I hope that my familiarity with the screenwriter’s and director’s previous works will bring, not dullness, but perception in the analysis of this kdrama. With that said, please don’t kill me when I’m wrong.

Ep 1: Inside the Fish Tank vs Outside the Fish Tank

Here’s the context.

When Mokha broke down in tears in school over a trivial matter, KiHo realized the reason for MokHa’s desperate desire to meet her idol RJ.

KH: I could guess what her secret was. After performing in front of her, MokHa would’ve probably said this to Yoon RanJoo. “I want to become like you.” “I want to leave Chunsam Island and become so famous that I’m untouchable.” “So…please save me.”

She wanted to be rescued from her life with her abusive father on the island. So KiHo came up with a plan.

KH: (handing her a piece of paper) Take it.
MH: What’s this?
KH: A map to my house.
MH: Why would you give this –
KH: Mokha. It’s not the eight-grader syndrome. I know better than anyone else what it is.

My three comments:

1. The “eight grade syndrome” is a term that originated in Japan. It’s often used by older people to describe the perceived “weird” mental attitude and dramatic affectations of youth entering puberty. In this drama, the term was used to dismiss Mokha’s complaints of physical abuse from her father. The detective/KiHo’s father said that MokHa was just going through a typical defiant, rebellious, and aggressive stage where she felt misunderstood and sorry for herself. But KiHo knew that labeling her valid claims of abuse as a mere “eight grade syndrome” was his dad’s attempt to gaslight her.

2. If you notice, there’s a parallel labeling of WooHak’s behavior in Episode 2. Lol. At 30+ years old, he was going through a belated “eight grade syndrome” where he contradicted and rebelled against everything that BoGeom told him. But in his case, BoGeom wasn’t gaslighting him.

WH: Are you volunteering this weekend? Which island? I’ll come.
BG: You said you hate volunteering, boats, and getting dirty.
WH: (angrily) I love it! I love boats and getting dirty. I’m born to volunteer.
BG: (stunned)

In the next scene, WooHak was throwing up on the side of the boat.

3. I like that KiHo was the first one to realize that they had lots in common. It was cleverly foreshadowed (or highlighted?) in the opening scene.

The frame was frozen, and KiHo’s voice grumbled, “She was nothing more than a brainless fangirl.” MokHa replied, “He was a money-grubbing lunatic. Back then, we thought we’d have absolutely nothing in common.” Then KiHo said, “But little did we know, in that hot summer of 2007, that we were in our own different season.”

What KiHo meant was that if the freezeframe was studied carefully, it was glaringly obvious that KiHo and Mokha were dressed differently from their classmates. While all their classmates were wearing short sleeves, only the two of them were dressed as if for cold weather. He was wearing a long-sleeved coat, and she was wearing long sleeves. (I like how the director had saturated the color blue to show their blue uniform). They were dressed differently from the others, and they must have felt overheated in those clothes but they bore it. They were living in a “season” entirely on their own because they were hiding the bruises on their arms.

To continue…

KH: (continuing) You’ll die at this rate. Just like the fish in the water tank, you’ll die if you’re left as is. You’ll either be cut with a knife or die of suffocation. You’ll die if you don’t do anything.

MH: Then, what can I do? What am I supposed to do? There’s no way…out of this.
KH: There is. If your father becomes violent again, don’t go to the police station. Come to me without him knowing. My window is blue. It’s easy to spot. Knock on it twice. Gently.
MH: Do you think you’re a hero or something. If I knock then what?
KH: Then, I’ll leave this island with you. I’ll take you to Yoon RanJoo without your father knowing. Don’t give up even if you get scared. Just come to me. Don’t forget. Blue window. Knock twice. Okay?
MH: What if it’s late at night?
KH: Just come no matter what.
MH: What if it’s at dawn? What if you’re asleep?
KH: It’s okay. Just come. I’m a very light sleeper. It doesn’t matter what time it is. Just come.

Later, after Mokha was lost at sea, KiHo went to her father’s restaurant and destroyed the fish tank and released the fish into the sea.

Thanks to KiHo’s explicit description of what fish life is inside the water tank, I don’t have to go over that. But what about life outside the fish tank? What does it mean?

Well, based on what I know about this writer-and-director duo, life outside the fish tank means:

a. stepping outside the comfort zone
b. taking risks
c. “sailing without a map” – like Dosan in “Start-Up”
d. venturing into the unknown
e. braving losses
g. taking wrong turns
h. conquering fears, and
i. following one’s heart

If given the choice between swimming inside the fish tank or out in the great big ocean, the choice is clear. Pick the one that offers hope through personal effort and striving. Because as KiHo said himself, “You’ll die if you don’t do anything.”

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Next up, Episode 2. Coincidence vs Fate