Dae Jang Geum
I finally finished the entire boxed set of “Jewel in the Palace.” All 19 DVDs. I couldn’t wait to get to the end, but now that it’s over, I can’t help but want more. At around the 10th DVD, I was ready to give up. The plot started to annoy me. But since Mom and I had this “all-for-one-one-for-all” sort of pact, I stuck with it. And the episodes started getting better and better.
At first you’d think that Jang-geum always got the worst end of the deal. She’s the good guy, the one who does no wrong, and everyone’s out to get her simply because she had the misfortune of being born to the wrong people (who died when she was eight). It was so annoying that she never asked for help from her powerful friends. She was defeated, imprisoned, sentenced to death, and forced into exile time and time again. I just SO annoyed me that the good guys always lost.
Then around the 16th DVD, things started to change. The Cui family, the bane of Jang-geum’s existence, finally got their just deserts. When they were gone, all other conflicts seemed trivial in comparison. The last DVDs were simply awesome. We couldn’t tear ourselves from the TV. Even at 2AM, we would be, like, “Just one more episode…”
But the thing that really stuck with me was the love story of Jang-geum and Captain Min Jio-ho. I was really annoyed with their story too, at first, because it’s like they refuse to do anything about their feelings. Jang-geum in particular refused to sacrifice her mission for the sake of their love. And I just couldn’t believe how torpe the Captain was being.
But when I really started to think about it, I was just so touched by their love. For one thing, they NEVER kissed. Not even once. Not even on the cheek. I suppose it was understood that they did kiss after they got married, but throughout their ENTIRE courtship of more than 20 years, the most intimate thing they ever did was hug. I can understand how Jang-geum could like this, but how could any guy (especially a guy from an extremely patriarchal culture) hold himself back for all of 20 years??? Heck, nagtanan na nga eh, di pa rin ginalaw. I was so hoping that they would really run away together, but they just HAD to go back… At least they eventually got married.
My point is this: their love was so pure. It was amazing. It was unsullied by lust and selfish desire. When you take away all the things that we usually associate with love, like kissing, caressing and all the kilig feelings (phenylethylamine), is there really anything left? Min Jio-ho made me realize that there was. He followed her wherever she was sent or exiled to. He gave up lucrative positions just so he could be with her. He supported her through everything. He was her rock, her comfort. All this for a girl who wouldn’t even kiss him. His love was unselfish. It desired nothing more than her happiness.
I want to be loved that way. I want to love that way. A love that starts in purity and finds fulfillment in itself. A love where there is no me or you, only an us. I have raised my standards, and I hope I never allow myself to settle for anything less.
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Isn't he HOT? On-screen... Ooh la la! I'm not really into Koreans, but he's an exception. Medyo minus pogi points nga lang yung course niya: Jewelry design.
Ica dear, eto yung sinasabi ko sayong kahawig ni Sang. He may not look very much like our Lee Sang-hyun, but this actor certainly reminds me of our dear Sang.
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(c'mon... admit it. You watched the whole thing too!) This is the first time in years that I got to watch it again, and I completely forgot the story, so it's like watching it for the first time. I downloaded the summary over the net, and the ending was so nice that I actually cried (well, sort of). And that was just a summary! The second season is about halfway through on Animax, and I can't wait to see the end on TV!
I'm a hopeless romantic. Hayy...
