This review of All About Eve was originally published in 2006 by AnnMichelle, in the reading corner of www.jang-donggun.com.. As the original website is now unavailable, the review is reproduced below:
by AnnMichelle
from the reading corner of [www.jang-donggun.com] 2006
Watching
the young girl in a white mourning dress burning what looked to be the last
reminders of the life with her father, I resolutely switched off the DVD
player.
That’s it. I couldn’t take it anymore. Life is short and I didn’t
want to waste it on something that depressing and sad.
I called Mei-Ling, the friend who lent me the DVDs. That was a terrible
show, I complained. None of the lead characters was cute; the story was
lousy.
She did not give up. You got to watch it, she said. Give it another
chance. This is a CLASSIC.
I looked at the DVD cover grumpily. All About Eve. Four people, two
girls and two boys, if you could call that guy with the whitish hair and a
serious face a boy, who looked like a sales manager of a struggling company.
I did not know any of them. That was my second foray into Korean drama.
Having spent years first studying then working in the States, I was
almost completely cut off from the Asian pop cultures. I knew none of the
Taiwanese stars, even though I came from Taiwan, let alone Korean ones.
Things changed since we moved to Singapore following my husband’s transfer.
Suddenly I found myself a housewife with lots of free time on my hands.
I began to look into the ever popular K-drama scene. I survived my
first one relatively unscathed; the story dragged on a bit but the actor and
the actress were easy on the eyes and I enjoyed the theme song a lot. So
onto AAE I moved.
He is a great actor, not just good-looking, gushed Mei-Ling. She was
talking about Mr. Jang Dong Gun. Well, I don’t see it, I said. At
the time I did not connect the cycling, carefree boy of the very first scenes with
the ‘sales manager’ on the cover. I was simply irritated by him. I
mean he was obviously rich, able to afford a very nice flat in UK while a
student. His looks were OK with the mouth a bit on the small side.
But that hair! I simply could not stand it. For me, it
spelled grumpy, pretentious, rich brat.
Are you sure this is going to get better, I asked Mei-Ling. Just watch
it, she said, or I won’t be friends with you anymore.
That was how I began to fall in love with Kenneth (Hyun Chul) and AAE.
Are you interested to hear more?
It
was 5 o’clock in the morning. I sneaked out of bed where my beloved
husband was sound asleep, blissful, and unaware. I passed the children’s
bedrooms, trying not to make any sound. Before they woke up I got about
an hour and a half of uninterrupted viewing of JDG and AAE. What glory!
Never mind that I did not go to bed until 12 the night before. Or
that I would be watching the same parts again for the umpteenth time.
I could not (still cannot) explain my behavior. From all accounts, I was
a very normal person. I am happily married, have two cute (though
sometimes troublesome) kids, manage the household tolerably (especially BEFORE
AAE), and function well in the society I live in. Now why this crazy
obsession with this show and this MAN? I could not figure it out. I
also had this burning urge to pour my feeling out. But to whom?
Poor Mei-Ling had had enough of the stuff to last her a lifetime.
All the other friends just looked at me incredulously whenever I tried to
insert JDG in the conversations (poor souls, all of them).
But I digress. Let’s go back to where I first fell in love with JDG.
Well, the truth is, I am not quite sure. Like all great love
affairs, ours began most unwillingly and without awareness or acknowledgment
from either party. By the time I noticed something was amiss, I had been
long lost. Lost in those big, expressive eyes, where tears seemed to well
so naturally and touchingly. Lost in the line of the straight, proud
nose. Lost in the sad smiles and the heartbreak behind those smiles.
I think it must be the scene where he cried at the mother’s funeral. (It
was JUST after Young-Mi burned her father’s stuff at which point I had stopped
watching. What a narrow miss!) He did not look good at all in that
scene, all the features twisted in the anguish of mourning. But as he
turned to look at the father, his expression a myriad of accusation, great
pains and helplessness, my heart ached for him. What had he been through?
What had those two dearest people, mother and father, done to him?
Then through the flashback and the fight with the father, it became clear
that for him, the past did not die with the mother. In fact, as the
ensuring bar scene showed, it was eating him away, pushing him into an
emotional black hole he might never climb out.
I’ve always had a weakness for the sensitive, thoughtful, yet outwardly stoical
type (think Viggo Mortensen in The Lord of the Rings, or Ralph Fiennes in The
English Patient and The End of the Affair). Now I had before me this long
suffering man with the incredibly handsome, almost delicate, face. And 20
episodes (well, actually less than that but who’s counting) of him!
To prolong the pleasure I tried to do the right thing. I would pace
myself, I swore. No more than 3 episodes a day. If I finished the
quota for the day, I would just go over the old ones again. Needless to
say, human passion is not an easy thing to pace, or to hold to quotas.
Let’s talk about that in the next entry. For now, so long and take
care.
The
first few times I missed the tears that welled up in his eyes.
I was concentrating on Joo Hee, who was lovely and obviously in love with this
unresponsive man.
She was behind him, head leaning against his back, giving an embrace that he
literally turned his back on. And she acknowledged the subtle refusal.
It’s just that she could not let him go. There’s still hope in her
mind that he might come around and accept her love. She was willing to
wait.
But Hyung Chul knew better. If anything, he learned from the painful past
that marriage without love is doomed. And love cannot be forced. He
did not love Joo Hee.
But staring at the Thames and the dark unknown beyond, hearing her truthful
assessment of his sorrow, he could not help but feel afraid, even scared.
What would become of him? This lonely man, who could not give or accept
love. He professed that he did not understand what love was. Yet he
longed for it. For he knew in his heart of heart love is what makes a
person truly come alive.
The tears in his eyes were for the great loss he foresaw. They were also
for the person he wished to but could not become---a mature, complete person
who lived life to the fullest.
At the same time, he did not take the easy way out of his problems.
With his looks, status, and money, he could have acted like a playboy or a
womanizer. Or he could have gone the other way to be a misanthrope, a
hater of people more fortunate (like what Young-Mi became). Yet he was
too intelligent and proud to do either (a shade of Mr. Darcy here). He
chose to be a loner, observing by the sideline and waiting for his true love.
Did I think about all these during the first few viewings? Of course not.
And that is the beauty of Hyung Chul as a character, and DG as an actor.
He reveals everything but says very little. You need to look
carefully and patiently, not to miss any minute facial inflections, to
understand the undercurrents of the character. But they are all there.
Once you know how to find them, you’d marvel at the mastery with which DG
instills life and soul in Hyung Chul.
With the emotional backbone and the gravity of intelligence in place, the ‘rich
brat’ I mistook him for gradually transformed himself. Those eyes were
not just big; they were penetrating, all seeing. The ‘small’ mouth was
capable of great feelings, yet nothing unintended escaped from it. A
handsome boy became a most attractive man whose happiness suddenly was my goal
as well.
That was when I started to wonder: who could be the one? Like Hyung Chul,
I couldn’t wait for her to appear.
How
could you tell that someone was the one for you? I could not, and, based
on personal experience, did not. Now it’d wrong to assume simply because
I couldn’t do it nobody else could. Still, that was a pretty difficult
call to make.
It takes chance, fortune, timing, fate, destiny, or all the forces in the
universe lining up just so, for two strangers to meet up and develop a lasting
relationship.
Hyung Chul was ready. I think even if he had not been, his mother’s death
acted like a catalyst to push him in that direction. It forced him to
examine his life so far and what he saw was not very encouraging. It also
put things into perspectives: life is short; seize the day. So he was
ready, even if he did not know it at the time.
How about Sun-Mi? Up to this point, she gave the impression of the girl
next door, perky, nice, and a little spoilt. There was none of the
toughness and stubbornness in evidence yet. That would come later.
For now, all her attention was focused on Woo-Jin and on how to make him
see her not as a sister but as a love interest.
Then, a chance encounter, a clash of two worlds. What struck me the most
was the succinct way the writers employed in bringing out the characteristics
of our hero and heroine. For Hyung Chul it’s his acute observation and
innate curiosity. For Sun-Mi it’s her candor and gumption. And all
these happened in the hospital parking lot (in 3 minutes? 4?)
He was used to be on guard, so this time, when things could easily turn nasty
for HIM, he was especially cautious (lawsuits, police, and female hysteria must
have crossed his mind). But Sun-Mi totally defied his expectations.
To her, this was just another unfortunate incident in a very bad period
of her life. She apologized, for she realized it’s mostly her fault.
But she was also irritated, while the arm’s really hurting, by the
unsolicited attention and officious posture of the offender.
Some would say Sun-Mi was simplistic. I think she was kind and direct.
She liked to give things or people the benefit of the doubt by taking
them at face value. As she herself saw no reason in being false, she
assumed others followed the same doctrine. However, that did not mean she
was oblivious to deceit or falsehood (see how quickly she spotted Young-Mi’s
tricks). She just preferred to call a spade a spade.
This, to the sophisticated and detached Hyung Chul, was more than a breath of
fresh air. It was a revelation.
He never realized one’s life view could be so clear and straight forward.
Or the outlook so bright and full of hope, even when things did not all
go your way. And his surprise or ‘shock’ at finding Sun-Mi was justified.
Such a disposition was rare indeed (and as a bonus, so was that
warm-your-heart-and-melt-your-sorrow smile).
I firmly believe Hyung Chul fell for Sun-Mi much earlier than he would admit.
When he boasted that knowing him was a present in itself, I would like to
add ‘and vice versa’.
PS For DG, Happy Birthday!
If
Hyung Chul were not human, I think he’d contentedly play the role of a secret
admirer/protector forever.
He could hardly be called a voyeur, but if one took out the sexual elements (or
at least the explicit ones) in the notion, he did derive much the same pleasure
from observing Sun-Mi.
Of course, part of his reasoning for this secrecy was that he had not revealed
(and had not wanted to reveal) his true standing to Sun-Mi. And from her
reaction upon discovery, his concerns were totally justified. (It is a
fun exercise to speculate when would be the RIGHT time to tell her in order to
avoid the perceived deception and subsequent confrontation. My answer?
There really wasn’t any right time for Sun-Mi to receive this news
calmly. To her, no lies were white and all lies were bad. Almost.)
Another reason for this guilty pleasure was old habits die hard. Not that
he observed for pleasure’s sake but he simply observed. Being a bystander
for so long, sometimes he could not help but slip back to his old ways.
(We would see more of that later when things weren’t going so well for
him.)
But, most importantly, he did that because of necessity. For in Sun-Mi’s
mind, the idea of Hyung Chul as a lover had not taken hold at all. I was
tempted to call this a ‘while you were sleeping’ syndrome. But I would
not do it to Sun-Mi, because she was not without feeling; it’s just that she
hadn’t had the time or inclination to connect all the dots yet. In that
case, the only way to have as much pleasure without scaring away the love
object was to do it secretly.
However, Hyung Chul was human after all. Only too human, it seemed, in
front of Sun-Mi. Notice how he loved to touch her, caress her, hold her
hand? How animated he became merely because she was there too? He
could steel himself to just feed on her images, voices, and memory. But
he craved too much those moments when they could be together to stay away.
Two incidents proved pivotal in Hyung Chul’s journey toward love.
By the lake, as he stood and watched Sun-Mi shouting into the distance,
something crystallized in his mind, that she had no concern for herself, no
matter how badly hurt she was, that she only, ONLY, wished Woo-Jin to be happy
forever. Hyung Chul was incredulous. He almost could not believe
what he had witnessed (and promised to remember for her so she could forget).
How could a soul be so pure and unselfish? As she tearfully bid
good-bye to her first love and buried her passion, he was struggling to contain
HIS feeling for her.
The struggle was ended by her asking him ‘what about me,’ under the free and
beautiful stars. From that moment on, he never looked back. He
firmly and finally refused Joo Hee. He sent out his first, clear
declaration of love to her, albeit anonymously. He suffered (oh how he
suffered) silently while waiting for her to connect.
Passion, as we all know, is a beast who refuses to stay hidden.
They
said it is a common trick sworn by the K-drama people.
Change the hair style. Lose/gain a few pounds. Pick a new wardrobe.
Write a few bridge scenes of, say a car accident or amnesia or a
miraculous cure.
And the end result is? The lead actor came back a different person, thus
the drama tension was heightened and the viewers were grabbed anew.
Supposedly.
Well, he did have a (or two?) new hair style (and thank heavens too, for I
really did not care for that London ‘hip’ look) and a more business-like
wardrobe. But Hyung Chul’s transformation from Senior to Director went
much, much deeper than just the superficial.
When I looked at Director Yoon, the adjectives that came to mind were settled,
and anchored. It’s as if he’d done a mental inventory of his stock and
decided to put everything in its rightful place. The roaming, carefree
student of yesteryears was carefully dusted off and stored away (though Sun-Mi
had the magic touch of recalling him back to life with a finger snap).
The aloof, world-weary outsider was no more (but this one liked to poke
his head out from time to time). In their places emerged the heir
apparent who was comfortable with his responsibilities and eager to take on new
challenges to prove his worth.
He looked like a real CEO, only much, much handsomer. (How did JDG manage
to do that? As far as I know, he did not have any business or executive
experience. Just by observing others who had? Some even suggested
he had an aristocratic air and I agree that he has. He never ceases to
amaze me.)
His commitment to Sun-Mi was the cornerstone of this new self. It added
tolerance, empathy, and dedication to his emotional makeup. Now he
understood how it felt to be rejected, and that love was about giving, giving,
and giving some more.
I have been thinking about the cause of the transformation. His father’s
call for help, coincident with his graduation, certainly was the obvious
reason. But, with Sun-Mi never far from his mind, he might’ve been
thinking about the future, the dreams, his own castle and kingdom (remember he
told Joo Hee at the bar that some people did not even have dreams? This
was how far he had progressed.).
Perhaps because she knew him so well, nothing much was made about Sun-Mi’s
reaction to this transformation. It would’ve been ready acceptance but
for the management-workers dispute over the hiring of free-agent anchors.
It’s then ironic that we have to see the success of this transformation
through Young-Mi’s eyes. When Hyung Chul, Woo-Jih, and Sun-Dal walked
into that elevator, Young-Mi glanced up at the stranger and then did a quick
double-take. Now Young-Mi was never the day-dreamy, susceptible type. But
the charm and confidence oozing out of Hyung Chul must have so impressed her
that the idea of becoming Mrs. Yoon started to take shape in her mind.
As for me, I like to look through the cracks on the surface. I enjoy the
fights the different Hyung Chuls waged against one another for dominance.
Like when in London they were having a heart to heart (at least Sun-Mi
was) over a beer, the way he said he was a happy man, full of forced bravado
and suppressed melancholy. Another time he was all business leading an entourage
down the company hallway, only Sun-Mi, glimpsed through a tiny window, could
bring him to that giddy, teenage-like state (finger-hushing the subordinates?
Come on, Director Yoon!). Or the time he yelled fighting into the
phone (to Sun-Mi, of course), could not stop laughing, then grinned sheepishly
toward a stunned Joo Hee.
So I guess in the end Sun-Mi was the luckiest one, because she had them all.
Love
is never a sure thing.
Even at its zenith, it only takes a slight turn of head, a second of
hesitation, or a few misinterpreted words to send the lovers running for the
nearest rulebooks, buddies with a sympathetic ear, shrinks, or drinks.
It is especially so when, in the beginning of love, everything still seems murky,
fluid, and uncertain. Then, the possibility is distressingly endless and
the promised love forever seems an impossible dream.
When Hyung Chul was trying to win Sun-Mi over, he knew he was not THE guy in
her heart. It’s a fact maybe he knew too well for his own good. It
masked and distorted Sun-Mi’s subsequent actions for him. It also clouded
his own judgments.
When, after the cell phone incident, Hyung Chul and Woo-Jin were in the editing
room, Woo-Jin asked about Sun-Mi’s punishment. Despite his denial,
Woo-Jin’s concerns for Sun-Mi were obvious. Hyung Chul took this calmly,
as if he’d expected it. But his apparent acceptance and cool rationality
were betrayed by his next comment: I so envy you. He had uttered the same
comment to Sun-Mi half-jokingly earlier, now he said it to the man himself.
How difficult it must’ve been for the proud and determined Hyung Chul to
acknowledge that, probably for the first time in his life, he had to settle for
second, in the matter closest to his heart. His gentle smile to his
opponent said it all: self deprecating yet full of unspoken resolve.
I also love the juxtaposition the scene provided. With Young-Mi on the TV
screen broadcasting and Sun-Mi on both men’s minds, the four-some did a
delicate pas de quatre, with rich implications and delicious uncertainties, for
both the players and the audience.
Another intriguing scene with our four principals was the celebration after the
successful premier of Eve’s Morning. The setting was Hyung Chul’s apartment
and the small space added to the immediacy of the emotion interplay. It
started with Young-Mi’s calculated shot at Sun-Mi’s luck, a fixation Young-Mi
never managed to get over. It achieved its intended effect and got the
guileless Chen-Sui going, adding to Sun-Mi’s embarrassment and discomfort.
Hyung Chul of course noticed it, but Woo-Jin did too. And it was
the latter who spoke out for Sun-Mi. I give Woo-Jin a lot of credit for
this act. After all, he was faulting HIS lover for another girl, in front
of colleagues and the girl’s professed admirer. It took real affection
and courage to do that. (And you can be sure that Hyung Chul, who as a company
official, really could not say anything to help out Sun-Mi, chalked up another
entry under the Sun-Mi & Woo-Jin heading for brooding later.)
And there’s more. When Hyung Chul picked up a cigarette, the ever
watchful Young-Mi solicitously lighted it for him. Sun-Mi saw it, and she
quickly turned to look at Woo-Jin, worrying that he might be hurt by this
inconsiderate behavior. (Did she glare at Hyung Chul for being the
receiver of this act? I cannot tell for sure. Maybe she still had
not developed lover’s possessiveness toward Hyung Chul yet.) This
incident registered far less importance in Hyung Chul’s mind. For when
Sun-Mi was not directly involved, he simply did not care. But for Sun-Mi,
the idea of Young-Mi abandoning Woo-Jin and scheming to trap Hyung Chul must be
very upsetting. Was it more so for Woo-Jin’s sake or for her own?
That’s another ambiguity the devious (it seemed) writers of the show left
for us anxious fans.
But, oh, how I adore those ambiguities! I can afford to too, now that I
already know how things turned out for Hyung Chul. Could it also be that
ambiguities in my life seemed so few and far between I actually craved them?
I was never lost in the tangled web of love, was I? No, wait, there
WAS that other guy. What’s his name? Wasn’t he the one who said if
I were to marry the guy I was seeing (now my beloved husband), we would be
divorced in no time?
With a smile and a warm feeling all over me, I send my best wishes to everyone
trying to negotiate the twists and turns in love’s tangled web.
Dear AnnMichelle and hello Blumarijo
Your diaries certainly got me reminiscing. It had been a good five months
since I first watched AAE. At that time, when my friend wanted to lend it
to me, like you, I wasn’t keen because I wasn’t impress by the Chinese title
but my friend insisted it was so captivating that after watching it many times
over the Malaysian and Singapore TV, she went to buy a set of the VCD. I
did not understand the logic because I would only watch a serial once.
But after watching AAE, I did exactly what she did – I went to buy a set
for myself!
You were wondering :
“But for Sun-Mi, the idea of Young-Mi abandoning Woo-Jin and scheming to trap
Hyung Chul must be very upsetting. Was it more so for Woo-Jin’s sake or
for her own?”
My thinking is that it was both. For the transformation of Sun Mi’s love
for the two men certainly did not occur overnight. The switch of her
unrequited love for Woo Jin to that of brotherly love and her brotherly love
for Hyung Chul to that between lovers had indeed been a very slow process (4 –
5 years?) but so very slowly but surely she had unconsciously been moving step
by step towards Hyung Chul without any of them realising it.
So when did Sun Mi realise that she had fallen in love with Hyung Chul? I
guess it was before her birthday for why else should she choose to spend her
birthday with just him alone? Even so, it was after he put the peridot
anklet on her leg and after hearing what he said about wishing to spend all her
future birthdays (the next 10 years………20 years……etc…) with her and also wanting
to make a pact with her to meet again in their next life that made her fall
even more deeply in love with him.
So that begs the question – when did Hyung Chul realise that he had fallen in
love with Sun Mi? I think it must be after she left London. He was
already feeling despondent on the day she left so it must have taken great
control and willpower on his part not to reveal his true feelings to her when
he knew she only had eyes for Yoon Jin. In fact, he hid it so well that
it struck like a bolt of lightning when he suddenly confessed his love for her
out of the blue on the MBS rooftop.
But when one actually look back at all the little things that he did for Sun Mi
at MBS, perhaps one should have realised that it wasn’t simply brotherly love
that he felt towards her. Like you said when he led the entourage of his
senior executives down the MBS corridor, the way he hushed them to silence just
so he could concentrate on what Sun Mi was saying to herself should have
revealed the extent of her importance to him that he cared not two hoots what
his senior executives might think of his action. Yes, Sun Mi is indeed
very lucky!
Pebble
Why
did a person lie?
Perhaps it was not simply to hide the truth. Sometimes, lies were told
because they were preferred, by the liars or the lied-to, over the truth.
For example, I never believe Hyung Chul meant it when he said he would wait
silently for Sun-Mi and that if she did not love him, she could simply forget
he ever professed love to her. I did not mean he would not wait for her.
I meant he would do much more than just waiting and he would never allow
this most important affair to be forgotten, despite his promise (lie!)
otherwise. I think he said that just to placate her, to buy time, to give
Sun-Mi a chance to fall in love with him. It’s the only thing he could do
under the circumstances not to let the whole thing implode before his eyes.
Perhaps a lot of people would disagree with me. But, let’s look at Hyung
Chul’s state of mind at that juncture. He realized for the first time in
his life he fell in love with this enchanting girl. He also believed he
would have no chance at all to be accepted by her. In fact, she was so
shocked by the confession, she might just slang the door on him and crush all
his hopes (and hers, though she wouldn’t admit) for happiness. So, what’s
a passionate, determined lover to do? He told her a lie, to let her drop
her guard and to give the old gospel a full workout: love will conquer all.
The funny thing was she believed him. Or she chose to believe him.
You would think as the recipient of all those
gifts/gestures/hints/attention, Sun-Mi should by now know, as a lover, Hyung
Chul was never the silent sufferer sort. His personality was too tough
and headstrong for him to be that. And you know what? I bet she
knew. She was just too relieved grabbing at the lifeline he threw her to
see it for what it really was, a lie.
(All those scenes of him brooding and “suffering” were real. But,
remember, those were behind closed doors and in his private sanctuary, where he
did most of the planning and strategizing too.)
When the two gradually let the silent waiting thing drop by the wayside and
moved right along, Young-Mi’s breakup with Woo-Jin started another round of
lies.
This time Sun-Mi had to do most of it, because now she loved Hyung Chul just as
much as he loved her.
Assured by her feelings, Hyung Chul became more assertive. (I don’t think
he became more confident in their love. Love is never a sure thing,
remember? Rather, he was more familiar with the whole love thing and felt
more comfortable to claim his rights.) He told her in no uncertain term
that he did not want to see her cry for Woo-Jin anymore. He would do
anything to get Woo-Jin out of her mind, out of her heart, even authorized a
kiss-and-make-up trip on the company’s time and money (and got a lot of grief
from the sophisticated, career-minded AAE fans.)
Watch how surprised she was when first hearing this at the café. This coming
from the suave, cool Hyung Chul, the one who’d uttered the now defunct promise
of waiting silently, patiently?
Then came one of my favorite parts in all of AAE. He walked in with the
assistant, sidled up to her, and swallowed hard. (Poor Hyung Chul!
He was always very thirsty whenever she’s around.) Their exchange
about age and sleeplessness, and the sideway glance, full of accusation and
contempt, from the assistant, are classic indeed. Later, at the rooftop,
everything seemed so clear and reasonable. He understood her. She
understood him. Jealousy became a joke and breakup was just an inevitable
outcome for two people falling out of love. Ah, if only!
Not so long after that, for him, she lied about the date with father. For
him, she lied about father (dearest father) taken ill. For him, she lied
about marrying Woo-Jin (I don’t think so. No, she wouldn’t.). For
him, she lied about wanting him to walk away.
In E. M. Forster’s “A Room with a View,” the last few chapters were titled, aptly,
Lying to George (Lucy’s lover)
Lying to Cecil (her soon-to-be-ex fiancé)
Lying to Mr. Beebe (clergyman), Mrs. Honeychurch (mother), Freddy (brother),
and the Servants
Lying to Mr. Emerson (lover’s father)
And, as Mr. Emerson said, in lying about love, Lucy was ruining her souls.
The darkness would creep in; it was hell.
Thank heavens our Sun-Mi and Hyung Chul decided to come clean.
In
AAE, the one and only, real argument between Hyung Chul and Sun-Mi occurred
pretty early in the show, when she called him a hypocrite, and he called her
immature and an idealist.
How insightful they both were!
And I have to give Sun-Mi extra credit for her cool and piercing observation of
Hyung Chul, which many of us die-hard fans have neither the inclination nor the
capability to make.
There was something hypocritical in Hyung Chul. When he was fighting the
good fight, like proposing a better children’s program or choosing the right
anchor for the 9 o’clock news, he was firm and aggressive, seemingly enjoying
the battle. But when he knew he was on the moral low grounds, he
preferred to hang back and let others do his dirty work for him. (He
asked Sun-Dal to prepare a staff reduction plan but we don’t know whether the plan
was actually carried out. At least all the people I knew in MBS were not
affected.)
You can say what he did was no big deal. Many a CEO did the same and many
more will continue to do it. And I don’t hold that against him. But
Sun-Mi knew his other sides too well. To her, he was no ordinary CEO.
Why such a sensitive, considerate person would suddenly turn into this
cold, calculating, bottom-line obsessed businessman was what puzzled and
disappointed her. She could not reconcile the two Hyung Chuls.
Although Hyung Chul understood where Sun-Mi was coming from, he had difficulty
explaining to her that even as he himself would prefer not to, Director Yoon
still had to find ways to perform his duties, for the better good of the
company (hence the need for a henchman). He thought her views were too
straight and narrow, too black and white, to appreciate the struggle and
give-and-take a more practical person must face. What he did not expect,
however, was that Sun-Mi’s simple way of looking at life could have the last
laugh, sometimes.
When he told her about how drained and exhausted he was, because of the
defection of a highly paid contract anchor, she rightly pointed out the money
game is everyone’s game, not just the employer’s. He looked at her and
you could see the surprise and admiration in his eyes. Of course she’s
right. Her judgment was not a result of business acumen or strategic
thinking, but of a deep and empathetic understanding of people, plain folks
just like her.
Hyung Chul had been insulated for too long. In his world, there were only
the greater good, the abstract numbers and hollow concepts (such as: make
yourself valuable then you won’t lose your job); he sometimes failed to see the
hidden human elements. Sun-Mi’s presence injected a much needed dosage of
humanity and earthiness.
And the effect on Hyung Chul went far beyond the business side. I bet if
he could have another talk with Joo Hee after the ‘stay-away’ from Sun-Mi, he
would have said something much kinder and gentler. From Sun-Mi he learned
to be humble.
What did Sun-Mi get from Hyung Chul? Well, she learned the value of
faking it.
Look at the anniversary celebration. Without Hyung Chul, she was our dear
and cute Sun-Mi, chit chatting with Cho-Jeh, cat fighting with Young-Mi.
But in front of Hyung Chul, the president, and all those dignities, she
was the perfect hostess in waiting, all graciousness and smiles, who charmed
everyone out of his socks. For her performance, no one could be prouder
or more satisfied than her teacher, Prince Charming himself.
OK, that’s not exactly faking it. For one, true grace cannot be faked.
People would not respond kindly to falsehood. But Sun-Mi did learn
to embody a public persona, which was a must for her if she wanted to be a
successful Mrs. Yoon.
Was that innocence lost for Sun-Mi? I don’t think so, for she remained
truthful to her nature. As a matter of fact, she actually gained a
valuable insight into the inner workings of Hyung Chul, who had to wear a mask
constantly. It brought them closer. They were no longer two
different worlds; they were partners in crime now.
All these learning and sharing went under the radar screen. Sometimes
even our two principals did not know exactly what’s happening to them. So
when Young-Mi was eyeing the singing Hyung Chul, who only had eyes for Sun-Mi,
(who was sitting right by Young-Mi, another great juxtaposition) you could tell
she was wondering: what did he see in her? I almost felt sorry for her.
She completed him, you dummy!
When
watching the ‘since our separation’ recording scene, it suddenly dawned on me
that was the big reason I so adore AAE and Hyung Chul and Sun-Mi. They
never stopped loving each other. Never. No matter what obstacles others
threw at them, no matter what temporary heart of darkness of their own loomed
large and threatening. Their love was steadfast, as constant as the
morning sun and the evening stars.
This lock on their most precious feelings freed them from being a bleeding
heart, so common in other K-drama, poor souls lost in the misery of uncertainty
and confusion.
Even in his darkest hours, Hyung Chul knew, without a doubt, whom he was
waiting for. He worried about whether she would be at the end of the wait,
accepting him. He worried that sometimes she did not seem to remember he
was still there waiting for her. But he did not have to think whether HE
would continue to wait. That’s out of the question. Like when Kim
recruited Sun-Mi to host the Art Club, Sun-Dal was concerned that the two had
called it quits. Hyung Chul just gave a tired and evasive smile. He
seemed to say, well, she might, and you could be sure that I’d find out why,
but not me, no way. And so the journey went on, as rightfully as the sun
comes up everyday.
The harshest words he ever said to her were ‘I might just let go.’ And
even though he cautiously added a water-tight (to him) insurance policy against
the possibility of ever letting go, as soon as those words were out, he regretted
it. He was mulling over that the whole way to the meeting place.
Woo-Jin couldn’t possibly be there, he thought. No, he was safely
occupied with Young-Mi somewhere else. When that’s confirmed, he would
give Sun-Mi a good talking to. He would tell her, see, I told you so,
maybe it’s time you re-evaluate your relationship with Woo-Jin. And just
as he was about to start the talk, the unthinkable happened. Against the
hopes of Hyung Chul AND Sun-Mi, Woo-Jin showed up.
I think when Hyung Chul saw the two standing together, he was not even jealous;
he was too shocked by this unlikely turn of events and by his miscalculations.
He was furious with himself, with the way he handled this. Then
despair hit. What if she took that declaration seriously, instead of the
lover’s spat that it was?
Her behavior the next morning seemed to confirm his worst fears. After a
sleepless night (any doubt?) he was in no mood to be reminded of his own
mistakes and HER preference of Woo-Jin over him. I think those were the
reasons behind the big blow-up. Being a helpless bystander was one thing,
but acting as an agent to deliver your girl to your chief rival, no matter how
inadvertently? What a big fool this love thing had turned him into!
That must be really intolerable.
But even after the public humiliation he delivered and the private venting some
more (mostly to save face), did he “let go” of her? We all know the
answer to that. The way he turned on the radio, just like the way he
stepped out the elevator to follow her to the recording room, they spoke of a
man enchanted, a man possessed, who gave up the fight to control himself and
surrendered completely to the siren singing the sweet song. A
self-deprecating half smile was the only evidence that tells us he actually
knew what he was doing.
(I especially love the scene where he just sat there by Sun-Mi’s sick bed, his
expression the most meaningful blank, a canvas full of colors and shapes yet
showing no trace of them. For me, that’s acting at its most sublime.)
Though Sun-Mi dropped hints of her unwavering love for Hyung Chul all over the
place, none was more adamant than the comments to Young-Mi. You can’t
have him. You won’t succeed. He was not as fragile or malleable as
Woo-Jin. Facing up to Young-Mi was nothing new to Sun-Mi. But
painting a bad (but true) picture of Woo-Jin was something she would never do
unless absolutely forced, as in this case, to declare her faith in Hyung Chul.
At times, Sun-Mi was really the complicated one, made more so by the fact that
often she was calling the shots. In the triangle between her, Hyung Chul,
and Woo-Jin, as far as she’s concerned, there was really no triangle. She
never seriously considered going back to Woo-Jin. While Hyung Chul might
equate her affection toward Woo-Jin to love, she knew her own heart.
The more intriguing triangle was between her, Hyung Chul, and Young-Mi.
And here she was on more shifty grounds, not because of her own feelings,
but of Hyung Chul’s. Even though the two women competed all the time, I
think deep down in Sun-Mi she did have an inferior complex toward Young-Mi.
She understood (and appreciated) Young-Mi’s talent, drive, and ability.
And she had Woo-Jin as exhibition number 1 to attest to what would happen
when Young-Mi decided to turn her charm full on. She was a worthy foe
indeed. So who’s to say Hyung Chul would not succumb to her charm?
Those bravado comments to Young-Mi served not only to warn off Young-Mi,
but also to boost her own shaky self-esteem.
And if Hyung Chul did choose Young-Mi, what would Sun-Mi do? Unlike the
first fight for (puppy) love in the case of Woo-Jin, this time she had decided
to retreat. This was a credit she gave Hyung Chul for being an
intelligent and mature man, who should know what he really wanted. This
was also a credit to Sun-Mi’s own maturity, I feel, for she placed his
well-being above her own and was willing to sacrifice for a happy ending for
HIM.
The idea of sacrifices was brave and noble, but that did not stop her from
loving him. Not one bit. This undeniable, insuppressible,
refused-to-be-buried love also brought about one of the most unclean breakups
I’ve ever seen. It’s as if neither of them BELIEVED they could call off
this thing. And in fact, they could not. That’d be like asking them
to stop breathing, or ask the sun not to rise, or…ask me to stop loving AAE.
DG
has big shoulders. Now I have to admit, before AAE, big shoulders did not
register with me at all as the attributes idols must possess. Soulful
eyes, yes. Arrogant nose, you bet. Expressive, kissable lips,
definitely. But broad shoulders? Who would think shoulders could
play such an important role in a love story?
But of course they did.
I will never forget the way Hyung Chul gathered Sun-Mi into his arms, his
chest, and, it seemed, his whole being, then supported her with his shoulder
and embraced her with all his heart. What moved me most was that through
the embrace, he was giving out something, not just taking it in. Be it
sympathy, understanding, comfort, or just the plain “I am here with you,” the
messages delivered by those broad shoulders and long, powerful arms were so
considerate and unselfish, they often brought me to tears.
Getting a big hug from him was like holding those soft and sweet hands of hers,
both an instant energy booster the two never got enough of. Those
physical contacts between Hyung Chul and Sun-Mi were so mild and innocent you
wondered what in the world made them so romantic and touching. Could it
be the undercurrent emotion buildup that had no outlet and was ready to
explode? Like after the lovely birthday dinner he grabbed her hands and
squeezed them, still not quite satisfied so he had to follow up with a kiss
(lower, lower, I was yelling at him). Or under the umbrella where she
folded herself so accommodatingly into his eager arms (in about half a second
was my estimate; nice work, Sun-Mi!) and the ensuing reluctant separation that
left them flustered and aroused.
Of course the restraints the playwrights showed in AAE in depicting the
physical side of love were there for a reason. And I don’t think it’s as
if bedroom scenes were taboos in K-drama, for I’ve seen it done, explicitly,
many times before. So it’s because of our characters, a couple seemingly
ill-matched, especially in the beginning, to venture too far on the physical
front.
That Hyung Chul’s ready and willing I have no doubt. His many scenes
where he struggled to keep those impulses in check were the jewels of AAE.
The more difficult part to play and write for was Sun-Mi. Grant it,
she was younger and preoccupied. But as things progressed she must have
felt the strong attraction toward Hyung Chul. Even when they were still
in the UK, the ease they showed when in close company disputed any notion about
their ‘ill-matching.’ When he gave her that good-bye hug and kiss (with
the very unnecessary excuse) the expression on her face was initial surprise
and quick, glad acceptance. When they met in Korea again, she almost ran
him over with her exploding happiness. And don’t forget the quick peck on
Hyung Chul’s cheek that sealed his love for life. Oh, she felt the
irresistible pull toward him all right.
It’s only when they started to learn to love each other, Sun-Mi’s middle class
bearing began to exert its influence. Now here is another interesting
glimpse into the Korean mentality. We know Young-Mi had a past and was
sexually experienced when she was a teenager. But we also saw how strictly
the socially acceptable behavior of young women toward men was defined, as
taught by Woo-Jin’s mom. Such as a girl and a boy were not supposed to be
together unchaperoned in the girl’s house! This old and new, tradition
and modern ways must have raked havoc in Sun-Mi’s mind. On the one hand
she was an independent career woman who came and went at her own will.
But she reverted to the pure maiden role whenever her lover wanted to
hold her hand! I am not sure how much Hyung Chul understood this inner conflict
but it certainly added suspense to the viewing pleasure. We were kind of
guessing, would she or would she not, for matters big and small. When he
asked for the five minutes embrace, she gave in gladly, even encouragingly.
But when he went for her hand at the end of a long day (and that act
wiped away all his worries and his solemn expression) she fidgeted big time.
This uncertainty was the reason I watched her part of the kissing so closely
(well, I admit his part I watched very, very closely too). And our Sun-Mi
finally came through. Forget about the ‘good girl.’ Forget about
other people were watching. Forget about tomorrow and tomorrow’s
troubles. After the initial exploring (well guided by Hyung Chul), Sun-Mi
soon abandoned all pretense and totally joined in the act. And she gave
it all she got. Watching the two of them so united in this one act, from
body to soul, from past to eternity, any kind of analyzing or interpreting is
redundant. So I shall stop.