Beans of Wisdom: A healthy K-drama-watching life

by DB Staff

This week in Beans of Wisdom…

Jamie shares this gem in last week’s “Beans of Wisdom: Tree Oppa and an abundance of Kims” comment #16:

With all this Goblin discussion, I came back because I could not resist adding a link to The World of Dave’s Goblin in 4 minutes(Drama parody), uploaded today on Youtube. So ridiculous–enjoy!

“Saimdang, Light’s Diary: Episode 1” had a lukewarm response among beanies but at least some of us are happy. Like YY in comment #19:

SSH is back! Will he

…brood?
…shower?
…brood AND shower?
…fly into a rage and hurl things about?
…fly into a rage and smash his fists into a mirror?

jomo:

YESSSSSS!

1..Check, if staring strangely out a window counts.
2..Yes, maybe not with modern plumbing but he can find a waterfall or pond. He is kinda like a human divining rod. He douses regularly.
3..Yes, of course, because if not, life has no meaning.
4..Check. Did you see his room? It wasn’t like that before the help interrupted him while he was painting.
5..Check. In this episode, he smashed the mirror using the dove’s wings flapping, which a clear signal of his long forgotten rage over being interrupted while painting.

I was not at first interested in watching this show until, YOBOSAYO, the Hand Towel. Then I thought, wow, I will write poems, and there will be YY, and VOILA here you are!
Thirty episodes? Are you kidding me? We will have so much fun. <3

Sarai writes in “Hwarang: Episode 13” comment #25:

*WARNING*
DESIRE TO BE THOUGHTFUL AND PHILOSOPHICAL

Hwa-gong’s metaphor about the pond to Sun Woo.

I LOVED that. I think that this is honestly something the everyone could benefit from studying. Just because something looks a certain way to you on the surface doesn’t mean you know everything about it as fact. We can’t take experiences… or especially people… at “face” or “first” value. We’ve all got deeper roots. We’re all made up of hidden parts. And yes, some of those parts are dark, cold, and frightening, but only when you begin to explore then unknown can you truly hope to KNOW… and learn… and grow as human beings.

I know I’ve made this mistake countless times. Looking at ideas or people through what I know, see, (or sadly sometimes just hear) about it/them. Instead of seeking truth, searching deeper to find what lies beneath surface level. I think this can be applied to education, to jobs, to ways of thinking, and most to humanity. No pond is without secrets, but the secrets don’t have to be something we ignore – nor something we fear. We simply have to be willing to put aside what we “know” (or see) as truth and take a risk to learn and try and understand that which is unfamiliar.

And then… what if I’m the pond? What if I am hiding my truest self for fear others will not want to see… or won’t like what they see. “To be seen as we truly are, is the biggest risk we will ever take.”

While Dominique Lola talks about the weight of a crown in “Hwarang: Episode 14” comment #23:

I feel like no matter what sweet strong stuff Sun Woo says about being king, and the responsibility for the people he has no freaking idea what it means to be King. It’s not just caring for each individual citizen in your damn country. It’s far more than that. Making sure the economy is stable, the political climate is smooth, it’s always the kingdom before the people first. If the kingdom falls so does the people.

paramount writes in “Solomon’s Perjury: Episode 11” comment #2:

the scene that stood out to me in this episode was the one with kyung-moon & so-woo at the river (nothing good ever happens at the river…)
it was disgusting & disturbing that an adult would say such hateful things to a high school student who he KNEW had been in a psychiatric hospital, but at the same time i understood an iota of kyung-moon’s frustration. when he called out so-woo for blaming society, i immediately thought “external locus of control.”
when someone views their circumstances as a product of the society they are living in/forces beyond their control as opposed to decisions they have made to get to that point, that person has a strong external locus of control. i remember a professor of mine claiming it was often associated with depression, & to me so-woo was the walking embodiment of this example.

honestly, it can be very difficult to deal with someone who consistently believes their life is controlled by factors they cannot influence. because if they truly feel that way, it’s very difficult to give them hope. but in today’s corrupt society i can’t exactly blame so-woo for thinking that way. i just wish someone had been there to tell him “it really does get better.”

this drama is so heartbreaking & raw. i’m thoroughly impressed with the actors & look forward to following them in the future.

Steph:

It almost seemed to me that his breaking point was when KyungMoon started saying all that vile and disgusting stuff to him.
Much of this was like a pile, and it just kept growing and growing. First the school strands him, no longer being able to help as the Night watchman, and as a result he no longer received any of the contact that he was used to. He was cut of from all the other students in whom he wanted to help, and in return he felt a sense of camaraderie, even if he had to hide in the shadows.
Yet, he was able to endure. He was cracking but he wasn’t completely broken yet. He could have been repaired. I feel like when KyungMoon said, “Don’t be so delusional just because you’re treated as a hero on the internet. In the real world, no one would accept a person like you.” And those words were uttered to him, it was a direct attack that broke a piece inside of him.
Much like a fragile glass, when it has small cracks it can still be repaired and it can still be used. Yet when a glass is shattered, all hope is lost and it can never be regained again. And that’s what it seems like happened to SooWoo.
They did such a good job at showing how much words can actually inflict pain and bring despair. Rather than suffering from physical abuse, it was the mental abuse (including his history of mental illness) was what made him break down and cry.

While the finale inspired a lot of beanies to share how the show touched them in some way. Starting with Candy’s comment #11 in “Solomon’s Perjury: Episode 12 (Final)”:

Ji hoon shouldn’t be blamed for running away. Sure,his friend was depressed but let’s not forget that they are just kids. How mature are we at that age? He did everything he could but when emotions take over your senses..well.. Suicide is a split-second decision sometimes. Ji hoon may not have fully grasped just how fragile So-woo was at that moment. Remember,he himself was emotionally shaken after seeing his mother’s ashes. I do wish we had more information about So-woo’s family though. Was there nobody who cared for him? It’s a sad world where children have to grow up by themselves,starving for affection and wondering if anyone will ever care for them,warts included. Only when you move past that stage you realise that life can get better and that everything is just a phase which passes. But when the world you grow up in has never had any light,how can you know if it ever will? That’s why such children need elders to tell them that it’ll surely be alright one day. Imagine then,the trauma to his young mind when Kyungmoon tells So-woo that he’ll never be accepted in the society? Ji hoon,Joon young and Woo-hyuk…3 boys who could have ended up like So-woo. And all 3 on different,better paths in life (partly) thanks to him. I wonder how many more lives will change for the better as an aftermath of this trial.
Closing with a line from Healer- “There are too many people who suffer unjust deaths but don’t merit so much as a mention in the newspapers. Even if we can’t tell all of their stories,we wanted to tell at least one of them. We remember you.” Dear So-woo,I hope you didn’t drink the tea so you can come back and see how you’ve touched the lives of the people around you. If you have,then farewell Magpie. You will be remembered.

Katy in #13:

You know, at first I was really mad at how jihoon just left so woo. But while a part of me is still upset, his final interaction with so woo is an extremely important lesson. When ones emotions overcome their senses, awful consequences follow. Jihoons anger overcame his sense that his friend would commit suicide, and as a result his friend died. Sowoos depression overcame his sense that spring would come, and as a result he committed suicide. This is a valid and important lesson that everyone needs to know. And I’m glad that this show executed this lesson in many different ways throughout the show. This is a kdrama everyone should see. While not flashy, the show has a lot of impact, which is what truly matters in my book.

MistyIsles (#23):

This was my favorite kind of story: dark and sad and haunting — at times delving crushingly deep into despair — and bursting with hope. It left me wanting literally nothing more than just a little more time with the characters, to see what kind of amazing adults they turn out to be. Everything wrapped up very neatly, but it didn’t have to — they each made their own happy endings (beginnings, really) possible by never giving up or letting go, and instead learning to stand up and speak out against injustice. They proved they could change their world, and it makes me want to live in the world I’m confident they’ll go on to create. I’m sad this show went so unnoticed because I find its message so powerful and inspiring and needed. We can’t know what the future will be like — good or bad — but that should be a source of hope, not a destroyer of it. Uncertainty means we have the power and the opportunity to have a say in how things will turn out, both for ourselves and for others.

But I can’t stop thinking about the darkness of it, too, because I’m so impressed and horrified that it went so deep. To think that Ji-hoon threw his whole self into trying to find an answer for why So-woo should live… and he failed. And he broke himself in the process. So when they were face-to-face on the rooftop, he could only lash out in pain and he — who loved So-woo most, the one person So-woo turned to for a reason to live — told him just go ahead and jump. And. So-woo. Did. And Ji-hoon was left, alone, buried in guilt, still without an answer to So-woo’s question or even fully understanding why So-woo was asking it in the first place. I think that’s what he was really looking for in the trial: more than just to expose the school’s corruption or find out exactly who said or did exactly what to make So-woo lose all hope, Ji-hoon was still trying to answer that question for himself — to prove that wrongs can be righted and things do get better. It’s interesting, because the answer he finally arrives at is quite similar to what Seo-yeon told Joon-young way back in the first episode, but the difference is now Ji-hoon has learned it from the others AND proven it to himself.

starlightvtn shares this quote in “Cheese in the Trap movie courts Park Ki-woong to play Baek In-ho” comment #2.7.2.3:

“One of the risks of being quiet is that the other people can fill your silence with their own interpretation: You’re bored. You’re depressed. You’re shy. You’re stuck up. You’re judgemental. When others can’t read us, they write their own story—not always one we choose or that’s true to who we are.”
by Sophia Dembling.

Where would our sageuks be without corrupt and oppressive nobles that inspire revenge? WishfulToki starts an interesting discussion in #2.1 of “Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People: Episode 2”:

There is a basic moral question here, which I love and always leaves me torn: do the ends justify the means? I can’t condone the fact that Ahmogae was stealing, but I so wanted him to buy his and his family’s freedom. He didn’t really have another way of making money since his master refused to free him and made it very difficult (I mean, how could he expect to get 10 rolls of cotton for some rotten-looking fish?) I profoundly detest the greedy wife and have the impression that even if Amogae had procured money by honest means she would have found a way to take it from him.

pogo:

I can’t find it in my heart to hold it against people when they break the law out of desperation, or because of systemic injustice. And slavery counts as a pretty good example of both, Amogae’s plotting/stealing his way to freedom actually makes me like him more as a character.

Kiara:

These upper class yangbans and landowners are so rich and untouchable because of their high status. They make the law to protect themselves while they exploit and steal from the lower class peasants.
For example, the peasants/servants had to pay taxes to their masters and on top of that there is another tribute tax that is being imposed on them.
When these so called masters pay tribute to the states the money and goods are being charged and paid for by the poor servants who has very little and nothing to begin with. Then there is grain loans etc etc that the show might explore later.

When the peasants steal from them the law punished them severely. This is pretty messed up.

There is no moral on both sides but I do sympathized with the poor peasants. They have no voice, the law, the government are clearly not on their side.
Where and who should they turn to for justice?

pogo

They make the law to protect themselves while they exploit and steal from the lower class peasants.

It’s surprising how applicable that sentence is, even today. Tax breaks/tax evasion galore for the rich, while the goods common people consume are taxed i.e. money comes out of the pockets of regular people, including the poorest and most vulnerable.

You can read the rest of the discussion here.

Arya asks for help balancing kdramas and life in comment #51 of “Open Thread #485”:

Hi, guys, this is my first time commenting here. I’m always reading everyone else’s brilliant commentary. ?

I wanted to ask about some tips on how to balance school work (college/high school) and watching dramas. Sometimes I just feel so frustrated with the lack of time. I am also a procrastinator which definitely doesn’t work in my favor. I will be starting college soon and I’m pretty nervous, even though I know it will be fun, I just tend to overstress these kinds of things. Any tips on balancing school life, and about doing well in college?

Thanks!

hasy:

I can DEFINITELY chime in here!!! Since ten years later, I’m still doing it at work. ? First of all, I know dramas are very important but having a social life is VERY important as well. I think one thing you would notice is that college life may seem to pass you by.

I can only say that you should limit to what dramas interest you most. STICK to those. Or even WAIT until the episodes come out, then marathon it with your new college friend. There are A LOT OF people in college who ALSO watch korean dramas. Bond with them over that. It may seem hard, but school and your social life SHOULD come first. ? You can watch dramas ANYTIME, even YEARS later. Experiences can’t always be made up. Have fun!

Cozybooks:

Hi there! Welcome to OT! ^^ That’s a constant question for me too (I just started college recently). I think the biggest thing for me is making sure I have a single set time when I’m watching dramas. If I allow myself to watch them whenever… I watch them all the time. So I’ve been working really hard lately to limit my drama watching to a set time of day, and then I have to force myself to be productive/social during the rest of the day. Good luck! ^^

harmonyfb:

I’ve found that setting up a schedule wherein I get to do nothing but watch dramas helps.

For example: It doesn’t matter how busy I am at work, during the week I spend my lunch hour watching a drama. I’ve given myself permission to spend that hour relaxing.

I use it as a reward, too – if I fold laundry, I get to watch a kdrama while I’m doing it. If I finish all the adulting on Saturday, I can binge-watch on Sunday.

I’d advise setting yourself a schedule. If you finish your coursework & studying, you get to watch XX number of episodes, that kind of thing. That way, you build that internal self-discipline, AND you make watching even more enjoyable, because you can feel superior about it. ?

Feel free to share more tips below! (We know we’ll be reading all of them…)

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