This drama did amazing things. The visuals were brilliant, the directing was superb. The writing was tight and suspenseful. An anomaly of cable dramas airing on Friday nights, Secret Investigation Record has game. And that game is watched over (in a weird theory laden sort of way) by Assistant Heo. Let’s celebrate our favorite maybe time traveler maybe ghost maybe who knows Yoon Yi.
Heo Yoon Yi aka Assistant Heo aka whatever theory you apply
Actor: Im Jung Eun
Drama: Secret Investigation Record (2010)
A character we will never truly know. Yoon Yi played her part perfectly- as the blind prophet foretold this character was at a crossroads. This character directed us on our own path when we reached the fork in the drama road. She was the Hecate of the plot, our director in the foggy Joseon world of UFOs and monsters. Despite her directions we have no idea why and how we ended up with muddy boots and only a cursory and theoretical idea of why we walked down the road in the first place.
I will admit it freely. This character-from her first moments-brought to mind a 1970s gem of classic anime- Maetel, the mysterious heroine (or was that villain) from Matsumoto’s masterpiece Galaxy Express 999. She was an ever present force over the story, sometimes subtly, sometimes powerfully acting as the savior. No matter her role she was always there. Somehow, just like Maetel, we knew in the end she would be there. She had to be, she was the guide that took us on a journey we could not forget even if we wanted to.
There are so many theories out there around this drama. It was a mystery, and in my opinion that is what it did well. Why was the last scene with Yoon Yi as puzzling as the first time we witnessed her? Because we never could find out who she was, we only glimpsed small pieces of a puzzle. A puzzle that may or may not have had bearing in reality or a foundation in our own time. Like Secret Investigation Record as a whole, Yoon Yi remains a mystery. What makes her a great charter is the fact she acted like Maetel- she guided us. She met us in the end. Whether we choose to reject her or not was a choice we could make on our own. She was there- ready to face the end. A great character indeed.
Lore In Stone Cities 