"Le Petit Prince" symbolism in "Guess Who I Am" - Summary, Characters & Plot

This is a deceptive drama that is a story within a story within another story. Spoilers below on the hidden story that this drama parallels.

Le Petit Prince

In Episode 21, we found out that Yao Yao's favorite star was Planet B-612, which is from the French Children's classic, "Le Petit Prince". This introduced me to the book and I was awe-stricken at how the drama referenced it from the beginning. This is a fantastical story with profound metaphors on themes of loneliness, friendship, love and loss. Through the charming Little Prince we appreciate his observations about life, adults, and human nature. The tone is whimsical, somber, and optimistic.

I highly recommend reading the book before watching the drama. Or read after to make these intriguing connections. The drama put a lot of heart in every aspect to convey the tone and messages from the book. It’s a paradoxical endeavor, like the book, to convey the message “beauty is unseen” through a visual medium.

Adults are better able to appreciate this book
Hmm... The drama's poster mimics the colors of the book

Brief Summary:

A Little Prince lived on a faraway planet, Planet B612, which had 3 volcanoes, 2 active, 1 dormant. He fell in love with a proud, silly rose, caring for her and protecting her from the wind and cold by placing her under a globe. She flirted with him, refusing to wake until she was fully radiant. He decided to leave when he felt like she was using him. Rose apologizes for failing to show that she loved him. She wishes him well on his journey and says she doesn't have to be in his globe anymore, she will try to take care of herself. He laments not knowing how to love her.

In his journey, he met many colorful characters, including a fox who taught him love. Why to love, how to love and build trust, to be responsible with love, how to appreciate love, how sometimes we must part with love, and how to cherish those memories. The Little Prince learns that his Rose was indeed special because she is the object of his love and that he had "tamed" her. "Tamed" means "to create ties", to need each other. He realizes he should have judged her by her actions, how she perfumed his planet and lit up his life, how he should have realized her tenderness underlying her silly pretensions. He wishes to return to her.

"One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes."

A snake will allow him to leave Earth to go back to Planet B612. He tells his friend, the narrator, not to worry. His body would only look dead because it's too heavy to carry back to the planet. Narrator doesn't want him to leave. Consoling him, The Little Prince has a present for him. He says:

"When you look up at the sky at night, since I will be living on one of them, since I will be laughing on one of them, for you, it will be like all the stars are laughing. You'll have stars that can laugh"

The stars can laugh and he hopes that the narrator will always laugh when he looks at the stars. The Little Prince allows the snake to bite him. The narrator never finds his body but continues to search.

Beautiful, right? Every illustration was portrayed by drama, some very obviously, others super subtly, capturing the book's mood and metaphors. Identifying each detail was an exciting treasure hunt. 

Characters

• Her hair in a bun, looking like a rose bud
• Lives in a florist shop, surrounded by flowers
• She represents flora and life
• When she is upset, she tends to her plants, rejuvenating them
• The Rose was feisty, silly, and pretentious, like our drama’s heroine. Yao Yao also has a protective façade, an over-the-top actress
• The Rose was alluring, Yao Yao is able to attract powerful men with her electric eyes
• The Rose always talked first. She says many things that she doesn't mean.
• The Rose isn't afraid of getting in someone's way, she thinks she can fight tigers, Yao Yao is unafraid to fight scumbags
• Her toy doll is of the Little Prince. This doll wore the seal pendant and is holding a rose. He connected our CP

• The Rose has 4 thorns. Yao Yao has Bestie SSS, Techie Gu, Boss Song, and JXN as her defenses.

Qin Hao/Ji Cheng Chuan = The Little Prince

• The Little Prince wore scarfs, ML wears turtlenecks
• ML’s long coats resembles The Little Prince’s
• He is the literal prince of Cheng Tian Corporation
• Planet B12 has 3 volcanoes, our ML’s home is grey and rocky like the interior of a volcano. There’s no greenery until she arrives

Planet B-612
The death stairs make sense now. They are at the bottom of a volcano

• The Little Prince was lonely, like Qin Hao
• The Little Prince loved to watch sunsets when he was sad
• The Little Prince rakes his volcanoes so that they don’t erupt, ML is afraid of fire.
• The Little Prince doesn’t answer your questions but he will never let go of the ones he asked himself
• ML is a fake CEO. The book mentions how people will believe anything you say as long as you wear a nice suit.
• Like the Little Prince, Qin Hao protected and shielded Yao Yao from wind, cold, and predators.

• His toy frog is a Prince with long legs. Our ML caught him for Yao Yao, but wasn’t ready to give him to her yet. Instead, she got a bigger Prince.

• Earth was dry, sharp and hard similar to Chengtian Corporation. It is a recurring image.

• His time on Earth was 1 year, the marriage contract was also 1 year
• His disdain of mushrooms  

"I know a planet inhabited by a red-faced gentleman. He's never smelled a flower. He's never looked at a star. He's never loved anyone. He's never done anything except add up numbers. And all day long he says over and over, just like you, 'I'm a serious man! I'm a serious man!' And that puffs him up with pride. But he's not a man at all -- he's a mushroom!"

Each planet the Little Prince traveled to, he encountered characters that represent human nature. In order of appearance.

• On the 1st planet, there was a King who had no subjects. He was commanding but his power was ineffective. The King wanted the Little Prince to stay and be his Justice Minister. Similarly, Father Ji was the head of Chengtian, he delved out projects, but he felt inconsequential. Father Ji wants JCC to visit him more.
• The King was kind and had thoughtful leadership principles. 

“One must command from each what each can perform. Authority is based first of all upon reason. If you command your subjects to jump in the ocean, there will be a revolution. I am entitled to command obedience because my orders are reasonable”.

• Father Ji was also warm, there were moments where he advised JCC, but I am not sure we saw those leadership skills. JCC, on the other hand, had some of the King’s qualities. Both when he was domineering to Yao Yao but also when he was leading the team.
• The King wanted to keep the Little Prince on his planet, but settled for commanding him to be his ambassador. 
• Father Ji's calligraphy art said "High Goddess of Water", drama's subtle clue that he secretly supports JCC's marriage with Song Yao
• Thank you Father Ji for commanding JCC to have Yao Yao move in with him. 

Shen Si Ling (SSL) = The Vain Man

• On the 2nd planet, the Little Prince met a vain man who regarded anyone else as an admirer. This characterization was the easiest one to pick out. SSL preened in front of his reflections and flexed his achievements at any opportunity. He desired acknowledgement. 
• The vain main was the most entertaining to the Little Prince

“Vain men never hear anything but praise.” 

“To admire means to acknowledge that I am the handsomest, the best-dressed, the richest, and the most intelligent man on the planet.”

• The Little Prince wondered, "I admire you....but what is there about my admiration that interests you so much?"

Shen Shaung Shaung = The Drunkard

• The 3rd planet was the shortest visit. The Little Prince met a Drunkard, surrounded by collections of bottles (both empty and full), who drank because he was ashamed of drinking. This was the shortest trip but made the Little Prince feel the most sad. This association with Shen Shaung Shuang may be the weakest because it is a rom-com. Her idolating obsession can be regarded as an addiction. Her pillow was empty and full ?. She wasn’t embarrassed, but I was for her. ?She also had the shortest amount of screen time.

Jiang Nan Xuan = The Businessman

• The Little Prince spent the most time on the 4th planet talking to a businessman who never looked up because he was preoccupied with numbers. Jiang Nan Xuan is obsessed with finance. When Qin Hao came to Jiang Nan Xuan to tell him about liking Yao Yao, he didn’t bother to look up (which was a great joke about Qin Hao’s love obliviousness)
• The businessman liked owning things, the stars, diamonds, islands, and ideas. Always wants credit for his great ideas. Jiang Nan Xuan was proud of his idea of transferring away Qin Hao’s money so that he wasn’t under the control of the electric eyes.
• He has only been interrupted 3 times in his life from counting. Once when a beetle fell on his desk and made a loud noise (When Qin Hao slammed his laptop shut, telling him to reply to Song Yao?), once during a fit of rheumatism causing him to be unable to walk (When he was clobbered by the metal can at the warehouse?) and lastly by the Little Prince now. (When Qin Hao asked him for confession advice?)

15 = The Lamplighter

• A lamplighter lives on the 5th planet, the tiniest and strangest one of all. He is a man compulsively flickering his light, not knowing why he does things except following orders. Each scene of 15 has him playing with his lighter. The lamplighter wants to rest (Chen Jing Hui told him a couple of times that he “no longer has to do this”) but can’t. He was actually thinking of someone besides himself.
• Interesting how his sun is red. Perhaps, that represents all the blood shed he caused?

Song Ling Ren = The Geographer

• The 6th planet has a geographer that only knows data but not how to enjoy the items of his knowledge. When Song Ling, our human data machine, Ren went to the museum with Gu Zi Jun, she was only able to spout off facts but never considered admiring the beauty of those works. The geographer told him to go to Earth. Similarly, Song Ling Ren helps direct Qin Hao with information.

Chen Jing Hui = The Snake

• A Snake on Earth. He and the Little Prince are similar in that they both suffer loneliness. Prince notes that it is lonely in the desert, Snake replies, “It’s also lonely with people”. 
• The snake was small, no thicker than a finger (the actor’s stature wasn’t tall) but he believes he is more powerful than the King. Chen Jing Hui always fiddled with his pen, which may also reference "no thicker than a finger". 
• The Snake claims he can send the Little Prince back, Chen Jing Hui gave JCC a plane ticket to “send him back” abroad.
• The Snake caused the Little Prince's death, paralleling Chen Jing Hui's role.

Gu Zi Jun = The Little Fox

• This cutie may represent the Fox, the one who taught the Little Prince and Song Ling Ren how to love. In order to build trust, he taught how to develop trust and “rites”. He said for the Little Prince to first come and sit far away. The fox would then look at him from the corner of his eyes. Then each day, the Little Prince can come closer and closer because the Fox would be used to him and anticipate his arrival. This was how Gu Zi Jun and Song Ling Ren’s relationship was built. 
• He was the wisest about love, able to recognize that Yao Yao had fallen for Qin Hao before anyone else 
• He looks like a little fox. Kaleidoscope, which looks like a fox burrow, is actually owned by Gu Zi Jun.

• Gu Zi Jun also doesn't like mushrooms. The fox was romantic like the Little Prince, both would look down on shrooms.

Liang Jing Yi = A Baobab

• On the Little Prince's planet were bad seeds called baobabs. They may appear sweet and innocent at first, but if allowed to grow, they can take over the planet. One must nip those in the bud as soon as you can tell if it is rose or a baobab. Liang Jing Yi was malicious and could have become a bigger nuisance, but our ML made things clear from the beginning. Liang Jing Yi called out the green color she was wearing, how baobab!

Sheng Si Qi = Monotony?

• The fox taught the Little Prince that he wishes to be "tamed", to be loved, in order to break the monotony of hunting for chickens and being hunted by hunters. He desired a connection to someone else, to become special. 
• Is Shen Si Qi a hunter? He wants SSL to focus on work. Is Shen Si Qi monotony?

Stay tune for a discussion on the plot next....

Hope you get a chance to check it out! I am going to try to update the plot parallels. It's even more fascinating.

Story Parallels

In almost every episode, themes of protection and building love and trust were present. Endless call backs to the book. Each time the Male Lead shielded our Female Lead from wind, cold, or predators. Each time he nurtured her. Each time he gazed at her. He is seeing past her “silly pretensions” and her bravado and appreciating her tenderness and how she “perfumed his planet and lit up his life”.

Her presence represents nature and life. She is surrounded by florals, tending to them, reviving them when she feels sad. He is her plant, she energizes him and literally sprayed him with her water bottle when he asked her to move in. She even served him flowers to drink. Yes, she is proud, reckless and overly imaginative, but she supports him and fills his void of loneliness. The trust and life they developed is how readers imagine the Little Prince and Rose would live once he returns to her.

The Mystery

The story starts with the narrator showing an illustration of a snake wrapped around its prey, about to swallow him whole. After which, the snake will lay dormant for 6 months, digesting its meal. For the drama, 6 months became 15 years. Our male lead has been engulfed by a fiery snake, laying dormant until he comes to Chengtian to unravel the mystery of the past.  

As a child, the narrator drew his interpretation of this fearful event. Adults see it as a "hat". Children see "a snake has eaten an elephant". Thus, the difference between grown-ups vs children, concrete vs fantastical. It is exhilarating to see beyond the surface.  

The outline of the snake/elephant are the same as our wedding photo. How the CP presents themselves on the surface vs. how they really feel.

The Meeting

In Episode 1, Qin Hao protects Yao Yao by using his body to shield her from predators. Paradoxically and humorously, a tropey bidong that establishes the deeper references to the book. They will always protect each other. 

Yao Yao looks like she is being chased by birds

 Here is what the wild birds brought her 

The Narrator imagined that the Little Prince "took advantage of the migration of wild birds" to leave his planet. Qin Hao comes back from abroad and surprises this flock.  

In Episode 2, Qin Hao tries to find the pendant in order to become CEO. In a gymnasium of women, he only focuses on Song Yao, wondering where she came from and why she was here. In the book, the Little Prince questioned the Narrator, who had crashed landed his airplane, which planet he came from. Narrator was proud of his abilities, but the Little Prince was amused by his falling out of the sky, which annoyed the Narrator. Our gloat-faced Yao Yao was similarly irritated by Qin Hao.  

"What planet do you come from?"

The Pretensions

Episode 3, our Rose isn't afraid of tigers.

Fortunately, Qin Hao pulls her behind him, protecting her. He started to appreciate Yao Yao's tenderness but both are still necklace agenda driven, the pretenses continue. At the end of the dance, Qin Hao sees that Yao Yao is wearing the wrong necklace, a little star. It wasn't the seal he was searching for, but it was actually who he needs, his little star. When he looks up at the stars, the Little Prince sees his Rose. Yao Yao is a star, shining brightly, dazzling with her electric eyes.  

The Lighthouse & Well

In the book, the Narrator and the Little Prince searched the desert for water. It is the unseen aspects that made this journey beautiful and memorable. The desert is beautiful because it hides a well somewhere. The two reached the miraculous well and tasted the sweet as a feast water. Whenever the narrator has a drink of water when thirsty, he will recall their walk under the stars, the song of the pulley, the effort of his arms. "It did the heart good, like a present"

Episode 4, Qin Hao and Yao Yao wandered all day around the island, climbed up the clanging metal stairs, and enjoyed the ocean view up high. We hear seagulls singing with Yao Yao humming. The hum of "Long, Long, Ago" will make them recall this moment, and subconsciously, their childhood moment here. The breeze on their faces, the water glistening, and can almost smell the saltwater. The scene had no dialogue. It was slow and lingered to allow the audience to feel the invisible. The drama flashes back to this moment often because both will always remember this "present". To the Narrator, water represents the Little Prince. To the Rose, water also represents our Male Lead. He is her nourishment and her life.

No dialogue needed. The drama wanted us to experience the bonding moment.

The Betrayal & Escape

The proud Rose would cough whenever she told stories beyond her knowledge. She would "pretend to be dying" to avoid humiliation and the Little Prince would have to pretend to nurse her. When Qin Hao went to Yao Yao's apartment, she was coughing up a fit to hide his intel and to defenestrate Techie Gu.

The Little Prince began to distrust the Rose because of some "inconsequential" things she said and how she would order him around to do things for her, similar to Qin Hao and Yao Yao. The Little Prince decided to leave his planet, leave his Rose. Before leaving, he rakes out his volcanoes and pulls up the last baobabs. He says goodbye to Rose, but she is silent, unable to express how she wants him to stay. The misunderstanding between the 2 are too great.

This one captured the mood of the book and colors
One of the scriptwriter's favorite scenes

 Episode 6, Yao Yao meets with Qin Hao, wanting him to stay, wanting to be upfront with him about being hired to spy on him, but unable to express this. She failed his test because Techie Gu had sent his info to Chen Jing Hui. At the airport, he tells her everything was fake, including his feelings for her when they were at the planetarium. 

The planetarium is on theme for our intergalactic traveler and his little star
Everything here was real

 The Little Prince was surprised that his Rose had no reproaches and was calmly sweet. Rose apologizes to the Little Prince for being silly and not showing him her love. She wishes for him to "be happy." Yao Yao also apologized and said, "No matter what, I am glad you are fine." 

She wishes him well

Narrator said he believes that the Little Prince escaped by the "migration of wild birds." Qin Hao and Yao Yao broke up at an airport.  

The Marriage License & Sheep

At the beginning of the story, the Little Prince asked the Narrator to draw him a sheep. The sheep will eat the baobabs. He rejected the sheep that looked too frail, that was a ram, and that looked too old. He wanted one that was healthy, a real sheep, and would last a long time. The Narrator was at his wits end trying to please the Little Prince. He eventually drew a box with a few holes outside. "The sheep you want is inside." The Little Prince was very satisfied with this sheep." His magical thinking allows him to see clearly with his heart.

The sheep is a metaphor for a relationship, and for this drama, it is for marriage. He wants a healthy, real, and long-lasting relationship. A good sheep, or good relationship, would uproot baobabs or interlopers. Sometimes, the Little Prince would persistently fret about this sheep. Will it eat roses too? The Narrator, not understanding the deeper meaning, nonchalantly confirms it can eat a rose. Yes, a relationship can hurt the one you love. This made the Little Prince very upset, especially when the Narrator can't see the importance of "sheep eating flowers for millions of years" This was when he went into his "mushrooms suck" rant because mushrooms don't know love. 

"It's not important, the war between sheep and the flowers? .... Suppose I happen to know a unique flower, one that exists nowhere in the world except my planet, one that a little sheep can wipe out in a single bite one morning, just like that without even realizing what he's doing -- that isn't important?"

The Little Prince burst out sobbing. The Narrator took him into his arms and rocked him, promising anything in order to console him. He promised to draw the sheep a "muzzle" and a "fence" for his flower. A ring and a home to protect the relationship.

In Episode 7, Qin Hao forced Yao Yao to marry him. Recall the marriage license picture above. See with your heart which one is real. She wore a white wool coat. He got a sheep! At the Civil Affairs Bureau they saw a "sick" relationship ending and an "old" relationship committing to lasting even longer. The ram? Hmm... Either it was Liang Jing Yi who he rejected before getting to Yao Yao, or it may be Yao Yao's various replacement offers. ? I lean towards the latter.

Yao Yao: Why do you want to marry me?

Qin Hao: Because I like you

Yao Yao was given a box with a "Marriage Law" booklet and 2 roses. That's a sheep inside the box. It is up to them to make it healthy, real, and long lasting. 

Hilarious book linkage time. An astronomer found a Planet B-612 but because he was dressed ridiculously, no one believed his theorem. Years later, he presented the same idea again and was accepted because he was wearing a nice suit. The drama has Yao Yao and JXN back-to-back looking like this. 

Crazy Astronomer =Yao Yao ???
How witty is the director? Her telescopic lips kissed her new planetary husband via text message

Later in the episode, the warehouse hijinks happen. While taunting him, Yao Yao fell off her bicycle. Qin Hao was amused and picked up the bicycle instead of her, much to her chagrin. When he looked back at her, the electric eyes took action, leading to one of my favorite hilarious contrasting expressions scene. 

Ah, this parallels the book, but between 2 different characters. When the Little Prince first came to Earth, he met the Snake. At that time, he connected with him about their mutual feelings of loneliness and found the Little Snake very funny. He notes that the snake wasn't very powerful, doesn't have feet, and couldn't travel very far. So this is how our heroine gets picked up? And he shielded his Rose from the cold with the most romantic line, "It feels worse for me to see you cold.""You're a funny creature..." 

Very, vey, very funny...

The Proud Rose

Episode 8, Qin Hao made Yao Yao go with him to his father's house. She had a hard time putting in contacts. Her eyes all teary, Qin Hao felt terrible and asked her if she hated him. Aww. Refusing to let him see her cry, she poked him back. 

"For she didn't want him to see her crying. She was such a proud flower..."

Later, after arguing with him about not wanting to move in, she demanded for him to leave her on the side of the road. Foolishly, he complied. This was his first lesson to not listen to her.

"I shouldn't have listened to her. You must never listen to flowers. You must look at them and smell them. Mine perfumed my planet, but I didn't know how to enjoy that."

"Flowers are so contradictory!"

The episode ends with her attacking him with her spray bottle because he teased her again. Our male lead really doesn't understand flowers.

The Homecoming

Episode 9, Wearing a rose colored coat, Yao Yao moved in with Qin Hao, bringing life to his dreary, grey volcano. He had decorated her room with flowers everywhere - in vases, on the blanket, on the walls as realistic and abstract art, and in the colors of the furnishings. He even bought floral perfume and make-up for her vanity. 

The Fire

They danced around each other, her searching for the contract, him unaware why he keeps thinking about her. Episode 9, Yao Yao accidentally set fire to his basement (Is this one of his active volcanoes?) causing him to have a severe PTSD attack. She loosened his tie (his "scarf"), stayed with him, wrapped him in her arms, stroking his hair, like how the Narrator consoles the Little Prince.  

"I dropped my tools.... There was, on one star, on one planet, on mine, the Earth, a little Prince to be consoled!"

 When the Narrator and the Little Prince searched for the desert well, the Narrator carried him because he was falling asleep. Looking down at his face, the Narrator was moved.

"It was as if I was carrying a fragile treasure. It actually seemed to me there was nothing more fragile on Earth. By the light of the moon, I gazed at that pale forehead, those closed eyes, those locks of hair trembling in the wind, and I said to myself, What I'm looking at is only a shell. What's most important is invisible...."

When Qin Hao woke up with Yao Yao besides him, he picked her up, with the same marvel. The moonlight shined on her face. What's most important is unseen.... his gratitude for her presence, her instinct to care for him, their developing love.

He is looking at a shell, what's most important is unseen