Peppermint Candy

The Episode 14 movie sequence featuring train tracks has more meaning than you might think.

By @mushroomsoupie from Soompi

In Episode 14, the movie that DH watched was titled “Peppermint Candy” (1999).

Short synopsis of the movie

Backtracking from his suicide as a broken and depressed man, this film recounts the life of Yong-ho (Kyung-gu Sol), from his tragic demise to his innocent and idealistic youth, in reverse order. In between, he is a student with photography aspirations, a soldier, a police officer and eventually an investor who losses a small fortune in the stock market. He is also a husband, but his marriage to Hong-ja (Yejin Kim) leaves them both unhappy as Yong-ho continues to obsess over someone else.

Facing an oncoming train, he exclaims “I want to go back again!” What follows is a series of prior events in the main character’s life that show how he became the suicidal man portrayed in this scene.

Before DH decided to call JA, the screen showed a trail scene.

The scene depicts how the main character regrets the past that can not be reversed, and the railroad which he shouts to go back to is a desperate way to let him live once more. I don’t know if it’s pure coincidence or not, but this scene might be a trigger to DH to fix his life situation while it’s still reversible, in this case, his relationship with JA.

Another fact: Apparently this movie returned in South Korea’s theaters in April 2018. So there’s a huge chance that the production team is actually filming inside the theaters where the film is screening in South Korea! The writer’s ability to improvise and develop a mind-boggling script is just astonishing to see.

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Another interpretation of the movie theater scene by throughtheendlessdaydream on Tumblr:

Oh my god! I didn’t realize this when I first watched the episode but rewatching the last scene I thought the footage of the train tracks was not really anything… But it actually has a whole meaning!

Throughout the series we see Dong Hoon and Ji An taking the train and that’s kind of like a thing between those two cause that’s when they really started connecting with each other. Dong Hoon is usually always stalling by the train tracks in his neighbourhood and just has a moment to himself thinking how miserable his life is but needs to keep going (especially that scene when he slipped on snow but said he can’t die yet, not today and pulls himself up).

Ji An confessed her feelings to Dong Hoon and confronted him about them by the train tracks and it was kind of like a symbol that Dong Hoon knows deep down there’s something he feels for her but can’t just cross that line cause he’s scared and values his family and friends and does not want to cause anything to break it apart (though really Ajusshi you need to divorce your wife man lol sorry but she’s just…nope).

But then they show this scene of Dong Hoon in the movie theatre, a train track but a footage of going along with the train track and Dong Hoon holding onto his phone like his life depends on it now knowing Ji An has been listening to him all this time, calling out her name and asking her to call him.

I think that within the last two episodes we’re gonna see Dong Hoon chase and find Ji An to help her and confront her and tell her his feelings of what she is to him and that he needs her by his side because those two have such a strong emotional connection that no one else can understand. They are the definition of soul mates. But the fact that Ji An keeps saying she will be reborn again and that it’s no big deal leads me to think that maybe in another life time she and Dong Hoon can meet again and be together (wow, cue some Goblin feels)… and seeing the broken expression on Dong Hoon’s face you can tell he just wishes the same thing. It’s not the right timing, but maybe if they were both to be reborn again they can finally be together.

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