#ks meta

[notsobeautifuldisaester]

One detail I noticed when looking back at KS is that Sangwoo's right eye is bloodshot after Jieun punches him

[softlywithhissong]

Not Guilty By Reason Of Insanity

Why a prison sentence? Why not sent to an mental hospital / insane asylum?

Does anyone else realize...? That Sangwoo was a child when he witnessed his mom kill his dad, was forced to cover it up, and within a day or two of that was hit over the head by his mom hard enough to bleed, was burned by her, was tied up and raped by her, and was further traumatized/cursed by her, before being forced to be an object in her suicide in a way that implicates him.

Anyone would suffer a mental breakdown in those circumstances. Is it so hard to believe that this broke him mentally? That he panicked and started doing completely insane irrational things? The wall was the one with the childhood drawing, right? He could have run up to his room, likely cried, and attacked the wall drawing, which created a hole. He may have even disassociated and tried to clean off the blood/patch her up (like he did Bum) - the corpse showed no signs of blood spatter. He may have tried to put her in his safe space (the wardrobe closet) and posed her, but she was too big, so he put her in the hole in the wall. The eyes may have been gouged out in a fit of rage, but there wasn’t any other disfiguring - in fact, based on the posing, I think they were not gouged. It had been several years and while the body supposedly stayed well preserved, the eyes are often the first part of the body to decompose, so it is much more likely that her eyes simply rotted away behind the wall.

Sangwoo clearly suffered a psychotic break and developed an adaptive (and twisted) personality as a result. Do people think he willingly chose to be this way? It’s clearly illustrated that he did not.

Problems with the trial and sentencing: the evidence was limited to the mother’s hidden corpse, Min Jieun’s fake press-on nails, Seungbae’s statement, and Bum’s statement to the police. And for some reason, they gave him a prison sentence rather than having him committed to an insane asylum.

Wouldn’t Sangwoo have a lawyer or been appointed a lawyer?

Lee (the far superior detective) questioned the method of the mother’s death, but the police failed to follow up on this and fully investigate the circumstances of her death. A huge oversight that any lawyer would pounce on. And the supposed crime and method of cover up should have been sufficient grounds for an insanity defense, and placement in a mental health facility.

Min Jieun’s fake press-on nails are circumstantial evidence at best. Were they friends and might Jieun have visited his house at some point? Yes. Do press-on nails have a tendency to fall off? Yes. You could argue that Sangwoo having a full set of her press-on nails is suspect. Those nails don’t tend to fall off all at once. But a lawyer could argue that, since they were friends, and Jieun might have voluntarily been at his house, she might have voluntarily discarded a set of fake nails while at his house. Yes, his having them is suspicious as hell, but it’s not enough evidence to convict him of her murder. If anything, when they first began investigating her murder, detectives should have questioned all of her friends (including Sangwoo), they should have found out about the dinner where Bum was introduced to them shortly before she disappeared, they should have followed up on questioning Bum and since they should have been checking all of these friends and potential suspects for criminal records - they should have found Bum’s record of stalking crimes, which would cause them to investigate Bum (and Sangwoo) more closely, and possibly get a warrant, discover evidence, and solve the crime. It’s not rocket science. But police didn’t do that. And so the evidence is shaky at best.

Seungbae’s statement would have held more weight if he hadn’t illegally entered the home of someone it was acknowledged he had harassed (the reason why he was suspended from the force). Seungbae had a bad reputation for targeting suspects who “turned out to be innocent.” Which really puts Seungbae’s credibility as a witness into question. He could have been accused of planting evidence (Jieun’s fake nails). Except the fire (not really Bum, they would have checked the burnt building at some point anyway to investigate the cause of the fire and estimate the damage for insurance purposes) led to them discovering Eunseo’s body. Also, Bum did seem to corroborate his statement.

Bum’s statement would really be a can of worms, though. He’s clearly lying about some of it out of self-preservation. His criminal record of stalking would have come up, casting doubt on his credibility as a witness. Also, there are many witnesses who could still come forward to call his claims on the nature of his relationship with Sangwoo into question. The evidence of injury supports his claims, but it’s not enough to prevent the police from investigating him and his involvement.

The police don’t seem to want to be thorough or follow up on anything. The investigation should have grown larger and lasted months. There was no distinct passage of time shown. Maybe a week or so at most. The trial and sentencing were very rushed. I can’t understand those who want the “justice served ending” being satisfied with this.

I understand why the police work and the trial is mostly glossed over in this story. But do you? It acts as a foil for the main characters. It is not the focus, or the point of the entire story. The story is more about Sangwoo and Bum and what their story is and how their stories will be resolved in the end. I just hope Koogi was able to finish their stories in a way that satisfies her and wasn’t too rushed.

[seazurey]

Hey guys, look what I have found!! (dunno if someone has done it yet tho

the flower in the ward (maybe a gift from the high school classmate) shows a strong sense of presence in charter 66

it does have a meaning of being happy and recovery, but!!

it also symbolizes FALSEHOOD

look at this, the flower fill the whole panel

and here is a contrast, the purple bouquet bae brought bum,this one is less detailed and less real than yellow lily

I think Koogi wants to emphasize the lily so she made it real and easy to recognize, it looks just like processed photogragh

And here is the flower meaning I searched online

[epic-potato-crisp]

And this is why, even against all moral judgement, Killing Stalking touches one emotionally. Because there are tender moments like this one. Because Sangwoo at least appears to feel genuine affection for Bum. Because Bum replies said affection tenfold. Because in the end, they care for each other within all the violence, crime and murder.

[thearchitectanalyzes]

Yoonbum’s Dream Analysis

This chapter seems to be about Yoonbum and his feelings somehow portrayed very abstract, just like a dream. But I also think this could be Yoonbum trapped in Sangwoo’s world. So here’s my interpretation of it:

"I DON’T WANT TO BE ALONE”

We see him step into an almost empty and scary room which I’d like to think represents Yoonbum’s life. He looks around frightened and thinks he’s lost. “Am I lost?”  He only sees one way, a corridor. It’s either that or go back, and he chooses to enter the corridor:

The way he touches the walls reminded me of the first chapter when he enters Sangwoo’s house. Parallels? Could be. Meanwhile, the phone in his pocket rings, twice. The first time, the voice tells him to go towards the ‘sound of the piano’. The second time, it tells him to go back.

This could represent Bum’s internal thoughts and struggles, deciding whether he should go back or move forward and ‘follow his heart’ (aka the sound of the piano). The fact that the phone has no buttons, could show that Bum feels he has no control over this situation and his feelings/thoughts. He can only accept them or dismiss them.

He decides to follow the sound because he’s scared of being alone. He ignores all the blood which are the warning signs. Could show how he’s been dealing with Sangwoo all this time even after knowing he’s dangerous. Just because (like Sangwoo) he also doesn’t want to be lonely.

THE DOOR

Yoonbum should NOT open this door and we as readers know that. A horrible world is behind that door. And I think it could represent two things. One, murder (could be the murder of Kim Seokho) OR Sangwoo’s world! Yoonbum holds the key and he opens the door. Once he’s inside, the door slams shut and disappears. There is no going back!

THE TICKET MAN

This person can represent 3 characters in the comic. 1. Yoonbum’s uncle: And if it’s him, it explains why he is behind bars and has no fingers! Yoonbum wants to keep him ‘away’! 2. Sangwoo’s father: If this is Sangwoo’s father, it changes the whole meaning of this chapter. This is not just Yoonbum’s dream since this is Sangwoo’s father that’s letting Bum into Sangwoo’s world. 3. Kim Seokho aka the gay bar man: This person(?) looks dead. His body is pale and inflated (how a dead body looks if it’s drowned or stays in the water for too long). The only confirmed dead people here are Sangwoo’s father and Kim Seokho.

GUILT

These pictures change after Yoonbum remembers Jieun. Everything turns terrifying and he hears screams asking for help. The hands could belong to Kim Seokho as he was tied up. And as @yoonicidal mentioned somewhere, this could be how Yoonbum sees women before and after killing Jieun. The picture of flowers also changes to fingers as Yoonbum runs past it.

A voice asks Bum to arrange these by color as if it’s a game! It could be Sangwoo’s voice. “Do you like it? I wanted us to be friends so I prepared a game..”

THE MOVIE

The movie is Bum’s past and life and people are laughing at him. This could be how Yoonbum feels about people. That they find his pain a joke. Nobody cares about him.

SEUNGBAE

We see a ‘mini’ version of Seungbae, trying to help Bum but he’s small because he’s insignificant to Bum. His efforts are not enough. Yoonbum has no hope and believes he’s doomed. Seungbae tries to get his attention but Bum doesn’t even lift his head up to look at him. The hand holding Seungbae could represent ‘the authority’ whoever that is. Officer Park or even his co-workers. He breaks free but eventually the hand grabs him again and takes him away.

THE CLOWN pt. 1

I think the clown represents not only Bum’s fears but also Sangwoo, as Sangwoo is a big part of it.

First I want to remind you of a line from chapter 1:

“Who is that person...? The Sangwoo I know... ... is a much more considerate person...”

After that, many things happened between Sangwoo and Bum but we know one thing for sure. Despite him having feelings for Sangwoo and staying with him, he has been scared the whole time. Sangwoo makes fun of him (just like the clown laughs at him) And Yoonbum is scared Sangwoo wants to hurt him (Just like the clown does). THIS PERSON was not the Sangwoo he knew.

Yoonbum hears the sound which represents HOPE! The hope that Sangwoo has been giving him. He starts running away. He wants to run away from THIS PERSON. THIS CLOWN is not Sangwoo.

THE PICTURE

Meanwhile Bum comes across a really creepy picture. And the mole reminds me of only one person:

Sangwoo’s mother! And if she is indeed Sangwoo’s mother, it’s more likely that the ticket man is Sangwoo’s father.

THE CLOWN pt. 2

The picture could indicate how he’s losing his sanity or innocence or even how he’s getting closer to ‘his death’ as he tries to run away from the clown. (The summary of his life with Sangwoo) Yoonbum hears Sangwoo’s voice calling him, ‘Bum... I’m here... I’m right here.’ And it made me think it’s the clown calling him especially since in one panel the clown is reaching out towards him. Yoonbum sees the recorder (it represents the false hope that Sangwoo has been giving him).

The clown is now standing there with a knife. The killer. And we see an empty frame. We know so far all the frames have been like ‘coffins’, holding dead people’s pictures. Could this one be Yoonbum’s? The clown? He is everything that’s going to kill Yoonbum. His fears, his painful life. This clown is a nightmare. Yoonbum has completely given up, until he hears Sangwoo’s voice. “Bum...”

The background slowly changes to white. The nightmare slowly disappears,

1. Now the first possibility, the nightmare Yoonbum has been running away from, the clown, the killer, it has turned into his savior. Or was he the same person all along and Yoonbum only had to stop being scared? The killer and Sangwoo can be the same person. Sangwoo can be both his fear and his shelter.

2. The second possibility, Sangwoo caused the nightmare and the clown to vanish.

Going through everything Yoonbum did in this chapter, being humiliated and blamed, suffering, it was to finally be able to ‘SEE’ Sangwoo. This is what Sangwoo means by ‘I’ve been waiting a long time...’ until you understand me/see me/join me. Whether the clown and Sangwoo were the same or Sangwoo caused the clown to disappear, we can agree on one thing. To Yoonbum, Sangwoo is his shelter/savior.

[All images belong to Lezhin and the author/artist, Koogi]

[sangwoo-ohmygodstop]

What I love about Seungbae is how he’s written, and he's written in a way which seems to suggest that he's archetype for the gritty, underdog detective who will stop at nothing to bring down the serial killer. He could so easily be the brilliant detective who’s passed over by all of the morons he works with, only to then solve the case by himself and achieve his own victorious ending to the narrative arc. 

And parts of the archetype are true, and that’s certainly how the fandom saw him until a few chapters ago. There’s just one issue. 

Seungbae is a really bad detective. He has a great instinct but that’s really all he has going for him.

His great plan for bringing the serial killer he’s been obsessing over for months to justice was too...just bring him to the station. Without any evidence. Without a warrant. Without the authority to even be on the case. All Seungbae has to offer when he arrested Sangwoo was his gut instinct and a non-professional, naked-eye assessment about the damage to Jieun and Bum’s bones.   

And his theatrical declaration that Sangwoo is guilty was brought down in seconds by Sangwoo just thinking on his feet.     

Seungbae seems like the detective everyone was expecting, but he’s just not and I love the subversion Koogi’s written here. He’s meant to be the badass underdog, and he is, but nothing else follows through because that’s not how reality works. And to get a bit meta, I’m fairly sure that Seungbae sees himself as the underdog detective action hero protagonist, but he’s not. He’s just a shitty cop with good intuition. And I personally love that.   

[arciam]

“I gave you a rare gift, but you didn’t want it.”

“Didn’t I?”

I thought of this soon after reading the new chapter, but I thought I’d wait a few days to make a post about it.

One reason chapter 30 was so heartbreaking to me was because in many ways, it reminded me of the second season finale of my favourite show, Hannibal. Perhaps there aren’t many direct parallels, but there definitely are in spirit.

Apart from the creative use of household items in the fight between serial killer and cop of course, most notably there is how both Hannibal and Sangwoo - knowing that something is very wrong - still give their beloved every chance to come clean and tell them the truth, to try and avoid the betrayal and heartbreak

...but to no avail.

And, well...

(Let’s hope it doesn’t quite end the same way.)

Anyway, that’s why the whole thing hit me even harder than it already would have - because I have seen this tragedy play out before.

“To the truth, then. And all its consequences...”

Bonus: us @ Bum

[desiringparadise]

People say that Sangwoo has shown a caring/loving side of him

And I can’t say that I agree.

If he cared for Bum, he’d want him to be happy and content, no? But why would he hurt him in the first place then? And just a little while after he says he’s ‘sorry’ he throws yet another jab with the matter he’s previously apologized for by asking “Do you want to return into the arms of your loving uncle?”. 

Sangwoo didn’t freak out because he actually cares for Bum’s life. He is concerned about himself. Not only because this makes him see the resemblance between him and his detested father, but also because, by slipping into his mother’s role, Bum’s keeping the hallucinations of his actual mother away. Maybe it’s even because he doesn’t want to be lonely. After all, Bum is the only one who’s seen what Sangwoo is capable of and still desired him. To have that unwavering commitment made him feel supported and powerful.

That’s what he fears losing if Bum left him. It’s a terrifying thought because he’s realized that he can’t control his every action. If Bum wanted to, he could kill himself and thereby leave Sangwoo. To prevent that, he’s apologizing and trying to placate Bum. It’s not about wanting to make Bum feel good, it’s about preventing him from leaving Sangwoo.

Did we see a vulnerable side of Sangwoo? Yes. A caring, or even loving side? I don’t think so.