정. That’s the Korean word for affection. Not love, not adoration, but affection. And affection is not so much a feeling, but an action.
At the end of the day, My Mister is a drama about a neighbourhood that’s overflowing with affection.
When Dong Hoon calls his wife and asks her if she wants him to buy anything on his way home.
When Dong Hoon’s mom makes sure he’s fed even when he says he’ll take care of it himself.
When Ki Hoon complies with Sang Hoon’s wish to pretend like they’re in an 80s Hong Kong movie.
When Jung Hee takes in Ji An without a single question.
When Sang Hoon makes sure Ji An’s grandmother was sent off properly.
When Ki Bum stuck by Ji An all these years despite knowing she can offer him nothing but her company.
When Kwang Il made sure that Ji An got off safely instead of caring about his own gains.
When Ji An makes sure she told Dong Hoon that things are going to be fine because she knows it’s the words he wants to hear the most.
The drama is about relationships between people and the resulting acts of affection.
Paced slowly with dark lighting, My Mister shows us what the world looks like when we open our heart to other people and give without expecting anything in return. It shows us what it means to care for someone and what it means to be there for someone.
In the beginning it felt like a strange, dark drama about the evils of the world. Ji An lives in utter poverty and suffers abuse from a loan shark. Dong Hoon seems to live fine but he’s absolutely miserable for some unknown reason. His wife cheats on him because he can’t seem to live up to her standards. And the company he works at is jam packed with corruption, where temporary employees are treated like trash.
But using the magic of intimate shots filmed through blinds, music that resonates strongly, and the undeniable chemistry among the cast, My Mister captured my entire heart and sent shockwaves through it again and again.
At first I was horrified — then I was touched. And I felt touched again. And again. And again.
Was the world always this warm?
Have I, like Ji An, been seeing the world with cold eyes instead of an open heart?
Dong Hoon wasn’t any happier at the very end. Just more content.
Ji An wasn’t any happier at the very end. Just more at peace.
Through each other they were able to find what they needed to live a better life. Dong Hoon found strength to carry on and Ji An found the ability to feel things other than anger.
My Mister is absolutely an outstanding work. It’s the kind of drama that stays with you for a long, long time. Instead of drawing on our desire to escape our lives and our problems, it teaches us how to live our lives better.
For that I will always be grateful.
Thank you.
This is really a lovely review. I really like your writing style.
Thank you so much for reading! I’m glad you liked it 🙂