I didn’t read @nrllee’s review. As a rule, I avoid other BoD’s write-ups before I write my own, so I don’t unintentionally parrot their views.

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The first episode starts of as boring, even banal.

We’re shown the three reasons for YooReum (YR) revolting against the drudgery of her life and going on strike. First, there was her insufferable boss. Second was her break-up with her boyfriend of six years. He got tired of her.

Seriously, I don’t blame him. I would’ve gotten tired of her, too, because she’s a doormat.

YR: When I was running in front of the cars holding the coffee, I wasn’t afraid at all. So I brought the coffee to the meeting room. But the CEO said he doesn’t drink coffee. And DaMi says the Assistant Manager Kim deceived me on purpose. Do you think that’s true?
Ex: So what you are curious about right now is if they lied to you or not. Is that correct?
YR: Yes. Sort of.
Ex: Okay. Let’s say they did lie to you. But why? Why would they do that? It’s a lie to be revealed in a second.
YR: That’s true.
Ex: Why? Why are they walking all over you? Let’s think about it. Let’s think if you really didn’t do anything wrong.

The reason they walk all over her is because they know she’ll let them walk over her. She isn’t going to stand up for herself and speak up against their lie.

YR: (hurt) Oppa.
Ex: Also, the real problem here is not their lie. It’s that you didn’t go into the meeting room. Think if you went in there all sweaty with the coffee. The CEO would’ve loved it. So if you got in there today and did the presentation, it would have been your jackpot. Don’t you think so, YeoReum? YeoReum, the lie is not the problem right now. Your complacency is the problem.

Hmmm… I don’t think “complacency” is the right word, though. What aggravates me about this heroine is her subservience. To me, that’s her biggest problem. She’s a pushover. She does whatever her boss and colleague tell her. She’s submissive and servile. At the end of this drama, I want to see her grow a backbone and become assertive.

Sidenote: if her ex-boyfriend looks familiar, it’s because he was the soul-shifter Naksu killed with her Tansu move in “Alchemy of Souls.”

The third reason for YR going on strike was the death of her mother. YR had promised to make a lot of money for her mother, and to take her to see the flowers and the ocean. But before she could have done anything for her mother, her mother died. In my opinion, her mother’s death was the last straw. It was all that she needed to escape her current situation.

She was waiting for her train when she spotted petals on the ground.

She turned around and saw a wall of peach blossom trees in full bloom. She realized that spring had arrived.

She was about to board her train when she caught sight of a plastic bag floating in the air.

What’s the metaphor here?

I don’t know about you, but I think that at the point YeoReum identified with the empty plastic bag. Surely she didn’t feel like the petals of the peach blossom trees being blown by the wind. But she felt empty inside, as empty as the plastic bag drifting in the breeze and littering the platform station.

Without any familial or romantic connections to weigh her down, she could go with the wind. That’s how she found herself at the coastal town.

She had promised to take her mom traveling. But in the end, she travels on her own to see the flowers and ocean.

What are the other metaphors in these two episodes?

Well, there’s the running metaphor. I’m sure you all saw that. In the beginning, she talked about running all her life. She reminded me of a mouse on a treadmill. Like the hapless mouse stuck in the wheel, she too can’t escape the rut she was in.

YR: I’ve been mindlessly running toward some place for a while. I’m running with all my might, but ironically I don’t know where I’m supposed to go.

Nice visual here. There’s a big wall in front of her, no doubt representing the obstacles in her life.

And the pavement marking says “one way.” She couldn’t help but follow the rules.

This was a nice aerial view, too. Visually, she’s trapped inside the wires, just like she’s trapped by her circumstances.

YR: I think this time I’m in a school. The closer I get to the classroom, it becomes increasingly clear to me. The door is locked as usual.

Pic

Later, she would run to get coffee, crossing a dangerous intersection and risking her life, for nothing. Note how the markings on the intersection hemmed her in, too.

Then she would run to the hospital only to hear the news that her mother already passed away.

It’s fitting then that that in the ending scene in Episode 1 she ran to the beach.

It’s a fitting image because it counters the image of the wall blocking her path at the onset of the episode. No wall blocks her horizon here.

Also, there’s no signage that says, “one way.” She can drift in any direction she wants.

Moreover, she has no need to run here. She’s free to float all day. Note the nonexistence of wires and lines to confine her.

Note also the contrast in colors: the black-and-white photography in the beginning of the episode vs blue saturation in this ending scene. The director and cinematographer couldn’t be clearer in their message.

I wonder what running will signify for the male lead, Dae Beom, played by Siwon, the reason I’m watching this show. His only appearance in Episode was in this scene when he was running in a lonely stretch of the road before sunset. While we know what YeoReum is running away from, who knows what he’s running away from.

There’s also the metaphor of being locked outside.

For most of her life, YR acted like an outsider desperately trying to get in and to fit in. I suspect that this story will be about her altering course and trying to get OUT and break free.

This moment is a foreshadowing. She grows best when she breaks free and exits the small world she unknowingly confined herself in.

To me, the kdrama’s attraction begins in Episode 2 with its portrayal of small-town life.

I admit I have a bias. I like dramas set in small towns. Post-Covid, I hanker for the simplicity and folksiness of small communities. For one, it’s easier to get involved and volunteer at the local library, church, school, or chamber of commerce. For another, I can avoid the glitz and grind of big city living.

Here are some of funny and not-so-funny misperceptions shown in this episode.

1. The ahjumma perm of Dae Beom

If you’ve seen Reply 1988, then you would know what an ahjumma perm is. Remember this?

source: korea JoongAngDaily

YR assumed that DaeBeom was an older woman because she had this preconceived notion that provincial women loved to perm their hair.

But then, the tables were turned when the young kids playing soccer called her an ahjumma.

2. Moving to Seoul

I get it when Dae Beom’s colleague screamed in frustration that she was stuck in the provincial office.

Colleague: I don’t know how long I have to be stuck in Angok. Why aren’t they transferring me somewhere else? Dae Beom, I failed again. I can’t go into County Office again. It’s so annoying. Why is this happening to me? I want to go to Seoul. I hate Angok!

DaeBeom handed her a paper cup with water. Later, he would offer YR a paper cup of water, too. I guess he thinks hysterical women needs a drink of water to calm down. Lol.

Colleague: I’m sick of all this.

Urban flight has long been a problem in South Korea with the younger generation moving to Seoul in search of better economic and professional opportunities. But I wondered what the regional government are doing to encourage rural migration and to revitalize the farming and fishing villages before they become extinct. I guess kdramas can depict communities as caring and neighborly, and work-life balance as achievable.

Also, it’s interesting that Dae Beom seems perfectly content to stay in Angok. I don’t think he’s some sort of a “quiet quitter,” a term used by Wall Street Journal to describe workers who aren’t interested in getting ahead and do the minimum required of their jobs. But I do wonder if he’s hiding something.

3. Traveling on one backpack

YR: After quitting my job, I lay in bed for two whole days. I was afraid. I didn’t know what to do at all. So first, I decided to leave Seoul because this city was overwhelming to a jobless person like me. I threw out my ex-boyfriend’s stuff that I couldn’t touch until then. And I decided to keep only things that fit in one backpack.

I thought this was commendable of her but at the same time, I find it doubtful that she could have carried those things in one backpack and not be bowed down under the weight of it all.

YR: (continued) When I started organizing stuff, I realized how much I had bought. I thoughtlessly bought mugs that were pretty, plus dishes I used only once for the housewarming party. Clothes I didn’t even know existed after buying them, and cheap shoes I kept buying as habit from shop stalls. I picked one of each category that I absolutely needed.

I took screenshots to verify that the director truly limited her wardrobe to what was shown here.

I can already tell you that she’s missing her chargers for her laptop and phone.

YR: The competition was fiercer than a big company’s interview. Things I didn’t need were instantly sold when I put them in the online market. Goodbye. Goodbye to my six-pyeong (215 sq ft) life.

For urban dwellers like YR, quitting Seoul and living in the countryside meant adopting a minimalist lifestyle.

I find it ironic that the first things she did in the town of Angok were a) go to a mini-mart and BUY glue, and b) rent a building and ACQUIRE a lantern. Technically, then, on her first night in Angok, she ended up with more items than when she left Seoul.

Let’s see if she’ll pick up more things.

4. Country folks are nice

Have you noticed that the folks she met, except Siwan’s Dae Beom, have a mean streak?

The children are savages. The high school girl is a rudesby. And the restaurant owner is xenophobic.

5. Drunk in the street

Whether it’s in a bustling city like Seoul or a small town like Angok, it’s bad form to be drunk, especially in the middle of the day.

I thought YR was irresponsible to copy the locals and order soju when she couldn’t hold her liquor.

Ugh. Not only is she a pushover, she’s a fool as well.

Nope. That’s the taste of stupidity.

This scene practically erased the goodwill I have for this kdrama.

Whether or not I’ll continue watching this kdrama depends on how much the charms of country living — and Siwon, let’s not forget him — override my distaste for this pathetic excuse of a heroine.