it’s like that green grape ade all over again but aughhh I’m overthinking that ch 371 line (spoilers for ch 371,,, and all of part 2)
I’ve never actually made a post for the green grape ade but I’ll link it here if/when I do (it’s ch 195). To summarize, it reveals a lot about Choi’s hesitation at the time of the relevant arc, despite its extremely short description.
similarly, on the assumption that Choi is the one who said “Please return safely, civilian” in ch 371,,, it’s only one line, but it contains so much.
narratively, it matches very well. From the very beginning, we/Soleum have known Choi as someone who “would do anything to save one person”, so Soleum finally having his turn as ‘the person saved’ makes the theme come full circle. Plus this scene is pretty soon after their confrontation, and the sentiment of ‘please return safely’ nicely gives a hasty but pretty bow on it by showing that Choi doesn’t have any hard feelings, and that he sincerely hopes Soleum can be safe at home. Additionally, it clearly separates Soleum from the rest of the cast, as someone from another world. Not Roe Deer or Grapes or Soleum, just ‘civilian’. It’s the detachment Soleum has strove to maintained throughout the whole series. Finally, Soleum being called ‘civilian’ showcases the fact that he really is just a normal person, a ‘civilian’ in a place he doesn’t belong. Through everything he’s been through and all the titles he has, the noun ‘civilian’ ties back to the beginning and acknowledges his roots. It humanizes him, after all the times his humanity has been brought into question.
it’s also really impersonal.
narratively, it makes sense! Narratively, it hits really really really hard! Even now, I want to tear up when I read that line, because of how much it hits, how well it fits the context, and how much it symbolizes Soleum’s journey while conveying well wishes and comfort for him! It’s a great line!
but when I think about it, how did Choi feel when saying it? An impersonal title like ‘civilian’. He can use it to refer to anyone and everyone; he uses it to refer to the Daydream employees throughout the entire Sekwang arc. The impersonality of it works for the narrative because it hones in on the fact that Soleum is just like ‘everyone’ else, like all the other civilians trying to their best to live daily, unassuming, insignificant but beloved lives. The impersonality of it is the exact opposite of Choi, who treasures his people so much, to the point that their happiness only comes second to their health/safety.
Choi, who climbed a mountain on zero sleep for Soleum after confirming that Soleum was a spy and getting half his face ripped off. Choi, who waited for over 293 days, spending his life in a cave and making egg porridge every day so that his juniors could have a homemade meal if they woke up. It can be argued that Choi readiness to sacrifice himself is more indicative of his self-worth than his love for his juniors, but his non-self-sacrificial actions clearly show his love. He rarely, if ever, calls Soleum or Jaekwan by impersonal names, especially in Korean, where the lack of honorifics is indicative of intimacy. (I can’t be 100% of this because I’m not re-reading all the chapters just to check, but he’s def way more prone to nicknames or first names than titles).
compared to those nicknames, used to show affection, to force familiarity, to intimidate, to manipulate, etc etc etc, ‘civilian’ is so informal. Even at his most manipulative/suspicious, Choi uses a name that shows he’s referring to Soleum. With ‘civilian’, it can refer to anyone. A title that erases all connection between them.
I don’t have a smooth transition, but anyway, here are my guesses for why he called Soleum ‘civilian’. Numbered, but in no particular order.
He doesn’t know what to say, but thought he should say something if it’s the last time he’ll see Soleum. So, in a moment of exhaustion while under a time limit, he defaulted to a standard line
He feels guilty for Soleum’s death and guilty for not believing him. Thinking he doesn’t deserve to act familiar with Soleum after wronging him so much, he chooses an impersonal title
Similar to green grape ade, he’s not sure what Soleum thinks of him, what their relationship is (friendly vs antagonistic), or if he’d dislike it if Choi acted familiar after everything, so he chooses an impersonal title.
Choi is a manipulative person. Whether he wants to be or not, whether he’s trying to be manipulative or not, he’s manipulative (not necessarily in a bad or malicious way. I can make a separate post on this if someone wants me to). He also has, historically, used all of Soleum’s names and titles in a manipulative manner. Ch 146, 193, 353, etc etc. Maybe at the end, at least, he wanted to be not manipulative, and wanted to be extra careful of not manipulating Soleum at all. So, he uses the title he’s never used before, which has no strings attached and no interpersonal meaning. ‘Civilian’.
there is a possibility that he said the line to be cool and to match the atmosphere and everything, but that doesn’t fit (my interpretation of) Choi at all. For all that he sometimes brags about himself and hypes up his own experience, he’s never tried very hard to be ‘cool’ at all. So, I think the use of ‘civilian’ definitely has underlying meaning and is indicative of Choi’s (very bad) emotional state of the time.
personally, I lean towards it being 2 and 4 with a little bit of 1~ he must have had a lot to say, but condensed it all into a simple, short blessing. It’s amazing how much complexity and emotion can be piled into one short, standard, handbook-like line. In the end, he really is Agent Choi !
