An Ideal Partner in Life

Just finished watching a Korean romance comedy (yes, yes, I speak many
times about not liking Korean dramas cuz the romance is all the
same...this one is kind of in the mold too, i.e. guy is stupid, girl
is pretty, another handsome, all-around-better guy comes along,
parents want the other guy, first guy breaks up with the girl for her
sake, but girl comes back to the first guy at the end...happily ever
after), but what made the film sort of different from many others is
the stark contrast posed by the two main male characters in question.

One handsome and one ugly (of course, thats usually the case), but in
this case, the handsome one is also the one that seems to be more
caring and have a warmer heart. Only in later part of the story do
the viewers come to know the truth. After the female main character
was raped by her high school coach, she started having mental problems
and went into a mental institution, where the first male character was
also housed at the time. The guy stood by her during her mood swings
and violence, earning her trust and love.

Yet, as both of them returned to normal life as college students, the
childishness of the guy became the main focus of the film. An amateur
K-1 boxer who constantly lose to competitors, his aloofness,
stupidity, and lack of social grace were at times comical yet still
draws the ire of both her and her parents. The audience is constantly
wondering why a beauty and top college swimmer like her would date a
guy like him (until she reveals the story of the past)

The naiveté and idealism of the first guy betrays his lack of
understanding for all that represents romance, whereas the second
showed maturity and ability to car about others from the very
beginning. For anyone without the background, the choice is
completely obvious, but the shared experience she had with the first
guy, while long in the past, have bonded them beyond what is
considered logical or romantic for most people.

People commonly say that the best partner in life is not the one who
got the looks but the one who cares about you and loves you til death,
someone you can trust with your life and depend upon on the most
extreme of difficulties. But the people may have been too practical
in using such an analysis...your partner is definitely your best
friend, someone in which you can hit and curse one day but forget all
of that the next day.

Sure, the main female character can tell all her problems to the
second guy and he would be much more likely to calm her down and help
her resolve all those issues strictly out of love, but even then, it
seems like she would much rather tell those problems to the first guy
than the much better problem-solver...the emotions associated with
friendship during times of crisis is not something that can be
logically framed.

Well, a story is story. Most of us probably will never see a
situation in which such two choices can be presented under so
distorted and unusual the background and circumstances. Life is just
too good for most of us, in which practical things like money,
security, and "ability to care" must become the central criteria for
partner selection. But think about the possibility of something
unforeseen happening (cancer, car accident, etc.), who would you
rather have?

One who will help you resolve all the problems, care about you, and
give you the financial support you need to get through, or just
someone who you can feel happy chatting with, receiving a text message
from, or just thinking about during your darkest days...I know I
rather die with a person who truly gives me joy rather than live
forever with the guilt of receiving unrequested love and support from
a perfect person...

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