Gone Bonkers On It's Okay Not To Be Okay

Watching an ongoing drama is a pain because only 2 episodes are aired every week ... and I have to wait and wait for the story to unfold. The waiting would go on for the next 7 weeks, because normally a k-drama is made up of 16 episodes which would be aired within that time frame. When the story is gripping, waiting becomes torturous. On the other hand the, watching an ongoing drama gives you that time to think about the story deeply, to reflect on the plot and the characters, to come up with various theories to explain the plot and perhaps even predict what is going to happen next!  

Currently, there is a k-drama that is really good. Titled It's Okay To Not Be Okay (IOTNBO), it tells of a story of a caregiver and a storybook writer. The caregiver is portrayed by actor Kim Soo Hyun, whose casting itself has caused a lot of buzz. It's his first leading role on tv in 5 years, not to say, his first major work after returning from military service. Hence, lots of his fans anticipate this drama.This is my first KSH drama and he's converted me into a fan ever since the first ep. For one, I just cannot get over how good he looks on screen. Aside from his unbelievably good looks, he acts very well, I must say. Meanwhile, the storybook writer is portrayed by actress Seo Yea Ji. She’s familiar to me since I've watched her in Hwarang and Lawless Lawyer. She does seem to be a great actress. I do like her a lot. Here in IOTNBO, her character is dressed up in outrageous outfits and she looks gorgeous! 

Aside from that, I liked the use of fairy tales in the story - like Rapunzel, Bluebeard, Red Shoes, Beauty and the Beast and other originals like Zombie Kid and Spring Dog. The themes and motifs of these stories are tied to the development of the plot and the characters, so that is really interesting. 

Anyway, it's been 7 episodes and I'm totally obsessed with story and so I've been posting daily on my social media platform. There's too much to say in a single blog post and I don't even know where to start.

So our protagonist, Moon Gang Tae (GT) worked as a caregiver at a psychiatric ward. And he had an elder brother Moon Sang Tae (ST) who was autistic. GT had been caring for his ST since young, after their mother passed away. He had always resented it but was too afraid to admit it. GT and ST never settled down at one place for more than a year. ST was haunted by the butterflies which he saw kill their mother. When butterflies appeared, it was time for the brothers to move away to another town. 

Ko Moon Young (MY) was a children's book who was diagnosed with ASPD. Her mother had disappeared when she was a child and she was estranged for her father. One day, GT and MY met at the hospital he worked at. At the time, she hurt him with a knife. He recognised her as the girl who saved his life when they were kids. But, she thought he was pretty and wanted him to be her safety pin, i.e. someone who could keep her under control. 

By this time, he and his brother had moved back to Seongjin City, their hometown. He worked at OK Hospital. And in her red shoes, she went after him. Seongjin was also her hometown, in fact. Her father, who suffered from dementia was a long-term resident at OK Hospital.

GT found MY uncomfortable because she pinpointed his deepest desire - to be free from his brother so he could live his own life. MY, on the other hand, seemed obsessed with GT. She was going to get him to move into her family home. 

So she went after his brother. ST was good at drawing and was a fan of MY. So they signed a contract whereby he would be the exclusive illustrator of her new book. He would move into her house and work from there. GT was mad about his arrangement, but because he could not abandon his brother, he was forced to move into the house as well. 

As they stayed in close proximity, he discovered that she had sleep paralysis and often had terrifying nightmares of her mother. And he was in the process of helping her overcome it. Meanwhile, GT himself was also healing from his deep resentment towards his late mother and his brother. He had always thought his mother loved his brother more. But in fact, she was forced to care for his brother more because he was special. It did not mean that his mother loved him less. 

This drama took me on a roller coaster of emotions every episode. I've barely scrapped the surface in this brief synopsis of the story ..... but I shouldn't say so much here. I'd recommend everyone to watch the show on their own so as to enjoy the story fully. :))