Everyone has a little something strange, but it's okay | "It's Okay to Not Be Okay"
"It's Okay to Not Be Okay" (Original title: "사이코지만 괜찮아")
A psychiatric ward caregiver with no money, no parents, and no hope.
His only existence is his older brother, who is on the autism spectrum.
He just wants to eat his fill with his monthly salary and have a place to stretch out his legs and sleep.
Just as he thinks that is enough, a strange woman who looks like a witch from a fairy tale suddenly appears before him.
A queen of children's literature who wields a pen instead of a knife and tries to dominate and manipulate the hearts of children.
She has a congenital deficiency and does not know the emotion of human love.
This is a drama I like very, very much, but I passed it by for a while, perhaps because the title makes it hard to imagine the content.
The lead actor is Kim Soo-hyun, who is already a big star. As a beginner to Korean dramas who didn't even know who he was yet, I was able to finally reach this drama because it was featured in a book* I picked up to try and understand more about the country of Korea.
The book described it as a "story of growth and healing" (p.36), and that is exactly it! I cannot find a better expression than that.
*"Korean Culture: The True Face and Present of Our Neighbors" (Shueisha Shinsho, Author: Junko Ito)
Moon Gang-tae (Kim Soo-hyun), the protagonist, believes the only meaning in his life is to take care of his brother on the autism spectrum, and he rejects any hope or desire for himself. As you learn about the wounds in his heart—which initially seemed like he was the only stable adult among the characters—you can't help but be moved by his expressions, his voice, and his tears when he calls out to his brother, "Hyung..."
Kim Soo-hyun is cool and there are romantic elements, but that is not the main focus of the drama.
It is a story about the characters helping, healing, accepting, releasing, and growing from the wounds and traumas they each carry.
I also recommend it to those who are more serious-minded and dislike sparkly, heart-fluttering idol dramas.
Please, watch it carefully without using double speed or fast-forwarding.
My favorite scene is when Gang-tae (younger brother: Kim Soo-hyun), Sang-tae (older brother: Oh Jung-se), and Ko Moon-young (fairy tale writer: Seo Yea-ji) take a family photo together. I found myself clapping softly in front of the screen, and it was such a good photo that I wanted to display it in my own room; it was a scene that brought me relief.
And by the time this scene comes around, the fact that Sang-tae, who had always been the one being protected, has become reliable like a true older brother is one of the reasons I love this scene.
Oh Jung-se, who plays the older brother, has become one of my favorite actors.
And besides that, Ko Moon-young's (fairy tale writer: Seo Yea-ji) fashion is absolutely amazing. It is fashion that only works because she has such an outstanding, doll-like figure, and it is just too cute.
I want to be her.
Ah... I want to be her...
They say that when "Crash Landing on You" was a huge hit in Japan, this drama was the number one most popular show in many other countries as well.
