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amethystina · 4 months ago

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Sorry for the follow up ask, but I was wondering what you would think would happen when Ga On finds out Yo Han is alive for sure. It would probably be emotional of course, but would Yo Han even want Ga On's help knowing this situation is dangerous? Would Ga On let that stop him, if not for himself then for Elijah, or because he would have to do not-so-great things to be able to help Yo Han? And on that note, would he tell Elijah? Because Yo Han definitely wouldn't want him to, underestimating how much Elijah cares about him and not wanting to put her in danger or further rock the boat of her proverbial mental state. Even if Ga On agrees to keep it a secret, could he manage it or would it slip out in his unnatural happiness and excitement? And when (or if) the situation settles and Ga On realizes Yo Han can't stay in Korea as a dead/wanted man, would he leave with them? Or would he stay as Soo Hyun's friend (because he probably doesn't have a lot of other connections in this situation), especially after all the favours he's asked of her for Yo Han to even get the chance of leaving Korea?

Because I really want her to be more developed as an individual and think she has a lot of potential, would Soo Hyun grow as a cop and a person after having to reckon with all the corruption she probably is exposed to and reality-checked on through Ga On as they navigate this new mystery? How would that change her life plan or how she sees herself in respect to justice, morality, and her ability to do good? Like how she may realize that she hadn't actually helped some of the people she thought she had when her position as a cop forcibly aligned her with a corrupt system, and her involvement typically stopped at an arrest.

Your response inspired me so much that I immediately had to get these thoughts out, though of course feel free not to response to all or even any of them.

The way you understand and explore these characters is really amazing, and I love how you interact with ideas and possible situations in ways I never could have imagined.

No worries! I totally understand getting lost in a story and its possibilities — just look at the monster also known as Who Holds the Devil x'D

For context, here's the first ask.

I think that Ga On would immediately want to help Yo Han once he finds out that he's alive for real — regardless if Yo Han wants him to or not — and Ga On wouldn't tell Elijah about it. Which would be difficult for him to keep from her, no doubt, but he'd stick to it with incredible dedication and stubbornness because a) he knows that's what Yo Han would want, b) it spares Elijah the agony of worrying (even if thinking Yo Han is dead is of course painful, too, but, like you say — her mental state is already fragile), and c) gives him more room to do what's necessary.

Like, sure, Elijah might be able to help, but Ga On would have to fend off her questions and focus on keeping her safe half of the time, since she'd want to rush in and help Yo Han, too. So while it's a bit cruel — and Elijah is going to be very angry when she eventually finds out — Ga On would do it without regrets. Because just like he made the choice to lie to Elijah about the fire, he does it because he thinks it's what's best for her. And, to some degree, I think I'd agree with him? It's cruel to keep her in the dark, yes, but it's definitely easier to just approach her after Yo Han has been saved and spare her days, weeks, and/or months of agony.

As for what Ga On would do once it's all over, I think that depends a little on how it's resolved? And what the situation was, exactly. But I think he'd lean towards going with Yo Han and Elijah, at least on a sort of "I'm just going to stay with them for a couple of weeks and make sure they get settled properly." So it might not be permanent — or at least not intended to be permanent — but he'd probably end up staying a lot longer than he says he will x'D

Which would make him feel guilty considering that he left Soo Hyun behind. But, in many ways, I think they would need that distance? Because, considering the turn their relationship is going to take, they'll both need some time to figure out who they are without the other.

Which brings me to a thing I realise I forgot to mention in the other ask, which is that I think this should be a story told from Soo Hyun's perspective. Because I agree that she deserves the development the drama deprived her of (simply because they knew she was going to die, it feels like) and that's most easily achieved from her POV. If the story was told by her, it would be easier to follow her growth as she works through her feelings and the conflicts that begin to arise when she's faced with how willfully blind she's been.

So she'd start out pretty similar to how she is in the drama but, slowly but surely, she won't be able to hold on to that any longer. Partly because she, too, has to try and deal with Professor Min's betrayal and her own feelings regarding the state of their country and the corruptiong within it. And, on top of that, Ga On telling her that she's wrong about him. And, for once, she can tell that he means it. It's not just him being stupid and self-critical — he's being honest when he tells her that he's not as good and perfect as she wants him to be. He can't be that. He's tried for years but the only thing that achieved was making him feel suffocated.

Which is definitely going to be difficult for her to hear. But it's also not one-sided — they will also have to deal with the fact that Ga On did the same to her, putting her on a pedestal and turning her into the end-all-be-all of his entire existence. And she wasn't equipped to handle that without putting too much pressure on herself. She gave up everything for Ga On at the detriment of her own happiness.

(And I guess one can question if Ga On isn't just replacing Yo Han with Soo Hyun in that regard, considering how much he fixates on Yo Han. But I'd argue that Mr. Abyss is much better at handling that kind of pressure because he has no shame whatsoever — if Ga On wants Yo Han to become the centre of his universe, he'll happily oblige. And while Yo Han will also wonder if he's good enough for Ga On, he wouldn't feel guilty about it the way Soo Hyun does. Yo Han is too honest. He'd try to be as good as he can be, sure, but also warn Ga On not to feel disappointed if Yo Han doesn't follow his expectations. And then it's up to Ga On to decide if he still wants to stay, as opposed to Soo Hyun who just kept trying to do better and kept giving more and more of herself, hoping to make up for her "shortcomings." This is one of the reasons why I think Yo Han is a more well-balanced partner for Ga On)

But I digress.

Soo Hyun's development would be put to the test when the time comes for her to say goodbye to Ga On. Again, not permanently, but by that point she must know why Ga On wants to go with Yo Han and Elijah rather than stay with Soo Hyun, and she has to let him. Whether or not she's fallen out of love with Ga On depends a little on how long the whole story takes, I'd say, but, regardless, it would be hard for her.

But I also think she'd do it — for Ga On's sake, if nothing else.

Because, hopefully, by then Soo Hyun would realise what I mentioned earlier, that they both need time away from each other to deal with all the new revelations. Not just in terms of their relationship, but also the state of their country. And while Ga On wants to deal with it by leaving and, hopefully, come back refreshed and try to make a difference, Soo Hyun would choose to stay and work through her feelings of guilt and helplessness one case at a time. She knows the system is corrupt but she can do better. She can still try to make a change, be it by helping one person at a time.

Because, deep down, both Soo Hyun and Ga On have such a strong desire to help people that I can't see Soo Hyun ever giving up on being a cop. She'd have to recalibrate and figure out how to go about things in a more constructive, productive way, but she'd get there, I think. If nothing else because she has her chief who used to work with Yo Han and, I mean, once Ga On comes back? And has Yo Han on speed dial?

They'll figure something out, I'm sure.

And while Soo Hyun might still be determined to stick to the law as often as possible, I think she, too, can eventually start bending it a little when necessary. Because in a dystopian world such as theirs, you can't really expect the law to work. Some rules must be broken.

Though murder would be a hard no, of course.

(Also, not going to lie, I'm cackling at the thought of all of them joining forces at the end like a mismatched little Scooby Gang. Imagine the possibilities. Soo Hyun and Yo Han would barely tolerate each other — because old habits die hard — but they'd try to work around it for Ga On's sake. Because Ga On is determined to save the world and neither of them can say no to him so what else can they do? They're stuck with each other.

And, eventually, they'll grow to respect each other and maybe even like each other a little but they would never admit it because they have a dynamic and an established jargon at that point and they're going to stick to it. There are traditions to uphold.

Ga On thinks they're idiots but lets them be, very pleased that they're finally getting along. Sort of.)

So yeah!

I think the focus of a story like this should be Soo Hyun. Especially since it would add a bit of mystery as she's trying to figure out why Ga On is so obsessed with Yo Han. Like, how long can she stay in denial, trying to write it off as loyalty to a former boss? And what will she do when she can no longer quiet that insistent voice telling her that Ga On's feelings for Yo Han might be deeper than she's allowed herself to believe?

Like, she can see the look on Ga On's face when he talks about Yo Han and she doesn't recognise it. And she's not sure if she wants to know what it means. But, eventually, it becomes too obvious for her to keep lying to herself. And then the next question arises: does Ga On realise that he's in love with Yo Han?

I think it would be fascinating to watch her try to navigate that.

Anyhow! I'm glad I can be of service! I tend to approach ideas in a very instinctive way, much like I do my writing. Very often, it just feels like I'm walking down an already paved path somehow, rather than building it as a I go (which is what it's like for some people, from what I gather). It's a little difficult to explain, but there's usually very little thinking required? I just... say what seems reasonable x'D

As always, my thoughts and interpretations are just my opinion, though. I try my best to give an accurate portrayal of the characters, but everything is subjective. It's okay to disagree with me, is what I'm saying. While I try my best to stay true to the characters, I can still be wrong. Or change my mind. So just... keep that in mind, I guess?

Thank you for sharing your ideas and please take care! 💜

#Amethystina Replies #geniam #There's a lot to explore in this scenario that's for sure!#And I hope you have fun continuing to ponder it!#This took longer to answer than planned #Because... uh...#Shit got real bad again #In ways I hadn't predicted #And definitely don't want #I honestly think I'm writing this in an attempt to escape #Because god knows it's not fun to be in my head right now #Grief will do that to you #And I'm not okay #Unfortunately #But I'll get there #I always do #Just give me a little more time

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