Kairos 카이로스 ⏳- 🤩 [2020]

[abs-oluteM]

Autotranslated from here: https://www.news1.kr/articles/?4119750

MBC'Kairos' © News1

Just before the arrest of'Kairos' Shin Sung-rok, the moment of desperate despair was captured.

 

In the 6th episode of MBC Mon-Tue's mini-series'Kairos' (played by Lee Soo-hyun/director Seung-woo Park), broadcast on the 16th, Kim Seo-jin (played by Shin Seong-rok) is the only suspect who witnessed the death of Kwak Song-ja (played by Hwang Jung-min) and is surrounded by the police.

Seojin Kim (played by Seongrok Shin), who previously suspected Lee Taek-gyu (played by Jo Dong-in) as a suspect, followed by attaching a location tracker to his vehicle. Kim Seo-jin, who visited Lee Taek-gyu's location, found the dead Kwak Song-ja and implied that he fell into a trap, raising expectations for the future development. It was then revealed that the man who visited Kwak Songja's hospital was Lee Taek-gyu, and another reversal ending shocked viewers.

In the midst of this, the still cut released by the'Kairos' side on this day captures the figure of the besieged Kim Seo-jin kneeling. While raising his hand, the embarrassment is conveyed intact, while the appearance of asking a question with a photograph of Kwak Songja is felt desperate.

In addition, even the detective, who has been regretting Kim Seo-jin since the kidnapping of Kim Da-bin (played by Shim Hye-yeon), has revealed a bitter face, predicting that the future will not be smooth. If Kim Seo-jin is arrested, the curiosity is growing as to what will happen with Han Ae-ri (played by Lee Se-young) and who will be able to save him in crisis.

[abs-oluteM]

Am all caught up....my goodness, how can his wife be so cruel? I already knew something was wrong during the time she was hospitalised after finding out DalBi  'died'. The way Seo Do Kyun had looked at her gave some hints that there was trouble in paradise. I wasn't particularly shocked that they were having an affair but I was taken by surprise that SDK & the wife had staged this entire kidnap & death. 

Is Dal Bi even his daughter?  SDK may very well be the real father. Anyhow it makes sense now that they have not found the body for both Dal Bi and Hyun Chae. But I can't as yet explain why the DNA test had shown it was DalBi's , unless some sort of tampering has happened.

 

Would it be correct to say that SDK through the driver had bought over Kim Do Jin to pretend like he killed & buried Dal Bi?  And I am guessing that KDJ was in need of money. He was last seen as meeting with Ae Ri's mother as he was likely borrowing money for the daughter's treatment. But the mum didn't have any. And I suppose KDJ was AeRi's father's ex colleague. Now I want to know why they targeted AeRin's mum.

----------------------------------

Netizens are equally shocked by the amount of revelations in this drama

https://netizenkore.blogspot.com/2020/11/naver-tv-kairos-episode-5-comments-and.html

[abs-oluteM]

Gonna watch eps 6 shortly.

Preview for eps 7

 

BTS

 

[katakwasabi]

19 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

But I can't as yet explain why the DNA test had shown it was DalBi's , unless some sort of tampering has happened.

 

Hehehe. This will be explained in ep 6 😆

 

So sad we only get 1 ep this week again. I have so many theories in my head haha. My current biggest question is...why Seojin? Why are they attacking him 😭

[abs-oluteM]

2 hours ago, katakwasabi said:

So sad we only get 1 ep this week again. I have so many theories in my head haha. My current biggest question is...why Seojin? Why are they attacking him 😭

Again? Momentum kiiler...

Eps 6 was really good. So many things happened but I am really so glad they managed to save AeRin's mum. Phew! It saved SeoJin too or he may have ended up in jail, which was what SDK wanted of course. 

 

For me it is clear that SDK is jealous of everything that SeoJin has. That is the main motive. But the wife is quite something as well . She obviously had a tough childhood but it takes a truly vengeful person to be able to burn your father alive. It is no wonder she and and SDK can come up with such a devious elaborate scheme.  But the thing is that Han Ae Ri's life is in danger again- they will definitely try to get rid off her because she will be seen as an obstruction to their plans.

 

@ktcjdrama @SnowBlob Definitely recommend this!

[40somethingahjumma]

Fortunately for us this show only goes from strength to strength.  I think we are only beginning to really grasp the layers of the drama as the criminal elements play out in both timelines.

 

Although it's veering somewhat into makjang territory with recent revelations, the storyline and the plotting continue to give an immersive experience. The recent twist is fascinating because it provides insight into the psyche of SDC, KHC and their (what seems to me) rather unhealthy dynamic. The revelation that the faux kidnapping and supposedly suicide is nothing more than part of a grander plan. I always thought that the kidnapping had to be an inside job and really the cops should have been more persistent about pursuing that angle because it is very difficult to be opportunistic about kidnapping in such a secure location.

 

In all honesty I don't trust the wife, KHC in the slightest. I don't just mean the adultery angle. There's something over-the-top, unhinged about her. She comes across as entitled and there's definitely a femme fatale vibe about her. Even from the first day they met, KHC dominated SDC and took advantage of affable personality and his infatuation of her. He liked playing the hero and she liked the idea of being rescued. There's something theatrical about that. The show is very clear on that. She reminds me somewhat of Barbara Stanwyck's character from Double Indemnity but more sociopathic, I think. It doesn't seem to me that she loves anyone but herself. It's such a cruel stunt to pull by all concerned. Especially when SJ has been running around so distraught. He's not a perfect man by any stretch of the imagination but  to subject him to this sort of emotional upheaval doesn't seem justified at all. 

 

I don't doubt that SDC is being used because if KHC really cared about him, she wouldn't have IMO ended up with Seo-jin. What's even more despicable in all of this is how they're using Da Bin to mess with SJ and the cops. 

 

The drama is surely becoming very Hitchcock like in the way that the cat and mouse between the protagonists and the schemers play out. I'm wondering about the Chairman and his role in all of this. I wonder why he is unusually sympathetic for a man of his position because my suspicious mind tells me that he is someone with a lot to hide judging from the various disasters/crises that his company has been linked to. I can't say for certain how much he knows but it does beg the question if he is behind SDC. Afterall he has unlimited resources at his disposal.

 

LTG is the ultimate henchman in this and the obvious fall guy for when things go south. He's at the scene of every crime and connects all the dots as the leads grope around looking for answers. But as long as he is noticed, things are precarious for the "bad guys".

 

In an upcoming podcast, @abs-oluteM and I talk about sci-fi K dramas. We mention Kairos in it (among other ones) and talk about how the fantasy element is almost always a part of these time slip dramas. That said, I feel comfortable saying that there are sci-fi elements to Kairos despite the "ghost in the machine" temporal device that operates here. In the same way Signal did. I am using the idea of "ghost in the machine" more literally rather than philosophically ie. the soul of someone who has passed or a spirit possessing the device or the machine for its end. Rather like Signal. There's no doubt that the show makes very good use of the smartphone technology and the time limitations imposed on the participants to create anticipation and suspense regarding how future events play out. The technology is still pivotal here because it's Ae Ri's dad's phone number. Whenever she wanted to communicate with him after his passing, she would call that number and relate events from her life. Now it seems to have taken a life of its own. Either she created this "ghost" through repeated use of the number and/or that there are inexplicable perhaps supernatural forces that have taken pity on her and given her to course correct more recent events. Perhaps the show is saying that Dad's ghost haunts the phone or a vestige of Dad's soul lingers because of the phone number.

 

In terms of the age old dichotomy between predestination and human agency, it is certainly at play here. The changing of the past is "allowed" obviously because the door was opened for Seo-jin and Ae-ri to make it happen. Both were motivated to do so by their personal circumstances. However it does seem as is also in the case of Ruyi Pavilion, (a C drama that @abs-oluteM and I have been watching) that human beings are given some agency to make changes to their personal trajectory. They are given alternate scenarios ... as opportunities not only to course correct but to find out certain facts or truths that were previously hidden from them. In undergoing this journey, they have been given a chance to better understand their past. From the perspective of the show, it's not clear if destiny is changeable or if the offer of a second chance is really about heeding warnings or oracles from on high lest one fall prey to fatal outcomes.

 

Moreover, this can't just be about Seo-jin or Ae Ri. For them to be given such a heaven-sent opportunity there has to be something much bigger at stake here. Their personal histories are tied to some rather unsavoury goings-on in the past where large numbers of people died. SJ was kept alive... apparently... for this very purpose.

[katakwasabi]

Yesssss!!!!

 

Ep 7-8 will air back to back on Tuesday 24th Nov 2020!

 

 

 

I was on DCgall and naver chat, many requested for continuous broadcasting. Some even watched baseball last night to see if Kairos monday broadcast will be affected. Once they knew the outcome aka the monday broadcast will be postponed, they started to request for continuous broadcasting on Tuesday...and it happened hahahaha 🥳.

 

[katakwasabi]

On 11/15/2020 at 4:27 PM, mademoiselle said:

The moment I saw she went to meet him at his apartment, I had a hunch the scenario would turn out this way! Now I want to know if the daughter is even Seo Jin's! Ahn Bo Hyun - knew he was too good to be just a right-hand man for Seo Jin! Sigh, I had wished he plays a good guy this time. Nonetheless, a nice twist. I feel sorry for Seo Jin now. I mean, he's in pain right now and all for nothing! Technically he's also a victim of the past incident too, but they lay the blame on him for this... wae? That's where I'm interested to know.

 

I think HC and DG has different agendas but are working together. HC wants to get rid of Seojin and a new identity, meanwhile DG wants Seojin's place. Maybe, just maybe...they planned the kidnapping and death because they anticipate SJ will follow his family? Which is exactly what he did in ep 1, he tried to jump from the bridge. It was Aeri's message that stopped him in his tracks. And the glimer of hope the message had made him survive until this day. If their communication never happened....HC plans would have worked. Then she reappears as she survived the fall, then she can get truckloads of insurance money as the bereaved wife who also lost her daughter....and then dissappears again with a new identity but with more money. DG will get Seojin's place.

 

*theory running wild*

 

Excited for new eps! I hope all baddies will eventually be punished and suffer as much as Seojin did! 😠

[abs-oluteM]

21 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

There's something over-the-top, unhinged about her.

This is the exact word to describe her. I had a strange feeling about her from the get go. And as the episodes unfolded , it felt like she was the one pulling the puppet's strings. Even though SDC is the one planning and executing  the ideas, she uses her power over him to do get him to fulfill her wishes. However,  I think she's not picking this up - SDC wants more than just to be with her. She wishes to just be done with this , have a new identity and leave to start a new life. He is more ambitious than she realises - he wants the whole package of Seo Jin's life. He wants SJ's position in the company. I will not be surprised if the Chairman has a hand in this or backs  SDC in some way. I have a feeling if these calls between AR and SJ had never happened, and SJ had killed himself at the bridge, the problems with the materials used in the construction may have been conveniently blamed on SJ. After all a dead man cannot defend himself.

 

21 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

The technology is still pivotal here because it's Ae Ri's dad's phone number. Whenever she wanted to communicate with him after his passing, she would call that number and relate events from her life. Now it seems to have taken a life of its own. Either she created this "ghost" through repeated use of the number and/or that there are inexplicable perhaps supernatural forces that have taken pity on her and given her to course correct more recent events. Perhaps the show is saying that Dad's ghost haunts the phone or a vestige of Dad's soul lingers because of the phone number.

I like how you put this here. I know we discussed before how in kdramas that they rarely explain the mechanisms to which these things happen;  it is no different here. But the reasons for it to happen are always there be it in dramas like Signal or Tunnel. I also like the idea that AR's father is the link to the phone calls between AR and SJ. More chilling is the fact that SJ was at the site where her father died.  When the drama 1st started , I was under the impression things happened primarily for SJ's sake. But for me now ,this opportunity to change fate is triggered to save AR's life, and along the way save SJ too.

 

@liddi  I remember you like dramas of this genre & perhaps you may want to check this one out.

[ktcjdrama]

Hi chingus! I am all caught up. Great drama! Love the unexpected twists and turns. The transitioning of timelines is done well too. It’s quite easy to tell which time line we’re at. 

[katakwasabi]

Details captured by k-viewers

 

Seojin entered Yujung in 2008

Seojin appointed as director on 21/03/2018

 

Interesting that he entered the company in the same year DG-HC met too. Did HC leave DG for Seojin? Maybe she saw him having potential and will be rich in the future. Or did they both plan to use Seojin from the get go. Either way....I'm rooting hard for Seojin! Please win! Remove the ring from your finger and be free! And Dabin needs to return to dad, mummy is bad for her. Huhu

 

And please don't be Life on Mars where the character is actually in a coma, it worked in LoM but it won't work here. Please don't be in a coma. Please.

 

 

[katakwasabi]

More eagle-eye knetz finding

 

In episode 1, Seojin sleeps in pajamas, but after Dabin disappears, he just wears anything.

 

 

 

🥺 poor seojinnn. I hope he finds Dabin soon~ 

 

Sc: HB ent

 

[mademoiselle]

On 11/20/2020 at 2:23 AM, katakwasabi said:

I think HC and DG has different agendas but are working together. HC wants to get rid of Seojin and a new identity, meanwhile DG wants Seojin's place. Maybe, just maybe...they planned the kidnapping and death because they anticipate SJ will follow his family? Which is exactly what he did in ep 1, he tried to jump from the bridge. It was Aeri's message that stopped him in his tracks. And the glimer of hope the message had made him survive until this day. If their communication never happened....HC plans would have worked. Then she reappears as she survived the fall, then she can get truckloads of insurance money as the bereaved wife who also lost her daughter....and then dissappears again with a new identity but with more money. DG will get Seojin's place.

 

*theory running wild*

 

Excited for new eps! I hope all baddies will eventually be punished and suffer as much as Seojin did! 😠

I think he wants the best of both worlds - both Seo Jin's place and her. Whereas she only cares about herself and I believe she's only using him. If she finds a better man, I am sure she'd ditch him. She already chose Seo Jin over him once.

 

This show is designed to have "justice will prevail" for the ending. I just don't know where all this put Seo Jin because either way, he's going to have to face the truth about psycho cheating wife who staged their daughter's kidnap and fake own death. I don't see a possibility of reset for his life either with how this supernatural thing works, so he will still be left with a rather jaded, lonely ending.

Edited November 22, 2020 by mademoiselle

[katakwasabi]

3 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

I don't see a possibility of reset for his life either with how this supernatural thing works, so he will still be left with a rather jaded, lonely ending.

 

That's why I ship him with Aeri~

 

I started this drama with no intention of shipping. I was glad when they removed the romance tag from the initial description. But after a few eps, Seojin-Aeri conversations becomes more and more personal. They genuinely seem like they care for each others well-being on top of they need each other to either find mum or save his family. I don't mind if they somehow end up together. I want them to be happy. Also Aeri said ever since mum went missing, it feels like I'm in a dark tunnel...whenever I'm overtaken by doubt, I think of you, Kim Seo Jin. Me: awwwww. Please meet you two..meet and be happy! 😆

 

And....they do look good together 🤩

 

Yep...I'll be in awe too~~

 

Trot lovers!!!

 

 

[liddi]

@abs-oluteM Thank you for the shoutout. I had been following Kairos avidly but was not able to continue after Ep4 due to real life demanding my attention. So very quickly so that I don't spoil anything for myself, am on board, and will drop by once I am caught up. Hope to join in soon!

[katakwasabi]

Kairos cast promoting the drama 2nd half ahaha

 

 

[40somethingahjumma]

This show continues to hold my interest because of the high degree of unpredictability that's involved so one never knows where things are headed once there's interference from the past timeline. It certainly keeps me on the edge of my seat. So far despite all the moving parts and various threads, they seem to be holding it all together.

 

Writing for this show must be a dream come true for someone involved. To be able to experiment and play around with at least half a dozen scenarios and explore that with a certain amount glee. It's clear to me though that as long as the conspirators remain at large and concealed from present-day Kim Seo-jin, there's always something else just round the corner to take us all by surprise. 

 

Frankly at this point I can't see any romance between AR and SJ developing particularly because of what happened in Episode 8. Perhaps I'm also a little biased because Geon-wook has been all kinds of impressive of late and I've always suspected that he's super fond of Ae-ri. I'm glad he's there for her making sure she's safe, reining in her more reckless tendencies for now. Anyway, in all likelihood nothing will happen in that regard considering how everyone is being kept on their toes lurching from crisis to crisis. I think AR means well and with the limited knowledge that she has, it makes sense for her to try and stop the kidnapping because she's had a personal taste of what it's like to lose someone so suddenly.

 

My guess is that Mum is in contact with the chairman and he's got LTG running errands for him on top of everything else LTG is already doing. The chairman is as far as I can tell the only one with that kind of money to throw around.

 

It's a pity though that they foiled the kidnapping because Seo-jin is back to being a bit of a jerk. Not the total one he was previously because now he's almost lost Da Bin. But the memories from the previous "kidnapping stream" seems to have lingered as SJ moves gradually towards the point of intersection. That's an interesting addition to the mix. The implication seems to be that a "lived" experience before he started communications with AR isn't entirely erased even if the consequences appear to be. Apparently there will be vestiges of that experience retained in the mind. 

 

Foiling the kidnapping also seems to be the show shifting gears to me. The story now seems to have completely changed direction. Certainly Yujung Construction angle will continue but there are so many unknown. It's a blank slate of how the villains will regroup and go on the offensive.

 

I don't know why Do-kyun is so obsessed with Hyun-chae. Is it a "first love" gone mad? I can't say I have a lot sympathy for either of them. She's so obviously using and manipulating him to get out of dodge. But it's a hell that she's created for herself. It seems like her father is on the prowl, stalking and blackmailing her. 

 

Clearly their marriage problems weren't entirely about SJ's workaholism and neglect. I don't know if CH is capable of loving any man because of her background and so she uses them to get what she wants. Maybe she does care about DK but I get the feeling she's using him too from what she said about "remember why I left you". She's suffered a lot in her childhood and she just wants things handed to her on a plate so she hitched her wagon to the SJ train.

 

I feel sorry for Da Bin. She's a casualty in all this. A mother like that. I can't see how CH will change overnight just because her complacency has suddenly been rocked. 

[ktcjdrama]

I have been wondering what will happen once we reached D-day of kidnapping. Really didn’t expect AR to be the one apprehended as the kidnapper! Poor girl... she tried so hard, out of her way, to save DaBin and SJ but what she got was detainment. I still wonder what made SJ withdrew the charge. I do believe mom went to see Chairman, but would SJ let Chairman dictate how he handled his family affairs? 

 

I am glad that she is no longer alone but has her friends helping her at the side. SJ and AR works differently yet they made a great team when they can communicate. SJ is usually the cool-(cold?) headed one, while AR is more on the emotional side. One uses his brain more, one uses her heart more. 

 

Some funny observations I just want to mention. One is how nice of the villains to let bloodied SJ lie on the bed with white sheets. The award for the most irresponsible nanny should go to DaBin’s nanny. The little girl was still crying from being scolded by Daddy yet what is more important for her is be relieved from watching her so as to get some food. Just in one event and she blundered 3 times. I would’ve fired her already. Another observation is that DK doesn’t prefer to have anyone killed, while LKJ’s first thought is always to kill 😓 I wonder too how he comes to be so devoted to a woman like CH. Anyone think that CH is very capable of putting poison in food? Target being SJ and probably DK too. Haha, I was anticipating some choking as he took a bite of the food she prepared. 

 

23 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

 

I feel sorry for Da Bin. She's a casualty in all this. A mother like that. I can't see how CH will change overnight just because her complacency has suddenly been rocked. 

Same feeling here. CH is the true villain in the kidnapping scheme. I wonder how the writer will resolve this. You separate the little girl from the mother, be it death or jail time, it’s gonna pain her either way. Could CH have died from the car accident one month from now? DK seems to be crying over her body in the preview? I don’t think a divorce between SJ and CH is the answer too. 

 

On 11/25/2020 at 1:35 PM, 40somethingahjumma said:

 

Foiling the kidnapping also seems to be the show shifting gears to me. The story now seems to have completely changed direction.

I think so too, considering we’re only halfway through the drama and we’re already back at the point of time where the show started. So curious about what the other half of the show will be like as we continue to progress through the one month apart time line. How will our main characters finally converge to the same time line... I mean the SJ from one month ahead with better understanding of AR, meeting the AR of one month before. 

[katakwasabi]

It took me a few days to realize this 😅....i think whatever happened in the first half is repeating in ep8 but repackaged differently:

 

a) In the original timeline, Aeri was jailed for killing Geunwook. In the new timeline, she was in custody for kidnapping Dabin.

 

b) In the original timeline, Seojin was about to die at the villa in October. In the new timeline, he's about to die in his car, also in October.

 

Something had happened to Aeri at the end of September. Seojin9 can't track Dabin using Aeri's details she provided him. She had to give him Geunwook details for him to use the app. I wonder what happened to her.

 

I think the beginning of ep 8 are also new events. In ep1, Seojin and HC discussed about the charity show+babysitter in their bedroom the night before the show, but in ep8 they fought the night before and talked about it over breakfast. These are new memories for injured Seojin 😢.

(Edit: after rewatching ep 8, maybe the golf and breakfast scene is from an earlier year, because iinm HC performs at the event each year)

 

About the kidnapping...Seojin8 planted the cops to capture Aeri based on the evidence he gathered. If Aeri didn't go to the venue, if she could have talked to Seojin9 after he found his family...the events would be totally different. In some sense...both Aeri8 and Seojin8 caused the real culprits to run free. Aeri and gang didn't keep tabs on DG and LTG at the venue because both Aeri8 and Seojin9 never really connected them to the kidnapping, they focused on KJH as the kidnapper. DG and LTG were connected to Aeri's death and mum's death.

 

I dunno why but I feel that Seojin is meant to die. He miraculously survived a building collapse. If it wasn't for Aeri's messages, he would have killed himself in the original timeline. I want him to survive but I won't be surprised if he doesn't live at the end, he's so lonely and his world is just starting to fall apart again in this new September, while the memories of old Sept are starting to comeback too. Probably the last thing he does is expose the corruption in the company before he dies. And I will cry if this happens 😭

 

What I wish the most is....he is not the bad guy. I don't want him to be the evil one. Nooo...don't give me Trap 2.0. I'm rooting for him.

 

[abs-oluteM]

I will catch up tonight.  

Meanwhile stills for tonight:

 

Preview for eps 10

 

[katakwasabi]

Yay Kairos!!!!  

 

 

 

[40somethingahjumma]

Watching Seo-jin in these last couple of episodes I've realised how much I like SSR as the good guy. Since Thank You I haven't really seen anything with him as the Everyman character. He's been playing these larger-than-life characters for a long time that it's nice to see him as a father and a husband doing ordinary sorts of things like taking selfies and going camping.

 

It was always clear to me that this show was as much about Seo-jin's second chance as it was about the Taejung collapse. Although he was a jerk on some level... he was an overworked, stressed out corporate executive with obvious PTSD. Not to mention the loss of his father. His marriage was a facade and his wife was (literally) in bed with his right hand man. His life was in shambles and the tragic thing is that he didn't even realise it until in the first timeline... his daughter and wife went missing.

 

After last week's reset... in this second timeline where the "kidnapping" is foiled, Ae Ri's impact on him is still palpable. The on-edge Seo-jin still gains some benefit without the trauma of losing his family. The message to me seems to be this: deep meaningful change begins from the inside.

 

This is the contrast to Hyun-chae... the unhinged wife... for her entire life she's blamed other people and circumstances for all her problems. Okay, it makes sense at some level to do so when considering her upbringing and dysfunctional home life as a child. She sets fire to the family home with dad in it and runs. She's been running ever since. That's all she does. That's her default position. When things got tight, she didn't appreciate Do-kyun's love, she ran. Then she ran into the arms of a wealthier more successful man. When the marriage was on the rocks, she ran back to Do-kyun. Dad reappears in her life... and then she runs again.

 

Of course Do-kyun is a first-class idiot for enabling her. I shake my head all the time that an apparently smart guy like him can allow himself to be this manipulated by a woman who so obviously cares only about what she can get out of him. It scarcely seems like love. Feels more like an obsession to me. Their dynamic is so toxic. In some ways I wouldn't care if these two end up killing each other except for the fact that these two conspirators are dragging a child into the fray just so they can escape into La La Land. A child who has a dad who cares even if he tends towards workaholism. 

 

Seo-jin's journey to be a better man parallels his inadvertent investigations into the Taejung collapse which almost took his life. We are told that his survival is a miracle and the fact that he's in communication with AR from the past is another miracle. It seems now that the chairman has been and is continuing to use him long after the disaster. There are hints that his father's (Kim Yoo-seok) death might not be a suicide as he had been led to believe all this time. Because Seo-jin made the effort to see the Head of the Victim's Association to hear his grievances, he received an important lead regarding the past. Moreover, Seo-jin going to see Kim Jin-ho and apologizing personally also made a difference for so many different people not just Seo-jin. Lives were saved but not in the same way as was in the first half when the leads were madly running around trying to stop this event and that event. SJ is definitely the pivotal player here.

 

This is where the cleverness of the show truly lies. The first half showed us the rules of the game, the people who were playing it and the mechanics of the time slip device. The leads were generally groping around in the dark trying to figure out the rules as we were with them. Correcting and calibrating. Of course playing the game has got all kinds of ramifications. Fixing the past can lead to good, bad or indifferent outcomes. Nothing is ever certain. And there's also nothing to say that by fixing one problem here that it doesn't create another problem somewhere else. Why? Because people are people. People are selfish and greedy. For instance, if the kidnapping plot didn't pan out, let's try something else. Let's create an accident instead. Or let's kill off the obstacles. Notice how easily people talk about killing when they're desperate. Nobody thinks... "Hey, maybe this isn't a great idea." Or let's do the less extreme thing and ask for a divorce.  It's easy to justify your actions when you think the man at the centre of it all is a bit of a scoundrel but if he starts being nice... apparently it doesn't matter because greedy people do what they want consequences be damned.

 

I'm glad that AR caught on quickly that the new set of text messages in this new timeline weren't from SJ. She might be desperate but she's definitely smartening up due to recent experiences. But that also highlights the differences between the good guys and the bad ones. When they're desperate, they take different courses. They also tend not to kill people on impulse. :P

 

Chairman Yu despite all his moralizing and waxing philosophical in grandfatherly fashion is apparently just another corporate monster. It appears that he's been the architect of a cover-up and he's really an amoral sociopathic figure underneath the kindly demeanour. He certainly has had SJ where he's wanted him from the start. Right where he can see him. A wily old fellow indeed.

 

 

[abs-oluteM]

Really like this drama and where it is headed...not that I fully comprehend where it is headed  but I can see that it will come to a point where Seok Jin of Sept will be fully aware of what is going on. 

 

While we will never know the mechanics or the reason why AR and SJ are connected the way they are, there's something "supernatural" or fated about the way they are helping each other from 2 different time dimensions.  The connection is  through  their fathers who died as a result of the Taejung Town incident. Sometimes I feel this is how both their fathers are looking out for them  and also a way to expose the real devil -  the Chairman. Though SJ's father didn't die on site, the drama is hinting that his death was no suicide . It won't be surprising that it is also the work of the Chairman. Do you guys think that HC died also because Chairman ordered it? The driver guy could be lying that he didn't know HC would still be inside the car. 

 

Anyway the last few episodes showed us that the truly cruel one is HC , and she's the one pulling the strings. SDK may appear like the mastermind but she's the neck that turns the head. He's really a fool for being so blinded by his love for her. He is clearly intelligent and capable , so I wasn't surprised he quickly caught on to what is going on with the two time lines. I was actually quite worried that AR would fall into his trap. Fortunately , she's a lot wiser now and less emotional . She also has some good support in the form of Seung Yoon ( who has redeemed himself from the early episode where he took her money ) and Joo Myung. I hope that AR and SY end up together , if romance is on the cards that is.

This scene was my fave bit - when she trapped SDK!

 

One of the strengths of this drama is that the plot is tight and the writer has a clear picture of what she/ he intends to do. It is unpredictable but it is not illogical , if you know what I mean. There are no obvious plot holes and no confusion. Little details like making sure you know which time line you're watching makes it a pleasant watch. MBC is doing well for itself in this genre - first with 365 Repeat the Year , and now with this. 

[40somethingahjumma]

@abs-oluteM It definitely helps that the show is very well-crafted for something of this kind. For me, what I like about it is that most things that are crucial to the plot are explained.

 

I noticed some negative comments about the show spotlighting villains in other parts of the web and it did surprise me because I thought bringing the villains and their motivations into the spotlight was very much needed. Maybe they just didn't like the idea of SJ being in a coma for so long. Or that DK got his hands on the phone and tried to manipulate AR. But surely after the kidnapping there had to be consequences and the bad guys had to regroup and recalibrate in some way when their plans went awry. Also it makes sense that someone would cotton on to the fact that AR knows far more than she should. DK, a co-conspirator should know that she's not mad and that it was no false alarm or that she was trying to kidnap Da Bin herself.

 

I've also come to the conclusion that the show is only in part about revealing the truth behind the Taejung collapse because we know who the players are and where they fit into the scheme of things. The future is really what's at stake here. There's so much irony here that when HC, for instance, tries to meddle and blackmail... it ends up coming back to bite her.

 

I too am rooting for AR and GW to end up together.  He's grown so much. Actually they've both grown a fair bit.

[katakwasabi]

I'm still on my Seojin-Aeri boat. Sailing slowly hahahahaha. I support GW and Soojung~ 😆

 

Ep 9-10 were amazing. I was mentally preparing for it to go slightly downhill as it enters the 2nd half but it didn't. It remained tightly written and I find it all understandable and it makes sense. Their actions makes sense and I don't need to make sense for them. Lol.

 

I think HC is one of the rare psychos in kdramas who are born psycho with no remorse. No matter which timeline she never changed and keeps plotting nefarious plans. I do wonder if she suddenly feels for Seojin, after ep 10. Did Seojin's softness soften he stone heart a bit? If only she was not a psycho killer who made Seojin suffer so much....i would totally support them. They are such a pretty family. Nam Gyuri and SSR should reunite in another drama as a loving couple, but wait after SR-Jang Nara reunion happen first hahahaha.

 

A part of me think HC burned her house down to escape her life and start new and it doesn't have to do with dad being a bad guy. I think she is imagining her dad is still alive. I find it weird that dad entered the ladies toilet at a big venue. He can easily be caught. Seojin 'seeing' dad at their house could be a red herring. It's all in HC's head. Tidbit: HC's name in the texts with dad is Yuna. 

 

Some of my speculations based on details noticed by knetz. Disclaimer this is pure speculation

Spoiler

Knetz noticed the details on the medical report(?) in SJ's room: his birth year is incorrect and his registration ID is a female ID. It's unknown if it's just some prop detail error or if it's intentional. But it does make me wonder...could the report actually be HC's medical report? 

 

Hohohohoho