Head over Heels and Grieving to Live
Hiii, how's everyone doing?
I am back, and probably won't be back until, like, 3 years later. But this is my rant place, and the one place where I can rant about my favorite TV shows.
I just finished Head Over Heels, a story that was marketed as a high school rom-com, but was so much more. After years of watching K-dramas, a lot of stories seem to be hyped too much, and end up being too empty, this show? The total opposite.
Head over Heels is a story about the power of grief and unironically, the power of friendship through it all. It's a story about the precocious loss of innocence, and how harmful pain can be if not expressed properly.
Our 3 protagonists are Seung-A, Gyeon-U, and Bong-Su, three kids who were too young for the responsibilities they carried. A child shaman who was exploited by her parents, a child blamed for all the bad luck, and a child soldier with no name.
With seemingly impossible situations, the storytelling brought forward very real, modern problems:
Children exploited for fame, who lose their sparkle to serve the greed of their parents. Forced to be exposed to relentless bullying, and who are forced to take it with a smile. In a way, this is a callout to modern-day parents of child influencers.
Children never ask to be born, they are not to blame for all the bad things in life, they are born to be cherished, and protected. Children are born to laugh and to play, and not worry about grown-up troubles. No one should take advantage of the innocent need to please that children have.
Children are not weapons of war. They are supposed to laugh and play and simply put, thrive. Children should not be at the forefront of war and carnage, they should be leading the future, they should be growing and eventually burying their parents, not the other way around.
The power of names is once again a theme. We need to be remembered; our name needs to be called for us to truly exist and be loved. Someone named us out of love, and many people will eventually call out our name. Our sorrows and joys are all neatly packed in the way someone calls out to us. Names bind us together, like an invisible string that connects your mouth to my ears, your heart to my mind, your joy to my sorrow. Oh, how powerful it is to be called lovingly and to reply with joy. Yeomwha punishes herself by not giving out her name, she tells Gyong-U not to force himself to like her, when his body reacts with hatred, there it is, the subtle message that names exists to be called out lovingly, and Yeomwha does not think herself deserving of that love, no one will be able to pray for her soul to rest in peace. That is much more punishment that whatever expects her in hell.
Ji-Ho made sure to call every one of his friends lovingly, even Bong-Su. Ji-Ho's soul is warm like the summer, a hug that embraces the deepest sorrows. That's Ji-ho. He would understand all three pained souls: the girl who shoulders everything, the boy who feels like a burden, and the boy who couldn't grow up. He soothed them all, he held on to them, and simply listened. He did to them what Seung-a does to ghosts. He consoled them. Because letting go of pain is the first step to living.
Yeomwha is the representation of a mother's sorrow, and the General Shaman is the representation of a mother's love. Yeomwha's pain is the most natural pain a human can experience, the loss of a child, but her means of looking to soothe it harms and devastates, depriving other people's children of happiness. Her punishment is equally given to her child.
Ultimately, Head Over Heels is a story about the inherent human desire to be loved and to be remembered, to smile and grow. The children's wishes were simple: To have a high school ceremony and to be an adult. The children's wishes were powerful: To grow up with no burden.
Head Over Heels is a prayer for children to be happy and for adults to grieve accordingly. Without open grief, there can't be authentic joy. Cry when you wish to, and smile when you mean it. Don't hide your pain to make others comfortable. Your life is yours, not anyone else's. And most importantly, call out to your loved ones and let them hear their name called lovingly.
