Watching My Mister was like watching a chef make a cake. The chef first makes the batter out of depression, suffering, and pain. He then sprinkles in a little bit of unhappiness here and there. Follows up with a dash of alcoholism. Then sweetens things up with some love and kindness. Finally throws the cake batter in an oven. What do you get? A beautiful and super complex tasting cake.
This was a tough review to write – I tried to make my writing as eloquent and thoughtful as the drama, but what came out was just a blurb and unfiltered mix of emotions and thoughts. Still, I knew I had to write a review.
Here’s my My Mister Korean drama review.
Overall Thoughts
I’ve included this section for two reasons:
- This review is REALLY long. So if any readers have not yet watched this drama, I want this compact review to serve as an appetizer for their potential interest in consuming this drama.
- For anybody who doesn’t want to read my silly and what may seem like over analyzing thoughts of this drama, just take this as your dessert after finishing this very filling drama.
I absolutely loved this drama. It’ll hold a very special place in my heart.
My Mister is all about dealing with the struggles of life. The drama does a remarkable job depicting this complex tenet of life through the music, thought-provoking writing, powerful acting, and well done cinematography. The show can really pull on your emotional strings.
This easily could’ve been a 20+ episode drama series. Each character who was struggling in My Mister could’ve had their own episode for backstory and subplot. Yet My Mister is able to showcase enough of their story and struggles in 16 episodes and still have a satisfying ending.
I really don’t think this drama is something anybody can just pick up. It’s very slow and emotionally heavy. The show displays stuff like physical abuse and depression.
Nonetheless, if you are interested in watching it, I would still give it a try. It’s an investment you won’t regret.
Alright…if you still want to continue reading this review, move on forward!
The quick synopsis
The drama depicts how 3 brothers and a young girl deal with their personal struggles and harsh realities of life.
Dong Hun is the middle aged brother whose a Department Head at an structural engineering firm. He’s the most successful out of his three brothers, but he’s also seemingly the one whose the most sick of life.
He unexpectedly hires Lee Ji An, a young woman in her early twenties who has to constantly work to pay off her parents’ debts in order to take care of herself and her grandmother. Lee Ji An and Dong Hun unexpectedly form a connection through their shared struggles.
Gi Hoon is the youngest brother and Sang Hoon is the oldest brother. They work together to start a cleaning business.
The good
The writing is incredible
The writing in My Mister is my favorite thing about this drama. I think it’s on a whole other level compared to other dramas I’ve watched. I wish I could turn back time and sit in the writer’s room just to hear and read the evolution of the script.
The writing is thought provoking, existential, and expressive, evident especially in Dong Hun’s conversations with other characters. It seriously elevates the intensity of the conversations between characters. I felt that the writing really grasps the genuine thoughts and feelings of the show’s characters.
Just to give an example, when Jeong Hee admits her loneliness to Dong Hun, she doesn’t just tell him “I’m lonely”. She goes as far to say this:
“I hear people’s footsteps. Hearing that sound while I’m still in bed, is so unimaginably lonely. That feeling that I’m the only one not rolling along. So sometimes I sit in front of my door at dawn, because I want to feel as if I’m rolling along with others.”
It’s like…her words just hit you so much harder.
Here are some of the conversations that I thoroughly enjoyed and thought highlighted the writing well.
Dong Hun and Ji An’s conversations
Their conversations will always have a special place in my heart.
Every time they got together, I felt like I was part of a group therapy session. They open up their vulnerable sides to each other, which results in very genuine and thought provoking conversations. They even made me think more about my own situation in life.
A lot of their conversations are really good, but there are two that really come to mind. The first one is when Dong Hun confronts Ji An in a meeting room. When Dong Hun questions why Ji An kissed him, Ji An says that Dong Hun looked as sick of life as she did so she wanted to share that feeling with him. And then she drops this next line: “How can someone be so sick of life while earning five or six million won a month?…Like a faithful prisoner serving a life sentence, just going through the motions”. She could’ve just said “you just looked sad”, but she takes it way further than that. The way she describes Dong Hun is so spot on. I mean…it convinces Dong Hun to pity her and not fire her.
The second conversation, which is the conversation that resonated with me the most, is during Dong Hun and Ji An’s walk back to Ji An’s place. He talks about how life is a balance between external and internal forces. I studied mechanical engineering and this is like mind blowingly true and relatable. The way he explains life shows how analytical Dong Hun is. And then when Ji An says “I feel like I’m 30,000 years old” – like how can a kid think like that? I get that this drama is fictional, but her response really reflects the impact of all the shitty experiences she’s gone through.
Dong Hun’s conversations with Monk Gyum Deok
I really enjoyed Dong Hun’s conversations with Gyum Deok. There’s no alcohol to help ease the conversation. There’s no yelling. It’s just two grown up guys talking to each other about their lives.
Their conversations aren’t deep all the time, which really adds a nice light heartedness to their friendship. It shows that Dong Hun isn’t feeling dead and serious all the time. A good example is in episode 11. Dong Hun jokes that he should become a monk because he thinks Gyum Deok is living the good life as a monk. Like as serious as the thought is, it’s also kinda funny.
When they start talking about the deep stuff though, their conversations get raw and insightful.
It’s so interesting to see how confused and lost Dong Hun is in front of Gyum Deok. We see Dong Hun spitting out life truths to Ji An but then when he’s in front of Gyum Deok, he’s baffled about his own life. For example, in episode 11, he shares that he initially thought that by getting a good job and having a family, things would end up good for him, but things end up worse for him. He tries to rationalize his situation, but Gyum Deok ends up calling bullshit on his reasoning. Dong Hun ends up agreeing with him but doesn’t seem to know how to exactly take action.
Another interesting aspect of their conversations is how Dong Hun constantly compares himself to his friend. He brings up his perfect scores and mentions how he could’ve done anything. In some way, I feel like Dong Hun wanted his friend to live the way he lived so that he wouldn’t be alone dealing with his own miserable life.
Dong Hun’s conversations with Gi Hoon
If there’s anybody in his immediate family who can get Dong Hun to talk about his feelings, it’s Gi Hoon, Dong Hun’s youngest brother (whose also the failed movie director). What I really appreciate about their talks is how emotional they get. Despite how disjointed their relationship is, Gi Hoon shows that he still cares about Dong Hun.
I remember the first real conversation they had in the bar in episode 4. Dong Hun says “someone knows me”, and when Gi Hoon asks if he likes that or not, Dong Hun replies “It’s sad”. I feel like the appropriate response would’ve been yes or a no, and I’m pretty sure he does like that Ji An knows him because it makes him feel less lonely. He explains that “it’s sad that someone knows me”. His response shows how broken he is.
Later in the drama, Gi Hoon riles up Dong Hun to talk more because he wants Dong Hun to be more expressive whenever he goes through a hard time. It breaks Gi Hoon’s heart to see Dong Hun suffering in silence. Their conversations end up getting heated and so emotional.
Ji An’s speech for Dong Hun’s promotion
She speaks so softly yet her words are filled with so much weight. The way she describes how she felt alive for the first time after working with Dong Hun. Damn…it even moved the CEO to tears. I mean it’s fictional for sure, but the writing definitely took more of the spotlight and responsibility of delivering the emotions in that scene.
Dong Hun’s conversation with his wife after she admits her cheating
The way Dong Hun expresses himself, mixed in with the acting, really just sells the shame and hopelessness he’s feeling in this scene. He doesn’t just say that “by sleeping with him, you gave up on your child”. He goes as far to say that he was given a death sentence. Like first, you wouldn’t expect that phrasing or wording out of somebody, but the writing makes it feel so appropriate because Dong Hun is dying on the inside. He loses the only person aside from his Mom that would love him.
Acting and Character Analysis
While I have the propensity to love more of our main cast (Dong Hun and Ji An), I really did enjoy all of the characters in My Mister. The majority of the characters seem so real. Nobody is portrayed as a perfect person. Most of the characters have their own problems, and the way each of them struggle and deal with them is what made the characters feel unique and relatable. Each actor did a fantastic job portraying their character.
The one thing I wanted to point out is how the characters take really simple and quiet scenes and fill them with emotions. There are so many quiet scenes in the drama where the characters are not talking. It’s just them walking around, drinking, eating, staring out blankly, or eavesdropping. Yet the characters are able to take those seemingly simple actions that we as viewers do everyday and make it bolster the emotional impact of their scenes.
Lee Sun-Kyun as Park Dong Hun
I thoroughly enjoyed Lee Sun-Kyun’s portrayal of Dong Hun. I particularly loved all the facial expressions Lee Sun Kyun did as Dong Hun, especially the ones where he’s just staring blankly at the train station or at any bars he’s at. In any scene, you could just tell what Dong Hun was feeling without any words.
Lee Sun-Kyun’s lisp turned out to be quite a nice feature for Dong Hun’s character. I don’t know why, but the lisp adds some sort of slipperiness to Dong Hun’s speaking style. Dong Hun speaks fast as a character, so the lisp really complemented his character well.
Park Dong Hun is definitely my favorite character of My Mister. There are so many aspects that I love about his character.
Despite his spite for his job, he’s still a good boss
Even if I knew how much he disliked his position as a department head, I would still work for Dong Hun. That scene when he comes back to the office to help finish up the safety report is what made me like his character at work way more. We also see the entire team there (plus Ji An) – everybody grinding out work brought warm fuzzies to me.
He’s committed to the people he manages. He tries to shield his underlings from the office politics as much as possible.
He doesn’t let his emotions distract him from doing his work and responsibilities. He’ll still get the job done.
He speaks quietly but acts loudly about how much he cares for somebody
I really like that contrast about Dong Hun’s character.
He speaks quietly. He also doesn’t talk about his emotions that much either. He’s pretty reserved.
I noticed that he raised his voice only 3 times in the whole drama – all 3 times to protect the people he cared about. That just speaks to who Dong Hun is as a person. When he yells, his voice is so imbued with his anger against the other person. The most definitive one is when he walks over to Kwang-il to pay Ji An’s debt. When they get into a fight, he starts yelling “Why would you beat up a pitiful child”, you could just feel the hurt and anger in his heart.
When it comes to showing how much he cares for somebody, he shows it by doing a nice big gesture like when he offered to pay off Ji An’s debt or when he went to the building owner to stand up for his elder brother. He does the same thing with his wife – he’ll call to ask if she needs anything.
Despite him feeling dead inside, he still finds the energy to help others
I love this aspect of Dong Hun. It’s probably the most fictional thing about him. How can you find so much time and energy to be kind to others when you’re dying on the inside?
For the majority of the drama, we see Dong Hun just struggle and fight through his life problems. And yet, despite all his problems, he is still able show kindness to those around him, especially to Ji An. Deep down, I believe Dong Hun is a genuinely kind person.
IU as Lee Ji An
IU absolutely kills her role as Lee Ji An. I was surprised to learn that her role was somewhat tied to her real life in that she was raised by and lived with her grandmother in a very despondent area.
She takes this seemingly feeble character and turns her into a force to be reckon with throughout the drama. Everybody thinks she’s just a random intern doing menial work. People think they can push her around, but they learn fast that she can doesn’t care and that she’s intelligent. She knows how to get what she wants.
Out of all the characters, I love her character development the most. She turns from this closed off, selfish, and critical person to this open and hopeful character by the end of the drama. Her transformation is truly enjoyable to watch.
I also really like IU’s facial expressions. At one point her gaze could be one of “I don’t give a flying f***” about what happens to me” like when she’s confronting Kwang Il. And then at some other point, her gaze could be like one a frightened child gives like when Dong Hun finds her in the old man’s shack. She’s like “oh s*** how’d you find me.” And then another, her gaze could be one of just pure emptiness…just like Dong Hun’s. Her range of facial expressions are awesome.
When she cares for somebody, she cares deeply
Due to her rough upbringing, she isn’t shown much love from other people. So you can assume that she doesn’t care much for other people. She’s pretty much been taught to care about herself and her grandma.
However, when she realizes how good of a person Dong Hun is, she uses everything in her power to protect Dong Hun. She makes sure that Dong Hun is safe when he walks home. She tries to stop anybody who badmouths or hurts Dong Hun. There’s so many other things she does that shows how much she can and does care for people that are important to her.
In some way, I think this side of her talks to the general aspect of all human beings. Deep down and to our very core, we can and do care for people.
She’s not afraid of powerful or stronger people
First and foremost, she shows this well in front of the loan shark Kwang Il. I really like how stoic and fearless she is in the beginning of the drama when she confronts him.
She also works with people much wealthier and more powerful than her like the CEO. She’s not afraid to bribe them or confront them, which really speaks to the fact that she’s thrown away any of her pride and ego. She’s purely concentrated on survival, which is all she’s ever known since she was a kid.
She’s actually pretty sharp
She’s hyper aware of her surroundings and uses that to her advantage. It helps her get out of sticky situations like when she tries to frame Dong Hun for kissing her. At the same time, she uses it to get what she wants like bribing the CEO to get the money she needs to pay off her loans.
Jang Ki-yong as Lee Kwang Il
I’m a big fan of Ki-yong’s acting. Even though he plays a small part in this drama, he does a really good job playing the antagonist. Ki-yong brings this sinister look and persona that suits Kwang Il’s character well.
In some ways, I think Kwang Il is one of most complex characters in the drama. At first, Kwang Il seems like a one dimensional character – he’s just there to torture and exhort money from Lee Ji An, and I hated him for it.
But as the show slowly reveals his history with Ji An, he becomes more of a pitiful character. We realize that just like Lee Ji An, he was dealt a bad hand in life. The girl he likes is also the girl that kills his father. He’s filled with anger and takes it out on Lee Ji An, but at the same time, he’s filled with guilt for abusing her.
I remember I started to feel pity for Kwang Il when he came over to Ji An’s place during his Dad’s memorial. I was just like…why would you celebrate your father’s death with the person who murdered him? You have nothing better to do? I could see the pain in Kwang Il’s eyes.
In the end, he chooses to help Ji An and Dong Hun by turning in the recordings, which also helps him break the negative loop he was stuck in. He allows Ji An to move on to a better life, which is what he wanted deep down.
Music
I know this sounds silly but the music really makes you “feel the feels”.
From fear to hope, the music really captures a spectrum of emotions, enhancing key scenes in the drama — especially those featuring Ji An and her Grandma and Ji An and Dong Hun. The melancholic music really emphasizes Ji An interactions with her Grandma and Dong Hun, intensifying the emotional depth of her relationships. Just like how Ji An was listening in on Dong Hun, the music really immerses you in the moment.
I also really appreciate how the music evolves from depressing to uplifting towards the end of the drama. It matches a lot of our characters’ development over the drama, especially for Dong Hun and Ji An. The fact that there is only one upbeat soundtrack and it’s saved for the very end is really fitting. This indicates that Dong Hun and Ji An are able to move on from their bleak and depressed beginnings to a more hopeful future.
Even though most of the songs are moody, sad, or melancholy, I personally think they are comforting in some way. It feels like the music is there to validate and protect our characters’ emotions.
I’ve saved a lot of the soundtrack to my own playlists. Here’s my favorite song from My Mister:
Cinematography
I really liked how the show uses lighting and colors to emphasize different themes and development of our characters. In the beginning, almost all the scenes were shot during nighttime. The dull office colors and dark clothing all the characters wore really emphasized the sad and depressing themes of the drama. As the characters overcame their struggles, everything about the show was lighter – most of the scenes were shot in the day, Ji An and Dong Hun’s clothing were brighter in color, etc…
I also like the fact that this kdrama didn’t waste much screen time showcasing 200 different camera angles of the same scene. If I had to see like 200 different camera angles of Dong Hun walking around the neighborhood, I would’ve gotten really bored really fast.
There’s more time spent letting the camera focus on a certain person or a certain look for a longer period of time…like showing Dong Hun just staring out blankly. This style of shooting really delivered more of the emotional punch for certain scenes.
The bad
I really had to think long and hard about this one. I hate to sound cliché but it was hard for me to find anything bad enough to stand out. There was so much crammed into this 16 episode drama that somehow, everything turned out well.
Ji An’s plan to run away was a bit confusing
The one thing I was confused about was Ji An’s plan to be on the run until CEO Do Jun Yeong was fired. I understood the reason – if she got caught by the police, then she would have to reveal everything, including the affair, which would end up damaging Dong Hun’s reputation.
But what if she ran to Dong Hun instead? I only see two reasons why she couldn’t run to Dong Hun. First would be awkwardness. But I don’t think it would’ve been awkward since Dong Hun figured out her feelings and her past.
The second is to keep Dong Hun from being interrogated. Would the police question Dong Hun about her whereabouts, and if he knew, he would have to tell? That’s the only reason I could think of why Lee Ji An wouldn’t go to Dong Hun. Even then, Dong Hun would probably lie to make sure she wasn’t found.
Yoon Hee’s short character development
I was a bit disappointed on Dong Hun’s wife or Yoon Hee’s character development. It was too short. After she admits her affair, I felt like things just ended there for her character. She resigns to just being submissive and trying to help Dong Hun and Ji An in destroying the CEO. If there was a scene or time spent on her trying to regain Dong Hun’s affection, I really would’ve enjoyed seeing that…even if Dong Hun said no…at least it would’ve confirmed that Dong Hun really had no affection left for her.
Life themes in this drama
You know I’m all about what life themes every drama tries to talk to. This drama is literally like a candy store filled with different life themes. Here are the ones I picked out.
Everyone has their own problems, so be kind when you can
Two scenes really come to mind that really echo this theme.
The first scene is Dong Hun helping Ji An’s grandmother up and down the stairs in episode 5. Dong Hun doesn’t know what Ji An is going through at the time, but he helps her out tremendously with carrying the grandma up and down the stairs. I think it was that gesture that kickstarted Ji An’s feelings for Dong Hun. His act of service definitely lifted a heavy burden off her shoulders in that moment.
The second scene is when Ji An sends a text to Dong Hun in episode 13, wishing him good luck and telling him it’s no big deal. She knew that Dong Hun really wanted somebody to tell him “it’s no big deal” because she heard him say that over her wiretap. Despite her hesitancy reaching out, she responds with a kind gesture by telling him “It’s no big deal” when he needed it most.
What’s funny is that both Dong Hun and Ji An actively hide their problems, which I think is a good and accurate representation of how people hide their problems today on social media and in real life. They’re struggling with different things, but when they help each other, they give each other this small piece of hope that they can overcome their situation.
Everyone has their own problems that they are dealing with. If a person lashes out at you, it may not be because of who they are. It may be because they’re struggling and don’t have the energy and patience to deal with you. So instead of responding negatively, respond with kindness because you never know if your act of kindness will give them the hope and energy they need to turns things around.
All it takes is one person to understand
This is related to the last theme in that we all have our own specific problems in life, and sometimes, it can feel like nobody would understand what we’re going through.
Up until meeting Ji An, Dong Hun certainly felt that way. He was struggling a lot with work and family relationships. He didn’t tell anybody how he felt because he didn’t want to and he didn’t think anybody would understand; however, once Ji An showed that she understood his feelings about life, Dong Hun almost felt like a sense of relief and hope about his situation. He even expressed it to Ji An in episode 16: “I felt like you came to this neighborhood to save me”.
When we find somebody who understands our struggle, there’s this weight that is lifted off our shoulders. It’s hard to explain that feeling. If you can find just one person who understands what you’re going through, that can be all it takes for you to overcome your situation as it did with Dong Hun and Ji An.
Have a solid group of people you can rely on
When Dong Hun gets his ass kicked by Kwang Il, we see all his soccer friends and brother come to his rescue. They all ask him how he got beat up. Some try to find the culprit. Others try to take care of him. When the police come into the scene, all his friends group around him to make sure the police don’t see his bruised face. I don’t know about you, that’s a group of friends I’d want in my corner.
There are a lot of things in life that are either extremely difficult, if not impossible, to do by yourself. So having a group of people you can rely on to help you can make a big difference.
Make sure your internal forces are greater than your external forces
When the show made this analogy, I was so happy.
Dong Hun reveals this mindset in Episode 8. He shows that his internal strength comes from his wife and kid. As soon as he learns that his wife is having an affair, everything inside him starts to crumble. It gets harder for him to handle the pressure from work.
We will be subject to a lot of external forces in life, so it’s important to have the internal strength to handle the pressure. What and how that internal strength looks like will be different from person to person.
It’s also important to make sure that you maintain that internal strength. It’s not something that just remains strong forever. You have to constantly remind yourself of what it is and work on it.
We are our own worst critic
Dong Hun is the perfect example of this.
At the end of episode 12, Dong Hun tells Ji An that he’s not a decent guy, but she tells him he’s a very decent person. But we as the viewers can see that Dong Hun is a decent person for his acts of service and generosity to Ji An and others. So it makes you wonder – how can such a caring guy not call himself a decent person?
I often wonder why we are our own worst critic. I know I am. Maybe its because we constantly compare ourselves to others in a way that promotes the lacking or bad qualities over the good ones.
That’s why we need friends in our lives. Despite how imperfect and broken we are as human beings, our friends remind us of our good qualities. That’s what Ji An does when she tells Dong Hun that he is a good person. Dong Hun can’t help but chuckle afterwards because I think he is reminded of how capable he is of getting over his screwed up situation.
When things get tough, remember to breathe.
There’s a specific scene in episode 5 that highlights this life theme. Dong Hun is considering killing himself on the train tracks. As he walks up the ramp, he falls over and lays on the ramp before the tracks. He sort of just lays there before he takes a couple of deep breathes and reminds himself that he can’t die because he’s not wearing expensive underwear. He gathers himself, gets up, and continues walking home.
Life will get tough at times. When you feel overwhelmed, take some deep breathes to slow down and regain footing. There’s a lot of research and studies showing how breathing can reduce stress.
Quotes
Here are some of my favorite quotes from My Mister!
Episode 1
“Your personal story is only entertaining to you” – Gi Hun to Sang Hun
Episode 4
“How can someone be so sick of life while earning five or six million won a month, I wondered. – Ji An to Dong Hun
“Like a faithful prisoner serving a life sentence, just going through the motions” – Ji An to Dong Hun
Episode 7
“You think catching a bad guy and punishing him will feel good right? Try living for a while, see if that’s true. I will get that filth dumped on me too. It can’t be helped” – Dong Hun to Ji An
“Reality is hell. Did you think this was heaven? There’s must be a reason we’ve come to hell. I guess we just need to take all our punishment and leave.” – Dong Hun to Ji An
“When I run, I disappear. But that feels like the real me.” – Ji An to Dong Hun
Episode 8
“You always make sure the internal force is greater than the external force. Life is also a battle between external and internal forces, from a certain perspective. Whatever happens, if you have internal strength, you can bear it.” – Dong Hun to Ji An
“Everyone works so hard all their lives to have something, and they struggle to show others what sort of person they are. But they don’t know what they are working to have. And even if they do get what they want, what they believed was making them safe, what they believed was themselves, once that begins to crack, they can’t endure it and they collapse.” – Dong Hun to Ji An
Episode 9
“What you just did now – “do a good job tomorrow” – I think that straightened me out 1 centimeter” – Yoo Ra to Gi Hun
Episode 10
“If you don’t consider it such a big deal, others will see it the same way…If you consider it nothing, it will be nothing” – Dong Hun to Ji An
“I think I can finally close my eyes in comfort. I feel relieved that my Ji An has such a good person” – Ji An’s grandmother to Dong Hun
Episode 11
“I will be going to your grandmother’s funeral, so you should come to my mother’s funeral too. So get over it. Stop throwing fits and get over it…And be nicer to people. Isn’t it basic decency for one human to be nice to another? Why act so aloof, making others feel uncomfortable? Has anyone at work committed a mortal sin against you?” – Dong Hun to Ji An
“I will make sure they don’t do that to you anymore, so you try too. I will make sure to see you fulfill your contracted work term, and I will also make sure to hear you that you are doing well at work somewhere else. And even if 10 or 20 years pass, if I run into you in the street, I will be happy to see you and greet you. I will not avoid you because you are bothersome and uncomfortable, I will greet you warmly. Let’s do that” – Dong Hun to Ji An
“You are Ji Seok’s mother. You are a child’s mother. The moment you had an affair with that bastard, you passed a death sentence on me. “Park Dong Hun, you deserve to be treated this way. You are worthless. So just die”” – Dong Hun to his wife
“Because I’m happy. That among those close to me, there is someone like him. It makes me happy” – Ji An to her grandmother
Episode 12
“Then why were you good to me, Ahjussi? Aren’t we the same? We both feel sorry for ourselves” – Ji An to Don Hun
“Judging someone by their background and quickly casting out someone who doesn’t pass is common in work environments. So I’ve learned to make myself invisible. – Ji An speech
Episode 13
“I really hope that you would, if it would help you cry your eyes out. I hope you would have tears and snot flowing freely and that you would really cry! The fact that you won’t is breaking my heart so much. That you cannot totally open your heart, breaks my heart so much.” Gi-Hun to Dong Hun
“When I felt like dying – don’t die – you are a decent person – fighting – the very fact that someone was cheering me on helped me breathe.” Dong Hun speech
“It’s nothing” – Ji An to Dong Hun on his phone
Episode 14
“I hear people’s footsteps. Hearing that sound while I’m still in bed, is so unimaginably lonely. That feeling that I’m the only one not rolling along. So sometimes I sit in front of my door at dawn, because I want to feel as if I’m rolling along with others” Jung Hee to Dong Hun
“It was the first time. The first time someone was good to me more than four times. To someone like me. The person that I like.” Ji An to Dong Hu n
Episode 15
“He’s tortured by the memory of like me and…I’m tortured by the memory of his kindness.” Jin An to Dong Hun over recordings
Episode 16
Instead of cutting off my thoughts, I should have cut off my guilt. But I didn’t even know what I should cut off. So instead I cut off my hair – Monk Gyeom-Duk to Dong Hun
“There is no winning or losing…Everyone just has his own life to lead.” Monk Gyeom-Duk to Dong Hun
“What a blessed relationship. It’s very precious. If you think about it, every relationship is fascinating and precious. You have to pay him back by living happily “- Grandma to Ji An
“You must have come to this neighborhood to save me. I was nearly dead, and you brought me back to life” – Dong Hun to Ji An
Rewatchability
Despite how good it was, I’d give My Mister a 5/10 on rewatchability.
It’s not an easy drama to pick up because it’s heavy and slow.
There’s portrayal of physical abuse, alcohol problems, affairs, and corporate espionage. Characters are going through depression, anxiety, and PTSD. If you’re feeling happy in life, you might stop watching 3-4 episodes in because there’s nothing happy going on in this drama…pretty much until like the last 2 episodes.
This drama is also really slow. It took like a solid 3 episodes to really set the drama in motion, and it took probably 1 or 2 more episodes on top of that to introduce the majority of the cast.
Overall Rating
9.5/10
I hope you enjoyed this My Mister Korean drama review. It was a very difficult yet super fun and fulfilling one to write.
In some ways, I hope this is the last time I watch this because I’ve only watched it when my life has gotten really tough. At the same time, I hope to watch it again sometime because it’s a masterpiece that gives perspective on how to live life happily and the importance of being kind.
