The Witch: Episodes 7-8 » Dramabeans Korean drama recaps
The Witch: Episodes 7-8
by solstices
Risking his life for his research, our statistical stalker puts himself in the line of fire to iron out the finer details of our witch’s curse. Though he limps out of his experiment thoroughly battered, he also gleans a useful piece of information that redirects the course of his scientific inquiry.
EPISODES 7-8
Our diligent researcher has investigated distance, and the next step is playing with time. Dong-jin proceeds to test his latest hypothesis, dragging out the process of delivering groceries to Mi-jung’s doorstep. 8 minutes and he’s fine, but the one day he stays within her vicinity for over 10 minutes, he promptly proceeds to tumble down the stairs and sprain his ankle.
Uncowed, Dong-jin continues to prolong their interactions, going over Mi-jung’s grocery orders thoroughly — and aww, Mi-jung’s just happy to finally have someone to talk to. She’s been starved of simple human interaction for so long. Despite a small payment hiccup, Dong-jin makes it back out in under 10 minutes — but a store sign comes loose and crashes on top of him anyway.
Dong-jin emerges mostly unscathed save for an injured hand, which he takes as a green light to bundle himself up in protective gear and test out his next theory. Counting the number of sentences he and Mi-jung say to each other, Dong-jin then leaves on a scooter that quickly veers out of control. In other words, any conversation exceeding more than ten exchanges is a dangerous one.
Throughout these doorstep deliveries, Dong-jin has been too preoccupied with refining his hypotheses to realize the effect he has on Mi-jung. Despite his paper-thin excuses of requiring a signature and needing to check every item on the list, Mi-jung is simply content to finally have someone to talk to, even if only for a few minutes. The aftermath of Dong-jin’s accident, told from her perspective, shows it clear as day — from Mi-jung’s pang of disappointment when a different deliveryman shows up, to her tiny smile of relief when Dong-jin returns to work and reassures her that he injured himself elsewhere (i.e. not after meeting her).
The injuries do take their toll, though, and Eun-shil urges Dong-jin to stop before he loses his life. But our researcher has come too far to stop now. Instead, he joins Mi-jung on her monthly bus ride, which she takes for the journey rather than the destination. Dong-jin settles in to watch her from a safe distance, except Mi-jung gives up her front row seat to an elderly lady, and a traffic jam traps Dong-jin in the bus. That means he’s well on the way to spending 10 minutes within 10 meters of her.
Indeed, the sky clouds over, and a thunderstorm rolls in. Realizing he’s actually at risk of dying, Dong-jin squeezes out of the bus window and sprints to the bridge’s railing. Amidst the commotion, the relentless wind whips his cap off. Mi-jung gasps in surprise: “Lee Dong-jin?” Through a high school flashback, we learn that Mi-jung noticed Dong-jin paying attention to her, since her gaze often met his for fleeting moments. She remembers him!
That’s not exactly a good thing considering the Rules of Death, though. Realizing he’s broken too many rules at once, Dong-jin does the only thing he can think of — jump straight into the Han River. After all, there has never been a recorded instance of lightning striking the river in the middle of winter, and Dong-jin is a man of statistics. Into the water he goes.
Winding up hospitalized, Dong-jin asks Eun-shil for one last favor. All the accident victims liked Mi-jung — but what about the other way around? With that, Eun-shil takes Mi-jung on an impromptu camping trip and asks about her first love, while Dong-jin secretly listens in via phone call. Wistfully, Mi-jung admits to her old crush on church oppa Ik-jong.
As Dong-jin listens to Mi-jung recount her memories, the puzzle pieces click into place. Mi-jung had accidentally found out about Ik-jong’s epilepsy, and it turns out a seizure was what actually caused his collapse in front of her. Knowing Ik-jong was self-conscious about his diagnosis, Mi-jung lied about the hornet sting to keep his secret.
Fishing out Ik-jong’s notebook from Mi-jung’s trash, Dong-jin finds a written confession that proves Ik-jong met all the death criteria — the only reason Ik-jong survived is because Mi-jung liked him back. Nevermind the fact that he turned out to be a selfish prick who threw her under the bus and fanned the flames of the witch rumor, all so that his own secret would never come to light. Near tears, Dong-jin blurts that Ik-jong doesn’t deserve to be the exception. Ik-jong fires back: then does Dong-jin think he deserves to?
That night, a contrite Dong-jin adds himself to his investigation board — labeling himself as Mi-jung’s stalker. Oh, so he is self-aware! (I’m glad the show had Dong-jin explicitly own up to his stalking, even though I still don’t think the ends quite justify this particular means…) Resolving to see his mission through to the end, Dong-jin decides to bet all he has on the last variable: Mi-jung’s heart.
With that, Dong-jin clears away his investigation board… and starts working out? And marking Mi-jung’s name in her translated books with sticky tabs? Then he sends goodbye messages to Joong-hyuk and Eun-shil, writing one last phrase on the window he always watched Mi-jung from — “Shine on you.” Hm, he’s creating all these clues that point to Mi-jung, as if he’s hoping someone will pick up where he leaves off…
All preparations complete, Dong-jin finally rings Mi-jung’s doorbell, properly meeting her face-to-face at long last. Mi-jung can sense what he’s leading up to, and she entreats him not to speak it aloud, fearing what might happen. In the end, Dong-jin doesn’t, but his confession is very much implied as he apologizes while counting down the sentences he has left. Leaving her a final gift from their hometown friends, Dong-jin reassures Mi-jung that it’s okay for her to live while doing what her heart desires. That’s all he wanted to convey to her.
Having said his piece (in over 10 sentences), Dong-jin walks away, suitcase in hand. He’s prepared for the deadly accidents that come his way, seemingly having figured out the pattern of reckless motorists and precarious store signs. Except he’s greeted with dramaland’s favorite cameo appearance — hello there, Truck of Doom!
Well, I’m sure the statistical analyst in Dong-jin would have already accounted for this eventuality, but I also can’t help feeling doubtful that the show can wrap it all up satisfyingly within two episodes. The narrative timeline isn’t slow, but the way it’s told is; scenes are repeated and stretched out disproportionately long compared to their actual importance to the plot. The show also has to address all the loose ends it’s left hanging, sans filler — for one, Joong-hyuk practically disappeared into the background this week.
While I don’t exactly want the show to cram everything into the final hours, I also do hope it picks up the pace and ramps up the tension. Oh, and let Mi-jung break free from the damsel in distress position she’s been boxed into! If Dong-jin ends up down for the count, I want Mi-jung to proactively question her curse, tackle it, and liberate herself from it — to go from an object of mystery to the subject of her own story.
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