A review of Episode 8 isn’t really necessary since the drama is easy to understand, but I’m just being obsessive.
1. The prologue
The prologue did a great job of telling us what to expect from the episode we’re about to watch. TaeHee’s family was proudly celebrating his graduation. His uncle Vincent got beaten up by his grandmother for being all talk and no action.
Vincent: Mom, just get ready to move. I’ll buy you an apartment in Gangnam soon. And about 10 million won on top of that.
Grandmother: All you do is talk. (whacking him) You haven’t earned a single penny yet!
Son-in-law: I’m sure Hyang-bok will come through soon.
Looking back now, it was a case of like uncle, like nephew, because TaeHee was all talk himself, too.
JunHo: Hyung-a, you’ll keep your promise this time, right?
TaeHee: (nodding) Yeah.
JunHo: For real?
TaeHee: If you behave well…
JunHo: Come on.
TaeHee: Okay. You got something on your face.
And then, Vincent offered to take a picture of the brothers. Little JunHo immediately reached out for TaeHee’s hand and clutched his two fingers. They both smiled for the camera.
Two details were noticeable in this scene.
a. That the grandmother pummeled Vincent not delivering on his promise seems to foreshadow TaeHee beating himself up for not keeping his word.
b. I find it curious that TaeHee didn’t grasp his young brother’s hand because to me, it’s an instinctive reaction. When a child seeks my hand, I hold it, and even give it a reassuring squeeze. But TaeHee didn’t reciprocate his brother’s touch and grip his fingers back. It’s as if he was disinclined to show such affection.
2. The macarons
I get why he’s keeping his relationship with DongJoo a secret from the guys. But I hope it doesn’t blow up in his face later.
Vincent: I saw the macarons inside. Where’d you get them?
TaeHee: (equivocating) Someone gave them to me.
Vincent: (teasing him) Who? Who did? Who could it be? Who could have given you macarons? (pretending to think)
TaeHee: Stop it. What’s this? (copying his uncle’s gesture) Stop that. You’re weird.
It must be nice – and at the same, annoying — to have an uncle who treats him like a buddy.
Vincent: Life is sweet and savory. Jeyuk and macaron. (taking out a macaron) What a combination. Am I right?
DongJoo: (spotting her macaron)
Vincent: (about to take a bite) This is a perfect little dessert.
TaeHee: Don’t eat that. It’s mine.
Vincent: (talking to DongJoo) He’s a little stingy. (talking to TaeHee) You saying I can’t have some of yours?
TaeHee: No, you can’t.
He grabbed it from him and chomped on it.
Aww….There’s something endearing about him being possessive over a cookie. He didn’t want Vincent eating it because it was DongJoo’s gift for him that they didn’t get to eat the previous night.
Vincent: You’re eating a macaron? What’s the occasion?
TaeHee’s eyes met DongJoo’s in the rearview mirror. He choked.
Vincent: Man. That one looked the most delicious.
As a sidenote, the pistachio macaron is usually green. I like it better than the other green colored macaron, the mint flavored one.
DongJoo then received a text message and asked to be dropped off at the curb. TaeHee looked glum.
As DongJoo walked away, Vincent began talking seriously.
Vincent: Isn’t DongJoo cute?
TaeHee: (noncommittal) Not sure.
Vincent: A positive personality is something you’re born with. She just lightens the mood. She even eats well. (then changing tone of voice) Was it good for you?
TaeHee: Yeah.
Vincent: I see. How about the macarons?
TaeHee: Why are you carrying that around?
Vincent: Were they from ChungHa?
TaeHee: (pausing) No.
Vincent: It’s fine. I saw her leave that night. Usually, as you live, you find out eventually, “Oh I see why that happened now.” But sometimes, you don’t.
TaeHee: (no answer)
Vincent: ChungHa is probably like that. Time is probably not healing her. Wouldn’t it get worse for her?
TaeHee: (no response)
The macaron is a symbol of misunderstanding.
What should have been a cozy tête-à-tête between DongJoo and TaeHee over coffee and macaron became a misunderstanding.
ChungHa saw the macarons on the table and misunderstood the situation.
ChungHa: I’m always uninvited, huh?
TaeHee: It’s not like that.
ChungHa: What isn’t like that? Do you know that you’re really good at driving people crazy? It just doesn’t make any sense to me. Why do you have to be the one carrying the cross? Why did this have to happen to us?
TaeHee: It’s my problem.
ChungHa: Why is that your problem? You didn’t do anything?
TaeHee: (no response)
In ChungHa’s mind, she should have been the one sharing an evening snack with TaeHee. The macarons would have been hers.
Additionally, Vincent also mistook the cookies as a present from ChungHa. Unaware that they came from DongJoo, he was deliberately provoking TaeHee by eating it. He had the wrong impression that TaeHee and ChungHa had a chance at reconciliation.
3. “Should I kill him?”
ChungHa: Should I kill him? Should I kill him for you? I’ll kill him. Just say the word. I’ll go right now and—
DongJoo: (standing up and letting her presence known) Let’s do this later. (telling TaeHee)
Let’s discuss the significance of ChungHa’s words.
a. ChungHa thought she could get TaeHee back by promising to kill the man.
ChungHa: I want him to die. I’ll do it. I’ll go kill him right now. You know that it’s not hard.
TaeHee: Sure. Go ahead. Kill him. If it’ll undo what happened. If it fixes everything from start to finish. Go kill him. Right now.
ChungHa: (tearing up)
She was talking about the driver of the van that hit JunHo. TaeHee made it clear to her that murdering the man wasn’t a pledge — or promise — she should make on his behalf.
Why?
For one, killing the man would achieve nothing. ChungHa’s proposal to kill the unconscious man calls to mind the title of this drama, “May I Help You?” She thought she was helping TaeHee by terminating the man. But TaeHee was adamant that this would help nothing. It wouldn’t undo the past. It wouldn’t bring his dead brother back. It wouldn’t assuage his personal guilt.
For another, ChungHa still didn’t get that selfishness was a root cause of their problem. She was prepared to violate her medical oath as long as he returned to her. She was singularly focused on getting her way.
Her current attitude mirrored his attitude two years ago when he persuaded his younger brother Junho to deliver his ring to him. Junho didn’t care to go on an errand, but TaeHee bribed him with a promise of going camping with him.
JunHo: I don’t want to. I have to read this.
TaeHee: You read that book so many times. You have it memorized already. Come on, kid. I’ll take you there.
There. He sounded like ChungHa. He was coaxing JunHo to bring the ring over to him with a promise to go camping with him. In a similar fashion, ChungHa tried to persuade him to return to her by offering to kill the comatose man.
JunHo: Where?
TaeHee: To watch the stars?
JunHo: (excitedly) For real? (then pouting) Liar. You’re going to say you’re busy and have no time and sleep instead.
It sounded like TaeHee made a habit of reneging on his promise.
TaeHee: (laughing) I mean it. For real this time.
And this would come back to haunt him. He made a promise that he didn’t intend to execute.
JunHo: You mean it?
TaeHee: Yeah. Promise.
JunHo: Hurray. I really want to go.
TaeHee: But only if you bring it to Bongsu Market.
His words reminded me of his graduation day. That time, he set a condition. JunHo had to be a good kid first before they would go camping.
This time, the camping trip was contingent on JunHo doing an errand for him. JunHo had to bring the ring to him first before they would go camping.
JunHo: Yeah. I’ll be there.
TaeHee: Alright. I’ll be there by eight.
JunHo: Okay.
When he hung up the phone, he scoffed, “Jeez. What’s so good about stars?”
To me, TaeHee’s dismissive tone suggests that he had no intentions of following through with his promise. He didn’t understand Junho’s passion for the stars so honoring his promise wasn’t a priority to him.
Hearing ChungHa’s careless and callous proposal to kill someone indicates that she didn’t learn the lesson that all lives are precious from the death of JunHo. Life was expendable to her so long as she got her way.
b. Additionally, to DongJoo, hearing ChungHa’s offer to kill somebody made her reevaluate love.
When Sora said she could do anything for the man she loved, DongJoo questioned her.
DongJoo: Do you mean that, though?
Sora: What?
DongJoo: Really? Anything for him? Like killing someone, maybe?
Sora: I don’t know about killing. But probably enough to die for him. At least, I feel like it.
Friend 2: Why? Is there someone like that?
DongJoo: Not at all.
Sora: You’re being suspicious.
DongJoo: I said there isn’t!
Sora: Not sure who it is, but it sounds like crazy love. Did you want to kill Byeongsu when he broke up with you?
DongJoo: Not at all.
Sora: Or would you be able to die for Byeongsu? No, right? It’s not that simple. Not everyone is able to live or die for love.
DongJoo: I told you. It’s not like that. (jogging away)
DongJoo was trying to understand Chungha’s parameters.
After hearing ChungHa’s crazy offer last night, ChungHa probably didn’t sound anymore like the cool doctor she met on the bridge, saving a homeless person. To DongJoo, the girl sounded unhinged. But she wondered whether she herself was capable of doing the unthinkable for love.
c. Lastly, ChungHa’s offer to kill the man reminded me of Episode 1 which was entitled, “I’ll do anything for you.”
I already discussed DongJoo and TaeHee’s infamous first meeting, but I’ll do it again here.
DongJoo: My name is Baek DongJoo. (kicking him) “I’m the one breaking up with you. You bastard!” Please tell him that. (walking away)
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.
In TaeHee’s mind, he was just doing a job. DongJoo’s boyfriend paid him to “break up by proxy” and that’s what he did. He didn’t spare a thought to the pain he inflicted on DongJoo. All he was focused on the job and the motto of his company, “I do anything for you.” I said that he didn’t understand the moral and ethical boundaries of his service so DongJoo schooled him.
Do you see how this relates to ChungHa’s proposal to kill a man? She was willing to do anything for TaeHee, too. Like TaeHee back then, she didn’t understand the moral and ethical boundaries of her proffered service to TaeHee.
DongJoo: (glares at him)
TaeHee: Okay. Okay. I understand. But you can’t do this.
He meant that she wasn’t playing fair by taking out her anger on him, instead of the actual boyfriend (or ex-boyfriend, to be precise). DongJoo shouldn’t have kicked him.
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)
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. (walking away)
TaeHee: Hey! Take your money back.
Back in Episode 1, I wrote that DongJoo made an excellent point. Indeed, there was more than one way to kill people, and some murders do not entail bloodshed. I said,
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.
Here in this Episode 8, we’re finally seeing how prophetic DongJoo was. All this time, TaeHee felt like a murderer although he didn’t use violence and he didn’t kill JunHo. In his mind, he killed JunHo with his broken promise.
4. Stars
So, what are the metaphors of the stars?
a. For the young boy, Joseph, the stars were his dad.
No wonder he turned off the lights in the playground every night. According to DongJoo’s dad, Joseph was the closest friend he had at the apartment complex he was working at. He didn’t know that Joseph turned off the lights because he was looking for his dad.
TaeHee: Did you want something?
Joseph: (nodding)
TaeHee: What is it? You can tell me.
Joseph: I want to see the stars.
TaeHee: Stars?
Joseph: I can’t see them clearly from home or the playground. I heard you can see stars clearly in the dark. They said if you go camping, it gets really dark.
TaeHee: Is that why you wanted to go camping?
Joseph: (nodding)
TaeHee: Why? Why did you want to see stars?
Joseph: My dad became a star. Mommy said so. She said he’s always watching over us as a star. She said, we can see him whenever we want to, but (crying)…
This was a touching moment. Adults often forget that children process words very literally. Joseph’s mom meant to comfort him when she said that his father was watching over them as a star up in the skies. She wasn’t to know that her words would be misinterpreted and end up confusing him instead. He couldn’t see stars at night in the city because of the skyglow or “light pollution.” Since the bright city lights obscure the stars, he thought that his father wasn’t watching over him, and he was missing his father even more.
b. For DongJoo, the stars reminded her that the impact of death is twofold. Not only does she have to help the dead crossover, but she also has to tend to the survivors and the bereaved.
TaeHee: Thank you. Thanks to you, I think Joseph feels a lot better.
DongJoo: No. I haven’t done anything. It would have been nice if Joseph’s mom came with us to watch the stars. The saying “they are watching over us as stars” was probably not a lie just for Joseph. Joseph’s mom probably thinks that, too. Many of bereaved do.
TaeHee: Isn’t it hard? Facing death at work every day.
DongJoo: Mmm… It’s not just death I’m facing. There are the bereaved too. There are people that must live despite everything. I learned that there isn’t only death at funeral home. I hope Joseph thinks of this night when he misses his dad.
My comments:
One, I like how TaeHee was indirectly getting advice and support from DongJoo. He was hearing from DongJoo that people like him must find the strength to continue living, despite the hardship. Her words sank in better because she was speaking factually.
Two, I like how the DongJoo and TaeHee worked together here. While TaeHee understood the inner life of children, especially boys, since he grew up with a younger brother, DongJoo provided the motivational idea and physical comfort that would help Joseph move forward.
Joseph: (crying) Daddy. Daddy.
DongJoo: You must miss daddy a lot. My mom is also right there. My mom also became a star. I bet she’s there with your daddy. I bet they are watching over us so that we are doing well.
c. For TaeHee, the stars were a metaphor of his broken promise and…his healing, hopefully soon.
d. For JunHo (yes, I know he’s dead already), the stars were a metaphor of his commitment to fulfill his promise to his older brother. He promised he’d deliver the ring to TaeHee, and he appointed DongJoo as his proxy.
That’s it. 🙂
What a comforting post to wake up to this morning. Thank you, @packmule3.
I assumed that Tae Hee didn’t tell his uncle about the macarons, even though the uncle knows that they are friends, because his uncle tends to over-react. Although his uncle thinks of himself as Tae Hee’s buddy, as you point out above, he is still an older family member and not a confidant. I think the macarons bring to mind the difficult confrontation from the night before, and Tae Hee does not want to elaborate. But if I were Dong Joo sitting in the back seat and over-hearing, I would wonder why: where I stood with Tae Hee and why the secrecy. Instead of smiling smugly at Tae Hee’s possessiveness with the macaron, Dong Joo looks stony. It’s a pity, that Tae Hee prolongs the misunderstanding by not wanting to confide.
Correction, they are friends, meaning Tae Hee and Dong Joo.
Thanks for your thoughts @pkml3.
I thought I wrote something about broken promises, but I find that I forgot to post it. I was considering what might constitute a promise and if it was broken.
1) Besides the official, real promise that TH made to Joon Ho to bring him to see the stars, but which he didn’t intend to keep, TH had also failed to keep his promise to be at Bongsu Market by 8pm.
2) When he did well as a Resident, TH’s future had been full of promise. His family was so proud of him that they took time off from work, just to celebrate with photos. Not long after that, TH junked his future as a doctor, which can be seen as breaking his promise to reach his full potential.
3) With Chung Ha, there had been the promise of a life-long relationship with marriage, but that was suddenly broken without a proper explanation.
4) TH’s uncle, Vincent, speaks to TH outside the church saying that the times he was in despair he would always come to the church. “It didn’t do much. My wishes are never granted. Not even considered. Among the 8 billion humans on Earth, I must be the last in line….” He stopped going to church because he didn’t get what he wanted. He saw church or God as a dispenser of fulfilled wishes, that broke their promise.
5??) I’m on the fence about Officer Seo’s being at the scene of the accident and not immediately calling for help. He spent time looking conflicted, and was more concerned about the driver than about Joon Ho who was asking for help. He didn’t fulfil his duty as a police officer, or even as a responsible member of the community by immediately calling for help. Might he be considered to have broken his promise to help and to protect?
The only promise or wish that was finally fulfilled, was Joseph’s wish to see the stars, and the assurance he received that his father was looking out for him. 🙂
I can’t be quite so decided that TH had never intended to bring Joon Ho to see the stars, simply because the opportunity could not occur. Tae Hee was casual about the star gazing, but he may have intended to do it when the opportunity came up. -Unless he said something out loud alike, “Ha. Gullible kid.” either to himself or to someone else. To me, when Dong Joo died running the errand, that was enough to trigger guilt in Tae Hee. Tragically, Joon Ho kept his part of the promise by asking Dong Joo to look for and find the ring. I wonder what will happen when Dong Joo gives the ring to Tae Hee?
One thing that bothered me about the camping was that Tae Hee and Dong Joo left Joseph sleeping alone in the tent while they went walking out of sight of the tent. Perhaps the crime rate in SK is low enough for that not to be a worry.
Hi @Fern, I suppose we can give TH the benefit of the doubt. He sounded dismissive about the stars in the subs. However the degree of guilt that he brought to bear upon himself seems to hint that he did not plan to bring JH out to see the stars.
Yes, I also felt the same about leaving a sleeping child totally unwatched. The only thing that may be said in their defence is that the camping grounds seemed to have been populated by families with children and that the neighbouring campers would serve as a deterrent to a criminal. 🙂
I liked the way that the ‘stars aligned’ to make Vincent cancel going camping so Father Michael could invite Dong Joo.
I agree with your wobble about the police officer. It didn’t make sense to me that his first reaction wasn’t to get on the phone or radio for help. @Cleopatra thinks the driver is his father, so it’s potentially very complicated.
I’m looking forward to the next episodes.
Ooooh, great theory there, @Cleopatra!! The driver/comatose man is the police officer? I like that plot twist.
Yes. It was fortuitous that Vincent cried off at the last moment. And it was a smart move made by the priest to call on DongJoo right away.
By the way, remember our conversation on priests, and how you’d say that it’s a shame some of them entered the priesthood? Well, in this case, I’m glad DongJoo’s uncle took his holy orders. 🙂 He’s funny.
@Packmule3, I’m also glad that a few comments made by DongJoo’s priest uncle display his sincere faith. I never got a hint from the brother priest in HP that his vocation was rooted in a sincere faith.
@GrowingBeautifully, I think you’re spot-on with your musings about promises and how they’re broken.
Isn’t it so typical of adults to think their over-scheduled lives are more important than children’s? But when are our most enduring memories made? In childhood.
I swear that the chapel where Father Michael is posted is the same one we have seen in multiple k-dramas — unless there are a number that look very similar. I was laughing at his TMI about his first love… But life experience is good to have in his profession, I think.