Can we just acknowledge that their dinner is a goddamn hot mess
There’s like four different salads. They have fries, baked potatoes AND mashed potatoes. And why, why, why are their fries divided onto three different plate? Did they run out of serving dishes? And the desert is already set out. And theirs like 6 main dishes, but ONLY 1 FRIED EGG???
Mh, something about her rubs me the wrong way. Not as a HS girl, that part was cute and sad and I understand why she started treating Bum in a bad way, she was also a victim of abuse and it’s just a joke to expect teens to behave in a mature way in general, let alone as a reaction to such serious issues.
But when it comes to her current self … Is it weird if I say that she reminded me a little bit of Sangwoo in her ways? She looks at Bum dead in the eye as she explains why she acted in a bad way at high school, and goes on saying that she would always think of Bum when she had a rough time and to tell her if he’s making him uncomfortable … As soon as Bum says it’s alright (which is what she wanted him to say) her expression suddenly changes into a smile that honestly reminds me of Sangwoo’s fake one.
Moreover, as soon as she reached this goal (check if she had any chance to rebuild a relationship with him) she basically grows tired of the conversation and asks if she can go for a smoke and leave him alone. I find this kind of weird, it’s as if she’s testing her freedom.
Bum’s reaction, refusing and saying he has to go, seems to catch her off guard as she stutters
She then changes her plan and insists to take him home even if he refuses her help the first time. Her reaction when Bum sees the photo in her car is pretty powerful. She crushes it and throws it out of the window. The way Koogi drew that panel, you can see the anger she puts in this act even though she shrugs it off a bit when Bum questions her about it
I understand that her anger probably comes from the fact that her ex boyfriend was abusive (as hinted shortly after) but it still looks to me like an overraction, especially when done in front of a person you’re seeing for the first time after many years. I understand that they were close in High School, but still it made me go a bit ‘???’.
There’s also a clear parallel between her and Sangwoo when she insists that Bum should wear his seat belt and does it for him. This is something Sangwoo has done twice. She also remarks how dangerous it is to not wear one, and sounds weirdly overprotective when she says “After all these years, you still have a way of making me worry”.
We don’t know if it’s just a random ring, but she appears to have broken up with her abusive boyfriend so the ring she’s wearing might be the one Bum had bought him back during High School. This, added to how she says she kept thinking about him in rough time, miiiight imply that she has a bit of an obsession for Bum much like Bum had for her and later for Sangwoo.
Victims of abuse tend to fall in abusive relationships again (like Bum), or they might even have a tendency to turn abusive themselves (like Sangwoo). Her behavior in this chapter makes me wonder if she’s not a middle case between Bum’s and Sangwoo’s, meaning she could develop an abusive personality if given the ‘right’ opportunity.
She seems to be testing waters a lot in this chapter, how far she can go with Bum. I’m not saying she’s doing it on purpose, obviously, much like anyone else in this comic she seems to be damaged.
Last, the fruit that falls from Bum’s shopping bag. I’m not sure if it’s meant to be an apple or a peach, but it still reminds me a lot of those apple bags. Bum even turns and notices this. I think the fact that Koogi put a focus on this detail might mean something.
Given that it might still be an apple, the peach fruit in Chinese culture is associated with immortality and a long life. I know this is probably a stretch, but it might actually imply an endless cycle of painful life and abuse rather than a positive thing, in this case. Hinting that this girl will make things worse for everyone rather than better.
I’ve been seeing a lot of backlash thrown at Koogi for the recent chapter and it’s really disappointing. Yes, it was obvious that Sangwoo had expierenced sexual abuse from his mother so the confirmation of him having been raped wasn’t much of a surprise. It had been hinted at since season one. Still, it should be considered horrifying that it had happened, and that Sangwoo had to suffer with his abusive mother since even before he was born.
A lot of people are saying they miss the angst and the murder from the first two seasons, but seem to forget that this is also a physiological story. We’re seeing what makes a serial killer. Sangwoo having “mommy issue” isn’t something being thrown at us for no reason. If you look at cases from the real world, a lot of other killers had similar issues resulting from their parents (particularly their mother) (Ed Gein had a super religious mother who forbade him from even thinking about a woman, and in turn he resorted to skinning women and wearing it to appear like his mother).
That being said, we knew from the beginning that he was being haunted by his mother. We know that Bum helps him keep the visions of his mother away. We see him as chapters pass that the more time he spends the Bum, the more he starts seeing Bum as his mother, no matter how hard he tries to deny it. We, as a reader know this. We see it happening, so it doesn’t come to a shock to us. But you know who doesn’t know this?
Bum.
Bum is completely clueless. Even when Sangwoo does actually decide to reveal something about his past, Bums never conscious to actually hear and process the information. For this story to move along, Bum NEEDS to find out about Sangwoos past, just as much as Sangwoo needed to know about his. After the whole Uncle incident, it’s pretty obvious that Sangwoo is on the verge to losing it, especially with the constant flashbacks. If Bum never finds out, then who knows what would happen when Sangwoo actually snaps. Bum would have no way of knowing what to do or say to protect himself, and I think after Sangwoo realizes what he’s done to Bum, he will be totally broken.
Of course, Sangwoo would never actually come out and say that he was being haunted by the memories of his mother and he associate Bum with being her. That’s why it makes since that they were both drunk. We know that Sangwoo has a hard time holding his tongue when he gets like that. And Bum becoming more “dominant” while having sex only brought back the memory of his mother raping him. It just shows how close Sangwoo is close to losing it.
(See how scared/shocked he is that he had outted himself)
Koogi showing their developing relationship isn’t to squash the murder and angst she had in the first two seasons. It may not be as heart stopping as them either. But seeing their developing relationship and Sangwoo slowly losing it is a major plot point to both of their character development. We get to see what makes a serial killer, as well as what’s really makes Bum tick.
The psychological affects of abusing a child and them having to witness abuse themselves is what’s keeping me on my toes, and I don’t know what Koogi is planning to do with this revelation, but I can’t wait for the next chapter. But I commend her for taking this bold step of explaining Sangwoos past in the way she did.
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