Threesome : Dreams that melt away with the winter snow ...

Yesterday, I finished watching my first Korean drama. Its international title is Winter Sonata. Aired in 2002, it is widely believed to be one of the most popular TV dramas not only in Korea but also many parts of East Asia - elevating the principal characters to demi-god status in Korea and Japan. It was a part of the Korean wave that swept through this part of the world a few years. I started watching it with the hope of learning colloquial Korean - sort of reinforcing what I learn in the language class. I must confess that I've never watched any romantic TV series earlier and hence was a total stranger to this genre. Tired by an overdose of war, bloodshed and reality, I tried giving Winter Sonata a chance in the dying days of the winter, amidst the cherry blossoms.
It turned out to be a great way to learn certain daily expressions, which I've been able to use to quite an effect! However, the purely 'academic' purpose was replaced by a genuine interest in the story after a few episodes. The story revolves around 3 main characters - Joon-sang(JS), Yu-jin(YJ) and Sank-Hyuk(SH). Hence the title :) The classic case of a triangle. It compares to Casablanca and Sindbad - the legend of the seven seas. A woman trapped between 2 men, both of whom love her dearly. Comparing the men who 'lost' in the end - SH is probably the weakest character when compared to the prince of Damascus and Rick. However, the protagonist in this story, JS, though he gets his girl in the end, has to pay for with his eye-sight.
The story starts with the 3 main characters in high school and how the triangle develops. SH loves YJ but YJ loves JS. Unfortunately, JS 'dies' in a traffic accident, only to mysteriously reappear 10 years later on the days of YJ's engagement with SH. YJ faints at the sight of her 'first love' and then things get entangled. JS is also searching for his father, who, her mother claims is dead. Towards the end, it turned out that YJ was actually JS's half-sister(man, 10 years of wait and then this !!!) and so they had to break. Seeing a window opening up, SH tries to fill in a the gap in YJ's life and restake his claim. But by another twist, it turns out that JS is actually not related to YJ but to SH. A twisted tale of love and betrayal over 2 generations and a horribly entangled thread in the end. Then our knight in shining armor - JS, displaying the chivalry of a Templar, gives up his claim on YJ, even after knowing the truth. The multiple accidents and 2 memory refreshes has left potentially fatal blood clots in his brain. The dude decides to leave for the States to get operated and away from YJ. At this point, SH, who had been acting selfish so far, comes forward to reciprocate the chivalry and hands over a ticket to JFK to YJ and tells her to pursue her love, instead of going over to France for higher studies. But, our pretty YJ, it seems have been hardened by the circumstances and decides to give up JS and heads over to Paris, leaving her JFK boarding pass behind ... man, what a scene! Though she almost cried to the point of dehydration, before making up her choice. The end is however a happy one, when JS and YJ meet on a balcony overlooking the sea, though our hero had lost his sight due to the injury to his brain.


It was a refreshing change after all the documentaries on Crusades, World War, genocide, war crimes, middle east. Winter Sonata did touch the heart, hardened by war, pain and reality! :P
But more than the just the romantic aspect of the series, I was impressed by the cinematography, the expressions and at certain places, really good and honest acting.
Some of the scenes were wonderfully portrayed and the dialogues carefully crafted. The background music also greatly enhanced the feel. I also greatly enjoyed the use of symbolism and the subtlety with which it was used.
Certain scenes, like YJ and JS fixing the torn seat of the bus with the band-aids, the snowmen, the lost piece of the puzzle, Polaris, JS finishing of the layout of YJ's dream design, in a single night before loosing his eye sight (kinda reminds me of Euler and Galois ... and how they reacted when they realised that there days were numbered) ... were materpieces of symbolic portrayal. The dialogues were also very beautiful in certain places and made the script very powerful indeed.
Winter Sonata has changed my perception of contemporary Korean TV shows and cinema, greatly increasing my respect for the director Yoon Suk-ho and the actors portraying JS (Bae Yong Joon) and YJ (Choi Ji Woo). It has also inspired me to watch other Korean series and with time hopefully develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of the use of Korean language and the visual art of contemporary Korea.

Its good to realise that finally, I'm writing something more than just travelogues. Maybe, its because of the arrival of spring or maybe, I'm changing myself ... becoming more human, as some might say :P