In See You in My 19th Life, Kang Min-gi becomes a part of Ji-eum’s life and pushes her to remember her first life. Lee Chae-Min plays the role of Min-gi.
Ji-eum does not know Kang Min-gi, but he knows her. When Ji-eum starts meeting people from her past life, Min-gi decides to keep an eye on her. To get closer to Ji-eum, he comes to Ae-gyeong’s restaurant to get a job.
Ae-gyeong gets sick and is taken to the hospital, and Min-gi stays by her side until she wakes up. Ae-gyeong takes a liking to him. She not only gives him a job but also room and board, allowing him to watch Ji-eum closely.
Min-gi’s efforts to help Ji-eum
Min-gi is so keen on watching Ji-eum because he knows that Ji-eum connecting with people from her past lives will cause problems. Ae-gyeong’s sickness is not ordinary; it is a consequence of living with Ji-eum, who was once her uncle, like family.
Min-gi is aware that Ji-eum has reconnected with Cho-won and even revealed her identity. He works with Han-na, who was Seo-ha’s mother in her previous life, to help Ji-eum before it is too late.
Meanwhile, Ji-eum is suspicious of Min-gi, so she decides to go through his belongings. She comes across shaman bells in his suitcase, and as soon as she touches them, she sees the visions from a recurring dream of hers.
When Ji-eum questions him about his identity and admits to touching the shaman bells in his room, he reveals to her that, like her, he also remembers his past lives. This is his 23rd life. In this life, he is a professor of archaeology.
Ji-eum does not remember much of her first life, and Min-gi tells her that touching the shaman bells can help her remember that life. Ji-eum must find the relationships from that life to know why she remembers all her past lives.
With his help, Ji-eum is able to remember bits and pieces from her first life, including the fact that she knew Seo-ha in that life. However, she soon stops trying to remember, no matter how much Min-gi pushes her, as she becomes focused on her relationship with Seo-ha.
Finally, when Ji-eum finds out about Ae-gyeong’s illness, Min-gi tells her that the illness is a result of Ji-eum reconnecting with her. He knows this because he has experienced the consequences of meeting people from his past lives.
Other people from Ji-eum’s past life will also suffer, as Ji-eum has reconnected with them, until she becomes normal, which cannot happen unless she finds out what happened in her first life.
Min-gi helped Han-na remember her first life and guided her. He now claims that he wants to help Ji-eum find peace, as she still has the chance to stop remembering her past lives. Ji-eum takes his advice and tries to remember her first life once again.
It is rare for a person to meet people from their first lives in the same form. While Ji-eum gets her chance in her 19th life, Min-gi is still waiting for his, so even if he wants to, he cannot stop remembering his past lives.
Min-gi and Ji-eum’s past connection
What Ji-eum does not know is that she had met Min-gi in her first life. In fact, he was there when Ji-eum stabbed Seo-ha and was shot with an arrow. When Ji-eum remembers her first life, her past connection with Min-gi also comes to light.
In Ji-eum’s first life, Min-gi was Master Cheon-un, the priest of a shrine. He had asked Ji-eum to dye the cloth that was to form the knot of the sacred shaman bells, which would then be used for a ritual.
However, Ji-eum decided to steal the bells and exchange them for the medicine that she needed to save her sister, Seol. Min-gi and his men caught Ji-eum and her sister before they could get the medicine. Ji-eum begged them to let her save Seol, but Min-gi did not budge.
Min-gi believed that Seol was past saving and killed her to bring her peace. He also tried to kill Ji-eum, but Seo-ha did not let him. Min-gi then took the shaman bells and went to perform the ritual like nothing happened.
The day same, Ji-eum died while trying to kill Min-gi, who was rescued by Seo-ha. Ji-eum swore to remember that day and get her revenge someday. This resulted in Ji-eum remembering all her lives even after being reborn multiple times.
Also Read: Yoon Cho-won: See You in My 19th Life character explained
