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K-Drama Review: To All The Guys Who Loved Me

Updated: Apr 11, 2021

Well, hello again, peeps!

Nowadays people really get into K-dramas. I have been watched them since 2013 and I acknowledge that K-dramas every year have different impressions. In 2020, there were so many K-dramas that have pulled public attention. I surveyed among all of my friends and relatives who have been attracted to K-dramas this year and their favorite dramas were Crash Landing on You, Itaewon Class, It's Okay Not to Be Okay, and Backstreet Rookie. They found it interesting and very fresh for the plot of the story that they couldn't find on the western series.

Talking about 2020 K-dramas, I really want you to know about this absolutely amazing K-drama! It is called "To All The Guys Who Loved Me" or its Korean title "그놈이 그놈이다". The drama also has another name, you could search it as "Men are Men" too. This drama was released on July 6, 2020, and finally released its last episode on September 1 by KBS2. The drama has 16 episodes which length one hour straight.

They had a stunning actress, Hwang Jung Eum, and actor Yoon Hyun Min as the main roles. However, here, I would nicely talk about Hwang Jung Eum's role as Seo Hyeon Joo, an inspiring yet classy character. Seo Hyun Joo was a 34 years old woman who had so much passion for her career as a webtoon developing manager and aspired to be a webtoon-writer. But, in the first place, it was not the issue that I would like to point out.



In the first episode, we were served a flashback on how Hyeon Joo struggled with her relationship in the past time and did some blind dates with men that were not going well. The scene also continued with Hyeon Joo met a man who wants to propose to her in a luxury restaurant. Therefore, I was shocked because of the next scene. A wedding garden party was already held and her relatives are already gathered. But she herself announced that she doesn't want to get married to anyone forever. Apparently, she rejected the proposal from the man that has been dated her for a long time. She realized that she didn't love him even for a second. This is what she said on her wedding day:


"I will introduce my lovely life-partner in front of my beloved friends and parents. My partner who I will love and trust until the death comes is Seo Hyeon Joo, my own self."


"I have tried to imagine how I would look after getting married, but I didn't see myself on it eventhough I tried so hard. I'm afraid of the fact that a stranger would become a part of my family. I am confused about how to give birth and raise a child. I worried I will have a break from work before I became a businesswoman. As long as I think about marriage, I only could think about the reasons why I don't have to marry and why I should do that. You also could say that I am not suitable to get married."


The wedding party's attendances were surprised and totally confused. Especially for Hyeon Joo's parents. It was very rare for society in South Korea to not getting married. In some dialogs in other episodes, when Hyeon Joo had appendicitis, she has struggled alone and her parents had anxieties towards their daughter. Fortunately, Hyeon Joo could make it by calling Yoon Hyun Min, her new CEO which the one who had an interest in Hyeon Joo.

To be an independent woman we absolutely need hard works. We could do anything without bragging and nagging other people around us. We should do everything by ourselves. As what Hyeon Joo did, she could change a bathroom lamp alone, fixed the electricity, did her work tasks, take care of her brother, struggle with her stomach pain, and still didn't complain at all because that was the way which she chose and should be responsible for her choice.

Live without a man may be good in so many aspects like what Hyeon Joo stated in her dialog. She didn't want to give birth and raise a child, also lose the balance between being a worker and a housewife. Also, this idea is a good way to break the Asian stereotype that a woman should at least get married so she could live peacefully because the husband would definitely support their finance alone. Women should stay at home and manage the household. There are too many rules for women and I feel happy to find an opportunity for modern people would break the old stereotype by entertainment especially for this topic, a drama.

I hope the previous generation would like to understand how tired we are to be told and dictated to live our lives the way they live. I underlined that we could choose our path and as long as it doesn't affect anyone. As a woman in this generation, we do not want to be known as a weak human anymore. We do not have to depends on the man. Although she is a fictional character, we have Hyeon Joo as one of our role models and I believe that there are other "Hyeon Joo" out there that live on their own feet and succeed without a man in their life.

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