Kill Me, Heal Me
This week’s guest is my friend and resident K-drama expert, Mo Sibyl. Take it away:
For the past five years, I have indulged heavily in Korean dramas (K-dramas); they are, by far, one of my favorite genres of entertainment. While a lot of them are not without the cringe-inducing and corny themes that have been used ad nauseam, they have quite a way with telling stories that pull at one’s heartstrings. Common themes you will find in most K-dramas include national pride, food, family, and history – all of which are topical issues I am passionate about.
One of my all-time favorites is the 2014 drama called “Kill Me, Heal Me.” Far from the commonplace themes you will find in most Kdramas, this one deals with heavy and sensitive topics such as child abuse, suicide, and other mental health issues. The story is about a guy who suffers from dissociative identity disorder (DID) and has six other distinct identities. It is also one of the most versatile shows I have ever watched and the lead actor, Ji Sung did an exceptionally great job of transforming into the seven distinct characters. This was a role he was born to play, and I liken his perfomance to how Heath Ledger owned the role of The Joker. The drama was well-scored and the music, haunting. This show also did a good job of showing how functional people with mental health issues can be, especially with dispelling the stigmas.
Another major lesson for me was the courage to confront my own inner demons that laid deep inside my heart. And that when we ignore this place, we let the darkness loom bigger, and thereby giving it undue reverence. It is why I regard this drama as one of the shows that changed my life. “Kill Me, Heal Me” took my love for K-dramas to a deeper level and I use some of its dialogues in my capacity as a mental health advocate.
Here’s one of my favorite ones: “죽고 싶으면 죽어, 하지만 오늘 너무 힘들면 내일 죽어라.
If you want to die, die; but die tomorrow.
그리고 내일도 힘들면 그 다음 날 죽어라.
And if it’s still hard for you tomorrow, die the next day.
그렇게 하루하루 참다보면 좋은 날이 온다.
If you live like that day by day, a good day will come.”
Corny factor: The eyeliner game on Shin Se Gi was so strong.
