First, the fluff.

The fluff is easy to understand. In Episode 5, we find out that SeoWon was bullied in school. Then, HaeNa used her “puppy power” to thwart the students from staging a romantic encounter between Seowon and the school bully. This led to SeoWon welcoming the puppy Cacao to his apartment in gratitude for her rescuing him.

In Episode 6, Seowon became increasingly jealous of HaeNa and BoGyeom’s closeness. But despite his jealousy, he searched all night for HaeNa when she was accidentally “dog-napped.” This led to HaeNa confessing that she no longer cared for BoGyeom.

Next, the mystery.

This kdrama has 14 episodes. With 8 more episodes to go, I still don’t know what BoGyeom’s endgame is in the story. Either the screenwriter is doing a good job of keeping him mysterious or the screenwriter can’t make up her own mind whether to make him good or not.

Three scenes stood out to me in Episode 5.

1. First scene. The vice-principal was congratulating himself that there hadn’t been a whisper of violence since he took office. Chuckling, BoGyeom reminded his boss that he hadn’t been in the office that long. BoGyeom’s mockery effectively put him in his place, and he left in a snit.

This tells me that when BoGyeom doesn’t like an individual, he lets it show.

2. Second scene. SeoWon was upset that the vice-principal wasn’t taking the bullying charges seriously. He stormed out of the room and BoGyeom caught up with him.

BG: What was that back there? You’re acting strange today.
SW: Do I seem strange to you, too, Hyung? Everybody else seems unfazed by this. Isn’t that weirder?
BG: Oh. Well, as for that…it’s not something that can be resolved by being touchy. We can’t take action without solid evidence, and there’s an order to these things.
SW: What if something worse happens? Are you saying we should wait until then?
BG: (taken aback) Why are you so riled up today? It’s unlike you.
SW: (no answer)
BG: Or do you have personal feelings about this situation?
SW: It’s not like that.

My comments:

a. BoGyeom was reasonable here.

b. He had a point that they couldn’t take action without solid evidence. Haena did just that: collect the evidence. Instead of merely protesting the vice-principal’s indifference to the bullying report, she actually went out to get irrefutable proof of bullying.

c. It was understandable that SeoWon was riled up since he had once been bullied like JiWon. But he was too emotional to be effective.

d. When BoGyeom reminded SeoWon that there was “an order to these things,” it called to mind BoGyeom saying that he once watched the tides for days on end. He doesn’t to rush things. This tells me that, in the case of HaeNa, he’s been patiently biding his time because he recognizes that the “order” must be respected in the unfolding of the events.

3. Third scene. BoGyeom stepped in to frighten the student who planned to falsely accuse his co-teacher SeoWon of sexual misconduct.

Student: I came to meet someone, but I took a wrong turn.
BG: Who? SeoWon-ie? They say kids these days are clever, but your threats are on another level. You shouldn’t look down on teachers like that. It upsets me as a teacher.
Student: What are you going to do about it?
BG: I’m not sure. What should I do? Huh? (picking up a stick) How about corporal punishment? But that’s not allowed these days. Imagine a teacher hitting a student in this day and age. They’d get disciplined and even suspended from teaching. But you know? I still hit them. Students who only learn from a beating. (throwing the stick at the wall)
Student: (shrieking) Mr. Lee, are you crazy? What’s wrong with you?
BG: How does it feel? Are you scared you might get hit? You’re scared since you don’t know what I’ll do next, right? I asked how it feels. The feeling of the strong becoming the weak?

She ran away but he appeared in front of her.

BG: Why did you do that to Jiwon? Was she given a reason when she got hit?

She ran away and this time, he let her go.

My comments:

a. From this scene, we saw that he championed his friend SeoWon. This reminded me of his comment in Episode 1 when he said that he liked dogs more than cats because dogs were really kind. Then, he turned to Seowon and tickled his chin, while cooing, “You’re so kind.”

b. He also stood up for the bullied Jiwon. He cared for the underdog.

c. He showed his ferocious side to intimidate the bully. Considering that he always treated both Haena and Seowon with kindness, I’m going to assume that he doesn’t see them as being wicked people. Otherwise, he would have mocked them (like he did with the vice-principal) or intimidated them (like he did with the bully). It’s more likely that he sees them as a misguided individual or ill-fated couple.

As for Episode 6, I consider five scenes with BoGyeom noteworthy.

1. On the day that he discovered that Cocoa the dog had been staying over at SeoWon’s place every night, he decided to sleep over too. It seemed to me that he deliberately came over to be the third wheel.

He didn’t want HaeNa (in her Cocoa body) and SeoWon getting close to each other.

2. He gave HaeNa’s Unnie a cryptic warning.

BG: A dog thief?
Unnie: (stammering) No, I’m the owner.
BG: Aigoo. So you’re Jun Seo’s noona, huh?
Unnie: Yes, I am.
BG: It’s so early in the morning. Why don’t you come in and have some tea?
Unnie: No, it’s okay. I have to get to work early. So I have to bring Cocoa home quickly and go. Please take care.
BG: You’re doing so much work for just a dog.
Unnie: Yes. Because we’re family.
BG: Be careful…not to lose that family.
Unnie: Sorry?
BG: There are many dogs in this world, but there’s only one Cocoa. That’s why some people do all kinds of things to find their lost dog.
Unnie: (turning to leave)
BG: Make sure to spend the remaining time meaningfully.
Unnie: Sorry?
BG: Because dogs don’t live longer than people in the end.

He certainly spooked the Unnie. But she would have been scared to death had she looked up at the rooftop as she and WooTaek were driving away.

BoGyeom was watching them from the rooftop.

My comments:

a. BoGyeom warned the Unnie (and indirectly, HaeNa who was listening as Cocoa) of several things to come. This is how I interpreted what he said. First, he predicted that HaeNa would get lost, and she did, didn’t she?

b. Second, to any dog owner, her dog is one-of-a-kind. Cocoa might be unique to her family, but she was mistaken for somebody else’s dog. BoGyeom predicted that she would be taken home by mistake, and sure enough, the grandmother took her home. Believing that she finally found her lost puppy, she did all sorts of things for Cocoa to welcome her back.

Unfortunately, HaeNa misunderstood her intentions.

To me, BoGyeom forewarned HaeNa to put herself in other people’s shoes and be understanding.

c. Third, he warned HaeNa that her days as a human were coming to an end, and that she was doomed to be a dog forever.

3. At the class trip, BoGyeom continued to warn her.

BG: By the way, Ms. Han, you don’t really wake up once you fall asleep, huh? Would you even know if someone kidnaps you?
HaeNa: (forced laughter at his joke)
BG: Looks like you’ll have to be careful in this dangerous world.
HaeNa: (coughing)

My comments:

a. Given that she already heard his weird warning to her Unnie, she understandably found this line of conversation weird, too.

b. By “kidnapping,” he predicted the grandmother carrying her away.

c. I think he’s genuinely concerned about her because he can see her future, but he isn’t “into” her in a romantic way.

It was cute when Haena jumped up, screaming at the sight of a fat caterpillar. He stood up, too, to hold her. He told her to keep still or she’d fall into the water. He was laughing at her because she looked cute.

The students were excited because they believed they were witnessing a romantic moment and were cheering BoGyeom and HaeNa on.

In the whole chaotic scene, SeoWon was the odd man out. He was the only one mad at the sight of BoGyeom and HaeNa together. He was jealous.

4. I don’t get why BoGyeom persists on riling SeoWon up.

BG: Is there an exceptional reason Ms HaeNa can’t take the night shift? Or maybe she wants to take the shift with me again? That’s it, right?

I don’t get why he’s provoking SeoWon’s jealousy. Is he trying to break them apart or bring them together? If he’s trying to break them apart because he doesn’t want SeoWon to end up heartbroken, then he’s going about it the wrong way.

SeoWon: There’s a cat.
BG: Huh? A cat?
SeoWon: (stealing his straw)
BG: I don’t see a cat. (looking down) Hey. My straw. It’s gone. Where’s my straw?

Tsk tsk tsk. So petty.

5. BoGyeom looked sad when he spotted SeoWon and HaeNa returning home from her misadventure.

BG: (to himself) That’s right. In order to grow distant, you must get closer first. (sighing)

Then, he heard a voice calling him, “My lord.” He turned around to see the new student, JinAh. Then, an image of the noblewoman flashed in his mind.

JA: You’re a teacher here, right? I don’t think I saw you at school.

What an odd greeting! Was she searching for him? Did she want to know if he was a teacher at Garam High School? She must have seen him earlier when she passed by on the bridge as the students were loudly cheering BoGyeom and HaeNa’s romantic moment.

BoGyeom looked disturbed. Without a word, he walked away.

In my opinion, if that spirit of the noblewoman had been looking for BoGyeom and wishing for a loving reunion with him, then she was mistaken.

As for the new student, Min JinAh (JA), this is what we know about her.

1. She was a returning student and was three years older than her classmates.
2. She was a one-month-old shaman.
3. JA read the fortune of the girl who would sneak out at night during the class trip.

Before beginning the fortune-telling session, she had a vision of SeoWon in his previous reincarnation pointing his sword at the noblewoman’s neck.

To me, this was a confusing flashback. I couldn’t tell whether JA was seeing herself in the past or reading the fortune of the girl.

JA: (asking the student) You got that anew when you were younger, huh?
Student: (clutches her heart)

This showed that JA knew the student’s secret that not even her besties knew about her.

Classmates: (confused) What did she say? What? Heart?
JA: You gave up on studying because of its owner. Things you want to do, places you want to go, all of the fun you want to have. There sure is a lot.
Student: Is she next to me right now?
JA: She isn’t a bad kid. You just do what you want in life, so she can enjoy it with you before she goes.
Student: Well, when would she be leaving?
JA: About 10 years from now. Around then, you’ll start studying, too.

The girls were impressed.

Student: Please tell her I’m thankful for her heart.
JA: She knows, too.

My comments:

a. JA correctly guessed that the student had a heart transplant when she was young. After the transplant, she lost interest in her studies and began focusing on non-curricular things.

b. JA told the student/her classmate that it wasn’t her fault that she wasn’t interested in her studies. It was the spirit of the original owner of the heart.

c. To me, JA’s fortune-telling put the idea in the girl’s head that she and her two buddies could sneak out of their dormroom and go to the night market. If they hadn’t gone out, HaeNa wouldn’t have been lost in the countryside.

4. JA’s next fortune-telling “target” was Yul. He didn’t ask for a reading, but JA just blurted out his fortune.

JA: You’ll be taken somewhere pretty soon.
Yul: Where?
JA: Looks like it’ll be a tough situation. I see you kneeling down.

Yul: Oh really?
JA: Watch out. It’s not even real. If you get into it too much, there will be trouble. You keep getting mixed up with a dog with a story.
Yul: Huh?

My comments:

a. I’m guessing that she was predicting the school trip. Yul brought a lot of things with him to take care of HaeNa’s needs when she would turn into Cocoa. Sure, it was a “tough” situation for him, but Yul enjoyed doing it nonetheless.

b. He was kneeling down – or squatting down – to show HaeNa the pop-up pup tent he prepared for her.

c. JA was discouraging Yul from getting involved in HaeNa’s situation. I’m glad that Yul didn’t listen to her. Yul was a sweetheart in this episode. I would “ship” him with HaeNa if they weren’t in teacher-student relationship.

5. JA was walking on the bridge when her classmates were cheering on HaeNa and BoGyeom handholding. She glanced at the cause of commotion and she didn’t look amused.

6. That night, she played with her Go-Stop cards again. She picked a swallow card.

JA: (picking a swallow card) A welcome guest…or a reunion. (picking a deer card) The deer is looking in another direction. They met but didn’t recognize each other.

Then, right on cue, HaeNa arrived at the door to do the night inspection.

JA could have been predicting how HaeNa entered the room and didn’t recognize her from the previous reincarnation.

JA: Ms. Han. Did you raise a dog as a child?
HaeNa: Huh?
JA: I see a puppy.
HaeNa: (blinking) You must be tired. Go to sleep.

Obviously, the addition of JinAh to the mix is meant to stir things up. I say she isn’t trustworthy, and she’ll bring more harm than good to our couple and the other students.

That’s it for me, folks.