ohlalalalaomg

I found the actors' insight on their characters very interesting. I love how they embraced their characters, flaws and all.

From the official JTBC Youtube channel, with English subs.
https://youtu.be/KVhyFuozmbM

You have to understand MJ. She knew that given the chance, CH would elope with Gu.

I know I already rewatched ep 1-12 at while waiting for ep 13. But I will now rewatch the entire series and just enjoy the ride.

I am looking forward to it. But maybe not for a while. I still want to bask in these wonderful characters and stories of MLN.

It would seem to me that for some people who watched this, they may be the ones who need to find their closure and not necessarily the characters or the story (MNL). And just like in this series, the question has always been 'why?'

And so, why? Why do you feel like you need something more from the story and the characters? Why are they not enough?

Moments in the last episode that gave me a few seconds of happiness:
1. Gu proudly telling Sam Sik he won't get a cold because Mi Jeong has been praying for it all this time and so far, it has worked (at least he thinks so).
2. The delight on Sam Sik's face when Gu calls him Kim Woo Bin (which might actually be his new name), despite the looming trouble around them.
3. MJ helping her ex get out of trouble with the woman in line despite everything he did to her.
4. MJ walking away from her ex with a smile on her face.
5. KJ finding the rose head from TH.
6. CH stopping himself from leaving the funeral director class, then smiling, as if realizing he's in the right class after all.
7. KJ sitting with her stepmother, watching the snow.
8. MJ laughing when Gu hugged her from behind.
9. Gu finding his coin safe on the drainage railing.
10. Father Yeom telling his children they are strong and it's okay for them to be on their own.
11. Gu leaving behind the bottle of liquor.
12. Gu counting the number of seconds he felt happy when that kid held the elevator open for him.

I think I gathered more than 5 minutes of happiness there.

Meanwhile, moment that almost gave me a heart attack:
1. Gu on an all out fight of 2 versus who knows how many towards the end of the episode and had me worrying that he's going to get killed.

My Mister is in my to watch list. But I get that finishing it with a smile. I didn't realize it at first but I was smiling at the end, feeling light-hearted and happy. And hours later, I still fee the same way and get a smile on my face when I think about this drama.

That is interesting because for me, I think their liberations did already start episodes ago. Slowly, in small moments. Like when KJ found the courage to confess even when it broke her heart. Or when CH said "I love you" to his father. Or when MJ stood up for herself . Those were all small moments of liberations for them.

I get that some people wanted more. Probably a matter of personal taste, but as a viewer, I am very much satisfied with the ending. It fits perfectly with the story that they have been telling all this time. As I see it in this slice-of-life stories, the characters' story doesn't end. It only ends for us because it is only up to this point in their stories that we are given the chance to see.

Yes, the ending made complete sense. It was a happy ending.

They did get the liberation that they were looking for. The speed in which it arrived and the degree of "liberation", so to speak, differed, but it happened the way it was supposed to happen. Life doesn't just appear on our front doors all tied neatly with a bow. No, life just happens.

YKJ is in love and will continue to love a flawed man who loves her back. The relationship is not perfect as the people in it aren't, but they are happy.

YCH is letting his life take him where he's supposed to go. He lets his feet carry him where he's meant to be - even if that is to become a funeral director. He has learned to trust where his life is taking him, knowing that he is where he is meant to be. Just like when his mother died, just like when his friend died. At those moments, he was where he was supposed to be. And to have that peace of mind, knowing that you are exactly where you are supposed to be must be liberating.

YMJ feels lovable. She can now see herself as someone that can be loved. And maybe she also lovers herself now. And that has always been what MJ needed to do to liberate herself. And she looks so happy. She is smiling without the hesitation of someone who is only pretending to smile. And MJ can now truly like and love someone for their entire being - both their good and bad parts.

And Gu has found a way to face his demons. He can welcome them now instead of cursing them into oblivion. And damn, putting down that bottle of liquor instead of drinking it... One step at a time. Trudging on one step at a time.

And it might not be the series finale that everyone wanted, but it's what the characters needed.

I would be grateful to have even a tiny piece of their liberation in my life.

Did MJ and Gu stay together? Yes. Because as MJ said, her life is now defined as before and after she met Gu. And Gu now defines his life as before and after he met MJ. MJ and Gu will hold onto each other for as long as they want to. That is something that was so obvious for me in this episode. Even in Gu's lowest, MJ will be there. And that sliver of hope for Gu at the end is enough to make me believe that he will get better.

That dinner conversation between MJ and her friend showed how much MJ has changed. She's content with her job and is recognizing her strengths.

And the heater at Mr. Gu's apartment. MJ buying the heater for his apartment = MJ giving Gu warmth.

I hope that we could recognize mental illnesses like substance addiction (like alcoholism) and depression as what they are, an illness. And that we could see past the illness and see the person who is sick. And that as in other sickness of the body, we hope for them to, if not completely conquer their illness, that they at least get better.

I'll never look at the worth of 5 minutes the same way again.

Also the glass bottle shattering because of that woman in one of their clubs at that moment when Gu was busy running to finish his job so that he could go back to MJ. It showed how his short and small moments of happiness is easily shattered.

When Gu said that he had always been “one”, as compared to “many”, it made me think that Gu knew how alone he was. In Seoul, he absolutely had no one. His so called “brother” who kept pressuring him (with a bit of guilt-tripping as well) to go back to Seoul did that for selfish reasons. He simply needed Gu to be back in power so that he could have money. Chairman Shin, as much as he somehow cares for Gu, just wanted Gu back so that he could keep running his business as always and have his money. Sam Sik is not really someone Gu relies on other than to follow him and handle the money. The bar lady who sometimes listens to his ramblings is just someone who is doing her job.

He absolutely has no one. No one who truly worries about him and no one who genuinely checks up on him to see if he’s okay the way mother and father Yeom did. No one to go to him just because they want to talk to him like Chang Hee did. No one he could talk to freely like MJ. There is no warmth in his life in Seoul. That’s why he’s always cold and didn’t bother to be warm even at home. He is always “one”. Even surrounded by members of his organization (gang? company?), he feels like no one has his back.

And so, when MJ asked “are we really ‘many’ or are we just ‘one’ against ‘one’?” I think that hurt Gu more than MJ thought it would. Because at that moment, Gu, consciously or unconsciously placed MJ as someone with him, on his side. His “many.”

And so when Gu asked about Chang Hee, it wasn’t just for the purpose of small talk. He was genuinely asking about CH because he wants to know. Because CH is also his “many.”

I loved that sequence. The confused look on Sam Sik's and his driver's faces were priceless. Poor Sam Sik had to run so hard to keep up. But it felt like exactly what it meant, Gu running towards MJ.

Just ten sessions. Gu asked MJ for just “ten sessions” where she just had to listen to him talk. It could mean 10 days or 10 dates or just 10 times that he shares his thoughts. And if after those 10 sessions, if he still has more things to talk about, they’d agree to do another ten more. And if after these 10 sessions he has nothing more to say, then they’d end it there. And MJ agrees. This may seem weird but when did MJ and Gu ever do “normal”. Their relationship has been unusual from the get go.

But also, I think MJ knows. She knows that this is all Gu can give for now. As much as Gu loves her, Gu is in a very dark place right now. He can’t commit to anything more because Gu probably can’t see anything far into his future. As he said, he is just trudging on one step after another.

I hope that he never runs out of things to say to MJ. I hope that he could feel how much MJ worships him so that he could end up loving himself as well.

Maybe they'll show more in the last (gasp!) episode but I think Hyeon Ah has some issues herself. The way I understood their conversation when CH wanted to break up with her is that CH felt like HA needs her partner to be someone weaker and more (?) broken than her for her to truly care for them. That's what I got from CH when he said I am not going to be weak and terminally ill just to satisfy you. But I could have misinterpreted that.