“49 Days”: Ending thought-provoking

2011.05.20    Korea Star Daily (English translation by wulijohyunjae)

“Even though human beings know they can’t escape death eventually, they still live like they will never die.  Because of your 49 days, we will live every day as if it is the last.”  

The SBS Wed./Thu. drama draws to a close on May 19.  The plot development takes a dramatic turn at the very end, but the theme it expresses is a little heavy to most viewers.

Ji-Hyun (NGR) falls into a coma as a result of a traffic accident and requires three drops of 100% pure tears from three people who are not blood relatives before she can be revived.  The real problem for JH is not life or death but whether there are people who will cry true tears for her.  What the scriptwriter So Hyun-Kyung wants to tell us about is “life/living”  and not “death”.  Although “49 Days” is a fictional work, it also represents the scriptwriter’s personal message.  SHK wants us to realize how genuine the most important things in life like friendship and love are.

After she receives her mission, JH thinks it is very easy to complete it.  She has her fiance and two best friends.  But the surprising thing is no one cries for her.  Although they have shed tears,  they are actually crying for themselves and not for her，When watching the drama, viewers may be counting on their fingers to see whether there are people who will really cry for them.  Or perhaps they are thinking: ”If I were JH, would I be able to live on?”  The most compelling thing about this drama is questions like this that lead to the audience’s self-reflection.

What “49 Days” portrays is not death but concentrates on delineating our contemporary life.  The appearance of the Scheduler and the person struggling with death may be the focus of the drama, but the key is really the reality of today.  Han Kang’s soliloquy about “Everyone is living as if they will never die” is actually what JH sees as she goes to her death.

After she wakes from her coma and realizes she will finally die, JH decides to do two things.  One is to love HK who really loves her.  The other is to express to her parents that she is blessed to be their daughter.  Perhaps the most important moments of JH’s life are those six days before her death when she discovers what she really wants to do.  In those six days, JH tries her best to convey her new thoughts and feelings to those around her.  Just before her death those who are by her side are those who really love her and whom she loves.  Perhaps we have wasted too much time on things that are not really important.

JH’s death tells us the importance of genuine human communication.  “49 Days” lets us know that if we can find such people, then every single moment we spend with them is precious.  Which is more meaningful: To die like JH in the prime of her life but having heart-to-heart communication with those who love her, or to be enmeshed in the trials and tribulations of life everyday living like one will never die?  “49 Days” leaves us with a series of thought-provking questions.

http://jo-hyun-jae.com/2011/05/21/49-days-ending-thought-provoking/