That this kdrama revolves around death should have been banished it to my “Makjang: Do Not Watch” dustbin. But I’m recommending this drama for those viewers who became dispirited from our last foray into the drama “Little Women.” Without a doubt, LW had top-notched direction, cinematography, and acting. But it left me feeling listless. You see, in the original Louisa May Alcott novel, the immutable facts of life are sisterhood, unity-over-adversity, and family bonds. In this Korean adaptation, however, the family unit is eventually jettisoned for long-term goals of self-actualization.

To me, that last camera shot of the waterfalls brought to mind the image of water gushing from the faucet. It’s as if the youngest sister was washing her hands of her horrid memories of poor family and distancing herself from her two unnies. Divvying up the ill-gotten wealth among the sisters may seem to be the right thing to do for many viewers, but in my reproving eyes, it was a preemptive strike. She was bribing her sisters to leave her alone and to get the hell out of each other’s lives. They could take their money and go.

To each her own = have a nice life and let’s not see each other again.

How warped is that outlook?

In contrast to this pervasive theme of estrangement in “Little Women,” this drama focuses on reconciliation. In order for the dead souls to move on to the afterlife, their earthly grievances, resentments and anger have to be resolved. For some yet unknown reason, the female lead is given a special gift to see the dead and listen to their concerns.

If you’ve seen the Hong sisters’ “Hotel del Luna,” I’m sure you’ll see the similarities in the job description of the heroines. But unlike HdL, the scope of this drama is less ambitious and metaphysical, and more relatable and down-to-earth.

Here are five things to watch out for in the first two episodes. I’ll keep it short because I’ve a schedule today.

1. The hands of Hyeri/Baek DongJoo

Pay attention to the hands.

a. In the opening scene, DongJoo’s hands are very active. She slaps the mistress, tosses incriminating pictures in the air, and then holds hands with the dead wife.

The dead wife says, “You’re my savior. And I met my savior after I died. Thank you for touching my heart. Thank you for listening to me. I think I can finally close my eyes in peace.” As she says this, she caresses DongJoo’s hand.

That’s the metaphor of DongJoo’s hands. Not only does she provide comfort to the dead, but she also provides resolution to the dead’s unfinished business. She helps them so they can rest in peace.

b. DongJoo meets the male lead, Kim TaeHee, due to her hands, too. He was hired by DongJoo’s boyfriend to deliver a personal message to her.

TaeHee: “Let’s break up.” Yoo Byeongsu asked me to say this to you.
DongJoo: (stunned)
TaeHee: (offers her a calling card) I’m from “A Dime a Job.” Also, “The reason for our breakup…we’re breaking up because…I don’t want to hold your hand anymore.” “It’s frightening to hold your hand, considering what you’re doing now.”

Do you see it? If it weren’t for her hands, she would’ve still been dating her boyfriend, and Kim TaeHee’s services wouldn’t have been needed. Her boyfriend is repulsed at the thought that she touches dead bodies for a living.

DongJoo: (hides her hand in her lap)
TaeHee: Yoo Byeongsu asked me to say this. Well, I’ll get going then. (leaving)
DongJoo: (sits quietly)
TaeHee: (returning to her side) There’s a grand opening discount. Please give us a call. (exits again)

Ugh. How tactless and unfeeling of this guy! He should have known that she’s in a state of shock. He could have been more considerate of her feelings.

But DongJoo comes to her senses then chases after him.

DongJoo: (reading the card) Kim Jipsa?
TaeHee: Yes.
DongJoo: How much is it? How much did you get paid?
TaeHee: (awkwardly) Well. 50,000 won.

She takes out her money and hands it to him. When he doesn’t accept it, she shoves it in his shirt pocket.

DongJoo: My name is Baek DongJoo.

Then, she delivers a swift kick to his shin.

DongJoo: (continuing) “I’m the one breaking up with you. You bastard!” Please tell him that. (exits)
TaeHee: (calling after her) Baek DongJoo!
DongJoo: Did you call me?
TaeHee: Why are you taking it out on the wrong person? Did I say I didn’t like you? It’s your boyfriend! No. Your ex-boyfriend now, right? I just did what your ex-boyfriend told me to do and say.

Here, we see the context of this episode’s title. The title is “I do anything for you.” Without sparing a thought to the pain he’d inflict on girlfriend, TaeHee accepted the job of delivering the cruel words because he was paid. Clearly, he doesn’t understand the ethical and moral boundaries of his services. So, DongJoo schools him.

DongJoo: (glares at him)
TaeHee: Okay. Okay. I understand. But you can’t do this.

He meant kicking him. DongJoo can’t take out her anger on the wrong guy.

TaeHee: (continuing) And I think there’s a misunderstanding. We run a different errand service than other shops. We don’t offer violent and illegal services.
DongJoo: Murderer. You’re not a murderer just by using violence and killing people. You don’t think this isn’t?
TaeHee: (quiet)

I had to snicker when she calls him murderer to his face. She’s right. There’s more than one way to kill people. You can kill people’s confidence. You can kill people’s feelings. You can kill people’s dreams. You can kill people’s hope.

You can also kill people with words. You can kill people with callousness. You can kill people with indifference.

In DongJoo’s opinion, some murders do not require shedding blood.

DongJoo: (continuing) Well, I’m not completely satisfied with my hand either – no wait! I hate it so much it’s killing me. But the reason I’m enduring it is because my hand…my hand doesn’t do that. Giggling over a couple bucks. And putting people in misery. My hands don’t do that. How shameful. It’s pathetic.

She has better hands than TaeHee who mindlessly hurts people. She has always treated the dead people placed under her care with TLC or tender loving care.

TaeHee: Hey! Take your money back.

But DongJoo walks away.

To me, this encounter marks the beginning of TaeHee’s lessons. He realizes that there are some jobs that he can’t and shouldn’t do even if he’s paid a decent amount of money to do it.

2. Her spiritual adviser is a Catholic priest.

Spoiler alert: he’s also her uncle. He and her mother were siblings.

So far the portrayal of the rites and practices of Roman Catholicism in this drama is far less odious and bigoted than I’ve seen in “Hospital Playlist.” But it still offends me when I see a priest dispensing beer in the confessional box rather than spiritual advice and God’s absolution. C’mon, screenwriter!

DongJoo: We have sent one more away. It’s interesting to hear someone’s last words, you know? I don’t find any other job to be as prideful as this one. My heart is fluttering with joy.

At first glance, it seems like she’s proud of her job because she’s doing the Lord’s work to ease a troubled soul before it crosses over to the afterlife. But she’s being sarcastic. She resents this gift.

DongJoo: (switching) Do you really think I thought that? No. There are so many crazy bastards.
Priest: “Crazy bastards”? Let’s take another deep breath.
DongJoo: I should’ve gotten a talent for ping-pong or just a better brain. Why keep bothering me?

She was training to be a table tennis athlete before she got injured.

Priest: Let’s meet exactly 15 more times. It should end at least by Fall. We should visit Naesosa temple together to see the Fall leaves. Buseogsa is another option.
DongJoo: With you, Father?
Priest: Is there a problem?

Of course, she found it strange that he would bring her to Buddhist temple when he’s a Catholic priest.

DongJoo: No. Not at all. I’m excited for the day to come. I have no money or luck. There’s no way of saving my pathetic life, so I’ll try. Father, you know my dream, right? It’s to be a public official. After this ends, you have to let me be one.

I don’t think she understands that what she’s doing in the funeral home is a form of public service, too, but on a higher (i.e., spiritual) level. Since she’s bargaining with her uncle/priest to be released after she’s accomplished her mission, I assume that there’s something religious and spiritual to her calling.

Her mission is to help 21 dead souls to crossover to the afterlife. So far, she’s helped 6. She has 15 more to go. (I wonder why 21, though? Is this number significant or arbitrary?)

Priest: That’s out of God’s hands. Passing the civil service exam is on you. (passing her a can of beer). Here. I’m always cheering on for you. Drink up and go study.
DongJoo: The sun’s up. It’s 7 am.
Priest: What’s better than day drinking? Nothing makes a person happier than this.

Ugh. Sacrilege!

I do note that we’re seeing one specific characteristic of DongJoo that’s common to all of characters played by Hyeri – she loves to drink. In fact, her last kdrama about moonshine. There must be an inside joke in the entertainment world about her drinking habit.

3. Kim Tae-Hee, the male lead

I’ll be honest here: the mystery surrounding the male lead is a big hook for me. I want to hear his backstory.

He first appears as a crossing guard, saving a student from being a roadkill. The mother lectures her child then thanks him.

Mother: Thank you so much. Are you okay?

He ignores her question about himself and turns their attention to her child.

TH: He looks okay. But he’s probably really shook up. He might have trouble at night. He might have nightmares, diarrhea, or throw up. They’re all common symptoms, so please don’t scold him.
Mother: (stares at him oddly)

He sounds like he has a medical training by the way he enumerates the possible reactions/ailments the child will encounter after his near accident.

TH: (continuing) If he can’t sleep at night, give him warm water or milk. If the symptoms worse, please take him to the nearby hospital.
Mother: Okay, thank you,

The mother asks for his name because she hasn’t seen him before working as the crossing guard. Apparently, the fathers in the elementary school volunteer to help the students cross the street in the morning.

Mother: (curious) Are you…Rowun’s father?
TH: I’m not.
Mother: (thinking to herself) Lee Rowun’s dad…or was Minchae on duty today? (asking aloud) Are you Minchae’s dad? Uncle?
TH: I’m Il Dang Baek.

Note: he doesn’t say his name. “Ildangbaek” is the name of his newly opened company, and the name is a play on words. According to soompi, it can refer either to one individual doing the work of 100 people or to the cost of hiring an individual to do one errand. TaeHee’s services could be hired for a measly sum of 100 won. Amazon Prime translates it as “A Dime a Job.”

Mother: (confused) DangBaek’s dad?
TH: (pulling out a calling card) Call me whenever you need me. There’s grand opening discount.

The card says “ildangbaekjipsa” (일당백집사). The word “jipsa” (집사) means butler. Llater, DongJoo will mistakenly call him “Kim Jipsa.”

I think there’s a joke about his name. His real name is Kim TaeHee and there’s only one famous Kim TaeHee. She’s married to Rain.

source: soompi

4. The price of pain

In Episode 1, we learn that DongJoo’s pain is worth 50,000 won. Her ex-boyfriend paid TaeHee 50,000 won to break up with her.

In episode 2, we learn that TaeHee’s pain is worth 1,000,000 won.

He’s hired to replace the chief mourner at the funeral for a million won. He would have accepted the job, but the name of the deceased “Kim JunHo” rattles him. So he calls his uncle.

TaeHee: Where you at?
Uncle: Me? On the way to Gangjin.

His uncle is on an errand to take care of a dog.

TaeHee: How close are you?
Uncle: Let’s see now. I just passed Mokpo.
TaeHee: (look like he’s about to cry)
Uncle: (sensing something’s wrong) Why?
TaeHee: It’s nothing.

Just a word of warning on the acting performance. Don’t watch this kdrama if you’re looking for great acting. Both Hyeri and the actor playing TaeHee aren’t that good with subtle micro expressions just like Kim GoEun and Wi HaJoon in “Little Women.” But that’s fine with me because I’m here for the story.

Uncle: You don’t want to go?
TaeHee: (controlling his feelings) Guess whose funeral this is?
Uncle: Whose is it?
TaeHee: Kim Junho.
Uncle: Huh?

His uncle pulls up at a side of a road. Obviously, the name “Kim JunHo” is significant to both men. TaeHee balks at taking the job because of the name, and the Uncle reacts quickly when he heard the name.

Uncle: Fine. You don’t have to go.

Then, the app lights up on their phone, showing them how much they’re being offered for the service. It’s one million won.

Uncle: On second thought…
TaeHee: I think they made a typo.
Uncle: Probably. But still…you have to go at this point. We just opened our business.
TaeHee: (crestfallen) Okay.

So for 1 million won, TaeHee endures the pain.

Noteworthy: just like DongJoo has an uncle as her confidante, TaeHee also has an uncle as a close buddy. Both of them come from loving families. I’m relieved because I don’t want to watch more dysfunctional families after “Little Women.”

5. Connections: survivor’s guilt, bird poop, etc.

Death connects both DongJoo and TaeHee.

For DongJoo, she’s traumatized because her mother died giving birth to her. She feels guilty celebrating her birthday when she knows it’s also her mother’s death day.

As for TaeHee, I suspect that he’s related to the young boy who was DongJoo’s first dead client. The young boy is Kim Junho. For some reason, TaeHee feels guilty for the child’s death.

I think that’s the reason he volunteers as a crossing guard as the elementary school. He’s compensating for something. Perhaps the child was killed at the crosswalk, and he was the reason.

What I like about the drama is how everything is connected.

For instance, in the epilogue of Episode 1, we learn what happens after DongJoo kicks TaeHee and pays him to deliver her breakup message to her ex.

Well…she stomps away and scares a flock of pigeons. The pigeons fly up in the sky. And one of them flies over her ex-boyfriend who happens to be talking about her.

Ex: Think about it. How can I hold her hand when she touches corpses?
Friend: Yes, that’s a bit disgusting.
Ex: I get goosebumps just thinking about it. Wow! I just got the chills. It’s so horrible.

At that moment, a pigeon poops on his head. Startled, he touches his hair and sees the poop.

Friend: Hey, isn’t that bird poop? Now, your hands are more disgusting! (runs away)

Lol. I thought that was karma.

In the end, TaeHee didn’t need to convey the breakup message from DongJoo because the birds delivered a better message.

Another fine example of connections is the title of Episode 2. Episode 2 is called “A Strange Woman.” The title is apt because:

a) DongJoo acts strangely towards TaeHee throughout the episode. She mistakenly assumes that he’s the missing son of a deceased, so she insists that he steps up to his duties as a filial son.

b) TaeHee finds her persistence very strange.

c) TaeHee finds himself strangely drawn to her. He was supposed to drive away after he fulfilled his job at the funeral, but for some strange reason he turns around and helps her out.

Uncle: So? What kind of person was Mr. Kim Junho?
TaeHee: An ahjussi. Someone I’ve never seen before.
Uncle: That’s good. The name Kim Junho is pretty common in the Republic of Korea. There’s a least a few at each school, for sure.

Lol. Unlike Kim TaeHee.

Uncle: By the way, nothing happened, right?
TaeHee: Something did.
Uncle: What?
TaeHee: I met a weird woman. And… (sighing) I think I’m screwed.

This is metaphorical.

Then, he makes a u-turn and returns to DongJoo’s side.

d) And the best part is that TaeHee reciprocates her strangeness with a strangeness of his own. In the same way that DongJoo goes above and beyond the call of duty to help her deceased clients, TaeHee also goes overboard behind-the-scenes to cheer her up on her birthday.

And he did it secretly. For free.

Episode 2 is when I decided that this kdrama would be worth my while. I can ignore the makjang-ness of the death tropes. I can also overlook the average acting skills of the two lead actors. I can forgive the lack of fancy camera techniques. What matters to me is that these two imperfect characters have a generous heart to foster connections with people though it may cost them material wealth.

I prefer to watch this idealistic outlook in action to the tawdry worldview I saw in “Little Women.”