[Drama 2018] My Mister, 나의 아저씨 - Best Drama at 2019 (55th) BaekSang Arts Awards

[h2ogirl]

After revisiting the "farewell" phone call, it struck me how conspicuous the Caution: Electricity sign is throughout the conversation. This was clearly no accident.

 

I'm attaching three of those GIFs (before, during, and after the phone call). Follow the link for the complete picture. 

 

 

 

 

Entire post:

 

https://givemeslippers.wordpress.com/2018/06/25/gif-the-electrifying-farewell-conversation/

[akhenaten]

18 minutes ago, justamom said:

Okay, after my passionate defense of three years time jump, I read up some more on DC Inside and it seems there is some debate about whether Dong Hoon said Ji Seok is now twelve or fourteen years in American age. I tried to listen but I honestly only caught the "yon..." and it sounds like "yon-ne" (fourteen). But it could also be "yol-tul..."

 

So.....it looks like unless someone from the PD team clarifies...or we get the scripts, the jury is still out.

 

 

@justamom I personally lean towards the longer time jump, mainly because the events that were shown at the end would be logical only after some time has passed. 

 

Ji An would need some time not just to heal from her traumatic childhood,  but to learn new skills that would qualify her even for an entry-level position at a company,  regardless if the Chairman of Saman E&C personally endorses her. From what I recall in earlier episodes,  she killed Kwang Il's father when she was just in middle school and had to serve whatever form of punishment the law imposed on her then. Plus,  I don't think that loan shark would have allowed her to continue with her schooling while he was making her do criminal acts. So there would have been a gap in her education and training that had to be rectified. 

 

In the case of Dong Hoon, putting up a company and making it relatively successful to the point that it already has several employees isn't something that can happen in one year. Assuming the Saman E&C Chairman invested capital in Dong Hoon Structures to jumpstart it (something which I believe may have happened because the Chairman did say he didn't want to lose Dong Hoon),  a year is still too short to establish a foothold in the market,  such that Dong Hoon can already say he's making 4 times (?) as much as he used to at Saman. And I don't think his relationship with Yoon Hee was settled in a few days.  And Yoon Hee seems to have already been in the States for quite some time,  judging by her photos with Ji Seok. 

[sadiesmith]

8 hours ago, justamom said:

Jeong Hee Unnie fighting! Oh Nara's latest instagram post.

 

Translation: 

"It was from here. That this drama shook me. I'm trying to clear my heart of stray thoughts for new projects. Let's not be cheap/unworthy! Let's love. I'll definitely meet you with a bright smile in my next project."

 

Apparently she also met Go Do Shim and Lee Seon Gyun at work, and hearing Park Dong Hoon's voice shook her all over again...

 

1 hour ago, justamom said:

 

It says My Ahjussi DVD commentary - my guess is they might have done some filming/interviews for the commentary?

 

That could be why Oh Nara, Lee Seon Gyun, etc met up as well

 

And apparently they were served MA themed fortune cookies.

 

Maybe someone with an instagram account should put a comment on these actors' posts and tell them how much we, international fans, appreciate their hard work and are still in fact discussing the drama.  And share link to the fan site.  

[rellea]

10 hours ago, justamom said:

 

I think she/he's referring to the whole dialogue about "how can a child like you pity an adult like me? I'm pitiful, and it makes you hurt. And that hurts me, when you hurt because of me." He/she is saying that 'like' or 'love' is actually what Dong Hoon is trying to say.

 

The dialogue in that scene is actually more like:

"I can't stand to see you hurting out of pity for me. And seeing you like that, I can't stand to live because of how pitiful you are. How can a child like you... how can a child like you out of pity for an adult like me [go so far]... That hurts so much I can't live."

 

They're right. Switch out the "pity" for "love" and you have yourself one passionate and heartfelt love confession.

[sadiesmith]

22 minutes ago, rellea said:

 

The dialogue in that scene is actually more like:

"I can't stand to see you hurting out of pity for me. And seeing you like that, I can't stand to live because of how pitiful you are. How can a child like you... how can a child like you out of pity for an adult like me [go so far]... That hurts so much I can't live."

 

They're right. Switch out the "pity" for "love" and you have yourself one passionate and heartfelt love confession.

 

So we can paraphrase the bolded above to "I can't stand to live because I pity (love) you so much."

[sadiesmith]

On 6/24/2018 at 11:23 AM, t123han said:

I am squeeing over the fact they are fan girling over his voice. So happy to see that he is recognised from this drama. Is someone iactually from Korea then can you enlighten me if he has gotten famous for this drama? What do people think about him there ? Just curious to know general public opninion about him. 

 As Akhenaten mentioned I too tried to move on by watching what a up secretary Kim ... bad choice , it was cheesy as f..k. I miss those deep meaningful conversation and can’t seem to get on board with cliche k drama love track anymore . 

So I have resigned and currently on break apart from rewatching my mister . 

 

LSK has been around the industry for a long time, even winning some local and international awards.  But you were right that he  never gained fame and CF status like Gong Yoo andr some of the other big names.  In terms of fame and popularity in S. Korea he seems to be very middle-of-the-road, never mind among international viewers; he is practically unknown among the new generation of drama watchers.  His movies never hit it super big either, but one thing that is going very well for him is that big name directors have been seeking him out in the last few years.  It started with This Week My Wife's Having an Affair, then the movie project with Man from Nowhere director,  then a movie with Ha Jung Woo, then Kim Won Seuk for My Ajusshi, and finally his current project with famous director Bong Joon Ho.  As you can see, he is a lot more active in film than drama.

 

But one thing though, his voice has always been famous, and because of it he has become the subject of endless silly impersonations.  I'm sure it gets old.  LOL!  Can I beg @rellea or some other kind souls to translate the following short video, especially the parts about working with and ruining his female co-stars and other people's love of imitating his voice?  

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcVqSCJaA3Y

 

edited to add:

Heck, even Oh Nara (Jung Hee) got all emotional after hearing him speak again in their reunion yesterday.  That's the power of THE VOICE.  I hope the success of My Ajusshi earns him new appreciation in Korea; I can't tell because I don't read Korean.  But at least more international drama watchers are discovering him now, and finally this long time fan is not feeling so lonely anymore. 

[ann04]

19 hours ago, akhenaten said:

As opposed to MA which to me is like a Leo Tolstoy or a Victor Hugo novel,  which you really need to digest and turn over in your head and read over and over again. 

 Yes definitely! It feels like going back to secondary school where we had to analyse classics in literature. What seems nothing in the surface, after digging desper and finding patterns that the author has put along the story, you start to see that there’s more to it than meet the eyes. It’s so fun how you can have so much to say in just one scene!! I really cannot wait to watch something like MA again, can they all just reunite again? It doesn’t have to be the same story 

[popai5]

@h2ogirl and @sadiesmith Thanks for the gifs and photos of Ji-an's eye roll!!! Just perfect!

 

@justamom Thanks for adding me to the chat group. I'll open my message soon to find out what I can do to help!

 

As far as the time-jump goes I too am very confused but am in the camp that it has only been one year. I know the tvN site might have said that Ji-Seok was a certain age, BUT did any of the characters actually say how old he was during the drama? He might be 14 (15 Korean age) at the end but regarding his initial age, do we have to believe the original site when they originally had a love line on the character chart but later took it away? Maybe they misstated JS's age too?

 

While watching DH's interview scene there was a DF translation that stated that DH was at the company/in his previous position for a 'dozen or so years' then his new position for another year. So, maybe 13 years at Saman for the lowest number 15-18 years at most if he had another position in the company before. Then there was that scene in the car when they said he would have had a bonus if he stayed another year to reach 20 years. Is it stayed another year before he quit to reach 20 or stayed another year from now (the future) to hit 20?

 

It would be so heartbreaking to think there was no contact between DH and JA for more than 1 year. JA thinking DH could be happy without her for such a long time. Or conversely, how labored his breathing would have been for so long if he was unhappy and without her by his side (since she knows that she is the one who helps him breathe). And for DH knowing JA was doing well (through the Chairman) but not knowing if she still felt the same way about him (since now he was ready to accept those feelings and return them). That's why he smiled and looked away after JA told him she would buy him something good to eat while they were holding hands. He saw that he had a chance.

 

But if the time-jump was 2 or 3 years then it would show that JA had plenty of time to grow and discover and enjoy a 'normal' life so she is more ready to accept a romantic relationship. Also, it would show that given the opportunity of meeting various men she has remained committed to DH as her man!

 

Six (It was 4. I keep adding) things I noticed as I finished re-watching ep 14-16.

 

1) When DH was lamenting to JA that 'how could someone as young as you pity someone as old as me' (paraphrasing here). I was just inserting 'love' for pity. He hesitated or paused before saying pity. I think he was going for like/love too.

 

2) When Yoora ran past DH into JH's bar the guys were joking around and said 'she is happy to see her ahjussi'. Again, I think of KH and YR's relationship serving as a precursor to DH and JA's relationship. First a hug, then a relationship and finally a kiss! Just skip all the vo**t on the stairs and the break-up part.

 

3) More emphasis on DH being a gentleman and respectful towards women. DH's sister-in-law (SH's wife) states that DH was a gentleman (during the becoming director celebration) when he was younger. So JH, his brothers, his bosses and co-workers all insist that DH would not make a move. So we've all been told why we had to wait until the end to get the hand hold (and now much more).

 

4) During the same celebration when they are talking about not being able to talk about the monk and how it must have hurt DH that he couldn't talk about him then he went to the bathroom. I think he was just as emotional thinking about how he couldn't talk about JA and how much he missed her now that she was missing (then we get the song about longing for someone far away).

 

5) They ended the show while showing the hand hold then outlining it before water-coloring it and doing the end credits with the behind the scenes stuff. They are showing them touching, them together, them connected at the very end.

 

6) I noticed at the building where grandma's urn is to be placed there is a scene where JA and DH are both placing the urn into it's special spot. The camera is on their gloved hands. Just as the urn is placed Ji-an's finger moves up and touches DH's finger!!! JA initiating contact so that she, DH and grandma are joined together for one good-bye.

@h2ogirl can you get a shot of that?

 

Sorry for the long rambling post.

 

 

[Guest]

First nomination for MA, this drama should get more awards for cast and crew .

A lifetime drama

Unconvesional story

Excellent acting and directing

Masterpiece of art

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

 

[widala]

2 hours ago, popai5 said:

@h2ogirl and @sadiesmith Thanks for the gifs and photos of Ji-an's eye roll!!! Just perfect!

 

@justamom Thanks for adding me to the chat group. I'll open my message soon to find out what I can do to help!

 

As far as the time-jump goes I too am very confused but am in the camp that it has only been one year. I know the tvN site might have said that Ji-Seok was a certain age, BUT did any of the characters actually say how old he was during the drama? He might be 14 (15 Korean age) at the end but regarding his initial age, do we have to believe the original site when they originally had a love line on the character chart but later took it away? Maybe they misstated JS's age too?

 

While watching DH's interview scene there was a DF translation that stated that DH was at the company/in his previous position for a 'dozen or so years' then his new position for another year. So, maybe 13 years at Saman for the lowest number 15-18 years at most if he had another position in the company before. Then there was that scene in the car when they said he would have had a bonus if he stayed another year to reach 20 years. Is it stayed another year before he quit to reach 20 or stayed another year from now (the future) to hit 20?

 

It would be so heartbreaking to think there was no contact between DH and JA for more than 1 year. JA thinking DH could be happy without her for such a long time. Or conversely, how labored his breathing would have been for so long if he was unhappy and without her by his side (since she knows that she is the one who helps him breathe). And for DH knowing JA was doing well (through the Chairman) but not knowing if she still felt the same way about him (since now he was ready to accept those feelings and return them). That's why he smiled and looked away after JA told him she would buy him something good to eat while they were holding hands. He saw that he had a chance.

 

But if the time-jump was 2 or 3 years then it would show that JA had plenty of time to grow and discover and enjoy a 'normal' life so she is more ready to accept a romantic relationship. Also, it would show that given the opportunity of meeting various men she has remained committed to DH as her man!

 

Six (It was 4. I keep adding) things I noticed as I finished re-watching ep 14-16.

 

1) When DH was lamenting to JA that 'how could someone as young as you pity someone as old as me' (paraphrasing here). I was just inserting 'love' for pity. He hesitated or paused before saying pity. I think he was going for like/love too.

 

2) When Yoora ran past DH into JH's bar the guys were joking around and said 'she is happy to see her ahjussi'. Again, I think of KH and YR's relationship serving as a precursor to DH and JA's relationship. First a hug, then a relationship and finally a kiss! Just skip all the vo**t on the stairs and the break-up part.

 

3) More emphasis on DH being a gentleman and respectful towards women. DH's sister-in-law (SH's wife) states that DH was a gentleman (during the becoming director celebration) when he was younger. So YH, his brothers, his bosses and co-workers all insist that DH would not make a move. So we've all been told why we had to wait until the end to get the hand hold (and now much more).

 

4) During the same celebration when they are talking about not being able to talk about the monk and how it must have hurt DH that he couldn't talk about him then he went to the bathroom. I think he was just as emotional thinking about how he couldn't talk about JA and how much he missed her now that she was missing (then we get the song about longing for someone far away).

 

5) They ended the show while showing the hand hold then outlining it before water-coloring it and doing the end credits with the behind the scenes stuff. They are showing them touching, them together, them connected at the very end.

 

6) I noticed at the building where grandma's urn is to be placed there is a scene where JA and DH are both placing the urn into it's special spot. The camera is on their gloved hands. Just as the urn is placed Ji-an's little finger moves up and touches DH finger!!! JA initiating contact so that she, DH and grandma are joined together for one good-bye.

@h2ogirl can you get a shot of that?

 

Sorry for the long rambling post.

 

 

 Cool observations! Thanks for sharing them.

Point 6, I need to rewatch that scene again...

[Guest]

Our Ahjussi velvet voice...

No wonder our Jiani mood depend on his emotion voice

 

Shy ahjussi smile...nine years boy trapped in 40 years man body..lol.

So he met "Jiani noona"

[rellea]

5 hours ago, sadiesmith said:

 

But one thing though, his voice has always been famous, and because of it he has become the subject of endless silly impersonations.  I'm sure it gets old.  LOL!  Can I beg @rellea or some other kind souls to translate the following short video, especially the parts about working with and ruining his female co-stars and other people's love of imitating his voice?  

 

 

 

Ask and you shall receive:

 

Spoiler

MC: You had a lot of action this time around. It was very new to us (the viewers) to see LSK’s action.
LSK: Yes, this kind of rough action was a first for me.
MC: How was it?
LSK: It hurt a lot. But as much as it hurt it was rewarding. We were ripping each other’s hair out and grappling. It was very realistic.
MC: Doesn’t it get awkward after shooting a scene like that?
LSK: Rather, there was the kind of comraderie from back in military training (meaning the comraderie felt between 2 people who underwent extreme hardship together.)
MC: When you’re filming a movie you don’t have time to see your son much do you?
LSK: Yes, I couldn’t see him much last year. So I’ve been almost exclusively at home for the past 2 months since my drama ended.
MC: That difficult child raising...
LSK: Yes, so I’m looking to decide on my next project ASAP, haha.
MC: Have you seen the return of Superman? If an offer were to come in from that show do you have the confidence to take care of your son by yourself for 2-3 days straight?
LSK: Ah... well... that’s pretty much my daily life lately. But I don’t really want to show people the state of my house. Child raising is fine—it’s my dirty house that’s the problem...
MC: Lately, there are a lot of people on tv imitating your voice. Jin Ihan, jung joon young, heo taehee, yoon doojoon, and jung sungho. Are there times you wish they would stop? ‘They don’t even sound similar why do they keep doing it’?
LSK: As long as Heo Taehee stops. Stop it. I said stop it, you.
MC: “If you’re an actress, grab on to LSK“. You’ve probably heard this saying before. If we look at your past, successful projects, all the actresses who acted opposite you became successful. Why do you think that is? Are you particularly considerate to them?
LSK: Ah... well... They’re all originally talented actresses. If there’s anything, I guess when I act I look a little more closely at my partners’ lines. Ah I’m praising myself too much. They were all originally talented actresses.
MC: Then 1) they were just originally talented and 2) it was thanks to my extra effort to learn their lines
LSK: I’ll have to ruin someone next time. I’ll have to ruin someone haha.
MC: Is there any actress you would like to act together with again? 
LSK: If they want to then I’m always open. I’ll ruin at least one person.
MC: You’ll break the actress jinx.

 

[sadiesmith]

6 hours ago, rellea said:

 

Ask and you shall receive:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

MC: You had a lot of action this time around. It was very new to us (the viewers) to see LSK’s action.
LSK: Yes, this kind of rough action was a first for me.
MC: How was it?
LSK: It hurt a lot. But as much as it hurt it was rewarding. We were ripping each other’s hair out and grappling. It was very realistic.
MC: Doesn’t it get awkward after shooting a scene like that?
LSK: Rather, there was the kind of comraderie from back in military training (meaning the comraderie felt between 2 people who underwent extreme hardship together.)
MC: When you’re filming a movie you don’t have time to see your son much do you?
LSK: Yes, I couldn’t see him much last year. So I’ve been almost exclusively at home for the past 2 months since my drama ended.
MC: That difficult child raising...
LSK: Yes, so I’m looking to decide on my next project ASAP, haha.
MC: Have you seen the return of Superman? If an offer were to come in from that show do you have the confidence to take care of your son by yourself for 2-3 days straight?
LSK: Ah... well... that’s pretty much my daily life lately. But I don’t really want to show people the state of my house. Child raising is fine—it’s my dirty house that’s the problem...
MC: Lately, there are a lot of people on tv imitating your voice. Jin Ihan, jung joon young, heo taehee, yoon doojoon, and jung sungho. Are there times you wish they would stop? ‘They don’t even sound similar why do they keep doing it’?
LSK: As long as Heo Taehee stops. Stop it. I said stop it, you.
MC: “If you’re an actress, grab on to LSK“. You’ve probably heard this saying before. If we look at your past, successful projects, all the actresses who acted opposite you became successful. Why do you think that is? Are you particularly considerate to them?
LSK: Ah... well... They’re all originally talented actresses. If there’s anything, I guess when I act I look a little more closely at my partners’ lines. Ah I’m praising myself too much. They were all originally talented actresses.
MC: Then 1) they were just originally talented and 2) it was thanks to my extra effort to learn their lines
LSK: I’ll have to ruin someone next time. I’ll have to ruin someone haha.
MC: Is there any actress you would like to act together with again? 
LSK: If they want to then I’m always open. I’ll ruin at least one person.
MC: You’ll break the actress jinx.

 

Aww, you are such a darling.  Thank you so much for translating.    And LSK, what a sweetheart.  So instead of "ruining an actress" like he promised , he continues to propel his female co-stars to new height.  IU was a lucky girl indeed.  Here's the video again.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcVqSCJaA3Y

[justamom]

5 hours ago, popai5 said:

 

6) I noticed at the building where grandma's urn is to be placed there is a scene where JA and DH are both placing the urn into it's special spot. The camera is on their gloved hands. Just as the urn is placed Ji-an's little finger moves up and touches DH finger!!! JA initiating contact so that she, DH and grandma are joined together for one good-bye.

@h2ogirl can you get a shot of that?

 

There is a wonderful DC Inside post on Dong Hoon's significance during the funeral...it's on my translate list. And yes, that one moment when Dong Hoon, Ji An and Halmoni's ashes met. 

 

There's another scene too, of Ji An and Dong Hoon framed by the doorway at the funeral parlour. It's a gorgeous and symbolic shot.

 

I'll try to find it later and post it here.

 

@rellea thanks!! I'm gonna practise my listening comprehension later! Lee Seon Gyun is just...the man of my life right now  Like Ji An, I want to listen to him all the time

[justamom]

This could be a whole long post in itself all together, but here goes. 

 

The funeral. A couple of folks at DC Inside pointed out that the funeral in episode seems to parallel the wedding in episode 1.

 

But the writer flips things around. The wedding ends up disastrously, whereas the funeral is perfect. 

During the wedding, Sang Hoon and his wife are on the brink of divorce. The first signs of cracks in Dong Hoon's marriage have appeared.

After the funeral, Sang Hoon and his wife make up. While Dong Hoon and his wife...well we all know what happened there.

 

As I wrote earlier, the funeral, for me, was also hugely symbolic. Dong Hoon at the head of the procession. I almost fell off my bed when I saw that. To a Korean audience, that significance needs no explanation. It's a declaration of his love -- through his actions and behaviour. 

 

I'll try and translate later.... @rellea no obligation, but...

 

"No matter how I see it, the funeral looks like a wedding"

http://gall.dcinside.com/board/view/?id=mymister&no=57092&page=1&search_pos=&s_type=search_all&s_keyword=장례식

 

"Contrasting emotions reflected in the major events of Episodes 1 and 16"

http://gall.dcinside.com/board/view/?id=mymister&no=54484

 

"Hidden contrasting emotions in the funeral in Episode 16"

http://gall.dcinside.com/board/view/?id=mymister&no=55279&page=1&search_pos=&s_type=search_all&s_keyword=장례식

 

Funeral stills (just bookmarking this for myself  )

http://gall.dcinside.com/board/view/?id=mymister&no=50449&page=4&search_pos=&s_type=search_all&s_keyword=장례식

 

http://gall.dcinside.com/board/view/?id=mymister&no=50284&page=4&search_pos=&s_type=search_all&s_keyword=장례식

 

 

[sadiesmith]

9 hours ago, popai5 said:

@h2ogirl and @sadiesmith Thanks for the gifs and photos of Ji-an's eye roll!!! Just perfect!

 

@justamom Thanks for adding me to the chat group. I'll open my message soon to find out what I can do to help!

 

As far as the time-jump goes I too am very confused but am in the camp that it has only been one year. I know the tvN site might have said that Ji-Seok was a certain age, BUT did any of the characters actually say how old he was during the drama? He might be 14 (15 Korean age) at the end but regarding his initial age, do we have to believe the original site when they originally had a love line on the character chart but later took it away? Maybe they misstated JS's age too?

 

Sorry for the long rambling post.

 

Great observations, @popai5!  I am still stuck on episode 5 in my rewatch and because you guys keep feeding my obsessions with new insights I feel no need to hurry.  I also don't trust 100% what TVN puts up on their site.  They also heavily promoted this drama as a romance drama, contradicting what the cast were saying, and confusing all viewers.  I have been wondering about the scene with the urn and gloved hands.  I remember the camera lingering there for quite a long time and thinking there must be a significance.  I am also excited to learn what this scene means because @justamom said every Korean viewer understands right away.  This is such a beautiful shot, don't you agree?  Why is DH walking in the very front and not JA?

 

[widala]

http://imgur.com/gallery/RoDU51s

 

Sorry...

Learning to put picture...

Not successful yet 

 

 

 

Edited June 26, 2018 by widala

[h2ogirl]

On 5/3/2018 at 10:24 AM, timidjock0819 said:

On 5/3/2018 at 9:05 AM, akhenaten said:

 

@sadiesmith @timidjock0819

 

Can’t they be endgame without it being explicitly shown?  I mean, no grand gestures or overwhelmingly romantic scenes.  Anyway, subtlety has always been the norm for MA.  And the way things are between Dong Hoon and Ji An, words seem irrelevant.  But I just want the writer and director to tell the story that they wanted to tell from the beginning, be it an all-out romance, a subtle love story, a human tragedy, or all of the above.  At this point, they shouldn’t even let those naysayers (or even those who are pro-OTP)  influence their execution. 

 

@akhenaten The writers never let up since episode 5 about their connection. The longing keeps getting worst between DH and Jian. The story has been consistent all the way through.  Now, our ajusshi appears poignantly running towards her house.  A man does not run like that for just a co-worker or a mere friend. The main reason there is a pro-OTP stand is because of all the longing scenes between the two leads as presented in the drama. The ending will be subtle and heartwarming. But hey, I wouldn't mind hand holding, etc.. if they will be endgame. 

 

I think the PD/writer is already telling their story consistent with the script despite the controversies. KWS and writer Park are no push-overs so MA will end based on their vision of the story line. TVN is giving this a go ahead no matter what it is, because they have another big age gap romance coming down the pipe with Mr Sunshine. Also, it seems that domestic audience don't mind the possible romance considering episode 12 is the highest rated so far.

 

 

Right on the money, guys. Hahaha 

 

16 hours ago, popai5 said:

6) I noticed at the building where grandma's urn is to be placed there is a scene where JA and DH are both placing the urn into it's special spot. The camera is on their gloved hands. Just as the urn is placed Ji-an's little finger moves up and touches DH finger!!! JA initiating contact so that she, DH and grandma are joined together for one good-bye.

@h2ogirl can you get a shot of that?

 

@justamom's DC Inside link provides some gorgeous shots.

 

Also, here's a GIF of that bit:
 

 

[akhenaten]

9 hours ago, justamom said:

This could be a whole long post in itself all together, but here goes. 

 

The funeral. A couple of folks at DC Inside pointed out that the funeral in episode seems to parallel the wedding in episode 1.

 

But the writer flips things around. The wedding ends up disastrously, whereas the funeral is perfect. 

During the wedding, Sang Hoon and his wife are on the brink of divorce. The first signs of cracks in Dong Hoon's marriage have appeared.

After the funeral, Sang Hoon and his wife make up. While Dong Hoon and his wife...well we all know what happened there.

 

As I wrote earlier, the funeral, for me, was also hugely symbolic. Dong Hoon at the head of the procession. I almost fell off my bed when I saw that. To a Korean audience, that significance needs no explanation. It's a declaration of his love -- through his actions and behaviour. 

 

I'll try and translate later.... @rellea no obligation, but...

 

"No matter how I see it, the funeral looks like a wedding"

http://gall.dcinside.com/board/view/?id=mymister&no=57092&page=1&search_pos=&s_type=search_all&s_keyword=장례식

 

"Contrasting emotions reflected in the major events of Episodes 1 and 16"

http://gall.dcinside.com/board/view/?id=mymister&no=54484

 

"Hidden contrasting emotions in the funeral in Episode 16"

http://gall.dcinside.com/board/view/?id=mymister&no=55279&page=1&search_pos=&s_type=search_all&s_keyword=장례식

 

Funeral stills (just bookmarking this for myself  )

http://gall.dcinside.com/board/view/?id=mymister&no=50449&page=4&search_pos=&s_type=search_all&s_keyword=장례식

 

http://gall.dcinside.com/board/view/?id=mymister&no=50284&page=4&search_pos=&s_type=search_all&s_keyword=장례식

 

 

 

@justamom  My goodness.  I'm not Korean but I'm Asian so yes, I do understand on a cultural level the significance of Dong Hoon proactively taking on a primary role in the funeral of Ji An's grandmother.  His level of participation and involvement is usually only reserved for very close family members of the deceased.  For him to have taken that on actually sends a message that he sees Lee Bong Ae and Lee Ji an as family.  Now, others may still argue that his perception of them as family only shows that his emotional attachment towards Ji An is more filial than romantic.  Be that as it may, it still remains that Dong Hoon took on the part of the man of the house in that funeral.  And besides, I doubt that Sang Hoon would go out of his way to spend his own hard-earned money for a young woman he's only just met, regardless if he thinks she's a nice person and he pities her, unless he attaches greater significance to her than just being his brother's young friend.  Sang Hoon is very perceptive and he knows how important Ji An is to Dong Hoon.  In a way, he was making an investment when he spent for her grandmother's funeral, and you don't invest in a financial instrument that you haven't carefully studied, and you make sure your returns are more or less guaranteed in some form or fashion.  That return on Sang Hoon's investment in Lee Bong Ae's funeral would be the cementing of their family ties with Lee Ji An, and the reinforcement of her relationship with Dong Hoon.

 

Seeing it in this light brings home to me the possible meaning and motivation behind Dong Hoon's insistence that Ji An must call him when her grandmother dies.  It was one of his ways of showing her how important she has become to him.  In as much as he is unable to articulate his feelings and makes use of actions and veiled language to show how much he cares, such as his speech about the slippers, this is another one of those actions laden with so much meaning behind them.  And everyone, his brothers and his close friends, know exactly what his actions mean, especially because they know Dong Hoon is not the kind of man who acts lightly or frivolously.

 

Over at tumblr, someone actually commented that Dong Hoon was acting like such a husband throughout the funeral.  

 

I'm really looking forward to those translations.