If you’re a long-time poster or lurker of this blog, you know that one of my chief pleasures in analyzing kdramas is transcribing dialogues. (Haha.)

Seriously now, the reason I transcribe the subbed dialogues, though it’s a pain-in-the-neck, is because I like to understand what the characters are actually holding back from expressing when they’re saying something out loud. Of course, spoken words – like outward actions — are important in establishing the relationship between the main characters. But I believe that the real emotional depth, the backstories, motivations, internal conflicts, and secret and lies, are often unstated and hidden below the surface. Angry outbursts, stonewalling like BoNa’s exits, or sudden tears as in the case of “crybaby” TaeSeong, are driven by repressed feelings, bottled-up fears, and/or unspoken societal expectations.

In this episode, there were many great dialogues that we can dissect to comprehend the main characters better. I’ll go through some of them.

1. Their (fourth) meeting at the lodge

TaeSeong heads to his room, careful not to make a sound and wake up the girl sleeping on the couch. Something was off with her, his landlady told him. She’s listless, sleeping all day and collapsing anywhere.

But as he walks up the stairs, curiosity makes him turn around and look. He’s dumbfounded to see that it’s BoNa.

Meanwhile BoNa stirs awake and sees him by the stairs, watching him. Without a word, she stands up and walks past him. He starts to say, “Cho–” (or “Jeogiyo” or “Excuse me” in English) but she ignores him and enters her bedroom. After she disappears, he wonders, “Doesn’t she remember me?”

Two things to note:

a. Don’t you see that this whole meeting is a mirror image of their first meeting in June?

Instead of going up the stairs like TaeSeong, back in June, BoNa was going down the stairs when she discovered TaeSeong in the stairwell. Instead of waking up and walking out like BoNa, TaeSeong remained unconscious and unresponsive because his head was bashed in. Instead of being flustered and tongue-tied like TaeSeong, BoNa had taken charge of the situation, phoning the paramedics to come save TaeSeong.

In terms of cinematography, instead of aerial shot of a cold marble floor, and vertigo-inducing stairwell (timestamp: 6:43), it’s a long shot of a spacious but cozy rustic lodge (timestamp: 2:42).

To me, this mirror image is a forewarning that just as BoNa saved TaeSong last summer, it’s TaeSong’s turn to rescue BoNa in winter.

I love the symmetry!

b. TaeSeong’s silence.

Not counting the time he was found unconscious, this is the first instance when TaeSeong isn’t talking nineteen to the dozen at the sight of her. He often chatters in her presence. I say his chattiness is partly due to his nervousness as he tries to fill in the silence between them, and forced friendliness because he wants her to respond to him.

However, on this occasion, he gives her space and holds his tongue.

The next day, he’s back to form. He probably planned to follow her up to the summit but his still mending leg prevents him. He waits in the cold, on a rock near the bottom of the mountain. He looks like a golden retriever puppy waiting for his owner. When he spots her, he instantly gets on his feet.

TS: Oh! Oh… Wow. You walk incredibly fast. I thought you were using some kind of magic shortcut. I guess you like hiking, huh? I’m not usually weak in the legs. It’s just that the terrain around here is pretty rough. And I had a pretty serious injury recently so I spent quite a while in the hospital. Do you happen to know Gyeongsan Hospital in Gyeongsan-dong? (slipping on ice) Darn it. Ow!
BN: (keeps walking with straight face)
TS: (shouting at her back) We’re having a barbecue tonight. You have to join us! (to himself) Still so aloof.

One thing to note:

He always brings up his injury when talking to her. Sometimes I wonder whether he does this unconsciously (after all, his near-death experience is life-altering and he needs to share it) or intentionally (because he somehow recognizes her as his rescuer). It is said that hearing is the last of the five senses to go, and that the dying brain can still process sound even when the person is already unconscious.

Either way, TaeSeong’s right to bring it up with her since it’s their fated moment that changed the trajectory of their lives.

2. The Korean barbecue

To everyone’s surprise, BoNa joins them for the barbecue and eats heartily.

TS: Ohhh. I see you like your protein.
BN: (ignoring his teasing)

The landlady notices that he can’t keep his eyes off her and tries to help him out by clueing BoNa in that he’s eligible.

Landlady: By the way, when are you going to bring your girlfriend? Don’t you get tired of always coming alone?
TS: I haven’t met my perfect match like you two yet.

Then, the landlord tells his wife that he needs more firewood. And BoNa instantly offered to get more. The landlady signals TaeSeong to follow her.

TS: Give it to me. I’ll carry it.
BN: (pushing his hands away)
TS: Don’t you remember me? We’ve met before. Twice.
BN: Yes, I remember.
TS: Right! See that. I knew you’d remember. Wow! Meeting for a third time all the way out here! Isn’t this an incredible coincidence? How could something like this happen? This is such a remote place, and hardly anyone knows about it. At this point, I’d saw we have a pretty unusual connection.

I have my own theory here because almost nothing in BoNa’s world is mere “coincidence.” Remember? Her coworkers are experienced at creating accidents, chance events, and collisions. As I wrote elsewhere, I think The Hacker searched through TaeSeong’s published articles and personal blog and discovered that this lodge is his favorite destination. TaeSeong could have written that he was going there come wintertime as he missed his annual summer trip due to his hospitalization.

BN: Excuse me.
TS: Yeah?
BN: I came here because I don’t want to do anything.
TS: Pardon?
BN: I just want some peace and quiet.

She walks away, carrying firewood inside the house.

Three noteworthy things:

a. The reason she joins them for dinner is TaeSeong, and not the “protein” as he assumes.

b. BoNa realizes her mistake. She became jealous of the girl visiting TaeSeong at the hospital for no reason at all. That’s why she upped and left the table to get firewood even though she wasn’t finished gobbling up grilled meat. And I think that’s also why she admitted that she remembered him.

c. Nevertheless, the reason for keeping distance remains, that is, she can’t allow just anybody into her life as long as she’s in her line of work. She needs to assess her situation in peace and quiet.

But as it turns out, the solution to her existential crisis isn’t found in “peace and quiet” but in living in close quarters with another human being. With TaeSeong.

3. When BoNa brings the shotgun inside the lodge

He eyes the rifle case Bona left by the fireplace with unease.

TS: Is there anything making you uncomfortable here?
BN: Like what?
TS: I mean, since it’s just the two of us here, you might feel a little uneasy as a woman.

Lol. He’s so sweet. He thinks that she brought in the gun in as protection from him. He has no idea that one roundhouse kick from BoNa, and he’ll be unconscious for days.

BN: Not really.
TS: That’s a relief.

Lol. Didn’t I say that he’s sweet? BoNa’s answer pleased him. He’s patting his own back because BoNa views him as trustworthy and honorable. I think his feelings would have been hurt if he knew that BoNa meant that he poses no danger to her because he’s harmless, tame and weak.

TS: What’s your name? Oh! I’m Kwon TaeSeong. Kwon TaeSeong. If you’re uncomfortable, you can just give me a fake name or a nickname. I just need something to call you.
BN: It’s BoNa.
TS: Yoo BoNa. Yoo… (grinning a silly grin)
I think he’s enjoying the meaning of her name. According to google, when written in Chinese characters, BoNa means “beautiful treasure.” Remember, in the present time, his caller ID for BoNa is “Big Treasure.”

4. Christmas Eve

The power goes out so they sit in front of the fireplace wrapped in their blankets.

TS: I’m not usually the type to get scared easily. But I’ve never experienced a snowstorm this severe, with such strong winds, in my life. The power’s out, the boiler’s down, there’s no phone service, and we’re running out of food. We’re basically refugees, right? And the snow just keeps coming down.

For TaeSeong, this is doomsday scenario. For BoNa, this is just “peace and quiet.” Her survival skills aren’t even activated yet.

BN: It’ll stop tomorrow.

This is a breakthrough. For the first time ever, she’s spoken to reassure and comfort him.

TS: How do you know that?
BN: (not answering)
TS: (standing up) Then, I’ll head back to my room.
BN: (eyes still closed) Sleep here with me. You’ll freeze to death sleeping alone in that room. This is the warmest spot, anyway.

And this is another breakthrough. For the first time ever, she displays consideration and concern for his wellbeing. Well, I’m not counting the time she called the ambulance for him. Though she did the right thing, she didn’t care whether he bled to death, lying alone in that stairwell or not.

TS: What’s the first thing you want to do when you leave the mountain, Ms. Yoo BoNa?
BN: (eyes opening)
TS: I mean, once you go back to your normal life.
BN: Well, nothing really.
TS: There’s nothing you want to do? Or anyone you want to see?
BN: No. Nothing.

Lol. Naturally her response confused him. But if he only knew that normal life for her meant being embroiled with scums of society, then he’d understand why nothing was her reply. She wants no part in the killings anymore.

But since he’s unaware of her line of work, he completely misunderstands her. In his mind, he replays their first meeting: she was standing on the hospital ledge, looking like she was about to jump. (As I said before, BoNa wasn’t really thinking of killing herself. She usually sits at high vantage points to look down on the world. That time she was looking down at the traffic, she was pondering about her life. Metaphorically, she could go with the flow or stay in her lane or make a right-turn and drive away.)

Then, he remembers that she told him that she was there at the winter lodge to do nothing. All she wanted was peace and quiet.

So what does Mr. Sensitive Guy do? He plans to gift her on Christmas Day with simple but beautiful memories to uplift her.

5. Christmas Day

I’ll have to continue this tomorrow.