#riz gukgak you are sooooooo

[thistlerockcaster]

rewatching sophomore year (again) and thinking about riz gukgak and his relationship to work/sacrifice as an expression of love.

riz's decision to run himself into the ground in junior year for the sake of the people he loves (who did not ask him to) being the direct result of his conversation with his dad during sophomore year.

pok gukgak in sophomore year looking his son in the eyes and telling him "work is an act of love". riz's idea of a perfect heaven being to work forever without repercussion. his greatest fears being prioritizing his own needs above the case. riz staying up all night the night before school after 3 days of driving back to solace making intricate conspiracy boards and dossiers about what exactly needs to happen for him and his friends to secure the best possible futures they can where theyre still together. putting kristen on his back and taking on tons of stress for the sake of helping her achieve something she wants.

and of course pok's conversation was a contributing factor in this mentality, clearly, but i would like to point out ANOTHER: sklonda gukgak.

pok may have verbally endorsed this behavior of putting others above ur own needs to show ur affection, but sklonda was the living example.

riz spent his entire childhood seeing his mother exhausted, overworked, and struggling just to make sure he had food on the table and a roof over his head.

(theres a scene in i believe freshman year ((possibly during riz's intro in episode 1?)) where she makes cereal for the both of them and i think uses water in hers so he can have milk???))

like of course pok shouldnt have told his young impressionable son that damaging yourself for someone else is love. but riz was already damaging himself for the people he loves.

riz knows his mother loves him more than anything. he never once doubts it. and he knows it bc he sees her practically killing herself to provide for him. love is not only acts of service but complete and utter sacrifice.

work is an act of love so work urself to the edge of death.

work is an act of love so give up your health, your wants, your desires, your identity.

work is an act of love. so never stop working.