ep.9 To everyone suffering from the 'value of a person' | 'Everyone is fighting their own worthless self' K-Drama Review

Long time no see.
It's been a while since I've written on note because of work, my first trip to Korea, and the fact that I haven't really come across any good K-dramas. This is toto. (Don't make excuses!)
But I just recently came across a work that I'm sure will win the grand prize and that I want to introduce to everyone, so I'm going to share it with you 🤲

Have you ever thought about your own value in this world?

Although it was for a short period, through my experience working at a host club, freelance work, and auditions, I have experienced several times what it's like to be evaluated as the 'one being chosen'.

During that time,
'Do I have any value?'
'Am I needed by society?'
There were many moments when I found myself thinking things like that.

The drama I'm introducing this time is a work that deeply depicts such 'value of a person'.

Its name is,
'Everyone is fighting their own worthless self'

Just from the title alone, it's quite heavy. lol

Synopsis

Hwang Dong-man, who dreamed of becoming a film director, has reached the age of 40 without ever debuting, while his peers have succeeded one after another.

Treated as a 'problem child' by those around him, he lived lonely days while harboring feelings of inferiority and worthlessness.

That was when he met Byun Eun-ha, a planning PD at a film production company.

Although she is an excellent person who has worked on numerous hit works, she lived with strong stress due to unreasonable treatment at her workplace and past wounds.

The two of them grow closer after becoming testers for an 'emotion watch,' a watch that visualizes emotions.

It is a story about people who are wounded, yet acknowledge each other while being beaten down by harsh reality, and face the 'sense of worthlessness' that nests within them.

Characters

・Hwang Dong-man
A man aspiring to be a film director who lives as a part-timer while repeatedly applying with the same script without ever releasing a single work to the world.
He is clumsy and self-centered. But somehow, everyone finds him hard to leave alone.

・Byun Eun-ha
A woman working as a planning PD at a film production company.
Abandoned by her mother in childhood, she was raised by her grandmother.
While she is excellent, she secretly harbors deep wounds in her heart.

・Park Gyeong-se
A film director who has already released five works to the world.
He is a peer of Dong-man and they were once friends who shared the same dreams, but they are now on bad terms.

・Hwang Jin-man
Dong-man's older brother.
He lives with his younger brother while working as a welder.
He was originally a poet with enough talent to win awards.
His poems appear repeatedly, symbolizing the atmosphere of this work.

Impressions after watching until the final episode

From here on, these are completely personal impressions.

Wow~~~~~ it was incredibly good.

To be honest, I was thinking about stopping watching it until about the first 3 episodes. lol

Seeing Dong-man's self-centered behavior and recklessness,
'I don't feel like I'll be able to like this protagonist until the end'
I thought that.

But strangely, as the episodes went on,
'Wait... isn't this person kind of lovable?'
I started to feel that way. lol

Even looking at Threads, there were quite a few people who wrote the same impression.

In this work, Dong-man and Eun-ha are not the only protagonists.

Each of the characters lives while doubting their own value.

Wanting to be recognized by someone.
Wanting to affirm oneself.
Wanting to become someone.

While struggling with such emotions, they search for the light of life in their own ways.

That appearance was so raw that I felt as if I myself was inside the work.

I think this era, where SNS has become the norm, is an era where we are constantly compared to others, and we compare ourselves as well.

'Do I have any value?'
There must be quite a few people living while holding onto such a question.

That is precisely why I thought this work would deeply pierce the hearts of those living in the modern age.

Heavy. But kind.
Painful. But you can look forward just a little bit.

It was that kind of drama.

Lastly.

Hwang Dong-man is the best!!
And, Director Park Hae-young is the best!!!

Without a doubt, it has become one of my life's dramas.
Thank you.