[Drama 2022] My Liberation Notes, 나의 해방일지

[partyon]

EVENT: Which female k-drama character's life would you want to live for 1 month?

Which k-drama character has the life you've always dreamed of living? Tell us by voting in our poll!

 

Your Event Organizers,

@partyon @agenth @Sleepy Owl @confusedheart

[africandramalover]

 

On 5/12/2022 at 10:03 PM, africandramalover said:

I'm starting to see a pattern here.....

 

 

3. Running

 

 

My Mister

 

 

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

Another Oh Hae Young

 

 

 

My Liberation Diary

 

 

 

 

 

4. Messy hair

 

 

Another Oh Hae Young

 

 

My Mister

 

 

 

My Liberation Diary

 

 

 

 

5. Selfish female characters demanding love

 

Another Oh Hae Young

 

 

 

 

My Liberation Diary

 

 

 

6. Lying there dying

 

 

Another Oh Hae Young

 

 

My Mister

 

 

 

 

[sweetroad]

Late to the party but I just finished Ep 11.

 

I wonder if they'll address this in Ep 12, and I could be wrong, but I don't think Gu is Chairman Shin's son. It would be strange for them to have different surnames if they were father/son, right? And Chang Hee did find Gu's full name when he was looking up athletes that one day. (Come to think of it, I'd still like to hear more about his national athlete days. Wonder if they'll get back to that.)

 

On 5/14/2022 at 10:20 PM, yonaomi123 said:

If there’s something more that I want now, it’s learning more about why HyeonAh makes the choices she does.

 

Agreed. She deeply cares for people, but she also seems a bit reckless. And is the boyfriend in the hospital the one that was emotionally abusive before? Or is it someone different?

 

On 5/14/2022 at 10:32 PM, Jolie Bijoux said:

I don’t know if it’s entertaining or Saddening to see how Chang Hee flexing the Rolls to literally everyone he knows lol while the real owner of the car is driving a Sanpo Sinks Truck.

 

Ha! Seriously! Gu is all "been there, done that" and is content driving around in a laborer's truck.

 

I did appreciate CH telling his ex-girlfriend that it was his friend's car, right off the bat. At first I thought he might present it as his own car...but I guess she wouldn't have believed him.

 

On 5/14/2022 at 11:51 PM, Latte_Anyday said:

The straight hair ages her and look flat Hyeon Ah's hair is kind of weird too LoL. It's like a mullet..!?

 

Didn't you and I go on and on about someone's hair in Lost, too? Or eyebrows...? And here I was watching her hair today and thinking, She has got some strange hair going on. And YES - it's a mullet! THANK YOU for identifying the style; it was bugging me.

 

On 5/15/2022 at 6:25 AM, philosophie said:

chingu, now that you point that out about TH..maybe he is like KJ that he is kinda desperate, or so lonely, or maybe it hasn’t been since his wife or awhile someone has hit on him, that is why he became interested in her.

 

I can see this - maybe TH is grateful to GJ that she's showing interest in him. Sometimes people are like that - especially if they're really shy (which it seems TH is) - they respond if people actually take an interest in them.

 

I actually like GJ and TH together. I like that she doesn't want to play games with him, and he doesn't seem to know how to play any games at all, anyway. He listens to her crazy thoughts and doesn't judge her, and she's curious to know him better. Agree with many of you that she's immature - and I'd love to see her step up and take more responsibility at home. Hopefully her growth arc in the show shows that.

 

If they got married they'd both have quite the set of in-laws to contend with! In fact, I want to see tall Tae Hun try to fit around the Yeom family table, eating dinner with them and Gu!

 

On 5/15/2022 at 10:46 AM, africandramalover said:

We got a kiss this Saturday which just came and went??!! How now??!! You can't have two awesome actors like this and then breeze past their kiss scene!! Directornim!!!

 

The show doesn't want their characters playing love games with each other, but PDnim is fine toying with us and giving us just a little at a time.

 

3 hours ago, africandramalover said:

I'm starting to see a pattern here.....

 

Keep these coming, chingu! These are awesome!

 

On to Ep 12.

 

[philosophie]

Still can’t believe Gu used to work as a host...0.0

[sweetroad]

Has anyone else watched This is Us? I feel like we're watching the Korean version of it, with all the flash forwards to 2022, presented to us without comment.

 

- Why does Chang Hee have the Rolls for so long? If I were Gu I would have been anxious about it all that time!

 

But the sneakers, and the running. So great.

 

 

 

"Let's sleep together next time." - OMO Gi Jung!! I couldn't believe she blurted that out! It was almost as great of a moment as when Mi Jung said, "Worship me" to Gu. I think Gi Jung is endearing because she has no filter - she might be self-centered and clueless, but she's not all bad. Sometimes you just like knowing what people are thinking, having them be open. And she is so open. It also made me laugh when she said:

 

 

 

- So glad it wasn’t MJ’s boss who joined the Liberation Club, but the Joy club lady. It was poignant that she who had always been smiling and fake-cheery had the chance to talk about it.

 

- The three rules of the Liberation Club (I won't pretend to be happy, I won't pretend to be unhappy, I will be honest) reminded me of My Mister, and how the ahjussis at Jung Hee's bar were honest about their failures and setbacks in life. Yet they could still be happy, which Ji An and Yu Ra drew comfort from.

 

- That's right, Mi Jung is a temp. So what else has she done in her career up until now? Maybe it's not important that the show tell us, but it's very curious!

 

- The spiritual themes in the show are intriguing. Tae Hun goes to church, and this episode wasn't the first time he mentioned it. Mr Gu wears a cross necklace. In My Mister, there was some symbolism around Ji An and a red cross, and Dong Hoon saying to Ji An that she had come into Hugye to save him. So I wonder what writernim will do with Gu and his cross as well (if anything).

 

2 hours ago, philosophie said:

Still can’t believe Gu used to work as a host...0.0

 

What does it mean - is it a euphemism for prostitution salons?

[chickfactor]

So many things to unpack, you guys.

 

1. Hyang-gi mentioned that she had a hard time looking sad when attending funerals -> Gu dealing with that very same thing at Baek's funeral.

 

This scene says so many things. On the surface, he seems like he is laughing because he is happy that Baek is dead. But it's obvious to us that he is laughing to keep from crying - his heart is breaking because he had to leave, and I also don't think that he actually feels great that Baek is dead. Baek was his enemy within this organization, but he obviously did not really want to fight Baek. But one word from him led to a chain reaction, and boom, Baek is dead.

 

Another thing that Baek said earlier that left an impression - that Gu cried for days when his dog died, but did not cry for Baek's sister, his girlfriend who committed suicide. And that also reminds me that Gu seemed genuinely skeeved out when Mi-jeong would talk about exploding frogs or never naming their pet goat. That he is a tough guy gangster, but also a very sensitive dude.

 

One last note about this scene: no one does anything to him! They do shoot him looks, but no one dares touch Gu. So in a way, it's him flexing his power within the organization.

 

 

2. Jun-ho (Mi-jeong's Jerk Team Leader) mentioning that he wanted to start a Marathon Club at work -> Gu and Chang-hee running an actual marathon.

 

 

3. That he brought a parasol for the wild dogs, so they would have shade. But it was the parasol that may have been the reason they were caught. Chang-hee had requested for city officials to capture the wild dogs before, but they said that they couldn't even shoot them with tranquilizer shots because they were so fast. But maybe the parasol gave them shade, so they had a place to rest, and that was what led to them being caught.

 

So the question is, was that intentional? Did Gu want the dogs to be caught? Maybe he wanted to clear them away before he left so the Yeom family could be safer.

 

Or was the parasol Sanpo, where Gu could rest for a short while? But now he's trapped in a cage, unable to escape The Dark World.

[philosophie]

2 hours ago, the_sweetroad said:

What does it mean - is it a euphemism for prostitution salons?

From what I gather host/hostesses at bars are eye candy that pour drinks and do karaoke. But I think some usually will also sleep with others for money. 
receipt of what baek said to gu:

https://imgur.com/a/jwMqqfR
mods help me make that into picture I wasn’t able to 

 

[Skysky]

21 hours ago, deandraluv said:

-Now we know how MJ felt for Gu.  Gu was different from her ex jerky boyfriends.  She said she wished them to disappear from this world or live unhappy life. But to Gu, even though Gu left her and made her cry, she hoped that he would not even catch a cold nor suffer a single day of hungover. That's how much she loved Gu. (Wish Gu knew this.  He thought that MJ regarded him as one one her jerky boyfriends)

 

She obviously really loves him, but aside of that MJ knows that Gu is going back to seoul because he is afraid to be happy (her voice over in preview). Like when he choose to be bitten by dongs instead of being happy with MJ, thats why when he was saved, he was scared of MJ. Gu is probably really depressed and think he doesn't deserve happiness, he wants to be punished instead. 

 

While other MJ EX boyfriends obviously intentionally hurting her. Gu is hurting himself. 

 

So I totally understand if MJ wishing Gu to not suffering, If I were MJ I would also really concerned about Gu condition because obviously his life is meaningless, before MJ come to his life, he didnt really care about anything and the first break up make him desperate to be bitten by dogs. . .how can he survive especially during winter season without her?  

 

@the_sweetroad the spiritual/religious reference is very obvious with the word of worship tbh. It is usually use to worship the God. Gu who is really depressed and doesnt have any meaning or reason to live were asked to worship MJ. And because of that he is hanging there, have a reason to continue his live. For religious people you need to worship your God, that is the reason you live. 

[chickfactor]

 

7 hours ago, Skysky said:

 

@the_sweetroad the spiritual/religious reference is very obvious with the word of worship tbh. It is usually use to worship the God. Gu who is really depressed and doesnt have any meaning or reason to live were asked to worship MJ. And because of that he is hanging there, have a reason to continue his live. For religious people you need to worship your God, that is the reason you live. 

 

 

I wanted to share an observation I read on a Korean website: When we see the characters after the time jump, Gu is dressed in a long black coat. He is dressed like a priest.

 

Mi-jeong is wearing a blue coat, and the color blue is associated with the Virgin Mary.

 

So Gu worships Mi-jeong, just as the priest worships the Virgin Mary. And Mi-jeong's statement that she wants to hold him as a one-year-old baby = rebirth.

 

[africandramalover]

10 hours ago, the_sweetroad said:

The spiritual themes in the show are intriguing. Tae Hun goes to church, and this episode wasn't the first time he mentioned it. Mr Gu wears a cross necklace. In My Mister, there was some symbolism around Ji An and a red cross, and Dong Hoon saying to Ji An that she had come into Hugye to save him. So I wonder what writernim will do with Gu and his cross as well (if anything).

 

 

 

7 hours ago, Skysky said:

the spiritual/religious reference is very obvious with the word of worship tbh. It is usually use to worship the God. Gu who is really depressed and doesnt have any meaning or reason to live were asked to worship MJ. And because of that he is hanging there, have a reason to continue his live. For religious people you need to worship your God, that is the reason you live.

 

 

Writernim also has a thing with crosses... There's a bunch of crosses on church spires that appear in My Mister and crosses in this drama.

 

I don't recall any in Another Oh Hae Young. I was probably too traumatized by the story to notice. The second male lead had his life destroyed by the male lead and didn't get payback for it. The second male lead was also played by one of my OPPA crushes Lee Jae Yoon, so I hung on to the end, hoping that his character would get his happiness back. That didn't happen... Anyway, the kiss scenes between the leads were beyond amazing and the OST was good so....

[Latte_Anyday]

Did we? And that was you LoL!? @the_sweetroad Btw the character from "Lost" worked at a gentleman's club like Gu does in drama here as well. It's hard to miss these details as k-dramas place so much emphasis on beauty y'know? That & they keep zooming in (I love Jessi's "Zoom" ha-ha) 

    I remembered Park Min Young's character on "Her Private Life" havin' the exact same hairstyle LMFAo! That just immediately popped into my head when I watched Hyeon Ah's scene ha. 

    Oh? Mi Jung's a temp (I know I may have dozed off on that) that's similar to IU on "My Mister" - a fact concurred by Seok Ku on a netflix interview. Ah.. now that make sense why Mi Jung has such flexi work hours. 

    A host or hostess club is sort of like an escort bar where men & women go to be entertained and "other stuff". Also known as room salons. Many Korean celebs have had scandals resulting from this. Sexual services aren't included but host/hostesses do offer. They're just there to cater to client's needs ; make 'em feel good i.e. serving drinks, food, companionship. 

[jus-ash]

On 5/16/2022 at 12:34 PM, philosophie said:

Still can’t believe Gu used to work as a host...0.0

 

Chairman Shin is Big Daddy to all these Head Honchos, of various 'departments'

 

I took it to mean Gu is Head Honcho of (department) host clubs. NOT a host himself, per se.

(unless he was, after being a runner-athlete.  and that explains why he's so tired of all the meaningless gaggle. folks who gaggle, then he has to think of things to gaggle in return ... and hate himself ultimately, for all the tiring gaggle).

 

Just as Baek ran his club ... Gu ran his, which were Host clubs. (my take anyway)

 

It is challenging to see/envision him though, because these folks all need high PR and EQ skills (and to 'fake it') ... and the silent Gu?

For sure, even as Head Honcho, there's a lot of pleasing and fake-talking/flattery to do. There're loads of influential folks they cannot offend, so it's a huge diplomacy game. He would almost be like a male Mama-San, in charge of hosts and operations.

 

While it's ethical Gu doesn't endorse Drugs in his club , as Baek does ... host/hostesses clubs = prostitution and control issues always looming bigtime as well. There are influential customers, who may be even folks Big Daddy Chairman Shin has to kowtow to - and we have all seen enough shows where once when someone big-$ impt sets their eyes on a target they obsess over ... no never ever means no.

 

 

 

 

 

[sweetroad]

9 hours ago, philosophie said:

mods help me make that into picture I wasn’t able to

 

Maybe this will help - when I click "Insert image from URL", with Imgur images I always have to type ".png" to the end of the link so that it actually shows up here.

 

11 hours ago, chickfactor said:

But it's obvious to us that he is laughing to keep from crying - his heart is breaking because he had to leave, and I also don't think that he actually feels great that Baek is dead.

 

They re-released the scripts from My Mister last month (the link is here if anyone else wants to buy them! https://www.ktown4u.com/iteminfo?goods_no=74466 ) and I got them. It's so interesting to see how Park Hae Young has Dong Hoon smile or laugh to mask his desire to cry in certain key scenes (written out, explicitly, as instructions in the script). Gu here reminded me of DH, holding back his tears with his laughing. He seems pretty miserable.

 

1 hour ago, jus-ash said:

It is challenging to see him though, because these folks all need high PR and EQ skills (and to 'fake it') ... and the silent Gu?

For sure, even as Head Honcho, there's a lot of pleasing and fake-talking/flattery to do. There're loads of influential folks they cannot offend, so it's a huge diplomacy game. He would almost be like a male Mama-san, in charge of hosts and operations.

 

Interesting!

 

11 hours ago, chickfactor said:

One last note about this scene: no one does anything to him! They do shoot him looks, but no one dares touch Gu. So in a way, it's him flexing his power within the organization.

 

Everyone really defers to him, don't they? Which makes it remarkable how humble and deferential he was to Mi Jung's mom and dad - in his wealthy, high-rolling life he might have looked down on country bumpkins like them, or been a complete snob. But he let Mr Yeom tell him what to do and teach him. Guess it was refreshing for Gu to be in that setting.

 

9 hours ago, Skysky said:

the spiritual/religious reference is very obvious with the word of worship tbh. It is usually use to worship the God. Gu who is really depressed and doesnt have any meaning or reason to live were asked to worship MJ. And because of that he is hanging there, have a reason to continue his live. For religious people you need to worship your God, that is the reason you live. 

 

Oh yes, thanks! It intrigued me because usually it means devotion to God, as you say, but I hadn't connected Gu's cross to the show's theme of him worshipping MJ. I'm still not used to the idea of anyone worshipping any other human, haha.

 

2 hours ago, africandramalover said:

That didn't happen... Anyway, the kiss scenes between the leads were beyond amazing and the OST was good so....

 

Wish I had your memory for kissing scenes!

 

Gu and MJ are the only ones I really want to see kiss in this drama. TH and GJ - nah. CH and anyone else - double nah.

 

 

[agenth]

8 hours ago, the_sweetroad said:

Gu and MJ are the only ones I really want to see kiss in this drama. TH and GJ - nah. CH and anyone else - double nah.

 

 

I agree haha. Even though the daughter came around, I still don't feel the chemistry between GJ and TH...

10 hours ago, jus-ash said:

While it's ethical Gu doesn't endorse Drugs in his club , as Baek does ... host/hostesses clubs = prostitution and control loom bigtime as well. There are influential customers, who may be even folks Big Daddy Chairman Shin has to kowtow to - and we have seen enough shows where when when someone big-$ impt sets their eyes on a target they obsess over ... no never ever means no.

 

 

Wasn't his past girlfriend sort of addicted to drugs? That may be the reason why he is so vehement, but I'm not sure whether I remember right.

 

18 hours ago, philosophie said:

mods help me make that into picture I wasn’t able to 

 

 

imgur is a really bad host for images these days. You could upload photos on other sites e.g. https://postimages.org/ 

[larus]

“My Liberation Notes” And Its Stars Sweep Most Buzzworthy Drama And Actor Rankings For 2nd Week

TV/Film

May 17, 2022

by E. Cha

 

JTBC’s “My Liberation Notes” has successfully defended its title as the most buzzworthy drama of the week!

For the second consecutive week, “My Liberation Notes” ranked No. 1 on Good Data Corporation’s weekly list of the dramas that generated the most buzz. The company determines each week’s rankings by collecting data from news articles, blog posts, online communities, videos, and social media about dramas that are either currently airing or set to air soon.

In addition to remaining No. 1 on the list of most buzzworthy dramas, “My Liberation Notes” also continued its reign over the list of most buzzworthy cast members, where stars Son Seok Gu and Kim Ji Won held onto their respective spots at No. 1 and No. 2.

The top 10 dramas that generated the most buzz in the second week of May are as follows:

1. JTBC “My Liberation Notes” 
2. tvN “Our Blues”
3. KBS2 “Bloody Heart”
4. JTBC “Green Mothers’ Club”
5. SBS “Again My Life”
6. tvN “Sh**ting Stars”
7. MBC “Tomorrow”
8. SBS “Woori the Virgin”
9. KBS2 “It’s Beautiful Now”
10. KBS2 “Love Twist“

Meanwhile, the top 10 drama actors that generated the most buzz this week are as follows:

1. Son Seok Gu (“My Liberation Notes”)
2. Kim Ji Won (“My Liberation Notes”)
3. Lee Joon Gi (“Again My Life”)
4. Lee Joon (“Bloody Heart”)
5. Kang Han Na (“Bloody Heart”)
6. Shin Min Ah (“Our Blues”)
7. Lee Byung Hun (“Our Blues”)
8. Han Ji Min (“Our Blues”)
9. Lee Sung Kyung (“Sh**ting Stars”)
10. Kim Young Dae (“Sh**ting Stars”)

https://www.soompi.com/article/1526825wpp/my-liberation-notes-and-its-stars-sweep-most-buzzworthy-drama-and-actor-rankings-for-2nd-week

[Lizzy4e]

Hi all!

I have gone years without posting about a kdrama. Dramabeans was still being run by JavaBeans and GirlFriday (Where is the bat signal to draw them out of retirement?)

 

This is a rare drama. The depth of the characters, the layered stories, the ACTING!

 

I have started watching all the episodes a second time and this time I can HEAR  the ost. Each song is a gem.

 

This drama is so well written and directed and acted! So happy to have a place to express the deep joy I receive from this drama.

[chickfactor]

This one is from one of my favorite K-youtubers Dramaqueen, who has another channel called Ann-Fox:

 

(no English subtitles, unfortunately):

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW4dcJYtCYs&ab_channel=Dramaqueen드라마퀸

 

 

Remember how Chang-hee and Hyeon-ah went to the same club that Gu went to? And I wondered if someone would recognize Gu's Rolls Royce there, and do something to Chang-hee?

 

So Dramaqueen's theory is that the dent on the bumper was put there at the club. Probably by that guy (Hyeon-jin?) who visited the Yeom house and wanted to lure Gu back into their world.

 

So when Gu saw the dent, he knew who put it there, and that's why he ran to the train station and went to Seoul. He was never really chasing Chang-hee.

 

--

 

She further discusses the fact that Gu was a former "madam" at a "host bar..."

 

This is shocking. We knew he was probably a gangster, but a prostitute and a pimp? That's something else.

 

But this adds some context to some things that Gu said to Mi-jeong. Gu said that Seoul women always babble about certain topics, so as a male prostitute/pimp, that's the kind of women he dealt with all the time. But Mi-jeong was different from them, and therefore she was someone he could appreciate for real.

 

And if the writer was going all the way with the religious references, Jesus embraces all kinds of sinners including prostitutes, so...

[philosophie]

22 hours ago, the_sweetroad said:

They re-released the scripts from My Mister last month (the link is here if anyone else wants to buy them! https://www.ktown4u.com/iteminfo?goods_no=74466 ) and I got them. It's so interesting to see how Park Hae Young has Dong Hoon smile or laugh to mask his desire to cry in certain key scenes (written out, explicitly, as instructions in the script). Gu here reminded me of DH, holding back his tears with his laughing. He seems pretty miserable.

Is this the script that includes scene where jian strips naked in front of DH?

[sweetroad]

1 hour ago, philosophie said:

Is this the script that includes scene where jian strips naked in front of DH?

 

Well I have no idea! Since I'm not Korean, I've only gone to some key episodes and scenes and read them with Google Translate with my phone camera. So now I'll have to go back and see.

 

I know she talks to CEO Do Joon Young about stripping in front of DH - but I never imagined there was an actual scene written out where she actually does it...?!

 

I'll keep you posted.

 

6 hours ago, chickfactor said:

Remember how Chang-hee and Hyeon-ah went to the same club that Gu went to? And I wondered if someone would recognize Gu's Rolls Royce there, and do something to Chang-hee?

 

So Dramaqueen's theory is that the dent on the bumper was put there at the club. Probably by that guy (Hyeon-jin?) who visited the Yeom house and wanted to lure Gu back into their world.

 

So when Gu saw the dent, he knew who put it there, and that's why he ran to the train station and went to Seoul. He was never really chasing Chang-hee.

 

Thanks for sharing! This theory is plausible and makes quite a bit of sense. Especially because they did show Chang Hee leaving the car with the valet.

 

It still looked like Gu was chasing CH out of anger though, LOL. Especially because he never told CH otherwise. But maybe that's a good thing; it made CH reflect on his actions! 

 

6 hours ago, chickfactor said:

And if the writer was going all the way with the religious references, Jesus embraces all kinds of sinners including prostitutes, so...

 

Great point!

[chickfactor]

More support for the theory that Mi-jeong is dressed to represent the Virgin Mary:

 

 

https://news.nate.com/view/20220507n14340 (you have to scroll down)

 

 

When Gu first saw Mi-jeong, she was wearing a light-colored hood with a (sort of) blue scarf, which is similar to how the Virgin Mary is frequently depicted in artworks.