KDRAMA REVIEW: MY MISTER

Dahil sa quarantine, nagkaroon ako ng chance mapanood ang mga Korean Drama na matagal ng nasa What-To-Watch List ko kaya thankful na rin ako sa pansamatalang "Pause" na ito sa buhay ko. Isa na nga rito ang My Mister na pinagbidahan ni IU, my favorite Korean artist at kasama niya rin dito si Jang Ki Yong, ang bago kong Oppa. 😍

My Mister is about Park Dong-Hoon (Lee Sun-Kyun) , a man in his 40’s and Lee Ji-An (IU), a girl in her 20’s. They both work in the same company. Structural Engineer si Dong Hoon samantalang temporary office worker naman si Ji An. 

I really like the beginning of the story. Pinakita agad ang kanilang opisina  at kung anong klaseng trabaho ang ginagawa nila dito. Makikita ang mga computer monitors nila na may mga CAD drawings ng buildings and all. Medyo nakarelate ako kasi I enrolled in CAD classes before. Nakapag-drawing na rin ako ng house using AutoCAD (just sayin' 😉).

Right then and there inintroduce na rin agad ang character ng mga bida. Merong incident with a very cute ladybug na pinatay ni Ji An while Manager Dong Hoon was trying to capture it gently with his hands. Pinakita agad sa scene na yun na cold-hearted and stoic itong si Ji An while Dong Hoon was very compassionate and kind.

Nagstart na magcross ang mga buhay nila nang makareceive si Dong Hoon ng bribe na 50M in his desk. Ji An saw it and stole the money. Pambayad sana sa utang niya sa loan shark na si Kwang II ( Jang Ki Yong) pero dahil di nangyari ang kaniyang inaasahan, binalik niya ang pera at na-spare si Dong Hoon from being fired from the company.
As his gesture of thanking her, he agreed to buy her food every night after office.

Ji An is a very poor girl, lumaki siya with her sick grandma. Minana rin nya ang utang ng mga magulang niya kaya panay ang trabaho niya simula pa nung bata para makabayad. She even eat leftovers at restaurant where she works part-time just to survive. She was also being bullied by the loan shark at binubugbog din siya nito. Kaya mapapansin kay Ji An na at a very young age, halos wala na siyang emotions. Sobrang exhausted na siya sa life na para bang buhat niya ang buong daigdig sa bigat ng problema niya sa pera.

Meanwhile, Dong Hoon was a very lonely man. A typical office employee na gumigising sa umaga, nagko-commute, pumapasok sa opisina everyday. Magaling sa trabaho at nirerespeto ng mga katrabaho niya pero makikita mo sa kaniya na hindi siya masaya. Iniintindi niya rin ang mga kapatid niyang walang trabaho at ang kanilang ina. Hindi rin masaya ang pagsasama nilang mag-asawa. Their house is dull and quiet. Siguro kasi they are in their mid-life na and they are both busy with their respective jobs kaya get-used na sila sa buhay nila. Factor din na sa abroad nag-aaral ang anak nila kaya boring ang buhay nilang mag-asawa. They don’t talk much lalo na sa loob ng bahay maybe because his wife has already lost interest in him as she was cheating on him with his company’s CEO. Despite all of these, he has a good relationship with his brothers and friends.

Due to politics and personal reasons gustong mapatalsik ng CEO si Manager Dong Hoon and his Director sa company. Hindi naging successful ang bribe incident so he hired Ji An to do the job and paid her money. Dahil dito nakabayad naman si Ji An ng utang sa loan shark. Dito rin nagsimula na mabuo ang pagmamahal niya kay Dong Hoon. Naginstall siya ng wiretapping device sa phone nito. Everyday she would listen to his voice using her phone. Lagi siyang naka-headset kahit saan, araw man o gabi na parang nakikinig lang ng music. Maski ang paghinga ni Dong Hoon naririnig niya. Nakilala niya ang pagkatao ni Dong Hoon na sobrang mapagmahal sa pamilya, pure, sincere and honest dahil sa araw-araw na pakikinig dito. Si Dong Hoon din ang unang tao na nagtrato sa kaniya nang mabuti. She was grateful of how nice he treated her and ended up taking his side instead of the CEO’s. 

This drama is very heartwarming. Every episode is gold and the characters are gems. It showed how two different people love and take care of each other without even labeling their relationship. They just found solace with each other through the words they speak, through their actions and their thoughts. Yung ramdam mo na mahal nila ang isa’t-isa without the romance and the skinship. Yung relasyon na wala pero alam mong meron. Amazing, precious and unexplainable kung ano yung meron sa pagitan ni Dong Hoon and Ji An. Though, Ji An is very vocal that she likes Dong Hoon marahil na rin sa kabutihan sa kaniya nito. Dong Hoon on the other hand showed that he is a true gentleman. He did not took advantage of Ji An's feelings for him. He did not even tell her he likes her though it shows. One can feel and can see it in his eyes. Sobrang uptight niyang tao ayaw niya madisappoint at masaktan ang mga mahal niya sa buhay kaya he always ended up sacrificing for them. In the end, despite the many struggles, they both saved each other from their miserable lives and it is all worth it.                               

 BEST SCENES..
 
When grandma wants to see the moon
I love it that most of IU’s dramas always had something to do with the moon :) Nakita ni Dong Hoon si Ji An habang hinihila niya pababa ang shopping cart mula sa mataas na apartment. When he tried to helped her, he saw the smiling face of the grandma inside the cart. Super touching nung scene na naguusap si Ji An and her grandma while watching the moon. Ang saya ng matanda. That’s when Dong Hoon realized that Ji An was a good person. Nakakatuwa pa nito, hinintay niya makabalik ang dalawa at binuhat niya si grandma pabalik ng apartment at sinauli niya yung cart sa store. What a true gentleman.

When they both finally smiled together
 I'm not sure but I think episode 7 na yata nung makita kong ngumiti si Ji An. Haayy heaven! Ilang beses kong inulit yung scene na 'to. They’re drinking beer and Dong Hoon said, “Let’s be happy”. Sa dami ng problema at eksenang nakakaiyak, ngumiti rin sa wakas ang mahal na prinsesa IU.

Mula sa labas ng bar, Kwang II saw her smiling and yung ganap ni Jang Ki Yong dito ang galing. Such a talented actor. You will see in his eyes yung selos dahil somehow may feelings siya kay Ji An at the same time galit knowing na napatay ni Ji An yung evil father niya.

When PDH beat the hell out of Kwang II
Hagulgol ang iyak ni Ji An dito habang naririnig niya sa kabilang linya na nagbubugbugan si Dong Hoon at ang loan shark. Naiyak si Dong Hoon nang malaman niya ang hirap na dinanas ni Ji An mula sa pagkakautang at napag-alaman din niya na si Kwang II ang nanakit kay Ji An. Tinanong niya dito kung magkano pa ang utang ni Ji An para bayaran niya. Sinabi ni Kwang II kay Dong Hoon na si Ji An ang pumatay sa kanyang ama. Dong Hoon was shocked upon hearing it pero sinabi niyang kahit siya ganun din ang kanyang gagawin kapag may nanakit sa pamilya niya na para bang deserve ng ama ni Kwang II ang nangyari sa kaniya. Here, he proved his loyalty to her by understanding her dark past and not judging her. Our Mister is really amazing.

When Park Dong Hoon finally got the Director position in the company
And ofcourse, with the help of Ji An. Nakakaiyak nung sabay sabay nila na-receive yung email na siya na yung napiling new Director and his loyal staff were cheering for him. All were congratulating him and I was like “You deserve it!” while crying like a proud parent of him during that moment haha. Sa dami ng masasakit na dinanas mo, sa dami ng hadlang para di ka manalo pero ito ngayon, bumawi sayo ang tadhana.

Everytime he checks on her
I found it very sweet tuwing lilingunin ni Dong Hoon yung table ni Ji An to check on her if she was okay. Yung kapag wala pa si Ji An sa upuan niya at late sa trabaho nagwoworry siya. Those simple glances to her direction ahhh! they make my heart flutter.

Confrontation between the husband and wife
Wala nang mas sasakit pa kapag nalaman mo na yung taong minamahal mo at pinagkakatiwalaan mo ay nagcheat sayo. Damang-dama ko yung sinabi ni Dong Hoon sa wife niya, “When you cheated on me, you already pronounced me dead” ang sakit sa puso tagos talaga ‘yon. Ang galing ng acting niya dito pang best actor.


This is what I learned from the relationship of Dong Hoon and his wife.. 

 Masyadong malawak at malalim ang kahulugan ng pag-ibig. Hindi mo pwedeng sabihin na hindi ka na mahal ng isang tao dahil lang di kayo palagi magkasama o magkausap. Hindi mo rin pwedeng sabihin na hindi siya concern at wala siyang care sayo dahil lang hindi niya ito palaging sinasabi. At minsan akala natin nababawasan na ang pagmamahal satin ng isang tao dahil hindi natin ito nararamdaman sa pamamagitan ng paglalambing, pagsusurpresa, pagbibigay ng regalo o sa pagsasabi ng "I love you". Ang hindi natin nakikita ay yung maliliit na sakripisyo na ginagawa nito para sa atin. Yung pagtatanong ng "kumain ka na ba?", "May gusto ka bang ipabili mula sa grocery?". Yung pagtulong satin maglinis ng bahay, maglaba ng damit, magsampay, pagtimpla ng kape atbp. All of them are acts of love na minsan nababalewala natin dahil marami tayong hinahanap to satisfy our own expectations. Sa case ni Dong Hoon, nawalan sila ng oras para sa isa't-isa at nagseselos ang asawa niya sa atensyon na binibigay nito sa kaniyang mga kapatid at magulang pati na sa kaniyang mga kaibigan kaya naghanap ito ng atensyon at excitement mula sa ibang lalaki. Alam kong mababaw na dahilan ang mga ito para mag-cheat but it happens even in reality. Hindi na masaya ang wife sa marriage nila. Hindi niya nakita ang pagmamahal at pagaalaga sa kaniya ni Dong Hoon o marahil hindi lang siya kuntento sa ibinibigay nitong pagmamahal.


A visit to the Monk friend
Alam mong mabuti kang tao kapag meron kang mabuting influence and Dong Hoon has a lot of good people in his side. I love this scene kasi ito yung time na alam na niyang nagchecheat yung wife niya at gulong gulo siya. I like the calmness of the Monk’s voice and the peace it gives me seeing Dong Hoon being comforted by him. Naranasan mo na ba minsan sa buhay mo yung on the way ka na sa trabaho pero di ka tumuloy sa pagpasok ng araw na yun dahil toxic na at pagod ka na sa life? Instead pumunta ka nalang sa isang lugar na tahimik just to be alone and think? Ako, OO. Kaya I feel you there Dong Hoon. It's refreshing to see Dong Hoon in the mountain and the ambience of the temple itself is relaxing.

When Ji An hides from police
Very evident yung love ni Dong Hoon for Ji An dito.
Yung longingness niya for Ji An kitang kita sa mga mata niya nung nagtago si Ji An at di na niya macontact. Nung tinawagan siya ni Ji An using payphone ay kaiyak talaga yung scene na yun. At kahit nalaman na niya na all this time pinakikinggan pala ni Ji An ang mga ganap sa life niya, hindi siya nagalit. Hinanap niya pa rin kung nasaan na ba ang puso niya.
Sabi pa niya kay Ji An, “ If you get to know a person, nothing they do bothers you.. and I know you".
 
Grandma’s Funeral
Pangarap ng eldest brother ni Dong Hoon na mabigyan ng decent funeral ang kanilang ina kapag ito’y namatay. The actuality of his dreams came true when Ji An’s grandma died. He used all his money to buy flowers for the dead and a lot of people came to pay respect to the grandma. He was happy. Di siya nagalinlangan na tulungan si Ji An kasi alam niya na kapag dumating ang time na ang ina naman nila ang mamamatay, siguradong magandang funeral na ang maibibigay nilang magkakapatid because they have cleaning business now and Dong Hoon is already an executive in their company. Ji An was touched by the three brothers’ help. All the soccer club members were  also there. Love the part when they played soccer outside the chapel. Ji An watched them while remembering what her grandma said before she died that she should repay those people who helped her by living a happy life. 

   The ending is the best part
After not seeing each other for many seasons, Dong Hoon and Ji An accidentally met in a coffee shop one day. Nakakatuwa na kahit sa malayo at kahit na maraming tao sa cafe madaling na-recognize ni Ji An ang boses  ni Dong Hoon.Yung deep and soothing voice na yun ni Dong Hoon ay talagang very distinctive. At nang magharap na sila, his smiles were the biggest! Sobrang nakakarelieve makita yung ngiti ni Dong Hoon. After all he’s been through, after all the days he’s been missing her. Finally nakita na niya yung taong mahal niya na umayos na rin ang buhay. Tapos na yung madidilim na panahon sa buhay ng mga bida. They survived. It's like a brand new life for both of them.

Ji An said she will call Dong Hoon later and will buy him food and he happily agreed. I will be so so fine if they ended up together later on despite the age gap and it’s also fine with me if they decide to remain as friends. What's important is that they found each other again. They can eat together, walk together and cry and laugh together again. Whatever happens I know that their love for each other is timeless and unconditional. 

And now..

Please someone tell me how to move on from this drama. Di ko yata kaya. Mahirap tapatan itong drama na ito. Napaka-ganda rin ng theme songs, swak na swak sa mga eksena lalo na yung "Adult" ni Sondia tagos na tagos sa puso. Paborito ko rin ang kantang "One Million Roses" ni Koo Woo-Rim na una kong narinig sa Oh My Ghost. Salute to the writer, director and the actors of My Mister. The ending is perfect. It is not rushed. It gives you hope.  So many lessons in life you can learn from it. Dami ko ring niluha dito.

 Imagine, if only there is a single person who checks on  you and asks how you are. Imagine how a little act of kindness can change a person's perspective of the world. If only we are sensitive enough of another person's feelings. Siguro mababawasan ang mga taong nawawalan na ng pag-asa sa buhay, dumaranas ng depresyon at namamatay dahil dito. This drama is my number one right now. Indeed, it is a masterpiece.

"I liked all the sounds you've made, Mister
And all your words and thoughts
And the sound of  your footsteps
All of it
It felt as if I saw what a human being was, 
for the first time.."   ♥