I am not a sociopath but I can tell you that Itaewon Class’ character Jo Yiseo is my story. Reflecting on her character makes me look back on my life choices and here’s a walkthrough on how Itaewon Class made me reminisce about it.
“Have you ever thought that it would have been better if you were never born?”
“I bet I’ll be exhausted my entire life”
“I’m hungry to succeed, and I work hard to get what I want.. I know I will”
These lines from Itaewon Class got me hooked up. I know this is the kind of drama that will either break my heart or inspire me again to do more, to do better.
Probably you’ve also asked the same question too while you are in your early 20s and feeling exhausted with what the ‘real world’ has in store for you. The best thing is that, here’s Jo Yiseo telling us that it is okay to be hungry for success. It’s okay to be different and it takes hard work to achieve them all.
I’ve read the webtoon last year and I must say that it is really good. However, since it’s already moving visuals, there are more scenes to it and you can already feel the emotions. As the storyline unfolds in each episode, I started to see myself in Jo Yiseo’s shoes. It was literally bits and pieces of my past and here’s why:
Jo Yiseo as a blogger
Jo Yiseo who enjoys partying also writes her reviews through her blog. In fact, we can remember Geun Soo telling Yiseo that she doesn’t need to work in a small pub because she earns enough for herself through her reviews. She was just about to turn 20 years old when she decided to quit school and not pursue studying in a university.
Behind this review site, I also manage a food review website and I started as a food blogger back when I was 19 years old. I just started college back then while I was taking up my Korean language classes. At some point, I am earning from it and I could happily express whatever I feel about a certain restaurant, certain food, or just plain random thoughts. More so, I enjoyed attending concerts and events from time to time to destress.
Academic Achievements
Jo Yiseo might be anti-social but her academic achievement is incomparable. It has been clear that there’s a bright future ahead of her regardless if she has a problem dealing with people. Yet, despite her abilities, she’s been a ‘rebel’ sheltered in glitz and glamour because her mom has been so supportive of her.
I may not have an IQ that’s as high as Jo Yiseo but I am glad that I also have achievements that I can be proud of. I may not totally be anti-social but I have reservations in terms of making friends. Thanks to my parents especially my mom who also sheltered me well so I can grow better.
“The bigger you dream, the bigger you’ll grow”
When Yiseo left home, she met Park Sae Royi along the road. That time, he was already her boss. Sae Royi asked ‘Is there any problem?’ and that’s when Yiseo answered that she made her mom cry and disappointed her. It is also when they talked about Sae Royi’s goal of making danbam the best in the industry. To console her, he said that ‘maybe Danbam will also become a big company in the future.’
I left home before I turned 20. That’s when I also met a ‘Park Sae Royi,’ whom I don’t want to name but who is my boss. He told me once that “position makes people” and it’s in their culture that you must work hard to earn that position. He put me in a position that he knows I am capable of regardless of others’ opinions. I know I will grow with this person because he dreams big.
Jo Yiseo as your twenty-year-old manager
When Jo Yi Seo started working as a manager, Danbam pub is not in a good state. In fact, it was experiencing a deficit and has been sanctioned for allowing minors/students to dine at the pub. Yet, Yiseo came in, she wanted to put her life at stake because she thinks that it was worth the gamble. Asked why she badly wanted to work at Danbam, she said it was ‘guts’ and the rest is history.
I started working in a start-up company that has been expanding. It was also my guts that tells me that I should stand firm and work with them. During the time that I started working in the said company, everything is just falling apart. At that time, I never questioned my abilities in helping them out.
The most difficult part of becoming a twenty-year-old manager is the criticism of your subordinates. There’s always a stigma that you can’t do it because you are too young. Despite that, I am decided to help my boss. I took the criticisms with a positive outlook.
“I will make you rich. I will destroy them for you.”
I’ve been using this line to console my boss when he is having a hard time. This also inspired me to work hard and see my potential. Being the bad guy in the story doesn’t make you evil always. It means you are giving your best so you won’t regret anything in the future.
My Own Danbam Squad
The Dambam team is composed of people with flaws. They are not perfect but they created a perfect harmony after working hard together. Yiseo’s entry at work is not easy. She was used to her own beliefs ruling her decisions but when she worked at the pub, she has to consult Sae Royi for approval. Most of the time, they are arguing in terms of decision making but in the end, they always make up. There’s professionalism at work and friendship follows.
Of course, we all have a team behind us to back us up in times of need. As a 20-year-old manager, I am still in the middle of push and pull decision-making. I make mistakes, my boss and I fight a lot, perhaps almost every day.
But in the end, we normally end up cracking jokes together to make it up. Well, probably over a coffee, lunch, or dinner. Of course, I have my Ma Hyuni, Seungkwan, and Toni in the story. I just don’t have a Geun Soo to back me up. Well not to mention, there’s also a Soo Ah and the rest of the Jangga trying to pull us down too.
‘ILL’
ILL stands for “Iseo (Yiseo), Loi (Royi) and Love” which is the acronym created by Yiseo to ship herself with Royi. Meanwhile, my own ‘Danbam Squad’ also created “Saranggola” which stands for our “Sarang” (love), Go and La taken from our names. The funny thing is that the word itself means Kite in Filipino language.
“You are the only reason why I decided to work here”
Park Sae Royi used the lines ‘I need you’ and ‘Because I have you.’ That’s when Yiseo eventually work harder because it was clear from the start that Sae Royi doesn’t have feelings for her.
It was purely work-related. But then, Yiseo made sure to use her skills as an advantage so that she has an edge in the ‘give and take’ relationship they have even though we all know that feelings can’t be applied to this one. It worked. As well. the work and age are purely excuses.
While I was in the middle of jumping off the ship, my boss also talked with me. He said ‘I need you and I am confident that things will work well because I have you’ and so I decided to work it out again. I tried. I kept on trying. And yes, things eventually worked out well.
I know there’s something more than work but we are both focused on what needs to be done first. I know him well. Among all the people in the office, I am the one who knows his thinking. I know there’s something to it but it was never sorted out. It was just actions, no words but I could feel it. We also got a nine-year age gap but we jive well.
Overworking
Yiseo passed out due to overworking. She’s been doing all the work to help Sae Royi achieve his dream. It might seem easy because she’s smart but she overstretched her health condition to give Sae Royi an easier life.
I am a goal-digger. I give it my best shot to support my sajangnim too even if it means that I shall work the extra mile to do it. I also reached that point when I no longer know what weekend means and literally working from dawn to dawn the next day until such time that I passed out too. I wish I should have asked him to buy me a necklace perhaps.
The trip to Jeju Island
When Yiseo was running down the road and she suddenly stopped and cried her pain out, I started crying too. I had that moment when I can no longer hold on to anything that while on my way home, tears just literally pour down without me noticing it at all. I just need to cry to make myself relieved.
Even if Yiseo went to Jeju Island to pursue a business trip. It was also the time when she needs to find a ‘me time’ break for herself. It was a time when she also reflected on things and even gave Ma Hyuni the support she needed.
“I’m a rock.
Go ahead and sear me,
I won’t budge
I’m a rock.
Go ahead and beat me up I’m a solid rock.
Lock me up in the darkness.
I’m a rock that shines alone.
I defy nature’s ways of breaking,
turning to ashes, and decaying.
I survived.
I am a diamond.”
This is probably a funny coincidence too because I went to Jeju Island during the time that I need the most deserved break. Break from the tiring monotonous life of only working and not having any life balance at all and a break from actually giving so much of myself that I am already drained down to the bottom.
I was enjoying a night in my hotel room when I got a call from my boss who greeted me because it was New Year and he said that he was thankful and sorry. At that time, I already quit my work because I have no intention of telling him how I feel and it is already uncomfortable for me to continue working like that with him. I just want things to end that way.
I may have Yiseo’s story but I am not as confident as Yiseo. or probably at some point, I don’t want to depend on someone else’s dream. It was just the perfect place to regain strength and this place will probably leave a mark in my heart.
The Ending
If you are to ask me what’s gonna be the taste of my drink? I have to be honest that it’s bittersweet. We had our own Danbam nights, probably some talks over dinner before I decided to quit. It wasn’t the perfect ending like what Sae Royi and Yiseo had but at least I can call it a good lesson in my early 20s (to date).
It was bitter because I never really had the chance to say how I feel but it was sweet because somehow, I proved that if I give my all and bet my life on someone or something, it’s worth the gamble. I learned from him, he benefits from me. Let’s call it a quits.
I wrote this because the realization hit me hard when a friend messaged me. She said there’s a huge resemblance between my story and Jo Yiseo’s but the biggest plot twist in my story is that while watching the last episode of Itaewon Class, I also got a message from him after two long years of not communicating. It’s a group photo of Danbam and the message says.
넌 이서 같아. 이태원 클라쓰 보고 있는데 너 생각나서 끝까지 못 봐.
(You are like Yiseo. I watched Itaewon Class but I can’t finish it because I remember you.)
