Tomorrow: Episodes 3-4

Tomorrow: Episodes 3-4

by missvictrix

Our half-human hero is now officially a part of the team, but their next case hits closer to home than he ever expected. It also serves as an example of what reapers aren’t technically supposed to do, what happens when they do that which they’re not supposed to do — and most importantly, what happens when they act like… humans.

Editor’s note: This drama starts off each episode with a warning that it contains content about suicide, and though the message of the show is that suicide is never the answer, this topic is definitely not for everyone, so we’ll be putting this note at the start of our weecaps, too. And, if you ever need anyone to talk to, please know there’s a whole community here to support you.

 
EPISODES 3-4 WEECAP

Jun-woong is now officially a part of the team, which means proper introductions, an overview of the reaper code of conduct, and a new suit — a reaper has a reputation to keep up, after all. Only problem is, after these four episodes I’m getting the feeling that these reapers are not reapers at all. In fact, they’re more like guardian angels, and we see this explored this week as our reapers take on their next case.

As the team settles into their office, Jun-woong is warned about the things he absolutely can’t do as a reaper: use his abilities in front of humans, interfere in human affairs, and leave any ties that connect him to the land of the living. Part of this is getting a new face, so when he’s out reaper-ing in the world, he’s not recognized, and Ryong-koo has a grand old time giving Jun-woong a new ajusshi face and name. He’s enjoying this a little too much haha.

The new face and identity seem inconsequential, but we actually see what it means for Jun-woong all too soon. First, we catch a glimpse of him in his house, having a moment at his father’s memorial service until his mother and sister show up, mourning Jun-woong’s coma as well. This sets up how much Jun-woong needs to be successful and return to his life and body, and I didn’t think it was possible but every time he’s on screen being his sweet doofy self, I’m rooting for him even more.

The next case pops up on their app, and it just so happens to be Jun-woong’s best friend from school, NAMGOONG JAE-SOO (Ryu Sung-rok). We caught a glimpse of him last week, but it was so off-handed it didn’t seem like much of anything — but this week, we dive into his story, and it’s both touching and sad.

We are treated to flashbacks of the two boys in high school which show how their friendship was formed, and also the determined mindset that set Jae-soo apart from the others. (Okay, I’m loving these two so much I could do with a spin-off drama about them in high school.)

But the present-day Jae-soo has changed a lot. His dedicated studying for the police exam has led him nowhere but failure, and his best friend being in a coma was the final punch to take him down. While our team does their best to keep this boy alive, Ryeon gets special permission from the Jade Emperor to use a certain time-traveling car. Jun-woong is sure that if they give Jae-soo the fried chicken he had as a kid — a seminal moment in his childhood where he received words of encouragement from his father — he’ll be able to turn the corner.

Though I’ll say that Jae-soo’s suicide attempts felt a little less authentic compared to Eun-bi last week, his pain is definitely real, and this entire story arc showed us lots about our characters, their pasts, and even some hints on how Jumadeung works.

First, we saw Jun-woong’s desire to help people grow tenfold when it was someone so precious to him. We might lol when Jae-soo doesn’t recognize the ajusshi at the door (instead of our dapper 6’3″ Rowoon), but the humor — as ever — carries us through the dark places the show also needs to tread. Jun-woong’s giant teddy bear heart is an asset to this team, and this particular story arc is meant to show us that even more.

Next, we also learn a lot about the mysteries of Jumadeung. These mysteries are just hinted at for now, but when Ryeon and Jun-woong take the ugliest van out of the luxury car garage and travel back to 1999 on the search for chicken — well, they find a lot more than chicken.

What they find is that actually this whole thing has been predestined. That fried chicken that created such a pivotal moment in Jae-soo’s life? That was made possible only by our time-traveling reapers who, back in 1999, not only save Jae-soo’s father from a desperate suicide attempt, but give him a glimpse of hope, and put the fight back in him. It’s that same moment of hope they’re looking to give to Jae-soo, now, and thank God, they finally manage it.

The twistiness of this story arc bent my brain a little, but it also made it all the more fun — and complicated. By the end, I just wanted to squeeze Jae-soo — I hope we return to his character later in the drama when we see what happens to Jun-woong. I have a feeling we will, since this week the drama showed us how layered it can actually be, starting to tell one story, and then showing it to us again from a different angle. I love this approach as a viewer, because it makes you pay attention to all the details and how they’ll play into each other, but it also ups that feeling of fate, and how each action has its ripple effect.

For instance, before they leave 1999, Jun-woong suddenly has a thought and bolts. Next thing we see him grabbing a little kid, chucking him over his shoulder, and running through the neighborhood with him. Aww, it’s Jun-woong himself as a little boy, and Jun-woong’s line as he’s huffing and puffing made me cackle: “Lose some weigh, would you!? It’ll all go to your height, but still!”

Turns out, he’s realized that this is the day his father leaves for a business trip that he’ll never come back from. Rather than try to change his father’s fate, what he does is deposit his young self on the scene so that he can say a proper goodbye to his father — the thing he was never able to do. Gah! I love everything about this.

Though a lot of the action is very Jun-woong-centric this week, it actually shows us a lot about Ryeon, too. She’s not only desperate enough to save a life that she goes along with the wacky fried chicken scheme, but when they later discover the truth about Jae-soo’s father, she breaks every reaper law around to save him.

Ryeon also knows about Jun-woong’s close connection to Jae-soo from the get-go, but decides to keep him on the case since his personal feelings and knowledge could be of use — and this was proven exactly true. Much like last week, Jun-woong brings a level of compassion to the table that changes everything. And Ryeon might act like she can’t tolerate him (and enjoys tormenting him), but I think she’s beginning to see his worth, too.

With the quick wrap-up of Jae-soo’s story, and Jun-woong’s brief moment in his own past, our team is quickly faced with their next case. Turns out, the girl whose soul we saw get collected by the smoldering Joong-gil earlier (while we were there searching for Jae-soo) was an important part of it. She passed in a car accident, but her singer-songwriter husband KANG WOO-JIN (played by singer-songwriter Kang Seung-yoon of WINNER, yay!) is in such a state of despair that he’s now suicidal.

We get a glimpse of their sweet romance, and feel his pain all the more. The team definitely has their work cut out for them next week, but luckily his deceased wife has evaded Joong-gil’s team and as a “runaway soul,” can help our reapers save Woo-jin’s life.

We close on the Woo-jin cliffhanger, but I have to also touch on the peek into Ryeon’s past that we get. We learn that she once worked for Joong-gil’s escort team, and the flashback we saw in a previous episode where she’s trying to save a life — and Joong-gil is shouting at her to let the man go — that seems to be a pivotal moment in their break. Ryeon heads to her new team, and Joong-gil basically loathes her and what she stands for.

Joong-gil also hates her team, and wastes no time in mocking them with the following line: “A newbie who doesn’t know the basics, a subordinate with no sense of duty, and a team manager from Hell.”

Well, Joong-gil certainly feels like he’s getting set up as our underdog team’s foil, but also, I kinda like him? His callous and polished reaper team are the perfect contrast for our ragtag team and their rather unpopular mission. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for some more turf wars between these two departments.

 
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Tomorrow: Episodes 3-4
Source: Buzz Pinay Daily