Castaway Diva (2023) K Drama Episode 2

Episode 2 of Castaway Diva starts at the Brother’s Salon, as we’re introduced to a guy called Bo-geol. He’s the hard-worker of the house, doing his best to make food for his parents. However, his brother Woo-hak is the complete opposite, showing up half naked and with his hair all over the place.

Both brothers butt heads over their living arrangements and Bo-geol finds his headache growing when he takes Woo-hak out on the boat across to a nearby island. They’re supposed to be volunteering to pick up trash, but Woo-hak decides to slack and fly his drone instead. Now, we know that drones are short-range so they must be on the same island as Mok-ha.

Mok-ha chases after the drone and eventually swats it to the ground. Woo-hak goes charging up the beach and finds her. Just like that. The rest of the gang show too, as it seems like they were just up the beach and Mok-ha didn’t see their boat coming in either? Anyway, they take her back to the mainland.

On the way, we get some of the plot explained. Korea has over 2000 deserted islands and with both her parents having passed away, and everyone believing Mok-ha to be dead, our protagonist is in unfamiliar territory.

It’s been 15 years so naturally things are very different. The bathrooms have been changed over and there’s electric scooters riding about. Woo-hak helps her out with some shoes, which she’s super grateful for. Pilji Island is 55km away from the mainland and it wasn’t one of the spots that the authorities checked initially. Mok-ha is taken to the hospital and she’s in good health too. She’s received a new ID card and is ready to integrate into society again.

Woo-hak works at the news station with his brother, and the pair disagree over who’s the pushover and who’s the savage. Woo-hak is tasked with following up on the interview and checking up on the new arrival at the hospital. She’s getting discharged and will apparently head to her hometown in Chunsam Island.

Although she’s 31 on the outside, the nurse explains that because of her time away from society, she still has the mannerisms and ideals of a 16 year old. The most surprising thing for Mok-ha though, is how advanced phones are. When she last had one she had a slow flip-phone and in the world of smartphones and super fast internet, this is completely alien to her.

Woo-hak shows and decides to escort her back home. On the way, he leans in, asking big questions about what happened to her and how she came off the boat. On the way, Mok-ha is shocked by a banner advertising Yoon Ran-joo, who’s attending a festival nearby.

Woo-hak realizes the extent of the story stems from her leaving to see an idol and despairs over the story, believing it’s embarrassing for him to cover this. Mok-ha overhears and berates him for badmouthing Ran-joo, even going on to call him Mister, despite being the same age.

When the ferry departs, Woo-hak keeps a distance while Mok-ha heads back home. In place of her father’s fish bar is a new restaurant. The guy in charge is the son of one of the fishermen from the dock! He berates her for showing up at the restaurant, claiming that it’s legally his now s she’s been declared dead so it’s not technically hers.

Woo-hak overhears the whole thing and decides to film them. “10 years isn’t enough to grant adverse possession,” He says nonchalantly. He also points out that this doesn’t work anyway given Mo-hak is still alive. He points out that the pair are trespassing and could be slapped with a lawsuit if they’re not careful. Mok-ha though doesn’t want it to go further and asks about Ki-ho.

Things settle down and the group sit inside the restaurant, discussing what happened to him. Ki-ho used to always stare at the water and then soon ran away after reporting his father for domestic violence. The police fired him immediately, but the guy has been looking for his son this whole time.

With Ki-ho gone for so long, Mok-ha takes a look inside his house and believes that he’s still alive, especially given a post-it up on the note board about dreams. The tatty shoes obviously belong to him, and this explains why Mok-ha has been carrying them around this while time as a memento.

Mok-ha wants to leave the island, and given Woo-hak and his family have a vacant rooftop apartment, he pitches the idea for letting her stay there with them. Bo-geol in particular is irritated by this and tells him he should just carry on working and not concern himself with it. Well, Woo-hak lets her stay all the same but in secret. Mok-ha makes a promise to herself to do whatever she wants now whenever she wants, determined to live for the moment.

Mok-ha and Woo-hak chat, with the former commenting on how similar he is to Ki-ho in both his mannerisms and his dialect. Woo-hak contemplates over this that night, especially as they’re the same age and have the same personality. The reason? He’s got amnesia and lost his memories. Bo-geol listens incredulously and dismisses the claims. Could it really be a case of amnesia?

As for Ran-joo, she’s not the same idol she once was. Rumour has it she’s a drunk and a heavy smoker. However, she’s still due to show up at Deodeok Village Festival. Woo-hak decides to take her the next day but warns that her idol won’t be the same as she remembered. Still, Mok-ha is very much in the mood and she loads the car up with balloons for the big performance.

When Ran-joo finally makes it on stage, she’s drunk and shocked to see everyone waving the balloons for her. This brings back memories of her heyday where she’d perform in front of thousands of adoring fans. Mok-ha happens to be watching her from the back, and witnesses her singing really well in front of everyone. Mok-ha even mimes the words along with her, leading to rapturous applause.

Ran-joo finishes and speaks to Mok-ha backstage, where she learns of her name and eventually embraces her. Mok-ha is shocked to meet her idol and as they both hug, we cut to a post-credit scene.

Woo-tak contemplates that post-it from Ki-ho’s desk, pointing out that this is something their mother would always say. Is it a coincidence or fate? Well, Woo-hak is convinced that he’s actually Ki-ho and to be honest they definitely look alike don’t they? Still, we’ll have to wait and see for the truth.

The Episode Review

Castaway Diva returns with another good episode but not as good as the opener. There are some contrivances here, including the desert island story which is basically just shrugged off after a bit of plot explanation. However, it’s sufficient enough to suspend disbelief, although a bit more here would be nice. I mean, the taps in the bathroom is a bit silly given there’s still been running water all that time, but the electric scooters and smartphones is a nice touch.

The whole situation involving Woo-hak/Ki-ho is intriguing and hopefully this is a simple solution and they are the same person. However, it could also be Bo-geol as well, as a nice little twist, so we’ll have to wait and see.

The redemptive angle involving Ran-joo and her ideas as an idol is a good touch though and that part of the story is definitely intriguing. We could be on course for some feel-good redemptive drama here. Either way, everything is set up nicely for next week’s double-bill.