Day*11(.1): Favorite Dialogue

Characters get to say some great things, which we have discovered over previous days in the challenge, from the entire cast. Even the evil stank-eyed second lead usually gets one or two lines that are spot on. However, entire chunks of dialogue are harder to come by. I think for every drama I’ve seen, I could point to an episode or a scene and say, that was the best or jot down a line or two from characters, because it hit the right note in that moment, for that character, for that story.

So, I’ve decided to segment my favorite dialogues to draw attention to that fact. Hope you enjoy!

That Fool (Accidental Couple) is a 2009 drama about a contract marriage between a postal worker and a starlet. The drama was endearing and wonderful, but I credit all this to Hwang Jung Min‘s, Gu Dong Baek. I’m glad that I’ve chosen this piece of dialogue just so, I have a post with his name in it because he was probably the absolute best character of that year!

This bit of dialogue happens in the penultimate episode of the drama and comes  after Dong Baek has declared his feelings for Han Ji Soo (Kim Ah Joong) and asked her to marry him. Unfortunately, she isn’t ready to make that kind of commitment and doesn’t answer him. Of course, the ex-boyfriend makes a crash appearance and Dong Baek moves out, giving Ji Soo space and time to figure out what she wants. And thankfully she does, leading to what I feel is one of the cutest confession/proposal acceptance scenes I’ve seen in good long while.

Setup: Dong Baek sits at home and remembers all the good times between he and Ji Soo. On the other side of town, Ji Soo jumps in a cab heading to see him, bursting with a new revelation. Dong Baek makes a call, then decides he must see Ji Soo and steps on to his curb just as a door slams across the street.

She sees him first and smiles gleefully, then their eyes meet:

Ji Soo: He came out.

Dong Baek: Ji Soo.

Ji Soo: Did you receive the telepathic message I sent you? All the way here, I kept saying, “Gu Dong Baek, come out, come out.” I sent messages like that And you really came.

Dong Baek: Is that why I came out here?

Ji Soo: I’m sure that’s why.

Dong Baek: But why did you send me that telepathic message?

Ji Soo: Cause I have something to show you.

Ji Soo:I put super glue on the ring.

Ji Soo: Did you take enough socks?

Dong Baek: Have you been eating all your meals?

This drama was cuter than cute and I loved every moment of watching it. Honestly, Gu Dong Baek was so amazing that everything he said was poignant and wise, without condemnation or condescension, so it’s odd that I picked a dialogue where he says so little. Truthfully, it’s because at this point, Dong Baek really has said it all. He’s counseled, consoled, confessed and proposed, so now all that’s left is confirmation, which is what he does here. It’s so unpretentious and sincere that I gush each time I watch it. These words in the drama confirm Ji Soo’s feelings for Dong Baek in a way that marks them and their desire and need for one another. I love that she says “I super glued the ring” because that ring is a symbol of him in her life. (And of course it’s a play on being glued to one another.) Most importantly, she had come to a substantial decision that she had no intention of reneging on. For, Ji Soo, had lived in limbo so long, she was constantly reluctant to think for herself and commit.

She’d spent the entire drama wanting loyalty, love, support and encouragement from the man she loved but instead she got all those things and more, from a man that loved her. After months of living with Dong Baek, she realizes this and doesn’t want to lose it. It’s beautiful. She finally has someone in her life that she’s in tune with, someone who wants the same things she wants and only loves her. She views Dong Baek him as her husband. Someone to come home to and work beside. Someone she cares enough to worry about whether he’s eaten or has clean socks to wear. This interaction, not only reveals their bond but how in sync they’ve become in their time together. She can rest easy with him and though that sounds boring and trite, it’s a huge feat for her as a character.

What was  refreshing about this love story was that it was rather simple but placed in extreme circumstances. Plus, on paper, you’d believe that these two individuals would never mesh or if they did it would be an opposites attract or a Beauty and the Beast scenario but the drama settles on Disney’s Aladdin instead. Gu Dong Baek, however, doesn’t pretend to be anything more than the simple guy he is, and offers the Princess her wishes free and clear of any magical demise. But it turns out that the whole new world, filled with wonder and carpet rides, isn’t perched on the whimsy of prestige, public opinion or fame. It’s nestled inside plain old companionship, from a good listener with a whole lot of love to give. In the end, Ji Soo gets to start a life with a man that she can live normally with, no headache or heartbreak, just happily dealing with mundane things like meals and laundry and I, for one, love it!

I’ll leave you with a few words from the wonderful Gu Dong Baek:

At their wedding reception, looking out at their family and friends laughing and playing together, Ji Soo notes how happy they look.

Ji Soo: It feels so good (to see them this way).

Dong Baek: Don’t they shine in your eyes? Those people? I remember something my dad used to say. Those twinkling llights aren’t only stars in the night sky. They are also people that live on this earth. He said, one by one, each person shines.

Ji Soo: Wow. Doesn’t that mean we’re all stars?

Dong Baek: Yes. And among them, you are the brightest. At least to me. Just saying… for you to keep in mind.

Ji Soo: Okay. I’ll be sure to do that.