K-Drama Reaction: Circle: Two Worlds Connected | Episode 2

We are going on full swing in solving the “is she an alien or not” mystery that this drama is trying to sell us. I have yet to grasp the fictional set-up, but I am liking where we are headed.

Part 1: Beta Project (2017)

Our twins open this hour in disbelief after both seeing the mystery woman from 10 years ago. She seems not to have aged at all, which prompts Kim Woo-jin (Yeo Jin-goo) to dismiss the possibility that she is the “alien” girl that his twin brother Kim Beom-gyun (Ahn Woo-yoon) has been rambling about.

Beom-gyun chases after the mystery woman while Woo-jin heads home. Much to his surprise, the mystery woman also studies in his university and eventually becomes his partner for a class presentation. She is Han Jung-yeon (Gong Seung-yun), and it seems like she does not recognize Woo-jin at all. Omo, is she just a look-a-like or she’s good at play pretend?

The conflict also begins in this episode as Beom-gyun disappeared without any trace. His last contact was a phone conversation with Woo-jin about “finding the alien’s secret base.” His last revelation was about a certain “Bluebird” who apparently holds the key to the mystery. Wait, so does the “Bluebird” rumor uttered by Lee Dong-soo (Oh Eui-sik) in the first episode started in 2017?

So yes, Beom-gyun went missing while searching for the mystery woman. But before he disappeared, Woo-jin discovered that he was able to return home briefly and set a hidden camera that acts as surveillance footage. And guess what the recording showed? It’s Jung-yeon breaking in Beom-gyun’s apartment!

I have lots of theories right now but I am saving it for later. All I know is that this girl Jung-yeon is hiding something and she definitely knows who Beum-gyun is! She is not as innocent as we initially think she is.

Part 2: Great New World (2037)

Detective Kim Joon-hyuk (Kim Kang-woo) has now landed on Smart City and is ready to start the investigation on the murder case. The Smart City people are keeping an eye on Joon-hyuk as he opens his search for kidnap victim-turned-suspect Kim Min-ji, who remains at large.

Min-ji seems to be back on her normal self (pre-chip stage). She has regained her lost memories which was apparently erased by the Human B system implanted on all the residents of Smart City.

I love how this second part is so serious and funny at the same time. The brewing bromance between Joon-hyuk and security officer Ho-soo (Lee Ki-kwang) is cute and not forced, despite the deep storyline.

Although I am not sold yet with the dystopian set-up, I like how the story connected the two worlds decently. What if Beom-gyun is indeed in Smart City? There is a high probability of Beom-gyun’s role in the emergence of Smart City and its calming care system.

I hope this show won’t drag the meeting between the brothers because I want to see them solve the mystery together, discover the real identity of Bluebird and his possible connection to the “alien” occurrence.

<< K-Drama Reaction: Circle: Two Worlds Connected | Episode 1