Engineering fate.

It’s a bittersweet ending. If only, the husband had understood that the wife was his inyeon, and not a mistake.

On the surface, this show is about a woman (Cha Jung Sook) having a second chance at life after surviving liver failure and a cheating husband.

It is, also, more subtly a social commentary about one's level of maturity and philosophies of life.

(1) A person can be childish regardless of their high educational level and social economic status. Both Seo In Ho (the cheating husband) and Choi Sung Hee (the mistress) are respected professors of medicine and from a family line of doctors. They also own properties and hospitals. Yet, both of them (and Seo’s mother) are often seen behaving childishly and in a frivolous manner. Seo is literally a joke throughout the show – all comic relief comes from him. Cha and her mother, on the other hand, are from a lower economic status, and have had a tough life. Their reactions to adverse situations are often calm, collected and almost dignified.

(2) The clash between Western and Eastern philosophies of life: masters of one’s own destiny versus inyeon in Korean or yuanfen and mingyun in Mandarin which can be loosely translated as fate or providence. Seo, Choi and Roy Kimberley (Cha’s liver surgeon) are all Christians and educated in US. They embody a Western view of life – that one can and should seize the day and create one’s own destiny. Cha, on the other hand, isn’t religious but practices Confucius teachings. Here, the philosophy is that there are no good or bad situations, because these situations do not occur in isolation, instead they are part of a series of situations in past, present and future lives. For example, a good situation now may be followed by a bad situation now and then by another good situation in a future life. Therefore, instead of good and bad, its ebbs and flows in the universe that fulfils various needs and gives valuable lessons. The encounters between two people are part of this ebb and flow and are fated. For example, Cha and Kimberly are fated to meet because Cha needed expertise, and Kimberley needed a stoic friend. That is not to say one cannot go against fate. For example, a relationship may be fated to end, but the people involved can hold on, e.g., Seo and Choi. However, this engineered fate disrupts the natural ebbs and flows and create new pathways that are harder to bear – kinda like a dam that can no longer hold. Being masters of one’s own destiny can result in engineered fate.

Read More