Reflection of You

Presentation

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Analysis

Synopsis

Jung Hui Ju grew up in a poor and ruthless environment, but she is now a successful painter, married to a wealthy man with whom she has two children. However, she feels that her life is meaningless. One day, she meets Gu Hae Won. She is poor and reminds Hui Ju of herself when she was younger. Yet, she shines brightly. Their lives become entangled, for the better and for the worse.

My Opinion (No Spoiler)

Interestingly, that drama captivated me as much as it upset me. Despite the negative feelings I had towards most of the characters, I was fascinated by the intrigue. I couldn’t help watching Reflection of You, episode after episode, while highly anticipating the ending. From the very beginning, it is quite clear that things are going to turn sour, but the plot is written in such a way, that you just NEED to know how relationships develop and eventually end.

If you wish to see a drama that is definitely up for debate, then I suggest you take a look at this one!

Analysis (Spoiler Alert)

Characters: Jung Hui Ju (Ko Hyun Jung) is quite the complex character. As it is sporadically mentioned throughout the drama, she has had (with her brother) a tough upbringing. Her parents were not good ones, forcing her to endorse the role of the mother and breadwinner of the family. Thus, she had to fight all her life, learn to be strong and sometimes ruthless towards others. Contrary to her brother, who has been protected and sheltered by her, Hui Ju has developed a habit of following her own desires and get what she wants without thinking about the rest.

Now happily married (or so we think) to a wealthy man, it seems that Hui Ju is still not satisfied with her life and struggles to find meaning in it when she first meets Hae Won. Their encounter will precipitate their respective falls, both in different ways. Indeed, through Hae Won, Hui Ju meets Seo Woo Jae, another art student, supposedly in a relationship with Hae Won. Despite that, they start a passionate but dangerous affair, that will take them all the way to Ireland and its secret safe house. For Hui Ju, it is the beginning of the end. After giving birth to her son (her second child Ho Su), raised for a time by her lover, she realizes that she can’t abandon her family and stable life like that. She decides to put an end to the affair and return to Korea. Exactly at the same time and without Hui Ju’s knowing, Woo Jae is hurt in a car accident and disappears. Like that, Jung Hui Ju goes back to her normal daily life of a married woman, who now starts a career as a painter.

However, years later her past catches up with her to the point that it will devour her, her life and her future. Indeed, as I was watching the drama, I constantly felt as if Hui Ju was playing a role, putting on a mask (her fake smile is proof of it) and refusing to let go of anything. She wanted to have it all and her pride wouldn’t let her apologize to the people who deserved it the most. One episode after the other, I started to develop a lot of resentment towards Hui Ju. I thought her to be a hypocrite, a liar and selfish individual, who didn’t want to give up either her comfortable life or her lover. In the end, her indecisiveness resulted in her losing everything and worse, causing harm to her family (especially her daughter Lisa).

In my opinion, Hui Ju’s two main defaults are her pride and her greed, both causing great torment and suffering to everyone (herself included). First, her greed is the reason why the affair took place. She was looking for meaning in her life because she couldn’t be satisfied with what she already had. She needed more and she had it. But it all came with a price. When Hui Ju realized that, she tried to turn back time and reset. Yet, the harm was already done. That’s when Hui Ju’s pride comes into play and creates even more problems. Indeed, she doesn’t want to take responsibility for what she did, she never apologizes (like genuinely) and refuses to confess her wrongdoings. She doesn’t own up to her mistakes. For example, even if Hae Won’s behavior is questionable, I still would have expected a sincere apology or some regret from Hui Ju towards her. Let’s not forget that she knew that Hae Won was in love with Woo Jae and potentially in a relationship. Hui Ju was also aware of the fact that Hae Won and Woo Jae were going to leave for Germany together to study and that they were about to get married. Whether or not there was love between them, it would be more than normal to expect that a friend wouldn’t start an affair with your man/man-to-be/husband-to-be. It was definitely not correct from Hui Ju. But what made matters worse, it that she never revealed anything to Hae Won, (maybe for fear of being judged?) and instead left with Woo Jae, without saying anything to Hae Won. She betrayed their friendship, like big time.

Even after all this time, she refuses to recognize that the way she acted was wrong and cowardly. Instead she reverses the situation, turning Hae Won into the bad person and accusing her of harassing her and destroying her bliss. Hopefully, at the end of the drama Hui Ju is cornered. She has only one choice left: leaving in order to protect her daughter (whom by the way has killed Seo Woo Jae). For her children, Hui Ju disappears. This event is probably Hui Ju’s most selfless act in the entire drama, giving her a more human side, a maternal one. On top of that, Hui Ju escapes her web of lies and frees herself from the past by doing so. She goes back to living a peaceful life without greed. She somehow goes back to the person she was before (she was a nurse before getting married), but who has grown up and matured after having experienced life.

Settings and Hui Ju’s freedom: This freedom and liberation is embodied by the difference of settings in the drama: In Ireland, Hui Ju and Woo Jae were living in a vast landscape but there were alone in a house, isolated from the real world. Later on, Hui Ju and her family were prisoners of a gated neighborhood, that resembled a prison. All the settings were stuffy. At the end, Hui Ju works and leaves for another vast space, but among people, which emphasizes her transformation.

Gu Hae Won (Shin Hyun Bin) is Hui Ju’s reverse reflection. When Hui Ju was at her worst, Hae Won shined the brightest. But after the betrayal, Hae Won became as dark as night, while Hui Ju has evolved into a successful painter and happy woman.

In a sense, Gu Hae Won is the incarnation of revenge. She wants to make Hui Ju and Woo Jae pay for what they did to her and what better way to do it than by making them experience the same feelings as her: bitterness, hate, resentment. However, Hae Won is so keen on avenging herself that she forgets she can also inflict pain on others, innocent and collateral victims. The first incident that occurred in the drama for example is proof of that. Hae Won teaches art at school and ends up beating Lisa (Kim Soo An), her student. The underlying reason is two-folded: first, it enables Hae Won to meet Hui Ju again. Second, it allows her to indirectly harm Hui Ju, by wounding her child. Same goes for Lee Ju Yeong (Shin Hye Ji), Lisa’s school friend. Gu Hae Won manipulates Ju Yeong’s father and uses him to attack Hui Ju’s husband. For these reasons, Gu Hae Won can’t be considered as a victim. The compassion goes as far as betrayal is concerned. Yet, she remains rational throughout the drama. That is to say that she is probably the only one in the drama really aware of her actions and their consequences. She knows that what she did (manipulation, violence…) is bad, but she does it anyway, as a sort of compensation for her own suffering.

I personally felt pity for Gu Hae Won. She had been through a lot (miscarriage, abandonment, betrayal, suicide attempt…) and was simply trying to find a way to stand up on her own feet and overcome the trauma. Nevertheless, she didn’t understand that she was also the one responsible for her demise. She entrapped herself in an invisible prison (that of her past) and continued to dwell on previous events, instead of moving forward. Yet, considering her personality, she never would have been able to move on without getting back at Woo Jae and Hui Ju, the only way to appease her wounds.

By the end of the drama, she manages to get the upper hand in her relationship with Hui Ju. Knowing that Lisa has killed her ex-husband Woo Jae, Hae Won blackmails Hui Ju and gets her to leave quietly. The revenge is thus complete and the cycle of torment comes to an end with that final act. On top of that, Hae Won is stabbed by Ju Hyeong’s father but eventually survives. Thus, she is able to start from scratch. She has succeeded in getting rid of both Woo Jae and Hui Ju, allowing her to free herself from her past and start anew. The final episode suggests that she has become a promising painter, who holds an exhibition in Seoul and that as Hui Ju’s chapter comes to an end, Hae Won’s begins.

Seo Woo Jae (Kim Jae Young) is literally day and night. At first, he appears to be caring, affectionate and really apologetic towards Hae Won, when he wakes up from his coma with no memories of his past. From the very beginning, we tend to side with that kind and loving character, who seems confused and lost. He is desperately trying to understand the underlying resentment coming from Hae Won and Hui Ju, but can’t grasp the gravity of the situation. That’s why he tries to act as a wall between both women in order to limit the damage done. Because of that innocent attitude, Hae Won becomes the bad guy in the story. She is constantly poking him, attacks him and has him marry her publicly.

However, things change when Seo Woo Jae gets his memory back. And with it comes a real shift in his personality. The loss of Hui Ju and his son (Ho Su, whom he has raised but not conceived), the abandonment, the attempt on his life by Hui Ju’s husband, all of these events resurface brutally and turn him into an obsessive monster. Impulsion, selfishness, recklessness and obsession are, in my opinion, Woo Jae’s main defaults. He wishes to possess and control Hui Ju. That’s why when she refuses, he loses it and tries to kill her. This also leads to his murder, that somehow is the trigger of everybody else’s freedom. Indeed, Woo Jae’s murder forces Hui Ju to flee her family; it enables Hae Won to start anew and literally frees him from life. It was a necessary death for the greater good in the end.

Last but not least, Ahn Hyeon Seong (Choi Won Young) is not your typical husband either. He too, becomes obsessed by Hui Ju. He knew from the get-go that she was having an affair, and wasn’t even sure that Ho Su was his biological son. He forgave her anyway and got rid of his rival by putting him in a coma after a car accident. But Hyeon Seong suffers from insecurities, well buried at first but that unleash little by little. The more Hui Ju is involved with Woo Jae, the worse it becomes for Hyeon Seong to actually accept the fact that he is losing his wife. Worse, he is losing her to a poor, aspiring artist, when he is a wealthy man, who can provide her with a good life.

Once again here, betrayal, impulsiveness and pride get the best out of Hyeon Seong. I was actually really upset for him because I could see that he truly loved his wife, he was loyal and faithful towards her, and wished to protect his family above all. That’s actually what he does at the end. When Hui Ju pretends she has fled with Woo Jae (who is actually dead), Hyeon Seong first looks for her but gives up in the end. He chooses his children over her. That decision is an open road to freedom, since he is able to escape that toxic love triangle/square. However, he bears a lot of resentment, which can only mean that he will also take revenge on Hae Won and Hui Ju, if he learns they have lied to him.

A portrayal of human nature: All in all, Reflection of You is excellent at depicting human nature, its worst vices and of course the terrible consequences that come with them. Among these vices stand: greed, obsession, manipulation, lies, betrayal, revenge. In a sense, the drama is a good way to ponder about ourselves and our behaviors as human beings. What would we do in that situation? Whose team would we be on? What would we feel? How would we react? Would we make the same decisions? There is no right or wrong answer to that, since the entire plot is up for debate. Still, this drama is a good way to be entertained and to reflect on life, its ups and downs and our respective behaviors.

What are the themes tackled?

The world of paintings: The connection between all characters lies in art, and more specifically in paintings and sculptures. Here, art is an excellent red thread that gradually unravels the story until the tragic ending.

For example, Hui Ju’s paintings are colorful and full of life. A distinctive trait that is the result of her encounter with bright Hae Won and passionate Woo Jae. More than that, most of the things she actually draws are mementos from her past. The painting showing the Irish landscape is a trigger for Woo Jae, Hae Won and even Lisa in the discovery of the affair. Even better, the family portrait that Hui Ju starts painting in the first episodes is tainted by Woo Jae’s blood at the end. Just like Hui Ju and Woo Jae, it burns in the oven, as both characters fall into the fiery pit.

Finally, sculptures are also quite relevant in the drama. They are the reflection of Woo Jae’s mind. Solitary and alone, just like Woo Jae at the end; grey and repeatedly broken, exactly like Woo Jae’s black and white personalities and broken heart.

A metaphoric, symbolic and clever use of art!

Colorimetry: We talked about settings and arts, but colors also need to be tackled since they bear a certain importance in the drama. A great one indeed! Until mid-drama, Hae Won is constantly wearing a green coat that was offered by Hui Ju, while the latter appear often in flashy colors like red. For Hui Ju, it is easy to associate these colors with her self-confidence, passion and of course blood, announcing beforehand the ending.

As for Hae Won, the choice of color is explained in the drama. Indeed, green is a combination of yellow and black. So, a color that links together Hae Won’s previous self that shined brightly, and actual one that has darkened. At some point of course, Hae Won decides to burn the coat, symbol of her friendship with Hui Ju but also of the contradictory forces within her. This gesture is a first step towards her freedom.

To highlight colors, there is also a game with lights that comes into place in the drama. Hae Won’s apartment with Woo Jae and his art studio are often very dark, isolated and cold. Moreover, Hae Won is often hiding in the shadows, looking and spying from afar. On the contrary, Hui Ju is always in the spotlight and her studio is lit by a fire and several lights. This is another symbolic representation of their opposition.

Ireland and its mysteries: Sligo and Ireland in general is put at the core of the plot. It contains all of the puzzle pieces needed to understand characters’ motivations in the present. From the get-go, Ireland is a place of escape, it is supposed to be a land of love and passion but it slowly turns into a nightmarish country. Cliffs, rain and darkness are witnesses of characters’ entanglement: it is where Woo Jae and Hui Ju left; where Hyeon Seong tried to killed Woo Jae; where Woo Jae gets his memory back. All in all, Ireland holds everyone’s deepest and darkest secret.

As if this were not enough, it seems like nature and the cultural details in the show add to the emotional roller coaster. What better way to suggest a passionate love (and an affair) than to mention Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights? Exactly what Seo Woo Jae does towards Lisa to indicate her that he and her mother are somehow involved. And what better detail to remind Lisa of Ireland than heath (also a reference to Heathcliff, a character in Brontë’s book), this iconic Irish plant that she saw a long time ago?

Obsession and its consequences: I think by now, it is pretty obvious that all characters are somehow obsessed with each other: Woo Jae and Hyeon Seong are obsessed with Hui Ju, same for Hae Won, who is also obsessed with Woo Jae. This naturally leads to a disaster, as expected: Seo Woo Jae is murdered by Lisa, as she tries to help her threatened mother.

Secondary storylines and themes: What I particularly appreciated in Reflection of You is the fact that the secondary storylines were as important as the main one, although they didn’t necessarily impacted the intrigue. Introducing secondary characters, who were interacting with the main ones, was a brilliant way to make the latter more human and to reveal another side of them. On top of that, each secondary narrative introduced a new realistic topic, that deserved some voice.

Hae Won’s mother, the barman and scam: Hae Won’s mother (Seo Jung Yeon) is the opposite of her daughter. She had her at 16 and remains immature and reckless. She always gets involved in petty crimes and over the years, Hae Won was forced to assume the role of the adult. She has never gotten real support or advice from her mother, which can explain why she had so much trouble standing back on her own feet. The reason behind is that she found a pillar in Woo Jae. She considered him an ally and was finally able to rest a bit until the betrayal. When he left her without a word, she ended up all alone, without the support she needed. She was emotionally deprived, hence the difficulty for her to move on. Fortunately for her, she had her grandfather.

However, Hae Won’s mother grows up throughout the drama to the point that she is almost a responsible parent. She discovers that she has destroyed indirectly the life of her barman-friend because of a scam she introduced to his late wife. She apologizes, assumes her responsibility and finally acts as a grown-up for once.

The sister-in-law and domestic violence/abuse: Revenge can defintely exist under very different forms. For Hyeon Seong’s sister An Min Seo (Jang Hye Jin), it materializes as a sign of fate. Indeed, her husband is a manipulative, cold and abusive man. Thanks to Hui Ju, he is badly injured and becomes handicapped. That event completely changes Min Seo’s situation. She is now able to escape domestic violence, but even better she now has the upper hand on her husband and can treat him the same way he treated her. Meanwhile, she deploys her wings and finally stands up to her mother, by explaining that she never seemed enough for her and that she was sick and tired of having to face her permanent disappointment. A good and satisfying revenge for Min Seo, who takes over the family hospital.

Lisa and bullying, self-harm: Like most of her family, Lisa is also obsessed, but with her only friend Ju Yeong. She thinks that because she is rich, she has the right to bully her. Yet, when Ju Yeong refuses to condone and accept her attitude anymore, Lisa’s world crumbles. On top of that, she discovers her mother’s affair, which leads to a crazy outburst and rage. I felt sympathy towards Lisa despite her insolent and disrespectful behavior because she is technically just a teenager, who is growing up and trying to understand the world around her. She is mentally unstable to the point that she inflicts harm to herself. Her parents are incapable of hearing her cries for help because they are too focused on their own problems and relays her to the background, when she should be the center of their attention. A poor kid in the end, who is forced to make a terribly decision for the sake of her parents and because of their mistakes and indecisiveness.

The grandmother and her obsession for her grandson and affairs: No surprise here, yet another member of Hui Ju’s family who is obsessed with something. For the authoritarian and cold grandmother (Kim Bo Yeon), it is sons and affairs. As a woman who has been scorned by her husband’s affair, she made the latter experience Hell on Earth for the rest of their marriage and his life. Since then, she has had but one obsession: making sure that her children, especially her son, don’t go through that as well.

To make matters worse, she never really appreciated her daughter-in-law. She also treated her badly, seeing in her a poor opportunist who dared to seduce her son. The only thing she has ever been grateful for was that Hui Ju had a son. To that, the grandmother applies simple logic: Hui Ju stole her son from her, therefore she has the right to steal Hui Ju’s. And that is the ugly truth in the drama. The grandmother has a fusional relationship with her grandson to the point that he feels more at ease with his grandma than with his mother. A reality that Hui Ju seems to nonchalantly accept.

Ju Yeong and her drunkard father: This storyline highlights the weight of parents in their children’s future. Ju Yeong is poor, her father doesn’t care about her and only thinks about getting drunk all day. Therefore, Ju Yeong’s only way out is to hold tight onto the hand that Hae Won reaches out to her. Sadly, her only chance forward is to cut ties with her father, who is easily manipulated and used in Hae Won’s scheme. A sad but accurate reality.

Hui Ju’s brother and his dead friend: Last but not least, Jung Seon U (Shin Dong Wook), Hui Ju’s brother. He is definitely an essential character, not only for Hui Ju but also for Hae Won. Thanks to him, we get to see more human and compassionate sides of both women. But, he also bears his share of pain. Indeed, he lost a friend in an accident he was responsible for. Since then, his friend’s mother treated him like a criminal and refused to let him go. Yes, I know, another entrapped character, stuck in the past. Fortunately for him, he finally moves on and leaves for the States where he can start from scratch. He is also Hae Won’s confident throughout the drama and her protector. If there is to be a second season, I truly hope their romantic involvement will continue.

Ending: The ending of the drama shows all characters free of their past and/or their torturous relationships. In the last scene, Hui Ju is lying down near the lake in which she threw Woo Jae’s body. Lost in her thoughts, she suddenly hears a bell ringing. Is it a message from Woo Jae from the afterlife?

Moreover, Hui Ju’s voice off narrates the final moments of the drama, as she explains that her chapter is over and that Hae Won’s is just starting. Will we have a second season to discover that new chapter? No information yet, but I really hope we will see more of that story!