With the development of social standards and interest in equal rights, the Caste system that was dominant in all social groups for a long time has slowly and subtly disappeared into history. The international community as a whole has matured to value “fairness,” which is the factor that comes up in most modern conflicts. However, there has been issues on whether the idea of difference in social background has really disappeared, and the topic is quietly but aggressively presented in the Korean drama, Understanding of Love.
Understanding of Love is a romance drama from the Korean broadcasting system JTBC directed by Cho Yeong-min, based on Lee Hyuk-jin’s original novel with the same title. The drama is set at one of the branches of KCU Bank, where the four main characters each do not only work hard for their future careers but also work fiercely to “understand” their partners and the love relationships that happen both publicly and secretly within the small and tightly-knit bank.
Jeong Jong-hyeon (Jeong Ga-ram) pours his stick of coffee mix into a paper cup, while Ahn Su-yeong (Moon Ga-yeong) hand-drips her cup of coffee into her mug. Meanwhile, Ha Sang-su (Yoo Yeon-suk) adds a Nespresso capsule into his coffee machine, and Park Mi-gyeong (Kum Sae-rok) warms her De’Longhi machine to have her morning dose of coffee. Just through the four consecutive scenes of characters making their own morning coffee, the drama presents the different social strata the four people are part of. Jeong is the security guard of KCU Bank, Ahn is a contract employee, Ha is a regular section chief, and Park is acting chief of the bank, and of course, a regular worker.
Surprisingly, this is not the only scene that ironically presents the difference between the four main characters. The drama subtly but certainly emphasizes the difference in social status between the four characters through what they wear and eat, where they live, how they speak, and what choices they make.
This difference is also the main obstacle, and sometimes the catalyst, of the complicated romantic relationships present throughout the drama. Ha and Ahn give up their public relationship due to their different social classes and inferiority complexes despite being star- crossed lovers for years. Jeong has no power or courage to stop this secret relationship despite his official and sincere relationship with Ahn, and Park does not understand Ha who is trying his best to give up his relationship with her to move to Ahn.
Although the drama’s main theme is romance, I believe it has moved a step further to point out the problems undercover in a typical Korean community. The characters cannot be simply divided into good or bad, but rather show reasonable actions based on their own values even when going through the diverse and dynamic conflicts. The important actions they make does not only draw the past and present of characters, but also gives a hint of what they will choose next and where they will be when the story of the drama ends. The themes and conflicts are controversial but realistic at the same time, providing a chance for the viewers to think deeply again about the influence of social background in today’s society.
So, how do we understand love in the 21st century? Would you choose love to give up so much you have achieved in this competitive society? And, is love even something we can understand?