Hyde, Jekyll and Me: What if Jekyll is but a veneer?

It isn’t enough juz being an aloof (but warm-blooded) chaebol in Kdramaland nowadays. You also have to be mentally sick. But one thing is still common, the chaebol’s family is usually as sick (or sicker). While Cha Do-hyun (and his merry band of personae) in Kill Me, Heal Me has to deal with scandalous birth secrets, Robin/ Gu Seo-jin in Hyde has to handle a rather anal papa.

No wonder that Robin has come out with a facade to placate Chairman Gu. Yes, you read that correctly. After watching up to ep4 of Hyde, I am beginning to suspect that Seo-jin’s core personality may actually be Robin. Imo, Seo-jin is a defense mechanism built up in response to the expectations people (in particular, his weirdly strict daddy) have of him. As the heir in line to the Wonderland’s throne, Chairman Gu expects his son to lord over his empire with the same tight-fisted rein as he did. Never mind the irony that the Gu family is operating a theme park, where “fun” should be the rule of the game.

The suggestion that Seo-jin may be a veneer to disguise the fun-loving (and human) Robin is thrown to us in ep3. When the teenage Seo-jin contemplates and almost attempts suicide at Angel Bridge years ago. I do not think that Robin is “born” that day, as Seo-jin claims. Heck, I don’t even think Seo-jin may have DID. Robin may actually be the real Seo-jin that Seo-jin (the perfect, serious boy or man) wants to keep hidden, cos he is scared that that his humane, fun-loving side will be seen (and condemned) by his parents.

Under normal circumstances (i.e. where Seo-jin lives blandly, day-to-day), he can contain that other persona. However, when a situation crops up, he has to struggle to keep a lid on his veneer. That will explain why the teenage Seo-jin, who cowardly rehearses his suicide move everyday, jumps in to save the young Ha-na without second thoughts. Robin isn’t “born” due to that act, it is Seo-jin who has liberated himself — for the FIRST time.

When there’s a first, there’s bound to be repeats. Seo-jin, after having tasted the happiness of autonomy; being able to act on his feelings without fear of condemnation, is likely to create situations where he can continue to be that person (aka Robin). Of cos, when his parents discover that, the facade has to snap down to maintain the heir-in-line’s solemnity. In comes Dr Kang, with Seo-jin’s bevy of medication, tricks and apparatus to “contain” Robin. Or in other words, maintain that Seo-jin facade.

There are clues in eps5/6 that also point to my theory — when Seo-jin is “forced” to behave like Robin in an outing with Ha-na and her troupe. And later, when Seo-jin decides to annoy the hell out of Robin, juz cos he wants to. Despite the Seo-jin facade being successful so far in maintaining the image of cool aloofness, we are gradually seeing the outer veneer melding into the inner core bit by bit. With thanks of course, to Ha-na. Whom both Seo-jin the facade and Seo-jin the human (or otherwise known as Robin) love.

[and as a parting shot: which DID personality would be so accommodating? so much so that the core personality can actually schedule a 8am/8pm, 12h shift timetable for its alter ego’s appearance…?! Do-hyun’s multipersonae are more classic DID types, than Seo-jin’s.]