Kes

As they always say, ‘third’s time a charm’ so Kim Go Eun and her cell village return for a heart-fluttering third and final season in the search for love.

After dating a nerd and a romantic and getting her heart broken on both occasions, Yumi chose to remain single and focused on her career as a writer. When the familiar butterflies in her stomach suddenly come back to life, it is none other than because of her associate publisher, Shin Soon Rok who is extremely calm, level-headed, and most importantly, younger than Yumi. This pairing gives off “calm bf and hyper gf” meme. The stark contrast in their personalities is glaring even in their first meeting. Can this noona workplace romance be the key to Yumi’s happily ever after?

I am fairly impressed with Kim Jae Won’s portrayal of a man of few words and few expressions while at work. He totally nails the neutral face emoji (😐) since he is the epitome of an introverted personality (pro max version). You can instantly tell hanging out with people is not his favorite thing and just depletes his social battery. Nothing seems to boost his mood while he is socializing at work. Hence, it is only natural that some can misunderstand his personality and dismiss him as rude and party pooper. No one but Jae Won can perfectly pull off Soon Rok’s dual charm of inscrutable face at work and adorable puppy look at home. He is emotionless but his acting does not look stiff and I think that is a great sign Jae Won totally nailed his role.

Kim Go Eun has consistently brought to life the comical and tearjerker events in Yumi’s life. Her comedic timings are still spot-on. Go Eun’s hilariously funny and painfully relatable thoughts is one of the reasons viewers cheered in her quest of love and dreams. She never misses a beat, whether it’s getting flustered while caught up in an awkward situation, getting riled up over a coworker’s behavior, or suddenly realizing she has fallen head over heels again. In this last season, she has notably displayed maturity and sensibility. She clears the air as soon as possible to avoid further conflicts. She is no longer easily swayed and swept up by her emotions, but falling in love is clearly an exception. However, emotional numbness poses a threat both in her cell village and in her job as a writer. Thankfully, Soon Rok comes her way, wreaks havoc and revives Yumi’s deserted cell village.

It has been a while since I giggled, twirled my hair and kicked my feet in the air while watching a K-Drama. Yumi's Cells truly captures the feeling of diving blindly, headfirst into love. I missed this feeling of giddiness. K-Dramas nowadays feel too contrived, the chemistry feels forced and the outfits are overly flashy.

This season is the epitome of the phrase 'the more you hate, the more you love' because you can't hate someone without spending your precious time thinking and nitpicking everything about them. I love how Yumi's Cells continue to highlight that people have layers and a single encounter with someone doesn't define them. We all carry contradictions, passions and habits that can only truly be understood after spending some time with someone.

I love the enamored look at Soon Rok’s eyes whenever he or looks at Yumi. You can instantly tell he really cherishes Yumi and he’s got his eyes only for her. He is also unfazed when he learns Babi is Yumi’s ex. He didn’t get defensive nor did he probe Yumi about it. This is what everyone should aim for: a love that feels easy and secure.

A subtle parallelism between Yumi’s apathy and Soon Rok’s robotic personality is also highlighted in the show. The lack of emotions is far different from a lack of social energy. The former can unintentionally cause us to lose our spark in life while the latter is simply a way of conserving energy for the activities we truly enjoy. In the end, Yumi and Soon Rok found solace and rest in one another.

However, the question still remains: how can you choose the person you want to spend the rest of your life with when even your feelings are contradictory and unreliable? The answer is: when you know, you know.

My only issue is, just like everybody else is saying, this was way too short. Yumi and Soon Rok’s relationship timeline feels hastened. At one point, they were having an honest and open conversation and the two of them reached a mutual decision. But then parents suddenly barged in and everything they talked about felt like it disappeared into thin air just like that.

But then again, the length of dating does not really dictate the longevity or happiness of a marriage. Some couples date for less than a year, yet their marriage is still blissful. Meanwhile, others have even conquered the seven-year itch, only to learn they don’t work well living together. Indeed, love is a hit or miss. You are never going to know what you will get unless you take a chance and gamble your fragile little heart, putting it on the line. I was hoping for more of Yumi and Soon Rok’s relationship dynamics, but we already caught glimpses of that in later episodes which even revealed Soon Rok’s laidback, childlike charm at home which is unknown to many.

What I noticed in Season 2 is it perfectly balances the storyline of Yumi's dreams and love whereas Season 3 heavily focused on finding her endgame. It wouldn’t have hurt if we peeked a bit into how she balanced dating Soon Rok while still staying on top of her game. I also wondered whether Soon Rok got reassigned to a new writer. Maybe the director intended such conclusion up to the viewer’s interpretation. Open endings are built like that to keep us, viewers, from reeling long after watching.

I don't harbor any ill feelings toward Woong or Babi because they both shaped Yumi to who she is today. They both boosted her confidence and helped her pursue her dreams of being a writer. Woong gifted her a typewriter to reignite her passion for writing while Babi fully supported her in her decision to write full-time and join contests. Yumi will not be the successful writer that she is today without her past heartbreaks and betrayals. She transformed her sadness and gloom into art which is her romance books. Isn’t it fascinating how our darkest times can be a steppingstone and catapult as to our crowning moments?

I’m truly going to miss this show, especially Swear Cell and Naughty Cell haha. But then again, I’m the captain of my cell village and I can make each day as exciting and worthwhile as Yumi’s. I may not have men as handsome as Yumi’s exes ☹️, but I can allow myself to experience life in ways that shape me into the very best version of myself. After all, emotional turmoil is what makes us human. Feelings waver, lifelong principles are broken, people come and go, and that’s all part of the human experience. Amidst all this uncertainty, we can still choose how we react and decide which people and things we want to pour our energy, feelings, and time into.