Seems like the screenwriter decided that this is the right time for exposition, so viewers were suddenly inundated with background info on SeokRyu (SR). I’ll try to keep track.

1. The pomegranate tree

In Episode 3, SeongHyo (SH) is worrying about the tree. No longer bare, it has now spouted leaves. He tells his co-president that the fate of the company rests on it. “We’ll shut down if it withers,” he warns.

SeongHyo doesn’t really believe in superstitions, but his co-president does.

In my write-up for Episode 2, I mentioned that SR didn’t lie about the tree being a symbol of abundance, but I think she forgot that it’s also a symbol of fertility.

Not only that, but she must also have forgotten that the pomegranate is associated with her birth story. Remember Episode 1 when the mothers went on a hike and SH’s and SR’s moms tried to out-brag the other person about their pregnancy story? Well, SR’s mom dreamt of a pomegranate when she became pregnant.

To me, the pomegranate tree represents SR. It’s a good thing that SH tends to it like he does with SR.

2. 2008 Beijing Olympics

We already knew that SH never made it to the 2008 Beijing Olympics because of the car accident. In Episode 4 (timestamp: 47:53), we learned the exact year his swimming career ended: in 2007.

While reporter DanHo was going through his camera files, he found the photograph of SR and SH which he had taken during the 2007 Swim Meet.

Now, I can’t tell whether SR and SH were seniors (or juniors?) in high school back then, but they buried the time capsule and planned to open it 10 years later, in 2017.

3. SeokRyu’s academic career

Reconstructing SR’s timeline is a bit difficult because she didn’t follow a straight path.

Student: What college did you go to?
SR: I got accepted to Hanguk University after I graduated high school. After attending for a year, I studied abroad in the US. I enrolled at UC Berkeley and graduated.
Student: Does that mean your parents are rich?
SR: Not at all. A friend was preparing to study abroad. I wanted to study English, too so we prepared together. After I was accepted, I received a scholarship for four years. That’s how I went.
Student: What do you do at Greip?
SR: It’s called a product manager. I’m responsible for overseeing and managing projects from their planning stage to the end result.

My comments:

a. In my write-up for Episode 3, I mentioned that the screenwriter (or director) might have been trying to pay homage to “Apple” by making the name of SR’s fictional company “Greip.” Like apple, grape is a fruit.

I should have also pointed out that back in Episode 1, SR was pictured giving a company talk and she was wearing a black turtleneck and blue jeans. That should have been a give-away that she was copying Apple’s co-founder, Steve Jobs, who always wore a black turtleneck and blue jeans. That was his signature outfit. (Unlike SR though, Jobs never finished college. IIRC, he dropped out after one semester at Reed College.)

b. We don’t know whether SeongHyo was the friend she had been studying English with. There should be an interesting backstory if she had gone on to study in the US, but SeongHyo remained in Seoul.

c. SeungHyo also studied at Hanguk University. He graduated at the top of his class.

d. I’m going to assume then that SeokRyu studied for 5 years in total. One year in Hanguk plus four years in UC Berkeley. She must have graduated in 2015 because that’s the year she began working at Greip.

It must be noted that, according to her mom, she graduated early from college. From Episode 1 —

SR’s mom: SeokRyu not only graduated early but also got offers from all the top companies. Greip didn’t pick SeokRyu. She was the one who chose them.

SR’s mom must have been comparing her to the other students in UC Berkeley, not to SeongHyo. If she had to repeat freshman year in the US, then she would graduate after SeongHyo did.

e. Now that Greip is opening a flagship company in Seoul, she can be work with them again. She can apply as a project manager again or she can pursue another role in the company. It seems like her problem wasn’t with the company itself but with a few coworkers.

4. SeokRyu’s interview with the job recruiter, Lee JinYoung (JY)

JY: If you don’t mind, may I ask you why you quit Greip and come back like this?
SR: I had a personal reason to come home.
JY: I see. Then, how long did you work at Greip?
SR: I joined the company in 2015, and I officially quit last month.
JY: So ten years?
SR: No, I took a year off in the middle.
JY: You did?
SR: Yes, when I was 30.
JY: Was that for personal reasons as well.
SR: Yes. (looking down, avoiding her gaze)
JY: Being 30 is like that. I transferred jobs at that age. Your career and portfolio are very impressive. I don’t think it’ll be a problem. The position I want to offer is at Serendipity….

My comments:

a. Whoops. I’ll have to check this because I forgot if they’re 34 years old or 33 years old at the moment because of the international age/Korean age conversion. All I remember is SeokRyu mentioned that she and SH are as old as Jesus when He died. Lol.

If we work backwards, then this is the timeline we can derive from the backstory.

She resigned in 2024,
took time off in 2021,
started employment at Greip in 2015,
entered UC Berkeley in 2011,
finished high school and entered Hangguk in 2010,
cheered for SH at his swim meet in 2007.

b. Anyway, if SeokRyu is currently 33 years old, then she was 30 years old in 2021. That’s when she took a year off for personal reasons. After she returned, she began working with that bad hombre, Chris.

Coworker Peter: Does she really believe she can do everything? Try as she might, she’ll only be hitting the ceiling one day.
Chris: You think she’s affection-deprived? Maybe that’s why she’s so desperate for praise and recognition, like a little kid.
Susan: Yeah, could be.
Peter: By the way, did you hear? Well, it’s about why she took a break from work three years ago.
Chris: Oh! That was quite big, what happened to her.
Whispering
Susan: Oh! Poor little girl.
Chris: Well, guys. It’s all over now.

c. If I were her, I would have gone to HR.

There are many ways to deal with workplace harassment and exploitation. But resignation should be one of the last options (wellllll, lawsuit should be the last resort). 

I don’t understand her actions. She’s so fierce when it comes to bossing SeongHyo around, but rather weak and naive when it comes to professional matters. She was eager to please her colleagues and was unable to read the signs that she was being exploited. There’s an inconsistency in her character.

5. SeokRyu is visited by SeongHyo in California

SH: Hey, SeokRyu. Are you happy your wish to go to the US came true?
SR: Yeah, things are looking up for me. But I’m a little lonely.
SH: (not replying)

SeokRyu stood up to get more beer from the fridge.

Now, I hope the screenwriter did her research because the legal drinking age in California is 21. SeokRyu wouldn’t be able to buy alcohol (legally, that is) if she’s underage. By my calculations (and I’m ignoring the Korean/international age difference), she was 21 years old in 2012.

SeongHyo then began unpacking his backpack.

SH: Your mom said your hands and feet get cold and told me to give you this electric heating mat.
SR: (exhaling) My mom’s ridiculous. It’s much warmer here than in Korea.
SH: Really? These are dried seaweed and cans of tuna.
SR: They have those here, too. In any case, thanks.
SH: Here’s some gochujang. And this too. A poster of DOS.
SR: I’ve just switched over to Justin Beiber now.
SH: Okay, last but not least. Man, it was so hard to bring this over. I thought my shoulders were going to break. You cried about leaving before reading the new releases. The series is done now.
SR: Yah! Debak! I wanted to read these so badly. Seriously, SeungHyo! You’re the best. I knew I could count on you! (hugging him)

My comments:

a. In Episode 4, timestamp 13:31, SeongHyo’s copresident mentioned that SeongHyo went backpacking in the US during college. SeongHyo quickly glanced at SeokRyu; his action suggested that he didn’t want her to remember that event, and to give away that he visited her. For some reason, he wanted his main reason for the US trip kept hidden from his friend/copresident.

b. His US backpacking trip must have taken place sometime between 2011 and 2014. SeokRyu left for UC Berkeley in 2011 and he graduated in 2014 (a year earlier than SeokRyu).

Remember also that 2017 was his deadline. He had planned to confess his feelings before they opened the time capsule in 2017. He could have timed his visit to California for the love confession.

c. As I said earlier, if the screenwriter did her research well, she’d know that 21 is the legal age for drinking and buying alcohol. SeokRyu must have been at least 21 when SeongHyo visited her.

But that rings true, anyway. In 2012, she was 21 years old, and she would have been in the US for about a year.

d. The comicbook series that SeongHyo lugged around in his backback was “Gung” or “Palace.” This manga was made into a kdrama “Goong” or “Princess Hours” in 2006, starring Eun HyeYun and Ju JiHoon. However, the actual manga series began in 2002 and ended its run in 2012.

So…. when SeongHyo visited her, the series had just ended in real life.

e. In Episode 3, when SeongHyo visited the comic show as SeokRyu had asked him to do, he picked up a comic book. The name of the series is “The Princess.” I don’t know if this is the same series as the 2002-2012 one or a sequel.

f. It seemed to me that SeokRyu was suffering from homesickness but she felt she had no choice but to stay in the US and carve a future for her there. Remember her argument with SeongHyo in Episode 3?

SR: Do you think dreams can just be had? Only those who have the luxury to search for them can dream. Those who get the chance to rise again after failure can pursue their dreams. You wouldn’t know. You’ve always lived in a Mediterranean climate. A clear, mild, and perfect environment. Me? Warmth is only momentary. I’m stuck in Siberia most of the time. The winds are biting cold. It snows, rains and hails.

She must have felt pressured to stay in the US, knowing that her mother didn’t have the same opportunities as she did. Her mother was reportedly as smart as SH’s mom but couldn’t go to college because of financial difficulties.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

As for the reporter DanHo, it wouldn’t surprise me if the precocious child in the park is his. It’s funny to see that all his warnings to his child, like “Don’t talk to strangers,” and “Don’t take candies from strangers,” didn’t really work.