My Liberation Notes 나의 해방일지 [2022]

[Tofu]

On 3/23/2022 at 8:43 AM, Rina said:

Didn't know SSK is in this!

Here are the stills of him! 

Spoiler

 

Kim Ji Won Stills

Spoiler

 

 

Lee El Stills

Spoiler

 

 

[Tofu]

More stills.

 

Character Chart

Credit: https://twitter.com/geewonys/status/1509287487427923969

[Tofu]

Character Videos.

 

[Tofu]

Close up photos of the leads. =)

 

[Tofu]

New Poster.

 

The siblings posed for Elle recently. 

Spoiler

 

 

[Rina]

@Tofu SSK is an outsider? 

 

 

[bai]

I'm really looking forward for this one bcs the writer x director tbh (open the twitter thread it is interesting to read about)

 

and the cast surprisingly interesting dynamic on my mind 😻

 

 

[abs-oluteM]

Forgot that this starts today!

The 3 siblings

[abs-oluteM]

Character Chart

 

[stroppyse]

I was attracted by the leads of this drama, and so watched the first episode, but did it cold without reading what the drama is supposed to be about. In the first episode, it feels very much like a slice of life drama.

 

Three adult siblings who are "stuck" living with their parents in the village they grew up in on the farm that their parents tend. They all work and (try to) date in Seoul, but things don't quite work out. It doesn't help that because of the long trek every evening back to their village, they don't have that much time to socialize as their peers do.

 

A lot of stories about youth who are stuck in rural areas consists of the kids waiting until they are grown up so that they can go find their lives and pursue their happiness. This drama poses the question of what if they grow up, but they are still unable to change their circumstances to even try to live the life that they think they want. They have this sense of desperation about them as if life is passing them by, and they are powerless to do more than live day by day.

 

Still, this being a drama, I'm sure the protagonists are going to be getting into situations which will change things up for them, regardless of whether those changes are ultimately desired or not. Still, it will be interesting to watch the siblings and the people around them sort through their lives, because whether it's the life you want or not, it's still the only life they have.

 

I'm a little surprised at how much I enjoyed this first episode. Lee Min Ki is pretty fantastic as the son Chang Hee who longs for things and a better city life, and yet has had unfortunate incidents which have caused his parents to look down on him. It's clear that they don't have high expectations, probably because he himself isn't very clear on what he really wants to do with his life. His job is working at a convenience store, and even that is going to go away as the owner is retiring and closing the store down.

 

Lee El as the eldest daughter Ki Jung is brash and definite, even as she acknowledges that perhaps she doesn't always know what's what. Kim Ji Won as the youngest daughter Mi Jung who is supposed to be an introvert yet may be mostly a shyness, plays her character with a stillness and watchfulness that conveys desire if not purpose.  It's both funny and sad that Ki Jung determines that she will date any guy at all, and so will Mi Jung.

 

The only lead we don't know much of as yet is Mr. Gu, the possible alcoholic who works on the farm with the siblings' father.

 

Anyway, given that Mi Jung has come up with a reason to interact with Mr. Gu in terms of accepting a package for her that she doesn't want delivered to her parents' home, it seems that she will use that as an opportunity to learn more about this mysterious man. It's not clear if it was the edict by KJ that she and MJ have to just date anyone that causes MJ to reach out to Mr. Gu, but it is clear that MJ had already noticed him and was curious about him.

[SilverMoonTea]

I like the drama tones and all their relatable problems ... 

 

But I just have 1 complaint... why KJW and LMK is sibling ? 

[mademoiselle]

@SilverMoonTea If they are OTP and they get together, you'll drop the drama so writer made them siblings Actually I'm shipping her with Son Seok Ku

[SilverMoonTea]

11 minutes ago, mademoiselle said:

@SilverMoonTea If they are OTP and they get together, you'll drop the drama so writer made them siblings Actually I'm shipping her with Son Seok Ku

The divorcee employee also handsome. But I think he will be saved for her sister. 

 

SSK barely spoke in episode 1 😅😆 I can't see any chemistry yet. 

[mademoiselle]

3 minutes ago, SilverMoonTea said:

The divorcee employee also handsome. But I think he will be saved for her sister. 

 

SSK barely spoke in episode 1 😅😆 I can't see any chemistry yet. 

Yeah I think he's for the eldest sister too.

SSK's role is easy in episode 1. Harvest some spring onions, drink soju and eat food. Chaching... get paid (on and off screen) This family is so... quiet. LOL. KJW also doesn't speak much at home, not just SSK. Their parents also don't talk. This show started off a bit like My Ahjussi - life is dull / character seems dull and no energy. KJW's character reminds me of IU's character. Then My Ahjussi became engaging and interesting, so I'm guessing this will also be the same.

[mademoiselle]

OST 1

 

[abs-oluteM]

5 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

Actually I'm shipping her with Son Seok Ku

Me too! I think these two quiet folks will have plenty of sparks.

 

First episode had this somber somewhat depressing feel to it. All the main characters seem stuck in their current station in life. So I am interested to see how things will change going forward.

 

One thing that I found strange was that at this age, Lee Min Ki's character still had to get permission to buy a car. He must have messed up real bad the last time. And I wonder why Kim Ji Won took out a loan for someone.. was it for the older sis?

 

Looking forward to their progress

[Tofu]

I'm glad to hear everyone is liking it so far! I have yet to start because so many dramas to watch on the weekends all of a sudden.  

 

Episode 3 Preview

 

 

[stroppyse]

2 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

One thing that I found strange was that at this age, Lee Min Ki's character still had to get permission to buy a car. He must have messed up real bad the last time. And I wonder why Kim Ji Won took out a loan for someone.. was it for the older sis?

 

Seems as if he was a bit spendy with his money as soon as he started working. Btw, I thought he worked in a convenience store, but he seems to work for the company that franchises those stores. Anyway, there is that story of him buying a new car on the installment plan, but unable to keep up with the monthly payments, so the father had no choice but to step in. CH doesn't have enough money to buy a car on his own, so he needed money from his father to buy a car. That's why he was asking his father.

 

2 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

And I wonder why Kim Ji Won took out a loan for someone.. was it for the older sis?

 

No. In the second episode, the drama reveals that she had taken the loan out to give to a guy whom she liked, a guy who had been an upperclassman to her at uni since she refers to him as "sunbae". Anyway, the guy piled up a huge amount of debt that he couldn't pay off, so he rabbited and ran back to his ex-gf, leaving MJ high and dry with a lot of debt to repay.

 

I actually found most of the second episode a bit tiresome as it continues to depict these people being depressed and desperate. However, the ending scene was interesting, and I wasn't sure how I felt about it. MJ goes up to Mr. Gu and tells him that since he has nothing else to do, he should spend his time worshiping MJ since MJ has never been adored before. She tells him that it can't even be simple love, that it has to be worship.

 

The mixed feelings is because I feel that MJ is saying that to Mr. Gu because, for now anyway, she thinks of him as a bit of a loser and thus an easy target for her own pent up frustrations. Still, it takes a certain amount of courage to say something like that to anyone, especially someone she didn't know very well at all.

 

The preview gives me some hope, however, that the next episode will have some movement, from MJ anyway, as she organizes the non-joiners into an activity group of some kind.

 

One more thing I wanted to mention. I haven't watched a drama with Lee Ki Woo in it since Come Rain or Shine. I don't think he's the best actor, but I do have a soft spot for him, so it's nice to see him here. He hasn't had that many lines yet, but I do love the sentiment that he expressed in ep 1 in response to the women's scathing assessments of dating a divorcee with child. He said "It's true that I'm divorced, but getting married was the best thing I've done in my whole life. How else could I meet such a lovable child?" Said in front of his daughter whom he clearly loves very much, it's the kind of reassurance that a child should hear.

 

 

 

[mademoiselle]

What Min Jung said at the end of episode 2 is so weird. She's going to regret it the next day or the next instance 😅.

 

It's interesting how this family became the way they are. Min Jung is such a dap dap hae kind of person at home, so quiet that how as her siblings (who is loud and more talkative) aren't worried about her well-being? Also her company is just as weird... they even arrange people to eat lunch with others. Isn't lunchtime an employee's free time? And what's with the activity group as well? I'm glad the three might decided to form their own so that they won't be forced to join any and they can go freely do their own stuff without looking like the odd ones out. What a weird culture.

 

I feel sorry for the siblings having to travel so far back & forth from Seoul. It's crazy. When the weather is bad or too cold, it'd be tortured.

 

I can't say I'm hook on this yet, but I'm interested in what's the deal with Mr. Gu. I'm even curious why Appa doesn't speak to his own daughters. Min Jung greeted him that she's home, he doesn't even say a word.

 

BTS

 

[abs-oluteM]

19 hours ago, stroppyse said:

The mixed feelings is because I feel that MJ is saying that to Mr. Gu because, for now anyway, she thinks of him as a bit of a loser and thus an easy target for her own pent up frustrations. Still, it takes a certain amount of courage to say something like that to anyone, especially someone she didn't know very well at all.

 

1 hour ago, mademoiselle said:

What Min Jung said at the end of episode 2 is so weird. She's going to regret it the next day or the next instance 😅.

Like Mr Gu, I think I am rather taken back by what she said.  But then again, I can imagine someone like MJ whose always so timid in voicing out how she feels to explode somehow like that. I like the preview though - especially when Mr Gu said he'd help her get her $$ back. Maybe that will give him some purpose. I wonder why he's so depressed as well...in fact everyone here seems rather unhappy in one way or another.

 

I find that club stuff that Min Jung's company imposes on their staff rather suffocating. While I think it is a great idea for providing a social outlet for staff to boost morale , but it should be purely optional. Why have the HR person constantly badger the staff to join? I for one will not want to join stuff like that. Honestly , after work do I really want to spend more of my precious time with my workmates when I could be doing plenty of other things? LOL

[SilverMoonTea]

I enjoyed the mundane and trivial things on this drama and how they just quietly do stuff on their own. Like I mentioned to @Tofuthe tones of this drama reminded me to Lost. And now that I think of that, probably @Dhakrawill like this drama. 

 

For people who stayed in village, they always want to move to city. But actually after stayed so long in city, ocassionally I want to just go to remote place with more simpler lifestyle. 

 

MJ is probably my favourite character here. I can relate with her a lot. Eventhough her last step asking sort of stranger to worship her is really quite crazy 😅 KJW is just so pretty here and nailed the role so well. 

 

I think probably this kind of drama might suited well for middle aged above. Those who have felt high and low in life. Did I disclosed my age here? Haha...  

 

P.s @abs-oluteMThat work club is really a terrible idea 😅 I second you. 

[mademoiselle]

18 hours ago, SilverMoonTea said:

P.s @abs-oluteMThat work club is really a terrible idea 😅 I second you. 

+1

 

I need my ME time to de-stress and catch up on dramas. I wonder what happen to those people who cannot drink?

[SnowBlob]

Watched the first 2 eps as well on a whim since normally I hardly watch unfinished dramas. Surprisingly, although the tone of the drama is rather depressing for me, I quite enjoy it. I watch this mainly for SSK ... he's just too cool and too good-looking!! I did skip skip parts of ep 2 and just watched bits and pieces with SSK and kim ji won in it. They better make them a couple with a happy ending! 

 

I'm not sure how I feel about what this drama is (probably) trying to portray though. Like.. how the two sisters feel that their lives aren't a fulfilling one because they don't have any BF? But anyway... anything is fine by me as long as we get a good love story between Mr Gu and MJ 

 

Agree with above comments - my guess is the divorced guy is probably going to end up with Lee El's character... and maybe Lee Min Ki is going to end up with the neighbourhood friend who just broke up with her BF? 

 

One thing I realised watching the drama yesterday ~~ woww...the Koreans sure dress nicely for work (not sure whether this is truly the case irl in korea??). Love the clothes the ladies wear  though can't imagine myself having to dress up like that every time i have to go to work  I mean compare this to people in Japan, they pretty much wear black and white (white shirt black/grey pants) and when it's peak time/hours, you'd be pretty much stand out in a sea of black and white if you wear bright colour. 

[Dhakra]

22 hours ago, SilverMoonTea said:

And now that I think of that, probably @Dhakrawill like this drama. 

 

Sounds interesting. Gives me a few Plus Nine Boys VIbes. I'll watch the first two episodes the next few days.

[stroppyse]

11 hours ago, SnowBlob said:

I'm not sure how I feel about what this drama is (probably) trying to portray though. Like.. how the two sisters feel that their lives aren't a fulfilling one because they don't have any BF?

 

This does feel like a bit of an old-fashioned vibe to me, but they come from a small village, so the prevailing sentiment may still be that you have to be married in order to have a proper life. Just for that reason alone, I hope that the siblings are able to figure out their own happiness first before any romance might happen.

 

11 hours ago, SnowBlob said:

One thing I realised watching the drama yesterday ~~ woww...the Koreans sure dress nicely for work (not sure whether this is truly the case irl in korea??).

 

I always wonder if this truly reflects reality, or if it's aspirational in some way, and reflective of the stylists involved in the production. Just as how, really poor female leads always seem to have expensive clothes, shoes, and handbags in kdramas despite having to work several part-time jobs to try to make rent. 

 

On 4/11/2022 at 5:16 AM, abs-oluteM said:

I find that club stuff that Min Jung's company imposes on their staff rather suffocating.

 

Also, agree! I like socializing with my workmates occasionally, but I'm usually ready to go home and unwind after working.

 

@Dhakra, I hope you like the show. Despite the slow pacing and the rather depressed feeling to its start, I'm hoping that it gets better. Plus, there is something rather mesmerizing about this drama.