bunnydongsik

[bunnydongsik]

collection of tweets that are jwds coded

#beyond evil #jwds #yessss these truly represent the perfect dynamic between these two #Dongsik like??? when Joowon goes insane over him #and Dongsik scrambling to keep up and feeling truly desired for the first time in his life

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#beyond evil #lee dongsik #my one and only babygirl

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babygirl the way you forsake your happiness on your relentless quest to vengeance, your complicated relationship with gender and the way you're covered in blood have bewitched me body and soul

#beyond evil #lee dongsik #mostly #like he is not seeking vengeance and he is more often covered in tears than blood #but still #the blood is also there

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The scrunkly

#beyond evil #jwds #lee dongsik #han joowon #art #the truest depiction of act 1

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how the image of abel and cain was used to portray lee dong-sik and lee yu-yeon

a not so short draft of an essay

ricardo j. quinones

1- abel and cain

not everyone is familiar with biblical stories (and it's normal) so here is their story as you can find it in some versions of the genesis, further analyses will be cited as i go:

wikipedia, genesis 4:1-18

2- lee dong-sik and lee yu-yeon

. since they are twins, their link to one another is reinforced. where age and gender could semiotically separate them, the fact that they are twins means that they are half each other's whole person. it is of course not true when you apply it to a realistic dimension. but on a symbolic level, they are doubles and they do reflect each other.

. lee yu-yeon was chosen to be the conventionally successful one, leading a good christian life, to whom praise and opportunities were given due to her good temperament. arguably it was subjective.

. lee dong-sik was the 'hopeless' child, constantly compared to his alter-ego. but it does not always seem fair or justified.

. however, the twins did not apply society's judgement to one another. lee dong-sik did not resent lee yu-yeon for being well-considered. lee yu-yeon did not resent lee dong-sik for not being as successful and hard-working as her. they cared for each other, and did not let external factors tear them apart or create jealousy and dissensions between them. if they ever argued, i best believe it most likely had nothing to do with the values of society or of their religious community, but just brother-sister shenanigans.

3- lee dong-sik as cain and lee yu-yeon as abel

. lee yu-yeon and abel are symbolically the first murder victims, both in the bible and in the context of the show. lee yu-yeon starts the storyline.s that we are following, even though previous crimes had been committed. you can see my post on lee yu-yeon here, where i mention it separately. on top of this, ricardo j. quinones mentions abel as such:

and indeed lee yu-yeon is the missing piece in solving the crimes in manyang. she is also the christlike figure of innocence who receives the most compassion due to her integration in society's conventions.

. lee yu-yeon and abel are both favored by higher authorities, be it by god in the bible, or by adults, society, and religious community in beyond evil. both in the bible and in beyond evil, this preference proves to be arbitrary, difficult to substantially back up, and unfair. even perhaps not willed by the concerned protagonists. this preference is also the reason why their deaths become so pivotal in each story.

. lee dong-sik in parallel is not cain. but he is turned into cain by figures of authority. he is framed, and most importantly, rendered responsible for his sister's disappearance. if we refer to the wikipedia passage of the genesis i included, it is textually visible that both lee dong-sik and cain reject at first the responsibility for their sibling's disappearance. only, one is being honest, and the other deceptive. cain's story was the easiest narrative to apply to lee dong-sik: the jealous, treacherous brother who stole a precious life because of a wounded pride. and bodies were found in a field where lee dong-sik's guitar pick was once planted, echoing to the first crime in the bible, and its perpetrator.

. arguably, lee yu-yeon's disappearance and the accusations against lee dong-sik echo to the cain-abel story, as ricardo j. quinones puts it:

the twins' story marks the shift between what manyang could have been before the murders and what it became, a shift in its dynamic, the end of a way of life. paralleling the cain-abel story and lee dong-sik - lee yu-yeon's is also useful in the exploration of family dynamics, and how preferences between siblings can prove detrimental.

. since the unconscious of manyang perceives lee dong-sik as the bearer of cain's appearance, he receives equal punishment, although he is in fact innocent. he is cursed with being a wanderer. and with that: an untouchable wanderer, so that his punishment is even greater than just being an outcast. he is unpunishable for a crime he is believed to have committed, but he is forever judged poorly by his peers. he is not sent to prison, but he never reintegrates society per se.

ernesto livorni points out cain's condition as follows:

. we can also take quite literally the fact that god curses cain with never being able to cultivate the soil again. lee dong-sik is left to hope for lee yu-yeon fo twenty years, unable to find any traces of her wherever he is looking. and his endless quest takes a major part of his life away from him, forever. he is left living on nothing, always seeking what he cannot find.

4- some other thoughts

. now, that was the most obvious links that came to my mind. but the show in itself insists on deconstructing the cain narrative built around lee dong-sik. and to do so, as aforementioned, they portray the twins' relation as bulletproof to society's imposed rhetoric on their dynamics.

they loved each other, and supported each other. there was no jealousy, no resentment, no competition. love is the final answer provided by the writers of the show to end dissensions, or to cope with them within communities.

. in parallel, lee dong-sik was able to break away from his curse when he could expose the truth and find lee yu-yeon. he was also able to receive punishment for his misdeeds, and able to clear his name, to find a new sense of community.

. lee yu-yeon died in a field, yes, but her body was trapped in the wall of her house. this also breaks away from abel and cain's narrative: the evil was not her brother. it was something else. the town's people were wrong in assuming lee dong-sik could do something like this to his own sister. not being able to find her body for so long was lee dong-sik's curse and redemption. he both suffered from a lack of closure, and then gained a definite means to prove that he was innocent.

. i'd like to conclude my brief analysis with once again a quote from ricardo j. quinones, which i think sums up well the importance of how the cain-abel story was used in the context of beyond evil:

#beyond evil #lee dongsik #lee yuyeon #this is so good and so painful #thank you for the guide through the christian themes OP

[bunnydongsik]

It's such a sad and tense scene, but from this angle it looks really funny

#beyond evil #shin hakyun #lee dongsik

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The subtle homoerotism of sharing cupboard space

If I’m reading the last scene of Beyond Evil right, it’s a nice touch - showing that Han Joo Won has moved to Lee Dong Sik’s house without saying it. See these presumably modern art sculptures on the upper shelf?

They definitely weren’t there before - and is Dong Sik the type to buy something like that for decoration? Nope. Joo Won, on the other hand… His apartment in Seoul was full of similar stuff.

For the reference: said cupboard in the second episode. No modern art is present yet. And everything is much less orderly.

#beyond evil #jwds

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No one: Literally no one: Dongsik and Juwon whenever they're talking to each other:

#beyond evil #jwds

[bunnydongsik]

(the way she was literally so attached and worried for her characters she had to be comforted by the actors who were playing them i love her soo baddd)

#beyond evil #lee dongsik #i also cry about him and how sad his life is

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Yeo Jingoo stills from Noryang: Sea of Death

#yeo jingoo #wow that beard does a lot to his face

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of course i fell in love with him. he is sopping wet and miserable

#beyond evil #lee dongsik

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Hand size difference. that's all I have to say

Sorry this is completely meaningless but I sure am thinking about it anyway

#beyond evil #jwds #han joowon #lee dongsik #shin hakyun #yeo jingoo

[bunnydongsik]

This is jwds coded

#beyond evil #jwds #han joowon #lee dongsik

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Taking someone's cigarette out of their mouth: Multiple meanings - used a lot in media to convey control, power play, very masculine, I'm your boss and this is mine now, get over it. Mildly flirty, look at me, all in your space and shit, seductive. You're not allowed to smoke, because I say so.

Putting the cigarette back in their mouth afterwards: Ground-breaking. Would be less erotic to just fuck honestly. Who does this?

#beyond evil #jwds #yes oh my god

[bunnydongsik]

Public speaking is actually really easy if you don't respect a single soul in that room. I've had an incredibly easy time delivering speeches when I hated everybody I saw and they all thought I did amazing because my disdain was read as confidence. I don't have any tips for you I'm just telling you a fact

#beyond evil #han joowon core #yes I will turn this into a fandom post while also absorbing the genuine advice #thank you

[bunnydongsik]

I really enjoy the idea of a postcanon dynamic between Joowon and Dongsik being a subversion of their dynamic in the beginning.

In the beginning Joowon tirelessly hunts down Dongsik in order to Hurt him in some way, but is costantly blocked by Dongsik dancing out of his reach, and his friends protecting him. A complete failure.

Then, postcanon Joowon will once again hunt Dongsik, but this time with the intention of loving him with the power of the sun, and all of their friends will simply stand aside.

I think Dongsik will find the second scenario a lot scarier.

He was able to escape Joowon before, because he was used to being the scapegoat and being hated - but this is completely New and he has no idea what to do.

Any protests will melt like butter before sun!Joowon and Dongsik will have lost before they even began. A complete success.

#beyond evil #jwds #han joowon #lee dongsik

[bunnydongsik]

I see a lot of focus in fandom on how infatuated Joowon is with Dongsik, and rightly so, Joowon demonstrates his complete devotion wonderfully in the show.

But I find it interesting how little focus there is on the way that Dongsik feels about Joowon, even though it is arguably actually heavier.

How so?

Well, Joowon's feelings towards Dongsik are a complicated mix of guilt and love - guilt both for his own actions towards Dongsik and for his family's actions towards Dongsik's family.

On top of this there is the admiration for Dongsik as a person - his extreme kindness and selflessness, as well as his acceptance of who Joowon is as a person, which is what drives Joowon's devotion.

Then there is arguably a gratefulness because of how Dongsik marked an alternative path for Joowon to avoid becoming a monster like his father, and even making him aware of the fact that he was on his way to becoming a monster in the first place.

But what about Dongsik's feelings towards Joowon?

Well, to but it simply and ultra short - Dongsik would not be alive without Joowon.

Joowon's saves Dongsik's life in part 1 from Jinmook, and then more permanently from his father in part 2.

Originally Dongsik simply planned to kill Jinmook or die trying - until he sees Joowon's antics and obsession with the case and decides to try and use him instead.

keep in mind here that dongsik had no proof - whether or not Jinmook would have killed him is immaterial, his life would have been over either way. Then the more obvious save is when Jinmook is strangling him and Joowon pulls him off and nearly kills him in the process lol.

Joowon is notably someone who "protects" Dongsik - Dongsik has taken on a role of taking care of and protecting everyone else, often to the detriment of himself, but with Joowon the roles are, more often than not, reversed.

Dongsik simply does not give a single shit about himself. he hates himself. he is only "alive" because he has to find Yuyeon. Even before Yuyeon disappeared he had self esteem issues, because he was always seen as "inferior" - and then his entire family falls apart.

(and I suspect that there is a part of Dongsik that wonders if maybe his parents wouldn't have been fine if Dongsik had disappeared instead)

He has an extreme case of survivor's guilt and describes himself as "ruined" and "a wreck" - which is also why he is ready to die if it means getting to Jinmook. He already sees himself as "dead".

Dongsik is someone who has been living in hell for 20 years, struggling to breathe every single day through the pain.

The only relief he gets from this is when he can help other people. If the audience didn't notice this on their own, Sangbae helpfully tells us that Dongsik chases down old men with dementia and buys locks for people who hate him and holds umbrellas over people's heads for hours after giving them his shoes, "in order to soothe his old pain".

Shin Ha Kyun describes him as someone who "appears strong but is acutally not strong at all, a sad and pitiful person"

That is who Dongsik is - an extremely sad man who pretends to be strong, and who will try to shoulder all burdens alone without asking for help, and if you offer your help he will vehemently try to deny it.

And he has friends, he sure does, but they have their own lives and the only one who truly understands his pain is Jaeyi - someone he has only known for two years. The rest have sort of put it all behind them - noone knew that Yuyeon's case files were missing before Joowon checked.

On top of this, it turns out that several of those he calls "friend" are actually enemies. He is constantly backstabbed and betrayed . Even the man he called "best friend" - Jeongjae, who willingly stayed ignorant to spare himself pain, and who goes so far as to doubt whether or not Dongsik really killed Minjeong. Imagine how painful that moment was for Dongsik. no wonder he does his classic little "hysterical laugh instead of hysterical wail of pain"

Enter Joowon - the most annoying, blunt and honest person you have ever met, who has never kept a secret in his life and is intense about solving the case of your sister's murder. A refreshing young man indeed.

Joowon has absolutely zero respect for Dongsik's boundaries. While Jeongjae will sit in his living room and wait for Dongsik to come home and then dutifully leave when Dongsik tells him to, Joowon will simply barge directly into whatever property Dongsik owns, as if he owns it as well.

And this turns out to be exactly what Dongsik needs - he doesn't allow Dongsik isolate himself, he doesn't allow him hide behind his various masks, he doesn't allow him to shoulder every burden on his own, he doesn't let him break himself further and will physically stop him if he tries. He will walk into a trap eyes fully open and be smeared in blood just to spare Dongsik further pain. He will stand between Dongsik and danger as his shield, and then demand the gun Dongsik holds so that he can be his weapon as well.

Joowon forcibly breaks down every single wall Dongsik has ever built and then pulls him out of the quagmire he has been sinking further and further into for 20 years - he throws himself wholeheartedly into giving Yuyeon justice and with that, Dongsik can finally breathe and become a person instead of a ghost.

And in the proces Joowon gives up every single bit of the power he held - he is no longer the son of the most powerful police officer in the country, he in fact pulled his father from throne himself

(how popular do you think that made him among his little piggy coworkers? probably not very, cops are supposed to protect each other after all)

He willingly throws away every bit of power that his name held.

He throws away his promising career in one of the most elite departments of law enforcement in Seoul and instead works for "the women and children department" somewhere rural - not exactly career shaping stuff.

We can see from how worn his clothing is in the epilogue that he probably also no longer has a lot of money.

Joowon has transformed himself from an elite ace in the policeforce, someone everyone expected great things of, someone who was purposefully sought out by others in order to use their connection with him to further their own position - to a nobody.

And he does all of this for Dongsik.

As if Dongsik could ever resent him for his past behaviour or for his father's actions. I don't think Dongsik is capable of resenting Joowon for anything.

Dongsik simply describes Joowon as "my savior", which is such a strong description in itself, but I'm actually not sure if the way he feels about Joowon can be fully articulated.

Even as I sit here and try I honestly can't, except with the long rambling and even then I don't think it fully comes across - just how absolutely insane Dongsik must feel about Joowon.

I think it almost akin to that of a worshipper towards their god, Joowon has resurrected him from the dead after all. Except Dongsik is still fully aware that Joowon is human, so this doesn't quite fit either. But I still think that Dongsik feels that his life is somewhat "owned" by Joowon, in a weird sense.

All I know is that to even somewhat balance out whatever the fuck Dongsik feels towards Joowon, Joowon has to be absolutely devoted to him.

This became really long and rambly again. Thank you for reading even a little bit of it lol.

#beyond evil #jwds #han joowon #lee dongsik #my post