My Liberation Notes 나의 해방일지 [2022]

[abs-oluteM]

6 hours ago, stroppyse said:

Just looking at the pictures you posted, and noticing that SSG has his arm around Lee El in 2 of the photos reminded me that they had played husband and wife in 'Matrimonial Chaos'. SSG plays a philandering husband who is divorced by his wife and who despite everything actually loves his wife. Any way, he begs and pleads for a second chance after finding out that she's pregnant with their baby.

Matrimonial Chaos is the only kdrama of SSK that I didn't watch. Did you like it ? Does he have decent screen time? 

 

New stills ...they look a bit sad in the 1st still & that cut on his face!

[abs-oluteM]

Some pre-released videos. First time I see GJ really let his emotions go where expressing his love for MJ. 

 

[stroppyse]

9 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

Matrimonial Chaos is the only kdrama of SSK that I didn't watch. Did you like it ? Does he have decent screen time? 

 

SSG and Lee El play the second couple to the main couple of Bae Doona and Cha Tae Hyun, but they get decent screen time, and some really good scenes.

 

Btw, I thought it was funny that before 'Matrimonial Chaos', SSG had been a romantic couple with Bae Doona in 'Sense8'. LOL So, maybe in his next drama, SSG and KJW will play friends or siblings?

9 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

they look a bit sad in the 1st still & that cut on his face!

 

They're going to get a happy ending, right???? One where they are together and get to fight and make up and worship each other, right???? This drama had better not break my heart.

[abs-oluteM]

They are worshipping each other in their sleep @stroppyse. 

After moving to Seoul, Chang Hee took the big leap and opened his own convenience store

Spoiler

 

Why does the finale preview make me nervous?

 

[stroppyse]

46 minutes ago, abs-oluteM said:

Why does the finale preview make me nervous?

 

I haven't watched the episode yet, but the preview for the finale makes me really nervous. Gu seems to be in pain again. Hopefully, he'll be able to get out of his life okay. I'm kind of hoping that Gu and MJ decide to go live in the countryside again since they both seem to prefer that life with few other people around.

 

Hopefully, the preview is misleading in terms of how much pain the Yeom siblings will have to face in the final episode.

 

I think that they will be able to sort things out somehow, but given that it's the last episode, it would be nice to have something more than a lot of open endings that basically indicate that life goes on, no matter what.

49 minutes ago, abs-oluteM said:

They are worshipping each other in their sleep @stroppyse.

 

I'm saving to watch this scene properly. I totally approve of their desire to worship each other, sleeping, waking, whatever.

[abs-oluteM]

I love this show so much that I am sorry we have to say goodbye. But no, from a plot perspective, 16 episodes is sufficient. 
 

My greatest take away as I watched ep 15 is that in spite of the characters experiencing and making changes to their lives, there are always new challenges and difficulties that they will encounter. This is life isn't it? Going away , breaking off with someone, getting back together and so on doesn't magically help us overcome those inner demons we battle. Liberation for me isn't a life that is sans the hard times. Rather it is about embracing/ accepting  those moments, and working through them slowly. Persevering. Enduring. And as Min Jeong has mentioned ,finding those 5minutes of joy or relief in a day does make it bearable.

 

Happy ending for all please

[abs-oluteM]

I scrubbed thru the finale and I think it was good. To me it was a clear happy ending. There was closure and liberation for all. Most importantly Gu dealt with his friend who betrayed him and the ending scene tells me he is gonna quit drinking the way he has been. I believe there will be a new start for him. I love MJ's ending line

"I can't feel anything but love"

I disagree with this tweet that it is an open end. They are already together and he just needed to sort out his own demons. 

 

 

The final sweet scene.

 

SSK so hot in this ending fight scene

 

[stroppyse]

4 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

I scrubbed thru the finale and I think it was good. To me it was a clear happy ending. There was closure and liberation for all. Most importantly Gu dealt with his friend who betrayed him and the ending scene tells me he is gonna quit drinking the way he has been. I believe there will be a new start for him. I love MJ's ending line

 

I actually need time to watch the last 2 episodes properly, but I did scan the final episode because I wanted to see whether Gu lived or died. Even though there isn't an ending shot of Gu and MJ together, I also think it's a happy ending where they will keep finding their way to each other.

 

Also, I feel as if Gu is leaving his life when he walks out of his apartment with his money. And, then when he leaves the bottle of alcohol he had just purchased by the sleeping homeless person, I feel as if he was leaving behind his drinking as well.

 

I wasn't sure of the significance of the 500 KW piece landing on the grate, and wondered if that was something that had been discussed before. Anyway, I'm hoping I'll find out when I watch the last 2 episodes properly, unless someone can clue me in.

[ktcjdrama]

I give this drama a 10/10. It surely is one of the best out there since a while. I have nothing to complain about and I wouldn’t want to change a single thing about it. The ending is just perfect because the journey of liberation goes on for everyone, so inevitably it will seem to be an open ending. And I am perfectly fine with that. 
 

The writing is amazing and the execution is even more awesome. The shooting, editing, acting, BGM ~ all falls in nicely for me. It is a drama that made me feel a lot. There are subtle scenes that if we don’t pay attention enough, we missed the meaning. 
 

For the finale, I immediately teared the moment MJ recounted how the phone call from Gu saved her from making a scene at the wedding. And definitely we see a different extent of liberation for everyone in the finale. The one I want to talk about for now is Chang Hee, because for me, he is the one who’s shown the most growth. It’s almost like he’s found the “calling” for his life and found peace. 
- the personal transportation that he’s always longed for is now available for him, although in the form of a two-wheelers instead of a four-wheelers. 
- he was able to restrain himself from spilling a personal secret he’d like to keep in his heart, instead of laying everything out to his two buddies. 

- he received an affirmation from his father, but most meaningfully I think is the pat on his back from his step-mother in the kitchen. 
- he’s stopped fighting against how life should be as he imagined it, and welcomed whatever life gave him. Live and let live. We see this when he decided to stay in the wrong class he walked in to.

 

4 hours ago, stroppyse said:

Also, I feel as if Gu is leaving his life when he walks out of his apartment with his money.

Hm, this thought was not on my mind. I think the money was to help his hyung? Let me know what you think after you have watched properly. But yes, he’s definitely decided to leave his drinking by leaving the bottle behind. And yes, you will find out the significance of the coin when you watched properly. Something the MJ taught him about. I consider this as one of those subtle meaningful scenes. 
 

4 hours ago, stroppyse said:

whether Gu lived or died

Gosh... I tell you, the whole time watching the finale, I was dreading this! Whether he will die from alcoholism, or from being hunt down by his boss because of not doing his job well, or wanting to leave.... Even when that coin dropped and rolled away, I really was thinking, are we going to see the white truck of doom?? 😅🤣🤣🤣
 

Edited May 30, 2022 by ktcjdrama

[stroppyse]

6 hours ago, ktcjdrama said:

The one I want to talk about for now is Chang Hee, because for me, he is the one who’s shown the most growth. It’s almost like he’s found the “calling” for his life and found peace. 

 

I agree that CH had the most growth during this drama. Rather than chasing after the trappings of a life that he thinks he wants, he recognizes that life is what he makes of it. I thought it was an interesting twist, that having experienced the moment of death (aka "im-jong" in Korean) for so many of his relatives, he's now drawn to to idea of being a funeral director, even if it's because he walked into the wrong room. I feel as if this is CH being opportunistic and exploratory rather than being set on something vague.

 

6 hours ago, ktcjdrama said:

m, this thought was not on my mind. I think the money was to help his hyung?

 

Actually, after watching it, I don't think he was necessarily leaving his life behind as was my first thought when I watched it. It could be to help pay off his hyung's debt to the loan sharks, however, his hyung has a gambling addiction, so bailing him out once won't solve the problem. It makes me feel that it's less likely that he's going to repay that loan. However, I guess that is part of the open ending in terms of what Gu is doing.

 

The important thing is that Gu is sober, and he finds 7 seconds of happiness in the little girl peeking at him in the lift, but then he finds it incredulous that the coin would have stopped on the grate rather than falling into the gutter. I guess that's a metaphor for his own life as well.

 

6 hours ago, ktcjdrama said:

Even when that coin dropped and rolled away, I really was thinking, are we going to see the white truck of doom??

 

Me, too! I wondered if he was going to reach other to look at the fallen coin, only for him to be hit by a truck and then die.

 

 

After watching the final 2 episodes properly, I do feel as if all of the Yeom siblings are in good places in their lives, having gained new insights and new maturity into themselves. For KJ and TH, their romance isn't perfect, but they love each other all the same, so will continue to figure it out. For CH and HA, they'll continue to be close and in each other's lives.

 

But, it's really Gu and MJ who I feel had a happy ending even if they aren't shown embracing or anything at the end. Gu was afraid of how he might act around MJ when his darkness overcame him, and he seems to be saying that they will part some day. However, the way he acts around MJ is of a man who is completely in love and wants to be with her and do things with and for her. He is happiest and most himself when he's with her rather than locked up in the darkness of his own mind, and even he realizes it. In the end, he's willing to try it her way, even if it's hard and slow, rather than willing himself to death via alcohol.

 

Also, MJ is willing to just embrace Gu for the person he is, without trying to change him. So, rather than be shocked at his work or his cuts or his sentiments, she listens to him and finds him lovable. That love and acceptance from MJ is something that Gu is responding to and making his life more than just something to endure until it's over.

 

As for MJ, as she herself put it, her life came in 2 parts, 1 before she met Gu and the other after. And, it was cute, how Gu acknowledges the same in the same voiceover. that his life had 2 parts to it as well, before meeting MJ and after meeting MJ. His sentiment echos the scene where Gu remembers his first time seeing MJ on that railroad station yelling at a drunk CH and then sees MJ now, btw.

 

And then of course, there is MJ's final voiceover where she feels so lovable herself, smiling widely. I assume she had turned around and was waiting to meet Gu.

[JenL]

On 5/24/2022 at 5:54 AM, stroppyse said:

I don't always sympathize with the siblings, but I can kind of understand where they are coming from. I think it's because of a basic dissatisfaction with their lives, and the only viable change that  they could see might come would be a relationship or gaining wealth.

 

I totally agree. Actually, I think the reason this series feels so relatable for most people is because most people do at some point in their lives feel this sense of dissatisfaction - like something is missing and they would be happier if only they had something else to fill that hole. For a lot of people that tends to be romantic relationships and/ or lots of money...and we often recognise the important things too late. Like how the 3 siblings felt  all that grief when their mother died....part of it seemed to be guilt for not showing her they cared when she was alive. 

 

Haha, actually, when Gu and Mi Jeong talked about how they hate people, I think a lot of us can relate too because everyone has these problems (which we see reflected in the siblings and Gu and the main characters) which sometimes makes us all rather annoying to deal with. Don't think anyone can escape this from defauult of beiing human. Those people who shout at customer service people or are rude to their co-workers are also dealing with their own insecurities and unhappy situations 

 

On 5/24/2022 at 5:54 AM, stroppyse said:

It's probably not true that those would effect the change that they want. They could end up more miserable if they don't address their own selves first, however, I feel that is what we are seeing happen to them. The small changes that are happening in their lives.

 

I liked that they did change themselves in the end in small, incremental ways. Life is not perfect and never will be. But we just have to appreciate the things around us...honestly the idea of filling up 5 minutes a day was so smart and something people could seriously put into practice to be grateful for the small things - a coin not dropping in the sewers, a cute child peeking out at us, a loved one bringing us a small gift, or catching up with a small group of people who really understand how you feel. Also there's something about accepting your situation and even finding the opportunities that present themselves from the things that happen to you - like with Chang Hee. I feel like his character really matured at the end and he started to join the dots in his life to find what looked to be his 'calling' 

 

I also think the drama implied that if things are really miserable, we do have the power to make changes. All along, this series reminded me of that saying that we often make our own jails, even though we have the keys in our pockets. The thing is sometimes we need to reflect and understand the true problems we're facing - Like with Mi Jeong's job. Perhaps in a way her new job would seem unglamerous compared to being a graphic designer. But there was a simplicity to it that made her happy - she didn't have to deal with fake people or with constant criticism and wasted efforts. I think sometimes people think you 'settle' if you take a job that isn't overly creative, ambitious or glamerous, but I think if you find peace with your work and feel comfortable in an environment where you can work quietly and get along with people, that can be happiness too. Also, her realisation about how much energy she was wasting to make her con artist ex be the bad guy...a lot of us do that to the people who have wronged us. Her ability to let go in the end was a step towards freedom 

 

On 5/24/2022 at 2:38 PM, ktcjdrama said:

The shoots and editing are all so well done. Both sisters not wanting to walk in on the important moment. The foot at the door, quietly retreating to close the door. The hand on the door handle, slowly closing it back. One sister already openly accepted, the other probably grudgingly resigned to the matter. Very artistically done. And great acting by all. 

 

Totally agree! There was something very arthouse-y but still very warm and relatable about this series. A lot of great cinematic techniques like mirroring or contrasting scenes for irony or create a sense of repetition and boredom. It felt like every scene had a meaning.As hey said in Sherek, it was like an onion with many layers 

 

 

 

 

[JenL]

On 5/29/2022 at 10:00 PM, abs-oluteM said:

I love this show so much that I am sorry we have to say goodbye. But no, from a plot perspective, 16 episodes is sufficient. 
 

My greatest take away as I watched ep 15 is that in spite of the characters experiencing and making changes to their lives, there are always new challenges and difficulties that they will encounter. This is life isn't it? Going away , breaking off with someone, getting back together and so on doesn't magically help us overcome those inner demons we battle. Liberation for me isn't a life that is sans the hard times. Rather it is about embracing/ accepting  those moments, and working through them slowly. Persevering. Enduring. And as Min Jeong has mentioned ,finding those 5minutes of joy or relief in a day does make it bearable.

 

Haha, yes, I also really enjoyed this show. I didn't think it would be my thing, but then I saw someone retweet that scene where Mi Jeong said "I'm not happy. But I'm not unhappy either" And I found it deeply relatable in some periods of my life. I have to say thanks @SilverMoonTea for the recommendation...did you finish watching tea, or was it not your cup of tea in the end? 

 

Also it's true, I think this is the type of show you might find depressing when you're young and before you develop a sense of maturity because if you watch it just for the events that happen to the characters, it seems to skew more negetively than positively and no one wants to be told life will have such dark moments when you're a teen or so. But as an adult, I found this series comforting and cathartic to watch because it was so nuanced and gently uplifting. Sometimes the characters really did annoy me, but I also deeply empatised with their sense of frustration and rage and feelings of injustice and disappointment at the challenges that came up in their lives. Also I felt like the characters reflected a lot of the low self esteem and self sabotaging that we often do to ourselves (and that is why it's so grating  - because you're watching someone else perform out your bad habits/ worse personality traits for you!) 

 

Liberation is definitely finding acceptance and gratitude for the things that happen in life whether quirky, mundune, tragic or fun. We may not like everything that happens to us, but at the same time, we can be free if we learn to let go or at least only hang on those things a little more lightly. What I'll miss from this drama is the way it would randomly deliver these gold nugget moments of truths or ironic scenes that were so close to what happens in our bizarre real lives. Good show 

 

 

[stroppyse]

7 hours ago, JenL said:

honestly the idea of filling up 5 minutes a day was so smart and something people could seriously put into practice to be grateful for the small things

 

This was a new idea for me, that if you can find peace and happiness for 5 minutes a day, that would still make life worth living. I liked how Gu embraced the concept and started applying it to his days. I feel it gave him something to notice and look forward to almost, rather than just spending the day trying to drown out his own demons.

 

7 hours ago, JenL said:

I also think the drama implied that if things are really miserable, we do have the power to make changes.

 

That was a good message. It is a matter of our perspective as well as what we are willing to do. It feels as if we become our own worst roadblocks sometimes.

 

7 hours ago, JenL said:

Liberation is definitely finding acceptance and gratitude for the things that happen in life whether quirky, mundune, tragic or fun. We may not like everything that happens to us, but at the same time, we can be free if we learn to let go or at least only hang on those things a little more lightly. What I'll miss from this drama is the way it would randomly deliver these gold nugget moments of truths or ironic scenes that were so close to what happens in our bizarre real lives. Good show 

 

At the end of the day, the liberation comes as much from within as without. I also loved that the Liberation Club decided to start meeting again, at least until they are "liberated". They clearly enjoyed the club and the freedom it gave them from having to act in socially typical interactions. Rather, they could choose to be themselves without having to hear trite aphorisms or criticisms.

 

It's no secret that I found the pacing a bit frustrating through almost the first half of the episodes. Contemplating it now, I actually still stand by that comment. Even knowing that it's doing it deliberately, it was perhaps too real life and indicative of things happening in real time. If the cast wasn't as stellar as it was, with every character being played by an excellent, experienced actor, I probably would have given up on it, before I grew to appreciate it.

 

Ultimately, I liked the journey this drama took us on, so perhaps I have become way too impatient with my entertainment and other things. So, some self-reflecting to do. I'm glad I watched this drama, and I'm happy that there were others kind enough to share your thoughts. Thank you.

[SilverMoonTea]

12 hours ago, JenL said:

 

 I have to say thanks @SilverMoonTea for the recommendation...did you finish watching tea, or was it not your cup of tea in the end? 

 

I'm happy people enjoy my recommendation, eventhough I didn't follow it through 

 

I stopped at 7, as none of the ship grow on me 😅 And the big sister and brother kind of irritate me, as they're complaint king and queen 😂

[abs-oluteM]

I love this show so much that I am still thinking about it. 

This is such a cute video...a compilation of Gu calling Mi Jeong's name! 

 

[stroppyse]

9 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

I love this show so much that I am still thinking about it. 

 

Me, too!

 

Thanks for posting the compilation video! It's really cute. MJ likes hearing Gu say her name, and Gu seems to like to say it.

[JenL]

On 5/31/2022 at 9:06 AM, stroppyse said:

I liked how Gu embraced the concept and started applying it to his days. I feel it gave him something to notice and look forward to almost, rather than just spending the day trying to drown out his own demons.

 

Yes, I loved seeing this too! I don't know if I fully understood why he went back to his old life except that I suppose he would proabably be in danger if he avoided it, but given that he had to do hard, dehumanising, illegal activities day in day out, it was nice to see him find peace and happiness in these tiny moments.

 

On 5/31/2022 at 9:06 AM, stroppyse said:

At the end of the day, the liberation comes as much from within as without. I also loved that the Liberation Club decided to start meeting again, at least until they are "liberated". They clearly enjoyed the club and the freedom it gave them from having to act in socially typical interactions. Rather, they could choose to be themselves without having to hear trite aphorisms or criticisms.

 

I really liked the club itself and if there's one thing I wish that could have made this drama better was perhaps a few more scenes with the club or the actual writing of the notes since it was so central to the title of this drama. Also, it was implied that the club helped them to feel a sense of liberation. But if I'm honest, I felt like it wasn't so much the notes as it was the life events that shifted their perspectives - like the brother experiencing so much death and the girls meeting their partners?  Well, I guess the notes helped Mi Jeong and her club members in some way.

 

On 5/31/2022 at 9:06 AM, stroppyse said:

It's no secret that I found the pacing a bit frustrating through almost the first half of the episodes. Contemplating it now, I actually still stand by that comment. Even knowing that it's doing it deliberately, it was perhaps too real life and indicative of things happening in real time. If the cast wasn't as stellar as it was, with every character being played by an excellent, experienced actor, I probably would have given up on it, before I grew to appreciate it.

 

Ultimately, I liked the journey this drama took us on, so perhaps I have become way too impatient with my entertainment and other things. So, some self-reflecting to do. I'm glad I watched this drama, and I'm happy that there were others kind enough to share your thoughts. Thank you.

 

I think I agree with you Stroppy in some sense. While I do like the fact that the frustration of life's challenges was relatable, I also felt that it could be frustrating to watch them wallow in so much self pity for so long as well. Once the grwoth started happening it was much better to see. And I did like that the growth wasn't smooth sailing. It was like sometimes things worked out and then it was be hard again like with the sister's relationship. 

 

Speaking about that, while I know you and @abs-oluteM liked Gu, I think I really liked the sister's parter Tae Hoon ...he seemed so gentle...but I felt real bad for him with his really bossy sister. Honestly, I thought it was ridiclous that she was so mad/ jealous that her brother was having a new relationship. I get that she was trying to be protective of the niece, but it was just making the whole family more uncomfortable. Also it made her seem sour and bitter....I was thinking this the whole time: just go date if you want to!   Haha also I was impressed with the actor for Tae Hoon because he played such a douchey character in 18 Again that it was nice to see him as a gentle, melancholy soul here!

 

On 5/31/2022 at 2:14 PM, SilverMoonTea said:

I'm happy people enjoy my recommendation, eventhough I didn't follow it through 

 

I stopped at 7, as none of the ship grow on me 😅 And the big sister and brother kind of irritate me, as they're complaint king and queen 😂

 

Hahaha it was a successul drama sale since I watched the whole thing  and enjoyed it, so Thank youuu even though you dropped it  Not going to lie, the brother and sister totally got on my nerves at times. They were always so salty!

[stroppyse]

On 6/2/2022 at 7:35 AM, JenL said:

I think I really liked the sister's parter Tae Hoon

 

I did like Tae Hoon, and I really like the actor Lee Ki Woo a lot. I didn't watch '18 Again', but I've watched him in 'Flower Boy Ramen Shop' where I really thought he should have gotten the girl rather than the lead. He was also the sensitive second lead in 'Rain or Shine' where I didn't have SLS, but I did like his character a lot. I was happy that he got his woman in this drama.

 

LKW is really an actor who should have been a leading man in his own right, but seems to get cast as 2nd Lead all the time. For me, he tends to play his roles with a sensitivity, even when he's being a villain.

 

Here, he clearly is in a difficult place, living with his daughter and is two older sisters. It's not entirely clear why both sisters decided to give up on having their own families in favor of their niece. I mean, I know that they said that it was so that their niece would always have them, but surely, showing their niece good romantic relationships that produce strong family ties and more family members for their niece to interact with would have been a good thing. Anyway, I thought TH was able to negotiate his role in the family with his feelings for KJ fairly well, especially given his own personality of being reserved. It helped that KJ really fell hard for TH as well, and so was willing to do the work to become a part of his world.

 

Still, it's true that I do like Gu, even with all of his inner demons. The scenes where he's happily saying or yelling "Yeom Mi Jung" are so full of joy, and also a bit of trepidation since he doesn't think he deserves any happiness.

 

I still think about this drama, and will probably continue to think about parts of it for awhile anyway.

[abs-oluteM]

@stroppyse @JenL This is so funny  . Ma Dong Seok & SSK doing stage greetings for their movie Crime City 2 . The movie is doing so well - 8million tickets sold thus far.  

But MDS is well aware of how much buzz Worship Couple & SSK has gotten 

 

[stroppyse]

4 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

But MDS is well aware of how much buzz Worship Couple & SSK has gotten 

 

This is so funny! I love it that even hearing the name Yeom Mi Jung causes Gu to want to worship "her".

[abs-oluteM]

@stroppyse one more ! 

Wahh they are really milking this 

 

[JenL]

Hahahaha OMG it's like my favourite people. I love Ma Dong Seok! Didn't realise they were in a movie together @abs-oluteM. 

 

Also shipping Ma Dong Seok's version of "Yeom Mi Jeong" with Mr Gu 

[stroppyse]

10 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

Wahh they are really milking this 

 

I love it! Actually, MDS and SSG are sooo cute together! I remember one interview that MDS did where the question was asked about the bad guy being played by SSG for this movie ('The Roundup' aka 'The Outlaws 2') versus the bad guy being played by Yoon Kye Sang in the first movie 'The Outlaws'. MDS responded that if YKS was a tiger in the first movie, then SSG was a lion in the 2nd movie. So cute!

[abs-oluteM]

Gosh I miss them & I can’t believe they are gonna have a pictorial together 

@JenL @stroppyse @ktcjdrama

 

[stroppyse]

2 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

Gosh I miss them & I can’t believe they are gonna have a pictorial together 

 

Wow! They look good together, though looking like a Seoulite power couple.