Journal #3: Are Endings Always Satisfying?

I don't think my second journal should be uploaded as it contains some sensitive issues and may offend some parties. So, I will be writing a new 'Journal #2' to replace it.

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Recently, I watched this Korean drama special called ‘Your Noir’. A young man named Hyung Joo was requested by his mob boss to get closer to the wife (Ihyeon) of Prosecutor Han whose interference had been putting a halt on the mob’s activities after finding out that the wife was actually Hyung Joo’s former high school teacher. Unknowing to the boss, Hyung Joo had feelings for the teacher and his feelings were so strong that he offered her lifetime protection and even wanted to kill her husband so that she would be free from his abuse permanently. In the end, Hyung Joo was killed by his mob after his actions spurred by his feelings for his teacher had endangered the mob even more.

I actually liked the ending of this story. It was not too tragic like Romeo and Juliet for instance and at the same time, it avoided the happy ending route which most dramas went with. It just showed that the world would not stop for the romance between two people to develop and this is a realistic stance. There would always be external forces present to interfere with the romance. I think this ending is a refreshing change from endings from most stories. To me, unrealistic happy endings totally ruin the movie or show, especially when I am heavily invested on the story. Unsatisfying endings would often make me frustrated for days as I find it incredibly stupid when stories develop in a promising direction only to culminate in a silly ending. To me, endings are the most important factor in all stories and are the part of the story people anticipate and expect the most. In this drama special, the tragic and abrupt ending fit with the context of the story as mobs are unforgivable and ruthless when one of their members betray the mission that was given to them. While the ending made sense, I still find it to end on a bad note since Ihyeon would continue to suffer more beatings from her abusive husband with no hope of escaping that torture. My ideal ending would be for Hyung Joo to be able to fulfil his promise of killing Ihyeon’s husband and eventually eloping with her to another country while evading his mob.

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FYI: This drama can be easily found in YouTube under KBSWorldTV channel. The lead role was played by Hwang Chansung from 2PM, a.k.a. my bias from that group :) He's a really great actor who expresses emotions well, particularly using his eyes and I hope he will have lead roles in more mainstream and better dramas in the future.