Because This is My First Life

I'm deviating from my format of posting reviews of series that I've watched chronologically to write this. I just finished this and I'm in awe of this beautifully crafted and written show.

Because This is My First Life aired last October to November 2017 at tvN. The same network that showed my favorites--Goblin and What's Wrong with Secretary Kim, among others. The series starred Lee Min-ki and Jung So-min.

I'm excited to have seen a lot of familiar faces in the drama as its an attestation of how much dramas I've already watched:

• First of, the two leads appeared in cameos as the parents of a young Kim Mi-so in What's Wrong with Secretary Kim (After finishing this, I immediately watched Episode 10 of WWWSK).
• The boss of the male lead also appeared in What's Wrong with Secretary Kim as a blind date of Kim Mi-so.
• The boyfriend of one of the female lead's bestfriends also appeared as a soldier in Descendants of the Sun.
• One of the senior co-writers of the female lead was the flamboyant boss in She Was Pretty.
• The director of the drama that the female lead was writing for appeared as a defendant in Suspicious Partner.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT

The Story

I thought that the plot was something that I've read in my romance novels--both parties entered into a marriage of convenience only to fall in love with each other along the way. However, I liked the way the writer, Yoon Nan-joong, tackled that angle.

You would think that if two people of the opposite sex lived together and suddenly developed a sexual attraction, there would be a lot of sexual innuendos. That was not the case here. There are however, a lot of life learnings and different perspectives.

Nam Se-hee (Lee Min-ki) is an eccentric computer programmer who contracted Yoon Ji-ho (Jung So-min) as a tenant. They married soon after when they realized the advantages that it would bring them. Ji-ho figured later on that she loved him and ended their contract.

This is where I really didn't get it. If she did love him, why did she not just continue the contract and lived as a real husband and wife? Later on, I concluded that she must've wanted to start anew without the complications of marriage (e.g. expectations of in-laws and friends) and that she wanted to "force" Se-hee out of his shell. He has always contained his emotions and she does not want to have a marriage based on that.

There were a lot of references to fiction and non-fiction literature all throughout the series--not surprising considering that Ji-ho is a literature major. My favorite one is pertaining to the book To Room 19 by Doris Lessing. It's about a seemingly perfect married couple with the wife wanting to have space for herself. Initially, the husband put aside a room in the second floor for her but the kids still entered the place. She eventually rented a small motel room and went there several hours a day just to do nothing. She kept this a secret from her husband and family as she treasured her space as it's only there that she can be herself.

Ji ho used Room 19 as an analogy describing their secret space which neither partner can enter. She wanted to find out what was inside Se-hee's Room 19. She ended their marriage because she's scared of what she will find in that room and how it will affect their relationship.

The Two Leads

Lee Min-ki's character needed some getting used to. He was literally a blank slate--like Kim Soo-hyun's character in My Love from the Star. I'm used to watching dramas with me falling in love with the Oppa male lead. But when Se-hee he started to show emotion, he slowly changed to being human and oppa-ble.

I found Jung So-min so beautiful here. She's my other girl crush next to Park Min-young. You would think that she's meek and quiet but she belied that by the strength she showed when she left her job.

I loved their sensitive portrayals and how they gave life to the written characters.

The Lessons and Quotable Quotes

Whenever I watch a Korean drama, I usually pick up something new. This show was no exception.

There was this touching moment between Se-hee and Ji-ho's mother before the wedding ceremony. Ji-ho's mom asked Se-hee to let her daughter continue writing after they get married and not let her live like her mother. Se-hee said that his wife's heart is really strong and she doesn't do anything that will make her unhappy. He will not stand in the way of her happiness and that is all that he will promise her. The mother then said something very poignant--"Just because you're married, it doesn't mean you have to make her happy. What can make anyone else happy?" 

People think that marriage is the one-all and be-all of happiness; that getting married means that they can live happily ever after. It's not usually the case. Marriage is a journey and a relationship that involves numerous complicated elements. It takes years to master these aspects and involves a lot of trial and error.
I initially thought that I will not get married, that I will live my life in the state of single blessedness. I already started making plans on how to live my life with that scenario in mind and decided to be happy about it. Happiness should only come from yourself and not be dependent on anything or anyone. 

"But I don't think marriage is sacred. Love is a sacred thing."
This is a different perspective that I managed to gather from this drama. I come from a culture and religion that considers marriage as holy--what God has joined together let no man put asunder. (Mark 10:9)  Up to now, we are the only country left in the world that considers divorce unlawful. We were taught to save the marriage at all costs and to fight for our husbands and family.
This aspect looks at marriage that should have love in it--and not just something "fortunate". In the olden times, marriage was used for political and monetary reasons. Only a few are lucky enough to be in love with each other when they were joined in matrimony. This has changed over the times with love being the reason for marriage. Throughout the relationship, love then changes over time depending on how each partner handles it. Sometimes it turns to hate but for others, it turns to respect and a deep sense of commitment.
Personally, I'm a believer of divorce as it gives spouses who are victims of abuse a way out. Moreover, if your marriage is healthy and solid, divorce shouldn't scare you. I guess it just takes political will for it to happen.

"What matters is spending time with the person next to you, right this moment, no matter what.
That's why even today we focus on loving each other and to those living this moment with all my sincerity, I wish you the best of luck. Because this is everyone's first life."
Ji-ho narrated this towards the end of the final episode. It somehow espouses the idea of "You Only Live Once" which I'm not comfortable with but I do agree that we only have one life to live so we should make the most out of it.

The Supporting Characters

The story of the supporting characters are also interesting to follow, especially the story of Ji-hee's bestfriends, as they are relatable and familiar.

Yang Ho-rang (Kim Ga-eun) has been in a relationship with her boyfriend, Kim Min-seok (Sim Won-seok) for seven years and has been dropping hints of getting married. Being busy on making his start-up app a success, he did not get the hints which led to them arguing and eventually breaking up.

I've known people who are like Ho-rang and I was almost like that once. I was already past 30 and though my boyfriend and I have only been together for 2 years, I knew that he was the One. But unlike Min-seok and Ho-rang, I've always been transparent and knew of my partner's plans (finish his MBA). My patience paid off and he proposed (albeit unromantically) on July 12 years ago.

There was also the relationship of Woo Su-ji (Esom) and Ma Sang-goo (Park Byung-eun). Su-ji worked for a corporate office and has always maintained casual relationships because she does not want to lose sight of her goal. Sang-goo, the boss of Se-hee, fell in love with Su-ji and fervently did everything to win her affections.

Su-ji's character is interesting because as a person working in the corporate world, I've met people like her--though I'm not saying that they also maintain casual affairs, but females with strong personalities and with a goal in mind. I admire their drive to reach their goals and how they manage their life without a partner.

By the final episode, I was excitedly curious on what their choices will be.

The OST

This song is currently on repeat in my Spotify Kdrama playlist. Definitely my new LSS.



WHAT I DON'T LIKE ABOUT IT

Really depends on other watchers but it's mostly a "talkies" drama meaning not much happening on screen. You have to really pay attention to the subtitles as there are a lot of narrations. But I guess that's part of the technique.

RATING

I give this drama, 5 tissue boxes! So worth the watch!

Watched: August 23-26, 2018