Ko Mun Yeong's Mother death circumstances investigation

In terms of being emotionally invested, IOTNBO definitely made me cry more often and feeling emotions I would usually not feel as I watch other drama in my lifetime by this point in time. Flower of Evil has a far more compelling story-line with the tension built up much more differently than IOTNBO. If FOE's tension was the type where my heart were racing to see the mystery get solved, IOTNBO's tension would be the sexual tension that exist between the leads. Two different tension for two different feels.

 I have also similar mindset in wanting to know how the story will end for both drama (even though it can be predicted to be a happy one).  This mindset is very good for a drama since the feeling of wanting to more shows that I am much more engaged in the drama, thus I would easily build connection with the drama and enjoy it fully. Episode 9 for FOE made me teared up which I wasn't expecting from this drama as the previous episode were more suspenseful than sad. Therefore, I believe that IOTNBO would still hold a place in my heart for the inspiring messages that it gives out. Being able to relate more to those morals and references let me breathe a new fresh of air where I can fight for another day. FOE on the other hand holds a high position in my brain where I love speculating and go on a mystery solving trip beside Joon Ki and Chae Won. Especially at the fact that Joon Ki's character is very 3D with the way at how he portrayed himself as having the ability to relate with others yet noticing the small details, we can see he is an anti-social personality type individual. Joon Ki's acting 10/10. Moon Chae Won is also perfect for her role as her celebrity personality which I have seen so far displays bubbly trait that is befitting the character and she gives us a strong independent vibe. The way she acted was the main reason I cried in ep 9 so she is winning it too. Imagine a drama with two anti social personality disorder individual between Joon Ki and Ye Ji. Now that would be interesting and oh wait, they did have a drama previously in lawless lawyer where they play a more emotional character instead XD.

 OneAjhussi:

 I guess you are right regarding psychopaths  but I still think the motivations and behavior of the mother were described in an unclear and confused manner . It was a bit disappointing that in the end, she was just a psychopath.  I always assumed there was something strange and mysterious about her: the way she talked and how raised her daughter, her clothings, the  dreams of MY about a black floating woman haunting her... ) I would have prefered something more complex about her character in the finale. 

Agreed. I also thought it was strange how she managed to be a caretaker at a psychiatric hospital for over a decade (since it's a job where a lot of empathy and compassion is required) and had good rapport with everyone. Based on the type of character she was, it seemed like she looked down on everyone and would be quick to kill anyone who dared insult her, which had to have happened loads of times with patients and probably not a few times with staff. But there was never any talk about mysterious deaths or injuries at the hospital. Even her "revenge" on her husband felt a bit weak. And with the man that she slipped the knife to, he wasn't even someone in her own hospital -- wasn't it a hospital back in Seoul that Gang Tae quit because of the whole debacle? I find it hard to believe she came all the way up to Seoul, snuck into the facility, and slipped him a knife. Her daughter made a scene at all kinds of other events, so why choose this one? I felt a bit let down by the writers in general when it came to her mom, especially the lengths they went to cover her face, since the reveal didn't matter anyway because she ended up changing her face.

@ Zoecohen 

All this mystery about MY's mother and finally the writer just made her a psychopath and a murderer who killed KT and ST'mother for a few words she said about little MY. I can accept that she survived the fight and the lockdown in the basement and disappeared. That she changed her face and managed to work at the clinic for many years.

As you said, beside the fact that she needed to show a totally different personality and to keep her craziness under the radar, her revenge  on her husband was actually weak. He seemed not aware that she was his wife.  So what's the point if he even doesn't know it is her? It is like saying an insult to someone in a language he doesn't understand. He would not bother and maybe take it for a compliment. How could she take a real satisfaction from that.

And also why she went to the hospital where MY was presenting her book? Was she stalking her daughter too? This is why she witnessed MY and KT meeting again 20 years after. Did she recognized the caregiver as little KT?  She watched the fight and picked up the knife that MY stole and threw away there. Why she had that patient dead? Did she anticipated  KT, ST, MY,  would come work at her hospital? Did she made it happen?  All these  questions unanswered make her actions and motivations against KT, ST, MY,  quite unclear to me.

She had little interactions with them in the hospital. Did she paid some secret visits to them without being noticed? Is this how she noticed her daughter found  a new family? It is also unclear. What did she witnessed? Them  having breakfast together, arguing, fighting, playing or drinking together... What triggered her anger and disappointment about her daughter? It is not precisely told.

The final revelation in MY's house was ok. I thought it was intense and enjoyable. I am just  thinking if the writer wanted to get rid of mysterious figure of the mother who was like a ghost watching her daughter and to go straight to a psychopath murderer trying to separate them in this final showdown, he should have totally assumed it by making some things  clearer in the flashbacks. For example by showing :

- That MY's mother disappeared 20 years but she always kept on watching and stalking her daughter.  Like she did with her husband.  It would have been consistent with the words she said to her in the prison.

- That she managed to be "normal" until she witnessed KT and MY meet again in the park of the hospital/behind the stage in the hospital. Somehow she recognized him as her prince who would take her daughter away.

- She picked up the knife and went to kill the patient who hurt  her daughter she cares about. She killed  KT and ST's mother for a few words regarding MY. Of course she would kill the guy who tried to strangle her.

- She pulled strings with the director Oh and Juri to have them come to the Clinic to start her schemes and manipulate them for a happy reunion.

- She interacted with her daughter in disguise and she saw the changes in her behavior, attitudes, clothes...

- She used underhanded ways to convince MY that KT and ST are no good for her.

Few things that would have brought more logic and consistency to her motivations. Instead, the writer chose to keep the same approach and leave the audience with its own imagination but many were confused. That was a good approach to form the mystery around the characters and the events but to resolve the situation, I thought it was not effective enough to make me to  buy it like that. Still I accept the choice of the writers. Me I would have made MY's mother use one of the three against the two others and not herself as a reason of a simple dilemma. KT or MY should have bled more lol.

I still consider this drama a very good one. So far the best one of 2020 for me.

@ Zoecohen 

Yes  the drama slows down in the middle. Maybe because we loose the stylized part, the original and Tim Burtonesque style . KT and MY become a couple and they behave differently as one influences the behavior of the other. They become "normal" people. ST also changes to become more of a "normal"  big brother. I found it slow but still I enjoyed the different tone, more fun and heartwarming.  KT became weaker than he looked in the begining but happier and ST  became stronger and also happier. It was good development.  

As for MY, I think beside her unique personnality caused by her trauma and beside her obsession to own KT, we also see  development. She does not become a nice person and her character and her temper do not change. But she has more consideration for people who become important for her: the two brothers but also Juri, her publisher and she has mother daughter interactions with Juri's mother. She learns to love people and KT and ST her new family to the point she would try to stab her mother to stop her.  

She was just a little weird obedient girl with gloomy ideas in the beginning. I was very satisfied with her last discussion with her mother which shows she will be who she wants. Not the person  her mother wants. 

I think KMY now, live freely from her past.. now she have someone to protect. she doesn't need to be a good girl like her mother want her to be..

About she doing in future, I think she want have a baby with KT and be a different mother from her mother LOL (just my thought)

haha I know..of course not instantly.. but I'm very sure they will be a good parents.. they learning from the past..

actually KMY is a impulsive person.. she do whatever she wanna do.. I'm happy its not change.. because for now, she want to make KT happy..and she will do the best for him.. make his dream come true.. 

I think has someone in her life who can take care and love her is her dream. Not being alone anymore..

The story you described about your father's sister is exactly what makes concussions deadly (that's what she had by the way). That's why people should always be checked when they've hit their heads. It's why they have to be monitored for a day or two after the incident. There will be signs (sudden dizziness, nausea, etc.) but they will feel and seem otherwise fine. If there's any sort of swelling, or unopened head wound, people need to know they should ABSOLUTELY get checked out because that's a warning sign for an internal brain bleed. Nausea is the other big one. Dizziness the 3rd. Incoherence comes when it's pretty much already too late.