The thread is open for lively discussion.
gifs from honest-mp3’s tumblr
After six episodes, I find MiJeong’s words more inscrutable than Mr. Gu’s. I don’t know if she’s trying hard to be philosophical, messing around with his brain or just being confused.
Let’s enjoy the show!
Mr. Gu does not say much, but his words are not cryptic. I am looking forward to finding more about him in the next episodes.
Definitely, Mr Gu is not cryptic, @SnowFlower. Mr Gu is a straightforward.
It’s MiJeong who says things she doesn’t mean. It’s like her “imaginary lover” talk. She says she isn’t going to cling but she does so cling to him.
The one thing I dislike about the MJ/Gu dynamic is the underlying “power” imbalance. Gu is an alcoholic. MJ enticed him to “worship her” so that he will become a “different person by Spring”. MJ is the one wielding the “power” and Gu just goes with the flow. It’s coy without being overtly coy? It just feels like she’s “using him” in the guise of waking him from his stupor and thereby making him a better person. It’s just something that’s been nagging me since she started the whole “worship” deal. Plus, she still maintains the position of power, by saying that she’ll stop it once she feels whole? What about him? What if he’s not quite done yet in his process of self actualization?
@nrllee, I wonder if she is fooling herself with that prediction that she will stop. It may well end up being the other way around. He may recover to the extent that he can return to a well-heeled life and career – whatever it was that he did before. He seems to be drinking in a deliberate manner – not just grabbing whatever is handy. He may get over the need for alcohol fairly quickly if he sees a way out of his troubles. I say that because I think that much of Gu’s situation and problems may be due to a single recent circumstance. I think that MJ is innately the more complex, more troubled person due to the long term nature of her past traumas.
@Fern yes I understand that she’s brought up this whole idea out of desperation (not just for a romance but for some meaning to her lacklustre existence) so she’s not exactly doing it out of spite or fun. It still doesn’t sit comfortably with me though. 😬 Funny she mentioned cattle driving. I felt like that when I was recently in “cattle class” (economy on a plane). We were herded like cattle and my mind went to her words 😂
@nrllee, I agree completely that she’s not a comfortable character. Now I can’t get @Welmaris’s theory out of my head and it all worries me.
The cattle driving image is so relevant to travel and commuting in cities, especially during rush hour, don’t you think? I think of the metro/subway lines and the crowds riding the steep escalators – shoving and being shoved to get into carriages, too. Once on a flight from UK to US, we passengers were herded into a pre-flight waiting room that was literally a pen. No facilities. Couldn’t go backwards or forwards because had already gone through a second security check and the flight wasn’t boarding for another 1/2 hour. I had rarely felt so dehumanised.
@nrllee I agree that both characters need to work on themselves. Gu needs to get sober and MJ needs to get over her depression. I will say that I think they are bringing out the best in each other. I just think each needs to work on themselves separately before they can have a truly healthy relationship.
I look forward to see how Changhee changes and finds the courage to ask his coworker out.
What do you guys think about Kijeong and Taehoon? I think he is good for her. I have a feeling that she might end up with her boss.
Gu and Mi Jeong are interesting. I do like them together but I’m not exactly a fan of how they started. It stems from Mi Jung’s desperation and looks like she’s throwing herself at any man. The show also implores this with how Gi Jung is very choosy and that didn’t work out for her till now, especially in today’s episode. But I don’t think that’s the best approach. Plus Gu is really changing at the speed of light. Maybe because his condition is result of an external event but for the siblings its something they’ve internalized over the years. Maybe the show is actually too realistic that Mi Jung and Gu and their worshipping look like fiction in between. And that seems a little off. I remember that wasn’t the case with My Ajusshi, but I guess I shouldn’t compare. I was rather surprised the Joy Club administrator, ended up liking their club. For people like her or Mi jung’s colleagues, they never really understand people like those in the Liberation Club members. They may attribute their issues with their lives as rants and playing victim rather than living their life and solving their problems. And that undermines many people from liberating or expressing their worries and themselves. So it’s surprising that she said, she could understand it.
Mr. Gu, who are you? Chaebol? Gangster?
I don’t think there is a power imbalance between Gu and MJ. I see MJ is a needy person, and her demand of Gu worshipping her is a desperate act of that need to dig out of her emotional abyss. Gu is in control, even with his alcohol intake. He is systematic in his two bottle purchases. MJ’s demand piqued Gu’s interest and I think he went along with it just to see what happens. He’s changing. He had one bottle of alcohol, instead of his normal 2 bottles in episode 7, 44:56.
All three siblings have low self-esteem, and it’s hard to figure out where that low self-esteem comes from. They have a steady family life: two parents, who are still with each other, seems to get along, and works diligently every day. They have a steady home, land, and a small community in their neighborhood.
I like learning the economics from this show, and I have no idea what real estate values are in anyplace Korea. There was a reference that the parent’s house and farm land had the same value as that deposit for the convenience store. That $300M won (equivalent to $237K USD) seems low for the house and farmland. I’ve seen melons (maybe it was pumpkins?), leeks, and some other crops, so the farm has four sections of land for various crops? The brother also made a comment about the convenience store having a monthly profit of $8M to $10M each month ($6,331 to $7,914 USD). Again, I do not know what the relative numbers are, but a profit of $7K seems low to me, but the numbers are shocking high to him and his work-friend.
MJ is crying uncontrollably at the idea of being a delinquent borrower, and she made a comment about having to quit her job if she becomes a delinquent borrower. I had to search the internet on why, and found a good article from Reuters. If a person defaults on their loan, whether that loan is a business or personal loan, it doesn’t matter. The bankruptcy follows that person for a long time, and no employer wants to hire you because of that stigma.
I’m still mulling over Episode 7, so will write more later, but wanted to write about one scene. At first it felt random that Gu and MJ went on a night time drive and ended up looking out on semi-feral dogs residing in a dry stream bed. Some observations:
–MG has proudly refered to herself as a legendary dog: loyal and brave.
–MJ speculated these dogs once had owners, but were abandoned.
–MJ thinks they gather in the dry stream bed, even in the rain, because they feel safe in that location.
–MJ warns Gu that there’s danger in approaching a barking dog.
Is MG like one of those dogs? She seemed so to me in this episode, with all the whining she did about wanting to be in love and being attracted to a decent man, but hesitating to ask him on a date. Her incessant phone calls to her sister when MJ was busy and couldn’t answer were like the yapping of a dog. The multitude of texts she sent the divorced dad after eavesdropping on the story he shared with the club was like a growling dog with a bone in its teeth. And the way she could dry her tears after getting off the bus and say she felt better after a good cry: all bark and no bite. Not all dogs are noble legends.
I think those dogs were also an allegory. Their abandonment, their needing to form a pack for safety, mirrors the Liberation Club. The three members were the outliers at the company, and they found refuge in banding together.
The dog pack could also represent the siblings and their Sanpo friends, extended family at home in a place others view as undesirable.
And finally, MJ did some barking at Gu in Episode 7, didn’t she? He’s been forewarned that she can be dangerous when angry.
My thought was that Gu could be included in the dog pack. He feels safe in Sanpo for now. He didn’t seem to have any fear of them, foolishly perhaps. Yes to MG being like them in her mind. They were even Jindo dogs, as she imagined.
@welmaris are you referring to GJ when you say MG? I like the allegory that she is like a yapping dog. Gosh her constant bemoaning about her plight really got to me this ep. 😂. She’s a 40yo woman? It just looked undignified. 🙄.
I liked Gu’s confession 😂. Unconventional. She makes him nervous. This from a man who claims he fears nothing, not even when stabbed by a knife.
Do we think he’s a thug? Underworld figure? 🤔. He said he could get someone else to fix the problem with MJ’s ex if she provided him with his name and number?
Ep 7
The friend that has to listen to GJ and the coworker of CH should meet and have their own discussion. Also I don’t think I’ve mentioned before how much I like the actress playing the company club coordinator person. She’s so good in her role, especially this episode.
•I really do like hearing their thoughts and reflections on themselves but GJ being so maudlin got very grating until her singing/wailing bus ride and repentant prayer.
• what was he (tall coworker) typing back to GJ about friends with sister then deleted it all and just decided to end the conversation. I want his daughter to stop moping.
•I enjoyed learning more about Hyuna from Ch and hope to see more interactions. It may end up being my favorite romance..I do love the friends to lovers trope.
• MJ — I’m starting to understand her character more (remains my least favorite) and I think Gu is doing a good job of serving/worshipping her, while still maintaining his dominance.
• Gu predictions— from a wealthy family. Was a national athlete. Joined the family business. At some point there was a coup and/or it was found out so they went into hiding but now it’s time for them to make their move?? Something along those lines. And I don’t think Gu was the thug. I think he was powerful/cunning/scary but I think the character he mentioned Ssaebi is the thug. When Gu asked how S was and his brother(?) responded with something along the lines of did he get his money taken it seemed like that was their go to guy to get the money they’re owed—he wants the guys name and number so he can send ssaebi after him.
Such an interesting episode. @birdie007, you could be correct about Gu’s background. There may have been a hostile takeover or even that he and his brother tried to effect a takeover but it didn’t work. Ssaebi might have been implicated or injured if Gu was asking how he was?
GJ might end up making her boss impatient with her. She does go on and on. At one point I thought the bus driver was going to get involved.
I liked GJ’s prayer to those she had injured in the past however. It was heartfelt. It reminded me of the silly/stupid/reckless things kids do never realising the domino effects on others’ psyches – like the kids who set up the fight with Tae Hoon and how it affects him to this day.
I wonder if GJ will speak to Tae-Hoon’s sister about that. This gives me another idea why his sister Kyung Sun was considered a thug. Perhaps she took vengeance for his sake and ended up getting into a lot of trouble after that. Or she just went off the rails after both parents died. I wonder about the aunt who took them in. I wasn’t clear about their story with her. It sounds like they had to fight the rest of the family for their adoption rights/inheritance or something when she died?
@birdie007, I agree with you about the actress who plays the club coordinator. I hope the character joins the liberation club.
I also agree that Mr. Gu is someone who is used to giving orders and being in a position of authority. But he seems content to follow orders and not to get paid now that he is in hiding/on the run.
Agree, @nrllee.
I don’t get why the Unnie GiJeong (GJ) was suddenly in an existential crisis over this donsaeng of her classmate. As her drinking buddy said, she’d only known him for a month, and they weren’t close even then. The man didn’t want her to get involved with his problem back in elementary/middle school; he excused himself from their text chats.
I think she’s being silly like MiJeong. They both create fictional/dream world to cope with their realities.
GiJeong = still single. Desperate that she was going to miss the metaphorical train to marriage. She pins her last great hope on this donsaeng because he was good enough to pass her stringent grading system for a future mate.
MiJeong = a pushover, worries that she’ll never get out of her passivity and inertia. So she pins her hope on somebody who’ll worship her enough to give her confidence.
Is this what the screenwriter thinks of liberation? It sounds like a co-dependency.
As for Mr Gu, is he jealous? I know that he wants to fix her problems for her. He had no problem with confronting the bad customer who took advantage of MJ’s dad. So he wants to fix MJ’s problem, too. But does he think MJ hasn’t gotten over her ex? 🙂
@birdie007,
Re the club coordinator — I liked how the senior manager blocked her usual cheery platitudes with “Do not give advice. Do not try to comfort. Those are the rules of the club.” 😂
I could relate to GJ’s repentant prayer. But I’ll have to watch it again to see if she was praying because she really was contrite and penitent or she was afraid of her karma.
I couldn’t really be 100% annoyed with GJ because she made me laughed in the opening scene when she spotted Mr Gu taking out a bottle of iced cold water from his pocket and tossing it to MiJeong. GJ snorted with envy then took out her frustration on the wet laundry.
The mother said that everybody’s working except for her. “Don’t you feel sorry for them?” She retorted, “They’re not working right now, you know.” Then under her breath, she grumbled, “They’re on date.”
Lol. Sour grapes.
CH’s gossip about Hyuna makes Hyuna a more sympathetic character. But it makes me wonder why Hyuna ended up with a trashy man if she had plenty of suitors to choose from.
MJ — I’m getting tired of this “worshipping” thing. I don’t mind Mr Gu bringing it up because I see it as his way of cajoling her into a good mood. But her insistence on being worshipped is starting to sound petulant.
Mr Gu? This being a kdrama, I doubt he’s a felon on the run.
@packmule3, I wondered if it was jealousy on Gu’s part, but I’m not sure. It is a logical deduction if she absolutely doesn’t want the ex forced to pay back. The ex sounds violent. During the phone call, was it a gun going off and other things breaking? I wondered if the ex was doing it for show to delude MJ or was it really how he is? MJ tells Gu that she doesn’t understand why people would hire others to go after their ex’s, so I think she is sincere about non-action whether she is still into her ex or not. To use images from the show, I suspect that the ex made her heart beat hard, but Gu makes her feel more at peace. It made me wonder – if both of the men were killed in a confrontation, whose head would she collect at this point?
In a way MJ is like Tae Hoon who couldn’t fight after his parents both died. His grief maimed him. MJ concedes in most instances due to depression and inertia.
MJ doesn’t concede to Gu, but I agree with @Fan of TKEM that there isn’t a power imbalance. I believe that Gu is willing to indulge her without actually giving in to her in things that affect him directly. I think he is quite cognizant with his choices. He got her a bottle of water, but plunked it down and didn’t open it for her. Then he sat up on the arm of the sofa, rather than next to her as he had been. Clearly there are things in his life that he doesn’t want her involved in as well. I agree with @wapz that Gu is changing faster than the siblings. As I said above, MJ will take longer to get whole due to the long term nature of her past traumas.
While MJ concedes often, I have the feeling that she is storing up her anger. GJ and she almost had a fight when GJ kept banging on about MJ and Gu. GJ says she has a hold over MJ to keep her at bay. I think by the beginning of the next episode the whole family will know about Gu except for the mother – the mother who must be kept in the dark about problems by MJ’s own admission.
@Fern
Ep 8 is up. I’m watching it right now. Are you? Will comment later.
Will do.
@nrllee, I did make a mistake when typing GJ’s initials. Thanks for catching it. I was using my cellphone instead my laptop, and I didn’t want to bother opening a new tab to remind myself of her name, so I guessed. I know she and her sister share a name and initial, but I picked the wrong one.
I think it is a testament to the skill of this writer that she can create flawed characters that are still sympathetic. We root for GJ even though she’s unhinged. We root for CH even though he’s always got to be right on every subject. (I’d describe what he does as mansplaining, except he talks the same way regardless of the sex of his listener.) We root for MJ despite her neediness. We root for Gu despite his being guarded. Even the chirpy club coordinator, whose scenes are few and far between, has drawn me in with her mix of forced happiness and thinly veiled frustrations.
https://twitter.com/jiwonhour/status/1517466925995270146?t=BJsF6UPJGtthjoWU-hwomg&s=19
To shed some light behind MJ’s motivation, here is an interview extract of KJW explaining a little about MJ’s view on love and why she chose Mr Gu. Make of it what you will. 🙂
@packmule3 I’m also confused about the writer’s definition of Liberation. Does that really have to be getting into a relationship for people who want more than love and some mental stability?
I loved this episode and the scene with Gi Jung lol. Lee el os such a diverse actress, I had no idea she’ll prominently hold her place as the comic relief here. That said, I’m iffy about the romances altogether. They seems misplaced in a show that should be more about self growth.
I liked the different interpretations of ‘worship’ in this and other episodes. Here are some:
MJ: Not love. ‘Love isn’t enough.’ Support. Cheering on. Making whole. ‘Tell them they can do anything; everything is possible.’ Not measured/balanced affection. (Unconditional support, so far platonic)
GJ: “You are the greatest of all time. You’re incredibly magnificent. Heil Hitler.” (over the top praise)
Hyun-ah: A kind and generous response to a person with a lot of problems to save them. (perhaps like a distraction?) Chang Hee seemed to ‘get this’ when Hyun-ah said it. Even the local convenience store owner said, “Mi-jeong is doing a great deed.”
Gu: Jumping over a channel to fetch a hat. Acknowledging a ‘cool’ statement. Feeding one’s own ramen supper to someone else. Meeting them late at night so they aren’t alone. (Subtle support, but GJ’s ‘You are the greatest…’ had him daydreaming)
Interesting that Mi-jeong said to Gu that she thought Gu and Hyun-ah wouldn’t like each other because they were too much alike. I think she may have been worried that they would like each other too much. She said, “You’re both tough. You’re both wild and transparent.” Gu scoffed a bit but couldn’t hide his smile. “Are you worshipping me right now?”
“Yes.” He started to walk on with a smile, but Mi-jeong looked sulky, like she was caught out ‘worshipping’ when she hadn’t really intended to.
Interesting that Gu fed the feral dogs. I wonder if he started after Mi-jeong took him there or if he might have been doing it for a while. He seemed to have an affinity for them.
If Tae Hoon was forced into a fight by his classmates, did he go to the same school and at the same time as Change Hee, Doo Hwan and the chap who’s now a teacher? Were they involved and might that be a reason why he doesn’t want GJ to look them up? 😬😁 Where’s awkward face?
My goodness the confession scene which ended in a cracked wrist? At first I thought that Doo Hwan was sobbing but it turned out to be sobbing with laughter. 100% harebrained. The mother totally didn’t understand and no one was going to enlighten her either.
The confession/staged accident scene was both hilarious and heartbreaking. Great acting by Lee El.
National Day of Confessing your love ❤️ 😂😂😂. DoHwan cracks me up. Honestly he and CH make the funniest pair.
Ep8 has me in GJ’s corner. Her desperation and lamenting last ep is all but forgotten. The words that “follow her” 😂. I liked that.
TH – I’m so excited…(music plays and GJ smiles widely)
TH – …to go home and listen to it (music grinds to a halt and GJ’s smile fades) 😂😂😂
The motorbike stunt. 😂😂😂. “That’s the signal.” Then Dumb and Dumber follow through with the plan 😂😂😂. DH with his, “Noona!” single-handedly blew their cover.
But poor GJ though. Gotta feel for her. Even if she’s a 40yo. The comedy in the whole scene makes up for it. As the 2 men break down in hysterics over the whole incident, GJ’s sobbing under her blanket 😢. The short shower and then the rainbow. The cathartic tears leading to a new resolve.
I guess Gu’s past is catching up with him. MJ thinks Gu is transparent? Hmm…but he has so many secrets? Does his past catching up with him and affecting his present account for nothing to her? Would she still think he’s transparent then? It’s not like he’s lied to her. She did profess she didn’t care at all about his past? 🤔. What happens to the “worship” ideal when the reality hits home and the idol is no longer as perfect as you envisage (or desire) him to be?
@nrllee,
Yes, the motorbike stunt was hilarious. What more could go wrong, right? I also thought it was a good way to erase her earlier embarrassment from her failed love confession. She replaced it with an even BIGGER embarrassment. In comparison to the failed stunt, her confession was pretty normal.
Yes. I don’t get where MiJeong got the idea that Mr Gu is transparent. She lives in a cuckoo world. She’s the sibling I like the least really.
I like ChangHee the best because despite being wacky, he’s still normal. And I like his friendship with DoHwan. I can forgive the soju bottle clean-up.
GiJeong is immature. I wouldn’t have guessed she’s 40 already because she acts like a teenager in love for the first time. Plus, doesn’t she filter her words? I didn’t like it when she mocked Mr Gu about the “worship” thing. It was none of her business.
But MiJeong? I don’t understand where she’s coming from half the time. I get that the writer is normalizing her relationship with Mr Gu by showing us the explicit approval of people around her, like ChangHee, Hyuna, the office coworkers, the soju store owner.
But none of them really knows Mr Gu.
ChangHee idolizes Mr Gu bec he thinks that he’s a famous athlete.
Hyuna, who’s an Exocet on men, hasn’t met Mr Gu because MJ is hiding him from her. (She knows Hyuna won’t approve of Mr Gu?)
Her coworkers are just excited that she has a love life.
The store owner thinks MiJeong is doing a good deed and saving Mr Gu. She doesn’t know that it’s the other way around: Mr Gu is doing a good deed for MJ.
Their date at the Buddhist temple — that was sweet. But was it his way of saying goodbye to her? 🤨
@packmule3 I agree. MJ and Gu’s relationship just doesn’t make sense to me. 😂. It’s sweet but I just find it totally unrealistic. It’s like 2 depressed people trying to lift each other out of their doldrums. It just doesn’t add up in real life? Especially if his past affects not just her but her family? Yes they’ve all seemed to accept the fact that he’s running away from something. But that something sounds like it’s going to be knocking on their door really soon. And it’s sounds like it’s a hostile something.
😂 Agree. It’s a sweet relationship but there are just too many red flags. I’m trying really hard to suspend my disbelief.
The problem is just when I’m about to ditch their loveline, Mr Gu says or does something moving. Like in this episode. She expressed a wish to go back in time because she would’ve wanted to be there when he was three, seven, and 19 years old and to just sit quietly with him.
And then he replied, “You’re doing it now. When I’m 90 years old, this will be my younger self.”
That was new and romantic.
I don’t think I’ve heard that pickup line from a kdrama before. 😂
@packmule3 yeah. I was nearly out after Ep7. GJ’s undignified whining about her love life got me annoyed. And Gu’s conversations with his past “friends” don’t paint him in a good light. He knows about MJ in detail. Her family, her friends, her past with her bf. But she knows zilch about him. She’s delusional. As a mom I wouldn’t be encouraging it. Her dad seems to like Gu? But really? For his daughter? He was already harping on about how MJ shouldn’t have signed the loan for her friend. He lets a mysterious man with a dubious past court his daughter? A drunk at that? Does he really trust his character so much? 🤷🏻♀️
But like you said, it’s those strange left field one liners that keep me watching.
I think that the father just chooses to judge Gu on what he knows about him: he is quiet and works well – doesn’t even take pay for the farm work. He ignores gossip and what he doesn’t have evidence to understand. That’s all fine and good except that Gu may be acting as a romantic fool by delaying his departure thus inadvertently luring Baek and Co. towards the family home.
I’m wondering what the mother will say next episode when she learns about MJ and Gu. MJ might not be as lucky when she dodged the loan bullet by liquifying a pension fund or long terms savings fund. (I didn’t know that the father knew about MJ’s loan to her friend? I remember him castigating Chang-hee about buying a car on credit; must have missed the bit addressed to MJ.)
@packmule3, you are probably correct that Gu’s plan is to leave MJ with a nice memory of their day together. That hadn’t occurred to me except as something she might think about after it all goes pear-shaped.
Mr Gu is transparent in character; he’s straight forward and unpretentious, what you see is what you get. He doesn’t bother with fake politeness, he says no when it doesn’t suit him. Most of the time he doesn’t say anything; that alone is a difficult task in social settings, often we have to talk gibberish (as Mr Gu called it) when required. He doesn’t have flowery words, he doesn’t do good deeds for the credit. His actions and words align, like someone said in the comment section last week, Mr Gu is not cryptic. He’s not someone who’ll say nice things to your face and sabotage you behind your back. His past and background is all a mystery to us but his character isn’t. That’s how I interpreted it.
I think Mr Gu is not too different from the strays. He’s safe in Sanpo where no one knows where he came from, just like the strays in the open area. He had a place where he belonged to once, he was abandoned or he abandoned his past.
Mr Gu drinks to quiet his mind and conversations with MJ has the same effect. Isn’t that one positive deed? Haha everyone looking from the outside would think MJ is doing Mr Gu a favour when really she’s the needy, dependent one.
I can’t say I agree with GJ’s choices but I really feel bad for her failed confession. Kudos to Lee El who is doing an amazing job in her role.
Yes, @nrllee.
My left brain (logical, analytical) is tussling with my right brain (but the “feelings!”). My left brain is saying Mr Gu is a bad proposition and this relationship should be aborted from Day 1, but my right brain is overriding the safety sensors. 😖
My right brain is really pushing it.
And did she really pay off all the guy’s debts with her savings?!
The whole time she was ranting at Mr Gu, I was just watching her mouth open and close because I can’t comprehend her.
It was a financial problem. An individual owes her money, and this individual is not paying her back and is ruining her credit. Her relationship with this individual is irrelevant.
But she was looking at it from a emotional/psychological perspective. She blames herself because she doesn’t have the backbone to stand up against him. She thinks she was a bad girlfriend. She was afraid the current girlfriend was getting beaten up. She wanted to be a good daughter. She can’t live with the shame.
She made a decision based on emotions, rather than the material fact that she was swindled. 🤨
@Fern,
Used to be, I’d take any man (or any woman, for that matter) as he was. If a man is like Mr Gu, taciturn, hard-working, polite, efficient, and cheap labor, then he does seem attractive.
However, I know that psychos have this amazing talent of presenting themselves in a simple, normal way. I’d be a fool to let my guard down. Still waters run deep, right?
As I said before, this is kdrama so chances are Mr Gu is one of the good guys falsely accused of some heinous deed.
But in reality, we viewers should learn NOT to romanticize mysterious strangers like Mr Gu entering our lives. If a guy like Mr Gu shows up at our door, e.g., alcoholic, no references, no known family, and no connections, then a common sense and survival instincts should kick in. 🙂
I also agree that Mr Gu will be endangering MJ and her family once his exact whereabouts are located. But this being kdrama, MJ will have to stick to her earlier vow to stand by her man no matter what happens.
@Dreamer 205, your description of Mr. Gu is spot on.
@packmule 3, I agree with you about the differences between drama and real life. In the drama world, it is very likely that Mr. Gu is a conflicted guy with a troubled past and heart of gold. In real life, he could be a manipulative psychopath.
If Mr. Gu really cares about MJ, the best thing would be to leave quietly. We don’t know who is after him, but he does.
@Snow Flower, I completely agree that the best thing would be for Gu to leave quietly and QUICKLY because those men look like trouble. We don’t know how big the trouble is or how deadly yet.
@packmule3, in RL and as parents we know not to trust strangers the way we once might have. There is a difference between being hospitable and kind to a stranger and trusting them with our family and our resources. And that is also true of ‘not strangers’ – acquaintances, friends, relatives depending on the circumstances because even people close to us can prove untrustworthy. Trust is a very precious thing.
Yes, MJ will stand by her man. She can kick the bad guys off the cliff.
I think M-J DID pay off the loan with her savings. That’s why she changed the address on the register – she doesn’t have to dread any further delinquency notices. She has drawn a line under that problem. Whether she will pursue it with the ex later is another question. I thought more about your question about Gu being jealous. I’m not sure still. He may be more frustrated or scornful of her feelings rather than text-book jealous at this point.
To me Gu looks like a former fighter – boxer, cage fighter, MMA. Those muscles aren’t from sitting at a desk all day and didn’t erupt from farm work and cabinetry.
@Fern Dad doesn’t know about MJ’s loan to her ex. I was referring to her concocted story about why she took her name off the family register. I forget the exact details? But her parents were not happy with her story. There was talk then about ruining her reputation in the process. You could be right about him being a street fighter or something.
@Dreamer205 I am having problems with the writer’s definitions of words. Her use of “worship” and now her use of “transparent”. If we use her description of “transparent” (as you have described it), then yes, Gu is “transparent”. But he’s never revealed anything about his past or his name for that matter, when CH pressed him (in front of the family). That’s not being transparent in my book. Transparency to me means no secrets. Not deliberately hiding.
To be honest I don’t know anyone who drinks and behaves rationally. They don’t call it “under the influence” for nothing. I wouldn’t trust an alcoholic with my daughter. Especially if she’s the picture of naïveté like MJ. So like @packmule3 I am struggling to believe that a relationship like MJ’s and Gu’s would be a good match in real life. It works in dramaland and in their little Sanpo bubble right now. Where there are no consequences to past deeds and you can hide away and live like strays (with no “owners”/repercussions).
Although there are a lot of potential pairings in this show, I don’t believe it falls in the romance genre. The desire for love and connection is one aspect of the characters we are watching. If we try to narrow down the focus to who is going to end up with whom, we’ll overlook a lot of the texture of the story. I will be happy if this drama wraps up logically, even if some of the characters are still stewing in their frustrations.
@Fern, those muscles on Gu are because the actor who plays him does boxing as a sport. From my view on Shallow Island, I’ve been appreciative of his calf muscles and how he fills out a tee shirt. Although he is not a pretty boy, he has magnetism.
We did learn Gu’s full name at the end of Episode 6: “Gu Ja-gyeong. Pick up your phone.” That is one of the names CH read off as national athletes with the surname Gu, so it is confirmed he was once a national athlete. We also learn that Gu has a brother, because in Episode 7 Gu picks up his call and speaks with him on the phone. The call came from the same phone number that left messages at the end of Episode 6.
Here are the names of people connected with Gu outside Sanpo:
Sam-sik – attended funeral, ran into Chairman Shin; not important enough to talk to Chairman Shin; saw Gu at the gas station in Gyeonggi-do; according to brother he’ll ransack Gyeonggi-do because he saw Gu in the area.
Chairman Shin – attended funeral; followed Sam-sik into restroom and asked about Gu; old man
Mr. Baek – rumor is he’s fallen out of favor with the chairman; Gu’s brother believes if they step in they can end Baek; was with Sam-sik at the gas station in Gyeonggi-do, but didn’t clearly see Gu; brother says if Baek finds Gu, Gu is screwed. (In Episode 6, brother had texted Gu that he doesn’t have to hide anymore.) Brother recommends that Gu visit Baek and throw the first punch.
SSaebi – Gu asks his brother about him, but brother is out of touch; brother’s words imply Ssaebi may be involved in debt collection. Gu has offered to send someone to MJ’s ex to get him to pay what he owes her.
As seen in Episode 6, on Gu’s phone, his chatrooms include ones with names seo.K and +sivl+
The language being used by Gu’s brother to describe the situation hints at violence, but can also just be turns of phrase.
I like that Gu went out of his way to feed treats to the stray dogs. He’s got some softness hiding under all that gruffness. He also showed empathy in a funny way by cheering for the cyclist to conquer the hill.
@Fern, Tae Hoon said he’s become friends with the schoolmates who, in the past, made him fight someone weaker. If that means he’s active friends, then he’d still be in touch with some people in Sanpo. It could be that the boys who forced him to fight were not in CH’s friendship circle. There is the possibility that CH was the one Tae Hoon battled, but they didn’t cross paths much in school because they were in different grades. There did seem to be recognition in Tae Hoon’s face when he saw CH after the motorcycle incident.
@Dreamer205, I like your explanation of Gu’s transparency. As MJ told her coworkers, he doesn’t have a shell he hides behind.
Sam-sik and Baek saw the truck with Sanpo Sinks written on it, so they’d have to be rather dense to not know where to look for Gu at this point. If Gu leaves to go back into hiding, Sam-sik and Baek will still approach Papa to try to find Gu. It may be safer for Gu to stay put, so he’ll be present when they come for him. I believe he needs to have a talk with Papa to alert him to any potential danger, allowing Papa to make choices to protect his family, home, and business. I think Papa will be a lion roused if he and his loved ones are threatened. If Gu gives him forewarning, they may be on the same side; if Papa is blindsided because Gu kept him in the dark, Gu will also be an enemy.
🙂 I concur, @nrllee.
“Transparent” isn’t a word I’d use lightly in reference to Mr. Gu for the reasons that you stated.
Mr. Gu himself thought “transparent” was ludicrous description of his personality. Rewatch this scene —
MJ: (talking about Hyuna) You guys are similar.
Gu: In what way?
MJ: You’re both tough. You’re both wild. And transparent.
Gu: (snorting, then hiding his amusement) Transparent? You’re crazy.
MJ: (insisting) You’re transparent.
Gu: (stopping to face her but avoiding her eyes) Are you worshipping me right now?
MJ: Mmm.
Gu: (walks away)
Mr. Gu might be nice to MiJeong but he makes no bones about his asshole-ry.
From Episode 3.
Gu: You lent a guy money, didn’t you? Guys can be sly as a fox too. He saw that you’re the kind of woman he could borrow money from, screw over, and get away with it. So stop avoiding it and deal with the problem at hand.
MJ: Once that jerk’s paid all the money back, will my life be fine? I think it’ll still be the same. I’ll still have never felt whole in this crappy life with these crappy people acting like they’re so great and just talking away thoughtlessly. How they talk…
Gu: I’m sorry. I’m an asshole
From Episode 5.
MJ: Ice cream?
Gu: I bought it because I was drunk. When I’m drunk, I’m more human than when I’m sober.
From Episode 7.
Gu: You’ll be surprised if you find out what kind of person I am. You know?
MJ: (looks up at him)
Gu: I’m a scary person. I won’t even blink if I was stabbed in the stomach. But…you scare me. I get nervous when you’re in front of me. And that annoys me because it makes me feel like an idiot. But even though it annoys me, I still wait for you. Mmm? You should know, Yeom MiJeon, you should know who you are.
I get that this line is romantic. It fits in perfectly with many women’s fantasy of “Beauty and the Beast.” Who hasn’t entertained the thought of being able to tame the Beast? We grew up with this notion of love’s transformative power. So when Mr. Gu said that he’s a scary guy but he’s scared of her, it hits us in the “feels.” Swoon!
But I’ll be the voice of wisdom because this is my blog and I don’t condone blind fangirling, as you all know.
I say that when somebody tells you or shows you who he is,
or when a guy EXPLICITLY says, “THIS is who I am,”
please don’t try to be a naïve do-gooder, and insist that you know him better than he does.
Believe him when he says he’s not a good guy.
Take his word for it.
MiJeong’s character only works in kdrama, or in a delulu world because in kdrama, the writer makes sure that nothing bad like battery, sexual assault, rape, or murder, ever happens to the leads. Sure, SHE can decide to give Mr. Gu a personality do-over and turn him into a saint because she’s only fictional, and their romance is far-fetched anyway. In real life, however, somebody who’s as mysterious and secretive as Mr. Gu — and a drunkard to boot — is a red flag. And as smart viewers, we should be able to recognize that.
@welmaris I agree about this drama not fitting in the romance genre. So I have no delusions about happy ever after pairings. I am just a bit stumped by MJ’s personality (and her cryptic reasons for forming a relationship with Gu). This is probably coloured by my being risk averse. I like to do my due diligence before making life decisions so her choices confuse me. 😂
– does she have a messianic complex? Did she want to “save” Gu in his despondent state?
– She succeeded in getting him to “worship” her, so she used his adoration to make herself feel better? And boosted her self esteem? Is that healthy? 🤔
– was her cry of “worship me” her last ditch attempt to find meaning in the drudgery that had become her life? If so, is it a rational way to approach a relationship?
– her escape clause (to exit her worship status) was “when she felt whole”. Gu’s sudden sobriety and enlightenment was just a happy coincidence? So it’s all about her? 🤔
– there’s definitely an increased intensity in their relationship now as evidenced by their increased eagerness in seeing each other (she’s running from the train), he’s rushing to buy snacks at the convenience store and worried that he’d miss her in the process. So their relationship is moving along the same trajectories as a “normal relationship”.
– is the whole story with her boss vetoing her choice of colours the writer’s way of reminding MJ (and viewers) that she should trust her instincts (with regards to Gu) and ignore all the negativity coming from external sources (her family, her friends, her colleagues)? 🤷🏻♀️
We did find out what Gu’s name was but nobody else in the family knows. Thanks for a the breakdown of the people in Gu’s past that have appeared in phone conversations and recent events. Helps a lot with piecing together his shady past.
@packmule3 precisely. I would also like to clarify that Gu never set out to deceive her (as evidenced by the conversations above). MJ chose to remain in the dark about him. She wanted so badly to be out of her rut in life that she threw him a lifeline expecting the relationship to somehow “make her whole”. And she’s living in this trance like dream state which I think is unrealistic. I was wrong to say that there was a power imbalance (I was watching Pachinko around the same time and that coloured my view 😑). The fact that the writer opts to confuse the viewers with her unconventional definitions of well used words makes it harder to interpret her real intentions. Is the writer trying to subvert conventions about how a relationship should be? Force the viewers to think outside the square? MJ tried so hard to protect her relationship within the family unit (status quo) that she hid the loan to her ex bf (a previous relationship). Now she’s in danger of bringing even worse trouble into their household with this relationship. She’s ignored all red flags. And she’s convinced her desperate sister GJ that perhaps there’s some truth in her novel approach to relationships? So GJ gives it a go as well? In her very obtuse (but hilarious) way? Could MJ’s approach work in the long run? Possibly. But not without a lot of soul searching. And if she opts to be like GJ and be the “pick up girl” (sticking with Gu even if it meant catching his head as he is beheaded). It could well mean that she would have to live a life on the run and leave home (if it is true that Gu has a price on his head and he’s trying to run away from his past).
@nrllee,
I can see why Mr. Gu didn’t want to discuss his old life.
One, I doubt he planned to stay there for long.
Two, he didn’t expect to be welcomed into the family.
Three, the less the Yeom family knew about his lifestyle, the better for them.
However, his reluctance to tell them about his situation can become a lie of omission. I already talked about the different kinds of lying in this blog. The lie of omission can be necessary at first. But there’ll come a time when Mr. Gu will need to clear misconceptions or open up about his past to protect MiJeong and her family.
Well….there could have been a power imbalance at first — when Mr. Gu was only regarded as the farm hand and MiJeong was the daughter of the house. They weren’t equals.
That’s why MiJeong had the audacity to use Mr. Gu’s house as her new address without first informing him or asking his permission. That was rather high-handed of her.
And that’s why she dared to order him to worship her.
From Episode 2.
MJ: Why do you drink every day?
Gu: (blinks a couple of times) What else would I do?
MJ: Should I give you something to do? Should I give you something to do other than drink?
Gu: (looks down as his two bottles)
MJ: Worship me.
Gu: (stares at her)
MJ: I’ve never felt whole before. (sounds like she’s about to cry) One asshole after another. Every guy I’ve ever dated was an asshole. So worship me and make me feel whole. It’ll be winter soon. Nothing survives when winter comes. There’ll be nothing to see sitting there and no work at the factory. If you drink all day, you’ll only feel like crap. It’ll be like hell. You have to do something. I want to feel whole for once. So worship me. Love isn’t enough. Worship me.
If she saw him as an equal, she wouldn’t have the guts to order him to worship him. To worship implies inequality as you’re putting somebody above you, like on a pedestal. You’re said to be worshipping the *ground* he walks on.
But I did like the way she stopped him from going to the feral dogs. That reminded me of the way she told her brother not to jump. I also liked the way the word “worship” had become like an inside joke between the two of them. And I liked that he arranged to meet her at the station, and even bought her something to drink. He’s learning to take care of her.
“If she saw him as an equal, she wouldn’t have the guts to order him to worship her. To worship implies inequality as you’re putting somebody above you, like on a pedestal. You’re said to be worshipping the *ground* he walks on.”
@packmule3 thank you for putting it into words so eloquently. 🍪🍪🍪.
In episode 1, in the barbecue scene GJ stated that she would go with anyone; like a cricket she would find someone to be with for the winter. I thought it was she who inspired MJ rather than the other way around. Chang Hee spies Gu walking back to his house and says, “There’s ‘Anyone’. Doo Hwan yells, “Hey, run away. Stay out of Yeom Gi-jong’s sight.” Even Mi-jeong chuckles at that, but then turns pensive. Later, when MJ admits to a relationship with GU, GJ feels even more desperate and competitive.
I think MJ and Gu’s relationship started unequally. That’s why I said that it reminded me of one of those Southern novels where the servant/farm hand/employee is shunned socially. Gu sits at the family table but no one meets his eyes. Any words directed to him are about food or work. This all is fine with him, because he wants distance. He is shocked when MJ confronts him, first about the re-directed mail and then about his drinking and asks him to worship her. I don’t think that she really cares about the drink – it’s all about the worship.
But by episode 2, with the flashbacks to the conversation, I thought that Gu put an end to the unilateral ‘worshipping’ right away when he warned her that she didn’t know him, had *she* ever made anyone whole?, and that he was an asshole too.
I don’t think that Gu is a hidden chaebol prince as some have suggested. At this point I rather think that Mi-jeong prefers his rough edges. She has been well warned. I also think that Gu has started living a bit of a bucolic fantasy life himself, enjoying this different sort of relationship he would or could not have in his real life. He admits that he reacts to her as he reacted to alcohol. He’s acting like a local, encouraging cyclists and feeding strays amid the beautiful autumn scenery. It’s like a holiday romance for him that he might leave far behind when it’s time to go home. Something he can remember when he is 90.
@Welmaris, thank you for the notes about Gu’s cohorts from his previous life. Were this a normal k-drama, they would merely turn out to be a chaebol grandfather and cousins and he is fleeing an arranged marriage or a stint in rehab or both. 😆
I’m waiting to see whose head MJ will collect and who she will kick off the cliff when she loses her temper.
@nrllee
I agree with you there, the writer’s use of words is rather ambiguous. I don’t fully understand what she meant by “worship” either. He’s not disclosing his personal information but not with hidden agendas. He’s transparent about not being transparent, does that make him transparent? I guess that depends on everyone’s interpretation.
No doubt Mr Gu is only swoony and attractive as a fictional character in kdramaland. Even more so thanks to Son Suk Ku’s charms and charisma making Mr Gu magnetic and captivating. In real life one wouldn’t approach him with a ten foot pole. That’s how I feel about GJ’s fake amnesia plan of action too. TH will probably become interested in her after that, true kdrama style. In real life she’d be known as a lunatic.
@Fern, I also thought that this drama has Southern Gothic vibes (oppressive heat, stagnant existence, the daughter of the house getting involved with the hired hand who has troubled past). But the characters have not completely given up and are making small changes. Conflict is inevitable, but I hope that there will be no bloodbath and no heads to collect.
@Dreamer 205, I like your expression “transparent about not being transparent.”
We’re hard on Gu because he’s not forthright about his name, his past, or his connections. Would we forgive his secretiveness if he were an alien or supernatural? Do Min Joon in My Love from the Star lived with a manufactured identity, but we accepted him as he presented himself to others; viewers understood he’d be in danger if people learned he was not an earthling. We became fond of other male leads who misrepresented themselves because they weren’t human, even when they were potentially dangerous to people with whom they interacted: Shin Woo Yeo in My Roommate is a Gumiho and Myul Mang in Doom at Your Service. Then there’s Kim Shin of Goblin, whose enemy from the past hunts his beloved. We weren’t threatened by these characters and their love stories because we knew they weren’t real. Do we judge Gu by a higher standard?
Good point, @Welmaris. In the case of the other characters you mentioned, we don’t judge them too harshly because they are not human, but rather because we know their real identities and backstories. So, if we knew about Mr. Gu’s past and circumstances, we would look at him differently. Of course, there would be a huge difference in our perception if he were shown to be a wrongfully accused innocent man or a hitman in hiding. But right now we don’t know much about him. Is it Saturday yet?
No, @Welmaris. 🙂
I’m hard on Mr Gu because he’s an alcoholic.
His alcohol abuse presents a bigger liability than if he were an alien from another star or an illegal alien crossing the Mexican border.
My “higher standard” in men, whether fictional or real, includes non-addiction to alcohol, tobacco, drugs and porn. Although I said earlier that I was riveted to this drama because of Mr Gu’s enigmatic character, I’m not lowering my standard for him. 🙂
As for his secretiveness? I’m surrounded by people whose private lives had to be assessed for their security clearances, and employment. Mr Gu wouldn’t have passed the sniff test.
I find the drama’s depiction of alcoholism very reductive, thus very irresponsible.
For one, it oversimplifies the alcohol dependency and rehabilitation process. Mr Gu simply decides to worship MiJeong and BAM! He cleans out the bottles, he reduces his soju intake and, then exchanges soju bottle for a can of soda (or iced Americano). He has no withdrawal symptoms. He receives no therapy for his underlying reason of his alcohol abuse. He stops his downward spiral in less than two weeks. He’s like an Easter miracle. He’s risen from the dead because he believes in her.
For another, the depiction of Mr Gu’s instant rehabilitation is far more unrealistic than any tale about an alien, gumiho, goblin or grim reaper. The fact that this show is viewed as a slice-of-life (i.e., based on reality) drama instead of fantasy only helps to foster the delusion that a relationship with an alcoholic is a healthy and restorative one.
@packmule3 bingo. 😂.
Well, after rewatching My Mister for the 4th or 5th time, I started watching Liberation Notes without any additional information, and by 3rd or 4th episode (which started rather slow), I suddenly though they have been written by a same writer and bingo! turns out I was right 🙂 So happy to watch a new project of this very, very good writer, with the very good cast (I’d say all star cast).
Liberation notes is a really good drama, IMHO. There are a lot of similarities in plot between MM and LN, which, undoubtedly, you all already saw, but the main romance line, is very well written and executed. I would not talk too much about two siblings, though their stories are good too, because that’s, well, side lines. The main arc, the slow liberation or the growing relationship (can I phrase it so) between the gangster-on-run (Gu, purely my humble opinion) and the office lady MJ, is truly a masterpiece. It is hard to pinpoint at what exactly makes this arc, the relationship between Mi and Gu, so mesmerizing, but it is. I also hope for a happy end, based on MM development arc; these two dramas are so similar that I can’t really avoid hoping for happy end, maybe not in a way you’d expect; that’s I don’t expect a wedding or a prince’s arrival on a white horse (or car) to be the ending. It will be a great ending in its own way, one, which leaves us longing to see what will happen after the last episode, but in a good way. I have some ideas about the plot development, but I’d probably stop here. Concluding, a great drama again. I just rewatched all 8 episodes of LN so far 🙂
I agree, @Stone Jack, that the ending for the romance between Mr Gu and MJ will closely resemble that of IU’s ending with that married coworker (?) of hers: a parting of ways and a return to their “new” normal.
From the start, I knew the writer here also wrote Mr. Mister because I read the media release. But I purposely didn’t want to compare her (his?) works because I wanted to see an improvement, a growth in her. After all, nobody should rest on her laurels. It would be a major disappointment for me if she proved ME right and went down the similar route as Mr Mister as that would be a bore. “Been there, done that” shouldn’t be an emerging writer’s mantra.
I browsed through “My Mister” a long time ago to get the world view of the writer. She wasn’t really difficult to figure out, in my opinion. Her expertise seems to be on forbidden relationships and “silence of the heart” ala E.M. Forster, Edith Wharton, and Somerset Maugham.
Silence of the heart = angst for the unattainable, struggle for meaning, existentialist desire, and so on
🙂 If you’ve lived long enough, you’ll see literary themes repeated over and over again. But some writers will have a more profound insight than others partly because of genius, partly because of maturity. I’m hoping that the writer of “My Liberation Notes” has been seasoned by time.
That’s a great comment, Packmule3,
🙂 and good to see you all here again 🙂
BTW,
I think that both know that the relationship will go to nowhere: when it is a winter, all ends here, says MJ. And Gu confirms that by winter, all romance will be gone. So they just enjoy the moment, for how long? let’s see 🙂
The problem @StoneJack is MiJeong is NOT a reliable narrator nor speaker.
While I bemoan Mr. Gu’s lack of transparent, at least, when he says something, his words can be taken at face value. Though he allows misconceptions (or “disinformation” lol) about him to continue without correction, he’s reluctant to divulge anything about him that can be misconstrued. He’s not a liar.
This is in direct contrast to MiJeong who’s willing to assert something that’s PATENTLY not true, in the hopes that it’ll eventually come true. MiJeong lives in a dreamy, fantasy world.
Remember this? From Episode 8.
Gu: Did you pay it off for him?
MJ: He says he’ll pay me back later.
Gu: (sigh)
MJ: I’m sure he will.
Gu: What’s this asshole’s name?
MJ: Don’t worry. He says he will.
Gu: I just need his name and phone number. I won’t do it myself. Someone else will do it. (she doesn’t say anything) Are you still not over him?
She knew the asshole wouldn’t be able to pay her soon.
And let’s not forget this. From Episode 5.
MJ: …And I think my mom thinks she’s unhappy because of her kids. So I say this when something bad happens. ‘It’s fine as long as Mom doesn’t find out.'”
Gu: Do you think lies will work? “You’re pretty,” “You’re cool.” You can say whatever you want.
MJ: But the moment you say it, it’ll become the truth. All words are like that.
Gu: (glances at her)
MJ: Try it. Just say anything.
Gu: (stops and stares at her. thinks for a moment, then walks away)
Then, in Episode 8, she THOUGHT that her fantasy of a supportive boyfriend came true. Previously, she imagined an imaginary boyfriend to get her through her tough days at work. “If I imagine that I’m sitting here working next to you, even awful tasks like these turn into something beautiful. Work becomes bearable. I’m playing a role of a woman who is loved. A woman who has everything she needs.”
And then, Mr. Gu showed up to buy beer at the cafe she was working at. And she said to herself in bewilderment, “Yeom MiJeong’s imagination comes true.”
To me, MiJeong has a difficulty distinguishing between wishes and reality, between words and actions, between an expressed desire and an achievable goal. Thus, I find this whole “worship” arrangement between her and Mr. Gu troubling. If indeed she viewed words as possessing a certain magic or some supernatural power to make wishes come true, then she wasn’t joking when she ordered Mr. Gu to worship her. She was deadly serious about it.
And she just opened herself up to a whole world of hurting when the end comes. Will she be strong enough for the devastation? I don’t think so.
The ending of My Mister felt right for that drama but I do so hope it won’t be like that for MLN. I never bothered to finish 25/21 because I’d just like neat-ish little bows on my dramas right now.
This writer also wrote Anothwr Miss oh/hae young and it had a happy ending so I think I have a 50/50 shot.
Relationships in her previous dramas I can recall off the top of my head:
Miss Oh:
Main leads- together
Friend and sister-together, although I HATED that storyline
My mister:
Brother-divorced
Other brother with actress-apart
ML and Fl: still haven’t decided if he divorced his wife but apart from FL.
Monk and bar owner-apart
Ok. I’d like to amend my 50/50 statement. What is that 17 % chance happy ending??? I’ll hang onto that.
Couples in my liberation notes:
KJ and TJ—no clue. I don’t think she’ll end up with her boss but who knows.
Brother and hyuna-I think they’ll be together
Gu and MJ- either happy ending or he dies???
I haven’t decided if Gu is an addict or not. I associate addiction as an uncontrollable urge and being powerless. Does he drink because he just wants to settle his mind/boredom? Is he shaking and anxious to get to the bottle every day? He seems pretty methodical in the number of bottles he drinks and out of which cups. Does he go get more because he only bought what he thought he’d need and then decide he needs more or does he go just so he can watch MJ safely home? It seems like he decided he had no way out and decided to just sink into the bottle but once winter was over, he began to take control of himself- Showing up to work on time. But also there’s the black out nose injury…..I did expect more withdrawal symptoms. Could they have a healthy relationship? Possibly. It would depend on Gu’s going back to his old life and what that entails. And also, I don’t understand half of what MJ goes on about so I’m pretending like she’s not mentally ill.
So after all that rambling 🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼 <——- this is me
And one more thing—-
I keep thinking about what CH said while eating. “Nothing exciting/dramatic ever happens here except someone dying and floods in summer” so I imagine something super exciting/dramatic will be taking place any day now in Sanpo. We started at the end of June, it’s now the beginning of august. I don’t think Gu will leave Sanpo anytime soon. Or leave and come back during winter?? No clue
It looked autumnal when Gu was feeding the stray dogs, unless that was unavoidable due to the time of year when that scene was shot.
Gu is starting to wear nicer clothing when he’s not in the workshop or fields.
@birdie007, I agree that something will kick off soon. I feel dread and curiosity.
@fern When TJ got the phone call about the nirvana album and the sister suggested KJ, there was a sign on the door of the restaurant that said out for vacation august 6-11 so I assumed that was their present day. Not 💯 though. It stuck out to me because I assumed it was further into fall also.
@birdie007, @Fern
I assumed it was sometime after Aug 11 but before Aug 15. TJ, the sisters and his daughter were back from their summer vacation.
Aug 15 is Korea’s National Liberation Day, the equivalent of the Americans’ Fourth of July. Since the title of the show is “My Liberation Notes” I’m hoping something momentous will happen to one of the siblings on that day, too.
The Nirvana album is iconic, isn’t it? I read that the baby featured on the cover album is now in his 30s and is suing the band for emotional distress. He claims it’s child pornography since his penis is exposed.
@Packmule3, when I wrote my bit about Gu, I was thinking about our discussion of transparent vs. secretive and mysterious; I wasn’t thinking about Gu’s alcohol consumption. I agree that getting into a relationship with someone who abuses alcohol is unwise. The writer of this drama has portrayed Gu’s drinking as problematic in the eyes of other characters, so he’s not being given a pass in that area. But you’re right about the show glossing over the difficulty of stopping addictive behavior. It is possible for alcoholics to stop drinking cold turkey: my brother, an alcoholic for much of his adult life, did so and has been sober for more than two decades, but his success comes from a commitment to a twelve-step program and the mentoring he gets through it.
Gu was self-medicating to quiet what was going on in his brain. Even if he stops drinking, he’s not a healthy person until he deals with whatever is causing his mental and emotional distress. Worshipping MJ is only a distraction, not a cure. As he, himself, lectured MJ about her defaulted loan, he’s got to deal with the problem at hand.
South Korean viewers may have a different perspective on Gu’s use of alcohol. According to a February 2016 article in Al Jazeera (https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2016/2/7/the-country-with-the-worlds-worst-drink-problem), South Korea has more alcoholics than any other country, and South Koreans drink more hard liquor than anyone else in the world. In a December 2020 study of solitary and social drinking in South Korea (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7752144/#:~:text=Approximately%2050.8%25%20of%20men%20and,all%20alcohol%20consumption%20%5B2%5D.), social norms and motives for drinking were also investigated. If you look at Table 2 (scroll to see all of it), you can see that a high percentage of respondents–whether or not they self-identified as abstainers, solitary drinkers, or social drinkers–consider it okay to drink alone.
My take on this relationship:
1. Gu doesn’t seem to be real alcoholic, if you know what I mean. Real alcoholics drink until they can’t even drink more, cause problems, etc. Real alcoholics are more or less losers. Drinking two bottles of soju is not really a sign of alcoholics. The bloody nose, however, is something to be investigated more. It could be from excessive heat, or maybe because he fell from bed, while drunk, etc.
Gu, I think, drinks only to waste time and maybe just to create an image of himself, understandable to locals: a drunkard, weak, silent and mostly invisible person, etc. Actually he is not silent, not invisible and not weak. We see flashes of real him when he jumps as a well trained athlete, he gets owed money repaid back for family *probably one of his usual business practices (together with Ssaebi), he is missed by his gang (or family) in a sort of power struggle, which means he is quite powerful in its own way. He is not afraid of knive attacks. He is not a real drunkard, so he is not addicted really. Yes, he drunk a lot. It may be he has some health problems, though that not really implied.
Gu’s relation to Mi.
He does, however, feel real attraction to Mi. It was probably even before the “worship” offer, that he felt that kind of attraction. It is, of course, purely physical, from beginning, since Mi is so stunning. If you spent a summer in house, where such stunning girl lives, there is no way for a healthy (or athletic), attractive man on its own like Gu, not to notice the dreamy and unhappy stunning beauty, Mi. If such girl passes near your house every day, anyone would be intrigued; if you eat with her and she even comes to your house to bring or take dishes, that attraction is even stronger. I think that’s what Gu said when he mentioned she scares him. It is not platonic at all like in MM.
So I think he was ready for the worship of Mi, whatever that meant, even before the actual offer. Here the setup is quite different from MM so the dynamics of relationship differ as well. Mi’s offer, however, liberated him from the passive or covert attention to Mi, and allowed him to get close to her with both Mi’s and her father’s approval.
I wonder if he sees Mi like a mirror image of himself. Gu, a capable and strong person, is hiding in a countryside doing all kinds of mundane work and drink just to kill time, while Mi, a capable and strong person on her own, is doing all kinds of mundane work and hides in her imagination to protect herself from abusive boyfriends, abusive superiors, shitty colleagues. Mi doesn’t want to break away from the imagined world, because it offers her protection and some sort of happiness. She asks Gu not to try to change her, just let her be as she wants.
Gu, on the other hand, also so far is satisfied with his own shell; he is however, open to Mi, how says that from all men she knew, only Gu doesn’t have that shell and so feels more close or understandable.
I have no doubts that Mi also sees and understands Gu’s motives and existence very well. She understands he is hiding in his own worlds of two bottles per nights. From something, she doesn’t know (or doesn’t want to know), but which equally bothering him as much as the superiors and ex bother or torture Mi’s soul. And so she finds someone who is equally in a hidden pain.
That’s why she can talk to him straight, not hide herself and she mentions she talks to him without trying to pretend because she knows he likes her. I think she made that worship offer to Gu, because she knew he liked her. Women are very sensitive to those things and Mi is not an exemption. Something in Gu’s eyes, look or attitude probably showed her that Gu will accept the “worship” offer and not even hesitate (which what happened). To be honest, if you are free from any promises, have nothing to do and a stunning beauty offers you to like her, I mean why not? It is not like Gu is terribly busy anyway.
Gu learned about the reasons of Mi’s sadness from the moment he received and hid bank letter. Now the game is was completely open and understandable for Gu, who probably worked in the loan shark field for some time (reference to My Mister). There shark loan boy also loved the main female lead in somewhat twisted way, but, nevertheless, loved her. And the main lead (IU) also knew that she is loved, even when he beat her up. As Gu fully understood Mi’s situation, he is offering her what he can do, and he can do that well – that’s to force paying back money. As Mi understoods fully what he offers and what he will do to his ex, she is scared and doesn’t want that – which is reason for Gu’s jealousy and he is right. Mi is not over her ex, but she is liberated when she pays her or his debt. She is free and decides to be with Gu (the evening date on dog field). Debt is no longer also between Gu and Mi, so they both enjoy the evening. I find that scene extremely romantic, lol. It is usual kdrama’s equivalent of fireworks over an amusement park.
2. Mi’s father
He is a rather mystic and a very fundamental figure. Everything in the family, including Gu’s arrival, is happens there only with his approval. Mi is father’s favorite child, one he always saw as most capable or devoted to family work (when other siblings were playing, Mi was working at a factory). He is worrying for Mi and I bet he knows about her past boyfriends, all of whom were bad guys (in Mi’s words). He also probably knows that Mi is suffering and sees Gu as a strong and capable man, who is able to protect Mi. So he is approving their relationship. Maybe Gu came to his house not by accident either and had contacted him earlier.
3. The main lead, Mi Yeong.
The drama is about Mi and her liberation. Until Episode 5-6, she was liberated only using her imagination. I find nothing special and troubling in that; even I do it myself, but we all know it is only imagination so we quickly return to real world; or we never lose the connection with real world. Those imagined scenes are equivalent to two bottles, Gu drinks every night. We don’t know if Gu also imagines someone sweet and loving, when he looks at starry night. Mi’s offer helps Gu to get away from those bottles and also helps Mi to get away from imagined scenes, because Gu becomes the one, who comes from her dreams (a parallel with WW Two worlds). There is no more need for imagined scenes, because Gu comes to cafe and her dream fades into reality, which is no longer mundane or boring or painful.
Mi paid her debt, got her man, her work and design are accepted as excellent, she founds the Liberation Club, she frees herself from abusive ex (or cuts the last connection – debt), she returns to family (literally by changing address), her siblings and father all accept her new relationship with Gu, who is now worshipped by her own family 🙂 as a jumper, as a capable master or a man, who helps the family financially (by not accepting field work salary, bringing back debts). Gu is a saviour, because he also helps Mi’s brother to try to jump.
Mi sees that all and she is thankful to Gu. Even his unaccepted offer to beat crap out of ex for debt money, while rejected, is something Mi appreciates. No one cared for her before and all used her, but the stranger is ready to help her, and for nothing in return. She is not forced to pay to Gu in any way and that what also makes her happy. She is free to decide what to do, when to end the relationship, Mi is now ruling her own life. It took about 8 episodes for Mi to begin her liberation. The end results of her liberation will be clear by last episode. Whether Gu will still be around by that time, we don’t know. If anything, I think Mi, fully liberated and free, will finally meet Gu, also liberated and free from whatever tortured him and made him hide in countryside. At least, I hope for that.
By laws of the genre, we are now ready for the incoming crisis. Whatever it is, Gu is found and probably tracked down. My take is that maybe it is Mi’s turn to liberate Gu or help him.
I’m rewatching eps. 7 & 8 to catch nuances, and Du Hwan has rewarded me with a new line to use as a put-down: You unbearably old-fashioned egg white.
No, @StoneJack.
First,
No. Frankly, I do NOT know what you mean. Mr. Gu doesn’t just “seem” to be a “real” alcoholic. He *is* an alcoholic. He shows the signs and symptoms of an alcoholic. Here’s a checklist. See how many of them applies to Mr. Gu.
-drinking alone or in secret
-not being able to limit how much alcohol is consumed
-blacking out and not being able to remember chunks of time
-having rituals and being irritated if someone else comments on these rituals, for example, drinks before, during, or after meals, or after work
-losing interest in hobbies that were previously enjoyed
-feeling an urge to drink
-feeling irritable when drinking times approach, especially if alcohol is not, or may not be, available
-storing alcohol in unlikely places
-gulping drinks down in order to feel good
-having problems with relationships, the law, finances, or work that stem from drinking
-needing more alcohol to feel its effect
-experiencing nausea, sweating, or shaking when not drinking
source: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/157163#symptoms
Furthermore, Mr. Gu himself admits his alcohol abuse.
From Ep 6.
Gu: I locked myself in that room and drank all winter. When I tried to sleep, there were bottles in the middle. I could’ve just pushed them aside but I couldn’t even bother to do that. So I curled up around them like I was incubating an egg. I could’ve just thrown them out. But I felt as if I was walking out of my own grave. Completely hopeless. Looking at the soju bottles, I thought, ‘I guess this is it for me. There’s no turning back now.’ (pouring himself another shot) Today, I did something I thought would take me forever to do. I wonder if I can sleep tonight.”
MJ: I’m not going to ask you what happened. I won’t ask you where you’re from. Or why you moved here and keep drinking the days away.I don’t care if you don’t know how to write Hangul or you don’t know your ABCs. I won’t tell you to stop drinking either.And I’m not going to cling to you.
As an intelligent viewer, you can’t deny his alcoholism when both lead characters acknowledge his drinking problem.
Second,
No. I don’t know where you got these ideas but you’ve been misinformed. “Real” alcoholics aren’t always the “mean drunkards” that you see on tv. Some of them are high-functioning alcoholics. Meaning, they can still perform ordinary daily tasks without exhibiting signs of intoxication. Some alcoholics have developed tolerance to the alcohol. Meaning, they can drink more, and still carry out their tasks because they don’t “appear” drunk. Some alcoholics have learned to compensate for their slow reaction or slurred speech.
Just because Mr. Gu doesn’t trash the workshop, sway while he walks, or act like a loser doesn’t mean that he has no alcohol problems.
Third,
I think you missed this scene from Ep 3, @StoneJack.
GiJeong: (telling MJ to go to Mr Gu) We’re short by just one drink. Hurry up and go.
DoHwan: There’s no alcohol at Mr. Gu’s place. So enough.
Chanhee: Why wouldn’t there be when he’s a drunk?
DH: Alcoholics never have alcohol stored away. They just keep two to three bottles. At first, he thinks, “Just two bottles today. I’ll just drink two bottles.” And he only buys two bottles. Once he finishes them, he just wants more. So he goes all the way to the train station to buy more. It would have been better if he had started off with four bottles. But it’s always two. That’s how hard it is to be an alcoholic.
Mr. Gu does NOT drink just two bottles a day, @StoneJack.
In Episode 5, the store manager confirmed this.
Manager: (scolding Mr. Gu) Why don’t you just buy four bottles? Then you won’t have to come back later. It’s hot.
Gu: (annoyed, he leaves the cash and grabs the bag)
Also note that Mr. Gu has drinking ritual.
DH: See, during the day, he drinks one glass looking at the window on this side. When the sun sets, he drinks one glass looking at the porch over there. At night, he drinks one glass looking at the other window. He only changes the direction, staying still like this. It’s as if he’s standing guard, like a neighborhood watch.
Fourth,
This is what MiJeong’s mother said about the incident. From Episode 2.
Mom: I went to get him for dinner, and he woke up with a bruise and blood on his face. I asked him what happened and he didn’t even know. He must have gotten drunk and tripped. He was too drunk to feel anything and just passed out. He was drunk all winter. We just barely turned him into a decent human being, then he does this the very moment he gets a day off.
Have you heard of Occam’s Razor, @StoneJack? That’s the rule in creating theories to explain a phenomenon. The rule states that you have to assume the simplest and most likely explanation. Don’t make it convoluted. Or “when you hear hoofbeats, think of horses, not zebras.”
Or when you see Mr. Gu’s nosebleed, assume that he was too drunk to know that he tripped and bloodied his nose, BEFORE you get any ideas that he has some sort of medical issues like heat stroke or leukemia.
Look: this issue isn’t open to debate on my blog. Mr. Gu is alcoholic.
🙂
I happen to like egg whites, @Welmaris. And I like DuHwan.
I wouldn’t mind if GiJeong ended up with him, to be honest. It’s kinda cute how he calls her “Noona!!” every time, especially when GJ broke her wrist.
To be honest, I don’t think the siblings know how good they have it in sleepy Sanpo. They keep whining about how it’s boring and missing out on city life when all I see when they do get together with their friends is an enviable honesty and authenticity that is the complete opposite of what they have in their work place or in Seoul. DH is one of my favourite characters. I don’t know how he survives because his joint Aloha (?) seems to get zero customers 😂 (is it a cafe?). It seems to be THE place everyone hangs out in. And just talks. There are no secrets. They have a go at each other but it comes from a safe place. They have each other’s backs as evidenced by DH and CH going along with the ridiculous plan with the motorbike after her confession. It beats all the superficial relationships they have at work hands down. If only they would wake up from their malaise and rediscover what really matters in life.
@StoneJack, I like your perspective on the emotions between Gu and Mi-jeong. I’m so curious about how this drama will resolve by the end.
@nrllee, I was thinking a similar thing. On one hand Sanpo is stifling, on the other, the relationships between the friends are solid, not like those (particularly the women in MJ’s office) who seem interested only when there’s something gossip- or SNS-worthy.
@nrllee, does Doo Hwan also have a day job as an assistant football coach in a school? I agree that his cafe seems to be empty most of the time in the evenings.
Yes, @Fern. DooHwan has a day job.
In Episode 1, at that disastrous blind date, he told the lady that he was a soccer coach at an elementary school. He said the coffee shop went bankrupt. But what he loved doing the most was singing. To be able to support himself with his singing was his dream, he said. And that’s when he started singing, to the utter embarrassment of his date.
The coffee shop wouldn’t have been a success because of the poor location (in the middle of farmland!!). But it is quaint.
It would’ve been better if they opened up a beer garden. Mrs. Yeom seems to be a great cook.
Oh, I forgot about his blind date and what happened there. I remembered his smelly shirt that Chang-hee criticised.
He does seem to be in awe of Ki-Jung. When he yelled encouragement to her as she staggered home a few episodes back, the same thought entered my mind. Mostly because I think he is warm-hearted, I would like to see him with a girlfriend (who is tone-deaf lol).
Thanks for clarifying @packmule3 and @Fern. Yes I remember his soccer coach job now. And why he’s pining for the lady teacher (?) whom he wants to confess to. Hence the conversation with CH about wanting a “National Day of Confessing Your Love” 😂. I thought that was like Valentine’s Day? Or White Day? But I guess those 2 days are more about gifting?
@nrllee, that’s what makes Du Hwan’s suggestion even funnier: that there already are two culturally accepted days in South Korea for celebrating romance, but he wants to codify it. He wants to take the emotional risk out of confessing by applying a template.
Ah, the lady teacher who is the Head Teacher’s daughter. Yes, it would be very awkward if that went badly.
I thought it was funny that he wanted the government to sponsor the confession day.
@Packmule3, this thread is uncategorized, so it doesn’t get called up with the other My Liberation Notes threads when clicking on Categories.