Jaewon Breaking Through The Fog Of Depression [LONG POST]
So throughout the last several episodes, we’ve got Jaewon, and the reactions of the various people around him, trying to get him out of his funk one way or another. Let’s go through the list of failures, before we discuss who succeeded:
Taehyung. I’m not gonna waste any word count on that man, he doesn’t deserve it. He had no idea what Jaewon was going through much less why, so nothing he said was helpful or relevant. He was the one person actively trying to instigate Jaewon, thinking he’d banter back and not realizing how serious he considered the situation. Taehyung’s lack of empathy and ‘nunchi’ makes him unpalatable.
Eunji. She’s an interesting one. Unlike Taehyung I think she understood more of why Jaewon was so affected (not because of his past but because of his present with Jihyun), but was afraid that she would lose him so she manipulated him in his vulnerable moments so that they stayed together. She kept trying to tell Jaewon that he was fine now in an attempt to convince him that he was, when in fact that probably just invalidated his feelings more than ever. Instead of encouraging his recovery it just made him feel misunderstood and alone.
Jihyun. While Jaewon trusts Jihyun and knows that Jihyun knows him, he can’t believe a lot of what Jihyun says to him because he KNOWS that his opinions are biased. Jaewon may be thinking that Jihyun is saying what Jaewon wants to hear, not that he actually means it, and so Jaewon is automatically disinclined to believe him. He wants to believe him so badly but he’s convinced himself that there’s no way that Jihyun truly believes what he’s saying. Isn’t that the worst part.
His Therapist. I know she means well, she’s the one other person who knows everything about Jaewon. But her job is to try and ‘cure’ him to the best of her abilities, and sometimes in trying to do that she missed what needs to be done. It’s unclear whether she’s being able to treat the symptom or the root issue. She tells Jaewon what he needs to do, but that’s easier said than done, otherwise he would’ve done it by now. Her telling him isn’t the point, he had to come to that conclusion by himself so that he believes it, before acting on it. It didn’t help that she was getting so visibly frustrated at his story and his reactions.
Now. Who succeeded? It’s the most expected and most unexpected persons around Jaewon:
Yoonwon. Yoonwon is probably Jaewon’s one true friend, someone who knows what he’s like and doesn’t judge him for it ever. He genuinely cares for her and loves her. They’ve absolutely got each other’s backs, and if there’s one thing these two do it’s never lie to each other. Seeing Yoonwon break down after Jihyun gave his ultimatum was probably the first time we saw Jaewon get out of his depressive trance and react with energy. His hubris is his desire to take care and protect those around him (often to his own detriment), and that instinct kicks in for Yoonwon. Until now, Jaewon did what he thought was best to prevent Jihyun (or anyone else) from getting hurt, but seeing her he realized that people were getting hurt despite, or even because of what he was doing. It was the first step of many towards his change in attitude and perspective. What he was doing was not only not helping but it was actively hurting someone he loved, so something had to change.
Restaurant Ahjumma. She’s a legend, she’s an icon, and she is the moment. Jaewon only knows her as a close friend of Jihyun, but has nothing personally connected to her. Even with leaving out specific details, he’s able to share his worries with her, and she (quite literally) smacks some sense into him, reminding him to look at the bigger picture and remember what’s actually important. Loving the ones you love, and pursuing your own happiness is more important to living than drowning in guilt, and taking care of yourself is the first step in that direction. She used the most simple of words that everyone understands to help Jaewon clear his mind. She knows nothing about Jaewon and he finds there’s a comfort in getting support from someone who doesn’t know you and had no opinion of you beforehand. Her combined street smart wisdom and maturity remind Jaewon of a more hopeful future.
What I absolutely love is how Jaewon only managed to connect to two women for entirely opposite reasons, but with a similar result. Jaewon believes Yoonwon because they know each other so well and he knows she wouldn’t lie, and he believes the ahjumma because they don’t know each other at all and as someone Jihyun trusts she has no reason to lie. While on opposite ends of the spectrum, they are both people that Jaewon doesn’t have to put up a mask around, there’s no pretention. It tells us so much about Jaewon, what he values in a person and in a relationship. Yoonwon makes him realize what he’s doing is wrong, and the Ahjumma gives him the courage to do what is right.
To stop running away from what scares him…
…and face it head on.
40 notes
·
View notes