merelykdrama

[merelykdrama]

My Mister: Lee Ji An and Park Dong Hoon

One of the things I love the most about My Mister is the relationship between the two leads, Lee Ji An and Park Dong Hoon.

They’re co-workers who live in the same neighborhood. They happen to know each other’s darkest secrets. The two of them are broken and they go through the motions of each day. Weighed down by the problems they carry, they are merely surviving and not truly living. It’s evident in the lack of luster in their eyes and the heaviness of each breath they take.

Because of the experiences the two of them go through together, they share a connection that resonates within the recesses of their hearts. Ji An unknowingly gives Dong Hoon strength, and Dong Hoon helps Ji An with matters she is unfamiliar with. 

For Ji An, Dong Hoon is an adult to look up to. In her 21 years of life, she has never had someone who taught her the ropes of life. She has experienced all the bitterness life has to offer and has never had time to sit back and relax. Ever since her younger years, she has always cared for her grandmother. She isn’t familiar with the warmth and sweetness of life, and the kindness of people. For her, life is bleak, dark, and harsh. That is why when Park Dong Hoon comes into her life, she is struck by his presence. He is the first person to lend her a helping hand, and this is the warmest she has ever felt in her 21 years of living.

For Dong Hoon, Ji An is a guardian angel in disguise. Ji An sees him for what he is, without rose-colored glasses clouding her gaze. And she still believes in him. This is something he is grateful for, because not many people know what lies behind the facade he puts up. He doesn’t speak about the things that trouble him. He has lived thinking that if he made sacrifices, his life would go on without a hitch. But as each day passes by, he finds out that he has missed out on the finer and lighter points of life. In the process, he has unwittingly robbed himself of the opportunity to be happy. I believe this is part of the reason he was drawn to Ji An. Knowing that she’s had her fair share of trials and tribulations, he reaches out to her. It’s possible that he doesn’t want her to end up like him - simply going through the motions of daily life without feeling a sense of accomplishment or a fraction of joy. He wants to lessen the burden she carries and hopes she will find the light in the seemingly unending darkness.

 Part of me believes they met so that they could change each other’s lives. Perhaps they weren’t meant to stay in each other’s lives, and that’s totally fine. That’s the beauty of interpersonal relationships, isn’t it? Some people come into our lives and change us and although they don’t remain in our lives forever, they leave an indelible mark. The greatest thing we could do in return is to live diligently and be happy.

Lee Ji An and Park Dong Hoon portray a love that is rare and beautiful. Some may argue that what’s between the two of them is romantic love, but for me it isn’t. It’s the kind of love that’s pure and transcends everything else - a love that echoes gratitude and wishes nothing but happiness for the other person. This is the kind of love that we must aspire to have and experience.