Edited by Seo Hayne
Translated by Yu Jin Kim
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A guaranteed happy ending always brings smile to viewers. After experiencing a series of turmoil, the protagonists finally confirm their feelings and the obstacles between them slowly fade away. KBS’ 2017 drama, Fight for My Way, depicts the growth and romance of youths who proudly walk their own path without giving into the eyes of the world. Although the characters go through countless difficulties, they eventually reach a happy ending. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at why Fight for My Way is the best classic K-drama with a happy ending.
Characters You Can’t Help Rooting for
Go Dong Man (played by Park Seo Joon) and Choi Ae Ra (Kim Ji Won) are ordinary young adults who spend their days in vain doing work they are not passionate about. Dong Man was once an aspiring taekwondo player, but he gives up his dreams due to a tragic incident and earns money by doing physical labor. Although he never talks about his feelings, he seems to have had a traumatic experience involving sports. Ae Ra has always dreamt about becoming an announcer since she was a small child, but she ends up working at an information desk at a department store where she has to repeat the same phrase every day. One day, she almost became an in-house announcer at the department store where she works, but her plans eventually fell apart as she became the scapegoat of office politics. She looks strong on the outside but has unspoken wounds on the inside.
One day, and ironically around the same time, the two feel fed up with what they’ve been doing and decide to follow their dreams. Dong Man begins working out again for the first time in ten years since he stopped practicing Taekwondo. He soon becomes a mixed martial artist and takes on his first fight. Reports say that Park Seo Joon was actually trained by an actual Road FC player, and perhaps because of that, he successfully delivered some brilliant action scenes as well as the inner struggle Dong Man goes through in the ring. Meanwhile, Ae Ra passes her announcer exam after quitting her job at the department store. She then strives to become an announcer specialized in broadcasting martial arts sports. As the story progresses, viewers cannot help rooting for the two as they greatly resemble the youths in reality who live their lives harboring unbloomed dreams in their hearts.
The Power That Makes the Typical Subject Convincing
Ae Ra and Dong Man have been friends since they were young and have been living next door to each other after becoming adults. Whenever things don’t go as planned, they eat and drink together to wash away their worries. The drama shows how the two besties slowly develop their feelings for each other through an incredibly realistic and candid lens. For instance, the scene where Kim Ji Won does ‘aegyo’ (refers to a cute display of affection) is regarded as the most memorable scene from the show. Here, Ae Ra behaves in a cute, flirtatious manner in front of Dong Man, who seems to be surprised by her change in looks as she dresses up nicely to attend her friend’s wedding. The friends becoming lovers trope is used in countless rom-com series. However, the reason the drama didn’t seem lame is all thanks to the actor’s great performance, which made the story all the more realistic and believable.
Meanwhile, the drama also portrays Kim Joo Man (Ahn Jae Hong) and Baek Sul Hee (Song Ha Yoon), who have been dating for six years, going through a seven-year itch. The main couple’s story of falling in love with your opposite-sex friend flows well with the sub-couple’s story of facing the difficulties that root from getting too familiar with each other.
The Non-Conventional Romance and the Witty Humors
For each episode, the drama presents an epilogue at the end, which gives an unexpected twist far different from other rom-coms’ flows. The drama entertains viewers by revealing the lines or scenes that remained as cliffhangers in its previous episodes. For instance, an epilogue shows what happened after Ae Ra asked Dong Man, “Do you want to have ramen in my place?” where they just sit and have ramen together while watching a soccer match. The line, which offers another person to have ramen at their place, first appeared in movie One Fine Spring Day. The phrase is meant to let whoever you’re asking to know that they’re welcome to come over to their place and that you’ve put your guard down on them. The protagonists who act exactly based on what is said give enjoyment to us as it breaks free from the typical flow of rom-coms. Thus, Fight for My Way delivers a refreshing pleasure that we haven’t experienced before.
Editor Seo Hayne: I like actors as they faithfully lead through their long running-time. I also like idols who accomplish everything on stage within 3 minutes.
