Jinx /Doctor Frost: Joo Jaekyung‘s shadow 👤

Please support the authors by reading the manhwas on the official websites. This is where you can read the manhwas. Doctor Frost – Jinx But be aware that the last manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. Here is the link of the table of contents about Jinx. Here is the link where you can find the table of contents of analyzed manhwas Here are the links, if you are interested in the first work from Mingwa, BJ Alex,  and the previous essay about Jinx “Tragicomic loss of innocence“ (locked)

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1. The origins of this essay

Since the beginning, people have been wondering about Joo Jaekyung’s past and family and this interest keeps increasing, the more the champion interacts with Kim Dan. Why? It is because Jinx lovers are sensing the tyrant’s transformation. (chapter 1) Slowly, he is getting tamed and as such he is becoming a social being! Right now, he has become much more considerate towards the physical therapist. (chapter 25) Note that he is standing in the ring, but he is smiling. And this change can only push the manhwaphiles to question about Joo Jaekyung’s raising and past. His metamorphosis is referring to the famous debate “nature versus nurture” in psychology.

“The expression “nature vs. nurture” describes the question of how much a person’s characteristics are formed by either “nature” or “nurture.” “Nature” means innate biological factors (namely genetics), while “nurture” can refer to upbringing or life experience more generally. […]

A person’s biological nature can affect a person’s experience of the environment. For example, a person with a genetic disposition toward a particular trait, such as aggressiveness, may be more likely to have particular life experiences (including, perhaps, receiving negative reactions from parents or others). Or, a person who grows up with an inclination toward warmth and sociability may seek out and elicit more positive social responses from peers. These life experiences could, in turn, reinforce an individual’s initial tendencies. Nurture or life experience more generally may also modify the effects of nature—for example, by expanding or limiting the extent to which a naturally bright child receives encouragement, access to quality education, and opportunities for achievement.” Quoted from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/nature-vs-nurture#:~:text=The%20expression%20%E2%80%9Cnature%20vs.,or%20life%20experience%20more%20generally.

This shows that Joo Jaekyung’s environment played a huge role in his mental and emotional development. Because of Kim Dan, it becomes obvious that the boxer has a big heart. In addition, he had no loved one by his side. He has definitely trust and abandonment issues. In other words, he had not opened up his heart to anyone else before. But does it mean that he has always been on his own till his fateful meeting with the doctor? No, I don’t think so. Why? First, he trusts the coaches Park Namwook and Jeong Yosep (chapter 5) and the doctor Cheolmin. (chapter 14) He listens to them, hence he calls them all “hyung”. But here is the question. How did he come to meet them and even trust them? Imagine that he is still keeping his distance from other fighters, yet he is the unofficial owner of Black Team. He can determine the salary and the transferring. This displays that his mistrust is not just a matter of time. Consequently, my hypothesis is that someone introduced the hyungs to him. Here, I feel the need to remind my inquisitive readers that I had found many clues in the name Joo Jaekyung [For more read “The bright calamity“] which had triggered many new ideas. One of them was that the protagonist could be in verity the real heir of that chaebol family, because Joo can have the following significations: master/owner/host and helmet/descendants!! I had also voiced the possibility that he might have lost his parents due to a terrible incident (crime). With this, we would have the explanation of the abandonment issues and the absence of motherly affection. If this theory is true, then it means that he would be an orphan. Therefore he needed to have a guardian. Yes… exactly like Kim Dan. He was raised by someone else. And don’t forget that Kim Dan is his fated partner, thereby they share some common denominators. Therefore in my eyes, the only difference would be that the doctor was abandoned by his parents on purpose which would not be the case for the famous MMA-fighter. And now, it is time to reveal my theory concerning Joo Jaekyung’s past. Actually, I had made this discovery much sooner, and even planned to present it in the essay “The bright calamity”. Yet, as the latter had become so long, I decided to postpone it! I was waiting for the right time, until I couldn’t help myself announcing on Twitter the discovery of a clue in episode 5, when @jaekyungxdan wondered about the athlete’s childhood. Thus people got intrigued about my new finding and theory.

2. “I just tried a little something new”

Do you recognize this quote? Joo Jaekyung mentioned it in the car after his match in chapter 5. And now, if you take a closer look at the illustration, you will identify that two images are from episode 5. (chapter 5) For me, it is a very important episode. So what do these panels have in common? The main lead’s cellphone. In fact, the latter exposes a lot about the athlete’s private life.😮 We have the best example from Kim Dan. (chapter 16)(chapter 16) (chapter 16) The minions saw the amount and came to the conclusion that Kim Dan was selling his body.

And now, it is time to study the emperor’s recent calls more closely. (chapter 05) According to me, the mysterious doctor from episode 13 is Cheolmin hyung. Consequently, I had only one name left: Seo Gichan. Who is this man? Because I had made a connection between the names and personality, I immediately started reading the information about his name. Yes, the website giving significations to Korean names has become my little something. Moreover, observe that Seo Gichan appeared first! For me, the order is exposing the importance of a person in Joo Jaekyung’s life. This explains why Kim Dan was only called 8 times after talking to the faceless man. I have the impression that this man had reassured the young fighter. Since Cheolmin hyung is connected to the club, it is comprehensible why the main lead called Kim Dan 23 times after his conversation. He had dropped the idea of finding a lover through the club!! And now, I would like to outline another relevant detail. When did we see the champion using his cellphone? (chapter 1) (chapter 2) (chapter 19) They are all related to sex and as such prostitution. So when he called the MFC match manager, it is related to his jinx. Hence the champion got upset. I could even include this scene as well. (chapter 17) The champion paid off the doctor’s debts, thinking that he was freeing him from “prostitution”. (chapter 18) And guess what? The name “Gi” can signify “prostitute” or “flesh, muscle”. (chapter 5) A coincidence? I don’t think so. Hence I came to the conclusion that this man is responsible for the athlete’s negative perception of sex. The latter is connected to prostitution. How so? Gi can also mean “man of sixty or seventy“. This means, he is an older man! That’s how I deduced that Seo Gichan has been the champion’s guardian! The negative version of Kim Dan’s halmoni! (chapter 22) He is the reason why the champion became a fighter, just like Kim Dan became a physical therapist for his grandmother. This explicates why the athlete knew how to talk prettily to an elderly and how to assist the sick grandmother (chapter 21). Joo Jaekyung is used to this. But there’s more to his name. However, before exposing more about his name and his personality, I would like to examine this panel again. (chapter 5) When the protagonist is starring at his cellphone, there’s a fighter standing behind him. For me, this image represents a metaphor. There exists a shadow in the athlete’s life. Yet the champion is not detecting the colleague’s presence, too blinded by his frustration and anger. He had never been ignored and as such rejected before!! Nevertheless, we shouldn’t overlook the fact that the main lead had called Seo Gichan and Cheolmin hyung before! This exposes the increasing obsession of the athlete for the main lead. Kim Dan is Joo Jaekyung’s shadow, but when I selected this title, I was naturally thinking of Seo Gichan! He is the one who had been influencing the athlete’s life so far. However, for me, the last image represents the transition. Kim Dan is little by little taking over the old man’s place. Yes, we are actually assisting to the champion’s spiritual and mental emancipation. He’s maturing into a real adult by rediscovering his inner child. Thus on one hand, he is taking care of the doctor and the halmoni, on the other hand, he plays more and more pranks. (chapter 24)

3. Seo Gichan: the ghost in Joo Jaekyung’s life

How can I be so sure that he’s been acting as the athlete’s guardian? First, Seo can signify “son-in-law” or “husband“, an indication that he is like family to the main lead. Furthermore, his name is related to food: potato, yam (sweet potato) and millet/broomcorn millet. It was, as though the man had been making sure that Joo Jaekyung would eat properly. This would explain why Joo Jaekyung is eating on a regular basis. (chapter 13) (chapter 18) As a child, he was encouraged to drink his glass of milk and not to drink these sweet yoghurts. (chapter 21) They were definitely judged as unhealthy, for they contain a lot of sugar. It is no coincidence that Seo can mean “order, discipline and age”. This man was definitely strict. Hence the main lead never experienced a caress and a warm hug from his guardian.

However, since the elderly man is not wearing the same name than the fighter, this means that they are not directly related. Hence Joo Jaekyung had never tasted a family meal!! (chapter 22) (chapter 22) Seo Gichan must have never cooked for the athlete, he simply hired a nutritionist! (chapter 22) However, I doubt that Seo Gichan is living like the athlete. I am suspecting that he enjoys good meals. Why? It’s because Chan can mean “meal, eat, food, delicacies“!! Moreover, Seo can refer to hungry. Hence I don’t think that he is as slim and fragile as the halmoni, quite the opposite! Why? First, his name Gi can signify “rhinoceros” or “piebald horse“, an indication that he must be robust. Additionally, this ghost is linked to “west”, “dawn” and willow, which reminded me of Park Namwook. The latter is represented by “morning sun, rising, mountain cherry and camphor tree“!! How does the coach look like? (chapter 7) Quite chubby! Thus we can assume that he resembles to the coach and the emperor is taking after his mentor to a certain extent.

Moreover, we know the halmoni’s face, but we don’t know her name… and it is the opposite for Seo Gichan! This is not random for me. We all read his name, yet we haven’t seen him in person. He has a similar role than the halmoni in the champion’s life. (chapter 22) Is he actually real?

I have to admit that after reading all the different meanings of Seo Gichan, I came to the following conclusion: he is one of the villains of Jinx! First, Seo means “daybreak, dawn“, while Joo Jaekyung fears the night and is suffering from somniphobia. This contrast could only raise my suspicion. On the other hand, this would explain why he would trust this man and rely on him. At the same time, the faceless man could feign ignorance about the main lead’s suffering.

What caught my attention is that his name always embodies opposite notions. Seo stands for loyalty (oath, vow, swear), for forgiveness and generosity (to forgive, to give, have mercy, to assist, to give, to live), while Seo is also connected to scheme, stratagem, to weed, to dig, to hoe, to die. In addition, Gi can embody plot, to deceive, to cheat, to abandon, relinquish, discard, exile, banish and scuttle! Then Seo can allude to weird, odd, strange, divergent or WISE. This is another contradiction. How is it possible? For me, this mysterious man is a hypocrite, but Joo Jaekyung has not detected it yet. While Seo can signify “perch”, “rest of birds”, “to dwell“, “relax“, Gi can represent “bridle, halter and restrain“! I perceive that the elderly gave Joo Jaekyung a fake home, where the latter was restrained and manipulated. Seo was the willow where the dragon could rest , the reality was to divert his attention. Under this new aspect, you can grasp my illustration. In addition, Seo can also signify “to narrate, chat, express and relieve”, a sign that he has been manipulating the athlete filling his head with prejudices. Hence Gi can also mean “to ridicule“.

This ghost is definitely selfish and greedy, for his name is connected to the following notions: “wish, want, hope, hungry, oneself, self, her/his/its, sixth in order, numerous, to hoe” (in Australian, it means eat eagerly) and “to store, to compile, to gather”. Due to the words “craft, skill, wise, chess, chess piece, stratagem, plot”, I deduce that he must be very intelligent and even cunning. Nonetheless, I can not be sure 100%, but since Seo can represent villa, office and bureau, I have the impression that he is running the chaebol company in Joo Jaekyung’s name. By becoming a fighter, Joo Jaekyung has not the time to deal with business. Further, the name Chan can represent “to carry on, to inherit“, while it can also mean “to exile, banish and scuttle“. In other words, he took over the young man’s place. Hence Joo Jaekyung lives in a recent and modern penthouse and not in the family villa.

But how did I come to this hypothesis? Look once again at the illustration on the left side on the bottom. What do these little images (plow, winnow basket, millet, yam) have in common? They are all related to agriculture and farming. Besides, Gi can also signify woodworking chisel, hoe, tool/utensil and finally “headland“. In agriculture, headland is the area at each end of a planted field. Hence I came to the following deduction: Seo Gichan comes from the countryside, from the peasantry. As soon as I made this connection, I couldn’t help myself thinking of Potato (chapter 23) For me, their path will cross, especially since Potato is a reflection of Kim Dan. The former could view the physical therapist as a source of danger for his idol. But let’s return our attention to my interpretation. Seo Gichan comes from a humble background, but he could raise socially, the exact opposite of the grandmother’s destiny. This is not surprising that Gi can signify “rise, raise and get up“. Hence he was not rich and powerful from the start. So how could he come close to a chaebol heir? It is because he was his guardian. He must have gained the chaebol family’s trust. Thus he could indoctrinate his pupil telling him that poor people are to blame for their misery. In other words, Seo Gichan must have sold himself as a self-made man which would explain why Joo Jaekyung is such a hardworking athlete and he is not living on his wealth. I have the feeling that in reality, he is more like Heo Manwook, the loan shark. He took advantage of the situation. (“Gi”: machine, opportunity”)

Because he is not related to the champion directly, it becomes comprehensible why the penthouse contains no direct reference to Seo Gichan. However, I believe that he did leave a trace there, though it is not obvious. It is the painting: (chapter 18) In the analysis “The bright calamity”, I had elaborated that this painting was reflecting the protagonist’s name and as such his personality. But we know that Joo Jaekyung has no knowledge about culture: (chapter 19) For me, the painting reflects not only the champion, but also the mysterious man. Why? His name can also signify “book, divination, lucky, auspicious, oath and libation cup“, hence I included the bowl from episode 9 in the illustration. All these idioms belong to the semantic field of religion and faith, thus we have the church in the picture. And that’s how it dawned on me why Joo Jaekyung came to choose abstinence and is refusing to drink alcohol with his fellows. It is because he is drinking with his “master Seo”, his priest!! Besides, Gi can refer to “base, basic, foundation“. He is the owner of the champion’s past (Gi= to record, note and remember“). Thus he could distort the champion’s past memories and childhood. Under this new light, it occurred to me that Seo Gichan is the cause for the champion’s false belief: (chapter 18) How so? It is because Seo Gichan must have presented himself as his lucky charm (“Seo: lucky, auspicious, propitious; Chan: libation cup, praise, compliment, brilliant, glorious“). And this leads me to the following observation, Gi 麒 can also mean mythical male unicorn. As soon as I found this, I looked into it and discovered Qilin.

“qilin, Wade-Giles ch’i-lin, in Chinese mythology, the unicorn whose rare appearance often coincides with the imminent birth or death of a sage or illustrious ruler. (The name is a combination of the two characters qi “male,” and lin, “female.”) A qilin has a single horn on its forehead, a yellow belly, a multicoloured back, the body of a deer, and the tail of an ox. Gentle of disposition, it never walks on verdant grass or eats living vegetation.” Quoted from https://www.britannica.com/topic/qilin

This discovery could only reinforce my hypothesis that the protagonist is the real heir, the true ruler, but he has been fooled by this old man. The latter presented himself as a qilin, thus the dragon felt a connection with his spiritual guide. He had the impression, they were similar and as such close. Both are creatures of water (Gi: Yi River), and to fire and as such light (bright, brilliant, summer heat, hot weather). No wonder why the protagonist would trust Seo Gichan so much. However, the reality is that the elderly man stopped Joo Jaekyung from turning into a dragon by keeping him by the coast. Headland has another signification: it is also a narrow piece of land that projects from a coastline into the sea. Under this aspect, my avid readers can grasp why I selected the yellow and blue picture in the illustration. It is an allusion to the coast and ocean, to fire and to water, but also to border, as Gi can mean “flag, border, breakwater, jetty and boundary“. In my eyes, Seo Gichan is the red flag. But the fake qiling used “cotton wadding, the perch and willow” to stop Joo Jaekyng from flying over the ocean and find his yeouiju! He wanted him to remain an imoogi! [For more, read the essay “Tattooed identity”]

So while Seo Gichan poses as qilin, in reality he is just a rat, mouse and rhinoceros. As you all know, the rat symbolizes betrayal, greed, but intelligence. The mouse inspires no danger, and it is known for its gentle and nurturing nature. No reason to mistrust him. As for the rhinoceros, it is also connected to the positive features:

• strong,
• reliable,
• private,
• protective,
• wisdom,
• loyal

However, in the theater play “Rhinoceros” written by Ionesco, this animal embodies different notions: brutality, intolerance, blindness, indoctrination and dictatorship! Interesting is that Seo Gichan is connected to “gas, vapor and steam” which was used in Doctor Frost as a metaphor for hatred, indoctrination and manipulation as well! (Doctor Frost, 175) And that’s how I realized another divergence between the halmoni and Seo Gichan. Kim Dan’s grandmother might have played a role in Kim Dan’s suffering, but it was not done on purpose. She had trouble herself, the main culprits were the parents. Moreover, though both (Seo Gichan and the grandmother) wanted the main leads to remain “boys” and “children”, the grandmother was more focused on the past because of her imminent death, while I am quite certain that Seo Gichan is more thinking of the future! He wishes to take over the inheritance, though he must be quite old. In other words, he is not realizing his own immortality. That’s the reason why I believe that he will be the biggest enemy of our beloved couple, for Kim Dan represents a threat to his power. Gi means “afraid, careful, abnormal, unbalanced, lopsided“, hence I am suspecting that he will use tricks to get rid of the physical therapist.

While Seo Gichan is connected to “valuable stone, fine jade, virtuous/refined thoroughbred horse, irregular pearl, delicacies, addicted of/fond of“, I deduce that he is living in luxury and comfort and this thanks to the protagonist. He is living happily, whereas his pupil is still suffering from a trauma. The reason is that he can feign ignorance, for Joo Jaekyung can have everything. Gichan might have suggested “fighting” in order to help the protagonist to overcome his issues, his “violence”, well aware that in reality, he needed a therapy. This “fragile peace” could be maintained, until Kim Dan entered his life. To conclude, the “guardian” had a reason to ignore the champion’s suffering. Hence his life was trapped in the winter: his true nature was dormant like in the painting. The tree is not blooming. (Chapter 18), for the sun Seo is ruling elsewhere, probably in the villa and the company. If you recall the description of the fighter’s name, the latter can symbolize gem and pearl. So the two characters are both jade and pearls, though Gi is referring to “irregular pearl“. This exposes that this ghost has less value than the true gem.

And because Seo Gichan can symbolize “deceive, cheat, discard, exile, banish“, I could only come to the conclusion that he will use tricks to separate the couple: Randy Booker, Heo Manwook, the green haired uke, probably Hwang Yoon-Gu (though it can be only temporary), the perverted hospital director (if he is not Seo Gichan), and Kim Miseon, like for example an arranged marriage. But the dragon is not alone!! How so? After discovering the Qilin, I searched for mythical Chinese creatures. And this is what I found:

“In ancient Chinese astronomy, the sky ecliptic was divided into four sections. Each of these sections contained seven mansions, and together they formed the 28 Mansions. The 28 Mansions may be considered to be equivalent to the zodiacal constellations in Western astronomy, although they reflect the movement of the Moon through a sidereal month rather than the Sun in a tropical year. This enabled the ancient Chinese to mark the travelling positions of the Sun and the Moon, as well as to determine the time and seasons. Each section of the sky is assigned to a mythological creature, collectively known as the Four Symbols. These creatures are the Azure Dragon of the East, the White Tiger of the West, the Black Tortoise of the North, and the Vermillion Bird of the South. Apart from their astronomical significance, each of the Four Symbols is surrounded by various mythological associations.

The Azure Dragon is the mythological creature in the East, as it is said that when the seven mansions in that area (Horn, Neck, Root, Room, Heart, Tail, and Winnowing Basket) are joined up, they form the shape of a dragon. The Azure Dragon corresponds to the season of spring. […]

The mythological creature in the West is the White Tiger, and its seven mansions are the Legs, Bond, Stomach, Hairy Head, Net, Turtle Beak and Three Stars. The White Tiger corresponds to the season of autumn. The White Tiger’s element is metal, and it was held to be the God of War. […]

In the North, the mythological creature in the Black Tortoise, and its seven mansions are the Dipper, Ox, Girl, Emptiness, Rooftop, Encampment and Wall. The Black Tortoise corresponds to the season of winter. The element of the Black Tortoise is water, and this mythological creature is commonly associated with longevity and wisdom (just as these virtues are traditionally attributed to ordinary tortoises in Chinese mythology).    

The mythological creature in the South is the Vermillion Bird, and its seven mansions are the Well, Ghosts, Willow, Star, Extended Net, Wings and Chariot. The Vermillion Bird corresponds to the season of summer. Interestingly, the Vermillion Bird has been considered to be identical to the phoenix. The phoenix is traditionally associated with fire, and this is also the case with the Vermillion Bird. As a mythological creature, the phoenix is considered as a symbol of good luck. Quoted from https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-asia/four-mythological-symbols-china-001792

Thus I came to associate the following characters to these mythical creatures:

• Azure dragon: Joo Jaekyung
• Vermilion bird: Kim Dan. By living with Joo Jaekyung, the duck is taking over the vermilion red (life) from his lover. This means that for the transformation to be complete, the athlete has to bring his partner to the ocean, to the beach.
• Black Tortoise: Hwang Yoon-Gu (his name can refer to tortoise).

White Tiger: Park Namwook

And now, you are wondering why I didn’t pick up Jeong Yosep as the tiger. It is because the Black tortoise is always accompanied with a snake on its back and I am expecting that Potato and Yosep represent the second couple in Jinx. The coach is rather a discreet person, quite the opposite of Namwook. Besides, the latter considers Team Black as his gym. (chapter 22) Moreover, the White tiger is the king of terrestrial beings which coincides with the manager’s function. Namwook is the representative of Team Black. (chapter 7) Thus I believe that together, they will be able to free Joo Jaekyung from his suffering and his mental prison changing his destiny. In reality, the main lead was destined to greatness.

Okay, all this was based on an analysis of the name Seo Gichan, so there is no guarantee that it is the truth. But so far, many of my assumptions were confirmed later. Now, it would be great, if you could give your thoughts after reading this.

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