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From Wikipedia: “Chicago Typewriter” is a 2017 South Korean television series starring Yoo Ah-in, Im Soo-jung, and Go Kyung-pyo. It ran from April to June 2017 on tvN.
The series is written by Jin Soo-wan who wrote the hit dramas “Moon Embracing the Sun” (2012) and “Kill Me, Heal Me” (2015).
This drama was also broadcast in Malaysia and Vietnam. It is available in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka on tvN Asia with subtitles.
How I wrote these episode summaries with no spoilers
1. I assumed that you will be reading these summaries and watching the videos chronologically.
2. I narrated some of the main actions in each episode without revealing the plot’s twists and turns.
3. At the beginning of each summary starting with Episode 2, I placed in a table a recap of the major twists and turns of the previous episode. But because you have already watched the video of the previous episode, they aren’t spoilers anymore.
4. I followed this structure all throughout, except for Episode 16 (Finale). Reason — people want to know if this drama has a good ending or a sad ending before they invest their time in watching it.
Episode 1: “Uninvited muses”
Han Se-joo is an arrogant, bestselling author whose recent book is in the New York Times bestsellers list. During a break in his worldwide book tour, he spends some time in a Chicago café. As his attention gets drawn to an old typewriter in the café, he’s transported back in time to the 1930s. He sees someone who tells him: “The pen is stronger than a knife. A typewriter is more powerful than the gun.”
Jeon Seol is an errand girl who has been drifting through life and has worked in various part-time jobs; the only constant things in her life are her obsession with Se-joo and her desire to marry a writer. Her best friend is Bang-jin, whose mother is a fortuneteller.
To Seol’s delight, she’s asked to deliver a package to Se-joo’s house. But wary about stalkers and overzealous fans, Se-joo refuses to let her enter his house. Refusing to waste the opportunity to meet the passion of her life, Seol follows a dog into the house.
After meeting Baek Tae-min, a childhood acquaintance who’s also an author, Se-joo returns home. When the power goes out, he finds himself face to face with someone who’s got a gun pointed at him.
Notes:
1. See the “Historical backgrounders and other information” section below for (a) the explanation of the term “Chicago Typewriter”; (b) the drama's reference to Salvador Dali’s 1931 painting “The Persistence of Memory”; (c) explanation of this drama’s references to the novel/movie “Misery”; and (d) information about the “Sapsali” or “Sapsaree” dog that leads Seol into Se-joo’s house.
2. During the Japanese colonial period, modern-day Seoul was called “Kyungsung” (“Gyeongseong”).
Episode 2: “Death by my writings”
| Ep. 1 recap: During the times that Se-joo finds himself in the 1930s, he sees himself writing using the typewriter that he found in the Chicago café. He also sees Seol as an independence fighter who’s an expert with guns and who keeps telling him to write something magnificent. The “Chicago Typewriter” is a nickname for the Thompson submachine gun. Se-joo blames Tae-min’s father for ruining both of their lives. Seol saves Se-joo from the deranged man who thinks that one of Se-joo’s novel is all about him. |
As Seol confronts the intruder, she gets glimpses of her past life. When she wavers, the intruder attacks her.
Seol wakes up the next day, finding herself in Se-joo’s bedroom. But Se-joo remains wary of her, wondering how she got into his house the night before and if she is the intruder’s accomplice.
Because of his injured hand, Se-joo allows Seol to type his manuscript. But he again has visions of himself in the 1930s, arguing with a woman who looks like Seol but whom he calls Yoo Soo-yeon. He also sees himself in a jazz nightclub named “Carpe Diem.”
Tae-min tells his father Baek Do-ha that he will be transferring to Se-joo’s publishing company. Later on, while at the veterinarian’s clinic, he meets Seol.
Se-joo becomes even more suspicious of Seol when the news breaks out that he plagiarized the intruder’s messages to him, using them as the basis of his novel. He goes to the police station and confronts the intruder, who tells him that they’re alike in a lot of ways, especially with their fear of being abandoned.
A month later, Se-joo hits a blank wall as a writer; with a multi-billion won contract at stake, his editor Ji-seok pressures him to use a ghostwriter.
Note: See the “Historical backgrounders and other information” section below for information about the Renoir painting seen in this episode.
Episode 3: “The gold watch”
| Ep. 2 recap: Baek Do-ha’s wife Hong So-hee resents Se-joo, believing that he is Do-ha’s illegitimate son. The intruder kills himself, leaving a note that expresses his anger towards Se-joo. Se-joo’s car spins out of control and crashes into a mountainside. |
 The signboard outside the house of Bang-jin's mother says “Seongsucheong,” which refers to the state agency during the Joseon Dynasty that was responsible for shamanic rituals. The person who wrote “Chicago Typewriter” also wrote “The Moon” That Embraces The Sun” where the main character Wol (played by Han Ga-in) was a shaman in Seongsucheong. |
The mysterious writer sends to the publishing company a manuscript for a serial novel titled “Chicago Typewriter” under Se-joo’s name. After Se-joo returns home from the mountain, he finds out that the novel has become a spectacular success.
Hong So-hee connives with a reporter to bring Se-joo down by spreading the rumor that he’s using a ghostwriter.
In a vision, Se-joo sees himself as Seo Hwi-young in the 1930s. As he and Soo-yeon run away from some pursuers, he drops a gold pocket watch. Soo-yeon runs back to get the watch, and then they hide in a dark corner.
Note: At the halfway point of the episode, Se-jo and Tae-min film a public service campaign. The scene is set in the “Blue Square Book Park.” Located in the upscale Itaewon district, the Blue Square is the largest performing art hall in Korea. It consists of musical hall, concert hall, gallery, book cafe, book park, and book store. Related article: “Unique Bookstores in Seoul”
Episode 4: “The ghostwriter”
| Ep. 3 recap: Se-joo finds tucked into one of his novels his picture that Seol took when he was a struggling writer. Seol’s father gave her the gold pocket watch; he died in an accident on the mountain where she found Se-joo. In a vision, Soo-yeon tells Hwi-young that the gold pocket watch belonged to his father. Se-joo finds another finished chapter of the serial novel; to his amazement, the novel reflects what he has seen in his visions. After finding the gold pocket watch on the mountain, Se-joo returns home and meets the mysterious writer Yoo Jin-oh. |
 Note: Se-joo realizes that the name “Yoo Jin-oh” is based on the name of Eugene O’Neill (1888-1953), an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Literature. Se-joo and Yoo Jin-oh first met during a foggy night in Ep. 3. The drama’s writer purposely set this scene during a foggy night as an homage to Eugene O’Neill’s most famous play “Long Day’s Journey into Night.” For more information about O’Neill’s use of fog as a metaphor, please read “Fog as a Symbol of Alienation in Both Physical and Psychological World in O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night” by Tahmina Begum, Department of English, King Khalid University. |
Tae-min decides to take some time off to write his novel. He brings his cat to the animal clinic where he meets Seol again. He invites her for a drink and then asks her to work for him.
That night, Se-joo goes to Seongsucheong to see Seol, but there, he finds Yoo Jin-oh. As they run away after being pelted with red beans by Bang-jin’s mother, Seol runs after Se-joo.
After spending some time in a sandwich bar, Se-joo and Seol walk out into the street. While Seol notices Tae-min in a television commercial, Se-joo sees someone taking pictures of them. He takes Seol’s hand and tells her to run. But as they run, Seol drops the gold pocket watch; she runs back and picks the watch up.
Se-joo finds Yoo Jin-oh again in his office. As they’re arguing, Baek Do-ha arrives.
Note: See the “Historical backgrounders and other information” section below on how art imitates real life — chocolate drink, lead actor Yoo Ah-in, and the drama’s character “Se-joo” as a struggling writer.
Episode 5: “Bad timing”
| Ep. 4 recap: Bang-jin meets Jin-oh as she collects the red beans that her mother threw at him and Se-joo. Se-joo gives the gold pocket watch back to Soo-yeon. At the sandwich bar, Soo-yeon remembers how she became Se-joo’s first fan. As they hide from their pursuer, Se-joo flashes back to his vision of himself and Soo-yeon in the 1930s. Hong So-hee and the reporter publish the pictures of Se-joo and Seol together, saying that Seol is Se-joo’s ghostwriter. Determined that his reputation as a writer must not be ruined, Se-joo burns Jin-oh’s manuscript. |
 Note: As he visits Seol in the animal clinic, Se-joo wears a shirt with an artwork of a boy blowing bubbles. The artwork is from the 1867 painting by Édouard Manet, possibly of his illegitimate son. |
Through the gold pocket watch, Seol sees a vision of herself in the 1930s where, as Soo-yeon, she’s an independence fighter. On the other hand, as he holds a partially burned page of Jin-oh’s manuscript, Se-joo sees a vision of himself in the 1930s as the writer Hwi-young.
Ji-seok tries to convince Seol to file charges against the reporter for invasion of her privacy, but Se-joo finds out about it.
When Se-joo is unable to write the next installment of his serial novel, Jin-oh presents to him his typed manuscript. Se-joo reluctantly accepts it. Later, he goes to see Seol; at the restaurant where Bang-jin works, he tells Seol that his next novel will be about a global male star who only has one day to live and wants to do something for an ordinary female fan.
Notes:
1. “Chinilpa” (derogatory term for Koreans who collaborated with the Japanese): At the early part of the episode, Bang-jin tells Seol that if she wanted to be rich, she should not have been an independence fighter in her past life. She says that the descendants of the pro-Japanese collaborators are the ones who are rich and lead easy lives. If you listen closely to Bang-jin, at the 9:35 mark, you can hear her say “Chinilpa.” Read the “Historical backgrounders and other information” section below for more information about the “Chinilpa.”
2. At the start of his meeting with Seol, Ji-seok hands over his business card; Seol, in turn, apologizes because she doesn't have a business card with her. The exchange of business cards during an initial meeting is an important part of Korean business etiquette.Episode 6: “The words I want to hear most”
| Ep. 5 recap: In the 1930s, Soo-yeon is wounded on the arm and pursued by the Japanese soldiers. Se-joo arranges a last-minute press conference where he asks Jin-oh to sit beside him. He reveals that he used a ghostwriter for his novel and begs the reporters to leave Seol alone. When the reporters ask him who his ghostwriter is, he points to Jin-oh. Later, to his shock, Se-joo sees the video of his press conference; there’s no one sitting beside him. |
Jin-oh tells a shocked Se-joo that he’s a ghost who has lived in the typewriter for the last 80 years and that only he can see him. He also says that he wants to have a physical body so that he can profess his love for Seol. As they’re talking, Seol arrives, bringing with her a book and a packed meal from the Italian restaurant.
| Seol named the Sapsali dog “Gyeon-woo” based on the Korean folk tale relating to the “Chilseok” festival. Gyeon-woo and Jiknyo are lovers permitted to meet only once a year, and their tears during their separation signal the start of the monsoon season. In the folk tale, cows and magpies formed a bridge across the Milky Way so that Gyeon-woo and Jiknyo could meet. In the same way, the Sapsali dog was the bridge for Seol to meet Se-joo. For more information, please read “Chilseok: The Traditional Korean Valentine’s Day” (Asia Society) or view the video below. |
Tae-min brings his cat to the animal clinic again; later on, as he and Seol have dinner, he repeats his offer for Seol to work for him part time. When they return to the clinic, Se-joo sees them.
At the clinic, Seol finds the dog that led her into Se-joo’s house. Tae-min says that he will take care of the dog, which has been named as Gyeon-woo by Seol. But later, as he leaves the clinic, Se-joo confronts him and forcibly takes the dog.
Se-joo finds out that Jin-oh has possessed the dog’s body and was responsible for everything — opening the door for Seol and eating the USB. He threatens Jin-oh to come out of the dog so that they can talk. When Jin-oh refuses, he grabs him by the jaw; as he gets ready to punch Jin-oh, Seol sees him about to punch the dog.
Note: At the early part of this episode, Seol marks certain lines from a book and later gives the book to Se-joo to inspire him to keep on writing. The book is “Perhaps, The Words I Wish To Hear Most” by Jung Hee Jae. The lines state:
“I now know, you must endure things you cannot endure, be worn out by the things you cannot accept, that there are nights when your eyes are brimming with tears. And daresay I know… what you’ve dreamt of, and what you’ve lost.”
“I place my hand on your forehead. You have lived diligently. Please place a hand on my forehead too. The moment one person leaves their fingerprints on another forehead and comforts him, all the frivolous things fall by the wayside, and the silence we never took advantage of while we were engulfed with desire will embrace us.”
“You’ve, worked hard, to live, to survive, you’ve worked hard to get this far. I pray that the happiest moments of your life are yet to come.”
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| (Click the graphic above to view or download a much bigger copy.) |
Episode 7
| Ep. 6 recap: Se-joo tells Ji-seok that he will not continue writing the serial novel and will sell his house. Not knowing that Se-joo was directing his angry words at Jin-oh (whom she can’t see), Seol becomes offended and leaves, saying that she won’t be Se-joo’s fan anymore. Flashback ... Baek Do-ha brings Se-joo to his home, but his wife thinks that Se-joo is his illegitimate child. She orders Se-joo to live like a ghost in the house. In the 1930s, Jin-oh buys the custom-built typewriter for Hwi-young. After reading some of the pages that Hwi-young wrote, Soo-yeon proclaims him as the bright star in Joseon’s darkness. Jin-oh pleads with Se-joo to finish his novel so that he can find out how he died. He also tells Se-joo that Seol was their comrade and lover Soo-yeon in the 1930s. |
In the 1930s, Hwi-young says that he won’t continue writing his novel. When he bickers with Soo-yeon, Jin-oh orders him to treat Soo-yeon’s wound.
Present times ...
After Se-joo refuses his plea to finish the novel, Jin-oh goes to see Seol, who’s on a drinking binge and lamenting how Se-joo has changed.
Se-joo refuses to attend the writer’s camp, struggling with the thought that what he has written might not have been his own words.
Se-joo tries to mend things with Seol, but she refuses to believe his story about ghosts. When she storms out, he pleads with her that he will take care of Gyeon-woo, the dog.
Seol begins helping Tae-min with his manuscript.
Note: In a flashback scene, Se-joo meets Ji-seok who offers to be his publisher. The book that covers Se-joo’s face is the autobiographical novel “Who Ate up All the Shinga?” by Park Wan-suh (1931-2011), a best-selling and award-winning Korean writer whose work has been published throughout the world. For more information, please read “The legacy of Park Wan-suh” (Korean JoongAng Daily).
Episode 8
| Ep. 7 recap: Jin-oh reappears when Se-joo promises to finish writing the novel. But he imposes the condition that Se-joo will get rid of all the men hanging around Seol. As Tae-min becomes abusive with Seol, holding onto her wrist and insisting to drive her home, Se-joo appears and takes Seol with him. |
Seol becomes offended and walks away when Se-joo tells her again about ghosts and how he’s reminded of someone else when he looks at her.
At home, Se-joo mocks Jin-oh that he’s a ghost who’s in love with a human who can’t see him; he also asks Jin-oh how he would react if Seol ends up falling for him instead. They draw up a contract that will govern how they will do things from then on.
Over food and drinks, while Jin-oh looks on, Seol asks Se-joo about the woman he’s reminded of when he looks at her. In turn, Se-joo asks her why she gave up pistol shooting. She says that whenever she held a gun, she had glimpses of her past and of killing someone she shouldn’t have.
Back at the house, Jin-oh wonders if the person who Seol killed was either him or Se-joo. They think that Seol will make the connection between herself and Soo-yeon in the novel once it’s published. As they decide to continue writing the novel, Jin-oh tells Se-joo how he, Hwi-young, and Soo-yeon met, and how Soo-yeon’s father died.
Episode 9
| Ep. 8 recap: Baek Do-ha found out that Tae-min stole Se-joo’s manuscript for the novel "Fate" and published it as his own. But Se-joo chooses to keep quiet about it in gratitude for Baek Do-ha taking care of him from childhood and acting like his own father. With Jin-oh watching, Seol breaks down and confesses her affection for Se-joo. |
As Jin-oh sees Seol and Se-joo in a tender embrace, he remembers his past in the 1930s when he was known as Yul, the owner of the Carpe Diem jazz club.
Seol tells Se-joo about her childhood when her mother brought her to a fortuneteller (Bang-jin’s mother) because she had been remembering shooting and killing someone.
Tae-nim’s mother agitates the other investors and threatens to sue Se-joo’s publishing company for breach of contract. On the other hand, his father tells him to confess what he did in stealing Se-joo’s manuscript.
When Jin-oh becomes insistent, Se-joo takes him and Seol on a sightseeing tour of Seoul. Later that night, Se-joo begins thinking that in the 1930s, Soo-yeon (aka Seol in present times) might have killed someone because of him.
Notes:
1. Yul aka Jin-oh mentions that their group of young independence fighters is called “Joseon Youth Alliance.” See the “Historical backgrounders and other information” section below for more information about this group.
2. Yul also mentions the “Yun Bong Gil bombing operation in Shanghai.” In history, this incident is known as the “Hongkou (Hongkew) Park bombing incident.”
Episode 10
| Ep. 9 recap: To Se-joo and Jin-oh’s relief, Seol doesn’t recognize herself as Soo-yeon in Se-joo’s novel “Chicago Typewriter.” Hwi-young (aka Se-joo in present times) was the leader of the young independence fighters. |
Soo-yeon recognizes Hwi-young as the masked man who saved her from the Japanese soldiers.
Hwi-young orders Yul (aka Jin-oh in present times) to pretend to be the masked man who saved Soo-yeon.
During an early-morning date, Se-joo tells Seol that in their past lives, they were independence fighters and that she killed someone for her country’s sake.
After she reads about the success of the novel “Chicago Typewriter,” Seol’s mother goes to the animal clinic. Fear strikes her when she sees Seol and Se-joo together.
Tae-min visits Se-joo and begs him to give him the manuscript of the novel “Fate.” But Jin-oh warns Se-joo not to trust Tae-min, whom he knows from the past as someone named Heo Young-min.
Episode 11: “A chance for redemption”
| Ep. 10 recap: Seol’s mother says that she too has memories of her past life. Jin-oh tells Se-joo that two persons know about what really happened to him — Heo Young-min (aka Tae-min in the present times) and Madam Sophia (Seol’s mother). As he searches Se-joo’s office for the manuscript, Tae-min sees Jin-oh. At the shooting range, Seol finally sees in a vision the person whom she shot and killed — it’s Hwi-young. |
Jin-oh traps Tae-min inside the study room. Meanwhile, at the shooting range, Se-joo comforts Seol; later, after breakfast, she insists on meeting the person who’s helping Se-joo write the novel and on knowing what its ending will be.
Se-joo tells Tae-min to keep the “Fate” manuscript, wanting to trust that Tae-min has changed. But he remembers how he first met Tae-min as Heo Young-min at the Carpe Diem jazz club.
Tae-min gets another call from the mysterious female college student; later, his mother asks Se-joo if they can meet.
Jin-oh realizes how Tae-min was able to see him. Determined to show himself to Seol, he goes at night to Seongsucheong where he meets Bang-jin.
On a street that same night, Seol finally admits to Se-joo that in their past lives, she shot him dead. Just then, someone on a motorcycle comes in at high speed and hits Se-joo.
Episode 12: “Sing your song now”
| Ep. 11 recap: Jin-oh realizes that if he speaks a person’s name in the past life, the person will be able to see him. Jin-oh steals the “Fate” manuscript from Tae-min. In the 1930s, Tae-min was Heo Young-min, a spy for the Japanese. Because of what Bang-jin’s mother said, Jin-oh begins to have doubts about meeting Seol in person. Jo Sang-mi, sister of Se-joo’s deranged fan in Ep. 2, is the one who’s blackmailing Tae-min and who crashed her motorcycle into Se-joo. Se-joo tells Seol that being together is her chance for redemption for whatever happened in their past. |
 Note: Read the “Historical backgrounders” section below about the “carpe diem” poem that Jin-oh is reading while thinking of going back to Chicago. The poem was based on the writings of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, a famous Calvinist preacher. |
Se-joo takes Seol to his house to finally meet Jin-oh; by levitating things, Jin-oh makes his presence known to Seoul. Later, Se-joo suddenly has to leave because of a funeral service for an eminent writer. There, he meets Tae-min, who warns him to stay away from Seol.
Back in the house, Jin-oh finally says Seol’s name in the past, “Soo-yeon-ah. Ryu Soo-yeon.”
In the 1930s, Soo-yeon finds out how instructions to the independence fighters are communicated through the newspaper. With a gun, she confronts Hwi-young and demands to know why he deceived her about his true identity. But he pulls the gun to his head and orders her to shoot.
Episode 13: In our next life ...”
| Ep. 12 recap: Tae-min finds out that it’s Sang-mi who’s blackmailing him and that she wants to hurt Seol in order to have revenge against Se-joo. By lighting a match, Jin-oh sends Se-joo and Seol back to the 1930s. There, they find themselves being pursued by the Japanese colonial police. Jin-oh sees himself shot to death in front of the typewriter. |
After a sniper saves them from the Japanese soldiers, Se-joo follows Yul (Jin-oh), while Seol follows Soo-yeon. Se-joo sees Yul meet with Young-min (Tae-min); meanwhile, at the hideout behind the Carpie Diem jazz club, Seol sees Madam Sophia.
Present times .... after he sees a crack in his arm, Jin-oh decides to see Bang-jin’s mother. Later on, Se-joo and Seol find out that the motorcyclist was actually targeting Seol.
1930s ... Young-min arranges an event to be attended by government officials and financiers of the war effort. It’s trap set for the independence fighters, and he has given Hwi-young tickets to the event.
Episode 14: “Before your friend leaves”
| Ep 13 recap: Se-joo and Seol find out that, in the 1930s, no one can see or hear them. Seol is surprised to see that Madam Sophia looks like her mother, but she also fears that Madam Sophia could be the spy within the organization. Bang-jin’s mother tells Jin-oh that he will soon cease to exist as a ghost because he has been interfering with human lives. Despite knowing that Young-min has set a trap at the event, Hwi-young organizes the independence fighters to attack the event. |
1930s ... Hwi-young changes their group’s plans for attacking the event.
Present times ... Seol tells Se-joo and Jin-oh about the person whom she suspects as being the spy within the group of independence fighters. As they’re discussing it, Se-joo finds out from his staff that news has exploded that Tae-min’s novel “Fate” was plagiarized.
After setting up a grieving Bang-jin with a date to cheer her up, Seol gets from a call from Sang-mi who says that she needs a veterinarian to take care of her cat.
Tae-min calls up Se-joo, telling him that Sang-mi has been blackmailing him and has taken Seol as a hostage.
1930s ... As the event begins, Young-min watches Yul and Hwi-young closely.
Episode 15: “I miss you, Soo-hyun-ah.”
| Ep. 14 recap: Madam Sophia is the spy within the organization. As he struggles with Tae-min, Se-joo falls from the ledge. Hwi-young’s fighters set up explosions in two places to divert the attention of Young-min and the Japanese soldiers. They then attack the government officials attending the event. |
1930s ... A shootout takes place between the independence fighters and Young-min’s men. In the confusion, Soo-yeon gets caught. She’s thrown into jail where she meets Madam Sophia.
With the train stations being watched by the Japanese, Hwi-young orders his remaining comrades to go into hiding. But Yul insists on rescuing Seol.
Yul surrenders to Young-min and claims to be the group’s leader. But Young-min refuses to believe him and continues to torture Soo-yeon.
Present times ... Jin-oh saves Se-joo from crashing into the ground. He then confronts Tae-min as Se-joo leaves to rescue Seol.
Episode 16, Finale (with spoilers)
| Ep. 15 recap: Police officers rescue Seol. To stop Young-min from torturing Soo-yeon, Yul reveals that Hwi-young is the group’s real leader. Cornered by Young-min and his men, Hwi-young refuses to surrender and shoots himself. |
1930s ... Because of his family’s connections, Yul is released from prison. Later, he receives from Hwi-young the typewriter, the gold pocket watch, and a letter asking him to finish the novel.
Present times ... Tae-min is arrested by the police for kidnapping Seol.
Through Bang-jin, Seol meets her mother; she pleads with her mother to reveal her memories of the past.
1930s ... Soo-hyun goes to Carpe Diem jazz club, which has been taken over by Young-min. She sprays the men inside the club with gunfire from a Thompson submachine gun. She then shoots Young-min through the temple.
Soo-yeon finds Yul in the hiding place at the back of the club. She points her gun at Yul; when she hesitates in pulling the trigger, Yul orders her to shoot him.
Present times ... Se-joo, Jin-oh, and Seol come to terms with the events in their past lives. Seol also reconciles with her mother.
Jin-oh finishes writing Hwi-young’s novel as he had promised some 80 years ago.
Historical backgrounders and other information
1. Meanings of the term “Chicago Typewriter”
(a) Ep. 1 states that the term refers to the Thompson submachine gun because of the sound it makes when being fired. It was invented by John T. Thompson in 1918 during World War I and became infamous during the Prohibition era, being a signature weapon of various organized crime syndicates in the United States. It was a common sight in the media of the time, being used by both law enforcement officers and criminals.The book that Se-joo is holding in Ep. 1 shows the 1928 model of the Thompson submachine gun, which was designed for the US Marines, with a lower rate of fire to make the gun more controllable.
(b) The term also refers to the typewriter that Se-joo found in a café in Chicago. Instead of the QWERTY keyboard, however, this typewriter had Hangul characters. (The 1st picture on the right, below, is the typewriter used in this drama; the 2nd picture is the oldest Hangul typewriter, now displayed at the National Hangeul Museum.)
“The oldest Hangul typewriter was invented by Song Ki Joo in 1926 when he was studying at the University of Chicago. In 1933, he entered an agreement with The Underwood Typewriter Company in New York to manufacture this 4-set typewriter. It is now being displayed at the National Hangeul Museum.”From The Korean Typewriter:
“The second, dating around 1934, was by Song Ki-Ju, also a Korean-American, who was known as Keith C. Song as well, to spare Americans trouble in pronouncing a Korean name. His own company sold typewriters of his design, but they were manufactured for him by Underwood. The Underwood typewriter company had a connection to Korea; Horace Underwood, a missionary in Korea, was the brother of John Underwood, the founder of that company, and, thus, John Underwood supported his brother’s endeavors in Korea. This included manufacturing this first Korean typewriter, and it included the establishment, in 1885, of Yonsei University in Korea.”
(c) In later episodes, “Chicago Typewriter” refers to a novel.
2. Ep. 1 reference to Salvador Dali’s painting “Persistence of Time”: At the beginning of Ep. 1, we can briefly see a molten clock on a table in the café in Chicago where Se-joo took a break. That molten clock is based on Dali’s 1931 painting, the most prominent example of Surrealism.
3. In Ep. 1, Se-joo is described as the “Stephen King of Korea.” He compares Seol to the crazed fan in the novel “Misery” written by Stephen King. In Ep. 3, he compares his dire situation on the mountain with Seol again to “Misery.” In brief, “Misery” is about a crazed fan who saves a famous novelist from an accident, imprisons him, and forces him to rewrite a novel.
Stephen King’s novel was turned into a movie in 1990. Kathy Bates won the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance of the crazed fan.
4. In Ep. 1, a dog leads Seol into Se-joo’s house. That dog is a “Sapsali” or “Sapsaree,” which is native to Korea.
The “Sapsali” is a shaggy South Korean breed of dog. The word is followed in Korean by either gae (meaning "dog") or the suffix ee / i, but is also romanized as “Sapsaree.” Traditionally, these dogs were believed to dispel ghosts and evil spirits.
The Sapsali, just like the Jindo, was designated as a National Treasure (No.368) in 1992 by the South Korean government. The Sapsali has been identified and recognized by both leading Korean dog societies, the Korean Canine Club (FCI affiliate) and the Korean Kennel Club.The Sapsali has been called as a “lion dog” for its bulky and strong upper body and its large and imposing paws. Most of the Sapsali is medium-sized and slightly tall. Its adult coat is long and abundant, and comes in various colors, including solid and/or mixed shades of black, golden yellowish-blonde, reddish-orange, browns, and salt-and-pepper greys. Its hair falls over the eyes in the same manner as that of the Old English Sheepdog.
The Sapsali’s friendly outer appearance is matched by its innate patience and congeniality towards other animals and human beings. They are known to be playful in a group setting and have long been acknowledged and valued for their loyalty. (Wikipedia)
5. In Ep. 2, as Seol wanders around Se-joo’s house, we can see a painting hanging on a wall. That painting is the “Femme au Piano” (1875/1876) by Pierre Auguste Renoir.
6. The group to which Hwi-young, Yul, and Soo-yeon belonged to is known in history as the Joseon Youth Alliance.
Not much is known about the Joseon Youth Alliance except that it was established in 1924 by a group that included Choe Chang Ik. In 1933, he joined Kim Won Bong‘s Korean National Revolutionary Party’s military Organizations but left after an ideological dispute.
7. The Hongkou (Hongkew) Park bombing incident
In Episode 9, Se-joo asked Jin-oh how Soo-yeon learned how to shoot. Jin-oh replied, “The success of Yun Bong Gil bombing operation in Shanghai last year, has solidified the position of the provisional government. Sadly, the plan to assassinate the Japanese minister has failed”. Yun Bong Gil was the member of Korean Patriotic Corps, a secret organization that aimed to assassinate prominent Japanese figures of the Empire of Japan. Yul was referring to the Hongkou (Hongkew) Park bombing incident.
On April 29, 1932, the Japanese military held a celebration of the birthday of Emperor Hirohito in Hongkou Park (now it’s called Lu Xun Park). Among the attendees were General Yoshinori Shirakawa, commander in chief of the Shanghai Expeditionary Army; Kawabata Sadaji, government chancellor of Japanese residents in Shanghai; Kenkichi Ueda, commander of the 9th Division of the Imperial Japanese Army; Vice Admiral Kichisaburō Nomura of the Imperial Japanese Navy; and Mamoru Shigemitsu, diplomat.
Yoon Bong Gil, a Korean independence activist opposed to Japanese rule over Korea, entered the park carrying two bombs hidden in a lunchbox and a water bottle. After the Japanese national anthem had finished playing, Yoon threw the water bottle bomb at the dais where the Japanese officials were gathered, and detonated it. Shirakawa and Kawabata were killed in the explosion. Nomura, who later served as ambassador to the United States at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, was blinded in his right eye. Mamoru lost a leg; in 1945, as Japan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, he signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender that marked the end of World War II, walking on the deck of the USS Missouri with an artificial leg and cane. Yoon Bong Gil was arrested at the scene, taken to Japan, and executed.
In 2003, a two-story memorial hall dedicated to Yoon Bong Gil was opened in the park with the support of the Chinese and South Korean governments.
Related article: “Ceremony Marks Yun Bong-gil’s 1932 Bombing in Shanghai”
8. Art imitates real life — chocolate drink, lead actor Yoo Ah-in, and the drama’s character “Se-joo” as a struggling writer
In Ep. 1, after he finished his novel, Se-joo treats himself to a cup of hot chocolate.
In Ep. 4 (the Subway scene), Seol recalls how she gave free hot chocolate to Se-joo who was a struggling young writer at the time.
These scenes reflect actor Yoo Ah-in’s early struggles in his career. After the spectacular success of his 2003 drama “Sharp” (“Banolim”) Season 1, he walked away from acting, unable to cope with the fame and the adulation from fans and unsure of what he wanted to be as an artist. (Wikipedia)
More than a year later, he returned to Seoul to restart his career, almost penniless. The article “The various findings in ‘Chicago Typewriter’: More on Dali + parallelism + deers” narrates:
Yoo Ah In said that he usually bought cheap food in the convenience store near his studio apartment. Sometimes he sat and ate there too [while pouring down his thoughts on his random writings]. One cold day, after he paid for the groceries with the money left in his pocket, the counter ahjumma, who’s also the owner of the store, put a chocolate/cocoa drink inside his plastic bag. He told her that he didn’t buy the drink, but she said it’s a gift because she was his fan [obviously she became his fan after watching “Banolim”].
Yoo Ah In was taken aback, since he thought nobody recognized him anymore. He felt his eyes turned hot and tears were about to come down. The lady said, “It’s been a long while. I missed you”, and prayed for his success. Yoo Ah In quickly said “thank you” and stormed out the store before she saw his tears. Yoo Ah In wrote that he would never forget her and always felt grateful for her kindness.
9. Seol’s mother (aka “Madam Sophia”) was played by veteran actress Jeon Mi-seon; sadly, in 2019, she took her own life.
Some of her memorable dramas are “The Moon That Embraces The Sun” and “Six Flying Dragons.”
10. While thinking of abandoning his quest to find out how he died and of going back to Chicago, Jin-oh reads a “carpe diem” poem. Some of the lines state: “When roses bloom and the heart flutters / give me that smile of yours / If there is a song you must sing / then sing it now / for when your day draws to a close / it is already too late to sing. / Sing your song now.”This poem is based on the writings of famed American preacher Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892). At the bottom portion of the poem, you can see the Hangul characters 찰스 스펄전 which stand for “Charles Spurgeon.”
Spurgeon was Calvinist in theology; one of the tenets of Calvinism is unconditional election or predestination The drama’s writer could have chosen some other “carpe diem” poem from Korean poets, and so, why did she choose this poem? Could she have intended to say something about fate, reincarnation, and predestination? After all, Tae-min’s novel is titled “Fate,” right?)
11. “Chinilpa” (derogatory term for Koreans who collaborated with the Japanese): At the early part of Ep. 5, Bang-jin tells Seol that if she wanted to be rich, she should not have been an independence fighter in her past life. She says that the descendants of the pro-Japanese collaborators are the ones who are rich and lead easy lives. If you listen closely to Bang-jin, at the 9:35 mark, you can hear her say “Chinilpa.”
From Wikipedia: “Chinilpa” (lit. “pro-Japan faction”) is a Korean language derogatory term that denotes ethnic Koreans who collaborated with Imperial Japan during the protectorate period of the Korean Empire from 1905 and its colonial rule in Korea from 1910 to 1945.
“Chinilpa was popularized in post-independence Korea for Koreans considered national traitors for collaborating with the Japanese colonial government and fighting against the Korean independence movement. Chinilpa also applies to Koreans that had sought greater alliance or unification with Japan in the last years of Joseon Dynasty, such as Iljinhoe and the Five Eulsa Traitors. Prosecution of chinilpa gained increasing support in South Korea after the gradual democratization during the 1980s and 1990s, and the first anti-chinilpa legislation, the Special law to redeem pro-Japanese collaborators' property, was passed in 2005.
“Today, chinilpa is also associated with general anti-Japanese sentiment in South Korea and is often used as a derogatory term for Japanophilic Koreans.”
For more information, please read “South Korea targets Japanese collaborators' descendants” (The Telegraph).
Lessons in photography from “Chicago Typewriter”
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| Conveying depth through foreground and background blur |
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| High angle shot, foreground blur, natural frame |
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| Out of focus foreground element as a partial frame |
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| Low angle shot |
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| Dutch angle or Dutch tilt |
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| Background blur |
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| Shallow depth of field |
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| Natural frame, Rule of Odds |
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| Natural frames, converging lines |
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| High angle shot |
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| Low angle shot, converging lines, natural frames |
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| Low angle shot, linear perspective, natural frame |
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| Conveying depth through overlapping forms, foreground and background blur |
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| Natural frame / local frame, keep the background uncluttered |
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| Selective or differential focusing, shallow depth of field |
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