A Killer’s Past & his PTSD
Back again with another analysis; and boy oh boy did this chapter meet and go beyond my expectations. First, let me start off by saying finally. The elusive and highly coveted second floor was finally shown to us viewers - and it was surprisingly mundane (when you compare it to the countless theories we had of bodies being all over the place or weird mommy memorabilia.) The shock of the second floor aside, what really had me Sang-shook - and I think all of us - was Sangwoo’s reaction, because for a while, many of us had debated on whether Sangwoo could feel anything.
I’d like to explore Sangwoo’s breakdown a little. But please note, all of this is purely speculative, and Koogi’s proven to throw even the most complex theories a curve ball. So let’s get started:
Three words, and a whole world of depth.
“Something’s not right.”
This sentence stuck out to me. This moment burned itself into my mind. Why?Because I feel this was the moment Sangwoo was thrown back into the past, and he no longer just saw Bum on the floor. He saw a familiar picture, a scene in which he’d played a crucial role and was left vulnerable. I feel like this moment was Koogi’s way of mirroring, through Sangwoo’s eyes, what happened to Sangwoo’s mother.
And I know, it’s a stretch guys. I’m aware that we don’t know what happened. Sangwoo hasn’t told us if he killed his parents, or if something else went down, but I feel this was a hint. I just couldn’t shake the feeling. And I caught a couple of signs before this; the first being Sangwoo’s peculiar way of speaking after he sees Bum’s blood running across the floor. It’s as if he reverts back to a childish state, and I think it carries more depth then being simply in “shock.”
“Make it go back.”
“Let’s get you to bed.”
Sangwoo is not a stranger to blood or guts. He’s killed countless women. He’s tortured and humiliated Bum before, and before this scene he even grabbed his bat to finish Bum off because he was pissed. And that makes sense, after all. Bum did something he could not control, and we all know how much Sangwoo needs his control. He’s not an amateur when it comes to human anatomy. He’s seen Bum bleed. He’s made Bum bleed. Given how he bandages Bum up later, he knows that the way Bum cut himself won’t kill him. So I thought, why the hell would he freak out like this? Why would he waste time trying to push the blood back when he’s clearly been more productive before.
Instead of taking Bum upstairs immediately to stop the bleeding, he wigs out. The switch is flipped. He cups his hands and brings them together in a futile, almost child like attempt to make Bum stop bleeding, and this really disturbed me.
Then there’s this moment, and it clicked.
It clicked, because I’ve had this moment.
Without getting too personal, I suffer from PTSD.
I’ve been abused as a child, and I was raped as an adult. It’s something that I battle with everyday, and there were times in my life where something, something so small and seemingly insignificant triggered a memory inside of me that just had me frozen. Just paralyzed with fear.
This frame, right here, took me back to all the times I stared off into the distance during topics of sexual assault, topics of abuse, and for that instant I relived the trauma. And this moment right here is when I think Sangwoo suffers a PTSD related flashback, and relives a moment that’s parallel to his past, which is why he reverts to a childish state.
Whether it makes you upset or not, the fact of the matter is Oh Sangwoo is victim. He’s a murderer. Yes. A sociopath. Probably. But that doesn’t make the trauma he’s been through any less important or relevant to the person he is today. And while a mental illness isn’t a justification for murder or any of his actions, I think it’s a player.
PTSD: Symptoms may include nightmares or flashbacks
Avoidance of situations that bring back the trauma
Agitation, irritability, hostility, hyper-vigilance, self-destructive behavior. Hyper reactivity to stimuli.
Whether Sangwoo killed his mother, and was reliving that moment, is purely speculative. Whether his father killed his mother is again, purely speculative. But the question he posed to Bum at the end, about whether ‘Bum didn’t love him anymore because he was just like his father… is specific, and definitely mimicking words his own mother told him before. Soon after, he flies into a rage and almost drowns Bum. Perhaps, in the past, after his mother told him he was like his father, Oh Sangwoo flew into a similar fit of rage and killed her on accident… and the scene in the kitchen with the blood is him reliving that moment of fear and regret? Who can say.
But I’m excited for what’s to come, and I’m even more excited to hear all your theories and thoughts. Bum is definitely someone he can’t leave behind anymore, but whether he loves Bum beyond using him to stave off his nightmares is something I’m dubious about. We’re definitely getting some important information here, and I was impressed with how vividly Koogi captured Sangwoo’s muddled mental state.
This chapter is my favorite thus far, and I’m pumped for what Koogi has in store. Thanks for reading.
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