[비즈한국] A mother’s sudden death. The family left behind is naturally thrown into disarray. Daughter Seo Joon-kyung (Seo Hyun-jin), in particular, feels devastated by the fact that there is no 'next time' with her mother, Mi-ran (Jang Hye-jin), especially after their last encounter was filled with cold words. The same goes for her father, Seo Jin-ho (Yoo Jae-myung), who quit his job a few years before retirement to spend more time with his wife, and their son, Seo Joon-seo (Lee Si-woo), a graduate student who hasn't been able to show a sense of responsibility. Yet... shortly after Mi-ran departs, love finds all of them.
Joon-kyung, who claims to be comfortable alone, is approached by her neighbor, Joo Do-hyun (Jang Ryul). He is the man who happened to notice Joon-kyung’s loneliness while living next door. Jin-ho takes an interest in Jin Ja-young (Yoon Se-ah), a guide he met on the 35th wedding anniversary travel package he was supposed to take with his wife. Ja-young, who also carries the pain of losing a spouse but lives her life with resilience, gives Jin-ho a new spark. What about Joon-seo, who could never be confident in front of his girlfriend, Yoon Sol (Kim Shana), despite loving her even though she is so different from him? After a confession from his longtime female friend Ji Hye-on (Dahyun), he ends up spending an unexpected night with her.
The problem is timing. Even if a person has died, the living must go on. But for those left behind, the continuation of life, while natural, sometimes becomes a source of guilt. There is a compulsion to mourn and honor the departed for a certain period. Even love? Joon-kyung, the daughter, is fluttered by Do-hyun's approach but wonders, 'Is this right at this time?', and Joon-seo, even while throwing his girlfriend a grand birthday party, blames himself for being hopeless. Thus, the father Jin-ho’s guilt is even deeper. Having found new love shortly after his wife’s passing, Jin-ho even goes to the cathedral for confession, feeling as though he is having an affair, even though he isn't.
Of course, the young priest who hears Jin-ho’s confession tells him some 'straight-talking truth,' saying that the departed Mi-ran would not want Jin-ho to live unhappily. But when you think about it, it is doubtful whether one could look at it so rationally if it were one's own family. If your mother has passed away and your devoted father falls in love with a woman younger and prettier than her within just a few months, could you really view it with a kind eye? Even if you aren't the child, you might fear the judgment of others. So, no matter how grand a love might appear, it is unclear whether one can be brave enough to face that love while prepared to endure criticism.
'Love Me' depicts a story of people who have let go of love, and families growing as they begin their own loves. Can love save a person? The drama seems to suggest that love saves everything, but it is not telling such an easy, fairytale-like story. Rather, this drama tells you to first look within yourself in how you treat love. There is a reason why the drama title is 'Love Me' rather than 'Love You.' Take Joon-kyung, for example. Joon-kyung has been lonely for a long time. Ever since her mother lost a leg in a car accident seven years ago while running an errand at her request, Joon-kyung was trapped in guilt while watching her mother change due to endless self-loathing, and she fled from that relationship. Someone who runs away from their closest relationship loses the capacity to grasp other forms of happiness. Look at Joon-kyung’s narration in episode 2.
'I wanted to say don't go. To the me back then. I wanted to hold on. To stop. If I run away like this now, I will keep running away. Continuing to pretend I'm fine, pretending nothing is wrong. Continuing to be lonely all by myself.'
'Love Me' does not offer a salvation narrative that love is a panacea. It simply offers a small cheer to those who are still clumsy at love but are choosing to love as hard as they can, saying 'Why not try to find some courage?' It carefully touches upon their inner selves leading up to that decision. Although the viewership ratings are low, the various life emotions this drama forces viewers to confront seem to resonate deeply with a minority of viewers. The acting of stellar performers like Seo Hyun-jin and Yoo Jae-myung plays a major role here, and the delicate direction of PD Jo Young-min, who has captured the multifaceted inner workings of humans surrounding love in previous works like 'Do You Like Brahms?', 'The Interest of Love', and 'Eun-joong and Sang-yeon', also contributes. The small, scattered black comedy, which might seem heavy, is another reason why 'Love Me' is fun to watch.
I recommend 'Love Me' to adults who are exhausted from pretending not to be having a hard time, not to be lonely, and pretending that everything is okay. May it be a small comfort to those who couldn't be honest because they wanted to be okay, but instead became even less okay.
Who is the author, Jung Soo-jin?
She has covered and written about films, travel, and popular culture while working for various magazines. She doesn't want to fall behind trends, but she has become an 'old-school person' who watches the latest dramas only to predict obvious cliches for the next scene. She is trying to regain her lost edge while drifting through the vast OTT world, and her current wish is for an integrated OTT subscription plan.