Presentation
Korean Title: 안녕? 나야!
Aired in: 2021 (16 episodes)
Channel: KBS2
Grade: 9/10
Actors: Choi Kang Hee and Kim Young Kwang
For more…
Choi Kang Hee:
– 7th Grade Civil Servant
– Good Casting
– Protect the Boss
– Queen of Mystery 1&2
Kim Young Kwang:
– The Secret Life of my Secretary
– Pinocchio
– The Man Living in our House
– Room No.9
Dramas about younger selves:
– The Best Hit
– Reunited Worlds
– 30 but 17
– 18 Again
Analysis
Synopsis
Ban Ha Ni is a 37-year old single woman, who feels responsible for her father’s death 20 years ago. One day, she is transported to the hospital after an accident. When she wakes up, she is lying next to her 17-year old self, who is bright and full of life. They try to send Young Ha Ni back to her timeline.
My Opinion (No Spoilers)
This drama was actually quite nice. I liked it because it is the kind of drama that you really can watch without caring too much, there are no extravagant plot twists and the story is quite basic. Yet, it remains a real feel-good drama, which emphasizes the importance of accepting and loving yourself.
If you wish to spend a nice moment in front of a drama, Hello, Me! is definitely worth the shot!
Analysis (Spoilers Alert)
Characters:
Ban Ha Ni (Choi Kang Hee) is a 37-year old woman, she is single, doesn’t care about her looks and is working part-time in a supermarket. She seems to be constantly confronted with difficult life situations (unfair dismissal, accused of causing a child’s hospitalization…). Apart from that, there appears to be a certain distance, or should I rather say resentment towards her, within her own family. Though her mother and grandmother live in Daejeon, her older sister treats her like a housemaid and is most of the time begging her not to cause any trouble. Later on we discover that this tension is due to Ha Ni’s father’s accident 20 years ago. Indeed, Ha Ni dreamed of becoming an idol despite her parents’ (especially mother’s) disapproval. After a secret audition, Ha Ni’s parents dragged her out from, the family takes the father’s taxi to go back home. As the argument reaches its peak, a capricious Ha Ni suddenly rushes out of the car, in the middle of the road, under the pouring rain. When she is about to be hit by a truck, her father pushes her away from danger, taking the hit instead and dying on the spot. Since then, Ha Ni’s life is turned upside down.
She shuts everyone out, resents herself for having caused her father’s death and punishes herself (unwillingly of course) by leading a rather unhappy life. Though she doesn’t realize at first that she is herself responsible for her own predicament, the mysterious arrival of her younger self in her life opens up her eyes.
Young Ha Ni (Lee Re) is indeed almost the perfect opposite of the older one. She is bright, full of life, full of dreams, determined and self-confident. While Older Ban Ha Ni’s self-esteem has reached rock bottom, Young Ha Ni glows. Eventually, her joyful personality helps Older Ha Ni realizing that she can, and she has to, stand up on her own two feet once again and let go of her guilt.
Han Yu Yeon (Kim Young Kwang) is the son of CEO of Joa Confectionary. Despite his title, he is an immature and irresponsible young man, spending away his father’s money. When his father Han Ji Man (Yun Ju Sang) discovers he is sick, he decides to shake off Yu Yeon’s world and force him to grow up. After numerous attempts, which led to some funny situations and unexpected encounters (especially between Ha Ni and Yu Yeon), Yu Yeon eventually understands that it is time he takes control of his own life and finds a purpose in life. Of course, this realization wouldn’t have been possible had he not met Ha Ni.
Both characters actually get to know each other in a rather unexpected way. Ha Ni has been fired from her part-time job, while Yu Yeon has been thrown out of his own house by his father. Though they don’t know one another, Ha Ni accepts to lend Yu Yeon money in order to help him. He promises in return to reimburse her fully, statement that she doesn’t believe at first. Over the course of the drama, they become friends and by the end, they have found in the other a real pillar, a shoulder to lean on and an attentive ear to listen. It is even more enjoyable, when we know that Yu Yeon and Ha Ni have in fact known each other since childhood. Ha Ni rescued him while he was being bullied and her father lent him a warm hand at his mother’s funeral, a gesture Yu Yeon has never been able to forget.
I really thought that Ha Ni and Yu Yeon’s romance was so sweet and cute. Both share a lot of qualities such as kindness, sincerity, attentiveness. Yu Yeon is probably of one the purest character I have ever seen: he doesn’t judge Ha Ni, doesn’t care about their age difference, doesn’t flinch a bit when she tells him she has a daughter (who is actually Young Ha Ni), continues to woe her while never being forceful, encourages her and respects her opinions. He is very genuine, even towards his cousin Yang Do Yun (Ji Seung Hyun) and his own aunt Han Ji Sook (Baek Hyun Joo), who try to steal the company away. As if nothing had happened, he rapidly forgives them, hoping they would also forgive themselves and moves on. At the end of the drama, it is clear that he has matured and that all of his adventures turned him into a more grown-up being, who understands the importance of family and is finally willing to act in order to protect it. He becomes more assertive, while remaining a cute, funny and full-of-life character.
The second couple of the drama was also quite solid in my opinion. Oh Ji Eun (Kim Yu Mi) and Do Yun stood together, with a few ups and downs in-between, and were a united and yet warm-hearted front. Each one wanting to protect the other and preventing him/her from getting hurt.
Naturally, the characters were quite romanticized, embodying positive qualities, always forgiving, good, loving and caring. A bit unrealistic yes, but very feel-good to watch!
What are the themes tackled?
Accepting yourself: The main theme that was present throughout the drama was the importance of accepting yourself. Ban Ha Ni’s situation naturally called for an emotional story as well as a liberating ending. Little by little, she is able to re-take her life into her own hands, she accepts herself, gets rid of her guilt regarding her father’s death, forgives herself and is being forgiven by her family (especially her grandmother, who has dementia and in a lucid moment confesses she doesn’t hold her responsible). From the outside, it also seems as if Ban Ha Ni manages to break free from her shackles, going through a total makeover, cutting her hair (because that is naturally the signal for fresh starts!), dressing better, finding a job and liking it.
While Older Ha Ni undergoes her transformation, Young Ha Ni also matures in the drama. She realizes that life is not always what we want it to be, unexpected events can happen and we can’t have control over everything, even if that thing is yourself. When she finally manages to go back to her timeline, she has gained a lot from the experience and is willing to accept her future, whatever it will be, emphasizing the fact that the only thing she wishes for is for her future self to be happy.
For Yu Yeon, this entire adventure allowed him to get closer to his father, to understand that people grow up and that at some point you have to be the one responsible for them.
Finally, Anthony (Eum Moon Suk) an actor, whose career experiences ups and downs, is able to come to terms with himself as well. When he was younger, he used to go to Ha Ni’s high school and had a crush on the “goddess of the school”. After having been hurt by her, he decides to tell the teacher that she has gone to an audition during school time. All of this led to a series of events ending in a tragedy: Ha Ni’s father’s death. After that, he lost contact with Ha Ni and felt a huge part of responsibility and guilt. He underwent surgery as well to change the face he didn’t like and became an actor to find Ha Ni again. It is only 20 years later that he is able to confess his implication in the accident, which Ha Ni forgives right away.
By the end of the drama, Anthony puts an end to his acting career, opens a small tteokbokki and helps bullied students, when need be. He has at last made peace with himself.
The drama ends on a bright and positive note, delivering a hopeful message. Indeed, Ha Ni coincidentally sees a variety show with her old crazy neighbors saying: “You’re doing well. You’re the most magnificent star in your life. That is if you refuse to give up and get back on your feet again”. A message that could be applied to anyone, anytime.
Break free from the past/Move on: Closely related to the above topic, this one is also very developed in the drama. It starts by showing how a single life event can totally wreak havoc someone, change his/her personality and have a lasting impact on her/his life. If the reference to Ban Ha Ni’s life was not enough to make you understand, now it should!
The crossover between past and present enabled Ha Ni to accept herself and to move on, without forgetting anything. She and her family overcomes their grief and Ha Ni finds her true happiness. You may actually remember the meaning of the lily of the valley (flower on Ha Ni’s keychain), well simple, it means to find your true happiness. Parallel to that, we also get to know that Ha Ni’s father is the one who sent Young Ha Ni to the present one, so that she would smile and live again. To that meaning, Ha Ni and Yu Yeon add that of the lettuce: A new beginning. If this is not enough to make you understand the message of the drama, I don’t know what is.
Ethical company: Aside from this encouragement, I really thought that the drama did very well at depicting a rather ethical company. Once again, it was very romanticized, but it was still nice to encounter a company with a good CEO, who really cares for his consumers and employees and not just about money. He reminded also several times of the purpose of his company – that is bringing joy to people through snacks – emphasizing once more time the impact that a single thing (food in that case) can have on someone’s life. Employees were quite happy to be working for Joa Confectionary as well, from the kitchen staff to the Development Team, happily executing the morning dance routine.
Though the internal strife between family members at the company was not original at all, I liked the fact that it didn’t prevail over the characters’ story. Who wants to work for Joa Confectionary now?
Plastic surgery: This theme wasn’t very developed but I find it important to remind that plastic surgery shouldn’t define someone or his/her personality. To some people it can be life-saving, while to others it appears superficial.
Family ties through difficult times: In the background of the story, some relatively sad and strong topics were tackled too. Many characters suffer from sickness (Yu Yeon’s father becomes blind, his mother dies of cancer and Ha Ni’s grandmother has dementia) or go through difficult medical procedures (Ji Eun and Do Yun have gone through IVF without much success and Ji Eun happens to have a difficult pregnancy when she is finally with child). All of this added some gravity to the humorous and light-hearted done, which anchored the drama even more in our actual days and life struggles.
Bullying at school and its consequences: The dire consequences of bullying, either for the perpetrator or for the victim, only arrived in the last episodes of the drama. Anthony is a celebrity who has bullied in the past many of his schoolmates. Years later, they decide to talk, which allows them to alleviate their burden, but destroys at the same time Anthony’s career. At the end of the drama, Anthony repents, asks for forgiveness and he eventually retires, as he realizes that he has made many suffered. I really appreciated the fact that they tackled that topic to be honest, especially when we consider the current debates involving actors (like Ji Soo) as well as idols. It is important to educate the young minds and raise awareness, so that bullies are punished for their actions and victims protected from them. I would even add that you never know what tomorrow is made of and your violent past can resurface anytime and damage your life. Consider yourself warned!
Title explained: The title is a reference to Ha Ni writing in her journal to herself. That scene occurs at the beginning and end of the drama, bringing closure to this crazy adventure, with of course a little twinge.
P.S.: Can you reproduce the Joa morning dance routine? Ha Ni’s squid dance?
Once Upon a Drama 