the artwork, especially the Louvre sculpture!

Second, I didn’t watch the entire episode. I had no time this weekend and this drama isn’t on my “To-Watch” queue today because “Good Job” is. What I did was I watched the two scenes @birdie007 mentioned that had the references to Ariadne.

Episode 3 around the 34 min mark and then 1:11 mark.

Third, I’m obviously jumping to conclusion here. Don’t kill me if I’m wrong. I may or may not revise my conclusion after I’ve watched the entire two episodes.

Fourth, yes, I think there’s a connection.

Here’s what I think.

1. The theme of the myth is betrayal. 

There are many ways to understand the myth of Ariadne, but what the drama is zeroing in on is its theme of BETRAYAL.

Yes. Princess Ariadne is famous for helping Theseus kill the minotaur and find his way out of the labyrinth. But in the process, she BETRAYED her own father, Minos.

You see, it was her father, Minos, the King of Crete, who ordered the Athenians to sacrifice 14 men and women every 7 years (or was 9 years?) to the Minotaur. Note: the name minotaur means the bull of Minos. It’s this beast that Theseus killed.

Also, it was her father who ordered the construction of the labyrinth. It was designed that way. Any individual who entered the labyrinth would be unable to escape from the minotaur.

So, why did her father King Minos demand this human sacrifice of the Athenians?

It’s to avenge the the death of his son who was killed by the Athenians. The Athenians agreed to his terms of reparation by sending 14 of their sons and daughters to be slaughtered by the bull just like they sent Minos’ son to his death.

But Theseus decided to end these ritual sacrifices once and for all.

The son of the Athenian king, Theseus volunteered to be part of the sacrificial group to gain access to the minotaur. But Princess Ariadne fell in love with him and so decided to help him out. Ha! I wouldn’t put it past him to seduce her so he could accomplish his goal.

She gave him a sword to kill the Minotaur and a ball of twine to help retrace his way back to the entrance of the labyrinth. With her help, Theseus achieved what he set out to do. However, he found himself saddled with her.

He had no choice but to bring Princess Ariadne along with him because her father would’ve been furious to discover her betrayal. But he ditched her as soon as he was able to.

Like most break-ups, the end of their relationship has many versions. One version says that Theseus betrayed and killed her. One version says that he betrayed and abandoned her on an island. One version claims that a god, Dionysus, fell in love with her and claimed her as his own, leaving Theseus no choice but to abandon her. And another version claims that Theseus abandoned her first and she was rescued by Dionysus.

If you were to look at these conflicting stories from a modern-day, tabloid-y perspective, it’s easy to tell which narrative would’ve been released by Ariadne’s press officer and which one came from Theseus’ agent. All you have to do is determine which character is depicted as the victim.

Anyway…

That’s why I say that the Ariadne story is about betrayal. Ariadne betrayed her father, her dead brother, and country. And in turn, Theseus betrayed her and their love…or she betrayed him and their love.

Let’s keep this in mind when I move on the next subject.

2. Here’s the first time Ariadne was mentioned.

TV interviewer: How do you feel when you see Hyorin’s parents?
InHye: (looking at Park Jaesung first, then the mother) They make me want to become a grown-up. I’ve never felt that way before.

Let me dissect this.

When InHye saw how Hyorin’s parents lived such a perfect union, she found her real ambition in life. She wanted to grow up and have what Hyorin’s parents have: devotion, love, stability, security, and harmony.

In short, she felt envy when she saw Hyorin’s parents.

Relationship goals: being fed by the hubby!

She never saw her parents in such an “ideal” marriage, so Hyorin’s parents set her new aspirational goals.

The advice could have been for InHye, too.

Classmate/Hyorin: She calls my mom Ariadne. During cast drawing, she said Ariadne had the same nose as my mom’s.

Park Jaesung and his wife laughed at that comment. They were flattered.

Which was shallow, really. They were flattered because they understood the comparison as a compliment to her beauty. I, however, would’ve taken that comparison to Ariadne as a back-handed compliment — a CURSE, really, since I know the context of the myth.

Wife: Thanks, InHye. That’s so sweet of you.
Park Jaesung: (offering IH more meat) Dig in.
Wife: Eat up.
Hyorin: It’s good, right? It tastes even better if you dip it in the sauce.

The wife sipped her red wine, staring intently at InHye. Behind her, Park Jaesung smiled, too.

Now, do you all get the relationship to the myth?

If the wife had a suspicious and cynical nature by nature like I do, she would’ve wondered how much InHye knew about real life and the true state of affairs. InHye’s comment about Ariadne was remarkably perceptive and astute. And great artists are often like that. They can intuitively see and zoom in on the essence or the heart and soul of something, even though they don’t fully grasp its relevance or implication.

InHye was fixated on Mrs. Park’s nose because from her point of view, the nose was regal. It appeared as if it could’ve belonged to a princess, Princess Ariadne.

She also thought Hyorin had a regal nose until Hyorin admitted getting a nose job.

Remember this from Episode 2:

HR: Do I really look like that? It looks like my mom.
IH: I like your nose. It’s like your mom’s.
HR: Really? I got my nose done before taking my middle school graduation photos.
IH: Did your mom get a nose job too?
HR: She was born with that nose. Sadly, I look like my uncle. Who do you take after?
IH: Nobody.
HR: I really love your painting. It’s like listening to an old story.
IH: I painted it in Van Dyke’s style. I wanted to portray the bloodline of a distinguished noble family.
HR: (grinning) Do I seem noble?
IH: Your mom and dad are nobles.

Hyorin was able to get a nose job as a birthday gift. InHye, too, wanted a nose job for her birthday, right? She didn’t think her nose looked regal.

(And she’s right, you know. I think she’s beaky-nosed. She has a high nasal bridge which bends slightly. It’s a nose of a rebel. lol.)

This conversation between the two girls is very revealing. It tells us why InHye was fixated on Mrs. Park’s nose. In her weird logic of causation, she concluded that Mrs. Park is happily married to a wonderful loving husband because of her regal nose. Her aristocratic nose was a “divine” sign that she was ordained to be good, noble, elegant, lucky in life, well-loved, and rich.

But then, InHye’s a kid.

She doesn’t have a cynical view of the world like I do. I say that Mrs. Park is being used by Park Jaesung:

a. as a trophy to show that he’s now in control of the wealth and legacy of the once rich and powerful General Won.

In a TV show, he publicly denounced his father-in-law’s actions. Remember when he apologized to the old man who was “framed for espionage,” tortured, and served 19 years in prison under the orders of his father-in-law? After the old man was cleared of all charges in a retrial, he immediately showed up at the man’s home to apologize on his dead father-in-law’s behalf.

He was distancing himself from the father-in-law who likely launched and supported his career.

b. as a means to achieve his political ambition. He needs this image of having “perfect family, perfect family man, perfect husband” to win voters.

His wife was perfect campaigner for him, too.

c. as a cover-up for his affairs. Lol. His “bookkeepers” were his mistresses. Or at least, the Unnie was. Director Shin was just a decoy.

As I said in my First Impression, the name “Velvet Orchid” would only have been significant to Park JaeSung. IMO, he instructed Director Shin to buy the shoes and gift them to Unnie. The tattoo on the flower on Unnie’s ankle was a giveaway that she was in a relationship with Park JaeSung. She that is, until she decided to run away with the money.

To me, then, Mrs. Park is very much similar to Ariadne whom Theseus seduced and fooled to achieve his goals. Park Jaesung used General Won’s princess to climb up the social ladder and gain access to the elite.

3. Here’s the other time Ariadne was brought up.

InHye walked through the empty halls of Hyorin’s mansion. She came to stand in front of window display with 11 soldiers. By the window display was a family picture of Hyorin and her parents. Then she spotted the dollhouse.

She perused every room in the dollhouse without touching an item. But when she saw a golden-haired doll, she couldn’t resist picking it up. She named it “Ariadne.” Then, in a split moment, she decided to steal it. As she rushed to leave the room, Park Jaesung made his presence known.

She hid the doll behind her back.

Now, @birdie007, InHye decided it was Ariadne because the doll was like a princess in the big mansion. There was another bedroom in the house, the master’s bedroom. The blonde-haired doll, however, was in a young girl’s room. The furnishing was white. And the doll was sitting in front of easel with a painting that seemed to be a composite of Degas’ famous ballerina sketches.

And remember what I said about an artist’s intuition? InHye instinctively knew the doll was Ariadne because of its princess-y lifestyle.

Sure enough the dollhouse belonged to Mrs. Park, not Hyorin.

Park Jaesung: The General got them on his business trip to the UK. The doll house was for Hyorin’s mom, and the tin soldiers were for Hyorin’s uncle. Hyorin’s uncle, Won Sangwoo, wouldn’t let me play with the soldiers except when he was bored. Twelve soldiers made up the platoon. One day, one of the soldiers, perhaps a sergeant, went missing, and he turned the house upside down.
IH: And he couldn’t find it?
PJS: (snorting) Because I threw it away.
IH: Are you two childhood friends?
PJS: Sangwoo was the General’s son, and I was his driver’s son. Back then, everything in this house looked amazing. The soap that smelled funny, the hand towels, the fruit forks, and even the nail clippers…I would shove them in my pocket and throw them away on my way home.
IH: Why did you do that?
PJS: I was upset that I didn’t belong in this house. I wanted to live here.
IH: Now you do.
PJS: On his next business trip, the General bought me the same soldiers. He knew all along that I was the thief.

But it’s very very interesting though that Park JaeSung displayed only 11 soldiers. If he received the full set of 12, why didn’t he display the complete set? To me, he preferred the incomplete set to remind him of where he came from and what he had to do to get where he was now.

IH: (looking down, perhaps she was embarrassed about being caught stealing)
PJS: I stopped stealing. Instead, I tried to show him what I was good at and how loyal I was. To prove that I fit in with his family better than Sangwoo. Why did you tell Hyorin to submit your painting as hers?

Huh? She did??!

Wow. I disliked the youngest sister Amy in the original novel, “Little Women,” because to my juvenile eyes, she stole Laurie from her sister. But I could easily dislike InHye a whole lot more now.

IH: It was painted by Hyorin. I was Hyorin when I was painting it.

Okaaaay. She must be the most twisted female teen I’ve seen in kdramas. If she wasn’t one of the sisters, I would line her up as a villain. She’ll need to have a long arc of redemption to make up for this.

IH: With her typical expression on my face, I used her favorite colors and textures. That painting is perfect.

Ugh! The conceit of this girl. I hope she’ll get her comeuppance. In Greek tragedy, such display of hubris will lead to downfall.

PJS: (nodding his head, pleased with her) The General knew that I was special. That’s why he passed down this house to me instead of Sangwoo. I had to make huge sacrifices, but I overcame them all.

I wonder how he truly feels about his daughter then. Is he disappointed that his daughter didn’t turn out to be special like him? His daughter couldn’t even win a prize on her own merits. She’s no genius. Does this mean that he too will favor InHye over his own daughter like General Won chose him instead of his own son?

PJS: (abruptly changing topic) Do you want that doll?

Lol. She was still hiding the doll behind her back even though she knew that the game was up.

IH: Yes.
PJS: Then, can you do it too? Can you betray someone who loves you the most in the world?

Long pause. She began to tear up.

As you can imagine, @birdie007, I was sputtering when I watched this scene. Here’s the rest of my commentary.

a. I haven’t watch Ep 4 so I don’t know what her answer will be. Please don’t spoil it for me or I’ll BAN YOU. 🙂

b. Park JaeSung is asking her to betray her unnie, InKyung. She’s the only reporter who can derail PJS’ plan to become president.

But note: PJS is unaware that he faces a double treat. The other sister, InJoo also has the power to take him down when she discovers his connection with her Unnie’s death and the slush fund, and when she realizes that he’s threatening to harm her family. To InJoo, family is everything.

c. I bet InHye was disillusioned. (Serves her right!) She thought both Hyorin’s parents were noble and good. But Mr Park admitted to being poor, and worse, he was capable of doing despicable things like betray the person who loved him the most in the world.

Her idol had feet of clay.

d. More importantly, if he can betray someone who sincerely loves him, then what does it say about this perfect marriage of his? The love is a sham. There’s nothing to stop him from betraying his wife if she ever gets in the way of his ambitions.

e. Of course, Park Jaesung’s question is rhetorical. He isn’t offering the doll to InHye in exchange for betrayal. What he’s dangling before her is the same privileges and luxuries (e.g., field trips, scholarship to art school, fame, financial support, art patronage, etc.) given to Hyorin if she agrees to throw her sister off the bus.

f. This bears repeating: the saddest thing in life is not poverty but the loss of one’s dignity, one’s self-worth, one’s moral values, one’s moral compass. You can easily lose and regain material possessions. But it’s difficult to bring yourself back once you’re lost in a personal labyrinth or ravaged by your private minotaur demons.

4. Now, remember what I said about the different variations of the ending of Ariadne?

In my opinion, it’s too obvious that Park Jaesung is the bad guy that I’m open to the possibility of a real master-puppeteer here: Park Jaesung’s wife.

I think Mrs. Park isn’t as helpless and innocent as she looks. Like the ending of the Ariadne’s myth, she could be scheming to betray her husband, too. She could have known of his affairs and his slush funds, and disposed of the Unnie, Director Shin, and Bobae Savings Bank informant all on her own.

Note: in the opening credits, the manicured hands were prominently featured. At first, I thought it was the Unnie, but since the Unnie died, I’ve my eyes on Mrs. Park.

The puppeteer must have a “green thumb.”

5. Lastly, I found two more metaphors for InHye.

When @Snowflower asked me about a metaphor for InHye after I watched Eps 1 & 2, I posted this comment.

Good question, @Snowflower.

I’m not so sure about InHye. I’ve only watched Episodes 1 and 2 and she didn’t have as much screentime as the other two. But based on what I’ve seen so far, the “Self-portrait” is her metaphor.

There’s a school of thought in painting — which I ascribed to — that believes that real subject in a portrait is NOT the sitter, but the artist herself. InHye might have painted the rich daughter, but the person or personality/character/individuality that’s truly being revealed in that painting is InHye herself. It’s her brushstroke, her choice of Master to copy (did she say she chose the Dutch style? Vermeer?), her palette, her details that the viewers are seeing and will be studying. The rich daughter becomes only incidental.

So when InHye sold her artwork — or did she lend it, give it away or allow it to be stolen from her? — she was, in essence, selling herself to the highest bidder,

Or lending herself,
giving herself away,
allowing herself to be stolen.
Whatever.

IMO, she wanted to erase her identity and step into the shoes of the rich man’s only daughter. Of the three sisters, I think she’s the most wacko, to be honest. Kinda like Amy in the novel.

That’s why I say that the “self-portrait” is a metaphor of InHye.

The parrot is InKyung. Lol. She even works as a reporter, right? She’s supposed to deliver the news without feelings, like a parrot squawking the right words at the right occasion, mechanically.

The shoes and the orchids are InJoo for the reasons stated above.

Now, I found two more for InHye.

a. She’s another princess.

InJoo = Princess of Thieves. She steals from the rich to give to the poor
InKyung = the real Princess. She alone lived with their Great-Aunt and experienced living in luxury. She has luxurious tastes, right? The ice cream bars. Tequila instead of soju. A rich, dependable boyfriend-wanna-be instead of the con artist whom InJoo married.
InHye = Princess Ariadne who’s been offered to betray her family member

b. She’s an orchid, too.

InJoo = “Princess of Thieves” orchid. She’s an outcast, but when she blooms, she’ll be a true princess.
InKyung = the Cattleya. She’s a realist. The voice of reason.
InHye = the Oncidium. She’s mean and cruel.

So there you go, my interpretation of Ariadne. This stays here in this blog. Don’t go pretending you’re Princess Queen Packmule3 on other forums.

lol. Now, I’ll to watch the rest of Episode 3 and move on to Episode 4.