“The Writer Has No Creativity At All”, Part 2
A tale of defying and complying to romance tropes in KDramas: The Support ‘Leads’ Edition
Tags: #ExtraordinaryYou, #Kdrama, #RomanceTropes, #LoveTriangle, #Manhwa, #Webtoon #Series
This is part two of examining Extraordinary You. We advise to first read part 1.
Quick recap: In the main article, we briefly explained the plot of Extraordinary You, the comic in it, Secret, and the comic before the comic, Trumpet Creeper. We dove into the Shadow and the Stage, and the effect the Stage has on characters with an Ego. We also dissected the main ‘supporting’ characters, Dan Oh, Haru, and Kyung, and their love triangle. Dan Oh particularly thought poorly of the author and their storyline, but to understand which parts she was shitting on the most, we need to take a look at the main cast of the comic Secret, not to be confused with the KDrama Extraordinary You. It’s all very meta. Seriously, we recommend giving part one a thorough read.
Secret is a fairly cliched romance comic with a love triangle. Rich Boy bullies Poor Girl until both he and his best friend, Second Lead, fall in love with her. Drama ensues, hearts are broken, hearts are unbroken, cliche here, cliche there. But are their motivations truly so stereotypical? Or does the Ego sprinkle in some cliche-defying moments on a meta level? Technically, it is the Ego in Extraordinary You that affects the Stage in Secret.
“I don’t want to be your errand girl, I want to be your friend” (Joo Da, Ep 5)
Joo Da, the main character of the comic Secret, is what we expect to find starring in KDramas or manhwa. She is the Cinderella story, the Poor Girl scholarship student attending a fancy elite school full of heirs and heiresses. As is tradition, the Rich Boy, Nam Joo, and the Second Lead, Do Hwa, fall in love with her, causing her all sorts of problems and difficulties and earning her the entire school’s ire.
Despite this cliched set-up for Joo Da, the bullying and over-the-top romantic gestures and announcements and threats and crying and all of it, once she gains an Ego, she becomes a much more interesting character. At first, when locked into the nurse's office with Dan Oh, she is unable to open the door, despite watching Dan Oh walk through it effortlessly. Then as Nam Joo makes another over-the-top dramatic confession in front of the school, Joo Da wonders why she must deal with the consequences of his actions. She has never encouraged his feelings; (though running her actions through the male thought process, she didn’t dissuade him either, but that’s because it is perpetuating toxic relationships and violence against women). Slowly, her character gains agency, from a weak, shy, feeble girl that needs a man to release her from ‘dark’ science classrooms and proclaim he’ll give up his wealth (he never does) to be with her into a somewhat-jaded, realist that takes a hard look at her situation and determines that if Nam Joo insists on dating her, she can use him right back for status and power within the school.
Once she has an Ego, she takes control of her situation, wielding Nam Joo against the other students for peace and respect. During a conversation with Do Hwa, she finally rejects his feelings for several reasons. Most importantly, Nam Joo is wealthy, something she is shameless in admitting. Furthermore, Do Hwa has agency over his actions, while Nam Joo is still without an Ego, forced to act only as he is written; Nam Joo really only exists on the Stage.
We must admit, while Joo Da’s character on Stage is possibly the most cliched in Secret, in the Shadow, she really becomes top notch, chef’s kiss. Unlike the heavy romantic factors between Haru and Dan Oh, Joo Da is a realist and looks at her life and what the Stage is offering. She completely destroys her stereotype and transforms from Cinderella to The Devil Wears Prada.
“I really hate it when people touch what’s mine” (Nam Joo, ep 1)
Nam Joo is the only ‘main’ character in Secret to never gain an Ego. He is a typical bad-boy, rich son of a famous conglomerate, that rules the school through good-looks, money, and a lack of respect for the educational institution. Like his best friend Kyung, he has stunted emotional capacity, childhood trauma, and several insecurities.
He and his two best friends have a room dedicated to hanging out together and they treat the other students like servants. He makes the Poor Girl his gofer for ruining his uniform, though to be honest, he never wears the same uniform more than once, so why does he care? Despite how he treats several of his classmates, the girls are all in love with him (even while in other relationships) and the boys treat him like a cult leader. Clearly, he’s a real catch. Any girl would be lucky to have him force his feelings on her and be tricked into accompanying him on dates designed to show off how rich he is.
Similarly to Dan Oh, Nam Joo’s Stage-self consistently says cheesy and cringe-worthy lines: how Joo Da’s mere “presence is a birthday present for [him]” (Ep 5); how Joo Da is “driving [him] crazy” because she is ‘so cute’ (Ep 3); or if Joo Da was “trying to get his attention, [she] succeeded” (Ep 3); and how “from now on, Joo Da is the only woman for [him]” (Ep 8). However, because Nam Joo has no Ego, he might actually feel that way; he might be a cheesy, head-over-heels in love, dramatic Rich Boy. He embodies his character, without any change or development, outside of the love triangle arc. He comes off as a himbo in Extraordinary You, without any awareness of what is happening around him in the Shadow. It kind of makes you feel bad for the boy, especially since he turns into a joke character in the epilogue.
He might be a ‘main’ character, but does he actually have any agency, given the lack of Ego? Then again, do any of these characters have agency? Dan Oh, Kyung, and Haru keep repeating their past lines. Are they all just subject to the whims of their creator? Ok, we will stop with the meta now. Moving on!
“He’s the other guy in the love triangle … he’s supposed to deepen their love” (Dan Oh, ep 5)
Do Hwa, however, might be the most tragic ‘main’ character in Secret. He gains an Ego, then sets out to test whether his feelings for Joo Da are true or just part of his role as the Second Lead. He confesses to her frequently, but sick of hearing the same answer over and over, begins investing his time and effort into helping Dan Oh live until the end of Extraordinary You. A true Secondary Lead in both worlds, there for the sole purpose of helping the female protagonists.
He is more attentive and caring to others needs, not just Joo Da, and spends quality time with everyone he cares about. Do Hwa, in actuality, is a much healthier relationship choice: When asking Nam Joo if he is in a relationship with Joo Da, he questions “[d]id Joo Da accept your feelings? Don’t tell me you’re doing this without her consent” (Ep 9); After Nam Joo calls Joo Da his, “she’s not a thing…I can’t stand the way you talk about Joo Da” (Ep 6); and Joo Da often call’s Do Hwa her “guardian angel” for always rushing to her aid (Ep 5). However, the idolized romantic relationship full of dramatic gestures and break-ups and getting back together in the rain, and fighting against parental disapproval is missing. And while Do Hwa must be wealthy, he is not as rich as Nam Joo, which seals Joo Da’s choice. Do Hwa, despite his Ego, never really moves on from his feelings for Joo Da. He supports her relationship with Nam Joo, but continues to pine after her until the end of Secret.
Regardless of what story we examine, Do Hwa embraces his role as a supporting character. He studies romance comics, plots schemes with Dan Oh and Haru, and supports Joo Da and Nam Joo despite his Stage-self’s actions. He seems content with this choice. Though he initially tries to intervene and make himself the Rich Boy, he felt guilty over the consequences of changing the Stage, and decided to support Joo Da’s happiness instead, cheering her on, both on the Stage and in the Shadow. So, does he have control over his actions? Did he just fall victim to the ruthless disregard the author has for his character’s happiness? Is this what true agency (or a true lack thereof) looks like?
BONUS
“We’re in a romance comic book. Why don’t we keep our dignity?” (Dried Squid Fairy, ep1)
Perhaps one of the most confusing, stereotype-breaking characters is Dried Squid Fairy, or Jin Mi Chae. When he first shows up on screen, he appears to either be the wise wizard mentor, keeping the secrets of Ego-possessing extras or an ominous villain-type, dissuading everyone from helping Dan Oh change her fate. While he is a good hook for the audience, alluding to consequences for their actions and being mysterious and lurking around the school, he is also a good candidate for the unnamed author of Secret and Trumpet Creeper. In the end, however, he is none of these. Dried Squid Fairy seems like an important character, but really just is hiding in the kitchen of the school (where he sleeps – is that his Cinderella reference?) pining away for his missing lover.
He does do some damage, temporarily convincing Haru and Kyung and even Dan Oh to stop changing the Stage, but his biggest impact on the story comes when he burns the Trumpet Creeper comic. (This ultimately leads to Kyung finding the remaining scraps, which brings up the realization that Trumpet Creeper dialogue is playing out in the Shadow of Secret. This makes us, as the audience, question whether or not Kyung, Haru, and Dan Oh have any agency at all, but doesn’t stop Dan Oh’s quest to survive.) Long story short, Dried Squid Fairy is only there to confirm the connections between the various comic book incarnations to the cast of Extraordinary You.
In his role as mentor to the newly Ego-ed, he falls short in completing the hero’s journey by remaining alive and available to answer questions and guide others through the, probably quite shocking, realization that they are comic book characters. He does seem to sideline himself though, drifting away from the main cast, and spending all his time walking around the school campus, carrying boxes of vegetables. Because he does whatever he wants, he could be a character full of agency; similar to Do Hwa, this could be a sign that he is truly embracing his role in the new comic, escaping the repetitive doom of Kyung, Haru, and Dan Oh.
Conclusion
Before you read this conclusion, make sure you’ve caught up with Part One.
The series relies heavily on the Cinderella trope, with both female leads; and the women are heavily damsel’d on multiple occasions. Both male leads get the girl, while the Second Leads end up alone. Dan Oh and Joo Da both have slow-build relationships, in their own way, but still following the KDrama timeline. However, both women have ‘true selves’ that are vastly different to their set-up. Secret ends without Haru and Dan Oh together (though the epilogue reunites them), while the opposite is the case for Joo Da and Nam Joo. Kyung loses his untouchable status at the school, when the extras and background characters turn on him for bullying his terminally-ill fiancé. Nam Joo ends up as a puppet for Joo Da, essentially her errand boy.
Even though each character defies and complies with certain tropes, they are all characters in a KDrama. They are all bound by the writers and directors of Extraordinary You (and the author of the original webtoon). There are certain plot points that need to happen to fulfill the bargain made with the audience; we will entertain you with this story, please watch. If Dan Oh had become healthy, moved into the epilogue comic and never spoken to Haru again, we would all have some serious questions about the ending. With the story transcending time and space, the goal is finding their way back to each other; that’s what the audience expects to satisfactorily end the story. There is only so much wiggle room the writer’s could experiment with. The way Extraordinary You challenges stereotypes is certainly refreshing, but there is enough comforting reinforcement of expectations, that as the audience you can enjoy the moments of oddity without losing the plot.
Nonetheless, the meta analysis inevitably draws the audience in, causing them to question story arcs and character motivations. There are many questions left unanswered, the epilogue raises even more questions (What happened to Do Hwa? Where is Kyung? Are we all just characters ourselves?). However, the story overall, we think, challenges KDramas and romance stories to break out of their molds and create new tropes, and hopefully, heroines with healthy relationships. And, by the end, Joo Da kind of kicks ass.
Image Source
MBC DRAMA [@mbcdrama_pre] (2019). "만화 속 세상에서 자신의 일상을 바로잡기 위해 고군분투 중인 단오 MBC 새 수목미니시리즈 <어쩌다 발견한 하루> 10월 2일 수요일 밤 8시 55분 첫방송 #mbcdrama #어쩌다발견한하루 #어하루 #comingsoon #김혜윤 #로운 #이재욱 #이나은 #김영대 #드라마틱9" 30 September, https://twitter.com/mbcdrama_pre/status/1178529294626111489
MBC DRAMA [@mbcdrama_pre] (2019b). "순정만화 속 전형적인 여주인공 공식 다 갖춘 단오를 향한 A3의 애정공세(?) "잘생긴 남자들의 집착은 숙명!" MBC 새 수목미니시리즈 <어쩌다 발견한 하루> 10월 2일 수요일 밤 8시 55분 첫방송 #mbcdrama #어쩌다발견한하루 #어하루 #comingsoon #김혜윤 #로운 #이재욱 #정건주 #김영대" 30 September, https://twitter.com/mbcdrama_pre/status/1178558228419862528?fbclid=IwAR0MdIgjhfUFxl5kefVPks2me4Ry_UJicKU6p76rHRjuR1uWUiAmzJ-5IgE