A couple of months ago, when I was in Seoul, I asked for some traditional cookies and they gave me yakgwa or honey cookies. I’m not going to stuff my mouth with it like Cho Yeong.

One is my limit.

A. Rice cakes

The rice cakes will have different meanings and application for different people. Here’s mine.

Park Jin (PJ): Here’s the dessert.
Danggu: We manage to finish a whole meal so a rice cake will be easy. At least this is it.
PJ: Normal rice cakes are boring so I came up with a name for this dessert. These are called “Leave-it-to-luck Rice Cakes.” Two of the three are filled with honey, and one is filled with fish sauce. Sounds fun, does it not? It took me two days…and one night to come up with this.

Lol! In case you don’t watch variety shows, this is a joke. He was paying homage to that hit variety show, “Two Days, One Night” (2D1N), which popularized this game of luck. The director would put fish sauce in drinks like iced coffee, and wasabi sauce in food like dumplings to fool the cast members.

Even the way Park Jin intonates “two days…and one night” copies the show.

Yul: Why did you even think of making this?
PJ: Eating this rice cake will tell you how your day will go. Whoever picks the fish sauce rice cakes will have a lousy day, so watch out. Go on and pick one each.
Danggu: Fish sauce gives out a strong smell.

Lol. This is the typical first reaction of the cast members of 2D1N when playing the game. They stick their noses out and sniff around like a dog.

PJ: I inserted energy as I made the rice cakeks to prevent that from happening. You will not be able to smell the fish sauce.

Then, he switches the bowls around. Notice that there are two white rice cakes and one green one.

Uk: You used your precious energy to make rice cakes? You must be bored.
PJ: Yes, I am. You can tell how bored I am by these rice cakes. Go on and pick one.
Danggu: I struggle with making these kinds of decisions.
Yul: Then I’ll go first. (picks a white one and bites it) It has honey.
Danggu: (whining) I was going to pick that one. (looks at Uk) I do not want to be the last one. (picks the other white one and bites it) It has honey.
Uk: (complaining to PJ) Why did you have to do this? You just turned my day into a lousy one. (reaches out for the green one)
Danggu: No, Uk. Why eat it? You know it has fish sauce. You can have a bite of mine.

Awww. He’s a sweet friend. This reminds me of Season 1, Episode 1, when Uk ordered him to open the crab legs for him, and he did.

PJ: You guys. Are you not going to check what is inside this rice cake?
Danggu: You already told us that one was filled with fish sauce.
PJ: Are you sure though?
Danggu: Yes, Uncle. I believe you. I do not wish to risk my chances just to check.

This shows his personality. He’s risk averse. Which makes sense because he’s a businessman. A business owner protects assets and avoids losses and liabilities.

Yul: Based on the rules, this one is filled with fish sauce without a doubt.
PJ: (nods his head)
Yul: If we doubt the rules, nothing will ever be predictable.

This makes sense, too. Yul is a methodic and scientific man. Science exists because men (and women) presume that everything in the universe — be it human, animal, thing, or event — follows a consistent pattern, a general rule and a universal law. These patterns, rules, and laws can be observed, studied, predicted, and understood. That’s the basic assumption of the Scientific Method, trial-and-error methodology, and flow charts.

Ultimately, what Yul is saying is if rules didn’t exist, or if we even doubt that rules exist, then the only alternative is chaos.

The endgame of a world without rules is chaos and anarchy.

That’s why he insists that last green rice cake SHOULD BE filled with fish sauce. Since Park Jin SAID at the beginning of the game that “two of the three are filled with honey, and one is filled with fish sauce,” that’s how it SHOULD BE.

Park Jin then looks at Uk, waiting for his next move. Uk thinks for a moment then reaches for the last piece, the green piece of rice cake.

He bites it. And Park Jin breathes in.

This is 100% Uk, too. Remember the word connected with him is giseya. Even though the task at hand is deemed foolish or impossible, he’ll power through with it.

To me, it’s obvious from Uk’s expression that it’s filled with fish sauce. He stops chewing and grimaces.

Yul: Is it honey?
Danggu: It has fish sauce, right?

Uk looks at Park Jin and Park Jin looks back.

Uk: What was the purpose of this joke?
PJ: Life is unpredictable, but you choose your own destiny. No matter how sweet or bitter it may be, you must taste it yourself and swallow it.

And with that lesson for the day, he leaves them to get the rice punch. The guys ask Uk about the rice cake.

Yul: What was it?
Uk: Based on his logic, neither of you will believe what I tell you. I am the only one who knows what I chose.
Danggu: (smacking him) It was fish sauce, was it not?
Uk: (shrugs)

My comments:

1. Their facial reactions are a giveaway.

This is Yul’s.

This is Danggu’s.

This is Uk’s.

Then, he asked Park Jin, “What’s the purpose of this joke?”

I understood the word “joke” in several ways. a) It’s a joke because it’s a prank. b) It’s a joke because it failed to make any sense. Uk was expecting a plot twist (i.e., the rice cake was honey) but it didn’t happen. He tasted fish sauce. c) It’s a joke on him because he didn’t get the punchline.

2. Park Jin’s words have varying impact on the guys. The effect on Danggu is most obvious. He decides that he’ll risk asking Jin ChoYeon to wear his hair ornament.

3. The effect on Yul is subtler.

He strategizes to capture the person who began the Naksu rumor, and he discovers its Soyi. He reveals that, far from being the logical, methodic, and scientific man he’s always been, he’s been foolishly skipping the medicine provided for him by Soyi.

I think this is his way of punishing himself for failing to protect Naksu and Uk. He wants to die.

He tells Cho Yeong –

Cho Yeong: By the way, are you not feeling well? Like I said, I can see energy. Why is there something strange inside your body? With that in your body, things could get—
Yul: Please just ignore it. Please.
Cho Yeong: Leaving your illness untreated is a foolish thing to do.
Yul: We promised to be two foolish friends. Please let my foolishness slide as a friend.

He tells Soyi –

Yul: You kept sending me medicine, right? You must know what is inside my body.
Soyi: You will be fine as long as you take the medicine.
Yul: I…did not take the medicine you sent.
Soyi: You did not take it? Without that medicine, you must be in severe pain.
Yul: Tell me. What is inside my body? I would at least like to know before I die.

To me, Soyi is a creepo. She has weaponized her feelings for him. The right thing to do was to tell Yul THREE YEARS AGO that she transferred the blood worm in his body in an attempt to save him from dying. That way, Yul could find the treatment for it asap.

Instead, Soyi the Creepo hid the truth from him. She probably thought that her act of charity would find favor with Yul and would endear her to him once he found out the truth.

But even if he never finds out about her, she likes the idea of being useful to Yul. Seeing him alive and well gave her pleasure. She could pat herself on the back and crow, “Oooooh, I did that!”

But Yul would rather die than accept her offering.

Checkmate, Soyi. 

He prefers to be foolish than to go on living in a world that no longer makes sense to him.

4. Uk conflates personal with private. Lol.

Since his decision is his personal choice, then he has the right to privacy. He won’t tell the other guys what was in the rice cake and be subjected to their teasing and I-told-you-so’s.

Too bad, so sad.

4. Uk already believes in making his own destiny.

If Danggu is a businessman and Yul the moralist, then Uk is the giseya guy. He has always believed in choosing his own destiny. Didn’t he defy Park Jin and open his gate of energy? Didn’t he quit 13 masters and choose Naksu on his own? Didn’t he reach Hwansu against all odds?

It was Park Jin who obstructed him every step of the way in Season 1, so now there’s a reversal in Season 2, and he’s encouraging them to be masters of their destiny.

But Uk hardly needs this lecture from Park Jin. He of all people knows what it means to choose his destiny, “no matter how sweet or bitter it may be.” Park Jin is only reminding of what he used to be. What Uk needs to hear from Park Jin is a bit of a reminder. He lost his mojo following Naksu’s death.

B. Dumplings

Uk is again avoiding his home so he lingers in Park Jin’s bed chamber like a ghost.

PJ: What is wrong? Are you excited that you cannot even sleep? Because they say Naksu is coming back?
Uk: (not answering)
PJ: What are you staring at? You built a stone tower and waited for her.
Uk: That no longer exists. It collapsed.
PJ: Uk! Did you change your mind because of what I said?
Uk: Of course not. Jin BuYeon smashed it down.
PJ: Actions really do speak louder than words. She promised to protect you and she is doing it well. That is what she said when she first came to see us. She said she would protect you. Get out of here. Go home and protect your wife. I was making dumplings in the kitchen, and all the ladies there were concerned that your bride will be the first person that Naksu goes after when she appears. They say ghosts also get jealous.
Uk: Is that what they were after?
PJ: What?
Uk: My lord, I will eat all of your dumplings. So let me sleep here tonight. I have another favor to ask.
PJ: Sure. Uk, I will go and steam some dumplings. Let us take our time talking. Fifty or a hundred? First, I will bring 50.

My Comments:

1.  Just so we’re all on board: the favor he asked of Park Jin was to request Lady Jin to create a doppelganger of Jin BuYeon using magic from a Jinyowon relic.

This white mouse called Gwiseo is parallel to the dog Gwigu used to detect sorcery.

Maidservant Kim: A mouse that eats the clippings of someone who trims their nails at night can take the appearance of that person. The mouse that ate Young Lady BuYeon’s nail clippings was the one that got stabbed.

2. Koreans do have a superstition that trimming your nails (fingernails or toenails) at night must be avoided because rats may eat them and turn themselves into your replica – stealing your body and soul. I just watch another drama, “Unlock the Boss,” which incorporated the superstition in its opening scene.

3. Uk realizes belatedly that Yeong (aka Jin BuYeon) is the target.

Everybody in town, except Uk, knows that if and when Naksu reincarnates, Jin BuYeon aka Cho Yeong is the sole target because she “stole” Naksu’s lover. This logic escapes Uk because he never considered Yeong a replacement for Naksu. Naksu is irreplaceable.

When he realizes that his wife is the target of this fake Naksu, he also realizes the motive of the conspiracy. Jin Mu is targeting him via his wife, Cho Yeong.

In Jin Mu’s own words —

CP: How can he get rid of something that does not exist?
JM: Exactly. Naksu does not exist, so he cannot get rid of her. However, Jang Uk will forever be haunted by her. People believe Naksu will shift souls and return to Jang Uk. Every soul shifter that appears before him will be considered Naksu. And if that soul shifter kills anyone, the blame will not only be placed on Naksu but on Jang Uk as well. Jang Uk will constantly chase after Naksu although she does not exist, and it will never end. People’s fear, doubts, and concerns will keep him trapped in a vicious circle.
CP: You are going to bind Jang Uk by using Naksu against him.
JM: I am doing this for you, Your Royal Highness. The first thing I will do is to bring Jinyowon to the royal palace.
CP: Jinyowon?
JM: I cannot let Jang Uk marry Jin Buyeon the heir to Jinyowon. Naksu will help us separate the two.

As it turns out, Jin Mu’s plan backfires, and the Naksu rumor ends with Uk and Yeong coming together.

4. Dumplings are made in big batches, not one at a time. The cook will make a lot at once, then store, and heat them up as needed. Park Jin had at least 100 dumplings in storage.

5. How do the dumplings connect to plot?

This Naksu rumor is nothing like that rumor which began when people spotted Uk wearing a blue scarf to hide his face and mistook him for Naksu. The blue scarf became a must-have fashion trend.

This new Naksu rumor is different because people were actually massacred on a boat crossing Lake Gyeoncheondaeho. If the instigator of the rumor was willing to massacre a boatload of people to start a rumor, then he/she/they meant business.

Edited to add this: Soyi is no innocent, poor little lass here. She organized this killing.

The problem for Uk is that he needs to get rid of something that doesn’t exist. It’s an impossible task. It’s worse than looking for a proverbial needle in a haystack.

Look: when Park Jin made them play the game of rice cakes, the probability of Uk eating one filled with fish sauce is 1 out 3.

Now, if Park Jin had done the same thing with the dumplings, and filled one dumpling with fish sauce, what’s the probability of Uk eating that tainted one when there are:

50 dumplings? Answer: 1 out 50,
100 dumplings? Answer: 1 out 100 and a tummy ache,
200 dumplings? Answer: 1 out of 200, and death by dumplings.

But what if Park Jin did NOT fill any dumpling with fish sauce at all? What’s the probability of Uk eating a dumpling with fish sauce?

Answer: Zero. Nil. Nada. Zilch. Or yeong in Korean.

He can stuff himself with dumplings all night long in search for that one dumpling tainted with fish sauce, but he ain’t gonna find it because there was none made.

That’s the dumpling metaphor for Uk’s problem with this Naksu rumor.

There’s zero possibility of capturing somebody who’s a figment of imagination. He’ll only drive himself crazy going after one soul shifter after another, just like he’ll drive himself sick gorging on dumplings all night.

Thus, the best way to capture this soul shifter who’s masquerading as Naksu is to find the motive of the conspirators, and to use their motive against them.

When Uk susses their plot to kill Jin BuYeon on Naksu’s third death anniversary and to blame him for failing to subdue his ex-lover’s soul shifter, he puts his countermeasure in place.

He goes home and pays Cho Yeong a visit.

That’s my explanation of rice cakes and dumplings. 🙂