IM YourOnlyOne

For Sisyphus: The Myth, read ==> https://im.youronly.one/snoworld/%EC%8B%9C%EC%A7%80%ED%94%84%EC%8A%A4-sisyphus-the-myth-2021-explained-logically-2021100/

For Grid ==> My "Grid Explained" post will be up before Sunday ends globally (UTC-12).

So … what is the science behind it? Care to explain for those of us who are not science students?

Check the replies I gave to the questions here: https://mydramalist.com/690687-zero#comment-9405843

Probably some were answered already. If you have questions which were not answered yet, or something is still confusing, feel free to ask in that thread. ^_^

I'm also two-thirds done compiling all the questions, I'll have it published in my blog tomorrow.

Good points!

Yeah, it appears that she's around in 2021 for a very deep reason. While it appears she failed the distraction of the Grid in 2022, she now have a team of time travelers instead of working alone.

Bigger chance of preventing the Grid's destruction … or, they can build backup systems and support for the Grid those who are against it doesn't know.

Yes, it's possible.

Oooh, yeah, that's a very good point.

Initially, I was thinking that it can't be the Growing Block because the Ghost already exists. For it to apply, we'll need to identity what is the "present".

But now that you explained it, it makes more sense, especially if Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity is applied: time is relative to the observer.

Combined, the future is yet to be relative to the origin time of a time traveler.

The Ghost can exist because her origin time is 2091 but she herself can not travel beyond her origin time.

OOh, I love that. Perfectly fits!

In a way, yes, there are many. It's just that they can not be in proximity with each other because the "latest" (or "older") version will always trump the earlier version.

There are only multiple copies of himself as far as time travel is concerned. Let's say the Ghost met an earlier version of Sae Ha, that's one version of Sae Ha. Later, the Ghost meets up with the Sae Ha in 2022 who picked up Sae Byeok, her daughter, and Eo Jin, that's another version of Sae Ha.

But, technically speaking, there will always be only one Sae Ha, who will always need to die in 2021 by the hands of Man Ok.

Is it possible to have a totally different version of Sae Ha? I believe it is.

Let's say the time traveling Sae Ha did not visit the year 2002 after he changed reality. That means, the Sae Ha of that reality still exists.

Sometime later, that Sae Ha acquired a time traveling device and started to time travel.

Now, we have two independent Sae Ha, with different pasts and experiences.

Can they meet? What will happen if they do, who will replace who, if the other Sae Ha also came from 2021?

That, we can not answer because the show did not touch on that. We can try but it's going to be "fan fiction".

But, it is indeed possible. (I think I saw this setup in another show or book.)

Q1- why did Ki Hong Lee ( the ghost with the blue device) is saving Saeha?

A: Two plausible reasons:
a. This version of the time traveler is the same as the time traveler who attacked the Ghost but this version had a changed of heart. From his relative time, it is posisble that a year or two already passed.
b. The other possibility is, he is not the same guy as the one who attacked the Ghost.

Q2- why did he say "it's not me, can't you see it?" to the ghost?
A: Same as above. Since he is wearing the same clothes and holding a blue time travel device, the Ghost misidentified him.

If the scenario is (a), see above, then he's telling the Ghost that he is not the version of himself who attacked her. That was his much earlier, younger self before he had a change of heart.

If the scenario is (b), then he was simply telling her, "I'm not him, do I look like him?"

Q3- I didn't understand the last five minutes of the episode, which version is this Saeha? and why he's with the ghost? if she killed him why was he with her when they took Byeori? and what's this building they entered?

A: The Sae Ha sometime between May 18, 1997 (the one chatting with the Ghost) and before his death.

As long as Sae Ha has a time travel device, he can travel any where and any time for as long as he wants before that death.

Q4- Did future Saebyeok travelled to the past (2022) and asked Eojin to go to her and ask her to leave the house with Byeori to save their life? or Is that a future Eojin went back to the past (2022)?

A: Future Sae Byeok, at least as far as Eo Jin's dialogue is concerned when he was asked how he knew her daughter's name, "you told me". It is a clue that a future Sae Byeok convinced Eo Jin of 2022 to fetch her and her daughter because someone else is about to visit them (probably kidnap or murder).

>> There is someone told me that she was considering a sequal for the drama.

== If that's true, then I hope it does happen. ^_^

If you were reading my earlier analyses of the show, I mentioned that sometime after 2021 the Grid stopped working, which resulted in the Ghost traveling back in time, to 1997.

Initially, my assumption was the Grid simply failed, so the Ghost is trying to find a way to make the AB install a better version.

However, as of episode 10, it is only partly true. The Grid failing was not the cause, they were attacked in 2022, completely destroyed.

The future the Ghost came from, 2091, is no different from the "No Grid Reality" Sae Ha witnessed after the first solar flare.

Remember how Sae Ha asked the Ghost in episode 10 if her time period were also full of people sick because of the Solar Flare? At first I did not understand why because in the "No Grid Reality", The Ghost was never born.

Now it makes sense. Again, sometime in 2022 the Grid was destroyed. So from 2022 to 2091, there was another solar flare which devastated the world. Without the Grid, the world is at the mercy of the Solar Flare.

Because of this, the weird scene about the old guy and his assistant mentioning that the Grid was destroyed from all the times and all layers, also finally makes sense. They were not talking about the 1997 Grid, they were talking about the destruction of the Grid in 2022.

It is still unclear if their faction is for or against the Grid because at some point, the old guy said "will it ever stop?" There's no way to know their faction's stance. Also, no one is still asking this, the camera panned showing a sleeping (or dead?) body of the Ghost. I don't have an answer for that. (A clone? A cyborg? Or, her dead body? No idea.)

Anyway, this is why Sae Ha asked the Ghost if in her time people were suffering and the Ghost confirmed it. The Grid was destroyed and there was no way for them to bring it back online.

Which eventually led to the Ghost traveling back to May 18, 1997 from 2091.

Why?

Because the inventors of time travel, the factions who are trying to control different realities, also need the 1997 Grid to exist. If that doesn't exist, they won't exist.

They all need the 1997 Grid to exist, for unselfish and selfish reasons. Unfortunately for them, they also need the Ghost to be born because without her, there is no 1997 Grid. It simply is a fixed point. There is no way to change that.

(Which made me realize just now, maybe the faction we were shown in Episode 10 with the body of the Ghost lying on a table, is indeed a clone or a cyborg. Their faction probably found a way to remove the Ghost from the equation by replacing her with a fake one. The 1997 Grid will still be created with one important change, they don't need the Ghost to be born. Sae Ha's father still needs to die. Man Ok's father doesn't need to die. Sae Ha doesn't need to die.)

These factions are probably politicians and businessmen who South Korea controlled when they scared them about a time traveler, since SoKor made these nations and businesses shut up, SoKor was able to declare Sae Ha's father as the inventor of the Grid (even though he wasn't, he was just working on it).

These nations, labs, businesses, probably loathed South Korea. Once they found a way to time travel themselves, they destroyed the Grid in 2022 while ensuring they have control of the world between 2022 and 2091 even without the Grid. To hell with billions of people suffering as long as they're in control.

They also don't like the No 1997 Grid Reality because in that reality, The R&D company of Sae Ha's parents is the number 1 in the world, which means, South Korea is powerful. So, they need the 1997 Grid in place because it ensures Sae Ha's father dies.

Then they can destroy the Grid in 2022.

I'm starting to think we need a Season 2. I want to know how they are going to fight the factions who agreed to destroy the Grid in 2022.

Thank you for all the questions. You also helped in the process. Because you all kept asking, I was able to remember additional scenes and also able to make new connections, I wouldn't have made otherwise.

Here's one example (see below).

Oh, and if you have questions, I'll try to answer them in this thread: https://mydramalist.com/690687-zero#comment-9405843

As for the Grid "gets destroyed eventually anyway", that's just why the Ghost existed in the first place. In her time, 2091, the Grid was destroyed. So she went back to May 18, 1997 to install the first Grid and find a way to stop it being destroyed in 2022.

The ML dying is a fixed point in time. When something is a fixed point, it must happen no matter what, otherwise, everything will unravel.

As the Ghost explained, if he doesn't die by the hands of Man Ok, she and her mother would never be born. Without her, the Grid will not be finished by May 18, 1997.

The ML doesn't want to see a world without the Grid, with people suffering from various diseases and degenerative DNA damages.

If you've heard of the adage "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few", that is exactly what the ML realized. Saving his own life, and giving her mother a happy life, is nothing compared to the suffering billions upon billions of people will have to go through without the Grid.

The ML already witnessed a reality without the Grid. Sure, they became rich because his father built the number one company involved developing medicine and continually researching a way to cure the disease they all got from the solar flare.

It's good and all. For him and his parents. But not for the billions of people affected and are suffering.

If you were in his position, what would your decision be?

I love how you came up with a similar conclusion. In my version, I opted more for Block Universe, although I did consider Growing Block Universe.

Having arrived at a similar, if not exactly the same, conclusion means that we're on the right track. ^_^

Glad you shared yours too.

>> For me "Time doesn't flow" is more about that past, present and future existing parallel to each other at the same time.

== Yes, exactly. That is what is called in the real-world as the Block Universe Theory; or collectively called as the "Static Theory of Spacetime".

>> So when we see Saeha at the end of episode 10 it is not a copy it's probably Saeha from the past (before he got killed).

== Correct. But I have to use words easier to understand instead of explaining everything. ^_^

In one of the replies I made, the person who asked mentioned they are a fan of Doctor Who, so I used Clara Oswald as a reference to explain Sae Ha (and the Ghost). In Doctor Who, Clara's untimely death is a fixed point. She can not avoid it and should not avoid it. If she does, everything unravels.

What Clara did then, to sort-of extend her life, is to stay inside the café TARDIS. She was then able to go any where and in any time. She will still die the way she's supposed to die, that's fixed. But between the now and her death, she can appear any where and any time.

Sae Ha is similar to Clara Oswald. His death is a fixed point. If he doesn't die, things will unravel. However, as a time traveler, Sae Ha can go any where and any time.

The scene wherein Sae Ha returned the time travel device to the Ghost, that was not the Sae Ha who came from May 18, 1997 after talking to the Ghost. It was the Sae Ha who have been into a lot of adventures. It is why he is very different, as if possessing knowledge no one else knew (and he does). He only said things that he knows he can say but behind it all, he is a version of Sae Ha who have been in a lot of adventures already and knew that it is time to die.

>> There is also a possibility that he didn't actually die and it was just some body with his face to trick everyone and trigger everything what his death supposed to trigger (it's far fetched theory but it's sci-fi drama so it could be possible)

== Of course, and it is not far-fetched at all. I'm simply not sharing this because I can't find any hint in the show that this is what happened.

But since you mentioned it, this is how it possibly happened if he did not die.

1. When the foreigner time traveler (since he spoke in English instead of Korean) tried to save Sae Ha, what he actually did was to replace his body.
2. At first, he was failing to build his cocoon because Sae Byeok is holding him. (Sae Ha's blood flowing back out.)
3. The Ghost, noticing it, created a cocoon over Sae Byeok.
4. Once Sae Byeok "woke up", the Ghost pulled her to herself to disconnect her from Sae Ha.
5. Once they were disconnected, the male time traveler switched the dying Sae Ha with a fake body.

The key here is the scene between the Ghost and Sae Byeok. Once the cocoon was completed, Sae Byeok "woke up" and the Ghost was able to move her away from Sae Ha without anyone noticing.

In the male time traveler's cocoon, the same thing happened. Once he was able to complete his cocoon (after Sae Byeok was pulled away from Sae Ha), he was able to move the dying Sae Ha and replace him with a fake body.

The moment that's done both time travelers left.

Why did it not change anything, like the Ghost not appearing? Because everyone were fooled that Sae Ha died. It still triggered the important events like Sae Byeok and Eo Jin having a night together (which led to her daughter being born a year later), and Seon Wool getting more authority and personnel for her department.

^_^

Yep, that's correct. The reveal in episode 10 that they've tried it dozens of times was a bomb. LOLs.

It now appears that the Sae Ha the show is focused on is simply just another one of many tries. Probably not even the first and not the last.

No worries, and don't overthink it. Since we ourselves see time "flowing" it is indeed not easy to grasp the concept of "time doesn't flow" or the "Static Theory of Spacetime".

Static Time is generally not used in fiction since it's not easy to explain. It is easier to use the "Many-worlds Interpretation" (a.k.a. "multiple timelines" and "parallel worlds").

If Grid did not emphasize that "time doesn't flow" (they repeated it in episode 10), we can probably explain the show based on MWI theory. But since they did, we can not ignore it because it is canon.

If you're fine with ignoring what is canon, then you can use the MWI theory to understand the show.

But overall, don't overthink Static Time. It took me years to understand it myself. ;) I had to take a break then come back to it a lot of times.

1) At the end, Sae Byok chose to change the future or to make sure it happens as it should so the Grid is created ? I thought she decided she'd change it, but after rewatching it I'm not sure I understood correctly haha

A: I'm sorry, I'm not sure exactly which one you're referring to. Is it about her daughter and her monologue?

If so, I think she just realized how important it is to secure a future for her daughter, now that she is a mother. Before that, the concept of a daughter for her is simply an idea. She thought killing Man Ok so she and her daughter won't have anything to do with him (since she assumed Man Ok or his child will get entangled with them, probably she was thinking Man Ok or his child will rape her or her daughter).

But after Man Ok died, the Ghost still remained. She probably finally understood that her daughter will get married with someone who is a distant relative of Man Ok, hence the low 13% DNA match.

Then, when her daughter was born, her view changed further because it is no longer a concept, she is now holding a life. Someone who will grow up and struggle to live. This changed her, she wants the world of her daughter to be something she can lived peacefully, not something where the world was destroyed because the present generation only pays lip service (pretending to care by words but doing nothing by action).

So, she joined the time travelers in the end.

2) I'm not sure I get how there are several versions of each time travelers but which seem to all have the same knowledge somehow, like we see what I'm guessing is several versions of the Ghost, but she always has the same knowledge of what happened or will happen to her other versions. Or like take Saeha for example, he died, so the version of him at the end, where do you think he comes from ? Like another timeline, with kinda the same actions set in motion but where he still hasn't died ? So the Sae Byok he meets, somehow 'isn't "his" Sae Byok, from "his timeline" right ? Just like how when he met her in the future without the Grid, it was her, but not the "her" with the memories and choices from his original timeline. Is that how it is ? And for example, when the AB tried to enter the room and killed Eo Jin, the Eo Jin from this timeline, actually really died. But they went "back in time" in a timeline where it hadn't happen yet. Do you think that's how it is ?

A: To understand this, we need to go back to the first clue: "time doesn't flow". This is the very key to understanding how "time" works in this show.

Believe it or not, "time doesn't flow" is a real-world theory. There are a lot of theories about it and these are collectively called the "Static Theory of Spacetime". Two of the most plausible theories the screenwriter based it on are the "Block Universe Theory" and Einstein's "Special Theory of Relativity".

Basically, "time doesn't flow". There is no "past, present, or future", there is only "now". In the "Static Theory of Spacetime", all possibilities already exists. And all points in time are "now".

What happened in May 18, 1997 is still constantly happening. It is not the "past", it is "now". What happened in late 2021 where Eo Jin died, is still happening. What happened in the new version of 2021 where Sae Ha was killed by Man Ok is still happening.

Simply put, there is only "now". Meaning, as Einstein explained, time is relative to the observer. From the relative vantage point of Eo Jin who died in the explosion, it is still happening. From the relative vantage point of Sae Ha dying it is still happening.

Time is static because it is relative to the observer.

That's the first, and most important part.

The next is, because time is static and that all possibilities already exists, then it is not possible to have a "different timeline" and/or "parallel universe". There is only one timeline and one universe.

This means that Sae Ha did die. Twice too. We, the audience, know two realities where Sae Ha died. However, as the Ghost hinted to Sae Ha in May 18, 1997, they've tried to find another way without anyone dying dozens of times. That means they've tried it 12 times N (dozens is 12 and 'times' is plural). Simply put, Sae Hae died countless of times already. Every time they try a new thing, Sae Ha still needs to die by the hands of Man Ok no matter what, just like Sae Ha's father and Man Ok's father.

Meaning, it's a "fixed time". They need to die. If they don't, the "No Grid Reality" will always return, and its worst than having a few people die. This is the famous Star Trek adage, "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few".

So, now, the third part: if Sae Ha died, if there are no "alternate timelines" and no "parallel universes", then who is the Sae Ha that showed up at the end of episode 10?

Just another version of Sae Ha.

Since you've watched Doctor Who, I think you're familiar with this. Remember Clara Oswald? Her death is a fixed point in time. There is simply no way she can avoid her untimely death. However, Clara found a way to "sort-of" extend her life: by stealing the café TARDIS.

While her untimely death is a fixed time, one she can not avoid and should not avoid (because it will unravel time), she can travel anywhere she wants and anytime she wants as long as she stayed in the café TARDIS.

This is similar to Sae Ha and the Ghost. Technically speaking, there is only one Sae Ha and one Ghost. However, they can go anywhere and anytime as long as they are in a possession of a time travel device.

In other words, the Sae Ha we saw at the end of episode 10 is simply a version of him that has not yet returned to 2021 to return the time travel device he stole from the "captured Ghost".

This also explains why the Ghost seems to know everything. We are simply seeing various versions of the Ghost which already interacted with Sae Ha.

Another important temporal mechanics in the show is that when a time traveler is in proximity with themselves, they replace that version. This was demonstrated when the Ghost saved Sae Ha and Sae Byeok from the explosion.

In a CCTV footage, Sae Ha was standing at a hallway. When the Sae Ha from an explosion arrived, he was suddenly on the floor. One frame standing, the next frame on the floor. It means that a time traveler replaces their native version while retaining all memories.

But, remember, the Ghost was caught in CCTV back in May 18, 1997 in a lot of labs across the world with the timestamp, if converted to UTC/GMT, were all exactly the same. Meaning, the Ghost showed up in various locations all at exactly the same time.

This means that, while a time traveler replaces their earlier version, there is a proximity range. If they are far from their earlier or native version, they don't replace them. Another thing to note, age difference. When Sae Ha talked to his younger self, he did not replace his kid version.

This is important because … the Ghost seems to have all the knowledge already. The Ghost even said they've tried to find another way dozens of times, yet Sae Ha doesn't know anything (yet).

The reason for that is because the Ghost has been replacing herself a lot. Since they retain their memories after replacement, her memories simply increases all the while there is still only one Ghost.

The same applies to Sae Ha, and any time traveler.

3) Which actually confuses me, as the Block Universe Theory (which this series seems to indicate since time doesn't flow) states that everything exists in the now, so you can't technically "change the past" , if we took the example of the Ghost going tto the past and building the Grid, her doing that according the block theory, would've always been part of the past, present and future. Her going back to the past from her present, which is Sae Ha's future, has always been, is and will always be this way.
But clearly, Sae Ha was able to change the past, so.. can't be block theory right?

A: Yes and no. Before episodes 9 and 10, I also dropped the possibility of the Block Universe Theory, I was starting to think it was another Static Theory of Spacetime (but there are so many, I did not bother to search what other theories may fit).

The show is still based on the Block Universe Theory, although with a slight difference.

The Block Universe Theory states that the changes a time traveler 'will' make is already is. It already happened, we just didn't know it. The history that we think is unaltered is actually altered already. "Has always been" as you've explained. There is no way to change it because if another time traveler changes it, then that too has always been. It already happened and we just didn't know it either.

That said, there is literally nothing new under the sun. Everything that will happen already happened.

In the Grid, it changed it slightly. It still is the Block Universe Theory but instead of disallowing changes, it allows it.

Initially I was moving towards the "Growing Block Universe". In this theory, the future is not yet written. However, there is a problem, 2091. The year the Ghost originated from. If the future is not yet written, then the Ghost shouldn't exist at all.

Also, the problem with the Growing Block Universe if used in a time travel fiction, we need to set a "present" time otherwise we wouldn't know "the future that is yet to be". There is a way to use the Growing Block Universe in time travel fiction but as far as the Grid is concerned, it doesn't fit since they are constantly changing everything.

I think this is where the "replacing their earlier version or native version" plays an important role. Since they replace themselves but retaining their knowledge, they are defeating the "has always been" aspect of the Block Universe Theory. Every new knowledge they gain, then replacing their earlier version, gives them a way to change things again and again.

I'm not saying it's the perfect theory. Maybe there is another theory which fit perfectly, just that, there are many theories under the "Static Theory of Spacetime" umbrella. Some are just too mind-boggling.

But yes, you are correct that in the Block Universe Theory, if we don't change it, it won't fit what we're seeing in the Grid.

4) Oh and, what happened when Ghost and male Ghost stopped time around Sae Byok and Sae Ha, I'm not quite sure I understood what happened.. She tried to keep things as they were and he tried to save Sae Ha, is that it ? But why did he say "It's not me, can't you see" ?

A: Ahh! I'm waiting for someone to ask this question too.

I had to re-watch this repeatedly because it isn't clear the first few times and it happened too quickly.

I think this is what happened and why:
- The guy tried to save Sae Ha by reversing his personal time.
- However, because Sae Ha's death is a fixed point (it must happen), he eventually failed (notice how when he almost reversed time, Sae Ha's blood flowed again).
- The Ghost, noticing he is failing, realized the reason is there is a person holding Sae Ha. What the Ghost did then is to envelope Sae Byeok in her own time cocoon (for lack of a better term).
- Then after the cocoon was full, and after Sae Byeok "woke up", the Ghost immediately pulled her to herself to disconnect her from Sae Ha.
- The Ghost then removed the cocoon.
- Then the two time travelers left.

As for "it's not me, can't you see" (in English too), I think he was talking about the fight the Ghost just had with another time traveler who was holding a blue time traveler device and wearing the same clothes.

There are two ways to explain this, and currently, I don't have a preference.
1. The guy the Ghost fought with and the guy who tried to save Sae Ha, are two different time travelers; or
2. They are one and the same person but the version saving Sae Ha is the one who was recruited to join the side of the Ghost and Sae Ha.

I am leaning slightly towards the second option for these reasons:
a. The Ghost had no knowledge of what was about to happen. When she was standing in an open field watching people, she actually thought "things happened exactly the same way again" and then time froze, a sign that a time traveler is around.

If she had no idea and was surprised about it, it means that they are in a new reality they've never been to, otherwise, the Ghost would've have known what's going to happen next.

b. When the guy tried to save Sae Ha, the Ghost tried to stop him, it's why he said "it's not me, can't you see?" Sae Ha doesn't know him. Which again points to the fact that this new reality is also new to her, she had never experienced it before.

But the guy knew the Ghost. He didn't argue with her, he trusted that she'll understand. If he doesn't knew her before then he would have also said "I'm trying to save him".

So, I think the guy the Ghost fought with and the guy who tried to save Sae Ha, are one and the same, the only difference is, the one who fought her was his earlier version, and the one who tried to save Sae Ha, is the "latest", just as the Ghost is also the "latest" (or the 'oldest' to put it another way). As far as their relative times are concerned, the guy and the Ghost who were with Sae Ha and Sae Byeok are both the latest/oldest versions.

Then we were conveniently shown that there is a group/faction with an interest in the Grid. Which would give credence that the guy had a change of heart. From the guy's relative time, probably a year or two already passed. One simply doesn't change their faction, especially in his case if he was indeed the guy who fought the Ghost.

The first scenario is also possible, that they are not the same. During the scene in AB when they were trying to locate time travelers, I counted 7 people with more than 100 "score" (I can't remember the term they used). It means the Ghost and the guy who tried to saved Sae Ha, weren't the only time travelers watching that moment, there were 5 more.

5) How many versions of the Ghost (female) do you think we saw ?

A: Technically speaking, only one. But I think she is replacing herself multiple times to ensure knowledge is retained and passed on. It is why the Ghost in May 18, 1997 said "we've done this dozens of times". If that Ghost is the first time she time traveled, she wouldn't know they've been trying to find another way without anyone dying.

But she did. So it means the Ghost is replacing herself previous selves multiple times to keep their knowledge updated. It also explains why the Ghost was not surprised to see Sae Ha time traveling when supposedly it was the first time they've met. She already knew Sae Ha will appear and confront her.

Since time is relative, which earlier version of the Ghost Sae Ha met in May 18, 1997 is unknown. But definitely one of the earlier versions, since the latest version of the Ghost, the one who was captured, already knew Sae Ha will time travel. She let herself be captured so he can.

>> Thanks and sorry for this long post haha I just have so much to say and so many theories haha !

== Don't worry about it. I'm also starting to remember some things and making new connections I haven't thought of before. ;)

The time travel in the Grid was based on the umbrella term: "Static Theory of Spacetime". To be more specific, the Grid based its science on the "Block Universe Theory" and Einstein's "Special Theory of Relativity".

We know this because the Grid dropped "time doesn't flow". It refers to the (again umbrella term) "Static Theory of Spacetime". It is literal, time does not flow.

Think of it this way:
- There is a grand parade in your city.
- In a parade, there is a starting point (let's call this Point A), and an ending point, (let's call this Point Z).
- In between, there are various groups with their different presentations. Let's call these Points B, C, D, and so on.
- Now, think of Points A to Z as time periods (like Day 1, Day 2, or 1pm, 2pm, 3pm).
- The parade itself is the "flow of time".

If you are standing on the street watching the parade, the first you'll see is Point A. When the parade finishes, you'll see Point Z as last. As an observer at the ground level, "time is flowing" because you witnessed Points A to Z happening in sequence. Point A showed up, passed by you, and moved on. Then Point B, Point C, until Point Z.

This is how we perceive time. And this is how most time travel shows are.

All good so far?

Using this same scenario, let's apply it to the "Static Theory of Spacetime" or "time doesn't flow".

Instead of you, as the observer, watching at the ground level, you are high above on a helicopter (or maybe flying on your own). When you look down, you see the entirety of the parade. You see Points A to Z, all of it, simultaneously. All of it happening before your eyes at the same time.

While they are parading on the streets, from your vantage point, they are not "flowing" from Points A to Z, they are just there. A parade.

Here's another analogy.

- Think of a film roll.
- Each frame is a fixed scene.
- When you place the film roll in a projector and press 'play', you'll be able to watch a moving film, flowing from one moment to another.
- But if you look at the film roll directly, you'll see static scenes. Nothing is "flowing", they are just fixed scenes.

That is what a "Static Theory of Spacetime" or "time doesn't flow" is about.

So far so good?

Now let's add time travel [fiction] to these real-world theories.

Using the film roll analogy, let's say you made some edits. You now have two film rolls, one with the original edit and the second with the changes you made.

Are the two film rolls "parallel worlds" or "timeline branches"? Not exactly. The two film rolls are simply two realities of the exact same film. Your characters now have two versions. It's still the same movie.

If we apply that to the parade analogy. When you made changes in Point A, let's say you slapped someone and the starting/front of the parade got messed up, it still the exact same parade. No timeline branch was created. No parallel universe suddenly appeared.

Then the police carried you off and the parade moved on as if nothing ever happened. For those watching who were not at the street were you slapped someone, they have no idea of the changes you made. They will see the starting point of the parade as it should be.

Again, no timeline split, no new parallel universe. It's still the exact same parade. You just created a different reality at Street A -- the reality wherein people witnessed the slap and the police carrying you off.

But when the parade turned to Street B, the reality is just as it is, as if you never changed anything. Both realities exists.

That's how time travel works in the Grid.

The above is an oversimplification.

The question now is, can things change? Yes.

Let's say instead of slapping someone, you snapped your fingers to give a stomachache to one participant. That participant left the parade. The parade still went on.

You made a change. However, no new timeline branches, no new parallel worlds. You just created a new reality wherein that participant is no longer part of the parade. However, the reality that s/he is part of the parade--before you snapped your fingers--still exists too.

Even though time does not flow the way we think of it, changes can still be made because it will just be another reality or another version. It is still the same timeline/universe though, not a new branch or a new universe.

^_^

If you have other questions feel free to ask.

Q: can you explain why saebyeok was so enraged at kim manok after talking to the scientist?

A: Sae Byeok understood it the way we, the audience, understood it: Man Ok is the father, or grandfather, of the Ghost, which means Sae Byeok and Man Ok will get together somehow (or raped), or Sae Byeok's future daughter will be raped by Man Ok himself, or his child.

This made Sae Byeok's blood boil. She doesn't want herself, or her future daughter, to have anything to do with Man Ok or his direct descendants. For her, it doesn't matter if the Grid doesn't get installed because the Ghost won't exist, as long as, she and her daughter won't get involved with Man Ok and his descendants.

However, as we learned in episode 10, Man Ok is not a direct ancestor of the Ghost. When Sae Byeok shot Man Ok, the Ghost did not disappear. This means that the 13% DNA match on the Ghost's father side came from a distant relative of Man Ok.

Yes, still related by 13% to Man Ok but not from Man Ok's direct line, just some distant relative of his.

Actually, now that you've asked … a thought came to mind. In live-action shows, every scene is precious because airtime and budget is limited, so writers and directors always make sure every scene is relevant or a clue.

Remember the scene wherein the Ghost saved a politician from a corruption scandal? We generally dismissed it as the Ghost needing money so she stole the money. And then it was forgotten.

If that scene is useless, then it was a waste. However, the show, with only 10 episodes, would not add a scene that has nothing to do with the story.

I am now suspecting that the politician is probably that distant relative of Man Ok. The young son of that politician is probably the father of the Ghost hence she saved him from a corruption scandal.

Thank you for asking. I haven't thought of that last part until now.

Having explained that, that's what the show meant by "every periods and layers" or "all the times and layers" (in another translation).

Combine all of it (X,Y,Z of spacetime) and each point/dot/moment is a "reality".

This is why the Ghost said "we've tried looking for alternatives dozens of times". Even though in the show, we only saw Sae Ha doing trying it 2-3 times, without the help of the Ghost.

Because there are other realities out there wherein the Ghost and Sae Ha worked together, trying to find that reality where things happened the way they both want it to happen. But so far, they haven't found that reality.