November 6, 2022

Our Take: A poetic drama that touches your soul

The Premise

My Liberation Notes centers around three siblings, Yeom Mi Jung (Kim Ji Won), Yeom Chang Hee (Lee Min Ki), and Yeom Ki Jung (Lee El), who all live together in the rural town of Sanpo, Gyeonggi-do with their parents and commute to Seoul every day for work, which is a couple of hours away. From the start, it's clear that all three siblings are frustrated and unhappy with their lives.

The youngest, Mi Jung, does not love herself, which in turn, causes her to feel that nobody loves her. From an outside perspective, she comes off as reserved and quiet, almost invisible. Because of her insecurities, she is hypersensitive to people's perceptions of her and rarely speaks up about her true thoughts and emotions, even to her family and close friends.

The eldest, Ki Jung, is highly critical and judgmental of other people, including her love interests. As a result of her high standards and pessimism, she ends up dealing with the possibility of being single and alone as she grows past her prime to marry. Thus, she sets an ambitious goal to fall in love with anyone this winter and get into a steady relationship as soon as possible.

Chang Hee, the middle child, struggles with his financial status and his family's lack of wealth and privilege. He is convinced that his life would turn around if he only had enough money and a car. He views having a nice car as a status symbol, a gateway to more freedom, and eventually, a better, more fulfilling life.

While all three siblings are considerate and kind people, they're wallowing in self-loathing and bitterness. They attempt to channel their resentment towards people they hate to cope with their feelings of emptiness, but it only suffocates them even more. Despite their parents' best efforts to support the family and take care of everyone, the siblings often feel unsupported and misunderstood.

But things take a turn when a mysterious man, Mr. Gu, settles in town and gets a job at their father's shop. Initially, Mr. Gu comes off as a hopeless alcoholic who spends all his free time drinking his days away. But, it's later revealed that he was extremely wealthy in Seoul and lived a lavish lifestyle - one that the three siblings can only dream of. With the arrival of Mr. Gu, the four of them embark on a journey to liberate themselves from their mundane and unfulfilling lives.

"Love Isn't Enough. Worship Me."

As Mi Jung reflects on why she's languishing, she comes to the conclusion that it is because she does not feel loved by anyone. She goes to Mr. Gu to make an atypical request. She tells him that love isn't enough - she wants him to worship her. Usually reserved for deities, to worship is to look up in high regard. Unlike conventional love, which often involves expectations, she asks for unconditional love, respect, and support.

As the series progresses, Mi Jung reveals that in her past relationships, "I was looking for someone who would make me look like a better person. Even with all my picking and choosing, I never fully supported him. I wanted him to be more successful than I was, but not too much. I’ve never given my everything to someone or vice versa."

Mr. Gu never nag hers or probes her about her past. Instead, he gives her space to voice her concerns and respects her for who she is. In return, Mi Jung does the same for him and gives him the freedom to forgive himself for his past mistakes. Together, they cheer each other on, learn to love and accept themselves, and keep each other from sinking.

The Liberation Club

At work, Mi Jung gets forced to form a club with two of her colleagues, Jo Tae Hoon (Lee Ki Woo) and Park Sang Min (Park Soo Young). After being pressured by HR to be more social, they create the Liberation Club as a last resort. The goal is to attempt to understand why they feel stuck in their lives and figure out what they want to get liberated from.

During their meetings, they speak honestly about their innermost thoughts and feelings while the other members observe and listen without judgment or giving advice. As they reveal their most intimate thoughts, they realize that they want liberation from their feelings and behaviors caused by societal pressures and trauma.

What I loved most about the Liberation Club was the ethos behind the club. Each member agrees to be honest and not pretend to be happy or unhappy. Only by realizing the need to be honest with themselves were they able to start the lifelong process of healing and find happiness.

In my personal life, taking time to process my negative feelings and admit that I've felt unhappy and exhausted for a long time has allowed me to be one step closer to figuring out what brings me joy. What I thought would make me happy ended up causing me high levels of stress and anxiety instead, so I've been learning to take things slower and trust my intuition. While I don't know what the future holds, I've been more proactive recently in finding my liberation and figuring out what a fulfilling life looks like.

Acknowledging Your Desires

For the longest time, Chang Hee dreamed of living in Seoul and securing financial stability to escape his monotonous life. After accidentally finding the keys to a Rolls-Royce in Mr. Gu's bathroom, he begs him to let him borrow the car. In this moment, he acknowledges his greed and rusticness, but gets exactly what he's been longing for all this time.

Afterward, he becomes much more gentle to his coworkers and starts finding sparks of joy in his life. But, while driving the car around, he acknowledges that it does not belong to him and he does not feel quite right in the car, which eventually causes the car's effects to wear off. He realizes that having money and status doesn't automatically fix everything wrong in his life, so he starts looking inward to figure out what he wants.

Facing Your Past

When Ki Jung finds her heart heading towards Tae Hoon (Lee Ki Woo), she initially tries to brush off her feelings out of fear of being hurt and due to his family's complicated domestic situation. She later reveals how inconsiderate she had been when she was younger with previous suitors and was afraid that the same thing would happen to her. When she finally musters up the courage to confess to him, she initially gets rejected.

But, as they get to know each other more, Ki Jung learns to be vulnerable and more compassionate towards others. She acknowledges that while she may not have the swoon-worthy, perfect romance she was initially aiming for, that's perfectly okay. She has found someone she's willing to wait for and one who accepts her for who she is.

Fighting Your Demons

Due to pressure from people in his past life, Mr. Gu is eventually thrust back into his old lifestyle as a Host Club manager and runs away from Mi Jung. Because his job demands extreme ruthlessness, he reverts to his self-destructive ways to cope with his loss of humanity and mercy while on the job.

When he meets up with Mi Jung several years later, he asks Mi Jung if she can listen to his story and return the favor. With her newfound confidence, Mi Jung helps Mr. Gu learn to value himself and find happiness in the simple things in life, even if it's just five minutes a day. He decides to give himself another shot at a better, more fulfilling life.

Life Isn't a Fairytale and That's Okay

While the show does not end with straightforward, happy endings for anyone, it's implied that they are all striving for a better, happier version of themselves, one step at a time. Liberating ourselves from things that hold us back takes time, and life does not always work out the way we want. But we can still find hope and joy in the small things along the way, and keep moving forward.

Final Thoughts

My Liberation Notes was a slice of life, slow burn that strived to answer philosophical questions about what a meaningful life looks like and breaking out of a monotonous and unfulfilling life. For some, the show may come off as too slow or boring. But if you are looking for a drama with realistic and relatable characters, I highly recommend giving My Liberation Notes a chance.