Comment by blackcatofmisery on The Thread Never Burned - Chapter 34

@blackcatofmisery the bracelet could also represent a vow, like the marriage vow of destined loverst that are connected by the red thread of fate from chinese mythology, it's really prevalent in east asia: two people connected by the red thread are destined lovers, regardless of place, time, or circumstances. This magical cord may stretch or tangle, but never break.

@Tigre Triste  The bracelet also represents their vow the uke literally says “If hardships try to tear us apart, I’ll tie our bond so tight nothing can break it.” That links directly to the chapter 1 art piece  in Korean/Joseon myth, mountains are where heaven and earth connect, where spirits reside, and where vows are witnessed. The red vapor/mist underneath is  yeongji/lingzhi and Sipjangsaeng longevity motifs (immortality) which fits since he’s implied to be non human/spirit-like, so his death is like a rupture in the natural order. The red moon/sun above the mountain reads like an omen seal (blood moon = catastrophe), and the whole frame looks like a scroll or mural, foreshadowing reincarnation scrolls continue when unrolled, just like their bond is meant to persist beyond death.

Further on the blood moon it "indicates an imbalance in these forces, sometimes suggesting imminent disaster, the death of rulers, or a significant, often negative, change in the political landscape"-Google 
he’s clearly a mountain guardian /kami being(tiger imagery), bound to the land itself (we never see him leave the mountain because he can’t as he states). In that context, his “death” implies a violation of the mountain and its spiritual order. In Japanese/Korean myth, you don’t kill a guardian spirit like a human  you destroy or rupture what anchors them. That’s why his last “how could you…” reads bigger than betrayal, and why the blood moon omen signals imbalance in the world/mountain itself, not just tragedy.

Forgive me  for the long ahh comment just went down a rabbit hole on Joseon art/japanese-korean mythology

@Han nothing to forgive, I enjoyed you comment, thanks for explaining the cultural nuances and linking them to specific parts of the story. Thanks!