A Haunting Allegory of Art, Betrayal, and the Stolen Soul of a Nation.

A Haunting Allegory of Art, Betrayal, and the Stolen Soul of a Nation.

210601 (4.0) Yeon-hee read life itself, while So-yul lost everything because she failed to read it. The clean and pure melodies of Yeon-hee and So-yul, alongside the love triangle that serves as an allegory for Joseon, the colonizer, and pro-Japanese collaborators of that era, were utterly stylish and captivating. I am determined to sing every single one of those songs myself. Wow, teacher Lee Nan-young was played by Cha Ji-yeon! She is so amazing, I love her so much. "Thorn flower Yeon-hee. Yeon-hee was shedding her thorns on the stage." That feeling when you are bathed in stage lights and lay your voice over the music that completely fills the space is truly indescribable. I know that feeling of stripping everything away and pouring it all out so very well. Yeon-hee, trampled by the world at a young age and sold away by her parents, was the embodiment of Joseon itself back then. So-yul, born with a silver spoon-after all, being the daughter of the gisaeng school director is having a silver spoon-grew up solely on her talent and beauty without knowing a single dark side of the world, representing the social class that turned a blind eye to that Joseon. And So-yul, who coveted the innate talent and charm Joseon originally possessed, cheaply selling herself to trample Yeon-hee, was the very embodiment of the Japanese colonizers of that era. "I never stole anything." The contrasting scene between Yeon-hee, dressed in traditional Joseon attire proudly marching toward her death, and So-yul, draped in trailing Western clothes remaining as a quiet and sinister courtesan... wow. Yeon-hee, who was shot and perished so pointlessly, and Yoon-woo, who departed on the day of liberation yearning for her, are the people who truly loved Joseon whom we must remember. And as decades pass, So-yul stealing Yeon-hee's long-buried youthful album and claiming that the photograph is of Seo Yeon-hee is the exact remnant of pro-Japanese collaborators. The bitter irony of pro-Japanese collaborators disguising themselves as contributors to national independence is something I have seen quite a few times in other media as well. With so many years having passed, replacing all other roles with older actors while keeping only So-yul played by Han Hyo-joo is pretty funny.

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