Not that I’m keeping count, but we’re three for three with this kdrama.

In my first write-up for this kdrama, I said that GangUk was alive, and gave two reasons. One was pretty obvious to those with observant eyes: GangUk wasn’t wearing the same clothes he died in, unlike the other ghosts who had appeared before YeoRi.

Another reason I gave was the upcoming engagement trope. Having introduced that twist into the plot, the screenwriter must follow through with it, and the way I saw it, the only viable candidate as YeoRi’s fiancé was GangUk as she had friend-zoned MinHwan. GangUk must stay alive for the engagement trope to be executed.

So, our theories or hunches were correct. Three times.

1. GangUk was alive, as we saw in Episode 5.

2. GangUk was the chosen fiancé, as we saw in this episode. It was never MinHwan as other viewers speculated, and feared.

And…

3. The 300-year-old letter wasn’t written for Prince Gangpyeong, but for Hwagyeongdang’s real lover, the painter Dowan. Still to be determined: if Hyagyeongdang is indeed buried under the camellia tree.

Since it seems like we’re on a roll, I shall add two more “theories.”

1. The heart donor

As I previously said to @GB in the comment section of the other thread, it wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine that Kang JiHwan was GangUk’s heart donor.

Caveat: I’m not a doctor so I don’t know if 15 years ago, a heart could have remained viable after death for four to six hours (or however long it took for KJH’s body to be transported from the yacht to GangUk’s hospital).

But as this kdrama is known to defy reality and logic in order to move the plot, I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out that GangUk’s heart originally belonged to KJH.

Rewatching the flashback, we could see that a nurse was informing the doctor that “the donor’s heart has been removed” as GangUk’s heart monitor flatlined. A defibrillator was then used on GangUk, and his heartbeat restarted. After that, his street clothes were changed into a hospital gown. Semi-conscious, he observed a gurney with a man on it being wheeled out.

If GangUk had indeed received KJH’s heart, it would explain how he could preternaturally track down YeoRi’s location. Remember? I thought it was weird that:

a) in Episode 1, he followed her to her office like he was a bloodhound tracking her scent.

b) in Episode 4, he discovered the kidnappers’ hideout. (Also, as @GB pointed out, in Episode 4, he found YeoRi in the outdoor space of the hospital.)

c) And in Episode 5, he found her in the museum.

If he was a stalker, I would suspect that he had slipped an airtag on her.

But if he was the recipient of KJH’s heart, then I’d be satisfied with that kdrama logic. GangUk would be irresistibly pulled to YeoRi’s side because:

a) the ghost of KJH hovered close by YeoRi (just like in “Spellbound,” the ghost of the dead best friend lingered by the heroine), and

b) KJH and GangUk shared the same heart.

Ha! GangUk’s colleague wittily compared GangUk and Prosecutor Im’s relationship to the orbital mechanics of the Earth and moon. But I think GangUk and YeoRi might be the ones with the more powerful gravitational pull.

Furthermore, the heart transplant would be the missing link between GangUk’s grandmother and KJH’s mother. The two ladies were reluctant to broadcast their connection probably out of privacy concerns, anonymity clauses, or superstition.

Note for @GB: according to google AI, the Year of the Black Monkey (1992) is also the year of the Water Monkey (something about the year ending in the number 2). It made sense that she would warn him to stay away from bodies of water because the black monkey was also associated with water.

Also according to google AI, having the water element meant that the individual’s “personality and DESTINY [emphasis mine] are shaped by the traits of water.” This makes sense too when you consider the presence of water in these deaths:

a) JiHwan drowning at sea
b) the cab driver being murdered during a rainy evening, and
c) the designer’s assistant being pushed off the sea cliff.

Because GangUk’s granny believes in this Chinese zodiac mumbo-jumbo, she probably worries that KJH’s water tragedy would recur to her one and only grandson.

My passing concern: there’s a brief moment when GangUk is jogging by the river that he clutched the right side of his chest, then massaged it as if his heart was bothering him. (Timestamp: 30:09) I hope this isn’t a bad omen, a foreshadowing.

2. The rain

As for the rain that fell on the day of the Camilla tree excavation, I wouldn’t be surprised if was KJH’s ghost was involved.

Remember? It rained too on the day of YeoRi’s engagement to Cha Gi-U.

My theory is that KJH’s ghost knows that YeoRi’s grandmother is hosting a family dinner to force YeoRi to announce her engagement to MinHwan. I think the ghost is opposed to MinHwan so he sent the rain to halt YeoRi and GangUk’s work on the tree removal and to make them focus on the dinner instead.

I really enjoyed watching the characters’ disparate expectations for the dinner, and the allies they have on their side.

YeoRi’s cousin HaRi, arrived at the dinner, looking smug.

She was ready to throw a monkey wrench in the works, and she believed that her plan was foolproof. Not only was she going to spring Cha Gi-U on everybody, but she also invited Director Gong to witness her cousin’s downfall. (Director Gong is presumably a principal board member and one of their backers.)

She was sure that Cha Gi-U would testify before the dinner guests that YeoRi’s touch caused people to see ghosts. Moreover, she expected Director Gong to spill the beans to the board, discrediting YeoRi as the next chairperson.

Note: If I were the ghost of KJH, however, I’d make Cha Gi-U arrive late, if at all. I’d scare with him away with a hurricane, deluge, or some weather-related car accident.

MinHwan also arrived at the dinner with a smile on his face.

He knew the significance of the dinner invitation and he was confident that his ally, aka YeoRi’s grandmother, intended to introduce him to the other dinner guests as YeoRi’s fiancé. YeoRi would have no choice but to acquiesce.

Of course, only YeoRi arrived at the dinner with the real ace in hand. She looked fierce because she didn’t intend to lose at this game.

She invited GangUk as her fiancé and ally. As he was her personal choice, her grandmother couldn’t reject him.

As for MinHwan, he couldn’t question YeoRi’s choice either as he’d seen GangUk so many times in her company that he even began to suspect that GangUk had a thing going for her. He simply didn’t expect YeoRi to reciprocate GangUk’s feelings as well.

With regards to HaRi, should she question the engagement and bring up YeoRi’s curse at dinner time, GangUk could take up the gauntlet and prove her accusations baseless. After all, after surviving the ordeal once, he was in the best position to show everyone that there was nothing to fear about YeoRi’s touch.

In the end, I like the way she smiled when she saw him because I can see the comparison.

The other characters, HaRi and MinHwan, were both smiling at their IDEA of what would take place at the dinner. They were eagerly anticipating an EVENT that would boost them and give them what they wanted.

In contrast, YeoRi was smiling at a PERSON. She was smiling at GangUk because he came to be by her side and help her get over this ordeal together.

I also liked the way they smiled at each. They look like co-conspirators. I think it’ll be fun to watch the next episodes when they must stage public affections and act like they’re crazy about each other because of their fake engagement (I’m assuming he didn’t actually confess to her and vice versa) when they’re actually in love with each other.