Ostensibly, this episode is about RanJoo competing with her former self, or as the emcee hyped it, an aging star battling with a millennium diva. Most viewers will assume that’s what the title “2008 vs 2022” is referring to. I want you, however, to consider other possibilities.

1. For BoGyeol, he wanted no competition – not even a connection — between his 2008 and 2022 selves.

RJ: I want to find someone with this song. He was my manager’s childhood friend.
BG: I know. Isn’t his name Jung KiHo?
RJ: So you know his name. I’d like to talk about them when introducing this song. I want to help them meet again.
BG: Are you sure it’s okay to mention something so private on TV? They may not be up for it.
MH: (eagerly) I am up for it. I’d totally love that.
BG: No, I’m talking about Mr. Jung.

He raised a valid point. To respect the privacy of all parties involved, the production staff of “Heyday” needed to seek permission from Jung KiHo before mentioning him on the popular show.

Then, after the show, he sought RanJoo out to give her a warning. He found MokHa instead.

BG: Next time you see her, tell her to stick to the script next time she’s on the show.
MH: (bowing) It wasn’t her fault. She didn’t want to do it. I just was really stubborn about it. But I’m sorry for that.
BG: And besides, he could be hiding from the law or something like that.

Technically, BoGyeol didn’t say a lie here. His father was in law enforcement; he was hiding from his father.

MH: (blinking) I’m sorry. Do you know KiHo?

His remark got her hackles up. Nobody was allowed to defame KiHo to her face.

BG: I don’t.
MH: Well, I know KiHo. Okay? (looks him up and down) Don’t accuse him of crazy crimes when you don’t know.
BG: (not saying a word)

This told BoGyeol four things:

One, MokHa was clinging to the idea that the 2008 KiHo wasn’t any different from 2022 KiHo,

Two, she was fiercely loyal to KiHo,

Three, he’d have a tougher time hiding his identity,

Four, she simply didn’t recognize who he was. How galling for him!

2. Time’s changed but the 2022 KiHo wasn’t much different from his 2008 self.

He was condescending when talking to MokHa during the wrap-up.

BG: We’ll need to stay in touch. What should we do?
MH: I’ll come downstairs every day and check with you. (talking about the grapes) I picked the prettiest and biggest ones for you—
BG: Our staff doesn’t live here. Are you going to visit all of their houses?

It’s to expected that while MokHa was lost on the island, she idealized her memories of KiHo. As a result, she forgot how condescending he had been when she was explaining her stage concept for him.

MH: Right. Well…
BG: (sighing) You should get a phone.
MH: Right. Yes, I should.
BG: And a driver’s license.
MH: Right. That too.
BG: (sighing again)

Even after 15 years, BoGyeol hadn’t lost his organizational skills. Just like he planned for all their contingencies when they ran away (e.g., raincoats, shoes, snacks, studio for her, study hall for him), BoGyeol was already planning in his head what she needed to do to become a manager.

He didn’t ask her outright, “And then what?” or “What happens next?” like KiHo did, but he was forcing her to think of her next steps and to prepare herself.

Later, he would also prod her to get an email already. He said, “You can’t work in this industry without email. It’s free to create an account.”

MH: Of course. I’ll buy a phone. As for the driver’s license, I’ll get that, too.
BG: (unsmiling)
MH: (smiling) Jeez. I know I look a bit pathetic in your eyes. I seem to be immature, lacking manners, and complacent, right?
BG: Very pathetic, actually.

It’s funny because she was unconsciously repeating the exact words that KiHo used to describe her. He said that she lacked maturity, manners, and thought.

In 2022.

Back in 2008, he described like this.

Then, his reaction to her bright and cheerful personality was the same: he was annoyed.

In 2022, he called her “pathetic.”

He said he found her pathetic, but he made sure to grab the box of grapes she especially picked for him.

Back in 2008.

He was annoyed but he sat and stared at her video.

And just like in 2008, MokHa was hurt by his words.

Back in 2008.

And in 2022. Her smile froze at his insult.

I could think of three reasons for his attitude.

One, he had assured his parents that MokHa wouldn’t recognize him, and he was keeping his word. By sabotaging himself, there was no way MokHa would connect him with her KiHo.

Two, he was irritated at her desperation to find him because he had reasons to keep his new identity secret.

Three, he couldn’t help himself. His 2022 self wasn’t much different from his 2008 self.

3. Because he last heard MokHa’s voice in 2008, BoGyeol didn’t immediately recognize her voice in 2022.

He knew it was MokHa singing. When WooHak asked him in the elevator how RanJoo was doing because her voice supposedly wasn’t good during the Deodok festival, BoGyeol suspected that something was up. That’s why he rushed to the stage to hear RanJoo sing.

But RanJoo excused herself from rehearsing her song. That’s when he put two and two together. It was MokHa’s voice, not RanJoo’s, that wowed him at the Deodok’s festival.

In effect, the competition wasn’t between the 2008 RanJoo and 2022 RanJoo. It was between the 2008 RanJoo and the 2022 MOKHA. It was a friendly competition between the two castaway singers.

4. The song that MokHa sang was a shoutout from 2022 to 2008.

According to RanJoo, that song was inspired by her meeting with KiHo. She said, “Everything he said seemed to come straight from his heart. I was so moved that I wrote a song. I had hoped that you’d hear it and find me. But you never did.”

To me, there are two ways to interpret this song.

One, it was 2022 MokHa’s message to 2008 KiHo to come out wherever he was because she had already been rescued and was waiting for him.

Two, in a deeper sense, the song encapsulated BoGyeol’s pledge to find her wherever she was. It was BoGyeol’s unspoken message to MokHa that he had waited for her at Seoul Station every week and scoured the 2000 islands every weekend, diligently, faithfully for 15 years.

Do you see what I mean that there’s more to the title “2008 vs 2022” than RanJoo’s singing competition? That’s the simplistic interpretation. Always go deeper with this screenwriter, and you won’t be disappointed.

The lyrics of the song. Credit: genius.com

“Night and Day”
Sang by Jung SeungHwan
Sang by Park EunBin

So I’m still waiting for you

[Verse 1] Like sand and sunlight
You escaped through my fingers
Like the moment two clock hands meet
Our time together was too brief

[Pre-Chorus] Countless days and nights
The sun rose and fell a thousand times
But I’m still waiting there
On a night of July 1

[Chorus] I will wait for you
No matter how long it takes
At the end of your long journey
I’ll lend you my shoulder
To let you rest
And give you this song
So I’m still waiting for you

[Verse 2] My long night has passed
And morning has finally dawned
I wonder when you look at the sky
Do you ever think about me?

[Pre-Chorus] Countless days and nights
The sun rose and fell a thousand times
But I’m still waiting there
On a night of July 1

[Chorus] I will wait for you
No matter how long it takes
At the end of your long journey
I’ll lend you my shoulder
To let you rest
And give you this song
So I’m still waiting for you

[Bridge] Like the countless stars in the sky
Countless days I wait for pass
Those days I’ve dreamed of
When they finally come to me

[Chorus] I will wait for you
No matter how long it takes
At the end of your long journey
I’ll lend you my shoulder
To let you rest
And give you this song
So I’m still waiting for you

[Outro] Oh-oh, yeah
So I’m still waiting for you

 

Note: This Jung SeungHwan also sang an OST for “Start Up.” The title? Instead of “Night and Day,” it was “Day and Night.” How original, right?

5. Finally, the lesson from the chestnut.

It matters greatly to people that they are always remembered and never forgotten.

For instance, RanJoo thought she was past her prime but was thrilled to have this one chance to be in the spotlight again, thanks, of course, to MokHa lip-syncing. And MokHa worried that KiHo didn’t want to find her anymore (or worse was dead) that when she got the message to meet him, she immediately rushed to Seoul Station.

It was their desperation that made them act foolhardily. Their 2008 selves would have known better, but their 2022 selves were so hungry for what they had in 2008 that they disregarded common sense. They exposed themselves to danger.

Between their 2008 and 2022 selves, 2022 was only marginally better.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Moving on to other episodes. As I mentioned in the Final Open Thread, I’ll take a look at the episodes and write my usual commentary.