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My Mister turns 6: Exploring Lee Sun Kyun and IU’s characters’ notes on compassion, warmth and healing
Lee Sun Kyun and IU’s My Mister turns 6 today. Let’s revisit the message relayed by characters on the importance of personal healing, compassion, and more vulnerable emotions.
My Mister is an atypical drama that eschews K-drama’s redundant narrative of love stories. Rather, Lee Sun Kyun and IU starrer this drama is kind of an endearing recital about something else. Since its premiere on March 21, 2018, the drama completes 6 years today.
However, its notes on the importance of vulnerability still weigh in the minds of its viewers. So, today on its 6th birthday, let’s check out some character arcs in detail, cause the drama has been here to stay forever.
My Mister's Unconventional Plot - not a love story, but a life's story
My Mister follows an unconventional chronicle combined with ‘the beauty of sorrow’. Late actor Lee Sun Kyun stars as Park Dong Hoon, an engineer with a day job as a manager, who is embroiled in many setbacks life throws at him. Yet, his relationship with his brothers Park Sang Hoon (portrayed by Park Ho San) and Park Ki Hoon (played by Song Sae Byeok) depicts the beauty of having families who get each other.
Park Sang Hoon is a divorcee, who used his severance pay to open a business and miserably failed at it. The other brother, Park Ki Hoon is an aspiring filmmaker, with a solid dream but no frustration. The three middle-aged brothers going through life’s setbacks together is something only My Mister could knit authentically. 
On the other hand, IU’s character Lee Ji An is someone who works many jobs, one of them being at Park Dong Hoon’s office as a temp employee, but still she struggles to make ends meet with loans and a sick grandmother (portrayed by Son Sook), whom she dearly cherishes, Ji An gets by life by eating leftover food from her restaurant workplace and coffee sachets stolen from her day job.
This drama relinquishes the romanticism that is frequently delineated in K-drama narratives of poverty, infidelity, depression, workplace stress, and many more elements. Rather, My Mister sticks to the truth and unravels it in front of us without shying away and that’s what makes this drama a work of art.
Lee Ji An and Park Dong Hoon’s connecting through shared life setbacks, weakness, and failure
No one’s life is without disappointment and setbacks. My Mister portrays that truthfully through a gloomy backdrop yet straightforward outlines.
As a 20-something Lee Ji An struggles to plow through many difficulties like paying off her mother’s debt, taking care of a sick grandma, and even just putting food on the table, a 40-something engineer Park Dong Hoon faces similar setbacks.
Their ‘meet-cute’ happens at their workplace. While everyone runs from a bug entered through the window, Park Dong Hoon chases it to catch it and let it fly outside. But as soon as the bug finds a place to rest on Ji An’s arm, it gets smashed by a file in an instant.
Dong Hoon walks back to his desk while frowning. Their first introduction brilliantly showcases the two characters' contrasting ways of overcoming life’s obstacles.
Though initially hostile towards the middle-aged colleague, Ji An gradually gives in as she connects with the jaded and bitter life they both have.
From her POV, when she sees the world it’s ugly and hurting, just like her inside as she throws herself to the monster named Life. But one of the main reasons, she doesn’t cry at the beginning of the show is because too much pain has caused her emotions to go numb and reserved.
But when she ‘meets’ Dong Hoon, Ji An realizes they are both suffering from a daily purgatorial and weary existence.
But even though the two recognize each other’s pain, it is only when they expose their vulnerabilities hidden deep in their souls, that the broken hearts find solace and strength.
With this instance, My Mister teaches us how even weakness can turn into strength if we give our trust and compassion to the right people. Parallaly, healing happens only when we let ourselves heal, so it's also important to receive empathy.
Message on compassion between families through the eyes of Lee Ji An and Park Dong Hoon
My Mister delivers burrowing insights into the interpersonal relationships we share throughout our lives.
In this case, the Park brothers, who are blood-related live us in happy tears with their incomparable bond, while Ji An’s utmost care for her grandmother contributes to those tearjerking moments.
The family sketch of this drama shows the reflections of loud and silent encouragements fruiting into similar inner growth. With a plethora of blood-related bonds, the drama sends a message on how important it is to share compassion within families because they always have our backs.
With many flawed characters, the drama brings out the organic essence of life, resonating with the entrails we follow as adults. But somewhere, burdened by anguished-filled moments, we forget to heal ourselves. And the drama opens a thread on how everyone we meet in our life attests a significance in their respective ways.
With outstanding performances delivered by the cast, filled with raw portrayals, extraordinary OST, and comical moments, My Mister is a bittersweet drama that serves as a blueprint for adulting.
So, six years after its successful release, on today’s date, we should definitely give it a rewatch to understand the joy, pain, and overall intricacy of human physiology.
My Mister is available to stream online in India through Netflix.
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