Please support the authors by reading Manhwas on the official websites. This is where you can read the Manhwa: Jinx But be aware that the 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 2 previous essays about Jinx To Give  Or To Take? The Subtle battle between Love and Power in Jinx and Daily Jinx Advent Insight 3

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In my last composition, I elaborated Shin Okja’s personality by examining closely her new scarf from chapter 41. She embodies toxic positivity and as such the expression of “pink-tinted glasses”. The elderly woman views herself as a victim, yet feels entitled to a fortunate life filled with love and wealth. Therefore she avoids confronting her mortality by clinging to overly optimistic beliefs. This form of toxic positivity involves denying or minimizing real issues, as if looking through “pink-tinted glasses” that filter out any negative realities, including the prospect of death. In this sense, the “pink-tinted glasses” become a metaphor for ignoring painful truths by maintaining a forced optimism.

The grandmother’s power over Kim Dan

But this also implies that she evades confrontation and as such argument with people. No wonder why there was no heated discussion between her grandson and herself in season 1. But how could she always sidestep discussion? In my opinion, one of her MO is to make requests or ask for favors. (chapter 53), which she admitted at the hospital. Another tactic she uses is making promises that compel Kim Dan to follow through on them, while she is not bound by this obligation towards her relative: (chapter 11). The evidence for this interpretation is visible in the last panel. The latter employed the expression “I promised grandma”. There is no “we” in this sentence. Her illness was the cause for not making any promise from her side. That’s how I had another revelation. The doctor’s oath was in reality one of her favors from the past. That’s how she could control her grandchild in the end. In addition, through the promise she attached the physical therapist to her house.

Kim Dan and the humble dwelling

And that’s how she could avoid the loan shark’s harassement. In my eyes, she knew deep down that with this promise she was not only putting all her burdens onto Kim Dan, but also exposing him to the violence of the thugs. As long as Kim Dan didn’t bring up this topic, she could feign ignorance. However, her reaction concerning the new expensive treatment (chapter 7) indicates that she was not senile or totally oblivious of the truth. She raised her voice out of fear that Kim Dan might have signed a lease behind her back. In that case, she would have become responsible for the new debts. Note the drop of sweat on her cheek, a sign of discomfort. Since I started examining Manhwas, I noticed the strong correlation between the drop of sweat and hypocrisy. Thus I conclude that the halmeoni was living after the following principle: “What the eye does not see, the heart does not grieve over”. For me, her gentleness and smiles are masking her true personality: greedy, selfish and even heartless.

Thus I was wondering if the threat from Heo Manwook was not exposing the existence of a tacite arrangement between (chapter 16) the loan shark and the old lady. He knew where she was (hospital), and notice that her grandson had been paying the loan from his own account and cellphone. (chapter 11) He had taken over her burden. Furthermore, my avid readers should keep in their mind that the loan shark had been angry, for he imagined that the young physical therapist was moving out. (chapter 16) As you can see, the debt was strongly connected to the grandmother’s house. But who had moved out from the small dwelling? The grandmother. Interesting is that this district was about to get redeveloped. The thugs could have noticed it… there were everywhere banners announcing the new construction. (chapter 9) But who was not aware of the redevelopment? The grandmother… She had been living at the hospital for 3 years. I came to this deduction because of Choi Heesung’s remark about his k-drama: (chapter 30) As you can see, I have the feeling that Shin Okja is not so innocent either. She must have known that her grandson was exposed to violence. In my eyes, her MO is always to leave her mess behind and let others take the burden.

The pink-tinted glasses and home

But there exists another proof for this interpretation: her home. (chapter 19) (chapter 10) In my last composition, I mentioned that her flat was exposing her toxic positivity. And now it is time to bring up the evidence for this perception.

This picture comes an article focusing on the connection between home and psychological problems. The author explains why a house gets neglected.

Some people spend years living in apartments with a leaky tap, old-school wallpaper, and keep things in boxes in order not to spend extra money on new stuff. They often treat their place as temporary: like they are planning to move to a different town, find a job abroad, get a mortgage, or just wait for their lives to somehow change. But sometimes, they can live in this “temporary” place for decades. From a psychological standpoint, these people are inclined to live in the future and see it through rose-colored glasses. They treat the present as a temporary discomfort that they just need to tolerate. On the other hand, they often don’t have any solid plan — these people are used to living like this and they are constantly hoping for some outside help that will change their situation. Quoted from the article https://brightside.me/articles/8-hidden-psychological-problems-a-messy-home-can-reveal-about-us-729710/

This means that Shin Okja never came to enjoy the present moment. In addition, with the quote Jinx-philes can grasp that the grandmother never considered this house as her true home. Her stay was limited in time. That’s the reason why the window was not repaired in 20 years. She could see the damages, but she chose to close her eyes to the rundown house. Thanks to this article, I had this new revelation: why did she neglect her home? It is because she had never planned to stay there, she was “focusing” on the future. Consequently, the promise with Kim Dan (chapter 11) can be judged as an evidence that this senior was rather future-oriented. Moreover, the agreement can be perceived under a different light. Since she had always thought of moving out and saw this dwelling as a momentary refuge, her commitment appears more shallow and dishonest. Did she truly desire to return to that place? From my point of view, she hoped to live elsewhere in the future, either on the West Coast or with her grandson in a better home, once he had got a big gig.

But there’s more to it. As soon as you consider the house as a temporary place, you will realize why she came to neglect Kim Dan, why she never prioritized him. Kim Dan is like the home… He is just a temporary support. How did I come up with this perception? He is “the outside help”. She definitely wanted to use him as her “servant”. At the same time, it becomes comprehensible why she blamed her grandson for his poor health. (chapter 21) Her MO is to wait for some change, as if she was waiting for a miracle. It was the same with the house: the latter had mold, a broken window… not because of her, but because of life and other circumstances. It was not her fault, if the house was not well-maintained. She couldn’t change it, but the presence of the huge Wedding Cabinet exposes this lie. She could have sold it and with the money, either pay back the loan and move to a smaller but better house. Moreover, she was able to watch a K-drama during the weekend, a sign that she definitely had time. (chapter 30) She was not working non-stop. Another important aspect is that such persons are passive, because they are waiting for the right time or for the outside help. They somehow imagine that a prince charming will suddenly appear and remove all their problems. Consequently, I conclude that the elderly woman views herself as “Sleeping Beauty”, hence the doctor adopted her mentality. The athlete must have appeared like a knight in shining armor for the grandmother that day. (chapter 21) She must have felt young again. Consequently, I come to the following conclusion. Halmeoni chose to abandon Joo Jaekyung and forget her gratitude, because he could no longer help her. She needed her grandson once again.

The moment my avid readers considers Kim Dan as the “outside help”, it becomes obvious why he had to become a PT. There is no doubt that he selected this profession because of her, another favor from her. It is said that such persons live in the future… but her illness changed her mind-set a little. She is getting aware that she is running out of time. Now, she is looking back at her past. Striking is that in her request, she used the personal pronoun “we” (chapter 53), but it is strongly intertwined with her own desire. On the other hand, her favor is centered on a single moment (“one last time”), which stands in opposition to her attitude in the past. She is not waiting for the right time, she is now making plans. However, she is not taking her grandchild’s life and career into consideration. To conclude, her plan is revolving around her once again.

And this raises the following question: who pushed her to make such a huge decision? The doctor Kim Miseon. Later, Kim Dan received the brochure about the hospice, so it is also possible that once there, she feels betrayed, as she imagined a different life there. As you can see, though the grandmother is running away from her vanished home, she is not able to escape “responsibility” and “reality”. I am more than ever convinced that her pink-tinted glasses are about to get broken. And this brings me back to Kim Dan and his home. Since she is trying to relive her “youth”, it becomes obvious that in verity, she is abandoning her grandson, for he was not part of her past. Just like she “forgot her Wedding Cabinet, her flat and as such abandoned her home, she is abandoning Kim Dan. Observe that she never brought up the topic “home” with her new favor. Her chaotic and neglected home (chapter 10) exposes her mentality. She is “careless”, “disorganized” and “chaotic.” This person lacks attention to detail or responsibility for cleaning up after herself, leaving others to manage or fix what she left behind. Thus she appears as “inconsiderate“, as her messiness impacts Kim Dan. The latter has to “clean up” her mess.

That’s it for today.

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