Foolish Games

Last Present

"Yong-Gi, a struggling comedian trying to break into TV, learns by chance that his wife, Jung-Yeon, has been hiding a terminal illness. He compromises himself professionally by taking on humiliating roles for a small salary to buy herbal medicine for Jung-Yeon. He also hires a couple of comic con men to track down Jung-Yeon's old school friends and a mysterious high-school love so that she can meet up with them before she dies." (from the Yahoo TV guide)

Well, this is what I found myself watching after midnight last night. I was flicking through the channels, procrastinating from going to sleep, and stumbled across this Korean romantic tragedy. The main character was quite intriguing - a quiet, pensive beauty - so I watched for a few minutes, and before long I was wanting to know what the story was. At first I thought it might be a romantic comedy, but in fact, this was a very sad story that had me sobbing by 1.30am.

I'm going to give away the story, so if you ever expect to watch it, stop now (haha... very unlikely I know, but have to warn you).

It was quite odd, trying to figure out what was going on. The husband and wife were so mean to each other, arguing, not communicating. The wife was hiding her illness (he found out by accident, and didn't tell her he knew until towards the end), and wanted I guess to be strong for him, wanting him to succeed in his career. The husband I'm guessing was busy trying to further his career, and didn't pay enough attention to her (which is why he didn't find out about her illness except by accident). When he found out, things changed, though the way they communicated with each other was still harsh.

Some of the backstory was very sweet. Learning how they got together was very nice - she was working in KFC and a whole bunch of guys walked in with roses, putting them in front of her on the counter, before he walked in and offered her a bunch of roses). Also, he found secretly found out that she had been looking for friends from her childhood, and a mysterious "other" love from her youth... which of course turned out to be him. What happened was that she and her friend, as kids, had agreed to circle their crush on a school photo, exchanged photos, and promised not to look at it 'til they got home. So, she had her friend's crush circled on her photo, which he saw and thought was another love (but eventually found out was him).

Another part of the story was with his parents. They disapproved of him being a comedian and basically distanced themselves from him. She wanted them as a family, and she tried to get in contact with them. He ended up seeing them on his own, telling them about her condition, and they went and saw her, telling her that it was their disapproval of their son, rather than disapproval of her as a daughter-in-law.

That's probably enough about the plot for now. It was a really touching story, bittersweet at times, with a few themes that stood out for me:
- Saying goodbye, spending time with those important to you while you have time.
- Do we have our priorities right? If time was short, what would you focus on?
- Romance comes in so many forms, and some of the most romantic are the ones foreshadowed - the innocent times spent before becoming a couple, the childhood spent playing together, or the long-term crush that develops when all expectations are gone.
- Communicate, don't put up barriers trying to be strong or to do what you think is best. Both the husband and their wife were trying to be strong for the other, but with that in mind for a time they hurt each other so much. The human condition is one of weakness, and it is this weakness that God uses for his glory, with Him giving us real strength. In admitting our pain and weakness, sharing it with our friends, we combat pride and allow ourselves to be comforted, rather than the wounds festering and scarring.

I think that if we knew when we are going to die, whether a month, a year or more, that we would all react differently. Some would be driven to do all the things they always planned to do, others would just try and spend as much time as possible with those they love, and others still would descend into deepest despair such that what time they have left is worthless, for they have died inside already. One thing I desire, is that we could treat those around us as if we will not see them again tomorrow. I think that is sign of love - treasuring a person, and the time spent with that person, as if it were the last time you would see them, even knowing you will see them again tomorrow.

Anyway, here ends another poorly structured string of thoughts. It's pretty much what I wanted to say... just not exactly how I wanted to say it >.< hahaha... oh well, not sure there was a point anyway =P

posted by Son @ 18:51