Moving On
Episode 14 of My Liberation Notes starts on a somber note as all the kids deal with the death of their mother. Everyone is there, mourning Hye-Suk in their own way. Je-Ho is silent but he’s in a state of shock, with tears stinging his eyes. As for Hye-Suk, the family have her cremated. The thing is, even in death, the memories and little bits of that person’s life are still around, like echoes of a life once lived. Everyone tries to move on with their lives following the funeral, with Chang-Hee settling into the Gu Jr. role at work with Je-Ho. Mi-Jeong is at work too, and speaks to her colleagues about her mum’s urn, specifically how it’s being kept at home. She’s also still trying to process what happened that day, given police showed up and began asking lots of questions. As for Gi-Jeong, she’s angry and feels caught in the middle of this family , given her aunt has been ringing and getting in touch recently. As she discusses this with the others that night, she contemplates whether they should move the urn or not. “There’s no such thing as the right time.” Change-Hee says later that night with his friends, as they all sit and talk about the futility of death and the shock of Hye-Suk’s passing. This is a really beautiful chat, as Du-Hwan chimes in with his own amusing stories about Hye-Suk. At work, Mi-Jeong snaps. She calls out her boss in front of everyone as having an affair but saving his mistress as Mi-Jeong (with brackets reading “temporary employee”) on his phone. Feeling low, Mi-Jeong takes a time out that night and tries to get through to Mr Gu. Unfortunately his number is not in service and he hasn’t been replying to her messages. Anyway, Mi-Jeong figured this affair out a while back but stayed quiet, letting all of this stew before it has now blown over. She does eventually confront the person whom Choi is having an affair with, which happens to be Han Su-Jin. This inevitably ends up turning into a big investigation. Just prior to this, Mi-Jeong slams her bag into Su-Jin’s head; she does the same to her. Unfortunately, due to the physical assault that took place that afternoon, the two women can’t be in the same team anymore. As for Gi-Jeong, she heads over to see Tae-Hun but despite her bubbly façade, Yu-Rim catches her off-guard by asking whether grownups get sad when their mums pass too. When Gi-Jeong asks whether she can be the girl’s mum, Yu-Rim walks away. In her absence, Tae-Hun appears, prompting Gi-Jeong to suggest they get married. “Okay, lets.” She says. That night, Gi-Jeong confronts her sister over a bank loan and the money she’s sent to Chan-Hyeok. The amount she’s certainly not getting back any time soon. As for Chang-Hee he actually heads to the parking lot where Gu’s car was for the night, wanting to feel that same sense of elation he did when he got to drive it. He’s not happy, which makes it all the more difficult when his dying friend asks him to be happy later that day. However, he tries his best to be happy – and part of that comes from Gu allowing him to have a car. Je-Ho agrees, and the four all head down to the beach together. While there, Chang-Hee tries his best to lighten the mood, even telling his father that he loves him. We don’t see exactly when these bonds were severed, but this does go some way to catch us up to the present, where Mr Gu receives the address for Mi-Jeong’s place. After gaining her address, he wants to meet her and eventually she agrees. Up on a beautiful bridge, Mi-Jeong shows up to see him; a massive smile plastered on her face. The pair admire the differences in one another, including Mi-Jeong’s cut hair. “I missed you. So much.” He says to her, and as they walk together we learn Gu’s full name. It’s Gu Ja-Gyeong.
The Episode Review
Another beautiful episode of My Liberation Notes bows out, as we finally catch up to the present and see Gu and Mi-Jeong together again, just like old times. However, the ride there is certainly wrought with difficulties and that comes from the kids trying to navigate through Hye-Suk’s death. This is something that made episode 13 so shocking and it’s a theme that’s carried over here too. That abruptness of death, and how difficult it can be to move on when a loved one has passed, is demonstrated perfectly in this episode. Not only that though, but we see how each of the kids have tried to deal with this in their own little way. For Mi-Jeong, she’s quiet and throws herself into work. Gi-Jeong tries to take on the motherly role while Chang-Hee is desperate to be happy; to feel anything. In fact, the scene at the parking lot, when he genuinely felt joy at having that car and the parking space is now just empty, speaks volumes without actually saying very much. Although slower this time around and with less symbology, My Liberation Notes continues to deliver the goods.
