"Unite" by TKV Beograd Ā© Dragana DimitrijeviÄ
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"Unite" by TKV Beograd Ā© Dragana DimitrijeviÄ

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The Killing Vote (ep. 7 notes)
The Killing Vote (ep. 1-5 notes) The Killing Vote (ep. 6 & overall notes) The Killing Vote: more on Joohyun, Kwon Seokju & Kim Muchan
I donāt know if you saw, but they announced episode 8 will be out next week on October 5thā¦ā¦ā¦.. After THIS preview no less, youāve got to be kidding me aaaaaaaa (PŠ`qć ) Ā·ć ' ć
This got again really long, sorry again!!!!
Have a nice week!
(SPOILERS UP TO EPISODE 7!!!!)
Let Jihoon, Joomin, Joohyun, KMC & KSJ get their happy found family ending (ą®ļ¹ą®`ļ½”) Put them in a slice of life, far far away from this noir genre plsssssss
I appreciated the fact that no explicit violence (except when BWT was beaten up by Min Jiyoung's family & KMC) was shown on screen ie. for Narae nor her dog ; the violence implied from all the scenes were more than enough already (eg. the video on KSJ ; the audio recording Naraeās voice)... ! And by the way, Park Sungwoong's acting in this episode!!!!!! I also loved how KMCās character was shown trying to maintain a composure/restraint (his voice damn) in front of KSJās grief.
And the Jihoon & Joohyun scenes were GREAT!! Joohyun sounds like that sister you can naturally rely on!
(She needs to live, you hear me?!)
(Donāt read the new OSTās lyrics you are warned haha, it was beautifully played for Jihoonās scene and the lyrics could also very well apply to KMC & KSJ in KMCās pov!)
⦠September 15, 2015 (Lrae091515)
Narae disappeared on September 15, 2015⦠Just like how the video test is titled!
OH and something I missed!!! In the first post I mentioned the video test title, I wondered if it could refer to both Narae and Dies Irae (since Mozartās Requiem was played in ep4):
As for the āLraeā⦠It could be a wild WILD guess but āLraeā could be āiraeā as in Dies Irae/day of wrath (capital i looks like a lowercase L), which is a sequence in Requiem mass!
But the capital L could also stand for the korean letter į/ėģ (nieun), which is the first letter for Narae/ėė. Added to the āraeā, it gives āNarae091515ā.
⦠The items in LMSās room & his ring
Some of the items that were in the display case in LMSās hidden room were revealed in this episode (from left to right):
KSJās suitcase
KSJās book he signed for LMS
KSJās mug, which is seen carried in the present by:
Jihoon (we only see him retrieve it from the deliveryman)
LMS (a whole collection)
This Gaetal in ep4 with this particular red mug when they rage as the public opinion is shaken because KMC was believed to be dead.
The picture with Narae seems to have been taken the day of the conference shown at the beginning of the episode. LMS probably stole the picture because it was a significant day to him ie. when he met KSJ in person.
Also, about the ring, LMS had it even in the flashbacks (picture to the right). Could it be some device to send him a reminder to take his medicine?
⦠More on shame
Something I wanted to add to what I said in a previous post (āOn the frames facing down (ep. 1 & 6), shame and guiltā): when KSJ visited his house in the present thanks to Joohyun, he only dusted off Naraeās picture to face her stuffed bunny.
Ep7 showed the other frame was a picture of KSJ and her, so it could show how he still strongly feels he failed her as her father:
⦠Narae, Joomin and Jihoon
FINALLY a bittersweet but hopeful? (I donāt care if itās wishful thinking, let me hope okay ;;) parallel thatās clearly the opposite of ep4 & 6ās framing, the new OST (Aalia, Blue) was a perfect addition, it was soothing:
⦠The third person meeting with Narae and KSJ
(1) « She »
At the beginning of the episode, Narae met KSJ and said a āsheā couldnāt join them for dinner according to the subtitle translation when I watched.
(Iām unfortunately not able to watch on Prime, so Iām not sure if itās fansubs or the Prime translation ; I wanted to use my free trial to watch the drama and other series, but itās region-locked in my country and I donāt have a VPN ;;)
The gendered pronoun is an addition of the translation as the original exchange omitted any indication on the subject.
Most of the time [in Korean] the subject is implied, and you would rather address someone by their title or name (with an honorific if need be) depending on your relationship eg. Joohyun calls KMC ķģ„ė/team leader and KSJ źµģė/professor, Joomin calls her sister ģøė/big sister. Note: but it can also be used by a female speaker for an older woman sheās close to eg. a friend, a girlfriend (like ķ = younger man -> older man ; ģ¤ė¹ = younger woman -> older man or ėė = younger man -> older woman).
This is how Narae and KSJās conversation went:
« ā ģ ķ¼ģ ģģ“? / Why did you come alone? ā ė ėØ¼ģ ź°ģ§. ģ¤ėė ķ ģ¼ģ“ ģģ² ė ė§ė. / [They] left early again. [They] said [they] had a lot of things to do today too. ā ģ ģ“ ź°ģ“ ģ ė ģ 먹ģė¬ėė°. (ā¦)Ā / Iād hoped the three of us could have dinner together. Ā»
Nothing in this exchange hints at the identity of the person that accompanied Narae. KSJ only mentions the three of them (ģ ģ“), nothing else.
(Of course, translating this exchange could be really tricky because itās about a context that only Narae and KSJ are privy of and weāre unfamiliar to, how to introduce a character we potentially know nothing of?)
But the conversation shows:
ā That person usually accompanied Narae to see her father (and probably picked her up from school first & walked the dog together) ; that explains why the subject is omitted in the conversation because itās implied from their daily life.
ā They sounded like an adult habitually swamped with what looks like a usually time-consuming work (which excludes Jihoon)
ā They seemed close enough to both Narae & KSJ (who jokingly says itāll be a father-daughter date if they donāt come), dinner with them sounded customary.
ā We know it couldnāt be about KSJās ālate wifeā as Min Jiyoung comments āIt must be hard for him to raise a girl by himselfā as theyāre driving home from the conference.
ā It has been highlighted twice already how hard, to society/KSJās surroundings, raising a girl by himself must be: first with Min Jiyoungās housekeeper in ep5 (āThey felt sorry for me for raising my daughter alone, so they would share food with me sometimes.ā), then Min Jiyoung herself in ep7. Whoever that was, this person also might've helped KSJ to raise Narae unbeknownst to everyone else.
So it was supposed to be someone close to the two of them.
(2) Kim Muchan?
In the same episode, when KMC said Choi Jinsu knew what kind of relationship he had with KSJ, CJS later described it as a āclose relationshipā (ź°ź¹ģ ģ¬ģ“), the same adjective KSJ uses to describe KMC in the present (see in a previous post the notes on ź°ź¹ė¤).
KMC is also the one shown in the very next scenes working hard to bust drug scenes (to the point of eating those painkillers like itās popcorn). Itās also highly likely the other cases we saw on the news were also recklessly solved by him. (Also the āLives Here.ā on the mirror is a fitting detail to his workaholic side!)
He's still the same in the present and brings work at home. Even though he gets around the law to arrest culprits, the reputation he has now can also attest to the fact heās still relentlessly absorbed by his work.
This was indeed how Jodan described KMC to Joohyun:
« (ā¦) aka. Wipeout. Pressuring criminals to admit more crimes. Making a case bigger to take more credit. He somehow makes cases into special ones. Thatās how he made his way up to Seoul from the south. The master of promotions.Ā (ā¦) Based on his arrest rate, he should be at the top, but those up there must hate him. Ā»
And KMC was close enough to KSJ and Narae to firmly believe Narae would never run away from home, like family would say ; KSJ was the only person he trusted and looked up to.
Not to mention KSJ was completely tensed as Choi Jinsu interrogated him but relaxed once KMC took over, letting out a sigh of relief and dropping his guard to cry.
EDIT: KMC also knew calling KSJ 'hyung' instead of 'Professor' would eventually make him react, as he was lifeless and caught in his thoughts so far.
(3) How long did KMC know KSJ?
KSJ began teaching at KNPU in 2008, which means KMC and him mustāve known each other for at least 7+ years (itād be 15+ years in the present): āHave you forgotten? I said Iād be your number one fan. I said that at your first lecture at KNPU.ā
Also KSJ is 44 years old btw, I missed that detail in ep4 when KMC checked his files!
⦠Relationships conveyed through pictures
Itās interesting how the drama keeps highlighting the importance of KSJ and KMCās relationship, but thereās (yet) no picture to materialize this truth in peopleās eyes, while the other significant relationships are framed in the drama:
-> Joohyunās family portrait and a picture of Joohyun and Joomin in the present.
-> KMC picture with someone who might be his mother.
-> Many pictures of KSJ and Narae filled the houseās walls and the furniture and there was a picture of Narae and Jihoon with the handmade bunny toys hanging on their backpack.
And even though nobody mightāve heard of KSJ adopting Jihoon soon at the time (except KMC), he was present in Naraeās drawings by her and KSJās side. And he also drew the three of them together.
-> Min Jiyoungās family portrait was ostentatiously exhibited in the past & is still used to build her image for her campaign. But thereās also a small portrait with only her and LMS at her apartment in the present.
KSJ and KMCās relationship evades common portrayal. (Not to mention family portraits are often shown in dramas to foreshadow underlying dynamics between its members!)
The only picture we were shown of them was on the day KSJ was sent to prison:
⦠KSJās health and military service
On KSJās resume (first picture), you can see he was exempted of military duty.
Indeed, whatās written on the left column under his military status is 미ķ (incompletion, if he had been discharged after completing his military duty, it would be written źµ°ķ), and the rank and service term columns are empty.
I canāt quite make out everything thatās under the last column for the reason of incompletion, but I read źø°ķ (deformity), ģ¹ķ (oneās parent illness) and ė³ģ¬ (accident) ⦠?
However what we learned when KMC checked his medical files in ep4 (third picture) was that heās got asthma (ģ²ģ) and primary spontaneous pneumothorax (ģ¼ģ°Øģ± ģģ°źø°ķ) ie. occurring without an apparent cause when thereās originally no known lung disease while thereās a preexisting lung disease when itās secondary.
« Until now the cause of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) has not been identified, however; several risk factors have been identified such as; smoking, male sex, and a family history of pneumothorax ».
So he was probably exempted due to his long-time health issue (asthma, lung collapse), and maybe KSJās family had a history of pneumothorax.
⦠Who is Gaetal?
Is LMS really Gaetal? Are Fan no. 1 & Gaetal different people?
As I said in a previous post, the drama plays with the bias that everything mustāve been done by the same individual/a same group with the same intentions, so itās possible:
Gaetal in the video test
Gaetal in the prerecorded votes, at least the first one (because the tone, gesture and expressions seemed different compared to the two next votes)
Gaetal broadcasted live (for Cpt. Ohās vote)
Fan no. 1 who wrote the letters to KSJ
Fan no. 1 JJW said he was working with who described KSJ as the one they admired the most but also said they destroyed the person he loved the most, so he must hate them
Are different people in some cases, meaning:
ā The āFan no. 1ā Jung Jinwook worked with might not be LMS, since they never met each other
ā It could be Jihoon, or at the very least, heās an accomplice (thereās this exchange with Joohyun about the shift from an accessory to an accomplice, it could be foreshadowing). Heās well-versed in hacking, he most likely āadmiredā KSJ and feels guilty over Naraeās death (and probably over BWTās murder by KSJ), as KSJ said to KMC:
« ā [Narae and Jihoon] were supposed to meet that day. ā Yes, he thinks all of this happened because he was late. Heās still in shock.Ā Ā»
(He couldāve been the one to have faced Naraeās picture down!)
We donāt know his whereabouts for these 8 years but he mustāve been in contact with KSJ at least once since what happened and given KSJās reaction when KMC asked him if he contacted him.
Also Jihoon was definitely searching for KSJ before Joohyun interrupted him when he was at the Police Agency at the end of the episode.
He looked like he definitely knew the content of the āvideo testā too (or recognized the room), he seemed dumbfounded to learn Joomin found it in ep3:
Determined to help, a part of him couldāve held KMC guilty of the chain of events 8 years ago. KSJ entrusted his handmade bunny toy to KMC and said:
« He said he made them himself, so there are only two of them. Whoever has Naraeās is the murderer, so he told me to use this to catch him. He left this with me. Iām counting on you.Ā Ā»
And KSJ must have some part in whatever is happening now with the Killing Vote: after all, we never got the reason KSJ went out of prison in ep4 (āIf they find out what I did instead of performing labor, they might believe the suspicions are true.ā).
-> This scene in ep3 (the first set of pictures on the left): of course this shows his relief because he still cares for KMC but it seemed like he somehow already knew for a fact KMC was out of danger, even before the janitor said he was barely hanging on and not off the hook at all.
ā This was even before the video of KMC was revealed to the public in the next episode ;
ā The present Gaetal might have informed him in advance a police officer got involved in the bombing against their will, without revealing it was KMC. This would explain why KSJ seemed genuinely surprised when the janitor said it was KMC (the last two pictures of the set) ;
ā Someone else could have informed him even if it seems difficult from the prison (but we know he got lots of privileges there and we still donāt know what he did for the warden ; the visit register could have been fabricated and someone indeed met him) ;
ā Itās worth pointing out KSJ was convinced KMC was Gaetal up until ep6, which adds another layer to this scene.
-> His reaction in ep5 was also curious (the second set of pictures on the right), he only got perplexed for the video test, as though he was well-acquainted with the rest of whatever was going on except for that one detail (which adds to the theory that Gaetal in the video test ā Gaetal in the Killing Vote/Fan no. 1).
Curiously, as I said just above, while KSJ seemed unaware of the video test's existence, Jihoon looked familiar with its content on the contrary.
KSJ never outright denied he was Gaetal eg. his interview with Joohyun in ep2:
« ā āDevils who were deemed innocent.ā The phrase that the killer used⦠You were the first one to say it, werenāt you? I think the killer has something to do with you. ā The two people who used the same phrase must be connected. Thatās such a naive approach.Ā Ā»
Ep6 only showed KSJ hoped KMC was Gaetal.
And you wouldnāt say KMCās āIām a cop.ā is a real answer too. Hate to admit it, but KMC stayed silent when KSJ wanted to confirm he was sincere: his feelings might be genuine, but denying heās Gaetal could very well be a lie.
As for KMCās front ie. keeping silent when asked about his relationship with KSJ, I guess it comes from his determination to solve all this by his own hands this time: he knows they would take him off the case otherwise. (And for some reason, I canāt help but also suspect Joohyun aaaaa we still donāt know anything about her past!!)
KMC or KSJ, one of the two might be related somehow ; if so, I guess theyād be trying to plan something without the other knowing in order not to involve them and also because the other would disapprove (eg. KSJ to put an end to KMCās guilt ; KMC to offer some peace to KSJ after all the tragedy and his past mistakes).
ā Plus, the Gaetal of the first vote sounded suspiciously like KSJ (his silhouette and gait too) eg. t h a t tremulous voice when he gets angry (the actor plays a lot with that in his roles overall).
ā The first vote was prepared from a redevelopment area and BGC was murdered there (pictures on the right).
In ep7, in addition to the video accusing KSJ of being dubious and the witness statement, Narae being found in a redevelopment area was what made the police suspect KSJ of murdering her, since he was known for standing up against said buildingās demolition:
« Youād been to the place where the body was found, right? Donāt even think about lying. We know you protested against demolishing that building.Ā Ā»
(Even before Joohyun showed him the Gaetal video test, KMC mustāve had his suspicions from BGCās murder scene and the broadcast after the body was found eg. recognizing KSJās tone, 'the devils deemed innocent' or the ārational justiceā!)
Narae mightāve been found in the lower part of the building BGCās vote was prepared in: even though the first story doors were repainted in red and handrails were added to the bridge, the overall architecture and the sort of electricity meter/letter box on the ground floor look the same.
And even without it being the same building, it holds enough resemblance for it to seem like a disturbing recall of the events 8 years ago, combined with Gaetalās keywords.
ā LMS couldāve killed BGCās wife as Gaetal's copycat at first but that still wouldnāt explain his involvement to the Killing Vote, saying he would give it to his mother as a present.
(But his conversation with KMC when he interviewed him in the present really gave me the impression he knew something about KMC we were not shown, and that could foreshadow what'll happen in the next episode!)
ā About LMSās true perception of justice: we never got to hear his opinion, Narae came running to her father and KSJ interrupted the conversation. So far, the drama didnāt show if his ideals align with Gaetalās for example, but some elements in the flashbacks clearly show it could be the case.
In fact, his notes about āproper justiceā could align with Gaetalās concept of vigilantism to make up for a failing official retributive justice.
And his āIf you pass judgment without looking at things clearly, itās not being fair. Itās being indifferent.ā clearly parallels KSJās opinion in the present (ep6):
« Lady Justice wears a blindfold because sheās afraid of bias in decisions. That always bothered me. If you donāt look at cases and the people involved clearly, how can one pass fair judgment? Can judgments without experience be right? Only after losing my daughter did I realize I was qualified to judge others.Ā Ā»
KSJās past self wouldāve been moderate and warned him however: āRelying solely on your experiences can also lead to bias. Experiences are gained through situations and conflicts. They canāt be absolute truths.ā
But this detail is something KMC doesnāt know, he instead focuses on LMSās elitism because he didnāt have those kinds of exchanges with him.
⦠āNo. 1 Fanā & LMS
Soā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ You mean to tell me « No. 1 FanĀ Ā» was originally a memory both KSJ and KMC held dear? That LMS chose this very nickname as a penname for the 5 whole years he sent letters to KSJ? That LMS described KSJ to JJW as the man he admired the most, just like KMC said in that exchange.......... ?
Thereās literally no way in hell LMS didnāt listen KMC and KSJās conversation ; « no. 1 FanĀ Ā» could be common in any other cases but not in this one: LMS made everyone around KSJ gone from the picture, it wouldnāt surprise me KMC was/is meant to be the next (LMS even describes him as a ācockroachā hard to kill in ep5).
As to how he got to learn all that, bugging one of the twoās communications/belongings/Naraeās room (eg. that āMy Daddy My Heroā seems to be the only thing taken from the house, or the device Jodan found in the ceiling, as itās totally covered with dust) or even hiding in KSJās house that day and listening to their exchange wouldnāt be that surprising given what he did and how he seems to enjoy playing recklessly.
What Jodan found looks like the kind of device that transmits frequencies to another device (eg. cell phone, a recorder prepared to this end).
In this episode, we saw LMS watched everything among the crowd each time (when Naraeās body was found, when KSJ was sent to prison), there could very well be times he watched unnoticed from KMC or KSJ.
I guess he learned about the ārational justiceā the same way: he couldāve heard the ādevils deemed innocentā from his mother or some other way (eg. if he hacked the courtās archives, he couldāve found the trial transcripts), but ārational justiceā was something only KSJ and KMC knew about (at least, at this point of the drama).
Given his obsession for KSJ, LMS could benefit from deliberately using a precious memory that KSJ could only attribute to KMC and posing as KMC: that would finally make him assume a special position in KSJās eyes (and it worked: thatās probably why KSJ firmly believed Gaetal and/or the one who wrote him letters was KMC).
And he probably deludes himself into believing it was originally his by right, not Naraeās, not KMCās nor anyone elseās (I donāt think he knew Jihoon even if he observed the house): he considers himself KSJās only entitled Fan no. 1.
At the same time, becoming Gaetal, a figure that would finally bring the justice to KSJ which KMC failed to do, gives him the opportunity to finally ājudgeā/destroy KMC as he wished. Eg. making him the next Killing Vote target by showing people he was deceiving them (his āWipeoutā reputation) ; or distorting facts about his involvement in Naraeās case (just like the video Min Jiyoung/LMS made on KSJ to divert the attention off her son).
And this seems to be the case in the preview:
The screen on the left side of the shot displays an edit of KMC (which looks like those Gaetal did for the previous targets ; the picture seems to come from when the journalists gathered at the prison when they learned he was alive), and if Iām not mistaken you can read on the banner « ģģģµėė¤Ā Ā» (āI/He deceived/lied to [the people maybe?]ā), which might be a reference to what he said in ep4 where he also used ģģģµėė¤.
⦠« This house had good natural lighting »
Losing Narae left KSJ lifeless. In this episodeās flashback, his profile, livid, is blinded by white light, like a ghost.
Even though he stood in Naraeās room, he was perhaps longing for the house that was already not there anymore and that initially had āgood natural lightingā, as Joohyun said in ep4. It symbolized all the happiness he shared with Narae.
And KMC could only witness, helpless, KSJās grief.
In retrospect, on the second set of pictures to the right, the sight of KSJās silhouette in a similar setting and lighting (when KSJ was transferred to the Police Agency, ep5) mightāve reminded KMC of this memory.
The drama highlighted this theme in other previous scenes too. They have in common a silhouette shot in an overall dark setting facing a strong backlighting.
[And you can notice the shots get gradually brighter as the drama progresses and KSJ gets out of prison!]
Joohyun's scene on the top right was so beautifully shot... !
-> When KSJ is transferred to the Police Agency ;
-> When Joohyun interviews KSJ and makes him listen to Mozartās Requiem in ep4. And also KMCās reaction we could better understand in retrospect as he listened (the pictures on the bottom right) ;
-> When KSJ enjoyed the light from the prison in ep4 ;
-> When he looked outside from his cellās window while meditating in the first episode ;
-> When KMC wanted to visit KSJ but he refused to meet him in ep2 (and we can once again better interpret his expressions in retrospect to ep7).
Note: in ep3, KMCās reaction to the tagged wall (āthe 13th was wrongā) and the news articles about the case from 8 years ago could also now be interpreted as pained in retrospect ; his surprise upon discovering this also shows itās at least not him who messed the room that way. If he cared for Narae as this episode showed, he probably wouldnāt have damaged her room. It's also maybe relevant to note again that the video test didn't have the tagged wall!
⦠Min Jiyoungās classism
Whatever Min Jiyoung found on KMC was something she did not approve according to her standards: she went from āthat detectiveā when she first met him to ābastard like you/the likes of youā at the end of the trial.
I get BIG classist undertones when she speaks to him, and it's not the sole occurrence:
-> When she fired her previous aide because he advised her in a way she deemed unsatisfactory, she commented: āģ“ģ¤ė¬ģ“ ģė¼ā which was translated to āWhat a loser.ā The adjective she used is ģ“ģ¤ė½ė¤ (unpolished, countrified, dowdy ie. « oneās attitude or taste being unsophisticated and looking like that of a country personĀ Ā»).
The Naver Dictionary also gives the expression āģ“ģ¤ė¬ģ“Ā ģ¬ėā and translates it as āa lout, rustic, clodhopper, boorā.
ģė¼ means offspring (cub or child/kid), but itās often used as an insult to mean someoneās a jerk/bastard/etc. which is the case here (eg. ź°ģė¼, SOB/bastard).
-> The housekeeper: KSJ described her as āėģ°ėÆøā (assistant, helper) and was getting along well with her and her husband (āThey felt sorry for me for raising my daughter alone, so they would share food with me sometimes. (ā¦) Though we didnāt know each other very well, we were quite close.ā).
And Min Jiyoung, who lives with her and her family, calls herā¦ā¦ an expense (āė¹ģ©ā) if Iām hearing well (at the very least, it doesnāt sound like any of the words commonly used for housekeepers eg. ź°ģ ė¶, ėģ°ėÆø, ķģ¶ė¶, ķė ā¦), and it could explain why KMC made her repeat.
-> She used ė ź°ģ ģė¼ to insult KMC (ābastards like you/the likes of youā), right after calling LMS his son (ģė¤), which could imply the latter qualifies more as a person than him. She even deems him a taint/ķ ģøķø threatening to spoil their status/reputation.
-> She said to LMS in ep5: ā[KMC] must be trying to make ends meet. You better stay away from those vermins.ā
And be it a coincidence or not, Jihoonās grandmother was also judgmental towards Joohyun and her sister (ep4, first set of pictures).
Her reaction to KSJās idea (she was taken aback and raised her eyebrow then looked embarrassed as she tried to answer) could also be explained by some distance she wants to put between her and disreputable people (ep6, second set of pictures).
Gaetal targeted the rich so far (āThe law that is more harsh on victims than on criminals⦠It feeds like a parasite off of money and power, so the ones who deserve to die are still alive.ā), like some sort of Robin Hood as KMC commented.
⦠« Hyung »
(breaking my silence once againā¦) KMC and KSJ were lovers/KMC was in love and they were in their domestic life bubble (and ngl that ā⦠[and the one] I look up to.ā delivery with that hesitant interruption felt like a left out confession)
The scene in Naraeās room was paralleled in the present at the end of the episode:
You can notice with this comparison that most (if not all) of KSJ & KMCās scenes in the present are submerged by blue tones in the prison cell and at the Police Agency, just like in the lyrics of the new OST with the wordplay on the color blue and feeling blue! eg. ėģ ź°ģ볓멓 I see blue ā ź·øė° ėģ ėŖØģµģ feel so blue (When I close my eyes I see blue ā At the sight of you feel so blue) ė¤ź² ź°ė ¤ģ§ ė I see blue ā ėŖ°ėė ėģ ėŖØģµģ feel so blue (Iām covered/obscured by you I see blue ā This side of you I didnāt know feel so blue)
⦠Gaetal, masks and dogs
Gaetal could be translated as ādog maskā (ź°, dog + ķ, mask).
GAETAL AND MASKS
Gaetalās excentric and playful, Robin Hood-esque character and their theatrics could be a reference to the traditional Korean masks.
« [Korean masks] were used in war, on both soldiers and their horses ; ceremonially, for burial rites in jade and bronze and for shamanistic ceremonies to drive away evil spirits/illness/bad luck out of an individual or a village (often horrifying or grotesque to invoke fear and humor), to remember the faces of great historical figures, and in the arts, particularly in ritual dances, courtly, and theatrical plays. The present uses are as miniature masks for souvenirs, or on phones hung as good-luck talismans. There are two ways to categorize masks: religious masks and artistic masks. »
Indeed, KSJ had a glass display of Korean masks in his house (itās a limited Seoul 1988 Olympic Games Korean Masks Collection):
Masks are in fact known to be used in talchum/talnori (mask dance/play), an art developed after a cultural shift in society: masks were initially used in religious activities, but entertainment and festivities factored in through time.
« An ensemble of musicians accompanies masked performers who humorously explore social issues through dramatic combinations of cheerful, energetic and rhythmical songs, dances, movements and dialogue. »
They mostly originated from the pre-modern society of the Joseon dynasty. The country was governed by a rigid social hierarchy (eg. the aristocracy and the buddhist monastic hierarchy) and a strict patriarchal system. They sharply criticized contemporary society with satire and witty humour, depicting the falsehoods and hypocrisies of the upper classes (eg. decadent noblemen, apostate/depraved monks, patriarchal husbands) but also mocked stereotypical versions of annoying personalities within the lower classes (eg. the drunkard, the gossip, the flirt of the complaining grandmother). It offered people both catharsis and important life lessons, and masks are a key means to do that.
On the nobleman mask (Master Kim Dongpyo, maker of Hahoetal): « yangban noblemen prioritize dignity and saving face above all else. The gentle curves of a Hahoe yangban mask embody this character.Ā Ā» In other local traditions, noblemensā masks may express greedy and pretentious personalities.
Talchum offered an opportunity to commoners to unleash their pent-up emotions, their suppressed anger and for the governing class to hear the peopleās complaints, ultimately promoting greater unity within society. Their will for resistance is voiced.
Gaetal's apparent intentions correspond to all this to a great extent.
« Once a person dons a mask ā men and women, young and old, nobility and commoners ā all are freed from social conventions and restrictions. The appearance of the Korea mask itself is also liberated by convention. Nevertheless, everyone manages to find a part of the mask with which they can identify. In this way the mask is truly the face of the heart's hidden desires. (ā¦) Korean masks are grotesque and vividly colored. Masks are painted in vivid primary colors, representing both the individual personality and social class of the character as well as his or her age and gender eg. black & dark for an elderly character ; red & bright for a young character ; white for a young female character. In terms of personality, a red, darkly-colored mask represents recklessness and aggressiveness; a yellow or lightly-colored mask characterizes foolishness and incompetence ; and a black or darkly-colored mask exemplifies an anxious, socially marginalized character. To symbolize a character's duplicity, masks are sometimes painted half red and half white.Ā Ā»
[For posterity, in the drama, Gaetalās mask is fully white ; we also donāt know Gaetalās gender, Joohyun evokes this possibility, it could very well be herself, Min Jiyoung or her assistant, even Jihoonās grandmother ; Min Jiyoungās attention to her clothes also reflects the good/evil duality with her outfit at BWTās final trial.]
Professor Heo Yongho, Korea National University of Arts: « Korean mask-dance dramas deal with such universal themes as freedom and equality. However, they present these common subjects in a distinctively dynamic and exciting way. »
All these emotions, ambitions and desires can therefore be put on display without fear or shame. The characters mock and satirize the duplicity and foolishness of the ruling class and pray for a new world and a better future, like Gaetal does in the Killing Vote.
This page even theorizes ķ derived from the Chinese character for āto rid/free oneself from somethingā.
« Korea adopted Chinese characters prior to the invention of their own, unique alphabet under King Sejong (1397-1450), and still use Chinese characters extensively. Thereby, the original meaning of theĀ talnori or talchum, is a play or dance that helps shed ones stress and grief. Originally talnoriĀ was performed at night, often in a clearing around a fire and the exaggerated colors and expressions on some of the masks reflect a time when such vibrant colors and expressions were necessary to make them visible in the poor light.Ā Ā» [This bit could be relevant later on in this point when Iāll talk about the moon and the fire symbolism!]
The interaction with the audience is important, it completes the performance. As the UNESCO page describes: « talchum performances do not require a formal stage: any empty space can become a venue. The audience plays an essential role, contributing to the production with their cheers and jeers as the drama unfolds. »
Talchum players improvise their lines and actions in response to the spectators, quickly forming a bond together.
In a distorted fashion, the Killing Vote seems to strongly rely on the countryās participation to vote for the ājudgementā of the culprit, introduced as corrupt and deeply irredeemable people (even though we know the reality is more ambiguous: two broadcasts were pre-recorded and pretty compelling cases were deliberately chose to obtain an unanimous vote, not to mention Gaetalās true intention eg. if theyāre LMS).
The country even becomes an entertained audience in addition to their participation: each vote brings its fair share of debates, cries of support, admiration, disgust, anticipation or emulation. The Killing Vote becomes an outlet to everyone's fears, anger, frustration.
Gaetal's judgment of 'devils that were deemed innocent' by a failing legitimate system which would even condone their deed inflames passions: revealing the culprit's corrupt side in a sarcastic, unfiltered fashion the conventional society would (or could) never dare to do makes people look up to Gaetal.
It also makes people relate to Gaetal because the votes serve as an example that they wish was applied to their own tragedies eg. Joohyun, KSJ, Joomin & Jihoon. Exemplifying the 'judgment' of their cases could be seen as a prophylactic step to 'exorcise' the deep-rooted evil and appease the tormented souls of their victims.
And Gaetal engages with the people with a witty and sarcastic speech, and sounds deeply concerned with peopleās opinion (again, it could be false pretenses) eg. when they cautioned sensitive souls to close the video as its content might be too violent ; when they got angry as they read forums after KMC was thought dead ; when they broadcasted the video revealing KMC was alive.
The Killing Vote also seems to touch on peopleās duplicity, hidden desires and ambitions in society eg. especially KSJ, KMC, Min Jiyoung, LMS and peopleās ambivalence in the face of good and evil (everybody has in them the risk of becoming a āGaetalā or one of their targets if faced with certain opportunities and circumstances) as I talked about it in a previous post (āThe Killing Vote and a vigilantism built on a twisted basisā).
The hahoetal (Hahoe [Village] masks) are one of the most known Korean masks, designated as national treasures.
They were used during a kind of mask dance called ķķė³ģ 굿ķėģ“, dance drama of Hahoe Village: itās a shamanic dance drama passed down from the mid-12th century & performed to appease the local deity, pray for the villageās peace and wellbeing as well as a good harvest. It is said to be one of the oldest mask dances known in Korea.
It's a play in satire and humor directed at the ruling class from the religious perspective of praying fortune. The masks represent 12Ā stock characters needed to perform the roles in the ritual dance dramas included in the ceremony (eg. the monk, the scholar, the bride, the aristocrat ā¦).
Their origin is not clearly known, but a legend about their original design exists.
« In the middle of the Goryeo Dynasty, there lived a craftsman, Heo. For years his village suffered from misfortunes but no one knew why. One day, he dreamt about a mountain god, receiving an oracle message that the misfortunes would disappear if the villagers danced with masks made by Heo. The god said he was not to have any contact with anyone until he finished. Heo then had a straw rope wound around his workshop to allow him to work undisturbed and immediately set to work. One hundred days had passed. A young woman named Kim was in love with Heo and was growing weary of waiting. She broke her vow to leave him undisturbed for one hundred days and peeked into her loverās workshop to see what he was doing. He was carving the last mask, the scholar's foolish servant,Ā Imae. The moment she glanced inside, Heo collapsed spitting blood and died. The mask was left unfinished, without a chin. Out of guilt for causing his death, the young woman committed suicide. Afterward, the residents of Hahoe village decided to serve the dead woman as a tutelary god and held annual rituals to assuage her soul.Ā Ā»
An annual winter memorial rite is held at dawn of the first full moon of each new year to console their unrealized love, appease their tormented souls and honor them. They would also pray for the well-being of the village and for its protection against evil spirits.
This also seems relevant:
The wordĀ ķ also includes a second meaning of misfortune, illness and difficulty. Eg. when someone becomes sick or runs into trouble, you can use the verb ķėė¤ (an accident happens/have a hitch/run into trouble/fall ill/get out of order or go wrong) or the word ķ which is a homonym of the mask.
« The word for masks represents something that people hope is only a passing event. Interestingly, people were reluctant to hold onto the wordĀ ķĀ in its meaning of a mask. In the past, they believed that if they kept a mask nearby, they would be in trouble due to the bad luck attached to the mask. Therefore, they stored the masks in a village shrine or burned them immediately after the ritual for which they were created. People regarded masks as religious objects, something that should be feared, worshipped and enshrined.Ā Ā»
But masks were also considered by ancient Koreans as a sacred symbol of the gods (or a particular god): as such, it was especially valued and worshipped, and always kept a certain distance away from living quarters.
In the drama, the mere existence of Gaetal calls for trouble and the police force endeavors to catch them. Gaetal nicknames themselves 'the citizens' watchdog' who will protect them from evil, and is compared to many heroic figures (eg. Robin Hood, Batman, ā¦) but also to God. For example, Jihoon says to Joomin:
« That devil was set free by our incompetent legal system. If he wouldnāt be punished by the law or by God, I thought he should at least be punished by the people.Ā Ā»
The sight of their figure 'should' be feared by the culprits but only Uhm Eungyeong was really scared ; BGC and Cpt. Oh challenged and dared them to actually murder them. But in the end, the latter begged JJW for his life and promised him money, the thing he cared the most for.
This also ties well with the overall Christian symbolism exhibited in LMSās room or Saint Michael (see the next point!).
GAETAL AND DOGS
As for the dog part, since one of the main plot points is a commentary on justice and the good & evil in people, it might be a reference to the haetae/haechi (ķ“ķ/ķ“ģ¹), a Korean mythological creature often associated for example to the Chinese guardian lions (also called shishi, lion or fu dogs) or the Japanese shishi/komainu.
Symbol of justice and law, the haetae is a hybrid beast: a mix of a lion, dog and dragon covered in scales or fur, wearing a bell and baring its canines, sometimes winged, sometimes with a reptile tail. It possesses the ability to divine and distinguish the true character in people, right from wrong, truth from lies in people.
The horn on its forehead was used to ram into the guilty in an argument.
It is said to feed off fire ; under Joseon, its statues were placed at the entrance of official places like palaces to protect the capital Hanyang (now Seoul, eg. at the National Assembly and the Supreme Prosecutorsā Office) from natural disasters and fires.
« Haetae statues lie on high pedestals at each side of Gwanghwamun, the main gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace (ā¦) [they] represent the Joseon rulersā political and philosophical ideals of protecting the nationās dignity by applying the laws strictly and justly and providing peace and stability to all the people without allowing bias or personal feelings to influence decisions.Ā Ā»
This article explains how the Chinese characters for law (ė², ę³) derived from the ideogram for haechi.
What I gathered from this page is that law was initially written as ē. Looking at its structure:
ā The radical to the left, ę°µ, is associated to water (ę°“): which means that the law must be as fair as water ā The character å» is placed under the character āchiā å», which depicts the haechi. Making a creature said to judge right from wrong a part of the law character brings out its meaning even more.
The character was later simplified by removing the å», thus written ę³.
[And as I said in a previous post, the hanja ę© , which means law, can be used for the Mu of Muchan!]
The haechi was also closely associated to the Chinese judicial system eg. on decorations and paintings, embroidered on the robes, crowns with a horn. The judicial officers were also named after the haechi.
It has become Seoulās symbol since 2008.
The haetae is also mainly assimilated to the Chinese xiezhi, a mythical single-horned creature (a sheep, goat or ox) commanded during imperial criminal proceedings to ram into the guilty in the same manner.
Since Gaetal chases after evil, it could also be a reference to a breed of dogs native to the Korean Peninsula, the Sapsali/Sapsalgae.
Their name literally translates to āone that roots out evil spiritsā or ādrives out devilsā. Due to their appearance, theyāre often associated to the haetae and sometimes called āLion Dogsā.
Lion dances are indeed performed because it was thought lions contained the power to expel evil spirits and bring good luck.
Sapsali are also nicknamed āGhost Huntersā orā Sunshine Dogsā.
Some aspects of the drama also involve dogs:
-> Gaetal used a mail address titled āwatchdogā that the journalist wanted to use as a catchphrase for her broadcast ;
-> KMC called KSJ their āhunting dogā, urging Joohyun to āget him off the leashā ;
-> Naraeās dog LMS killed and all the past dogs of his family ;
-> The scene at the beginning of ep7 shows BWT beaten by Min Jiyoungās family as his parents watch powerless. The next shot shows the Dalmatian puppy sitting quietly by his neat doghouse as the violent scene continues to unfold before it off-screen. The absence of pictures of BWTās family in the house unlike the Dalmatian puppy could be interpreted as a further highlight of the family being poorly treated by Min Jiyoungās family, even worse than a dog. It also aligns with the classist behavior of Min Jiyoung & co.
-> Indeed, ź° is often used as a prefix to an insult (or to emphasize words in slang, but itās not used in the drama so far eg. ź°ģ«ģ“, ā[I] freaking/really hate [it]ā).
For posterity also, the word āmaskā (ķ) is also the homonym/paronym of ė¬ (moon/month) and ėø (daughter, perhaps a reference to Narae, since the video test seems to be titled after the day she was missing?).
For the ė¬ (moon/month), the most relevant connection to the Killing Vote is that theyāre held every 15th (new moon) and 30th (full moon) of each month. It also ties up with how the talnori/talchum were originally performed at night.
If thereās also some symbolism with the moon, combined to the fire and dogs, the mythical dogs Bulgae (ė¶ź°, lit. fire dog) might come to mind:
« According to a myth, one of heaven's realms, the kingdom of darkness, was called Gamangnara, the Dark World. Its king was concerned and weary with the perpetual darkness and desired the light of the sun and moon for his kingdom. He sent one of the gigantic fiery hounds, the Bulgae to chase the sun to bring it to his realm. However, when it tried to bite the sun, the sun was too hot, which made the dog unable to hold on to it, resulting in him giving up, and running back to the king, angry at the failure. He sent another more ruthless dog to steal the moon. When the Bulgae tried to carry it in its mouth, the moon was so cold, that the mouth of the dog was icy and frozen, and caused the Bulgae to drop it. The Bulgae tried many times to grab the moon in its mouth, but eventually gave up and ran back to the king in disappointment. The king never gave up this mission though. He continued to send fire dogs that were fiercer than the others, but none were able to collect the sun and moon. According to the Korean eclipse belief, during a solar eclipse or lunar eclipse, the dark sections are the parts where the dogs are biting. When the eclipses are over, the dogs have given up and run away back to its kingdom. »
Noting it down if itāll hold meaning in the next episodes, weāve got two scenes shot in the moonlight:
In the first episode when KSJ looks out from his cellās window and moonlight enters the room ;
Right after KSJ got his health checked by Jihoonās grandmother in ep6 and Joohyun gets in LMSās car!
⦠Saint Michael and Kim Muchan
Following the previous point, in the nightclub KMC was investigating, a big statue right behind where he sat sometimes showed up.
It looks like a reproduction of the St. Michael bronze statue by Peter Anton von Verschaffelt on top of the Castel SantāAngelo in Rome (the set of pictures in the middle).
There are other examples of similar iconography (the two pictures on the right):
ā St. Michael defeats Satan by Guido Remi ā Fontaine Saint-Michel in Paris (Bvd. Saint-Michel) by Gabriel Davioud, the sculpture, Archangel Michael and the devil, was designed by Francisque-Joseph Duret
Iāll quote this interesting page from EHNE, an online encyclopedia project developed in 2012 by the Sorbonne University.
« Saint Michael was a unique saint. As an archangel, he acted as the preferred messenger between Heaven and Earth. His struggle against the forces of Evil allowed him to serve as both a guardian and a warrior angel.Ā Ā» Heās also depicted as a champion/guardian of justice and a healer of the sick.
'Who is like God?' mmmmh
[What I didnāt know is that he was also considered the patron saint of the police, justice, military and many other trades and places, which is why heās represented on the Saint Michael pendant!]
« As a victorious angel, defender, overcomer of evil and leader of heavenly armies, Michael the Archangel is often depicted in medieval art as an armored soldier [eg. pteruges, Byzantine armor or a fully feathered body or a mix of both] carrying such arms as a cross-inscribed shield, cross-staff, or the sword or spear he typically employs to fight the dragon during the Apocalypse. Outside of the apocalyptic combat scene, Michael also may be shown trampling and piercing the dragon as part of his overall iconography.Ā (ā¦) He's also featured in other important episodes, such as the biblical narrative of the Fall of Angels and the Last Judgment [Day of Wrath/Dies Irae, where the just will be welcomed to eternal bliss, separated from the wicked, cast into āeternal fireā.]. In Last Judgment scenes, Michael the Archangel is often shown holding the scales of justice laden with good and bad souls.Ā Ā»
This thesis (p. 287 ss.) on Saint Michaelās italian iconography by ClĆ©mentine DenĆØle was also interesting:
[It could align with KMCās restraint in front of KSJ most of the time, his mainly unreliable narration and expressions you could only interpret in retrospect. The same could be said of KSJ, but itās less apparent to me: it was strong in the beginning of the drama but by now, KSJ feels less ācrypticā than KMC whoās been hazy the whole time.]
Most of the time, Saint Michael's representations depict him with a neutral expression, totally disconnected to the threat and tension of his whole body engaged in his battle against evil that belie no hesitation: no emotions pass through (eg. compassion, anger, fear, remorse, hesitation, pride, judgment/disgust against the evilās deeds or the violence he executes), only a solemn severity can be seen. Even for other angel figures of the Christian iconography, feelings were initially expressed through their gestures and hands. This changed at the end of the Middle Ages: angels were depicted with emotions and expressions eg. smiling to suggest their angelic gentleness, especially when represented suffering next to the Christ being crucified. But Saint Michael stays depicted with an impassive/calm expression, at most with a discreet rictus. ClĆ©mentine DenĆØle comments it could be explained by his ethereal nature and superior quality as an angel unlike humans & the overall idealistic representation of angels. She quotes the art historian Jean Wirth: he says the immobility and the impassibility are characteristic of the superior beings, because they convey an abstraction and reflect the stable order of invisible things. To materialize their constant presence by God and humansā side, angels make themselves visible to the humans by assuming a human form as well. Vivid expressions were exclusive to the damned and the demons. It aligns with the attitude he exhibits in the Epistle of Jude 1:9: « But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, āThe Lord rebuke you!āĀ Ā» Passing a partial judgement on the evil is not his mission, ClĆ©mentine DenĆØle says he only assumes his role as Godās armed wing and as such, his faithful obedience and trust in God command quietude under any circumstances: as the executor of divine justice, he knows for a fact his mission is devoted to the good and it must be fulfilled. She reports there were only rare occurrences depicting him with anger and aggressiveness or fear (heās most of the time confident in the battleās aftermath), and heās also rarely present to mourn the Christ as he is crucified: it is not his place.
On a related note, Naraeās name (ėė) is the synonym of wing, spelled ė ź°. ėė was officially admitted as an alternate orthography for the word in 2011. But from what I gathered, itās only used in a literary/poetic context, while the common spelling stays ė ź°.
⦠More on names & hanja
After all these episodes, some hanja that could be used for KMC, KSJ and Joohyunās names now seem relevant to note:
ā For Kim Muchan
-> Mu in Muchan Law (ę© & č“, ė²) as I mentioned in the first post: it aligns with his ambiguous position on justice on the past (āa rational justiceā that doesnāt follow the official law if itās unfair) and in the present (manipulating evidence and proceedings to arrest culprits but still handling them within the law, rejecting Gaetalās ways)
Deceive/lie (čŖ£, ģģ“ė¤) & fog/mist/haze (é§, ģź°): his unreliable narration, the way he deceived people to catch Gaetal in ep4 & the edit that appears in the preview ; KMC now seems even more ambiguous than KSJ.
Full of rumors (ę„, 묓ģ±ķė¤): his āWipeoutā reputation
Rough/violent/tough (čŖ, ź±°ģ¹ ė¤): his overall reckless and violent behavior as he works
Work hard/try hard and strive/work/endeavor ie. devote oneself and contribute to doing sth (å, ķģ°ė¤): self-explanatory given what we saw in this episode, combined with the shots of his house and the first episode that explains his reputation!
Stroke/touch/caress with hands and figuratively soothe ie. calm down sb with warm words and acts (ę®, ģ“루ė§ģ§ė¤ and ģ 묓ķė¤ which can have a romantic tone = caress, stroke affectionately ie. for sb to gently stroke the one they love): his overall restraint to reach out to KSJ and guilt over being too late to save Narae. The new OSTās lyrics also refer to those kinds of feelings (whoever the narrator is), especially āLet me hold your hand, ė ź°ź¹ģ“ ė넼ā (āLet me hold your hand, Closer to youā), āģµģģ¹ģģ ģ“ė° ė“ ėŖØģµ ėÆøģķ“ā (āIām sorry for this unfamiliar me [I showed you]ā) and āOh, please tell me why ā ėė ė¤ź² ā ė¦ģ§ ģź²ā (āOh, please tell me why ā I wonāt be late for you anymoreā).
EDIT: also, some shots indeed focus on KSJ's hands as he buries himself in them to cry in front of KMC!
House (å»”, ģ§): KSJās house he seems to know pretty well and possibly holds precious memories to him, and his own house he doesnāt seem to tend to, probably out of guilt (see a previous post, āOn the frames facing down (ep. 1 & 6), shame and guiltā)
Warrior (ie. person who learns martial arts and practices it as a job) & soldier/military/army (ę¦, ė¬“ģ¬ & ė³ģ¬ respectively): his potential association to St. Michael who led heavenly armies + for posterity, if they reveal later in the drama he also knows martial arts and it somehow involves him with the Killing Vote (the first episode & ep3 at least showed he was quite agile)
Shaman (å·«, ė¬“ė¹ ; though the word is mainly associated to female shamans, male shamans can also be called mudang): a shaman « employs magic to effect cures, to tell fortunes, to soothe spirits of the dead, and to repulse evilĀ Ā»
Dance (č, 춤ģ¶ė¤): like⦠the talchum⦠masks⦠in addition to the shaman... you know⦠haha
ā For Kwon Seokju
-> Kwon [You can also apply relevant meanings to Narae, since itās her last name]
Prison (å, ź°ė°©): both physical and figurative ever since Narae died and he murdered BWT
Abstain/refrain from ie. be careful about oneās speech or behavior (ę, ģ¼ź°ė¤): his overall behavior in the present
Tired/exhausted/weary (å¦, ź³ ė¬ķė¤): what he wen through these whole 8 years
Take care of/look after/oversee, heartfelt/caring (ę, ģ ģ±ģ¤ė½ė¤) & warm/friendly: self-explanatory about his character in general when we see his past self with Narae, Jihoon & KMC, and other people in general (BWTās parents, LMS, his students) before Naraeās case
Loyal/devoted (ę, ģ¶©ģ±ģ¤ė½ė¤): devoted wholeheartedly to his family
Look back/reflect on the past (ē , ėģ볓ė¤): also self-explanatory
-> Seok in Seokju
Untie (é, ķė¤ ie. return what has been tied, bound, or twisted back to its original state)/relieve anger or sorrow/get rid of oneās agony by handling it : heās still waiting for the accomplice to Naraeās murder to be arrested to find some closure after all those years, he perhaps also wants to put an end to it all for KMC to stop feeling guilty over the case.
Night (å¤, ė°¤), tide (ę±, ģ”°ģ ie. seawater flowing in and out from the shore because of the gravitational pull of the sun and moon) & tideland (ę½, ź°ķ ie. wide expanse of mud revealed when the tide goes down): [if the moon and sun imagery holds some meaning in the drama] ; also, most of KSJās scenes in the beginning were shot in the dark compared to the bright scenes with Narae and Jihoon
... The Mont Saint-Michel is known to be a tidal island and for its fog haha
-> Ju in Seokju [You can apply the relevant meanings to Joohyun too]
House (å®, ģ§): the house that had good natural lighting (Narae, Jihoon and perhaps KMC) he cherished is now gone, it is derelicted after all these years
Bear/endure/put up with ie. endure sth for a long time, resist (ę, ė²ķ°ė¤): self-explanatory too
Sunlight/sunbeam/sunshine (ę, ķė¹): the shots of him mourning or basking in the light
Timely rain but also heavy rain/downpour (ę¾, ėØė¹ and ķģ°) & wick and burn out ie. burn and eliminate sth (ē·, ģ¬ģ§ & ė¶ģ¬ė„“ė¤) as I mentioned in the first post!
The fire imagery is also present with Joohyunās character and her scar.
Itās associated to the tragedy she had to live, and we could project the same theme to KMC & KSJ who went through the same, all linked by this āterrible rageā still waiting to be put out.
The hanja ē« (which is what ē·, the hanja for wick/burn out is composed of) is associated to anger (ķ, anger, fury) and fire (ė¶).
Given the previous posts, you can also link it to the haetae (symbol of justice which feeds off fire, is said to prevent fires) or the eternal fire at the Last Judgment.
ā For Joohyun
-> Hyun in Joohyun
Snoop/nose around (äæ, ģ¼ķķė¤): self-explanatory hahaha
Bright ie. a place being light as a result of getting a lot of sun/light or brilliant (adj.)/break or dawn but also fig. cheerful/bright (ē«, ė°ė¤), sunlight/sunbeam/sunshine (ę”, ķė¹ and ę, ķģ“) and kind-hearted/benevolent (č³¢, ģ“ģ§ė¤): self-explanatory for this lovely character!!
Wise/sagacious/sensible (č³¢, ķėŖ ķė¤): she has a soothing and mature side to her eg. as she talked to KMC & Jihoon
Clever/bright/intelligent (å, ģ리ķė¤): self-explanatory too!!
Connect/link/join (ēø£, ģ°ź²°ķė¤, can also be used for people): she seems to connect with people around her with ease, and she looks like sheās trying to reconnect KMC to KSJ
⦠« The person Kwon Seokju cherished the most »
I donāt know where this will lead, but KMC JJWās quote in ep6 as he relayed it to KSJ: initially, it was about āthe person KSJ loved the mostā (ź°ģ„ ģ¬ėķė ģ¬ė ; ģ¬ėķė¤ = love/care ie. cherish, value, and care for sb with all oneās heart).
KMC quoted it as āthe person KSJ cherished the mostā (ź°ģ„ ģģ¤ķ ģ¬ė ; ģģ¤ķė¤ = valuable/precious/cherished/dear): while the two adjectives almost mean the same thing, ācherishedā feels more personal than the general ālovedā (ģ¬ėķė¤ is also used a lot) and conveys the invaluable dearness better in this situation to me.
Notes on "Ambidextrous Angle" here
Notes on "Lady Justice" here
Notes on the flowers in ep.8 here
Notes on the numbers on the car plate of No.3 and KMC here
The Colors in ep. 10
During the torture scene of LMS they went through multiple types of colors, which I found pretty interesting as someone whos studied colors and their meanings intensely over the years. And as a lot in TKV has meaning and thoughts put behind it, I wanted to make a post highlighting the scene- and the colors specifically. It will also including short historical informations about each color.
rethinking some old ocs again ... harlo my sweet<3
Rick gets daily calls with Beth the same way Artemis had daily calls with her parents and they put their hands on the glass window. Rick mouths āI love youā when Beth turns around to go when 20 mins are up. Rickās jail arc era becomes his pining era. Teardrops on my guitar? More like teardrops on my hourglass š
EXCUSE ME THIS JUST MADE MY NIGHT???
that 20 minutes is literally the highlight of his days and keeps him motivated to actually keep moving. he starts seeing beth as his closest confidant and just YEARNS to hear her voice even if only for a little bit every day :') she reminds him that getting out will be worth it and he has people who love him unconditionally even in his worst moments.

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60 + 12 for Hournite?
Poorly Timed Confession + Roommate AU
So obviously beth and rick are roommates in this, and they are both secretly pining for each other. they both think the other doesn't feel the same way as them, and beth decides to try and see other people in an attempt to get over her feelings for rick. she gets asked out by one of her doctor coworkers (in this they are in their 20s) and she tells rick about this. he is understandably jealous and when the time comes for beth to go out on her date with her coworker, she comes out of her room wearing a beautiful dress and just looking gorgeous as usual. rick thinks its now or never, and he would rather have his feelings out in the open than keep them in and regret it for the rest of his life. so when beth's coworker asks to be buzzed up to their apartment, rick blurts out "i'm in love with you," right before beth's date comes to pick her up.
Character ask for Cisco & Caitlin
Cisco
1: sexuality headcanon: pansexual
2: otp: Killervibe (obviously)
3: brotp: Cisco no Barry are one of the best bromances on television and I will shout it from the rooftops until the day I die. I need the writers to remember this more often.
4: notp: Cisco and any of the Wells is a big no from me.
5: first headcanon that pops into my head: Kit Fisto is his favorite Jedi and him and Barry argue over who is the best Jedi anytime they watch anything Star Wars (Barryās favorite Jedi is Shaak Ti. And I have no real explanation other than a gut feeling.)
6: favorite line from this character: āMy brain is the Ryan Gosling of intellect.ā
7: one way in which I relate to this character: he is such a nerd, I love this boy
8: thing that gives me secondhand embarresment about this character: the entire relationship with Kamilla. Itās just painful to watch. Her only real character trait is being Ciscoās girlfriend, but it doesnāt really feel like Cisco is that into her. Like, I want to ship it, but the writers are making it very hard.
9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?: cinnamon roll
Caitlin
1: sexuality headcanon: i havenāt really thought about it, honestly, but my gut feeling when typing this out was demisexual.
2: otp: Killervibe, duh.
3: brotp: I really love Caitlin and the West-Allens. Her relationship with both Barry and Iris is just wonderful and I donāt want to choose which of the two I like more, so both friendships.
4: notp: Caitlin and the West-Allens, because their friendships are too precious to be ruined with a romantic relationship.
5: first headcanon that pops into my head: Whenever Barry and Cisco get together for their weekly movie nights, Iris and Caitlin go to dinner and have a girls night. And they have a continuous bet going as to which one of their boys will call them first (because Barry and Cisco cannot go the whole night without calling them to check in.)
6: favorite line from this character: the first (and only) line that comes to mind when I think about Caitlin is āI didnāt want him to be a hero. I wanted him to be my husband.ā It just very much stuck with me and I definitely cried, because life is not fair and Caitlin Snow deserves a break.
7: one way in which I relate to this character: She is the one who will shut the fun down to get to work and I am 100% that person and have made my sisters very angry doing that.
8: thing that gives me second hand embarresment about this character: her trend to fall for terrible guys after Ronnie. Ronnie was great, but every guy after that was just the worst and Iām glad she hasnāt really had a boyfriend because she has a terrible track record.
9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?: honestly? I donāt feel like Caitlin is either. Sheās definitely not a problematic fave, but I wouldnāt exactly call her a cinnamon roll either. Sheās a complex character who is good to her core and I really donāt know how to discribe her properly.
Send me a character x
you are the inferior sister in your household and also the youngest and also the least trendy & you know it, right? Itās so refreshing to see an open and honest queen š
i- yeah ofc :) u understand me so well my h*t sister is obviously the most fashionable and also the oldest :)