Presentation
Korean Title: 멀리서 보면 푸른 봄
Aired in: 2021 (12 episodes)
Channel: KBS2
Grade: 9/10
Actors: Park Ji Hoon, Bae In Hyuk and Kang Min Ah
For more…
Bae In Hyuk:
– My Roommate is a Gumiho
– The Spies who Loved Me
– XX
– Cheer Up
Kang Min Ah:
– True Beauty
– Beyond Evil
Park Ji Hoon:
– Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency
– Weak Hero Class 1
Analysis
Synopsis
Yeo Jun, Kim So Bin and Nam Soo Hyun are students at the same university. Each of them experience friendship, love and various struggles, as they navigate through their youth.
My Opinion (No Spoiler)
Though the drama is quite different from the actual webtoon, At a Distance Spring is Green remains an excellent coming of age drama. I really loved its slow pace and the blossoming feelings between characters. It was a poetic ode to youth under all its forms, whether you experience it through pain or love.
I am also really happy that the drama gave more space and importance to friendship rather than love interests, proving that people you have by your side during your journey are the ones that stick for long. Plus, the drama is only 12-episode long so don’t hesitate to check it out.
Analysis (Spoiler Alert)
Characters: At a Distance Spring is Green is portraying the lives and struggles of 6 young college students, who all seem to have a common point: they all are lonely characters. Indeed, they have either had some familial issues and/or have to stand up on their own feet to survive. Each of them embodies a new facet of loneliness and manages in the end to overcome it through making connections.
Yeo Jun (Park Ji Hoon) is probably one of the most complex characters of the drama. Though he comes from a wealthy background, he has huge burden to bear. Like the saying goes: “Money doesn’t bring happiness”. In order to understand Yeo Jun’s personality, I guess it is important to dive into his childhood. Indeed, the more we learn about him (or more like the more he accepts to reveal about himself), the more we discover how terrible his family is. His father is a successful businessman who has anger management issues and lashes out at his family (wife and children included) to “blow off some steam”. Yeo Jun, his mother and older brother Jun Wan (Na In Woo) all suffered from domestic violence and abuse. On top of that, Yeo Jun was constantly compared to his perfect brother and naturally, belittled when his efforts, no matter how great they were, didn’t pay off. Yeo Jun was thus both mentally and physically abused. As a result he mostly cut ties with his family (he moved out of the house and resented his older brother), while still trying to please them and be accepted by them. Yeo Jun is the kind of character that compensates his lack of love and affection from his family with those of his friends. Unfortunately, this leads to him having shallow friendships based on money, especially with Han Jung Ho (Lee Woo Je), Oh Cheon Gook (Yoo In Soo) and Park Hye Ji (Shin Soo Hyun). At the beginning of the drama, the trio takes advantage of Yeo Jun’s desire and need to receive love and pushes him to spend money for them. That’s why, he is called the “school ATM”.
However, Yeo Jun discovers after a time that this kind of friendship is not real and even better, he meets other people Nam Soo Hyun (Bae In Hyuk) and Kim So Bin (Kang Min Ah), who not only appear to be as lonely as he, but are also willing to strike a friendship with him without condition. Neither of them is waiting for a financial gain and accept Yeo Jun for who he really is.
Kim So Bin, who becomes later on Yeo Jun’s girlfriend, has been in a one-sided love with her childhood best friend for 14 years. They get along very well, but Hong Chan Ki (Choi Jung Woo) doesn’t appreciate her feelings and, in a way, also takes advantage of So Bin. Indeed, he continues to take her for granted, despite knowing her feelings for him. By the end of the drama, Yeo Jun and So Bin end up together, exactly when Chan Ki realizes that So Bin could’ve been the best girlfriend for him. He recognizes that he has been stupid in his way of treating her. Unfortunately for him, So Bin has moved on and found a reliable person in Yeo Jun.
Moreover, just like Yeo Jun, So Bin has also had her share of unhappiness with her family. Though the drama doesn’t dwell on her past too much, it is pretty clear that she has had a tough relationship with her mother. As a child, she was “abandoned” by her mother (her parents divorced and she lived with her father). So she had to grow up alone with her father. She then met Chan Ki and he became the only person she could lean on. Hence her one-sided love as well. So Bin and Jun are actually quite alike: they both grew up alone and imprisoned themselves in relationships that required them to hide their real feelings. They couldn’t express their emotions, nor communicate their inner turmoil.
Contrary to Kim So Bin and Yeo Jun’s need for love and acceptance, Nam Soo Hyun stands out. He is the perfect opposite, as he is simply looking for a way to flee relationships. Soo Hyun has indeed a lot of problems going on: his poor family background and his father’s death at a young age forced him to become the head of the family. He worked himself to the bone, paid his father’s debt back and currently supports his entire family (his mother and younger brother). Therefore, he juggles between part-time jobs (in which he is clearly ill-treated) and his own studies. Seeing how packed his schedule is, Soo Hyun doesn’t have time for relationships. Apart from Wang Young Ran (Kwon Eun Bin), he has no other friends. That makes him really isolated and lonely. Moreover, his cold and distant behavior makes others dislike him, calling them a “Psycho”.
Despite all that, Nam Soo Hyun learns to open up and rely on others, ask for help and appreciate others’ company, when he meets Yeo Jun (and So Bin also). Their friendship is beautiful to witness and perfectly represent the saying: “Opposites attract”. They say themselves in the drama, Nam Soo Hyun is Mr. Darkness and Yeo Jun is Mr. Light. You can check the last episodes and their group assignment for that, and if you don’t want to watch the entire drama, well characters’ hair color (yellow and black) is pretty much self-explanatory.
Apart from that, their personalities are really different, to the point that they sometimes clash. Yet, they somehow always manage to overcome their differences and help the other question his own attitude. Yeo Jun becomes the clingy friend, who is nosy and desperately wants to be part of Soo Hyun’s life. This way, he forces his sunbae to connect with others, even if it means bickering. The other way around, Soo Hyun provides Yeo Jun with excellent reality checks. He pushes him to admit that his current friendships are unhealthy and empty. His presence also confronts Yeo Jun with his own fears and makes him confront them one at a time.
In-between stands Kim So Bin. Her kindness and patience are admirable, especially towards Yeo Jun. I guess that’s why he feels so attracted to her and eventually falls for her. Interestingly, Kim So Bin kind of has the defects of both main leads. She interiorizes her feelings (like Nam Soo Hyun), while projecting light and brightness towards others (like Yeo Jun) and that, despite her dark side.
Together, they are an awesome and rather atypical main trio, that function perfectly. A match made in Heaven.
Other Characters: We mentioned previously Young Ran (Soo Hyun’s one and only friend) and Chan Ki (So Bin’s childhood friend and crush). They illustrate other types of struggles when growing up and becoming an adult. Young Ran is a strong and loyal friend, who is has had a crush on Soo Hyun for a very long time (7 years) and Chan Ki, like said earlier, realizes too late that he has lost So Bin. In a very unexpected way, they become friends and share their pain. One becomes a shoulder to rely on for the other. Young Ran helps Chan Ki let go and move on, and the reverse is also true. As they seem to get along well, I am pretty convinced that they might end up together. Indeed, in one of the ending episodes, Young Ran does a tarot reading and gets the lovers card. Shortly before, she had met Chan Ki in a medium tent during the university festival. They became buddies after and confidents. Seeing how things are evolving for the both of them, I think their story has in fact just begun.
Accompanying them, there is Gong Min Joo (Woo Da Vi). Just like the others, she is heartbroken. However, her reasons are slightly different. Indeed, she has broken up with her boyfriend, after he had told her she wasn’t involved enough in the relationship. Min Joo also tries to find the right path and to express her feelings adequately. She has a crush on Soo Hyun and confesses her feelings to him, but is sadly rejected. Still, her honesty and sincerity are amazing, turning her into an inspiring and heartwarming character.
I really loved to see how all characters became friends in the end and managed to overcome the hurdles on their respective way. Interestingly, all these hurdles kind of look alike, but each character has his/her own perspective and approaches problems differently. Of course, in the end their determination and resilience win, no matter the approach.
Another very interesting character, and probably my favorite as well, is that of Yeo Jun Wan, Jun’s older brother. Although he appears cold, he has in fact a heart of gold and is willing to do anything to protect Yeo Jun; even if that means being hated and misunderstood. Indeed, seeing how abused Yeo Jun was as a kid, Jun Wan stroke a deal with his father. He accepted to live according to his will, sacrificing his dreams, passions and desires. In return, Yeo Jun’s father would never again beat his younger son up. Yeo Jun would not be his brother anymore, he would be able to live freely.
Though the idea was reasonable and well-intended, the actual situation worsened for the entire family. Jun Wan became a prisoner and Yeo Jun resented his brother while still being abused. I was very glad at the end to see that the misunderstanding between brothers was solved, because they clearly both deserve happiness and freedom. In the end, it was a beautiful lesson of brotherly love and protection, even though communication would have maybe sufficed to make the job.
Finally, the teachers need to be mentioned somehow too. They are both older and more experienced, but still clueless when it comes to life itself and relationships. The coming of age story doesn’t only address youngsters’ lives, but also everyone else’s. Indeed, you never stop learning, growing up and more importantly creating links with others. Still, it was refreshing to see these two professors trying their best to teach their students some valuable pieces of information, they have acquired (sometimes in pain).
What are the themes tackled?
Selfless versus materialistic friendship: The greatest quality of the drama in my opinion, is its capacity to depict very simply the workings of different types of relationships. Whether it’d be love, friendship or even work-related, being able to communicate and express yourself should always be a priority. That’s the reason why, At a Distance Spring is Green explores two main kinds of friendships: one that is materialistic, based on give-and-take, money, gain; and one that is pure, selfless, based on genuine feelings. The former is toxic and often leads to you bottling up your emotions, while the latter makes you grow up, know more about yourself, life and others. That’s at least the case for Yeo Jun, who clearly learns the difference between both, refusing to be seen for what he is worth (financially speaking) and hoping to be loved for who he is.
Soo Hyun is also in the same dilemma: he is very independent and refuses to ask for help. This makes him feel embarrassed and ashamed. Still, with Yeo Jun, he understands that it is fine to ask for help and to trust others as well.
Finally, the last episode is the best epitome of teamwork. In episode 12, the main trio has to work with the rest of the group to present a PR marketing video. The tensions within the group have been over the top and some behaviors (So Bin’s kidnapping by Cheon Gook for instance) led to a strong division. Still, after many well-deserved apologies, the team manages to put aside their differences and to deliver an excellent work. Each of them understood that at some point they were in the wrong, tried to better them and eventually became friends. A valuable lesson.
Brotherhood: Whether it’d be Yeo Jun and Jun Wan; Soo Hyun and his brother, related by blood, or Yeo Jun and Soo Hyun, related by heart; brotherhood is definitely celebrated in this drama. With a lot of warmth, it shows how far love can go between siblings to protect one another.
Domestic violence and abuse: From the very beginning (and as I have mentioned above), it is pretty clear that Yeo Jun suffers from a past trauma related to the abuse he has suffered in his childhood. Though he keeps that for himself at first, he is able at the end to openly talk about it, which is the first step to healing and getting better.
Meanwhile, his parents, but mostly his father, get what they deserve. Interestingly, I thought that the father had turned into such a monster towards his family, because of his inferiority complex and the fact that he valued appearances, status and power over true relationships. Indeed, his own relationships/friendships (cc the dinner scene) are shallow, empty and fake. This eventually led to his need to be flawless and never judged by others. Yet, nobody is perfect, so the children were anyway doomed to suffer from this twisted vision of the world. In the end, the father is the example of how pathetic you become when you can’t lean on and trust others. The result is bittersweet, no one wishes to remain by your side. The father ends up alone, after the mask is finally taken off.
Fortunately, Yeo Jun and Jun Wan won’t make the same mistake and stick together. Also, I also would’ve loved to see more about Jun Wan. I have to admit that Na In Woo’s performance is excellent! His deep and grave tone, as well as his cold expressions and poker faces, perfectly match the character. I sincerely hope that he will also be able to rebuild a life for himself and be free.
Being poor and its consequences: Nam Soo Hyun’s family is poor and it is obvious that the entire family suffers from it. As the head of the family, Soo Hyun had to sacrifice a lot. He did so without a whine and accepted his fate. Though he might seem like he is unshakable, his financial situation is taking a toll on him. He prioritizes his family’s happiness over his, as well as over his health sometimes. It was actually heartbreaking to see the great amount of sacrifices he had to make at such a young age to afford college, a small apartment and even food. No wonder he has no time to date! Hopefully, his encounter with Yeo Jun is a life-changing and a life-saving experience. There is finally light (literally Mr. Light) at the end of the dark tunnel.
Growing up: If you still hadn’t understood by now, At a Distance Spring is Green celebrates youth. Therefore, there are a lot of visible (for example the subject of the team final project is Youth) and hidden reminders of that in the drama (for example Yeo Jun’s apartment complex is called “Youth Villa”). Its goal is to inspire young people to appreciate their youth, to treasure it and to enjoy it as much as they can, before it is too late, without regrets.
The title: I wondered for a very long time as to why the title of the drama was At a Distance Spring is Green. Fortunately for me, the last episode explained it all. Indeed, the idea is that young people seem to be enjoying their lives from a distance. They are studying, dating, living with their parents or enjoying their freedom. From afar, they seem blessed and happy, as well as naive and clueless. They have not yet encountered struggles related to having a family, finding a job, a house, having a debt… Yet, the drama reveals that if you take a closer look at these young people’s lives, it is not as bright as it looks. Indeed, each character in the drama already bears many scars from the past and/or are already confronted with “grown-ups’ problems”. To discredit a famous saying, in that case: “The grass is not always greener on the other side” (a.k.a. other people’s lives), no matter the appearances.
OSTs: Finally, I couldn’t talk about that drama without mentioning the OSTs, especially Punch’s “Bom Bom Bom” (literally meaning “Spring, Spring, Spring”). It is so fresh and agreeable to listen.
P.S.: Did you notice that the Korean title 멀리서 보면 푸른 봄, when translated, refers to a blue spring (푸른 봄) and not a green one?
Once Upon a Drama 