 |
While this is my first blog post for 2021, in some sense I am also writing a late review of something from last year-- all because of a news that made everyone cheering on at the start of the year.
When the Kdrama Crash Landing on You became popular in 2020, I was almost left behind by the bandwagon. I really didn’t care much about what the hype was about because I was too occupied and exhausted with work. It was only after the persistent urging of one of my teammates who was influenced by her husband (who is a Kdrama fan) that I decided to give the show a try.
Just like the past instances, I was left wondering at first what to get out of it. The story revolves around two people from two different walks of life, Yoon Se-ri (played by Son Ye-jin), a chaebol heiress from South Korea who crash lands in the North Korean peninsula after a paragliding mishap and meets a dashing soldier named Ri Jeong-hyeok (played by Hyun Bin). But the question of what happens next given that the main characters involved were from two conflicting countries was what got me hooked to each episode. I got intrigued as to what other possibilities might ensue between two people who are from two states in political conflict-- or if such “possibilities” can even be viable in such a complicated situation.
I confess that I instantly became a fan of Crash Landing on You right after the Episode 1, but I only got all too smitten with Hyun Bin upon reaching Episode 11. I admired how the story was conceptualized taking the facts about North Korea into consideration. The show somehow gave me the gripping reality about what’s it like to be living in North Korea (and I realized how I don’t want to end up living there regardless if they have good-looking men in uniform like Captain Ri!), and how thankful we should be that a neutral country like Switzerland exists. The scenic view of Switzerland made me include the country to my lakwatsa list. The characters of the North Korean squad, and how they demonstrated loyalty to the leader of the pack also made the story fun and endearing to watch. The other thing was of course, was the chemistry between Captain Ri and Yoon Se-ri; because just like the others who have seen the drama, at one point I wished that their on-screen relationship could turn from reel to real.
So when it was finally confirmed on New Year’s Day this year that they are indeed a couple, I will not lie in saying that I got both happy and kilig too. Blame it on my writer brain, being a fangirl and a hopeless romantic, I have this tendency to believe that there are people with certain chemistry with their on-screen relationship might work better if it were to be carried on in real life -- and Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin are among the appropriate example.
Among other things, Crash Landing on You kept my sanity intact at the height of all the craziness of a shit-filled 2020. It encouraged me to somehow try to see hope even when things and situations seem to be impossible. And with the confirmation of their relationship this year, it allowed me to realize that there is indeed power in love and possibilities if only you take chances, the courage to make that leap of faith and believe in them. Yes, I want to believe that 2021 will somehow be a good one. And things like this is a good start.
