SPOT THE DIFFERENCE
FLOWER OF EVIL
FIRST TEASER
TVN's Flower of Evil has drawn the rapt attention of the public and the media. The TV station has brought everyone up to date with the drama's first teaser. The teaser provides the
viewers with Baek Hee Sung (Lee
Joon Gi) and Cha Ji Won’s (Moon
Chae Won) perspectives on life. It is a naughty teaser as it demands the
viewers to ‘Spot The Difference’
between the view of the metalcraft worker and that of his homicide detective wife. Flower of Evil will open this July.
The teaser opens with the image
of a cluster of breathtakingly beautiful pink peonies with their delightful ruffled blooms. There are
many interesting myths and folklore about peonies in places where peonies grow.
Peonies are native to Europe, Western North America and Asia. Pink peonies symbolise romance. Perhaps, the peony’s most
interesting quality is its magical ability to return spring after spring for
100 years or more.
An analysis of the teaser requires a compare-and-contrast discussion on Baek Hee Sung and Cha Ji Won's perspectives: two voices and two narratives. On the left is Baek Hee Sung’s perspective while Cha Ji Won’s point of view lies on the right. The images from each of their perspectives appear to be near identical.
Initially, the images of the teaser serve to show love, happiness, enormous energy and excitement. But, one is aghast to watch the transformation of the beautiful pink peony; its colour change to maroon red and then finally, to black. Such mutation could mean that the Baeks' loving relationship has changed drastically or has irreversibly broken down. 
The pink
peonies in question have brilliant, pure hues which symbolise
Baek Hee Sung and Cha Ji Won’s beautiful romance and love.
For Baek Hee Sung, Cha Ji Won features most
importantly in his life. Even though their daughter is a source of happiness, the little girl cannot usurp his wife’s place in his heart. His daughter is probably a separate entity altogether.
The difference for Ji
Won is her husband as well as their daughter are the most important people in her life.
Her happiness is dependant on both.
Ji Won is Hee Sung’s lifeline. Her beautiful face is clearly engraved in his memory.
Frozen in time.
Baek Hee Sung's smiling face appears in Cha Ji Won's mind. The handsome man is the picture of the perfect man. If there is an
unresolved conflict of interest, will Baek Hee
Sung be a blur, distant memory for Cha Ji Won?
 
The mood and tone of the teaser changes. Baek Hee Sung is a lonely but striking figure framed against the bleak
landscape. He is lost in contemplation of his problems while standing at the
dock of a recreational area.
Tension and anxiety have overtaken his body. Ji Won knows the truth about him. Shattered
love. Their love is corrupted by his lies. Hee Sung has not lived up to the perfect image of himself that he had planted in her mind.
What will the future hold? He has been living in constant fear
that the real Baek Hee Sung would one day be exposed and the love and
happiness he has gained would be ripped away. He is a serial killer. He feared
the worst and the worst has come. His life is bleak like the deepening gloom
in the cold landscape before him. But wait, there is hope. The little hope that
he has is symbolised by the sun, which veiled by clouds, is still visible.
Ji Won’s perspective on life proves to be gloomier and darker.
Her figure is enveloped in the gathering darkness. There is neither moon nor
sun in the skies. It is an ill omen. She is grappling to make an important
decision which could veer towards the darkness and the ultimate
disintegration of their happy family life.
In their collective memory, their past is full of happy moments. They
had enjoyed sitting together on a wooden swing at the recreation ground while thinking of their future together. Ji Won had
rested her head contentedly on his shoulder. As they sat, their feet moved in
rhythm with each other’s. The environment was peaceful and serene, away from the hustle and bustle of their busy lives.
Those wonderful days have vanished. It is now all quiet and still. The silence is deafening. The clouds have come and the sun is blocked by the clouds.
This is 'The calm before the storm'. 
Their shawl with tassels, which they had shared, has been abandoned on
the empty swing. They each have made the crucial decision.
The once-idealistic couple had lovingly held hands. Ji Won could still feel the gentle and
loving caress of Hee Sung’s finger
on the wedding ring that he had given her. Was she not reminded of their ‘for better or for worse’ vow?
They remember that Ji Won had smiled happily. But now, is she
bitterly disillusioned?
The most horrifying revelation which is charged with emotion is
they both agree that Baek Hee Sung
is a man who has faked his love for Cha
Ji Won, his wife. Perhaps, even for his daughter. This intriguing ‘love rings false’ concept will be fully
explored in the drama.
‘Woman who has even loved the danger.’ What does it mean? Does
she love the danger of investigating homicide cases and hunting down
criminals? Perhaps, cracking the engrossing murder cases committed by her
serial killer husband is exciting. Playing with danger? Perhaps, she gets a
kick by helping her serial-killer husband to escape.
The peony flower has turned black. Everything has disintegrated
overnight.
The beautiful picture of the perfect man is patently false. Beauty has coalesced with Evil. Flower of Evil.
 
Though the teaser has shed some light on the chief characters
in the drama, one wonders if Baek Hee Sung is both victim and villain.
To celebrate the
release of the teaser, Namoo Actors, the agency of the two most amazing
stars, Lee Joon Gi and Moon Chae Won, has proclaimed that ‘Two suns have
risen in the sky’.
Flower
of Evil, the most highly anticipated
drama of 2020, will premiere this July. The 16-episode Wednesday-Thursday drama is written by Yoo Jung Hee, directed by
Kim Cheol Gyu, and produced by Monster
Union and Studio Dragon.
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