Didn’t I say so from the beginning?
From My First Impressions, I wrote I wasn’t invested in a YeongRye-JaePil endgame because I preferred Kim JungHyun’s character better than that troubled youth. I compared him to Daddy-Long-Legs. He looked after her needs covertly like the character in that American classic. As far as I was concerned, he could just show up in the finale to reveal that he’d love her all along. Similar to the book. That would also explain why the actor’s appearance was originally stated as cameo in mydramalist.
In Episode 3, instead of calling the character by name, I dubbed him “Daddy Long Legs” or DLL.
In Episode 4, I urged lurkers here to go read the classic to edify themselves. I also said not to take umbrage at his petname for her. I gave three possible reasons for that.
One, to get YeongRye’s attention; negative attention is still attention.
Two, to conceal his true feelings.
And three, to connect with her. Whenever he calls “ugly,” she responds to him because the word doesn’t have a sting. It’s become a secret name for just the two of them.
By Episode 5, I was consistently highlighting all his interactions with YeongRye, no matter how brief they were.
Take for example the scene when he drove her and her brother home from the police station. He discreetly fixed the rearview mirror to observe her sad face. She should have been happy and relieved that the Violent Brother was finally jailed. The episode title “A bad day” applies to him, too.
I think I’ll separate the scenes with DLL in a thread of their own. This makes it easier for me to find them.
Two big things happened in this episode.
1. YeongRye “Daddy-long-legs”–zoned him…or “ahjussi”-zoned him.
The backfire on DLL is too funny, to be honest.
YeongRye realizes that he’s been helping her all along. But by idealizing her as her savior and putting him on a pedestal, she in effect can no longer see him as a romantic interest.
It all starts when she drops by her Oppa’s campus to consult him about the bus strike.
Her Oppa YeongSik and DLL are about to go home. DLL is offering YeongSik a ride. Apparently, his mom tagged with his dad on a business trip to Australia, so he now has two cars instead of one, at his disposal.
I think this is a running joke, isn’t it? In Episode 2, DLL’s means of transportation was bicycle. When he gave YeongSik the contact info for Jaepil, he was riding a bike. In Episode 3, YeongSik mentioned a motorbike. DLL answered that he had windfall when his mother decided to get rid of her old MB.
Then, in this episode, two vehicles are available to him?
What’s in store for him in the future? A helicopter? A private jet? (Ooooh, I hope his father isn’t corrupt.) I bet he’ll still offer rides to YeongSik and leave him hanging.
Anyway, DLL and YeongSik hear YeongRye calling out, “Oppa!” DLL, naturally, greets her back with a “Hey! Ugly!”
Noteworthy: Their faces.
YR’s eyes are on her brother. Her brother has a frown on his face, but DLL smiles at her. They must have known that there’s emergency; otherwise, she wouldn’t search for her brother in campus. But their faces tell a different story.
To me, DLL has a smile on his face because a) he’s seriously glad to see her, and b) he’s reassuring her – even before she said something – that things will be okay. In comparison, YeongSik doesn’t look happy to see her.
Then, DLL goes off to get her a drink. When he returns, they discuss the bus strike.
DLL: (sighing) We almost missed you. How did you know we were at the library?
He makes it sound like they’re pleased to see her there. But her brother’s stance tells a different story. His arms are crossed over his chest; he’s standing over her. And he’s still frowning down at her. His body language says disapproval, or detachment and disengagement from her predicament.
In contrast, DLL sits on the steps with her. He’s at her eye-level, with his arms loosely resting on his knees. He isn’t blocking off his chest from her, or defending himself against her. His body language indicates openness, approachability and readiness to help her.
JeongSik: Me. Not “we.”
DLL: Whatever. So technical.
He opens the soda, getting some fizz on himself.
DLL: (offering her the drink) Here.
JR: (answering DLL) Mom said you’d be at the library until late. I told you briefly, but the situation at our company is a bit urgent. Oppa…I mean, I need both of your help.
She looks at JeongSik first, but then her eyes darted from JeongSik to DLL. She wants to bring her problem, not to JeongSik alone, but to DLL, as well. But she’s uncomfortable referring to DLL as “Oppa” in front of her brother.
JS: So, the company won’t take responsibility for the accident, and they threatened to fire everyone if you keep the strike going. So, they’re basically threatening you.
DLL: Wow. That company really lacks decency. If the accident happened while on duty, that’s clearly a workplace injury.
See the difference in approach? JS just recaps the situation while DLL empathizes with her. JS stays neutral while DLL is already siding with her.
YR: If we let this slide now, it’ll just keep happening. Under these terrible conditions, open-door accidents will keep happening.
JS: I get what you mean but strikes have formal procedures. The strike you’re doing didn’t go through the required adjustment period. So as it stands, it’s technically illegal.
Hearing him talk about the rules of the law, or the “letter of the law,” YeongRye feels defeated already. But DLL counters him with the “spirit of the law.” He first tries to see the side of the bus company then explains why it’s in violation of the purpose and intention of the law.
DLL: Despite that, the reason the company can’t even report it means they also feel guilty about something. From the start, like you said, management never intended to negotiate in the first place. Saying they’ll fire you is just a scare tactic to intimidate you.
YR: Scare tactic?
DLL: There is something called the three basic labor rights in the Constitution. Those are basic rights to ensure a humane life for workers.
Note here: YeongRye’s eyes are intently focused on DLL as he speaks.
DLL: It means you can make legitimate demands based on Article 33 of the Constitution. (stopping himself when he catches YeongRye’s eyes on him) Ah! It does get complicated if we go into the details, though.
I told you this before, right? I see a similarity in how he and YeongRye tend to get lost in their musings over articles, books, and quotes.
YR: So, even if we keep holding out, the company can’t just fire us at will, right?
DLL: (grinning at her) Correct!
YR: (beaming at him) That’s exactly what I needed to hear.
But before she gets carried away with her excitement, JeongSik reminds them of the grim consequences of a prolonged strike. Though I like that her brother takes note of the obstacles, I wish he figures out a solution, too. He’s too much of a “Negative Ned.” Only DLL is undeterred. This moment reveals a lot about their characters. YeongRye knows who is the dependable one.
JS: But it won’t work in your favor if this standoff drags on. The company will find replacement workers and continue operations. And you’ll get worn out and more people will eventually drop out.
YR: (worriedly) Then, what do we do? If we stop here, it’ll be worse than if we never started. And what about HaeJa’s hospital bills?
JS: (sighing in defeat) Yes. It’s a tough situation.
DLL: (still thinking) But there is one situation where the company has no choice but to back down.
Lol. I’ve watched enough kdramas to know where the screenwriter is going with this: make a media-play. DLL plans to throw spotlight on the strikers’ plight and gain sympathy from the public in order to force the company’s hand.
In the next scene, DLL abruptly tells his buddy goodbye.
DLL: Get home safely. I’ll drop off YeongRye. I have to go there anyway. Let’s go.
YR: R—really?
DLL: (nodding) Mmm.
YR: (addressing DLL) Thank you, Oppa. (turning to her brother) I’m leaving then.
JS: (muttering) You said you’d give me a ride.
You must know that this is a milestone in YR and DLL’s relationship.
For one, DLL forgot to call her “Ugly.”
For another, YeongRye calls him, “Oppa.” Not “JeongHyun Oppa” but simply, “Oppa.”
Earlier, he was miffed when JeongSik insisted that his sister came for him, and not for both of them. But now, she calls him “Oppa” and omits her brother’s name.
On the way back to the bus dormitory, DLL praises her for her efforts.
He’s back to joking again. Note to those who may take offense at his words. Being called an ugly duckling is a compliment, actually, because DLL recognizes that her inner beauty and true potential are just waiting in the wings. They’ll appear when the time is right.
DLL: Our little ugly duckling, your courage is amazing. How did you think of taking the lead in something like that? That’s not something just anyone can do. You’ve got an unexpectedly smart side—
He glances at her. She’s fast asleep.
DLL: Poor thing. She must’ve been exhausted.
Wait a minute! I remembered something. I was annoyed with JP earlier because he didn’t bother to ask JH how she was doing. He must have known that there was a strike of bus attendants, and that JH was a bus attendant. But when she called him up, he didn’t mention it. Weirdo.
DLL arrives at her place, but he lets her sleep for a while. When she begins to stir, he pretends that they’ve just arrived.
DLL: You’re up. What perfect timing. We just got here.
YR: Really? I feel like it’s been over an hour since we left.
DLL: (lying) There was a delay because of an accident. We basically crawled our way here. Maybe that’s why your slept more soundly. How lucky, Ugly.
Lol. So….he’s back to calling her “Ugly” again. As I wrote about, he does this to conceal the fact that he did her a favor. He’s distracting her from asking too many questions. It works.
When they get out of the car, she thanks him again.
YR: Thank you, Oppa. I arrived comfortably, thanks to you.
DLL: Yeah. You must have really been comfy. You were even snoring.
YR: (embarrassed) What? Really?
DLL: No. I’m just kidding. (then changing topic) Protesting is fine, but take care of your health. And remember what I told you earlier.
YR: (nodding) Get home safely. Drive carefully.
DLL: Okay. Go on in. Your friends must be waiting.
She turns to go and changes her mind.
YR: Hey, Oppa.
DLL: Hmm?
YR: (scratching her head) Did I ever tell you? Sometimes you seem like my Daddy-Long-Legs.
The Korean translation is “Kidari Ahjussi” or MISTER Daddy Long Legs. Lol. We all know the connotation of “ahjussi.” Sure, it means “mister” but it’s a term specifically used to address a middle-aged man or someone who’s as old as one parents, like an uncle. A college kid who’s in his twenties, like DLL, wouldn’t take kindly to the term, “ahjussi.”
Hmmmm…maybe that can be their petnames in the future? He calls her “ugly” and she calls him “ahjussi”?
DLL: Kidari Ahjussi?
YR: (nodding) If you read “Kidari Ahjussi,” “Kidari Ahjussi” is the one who gives strength and support during the hardest times in the heroine’s life. You’re that person for me.
Interesting idea. Shouldn’t she also call JaePil a “kidari ahjussi,” too? After all, he saved her from that fare runner, and brought her and her mom to the hospital.
DLL: You smile, huh? You just made me an ahjussi!
YR: (giggling)
DLL: Go on in.
YR: (waving at him)
DLL: “Kidari Ahjussi” huh? Well, not bad. If only I were a little taller.
I think he’s heard of the book before. You see, Mr. Daddy Long Legs got that moniker because the heroine saw his shadow on the wall. Her first and lasting impression of him was of his unusually long, skinny limbs. Like an arachnid.
After dropping her off, DLL goes to his uncle’s law firm. The uncle is his mother’s younger brother. We learn from this brief scene, that his mother wants him to study abroad in order to take over the company. He’s giving it a thought since becoming a judge or prosecutor is too scary a job for him.
(Lol. It’s true.)
2. The second big thing that happens in this episode is the time jump.
After seven years, YeongRye has become good friends with JaePil, and we don’t know whether DLL is still in the picture or not.
As I said elsewhere, I hope the script doesn’t require killing DLL off like it did to the male lead, played by the same actor, in “Time” (2018).
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Just brief note on “perfect timing.”
The title of this episode is “timing” and DLL actually mentions it in the car.
I believe that ever since “Reply 1988” when the second male lead missed his timing and “lost” the girl, many kdrama viewers have this notion that timing in romance means to chase after a person or that elusive moment…that we have to speed up and grab the opportunity or else, all is lost. (Kinda like what happened to JaePil when he sat in the Vivaldi Cafe too long and missed JongHui’s flight from the bus station.)
Well, I don’t agree with that notion of “timing.”
For one, timing means this to me:
There is an appointed time for everything,
And a time for every affair under the heavens.
A time to give birth, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them;
A time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to cast away.
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
A time to be silent, and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate;
A time of war, and a time of peace.
…
I recognized that whatever God does will endure forever; there is no adding to it, or taking from it. Thus has God done that he may be revered.
What now is has already been; what is to be, already is: God retrieves what has gone by.
That’s from Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3. “No one can determine the right time to act.”
For another, timing can also mean just waiting and giving something or somebody time to bloom…to bloom like an ugly duckling.
That’s why DLL appeals to me at this very moment. He knows our heroine is exhausted, so he parks the car, lets her sleep, and bides his time. Then, when she wakes up, he makes light of the time he spent for her.
I know some of you are annoyed with his (outward) passivity and wish he’ll take action. But to me, his patience is a perfect sign of love. If he thinks he’ll spend a lifetime with her, what’s the hurry? He’s letting her grow at her own pace, and he’s content to be with her on her journey.
Great article @pkml3! I appreciate the quotation from Ecclesiastes. When I’m particularly stressed by too many things to pay attention to, I say to myself (and to God) that I can only do one thing at a time, and I hope I’m choosing the one that is really urgent to pay attention to first.
The thought that when one misses one’s timing, all it lost, is part of the fatalistic mindset, also circumscribed to an extent by accepting ‘fate’. I believe that actually one can create more opportunities in many circumstances, and is to a large extent, a maker of one’s own destiny… and definitely so in the game of love.
I trust that Jeong Hyun is still going to pop up, in his own good time. I agree that like DLL, he can appear at the end and will be quite welcomed as the real ‘boyfriend’.
I thought it a good joke that in the book DLL, and now in the case with YR, she considers DLL as someone much older, just because he’s her benefactor. DLL in the book was quite a young man who waited for his ‘protégé’ to grow up, and it’s the same case here!
I’m impatient to know if we’ll see him in Episode 7!
DLL has a special place on my bookshelf because I found it accidentally. I was looking for a book on spiders. You can imagine my confusion when I realized it was a diary – or what artsy people call “epistolary.” I kept a diary myself, so it was “fun” reading somebody else’s diary. It felt like I was breaking a taboo. Lol. I take it as a sign of my innocence back then, that the ending totally took me by surprise. I didn’t see it coming; I had no idea.
But now, reading the signs is like reading subway map. You can tell which direction the train is coming/going by tracing the line. Like, Master Jervie dropping by at the college when her two friends were at some class, leaving her to tour him the campus by herself. Or her DLL just happened to arrange for her to stay at a farm which belonged to Master Jervie. Or Master Jervie giving all three girls chocolates so it wouldn’t appear as if he was favoring one girl in particular.
By the way, have you seen the promotional poster for the second half of the series? What do you think?
I noticed that only YeongRye is facing the camera and smiling. The other two individuals flanking her are smiling but they’re looking down.
If I were to read JP and JH’s body language, I’d say that:
a) they’re avoiding or hiding something (bec their eyes are averted).
b) And they’re closer than they seem (bec their body position mirror each other).
Hope you can see the pic here:
https://6.soompi.io/wp-content/uploads/image/20250929154418_hundred-memories-2.jpg?s=900×600&e=t
If not, here’s the link to soompi.
source: https://www.soompi.com/article/1787777wpp/kim-da-mi-shin-ye-eun-and-heo-nam-jun-stand-side-by-side-as-they-reunite-in-special-poster-for-a-hundred-memories
Thanks for the image of promotional poster @pkml3. It seems Show is determined that we do not lose interest after a 7 year gap, and thus puts up a poster once the first half is over. I do not pay attention to this as a rule, hence I do not know if many other shows do the same mid-way in a series.
Yes, the direction of the characters’ eyes suggest that Yeong Rye is the only open soul there while the other two have something to hide.
I notice that JP has a girl’s handbag hanging from his neck. I presume it’s YR’s bag that he’s carrying for her. To an extent it looks like she’s laid claim to him by getting him to ‘wear’ her bag, but it’s only temporary. He’ll have to give that bag back to her.
Re. the handbag hanging from the neck
Is that a customary thing to do in Asian culture, @GB? That holding-the-GF’s-purse-for-her thing?
I’m asking because just last week, my hubby and I met for lunch at a Chinese restaurant. This young couple went through the door ahead of us and, for some reason, he was holding the girl’s itty-bitty white purse. The girl rushed off to the ladies’ room before the maitre d’ could sit them at their table.
I gave my husband the “look” and glanced down at my heavy leather tote bag on my shoulder. I was signaling to him that perhaps HE should take my bag too and lug it for me to our table. And he gave me this horrified look, muttering, “No way!”
I thought the difference in social expectations/etiquette was funny.
@pkml3, that’s so funny!!! I personally want to control where my stuff is, and so I carry my own bag.
What I gather (and this is from decades ago, so I’m not sure how true it is now) is that guys don’t normally want to be caught dead with a girl’s bag on them. However, when there’s a girl around that they like, they will submissively carry all her stuff. If she’s the girlfriend, then even her handbag/purse.
The thing though is that, I believe if they are not in a relationship, the girl has to be present so that the guy won’t look like a fool carrying that bag by himself.
Conversely, it’s admissible for him to appear with a girl’s bag if it’s already generally known that they are ‘close’. People will just look at him and think, oh his girlfriend is somewhere about.
However nowadays, being effeminate is more accepted. Those pink, print blouses that guys wear … However I have not noticed if that goes also for the bags that they carry.
I’d say however that your tote-bag is precisely the kind of bag a guy of your husband’s generation won’t want to carry LOL.
I looked up other dramas by the same writer. One of them is “Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo.” The titular heroine develops a crush on a kind doctor when he gives her his umbrella during a pouring rain. She enlists the help of her (male) childhood friend, who is revealed to be the younger brother of her original crush. The younger brother and Kim Book Joo end up falling in love.
“A Hundred Memories” reminds me of “Weightlifting Fairy.” In both dramas the heroine is smitten by the kind act of a stranger and becomes convinced that she is meant to be with this person. Hopefully, just like Kim Bok Joo, YR will realize who is the person who loves and supports her.
Thanks for the info @Snow Flower. I did watch “Weightlifting Fairy…” and from my rating it, I liked it quite a lot at the time. The clueless girl took an age to recognise that the person next to her was her real soulmate. I suppose this series may end up the same way. It seems to also be poking holes in the concept of fated love.
I seem to have watched more than a couple of this Writer’s shows. She likes to centre her plot around complicated love. ‘Familiar Wife’ was not too bad (I had an issue about the child being affected by the alternate reality) but I found Oh My Ghost iffy because the ghost was likely the one that was the ‘beloved’. I watched others as well and generally liked them but not in a big way, and there might have been bits I had issues with.
I’m glad this series is only 12 episodes. Too long a time of the FL being clueless will irritate me a great deal.
Lol. I thought my tote bag looked manly enough for him. Since it’s my work bag, it’s a bit scuffed up, and the buckles aren’t shiny anymore. Oh well.
When I watch my K-variety show 2D1N, I notice that the all-male cast is wearing crossbody bags at the beginning of the show. I don’t know when that became a trend in Korea. But since the guys lose their bags after the opening act, it’s possible that their fashion coordinators simply foist the bags on them for promotions.
But yes, JaePil and SangCheol are the type to carry the purse for his GF. DLL will, too, after calling YeongRye “ugly.” But neither YeongRye nor JH will have the nerve to ask Oppa JeongSik aka “the pillar” to hold their bags.
Thanks for this tie-in, @Snowflower.
Yes, it’s similar and dissimilar at the same time.
In “Weightlifting Fairy,” the heroine chooses the supportive/constant guy. But he’s also the younger one, right? Her peer.
In “A Hundred Memories,” I’m hoping that the heroine will pick the supportive/constant guy again. But this time, I want the OLDER guy, the Oppa or “Kidari Ahjussi.”
Oh well. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Yes, @GB. I’m also glad that we only have to go through 6 more episodes. I so dislike this prolonged uncertainty.
@GB,
Re. “Oh My Ghost”
That’s also my problem with these body-swapping plots, especially those involving a third-party. I question whether the hero is really into the girl or her double/the “other” one.
In “On My Ghost,” I think the quirky personality of the ghost (i.e., the “other” one, the lustful one, lol) who invaded Park BoYoung’s character is the reason the chef was attracted to Park BoYoung’s character.
This is true with “Mr. Queen”, too. It’s the male chef who invaded the queen’s body whom the King loved. Whenever I hear or read viewers praise “Mr. Queen,” I silently question their comprehension skills.
@pkml3 Oppa the Pillar will need to have a set of hooks installed before he can take on the girls’ bags. LOL. He’s such a stuffed and stiff guy, as straight as a pillar, and with only one instance of smiling. Someone like JH would be good for him. So far only she made him smile.
I don’t know what the girls see in JP besides his gallantry. They have not seen him with his little half-sister. If they had, they’d have fallen for him even faster and harder!
About Mr Queen. I could never get over a feeling of ‘icky’, when it’s a man in a woman’s body, and I heard that show incorporated a romance. I stopped after the first episode, without regrets.
I just wanted to put it out somewhere that I loved how Oppa, the Pillar, gets ditched repeatedly by his best friend for his little sister. Of course, he’s too taken with how smart he is to notice what this means. 😜😂
I think it’s a running gag. DLL offers him a ride, then YeongRye comes up in the conversation or she shows up, then DLL ditches him for YeongRye.
And it’s doubly funny because we KNEW instantly when YeongRye had lunch with SangCheol that she was mining him for info about his best friend JaePil. She wasn’t very subtle at all.
That’s what DLL is doing, too, most of the time.
I think he eats regularly at The Pillar’s home on the off chance that YeongRye’s home eating with them. He asks The Pillar how his mom’s doing at the hospital because he’s also concerned how YeongRye’s juggling her various responsibilities.
Also, do you notice that scene when he goes to their home to offer them money to tide them, but JungHui has preempted him — this scene eerily resembles the time when YeongRye wants to give first aid to JaePil but she doesn’t because she too is preempted.
The YeongRye-JaePil-JungHui love triangle is the star attraction of the show; it’s front and center. But the DLL-YeongRye-JaePil love triangle is more interesting to me because of its subtlety.
@pkml3, it’s possibly an intentional subtlety because show wants to tease its viewers for as long as possible, but likely while offering false leads.
I’m thinking that Show, in another stroke of misdirection, gives us the Yeong Rye-JP-JH triangle right in our faces, when the actual one is the Jeong Hyun-YR-JP triangle… quietly hidden in plain sight. In the end we’ll get the switcheroo (I hope!).