In a previous post about TvN dramas, I said that "Nine: Nine Time Travels" is one of my top 3 favourite TvN dramas, and one of the best Korean dramas I've watched in the past 2-3 years. The ending left many baffled, so I am going to give my interpretation of it here.
I shall attempt to answer 2 questions now.
(1) Is Sun-woo going to die?
(2) What is the last scene with Sun-woo and his brother, Jung-woo, on the mountains of Nepal about?
(1) Is Sun-woo going to die?
My answer is no. The reason is simple. Sun-woo Senior died because he went back to the past. But Sun-woo Junior will not be able to do that because all the incense sticks have been used up. In episode 16, when the bad guy tries to light the incense stick that Sun-woo used up, it disappears. If Junior doesn't go back to the past, he will not die there like Senior did.
As seen in previous episodes, the present will change when something in the past changes. Using Jung-woo as an example, he lived "life A" for 20 years. When the past changed, "life A" will not happen and he lives "life B" for 20 years. However, he has memories of "life A" because he did experienced it once (something like a dream).
So Senior will "come back to life" in 2013. Then there will only be one Sun-woo. Senior's life a.k.a "life A" (in which he is dead from 2013 to 2033) will not happen. Only Junior's life a.k.a "life B" will happen. But Sun-woo will regain memories of "life A" because he experienced it once.
(2) What is the last scene with Sun-woo and Jung-woo on the mountains of Nepal about?
The show could have ended at the point Junior boards the plane and everything will make sense. But no, the scriptwriters have to add the last scene. Here's my take on it.
I shall attempt to answer 2 questions now.
(1) Is Sun-woo going to die?
(2) What is the last scene with Sun-woo and his brother, Jung-woo, on the mountains of Nepal about?
(1) Is Sun-woo going to die?
As seen in previous episodes, the present will change when something in the past changes. Using Jung-woo as an example, he lived "life A" for 20 years. When the past changed, "life A" will not happen and he lives "life B" for 20 years. However, he has memories of "life A" because he did experienced it once (something like a dream).
So Senior will "come back to life" in 2013. Then there will only be one Sun-woo. Senior's life a.k.a "life A" (in which he is dead from 2013 to 2033) will not happen. Only Junior's life a.k.a "life B" will happen. But Sun-woo will regain memories of "life A" because he experienced it once.
(2) What is the last scene with Sun-woo and Jung-woo on the mountains of Nepal about?
Under normal circumstances, Senior will come back to life in 2013, there will only be one Sun-woo.
However, the circumstances are not normal here. Why? Because Senior is stuck in the past and cannot come back to the present. He did not die in 2013 but in 1993.
So when 38 year old Junior is still alive in 2013, 38 year old Senior comes back alive in 1993. He will have to live another 20 years, before "life A" becomes just a memory in 2013.
In the last scene, Sun-woo looks old. That's because he is 58 year old Senior. Some things never change and he is worried that Jung-woo will die in Nepal again, so he hangs around to save him.
One illogical loophole
There is just 1 thing that doesn't make sense to me. Why is it that just because Junior knows that Senior has a brain tumor that the tumor miraculously disappears? It would have made sense if the scriptwriters had written it this way: Junior goes for regular check-ups, finds the tumor in its early stage and removes it.
Well, I guess nothing is perfect.
However, the circumstances are not normal here. Why? Because Senior is stuck in the past and cannot come back to the present. He did not die in 2013 but in 1993.
So when 38 year old Junior is still alive in 2013, 38 year old Senior comes back alive in 1993. He will have to live another 20 years, before "life A" becomes just a memory in 2013.
In the last scene, Sun-woo looks old. That's because he is 58 year old Senior. Some things never change and he is worried that Jung-woo will die in Nepal again, so he hangs around to save him.
One illogical loophole
There is just 1 thing that doesn't make sense to me. Why is it that just because Junior knows that Senior has a brain tumor that the tumor miraculously disappears? It would have made sense if the scriptwriters had written it this way: Junior goes for regular check-ups, finds the tumor in its early stage and removes it.
Well, I guess nothing is perfect.
