It's Okay Not to Be Okay" has grabbed the attention of K-drama lovers. Not only because this is the first drama of actor Kim So-hyun, who plays the male lead, since his discharge from military service, but the plot and the characters are captivating viewers. Another actor, Oh Jung-se, who plays the male lead's older brother, has also received many compliments for playing an autistic person.
The romantic drama is about a writer of children's stories who is considered antisocial and a male nurse at a psychiatric hospital who has a psychological "wound" and suppresses his feelings while always trying to appear as a strong man. The most exciting part, however, is the five children's storybooks featured in this drama. Because I was intrigued by these books, I bought the final tale, "Finding the Real Face," the last book written by the character Ko Moon-young.
The main characters of this book are a boy in a mask who only smiles at the corners of his mouth, a loud but empty tin can princess and a man who wears a stuffy box on his head. Their faces are taken away by a shadow witch, thus they cannot understand each other's feelings and always fight every day due to misunderstanding. They don't want to keep fighting and thus decide to go to find their faces.
On the way, they help a fox who has lost her daughter and a boy who feels unnoticed to get attention from others. Suddenly the witch comes, kidnaps the boy and the princess, and puts them in a hole so they can never find their faces. The man wearing the box wants to help them but because the tunnel is very narrow, he can only do so if he takes off his box. So he takes it off and helps the boy and the princess get out from the hole, and they run away.
Seeing the man's messy face makes the boy and the princess explode with laughter until the mask falls off and the tin can on the princess's body also rolls down. They realize that the witch never took their faces but rather their courage to find happiness.
The moral of the story is that when facing difficulty in life, people are sometimes too frightened to fight and instead seek to escape by hiding in a safe zone. Just like the characters in the book, people need courage and action to overcome problems and move forward. The most challenging part is always taking the first step out of one's comfort zone, but not only does it resolve obstacles, it can lead to better outcomes such as happiness, self-growth and self-actualization
The following are more fun facts about this book.
1. This book is sold online through Yes24, Kyobo Bookstore, eBay, Interpark, Gmarket or other bookstores.
2. Only the Korean-language version is available at this time.
3. Ko Moon-young is listed as the writer and Moon Sang-tae the illustrator; Ko's signature is also inside.
4. The real-life writer of the story is Jo Yong, a scriptwriter of the drama and "Jugglers," a 2017-18 KBS series. The real-life illustrator is Jam San, who has an interest in cruel fairy tales and drew for the tvN 2018-19 drama "Encounter."
5. Buyers of the book will also get a drawing book with Moon's picture on the cover.
enny0611@korea.kr
*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.
Source: www.korea.net
