As I said in Ep 1 On Fish Tank, I hope that my familiarity with the director and screenwriter’s previous collaboration will bring perception, not dullness, into the discussion of this drama.

1. The Easter egg

Was it @Janey who commented that she was going to look for a sign like the floating petal trope in “Start Up” that will clue audience in on who the true lovers would be? There was no floating petal, but there were banners.

As we know, an Easter egg has a non-Christian meaning in video games, movies, and kdramas. In kdrama, an Easter egg is an image hidden in plain sight that serves as an inside joke between the director and observant viewers.

Take for instance the bus stop scene in Episode 1 of “While You Were Sleeping.” (If you haven’t watched it, tough luck! You’re in my blog and I do spoilers.)

The female lead, played by Suzy, suspected that the male lead was flirting with her because he kept sliding down the bench to sit closer to her. To fend off this “unwanted attention,” she scolded him, saying, “I’m not interested in you!” However, the guy had only been scooting down the bench to make space for other people. She quickly hopped on the next bus in embarrassment. The bus displayed a big advertisement for the Hollywood film, “He’s Just Not That into You.”

Only in the final scene of the final episode did the guy reveal that her instincts were correct. He WAS interested in her and had chosen to sit beside her at the bus stop, inside of taking a cab.

Thus, the bus poster is an Easter egg. At first, it seemed like an insignificant bit of humor added to the scene. But it was actually a sign of things to come.

Let’s take another example from “Start Up,” The meet-cute of the main leads happened at a networking party. The male lead Dosan was coerced to attend the reception and to pretend to be the long-lost childhood friend of the girl (again played by Suzy). As he stood in front of her, the camera focused on the theme of the party in the backdrop.

“At the time the wind began to blow”

I wrote about it here: Start-Up: On “Sailing Without a Map”

If that piece is too long for you to read (or “TL:DR” as the internet would say), here’s the abridged version. It meant that the couple met when stormy weather was in the forecast. But they had nothing to be afraid of because the right person was beside them at the helm through their expedition.

In “Start Up,” the backdrop is an Easter egg. It appeared to be an insignificant signage to an event, but it was actually the theme of the relationship of the couple.

So, was the equivalent Easter egg in this drama?

I think this is one of them.

If you blink, you’ll miss it. In the opening scene of Episode 2, BoGeol climbed up to the rooftop to remove the banner advertising a “Third Floor for Rent. Gas and Cable TV Included.”

Considering that the title of this Episode 2 is “Coincidence vs Fate,” it was fated that, on this very day that he decided to take down the banner, a renter would appear in the person of MokHa.

Mom: Why did you take it down? I wanted to avoid real estate fees.

Sorry. Not being Korean, I don’t know what she meant.

BG: I’m going to take the rooftop room.
Fake Dad: Why? What about your room?
BG: Brothers in their thirties sharing a room is a bit gross.

An aside. Being a mom of two grown men, I understand BoGeol’s distaste for room-sharing. My sons love each other but if given a choice to sleep in the same room, or on the living room couch, one of them would cede the bedroom and take the living room couch.

As their mom loved to say, “If you wish for something with all your heart, one way or another, it’ll come true one day. And it’ll happen in an unexpected way.” BoGeol had been wishing for MokHa’s reappearance with all his heart. Indeed, his wish came true, and in an unexpected way. He couldn’t have foreseen her renting a place in their house and blowing up their cover as the Kang family.

Then, the matching banner is this one.

MokHa was being driven back to her island when she spotted the banner advertising RanJoo’s appearance at the Deodeok festival. She ordered WooHak to stop the car so she could get a closer look. She ended up going to the festival where she met her and sang for her.

Again, the mom’s maxim proved true. MokHa had wished fervently to meet her idol and, after 15 long years, her wish finally came true in quite an unexpected way.

MokHa: (in a voiceover) KiHo. I don’t what the future holds. But one thing I know for sure is that I will never regret this moment.

To hark back to the title of this episode, “Coincidence vs Fate,” it was also fated that, on this day that her dream became a reality, KiHo had an invisible hand in it. Unknown to her, he had approached RanJoo, more than a decade in the past, to request her to give MokHa a chance and to give her a hug.

So there you go, @Janey. Instead of a floating petal, what connected the couple in this kdrama are two seemingly inconsequential banners. Each banner would bring the main leads back to each other in a surprising way.

2. Coincidence vs Fate

The screenwriter already tackled this concept of coincidence and fate in her earlier work, “While You Were Sleeping.”

Second male lead: Is all this a coincidence? Or is this fate? (resting his hand on Lee Jongsuk’s hand)
Lee Jongsuk: (pulling his hand away) Gosh! What are you doing now?
Second male lead: I actually don’t feel anything. Does it mean it’s not fate?

Hahaha. That’s a kdrama trope. One indicator that an encounter is fated is sensory overload. Fate is when the hand tingles, the eyes sparkle, and the heart flutters.

Let’s be serious now.

Coincidence is accidental, random, unplanned, spontaneous. Fate, on the other hand, is predestined, planned, predetermined, and inevitable.

On the face of it, this episode seems to demonstrate the difference between the two. Did the events happen by coincidence or by fate?

Here are a few examples of events that happened by fate.

a. BoGeol leading his team to clean up that island
b. MokHa beign rescued from the island by KiHo
c. MokHa eating gimbap hungrily after she refused it 15 years ago
d. MokHa appearing at RanJoo’s festival and singing for her

Then, here are a few examples of events that seem coincidental.

a. WH joining the clean-up brigade on the island,
b. MokHa spotting the drone while she was up and about the beach,
c. WH arriving at the women’s shelter when Mokha was about to be discharged,
d. WH asking “And then?” like KiHo had done,
e. WH using the same expression that KiHo did before that she “lacked” a certain quality, and
f. MokHa saying that WH had the similar age, personality, and vibe

Let me go over scene with WooHak and MokHa in detail because I find it interesting.

WH: What will you do once you meet Ranjoo? Do you have a plan?
MH: Why are you so fixated on the future? You always ask me, “And then?” “What’s your plan?” That’s all you ask.
WH: Of course, because it’s only natural to plan ahead as an adult.

Note here: this is when how MokHa began to get the “feeling” that WooHak could be KiHo.

MokHa recounted how she ended up on the island. Then, she told WooHak what she learned from that experience.

MH: If you keep worrying about the future, then you’ll end up with just as many regrets down the road. From now on, I’m just going to do whatever I want in that moment.
WH: (passing her an egg that he had de-shelled) So you’re adamant about meeting RanJoo. Is this my fate? People around me just don’t listen to me. Both BoGeol and you.

Pffft. He sounded like he was being persecuted, but people didn’t listen to him for a good reason.

His mother, BoGeol and his colleagues didn’t listen to him because of his immature and irresponsible behavior.

For instance, BoGeol didn’t want him reporting on MokHa’s discovery out of concern for her welfare and privacy. She was about to have a rough time adjusting to modern society without drawing media attention to her situation. WooHak, on the other hand, used MokHa’s circumstances to redeem himself at work. Although he promised BoGeol to kill the report, he lied and went ahead with the televised “scoop”. Supposedly, he had no choice because he had to repay the destruction of the drone.

But here’s the kicker. The reason he brought the drone with him to the island was because he didn’t want to get off his lazy ass and clean up the island like the rest of the volunteers.

Can I get an eye-roll here?

So yeah…people around him had reasons not to listen to him. He was “lacking”…err…slacking.

MH: (curious) Is BoGeol your younger brother, mister? How old is he?
WH: He’s one year younger than me, and a year younger than you. Meaning, we’re the same age. Why do you call me “ahjussi”?
MH: Then, how else should I address you?

My comments:

a. She was curious about BoGeol. She wanted to know HIS age.
b. It appeared as if she never considered calling him by anything but “ahjussi.” She’s “ahjussi”-zoned him.
c. She also showed the same “disappointment” on her face when he showed up at the center instead of KiHo.

WooHak suggested names and asked her to drop the honorifics. She reluctantly agreed to do so. He handed her his business card.

MH: (failing to ask him in banmal) Is this your business card?
WH: But don’t call me all the time. I’m busy.

Sure, WooHak had amnesia. But this isn’t what KiHo would have told her. KiHo would’ve told her to call him anytime.

MH: Somehow I doubt that. Why don’t you come with me when I go see RanJoo tomorrow?
WH: You want me to continue taking care of you? Tsk tsk tsk. You lack such shame.

Then, she remembered KiHo using the same expression, that she “lacked maturity, manners and thought.” She smiled at WooHak.

WH: What? What is it?
MH: I felt this way from the moment we met, but you remind me of KiHo.
WH: I do?
MH: It’s been 15 years, so I don’t have the sharpest memory. But you’re similar in age, personality, and vibe.

My comments:

First, age isn’t a determinant. How many male babies were born in that year? KiHo could be any one of them.

Second, as for personality, my guess is she romanticized the kind and helpful personality of KiHo while she was stranded on the island and forgot how he initially rubbed her the wrong way. KiHo could be abrasive and super unhelpful, too.

Third, vibes? Fifteen years ago, KiHo was in middle school. If WooHak gave her the same “vibes,” then he shouldn’t view that as a compliment. It meant that he still gave off a MIDDLE SCHOOLER vibes.

Now, for those people who do NOT think BoGeol is KiHo, these things are coincidental.

a. BoGeol working behind the camera as a producer, like Kiho liked to do before
b. BoGeol buying MokHa her first pair of shoes

That’s how fate and coincidence stack up in this episode. I’m sure you can find more examples. I’m keeping this list short because I need to move on with other kdramas.

3. Decisions vs Coincidence and Fate

As I said, on the surface, it seems as if this episode only offered two options, that is, things happened because of either coincidence or fate.

But when you take a second look (or a rewatch!) of this episode, you SHOULD notice that the screenwriter is actually offering a third option: personal decisions.

Decisions create coincidences and change fate.

Take for example MoHak’s musing on her regrets for failing to grab the chance offered her.

MH: A few days before I ended up on the island…it was probably June 2007…I received a phone call. It was from RanJoo’s agency. The manager said that RanJoo wanted to see me. But that’s when I was concerned about the future. If I went to see her, then my father would find out eventually. Then, I’d be beaten for it. Then, he’d destroy my MP3 player, and then… and then…That’s why [she declined going to Seoul because of her worries about the consequences]. Then a few days later, I was stranded on a deserted island. On the island, I kept going back to the phone call. “I should’ve told him that I’d go.” “Then I would’ve gotten on the ferry sooner and not have ended up there.” On the island, I regretted that decision at least 10,000 times. If you keep worrying about the future, then you’ll end up with just as many regrets down the road. From now on, I’m just going to do whatever I want in that moment.

My comments:

a. This isn’t the first time this screenwriter talked about regrets. Seeing that she dealt with the same theme in “While You Were Sleeping” and in “Start Up,” I would say that she had given this subject matter much thought and consideration. In her worldview, a horrible moment, like being stranded on an island, doesn’t just happen out of the blue. It’s neither accidental nor fated.

b. For her, a horrible moment is caused by numerous decisions which seemed inconsequential at first. However, when these decisions were combined and summed up, the outcome was a horrible moment.

c. That’s why most people feel a sense of deep regret when a horrible situation happens. Regret occurs because people believe that if only they could be given a chance — a SECOND chance – to alter those seemingly insignificant decisions, then they could avert the horrible situation.

To me, that’s pearl of wisdom that MokHa was trying to impart to WooHak.

In hindsight, she recognized that her fear about “what-if’s” prevented her from making a personal decision that summer of 2007. And because she couldn’t make a decision, coincidence (e.g., her father finding them at the harbor) and fate (e.g., getting stranded on the island) stepped in and “decided” her future for her. She didn’t want to make the same mistakes. She would seize the opportunity and live in the moment.

To me, this is a powerful insight on how to live one’s life.