Leaving a
cheating husband or boyfriend for a new lover is no big deal. But how about
leaving a devoted fiancé who’s done you no wrong and been nothing but good to
you, not to mention the fact that you happen to love him too? This question has
been floating on my mind when I look at Gook In Yup (Jung Yu Mi) and Kim Eun Gi
(Kim Dong Wook).
It doesn’t
mean that I don’t want In Yup to fall in love with Moo Myung (Oh Ji Ho) since they
have to fall madly in love with each other haven’t they? It’s the sacred law of
dramaland that has to be fulfilled by every male and female lead.
But seeing
how Kim Eun Gi tries his best to save the father of the woman he loves makes me
feel sad. Here’s a good brave young man who doesn’t even fear the mad King who
loves to chop off the heads of his own flesh and blood about to become one of
the unfortunates because of love or to be precise because the woman he loves
stop loving him.
And that’s
another question I have. How could you stop loving someone who does nothing
wrong?
Although every
drama always finds ways to justify the change of heart of their leads, this
issue never ceases to bother me. Almost in every drama the time, the people,
the circumstances and the universe are conspiring against the couple to make it
impossible for them to be together however the fact that you can’t be together
doesn’t mean that your love for that person is ended.
You might try
to be realistic and pragmatic then accept the fact that it’s simply impossible
for you two. But again it doesn’t mean you stop loving the other person. True
love doesn’t change.
If one party
stops loving the other one it’s either because they don’t really love their
lover or it’s because they are basically a fickle person.
You may have
a huge fight, hurl insults, say you hate that person to death or you might
separate with that person, but when your anger has subsided, the fact remains,
you still love that person just as much. That’s true love.
If that’s not
the case it means you love that person just enough, enough to marry them,
enough to be with them, enough to withstand small discomfort and do some sacrifices,
but not enough to withstand the appearance of more attractive and wonderful person,
not enough to withstand more difficulties/problems ahead, not enough to conquer
all odds, and the most important thing is your love for that person is not
enough to make you happy no matter what.
I have no
doubt that In Yub loves Eun Gi but I’m not convinced that she loves him as much
as he loves her. She might be everything to him but I’m not quite sure that he
is everything to her. Is he more important to her than her dead father? No, I
don’t think so. She might love him but not that much.
Even from
episode one it’s pretty clear that what’s really first and foremost on her mind
is her missing father and not her fiancé. She doesn’t think about him that
much.
Now, let’s
talk about a more worthy subject in the drama: social issues. Maids reminds me
a little of Jejungwon (제중원), it gives us a
view of how unfair and frustrating the social system in those eras is. People
are valued and judged not by their own merit but by their social background.
You as a
person don’t matter if you don’t come from a certain social class. You are not
even considered human if you happen to come from the wrong class.
We are
watching a system that perpetuates poverty, oppresses the poor and promotes
status quo. A system which is invented by those with enough brains and power but
no heart, then it is accepted by the idiots, the powerless and the cowards.
I’m not yet in
love with In Yup but I like seeing how underneath her haughtiness there is a
glimpse of a decent girl who treats her personal servant like a real person and
with genuine affection. I like seeing how despite her snobbishness there is a
glimpse of a fair and just girl, a girl who despite her privilege upbringing
doesn’t turn rotten inside out.
I like seeing
the shadow of a woman who knows the value of herself, strong enough to endure any
hardship but good enough to maintain her decent character from turning evil in
her quest for justice. But what I like the most about In Yup is that she doesn’t
look stupid. She looks very capable in using her head.
Moo Myung
might fall for her first because he has seen that shadows too from the very
first time they met and I’m not going to blame In Yup if she falls for Moo Myung
later on but I think I’m going to feel really sorry for Eun Gi.
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