Itaewon Class: Find me a Park Saeroyi

     So after Hospital Playlist, I decided to take a break from bingeing on K-dramas as I was afraid I might start speaking Korean in my dreams... Then my OT sister suggested I should watch Itaewon Class if i wasn't looking for a mushy lovey-dovey romantic K-drama... which I did... And I fell hook, line, sinker for Park Saeroyi... No, I don't have a crush on Park Seo Joon (the actor who played Park Saeroyi) and I did have a wee bit of a problem with Park Saeroyi's bowl cut (or chestnut cut)... But I've never been one who is so shallow as to judge a guy from his hairstyle...

     I know this might cause an outcry (maybe even a boycott) from every female, but I really do prefer Park Saeroyi to Ri Jeong Hyeok (although I'm still in the process of getting over my Hyun Bin crush)... I love Park Saeroyi for his resolute determination... from sticking to his principles and integrity... to not giving up in reaching his goals and ambitions... Despite going through a series of unfortunate events... from being expelled from high school for standing up against a bully, to losing his father in the hands of the said bully, to ending up in jail for assaulting the same bully...

     He had a high school crush, Oh Soo Ah, who ended up working for his enemy's company... He told her that he liked her but she told him not to fall for her and that she will only date rich men... So he was determined to become rich... But of course his first and ultimate goal was to destroy his enemy, Jang Dae Hee and his son Jang Geung Won (who killed Saeroyi's father)... Anyway, Soo Ah probably liked Saeroyi too... But she made her life decisions which prevented her from being with Saeroyi... She thought Saeroyi's feelings for her would never change, which was why she took it for granted and prioritized her goals over him... 

     Enter Jo Yi Seo into Saeroyi's life... I must say this female protagonist was initially quite antagonistic... She brought nothing but trouble to Saeroyi... but through their interactions and unexpected encounters, she realized her psychotic/ sociopathic self was actually capable of having feelings for a person of the opposite sex... I even like how she stole Saeroyi's first kiss... And I loved how she told Saeroyi that she will help make his dreams come true... And how she was betting her life on him... And that she would destroy the ppl who messed with him... Indeed, who knew having a woman with psychopathic/ sociopathic tendency who is obsessively in love with you would be beneficial to your business development and success...

     I loved how the Itaewon Class team consisted of various misfits who all came together and became like a family... But I supposed if you had a boss like Park Saeroyi, you would even die for his cause... Saeroyi is one of such rare character who really walked the talk and never compromised his integrity and always valued his people... There's no way you wouldn't trust your life with him... from his ex-cellmate gangster Choi Seung Gwon, the transgender cook Ma Hyun Yi, the bastard child of Jang Dae Hee, Jang Geun Soo to the 'foreigner' black half Korean Kim Toni, Saeroyi saw the potential and value in each of them...

     Although Park Saeroyi was the leader every team dreamed of having, I must say that the true brains were really Jo Yi Seo and Lee Ho Jin (the high school kid who was the bully victim of Jang Geung Won)... Jo Yi Seo was the brilliant manager whose social influencing and marketing skills propelled Danbam to fame and success... And Lee Ho Jin was the genius hedge fund manager who helped turn Saeroyi's millions into billions... I think I need a genius hedge fund manager for myself too...

     I know this would unlikely happen in real life but I was so happy when Park Saeroyi finally realized that he was in love with Jo Yi Seo... Although he was probably already in love with her even from the beginning... But because of his sense of loyalty to his high school crush Soo Ah and also his sense of loyalty to his 'brother' Jang Geun Soo (Geun Soo was in love with Yi Seo), he felt that he couldn't have feelings for Yi Seo... At least in this drama, the girl who gave her everything for the guy got the guy in the end...

     There are only 3 kissing scenes between Saeroyi and Yi Seo throughout the drama which made all the romance between these 2 socially inept beings all the more sweeter and heart-warming... There was a scene in the final episode where Yi Seo asked Saeroyi if he liked her... He answered, no, I love you... It's probably lame and cheesy coming from any other guy... But coming from Saeroyi, I wouldn't mind hearing it a thousand times... 

     I do wonder, if I've been living my life like Oh Soo Ah or Jo Yi Seo... Regretfully, I think I've been more like Oh Soo Ah... But I supposed I've never met a Park Saeroyi... So I've never felt like I could bet my life on anyone... So here's a take home message from Itaewon Class: if you ever met a Jo Yi Seo in your life, be a Park Saeroyi to her and never lose her no matter what you do... and if I ever find a Park Saeroyi in my life, I'll be a Jo Yi Seo for him... I'll definitely bet my life on him and help him make his dreams come true...