Still Shining

Presentation

For more…

Overview

Synopsis

Yeon Tae Seo is a subway train driver. He is well settled in life and lives by the day. One day, he reunites with his first love, Mo Eun Ah, whom he met when he was 19. Eun Ah works as a manager of a traditional Korean guesthouse. Yeon Tae Seo was also her first love.

My Opinion (No Spoiler)

Before you decide to start Still Shining, I must warn you that this drama is not for everybody. First of all, it’s a character-centric drama. The entire plot revolves around the leads, their emotions, lives and relationships (and I insist on the plural). This makes the drama captivating if you’re fully immersed into their story. However, many people will also find it slow and boring. There’s no action per se, the action is characters’. I tend to really like this kind of dramas because they are compelling, authentic and just truthful, especially when they tackle relationships and I was really embarked at first. The romance between Tae Seo and Eun Ah was beautiful to see, as each brought something to the other. They relied on each other at difficult moment of their lives which was moving. However, this drama also highlights how timing is important in a couple. All along, it feels as if both characters are fighting against circumstances and the tragic of their existence in order to get together. Not going to lie, I felt so much empathy and pain for them. They were really struggling, but trying so hard to hang on. Moreover, they’re introverts, not the best at communicating which adds another challenge. If it were just that, I would’ve rated that drama a 10/10. However, I felt like the story was running in circles by the end of the drama. The last two episodes had nothing left to offer, as they were constantly using the same dynamics/issues to tell the couple’s story. This bored me a little and disconnected me from the magic I felt at the beginning of the show. Nevertheless, I’d recommend the drama if you like this genre. Side note also, but Park Jin Young’s acting just wowed me. He was so credible!

Analysis

• The timeline
  The first encounter
  The first break-up
  The reunion
  The second break-up
• Importance of timing
• Yeon Tae Seo, self-reliance
• Mo Eun Ah, independence
• The open ending

The timeline: The romance between Yeon Tae Seo (Park Jin Young) and Mo Eun Ah (Kim Min Ju) spans over a decade in the drama. It all starts in high school and ends when characters turn 30. Despite time and distance, each one yearns for the other, never truly forgetting the love they once shared. This slow-burn angsty romance is melancholic, nostalgic, poetic and proves that life doesn’t always go the way you want it to.

The first encounter: The story starts in the small town of Yeonwoo in 2014. Tae Seo has just been transferred to his new high school. Admist the hot summer, he meets Eun Ah. Their first encounter is marked with tragedy. Both characters are at the lowest point of their lives and struggle to hold on. On the one side, Yeon Tae Seo has lost both his parents in a car accident, while Eun Ah’s father attempted to commit suicide. Both are in pain, struggling to overcome their fears and insecurities. They also have at heart to achieve their biggest dream: self-reliance for Tae Seo and independence for Eun Ah. By being together, they bring comfort, solace and warmth to the other and push each other to live a better life.

The first break-up: Considering how deep their connection runs, the couple stands strong for 2 years. This is the best time of their lives, but the relationship slowly starts to fall apart when in college. Tae Seo is busy running everywhere to study and earn money, while Eun Ah is pursuing her dream of interning in an hotel. They barely have time to see each other. So Eun Ah breaks up with Tae Seo over the phone. She’s not able to align her career ambitions with her relationship, so she’d rather put an end to it. Yeon Tae Seo is devastated, but accepts. The only issue with this break-up is that circumstances tore them apart, not the lack of love. On top of that, they didn’t really say goodbye to each other. They just hung up the phone like they’d do for any other conversation which makes the breakup unreal, if not unfulfilled. I think this is the root of their yearning for each other. They still love each other to much, but the situation they’re in at the time doesn’t allow for their romance to continue.

The reunion: Parallel to their romance in the past, we follow characters ten years later. They’re now adults, but end up reuniting at the second worst time of their lives. Yeon Tae Seo is juggling between his job, his passion, his studies and his responsibilities towards his aging grandparents, while Mo Eun Ah is the victim of a house scam that stripped her from her guesthouse and livelihood. Once again, they bring warmth and comfort to each other and even try to envision a future together. But new external obstacles come their way, threatening their fragile reconnection.

The second break-up: The pressure of life eventually leads to a second breakup. Yeon Tae Seo can’t give up his role as head of the family. His plan has always been to go back to Yeonwoo and take care of his grandparents and disabled brother. Meanwhile, Mo Eun Ah doesn’t feel at ease in South Korea anymore. She wants to go back to Hawaii where she was the happiest, surrounded by her stepmother and step-grandmother who consider her family. Overwhelmed by pain, Yeon Tae Seo instigates the break-up on the phone, just like Eun Ah did ten years ago. However, the couple is now more mature and able to understand the reasons why they have to let go of each other. They have a final talk and a last goodbye. Nevertheless, the ending suggests that the door is still open. Knowing how much these two love each other, we can only hope that stars will finally align for them and they’ll reunite one more time.

Importance of timing: This drama is perfect to highlight a crucial detail in any kind of relationships: timing. Despite the love Tae Seo and Eun Ah have for each other, it seems like their paths never really merged into one. Instead, they overlapped for a short period of time before diverging in opposite directions. In college, Tae Seo was in no position to give more time to Eun Ah. He barely had time to sleep. Mo Eun Ah’s head was also elsewhere. She dreamed of adventure, leaving her small town and discovering the world. Their ambitions and desires were just not in line with one another. Ten years later, it seems like Mo Eun Ah is ready to settle down in Seoul when she meets Tae Seo again. But reality is that she’s running away and completely lost. As for Tae Seo, he’s about to leave the capital to go back to Yeonwoo. Again, they miss the right timing.

Yeon Tae Seo, self-reliance: Yeon Tae Seo broke my heart. I only wished to embrace him and hug him throughout the entire drama. Not to mention that Park Jin Young’s acting performance was incredible. He made his character so alive. I could feel his pain. After his parents died in an accident and is brother became disabled, Yeon Tae Seo became his family’s pillar and only support. His grandparents and brother had a lot of expectations for him and Tae Seo also worked hard to repay his debt. Therefore, he carries the burden of his entire household. Everyone relies on him but never seems to realize that he too is struggling to survive. In high school, his only dream was to become self-reliant. Now adult, he’s managed to support himself and can send money to his grandparents. I was stunned by the resilience and strength of this man. He was working, helping his family, while pursuing his passion: carpentry. I was amazed to see that despite all the difficulties life threw his way, he navigated them with dignity and was able to find his own happiness. By the end, he’s even found a new desire to switch jobs and test different types of trains. That way, he can stay closer to his family. Yeonwoo has always been his final destination and though he’d like to be with Eun Ah, he’s conscious that he can’t compromise on the location. In a way, I felt really empathetic towards Yeon Tae Seo. He’s always the person people call when they have a problem, he’s always patiently waited in the ICU for the doctors to give him news about his family, he’s been lonely, afraid and sacrificed himself for others. I could feel how much he was drowning and hoped he too would be given a little of peace.

Mo Eun Ah, independence: Eun Ah’s happiest time of her life was in Hawaii. She had a job she liked, was free from her hometown and also liberated from the fear of losing her father. Her stepmother was taking care of him, while she was spending time with her step-grandmother who loved her like her own. Her lived was turned upside down after the death of her father and she entered a new winter. On top of that, she got estranged with her stepmother, blaming her for the loss of her father, and lost her peaceful job and stability at her guesthouse in Tongyeong. Mo Eun Ah’s dream in high school was to be independent. She wanted to run away from Yeonwoo because this would mean that she’d not have to fret for her father’s life. She got it for a short time and lived a carefree life, but went back to square one when her father succeeded in ending himself. This brought her old demons back to the surface. On top of that, she was ousted out of her own guesthouse. In a blink of an eye, she lost all her ties, her home, her stability and independence. When she meets Tae Seo again, she’s able to breathe and regain peace. His presence helps her make up her mind and decide what she wants for herself. At the end, she goes back to Hawaii where she’s felt whole and at home. Moreover, she gets her independence back.

The open ending: The ending is open, casting doubt on whether Tae Seo and Eun Ah will ever rekindle the flame. But above all, it sheds light on another important message. Despite the bad things that can happen to you, you need to keep on shining. No matter the shadows and obscure times, there’s light at the end of the tunnel, in other people, in the world and in yourself. Just find it and follow it.