#aheum

Sometimes the intro of a show will give us clues as to what the whole story is about. In the case of TOTNT, they gave us such major spoilers that I am so flabbergasted that I completely missed it all!

In Korean legends, there is a story called, “Red Flower for One Hundred Days”. The story began in a small seaside village (notice how the tree is located next to the sea) where there lived a man and a woman who were very much in love with each other and had planned to be married soon. Unfortunately, there was a grim customary in this village: a maiden must be sacrificed to the Imoogi that lived in sea in order to avoid a disaster from befalling on the village. On the year that the woman was suppose to be married, she was chosen to be the human sacrifice to the Imoogi. And so the man in a state of shocked, told the woman that he would go fight the Imoogi in the sea so that they could live happily ever after. Before leaving on his ship to face the Imoogi, the man told the woman that he would fly a white flag if he had defeated the Imoogi and a red flag if he had failed.

So from that day onwards, the maiden would wait by the shore every day and pray for his safe return. Exactly 100 days after the man left, she saw his ship approaching and as the ship came closer she saw a red flag. The maiden now having been stricken with grief had died even before the ship had even reached the shore. 

Upon reaching the shore, the man had immediately set off to find his maiden so that he could share with her his joyous news. Sadly when he found her, she had already died. He did not understand how this could’ve happen until he had seen that his white flag had been smeared with the blood of the Imoogi. And so with a heavy heart, the man had to bury his beloved. Later on, it was seen that red flowers that had blossom around her grave for a 100 days before withering away. And so legend says that the red flowers of the crape myrtle tree contained the maiden’s spirit who had waited for her fiancé for a 100 days. 

Analysis

So after reading that whole story, I finally understood the intro. Basically the intro was telling us the story of Lee Yeon and Ah Eum. Something of interest to note is the color chosen to represent the Gumiho. I mean they could’ve made the Gumiho like orange or something, but instead they chose to make him white. This could signify that Lee Yeon will win the final battle against the Imoogi. Remember that in the legend the color white signifies a win. Additionally, I think the whole sequence of the Gumiho dissolving and binding with the tree as indicative that Lee Yeon and Ji Ah will finally be together in the end. 

First and foremost, I would like to give my sincerest praise to the cast and crew of Tale of The Nine Tailed ! It is simply a wonderful and very thought provoking show! I strongly recommend it to everyone! 

Now, I’m going to forewarn you all that this post will be very LONG, but hey you might learn a thing or two and be able to draw your own theories and/or conclusions after reading this post! I had previously posted some of these connections/theories on my Twitter, but I figure hey why not post them on Tumblr too !

What Is An Imugi/Imoogi? What Is It’s Goal?

In Korean folklore, Imoogis are lesser dragons that look like big snakes or kind of like a basilisk from Harry Potter.

One of an Imugi/Imoogi’s main goal is obtain a “Yeouiju” or a celestial orb which allows it to become full fledged celestial dragons which can rule the skies. In the context of TOTNT, there is such a type of “Yeouiju” in the form of Lee Yeon’s fox bead. Therefore, I believe that the ultimate goal of the Imugi/Imoogi is get Lee Yeon’s fox bead.

Side note, I kind of think that the Imoogi not only wants to rule the skies, but the ground too. I wouldn't be surprised if he sought to do so by raising an army of zombies (maybe thats who Lee Yeon was seen fighting in the intro credits) ! 

Why be content with just ruling the skies when you can rule the entire world? Additionally, he could have further ambitions to not only rule the world, but to also rule all realms like the heavens and the Underworld. 

The Imoogi is very strategic into getting what he wants. By strategic I mean that he likes to use people as leverage or use their own weaknesses against them.

Therefore, I believe what happened originally during Ah Eum’s time is that the Imoogi had possessed her body in order to get Lee Yoon to hand over his fox bead. The Imoogi knew how much Lee Yoon had loved Ah Eum and would be willing to do anything for her. 

However like Voldemort, the Imoogi did not anticipate the power of love and sacrifice. Ah Eum had temporarily gained control of her body long enough to do either two things: ask Lee Yeon to kill her or run into Lee Yeon’s sword thereby killing herself. In either cases, she fulfilled her promise to Lee Yoon which was that she would always protect him.

Now jumping back to the present time, we know that original target of the Imoogi’s plan was Ji Ah. Why? Because his lame self wanted to do what he did in the past and use her again to get Lee Yeon to hand over the fox bead. However, this time around, Ji Ah had Lee Yeon’s fox bead inside of her which offered protection from full possession by the Imoogi. So then the Imoogi’s minion (tv station president) took the next best thing which was Ji Ah’s parents to be used as leverage at a later time so that Ji Ah would hand over the fox bead. 

However, things have now changed because Ji A gave away the fox bead to the fortune teller to save Lee Yeon. Now I have mixed feelings about this situation. On one side, I find it romantic that she’s willing to give up anything to save Lee Yeon. On the other side of it, I’m like girl why are you so stupid?! Lee Yeon literally gave up his mountain title in order to give Ah Eum/Ji Ah that fox bead.  It’s almost like Lee Yeon’s actions were met in vain. Plus, when Ji Ah said she doesn’t believe in destiny or that sort of stuff, it also got me riled up because it was a contradiction to the whole premise of her character in the first place. From the get go, the writer wrote that Ji Ah believes in the supernatural and mystical. So then why wouldn't she believe in fate and destiny?

Anyways back to more analysis. Without the protective effects of the fox bead, Ji Ah can once again be possessed by the Imoogi. 

What the fox bead had done for Ji Ah was that it protected Ji Ah from the effects of the Imoogi piece aka horcrux that was inside of her. The notion that the bead had offered protective effects can be seen when Lee Yeon first gave it to her where a protective shield was erected and this was again seen in ep4 when Ji Ah cried. Also, it was confirmed when Sato said how Lee Yeon’s fox bead was meant to protect all beings, but instead Lee Yeon chose to use it to protect only one person.

The Fortune Teller’s Message

Something of particular interest is what the fortune teller told Ji Ah about the bead. He told her that even without the fox bead or moon, her life is still “blessed”. I think what the fortune teller meant by this is that even without the protective effects of the bead, her life is still “blessed” because she will always have Lee Yeon by her side to protect her. 

What I think will happen next is that Lee Yeon will go back to the fortune teller to try and get his bead back. Meaning Ji Ah will probably confess to Lee Yeon later on just what exactly she gave up in order to get him back. And again the fortune teller will ask for something precious to Lee Yeon. There are a few things that are precious to Lee Yeon such as Ji Ah, Lee Rang, and Lee Yeon’s immortality. Now we know that Lee Yeon would never give up Ji Ah, so then this would bring about other two things into play: Lee Rang and Lee Yeon’s immortality. I think its more of a poetic justice if Lee Yeon trades Lee Rang in. However, I could also see Lee Yeon trading in his immortality since his dream has always been to become human. Who knows though! 

Only One Will Live: Imoogi Vs Ji Ah and Lee Yeon vs Ji Ah

In Harry Potter, there was a prophecy that “for neither can live, while the other survives”. This same message is conveyed when it comes to the Imoogi & Ji Ah and Lee Yeon & Ji Ah. 

We saw what had happened the first go around when the Imoogi had possessed Ah Eum. In the end, Ah Eum chose to sacrificed herself so that both the Imoogi and the piece of him inside of her would die. Thereby, she prevented the Imoogi from using her to get Lee Yeon’s fox bead. Now presently, the same situation is basically happening again. However, if Harry Potter managed to kill the piece of Voldemort in him and still survive then Ji Ah can essentially do the same. So, how you might ask? I think the solution greatly lies in getting the fox bead back in her. If Ji Ah can temporarily die in order to get rid of the Imoogi piece inside of her, then she can be revived by the protective qualities of the fox bead. 

Even if Ji Ah survives against the Imoogi, it might be at the cost of losing Lee Yeon. The fortune teller even told our couple this, “If you two keep hanging out, one of you will die”. This same message is again heard in ep 7 preview when Taluipa’s husband tells Lee Yeon, “You or the girl. One must die in the end.” So can there be a situation where the Imoogi is dead and both Ji Ah and Lee Yeon are alive? Yes and it comes in the form of the Lee Rang factor.

The Lee Rang Factor 

We all know that our little puppy, Lee Rang, may put up the facade that he hates his brother, but in reality, Lee Rang loves his brother a lot.

There was a clue dropped in ep.4 that hints in the end Lee Rang will be the one that saves both Lee Yeon and Ji Ah.

The hint was in Taluipa’s hand, the movie “A Better Tomorrow”. Briefly, the movie is about two brothers, Ho and Kit, who love each other a lot. However over the years, they began to develop great animosity and resentment towards each other mainly due to their differences in beliefs and professions. Ho was a criminal while Kit was an upstanding police officer. Eventually, Ho does see the error of his ways and seeks to atone for them. In the end, the two brother reconcile and Ho decides to  join his brother Kit on a path of righteousness. Similar to Ho, I think Lee Rang will do the same. Lee Rang will atone for his mistakes and thus sacrifice himself to save Lee Yeon and Ji Ah. 

What is Ji Ah?

Seems like everyone these days has been wondering what exactly Ji Ah is. Most people seem to think that she is part Imoogi. However, there has been a bunch of clues in the episodes that answers this question.

I believe Ah Eum/Ji Ah is Princess Bari, the first shaman goddess from Korean mythology.

Princess Bari was nicknamed the “Abandoned Princess” because she was the last and 7th daughter of a King who had no sons. Due to her gender, she did not receive any attention from her parents and was thus abandoned.

Eventually, her parents’ lives became endangered and in order to save them she had to travel to the Underworld to get the elixir of life. Such a tedious journey showed her deep commitment to the virtue of “filial piety” or one’s love and respect for one’s parents. She became a role model for many women during this time because she was willing to sacrifice herself for the very parents who had abandoned her. 

As a reward for her strong adherence to filial piety, the Gods made her the first shaman goddess who’s job was to help and guide spirits. 

If you haven't done so already, I would suggest that you read all of my other TOTNT posts before continuing to read this post because otherwise you might find yourself lost or confused as to what I’m talking about. For the most part, the majority of the theories that I have proposed here have came true which is great! However, there were a few theories, most notably my zombie theory that didn’t quite come true. Although I wouldn’t be surprised that if in the end we found out that the Imoogi had a hand in creating those zombies. 

Now this post may leave you in a state of exhaustion upon reading it, but I can guarantee you that it will be well worth your time at the end of it ! Additionally, I would like to apologize in advance if I haven't posted my theories or analyses right away, but I’ve been preoccupied with school work as well as tirelessly watching the US election. Needless to say, it’s been a very long week for me! I do want to write well thought out posts for you all, but at the same time I hope you guys will understand that these theoretical and analytical posts do require a great deal of time and extensive research. Anyways with that being said, let’s get to theorizing and analyzing the clues of which we were given in Ep 9 and Ep 10!

What The Imoogi Wants 

Initially, I had strongly believed that the Imoogi was after Lee Yeon’s fox bead because it was a form of “Yeouiju” which could’ve helped it become a celestial dragon. There are of course other ways an Imoogi could be a celestial dragon: 

1) Fox Bead/Yeouiju

2) Sacrificial Virgin Bride

3) Living to be 1000 years old

It should be noted that I am still somewhat uncertain whether in the context of TOTNT, an Imoogi would need to fulfill all three requirements to become a celestial dragon. In Korean mythology, it is heavily implied that the Imoogi only needs one of the three. Furthermore, in most of the popular myths about the Imoogi, it mainly seeks to obtain the fox bead/yeouiju. Thus, this is why I had initially concluded that the Imoogi in TOTNT was solely after Lee Yeon’s fox bead/Yeouiju and not anything else. However since TOTNT is an adaption of many popular Korean folklore, I think the writer is trying to incorporate all three requirements in their own unique way. Meaning that they are trying to add their own dramatic flair or twist to it. Now I’ve already discussed in great detail about the first two ways so now I want to focus on how I think the writer is trying to incorporate the requirement of living to be 1000 years.

1000 Years + More on Bok Gil/Imoogi’s Background

First, it is implied that Mountain Spirits are “celestial” animals (i.e bears, foxes, snakes, and tigers). By “celestial” I mean that you have to be at least 1000 years old in order to even be considered for this prestigious position. Therefore, at the time when Ah Eum had met Lee Yeon, he had just been recently appointed to that position. In the meanwhile, we as the viewers aren’t given any additional information as to what Lee Yeon had been doing up to that point. One thing is for sure, Lee Yeon must have been a real arrogant and egotistical ass. There I said it ! I mean just look how he behaved when he first met Ah Eum and Lee Rang! However, I think that by meeting Ah Eum and Lee Rang, they brought out Lee Yeon’s more compassionate side.

So you’re probably wondering well what the hell does this have anything to do with the Bok Gil/Imoogi? Well I’m getting to that! If you had remembered, I had theorized that Lee Yeon may have been the reason why Bok Gil committed suicide. Given Lee Yeon’s arrogant pretentious nature, I could definitely see Lee Yeon being completely unaware that his words and actions could’ve deeply affected others. One of those people was Bok Gil/Imoogi. 

I believe that Bok Gil/Imoogi is around or exactly the same age as Lee Yeon.  Bok Gil had probably died some time during the Goryeo or Joseon dynasty. What makes me believe this? Well just look at the kind of shoes Taluipa was holding. Those shoes are “Kkotsin” which were typically worn by men during those dynasties. Coincidentally, around the same time Bok Gil had died, Lee Yeon was appointed to the Mountain Spirit position. It raises the question, did Bok Gil kill himself before he was able to reach the “celestial” age of 1000 years old? I think so. Thus, he was unable to meet one of the requirements to become a Mountain Spirit. 

Collectively, I think Bok Gil’s backstory will have a lot to do with our understanding of the Imoogi’s true motivations . For the Imoogi, it’s not purely about fulfilling the requirements of becoming celestial dragon, but it’s more about personally getting revenge on the person who took away his chance of ever becoming a Mountain Spirit in the first place. If you think about, you didn’t see him trying to go after Sato or any of the other Mountain Spirits or any other Gumiho for that matter. He specifically zeroed in on Lee Yeon.

Maybe the only wrongdoing that Lee Yeon may have committed towards the Imoogi was that he simply existed. Though, I wouldn’t be surprised that Bok Gil’s death and his hatred for Lee Yeon had all stemmed from a simple misunderstanding because let’s be real here, one of the central themes in TOTNT is misunderstandings. 

Imoogis are typically seen as auspicious creatures in Korean folklore. Meaning that they are typically viewed as a good omen. Therefore, I think the Imoogi/Bok Gil was a good person, but because of his jealousy of Lee Yeon, he was driven towards depression and suicide. Upon coming back to life, instead of sadness, he was filled with anger and the need for revenge. I mean it’s easier to be angry than sad right?

Additionally, other theories I have for Bok Gil is that maybe his mother had foreseen he would meet the love of his life (Ah Eum) once he became the Mountain Spirit. However, this all changed when whoever decided that position belonged to Lee Yeon instead. If you think about it, Taluipa’s visions of the future are purely subjective just like Alice’s visions from Twilight. Meaning that the future is subjective because it is based on a person’s decision which can readily change.

Imoogi Changes His Decision of What He Wants

In the past, the Imoogi had wanted Lee Yeon’s heart. You might ask well what did the Imoogi mean by Lee Yeon’s heart? Did he mean his literal or figurative heart? The Imoogi could have meant his literal heart, but I think he meant it in a figurative sense. I think the Imoogi probably meant Lee Yeon’s fox bead which in traditional Korean folklore is the main power source/life force of a Gumiho, but I cannot say this with 100% certainty because TOTNT is after an adaption of many Korean folklore. 

Now in the present, the Imoogi changed his mind of what he wanted from Lee Yeon. Why? Because he already knew that the fox bead has disappeared into the hands of the fortune teller. The Imoogi with his great powers could’ve easily gone after the fortune teller to retrieve it had this been his main objective. The Imoogi’s main objective isn’t to become a celestial dragon. Rather, it’s to get revenge on Lee Yeon whom he believed had stolen the life he was meant to have. The Imoogi had wanted Lee Yeon to suffer just as he had when he was alive as Bok Gil. He wanted Lee Yeon to feel the exact same pain of having to lose everything most precious to him. Man the Imoogi/Bok Gil is so immature! Taluipa, you need to discipline/talk with your son !

Is Taluipa a Snake/Dragon?

Other things I think would be interesting to know is what kind of species Bok Gil was. As mentioned earlier, Taluipa’s character is based off of Samsin Halmoni. In both Chinese and Korean folklore, Samsin Halmoni and Goddess Mago have been viewed as being the same. Mago was described as having long birdlike/clawlike finger nails. Furthermore, the Goddess Mago was associated with snakes, caves, and the “elixir of life”. See where I’m going yet?

Although it has not been revealed yet, I think that underneath Taluipa’s human skin, she is a snake/dragon. Therefore, this would also make Bok Gil a snake just like his mother. However, I am still unsure as to what kind of animal Taluipa’s husband is because as far as we know, he is just a regular human with immortality that was granted to him by Taluipa. If that is the case, would Bok Gil have been only half snake? 

Does Taluipa Realize The Imoogi is Her Son?

I don’t think Taluipa has realized that the Imoogi is her son yet. If you remembered, I had said Bok Gil’s soul was in limbo. Therefore, when his soul traveled back into the land of the living, it had probably randomly jumped into whoever’s dead body was in that cave, thus this would make him unrecognizable even to his own mother. 

Other things to note is that just as there is many foxes in the TOTNT, it should be assumed that there are also many snakes/Imoogis too. So Taluipa might not have realized that this one particular Imoogi was actually her son. 

I think also that the Imoogi has the ability to cloud Taluipa’s psychic powers of clairvoyance. The decisions we make determines the kind of future we will have. And where exactly are decisions made? In our minds. We obviously know that the Imoogi has the psychic power to read others’ minds, but I think he also has powers that can block others from reading his. Without being able to see the Imoogi’s decisions which are made mentally, Taluipa cannot foresee what he will do next, only what he is doing presently. It’s about to be mother and son psychic power showdown ! Ouch, my brain hurts just thinking about that !

Resolving the Entangled Mess

In some of my previous posts I had suggested that Lee Rang will be the one that tragically dies. At the same time, I did leave room for the possibility of him having a happy ending through means of reincarnation. In this week’s episode, we were given another possibility of how Lee Rang might achieve a happy ending for himself such as untangling the mess.

Well what is this mess? I’m so glad you asked! Below is a chart that I drew as a visual aid to help you all understand the mess that currently exists in the world of TOTNT. I must say the mess in TOTNT is almost as messy as the US elections right now! 

As you can see from my chart, the Imoogi has gotten Lee Yeon cornered in a sort of checkmate move. To win the Imoogi’s game, one must find a way to resolve the following two conflicts: 

1) Lee Rang’s deal with the CEO

2) Imoogi piece inside Ji Ah

In doing so, one will then be able to remove the Imoogi completely!

Lee Rang’s Deal w/ The CEO

I had mentioned in a previous post that another common theme in TOTNT is deals/contracts. In ep 10, Taluipa’s husband advised to Lee Rang that he should try to think of a way to get around his contract with the CEO aka find a loophole.

What does “Quid Pro Quo” mean? It means that an item or service has been traded in return for something of equal value. The CEO had saved Lee Rang’s life and in return Lee Rang must comply with returning the a favor of equal value when asked. The favor the CEO asked Lee Rang was to bring Lee Yeon which essentially is a favor of equal value (a life for a life). Remember that if you choose not to comply, the power of the contract will force you to complete the favor anyway. However like with any deal, there is always a loophole. This loophole exists in the definition of Quid Pro Quo...of equal value.

Let’s look back to that chart that I drew earlier. What is the most precious thing to the CEO and is basically considered his life? THE CHERRY TREE! Without this tree, the CEO cannot survive. The CEO knew Lee Rang was being swayed by his brother as well as Lee Rang having knowledge of what his greatest weakness was. So then the CEO took precautions to ensure his greatest weakness could never be used against him by having the cherry tree be wheeled away to a safer location.

In order to avoid bringing/killing Lee Yeon, Lee Rang must find something of equal value to give back to the CEO to repay his debt. And that something of equal value is that damn cherry tree! Go Go Lee Rang! Find that cherry tree, return it to the CEO, and afterwards when the contractual rings break....KILL THE CEO ! 

While this does ensure the death of the CEO and the end of the contract between the CEO and Lee Rang, it does not ensure Lee Rang will survive in the long term. Meaning, Lee Rang cannot survive without the cherry tree either unless there is another means of extending his life (maybe elixir of life?). I do wonder what the typical lifespan of a half fox is. Things are implied, but yet there is no definitive answer as exactly how long a half fox can live. It also raises another question, can a half fox live forever provided that it does not get fatally injured? 

Imoogi Piece Inside of Ji Ah

Now onto resolving the 2nd conflict which is how to remove the Imoogi piece inside of Ji Ah. Well I think it can go two ways:

1) Lee Yeon strikes up a deal with the Imoogi:

Lee Yeon will let the Imoogi take his body only if Imoogi would agree to removing the piece of himself that is inside Ji Ah. Now here’s the part where both Ji Ah and Lee Yeon could work together to stop the Imoogi once and for all. Remember that Lee Yeon is susceptible to the effects of evening primrose so when the Imoogi enters Lee Yeon’s body, it will also share the same vulnerability. Ji Ah could trap the Imoogi/Lee Yeon with evening primrose and then use her Shaman powers to remove the Imoogi. After all, one of the powers of a shaman is the ability to excise evil spirits!

2) Taluipa provides Lee Yeon with the elixir of life or turns him human

I will write out more of this theory later, but ngl guys I’m exhausted! Sorry!

Ji Ah = Supernatural Being=Shaman Goddess

In Ep 10, the writer is once again dropping clues like its freaking Christmas that Ji Ah is some sort of supernatural being. We got her female coworker asking if Ji Ah is even human. No she’s not human!! Then we saw how the Imoogi could read everyone else’s mind except for Ji Ah’s. Why? It’s the same reason why Lee Yeon couldn’t hypnotize Ji Ah. It’s because Ji Ah is a supernatural being (shaman goddess) that has hidden powers that makes her immune to powers of other supernatural creatures. 

If you don’t still get it by now, I’ll give you this example: Edward Cullen and Bella. If you remember from Twilight, Edward Cullen could read everyone else’s mind except for Bella’s. Why? Because Bella had that special shield power which was later revealed once she became a vampire. 

Therefore, just like Bella, I think Ji Ah has a bunch of special shaman powers that can be unlocked somehow. Don’t ask me how right now, my brain is struggling to write this sentence as we speak. 

Last Remarks

Okay peeps, I struggled hard to try and write this. I am literally exhausted after staying up super late and waking super early to watch the US election results all week as well as doing my school work. So now I want to relax and celebrate the win of my President Elected, Mr. Joe Biden! I may or not write a separate post on what I think will happen in Ep 11. So stay tune! 

In Ep 6, it was mentioned that the four mountain spirits had four gems that were suppose to be used to protect all of mankind. 

We know what two of them are: Lee Yeon’s fox bead and Sato’s moon mirror. The other two are still a great mystery. 

In Korean mythology, similar gems or treasures were mentioned in the Dangun creation myth. Hwanung was the son of Hwanin (Lord of Heaven) who had longed to live on Earth in the Baekdu Mountains. And so his father, Hwanin, allowed him to go down and gave him three treasures to help him rule/protect mankind. These treasures included a sword, mirror, and bell. 

These three items are similarly found in Japanese mythology. Like their Korean counterparts, the Imperial Regalia of Japan were also used to help rule/protect mankind. The only difference is that instead of a bell, the Imperial Regalia included a bead/jewel. 

Combining these two sets of information, I believe that the last two gems of the mountain spirits is probably a bell and sword. I do wonder if the Imoogi will try and obtain these items later on to try and further his quest for total world domination. This also leads me to wonder if Lee Yeon’s sword is one of the gems of the mountain spirits. Maybe one of the other mountain gods had ended up giving it to him.

What did I predict? I predicted that Lee Yeon and Ji Ah would get married and live happily forever just like Princess Bari and Mujangseung..... AND BOOM FROM THE LATEST FAN PIC...THERE’S A RING ON JI AH’S LEFT HAND !!

For reference, read my other post about it:

https://mindmeltonabun-blog.tumblr.com/post/633620923315077120/tale-of-the-nine-tailed-final-outcome-for-lee

I am now wondering just how much more they will follow the Princess Bari myth because if they follow it about 98% then that would mean we are going to get children for Lee Yeon and Ji Ah. If so, I WILL BE BEYOND ECSTATIC!!!!! HALF BABY FOXES RUNNING AROUND FTW!

Yep I am done!

Here’s just a really quick post on my thoughts and analysis! I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors as well as stuff that isn’t presented in an entirely cohesive manner! I am making this post after a long day of school work and classes !

Lee Yeon and Ji Ah

As predicted in a previous post, Ji Ah did indeed misunderstood Lee Yeon largely due to the fact she only saw a fraction instead of her past life. Obviously, Lee Yeon did love Ah Eum, but they had to sacrifice their love for the greater good aka saving a nation. Again, I am still sticking to my theory that the Imoogi wanted total world domination. 

My theory is that upon killing the Imoogi who was impersonating her father, the Imoogi’s essence went into Ah Eum. Ah Eum knew this would happen, but did not tell Lee Yeon. Maybe Ah Eum was able to be possessed by the Imoogi because she was human instead of some sort of a mystical being. 

So in order to prevent the Imoogi from jumping from person to person, Lee Yeon had to be the one who killed her. It’s similar to how Dumbledore told Snape that he must be the one to kill him.  Although I do wonder now if at first Lee Yeon meant to use Ah Eum, but later fell end up falling in love with her. I could also see that happening.  

So now lets talk about Ah Eum being the sacrifice. What if her father, the King, had exchanged his youngest daughter for the Imoogi’s help to make rain or something. For example, maybe the nation was suffering from famine due to a lack of crops. 

Additionally, the trade of a sacrificial virginal bride could be seen as very valuable to the Imoogi because it could be one of the pieces it needs to becoming a dragon. So either he needed a sacrificial bride or a fox’s bead or maybe both to become a dragon. 

CEO Station President

Throughout all of this, we know the CEO has been devoted follower of the Imoogi. However, I am left to question, what exactly is in it for him?

We know he was born probably during the time of the Goryeo dynasty and was branded on his forehead for crimes committed during “Myo Cheong’s Rebellion”. Upon doing further research on this, I found out that Myo Cheong was a Buddhist shaman who had was part of the royal court during King Injong’s reign. At this time in Korea, there were conflicts between two different beliefs systems: Buddhism and Confucianism. Myo Cheong tried to sway King Injong into moving Goreyo’s capital from Kaesong to Pyongyang because he phophesied that by in doing so, it would ensure their success against the Jurchens. At first, the King had believed in Myo Cheong. However, as time went on, the King joined the rest of the court in dismissing Myo Cheong’s ideas while portraying him as a crazy madman. This eventually lead Myo Cheong to form a rebellion against the King. The rebellion was short lived and it was later squashed by General Kim Bu Sik. So I think CEO guy is Myo Cheong.

I think the CEO had formed some sort of deal with the Imoogi. Maybe the CEO guy/Myo Cheong said he would help the Imoogi find a fox’s bead and/or bride in exchange for revenge against the very same royal court who had betrayed and humiliated him. After all in TOTNT its all about deals, trades, and debts. 

Lee Rang

So now that we have discussed the deals between the Imoogi and CEO, I would like to next examine the deal made between the CEO and Lee Rang.

The CEO guy had saved Lee Rang’s life which meant that Lee Rang would be forever indebted to him aka his personal puppet till the end of time. Wow that really does suck!! Part of me feels like the CEO guy already knew Lee Rang would be in this type of situation and therefore specifically sought him out in order to save his life. I mean how valuable is it to have a fox be indebted to you with it’s life. Furthermore, it’s not just any other fox, it’s a fox who’s brother was a Mountain God with a fox’s bead. See where I’m getting at yet? It’s all about the fox bead and leverage. See my other post if you don’t get where I’m coming from. 

Looking back on all of this, I am left to also wonder whether or not either the CEO or the Imoogi were the ones that were initially responsible for Lee Rang’s harsh and rough childhood. Maybe both the CEO and Imoogi knew little Lee Rang was defenseless because Lee Yeon had left for the Underworld to find Ah Eum and so they made the villagers burn down the mountains and sent Lee Rang’s now zombie mom to try and kill him. In turn, this lead to a whole cascade of events: Lee Rang hating humans --> Lee Yeon having to punish Lee Rang for killing humans --> Lee Rang hating his brother for stabbing him. 

Episode 8 Predictions

I think in episode 8, we will revisit Lee Yeon’s past internal conflicts. I believed in the past, Lee Yeon had tried to save both Lee Rang and Ah Eum since they were equally precious to him. However, in the end, he lost both of them. 

So in the Ep 8 preview, you can hear someone asking the question, “What are you most afraid of?”. Subsequently, this flashes to Lee Rang being surrounded and attacked by zombies while Ji Ah is in the car with her parents right before the accident occurs. 

In Han Christian Andersen’s, “The Little Mermaid”, mermaids are not immortal. Rather, they are just given 300 years to live after which they will turn into sea form and cease to exist. The only way mermaids can obtain a form of immortality is through a human’s unconditional love of them. And when Andersen’s mermaid lost her voice, she also lost the opportunity for the prince to unconditionally love her, thus she lost her chance at ever gaining immortality and was ultimately turned into sea foam. 

So when Ji Ah stated that she wanted her voice back, the prince, and not to be turned into sea foam, it was basically the writer’s way of telling us Ji Ah will end up being an immortal being! Got it?

The writer has been alluding to the fact that Ji Ah will become an immortal being since like Ep 2. And if you still haven’t gotten all of the writer’s many hints then see the following posts of mine:

Skip to “Ji Ah = Supernatural Being = Shaman Goddess” Section

https://mindmeltonabun-blog.tumblr.com/post/634191428978868224/tale-of-the-nine-tailed-more-analysis-and

Skip to “What is Ji Ah?” Section