As we reach the final episodes, it’s about time to know the whole truth behind every mystery and unanswered question in this K-drama. After a lot of clarification in some of the most prevailing issues in the plot, you’d expect there was not much left to see but a happily ever after. However, things might not be as easy. There have been a lot of emotions, complications, and misunderstandings around all four leads, but it looks like there’s still a lot coming up for them in the last few episodes. For now, here’s what we learned in this week’s episodes of “Bad Memory Eraser.”
Warning: spoilers from episodes 13-14 below!
Since the beginning, Lee Shin (Lee Jong Won) has been hard to figure out. His attitude and actions sometimes proved that despite loving his brother, he also felt resentment and some sort of hatred towards Lee Kun (Kim Jae Joong). That’s why it’s not hard to imagine that he was the culprit behind Lee Kun almost dying. Also, every snippet of memory and clue pointed him out as such. However, when an anonymous report shows pictures that incriminate him, the truth of what really happened that night comes to light. But the shadow of suspicion brings big repercussions to him and his tennis team.
At last, we learn that what Lee Shin wanted to hide so desperately is not that he tried to murder his brother, but that he attempted to take his own life. In a shocking plot twist, the night when the brothers confronted each other, Lee Shin jumped off the bridge, only for Lee Kun to save his life by holding onto him and getting hit in the process. The tragic truth is that both brothers are victims of a suffocating upbringing and a series of unfortunate accidents. However, they still have to carry the pain and consequences of these circumstances, almost losing one another along the way.
Despite having the possibility to clear his name from the murder suspicions, Lee Shin takes the easiest way out of his problems. He runs away from home, though only for a couple of days. He takes that chance to leave everything behind and focus on thinking about what he truly wants for his life and career. He accepts that his dream was never to be a tennis player, but with his family’s pressure on his back, he can’t easily give up everything. His parents, especially his mother, are beyond redemption. Though she is a major contributor to her children’s hardships, even after all that’s happened to them, she continues pushing them to their limits in order to achieve her own expectations.
Which is why it’s quite commendable when Lee Shin decides to take a break from being a tennis player. We don’t know if he will retire for good, but his decision to step out and look after his mental health issues first speaks a lot for him. Everyone should have the right to take a break and look for their happiness. And that happiness also includes giving up on his feelings for Kyung Joo Yeon (Jin Se Yeon) after he realizes that her feelings for Lee Kun are deeper than even she can admit.
The presence of Jeon Se Yan (Yang Hye Jin) – as endearing and entertaining as she is – has always been sort of confusing because despite being Lee Kun’s real first love, this fact has hardly had any importance since the start of the drama. Later on, when we found out she was looking for her biological father and not her first love, any possibility of developing a romantic line with the male lead was out of the picture. So you could only guess what her role could really be, even more so since her mother is trying to prevent that she finds him.
With just a couple of episodes left and after 14 episodes of framing Lee Shin as a possible murderer, who would have thought that a real criminal would appear right now as Se Yan’s father? At first, he appears as a real hero to save his daughter when her mother tries to forcibly take her back to Italy, but he quickly shows his true colors. He not only is the stalker who has been following and threatening Lee Shin, but he is most likely related to the death of Joo Yeon’s father as he has a record of murder and other crimes.
If there’s ever been a resilient character in a K-drama, it’s Lee Kun. He not only fought through every struggle in his life but was able to start anew after almost dying. However, it seems all of that will be useless once again. Though he has been actively trying to regain his memories despite the pain they inflict on him, he could never have imagined that the truth would be revealed to him in the most hurtful way and by the most obnoxious person. And so he learns everything about the experiment that erased his memories and the fact Joo Yeon isn’t his first love.
Perhaps Lee Kun’s biggest misfortune isn’t losing his career as a professional athlete, but it’s being surrounded by completely selfish and despicable people. First, by his parents, and second, by a medical team so unprofessional that they would even perform extremely dangerous procedures without considering the ethical or life-threatening consequences. For better or for worse, Lee Kun accepts a new procedure, and we’re back to square one. At this point, more than a happy ending, we can just hope the ending of this drama won’t make us wish for a memory eraser for ourselves.
source: Soompi