TamzinMillemni

Could you tell me where they discussed him running away before? I tried to go back and find it but I must be having a brain fart because I can’t seem to find it. Thanks in advance. 🙂

I thought this might have been the scene. How I interpret it is that she’s saying she’ll be the breadwinner and take care of them which means she’ll take the position of the elder in their new formed unit. She’s gonna work as an adult now (as a singer) and he can continue his studies. Still, as you said it could be a hint from the writers that Mok-ha is older.

And this is exactly the intention of the writers. They want viewers to believe that either brother could be Ki-ho and will keep this tactic until the later episodes. This is why I want viewers not to be set on one person regardless and to be open to going where the clues lead even if it changes who they thought was Ki-ho. It’s too early to tell who is the real Ki-ho. I have my theory (Bo-goel), but others believe it is Woo-hak.

What I like about your answer is that it’s detailed, analytical and shows you’ve thought about it - weighing the possibilities. As I said in my previous answer I have thoughts about why Bo-goel is being so cold/distant/stand-offish with Mok-ha but it’s an analysis I will be writing after the next episode airs (as it will be the halfway point).

What I’ll say here is that we do see Bo-goel sneaking a look at Mok-ha on the ship back from the island. These are the looks he gives her that many viewers have noticed as ‘the eyes that do not lie’. From then on, the looks he gives her suggests that there is something else there.

I do think Bo-goel’s behaviour can already be explained, so I don’t share the same view that him being Ki-ho would be a plothole. I think it’s intentional that we haven’t seen a lot of Bo-goel yet or a lot of interactions with Mok-ha. This is why I am waiting to see the next two episodes because I think it will set the lay of the land more clearly. For now, my theory is that Bo-goel has done what he adviced Mok-ha to do when they were younger and that is to change his name, forget his past and bury his identity as Ki-ho so that his father won’t find him. I think people underestimate the threat that Ki-ho’s father is, because Bo-goel is now an adult, they wonder why he wouldn’t be able to fight back if his father comes but people who have experience of domestic abuse (whether directly or indirectly), know that abusers can turn homicidal. Especially when their victims leave them or threaten to leave him.

I think a lot of Bo-goel’s reactions have been purposefully muted but it’s there. For example, when he finds out in the elevator that Woo-kah’s boss didn’t allow him to drop Mok-ha’s story he looked unhappy. “Why didn’t you kill the story”. It’s subtle, but it’s there. But what can he do now. The story is already out. They’re watching the broadcast in the elevator.

Even though these are my opinions, they are based on the first four episodes which imo heavily suggests that Ki-ho is Bo-goel. I will continue updating my theories based on how the episodes unfold. So far, I do not believe Woo-hak to be Ki-ho but I’m open to this changing. We’re coming up to the halfway point and I’ll be looking for the writers to shed more light on Ki-ho’s flashbacks/memory loss and for the writers to show more interaction between Mok-ha and Bo-goel. If the writers are following a formula, the majority of episode 5 will make it seem like Ki-ho is Woo-hak only for them to throw in something at the end to make you think it might be Bo-goel. In episode 4, they hinted that Bo-goel was Ki-ho for most of the episode only to introduce the flashback right at the end to suggest it might be Woo-hak.

After this week’s episode, if I can, I will do a breakdown of my theories so far in the discussions section here.

This is one of those things that are on my list of ‘something that I’ve noticed but may not be significant, still I’ll keep an eye on it’. Another thing is that Mok-ha’s friend called Ki-ho the runaway even though he is a new student. It makes me wonder how many times had he attempted to run away before.

I think we are sort of saying the same thing. Woo-hak started to believe he was Ki-ho upon visiting her home town. The hometown visit was the catalyst. Note he started being told about Ki-ho from the fish restaurant scene and then they went to visit Ki-ho’s old home. There he sees a note with a phrase his mother says. I think this is when Woo-hak starts wondering if he may be Ki-ho. I keep saying that how Woo-hak is reacting to Mok-ha is because he is a normal decent human who is speaking up when that father and son were going off on her. His reactions seem special because all she’s had up to that point are bad people in her life treating her terribly. When Woo-hak returns to Seoul, I think he has already made the decision to help Mok-ha in any way because that is what Ki-ho did/would do. She then tells him he reminds her of Ki-ho. This leads to him further believing that he might be Ki-ho.

The Woo-hak we see prior to the home town visit is a different Woo-hak to the one we see after. He seems more invested afterwards. Where as before he was being instructed by his boss to follow up on her story and he had his own journalistic interest in her as well, of course.

I think what I’m trying to communicate to viewers more than anything is that because it’s clear the intention of the writer is to make it appear that Ki-ho could be either of the brothers, we as viewers shouldn’t die on the hill of Woo-hak or Bo-goel or get into heated arguments about it either. We’re not even at the halfway point yet. There is so much story left to tell. At this early stage, it’s all speculation and so much can change from now to the end.

While I haven’t ruled Woo-hak out as being Ki-ho, so far the clues we’ve been given and the points you’ve made either serve as an argument why he might not be Ki-ho or they are tangible. For example, both brothers are into technology. Bo-goel is a music producer, (which as an added point, is more closely linked to Ki-ho’s interests in editing videos as a youth).

I think Ki-ho’s fixation with money as a child is being inflated with aspects of his personality but in my opinion I don’t think he is fixated with money. It’s just that back then, it was a necessity as he needed it to escape, so his actions then that come across as stingy and exploitative of his classmates were of desperation and were very much situational based and not personality based.

His knowledge of the law could be because he is a reporter. We’ve seen in other kdramas that reporters tend to have a working knowledge of the law as they tend to report on a lot of court cases. This point you’ve made however, I think does have merit. It is something I’ll keep an eye on in the future.

A lot of people have been comparing the reaction of Woo-hak and Bo-geol when they found Mok-ha. I know this is one of the biggest points people bring up for why they think Woo-hak is Ki-ho and why they doubt Bo-goel is. I have my own opinions on this about why Bo-goel’s reaction was so muted but I’ll focus on Woo-hak here. It’s telling that Woo-hak’s reaction to Mok-ha after they get on the boat is very similar to the others (the background characters). Mok-ha fascinates them. The way they look at her was kinda like gawking (I don’t mean this in a bad way - I mean gawking in amazement and curiosity).

Much has been made about Woo-hak feeling an immediate bond to or being drawn to Mok-ha. I don’t see this personally. What I’ve seen is that the dynamics changed between Woo-hak and Mok-ha AFTER they visited her home town and she tells him he reminds her of Ki-ho and they visit Ki-ho’s old home. Of course you could be right on this point but I think this is when Woo-hak begins to feel an affinity with Ki-ho and starts to wonder if he’s Ki-ho. From that point on he takes on the role of Ki-ho in terms of how he thinks Ki-ho would treat Mok-ha and help her. This is why, I think Woo-hak is coming across as doing a lot for Mok-ha. It is definitely a decision on his part but it doesn’t make it any less sincere. It’s clear Woo-hak is a decent man, who is kind and caring.

The issue of his memory loss is the thing that depending on what we see in the coming episodes will either support the case that he is Ki-ho or sow more doubt into it.

Overall from my perspective, on balance there is more correlated hints suggesting Ki-ho is Bo-goel (so far). But I think the writer is going to keep dropping clues that suggests either of them could be until we get to a point where we get a clue that seems pretty conclusive. We are only on episode four. It can all change. Nothing is set in stone.

I did pick up on this, so it is in the back of my mind and is part of my theory that Woo-hak is actually the younger brother. I’d like to think they did the age casting intentionally but I’ve watched enough dramas where I thought some of the actors should have been switched around age wise. Until they start suggesting that Woo-hak is younger and Bo-goel is older, I’ll assume the ages are correct for now.

Some poeple and I were floating the theory that Ki-ho might have skipped a grade, making him younger than Mok-ha. I think other people saw this comment and assumed we were saying he was younger than Mok-ha and started repeating it as fact when it’s only speculation. I could be wrong but I don’t think it’s stated in any of the episodes so far that Ki-ho is younger than Mok-ha.

There might even be a bit of guilt thrown in there too. Guilt about not being able to stop Mok-ha’s dad and delivering her to a new life and guilt about the people that might have been hurt by his dad trying to find him.

In my personal opinion, they will keep going back and forth as to who Ki-ho is. Next episode it’s likely they’ll make it seem like it’s Bo-goel and then the next episode Woo-hak again, and so on and so forth.

At the moment, I think they are both caught up. Mok-ha finally meeting her idol who was also a symbol for her freedom and a better life and Ran-joo finding herself being adored again and having someone believe in her so absolutely. I can see how that can be quite intoxicating for both of them as they get lost in it, so I don’t judge either of them at the moment but when reality comes knocking I hope Ran-joo can wake up from this fantasy and do right by Mok-ha.

Lol shots fired!!!! 🤣🤣😂😂😜🤪

We still have half of the series left. I think the writers will be doing that to a degree.

Oh, ok. Thanks for clarifying. I was royally confused because I kept seeing that name everywhere when referring to him. 😅

Is his real name Gu Jing? The internet is telling me it’s Stan (Stanley) Huang.

I am not a shipper and I have never delusionally though two (straight) dudes in a mainstream drama should be together before (in fact I usually get annoyed by those sorts of comments), but even I cannot deny that there are palpable queer undertones in this show between the two leads. I don’t know how to explain it but it felt like I was watching a romance between the two male leads and not between the sml and the female cop.

It the unofficial queer movie we needed. 🤭

OMG. I thought I was the only one doing God’s work. However, instead of telling people not to watch, I just try to manage their expectations and then they can decide if they still want to watch or not.