AGAIN MY LIFE
EPISODE 2
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  Have ever wondered what you would feel if you knew that you have the power to change your fate and the fate of those around you? Well, Again My Life starring Lee Joon Gi in the lead role of Kim Hee Woo, has injected a fantasy spin based on that premise into the hottest drama this season. In AgainMa, short for Again My Life, the handsome hunk delivers a performance that is just as hilarious and exciting as the first episode. Again My Life, the tale of a secret conspiracy dedicated to controlling the truth from the population, addresses juvenile delinquency, societal problems and forging friendships in the second episode.
The hit-and-run accident which caused the death of his parents in his first life was about to happen. The cause of the accident was drink-driving but the driver nor his family was made accountable for it.
  Kim Hee Woo was at wit’s end as to what to do when he mulled over the impending accident. But at the very last moment, he was quick-witted enough to forcefully push his parents to safety while he, himself rolled away to avoid the out-of-control car. It was in the nick of time. But, receiving no response when he called out to his parents, it plunged him into the depths of despair.
The narrator, who seems to be narrating the story as it was happening, condemned his own arrogant belief that he could change without trying hard. He seemed to understand the feelings of the audience. ‘I should’ve held my parents’ hands and pestered them about it.’ Perhaps, he should also have insisted that they stayed at home. Kim Hee Woo cried bitter tears. Tears of sadness and regret.
As the visual story enfolds, the visual and the aural senses of the audience are being stimulated. The narration, a tremendous public service to the audience, paints a more exciting story and provides a better understanding of the narrator’s side of his story,
        Suddenly, he heard his mother’s voice. Although his mum wasn’t hurt, his filial affection and attention to his shocked parents must have warmed and won the hearts of the audience. He wanted to carry her to the hospital, though she was not hurt. The car crash had given his mother a little scare and a few scratches. His father’s head was bleeding. Like an old soul, he admonished his parents for being so caring and concerned about him while they were the ones who were hurt. The more you watch the parents especially the father, the more you like them. Kim Chan Sung simply grows on you.
His parents’ lives were cut short in his previous life because of the drunk driver of the hit-and-run accident. The irresponsible Cho Hyun Seok, an assemblyman, was the son of Cho Tae Sub.
Kim Jin Woo, Cho Tae Sub’s assistant, was informed of the tragic news. Kim Hee Woo had finally got to the bottom of the identity of the mysterious. The revelation of the name of the driver was the last piece of the puzzle of his previous life.
The narrator sounded furious with Cho Hyun Seok who had known about his background all along his studies in Hankuk University and MMA background. The crooked assemblyman spoke of Kim Hee Woo in glowing terms and even emphasized his handsome looks repeatedly. Cynicism showed itself on the prosecutor’s face at his blatant flattery. The prosecutor smirked. Like his hypocritical father, Cho Hyun Seok came across like a crafty and treacherous man. Like father like son. As they always say, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Kim Hee Woo was rightly cynical about him when he declared that the prosecutor would be the next rising star in politics. Assuming an air of importance, he assured Kim Hee Woo of the support from his father Cho Tae Sub. Exhibiting his hunger for power, he offered promises to the prosecutor in the shape of an invitation for him to take the first crucial step into the corrupt world so that his future success would be waiting for him.
             One wonders at the number of young prosecutors who had been flattered and seduced into corruption and were trapped in his web. Kim Hee Woo had called his Cho Tae Sub father ‘a scumbag’ but called the son ‘a shameless scumbag’. A scumbag father had fathered a scumbag son. Not wanting any negative gossip be afloat Cho Tae Sub used his power to hush up and conceal the truth of the hit-and-run accident. Their fate has been reversed. Cho Tae Sub lost his precious son and Kim Hee Woo had saved his parents. But, the immutable fact of politics remains: Truth can be manipulated. Kim Hee Woo, who expected more manipulation of the truth, cannot conceive of a future which is the exact repetition of the past.
 The narrator made a frightening prediction based on his previous personal experience. ‘This will turn him into a complete madman who is even more ruthless. I know because that was what happened to me when I lost my parents.’ It was a shocking revelation. It seemed Kim Hee Woo became a crazy raging bull, after losing his precious parents in his previous life.  One would have thought that Kim Hee Woo was a breed apart from the scumbags. Were they the same after all? As for now, they would switch roles.
Cho Tae Sub thanked Kim Seok Hoon for manipulating the truth and keeping everyone’s lips sealed. Since both were in a position of power to abuse it, they did so whenever it was convenient for them to do so. The powerful politician promised him that his subordinate would be rewarded with a promotion. He would be the first from his law class to become Assistant Chief Prosecutor. It was a case of ‘You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’.
    What was shocking was Cho Tae Sub would not allow himself to mourn his loss. He was pragmatic and realistic about it. Since it can’t be undone, he would not mourn his son’s death a day more than necessary. It is a stunning revelation about the assemblyman.
 
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY BULLYING 
Bullies pick on people who look weak. Taunting or verbal bullying happens when there is an imbalance of power. Next, they test their boundaries. Smacking, punching and kicking the victims would be the bullies’ to-do list. But, is the bullying problem restricted to school level? No, bullying starts right at the top, perhaps at political level. Like the octopus, bullying and corruption, spread their evil tentacles across all parts and levels of society. The spicy octopus dish mentioned in this drama brings to mind such evils.
Bullying was rife in Kim Hee Woo’s previous life and he suffered because he was powerless. When cornered by bullies, he didn’t make a stand. He did not tell his parents that he was at the beck and call of the school bullies. Power in every stage of life is important. Without it, there was injustice.
But in his second life, Kim Hee Woo would not allow himself to be a victim of such relentless abuse. The bullies thought they could bully him but their confidence was short-lived. Most of what happened to him could have been prevented if there had been an anti-bullying programme and legislation against all types of bullying. Authorities, including school heads and the teachers, must be made responsible when bullying reports are made. Bullying can destroy lives. Like they say, bullying is no different from racism. Kim Han Mi’s destiny was intertwined with his. He met her again when she dropped by the convenience store where he worked.
 Mixing with the wrong crowd of thuggish bullies, she was dressed in tawdry attire complete with fishnet stockings, an indication, at best, of rebellion or at worst, sluttish behaviour. The ringleader of the school bullies, whom she was with, entered the store. Within seconds of seeing Kim Hee Woo, he had cast aspersions on the former’s character for staring at him. A cockroach. A gopher. He remembered the bully disparaged him for being the son of a factory worker as opposed to the latter’s father who was the town’s police chief. Kim Han Mi, who had sensed trouble, walked in to interrupt the altercation. This lost soul, who would be vying for Kim Hee Woo’s attention and affection in the future, glanced at him like a siren. With her coquettish ‘come hither’ look, the young girl slithered seductively near him and mockingly teased him in her beguiling tone. She even gave him a wink.
 Kim Hee Woo was summoned to the staff room. He, a student assigned to the last class of the cram school or hagwon because of his poor high school results, had shockingly received the highest score in the mock test. Since it was unprecedented in the history of the academy, the director of the academy announced that he would move the top student to the school’s top class, the students of which were preparing for entrance into the prestigious Hankuk University. Upon receiving the good news, Kim Hee Woo looks like a startled and embarrassed youngster. The immortal jellyfish, Turritopsis Dohrnii comes to mind.
        When Kim Gyu Ri, the school’s top student, heard of his outstanding results, the ambitious and driven young lady, did not mince her words. Though she congratulated him, she promised that she would not allow him to beat her again. She asked him for his secret. Was it sarcasm or was it a rhetorical question? Smiling sheepishly, he refused to rise to the challenge of responding to her. Noticing that she had bought a lot of unhealthy food and drinks, he advised her not to depend on them and to take care of her health. Any girl’s heart would have been moved by such concern.
     MARTIAL ARTS AND COMEDY A stocky bully who was short on brains, whom Kim Hee Woo recognised, entered the store with the intention of buying a pack of cigarettes but paid short of the price. Kim Hee Woo firmly told him that his money wasn’t enough for his purchase. The bully laughed at what he considered was a joke. Kim Hee Woo mirrored his laugh.
In fact, he was laughing in his face. Kim Hee Woo refused to be bullied. His inferiority complex and powerlessness in his previous life were the reasons which led to him to be exploited . Being subservient meant that he would have to pay out his pocket if the cash in the till did not tally with the records. The thug tried to hit him but he dodged the hit. Three more punks entered the store.
The next thing we know, they had decided to fight out their differences in a children’s outdoor playground. It is quite a humorous and quirky scene with a combination of martial arts, humour and dance. The bullies had expected Kim Hee Woo to be quickly subdued but he made short work of them. The fact was Kim Hee Woo wasn’t violent; he was having fun. He just tickled and ruffled the bully’s armpits who staggered away in shock.
Was the convenience store assistant a pervert or weirdo? The bully-turned-victim was puzzled by Kim Hee Woo’s strange new behaviour. Kim Hee Woo gave off an air of nonchalance. The bully seemed to have enjoyed being tickled and came back for more. An enjoyable sensual experience. The viewers who have entertained the same thought are tickled pink by the tickling. So, Kim Hee Woo obliged. Lee Joon Gi’s athletic and armpit-tickling performance is nothing short of hilarious.
When Kim Hee Woo asked them to leave, Im Jong Il, the leader suddenly threw a metal biscuit container at him. ‘How dare a dog bite its master?’ The former victim must have been a wimp before but not this time around. A real fight ensued. He kicked the leader in the shin. There were loud cries of pain.
In the next sequence, Kim Hee Woo, who was being chased, easily rolled over a gigantic slide tunnel.   
With a tigerish bound, Kim Hee Woo wheeled and ducked the bullies and with great ease, rolled over the end of the tunnel in an instant and was soon on his feet. The thuggish youths swarmed around Kim Hee Woo. He caught hold of a bully and slammed him against the slide tunnel. Hanging onto the rails next to the tunnel, he swung his legs against one of the thugs and somersaulted over him. More action followed. Kim Hee Woo gave them more than they had bargained for and he did it with apparent glee. The bullies were soundly defeated. He told a bully that he didn’t want him peeing in his pants which would be a total embarrassment. All 4 crumpled under his attacks and counterattacks. They would never dare to bully him again.
Lee Joon Gi’s action scene, as usual, is poetry in motion. None can his King of Action position.
Another amusing scene. When Kim Hee Woo told his parents that he wanted to go to the university, they, being poor and uneducated, didn’t expect anything out of life. They were astonished. And, when he announced that he wanted to enter Hankuk University’s law school, his parents’ jaws nearly dropped to the floor. Flaunting his report card, he disclosed that he had the highest score, much to the disbelief of his father who thought he was either lying or had cheated in the examinations.
      His poker-faced father, who wanted to have a family talk without him, is particularly comical. His parents look like perfect parents. The man is becoming more and more lovable. And, Kim Hee Woo looked like a cute and adorable munchkin kitten.          Cho Tae Sub, who was on TV, announced that he would be running for Party Chair at the upcoming party convention. Kim Hee Woo was getting closer to the ‘fated incident’ that he must stop. Curiosity makes one ask, ‘What is that incident?’
DRUGS TO KEEP STUDENTS AWAKE
 Kim Hee Woo entered the special preparatory Pre-U class for students aiming to enter Hankuk University. Kim Gyu Ri was also in the same class.
 On the first day, the lights flickered. There was thunder and lightning. Remembering that Kim Gyu Ri had fallen unconscious at that time in his previous life, he ran out only to find her unconscious on the ground.     When she awoke at the hospital, Kim Hee Woo advised her to discard her bad habit of taking pills to stay awake to study. She had frequent fainting spells due to overdosing on the pills. Health was important. An adopted child, she didn’t want to disappoint her parents. He told her not to give up her dreams.     
The message for young people is to keep such pills at arm’s length because they can be dangerous and fatal. Even if under pressure, students should not resort to drugs that are harmful to their health. Kim Gyu Ri got into law school the following year. He had never heard of her name in Hankuk University or the legal field in his previous life. Kim Hee Woo realised her future changed because of him.
DATE RAPE DRUGS AND SPIKED DRINKS
School bullies come in all shapes and sizes. The group of drug takers, who were associated with Kim Han Mi, were drawn to date rape pills that make girls unconscious. Im Jong Il, the leader wanted to spike Kim Han Mi’s drink because she was playing hard to get. Overhearing their conversation, Kim Hee Woo decided to find out more about their plans. He went to the discotheque, their meeting place with Kim Han Mi.
     They were having fun with some girls, whose drinks they had spiked. The leader was undressing Kim Han Mi bit by bit and taking pictures of her with his handphone. They had probably planned to rape the unconscious girls.
When Kim Hee Woo appeared at the door, the leader threw a glass at him. The glass smashed into smithereens. The audience hears the whistling tune again. The convenience store assistant firmly locked the private room and barred it with a clothes-stand to prevent any of them from escaping.
Kim Hee Woo declared that ‘Manners Maketh Man’, a movie that hasn’t premiered yet. He wanted to teach the law breakers a real lesson. Criminals start young. If their criminal tendencies are not reined it, they would be a danger to society. Punches and kicks followed. Kim Hee Woo bore down on the perverts; he jumped over a low table and landed incessant punches on the would-be criminals. Someone tried to crawl out but was pulled back again. The door was unceremoniously slammed shut again and the beatings continued. When the young fighter deemed that it was enough, the police were called. The hallway was eerily deserted due to the thickly-padded walls. It meant that if a crime was being committed in one of the rooms, no one would hear anything.
One notices the two huge paintings on the walls. It is impossible not to notice them. The paintings seem to depict jungles. It is a jungle in there. Are the wayward boys beasts or animals of the jungle? But, Tiger Kim Hee Woo was certainly the King of the Jungle. Carrying Kim Han Mi piggyback to the park, he waited until she woke up. He handed over the hooligan’s handphone as evidence of the crime.
Since they reported the incident to the Shiju Police Station, they were called up later to testify but Im Jung Woo, the police chief, who was the father of Im Jong Il, the guilty ringleader .claimed that they, Kim Hee Woo and Kim Han Mi, and not his son, were the criminals. 
He claimed that the police, having investigated the case thoroughly, found nothing inappropriate had happened. One foolish bully took the fall and confessed to spiking his son’s drink as a prank. He dismissed Kim Han Mi’s claim that her drink had been spiked. Kim Hee Woo, bristled when accused of barging in and pummelling his son for no reason. It was their statement against the ringleader. Without or without evidence, truth can easily be distorted.
 
At that point, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Seok Hoon, Kim Han Mi’s father kicked the door open. After confirming the identity of Jong Il, he smacked the guilty thug since he denied committing the crime. The handphone had evidence of his crime. It was ironic but the long arm of the law had caught up with him.
    PARENTING FAILURE THE LACK OF A POSITIVE MALE ROLE MODEL THE BULLYING CULTURE  Who is responsible for the juvenile delinquency cases in society? At the core, is the bullying culture. There are three cases of Parenting Failure. The message is Society and the Education System have failed to educate parents and students. Children, particularly boys, often require a father figure when growing up. Good male role models contribute to the child’s academic and social development.
CHO TAE SUB THE ASSEMBLYMAN
Cho Tae Sub, if he was not a criminal, he wouldn’t have spawned another criminal, his son, Cho Hyun Seok. Can criminal tendencies be blamed on the genes? Cho Hyun Seok’s drink-driving has caused the death of Kim Hee Woo’s parents who were law abiding citizens. Is life cheap? Cho Tae Sub lacked integrity in protecting his son’s honour at the expense of the truth. The coverup of the drink-driving crime and twisting of the truth are enough to convict him of a crime. It is part of the bullying culture. Men in power bully the powerless.
KIM SEOK HOON DEPUTY CHIEF PROSECUTOR
It is difficult for a man who has no moral compass himself to produce a child who has moral values. If he does produce one, a miracle must have happened, or there are some mitigating factors.
Kim Hee Woo did not understand why Kim Seok Hoon personally came to punish Im Jong Il. He would realise the link later. He is in a powerful position. Although he is right to want to solve the bullying problem, he, the powerful Chief Prosecutor, is also a bully by barging into the police station to personally slap the boy.
Kim Han Mi, the illegitimate daughter of Kim Seok Hoon, was a wayward child. Her father was too busy being immoral to have time to teach his children about morality. Her mother should have known that he was a married man, so should have known the consequences of being intimate with a married man. Kim Han Mi, too, lacked good role models. Being an illegitimate child chipped away her self-confidence. She mixed with the wrong crowd and smoked. If there is no exercise of discipline or no set boundaries, children grow wild. And Kim Seok Hoon was to be blamed. Being a married man, he couldn’t have his cake and eat it.
CIGARETTE SMOKING After the case was settled at the police station, Kim Han Mi invited Kim Hee Woo for a meal to thank him but he rejected her offer.
When she doggedly insisted, he looked deeply into her eyes just to taunt her. Her eyes widened and her lips parted. It seemed like as eternity. Then, he craned his body, sniffed at her and told her in no uncertain terms that she smelt of cigarettes which was nauseous to him. From his disparaging remarks, the viewers know that she disgusted him. He smiled contemptuously at her and patted her shoulders, like she was a lost, little puppy. It was quite a humorous scene.
 https://twitter.com/i/status/1512811594304032768
Prosecutor Kim Seok Hoon was called to see Cho Tae Sup. He was promoted to the position of Deputy Chief Prosecutor, the first from his class, by virtue of having covered up the cause of his son’s death.
IM JUNG WOO THE POLICE CHIEF
It is unsurprising that Im Jung Woo, the Chief of Police, who lacked justice and integrity, had a son who was a criminal in the making. He seemed to be oblivious to the fact that when he accused Kim Hee Woo and Kim Han Mi of being criminals, he was in fact, a criminal and a big bully, and he was effectively growing and grooming a criminal in his family. Im Jong Il, who grew up without a good role model, became a school bully. His father, the Chief of Police, was a even bigger bully in society by intimidating citizens and falsifying reports in order to protect his wayward son.
This scene shows that victims can be framed and pinned with a crime while actual criminals escape scot-free in a corrupt and evil upside-down world. It is shocking that injustice had even seeped into the police department.
STUDYING WITH FRIENDS LIKE-MINDED STUDENTS KIM HEE WOO AND KIM GYU RI
 Kim Gyu Ri dropped in at the store to thank Kim Hee Woo for helping her. She lent him her notes with all the key points. He began studying together with Kim Gyu Ri. They were immersed in their studies and did not have an idle moment. He also studied by himself, for example, History using taped lectures.
The split screen technique is used again to show Kim Hee Woo studying for CSAT exam in 2008.
THE PARTTIME JOB AT KMS THE LARGEST LEGAL FIRM  Knowing that his parents were trying to get a loan for his studies, Kim Hee Woo disclosed to his maths teacher he wanted another parttime job to pay for his university fees. She recommended him to work for her brother, Kang Min Seok, the head lawyer of KMS who was famous for his high winning rate in court cases in his past life.
      As a clerical assistant for KMS, he had to prepare for meetings, organize documents, deliver documents to the court. After overhearing that KMS had taken on a case to represent some environmentalists who were against the Cheonha conglomerate’s plan to raze Mt Cheongpung to build a resort, Kim Hee Woo, on his own initiative, decided to help the lawyer and to do justice to the trust that others had in him.   He had actually gone beyond the call of duty to carry out meticulous research into Mt Cheongpung, a large sanctuary for the Longhorn Beetle, an endangered wild animal, the Slipper Orchid, an endangered wild plant and the Kalkora Mimosa, another endangered species. Although the other lawyers in the firm were against the case, Kang won them over with incisive reasoning accompanied by the detailed information gathered by Kim Hee Woo. Using these as their argument for the preservation of the ecosystem, KMS won the lawsuit against CheonHa.          For all his troubles, Kim Hee Woo was rewarded with a huge cheque, which would cover his university studies.   
The message is an employee should not only do his assigned work well but also go above and beyond what he has been asked to do.
HANKUK UNIVERSITY
  His parents were anxious about whether he would be accepted by Hankuk university; they shouldn’t have worried. He went back to the same university again but nothing had changed.
He expected Kim Gyu Ri to be there on the first day but she wasn’t. Law Professor Min Byung Sun, who questioned the students on the Civil Code, was impressed by Kim Hee Woo's detailed answer.
LEE MIN SOO
Kim Hee Woo’s answer also impressed Lee Min Soo, a genius, who thought that he himself couldn’t have answered better than him and naturally, he wanted to cultivate Kim Hee Woo’s friendship. The odd colour combination of his clothes, dark green (jacket) and bright red (shirt), was more suitable for a poster. Complementary colours contrasted with each other and made him stand out like an oddball.
 
PARK SEUNG WAN
After the lecture, Park Seung Wan, reminded Kim Hee Woo to attend a Meet and Greet session for freshmen of the law school. Lee Min Soo asked Kim Hee Woo directly whether he wanted to be friends. A humorous conversation ensued. Park Seung Wan instructed Kim Hee Woo to wear a suit for the gathering. The added attraction was Jang Il Hyun, who got the highest mark in the training institute, would be there too.     
WHY DID LEE MIN SOO WANT TO BEFRIEND
Lee Min Soo dragged Kim Hee Woo to drink coffee but the latter was a reluctant companion. Insistent like a bulldog, the older student refused to let go. The strange new friend simply looked down his nose at ordinary coffee shops in front of the university. Being a coffee connoisseur, Lee Min Soo only had affection for a shop whose barista had won a national award.
Fate must have been working hard that day, for Kim Hee Woo would meet someone who would change his life. An old lady who had signs of dementia was chasing a pretty young lady, Kim Hee Ah with a broom and she fell into Lee Min Soo’s arms. The old lady calls Lee Min Soo ‘Honey’ but her old husband returned home just in time.
One notes the colour contrast. Red is a complementary colour of green. Black and white / cream are opposites. Blue and red blend into purple. Even the broom is red, green and blue.
Kim Hee Ah, a delivery volunteer for the disadvantaged class, had delivered a warm Love in a Box meal right to an old couple’s doorstep. The scene is comical. Lee Min Soo, drawn to geniuses like himself, and having a knack for jokes, asked to see her back. He judged her to be a wingless angel. Trying to win her affections with his dodgy pick-up line, ‘a broom formed a precious bond between us’, he failed to interest her. Kim Hee Ah was a genius in ignoring Lee Min Soo; she only had eyes for Kim Hee Woo.
ASMR
When she rushed off, the besotted man made a ‘camera’ sign, a humorous imitation of ‘taking a snapshot’ and saved her in his heart. Perhaps you might not have heard it the first time round but if you rewind the drama, you can hear the snapping sounds or the clicks of the camera. ASMR. Kim Hee Woo was surprised at what he was doing and Lee Min Soo also captured Kim Hee Woo’s image and saved him in his heart.
We heart the ASMR, which is something that is unique about the drama, Again My Life.
THE 2008 MEET AND GREET FUNCTION FOR HANKUK UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL FRESHMEN
  The 2008 Meet and Greet gathering for the Law School Freshmen of Hankuk University was held in Dike Hall. Kim Hee Woo was dressed conservatively in his white shirt and black suit and the look was completed with a striped tie.
    CHOI KANG JIN
Kim Hee Woo met Choi Kang Jin, the President of the Law Department. He remembered that his senior, who had become an assembly man, was close to Kim Seok Hoon. He was an old hand at corruption. The ‘piece of trash’ as he remembered him, started out as a prosecutor, then worked as a Human Rights lawyer and suddenly, he was taken up with the idea of being an assemblyman.
          Kim Hee Woo’s disdainful look suddenly took on a pleasant and amiable air when attention was focussed on him. That 'trash' voiced his pompous opinion. ‘Some people thought passing the bar is everything. They don’t socialise with their classmates. They are wrong. Attending events like this will be good for you. That way you can broaden your social circle so we can help each other once we graduate.’ What he meant was if a law graduate wants to be successful, they should network in their undergraduate days. Kim Hee Woo's eyes were laughing at his remarks.
      The scene is made hilarious by the opinionated Lee Min Soo who took an interest in the conversation. Thanks to his witty, straightforward personality and unflinching honesty, he provides the audience some laughs. Lee Min Soo took offence at the idea of networking to cultivate relationships to get benefits. Being voluble and having the gift of the gab, he was unafraid to flaunt it. His statement which took the form of an insult set Choi Kang Jin right, ‘You cover each other’s mistakes, scratch each other’s back, and help each other to get rich.’ It is the same concept of ‘You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’ type of special contractual or dependant relationship which involved corruption. One has to raise one’s hat to Lee Min Soo’s razor-sharp wit and tongue.
Kim Hee Woo, surprised by his candour, tried hard to hide his amusement. He saw eye to eye with his new friend but he reined in his feelings.
        The interruption annoyed Choi Kang Jin as he viewed it as a calculated insult. He snapped with heavy sarcasm that Lee Min Soo, who was his high schoolmate, started medical school, while he, Choi went to law school. The genius dropped out of the prestigious medical course to pursue art and subsequently, music. Choi, now a fourth-year student, was his senior. Kim Hee Woo smirked as he listened to their toxic banter. He eyed his new friend, whom he did not remember in his previous life, in confusion. Lee Min Soo had shown up when his life changed.
      JANG IL HYUN
 The man of the evening, Jang Il Hyun, was introduced. Choi, like an obsequious slave, rushed towards the very important man and bent 90° to welcome him.
   That objectionable man was imprinted in Kim Hee Woo’s memory. Having incurred the wrath of Jang Il Hyun, he been harshly admonished and ordered to put a stop to his investigations into Cho Tae Sub. Jang Il Hyun was emphatic that if the assemblyman was working hard for the country, it was a good enough reason not to prosecute him. How dare the young prosecutor make a mountain of a molehill out of his minor offence.
       But, Kim Hee Woo’s protest about Cho Tae Sub's corruption, which ranged from offering bribes, embezzlement from national projects to the abuse of his authority, was blatantly dismissed. Although there was a list of 10 more offences in his hand and everything was above board, it all fell on deaf ears.
  The heavy-handed Jang Il Hyun retorted that ‘A man in his position is allowed to do stuff like that.’ The irony was, he warned, ‘If you keep on acting like this, you’ll be going to jail.’ Kim Hee Woo’s case was foredoomed to failure. The future looked black, not grey.
    The message was clear. If nobody had your back or none is looking out for you, you would be victimised, or dead as in Kim Hee Woo’s case. The men in the hierarchy of evil would bend over backwards to villainize and demonise the honest prosecutors or civil servants. It is impossible to cry foul, if you are powerless. Fairness, justice and integrity have completely disappeared. The truth was being short-changed and censored at the hands of powerful people. Injustice, which creeps up the roots of the evil tree, increases in strength as it rises to the top. Blimey. It was eye-opening and shocking. The concept had been repeated. A criminal can pervert the course of justice and his accuser becomes a criminal. A criminal goes free and is allowed to plunder the land while the clean and upright prosecutor goes to jail. For people in power, a politician like Cho Tae Sup, is allowed to indulge in corruption. What justice is this? All lawmen had to turn a blind eye to it or be punished. The tentacles of injustice and crime must have stretched from the top to the bottom, and bottom to the top.
Watching hypocritical Jang Il Hyun in disgust on the Greet and Meet night, Kim Hee Woo, realised the function was a complete farce. It was all a show. His senior’s ‘We protect the people’s rights through the law and make their lives more prosperous’ was plain fictional advertisement that he wrote to promote himself.
Kim Hee Woo realised the attendees were not his kind of crowd. He looked like an impersonator in a den of thieves. Like him, Lee Min Soo also detested the deception of it all. They did themselves a great service by leaving the function early. Lee Min Soo described their presence in Dike Hall was like standing in ‘the middle of a sandstorm.’ One might just be swept into some sinkholes in the ground. ‘When you breathe in a lot of dust, you ought to drink soju with greasy met, he rationalised.’ The older man was always thinking of eating and drinking and taking advantage of Kim Hee Woo. In his lackadaisical manner, he dictated the programme for the rest of the night. He demanded that the flustered Kim Hee Woo foot the bill.
     
A hilarious conversation ensued. The older man acted as if they were on their first date and made ludicrous remarks. He asked, ‘Do you want to be successful? He was playing a game. Kim Hee Woo decided to join in the fun. He said they thought alike on the idea of success. They were geniuses after all. ‘Great men think alike’. But, he refrained from saying that ‘Fools seldom differ’ which he reserved for the nasty, corrupt people.
Then Lee Min Soo made a salacious remark, something out of the ordinary. He dropped the bombshell. ‘I guess we’re meant to be. Do you want to marry me?’ The newly-minted friendship was being tested. Did the eccentric man lay bare his soul or was he just joking? Gay or homosexual inclinations, which were best left in the closet, are sensitive. Was the older man in love with him? Boy Love movies would the genre of dramas of the future but was he part of the present promiscuous gay scene? Most likely, the older student enjoyed shocking Kim Hee Woo who nearly choked on his drink.
The younger undergraduate, unable to discern whether it was a joke used to derail his calm demeanour, wore an unusual mixed blend of expressions on his face. He didn’t make dismissive remarks or cringe in front of the queer man if it all turned out to be true. It would be politically incorrect to judge him. He could not assume that his senior was pulling his leg either so he was trying hard not to laugh and rein in all his runaway thoughts.
But, Lee Min Soo insisted on pursuing the topic, repeating, ‘Do you want to marry me?’ The embarrassed younger man refused to be cornered into stating his views. ‘Why do you even think of stuff like?’ ‘You are the only one who can be my match at our school.’ Kim Hee Woo smoothly changed the topic and asked him about whether school was easy. ‘Very easy. The only thing difficult is the world and people.’ He hadn’t realised his strange character and personality quirks were at odds with the world. The other man, deep in thought, felt it was impossible to predict how this genius was going to change his future.
SEXUAL PERVERT
By some quirk of fate, they met the same young lady with a heart of gold again. A shout from Kim Hee Ah drew their attention to a conflict between her and another Hankuk student, whom she accused of being a pervert. The male student had been taking photos of the legs of a part-time waitress with his cell phone. She loudly challenged the tough student who tried to silence her.      Kim Hee Woo quickly phoned the police about the fight. It was a smart move. When the thuggish fellow raised his hand to strike the young lady, the young fighter stopped his hand in mid-air and joked with him to wait for the police. When the pervert turned aggressive, he twisted the man’s arm. Lee Min Soo tripped him. The police took him away.
    One wonders what happens to people like that. Did they just get a tap on the wrist at the police station and let off?
 Kim Hee Woo noticed a strange man staring at him.
To celebrate the occasion of meeting again and to thank them for their help, Kim Hee Ah bought them beer.
 They were tied to the Red String of Fate, fate that they couldn’t resist. Both Kim Hee Woo and Kim Hee Ah, being interested in each other, ignored Lee Min Soo the whole night. The older man, who was trying to be fresh with her, stabbed himself in the foot by his foolish behaviour. The two were engaged in an animated, electric-filled conversation; they were absorbed in each other to the exclusion of all else. Kim Hee Woo learnt that she was also a Hankuk University freshman but in the computer engineering school. The two were similar and would be soulmates. They had hearts of gold. They were 21 years old. He had taken a year off (to save enough for his studies), so did she. Their names were similar too. They also have a vague memory of having seen each other before. The conversation, with regular interjections from Lee Min Soo, was hilarious.
 A love triangle seemed to be forming. The hot question is, If Lee Min Soo also liked Kim Hee Ah, is the queer man, oops, quirky man bisexual? He seemed lovestruck. He was more than what met the eye. What, if it actually turned out that he was straight? In this episode, fate brought 4 people into Kim Hee Woo’s life. They would be his allies in the future: Kim Hee Ah, Lee Min Soo, Kim Han Mi and Kim Gyu Ri.
Kim Hee Woo was a bit drowsy on his way home. But he was aware enough to sense someone following him when he ascended the overhead bridge. He stopped. The music ramped up the tension. The hearts of the audience beat hard. It looked like another confrontation between Kim Hee Woo and Dr K.
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You'd be forgiven if you think that Lee Joon Gi only takes on saguek roles. His range is so wide. Some are shocked to hear Lee had accepted an unusual and unique role. While many directors, particularly in the west, dream of casting a 40-year-old actor as a 20-year-old college student and discover it’s an impossible feat for them, Lee Joon Gi is a dream come true for Director Han Chul Soo who was totally obsessed with casting Lee in the drama. Lee Joon Gi’s youthful looks, physicality, acting talent and prowess have continued to astound viewers. It must be stressed yet again that Lee Joon Gi’s youthful face is an unusual sight; it has astonished many global viewers as he looks half his age. But then, the actor had also shed a lot of weight for his role in the drama.
 Forty year-old Lee Joon Gi, a chameleon actor, is not only a brilliant actor with youthful looks but also an extraordinary mixed martial artist, whose mastery of a vast range of fighting skills, has impressed the global audience. In the fight scenes, his flexibility and physicality is amazing. Furthermore, Lee is so versatile that he can easily morph into his 20-year-old Kim Hee Woo character. In some scenes in his backstories, he truly looks like a high school teenager - fresh faced, innocent, weak and easily bullied. The impact of his excellent portrayal of a youngster on the global audience is considerable. Lee's huge acting talent, with his broad range of emotions, has also fascinated and impressed everyone.     Wouldn’t we say that Lee Joon Gi also has that sense of humour that is entertaining? Episode 2 is pretty entertaining and hilarious when his talent for martial arts is combined with his talent for humour. Lee Joon Gi has the talent not only performing serious stunts in the discotheque but also showcasing his amusing side with slapstick humour-action scenes in the children's playground. Displaying nimbleness in leaps, somersaults and kicks, Lee is poetry in motion.
    And Lee Joon Gi’s soothing ASMR narrator’s voice keeps the audience excited and stimulated throughout the episode.
  The trio of Lee Joon Gi, Kim Ji Eun and Jung Sang Hoon also entertain us with their hilarious antics in the bar. Kim Hee Woo (Lee Joon Gi) and Lee Min Soo’s (Jung Sang Hoon) lively exchange of humorous witticisms must have left the audience tickled pink. The ASMR clicking sounds that accompanied Lee Min Soo’s cute ‘capture and store in my heart’ camera-clicking sign makes the scene even more lively.
 Kim Jae Kyung, as Kim Han Mi slips easily into the role of the wanton ‘vamp’ in her shamelessly tight short skirts and fishnet stockings. She fits the part of the ‘how’ temptress when she teases Kim Hee Woo in the convenience store. It is difficult to translate the Cantonese word.  Kim Hee Woo’s parents particularly, Kim Chan Sung, keep growing on you. You like the poker-faced man as he is quite humorous.   And a shout out to the director and the production team for such a memorable episode. Lee Joon Gi, the other members of the cast, and the team deserve many awards.
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