I am sure many of you will know the concept of “face” and how important this is in Asia. It is a person’s public persona, symbolic of his or her dignity. “Face” is somewhat similar to the concept of “pride” in the Western world. Our sisters here had a lively debate in the earlier episodes of KBS Drama “My Golden Life” on “pride” which guided Seo Jian’s actions over the KRW 20 million for the repair of Park Sihoo-ssi’s Choi Dokyung’s damaged car.
As we saw in KBS drama “My Golden Life”, face is particularly important among the high society chaebol families. Mother Choi puts it a top priority for her outlook in life. She has to look good among the socialite ladies, especially when she is a small potato among them, the super rich and powerful.
Her son, Choi Dokyung is her pride for the way he conducts himself well. She has a lot of confidence in his ability and he is much welcomed by her group of elite friends. However in recent times, after Seo Jian entered their lives, his stature has dropped in her eyes. Poor oppa!
Not only does she has to be in good standing among the high society ladies, she also has to look good in the eyes of her father. She is currently her father’s pet, one up against her weasel of a sister.
With face being of paramount importance to Mother Choi, the incident of recognising a wrong daughter is a big blow to her pride. How in the world can she unravel the mistake with her high society friends? They have met Seo Jian and she has been presented as her lost daughter Choi Eunseok and left a strong impression. Now her real daughter Seo Jisu has appeared, With her uncultured and unruly behaviour, she is totally not fit to be presented to refined society, and will be a loss of face and another dent to her reputation!
But wait, Mother Choi, that might not be all! The worse might just be round the corner! What with your younger daughter’s rebellious streak and her double life that is being held at ransom? Maybe even a possible budding romance with one with no university education, no class and a Seo son at that! And your son Choi Dokyung has fallen in love with your fake daughter and might choose to make a firm stand with her? Horrors, their actions will definitely have a bearing on the arranged marriages you have proudly put in place with influential chaebol families! These business alliances will suffer a meltdown!
And will there be more?
Where can you hide your face?
As they say, “pride goes before a fall”. And the higher you go, the harder you will fall! Oh dear, oh dear!
It would be feast for the eyes of the audience to witness such a loss of face for the high and mighty Mother Choi! Kekeke! 😄 Looking forward to weekend nights on KBS 2 at 1955h! May the face be with you, Mother Choi!
“我黄金光辉的人生”:死爱面子
我相信我们当中的很多姐妹们都知道“面子”的概念,以及“面子”在亚洲的重要性。“面子”是一个人的公众形象,象征着他的尊严。 “面子”有点类似于西方文化的“骄傲”或“自尊”的概念。之前,到访ParkSihooSsi.com网站的姐妹们在KBS电视剧“我黄金光辉的人生”开播时的前几集热烈的辩论了“骄傲”或“自尊”,认为就算穷“骄傲”或“自尊”引导了徐智安为了2,000万韩元汽车修理费而跟施厚君饰演的崔道京有纠纷。
正如在电视剧中所观看到的,“面子”对上流社会财阀家族更为重要。对崔妈妈,这是人生的要点。她必须能够站在社交名媛们中表现出色,体面,特别是她在她们当中的地位不比人家高。她的儿子崔道京是她的骄傲,对他的绅士文雅的态度和能力很有信心。他也受她的名流社交朋友们的欢迎。然而,自从徐智安走入他们的生命,他在母亲的眼里的管理能力有点下降了。可怜的偶吧Oppa!
她不仅在上流社会要面子,也要在父亲眼中看好自己。现在,她是父亲的掌上明珠,而妹妹受到了父亲的忽视。
“面子”对崔妈妈是如此的重要,认了错女儿的事情给了她面子一个大打击。在社会上,她怎样才能跟她那群社交名媛们解释,她们见过的崔恩素, 留下深刻好印象的,并非是她的女儿,是自己搞错了。不仅如此,真正的女儿徐智秀和她不文雅,不守规矩,不能见大雅社会的行为将会成为她丢面子的另一个痕迹!
但是,崔妈妈,这可能还不是全部哦!更糟的可能就在后头!妳的小女儿的叛逆性子和她的双重生活正被人勒索!也许会和一个没有大学教育,没有阶级和徐家的儿子搭上,展开萌芽的浪漫史!而妳的宝贝儿子崔道京又爱上了妳的假女儿,有可能决定与她结合?恐怖,孩子们的行为肯定会影响妳已自豪安排的婚姻!婚姻事业联盟将遭受崩溃啊!
还会有更多吗?就等着瞧呗!
崔妈妈,妳的面子可有隐藏之处?
正如他们所说的,骄傲是在摔倒之前 pride comes before a fall。而爬得越高,跌得越重!哦,糟糕,糟糕!
但是,观众就期待着这个结局,看到高傲的崔妈妈丢了面子! 哈哈哈!😄 期待韩国时间1955点在KBS 2台播出的周末剧“我黄金光辉的人生”!愿妳的面子跟随着妳 May your face be with you!
Credits – Many thanks! KBS Drama
15 Comments
#朴施厚# #我黃金光輝的人生# 相信道京的媽媽很快就要放下面子和一直堅持的所謂自尊,去接受自己所重視的子女,不同程度上的差異和失去理智的行為。替她膽顫心驚喲,希望她能夠好好調整過來,劇情漸變有趣玄妙呢!
Oh Dear Nance, simply love every phrase you have coined, every paragraph you have written today, the whole reading flows exceptionally well! Love it Love It. Perhaps is the sadist in me that I love your this write up! Well Done! Very Well Written! We shall enjoy undivided attention when it comes to watching MGL!
Hahaha! You might not believe this but this headline has been sitting around in my file for many weeks but I had no time to write. Last night after finishing writing and posting the Ep 23 preview, I suddenly realised that horror of horrors, I have nothing to post for today…and it was already 11-ish. So I had to get this out in a hurry! Had no idea what sort of rubbish I was writing! Kekeke! 🙂
Seriously one of your many good pieces. Practice makes perfect you have reached the stage where you are able to flow so well within short time given a glimpse of the frame you want to write. I salute you! Well Done!👍👍👍
You and writer So both a gem to us PSH’s fans. 1st thing this morning i received message from the young Iranian male uni student fan said watching MGL and ” it is so addictive ” quote his words.
Chai Hua Loke Thank you, you made my day. for me, his amateur writer 🙂
I did mention be4 non PSH fan said reading your MGL write ups is addictive to her. She hasn’t even watched MGL yet
Mother Choi, born and raised in a family and society where face matters so much, will soon see her whole world crumbling down. Besides all that Nance has pointed out I see a troubled marriage relationship between her and Father Choi. What a loss of face it shall be! No wonder MGL is so appealing to a wide spectrum of viewers Thought it was touted as a romcom. Turns out its far beyond that – can be dark and intrigue, a rich ground for study of human behaviour and character.
Little did I know at start of MGL that as you said rich ground for study of human behaviour and character. Thought all i needed to do was to laugh my heart out at PSH’s comedians antics. Instead i am falling deeper each week in trying to understand the motivation behind the many actions and reactions 🤣🤣🤣
I had guessed that mother and father Choi marriage has been in trouble from early days, why they still together is something writer So might reveal later, is still my guess hahaha
“Great is our admiration of the orator , who speaks with fluency and discretion.”[M.T. Cicero]. Great is our admiration of a writer like Nance, who writes with fluency, with easiness, with true mastery always expressing her comprehensive compilations. Today about “A Matter of Face”. I read her article in the mmiddle of the night , 3:00 AM my local time, during my sleepless night., and I liked it very much. Then I had a good sleep. In the morning , I read it again, and as Chai Hua says, this a masterpeice , an interesting analysis of Mother Choi’s perspective about the concept of “face”, “pride”, “vanity’. “Pride relates more our opinion of ourselves, while vanity to what others think of us.”[Jane Austin- “Pride and Prejudice”] Yes Nance, we all are eager to watch how Mother Choi’s “face”, “pride”, “vanity” are destroyed under the unexpected circumstances that happen in the Choi Family. One thing should know Mother Choi ,that :”All men make mistakes,but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repair the evil. The only crime is pride.!”[Sophocles]
👏👏👏👏👏👍👍👍it takes Nance’s penmanship to draw out another brilliant writing from our ever so consistently high standard commentary from none other than our Dearest Stefania Lupu👏👏👏👏👏 Especially when some quotes come from Jane Austen ‘s Pride and prejudice
Mother Choi really deserve a detailed analysis, just as only you know how to do it, Nance.
Mother Choi arrived at that moment who I anticipated it some time ago (October, 9, before revealing the terrible truth: „mum Choi, when she finds out the truth, will be even more upset, because Ji An has proven she has business skills, just like her”).
With her tremendous ability in business, Mother Choi of course she will find solutions to save the situation in front of the high society. And so, her proud face will not suffer.
But her big problem is her quality like a mother. All her children disappointed her. Will she found the strength of the maternal sentiment in her heart, to solve the problems of her children?
For example, the relationship with Ji Soo. The enormous excitement of retrieving the lost daughter seems to have been consumed by mother Choi in the first meeting with Ji An. The real Eun Sok, even if she came unexpectedly, did not receive a natural embrace, not even a smile from her mother. Mom Choi must recover, and to straighten all his gathered love over the 25 years of agony and hope, to her true girl.
Her proud face received a tough “massage” from all sides. Will this cosmetic meeting be useful for her or will it be an unsuccessful one?
Brilliant insights Daniela! Mother Choi is not easily defeated type of woman. As you said, her face will be intact.