Episode 3 of See You In My 19th Life was completely about Ban Ji Eum looking at her past. While that gave her and us mixed feelings, the real surprise for us was Cho Won, and we are glad that we don’t have to give her the side eye anymore. We also discovered that the series has not one but two brooding heroes, Seo Ha and Do Yun, and while we understand the first, the second is unpacking like the layers of an onion. Also, the show is a fantasy, but it is far from a simple one, and we discovered just how complex it is in this episode. Here is a recap of it.
Spoilers Alert
Why Does Ban Ji Eum Think That She Was Murdered In Her 18th Life?
It is the first time that two of Ji Eum’s lives have intersected in this manner. Ji Eum tells Ae Gyeong that she has never reincarnated this fast before, and she wonders about the reason for this anomaly. We don’t know whether Ji Eum has ever met anyone of her kind before or why she has to go through what she does. But she must have known whether there was something different about the manner of her death this time around. Ji Eum has seen her fair share of violent deaths in her lifetimes. She has died in war from sickness, and we believe that future episodes will list a number of other reasons as well. In her 18th life, it was an accident, but the fast rebirth must have meant that she still had time left over from her 18th life. That could only mean that the time was stolen from her by a human being, implying that she was murdered. Ju Won was in the car with Seo Ha when she died, so we must question whether she was the real target or not. Seo Ha and Ji Eum might be connected in more ways than one. The hotel could have something to do with it, and once Seo Ha finishes scrambling to collect funds for its renovation, he might uncover some other secrets.
Why Does Ji Eum Confess To Seo Ha Again?
In episode 2, we saw Seo Ha going to visit Ju Won’s gravesite with Ji Eum. That gets Ji Eum thinking about the people in her past lives who must still be mourning her. For the time being, she takes Seo Ha near what we think are cherry blossoms. Even if we are wrong, it was an undeniably beautiful sight as the two of them stood amidst the flowers, and Ji Eum told Seo Ha to remember this sight whenever his bad memories overwhelmed him. We suppose that when you have lived 19 lives and have been living for years with the sole purpose of meeting one person, the confidence to flirt or confess is naturally through the roof. Ji Eum wasn’t bluffing when she said that Seo Ha would always have her on his mind. Yet, for a moment, when he sees a truck passing them by, his childhood trauma comes rushing back to him, and he cannot think of anything but Ju Won, as she breathed her last while he looked on, helpless.
Back home, Ji Eum wonders how her family from her 18th life must be missing her. She also wonders how Ae Gyeong survived without her when she passed away, likely from cancer. Ae Gyeong tells her that while life hadn’t been easy for her, it had moved on nonetheless. She also reminds her that it is Seo Ha’s birthday that day. Ju Won had passed away on Seo Ha’s birthday, and upon hearing this, Ji Eum rushed to Seo Ha’s place. She once again confesses to him that she likes him, and the purpose of this particular interaction was to give him a memorable moment on his birthday. It brings back a memory for Seo Ha, when he had asked Ju Won whether she liked him, and she told him that she would give him the answer to that on his birthday. Years later, as Ji Eum confessed to him on his birthday, Seo Ha couldn’t help but think of Ju Won.
Does Cho Won Have Feelings For Seo Ha?
While he cannot deny that Ji Eum is making a space in his head, he still has to deal with Cho Won, who has shown up with a cake to celebrate his birthday. Seo Ha is adamant about not celebrating, and he continues to push away Cho Won. We initially believe that it is because she has feelings for him, but we soon come to know that the matter is something else. When she goes to his office to discuss the landscaping contract for which she had applied under an alias, Seo Ha is furious. Cho Won is close to tears upon seeing his reaction, and Ji Eum takes her out for drinks as she feels bad for her little sister. That is where she comes to know that Cho Won does not like Seo Ha, but she has eyes for Ha Do Yun instead. In a flashback sequence, we see that Cho Won had fallen for Do Yun when he gave her an umbrella as she was getting drenched in the rain. Seo Ha had asked him to deliver it to her, and when Cho Won saw Do Yun, it was love at first sight. In fact, she had immediately confessed to him as well. Both sisters don’t share the same DNA anymore, but their souls must be connected in some way for them to be so similar to each other. But again, not everyone is offered an umbrella in the rain by a guy who is not just good-looking but who makes you feel a spark as well. In these rarest of situations, we agree with Cho Won and Ji Eum’s way of confessing immediately.
At the moment, upon finding out the truth about Cho Won’s feelings, Ji Eum breathes a sigh of relief, knowing she won’t be competing with her sister. That night, when she drops off Cho Won at the latter’s house, she spots Ms. Cho Yu Seon, Cho Won, and Ju Won’s mother. It took us a second to realize that, so we can decipher that Ju Won used to call her mother, Ms. Cho Yu Seon. After Yu Seon takes Cho Won inside the house, she spots Ji Eum and instantly recognizes her. As the two of them hug each other, we realize that it is all Ji Eum’s imagination. At the end of episode 3 of See You In My 19th Life, Seo Ha spots Ji Eum hugging herself while she clearly imagines a reconciliation with her mother from her 18th life. If we had been in Seo Ha’s place, we would have concluded that this woman was giving off stalker vibes and left immediately. But Seo Ha is merely baffled, and he nudges her awake from her dream. When she sees him, she immediately takes his name: “Seo Ha.” So far, Ji Eum has only called him “Director Mun,” but when she addresses him by his first name, she once again reminds him of Ju Won, and he ends up calling her “Noona.” We don’t think he recognized Ji Eum as Ju Won, but the similarities are becoming more and more clear to him. It is still a far-fetched conclusion to think that they are the same person, but we get the whiff of a conspiracy about to unfold, and that will probably help these two lovers get their truths from each other.
Final Thoughts
In episode 4 of See You In My 19th Life, we are going to see Ji Eum leave no stone unturned in her courtship of Seo Ha. He doesn’t know what to make of this woman, except for how she reminds him of Ju Won. It is only a matter of time before he says it to her, and considering that Ji Eum has no trouble talking about her past lives, once she trusts the person, she might just confirm his doubts in some way. As for other developments, Do Yun is really sketchy, and we want to know what he is up to. What made him give up on his dream to be a prosecutor and start working as a secretary to Seo Ha? Also, why is Ji Seok constantly after these two friends? We will know this going forward.
