okay but if they were going to make hanyang all sweet and fluffy and cute, make him have THE softest romance with his boyfriend juSt to screw him over whY why why must they do this, imagine the greatness we could have had????? If hanyang made it out safe????? And fehaoauaisjs recievedthering???? Also tbh its so sad bec this boy deserves some level of happiness at least why does life keep being horrible to him , i hope he can stay strong and pick himself back up (im so sorry about this rant omg)
Spoiler-heavy reply for the ending of Wise Prison Life.
Okay, I was going to let this one slide and NOT make a big deal out of it, but I honestly can’t. The one thing I look for in dramas is the characters, and if they stick with me, they’re family. I really feel your frustration, so let me explain. Although I agree that the ending to some degree was realistic, I have so many freaking problems with it.
Han Yang’s need for familial love
Han Yang’s social circle consisted of two groups. His family and his friends (Ji Won being the most important one, although he is practically family by now). Han Yang talked about the neglect he felt as a child, as his parents (specifically his mother) would always be working. This weighed on him, even in prison. His father came to visit him, his mother never did. Maybe she felt guilty. He was introduced to drugs by the dude from Japan, but I can’t help but feel there was a connection between his broken relationship with his parents and him finding solace in drugs. He was also an outsider at school before meeting Ji Won. When Han Yang eventually comes out, there’s noone there to pick him up. He asked Ji Won and his father not to come, but he was also disappointed when they didn’t actually come. Once again, he felt lonely.
Yes, Han Yang told them not to come pick him up. Yes, he told Ji Won he didn’t want him to see him coming out of the prison. But would it not have been a sensible choice for his family to pick him up EVEN IF he said he didn’t want them there? I was expecting to see either his father of Ji Won outside. While trying to go for a realistic approach to a drug addict’s arc, they took away from him the opportunity to at least reunite with the people that meant the most to him. As a viewer I was expecting someone to be there for him.
The risk of a relapse was present, and had been discussed several times, but the way in which they went about it felt extremely rushed. This is something that came up in a conversation I had with @achiara. This wasn’t Han Yang’s story alone, so I understand why there were limitations, but I honestly expected better. Han Yang’s efforts went to waste, and once again, he lost the trust of his loved ones. I can’t even imagine Ji Won’s reaction.
LISTEN, WPL. I rooted for YOU! I have so much to say about these boys, but all I can think about right now is Ji Won. I think Ji Won did so much for Han Yang, more than we actually got to see. And Han Yang’s addiction must’ve been difficult for him to handle. A detail I really adored was that whenever Ji Won came to visit Han Yang, his appearance (facial expressions, clothing) would mirror Han Yang’s state. When Han Yang was doing better, Ji Won was more put together versus when he was not. Ji Won was deadly worried for Han Yang, and you could feel when he was in prison, how many Ji Won had given Han Yang. He only started smiling again when Han Yang promised to let go of the drugs. It was heartbreaking to see him waiting for Han Yang on the day of his release. If only they had one more day ;; I want to believe they are okay, but the drama didn’t leave us with much hope, did they?
I also think it was quite petty to have Ji Won almost-propose. Y’all should’ve had the guts to show the proposal, but maybe that’s too much to ask for. We honestly didn’t get enough fluff, so I’m expecting the fanfic writers to up their game for this one lol. They had a beautiful childhood together and the time they spent together looked sweet as heck, but we can’t ignore the rifts caused by Han Yang’s drug abuse. They both tried really hard, but Han Yang was on his way to recovery, not recovered.