The thread is now open.
Gifs from ahsung’s tumblr
Depending on how the ending goes, I think this drama needs to be watched again from the beginning to see how everything fits in together. The writer tried so hard to present an original conception with characters that the audience can relate to, and I want to explore the areas where she succeeded and failed. It’s unfortunate that because of my work and travel, I haven’t given this show the scrutiny it deserved. Anyway…
Let’s enjoy the show.
Thank you, @packmule3. I would ideally like to know more about Gu’s background and the story of the little cross.
Atm, the only two things I recognised as confusing were the jumps back and forth in time, and the speech where sometimes I couldn’t tell if it were an interior monologue or an actual conversation.
I hope that your workload eases a bit so you can enjoy your dramas!
I just finished Episode 15 of My Liberation Notes. Before I started I was begging, “Please be good. Please be good. Please be good.” I was pleased.
I have to get ready to go out this evening, so won’t be able to write thorough commentary at the moment. I can’t wait to see how it all wraps up tomorrow. The script seems to be going in the direction of solid, realistic, relatively good endings for the three siblings, but not necessarily pairing them with lovers or spouses. I say good, because the siblings have grown in self-knowledge and confidence. They have, or will, become happy with themselves regardless of relationships, possessions, or place of residence.
While I have a few minutes, I want to point out something that made me laugh. CH is talking with a convenience store employee, explaining how he ended up managing (owning?) that store.
CH: That’s who I am. I always know in advance where I belong, like a psychic.
Emp: Sir. Then go sit in some chairman’s office if a big company tomorrow. Tell them that’s where you belong. Tell them you just know it. Instead of going to Gyeongbokgung Palace. Why do you keep going to the palace where there’s no chance? Your last name isn’t even Yi.
The dynastic name of Joseon monarchs was Yi. The employee is pointing out that no matter how much CH likes visiting the palace, he’ll never become king. But the joke is that, in fact, the actor’s last name is Lee or Yi, both romanizations if the same surname.
@Welmaris, I too think all 3 siblings are going to end up not being in a relationship and probably back in Sanpo. Al though, I have always been on the side of “they do not need a relationship” and have actively disliked the idea of Gi Jung with Tae hoon and Mi Jung with Gu (the latter fit well together but Gu is much more than what he is in front of Mi jung and you cannot simply ignore his job which is basically his lifestyle). However, now that they are actually going there, it seems like they came out of nowhere, all the progress in 15 episodes wasn’t for all this. But I guess if this becomes true in the last episode, the writer will try to hold a message that how our hopes on material things to save and liberate us don’t necessarily work. Let’s see what she does eventually.
@Welmaris, thank you for explaining the Yi name comment.
@Old American Lady, your comment about the clash between MJ’s new world of high security credit cards and Gu’s current (underworld) is spot on. I feel a lot of trepidation now.
I feel pessimistic about GJ’s relationship. Just looking at their faces you can see that no one involved is happy about it. The aunt is very wrong that adding a baby to the equation will bring the teenage daughter closer. In this case, knowing how the girl reacts and how she has already had to deal with her birth mother ‘replacing’ her with a new family, I feel she will feel rejection once again. It’s telling that she lied and told the shopkeeper that GJ was stealing.
@wapz Your comment that the siblings may end up in Sanpo reminded me of the story of The Alchemist by Paul Coehlo: one night, our hero dreams of buried treasure, and he sets off on a long journey fraught with many obstacles and dangers. Alas, he finds no treasure at his journey’s end and wearily trudges home again, only to find the buried treasure where he started!
This is a common theme of myths from many cultures, according to Joseph Campbell who studied world mythology and wrote the book The Hero with a Thousand Faces (published in 1949). These myths tell us that in order to become heroes of our own lives, we must leave home (our comfort zones) and journey into the wide world to find ourselves. In the Knights of the Round Table, for example, King Arthur tells the knights (who are searching for the Holy Grail) that each must enter the forest in a separate place, where there is no path and the forest is darkest.
The message is that we must each follow our own path to find the Holy Grail or hidden treasure, which lies within us. The Yeom siblings may end up back where started in Sanpo, but hopefully they will have discovered the meaning of their lives through their difficult journeys.
@Rebecca, I will hold your and @wapz comforting thoughts close as we head towards this evening’s finale. Fingers crossed.
Wow, what a roller-coaster last two episodes! Episode 15 was so densely packed in comparison with some of the earlier Sanpo episodes!
The last scene in the club was set up so well: there is an upbeat sounding old (trot?) song playing in the car and Sam-sik is singing along. He says he knows the song because he has an old-fashioned name (Ok-ja). Gu laughs. The song continues as they enter a club and skip down the stairs. But as they enter the club ante-room, all goes still and slow. The corridor tilts. For a moment, I thought it was all in Gu’s brain. We follow him past some club workers and other, more menacing faces to the inner office where a man is stuffing money into a sack. Gu’s next words chilled me, “How dare you touch my money?”
Of course it all kicks off rather quickly after that. I felt that I understood more about Gu’s dead visitors then. At the end of the episode, we see some drawers in his corridor filled to the brim with neatly wrapped cash, all of which goes into a hold-all. The drawers were behind the very bottles he had told MJ not to bother picking up.
I felt like the ending was left open in terms of the relationships. Tae Hoon visits GJ after drinking from the looks of it, and both seem happy. Chang-hee and Hyeona are on friendly terms. Papa Yeom and his new wife – is she too much for him? He seems exhausted. MJ and Gu, well I don’t know if her ending smile is for him or not. For all I know he’s heading overseas. At least she is smiling.
I was glad that MJ’s high security credit card job didn’t get involved in any way. It seemed like a possibility, as someone else posted, but it would have been an unnecessary complication and was a red herring for me to overthink.
There are so many things to think about here. One of my best images in episode 16 is Chang-hee going into the wrong but right classroom, his legs leading him to the correct place for him. He would be excellent as a funeral director.
The best laugh was Tae-hoon drunk-buttoning his coat.
@Fern, just a quick question before I am away for lunch: Have we ever before seen Tae Hoon drunk? In my imperfect memory, he seems to have always guarded his emotions and reactions. I don’t want to say getting drunk is a good thing, but allowing himself to emote more may be. He’s trying to not feel afraid, nor be afraid of feeling. Ya think?
I never recall seeing him like that. It made me wonder if it was some work thing that he couldn’t get out of, but it gave him a longing to indulge GJ with egg bread and a rose. Ha, the green stem is his heart. A bit bent and broken. I think you are correct about him wanting to have the courage to feel more. I liked that she called him, not about the rose, but about his coat buttons. He looked so happy.
Gu bought a bottle of whisky and left it (along with the 500 won coin?) with the pan-handler sleeping on the street. I think that homeless man is Gu’s future self if he had continued living his life as he was. But he appears to have walked away from it, but not clear if towards MJ or not. Interesting that a little girl held the elevator door open for him – does she represent MJ?
A lot to unpack in the final episode, which was surprisingly more optimistic than I was expecting. Admittedly it wasn’t a happy, closed ending, but still, it was optimistic and open.
Interesting that Gu bought a bottle of whisky and left it (along with the 500 won coin?) with the pan-handler sleeping on the street. I think that homeless man is Gu’s future self if he had continued living his life as he was. But he appears to have walked away from it, but not clear if towards MJ or not. Interesting that a little girl held the elevator door open for him – does she represent MJ?
A lot to unpack in the final episode, which was surprisingly more optimistic than I was expecting. Admittedly it wasn’t a happy, closed ending, but still, it was optimistic and open.
Sorry for the duplicate comment – the system said it wouldn’t post the first time I pressed the button because it said it was a duplicate, so I changed the first word and now two have appeared! Go figure.
I can imagine people complaining that My Liberation Notes doesn’t have a strong ending, but based on Park Hae Young’s previous work, My Mister, I believe this show’s ending is in keeping with her style. The ins and outs of romance were part of this character study, not the sole focus, so I’m not bothered that all the characters’ love lines weren’t tied up neatly in bows. Papa spoke for the screenwriter when he told his children, “If you think you would be fine living on your own, just do that. It’s okay for you to do that.”
All the major characters, and many minor characters, in My Liberation Notes were well defined, both in script and by acting. They behaved as people you could actually meet: complex individuals, not archetypes. Even Du Hwa, with his straightforward understanding of the world, had a rounded personality (and a round belly he liked to scratch, but I won’t say more about that).
I’ll start with the sibling whose story I think wrapped up best: Chang Hee. His ability to stumble into the right place for himself led to his discovering a line of work that suits him. (Writernim, please consider a Season 2 centered on Chang Hee and his career as a funeral director.) Chang Hee and Hyeon-A overcame the tumult that entered their relationship when they became lovers; they’ve settled back into being dear friends. Influenced by Gu’s penchant of staring at the mountain in Sanpo, an appreciation of Korean landscape art has been awakened in Chang Hee, along with a spiritual connection to mountains, especially the rocky peaks in Seoul, north of the Han River. CH and his sisters share an apartment in Gangbuk-gu, at the foot of Bukhansan, the highest mountain within Seoul city boundaries. Chang Hee also reads books about Seoul’s history, visits Gyeongbokgung Palace, and walks historical neighborhoods. It seems Chang Hee no longer needs to be behind the wheel of a car to find his personal peace. Having paid off his debt, Chang Hee experiences financial freedom for the first time in ten years. Chang Hee has maturely navigated his grief over losing his mother, and his relationship with his father is more loving and supportive than ever. I have no doubt in my mind that Chang Hee is experiencing a better life at the end of My Liberation Notes than at the beginning.
The sibling I believe has least resolved her problems is Gi Jeong. She’s still blown about by the winds of her emotions. Her employment has remained stable, however, and she continues to be respected by her superior–Director Kim–both professionally and personally. (We don’t see her other superior, Park Jin U, at the show’s end.) Gi Jeong and Tae Hoon have dated from the fall of 2019 to the beginning of 2022. They have reached the understanding they’ll eventually marry, when Yu Rim has reached adulthood. Their relationship is in a holding pattern, and they continue to revisit the problems of Yu Rim’s and Gyeong Seon’s resentment without solving them. Tae Hoon’s reaction to the rumor that Gi Jeong may be pregnant makes it apparent the two of them have never shared their thoughts about the possibility of having children. Once again Gi Jeong takes it on herself to adapt for Tae Hoon’s benefit, saying she’ll no longer be a bothersome female in his life, but a man-like presence. What that means in a practical sense, we viewers don’t know, and I doubt either Gi Jeong or Tae Hoon do either. Empty words? In the end, Gi Jeong contents herself with little gestures from Tae Hoon such as his spontaneous visits to deliver gifts like egg bread and a rose. And it seems Tae Hoon has discovered false courage in alcohol, having to become drunk to break loose of others’ expectations and express his heart to Gi Jeong. These two have a lot of work remaining to uncover, and excise, the core of what ails them. At least Tae Hoon said he’ll participate in the resurrected Liberation Club; let’s hope he’ll be more committed to soul searching than he was previously. Is this a good ending for Gi Jeong and Tae Hoon? There is promise, rather than resolution. These two are flawed (aren’t we all?), but we’ve seen them take a few baby steps to identify and address their issues. For us to imagine their having a good ending, we need to take on faith they’ll continue to progress personally. We have seen Gi Jeong brought to the realization that her unnuanced declarations may contain truth but still be wide of the mark. Her happy ending may hinge on her learning when to speak, and when to keep her thoughts to herself.
What to say about Mi Jeong and Mr. Gu? Their relationship is fraught. He’s an alcoholic. When he isn’t honestly employed in Sanpo, his income comes from illegal gains as a member of a criminal enterprise, in which he’s near the top of the hierarchy. His illicit activity places him in physical danger. Mi Jeong is a talented graphic designer, but her skills are underappreciated and underutilized. She is introverted, and often shies from defending her own interests. She does have a temper, and when it is unleashed may impulsively act in a way that ultimately brings herself harm. Drawn to each other despite hating people in general, Mi Jeong and Gu enter an unusual agreement with the goal of improving both their lives. Mi Jeong proposes Gu worship her, making her feel better about herself and distracting him from his drinking. The definition of worship is something they work out as they go along; they’re both charting new territory with this relationship. They find they can talk more deeply about personal matters with each other than they can with anyone else, but this very thing makes Mr. Gu afraid of Mi Jeong. He does not like being vulnerable. Mr. Gu tries to push Mi Jeong away emotionally, but is disarmed by her unique thinking and accurate insight. Fond of Mi Jeong, but unable to reconcile the path of his life with hers, Mr. Gu breaks all ties with Sanpo, returning to Seoul and cutting all contact. After more than two years trying to forget Mi Jeong, Mr. Gu admits to himself he can’t and returns to Sanpo to find her. There, Mr. Gu learns Mi Jeong’s life had undergone drastic changes with the death of her mother, remarriage of her father, and her move to Seoul…and Mr. Gu was not there to support her through any of it, even though Mi Jeong longed for him to reconnect with her. Sounds like shaky ground on which to build an everlasting love.
After their reunion, what do Mi Jeong and Mr. Gu have going for them as a couple? Mi Jeong is less needy emotionally than before. Without Mr. Gu to lean on the past two-plus years, Mi Jeong has had to rely on herself and her family to get through the initial shock of her mother’s death, manage her grief, settle into new family dynamics, deal with losing her job and finding another, establish residence in Seoul, and weather the news of her swindling ex getting married. She’s got more mettle now. Mr. Gu, on the other hand, is losing his edge at work. He does not deny he’s an alcoholic, and has made some effort to get help. Rather than being afraid of Mi Jeong, he yearns for her, although he fears being rejected if he displays his unfiltered self. Mi Jeong is patient with Mr. Gu and listens to him nonjudgmentally. They can communicate with each other in trust, discussing personally significant issues. Mi Jeong offers Mr. Gu sincere compliments and encouragement. Mr. Gu listens to Mi Jeong, cherishing her words. Mr. Gu allows Mi Jeong to see a softer, more playful side of him. Mr. Gu delights again in taking practical care of Mi Jeong’s needs; Mi Jeong provides when she sees Mr. Gu’s has need. They are happy to see each other. They enjoy being together. Mr. Gu wants to navigate life step by step with Mi Jeong. Mi Jeong feels she receives love, and returns love.
Have we been shown assurances that this couple will make a success of their relationship despite obstacles? No. By the end of the show, do I believe that Mi Jeong and Gu Ja Gyeong have a future together? Yes. It may be a future of tempered happiness. They’ll have to endure much if they are to overcome Gu’s alcohol dependency and shed his criminal alliances. I am encouraged by Gu’s focus on step-by-step improvement rather than sweeping changes done quickly. We don’t know if their future together will be short or long, but I am convinced that both Mi Jeong and Gu Ja Gyeong are fully committed.
Here’s my interpretation of the very end: I believe Gu will take the cash he’d stored in his apartment and hand it over to Chairman Shin as replacement for the day’s stolen proceeds. That cash in Gu’s apartment was likely the pay he’d received from Chairman Shin. As @OAL pointed out, criminals don’t use banking or other traceable methods to stash or spend their money. I don’t think Gu skimmed from Chairman Shin the way his weaselly hyung did. Despite his hyung taking advantage of him, I think Gu felt honest concern and friendship for him, although I doubt the friendship was sincerely returned. Gu didn’t immediately follow Chairman Shin’s orders to shut down the club Hyung managed, so Gu may feel responsibility for events taking a turn for the worse. I imagine he could placate Chairman Shin’s anger by paying off Hyung’s theft. I also imagine, his having noticed Gu losing his edge, that Chairman Shin would be willing to release him from his responsibilities, as long as they were even in terms of money. Gu already did what Shin called him back to do: got rid of Baek.
My reason for believing this scenario is the explanation we heard from Mi Jeong about tolerating her ex being in debt to her. She cared for her ex, but he misused her. Her tolerance of his debt shows the world she’s the bigger person. The principle is the same with Gu and his hyung. By taking on Hyung’s debt, which may never by repaid, Gu can feel better about himself than he would if he just spent the money on himself. And being without financial wherewithal is something Gu already anticipated. He told Mi Jeong he might become homeless.
My hope is that Gu can walk away from this line of work with Chairman Shin’s tacet approval, starting a new life with Mi Jeong. Perhaps they’ll move back to Sanpo. As Gu said, “Just as I thought, we suit the fields better.” Mi Jeong agrees, “It’s comfortable. Trees, wind, and rocks don’t irritate us.” The Sanpo Sinks business can be restarted by Gu, with Papa as his mentor. Mi Jeong can resume commuting to Seoul, or she can quit the job that isn’t utilizing her skills and join Gu in the factory. She did say she prefers doing precision work over design work that isn’t appreciated.
@Welmaris, your words about Gu and Mi Jeong’s actions after the finale follow a reasonable tangent. May it be so.
To me Gi Jeong’s strained relationship would have to undergo something earthshaking in order to change for the better. The family members involved had deeply embedded attitudes. While I enjoyed the sweetness of Tae Hoon’s tipsy visit, I hope that he won’t make a habit of it for the sake of the false courage he gets from the alcohol.
I was moved when Papa Yeom told all of his children that is was fine to live on their own. He admitted to his own weakness and praised their increased strength. He told them “Your dad isn’t strong. You guys are better than me.” It makes Mi Jeong cry to hear it. Was the father also saying that being married didn’t make you less alone; that he was dependent on a woman; that he realised that his children had more ability to survive as single people than he did; and/or that although he was married to someone nice he found it a burden?
We heard that Chang-hee worked hard to make his father ready to marry again (even a face-lift?!). He was protecting his father in his old age. It seems that the new wife is kind, generous and chatty. It’s nice that for a change the stepmother is appreciated by the step-children and visa-versa, but Chang-hee must have been a bit taken aback by his father’s words.
It’s interesting that MJ is keeping her contact with Gu secret from her siblings. Only her father knows that she met up with Gu and he’s not one to reveal it. I can imagine she feels the need for privacy from her siblings’ potential emotional and voluble reactions, although it would have been gratifying for us viewers to see a Gu and Chang-hee reunion.
So well said, @Welmaris. I was especially moved by Chang Hee’s liberation. Getting into the wrong room was so right for him. I believe that Mr. Gu and MJ will continue to support each other along the way. They have a long road in front of them, but they have taken small steps on the right path.
The honesty of the emotions in this show has left me breathless. I am going to watch it again just for the sheer joy of hearing the words this writer has given to this wonderful group of actors to speak. I don’t know what else to say – I am wrung out.
Episode 15.
–MJ sends Gu a text on January 18 at 10:27 during her work day, notifying him of delivery of a space heater.
–We see Gu in his apartment, seated on his couch and wrapped in a blanket, shivering. There’s a liquor bottle, two-thirds empty, and a partially filled glass on the coffee table before him. The sun is coming in his window. The time on his phone reads 2:20 when he gets a text. After reading this text, Gu gets up, showers, and dresses for business.
–As Gu leaves his apartment, we see the space heater box by the door.
–Gu visits Chairman Shin in his office. Chairman Shin is seated at his desk. Gu, in a contrite stance, is in front of Chairman Shin’s desk.
This is their conversation.
Shin: Unlike the others in this field, you don’t gamble, you don’t chase women. You don’t do anything else. You just drink quietly by yourself. I liked that, and that’s why I came this far with you. But now, alcohol is the problem. I heard that you beat up one of your managers recently over nothing. You’re not as thorough as you used to be. Do you really have no plans to stop? Don’t tell me you’re not an alcoholic. [As he continues talking, Chairman Shin gets up from his desk, walks behind Gu, then sits on the couch.] If you don’t have the willpower, try taking medicine. Try everything you can. Are you going to go down like this? I heard you told Baek’s younger sister to go to the hospital and get therapy. Telling her about some two-thirds point or something. What was it? The point where it all becomes nothing. Were those all empty words?
[Gu turns to face Chairman Shin, walks to the couch, and sits across from Chairman Shin.]
Gu: I do see a doctor.
Shin: They told me you don’t come anymore.
Gu: I changed my doctor. Dr. Kim was boring.
Shin: Is therapy supposed to be fun?
Gu: I can’t talk to a dull person even for ten minutes.
Shin: What did you talk about?
Gu: He said I was always on guard. Because I’m “one.” Watching out for a knife or a bottle coming at me, or if someone pocketed any money. I watch them, catch them, and beat them up. It’s not like I have a partner that I can share the workload with. I’m always alone. One. I try to be happy for just five minutes a day. So I try to gather up moments of excitement in four and seven-second chunks, to fill five minutes a day. But I haven’t even been able to gather one second today. Just now, while talking to you…I got excited for three seconds. It’s six seconds now. It’s quite long today.
Things I infer from these scenes.
–Having been told that the heater is broken at Gu’s apartment, MJ sends a gift to make Gu’s life more comfortable.
–Gu has his phone set to read texts, so he got MJ’s notifications sent in the morning, but by afternoon he still hadn’t gone to bring in the heater waiting outside his door.
–Someone’s text spurred Gu to get up and moving. I assume it was sent by Chairman Shin.
–Gu respects Chairman Shin’s authority.
–People in Gu’s line of work tend to be hampered by vices. Gambling and chasing women are vices that open paths of vulnerability to other people. Gu’s only vice, drinking solo, is something Chairman Shin was willing to tolerate.
–Chairman Shin recognizes that alcohol abuse is now negatively affecting Gu’s job performance.
–Chairman Shin says Gu recently beat up a manager over nothing. Did Gu cover for his hyung, not telling Chairman Shin that he caught the manager skimming money? Or does Chairman Shin really think nothing of having some of his income stolen by an employee?
–Chairman is in favor of Gu getting better, even if it takes medical intervention. “Try everything you can.” Trying everything to break his addiction could include Gu quitting his job and entering a residential rehab program. If Chairman Shin truly means “everything,” he’d support that…perhaps even financially, if necessary. Chairman Shin knows Gu recommended therapy and hospital treatment to his girlfriend. “Are those empty words?” Chairman Shin wants Gu to do for himself what he recommended to someone else.
–It sounds like it is common for people in this line of work to “go down.” They could die. Be jailed. Be ruined financially, mentally, socially. Lose position and influence. Chairman Shin is afraid Gu is already on the path to ruin and wants to stop the downward spiral.
–Chairman Shin knew Gu was seeing a doctor for therapy, knew the identity of the doctor, and could check on the status of Gu’s treatment. He was informed Gu stopped going. Had Chairman Shin sent Gu to that particular therapist? Had Shin been paying for Gu’s sessions? Did Shin, therefore, have some rights to Gu’s medical information?
–Was Gu lying about seeing a new doctor? Although Gu claims he found Dr. Kim boring and couldn’t talk to him, he did share some of what he learned from Dr. Kim with both MJ and Chairman Shin. The therapy Gu received from Dr. Kim had some impact.
–Chairman Shin knows that therapy can be hard work. He questions whether Gu is willing to put in the effort.
–Gu’s job makes him feel anxious and solitary. He’s always on the alert for miscreants who may be recognizable enemies, misbehaving customers, or corrupt co-workers. He can’t trust anyone in his line of work, even those who are supposed to be on the same side as him. Sam Sik, who accompanies Gu on his rounds, is someone he relies on but cannot share his responsibilities with: Gu must bear those alone.
–Gu continues to listen carefully to MJ’s words, storing them in his memory for later recall and use.
–Sitting in his house and drinking alone is not something that brings Gu happiness.
–This conversation with Chairman Shin brings happiness to Gu.
Gu respects Chairman Shin. I believe Chairman Shin, cognizant of Gu’s faults, is a reasonable man, not just judging the value of his employees by profit and loss. From the concern he expresses for Gu’s wellbeing, it seems Chairman Shin is not the kind of person to use others until they’re dry husks, then discard them. From all the information about Chairman Shin’s mindset given us by the screenwriter, I believe he would assist Gu in doing everything possible to treat his alcoholism.
Considering all this, my hope for Gu Ja Gyeong at the end of the drama is that he decided to bring the bag of money from his apartment to Chairman Shin. I believe Gu knows he can lean on Chairman Shin. I believe Chairman Shin sincerely values Gu and wants him to be a healthy person above being an employee.
I believe the scriptwriter gave us many indications Gu would not just take the money and run.
In Episode 16, during the last sights and sounds of Gu this drama gives viewers:
–Gu phones his hyung, the club manager who’d just put him in a bad spot by stealing not only the day’s proceeds from his club, but the satchel with the day’s proceeds collected from all the other clubs. Gu leaves him a message. He doesn’t whitewash his disappointment in Hyeon-jin, but says he’ll welcome him back with open arms. He hopes to see his hyung alive in the future. [Not a likely scenario if Hyeon-jin is held responsible for stealing so much money from Chairman Shin. Also, if Gu runs away from Seoul again, he wouldn’t be there to welcome back his hyung.]
–Gu cleans up, bandaging the cut on his forehead, and dresses in casual clothes, not as he would if going to work.
–Gu places in a satchel bundles of money he’s kept stored in his wardrobe drawers. He leaves his apartment, carrying the satchel.
–Gu exchanges looks with a cute little girl in his apartment building elevator who held the doors open for him, and counts it as seven seconds of happiness.
–Gu goes to a convenience store and buys a small bottle of whiskey.
–A coin that falls from Gu’s pocket rolls across the sidewalk and drops off the curb next to a drain. Gu finds the coin miraculously balanced on the grate over the drain.
–Gu donates to a homeless man the unopened bottle of whiskey he’d just bought. At least in this moment, Gu is curtailing his alcohol consumption. Gu continues walking down the city sidewalk, carrying the satchel.
–In a voiceover with both MJ and him, likely speaking from the future, Gu agrees that his life is divided into before and after he met MJ. We see him walking in the city.
–MJ after walking through a tree-lined city pathway with (we assume) work colleagues, she stops to wait by the street. She thinks to herself (in voiceover), “I must be crazy. I feel so lovable.” She turns, catches sight of someone, smiles broadly, and tips her head to the side in greeting.
–We see a closeup of Gu’s boots, then see his face as he’s walking on the city sidewalk. The brick pavers and trees along the curb look like the street where he’d encountered the vagrant. He thinks to himself (in voiceover), “Trudging on…step by step.” [This harkens back to Episode 15, when Gu returns to MJ after their reunion was interrupted by work. His cheek had been cut by an angry customer wielding a broken bottle. Gu is in such a foul mood he considered bailing on MJ, but decided to go to their meeting place anyway. MJ encourages Gu to piece together five minutes of peace in each day by grasping happiness a few seconds at a time. Gu is affected by her words. He asks MJ, “Well…do you still live the hard way, trudging on step by step? (He smiles.) Let’s go together. (Taking off his coat, indicating he’s staying in the restaurant with MJ.) Step by step, trudging on.”]
Our final moments with Gu and MJ are positive. Gu isn’t alone, he isn’t one, he’s committed to being together with MJ. And Mi Jeong has been liberated from her exhausting, anger-fueled existence of living to prove that someone else is terrible. The drama leaves us with the words of a smiling Yeom Mi Jeong, “There’s nothing but love in my heart. So…I can’t feel anything but love.”
I should add that taking things step by step, trudging on, is considered the hard way of living life by Gu. Running away would be taking the easy way out.
@Welmaris, thank you for your vision of the outcome. Chairman Shin seems concerned enough about Gu to make me wonder if he had been hoping to pass his business on to him – similar to Mr Yeom. Both recognise a capable man.
I also agree that Gu respects Shin. In any of his meetings with him, he never seemed rebellious, distrusting, angry or begrudging. Well, there was that scene in the woods when Shin was hunting – but that scene made me wonder if he simply was very nervous about the chatroom incident and the vulnerability to the tax laws or if Gu was suffering from some PTSD. The way that scene opened made me think that Gu was being hunted in the woods. I wonder what others thought about that?
I’m not 100 percent convinced that all of the money in Gu’s apartment was simply pay from Shin. I remember in an early episode, a flashback of Hyeon-Jin speaking on the phone with Gu and mentioning money that ‘they’ skimmed. Later, when Gu met Shin near Sanpo Shin admitted that he knew people took money from him, but wanted Gu back regardless, mostly to take over from Baek, but it seemed that he felt Gu was competent and understood honour in his terms. Gu never denied to Shin or Hyeon-jin that he took some money. I would like to think, as you do, that Gu was packing the money to bring to Shin so we can have the outcome you describe.
Trepidation: When Gu saw the coin balancing on the grate and knelt to pick it off, I was anticipating a WTD moment and how ironic it would have been for Gu to be wiped out, with millions on him, for the sake of a 500 won coin. I’ve never been so happy for a trope to be missed.
@Fern, I’m going to give my impression of the scene where Gu met Shin at the site where the chairman was hunting, but in a roundabout way.
In the last third of Episode 16, there’s a scene where Gu and MJ are walking. He’d come to meet her after she’d gotten off work, surprising her. At MJ’s suggestion they went to a convenience store to buy alcohol. As they walk, Gu stumbles and MJ catches him by the arm.
MJ: Why did you drink so much?
Gu: Because I felt good. Sometimes…very occasionally, it’s quiet inside my head even when I’m sober. As if…everything’s stopped, I guess? Then I pour in the hard liquor again. When I feel comfortable and happy I drink to break it because I hate feeling that way. When I feel my life is going okay, I drink. I beat myself up in advance. “I’m not happy. I’m definitely not happy. I’ve been miserable. So please punish me just a little. Please, only a little. Waking up and sitting up in the morning is hard. I felt like I couldn’t even take five steps back, so I didn’t go back for my umbrella and walked in the rain. Because those five steps were too difficult, I got soaked in the rain. My life is too hard, I’m so tired. I’m already being punished harshly. So please, I’m begging you!”
This is a man who, in Sanpo, couldn’t bring himself to push aside the empty soju bottles, so curled around them when he slept.
I wrote in an earlier thread that I thought Gu might not dress properly for cold weather as a way to punish himself. This monologue confirms that he can’t make the effort to care for himself. He also feels at all times, even when he’s happy, that he deserves to be punished. We’ve previously heard him explain that he believes punishment doled out in smaller doses keeps larger misfortunes at bay.
We know Gu owns at least one warm woolen scarf: we saw him put one on while leaving the club during the New Year 2022 celebration. He’s wearing one while walking with MJ during this conversation. We know he understands how to dress for cold weather, because he bought MJ gloves on their reunion date. And we are shown that the cold weather wasn’t unexpected in the scenes when we see him shivering, because we see other people bundled up. In the scene at the beginning of Episode 13 when a shivering Gu waits to meet Shin, the chairman is dressed in hat, gloves, and two layers of jacket. The men accompanying the chairman wear buttoned thick jackets, scarves, and gloves. Gu is wearing a longcoat, unbuttoned, over a business suit. He isn’t wearing a scarf, hat, or gloves. Such attire might be appropriate for indoors, in a car, or running quickly between the two in cold weather, but not for spending a length of time in the elements…especially not standing still.
Gu has a driver and car that transports him for work matters. He thinks ahead enough to put in the armrest storage booze to drink; you’d think he’d learn from past experience to keep in his car hat, gloves, and scarf to grab when need arises.
I do believe Gu went to find Chairman Shin in a hurry. Because Chairman Shin does not declare all of his clubs’ income to the government, he’d want to avoid scrutiny by authorities. Gu wanted to inform Chairman Shin as soon as possible that one of the club managers had been arrested, exposing the chatrooms to the police and revealing how much the club charges per table, “…so we’ll have to declare our real income, sir.” I wasn’t sure what was meant by chatroom; Papago translates the Korean closed captioning, “…I think I got caught in the group chat room…” I think Gu is referring to something he sent over electronic communication to several people. The manager who was arrested for a matter not related to the club probably had his phone and computer confiscated as evidence by the police. Once he delivered the information to Chairman Shin and received his response, Gu jumps back into his waiting car. I don’t know why Gu didn’t wait for Chairman Shin from the relative warmth of his car. Perhaps he was afraid he’d miss the chairman if he wasn’t standing on the path to intercept him.
Hi, I think this drama. Left off deliberately open-ended. Each sibling had some degree of liberation and there was a promise of more change. CH had the best outcome by finding his calling. What a great mistake. Cash had a healthy regard for death and dying and was shown to have great source of compassion. He paid off the debt that seemed to be owed to Dad”s second wife.That seems to have been established by their conversation when he went home.
I was left with hope for G’s relationship with T. They both know the problems but he, even with alcohol, seems more open. We see no perfect relationships in this drama.i felt for Yu-rim
She had one good aunt but one bad one. Her Dad was befuddled and strangely distant. There is no way that she wouldn’t be suspicious of a new woman in Dad’s life as she’s already been abandoned by him. As a person who as I have told this blog had one birth mother, one foster mother,two stepmother’s a grandmother and great aunt with an ambivalent father, the kid’s role rang true. Abandonment us a theme in this drama and it’s handled realistically.
My view of Gu is that he kept lots of my money in his apartment and did not put it all in the luggage. I think the money he took will be used to pay his hyung’s debt. I think Chairman Shin knows that Guy is no longer useful to him but he respects Gu enough to suggest therapy(although he knows Gu will not use his therapist if choice). I don’t think Gu had stolen from Shin because if his respect and fear if him. G up comes across as practical. We don’t see a traditional happy ending for him and MJ but it appears that if we see Gu settling his old life in preparation for trying to go legit (gangster talk).
Most of all we see MJ coming to terms with her ex, with the hope that she may be repaid. Of course, she no longer found the need for vengeance just by her intervention in his mashing accusation, it showed how far she came. MJ’s liberation started with her decision to ask Gu to worship her and at work, to start her liberation club. For an introvert her actions were revolutionary. I kind of think if MJ and Gu as Ilsa and Ruck if Casablanca. They might not last but they’ll always have that brudge in Seoul. I can also see a bit of Her-do in MJ. She may end up finding another man in the end but we’re it not for her relationship with Gu that may not have happened. She herself in the voice over defined her life as pre and post Gu.Going forward Writernim implied that better thing awaited her.
In all I loved this drama for quietly showing how everyday life experiences can be dramatic, engaging and ultimately touching in an understated way. I definitely will be watching it again and again.
@Welmaris, thank you for your interpretation. You think that Gu was shivering due to the cold and related to his penchant for self-punishment. I was overthinking, for certain. The beginning of the scene seemed almost surreal.
I still wish we got a picture of how Gu ended up in a host bar. His clothing choices compared to many of the other managers indicate a different sensibility or background.
@OAL, you may be correct about Gu have more money stashed in his apartment than what we saw him remove. Despite slipping a bit because of his heavy drinking, Gu was gifted for his line of work. He knew exactly how much was in the satchel that was stolen, having just checked ledgers and collected the money, and knew the amount he was expecting that manager to have each day (having threatened his hyung with job termination if he fell below a set minimum). He would only feel the responsibility to give back to Chairman Shin what was stolen, to cover for his hyung.
Gu’s hyung wore flashy clothes and lots of jewelery, drove an expensive car, and had a gambling addiction. He told Papa that he was barely able to get by. That man didn’t know how to live within his means.
In contrast, Gu lived like a refugee in his nice apartment. Gu did provide well for himself when it came to clothing, housing, and transportation. If he secured those with cash-in-full transactions, common with illicit money, Gu wouldn’t have ongoing debt. His drinking habit may have cost more in Seoul than in Sanpo because he didn’t just limit himself to soju, but a wide variety of liquor was available to him through work. (Just look at the wall of bottles behind his desk in his office.) Otherwise, Gu did not have an extravagant lifestyle. The places we saw him go to eat with MJ were humble: a dumpling restaurant, a street market, a food booth.
I imagine Gu received better-than-adequate pay from Chairman Shin, especially after Shin personally sought him and asked him to return, and Gu ranked high in the hierarchy of Shin’s enterprise. Gu was a boss, good at his job, and valued by Chairman Shin. Consider Baek, who held the same position when Gu was away: he could afford membership in a golf club. (Granted, Baek also had a side hustle dealing drugs, but probably knew better than to make Shin suspicious by flashing more money than expected.) So, yes, I agree @OAL, that it is likely Gu only put in the satchel a portion of his money.
That’s another strike against believing Gu was planning to take the money and run.
@Fern, I also wish we’d learned more about Gu’s past, since we were given such tantalizing hints. What caused his transition from national athlete to bar host? Something caused a fall from grace. Twice we were told he was host for only two weeks: he wanted to quit after two weeks; he became a manager after two weeks. His skill set must have been easily perceived by his superiors, making him stand out among his peers. Even Chairman Shin took notice, choosing him to be boss in a year.
I also wish we found out what happened with Sam Sik. He was able to answer Gu while lying injured, so that was a good sign. Still, I wonder, because blood by the head of a prone person is not a good sign in Kdramas. As least for Sam Sik it was a smallish splatter, not a growing pool. If I were to write my fanfic version of the story’s end, Sam Sik would join Gu and MJ in Sanpo, working for Gu at the factory. At night, Sam Sik would sing at Du Hwan’s cafe, his reputation drawing in adoring crowds and making a success of Du Hwan’s business.
@Welmaris, I will gladly read fanfiction featuring Mr. Gu and set in Du Hwan’s cafe. I bet Sanpo Sinks and Bidets will be a very successful business enterprise and Sam Sik’s singing abilities will make him a local celebrity.
As for Gu’s past, it is possible that his career as a national athlete was cut short by an injury or a scandal and he had no other option but to start working as a host. We know nothing about his family background, but I speculate that he was from a good family and maybe got disowned.
@Welmaris, They say there is no honor among thieves but, in my opinion, Gu proves that to be wrong. He has ives Shin an honest accounting and wins Shin’s trust. Gu’s Achilles Heel is his drinking that I believe is prompted nt the knowledge of his moral ambiguity. MJ serves as a reminder to him that he could be in a conventional relationship with a woman who is honest and legitimate That provides some tension on his part regarding their romance. His feelings for her are deep and true. Ultimately he knows that his “choice” of work could be a deal breaker. MJ senses his problems, his facial wounds don’t happen to people who lead a law abiding life. So I’m the end, the drama leaves us with an open end to their romance. However we do see MJ’s growth vis a vis her ex, her new job responsibilities, the easy interaction she has with her colleagues. She is happier and counts her time with Gu as the catalyst for her change
Our Writernim does not give us what we want but go ives us a natural progression for our subs and those around them.That is what try gives this drama it’s staying power. It is realistic and like life, it doesn’t come tied up in a pretty bow.
The BOD commentary has been so good in this drama. I look forward to reading through the threads.
@Welmaris and @Fern, everything you’ve said and one more thing about Gu. We see him as a very capable carpenter and a skilled worker Those skills do not happen overnight. How did he aquire the ML. Another mystery in the life of Gu. One other thing related to this We have been told that MJ lived the workshop and could do the work. My fantasy was a business/romantic partnership between MJ and Gu in the kitchen business utilizing their considerable skills in manual labor, design and accounting. We got all the clues but didn’t get the follow through-so I can put that in into fan fiction..
@OAL, I thought Gu learned all he knew about carpentry from the bottom up from Mr Yeom. He was still being tutored just before he left.
I still wonder how he got that old guy to pay up. We’ll never know for sure.
@Snowflower, was Sam Sik singing in tune? I wasn’t sure. How funny to picture him becoming a singer. Would Du Hwan want the competition at his cafe, though? Singing was DH’s dream. Different genre of song, though.
It’s funny, but in Be Melodramatic/Melo Is My Nature the character played by SSK wears a medal on a chain around his neck. It’s never shown what is on the medal, but aren’t they mostly a Christian religious image, which would be similar to the little cross he wears in MLN? That character was good with his fists when necessary as well.
@Welmaris Thanks so much for your interpretation of what happened in the final episode, especially about Gu taking the money out of his wardrobe, which you suggest he’ll use to pay back Chairman Shin for what his Hyung stole. That makes more sense than my initial supposition that he’s on the run. After all, he did that before when he originally wound up in Sanpo, and Baek/Chairman Shin eventually found him, so hiding isn’t a good long-term strategy. I don’t understand why the writer chose to leave the interpretation to us – why does she think it’s ‘better’ to leave the viewer uncertain about Gu’s actions at the end?
@Rebecca, I think we were initially given mixed signals about Gu’s intent as he left his apartment with the bag of money, because Gu himself was indecisive at that point.
In Episode 15, after we see Gu meeting with Chairman Shin, we see him waiting outside to meet MJ.
MJ: Twelve times. Your nickname is now “Twelve Times.” You change your mind twelve times a day. [We also saw him hesitate before he showed up to resume their reunion date, after his cheek was cut with the broken bottle.]
Gu: Don’t underestimate me. It’s a million times.
I’ve pointed out before that Gu fears happiness. He sets himself up for punishment (not dressing warmly, not bringing an umbrella) because he thinks he should be punished, thinks punishment accumulates if avoided, so wants it to fall on him in bearable bits.
MJ makes Gu happy. That makes Gu fearful. There’s this conversation between them in Gu’s apartment in Episode 15.
Gu: When I met you again, I regretted it. “Crazy bastard. what are you thinking? I think I ended things with her in Sanpo pretty well. I’m sure I wasn’t that awful to her. I should’ve left it at that.” Yeom Mi Jeong! [Shouted, even though she’s sitting right next to him, as he used to call out her name during their separation.]
MJ: You startled me.
Gu: Just know this. I liked you for real. Later…I have no idea what kind of mess I might become. I’ll probably end up homeless. I’ll be grateful if I could end things before then. Anyway, I really liked you.
MJ: Thank you.
Gu: I really hate people. I hate seeing them moving around in front of me. If my temper suddenly flares, I don’t know what kind of expression I might show you, what I might do, or what I might say to you. I’m scared. But…remember this one thing. Even if I end up becoming the asshole to end all assholes later on, remember I really liked you.
MJ: I want to record it.
Gu: Record it. Do it.
[They set a phone in front of them.]
Gu: Yeom Mi Jeong! I really liked you! [As Gu hugs her, he says Yeom Mi Jeong one more time, which isn’t subbed.]
I like the practical ways MJ diffuses Gu’s fears and negativity. She disarms him. This is why I believe Gu is besotted with MJ, despite his apprehensions. When Gu is by himself, he slips back into believing he doesn’t deserve happiness. Without discounting his thoughts and feelings, when MJ is with Gu she convinces him he deserves at least five minutes of accumulated happy moments per day. She proves she will remember Gu liked her, even during difficult times, by making a recording for future reference.
At the end of Episode 16 when Gu left his apartment with the bag of money, there was a hardened look on his face. He appears to have made a decision that didn’t make him happy. Then the little girl holds the elevator open for him, and he gathers a few seconds of happiness. The 500-won coin he dropped outside the convenience store miraculously balanced on the grate rather than roll into the drain. Gu’s mindset was changed enough by these positive moments for him to give up the bottle of whiskey he’d bought. That’s a baby step toward sobriety and facing his demons.
As we see Gu walking on the city sidewalk carrying the bag of money, we hear him agree with Mi Jeong in voiceover that his life has been divided into before and after meeting her. He isn’t the same as he was when he left Seoul and started a life under the radar in Sanpo. [Back then he didn’t start off fleeing, he was on his way to supposedly meet Sam Sik, accidentally got off at the wrong station, and discovered when he took a taxi to the correct station that Baek and his goons were waiting outside the train station to attack him. That is what led to his dropping out of sight.]
As he walks, we also hear Gu think to himself “Trudging on…step by step.” That’s what he had previously decided to do together with MJ. As these are Gu’s last words heard in the drama, the implication is that his final decision is whatever he does with his life, it will be together with MJ. And from MJ’s loving smile as she watches someone approach her, I have no question she’s looking at Gu walking toward her.
In Episode 15 when MJ is lying with Gu in his bed after their two-stage reunion date, interrupted by Gu’s work responsibilities, MJ signals her comfort level with Gu by closing her eyes. He asks MJ, “Was I an asshole, too?” MJ answers, “Not anymore. You called in the end.” Gu asks again, “But I was an asshole till yesterday?” MJ doesn’t answer him.
In Episode 16, Gu and MJ are sitting on the couch in Gu’s apartment, having a conversation. Gu explains that he drinks to stop the daily mental confrontations he has with people from his past. MJ explains her exhaustion from living to prove others who’ve hurt her are terrible.
Gu: Among those people you wanted to prove were terrible…was I one of them?
MJ: You’re like…a sanctuary that I keep within my head. Because I decided to keep you away from my hate. After you left, my mom passed away, and my dad remarried…I felt like I was constantly being abandoned. In every kind of relationship I’ve had, I’ve never walked away first. The other person always left me. So I thought maybe something was wrong with me. And since it was so painful to find a problem with myself, I made myself believe everyone else was the asshole. But I was determined from the moment I met you that I wouldn’t make any more assholes in my life. That I’d gladly let you fly away if you become a better person. That I wouldn’t be embarrassed even if you hit rock bottom. That I’d only cheer you on from one person to another. When I felt like I would hate you, I begged in my head, “Please, don’t even let him catch a cold. Please don’t let him suffer from a hangover.”
This is exactly what MJ was thinking to herself at the end of Episode 12, as she walked toward her home and was passed by an ambulance. We later see this was the day she’d won the design contest at work. She’d turned down celebrating with her co-workers, instead hoping that the good thing that would happen to her that day would be Gu coming to wait for her at Dangmi Station. She was disappointed, so as she walked home she thought to herself, “‘I will not pretend to be happy. I will not pretend to be unhappy. I will be honest.’ [The Liberation Club tenets.] I hoped every man who ever left me would be unhappy. As if I wanted all the people who saw how small I was to disappear from this world, I hoped they would die. For you, I’m going to hope that you never even catch a cold. I’m going to hope that you don’t suffer a single day of being hungover.”
We also later find out this was the day Mi Jeong’s mother died of a heart attack. Papa told Gu that her death was in the fall, not long after he left. So it was also shortly after Gu’s departure that Mi Jeong made the choice to wish him good health instead of being angry with him. She maintained that mindset–her hate-free mental sanctuary–for the years she wished to reconnect with Gu, had her hope repeatedly dashed, and didn’t know if she ever would see him again.
From MJ’s words at the end of Episode 14 and beginning of Episode 15, we know Gu’s silence weighed heavily on her. During their meeting on the pedestrian bridge, MJ said, “I was so angry waiting for you to call. [In reference to changing her phone number and Gu finding out her new number.] It’s not like you don’t know where I live. I thought you’d be able to if you really wanted to. You never called my previous number. Did you?” As they continued to walk away from the bridge, MJ says, “It’s just strange. So this day came, after all. ‘When might we meet again, and how? Will we ever meet again? I’d be so happy if he called me right now.’ When I was sincerely wishing for it I never heard from you, and when I least expected it, you…” [She does not finish that sentence.] Their stroll takes them through a plaza, where a man walking and exercising causes them to briefly change course to go around him. Gu talks about the discomfort of one versus the comfort of the many.
Gu: But the one is always on their guard. Since they’re alone. I get weird when I’m with you. I keep saying things I never thought of.
MJ: Are we a two? Or just one against one?
Gu: Are you drawing a line between us? [The cinematographer does, shooting this portion of the scene with a tree trunk between them. Then the camera is repositioned twice to make trunks and branches frame them.]
MJ: Why didn’t you call me sooner?
We don’t hear Gu’s answer, if he gave her one…just like MJ didn’t answer Gu later, as they lay together in his bed, whether she considered him an asshole up until the moment he called.
@Welmzris, thanks for these beautiful two posts that gave me hope for these two. I think for Gu, that MJ represents a road to redemption. We don’t get exactly what we want but to repeat the Stones, we get what we need.
@Welmaris, these unanswered questions also intrigued me.f I think she may have answered Gu about the ‘asshole’ designation in the next episode. Does Mi-Jeong mean that although she might have considered Gu an asshole, he was also her sanctuary? In the sense of a person disliking what another person did, but still likes the person? She even says she was angry that he hadn’t called, so she’s not denying her feelings of abandonment in a saintly way. I think that’s healthy.
I also liked that Gu explained how he feared his own temper. Having seen him lose his temper, I can understand that completely. He leaves the statements for MJ about the future and ending the relationship before things take a downturn for him, but she isn’t swayed from her affection for him. When she suggests recording his confession, it seemed to me that she thought that perhaps putting his words down would be a comfort to both of them.
When Gu talks about the discomfort of one, it recalled his talk with Chairman Shin about always being One and how lonely he must have been in his role as chief enforcer and money collector. Despite his alleged dislike of other people, he longed for someone to share his thoughts. When he reconnected with MJ, it was clear that she was fulfilling that role, so he was surprised that she questioned if they were a two or a one against one.
Practically speaking, I was curious about the aftermath of the fight at the club which we didn’t see and I have been imagining it. Poor Sam Sik. Did he survive? There must have been at least broken bones or concussions with the bad guys. Were ambulances called for everyone? Were the police involved? Because of the injuries or perhaps even a death, could Gu be charged with excessive use of force, or was it a case of self-defense? Would Gu even be mentioned as the ‘force’ behind the gang injuries by the club? I would imaging that there was another conversation with Chairman Shin in the offing.