Who'd have thought ... the least of all - myself, that someday I'd fall victim to the ominously omnipresent Hallyu phenomenon in Asia.
I thought Bae Yong-jun was ugly. I could be bludgeoned by the millions of adoring female fans, I usually kept this comment to myself, or checked my back before offering this offensive (duh!) thought - to make sure there was no female species around, just in case she hailed from the "Yonsama" (as the Japs call him) fanclub.
I adamantly rejected any tour itinerary with the Hallyu theme when we visited Korea in May this year. Okay, we succumbed to a tour of the Dae Jang Geum (Jewel In The Palace) film site by the majority vote of our tour group, which turned out to be a rather delightful experience for cultural appreciation on a trip that tended to flaunt only the material side of modern Korea.
I cringed everytime an acquaintance commented on my resemblance to a Korean. Or Japanese. I get that all the time, much to my amusement. I've learned to live with that now, and honestly, I am sort of relishing the association as I slowly but surely become one of the Hallyu chasers.
3 separate incidents converted me -
1) That frustrating trip to Korea that I couldn't resist bashing, and the rationalising of (highly) possible beauty that we totally missed, and why we should make our own way there in order to fully appreciate the country and its culture.
2) The work assignment on the meteoric rise of Samsung as a brand had me researching far and deep into the Korean people, business, culture and history, and hey, guess what, the Hallyu.
3) Kim Sam Soon - sheesh ... this series got me officially hooked! When I first saw Channel U's trailer of this series, which claimed to be bigger than Dae Jang Geum, I was very much in doubt, but definitely curious. I had it at the back of my mind for a while and even missed the debut episode. The very first time I saw it, it must be episode 2 or 3, when Sam Soon was at the restaurant, in all her chef du jour confidence, introducing herself to her co-workers - "My name is Kim Sam Soon ... I am 30 years old this year" - and instantly, I felt an affinity to her. Ever since then, I followed the series diligently, although the crazy work schedule in August made me miss some episodes - all the more the reason to get the DVD, which I am running the risk of wearing out now ^.^
This is a series of modern Korea with references to its cultural roots, sometimes mocking them, and other cool influences from Europe - * It is a cultural and societal obligation to obtain parental blessings in marriage. Class issues plague the relationship of Sam Soon and Jin Hun - they receive violent objections from Jin Hun's mother, owner of a luxury hotel chain, who obviously views the relationship from a class-prejudiced perspective. Sam Soon's mother, however, despite having reminded Jin Hun of their differences when they first met, is able to set that aside for the sake of the couple. Jin Hun, by opposing his mother and following his heart to be with Sam Soon, probably characterizes Koreans who are straddling tradition and the freedom to act according to the heart.
* There are several interesting European references that add to the richness of the plot and explains the show's increasing appeal to me -
- Sam Soon is a French patissier, having graduated from Le Cordon Bleu, a top culinary college in France.
- Jin Hun is the owner of a French restaurant, Bon Appetit, which serves only authentic French cuisine. Prior to Sam Soon, the chef was a Frenchman.
- The madeleine (a plump mini cake that is shaped like the kuih bahulu) is credited in a scene, with the mention of Marcel Proust's "À la Recherche du Temps Perdu" (In Search of Lost Time). Proust had described the madeleine as a "plump and sexy cookie", and I couldn't help smiling at the uncanny similarity between the madeleine and Kim Sam Soon. She did not read the book, however, because "it was too hard". Damn right. I have gone and found it at the library - a whopping 6-volume, 1000-odd pages per volume of somewhat autobiographical account of Monsieur Proust's life experiences. Hmm... I might venture into reading it someday, but it's certainly interesting to know of the existence of such a book.
- More book reference comes in the form of Momo - a little-known work of German author Michael Ende, who, to my immense delight, also wrote The Neverending Story! That is one of my all-time favourite - Falkor, the dragon that looks like a dog is right at the top of the list. Momo is a little girl with the ability to listen and relieve people of their problems. When the Men in Grey come to the village and convince people to save time for the future, upon which time will be returned to them with interest, the village people fall under the spell. People have less time for themselves, thanks to their "savings", and they cannot have fun, they no longer have time for their loved ones and the things that they want to do. (Doesn't this sound oh, so reminiscent of ... us, modern folks who are so caught up in mundane material pursuit, that sometimes we forget to have fun, saving it for the future?) But luckily, the villagers have Momo, Professor Hora and the magical turtle Cassiopeia to the rescue. (The moral of the story - live every moment to the fullest! Have some fun - be happy!)
- Toward the end of the show, and what a great ending the show has by the way, there is an adaptation of a quote from Mark Twain.
춤추라, 아무도 바라보고 있지 않은 것처럼
사랑하라, 한번도 상처받지 않은 것처럼
노래하라, 아무도 듣고 있지 않은 것처럼
일하라, 돈이 필요하지 않은 것처럼
살라, 오늘이 마지막 날인 것 처럼
The original quote from Mark Twain:
Dance like nobody's watching
Love like you've never been hurt
Sing like nobody's listening
Live like it's heaven on earth
- The actors and actresses, maybe with the exception of Hyun Bin who plays Jin Hun, are somewhat westernised. There are few Koreans who can converse in English, yet in this show, there are 3 languages being spoken - Korean, English and even French, albeit in just a few scenes. Even Hyun Bin, the archetypal Korean, speaks OK English, probably out of simply memorising the script. Daniel Henney who plays Dr. Kim is American. He is the closet lover of Hee Jin (as in he quietly, undemandingly loves her... quite the fool, if you ask me), played by Jung Ryeo Won who grew up in Australia and therefore, speaks fluent English. Hee Jin is Jin Hun's ex-girlfriend who left him without explanation 3 years ago for the United States to treat some acute gastro problem because she couldn't stand to be the bearer of more bad news after the accident that killed his brother and his wife, and almost crippled him. Kim Sun Ah, who plays Sam Soon, is college-educated in the United States, and can thus, handle the English language well. She even speaks in French when introducing herself to Dr Kim as Sophie, a typical French name. The other scene with French dialogue is when her ex-boyfriend announced their relationship in a Parisien pub when they were still very much in love.
* The realness of the show is the greatest appeal. It is fraught with insecurities, there is no typical "happy ending" although I think it ends great. Sam Soon and Jin Hun are together, although they never receive the blessings of his mother and thus, cannot marry. But as Sam Soon's narrative goes, "to be able to bake the best cakes and love passionately every day, and not to worry about things that are yet to happen" - that is most important. Think about it, how often have we worried ourselves sick, quite unnecessarily?
* The many "lessons", remarks and pointers woven into the luscious fabric of the multi-tiered script take time to uncover. On the surface, it is a very simple drama and that's the beauty of it. I have watched the show a few times, and everytime, I seem to find a new "lesson" or two. Interesting. And oh, everytime I feel blue or bored, I can trust Kim Sam Soon to lift me out of the dumps.
So really, my Hallyu obsession is only with My Lovely Sam Soon. I couldn't really care less for other Korean dramas, they bore me quite easily. Nevertheless, Korean music is now more pleasant to my ears than before. And to my own surprise, I sat through a Korean movie, "Almost Love", during the plane ride from Sydney just this past Tuesday.
Hmmm ... maybe I have been swept under the currents of the Hallyu after all.
v(^o^)v
