@actionscript gives his perspective on Dong Hoon’s narrative arc and why it matters.
“When he is caught between desire and conscience, he always leans towards the latter.” Thus speaks Ki Hoon of his brother Dong Hoon in episode 1, and these words introduce us to the kind of man our protagonist is. I’d say it’s quite consistent with the image that Dong Hoon had exhibited in the first few scenes – in how gentle he was with the ladybug, and in how dutiful he was as a brother to both Sang Hoon and Ki Hoon. But Ki Hoon follows up those words with a seemingly ominous declaration: “I pity him the most.”
Dong Hoon goes to the convenience store, buys cigarettes, and then throws them away on two different occasions.
The first time takes place in Episode 2 when he’s lost the bribe. He goes to the store, buys it all, throws it all away, and then the next thing he does is visit Yoon Hee in her office and tell her what’s happening.
Throughout the show we see close-ups of the other characters’ hands. But I noticed the show hardly ever shows Yu Ra and Ki Hoon’s hands — and I do think this is because the show wants us to listen carefully to what they’re actually saying.
I just finished Episode 4 and after sobbing and laughing then sobbing again…I realised this: Episode 1-2 were thrilling and exciting and made me think it was some kind of thriller/corporate mystery. But episode 4 was when the show sank its claws into me. And I didn’t even realise it then, because it was done so, so subtly through the use of wiretapping/flashbacks.
By collecting clues from episodes 1-16 and using our general knowledge of seasons in Korea: Spring (March-May), Summer (June-Aug), Autumn (September-November), Winter (December-February), we present this timeline.
Our understanding is that, in general, the drama covers one year and four months, starting from January 2018 all the way to the first quarter of 2019. Continue reading My Ajusshi Timeline→
The only way the writer can reveal Dong Hoon’s feelings for Ji An is through a third party. If he says it out loud, he loses his integrity, and everything goes downhill. He is a married man. Remember, everything he says is being recorded. For example, if Kwang Il had heard words of love between them, he would never have trusted Dong Hoon with those recordings, and Ji An would have gone to jail. ~by Fauna
The fictional Hoogye Stop (which is actually Sinjeongnegeori Subway Station on Line 2) stands as a silent witness to some of the more intimate moments in the progression of Lee Ji An and Park Dong Hoon’s relationship, one where they begin as enemies but later turn to something a little more, or perhaps much more, than just friends. Continue reading My Mister Locations: Hoogye Stop (Part 3/5)→
This scenic bridge has been featured in a few Korean dramas (link: Korean Drama Land). Because Park Dong Hoon’s character is portrayed with subdued subtlety and does not betray his true thoughts and feelings to others easily, clues to his inner life are conveyed indirectly through external associations. The Hangang Bridge is the exact location that portrays the state of Dong Hoon’s mind the day after discovering his wife’s infidelity. Continue reading My Mister Locations: Hangang Bridge (part 1/5)→
I wonder if someone has commented on what Dong Hoon keeps in his drawers: unseen, private, and potentiallyshameful stuff that others must not know about. The unconscious parts of his desires in which he sometimes loses (aka forgets, represses) stuff when they slip through the cracks and fall behind/below the drawer compartments, as Sang Hoon complains: “He is always losing something behindhisdrawers.” (paraphrased)