See You in My 19th Life Episode 1 Recap & Review, Explained

See You in My 19th Life Episode 1 Recap

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🐢 Generally speaking, when I was between 8 and 12 years old, my past life memories would be awakened. That feeling of being hit by waves, I remember who I was in my past life, what I did, everything. The beautiful memories make me nostalgic while the bad ones bring pain. I hope they are just dreams but unfortunately that’s not the case.

🐢 Ban Ji-Eum discovered she was different from others at the age of nine in her past life. The first thing she remembered was “Seo-ha” wondering if he was still alive because Seo-ha always appeared bloody in her memory. In this life, Ban Ji-Eum grew up in a poor family with a useless father addicted to gambling who beat her mother and caused her to leave home. Ban Ji-Eum showed off her genius talent to earn a lot of money but didn’t expect that both her father and brother would steal it from her.

🐢 This made Ban Ji-Eum decide to raise money through other means so she used Jung-ho’s letter as leverage with Ae-Gyeong to convince her to lend money first. As for how Ban Ji-Eum knew Jung-ho, it was because they met at the 17th lifetime when Kim Jung-ho contracted pneumonia and almost died. She promised Ae-Gyeong that she would reincarnate and come back to protect her which is why she used this beautiful lie in their 19th lifetime to gain Ae-Gyeong’s trust.

🐢 Now Ban Ji-Eum needs this money to find Seo-ha whom she met as Yoon Ju-Won during their 18th lifetime together since Seo-ha’s mother valued Yoon Ju-Won for being mature and steady-minded but wanted Jo Yoo-Sun (Seo-Ha’s mom)to know how Yoon Ju-Won became such an outstanding child; however Jo Yoo-Sun said that two years ago, Yoon Ju-Won suddenly became an adult overnight and even felt like she wasn’t her daughter.

🐢 It was then that Yoon Ju-Won fell in love with this mischievous Seo-ha, turning around her boring life of many lifetimes. Seo-ha was very curious about Yoon Ju-Won, especially when she said she had been reborn several times which deeply attracted Seo-ha to this older sister. While practicing piano and studying together, they developed a deep relationship. Yoon Ju-Won also promised to take care of Seo-ha instead of the deceased Lee Sang-Ah. When Seo-ha worried about her mother’s death, Yoon Ju-won gave her great support but being with Seo-Ha made herself feel only 12 years old again.

🐢 After listening to Ban Ji-Eum’s story, middle-aged Ae-Gyeong lent money to Ban Ji-Eum and before leaving, Ban Ji-Eum expressed how much she pitied Ae-Gyeong for growing up alone so from now on they would live together.

🐢 Ban Ji-Eum traveled a long way to Seo-ha’s house, wanting to give him a birthday present on his birthday and promised to tell him where the key was hidden at the end of the day. However, they got into a car accident on the way and were separated. Before dying, Yoon Ju-Won said something to Seo-ha but he couldn’t hear it due to an ear injury. Now, Ban Ji-Eum breaks into Seo-ha’s house and finds that he is studying in high school. She is happy that he survived. Afterward, Ban Ji-Eum secretly follows Seo-ha and observes his every move for years until one day when he disappears.

🐢 8 years later (2015), Ban Ji-Eum gets accepted into Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). During this time, she has been confirming that Seo-ha is still alive while keeping track of his whereabouts. In 2022, she successfully joins MI Group where Seo-ha works but realizes that he hasn’t returned to Korea yet.

🐢 Ban Ji-Eum considers flying directly to Germany but it isn’t easy as even Daehwan Group’s Lee Ji-seok personally tries to recruit her without success. Finally, after waiting for so long, she sees Seo-ha again when he returns to Korea! Excitedly going to MI Hotel where he stays at first sighted each other looking at the same turtle leading them back together again.

🐢 Seo-ha goes straight back work with Mun Jung-Hoon urging him quickly learn everything about shareholders while warning not let anyone know about his hearing loss condition. However, instead of following Mun Jung-Hoon’s suggestion; He decides himself wants save his mother’s hotel from bankruptcy by reviving it despite Mun Jung-Hoon being angry with this decision.

🐢 Firstly,Ban-Ji Eun applies for the job at MI Hotel that Seo-ha wants to change. Her impressive but somewhat terrifying resume leaves a deep impression on him, and he decides to interview her. However, Seo-ha is confused by Ban Ji-Eum’s experience and wonders where she learned so much. Ban Ji-Eum straightforwardly asks Seo-ha “Would you like to date me?”

See You in My 19th Life Episode 1 Review and Explained

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About “See you in My 19th Life” Ban Ji-Eum’s 17th, 18th, and 19th lives may seem a bit confusing at first. I have roughly organized the information in the above image for everyone’s reference and provided some descriptions to help understand the continuity of characters.

• In her 17th life, Ban Ji-Eum met young Jung-ho while performing with Kim Jung-ho in a circus (which is why she plays accordion in her 19th life). At that time, Ae-Gyeong was still a child. Therefore, when Ban Ji-Eum meets Ae-Gyeong again in her 19th life, she has become middle-aged. As for Ban Ji-Eum claiming to be Kim Jung-ho reincarnated to protect Ae-Gyeong, it is actually a well-intentioned lie to trick Ae-Gyeong into lending money.
• In her 18th life, Ban Ji-Eum’s name is “Yoon Ju-Won.” It was Yoon Ju-Won’s first encounter with Seo-ha. After so many boring lives, meeting mischievous Seo-ha laid the foundation for Ban Ji-Eum’s liking towards him. According to the scene where the 19-year-old Ban Ji-eun remembers Seo-Ha covered in bloodstains; In their previous life (the eighteenth), they were separated after encountering an accident together which makes this memory worry about whether or not he survived his current situation even more poignant.
  
  In this lifetime as Yoon Ju-Won also had a younger sister who still exists during ban ji eums nineteenth lifetime but does not recognize her.
  
  
• In Her 19th Life: Ban-Ji Eun was born into a decadent family with gambling father and idle brother while mother left home unable to bear such environment. She finds Seo-Ha through her own means and confirms if he is living well. She seeks help from Jing Ai, whom she knew in her 17th life. Of course, whether Seo-ha recognizes Yoon Ju-Won in his 19th life becomes an important turning point. Since Seo-ha grew up to adulthood, he still remembers Yoon Ju-Won clearly but whether or not he knows that Ban Ji-Eum is Yoon Ju-Won will be the driving force for future episodes. Additionally, there was a conversation between Seo-Ha and the dying Yoon Ju-won before his accident in their 18th life which I think may be the key point where Seo-Ha recognizes Ban Ji-Eum in her 19th life.
  
  The reincarnation setting in “See you in My 19th Life” reminds me of “Hotel Del Luna“. Although the details are different, the concept is similar. Ban Ji-Eum, who has been reincarnated many times and feels nothing about life, meets someone who can make him feel the meaning and emotions of life again. In Ban Ji-Eum’s narration, he says that “as long as I am with Seo-ha, I feel like I’m only 12 years old. He makes me forget that I have already been reincarnated 17 times.”

I really like how this element of reincarnation is intertwined with emotions and feelings. For Ban Ji-Eum, finding Seo-ha allows her to regain a sense of living. Seo-ha’s appearance makes Ban Ji-Eum realize the significance brought by reincarnation.

In one scene where Ban Ji-Eum tells Ae-Gyeong: “Ae-Gyeong, you must have gone through a lot growing up alone. Come live with me from now on,” it was touching yet humorous at the same time. Middle-aged Ae-Gyeong was moved and seemed to believe in Ban Ji-Eum’s story of reincarnation but also felt shocked about what kind of person she had encountered? Because when Ban Ji-eun spoke those words it was as if Uncle Kim Jung-ho was right there before them.

Ban-Ji Eun brings to Ae-Gyeong’s character an opportunity to fill in for Kim Jung-Ho’s absence over these past few decades in her life; this design by the writer is truly remarkable and adds another layer of meaning to Ban-Ji Eun’s reincarnation story.