The final episode of the Korean hit series, It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, was definitely a bittersweet ending that makes everyone feel good of how everything fell into place. The characters have come to terms with their horrid past, some redeemed themselves after a process of healing and one had to live a painful truth that not everyone is like her who sees the world deserving all of the suffering.
I know most of us are missing the series since last weekend so let us all look back on the highlights of the series.
EPISODE 8: SWEET MOMENTS OF GANG-TAE AND MUN-YEONG
EPISODE 9: GANG-TAE AND MUN-YEONG’S FIRST KISS
The moment that we’ve been waiting for — #GangTaeMunYeongFirstKiss I bet you kept replaying that beautiful scene hehehe
EPISODE 11: THE MOST-TALKED ABOUT PASSIONATE BIRTHDAY KISS
Who wouldn’t forget this shocking passionate kiss between the two on the night of Mun-yeong’s birthday?
THE BEGINNING OF THE TRIO
Sang-tae finally accepted Mun-yeong to be their sister. This was the start of the new journey of the trio.
EPISODE 12: GANG-TAE, THE SELFLESS ONE
Though Gang-Tae made a promise to his family to go after those people who wronged them, he still wants to protect Mun-Yeong from all the hurt and spare her from the horrible truth.
THE IDEA OF FAMILY
Kang Soon-deok: It looks as though the three of you are actually a family. I’m getting jealous here.
Sang-tae: No. Strictly speaking, we’re not a family. Gang-tae and I have the same surname, Moon, whereas she… Ko and Moon. Different surnames. And she’s not on our family register. We’re not a real family, but we’re like a family.
Mun-yeong: The family register isn’t everything. A family is… You become one if you take a portrait together.
Sang-tae: What? A family portrait?
Mun-yeong: That’s right. Forget the family register. A family portrait is a proof that you’re a family.
EPISODE 13: A MISUNDERSTOOD FATHER’S LOVE
It only took one huge mistake that stained a father’s love for his daughter. However, a daughter’s resentment over her father will never destroy her memory of him when he read to her a book. For once, that was a happy and lasting memory of her father.
HEARTBREAKING SCENE: A BATTERED CHILD’S CRY FOR HELP
The little girl consoled by Gang-Tae shown in the photos is one of the patients, Yoo Seon-hae when she was a child. She has a multiple personality disorder as her own defense mechanism to the abuse she received as a child by her mother — her cries and pleas of her abuse were left on deaf ears by her father who chose to be blind of the wrongdoings of his wife.
SANG-TAE’S WORKSHOP ON EMOTIONS
Mun-yeong gave Sang-Tae homework to practice drawing people’s emotions since she doesn’t want her characters in the book to go faceless. So Sang-tae asked Jo Jae-soo to model for him. This was a funny scene in episode 13.
EPISODE 15: GANG-TAE’S ENDURING LOVE FOR MUN-YEONG
One thing you can learn from Gang-tae, “True love endures everything… No matter how it hurts you, you still don’t give up on that love.”
Gang-tae stops Mun-yeong to hurt anyone even if he gets injured in the end.
He comforts her even his heart is searing with pain, he makes sure he overcomes it.
He stops himself from hurting his mom’s killer because he’s thinking of killing the evil would hurt Mun-yeong.
Even if Mun-yeong keeps pushing him away, Gang-tae still didn’t give up on her.
DIRECTOR OH’S PRACTICAL FATHERLY ADVICE FOR GANG-TAE
A piece of sound advice from Director Oh to Gang-tae and I must say, he made sense.
“Being together torments you,
But if you break up, it’ll be equally painful
If both options feel like death
Wouldn’t it be better to suffer together?”
“The one that torments you can also be the one to save you
You were about to explode but she prevented you from blowing up.”
MUN-YEONG AFTER SHE KNEW THE PAINFUL TRUTH ABOUT HER MOM
Mun-yeong: Why is everyone so nice to me? I’m not your family.
Kang Soon-deok: Because you’re pretty. You are pretty. You eat well. And it’s nice how you like Gang-tae for who he is even though he has nothing to offer.
I’M CRYING BECAUSE IT’S BEAUTIFUL
Sang-tae showing his homework to Mun-yeong.
Sang-tae: He looks so happy. He smiled like this after he told me he likes someone. It’s not fake. He’s really happy. Gang-tae looks so happy. I drew him because I saw it for the first time.
Then Sang-tae noticed Mun-yeong shedding a tear while looking at the drawing.
Sang-tae: It’s a happy expression. Why are you crying?
Mun-yeong: Because it’s beautiful. It’s so beautiful.
GANG-TAE’S PROMISE FOR MUN-YEONG
Gang-tae: I followed you. Your hobby is to kidnap people. My hobby is to tail people.
Gang-tae bursts out in laughter.
Mun-yeong: Do you think that’s funny?
Gang-tae: I might not be funny but I do want to impress you. I’ll keep trying. I’ll do everything I can to overcome what happened and cope with it. So please stop pushing me away. Let me stay by your side. Please?
SARANGHAE: WHO SAID IT BETTER?
By just looking at the two videos of the two professing their love for each other is just too cute and makes you feel giddy like a teenager. This I love you mash-up simply showed how they are meant for each other 🙂
EPISODE 16: MOST TOUCHING SCENE IN BY THE “FAMILY TREE”
This touching scene showed that the trio – Sang-tae, Gang-tae, and Mun-yeong had come full circle and finally found peace and happiness.
Sang-tae felt so proud and happy to have accomplished his dream to become a professional illustrator, Gang-tae is overwhelmed with happiness seeing his older brother happy, and Mun-yeong finally found joy to belong to a family who has given her warmth and accepted her as a person despite her horrid past.
THE BEST FAKE, REAL MOM GOES TO MS. KANG SOON-DEOK
Ms. Kang is an epitome of a selfless mother who devotes her time and effort not only to her only daughter, Nam Ju-ri but also to those who need love and care of a mother. She’s loving, generous and a forgiving person who never passes judgment to anyone even with a horrible past. That is why she deserves a tribute from Sang-tae, his first-ever book as a professional illustrator.
In the book, Sang-tae wrote the sweetest dedication for her,
“Dear my fake, real mom.
Thank you for all the delicious meals. I want to eat the food that you make every day. I really like you, Ms. Kang. Here’s a heart for you. Six hearts.”
~ Sang-tae
THE TRIO GOES CAMPING
Director Oh surprised Sang-tae a camping van as payment for his amazing mural work done in his psychiatric hospital. Thanks to Director Oh, the Trio finally went out camping 🙂
Watching 16 episodes of It’s Okay Not To Be Okay is akin to going on a personal retreat as we witness how each character grows as their story unfolds in every single episode without realizing that we have identified ourselves with one of the characters in the series. Since we all go through painful memories and in the process of coping with life’s struggles, watching the IONTBO has become therapeutic, as well.
When the three main characters – Gang-tae, Sang-tae, and Mun-yeong finally found peace and healing in the end, it taught us a great deal of rising above our challenges to fight the demons that stop us from being happy. In the end, we are also healed just like the trio 🙂
A former educator and now working as a freelance writer. Simply living her own version of life’s passion – music, mobile photography, story telling, road trips and food trailing! 🙂