Brace yourself, for this hour does not seem like an easy one for the faint-hearted fans, including me. Tears seem to be endless for episode 15 and I can’t imagine what will happen if this episode is going to grind my heart with all the torture and sadness. Will there be an end to their suffering of 21 years? And the most important thing: how will Ri-jin process all the memories when they come and hit her all at once?
[Episode 16]
The trip day was here and Do-hyun got dressed up before looking at his reflection on the mirror, practicing his smiles. Although his eyes were enough to show how heartbroken he was, he managed to break into a weak smile for the trip. Ri-jin started taking selcas on her phone and she even recorded a video for Do-hyun, mimicking the video Se-gi made for him when he first returned to the country. Do-hyun saw the toy train peeking from inside the box and it reminded him of the toy trains he shared with little Ri-jin back then.
Off they went to ride the Snow Flower Train, with Do-hyun writing something in his notebook since they boarded the train. Ri-jin was curious about it and managed to snatch the book away from Do-hyun’s grab, before realizing that he had been listing his favourite things, as if he’s reporting his whole personal information to her. He did it because he thought that the Q&A session would be too long, so he wrote it down for her. Heh, so thoughtful of him. She saw an interesting detail in the list and the started to play a game, in which Do-hyun did terribly at. I think she was testing the thing he said he couldn’t do, and Ri-jin had a field day hitting Do-hyun as the game’s punishment. Kekeke! It was the first time she met a person that would be so bad at playing simple games like those, and Do-hyun’s complaint reminded her of Se-gi. She didn’t tell him the details and hit his head instead of his arm before they rushed to get off at the station.
The postcards left behind by them on the train read: “Cha Do-hyun and Oh Ri-jin’s couple trip. Remember. 26.02.2015” and “Oh la oh la~ It feels good! Ri-jin is excited! ❤ The happy moment with Cha Do-hyun. Thank you for keeping the promise. 26.02.2015.”
They walked down the road and headed towards a river, as Ri-jin told Do-hyun about something she dreamed about: she made a promise with a certain child that they would go for a trip together to a faraway place with the train when they grew up. She had never told Ri-on about the dream because she was sure that Ri-on would say that the other child was him, but she knew that it wasn’t her brother. She was about to ask Do-hyun if the kid could be him, but she nearly slipped off the slippery rock and Do-hyun caught her from falling, before teasing her. Nice catch, indeed.
Chairman Seo learned about Madam Shin’s effort to find a child and that’s not all; Young-pyo’s side had also made a move and that included bringing some of the directors who were once the chairman’s allies to his side. Her secretary thought that she should use Do-hyun as her guarantee just like she always did, and that she should bring her grandson back into the company. She scolded the secretary for daring to teach her how to act but unknown to her, Madam Shin was eavesdropping to their conversation. Madam Shin went to visit Young-pyo’s house with an intention, and Young-pyo assured her that he would not abandon Do-hyun who had been guarding Seungjin like a faithful dog all this while, implying that she should leave everything to him. She wasn’t going easy at all, suggesting that he made Do-hyun as the person responsible for the department store and the car manufacturing business under Seungjin. Madam Shin was very confident, because she had the card that Young-pyo won’t be able to refuse…
The date continued with the couple sitting in front of a dining table…looking at a sorry state of a packed kimbap Ri-jin brought from the house. Do-hyun can’t help but to laugh at the food but he admitted that it still tasted good, despite looking a bit messy. They dug in the local specialty there and Do-hyun explained how the noddles got its name. He asked whether she was good in cooking and Ri-jin told him that there were two things she couldn’t do: cooking and arithmetic. It’s not that because she was bad at Maths, but she would always fell sick when she had to watch over the counter at Ssangri. She didn’t take after her mother when it came to cooking but she took after her father for their inability to do calculations. Ri-jin joked that both Ri-on and her would throw out punches over words, but Do-hyun seemed to realize that her words were right, considering how Ri-on confronted him on the day before. Talking about the twins’ similarities, Ri-jin said that both of them couldn’t reject other people’s requests easily, and they were both afraid of the basement.
Do-hyun thought that the twins had a good relationship with each other and he was so envious of them. He laughed at Ri-jin’s effort to eat the noodles, but the mention of the basement brought another flashback of his conversation with Ri-on. He had read the manuscript for the novel The Basement Child written by Ri-on, and he wondered if Ri-on wanted to know the back story to the novel. Ri-on asked Do-hyun if he had revived his lost memory, and Do-hyun proceeded to tell him the story of little Ri-jin and him, who promised to meet every night at 10 PM, in his house’s basement. The girl was kept hidden in the basement because her existence wasn’t supposed to be known to the rest of the world, but Do-hyun himself didn’t know the reason yet. Ri-on was questioning why the basement where the kids were spending time together turned into a place where their fear multiplied, and Do-hyun opened up to him about what had happened 21 years ago in that basement.
Ri-on was thinking about the same thing while he was writing his manuscript but he went out, as if it was time for him to go somewhere. He kept thinking about Do-hyun’s story while he was driving. At the same time, Do-hyun and Ri-jin were still spending time together, but Do-hyun couldn’t seem to keep his happy face any longer.
Do-hyun: The children’s promise to meet every night at 10 was not easy at all. If the boy made a mistake or his visit to the basement was found out by his father, the girl would be the one receiving the beatings. The boy who couldn’t protect the girl locked away his hurtful memories and threw them away, before multiple sides of him started to come out. However, the locked memories were corrupted; the boy mistook the girl’s experience of being abused as his own. It was because of his wish to be the one being abused instead of the girl, and to have all the torture endured by the girl to become his own.
Ri-on expressed his thoughts that no one in this world wished to become a victim, and the other people inside Seungjin at that time were more powerful to change the event back then. Perhaps, it was the best consolation Ri-on could offer to Do-hyun when he assured him, that Do-hyun was not the witness; he was just another victim in the scenario. Do-hyun asked Ri-on if he had any intention to continue writing the novel about Seungjin, because he was willing to provide the reference. He only had one condition, that was for Ri-on to make the novel as a bestseller.
The trip reminded Ri-jin of a trip she had with the whole family when she was young but she ended up getting scolded with Ri-on after the twins fought. Ri-jin explained that she was full of vigour because of her brother, and that was helpful for her in dealing with the patients when they’re out of control, or when she had to deal with Yo-na. She teased Do-hyun about Yo-na’s endless fangirling and her kiss incident (mimicking Yo-na LOL) while Do-hyun could only laugh at her. She also told him about the meaning of her name (bright/ 영리한 Ri and treasure/보배 Jin) and Do-hyun promised to remember the beautiful name for a long time. He looked distant and Ri-jin seemed to notice his unusual behaviour then.
They walked following the train track and Ri-jin ran towards the beach at the sight of the wide blue sea in front of them. She was so excited, like a little girl who saw the sea for the first time, and urged for Do-hyun to be closer to the water. This…is it, right? When Do-hyun called her name, in a very serious tone, Ri-jin knew that his memories had returned and asked the same question she threw to Se-gi before: was she there inside his memories? Was those memories about the good times they had? Was he having a hard time with her beside him? Do-hyun didn’t answer her even when she asked if that was a farewell for them.
Do-hyun: Oh Ri-jin, thank you for everything. The chairman and my mother had found out about my illness, hence there was no further need to keep it a secret from my family. I will have things to do from now on, so I won’t need you. The contract ends today. You’ve worked hard.
Ri-jin didn’t have any objection against his decision, but she didn’t even turn back to face him She told Do-hyun to leave first if he had the confidence to show his back to her. Do-hyun didn’t say anything and turned around slowly, before walking away from the spot he originally stood. Ri-jin sat there without looking back, and Do-hyun walked away without turning back even once. Ri-on had arrived there and after some time, he approached Ri-jin on the beach, telling her to get up for them to have something warm to eat, before he froze to death.
The siblings sat over a proper meal at a place nearby and Ri-on left everything up to Ri-jin: she could curse at or hit him, according to her own judgement. She wondered how he knew she was there and guessed that Do-hyun and Ri-on had planned it all beforehand. Ri-on thought that it would be better if Ri-jin did something to release the emotions inside her, and he didn’t think that recalling all those trashy memories would do anything good. He wished for them to live with their family like before, and Ri-jin couldn’t stop her tears anymore from flowing.
Do-hyun was lying down on his couch when Secretary Ahn went to his house and he started blabbering about acting so cool on the beach before. He had a few drinks but he couldn’t seem to be drunk enough for Se-gi or Ferry to take over his consciousness. He wished to have any of them to come out at that moment, but they weren’t there to help him. Secretary Ahn told him to go to his room because he didn’t want to see him like that and the ever-faithful Alfred Ahn decided to help Do-hyun in nursing his heartbreak. He gave Do-hyun a pep talk, after telling him that it wold be helpful to cry, about losing a woman couldn’t be compared to the feeling of losing a country (Advisor Chae, is that you?), but Do-hyun felt like he just lost a country. His cheeks were wet and Secretary Ahn knew that he was crying, although his eyes were hidden under the sleep mask.
The Oh Family huddled around the dining table for breakfast and Ri-jin was overly excited for the soup. Ri-on warned her that she was overreacting, while their parents thought that she wasn’t fed properly by the chaebol who hired her. Daddy Oh told her to quit working there and right at that moment, her things from Do-hyun’s house arrived. Ri-jin told her parents that she had resigned and excused herself from the table. She took out her clothes from the luggage and the sight of her rabbit pajamas reminded her of Yo-na. She got teary eyed but she suddenly got a call from a woman: Chairman Seo.
Dr. Seok and Do-hyun had their secret meeting again, this time at an a public aquarium. I love how random the places they chose, probably to keep it as a secret and as natural as possible. Do-hyun had told Dr. Seok everything except for the child’s identity and he was planning to find out the reason why the child was hidden and abused, so that he could properly apologize to that person. Dr. Seok thought that Ri-jin was still working with him, but he still told Do-hyun to contact him if anything happened.
Ri-jin was summoned to Seungjin mansion and she went there but thankfully, the housekeeper reported to Secretary Ahn about Chairman Seo and Ri-jin’s meeting. Secretary Ahn was meeting a man who worked at the mansion when the garden party was held prior to the fire incident, and he informed Do-hyun about another person who could give them more details: Seo-yeon’s driver. Do-hyun was concerned when he got to know that Ri-jin went to the mansion and drove there in a hurry. Ri-jin told the chairman that she was no longer Do-hyun’s personal doctor, so Chairman Seo dismissed her. Ri-jin then tried to talk to her about helping Do-hyun to deal with his illness, but the chairman didn’t think that bringing up the past would do any good for them.
Her remark Ri-jin being a daring lady stirred another wave of memory in Ri-jin, as she could hear the grandma’s voice, saying the same thing to the younger version of her. The housekeeper brought in the photos of Jun-pyo and Ri-jin was disturbed after seeing the photos. She looked pale and the housekeeper escorted her out of the study, but that’s not the end of the memory. Ri-jin heard the sound of musical instruments being played and this time, we got to see the longer and more accurate version of little Do-hyun’s piano practice session.
Little Ri-jin was actually there in the scene, playing the violin to accompany Do-hyun’s piano, but Do-hyun made a mistake. Jun-pyo closed the book he was reading and walked towards the children, telling Do-hyun that another person would receive the punishment if he made a mistake. Little Ri-jin just stood there silently, but she was brave to told Jun-pyo that it was not right for an adult to hit a child. Jun-pyo hated that she resembled her mother so much and dragged her away by the collar, as little Do-hyun begged for his father to hit him instead.
The memories were not easy to handle, but Ri-jin managed to walk out of the mansion. She kept thinking about Do-hyun’s words, telling her about his intention to find the child in the basement, and felt that the child was actually herself. Her fears, Do-hyun’s apology for being late, and him telling her not to revive her memories all made sense now: the child in her dreams was Do-hyun, and he had remembered everything. She fell onto her knees, still in the vicinity of the mansion, and hid her face in her knees. Do-hyun saw her and ran towards her, but her plea to be saved stopped him from touching her. The housekeeper went out and escorted Ri-jin to the car, while Do-hyun sat there on the ground, wallowing in his guilt for the umpteenth time.
Do-hyun went to Chairman Seo, demanding to know why she called Ri-jin there and he was not in the mood to be courteous this time, even in front of his grandma. The chairman didn’t really answer his questions and just ordered Do-hyun to return to the company, but Do-hyun flatly refused it and made it a point that he would never return to the company.
Ri-jin chose to settle down at a cafe and she was soon joined by Ri-on. She asked for Ri-on to decipher the meaning of her dream.
Ri-jin: I was around seven years old at that time, and I was accompanying a boy’s piano practice by playing violin. The boy made a mistake with his piano but I was the one getting scolded. A certain scary-looking man dragged me to the basement. Who was the man who dragged me? Was it the wind man? I was locked in the basement for the whole day. But that boy went to visit me every night at 10. I waited for him every night with hope, so that I could play with that boy. Was you the boy I waited for, or was it Cha Do-hyun?
Ri-on realized that Ri-jin had started to recall her lost memories, but she was more interested to know how much he had found out, and to what extent did Do-hyun and him made their pact. She knew that he won’t open his mouth, hence Ri-jin had decided to find them on her own. She went back home in tears and made the request to know about her birth parents from Mama Ji, since she had started to be curious about them.
Do-hyun headed back home but he had more things to be discussed with Secretary Ahn. They’re contacting Seo-yeon’s driver in the past and the secretary gave Do-hyun the family register, together with the record of Seo-yeon entering the country with Chairman Cha and a 6-year old girl. The girl’s whereabouts couldn’t be traced afterwards, and Do-hyun realized that something was off in the family registry: he was brought into Seungjin because he needed the family register to attend the school, but he clearly remembered that it was in the winter when he was introduced to his grandma. However, his name had been there in the family register since that year’s summer (or to be exact, on the same day Seo-yeon went back to Korea with her daughter). It was impossible for the late chairman to put Do-hyun’s name in the register before they met, because no one in Seungjin knew about his existence before that.
Mama Ji gave to Ri-jin an envelope containing Seo-yeon’s belongings and she kept it with her all this while to be given to Ri-jin, although she hoped that she would never ask about it. Ri-ji decided to open it later and wondered what kind of person her birth mother was. Mama Ji told her that her friend Seo-yeon was intelligent, kind, and beautiful, just like Ri-jin. Although Seo-yeon became a cold person after her family fell apart, Mama Ji believed that it was her way of protecting herself. Seo-yeon was forced into a loveless marriage with a chaebol family and her marriage was an unhappy one, but she was cherished by her father-in-law, who preferred her over his own son.
Seo-yeon then decided to get a divorce since Jun-pyo left the house after getting into an argument with Chairman Cha. Jun-pyo gave her the divorce papers and she planned to sign it and resign for her position as the company’s President before leaving the family. She was the one who brought up the divorce at first, telling Jun-pyo that she had a man she loved even before they got married. Seo-yeon didn’t feel any regret since she had done everything for the family and she was planning to leave for the US together with her lover.
Mama Ji herself didn’t get to meet Seo-yeon’s lover, who was also Ri-jin’s birth father, and the father passed away, leaving the mother and the daughter by themselves. Ri-jin apologized to her mother, saying that she wasn’t doing this because she hated her mother. She herself didn’t want to remember, but she continued to recall all the memories and felt troubled. Mama Ji understood her feelings, because she’s her mother.
Do-hyun continued to look at the documents but he suddenly experienced the headache, this time being more serious than usual. Ri-jin opened the envelope and peered through the photos and realized that her birth mother was Do-hyun’s legal mother. Do-hyun jolted up awake in his bed when Ri-jin opened the locket, and he found himself sleeping together with the teddy bear. Something caught his eyes..
..and it was the image of little Ri-jin, sitting in front of him. He smiled tenderly at the girl and gave her the teddy bear. Little Ri-jin mentioned that Do-hyun asked her name before, and he answered that he already knew her name. She shook her head when Do-hyun said that her name was Oh Ri-jin. He asked her again…what’s her name then?
Ri-jin opened the locket to reveal the photos of Seo-yeon and her younger self, but she started to hear Do-hyun’s name being mentioned in her memory. It was Seo-yeon’s voice, calling out Do-hyun’s name while little Ri-jin was playing on the swing. Little Ri-jin then ran towards Seo-yeon..and her mother called her ‘Do-hyun’.
Ri-jin couldn’t believe what she had just remembered, and Do-hyun was still confused when he asked the girl’s name again.
“My name is..Cha. Do. Hyun.”
[END of Episode 16]
Goosebumps.
I can’t help but to be reminded of Se-gi’s line in the second episode. Was he implying that he was the original person, since he had the memories..and also, the real name of the boy? Was Do-hyun’s name before he joined Seungjin Shin Se-gi? I totally didn’t see that twist coming, and no one probably did, because we were all focusing either on Ri-jin and Do-hyun’s break up, Ri-jin’s reaction to the memories, and Do-hyun’s other alters. And now…Do-hyun we knew all this while might not be the real owner of the name Cha Do-hyun.
What could more more surprising than this? Dear writer-nim, go ahead and surprise me. I am ready to accept anything.
But for now…let me collect my thoughts first. I think my brain just jumped out of my head after that ending.
Advance thank yous for all your comments ^^v
[+] I’m back, but I can’t promise what I’m going to write will be coherent. There are too many things in my mind, and there seems to be no ending to what I’m thinking right now. Dear show, what have you done to me?
First: Do-hyun. We know that there’s something bigger – perhaps closer to a conspiracy – behind all the things that happened to the kids in the past, but the name switch was something no one could have guessed. One interesting point is that the family register listed the name Cha Do-hyun as a male. Yeah, the Do-hyun we know today is a male, but was it like that before? Did Chairman Cha put Ri-jin in the family register as a boy from the beginning? Since we haven’t seen the late chairman yet, not even in any of the characters’ flashbacks, the secret must be there with his appearance, which will probably take place next week. Although Do-hyun insisted that no one knew about his existence before he went to Seungjin mansion with his father, it is a possibility that Chairman Cha had learned about him and also Jun-pyo’s whereabouts, but he chose not to tell anyone about it. He might have predicted that Jun-pyo would crawl back to him because of the boy, and he’s been preparing everything in advance. Did he realize that little Ri-jin was not Jun-pyo’s blood back then too?
There’s one thing I’m sure about, that this new piece of information won’t be easy for Do-hyun to deal with. Imagine yourself in his shoes: witnessing your friend being abused because of you, thinking that the friend died in the fire while you’re saved, living his whole life shutting down his memories because of the guilt, producing multiple identities to cope with the pain, finding out that he had been abused before realizing that his memories were corrupted, learning the truth, including the person he cherished the most in the world turned out to be the same girl he failed to protect back then, living with even more guilt on his shoulders, and finally…realizing that he might have been living under someone else’s identity. Ah, Do-hyun…you deserve to live happily ever after for the rest of your life, more than anyone else in this drama.
Do-hyun will start to be curious about his real identity, and the pressure to find out the truth will weigh on on him, producing another alter in the form of the mysterious Mr. X. We know nothing about him, just like Do-hyun realizing that he doesn’t even know who he is actually. If we’re to suggest that the alters are emulating the people who affected Do-hyun the most, then we might be on the right track. Most of the alters had the traits which once belonged to Jun-pyo: Se-gi’s finger tapping; Yo-sub’s interest in everything fine (classical music and art) and the glasses; and the alters’ tendency to grab other person’s collar. Do-hyun himself shows the sign of being a concerned adult when he was worrying about Yo-na, probably like his father’s tendency to have expectations on him back then. It won’t be too much of a surprise if Do-hyun had been living his life as good as he can to prevent himself from getting into trouble like his father, because he has witnessed how his kindhearted father changed into a monster.
It’s been the fourth time for Nana to appear, but we haven’t really seen her yet. The name Nana itself isn’t the alter’s name, and after watching the ending of episode 16, I can see why we can’t see a proper portrayal of the girl alter through Do-hyun. Although Do-hyun said that the alter was a 7-year old girl, he himself isn’t really sure about the alter. Nana first appeared when Do-hyun started to experience co-consciousness with Se-gi, and the girl alter might have existed alongside Do-hyun, like how he could see Se-gi through himself. Nana’s existence is complicated to be described and that’s what makes it even more intriguing. Could it be that Do-hyun unknowingly projected the image of the girl all this time after being triggered by the basement, and the reason why the girl remains a separate figure from Do-hyun (unlike his other alters) is because of Do-hyun’s way of seeing himself: he views himself as the illusion, the fake, and the person wearing the mask that is the identity, Cha Do-hyun. His unconscious mind knows that he wasn’t the original Do-hyun, and he chooses not to become Nana; instead, he gives the girl alter a separate figure from himself, because he have had it enough, cosplaying himself as Cha Do-hyun, the name which once belonged to the little girl.
The real Cha Do-hyun, or our Oh Ri-jin…if I were Ri-on, I would totally make the same decision as him, which was to protect and shield Ri-jin from finding out whatever things happened in the past. But then, we get to hear what she really felt about finding her lost memories. Even if people around them think that it might be hard for her to accept the past, no one can imagine how disturbing it is for Ri-jin to be continuously harassed by the situations she didn’t remember, and they won’t go away simply by closing her eyes. Perhaps finding the truth is a better option, since no one will be able to withstand the harassment of the mysterious nightmares like Ri-jin had. Although she was greatly affected when the memories returned, Ri-jin proved how strong she was to be able to walk out of the traumatic place this time. She can handle it, and she showed it to Ri-on. One thing I hope she will realize is that Ri-on has done something he thought would be helpful to her, and she knows how much he cherishes her. Same goes for Do-hyun, and I’m glad that Ri-jin is finding out about her past as fast as Do-hyun is.
I think that Ri-jin has to be the one who assures Do-hyun that he did nothing wrong back then, and he should put an end to his guilt since 21 years ago. Ri-on’s words were not enough (although I really love how he comforted Do-hyun and stated that he was just another victim) for Do-hyun, and that is not because Do-hyun is weak. That guy has endured everything related to his illness for 11 years by himself and he has lived cautiously to hide everything from his family. We often see Do-hyun in tears and losing his consciousness, but I won’t say that he’s weak. His inner self is in fact stronger than what we give him credit for, but in the case of his guilt, he can’t simply get over it by himself. He needs Ri-jin by his side, telling him that he was innocent, because that’s the only way for him to accept it and stop putting the blame on himself. He felt extremely guilty towards Ri-jin, and the words that can console her are those from Ri-jin, telling him that she had never blamed him for what happened.
It’s a lie to say that I don’t feel any anger towards the adults in Seungjin. Their indifference towards the tragedy makes my heart boil, and Do-hyun’s question makes sense: are they even humans? They don’t even flinch at the thought of facing the child whose life they had ruined, and to think that they don’t see it as a big deal is even more horrifying. Maybe the fear will kick in once they realize that Ri-jin is still alive and trying to take Seungjin away frm them, because the only thing they care about was their wealth. It’s revolting to think that humanity, or even a small compassion, can be pushed away because of the wealth and fame. It’s sickening.
Now that we’re approaching the last four episodes of this drama, I hope the drama has had enough of killing our hearts. The only thing left is to tie up the story nicely, and heal us with a proper closure for the characters. You killed me multiple times, drama, but I’m willing to entrust you with the healing of my heart. You can do it, Kill Me, Heal Me~!
the talking cupboard 
20 episodes are not enough…. can you go on forever drama? I’m not ready…..
20 episodes are not enough…. can you go on forever drama? I’m not ready….. my heart can’t take it anymore!
Thank you for the the amazing and fast recap..i just finish watching the raw episode and jjanggg!!!like in heaven your recap appears..hehe..salute with rijin for her calmness to overcome her breakup and not so beautiful memories..this episode really unexpected reveal towards cha dohyun and us!!!how come cha do hyun is little rijin’s name???how will he face rijin after this since he know he was take her place from the beginning..seungjin family really such a mess and you maybe right mimi..shin segi might be cha dohyun real name before he enter seungjin..let’s group hug here for us to overcome another week until it’s wednesday again TT TT
Total mindblown at the end of this episode. I kept scratching my head going wtf hahaha. No wonder Do Hyun (or it could be Se Gi for now) ‘s soul has been torn into so many pieces because no sane person would be able to withstand such trauma. I love the twist the writer have given us, can’t believe Do Hyun isn’t the main personality after all. It took me some time to warm up to this show but I’m totally in love with it right now. Can’t wait for next week gosh D:
mental breakdown
…maybe this will trigger the new personality, Mr.X, in CDH…or should we call him SSG now?…
back to mental breakdown
Here’s my take on this drama. Grandmother acts too distant and treats Se Gi solely as a temporary replacement until son wakes up from coma, which makes me think that Se Gi is probably not a legitimate son of Cha Jun Pyo, a secret grandma had known for a while but she’s not willing to reveal as of yet. Se Gi ‘ s mom and the current president of the company seemed to show a lot of interest in finding Oh Ri Jin and sees her as a threat. Could OhRiJin possibly be the secret child of the chairman and SeoYeon? Which explains why the chairman brought seo yeon back to the household and register the child under the Cha’s name. Jun Pyo seemed to know right away that the little girl whom his mother claimed as his daughter on episode 16 is really not his daughter with Seo Yeon but rather a half sister who is a threat to his inheritance to his father’s company, and explains why he abused her, stole her identity, locked her in the basement and attempted to kill her. How can you accept a child who is the daughter of your father with your wife? If the writer really wants a good twist to this drama, this will be an awesome ending. Oh Ri Jin will be the sole inheritor of the company, especially when Jun Pyo dies. Then she will bring everyone down. That will be her ultimate revenge.
ri-jin as the daughter of the grandfather and the wife could be a great twist but it wont be awesome ending as it means that ri-jin and do-hyun are blood related.2 people that suffer the most cannot be together then.
WTH??????? Like, WTH? The pitiful one is Cha Do Hyun. Because really, after all that’s been said and done, he’s the one suffering from mental illness (7 personalities). And yeah, the Cha family is just batshit crazy.
This episode broke something inside of me that can’t be fixed anytime soon. How can writer-nim tell me Cha Do hyun is not Cha Do hyun. Infact, I need to lie down for a second here whew. Great episode tho…..
OMG!!! after reading this recap I have to pick up my jaw from the floor . Really our writter is totally amazing.
Thanks again for the huge effort to do this possible.
Now I have to go and take away my boss from the laptop and send him to a meeting. Heh… I´m a very bad influence on him. Well, yesterday we couldn´t read the recap so today we are catching up.
My heart are a little bruise for today ep. Poor Do Hyun and poor Ji Rin, this is a really big shock for both of them and for us too.
So, how are we gonna call Cha Do Hyun now? What´s his real name? It was Shin Se Gi, like you point? or it was other?. This was a huge cover up operation, like the ones in spy movies. This serve to learn how others countries works in this subjects, like how a little boy did not have an official identity before he was registered in the family record, or they register little kids without gender?or did not have an identification of any kind? or this is only possible because is a drama, or they are a very rich family?
Well, after leave you with my thousand question, I just left you with all my support and we are gonna wait together until next wednesday.
Take care and read you in a few days.
LOL I hope your boss won’t resent you for dragging him into this mind-blowing drama!
I am also curious about birth registration etc in South Korea, but considering how Joseon treated family register as the most important document in a person’s life, it might be that the modern Korea adapts that one. It’s like Do-hyun didn’t have any birth certificate/document, or the country doesn’t really put an importance to the document. Maybe the family register is a complete document, listing the family members and their details, aside from their personal identification card.
I feel like dancing like e perry park gif u have there. Im like whatever … This show is so good i like eveything they serve up!! Wooo~~ hoo
This drama is an emotional colossus. It’s eating me up alive, if up to that moment we were kdrama addicts, apart from that, we are Kill Me, Heal Me addicts as an addition and for some weird reason it feels more powerful. With the last episode almost every assumption i had made or read around collapsed. This is the epitome of plot twists, feels and laughter. What else could one ask for from a drama? Of course a great ending to make it a perfect 10 to my eyes. Although it already is a perfect 10 because the journey so far was… well, unique. There are still 4 episodes ahead, but i don’t want it to end. Ottoke? The only real thing now as an assumption feels that SHIN Se Gi who was SHIN Hwa Ran mistress’ son was his real name and eventually he became Cha Do Hyun for reasons explained throughout the latest episodes, for wanting to absorb the real… Do Hyun’s pain, henceforth becoming… Do Hyun. This drama has ruined my life and i hate the exams because i was watching at the episodes, but couldn’t write for them, and now it’s too late to catch up because i know what’s going on 😦 Up that moment of course, because writer-nim can ALWAYS crucify our brain anytime, anyplace, anyway.
We are going to miss this drama terribly once it ends 😦 Ackkkkkk 20 episodes suddenly feel so short!
Considering how Madam Shin didn’t seem to recognize Se-gi’s name, Do-hyun might have used her family name but with a different personal name, or he was just addressed as ‘child’ in the family.
“..eventually he became Cha Do Hyun for reasons explained throughout the latest episodes, for wanting to absorb the real… Do Hyun’s pain, henceforth becoming… Do Hyun.”
Love this sentence ❤
I don’t want to think about the fact that this drama might end, I need more episodes of this show where Hwang Jung-Eum and Ji Sung’s characters are living a life together happily away from the Seung Jin group monsters who are safely locked away in jail forever. I don’t know who is who anymore so am using the actors name for the time being. I have to say, this one hell of a way of trolling the viewers, never saw this twist coming. And JS’s character makes me sad, a person with DID already battling with broken identity has been living all this time under a false name, that’s gotta hurt a lot. I don’t think ORJ will claim that name, she won’t want to be associated with those family of assholes now that she remembers it. And Mr. X is not a separate identity in my eyes anymore. Right now, Ji Sung’s character is basically without a name which makes him technically Mr. X, at-least that is what I think.
Indeed, yesterday i realized that there are only two weeks left 😦
I’m really curious about Do Hyun’s real name, something that makes me even more curious about Mr. X persona that hasn’t appeared yet O.O Could it be that behind X might be hiding Do Hyun’s real name? O.o
❤
The revelation at the end hit me like a ton of bricks, and some pieces of the puzzle finally make sense. Like I mentioned before, nothing in this drama seems insignificant, even the smallest details can represent something. I really love how this drama gives off so much clues from the very beginning, until speculations just spiral out of control, just when we think we had it all figured out, this drama goes ahead and throw us a curve ball. It turns out we may be in for a wild ride.
I’m really glad with the confirmation that Rijin’s father is someone Min Seoyeon loved from the States and not Cha Junpyo (I knew it!) because all theories of Rijin and Dohyun possible faux-cest, and even Rion as the actual child from the basement drove me crazy! Now, from what we gathered so far, Cha Junpyo was in love with Min Seoyeon, but she sadly wasn’t and planned to divorce him and leave with her lover, and at the same time Junpyo had a rift with his father (probably due to the reason that Seoyeon wanted out of the family). After Seoyeon left, Junpyo who was bitter that his father preferred Seoyeon over him and her rejection, ran away from home and met Dohyun’s mom (let’s keep calling him Dohyun as we know him, for simplicity sake) and they had Dohyun. When it got difficult to have Dohyun attend school without proper family registery (his parents were never officially married), Junpyo decided to throw away his pride and went back home, only to find out his father brought Seoyeon home and she didn’t come back alone, the more shocking part, they were not divorced and his father took it upon himself to register Seoyeon’s child under their family’s register. I can totally see where Junpyo’s rage was coming from, he was sidelined and ignored by his own father, and the one woman he loved turned her back on him, to make things worst, his father made Seoyeon’s daughter (a child from another man) as his legal daughter without even consulting him, yet his own son was turned into a secret child from his mistress because the divorce was not finalized!
This point forth is just my take/speculation on what happened. I’m sure Seoyeon had a hard time raising Rijin on her own, and decided to take her father-in-law’s offer to raise Rijin within Seungjin, though why the divorce never made finalized is another question to be answered, and what she didn’t expect was Junpyo having another child. I think she wanted to correct her mistakes and properly complete her work in Seungjin Group before taking her leave with Rijin, but she never got the chance to do it and got into the accident with Chairman Cha, she did manage to ask mama Oh to save her child when she found out the family’s intent on getting rid of her daughter to replace her with Dohyun, who’s the real heir. I had this niggling feeling that the fire was premeditated, and was started for the purpose of removing all traces of Rijin’s existence, instead of the many guesses that Dohyun started it as a futile attempt to free Rijin, because logically after all they’ve been through, I don’t think Dohyun would even let Rijin be potentially harmed by anything. After Seoyeon and Chairman Cha’s death, Junpyo started being hostile to Rijin, especially with his son’s growing friendship with the daughter of the enemy, he took it out on Rijin all his pent up emotions and blamed Dohyun for making him hit her (every mistake Dohyun made resulted in Rijin taking the hit), which I think is hard on Dohyun emotionally. Rijin suffered physical abuse, but Dohyun was emotionally badgered. When the fire broke out, Junpyo saved Dohyun and left Rijin to die in the fire, as did everyone in the family, except she was saved by mama Oh, while Junpyo was injured in the process.
This is why Dohyun could never escapes the guilt, his mistakes resulted in Rijin’s affliction, and his existence was a direct threat to hers. I can’t imagine how painful it must have been for Dohyun to grow up with all these hanging on his neck, his father’s transgression, his grandmother and mother’s feigned ignorance, his survival instead of Rijin, her sufferings because of him, no wonder his subconsciousness broke into pieces and he suppressed the memories. Dohyun was a child full of compassion and did not lose that innocence as he grew up, which is really a relief considering the traumatic experience he went through, which is why his memories were twisted to make Rijin’s sufferings as his own because he wanted badly to take her place, because he was powerless to stop them when they were kids. My heart really break for Dohyun, and I couldn’t stop crying at every reminder of his awful childhood. Rijin, the one person he came to love and made him so happy for the first time in years, turned out to be the one person he cannot be with no matter how hard he tried. I was in a hot mess since last night after stalking soompi thread and reading your recap today, I didn’t know I have it in me this much tears, even now I’m starting to tear up all over again.I was reading your recap with glassy eyes.
When I was reading the recap and recalling the preview of the beach scenes, my heart churned at the thought that the breakup was imminent, even the sweet date couldn’t make up for their (mine too) bleeding heart, Dohyun especially. There’s something so sad about Dohyun hiding his tears from Rijin that gets to me, and his condition post breakup completely break me. I started bawling again as Rijin had her back on Dohyun, and she realized it even without having to look into his eyes that it was farewell, this prove a deeper connection than they’d like to admit, these two can probably finish each other sentences if given a chance. Part of me was wondering why Rijin didn’t stop Dohyun from leaving, and when I give it more thoughts, I think Rijin thinks the same way as Dohyun, she felt that being with Dohyun might be hard on him for whatever reason that is, as he thought it’d be hard for her if she were to remain by his side and recall past memories. I appreciate that they both selflessly put each others first despite being pained by the breakup, and I loved the fact that Rijin quickly figured it all out, that Rion and Dohyun planned it, and refused to budge from learning the truth. My only issue is how hard Rijin tried to mask her pain with smiles, even more so in front of Dohyun, I think she instinctively hide her tears from Dohyun so he wouldn’t feel bad (and he was doing the same thing!), to make it up for the pain he carried all these times. But Rijin was comfortable enough in front of Rion to start crying her hearts out. I’m sure when I watch the episode myself, the tear gate would burst all over again.
There are some significant moments in this episode that I’d like to point out. (1) Rijin once mentioned to Rion that if she was to make a mistake (in love) again, she asked him to cover her eyes as he did before, and that’s what I think Rion has been doing (by asking Dohyun to step away), to see him literally put the scarf over her head when Dohyun left is a symbolism, though I think his interference came too late. (2) I had to mention this again, because I think the breakup scene hit me the hardest. I was sobbing yesterday as I watched Dohyun describing to Rion how Rijin was the first person to reach out to him all these years and tore down his wall, making him feel genuine warmth and being loved. Today he had to let go of Rijin and held back from holding onto her. When he was walking away from her, and Rijin crouched down to cry, the imagery was to imply that they were getting further apart, yet I can feel them close at heart, because they keep each other dear to their hearts. Ok, for some reason I could not recall more at the moment, will finish this later.
Lastly, with only 4 episodes to go, I’m starting to wonder if Mr. X (the mysterious guy) could be the one holding Dohyun’s real identity. I initially thought that Shin Segi could be Dohyun’s real name, considering that he told Rijin he’s the one and only real one with that face, plus Shin-gun surname is the same as his birth mother, Shin Hwaran (I had to google that). But then I thought since Mr. X is promoted as the mystery guy, he could very well be the real identity of Dohyun, I could be mistaken. At this point of the story, they can spin Mr. X in any possible way and I’m really intrigued with the conflict he could bring this late into the story. And would it be crazy if I say, Nana seem to be a non-human personality, we never saw her in any way or interacting with anyone and she seems to connect only with the teddy bear (the teddy’s name is Nana), I couldn’t help thinking maybe she’s the one alter that’s made that way because the teddy accompanied Rijin as a child and was another witness to Rijin past sufferings.
I barely was able to read all your wonderful words because I am sobbing.
Loved this especially “Dohyun was a child full of compassion and did not lose that innocence as he grew up.”
Nice job being my brain for me while I just sit here in shock not able to process real thoughts.
Thank you Mimi for the very fast recap – in fact, all your KMHM recaps. I always read them first thing in the morning on my way to work, as they help to fill in what I didn’t understand from watching without subs.
maryxiah – I have to say too, that I love your very insightful comments. How do you articulate everything so well; I’m still so incoherent and stunned by last night’s revelation. I agree with your speculation of what might have happened back then, and this twist just provides greater “reinforcement” for why DH, someone who was already so compassionate and conscientious, was so traumatised that he broke into pieces. Some of SG’s lines also make sense now – how RJ must remember her name till she dies and all other names with the same face are fake, how he doesn’t want to hear the name Cha Do Hyun. I’ve also been wondering why Se Gi took the surname of Shin when he hates his mother, but this relevation would explain that too. Of course, this is assuming that Shin Se Gi is Do Hyun’s original name.
Ri Jin, as usual, didn’t disappoint. In kdrama land where many characters’ actions don’t make sense sometimes, she is my most favourite female lead ever. Again, she is perceptive beyond what she belies – able to read Do Hyun so well, and figuring out so quickly that RO had a part in DH’s leaving. I also like how she was unafraid to uncover her lost memories, and I think she knew she had to know her past first before she can go back to DH, to show him that she would be fine being with him. Much as I understand Ri On, I was also glad that Ri Jin was mildly angry with him for lying to her about her memories all this while. He should have trusted that Ri Jin could be strong enough to handle the pain.
About Na Na and Mr X – Are we to infer that everytime Do Hyun wakes up with the teddy bear next to him, it was Na Na’s doing? As in, personality Na Na inhabited his body and played with the teddy bear? I wonder if we will ever see Ji Sung playing Na Na – perhaps when Do Hyun recalls more childhood memories? And with Do Hyun being stripped of his identity now, has he effectively become Mr X? (oh gosh, after all his affirmations of being (just) Cha Do Hyun, I can’t imagine how he will deal with this shock, especially when the identity he thought he had really belonged to the girl he loves more than anything else). ㅠㅠ
@maryxiah I second what iljjing said. You and muchadoaboutlove describe things so well.
I think that Nana is playing with the bear. It’s kind of confusing, since in Do-hyun(JS)’s visions Cha Do-hyun♀ says that she is Cha Do-hyun and the bear is Nana and that she, Cha Do-hyun♀, had drawn the wine stain picture of Nana the bear. However, Ahn Yo-na told Ri-jin that Nana was playing with the bear, and Ahn Yo-seob wrote the name Nana by his portrait of her as a human girl; so I think that the “alter Nana” might be both the holder of the identity of little Oh Ri-jin as well as being a manifestation of Cha Do-hyun♀ thinking of the bear Nana as an imaginary friend. …Does that make any sense…? I’m trying to say that I think the “alter Nana” might be an sort of amalgamation of the two.
@jomo143 @ iljjing @zk
Thank you for the kind words, guys. Whenever I get super excited about a drama, I just can’t stop talking and talking about it, that’s why I came here to ramble endlessly. I wondered myself if I did get my point across, because I didn’t think I put it out there good enough. There are words that just don’t flow right from my brain, and I took quite a long time to type out my comment. And I have to confess, I been running late to work these 2 days just to comment on these posts, ahaha.
@zk At first, I was thinking the same thing as you did, except we weren’t shown of Nana physically, not even once. So I started having my doubts about her. I was wondering if the crews were having a hard time to depict her, considering that Jisung is a very much grown man, who’s required to play a 7 years old girl, which is quite a stretch from Yona the teen.
@zk Yes thank you! That makes sense, especially with Yo Sub and Yo Na being aware of Na Na’s existence. Perhaps they are saving Na Na’s actual appearance as a climactic event, when Do Hyun is still reeling from the shock, or when Do Hyun (Ji Sung… I’ll just continue calling him Do Hyun) and Ri Jin confront their past memories together. @maryxiah mentioned that playing a 7 year old girl is quite a stretch from playing Yo Na, but after seeing Ji Sung’s portrayal of Yo Na and Yo Sub (and just his acting in general), I have every confidence that Ji Sung can do it 🙂 (whereas my initial reaction to the synopsis was “wut is this craziness? why does he have female personalities?! how will Ji Sung play them??”)
I still can’t get over how… destined DH and RJ are for each other. He was the light of her basement (life), and she became the light in his castle. They liked each other in their childhood, and as adults, without even knowing they have a past connection, they fall in love anew. They both have a lot of compassion and quiet strength, yet their differing qualities (e.g. Ri Jin’s cheerfulness vs Do Hyun’s underlying sorrow) complement each other well, and they draw out the best in each other. I love the scene in ep 15 when Ri Jin cheerfully said that she could be Do Hyun’s first love since SG=DH, and DH’s face immediately crumpled up, and he had to pretend to scratch his head to cover his tears. That he cared so much for Ri Jin even back in their childhood, enough for what happened to her/them to break his heart into pieces, and the significance of 10pm to them, still gets to me hard. Since nothing in this show seems to be a mere throwaway, they WILL remember their promise to overcome any difficulty together, right?
As an aside, I actually found it funny that Chae Yeon broke off her engagement because she wants to make Do Hyun hers, and that she’s still living in the delusion that she is DH’s first love, that DH is just using RJ to make her jealous (from ep 12). Erm lady, you may want him, but you have no chance at all! He is all Ri Jin’s, heart and soul and multiple personalities. [Disclaimer: I like Kim Yoo Ri! so this is purely about Chae Yeon the character 🙂 ]
Sorry if I’m repeating anyone. I’m saving all the comments here (good stuff!) for when I can properly read them after work. (but just can’t stay away even at work…)
@iljjing
” mentioned that playing a 7 year old girl is quite a stretch from playing Yo Na, but after seeing Ji Sung’s portrayal of Yo Na and Yo Sub (and just his acting in general), I have every confidence that Ji Sung can do it ”
Yeah, I know. I was eating my word right after I commented that because Jisung in this drama totally blown me away. I’d preferred muchadoboutlove’s reasoning as to why Nana has not appeared in person.
Thanks a lot for your comment it really explains a lot cos I was struggling to put it together
You’re welcome! I’m glad to be of help!
wow this is amazing… i never predict that this could happen… you got me there… hahhaha… great writers… thumbs up…
Thank you dear for the fast recap. I’m waiting from yesterday for this.
I think most of the questions being answered, but new questions have pop out.
and I think your idea that the real cha do hyun is shin segi quit reasonable since he is very competitive alter among others alters. But it doesn’t mean that Cha do hyun character will change too from a cute puppy to a really rough one right?? Hehehe
Aigoo…I’ve to start my work now….. -_-
Another waits will make me download and re-watch other Ji Sung or Jang Geum drama again….. :P. Secret already done! Protect the Boss next..kekekeke
I think Mr X will be the one playing the ‘tough and rough’ side of Do-hyun, so our puppy won’t lost his cuteness and gentleness 😉
Have fun working and watching Protect the Boss! It’s one of my favourite rom-coms!
Woah! Woah! I LOVE this show! That twist though!! I think NO ONE saw that coming! I was wondering what they would do for the remaining episodes and I’m glad there’s still more story to tell! It even makes more sense now as to why CDH has no real sense of who he is. Have we been rooting for the wrong personality all this time? At this point I’m done speculating. I’m just going to have to wait and see since I have no idea what the writers will pull out of their bag of tricks! I just wish we didn’t have to wait a week!
Rather than rooting for the wrong personality, I think we’re just rooting for a man whose identity belonged to another person. Do-hyun is still a human, a breathing person, and I don’t think he is an alter 🙂
(I promised to myself not to speculate but I can’t stop myself. Please send help to me ㅠㅠ)
Thanks for the fast recap!! I have no real thoughts about this.
Just some impressions:
Gramma is such a JERK! Ughh!
CDH seems to be closest to Yo Sub in personality.
I thought FOR SURE that RJ’s name was going to be YoNa – totally wrong, but happily so.
This is one of the only dramas where I agree with the OTP’s temporary separation – as painful as it is, they need to get through some stuff individually. CDH has to be able to “cure” his survival guilt. He can hardly look at RJ without reeling.
“He can hardly look at RJ without reeling.”
Ugh, I can almost feel Dohyun flinching when Rijin recalled her memories and asked to be saved. This guy battled his inner demons to walk this far, only to be thrown off the cliff all over again for crimes he never committed and tried to prevent. How far will they go to twist our hearts and break them into pieces? Dohyun needs his happiness – Rijin.
“Dohyun needs his happiness – Rijin”
This. When he told Sec Ahn how he feels like he had just lost his country, and how unfair this makes him feel, i just… sniffs
He didn’t just lose his country, he lost his entire world! I haven’t even watch this episode yet, but I’m can feel his heartache to my bone!
The twist this time is so crazy. I mean how much more twisted the Seungjin people can be? Before this I thought they were crazy enough, but they actually stole Rijin’s original identity and gave it to (the present) Dohyun? At this point, I can kinda see how Mr. X manifests (from Dohyun’s confusion about his true identity?) Also, about Dohyun’s real name being Shin Segi, I actually thought of it too, but does anyone remember back in episode 15 when Dohyun told his mother about his DID he actually mentioned Segi’s name there, but that doesn’t seem to ring a bell to his mother? I don’t know, this drama is just making me (and a lot more of the others possibly) go crazy with crazy twists as well. And I can’t believe it’s going to be over in 4 eps! I wish we can have more episodes because at this point I feel like there are still so much more that we need to know ><
We really need to stay sane until this drama ends. It will be crazy, but we have to see it until the end!
Yeah, 4 episodes feel like they won’t be enough..but I trust the writer!
OH MY GOD. Out of all the possible twists I had in my head, that was not one of them!! I mean.. what!? This will hurt Do Hyun so much since he always so reassuringly and pridefully said “I am Cha Do Hyun.” And now he’s not!! Oh Foreshadowing, thou art a heartless bitch.
But wait, because now I’m all scared. I mean, remembering Se Gi’s words… could it that the Cha Do Hyun we know is just another personality, that Se Gi really is the original? Clearly we can assume that by name he is, but is he the original person? I guess that wouldn’t matter as much anymore since the two are merging, but still….
And another thing, are we sure that Ri Jin’s biological father is dead? This might be a wacky idea, but I got goosebumps during the scene that Secretary Ahn is taking care of Do Hyun…and I thought that maybe… well maybe he’s Ri Jin’s father? I don’t know, I’m too emotional to think straight right now.
I think Secretary Ahn isn’t supposed to be old enough to be Ri-jin’s father, so I’m not worried about that. I also highly doubt that Seo Tae-im, the grandmother, would have taken him in, provided his education, and later employed him “because he is good at keeping his silence” if he was the one who Min Seo-yeon’s father hid from her and who eventually lived with MSY in the States.
You’re most likely right. There was just something in that scene between him and Do Hyun that just made me think there is something more to Secretary Ahn than we know. But at this point that’s pretty much everyone in the drama so it’s probably nothing.
@moosori by “something” do you mean the talk about parting with one’s loved one?
I will just think of it as Secretary Ahn is a rounded human with a full set of emotions, unlike many in the Seungjin Group’s Cha family, who’s experienced life and therefore is able to be a real “hyung” to Do-hyun. 😉
I’m going to make sure to keep a baseball mitt at my side, though, in case the author decides to through some sort of other unexpected curveball at us like this week was.
I am tempted to go back and collect all the lines Se-gi uttered from the first episode, just to see what else he was trying to hint at Ri-jin (and us!). I still believe that Do-hyun is the host, the main personality, and the one and only owner of the body.
Ohhhh I hope that won’t happen! I am okay with our reliable Secretary/Cupid/Alfred Ahn just being a faithful supporter for Do-hyun, because to throw him in the mix would be too much for Do-hyun to handle. Ummmm me myself will have a hard time accepting the fact that he stayed in Seungjin with an ulterior motive, instead of taking care of Do-hyun ㅜㅜ
Or maybe taking care of Do Hyun is his ulterior motive to stay in Seungjin. In dramaland everyone could crossed path with every character right? So maybe he is the best friend or the family relative Min Seo Yeon’s lover. And he was asked to look out little Ri Jin and Seo Yeon while they were in Cha family…
I wish he can be a purely loyal assistant until the end ;A; I don’t want Do-hyun to suffer anymore, thinking that everyone is just using him..
And imagine just how many times he said that is freaking Cha Do Hyun. That’s one thing that he is so sure of himself and then suddenly it’s not true. So painful, my heart aches so much for him.
Firstly, sincerely thank you, @muchadoaboutlove -or do you prefer being called mimi?-, for this recap. This episode was beyond words of amazing.
“He had read the manuscript for the novel The Basement Child written by Ri-on, and he wondered if Ri-on wanted to know the back story to the novel.”
I think that when Do-hyun said that he had read The Basement Child he meant it metaphorically, not that he had read Ri-on’s manuscript, which we have never seen Ri-on give him a copy of. It was a poetic way to tell Rion that he had remembered the events and circumstances that led to Ri-jin’s fear of basements that Ri-on had been looking into, and that Do-hyun was willing to tell Ri-on about it.
I loved the touch of having Dr. Seok and Do-hyun meet at the aquarium. Not only did the lighting work well artistically for Do-hyun’s current mood, but if I remember right, Dr. Seok had said he wanted to meet there next time because the fish they served there was good. It was nice to see that come back instead of being a throw away line -but now whenever I rewatch this series my stomach will always sink when I hear Dr. Seok say that T^T-.
I have been sick in bed all day, so I was lurking in the soompi thread and doing a lot of thinking -always dangerous when your mind has been turned into goo two days in a row by the drama writer’s brilliant plot twists and tearjerking 😉 -, so I think this comment of mine is going to get very long, if I bring up a point that someone else posts during the time that I’m writing this, my apologies for the repeating. ^^;
This is my new key for how to refer to characters:
Hwang’s character: Oh Ri-jin, ORJ, Cha Do-hyun♀ CDH♀ CDH(ORJ), Min Seo-yeon’s Do-hyun
Ji Sung’s character: Cha Do-hyun♂ CDH♂ CDH(JS), CDH(Puppy)
Should “Shin Se-gi” turn out to be Do-hyun(JS)’s real name then I will also use the following:
Ji Sung’s main character: CDH(SSG), Shin Se-gi(CDH), SSG(CDH), SSG(Puppy)
Cha Do-hyun♂’s alter created to hold his memories of his original identity as a person: Shin Se-gi(alter), SSG(alter), SSG(Bad boy)
However, I currently still don’t believe that “Shin Se-gi” was Do-hyun(JS)’s real name. I think the “Shin” might come from Shin Hwa Ran -just like I believe what @muchadoaboutlove once pointed out that Ahn Yo-seob and Ahn Yo-na probably take their last name from Secretary Ahn, because he was close to Do-hyun at the time he discovered his DID-. However, I think as a couple have mentioned over on soompi that if “Shin Se-gi” was Do-hyun(JS)’s real name then his mother would have noticeably reacted to it when Do-hyun(JS) said that name in episode 15. She isn’t able to hide her reactions, but that name itself didn’t seem to trigger anything in her.
I also believe, as I wrote above, that Shin Se-gi is an alter created to hold Do-hyun(Puppy)’s memories of his original identity as a person, but Do-hyun(Puppy) is still clearly the original owner of the body, I think because 1) I don’t think that with Se-gi’s fighter personality he would have willingly given up ownership if he had originally had it. 2) Despite what Se-gi said in episode 2 “Remember this too. Someone with the same face as mine but with a different name is fake. There’s only one Shin Se-gi with this face. I’m the only one, so you can never forget my eyes.” (from the recap here), In episode 10 according to the viki subs when Se-gi tells Ri-jin that Do-hyun is never coming back:
Ri-jin: Why? There must be a reason.
Se-gi: Because the seal to his memory has been opened.
RJ: The seal to his memory?
SG: Since the entrance is opened, the memories he wouldn’t want to remember, will soon get released one by one.
RJ: By any chance… do you know about it? The year’s worth of memory that Mr. Cha lost?
SG: Of course. Because I was born in order to handle that.
And, later in the episode Se-gi emphasized that they (the alters) would all die if Do-hyun(Puppy) overcame his pain, so he no longer needed them.
I think also that perhaps both Se-gi and Yo-seob didn’t have the memory of Ri-jin’s former name that is why they both refer to Do-hyun(Puppy) as “Cha Do-hyun” -Se-gi says his name when telling Ri-jin to choose and Yo-seob painted his name in their portraits-. Perhaps, the alter(s) Nana (and Mr. X?) was(were) the only one(s) who held that piece of the memory.
I theorized before about how Mr. X might have been around for a long time without making himself known to Do-hyun(JS) and others. I think that is still possible and these latest events would be enough to make him assert himself. However, I think this world-rocking blow to Do-hyun(Puppy)’s sense of identity might also be enough to cause Mr. X’s creation. I am very interested in which route the writer will take in the coming episodes.
Further about the alters, there is something I have been wondering about the male alters and Do-hyun(JS)’s father, Cha Jun-pyo. In stories, sons of abusive fathers are often depicted as fearing becoming like their fathers. However, that hasn’t really come up in Kill Me, Heal Me explicitly since Do-hyun(Puppy) is obviously different in temperament from his father. However, perhaps I am reading into things too far, but I wonder if some of the traits, habits and preferences that Do-hyun(Puppy)’s male alters display are not his way of removing from “himself” anything that strongly reminds him of his father. For example:
-Shin Se-gi’s finger tapping.
-Ahn Yo-seob’s love of art and reading art books (uglypearl over on soompi figured out that the book Cha Jun-pyo is shown reading in the memory of Do-hyun(JS) and Min Seo Yeon’s Do-hyun(ORJ) playing piano and violin, is about the artist Arthur Unger. http://forums.soompi.com/en/discussion/comment/28257032#Comment_28257032 Interestingly enough, Arthur Unger used fire in the making of his artwork. I wonder if that is just supposed to be a coincidence…) I’ve also been rather curious why Ahn Yo-seob wears glasses. Would it be reading too far into it to think it might be because Jun-pyo wore reading glasses…? It’s also been suggested before that Yo-seob’s depression and suicidal tendencies might not just be from Do-hyun(Puppy)’s own despair but also similar to his father who would have committed suicide if Shin Hwa-ran hadn’t held onto him, as per her claims. I’m not so sure about this last one, though….
-It’s been suggested here before that Ferry Park is Do-hyun(Puppy)’s desire to live free in the future after the despair of discovering his DID. I think that is true. I also wonder if Ferry’s accent -which is Jeollan, right?- is not from the region where Do-hyun(JS) lived before coming to the Seungjin mansion. And, if Ferry is not a carefree adult in opposition to the utter strictness that Cha Jun-pyo represented to Do-hyun(JS). …Though why he likes to make bombs, I’m still at a loss.
-I and others have also noticed that both Shin Se-gi and Mr. X have been depicted swirling their wine glasses on the table. Shin Se-gi does it with one hand, Mr. X with two, but I wonder if that could also perhaps be a habit that Do-hyun(JS) saw his father doing before.
About the fire and the deaths of Cha Gun-ho and Min Seo-yeon,
Okay, so I think it makes sense to assume that Cha Gun-ho never filed the divorce papers that Min Seo-yeon and Cha Jun-pyo had both signed and MSY gave to her father-in-law before leaving for the States.
Cha Gun-ho finally somehow convinced or coerced Min Seo-yeon to come back to the Seungjin group after some six/seven years had passed and Cha Jun-pyo was still missing.
She returned in June 1994 with six year-old Do-hyun♀, who was immediately entered into the Cha family register as “Cha Do-hyun” with the missing Cha Jun-pyo as her legal father.
That winter Cha Jun-pyo returns home because his son has never been properly registered since Cha Jun-pyo was hiding his whereabouts from his family for the last six years. Jun-pyo is shocked to see Min Seo-yeon there because he gave her the divorce papers she wanted from him before he disappeared. -by the way, I thought it was interesting that at this point it looks like Do-hyun is still willing to tightly cling to his father’s hand.-
Seo Tae-im is delighted that her son returned. And now, comes another head-scratching part, because if the Cha family has enough resources and influence to change the gender of Min Seo-yeon’s child on the register -as they must have done after the fire-, then could they not have added another and made them twins?
I’ve seen suggested that perhaps the grandfather, Cha Gun-ho, refused to allow Do-hyun’s registration. I think another problem could possibly be that it might have already been somewhat known among the shareholders that Min Seo-yeon had return with one child, though the child’s gender may not have been known.
So, next I wonder was the car accident really an accident or was it done to get rid of Cha Gun-ho and Min Seo-yeon apurpose? -If the driver that Secretary Ahn is now contacting was the driver that day who somehow survived, it will be very interesting to hear what he has to say.-
Seo Tae-im told …um, was it Do-hyun(Puppy) or Shin Se-gi? -I can’t remember anymore-, something along the lines of “If you knew what your father had done to make you a part of the Cha family-“. So, I think that that means that whether or not Jun-pyo cause the car accident, he might very well have caused the fire. He might even have not truly been hurt saving Do-hyun(JS). I think he would have saved Do-hyun(JS) if he started the fire in order to get rid of Min Seo-yeon’s Do-hyun, but maybe the grandmother is lying about how Jun-pyo got hurt because she wants to cover up that Jun-pyo is the arsonist…
Things I’m still feeling an itch about:
-What will happen when Chairman Seo learns that Ri-jin is Min Seo Yeon’s Do-hyun? From all of her reactions, not only unrecognition to Ri-jin but also her reaction to the report that Young-pyo and Shin Hwa-ran are searching for the child, I think she might believe that the child didn’t survive the fire.
-What feelings does Chairman Seo truly have towards Cha Gun-ho and Jun-pyo that she keeps herself surrounded by their pictures?
-What is that “Nondisclosure contract” that she keeps in her secret vault?
-What will happen to Ki-joon pursuing contact with Do-hyun(Puppy)’s former friend in the US, Alex? And, what role will Chae-yeon have in (slightly) furthering the story?
-A question that’s really bothering me: what did Secretary Ahn put on Do-hyun’s nose when he was nursing him? Was that supposed to be an anti-snore strip…?
Answer to last question – Nasal strip. Yes, it also helps you breathe easier by opening up the passages. It is not that comfortable!
@zk
“However, I currently still don’t believe that “Shin Se-gi” was Do-hyun(JS)’s real name.”
For some weird reasons, I was thinking the same thing. I was led to believe that Shin Segi could be Puppy’s real identity, but then there’s a sense of disconnnection between the two that I don’t think Segi is Puppy’s real name.
“I also believe, as I wrote above, that Shin Se-gi is an alter created to hold Do-hyun(Puppy)’s memories of his original identity as a person, but Do-hyun(Puppy) is still clearly the original owner of the body”
Clearly for all of us who’s been following closely for awhile, I believe Dohyun is no doubt the real host to all the other alters. This drama tends to confuse us viewers by hinting at other possibilities and all the rabid fans gladly chew on the hint to sniff some conspiracy theories, which can be overwhelmingly crazy sometimes, I find myself laughing while reading. (Sorry guys)
Things I’m still feeling an itch about:
-What will happen when Chairman Seo learns that Ri-jin is Min Seo Yeon’s Do-hyun? From all of her reactions, not only unrecognition to Ri-jin but also her reaction to the report that Young-pyo and Shin Hwa-ran are searching for the child, I think she might believe that the child didn’t survive the fire.
Mary: Clearly, this woman will react the same way as Hwaran to protect their stake on the company, though I think it’s all good because this can be a good reason for Puppy to stay and guard Rijin, instead of running away to the States to nurse his bleeding wound all over again.
-What feelings does Chairman Seo truly have towards Cha Gun-ho and Jun-pyo that she keeps herself surrounded by their pictures?
Mary: I think this woman clearly has an obsession issues.
-What is that “Nondisclosure contract” that she keeps in her secret vault?
Mary: I have not seen this part! Where is it shown?
-What will happen to Ki-joon pursuing contact with Do-hyun(Puppy)’s former friend in the US, Alex? And, what role will Chae-yeon have in (slightly) furthering the story?
Mary: I think because of all the twists and turns we’re shown thus far, Kijoon pursuing Puppy’s friend doesn’t seem to bring much of an impact, in fact, I think they (Kijoon and Chaeyeon) pretty much relegated to being minor roles, considering how much audiences are affected by the OTP seperation. Even if Kijoon found out Puppy’s illness, and subsequently decided to reveal in order to take his claim on the company, Puppy never really wanted the company in the first place, so there’s no real threats there at all.
-A question that’s really bothering me: what did Secretary Ahn put on Do-hyun’s nose when he was nursing him? Was that supposed to be an anti-snore strip…?
Mary: That comment totally made me laugh out loud. I don’t know, maybe it’s a nose patch to relieve snot, considering how much Dohyun cried these two days. I need one of those too, I’ve been crying like crazy since yesterday.
@maryxiah
“all the rabid fans gladly chew on the hint to sniff some conspiracy theories, which can be overwhelmingly crazy sometimes”
Chuckle. And, I admit I’m one of them. I think I was the first one on this site to suggest that Cha Gun-ho might have had an affair with MSY. ^^; cough
-What feelings does Chairman Seo truly have towards Cha Gun-ho and Jun-pyo that she keeps herself surrounded by their pictures?
Mary: I think this woman clearly has an obsession issues.
zk:True that. But is she really feeling positive towards her late husband, and why did she not at least pretend to hand over the company to Shin Se-gi to save her son?
-What is that “Nondisclosure contract” that she keeps in her secret vault?
Mary: I have not seen this part! Where is it shown?
zk: um, in episode 11, Seo Tae-im goes into the secret room behind her late husband’s portrait and she takes an envelop out of the safe right? That envelop is what she holds in her hands during her following talk with Se-gi in which he tells her that they should have “saved that child” and she ultimately doesn’t agree to hand the company over to him. Inside that envelop there are what seems to be several 5 billion won cheques and according to the subs on viki the top of the sheaf of papers say “non-disclosure contract” and already been stamped with red ink. This is around 0:51:25min.
-A question that’s really bothering me: what did Secretary Ahn put on Do-hyun’s nose when he was nursing him? Was that supposed to be an anti-snore strip…?
Mary: That comment totally made me laugh out loud. I don’t know, maybe it’s a nose patch to relieve snot, considering how much Dohyun cried these two days. I need one of those too, I’ve been crying like crazy since yesterday.
zk:
@jomo143 thank you for answering my question! 🙂
@Mary I have to admit I had to pause to chuckle in the middle of all the seriousness while watching when I saw that they put such a thing on the male lead. ^^; It makes sense that it might help if you are sick and have been crying a lot, but in my culture at least such a thing is just… not very cool. But, that’s Secretary Ahn for you. He cares about Do-hyun so much that he bundles him up with a poultice for the throat, a strip for the nose, and all the other things he prepared as soon as Do-hyun was unwell. 🙂
Further about Ki-joon and Chae-yoon, I agree with you. I think it has been good to have them in the story because it allowed for several pieces of great dialogue. However, I can’t currently imagine that they could be of any real effect to the OTP right now.
…I guess if Ki-joon finds out about Do-hyun(JS)’s DID then the biggest effect that might have would be on Shin Hwa-ran’s negotiations with Cha Young-pyo. As for Chae-yoon, I’m still drawing a blank, but the writer is doing so well that I don’t feel like she will just disappear from the story as if she fell off the face of the earth.
Although they have shown Mr.X in some of the title scenes, I don’t think he has manifested himself as an alter yet because he doesn’t exist at this point. The reason being that Origin told the doctor that she interacted with ALL the personalities except for SSG in an episode. It may be true he exists but hasn’t been triggered yet. However, with the latest development, it seems just as plausible that the shock from Nana’s identity may further fracture, or rather create an amalgamation, of CDH/SSG creating Mr.X.
Why specifically the two? I do believe the other alters hold important secrets/information, kind of like having several people hold parts of a password. But SSG seems to be the personality CDH first created specifically for and when his trauma started. He knows everything…which is why he is so angry at everyone except Origin. More importantly, his knowledge of the traumatic event coupled with his anger may be why he chose Shin Se Gi, which may be his real name given that his mother’s surname is also Shin, as an act of rebellion. As for his mother not reacting to the mention of his name (someone mentioned it above)….perhaps it is because it is not shocking to believe her son wouldn’t remember his own name, his real name. It would be more shocking to her if he kept divulging what he remembers during that lost year.
Simply put, unlike the other alters who seem to be completely made up identities from specific traumas, SSG is literally a manifestation of CDH’s anger and self loath, a part of his true identity. And CDH being the compassionate person, his mind created this personality that expressed himself in a manner CDH wished he could while CDH locked himself inside his mind.
Now that CDH knows about the origin (pun intended) of his name, and the unlocking of his memories, I think he will merge with Shin Se Gi who knows everything and become an amalgamation of the two, Mr. X. I guess the two polar personalities combining will create a complete person? And the name may refer to the fact the CDH is not his real name and Shin Se Gi is a reminder of the family he is disgusted by, thus using an unknown variable as his name.
And the name may refer to the fact the CDH is not his real name and Shin Se Gi is a reminder of the family he is disgusted by, thus using an unknown variable as his name.
Well said, dear!
May I add some points to your insights? Because I agree that Do-hyun and Se-gi are more closely related to the past.
Do-hyun, Se-gi, and Nana seem to be the only personalities with complete awareness about what happened in the past. Yo-na and Yo-sub, in my opinion, were only the alters Do-hyun produced to deal with the sudden pain he experienced when he first found out about Se-gi, when he was 17. The twin alters only knew that Do-hyun was hurting and suffering by himself, but the didn’t seem to know the details on what caused the pain. They became the polar opposite of someone’s reaction to a problem: ignore it (Yo-na) or run from it forever (Yo-sub).
I can’t quite point out where Ferry originally came from, because there were two possibilities: he was either a figure Do-hyun wanted to have as a father, or someone Do-hyun aspired to be. The first theory could work if Ferry existed from the beginning, while the second one could be the explanation for the alter to be produced right after Do-hyun found out about his illness. Carefree and full of vigour, and the bombs might be Do-hyun’s wish to become a superhero.
Forgot to comment on this
“Further about the alters, there is something I have been wondering about the male alters and Do-hyun(JS)’s father, Cha Jun-pyo. In stories, sons of abusive fathers are often depicted as fearing becoming like their fathers. However, that hasn’t really come up in Kill Me, Heal Me explicitly since Do-hyun(Puppy) is obviously different in temperament from his father. ”
Dohyun did not show signs of that because he only recalled his memories recently. That is why I speculated Mr. X could be a reflection of Cha Jun Pyo, because Dohyun could very well manifest his father in himself subconsciously, even more so if he fears to be exactly like his father in that sense.
“I theorized before about how Mr. X might have been around for a long time without making himself known to Do-hyun(JS) and others.”
And I think that he’s been lying dormant because Junpyo is in a comma, if Junpyo were to wake up, Mr. X might be triggered to come out as a reflex.
Hmm, if Mr.X isn’t based mainly in Do-hyun(Puppy)’s lack of true sense of self (ever since they changed his identity after the fire), then I suppose he could be a reflection of his father.
Kind of scary to think that Do-hyun(JS) might start rotating between Nana, who represents little Ri-jin, and a Mr. X, who represents his father. shudder
“And I think that he’s been lying dormant because Junpyo is in a coma, if Junpyo were to wake up, Mr. X might be triggered to come out as a reflex.”
That would be very interesting and would certainly give extra heft story-wise to Jun-pyo waking up. However, I’m still more in the camp of I think he hasn’t been dormant -for the reasons I wrote in my comment on ep14 https://thetalkingcupboard.wordpress.com/2015/02/20/kill-me-heal-me-episode-14/comment-page-1/#comment-19866 -. I just think he has not let himself be noticed.
@zk You could be right, because I noticed Dohyun changed into a new set of clothing in the cellar, he wasn’t wearing Rion’s clothes nor his from the previous day. He might have changed into one of his alters in between, and judging from his clothing style, he could be either Segi or Mr.X. Part of me would have readily dismiss the possibility if you hadn’t mentioned it. But…I’m still not convinced…I mean I wouldn’t be surprised if Mr.X has already appeared without us knowing, because this writer likes to throw random surprises along the way, but I don’t think the other alters (who supposedly are not aware of each other, but seems to recognize each others’ existence as hinted when Yona said Nana was playing with the teddy) wouldn’t have known already, unless he’s the biggest controller of all and managed to silence them. Otherwise explained, I’m still thinking he’s the sleeping beauty or beast.
@zk @maryxiah
You know what? I think both of you were right. Mr X had been there all along, but he didn’t let himself known to Do-hyun. He might have existed in between the alters’ appearance, or he just reared his head after Do-hyun made up his mind to find his lost memories. He can be the alter who cleans up the other alter’s mess, acting as an intermediate between the alters and Do-hyun.
I think what zk pointed out in Episode 14’s comment made sense, and it’s enough to explain how Mr X might be portrayed.
Check out this Wiki link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Id,_ego_and_super-ego
It was something suggested on DC: that Se-gi is the id; Do-hyun the ego, and Mr X the super-ego.
The Wiki link provides useful insights on how the alters and Do-hyun work. Although the id is described to be present at birth, we can assume that Se-gi was born together with the memory-free 7-year old Do-hyun. The id is perceived as “a mass of instinctive drives and impulses, and needs immediate satisfaction” and “a chaos, a cauldron full of seething excitations”. Sounds familiar? Because Se-gi is totally like that.
Do-hyun the ego is “representing what may be called reason and common sense, in contrast to the id, which contains the passions”, just like how Do-hyun is, trying to please people around him.
Mr X is the super-ego, who “aims for perfection” and “takes on the influence of those who have stepped into the place of parents — educators, teachers, people chosen as ideal models”. Since Mr X is shown to be quiet, prim and proper like a trophy man, so it’s more fitting that he will be the super-ego in Do-hyun.
To put it simply, the id is like the Devil and the super-ego is like the Angel, while the ego is the Mediator between those two personalities.
There’s no end to analysing this drama, isn’t it?
Oh, oh, very interesting, @muchadoaboutlove. Thanks for explaining that.
I think the other characters will meet both Nana and Mr. X next week, so this is going to get very interesting.
Heeee just call me mimi ^^v
@muchadoboutlove @zk
Interesting analyzation, though I’m curious about this DC place you’re talking about, mimi. I guess we keep dissecting this drama because there’s literally so much grounds to cover, the DID issue itself is an interesting subject to explore because it’s such a foreign idea for most people, plus with that many alters and ambiguous motivation before their creation (I’m really curious about Perry too), except Segi who has merged with Dohyun, there’s still so much questions left to be answered. I did find the pace a little unbearable at first, because the secret threatened to come out every so often in the beginning and teased us for 10 episodes long, I was losing my patient.
It’s a Korean online forum (sort of like soompi) with topics etc.
And you can understand what they’re talking about?
Most of them, but there are some contractions and abbreviations that might take some time to get used to. Hehehe
That’s awesome! How did you get into that forum? I admire your dedication to study other languages, I can barely keep up with just 3 languages.
Side note: I finished watching episode 15 & 16 earlier, fell asleep right after because my eyes were so puffy from crying, woke up shortly after with still puffy eyes, and tons of work untouched. This drama really ruined me.
It’s a public forum but you need to register if you want to post comments. Hehe I really have to thank the dramas for making me interested in learning the language ^^
Awww hang in there, we still got a few days left until next Wednesday..
((hugs))
@maryxiah sending a virtual hug your way that was brave of you to watch both episodes in one day. I don’t think I could have taken it. T^T
@zk
hugs I watched ‘Secret’ on marathon a couple of times, that was a tearjerker too, so this is somewhat bearable, except I hadn’t stop crying in the two hours spent on both episodes.
Whaat
Thank you..
Omg, it’s so surprising. How can the name of Cha do hyun is hers? And how could the family still like that? Like there is nothing happened.
Can anyone explain the seungjin group’s family tree. I’m still a little confused over how Cha Do Hyun and Oh Ri -jin are related even after 16 episodes hahaha.
I know people has been searching for Kill Me, Heal Me’s family tree, so here it is..the family tree of Seungjin and Oh Family in the drama. Click to enlarge, and pardon the childish signs! I have no talent in using Paint…
thanks!