I’m a serial killer, as you know. I start every kdrama with much optimism for the series, only to push the kill switch when I know that the plot is heading towards an irreparable muddle of a finale. I neither have the time nor the inclination to stay till the end to make sense of nonsense.
This kdrama mixes the right amount of fluff and mystery for me.
Here’s the fluff.
1. Park Gyu-Young as Han Haena
I’m not going to mince words here. A big reason that I dropped “Destined With You” is that I couldn’t stand looking at Jo Bo-ah’s face. Whenever she acted bubbly in a scene, she irritated me like a bubblegum on my shoe. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and so Jo Bo-Ah joins Anya Taylor-Joy (“Emma”), Sarah Jessica Parker (“Sex and the City”), Ariel Lin (“It Started With a Kiss”), Goo Hye Sun (“Boys Over Flowers”), Yoo In Na (“Queen and I”) in my list of eyesores.
Park Gyu-Young, however, is an actress I can watch all day. I thought she nailed it when she realized she had kissed the wrong guy. Her shocked face and her loud groan “Whoa! I’m sorry!” were on point.
My five comments on Haena:
a. I think it’s very dumb of her not to set a nightly 11:30pm alarm on her smartphone to remind herself that she had to be home before she turned into a dog at midnight. Lol. But that would ruin the story, right?
b. In Ep 1, I thought that it was smart of the dog to carry its red shoe home.
At first, I wondered why it even bothered to carry a single shoe. Haena couldn’t wear it without its pair.
But without the shoe, it would have been difficult to let her sister know that she had turned into a dog. It’s reverse Cinderella trope. Haena needed to be identified by the shoe.
Also, their “confirmation” process was interesting. Instead of regular dog commands like “sit,” “shake” and “paw,” their unique code word was “007” (or “double O seven” after James Bond). If Haena or her sister turned into a dog, they were to play dead when the command “007” was given.
c. In Ep 1, we learn about the origin of the curse. A man with long gray hair (presumably a deity of some kind) approached the sleeping ancestor of Hanae and told her, “If your children have a lover, and they kiss, their appearance will turn into something that is not human. They must be able to prove their outstanding love in order to change back into a human. My curse will pass down to generations, and they will not escape the cycle!”
I like that the curse is equal opportunity; it doesn’t discriminate between male or female progeny.
I think that it’s Hanae’s fate to break the spell once and for all. On the surface, the story is about her misadventures to re-kiss the guy she mistakenly smooched while inebriated. But given that her uncle is about to die soon as a canine, I think there’s an added imperative for her to break the cycle and release her uncle – and her future children – from the curse. And her fairy godmother in all of this is most likely her co-teacher, Lee BoGyeum. He’s actively getting her and Jin SeoWon together again.
d. By Ep 3, it’s hard not to notice that Haena likes botanical prints on her outfit.
I don’t know yet if — and how — this all ties in with her and Jin SeoWon’s past connection. It seems like in the past life, they had fallen in love in springtime, with the petals of a cherry blossom tree swirling around them.
This is probably why he was mesmerized when he first saw her catching a leaf. He had a — what’s that trope again in kdramas? — an “auto-selective memory that transcends time and space.” Lol. How many times have we seen this in kdramas with a reincarnation theme?
Anyway, their past relationship must have been an ill-fated romance if Hanae’s lineage was cursed to prove “outstanding” love.
e. In Ep 3, the reason she can’t eat chocolate cake close to midnight is because chocolate, cocoa, and cacao beans are toxic to dogs.
Just an FYI to those who don’t know the difference between the three. Cacao is the raw and unprocessed source of chocolate. When the cacao beans are harvested, dried, roasted, grounded, and processed to extract cacao butter, it becomes cocoa. When cocoa is blended with milk, sugar, and cacao butter, it becomes chocolate.
2. Cha EunWoo as Jin SeoWon
I find it interesting that Hanae is cursed to become a dog between midnight and six in the morning when SeoWon exhibits the characteristics of a dog himself.
First, he’s kind like a dog. Their co-teacher BoGyeum pointed this out at a dinner.
BoGyeum: (admiring a cat photo) This is your cat? It’s so pretty!
Haena: You must like cats, too.
BoGyeum: Yes, I guess. But I like dogs more. That’s because dogs are just really kind. Right?
Haena: (nodding her head)
BoGyeum: Just like him.
Then he turned to SeoWon and tickled his chin.
BoGyeum: (cooing) Coochie coochie coo. You’re so kind.
Annoyed, Eunwoo stuffed his mouth with lettuce.
That is the first obvious reference to SeoWon as a dog. The second one is more subtle: he follows Haena like a dog. Again, it was BoGyeum who brought this subject up.
BoGyeum: I like dogs because they’re loyal. Once a dog meets its owner, it’ll follow them for life. Are you like that, too? When you like someone, do you like them until the end?
Haena: Of course!
BoGyeum: (laughing)
They didn’t know that SeoWon was right behind them and heard them.
SeoWon is a like a loyal dog because he follows Haena around. To me, it’s obvious he liked her from the start because he managed to accompany her on school errands. To me, he didn’t look like the type to waste his time going on errands with a co-teacher, if he didn’t want to be in that person’s company.
Haena remembered the occasions.
a. “During fifth period’s free period on April 20th, last year, when the teachers chipped in to buy snacks.”
They were on the way back when she realized that they had forgotten the soondae. When she looked up, he had disappeared.
b. “And also, on Ms. Song’s birthday last year, when we went to buy the cake together.”
They were standing outside the bake shop because she couldn’t make up her mind whether to buy the mango or matcha flavored cake. When she stepped closer to the window to look, he disappeared on her again.
It’s only in Episode 2 when she realized that his fear of dogs was making him disappear from her side. Dogs like to approach her because they sense a kindred spirit in her. Unfortunately for Seowon, his phobia for dogs made sticking by her side impossible.
Now, I bet that she didn’t notice how he managed to accompany her again to shop for the wedding gift for their co-teachers.
Hanae: Wait! Should we get them a gift just from us, then?
Co-teacher: Could you two go and buy it? (meaning BoGyeum and Haena)
BoGyeum: Yes, sure. Shall we?
Haena: (nodding)
BoGyeum: Ms. Han, are you free this evening?
Haena: Yes, I’m free.
Co-teacher: In that case, let me know how much after you pick one. (exiting)
Haena: Where should we go?
BoGyeum: …
SeoWon: (interjecting himself in the conversation) Hyung. Aren’t you behind in grading the performance assessment? The NEIS entries are due in two days. The research department will give you an earful if you’re late.
BoGyeum: Gosh. That’s right!
And just like that, SeoWon took BoGyeum’s place and ended up shopping with Haena for wedding gifts together.
Fortunately for him, dogs weren’t allowed in the mall so he could walk at ease with her.
It seems to me that Haena only chose to remember that SeoWon disappeared from her side. She didn’t remember – or she ignored – how SeoWon came to be by her side in the first place.
Hmmm…is there ever a good day to be a dog? I guess, if it’s SeoWon, any day that he can follow his “owner” Haena is a good day.
Now, the mystery part.
1. Lee BoGyeum
I’m sure we all know to keep an eye out for that co-teacher BoGyeum. Is he a good guy or a bad guy? For now, I’m going to put him in the Good Guy column.
Here’s what I have to say about him.
a. BoGyeum actually started the kiss confusion when he encouraged Haena to be pro-active about confessing her feelings, and when he lent his winter coat to Seowon. Then, the following day, he made sure to put in a good word for Seowon and told Haena to apologize properly to the guy.
BoGyeum: SeoWon told me not to say a thing about it.
Haena: Really?
BoGyeum: Yes. SeoWon may be a little blunt. But he’s a decent guy.
Haena: Huh!
BoGyeum: Anyhow, I think you should apologize to SeoWon properly. It looks like he was really shocked.
Haena: Yes, I should. Of course, I should.
But the thing is, I doubt that SeoWon was bothered by the kiss itself as much as he was upset by Haena’s reaction to kissing HIM. Clearly, Haena liked BoGyeum enough to summon the (drunken) courage to kiss him but she was absolutely horrified to learn that she actually kissed SeoWon instead. Given that SeoWon secretly liked all along, he must have felt her rejection keenly.
b. BoGyeum seems oddly obsessed with the ImJin War.
Briefly, from wikipedia:
The Japanese invasions of Korea, commonly known as the Imjin War, involved two separate yet linked invasions: an initial invasion in 1592, a brief truce in 1596, and a second invasion in 1597. The conflict ended in 1598 with the withdrawal of Japanese forces from the Korean Peninsula after a military stalemate in Korea’s southern provinces.
I don’t think it was a coincidence that the passcode for Escape Room was 1592. From Ep 2:
Haena: You figured out the passcode in the first room. How did you do it?
SeoWon: Another word for King is “Imgeum.” So “Im” as in Imgeum. The character for the dragon in Earthly Branches is “Jin.” Reverse a word. W.A.R. It spells war. So you’re left with the clue “Imjin war.”
Haena: Hul! Daebak! Imjinwoeroan. By the way, they really made you want to escape the room.
SeoWon: Why did Hyung want to go to a place like that with just me? It gives me chills.
Haena: (laughing)
Probably it’s foreshadowing. BoGyeum wants him to prepare to escape a desperate situation with Haera.
I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that BoGyeum mentioned the year 1592 when his students asked him where and when he would travel to if he could time travel.
BoGyeum: I’d chose 1592.
Student: Why?
BoGyeum: Because a tragedy you can’t escape from started then.
Flashback to 1592 when soldiers were chasing Seowon (or his ancestor), Haena (or her ancestress) and a well-dressed lady. SeoWon managed to slay some of their pursuers. He threatened to kill the well-dressed lady as the rest of the soldiers pointed their arrows at them.
However, I got the impression that BoGyeom wasn’t specifically talking about the historical Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592, but an minor incident involving a royal lady, royal guard, and village girl. There must have been a betrayal or a tragic misunderstanding that began the dog curse for Hanae’s family.
As for BoGyeom’s connection was with the royal lady, I can only say that he must have been attached to her since he kept her scarf in his possession all these centuries. The scarf wasn’t stained with blood but it did have a hole, suggesting that its wearer was shot with an arrow.
c. BoGyeom’s treasure trove
He gave enough hint to SeoWon that he’s from another time and world.
SeoWon: By the way, this teacup really looks old.
BoGyeum: Right? You’d have no idea how old it is.
SeoWon: About 100 years or something?
BoGyeum: (snickering) About the time it takes for the light from that star to shine and reach us here.
SeoWon: That sounds like a pick-up line.
BoGyeum: Huh?
SeoWon: I got you, right?
Pffft. I’m not an astrophysicist but I think this all depends on the star BoGyeum was pointing at. If he was pointing at the brightest star in Western hemisphere — which google says is Sirius and Sirius is only 8.6 light-years away – then the cup is less than 9 years old. Lol. But if he was looking at…say, Betelgeuse which is 650 light-years away, then the teacup is 650 years old.
But to me, what’s more interesting than the teacup is the jar with the tiger in his secret hideaway.
It links him to the opening credit. An image of tiger is shown in the beginning,
and beside the actor’s image.
In Korean folklore, a tiger is a protector of the citizens.
That’s a major reason why I think he’s a good guy.
Okay, that’s it for me. I’m not sure how long I’ll keep watching this kdrama. Here’s hoping I don’t need to “kill” it soon.
Haha serial killer, I like that term, @packmule3🤣🤣. I think I’m one too😝😝
Your post has me intrigued, I think I will start watching thism At least Park Gyu Young doesn’t have that horribly stiff hairstyle in this drama😁
Also I’m going to term this year in dramaland as “The year of Reincarnations”. What’s it with these Joseon era star-crossed lovers that we keep seeing in multiple dramas this year – yes it’s a trope but I don’t remember seeing so many back-to-back dramas with the same trope in the same year! I have seen this in “See You in My 19th Life”, “Destined With You” and now this one, and I don’t know if any other dramas this year which I haven’t watched had a similar storyline. Now if this drama too has a past life scene where the fated lovers neet on that wooden bridge with spiralling fireworks, I will know that the directors all went to the same master class together to pick up tips🤣🤣🤣
😂 @Phoenix,
I think I prefer a year of reincarnations to a year of prosopagnosia (facial blindness), brain tumors, savant syndromes, and other medical maladies.
And oh, wait! Wasn’t there a year — or ERA — of body swapping? Ugh!
Maybe I should make a bingo game card again of tropes? 🤪
Thank you so much for all this food for thought. I look forward to continuing to discuss this show. We will have lots of time to think if it’s only one episode a week and none this week!
Cool! Thank you! ☺️ I hope BoGyeum will stay as a good guy.
I only ever killed one drama and it’s King The Land. 😂
🫨😱 I’m shocked! I thought you finished KtL!!
I like that their childhood friend Woo Taek still hangs out with them after all these years. Hope her Unnie will discover that she’s got a gem of a guy beside her.
BoGyeum deliberately released the Vice Principal’s dog to scare Saewon so Hanna would “rescue” him. That’s why at the end of the day, he praised the dog for doing a good job. By that, he meant that Saewon and Hanna got over their awkwardness and became closer because of the dog.
And how convenient was that yellow umbrella? What was SW doing with that yellow umbrella? Why did he have an umbrella on the way to the wedding? Was rain in the forecast? 🙂
Hahaha it is shocking especially from me. 😂 I always finish my dramas even it goes down the hill. But I can’t go on with KTL. I think I just can’t be bothered to be honest. 😁
Yes! Woo Taek is a great guy. I hope the Unnie will realise that too. ☺️ Isn’t it funny that we have a pet hospital here again like in Behind Your Touch? We really moved on from one pet centre to another. 😂
That’s what I thought too, that SW and HN became closer because of Mandeuk that BG released. ☺️ I thought that scene was funny. 😁
I was surprised too about SW carrying an umbrella. 😄 How contrasting is the red outfit of the other teacher and the yellow umbrella? 😃
True. From one vet hospital to another. And remember, we had a vet too in “Once Upon a Small Town.”
What red outfit? Wasn’t the other teacher wearing purple?
Look, I’m colour blind. 😂 Is it fuchsia? 🤔
Oh I didn’t watch Once Upon a Small Town. 😃
Lol. You made me re-watch that scene again.
Yes. You’re right! It’s fuchsia.
Oh I got it right! 🙌🏻 Cool! ! 😂
But what’s with the umbrella? Wasn’t it sunny when they met up?
@packmule3
Yes I remember those body swap and brain tumour dramas which were all the rage in past years, and I never even knew prosopagnosia was an actual thing before I saw a string of kdramas focused on it!!!🤣
@agdr03
You and me both, girlfriend, feel the same about KtL 😁🙌! I started it with so much enthusiasm and I really like Junho, but I still couldn’t get past my dislike of Yoona and the boring story where nothing really happened but a string of supposedly romantic meetings!
This goes to show that though we are suckers for a nice romance with lots of kisses, we still look for meaningful portrayals of relationships and some meat in the story instead of vapid aegyo-ism (wait, is that a word😛 – I’ve caught onto @packmule3’s habit of coining words🤣)
I hope this drama will be different and at least hold our interest till the end! 🙏
I’ll go watch it and come back to comment on it🙌
Kalimera Ladies!
I want to start watching this, but I guess I am going to be late to the party again!
I do hope you are okay! <3
Thank you, @packmule3. Good morning, everyone. Thank you for pointing out the significance of the tiger and BoGyeum. It makes things more clear.
I was aware that BG was deliberately setting Saewon up with the dog antics. I wondered if he was aware of the situation when Saewon was terrorised by bullies and a dog as a child. When Saewon was pleading with Bogyeum to take paperwork into the office, SW said, “It’s me. You know what I’m talking about. It’s me, Won-ie.” It seemed that SW was saying ‘You know I’m terrified of dogs, I’m your friend; why won’t you help me out?’
I wonder what will happen if Hanna as a dog meets up with Mandeuk, the Vice Principal’s dog? That will be the oddest love triangle or rectangle ever. 😜🐶
I thought the conversation between Hanna and the nephew Yul was funny. He wants to see her as a dog again because he is dog obsessed. He offers to play catch and tug of war with her. She actually shows her teeth at him! He shows her the dog treats he bought for her and she snatches them from her, but stashes them in her pocket for later. 😆
I am pleased to hear a positive theory on the mysterious Bogeyom, @Packmule3.
I prefer your account of this.
I was working on a, purely pragmatic, backstory which had him as the unnamed deliverer of the curse. The reason for my theory is that we weren’t shown the face of this character and his voice was distorted. Why hide the identity of the deliverer of the curse? Possible plot twist etc? Second reason was the slightly dark-toned music when he was enjoying his meal outside his van.
I had wondered about the Tiger – thank you for the information.
I am enjoying the inter-weaving of history and a fluffy romance. It keeps things energetic and intriguing.
Agree, @Kate. I couldn’t figure out BoGyeum’s motives.
On one hand, he’s actively prodding the two leads to come together. I would say that at times he’s like the “fairy godmother” of their relationship.
But on the other hand, he seems to be associated with the royal lady (royal in the sense that she dressed in the hanbok style of the noble-born women during the Joseon era and not like a commoner) so he must bear some sort of grudge against SeoWon who held his sword against the lady’s throat.
Yes, I agree. He’s most likely the curse-giver, too.
@Packmule – aha!
If he is playing a positive role in the present as you deduce- we could read the curse not as the act of a baddie character but most likely one that the FL’s ancestors brought upon themselves as the unavoidable consequence of some type of unintentional act or evil.
This is all, presumably, associated with the year BoGueyum said he would wish to revisit (and re-do) -1592.
Because of his goodness, and possibly because he failed in some way in 1592 – BoGeyeum now chooses to be involved in our FL and ML’s lives to undo the results of the very curse he placed on the FL’s ancestors.
So, he himself is living with the results of the curse.
That would explain his living quarters… he does not fully belong in the present day and has a task that involves him being set apart.
Yes, @Kate.
That’s why I said in the write-up that it’s Haena’s fate to break the curse once and for all. She must get Saewon to kiss her doggy face. She’ll undo the curse not only for herself, but also for her uncle, her sister (who stills turns into a dog. According to WooTaek, she paid her ex-boyfriend a large sum of money for his silence.) her future children, and so on. There’s a lot riding on her kiss with Saewon.
For now, I think BoGyeum is there to “assist” in the breaking of the curse. As I said he’s the Tiger representative, and the tiger in Korean folklore is supposed to be magnanimous and benevolent.
But that still doesn’t explain why he’s holding on to the scarf of that noble lady as if it’s some precious keepsake to him.
@Packmule3 – I was taken by the positive arguments for BoGyeum’s role and skipped over some of the detail. You were there already with these arguments and, of course, the big hint of the Tiger symbolism!
I enjoyed thinking about it this afternoon, anyway, and will now reflect on the loose end of the noble lady’s scarf.
It’s great fun when there is more to a show than meets the eye.
Thank you as usual for sharp, nay forensic analysis. Always enriching.
I I’m getting a different impression of this drama already. I had put the co teacher in the bad camp and was frustrated to see another josian backstory After destined with you.
I have not read all the comments yet. There are at least two more reincarnation time travel type stories coming up. One is moon in the day and I think the park marriage contract is similar. This is a favorite genre of mine.
But it is disconcerting to see so many. Especially after not liking destin with you I realize I will need to be selective. I am not good at stopping a show. Case in point was the real has come. My protest was to not watch the last episode!
@Fern,
Re. love triangles. Did you see that dog at the door of the pet shop? (Timestamp 13:53) SaeWon was about to take a picture of it. Do you think he identifies as a dachshund?
I’m not sure, @Fern. Definitely BG knows about Saewon’s dog phobia. That’s why he released ManDeuk. But I don’t think Saewon is aware that BG already knows about his phobia. And that scene at the door? To me, the fact that he couldn’t come out and say plainly, “A dog is in the office. Please help me out and put this on my desk” is the reason I say that he’s hiding his dog anxiety even from BG. You see, he had to make an appeal to friendship (“It’s me, Won-ie.” ) and talk evasively (“You know what I’m talking about.”) instead of telling the truth. 🙂
The nephew Yul with his tousled hair was a dead ringer for the actor Im Siwan’s character in “Summer Strike.”
@monmor
LOL this is truly the “Year of Reincarnations” in dramaland🤣
@packmule3
Definitely would be fun doing the bingo game of tropes at the end of this year😛 We must have some newbies who joined after the last game. When was it again – more than a year back I think!
@phoenix @PM and a hyperthymesia trend- another disease I did not know about
@packmule3, I’m laughing at CEW’s character Sae-Won identifying as a dachshund. This is how a UK site describes them: “…bold and outgoing. The Breed Standard describes them as being “Faithful, versatile and good tempered”. It also says they should be “Intelligent, lively, courageous to the point of rashness, obedient”. Not to forget that they are very, very short. Our neighbour’s is tiny but fierce.
Sae-won seems more like a whippet to me: “Amiable, friendly, quiet, and gentle at home, the Whippet is intense in the chase.” They are elegant to look at but can sometimes be jumpy and sensitive.
I had wondered if he was photographing the pet shop where the dog could be seen through the door because of Hae-na or because of his nephew. It doesn’t seem likely to me that he would be more accepting of a dachshund than of the VP’s French bulldog or the little Hae-na dog. I’m not saying it’s impossible though. I guess we’ll see in future episodes.
The nephew doesn’t look very much younger than Sae-Won. But he’s got a pretty winning style. It’s interesting that he got used to the idea of his teacher being a dog quickly and wasn’t horrified and it was clever of him to bring Hae-na’s clothing back with him. I hadn’t noticed the similarity to Im Siwan, but I know what you mean in retrospect.
Girlfriend @Phoenix! Yes! We love our kisses but our romance definitely has meanings not just some events/meetings of two people. 🥰
I really like Junho too but whenever I see my Netflix showing KTL continue to watch, I just skip it. 😂
The writers must have a group chat to discuss what stories to tell per year or something. 😂
I can’t wait for this week’s episode. ☺️
Thank you @pkml3 for this! I thought I’d give it a go if you hadn’t pulled the kill switch after four episodes and I’m glad I did!
Loving all the doggies featured in the show too. And the attention to (doggy) detail – appreciate that Uncle was played by a younger adult retriever in 2005 and an (age appropriate) older retriever in 2023. He has lived many years for a dog – they must have human lifespans, not dog’s.
Thank you for explaining the significance of the tiger. BoGyeum reminds me of the professor in See you in my 19th life, where mysterious ominous music was played for him too.
Shout out to Viki subbers for explaining how ‘dog’ and ‘crab’ sound similar in Korean.
KTL was a real disappointment. I wish I could have those hours back!