Sangwoo’s lack of taste and smell
Sangwoo’s sense of taste is inaccurate… or at least strange. We laughed at him when he asked Bum if he wanted something sweet, only to give him canned sausages thinking he was just being funny, but ch21′s making it very obvious his taste buds are… very off somehow. Along with that, remember when Ji Eun mentioned that Bum smelled a bit? Usually taste and smell issues work in tandem. If he couldn’t sense that Bum smelled slightly bad, (given Ji Eun was telling the truth instead of her truth) then it’d make sense he can’t taste much either.
He states the apples are so red because they’re young, which would probably make them extremely sweet/sour. We can assume this is true from the extreme looks all three people besides Sangwoo have as they eat these shitty apples:
There’s been other mentions of how gross Sangwoo is that would tie into having poor sense of smell/taste: (thanks @getmetherapyplease!)
Sangwoo’s abalone porridge kiss - I’ve been told this porridge tastes disgusting (but that’s not as definitive as three others eating the same thing and it tastes gross) from Ch 2
Sangwoo didn’t mind the vomit smell/taste when he kissed Bum in Ch 4
He also…. came on Bum’s face and kissed him. Think what you will on that one.
I’m gonna also bring up Jieun saying Bum smelled again because it is immediately against what Sangwoo puts forth - a perfect image. He dressed Bum himself with clothes he picked out, and he’s obviously quite vain. He’s always checking himself in mirrors, even. So something so easily fixed as smell should definitely not go unnoticed… unless Sangwoo couldn’t smell him, and Bum wouldn’t either (you never really smell yourself unless it’d extreme, and Jieun said it was just a bit).
Another thing is Sangwoo seems to always say, “good, right?” to Yoon Bum whenever he gives Bum food because he’s either steering his opinion… or asking for confirmation that it is good. As if he wants to be absolutely sure. I think that Sangwoo relies on other’s sense of taste/smell somewhat to make up for his own lesser senses, except… Bum doesn’t disagree with Sangwoo. He’s quiet, and goes along with anything Sangwoo says. Not much of a guard rail, Bum…
Why’s his sense of taste/smell whack, though?
I’m gonna take this info and run with it to propose a theory: Sangwoo’s mother poisoned/fed him something that lessened these senses as a side effect.
I’m unsure if it’s officially confirmed in-canon if she was a gardener (empty flower pots scattered throughout the house), but it would open the door for a plant that she could grow and scatter into his/their food. I get the intense vibe from the apples chapter she was ill as well. If she could get her and Sangwoo to build a tolerance to something, then she could easily use that against his father if she needed. I think whatever happened between Sangwoo/his dad happened on impulse or in the moment, before she could decide to do something herself. I’m super certain she did something to Sangwoo that affects him in modern-day, but it could have also been a medication she gave him constantly which would explain why he still can’t smell correctly. That medication could also thin his blood, which would explain why he freaked out over possibly bleeding in the car. This may have been the reason he snuck off to the pharmacy alone while he tasked Bum with such an insignificant task as getting a cake by himself.
Either way, Sangwoo obviously can’t smell or taste correctly (or in the same spectrum everyone else does) which was brought up multiple times in-canon. Koogi’s hellbent on symbolism and hidden meanings, so to feed us little tiny samples of what’s coming is in line with her style as well.
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