This K-Drama on Netflix is an anthology series of different loves and lives of a group of friends on the beautiful Jeju Island.
The 20-episode Netflix series finished airing last June 12, 2022 and concluded in a myriad of both tears and laughter. After the tears in the prior episodes, the characters came together with smiles of contagious joy for the finale. I will not deny that I, too, was grinning like a fool with the group of friends.
This series is not a light show on romance but a series of real-life struggles and the reality of living past your prime and youth. Our Blues is the stark reality for workers who have outgrown the frills of careless living and are now bearing the weight of real-life responsibilities.
The Netflix Series came to a close, and a glimmer of hope about a brighter future sparked a small fire in my heart. Even with all the ups and downs faced by the characters, my heart was encouraged to float through the waves of my own blues.
“There is one thing we must remember in our lifetime. We weren’t born in this world to suffer or feel miserable. We were born to be happy.”
– Our Blues, 2022
Warning Spoilers Ahead!
The series opened with the life of this bank manager, Choi Han-su, who is drowning in debt to meet the financial demands for his daughter’s promising career in golf.
He moved back to Jeju Island, his hometown, from Seoul to cut his living expenses. The move was to channel most of his income for the training his daughter needed in the United States.
In the process, he bumps into a childhood love interest and former classmate, Jeon Eun-hui, who considers him her first love.
As these two were navigating their early forties, they stumbled into a blast of the past. Painful realities of their respective futures and the current struggles they faced pulled them back to reality.
In the end, Han-su finally accepted that his daughter outgrew her golf phase, and he no longer needed to struggle.
Eun-hui realized this love was of the past, and her singleness brought her the success she enjoyed and shared with the people she cared about.
Both may not have attained what they originally wanted, but they moved on with a better understanding of who they are and what they stand for.
Though painful, they went home with joy more precious than their initial desires.
The series then moves on to the lives of their friends from that small village on Jeju Island.
These characters have overcome hurdles to make ends meet and provide more than a decent life for the people they love.
Even after some of these characters have gained success in their respective fields, they still grappled with personal hurdles and life issues like you and me.
All these characters operate on desires and goals surrounded by thorns and blocked roads. They were faced with the decision to avoid the obstacles altogether or go through the hurdles and even, at times, fall short.
The struggles in the series touch on so many issues we could all relate to one way or the other.
We all struggle with life.
We all have blues hidden from the public eye.
Personal issues, pain points, childhood baggage, and emotional struggles haunt everyone. These we may sweep under the carpet or try to overcome.
At the same time, we are juggling these blues with the demands of life and survival. We balance the pain with reporting to an office, smiling at our neighbors, getting along with colleagues, and meeting deadlines.
For the longest time, I struggled with my own blues. These blues have even caused unfavorable life decisions—check out my post about decision-making here.
Throughout my short life, there were days of elation. I was genuinely happy, not in the least bothered by my issues.
But there were also days when the weight of my baggage would bear down without mercy.
It may not be debilitating for me, unlike some, but I coped with distractions. I pushed the feeling aside with useless frills, procrastination, and feigned hard work.
Looking back, I know I could have done much better with my work and academics. Sadly, I did what I could to get by and operated on feeling good.
I hid behind books, movies, TV series, relationships, and mindless scrolling.
If someone asked me how I was when still with the Bank, I would smile and say ‘okay’. Deep inside, I would have cried, I would have told them I was not happy. I would plead that all I wanted was to be happy.
Instead of finding ways to help my situation, I never allowed myself to dwell on it.
After the bad days, I would bounce back to a mindset of productivity filled with a burst of energy for new projects. I would be invigorated with the drive to start new ideas or return to something I left hanging for months (even years).
And the cycle goes on.
I know I am not alone in my struggle.
Just like the characters in Our Blues, each one bears a cross.
We have seasons of sunny days, and seasons of downpour. Even in a thunderstorm, the sky will clear, and the clouds will part.
Time would be unbearably painful but sometimes too fast for us to store in memory. We may hold on to dreams that crash and burn around us and build bridges that do not work out for us.
After all the mess, blue skies will once again be overhead. Maybe even a hundred moons may shine down on us lighting the way to a better future ahead.
Disclaimer: All media from the series fall under “Fair Use”. No copyright infringement intended.
Busyzi 