[Series] Reply 1988
Reply 1988 Pays Homage to The Irreplaceable Bliss of Being Young
By kdramadiary, November 6, 2020
The scene typifies the quirky humor, nostalgic lilt, and borderless perspective that’s made “Reply 1988” a record-breaking success in Korea last year: its final episode was the most viewed season finale in Korean cable-TV history.
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Reply 1988 sweetly tapped into our wistful memories. They said that as you age along, you get more sentimental as you look back on what has happened in your life. Sitting on the neighborhood drama set between 1988 made viewers reminisce the good old days of endearing (inspiring love or affection) family love and friendship full of laughter and sweet memories.
Reply 1988 pays homage to (to honor) the irreplaceable bliss (perfect happiness; great joy) of being young - of our young dreams and our young love. It gives you a trip down memory lane when technology hasn't taken over the world yet - when friends meet up at a house to watch movies, eat and chat - and when romance comes true by heartfelt love declarations, stolen kisses and warm hugs.
Hands down to the extent of the research and meticulously vibrant (enthusiastic) writing that were fused together to bring up a chronicle that warms the heart and lingers in one's mind. The setting, side stories and the cast ensemble will make the viewers feel like stepping into a time-warping machine and bringing out the best memories we could ever have in our lives.
wistful: (1). full of yearning or desire tinged with melancholy. also: inspiring such yearning. A wistful memoir. (1). musingly sad: pensive. A wistful glance.
memory lane
an imaginary path through the nostalgically remembered past, usually used in such phrases as a walk down memory lane. If you say that someone is taking a walk or trip down memory lane, you mean that they are talking, writing, or thinking about something that happened to them a long time ago.
Hands down: without much effort, easily, without question.
chronicle: (noun) a factual written account of important or historical events in the order of their occurrence. A vast chronicle of Spanish history. (noun) a work of fiction or nonfiction that describes a particular series of events. A chronicle of his life during the war years. (verb) record (a related series of events) in a factual and detailed way. His work chronicles 20th-century displacement and migration.
lingers: (1) stay in a place longer than necessary because of a reluctance (unwillingness) to leave. She lingered in the yard, enjoying the warm sunshine. (2) Spend a long time over (something). She lingered over her meal. (3) Be slow to disappear or die. the tradition seems to linger on.
time-warping
the idea of a change in the measurement of time, in which people and events from one part of history are imagine as existing in another part.
(figurative) to be old-fashioned in your behaviors or opinions: He's living in a time warp - he even wears a suit to work!
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Reply 1988 tells the growing up years of five childhood friends living on the same block as they go through their studies, dreams and growing up years. Relying on one another, the friendship circle's families are also entangled as one big family thriving happily and harmoniously in the changing times.
Sung Deok Sun (Hyeri) the only girl in the friendship circle belonged to a family of five with a scary sister she always bickers with and a younger brother who always doesn't look young at all. They live humbly with his banker father's salary which has been immensely diminished (become less) due to his kind heart always extending help to people in need even sacrificing the finances meant to be spent for the family.
Choi Taek (Park Bo Gum) is the son of a clock repair man who is also a widow. They live quietly amidst the crazy family surrounding them. Choi Take is a Baduk prodigy (talent), but since not having a normal life, he was often sheltered (protected) by the people around him because he is overly kind-hearted. He does not bother much about the cruelties in life.
Kim Jung Hwan (Ryu Jung Yeol) grew up not being wealthy, but in a stroke of luck, their family won a lottery and became rich overnight. He has one brother who does not run out a new hobby to try in his life. They parents worry about him not being able to secure a normal career in his prime (a state or time of greatest strength, vigor, or success in a person's life).
Ryu Dong Ryong (Lee Dong Hwi) is the happy-go-lucky and the dancing machine of the clique (group). He craves for his busy mother's attention and is scared of his teacher-father's scolding.
Sung Sun Woo (Go-Kyung Pyo) assumed taking care of his mother and little sister when his father died young. He is a model student and the most responsible in the group.
thriving: to grow or develop vigorously. The children thrived in the country.
a stroke of luck: a fortunate occurrence that could not have been predicted or expected. It was a stroke of luck that he hadn't left yet.
happy-go-lucky
A happy-go-lucky person does not plan much and accepts what happens without becoming worried.
scolding: the act of speaking angrily to someone because you dissapprove of their behavior
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One of the many things I loved in the series is the genuine (authentic) on-screen bond of the cast. Thus, giving life to the best possible image of their sketched character was fascinating. There was no passerby among them.
All have contributed to an almost perfect depiction on how uncomplicated life was way back then. With neighbors living up to becoming a functioning support group with their fellow parents. Definitely, not Sky Castle-ish since their focus to direct the well-being of their children does not involve pressure.
Because back then, the 90's youth have inner motivations to chase their dreams and make their parents proud. That is definitely not the case today with the internet controlling human interaction. People will choose to just browse on the superficial social media status other family and friends than to take time to catch up with them in person.
Another wonderful feature evident in all Reply-dramas is the building up of the romance. I was honestly Team Taek all throughout when it was airing. Who wouldn't fall for Taek-i's puppy face? I just really go for cute nerds who are clueless in life but advance strong when the situation required them to go for their one great love. Choi Taek rose to the occasion, waiting for the right time and seizing the moment without looking back. But the one great lesson learned from Jung Hwan-Dukseon-Choi's Taek love triangle is to not blame timing or fate for your one great love to happen.
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Reply 1988 made me want to pay a short visit to the street I grew up with and reminisce about the times when I hang out with my childhood friends to play old-school games. It made me glad that most of my precious memories were not digitally induced as it the case of the youth nowadays. Also, it reminded me to still go for the purest romance I can ever have that won't make use much of the worldwide web and social media.
Reply 1988 is a strip of moments any person with euphoric (feeling intense excitement and happiness) youth can relate to. I strongly vouch for this drama if you have a weekend to spare. It is a slow paced (moving at a slow rate of speed) drama but you won’t get bored because it’s like you are watching your own family, yourself, and your past. This will touch the deepest part of your soul and makes you miss everything in your youth.
vouch: (1). confirm as result of one's experience that something is true or accurately so described. They say New York is the city that never sleeps, and I can certainly vouch for that. (2). confirm that someone is who they say they are or that they are of good character. He was refused entrance until someone could vouch for him.
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This drama will knock your soul to enjoy everything you have now — that youth is not forever. Also to show your family how much you love them until you are still living together, until your parents are still alive, until you are young, and until you and your friends still have all the time to enjoy life without having any heavy responsibilities yet.
This series is a painful eye-opener to not waste any single opportunity to tell your loved ones how much you love them. Set aside those hesitations and grab every opportunity coming on your way because you might not have the chance again. Never give yourself something you would regret in the future.
eye-opener: something that surprises you and teaches you new facts about life, people, etc. Living in another country can be a real eye-opener.
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Even if this drama revolves around teenagers during an era where almost all of us did not live in, it still feels nostalgic. True enough, it felt like we were part of them. We were there. It is a self-realization, self-assessment, and self-awareness. How come that 20 or so episode-long drama can make us feel our existence in a whole new level?
It made us feel not just a certain emotion, but a mixture of different emotions. We were happy, sad, hurt, angry, scared, lost, and even alive. Don't watch this drama in one sitting, try to savor the moment and gave your self some time to think after every episode. So, if some of you tried to watch it and was not able to finish it, try to rewatch it! This drama is not meant to be finished in one sitting. It needs a lot of time for you to digest the story. It needs your best mood.
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You may say that this drama is one of the best dramas you ever watched. No pretentions. You can even feel how expensive and delicious the banana they bought and sliced for three people; and that scene when Ra Mi Ran mixed the spaghetti with bare hands. Or even the time when they shared their dish. You'll loved it! When they have chosen a time were smart phones are not yet invented, you can see closely the importance of each phone call despite of the risk of being caught by your parents.
You will be able to feel the same intensity of joy when they got a new pair of shoes or their favorite dish or when they finally paid off their debt. It is an everyday life of anyone— may it be the rich, the middle class, or the poor. They did not even care if their clothes are not matched or if it was not fashionable enough.
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The time spent with this show is summed up in the epilogue, with Doek Seon's voiceover (which also made me cry): "A time so warm and pure, that it was painful. Can you hear me? If you can hear me, answer me. My 1988, the days of my youth."
When they left the neighborhood, you will feel sad and slightly feel mad, but you will realize that its the reality. You create memories in a certain place and then you carry on. You finally move to another place and only carry the memories with you, hoping that the people you shared it with are also cherishing the same memories with you. I do hope they did.
They realized that, truly, they can't recapture the old days, that things change over the course of time. Deok Seon doesn't miss her youth, she misses the youth of those she loves. She says a belated goodbye to the street and her childhood
You would be left with this itchy feeling that maybe they became better or will succeed in their lives even if apart. They followed their own paths and its okay because its part of our lives. I am glad that the director and writers let me think that way rather than otherwise. I do believe that Reply 1988 will forever live inside us even you become a fully grown adult. Maybe, I will always try to look back to this drama everytime a significant event will happen in my life. That is how it gave an impact on me.
A woman’s narration introduces us to 1988.
"It was a time when it was chilly, but our hearts were fiery, and we didnt have much, but people's hearts were warm. Of course, if you were to compare it how things are now, it was clearly the Age of Analog, not much different from the Paleolithic era. Even so, we were living cutting edge 18 year-old lives. For the first time in history, we wore the slip-on sneakers, and lots of denim. We listened to Shin Have-cheol's songs on our Walkmans. There was no internet or any smartphones back then."
Boys liked Joey Wong and girls liked Tom Cruise (and New Kids on the Block!), but she says there was one movie that everyone was obsessed with: A Better Tomorrow 2. The movie plays on a tiny television as five teens watch with bated breath. It’s September 1988.
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At a climactic moment in the movie, someone reaches for the shrimp chips and explodes the bag all over the group. This is RYU DONG-RYONG, nickname Doryongnyong, aka Salamander, who lives in the house across the street. The voiceover tells us that he’s their neighborhood counselor.
Next to him, a prickly boy snaps at Dong-ryong to stuff his face later. This is KIM JUNG-HWAN, introduced simply as “Dog.” Ha. The voiceover adds, “He’s not yet human.” Jung-hwan lives upstairs, as the map indicates.
Next to him is TAEK, who lives next door to Dong-ryong. This is his room that they’re in, and he’s a genius baduk player. Narrator: “But what does that matter, when here he’s just a supreme moron?”
Jung-hwan and Dong-ryong both order Taek around in his own house, asking him to get a rag and bring more snacks, and Taek complies. The only one who speaks up in his defense is SUN-WOO, who gets labeled “Human.” The narrator says he’s the most normal of all of them.
Finally we meet the only girl of the group, who punches Jung-hwan to shut up so she can watch the movie. The narrator hesitates, then admits: “This is me.” She’s SUNG DEOK-SUN, and she lives downstairs from Jung-hwan.
"I had such wavy bangs that you could probably surf through them with cropped-short hair. And a shirt that isn't quite pink, but eye-popping fuchsia. That was the best back then."
Taek returns with more snacks just as the clock chimes six. And right on cue, a curly-haired ajumma calls out for Jung-hwan to come eat dinner. And then Sun-woo’s mom, and then Deok-sun’s mom. Lol, the moms got their perms together, didn’t they?
The kids all grab their snacks and file out of Taek’s to go home… all of ten feet away. Taek looks a little deflated, but then his dad tells him it’s time for dinner too. The camera cranes up to show us their tiny little street in Ssangmun-dong, as present-day Deok-sun narrates that she was born on this street and grew up here. She wonders now what they spent all their time doing.
eye-popping: so exciting, large or impressive that it is very surprising or difficult to believe; amazing. The company's stock market value peaked last summer at an eye-popping $30 billion.
file out (of something): to move out of something or some place. The people filled quietly out of the theater. They filed out at the end.
deflated: having suddenly lost confidence or optimism. The news left him feeling utterly deflated.
cranes up: to stretch toward an object of attention. Craning her neck to get a better view.
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Deok-sun’s family lives in the half-basement unit underneath Jung-hwan’s house, and their kitchen is a weird amalgamation of modern and ancient. Mom makes rice in a pot over coal and hands Deok-sun Dad’s rice bowl, which she dutifully puts under the blanket on the heated floor.
On the way we meet her unni, a sophomore at Seoul University and their neighborhood’s “crazy bitch.” She’s top dog in their family, Deok-sun tells us. There’s also her little brother, who looks like an old man but is actually seventeen.
Upstairs, it’s a totally different world at Jung-hwan’s house, which is furnished lavishly. Their kitchen has a rice cooker and a gas stove, and even a cordless phone. Jung-hwan and his hyung sit silently as Mom puts food down on the table and then takes it away, because Dad’s coming home for supper after all.
The fleshing out of the community: with the large-scale food sharing between household (potluck dinners) that ended up filling Taek and his dad's otherwise sparse dinner table with home-cooked goodness. The matter-of-fact way the mothers of each household prepare extra food and send it along to their neighbors. It's such heartwarming stuff, truly.
Jung-hwan’s mother sends him downstairs with a salad to fetch an extra bowl of rice for Dad, and he greets Deok-sun with a knee-kick to the behind just to mess with her. Deok-sun’s mom hands him rice and some kimchi she made, which he accepts with a grim face, knowing what’s about to happen.
Of course he comes home with the kimchi only to have Mom give him yet another dish to take downstairs, and LOL—he runs into Sun-woo on his way in with a delivery from his mom. Jung-hwan just pats him on the back silently, knowing that they’ll be doing this all night.
This goes on forever, until at one point, the other four kids meet each other in the street each holding a dish. Jung-hwan grumps that they should just eat together if they’re going to do this. They all return to their homes, and Deok-sun runs to greet Dad on his way in.
As the other kids make the rounds from house to house, Taek and his dad sit at a very sad looking dinner table, with just rice and one stew. But it turns out they’re the smart ones, because in no time their table is filled with side dishes from all the neighbor ajummas. Aw.
Underneath: Generally speaking "under" is the most popular and therefore used the most. Beneath and underneath are used the least, mostly due to the fact that they are a bit more formal.
Sophomore
The four years of undergraduate education are called:
(1) freshman year, and someone in their first year is a freshman. You might sometimes hear this shortened to "frosh."
(2) sophomore year, and someone in their second year is a sophomore. Sometimes sophomore is shortened to "soph." As a side note, the word "sophomoric," means juvenile or, as Merriam-Webster's dictionary puts it, "conceited and overconfident of knowledge but poorly informed and immature."
(3) junior year, and someone in their third year is a junior. Junior can be abbreviated as "jr." in writing.
(4) senior year, and someone in their fourth year is a senior. Senior can be abbreviated as "sr." in writing.
But these same words are not used to describe the years of graduate school. Years of graduate school are often just referred to by number; for example, "I'm in my first year" or "I'm a first-year."
Some types of graduate school may have other ways of delineating years as well. The three years of law school can be referred to as 1L, 2L and 3L. And medical school is often broken up into preclinical (the first two years) and clinical (the second two years), which are followed by an internship and residency - it takes a long time to become a doctor!)
fleshing out of: if you flesh out something such as a story or plan, you add details and more information to it. He talked an hour, fleshing out his original five-minute account.
potluck: a meal or party to which each of the guests contributes a dish. A potluck supper
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Deok-sun’s family gathers around their small table in front of the TV, and they sing along to commercials. Dad marvels at the rising cost of ice cream these days, arguing that you could buy a pack of cigarettes for 300 won. Little Bro helpfully chirps that cigarettes cost double that, earning him a beating from Dad.
Mom excitedly asks for Dad’s paycheck from the bank, and Dad expertly avoids the subject when she counts the money, knowing how very little it is. He says he helped out a friend who went broke after cosigning a bad loan, but Mom points out that THEY are broke because Dad cosigned a bad loan too.
Dad is ever the optimist, saying that they have their health and their three smart children, but Mom breaks it to him that Deok-sun is in 999th place in school. Unni completely ignores their money woes and demands a new pair of glasses for her birthday, and Deok-sun chimes in that this year she won’t be sharing birthday celebrations with her sister, even if they’re three days (and three years) apart.
Cosign
Cosigning for someone means you’re taking responsibility for the loan, lease or similar contract if the original borrower is unable to pay as agreed. Whatever you cosign will show up on your credit report as if the loan is yours, which, depending on your credit history, may impact your credit scores.
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Again, the contrast is stark when we move upstairs to Jung-hwan’s family, sitting in dead silence until Dad comes home. I’m expecting a stern, imposing father who commands respect… but Jung-hwan’s father turns out to be a goof who greets his family with song and dance. Sadly for him, his wife and two sons are entirely humorless.
Jung-hwan’s hyung is a 24-year-old in his sixth year of “studying” to get into college, who’s interested in pretty much everything except studying. He’s an original otaku, the captions tell us.
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Sun-woo has dinner with Mom and baby sister, and they mention Dad, though he isn’t home. Both moms ask their sons about Deok-sun being chosen as a picket girl (the women who held the country banners during the opening ceremony), and then we see what they mean when Deok-sun marches around her room holding up a sign for Madagascar, to lead them into the Olympics opening ceremony.
1988 is a significant year for Seoul. The Summer Olympics brought the world’s eyes to the developing city, and the year came to represent the influx of culture from around the globe to a nation that was still shaking off a generation of dictatorship, conservatism, poverty, and protests.
Real-world events like these are woven into the plot: in the pilot, Deok-sun is ecstatic to bear the flag for Madagascar in the Olympic opening ceremony, mainly because she gets to be on television.
marches: to move along steadily usually with a rhythmic stride and in step with others.
shaking off: an act or instance of getting rid of what is unpleasant, undesirable, or unwanted.
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At Deok-sun’s house, both Unni and Little Bro demand fried eggs with their breakfast, and Mom looks back and forth between Deok-sun and the last two eggs in the fridge. Deok-sun tells Mom she doesn’t want eggs, and Mom looks at her gratefully.
I love the small moments that show us her sweet and giving nature; the way she gives up having a fried egg with breakfast to give Mom an easier time.
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It’s a regular school day for the boys, or at least for Sun-woo (class president), Jung-hwan, and Dong-ryong (Taek is a pro baduk player, so he wouldn’t be going to school with them. Taek’s dad runs the jewelry store at the end of their little street).
Soccer must be uber-violent, because the next day Sun-woo’s sporting a bandaid on his face. The boys are disappointed when Sun-woo doesn’t hang out with them after school (because he promised to play with his baby sister again).
Jung-hwan tenses up (nervous) when he catches up to Dong-ryong on the street, and sees him surrounded by two older bullies. Thankfully they have very little money to be bullied out of, but just as they’re let go, the bullies demand their sneakers too. They take them off as ordered, but Dong-ryong gets told to just keep his, ha.
catches up: (1) success in reaching a person who is ahead of one. He stopped and waited for lily to catch up (2) talk to someone whom one has not seen for some time in order to find out what they have been doing. It's always good to catch up with old friends
bullied out of
Bullying can range from hitting, shoving, name-calling, threats, and mocking to extorting money and possessions.
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Sun-woo comes home to play with his sister, and Mom asks if he got his test scores back and if he’s not in first place this time. She worries about the bandaid on his face, wondering if he’s been fighting, but he tells her it’s nothing.
Jung-hwan’s mom is surprised to hear that they even had a test, since her son doesn’t speak to her. The other boys trudge home soon after, and Jung-hwan ignores his mother as usual. Deok-sun’s mom says that even at 999th place, daughters are better.
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Sun-woo notices that his mother has a toothache and insists that they can afford for her to go see a doctor. Mom is more interested in the scar on his face though, but again he waves off her concern without explanation.
Ha, it must be perm day for the moms, as they all sit out with their hair wrapped up like triplets. I love the running contrast between Sun-woo, the doting son who massages Mom’s legs when he arrives, and Jung-hwan, who bows and walks right past them without a word.
waves off: dismiss something as unnecessary or irrelevant. I waved off their concern, telling them that it was just a dream and that I am fine
the doting son
If you say that someone is, for example, a doting mother, husband, or friend, you mean that they show a lot of love for someone.
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The moms make enough dumplings to feed a whole village. Sun-woo’s mom figures that Jung-hwan needs a new pair of sneakers. It’s news to his mother that he was robbed of them, and Mom sits across from Jung-hwan at the dinner table later, wondering how to bring it up.
Mom finally asks if everything’s okay lately, and Jung-hwan says he’s fine, like always. Dad picks the worst timing to come home with another jokey greeting, and Mom deadpans that divorce is always a possibility.
Deok-sun is the only one who appreciates ajusshi’s gags (joke), and they share a geeky (eccentric) moment when he delivers a chicken to their family downstairs. Jung-hwan’s dad tells Deok-sun to eat a chicken leg, but naturally the legs go to Unni and Little Bro, and Deok-sun gets a wing. Poor middle child.
bring it up: (1) look after a child until it is an adult. She was partly brought up by her maternal grandparents. (2) raise a matter for discussion or consideration. She tried repeatedly to bring up the subject of mariage.
deadpans
adj: deliberately impassive or expressionless
adv: in a deadpan manner
verb: say something amusing while affecting a serious manner
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Training to be a picket girl turns out to be hard work though, and Deok-sun looks pained as she marches around the stadium with her giant sign.
The next day, Deok-sun gets called to the field for her interview. She gives a terribly stilted recital of prepared answers, only to be blindsided when the reporter asks how it felt to hear the news that Madagascar won’t be participating in the Olympics anymore.
Deok-sun bursts into tears (start to cry) on camera, and says in a dramatic tear-filled speech that she might not get to participate, but she’ll still be cheering for the Olympics, like she’s an injured athlete or something.
blindsided: to surprise someone, usually with harmful result. The recession blindsided a lot of lawyers who had previously taken for granted their comfortable income.
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Sun-woo’s mom calls out for him to run to the store while she’s cooking, but discovers that he’s not home. Her worry has been building that he’s been getting into fights or worse, and she starts looking around in his room for some insight. It all looks normal, but then she discovers a pack of cigarettes under his desk. Uh-oh.
Sun-woo comes home to an interrogation, as Mom presents the pack of cigarettes and asks how long he’s been smoking. He swears up and down that they’re not his, which she doesn’t believe. She asks what on earth he’s been doing lately, accusing him of hanging out with a bad crowd and getting into fights, as evidenced by the cut on his face.
Mom cries that she didn’t raise him that way, and asks if he’s acting like this because his dad’s not here and he doesn’t care to listen to his mother. But Sun-woo finally tells her the truth: “I cut myself shaving.”
Judging from the way this makes her burst into tears, I’m guessing that Dad passed away, and he didn’t want to let on that not having a father meant no one would teach him how to shave. He hugs her as she wails, and swears that all his friends cut themselves the first time: “It’s not because of Dad!”
He comforts her and says he’s sorry for raising his voice, and Mom cries into his shoulder so sorrowfully that it breaks my heart.
It turns out that today is the memorial of Dad’s death, which explains all the mountains of food Mom was making and the talk of her husband eating dumplings. Sun-woo was out because he was buying Dad’s favorite makgulli, and the kids pour a cup and pay their respects, as Mom cries.
A flashback shows us that they came from Jung-hwan’s mom—his little sister ran off with her shirt the other day, and they fell out of the pocket as she was playing.
on earth: used for emphasis. Who on earth would venture out in weather like this?
accusing of: (1). Charge (someone) with an offense or crime. he was accused of murdering his wife's lover (2). Claim that (someone) has done something wrong. he was accused of favoritism.
let on: (1). Reveal or divulge information to someone. She knows a lot more than she lets on. (2). Pretend. They all let on that they didnt hear me.
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Deok-sun is down in the dumps when she gets home, and manages to sit through Unni’s birthday cake and song. But when Mom and Dad relight the candles to sing for Deok-sun’s birthday like she expressly asked them not to do, she breaks down, asking why she always gets the reused cake, the chicken wing, the rice without egg on top.
Present-day Deok-sun narrates that there was nothing special about that day—the sorrow of being a middle child was a constant for her. She just thought that Mom and Dad would recognize her sacrifices, but she sighs that perhaps family is always the last to know.
breaks down: to succumb to mental or emotional stress. broke down and cried
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The day of the Olympics opening ceremony arrives, and not a soul is out in the streets as the broadcast begins. Despite Madagascar pulling out of the Olympics, Deok-sun still gets a part in the Olympics opening ceremonies.
I love the time when everyone looks so excited to see Deok Sun on TV. Just so gruff and loving, and so awesome.
Deok-sun’s family gathers in front of the TV. Her parents and brother scream in excitement when she appears on TV, and though her unni refuses to watch, she still listens from her room. Sun-woo and his family scream too, and at Jung-hwan’s house everyone but him is on their feet when they see her. Jung-hwan is as implacable as ever… but then he cracks a tiny smile when no one is looking.
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Jung-hwan's mom makes another failed attempt to engage him in conversation, and follows him to his room to ask what he’s up to. Jung-hwan answers everything in that infuriating monosyllabic teenage way of his, and Mom has to endure long stretches of uncomfortable silence just to try and have a conversation with him.
At her prodding, he finally tells her that he came in first place on his latest test, and Mom says she’d like to know things like that. She admits how envious she is of Sun-woo’s mom because he tells his mother everything, and says she’s embarrassed in front of the other ajummas when they know more about Jung-hwan than she does.
She has to prod him to agree to talk more, and then she gives him the world’s most awkward backhug. Man, it must suck to raise a teenage boy. But just as she’s leaving, Jung-hwan turns around and asks her to buy him a new pair of sneakers because he lost his old ones. And Mom looks like she’s about to burst into tears, she’s so happy.
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When Deok-sun comes home after her big day, Dad is outside waiting for her. He takes her to the corner store, where she shows him all of the cool Olympics souvenirs she received (and a pair of dead birds to bury, what the—?). Dad says he has something for her too, and brings out a birthday cake just for her. Aww.
"My Deok-sun is so kind. You're like an angel. Happy birth day, my Deok-sun. Look at that! Eighteen candles already? When did my daughter grow up so much?
Dad and mom are..sorry. It's because we didnt know.
When your sister was born, we were worried about how to teach her.
When you were born, we were worried about how to raise you,
and when No-eul was born, we were worried about how to shape him into a good person.
Dad wasn't automatically become dads the moment they're born. It was my first time being a dad. So, that's why, my daughter, please cut us some slack.
My daughter grew up to be so pretty. When did you become such a pretty young lady? You were even on TV. Looking so pretty with makeup on. Anyway, when my Deok-sun gets married, how will I live? I'll be so miserable."
Dad says he and Mom are sorry, and that he’s still figuring things out: “Your dad wasn’t a dad when he was born. It’s my first time being a dad too.” He asks for her understanding, and says proudly that she grew up beautifully. Ugh, this dad never fails to make me cry.
He wonders what he’ll do when she gets married and leaves him, but Deok-sun says she won’t marry, and he chides her not to say such things. They light the candles and he wishes her a happy birthday, and Deok-sun blows out her own candles on her own cake, and gets to eat it all.
After Deok Sun's tearful outburst about never having her own birthday cake and always having to play second fiddle to Bo Ra, I do love how dad makes it up to her by meeting her outside the house and presenting her with her own birthday cake. Such a sweet, understated way to make it up to her. And I love the way she forgive easily.
“In some ways, one's family is the most oblivious. But what's so important about knowing?
In the end, what helps you overcome obstacles isn't brains, but someone who'll take your hand and won't let you go.
In the end, that's family. Even for heroes, even if it's an even greater hero, the people they go back to in the end is family.
The scar we receive from the outside world...the scar we receive from life experiences...Even the scars that we receive from family.
The people who'll embrace you and be your side until the end.
In the end, it is family."
It’s family—that covers over the wounds from the world outside the front door, the scars we each sustain from life, even the sorrow that family itself gives us. The people on my side till the very end—it’s family.
the corner store: a small store selling groceries and a limited range of household goods in a mainly residential area. I bought a carton of milk at the corner store.
second fiddle: to be less important or in a weaker position than someone else. I'm not prepared to play second fiddle to Christina anymore, I'm looking for another job!
It’s late September 1988, and Jung-hwan’s dad busts out (begin doing something suddenly) the new video camera to shoot footage introducing us to his lovely family. Except his eldest son isn’t home studying like he should be, prickly (loses their temper or gets upset very easily) second son shuts the door in his face, and his equally humorless wife puts an end (cause someone or something to stop existing) to the shenanigans (prank).
Poor ajusshi. Thankfully, downstairs neighbor Deok-sun, his only ally when it comes to his terrible jokes, arrives to deliver a bottle of oil from her visiting grandma. They greet each other with song and dance. She’s in a great mood because she loves her grandma, but says with a sigh that she’ll be leaving shortly.
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Back at home, Deok-sun snuggles up next to Grandma, who’s sandwiched in between her two granddaughters. Deok-sun asks Grandma which of her two sons is better to her now, and Grandma says they’re both good, emphasizing how they never fought with each other.
snuggles up: to move yourself into a warm and comfortable position, especially one in which your body is against another person or covered by something. The children snuggled up to their mother to get warm.
sandwiched: insert or squeeze (someone or something) between two other people or things, typically in a restricted space or so as to be uncomfortable. The girl was sandwiched between two burly men in the back of the car.
Deok-sun says that Unni always starts it, so of course Unni darts up (move suddenly and quickly) and grabs her hair. Dad must have some kind of sister-brawl (fight/quarrel in a rough/noisy way) radar, because he shows up immediately, this time brandishing (shake/wave something such as weapon menacingly) a pitchfork (farm tool), ha.
In the morning, the family sees Grandma off, regretting that she can’t stay longer. Grandma sees Mom throwing away an old vase, and decides she has to take it home because she can’t see it going to waste. She and Dad bicker about it all the way down the street, which is just endlessly adorable.
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A few weeks later, it’s October and the Olympics have come to a close. Deok-sun is the one taking care of her siblings’ meals because Mom and Dad are in the country taking care of Grandma, who isn’t doing so well.
Deok-sun panics when she gets called to the teacher’s office, her teacher hands her the phone saying that she has a call from home. Oh no, it’s Grandma, isn’t it?
Deok-sun breaks down in tears as Unni tells her that Grandma went to a better place. She tells Deok-sun to come home so they can catch the bus out of town, but Deok-sun is inconsolable and just cries repeatedly, “Unni, unni!”
inconsolable
(of a person or their grief) not able to be comforted or alleviated
The three siblings take the bus down to the country, and Unni makes sure that her siblings get some sleep and takes all of Deok-sun’s bags so she can stretch out her legs. When they get to Grandma’s house, she tells them to wipe their tears because they have to be strong for Mom and Dad.
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The funeral has already been going on for hours, and the sight isn’t what they expected at all. It looks more like a party house than a funeral house, with elders playing card games and chatting away over food. And Dad isn’t a crying mess like they expected—in fact, he’s happy to brag about his kids to the townspeople and reunite with old acquaintances.
brag: to speak too proudly about what you have done or what you own. She's always bragging about how much money she earns.
Deok-sun asks Unni if their dad is a cyborg, because he doesn’t seem sad at all. Neither do the aunts, and Deok-sun cries all over again because she feels sorry for Grandma.
cyborg: a living being whose powers are enhanced by computer implants or mechanical body parts.
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The funeral continues, and Deok-sun starts to get annoyed that Dad just gets progressively drunker, singing along with the elders at the table. She doesn’t understand why no one seems sad.
Deok-sun and Unni clean up what looks to be the last of the tables at Grandma’s funeral. Now only the family members remain, and they don’t know whether the eldest uncle will arrive in time from America. Deok-sun goes over to Dad and tells him to get some rest, and he smiles at her sweetly and says he’s okay.
Dad still seems fine, but then Deok-sun looks up when a man comes through the front door, and Dad’s face changes instantly when he hears his brother’s voice calling out to him, “Dong-il-ah, Dong-il-ah!”
Uncle approaches slowly and clasps Dad’s face in his hands, and that’s all it takes for Dad to break down in heartbreaking, wailing sobs, asking why their mother had to leave them, and why they can never see her again. Ugh, I’m a mess.
wailing sobs
1. Wail-it's loud, also called 'keening'. It's usually a high pitched, long, moaning. If screaming were a boil, wailing would be simmer.
2. Sob-it's an inability to speak, to be overwhelmed by crying, tears, hitching breaths.
3. Cry- it's the tears flowing, sometimes in pain, sometimes happiness, sometimes frustration.
The aunts run to hug them in tears too, and finally Deok-sun understands. She narrates that the adults weren’t fine—they were holding on, being strong, enduring.
"Adults are just enduring it. They are just busy doing things as an adult, and they just acted strong due to the pressure that came with their age. Adults feel pain, too."
Everyone is awash in tears, and after the reunion, Uncle pays his respects to Grandma before sitting down with his siblings. And in the corner of the room, we see that vase that Grandma had insisted on saving. She put a plant in it and displayed it proudly, and now we see why—it’s inscribed with Dad’s name to commemorate his employment at the bank.
I fully expected Grandma to die when she showed up out of the blue, but I thought the storyline was a surprise, in that it ended up being about sibling love. Through the experience, we get to see a slightly softer side to Unni when she takes care of the others in a way that only an eldest can.
What was really moving was Dad and his younger sisters, holding it all together in front of their friends and neighbors and their own kids, and then completely breaking down as soon as the eldest brother arrived to be their pillar.
I don’t know why, but it’s always so strange to see your parents in a new context—as a sibling and a child rather than a father or mother—and I love that the confusion and newfound understanding is captured through Deok-sun’s perspective.
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At the boys’ school, Dong-ryong reminds Sun-woo that they’re going to the movies tonight. Jung-hwan says they’re playing soccer again at lunch, and Sun-woo refuses to participate in the bloodbath. Jung-hwan defends the sunbae that Sun-woo doesn’t like, and says he’s not a bad guy.
Sun-woo really is the best player, and it seems to grate on (irritate/annoy) their teammate, a bossy sunbae who likes to be the star even though he sucks at soccer.
The boys wash up after their game, and the bully sunbae comes by to pick a fight with Sun-woo, finding any reason to push him around just because he’s better at soccer. Sun-woo just glares (stare in an airy or fierce way) back instead of backing down, which only makes it worse.
The bully notices the necklace that Sun-woo is wearing and tells him to take it off, and Sun-woo refuses. He stands there stoically (without complaining about pain trouble or showing what you are feeling) while the bully shoves (push roughly) him repeatedly in the head, saved only by the bell when they have to return to class.
Jung-hwan and Dong-ryong get hit too, just by association, and Jung-hwan asks why Sun-woo couldn’t just take the damn thing off for a minute and then put it back on later. Sun-woo asks how, when it’s his father’s necklace, but clearly Jung-hwan doesn’t understand.
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The boys open up their lunches, and as usual Jung-hwan’s lunchbox is packed with only the best, Dong-ryong’s is slapdash (done too hurriedly and carelessly), and Sun-woo’s looks good but tastes terrible, due to his mother’s terrible cooking. They all know this about her, but Sun-woo seems sensitive about it lately.
In the evening they skip out of class to go to the theater. They met again with the soccer bully and his posse. The bullies takes the boys out to the alley and intent on picking another fight. He fixates on the necklace again and tells him to take it off, and when Sun-woo stares him right in the eye instead of backing down, the bully yanks it off his neck. Ack.
Dong-ryong speaks up and says that’s from Sun-woo’s father who passed away, and the bully seems to have enough of a conscience to stop. But then the asshole covers up his own embarrassment by asking, “So what? Are you bragging that you don’t have a father?” You did not just say that.
Sun-woo’s eyes harden, and then suddenly a fist goes flying.
But it’s not Sun-woo’s fist—it’s Jung-hwan’s. He socks (hit forcefully) the bully right in the face, knocking him down with one punch. Jung-hwan: “Crazy bastard, are you insane? Do you think you can say whatever you want because your mouth is an open hole? Watch what you say, asshole.”
The three boys trudge home, and Jung-hwan is sporting a nasty bruise on his cheek and a cut lip. They don’t really speak about the fight directly, but Jung-hwan asks Sun-woo what he’s going to do about the necklace. Sun-woo says he’ll just stop wearing it: “What about your face?” Jung-hwan just tells him to worry about himself.
I love the friend chemistry between Sun-woo and Jung-hwan. They’re both proud and strong-willed, and when they clash with each other I’m actually afraid they’ll come to blows (start fighting after a disagreement).
I was starting to get mad at the others for teasing Sun-woo about his terrible-tasting lunches (by the way, he’s pretty much a saint (virtuous, patient person) for eating them without complaint—that made me reflect on the way I treat my own mother, seriously), and I was pissed at Jung-hwan for suggesting that Sun-woo not wear his father’s necklace just to appease that stupid bully.
appease: pacify (someone) by acceding to their demands. Amandments have been added to appease local pressure groups
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Sun-woo heads home and sees Mom in front of the TV inside. That makes him remember that he didn’t eat the dinner she packed him, so he goes around the corner in their yard and eats it, just so she won’t feel bad. You are such a good kid, it’s unreal.
He eats every last bite, even though the eggs have stray shell pieces and the rice has stray rocks (stray = not in the right place). Deok-sun narrates that sometimes delusions are a good thing—that if eating Mom’s terrible cooking is enough to make her think she’s great cook, then it’s an easy thing to do.
"Even so, it's fine to be deluded sometimes. If you can make your mom happy by making her think her cooking is good, it's easy enough to eat awful lunches. We dont need to rashly insert truth into happy delusions. Sometimes we have to be deluded to be happy (delusions make us happy)"
He heads inside once he’s finished, and Mom happily asks if his lunch was good today. He chirps that it was great.
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At Deok-sun’s house, Dad watches the latest news about Taek winning another championship baduk match in China. Mom says that his mother must be smiling up in heaven, while Dad wonders what use it is when she’s not alive to be treated well by her son now, clearly thinking about his own mother.
When a light bulb goes out, Dad heads out to buy a new one and runs into Taek on his way home. Dad asks him to be his friend while he has a drink, and when Taek pours for him, Dad says he’s all grown up now.
Taek says he’s sorry about Grandma, and Dad chides him for bringing it up and making him miss her. He asks Taek when he misses his mother the most, and Taek’s eyes fill with tears instantly. “Every day. I miss my mom every single day,” he answers quietly.
Deok-sun narrates that an adult-like child has simply adjusted to life where he appears to be grown up:
"A mature child just does not voice his complaints. He only become used to being in a situation where he has to look mature. He just becomes used to the expectant gaze of others. A mature child is still a child . Delusions are short, but misunderstandings are long. Therefore, delusions offer freedom, but misunderstandings should be forbidden. "
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Taek comes home to a dark, quiet house that feels extra empty tonight. But when he opens the door to his room, his four best friends are waiting with a birthday cake and yell, “Surprise~!”
They’re a flurry of hyperactivity while Taek just stares speechlessly. They complain about how late he came home, and how he’s wearing a suit, and Deok-sun makes him wear a giant cone hat. He’s ordered to blow out the candles and handed the Jeon In-gwon tape they promised, without much ceremony.
flurry: (of a person) move quickly in a busy or agitated way.
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Deok-sun narrates that Taek was the last of them to move to this neighborhood. We see their childhood in a series of photographs that tell an adorable little vignette: Four neighborhood kids were always together, and then one day a new kid moved to their street.
vignette: a small illustration or portrait photograph which fades into its background without a definite border
Taek and his dad moved there after his mother passed away, and Deok-sun says she doesn’t know what it is that brought them there, but that day they made a new friend. As children we see that their personalities were always this way: Jung-hwan and Dong-ryong are naughty, and Sun-woo and Deok-sun are nice.
In no time, their group becomes five. And in a cute little incident, Little Taek takes a tumble down the stairs and breaks his arm because of their games, and the next morning Jung-hwan and Dong-ryong each carry one of his school bags, Sun-woo shares his toys, and Deok-sun offers him a piggyback ride, aw.
“Taek was always with us. Whether we were plotting evil, or doing dumb things, he was always at our side. Of course, always with that expressionless look on his face—but we were always together. A street can make friends with nothing else but time. One quiet child and four loud children became friends that way, and we became five that way.”
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Taek and his father seem so different from the rest of the parents and kids—everyone else is so boisterous (noisy, energetic, and cheerful) , while the two of them are always reserved with their words and expressions.
reserved: a lack of warmth or openness in manner or expression. She smiled and some of her natural reserve melted.
The lonely outsider feeling is pronounced when we see Taek out in the world on his own, and I think I needed that birthday party to reassure me that he was really one of them.
Here we go, first love begins as feelings start to creep into friendships, and everyone gets their wires a little crossed along the way. Our heroine experiences firsthand just how loyal her friends can be, even if they might treat her like the annoying little sister on most days. Turns out these boys are just marshmallows—some squishy on the outside and others coated with a caustic candy shell—but marshmallows all the same.
We back up a little to August 1988, where Deok-sun is learning the latest dance moves at the ddukbokki shop. She’s got her two besties with her: Mi-ok and Ja-hyun. The girls immediately stop dancing as the boys walk in, and Deok-sun’s friends just gape as she chitchats with the guys.
Deok-sun calls out for more ddukbokki on Jung-hwan’s tab. Sun-woo taps Deok-sun on the shoulder to ask sweetly if she wants ramyun too. When they boys leave she has ramyun in front of her and Jung-hwan has paid the whole tab.
Her friends stare agape and wait till the boys are gone to inform Deok-sun that Sun-woo likes her. They’re sure of it, insisting that he didn’t have to ask her for water or use skinship to offer her ramyun. They congratulate her on getting a boyfriend.
Once the idea has been planted, it’s all Deok-sun can think about, and she jumps up excitedly when Sun-woo comes over to borrow white-out one evening. She’s suddenly all girly and shy around him, which is adorable.
She walks out the door with Sun-woo, and in voiceover she says, “In the summer of 1988, the first love of Sung Deok-sun’s life—my first love—began.”
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Deok-sun’s dad arrives home drunk, carrying bags and bags of vegetables that they don’t need. This is definitely a recurring thing with him—buying things because he feels bad for other people when they’re just as poor.
Mom’s frustration brings her to tears, and she asks how he can be so cavalier about helping other people when they can’t buy things for their three children and Mom’s socks are full of holes.
He argues that those who don’t have should be helping each other out, and that money is just something that comes and goes. Mom scoffs that she’s never really seen the money coming in to know about that.
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Upstairs, Jung-hwan’s parents are arguing about money too, but in the reverse. Dad’s brought home five whole tangerines, and Mom begs him to just spend some money like a regular person.
She worries that their kids will become just like their father, and points out that Jung-hwan’s hyung is already sensitive and cheap like Dad. Dad says he’ll change when he goes to college, but Mom asks if he wants to bet on whether Hyung is studying in his room.
Hyung is slaving away at his desk… over his stamp collection. Mom unleashes her fury in a string of gnarly bleeped-out curses, but then when we cut back to her, she’s still standing in the doorway having imagined the whole outburst. She tells him to just keep at it, looking defeated.
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Deok-sun asks Dad to buy her a Walkman, but he tells her to just share with Unni, as usual. Deok-sun’s friends yell at her for still not having perfected the steps to their dance, when they’re supposed to perform it at their school retreat tomorrow.
Deok-sun says she’ll do whatever it takes to master it, dead set on getting first place in the talent show. The reason is the first-place prize: that Walkman she’s been begging for. Her secret weapon is Dong-ryong, who knows every dance to every popular song.
That night she gets a crash course from Dong-ryong, who mostly teases her for not knowing Sobangcha’s moves already. She turns to Sun-woo and Jung-hwan who are just hanging out in the corner of the room, and asks if they know.
Dong-ryong prompts her to show them what she’s got so far, and Deok-sun points at Jung-hwan and says she’ll dance if they shut him up. Sun-woo orders him to stay quiet. Jung-hwan: “I can’t even laugh?” Sun-woo: “No, just go to sleep. Okay? Dance.”
Of course, as soon as she starts dancing, it takes every last ounce of self-control for Sun-woo and Jung-hwan not to bust a gut. They swallow their laughter and struggle to stay quiet as Deok-sun flails about the room, arms and legs everywhere.
Taek comes home to this madness (ha, they were hanging out in his room the whole time), and just silently leaves again. Deok-sun finishes the routine and asks if it wasn’t close, and Jung-hwan falls over from trying not to laugh and says it’s not even a little bit close.
Sun-woo says maybe dancing isn’t her thing, and she should try something else. Dong-ryong suggests pooling their money to buy her a Walkman, rather than go through this again. LOL.
They open the door and find Taek sitting out in the hallway of his own room, just playing baduk by himself. They’re happy to see him and ask for ramyun, and Sun-woo gets up to go cook it, since Taek doesn’t even know how.
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Deok-sun’s mom is scraping the last of her face lotion out of the bottle when Dad comes home with yet another useless thing they don’t need. This time it’s extra pointless—music for babies—bought because of someone’s sob story, like always. Seriously, Dad’s bleeding heart is gonna make them broke.
Dad argues that living in a half-basement unit is fine by him, but Mom cries as she tells him that they don’t even have enough to give Deok-sun any spending money for her class retreat. And upstairs, Jung-hwan’s mom lathers expensive cream on her face and yells at her husband for still wearing an undershirt that’s stretched thin.
Deok-sun’s Dad heads upstairs to borrow money for her retreat, but can’t bring himself to knock on the door. Mom already knows this and pushes past him to go in there herself, and Dad slinks away in relief.
She shares a drink with Jung-hwan’s mom and tells her about the latest fight with her husband, and the two women share their woes over one husband who spends what he doesn’t have and the other who lives as if he’s still the poorest kid in the neighborhood even though he’s now the richest.
Mom hems and haws over how to ask for money, and Jung-hwan’s mom asks if this is about the money she borrowed last time, assuring her that she needn’t pay her back right away. Deok-sun’s mom can’t say anything after that, and leaves without being able to ask. She sits up the rest of the night, not knowing what to do.
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The sisters fight as Deok-sun packs for her trip, and Mom tosses and turns in bed. She’s surprised when Jung-hwan’s mom comes down this late at night, bearing a basket of corn. It’s not until she’s gone that Mom notices an envelope tucked inside the basket, full of money. Oof, that makes me teary-eyed.
There’s a note too, scrawled in terrible chicken-scratch penmanship (indicating that she came from a really poor background too), telling her to give Deok-sun spending money for her class trip.
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In the morning, Dad makes Deok-sun pinky-swear to guard their family camera with her life, vowing to disown her if she loses it. He gives her two rolls of film and tells her not to waste the shots, and she promises not to lose the camera. Which ensures that she will certainly be losing it, right?
The kids take the train down to Gyeongju, the girls all singing along to “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You,” while the boys are busy drawing a bikini on Dong-ryong while he sleeps.
When they arrive, Deok-sun’s friends want to take a picture before they get on the bus, so Deok-sun reaches for her camera… which of course she left behind on the train. You lost it before your retreat even started?!
She’s so upset that she bawls her eyes out and asks if she can go home, because she doesn’t think she can handle the fear of Mom’s wrath hanging over her. Her teacher offers to call and break the news to Mom, and though we don’t hear the reaction that Teacher gets over the phone, Mom tells Deok-sun not to worry and have a good time.
That’s all it takes for Deok-sun to bounce right back and dance on the bus ride. She assures her friends that they’ll win first place in the talent show as long as they don’t go breaking their arms or something. Oh no, did she just jinx them?
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Deok-sun is eager to get more practice time in before tomorrow’s talent show, but her friends are more interested in sneaking over to the boys’ guesthouse to watch their talent show. Deok-sun chases after them to try and stop them, but they hop over the wall.
There’s an unexpected lull of silence, and then SPLAT… and when Deok-sun looks over the edge, her friends are sprawled out at the end of a reaaalllly long drop. Yikes.
Deok-sun’s worst nightmare has come true—her friends have casts on an arm and a leg, and their teacher says that Mi-ok and Ja-hyun won’t be leaving their room for the rest of the weekend.
Deok-sun asks about the talent show, and Teacher says she’ll have to go it alone. Deok-sun asks if all she has to do is fill the stage, and says she’ll do whatever it takes to do her dance.
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Deok-sun spends the rest of the day craning her neck looking for the boys, and finally discovers their bus as it pulls up. Deok-sun is relieved when she runs into Dong-ryong, and hugs him excitedly.
He refuses to help her out with the talent show though, claiming an allergy to girls. Deok-sun knows how to bait him and says there’s a girl in her school nicknamed Joey Wong and another nicknamed Maggie Cheung, because they’re that pretty.
It’s a total lie—she’s referring to her friends Ja-hyun and Mi-ok, who are nicknamed that way because their names sound similar to the actresses’. It works like a charm though, and Dong-ryong wonders how to get Sun-woo and Jung-hwan onboard.
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The talent show begins that night, and Deok-sun’s friends worry that the boys aren’t coming. Deok-sun is confident that they will though, and smiles when she sees them coming toward her. Sun-woo complains and Jung-hwan tries to run away, but Dong-ryong drags them along.
It’s time for Deok-sun’s turn in the talent show, but when her act is called up to the stage, it’s three boys who head up without her. Ha, she’s brilliant.
The boys pose with fingers pointed to the sky (this is my new favorite Jung-hwan moment), and then launch into the Sobangcha routine in perfect sync. Naturally, the crowd of screaming girls goes wild.
Deok-sun wins her precious Walkman, thanks to the boys. Dong-ryong asks to meet the pretty girls she promised, and Deok-sun dutifully introduces them to Mi-ok and Ja-hyun. Dong-ryong drags the boys away before they have to get too friendly with Deok-sun’s friends.
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Jung-hwan’s parents are still fighting over faux Polo jacket, and Mom asks why Dad still hasn’t returned it and demanded his money back from this so-called friend who sold it to him.
She tells him to only keep the good friends, like the one who helped them out when they were completely broke (hiding money in a gift much like she did with Deok-sun’s family). But Dad finally tells her the truth—that it was the same friend who once helped them out, fortunes now reversed.
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Deok-sun’s dad gets drunk at the pojangmacha, and an elderly lady comes by to sell gum at all the tables. He refuses at first, then calls her back to say that this will be the last time. Jung-hwan’s dad drinks too, and we see that they’re in neighboring tents.
On the television, the news reports on the prison escape and resulting hostage standoff, and the social inequality that led to the prisoners’ revolt. The incident popularized the phrase, Not guilty if you’re rich, guilty if you’re poor, indicating that the rich and poor live by different laws. Deok-sun’s dad sighs that poverty is a crime, which he’s just now figuring out.
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Deok-sun comes back from her class trip with a backscratcher as a present for her parents, only to be met with Mom’s wrath for losing the camera and have the backscratcher turned on her as a weapon.
Dad says they’ll just buy a new camera, and to stop berating their children. Mom says this is his fault—she wouldn’t harp on everyone if he brought home a decent wage.
Dad gets up and walks out, saying that he’s going to get rich just like she wants, and Mom shouts for him to just not spend any more money, and that getting rich overnight doesn’t happen to just anyone.
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Flashback to three years ago in 1985. Jung-hwan’s family is poor and living in a half-basement just next door. Mom gets mad at Hyung for his latest obsession—lottery tickets—and takes them away so they can eat.
The TV remains on as the winning lottery ticket is announced, and Mom is the first to notice that the first few digits match. The family is on edge, mostly in disbelief, as the final number is called. It’s the winning ticket, and they’re so stunned that no one moves or speaks.
Dong-ryong arrives just then with rice cakes in hand from his mom, and finally Jung-hwan speaks, “Dong-ryong, we’re moving.” Dad bursts into tears and Mom hugs the boys, and soon they’re all hugging and crying as Dong-ryong stands there totally confused.
Well that explains why they’re so rich. I’ve mentioned this already, but I really like the way money has become a major theme by making Deok-sun’s family poor. Their financial struggles add such realistic dimension to the family story, and it gives so much meaning to all the small things like neighbors sharing food, or Mom using cosmetics samples instead of buying lotion, or Jung-hwan’s mom knowing to tuck money inside a basket of vegetables so that Deok-sun’s mom can preserve her pride.
The two dads’ parallel stories in this episode painted an interesting picture, where they started out as opposites and ended up not so very different at all.
I’m with Mom every time Dad opens his wallet to help someone else out, but when we see him in the moment buying gum from an elderly grandma, we see that it’s because he has such a good heart.
I thought Dad was a little too complacent when he said he was fine living in a half-basement, but it made the reversal land better when he felt so ashamed to hear his son being ridiculed for it.
I actually like where the lovelines are going, with Jung-hwan falling for Deok-sun, who’s falling for Sun-woo. This love triangle actually feels evenly matched, which I guess is both the upside and the downside of it.
But because they’re all friends first, there’s so much humor and affection just between all of them as friends, and I enjoy that that’s the emphasis in the story.
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