A Love To Kill

On a rare free Saturday (May 17), I was sick at home with no voice and wondered what I would do. I looked at my pile of pirated DVDs and found A LOVE TO KILL, a Korean drama starring Rain. He was the only reason I’d bought the DVD. Actually, I have a greater fascination for Ju Ji Hoon (must be his aloofness), the leading Korean actor in Princess Hours. It’s just that when I’m in a group of Korean-crazy girlfriends, I hear never ending compliments of Rain from Ohnie, for example. Then, I wondered what Rain really had that made her behave like a love-struck teenager again. We’re women in our late 20s and early 30s caught in this wave of popular Korean dramas. …so how come we’re not watching our own dramas? It’s very simple really.

Perhaps, there’s too much “darkness” in the stories we see on local television. Filipino acting skills have become predictable, boring, usually relying on emotional appeal etc. Relationships generally speak of violence and complications bordering on adultery and infidelity. Then, what do Koreans offer…? Simple, pure love where the family is basically still intact or members of the same family are fighting together to maintain unity; happiness throughout the seasons and in all shades of colour; hope for a better life than what we are living, breathing, and seeing around us. There is nothing wrong in idealism because it is only what mankind fails to give or do since it would take much of a person’s will and faith to do what seems to be the impossible. Now, if you are someone like that, then I take my hat off to him or her.

My heart cried when I finished the last episode of A LOVE TO KILL. I cried that I had to take an extra breath. Maybe I hadn’t taken enough of my Vitamin B Complex J Call me a silly girl but I was also sick at the time; someone who wasn’t in the mood for another tragedy. Like everyone else asking Fate, I asked how she could be cruel for the millionth time? My Rain, Ohnie’s Rain! Humans can have so much pride or is that ego? Did we have as much a millennium ago? Why did 2 lovers have to die in each others’ arms in the cold? The director’s effort for a theatrical climax could have been better interpreted so that even if it were a parting of two people who were meant to be with each other, the audience would understand why it had to be the case. Perhaps, I would have felt better had the drama been called A LOVE TO KILL FOR. I have to give Rain credit for his acting skills that have improved since Full House with Song Hye Kyo. If Ohnie didn’t have someone in her life, I believe Rain would have been her main pursuit. I like to look up to him for the way he maintains himself physically. He can well afford it but it takes dedication and love that many don’t possess.

I’m 33 this month hoping that most can say I look great! Last year, I was in Korea and jumped off Daegu Tower for my birthday. It was the scariest gift from my Korean brother-in-law whom I’m proud of for being the good husband he is to my sister and good father to Sowon. Korea is another adventure. Con and I plan to study Korean culture next year for at least 6 months granted we have the financial capability. It is unfortunate that the Korean government does not recognize that Filipinos can be just as good if not superior to the Americans when it comes to learning and teaching the English language. For my niece who needs to be surrounded by family who love her, I have tried applying to various companies in Korea who will have nothing to do with me because I’m not Canadian, British or Australian. I may not have wealth nor the colour of a Caucasian but I have education.

However, all is not lost. The girls and I remain fans of Korean dramas. That takes some kind of dedication if I may add. Rain inspires my girlfriends. Rain inspires.

(posted 18th May, 2008 in MySpace)