Same bed, different dreams

Same bed, different dreams

In “My Golden Life” two married couples are in focus. The parents of Park Sihoo-ssi’s Choi Dokyung, father Choi Jaeseong and mother Roh Myunghee and the parents of Seo Jian, father Seo Taesu and mother Yang Miyeong.

Their relationships are most contrasting.

The Chois are an aloof couple. They are a couple in the same bed, with different dreams. Well at least figuratively they are in the same bed, even though in reality they sleep on separate beds. Their relationship is cold and formal, no sign of a smile or spark of love or romantic overture anywhere between them, different in their thoughts and actions.

The aloof couple who share the same bed, but have different dreams

Theirs is a business arrangement, I believe it started as such and continued as such. Maybe there was a time when with the birth of their children, this coldness might have thawed somewhat. But with their daughter missing, what semblance of a warmer relationship disappeared totally. They are a couple apart, same bed, different dreams. And they brought up their son and younger daughter with the same formality and coldness. No family discussion or consensus, just respectful obedience based on seniority.

In contrast to the same bed, different dreams relationship of the Chois, the Seo couple are loving and warm. You can feel their love, care and concern for each other. Despite 35 years of being a couple, and four children, romance still thrives between them. They stood solidly behind each other and their children, through thick and thin. Despite living on the borderline of poverty, living from hand to mouth after father Seo’s business failure, the couple’s relationship remained strong and warm. They brought up their family with the same values.

The loving couple that will see their relationship torn apart

However, when Mother Seo made an error in judgement in lying that Seo Jian is the long lost daughter of the Chois, without consulting her husband, this loving relationship is threatened. Not prepared to unravel her mistake and in fact ruthlessly pursuing it, her husband declared he no longer knew her. The strain in relationship, aggravated by Seo Jian’s own determination to leave, resulted in them sharing the same bed but having different dreams. A couple apart.

In a surprising turn, it seemed like their new found lost daughter might just be the catalyst to thaw the coldness of the couple Choi. We saw the glimmer of a smile on Mother Choi and the emotions of her husband. But just an elusive glimmer before other issues between the couple continued to pull them apart.

Interesting this creative mind of the scriptwriter at play. I am enjoying the unexpected twists and turns of “My Golden Life”!

The formality of the Choi dinner table, much like the couple Choi

The informality of the Seo family dinners. No inhibitions or restrictions

同床异梦

在“我的黄金生活”中，有两对位主要被关注的夫妇。施厚君饰演的崔道京的父母是一对，父亲是崔宰诚，母亲是卢明熙。然后是徐智安的父母，父亲是徐泰洙，母亲是杨美钟。

他们的关系是最大的对比。

崔夫妇是一对冷漠夫妻，同床异梦（至少比喻上是指同床，但事实上是个睡一张床）。他们的关系是非常冷漠和正式的，他们之间没有显示出任何微笑或爱情浪漫的火花，想法和行为都大有不同。

The Chois – husband and wife who don’t see eye to eye

我相信从一开始，他们的婚姻是个商业安排，婚后，就这样继续下去。也许在某一段时间，当孩子出生时，之间的冷漠感情可能有一些融化。但是，女儿丢失后，任何一点温暖的关系都完全消失掉。他们是一对同床异梦夫妻，以相同的制度和冷淡抚养了他们的儿子和小女儿。在家里，是没有得讨论或协商的余地，只能尊重服从老一辈的指使。

A big lie with its escalating impact

与同床异梦的崔夫妇相反的是徐夫妇。他们是恩爱和温馨的夫妻，在剧的开始，可以感受到彼此的爱和关怀。尽管已经是35年的老夫老妻，已养了4个孩子成长，浪漫和爱情仍然在他们之间兴旺。他们坚定地站在彼此和孩子身边，不管好坏。尽管徐父亲的经营失败后，生活在贫穷的边缘，省吃俭用的过生活，夫妻的关系保持强劲和温暖。他们以同样的价值观培养了他们的孩子。

当徐母亲没有跟丈夫商量过，撒谎判错，把徐智安调包为崔家失踪的女儿，夫妻之间的恩爱关系受到了威胁。妻子知错但完全不准备解散错误，而坚持，不测手段的去补充误解之处，不给事实被揭穿，失望的丈夫宣称自己认不出以往的妻子了。 徐智安自己离开的决心加重了关系的破裂，导致成他们变成了同床异梦夫妻。

The Seo’s relationship impacted by a lie

令人惊讶的是，重新找回失落的女儿似乎解冻了崔夫妇的冷淡感情。 我们看到崔母亲的微笑，还有崔父亲的情绪好转。 但是，这只是短暂的时间，夫妻之间还有其他问题之前使他们的感情继续分裂。

编辑的创意思维非常的奇妙，写出来的每一个细节都非常有趣，多变化。我非常喜欢“我黄金光辉的人生”电视剧曲折的剧情，完全不能猜测！

Photo credits – Many thanks! KBS drama