“I have a 15 year plan.”
Park Saeroyi
As the title of the blog suggests, I’m just another person locked in my house because the Wuhan Syndrome took a lot of us down. I like calling it the Wuhan Syndrome because the term Corona makes me uncomfortable. It would make anyone who has ever had the beer, uncomfortable.
I’m not a pro blogger but I feel like I need to share my thoughts during this time. I’m not sure how many TV series and movies I have watched in this short span of 20 days, but I’m losing track. This blog is to keep count. I have to know how much time I’ve managed to kill and how ashamed I have to be when I revert back to college studies again. So I’ll put up my watchlist here and share what I think of the shows I’ve watched till now.
The most recent one that comes to my mind is Itaewon Class.
I’m sort of a newcomer to Korean dramas and I watched Itaewon Class because it was featured on my Netflix recommendation list.
I have to say, it is a great underdog story.

The weak-to-strong trope works fantastically for it and the actors nailed their jobs. The male lead, Park Saeroyi, is a little cliche. The ones who had my heart during the entire show were were Jo Yi Seo (the sociopath who is also an Instagram model – I mean where else would you find such a combo?), Ma Hyeon Yi (the chef, who is transgender) and Seung Kwon ( an ex-convict who kicks some serious ass in the final episodes).

The story starts with Saeroyi, who watches a classmate being bullied and is unable to take it. He hits the bully, who turns out to be the son of the chairman of JangGa Corporation, the biggest food company in South Korea. Saeroyi’s father is employed under the chairman (Jang Dae Hee), so while Saeroyi drops out of high school because he refuses to apologize, his father has to quit his job as well.
In a further turn of events, his father is killed in an accident caused by the chairman’s son again. When Saeroyi finds out, he runs for revenge. He is about to kill the Chairman’s son but is stopped by the police. He instead is arrested for assault and is put into prison for three years. This is the beginning of the show.



I think the beauty of Itaewon Class lies in the fact that every character in the story is so humane. There’s no firm line between the good and bad, every person is shown as flawed, insecure and terribly committed to their own beliefs. There were times I loved Saeroyi, especially during the part when he first says, “I’m talking about the statute of limitations, I have a fifteen year plan.” It reminded me of the saying, “We overestimate what we can do in a day, and underestimate what we can do in a year.”
Saeroyi, no doubt is the classic good hero who refuses to bow down, is kind through and through, but also never loses sight of his goals. I think the best turn in his character is when during the final episodes he says to the Chairman, “Do you think I’m a pushover? What profit is there in it for me?”
My mind then went, “Yes. Finally I see a businessman.” and I admired him. Saeroyi is lovable as are all “good” characters.
Coming to my first favorite though, is Jo Yi Seo, a 20 year old highly intelligent sociopath who has no care for the emotions of others. She’s socially inept so she doesn’t get people. She’s selfish and childish, but her growth is what made me fall in love. She falls for Saeroyi early on. What makes her a favorite is Episode 12, the final part when she recites the poem “I’m the Diamond” to encourage her colleague.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget the scene where Ma Hyeon Yi walks up with Yi Seo’s voice in the background reciting the poem “I’m the Diamond.” The OST in the scene is to die for. If anyone of you is trying to run through all the discs to find that one song (I did), it’s called Stone Block (on Youtube) or Diamond (if you use Amazon Prime music). Another favorite scene is when the Chairman says to Saeroyi, “I can’t believe you’re the only one who wants me to live. I will play my final game for you.”



Episode 13 and 12 are what necessarily made this show brilliant
One special factor is that in Itaewon Class, nobody is forgotten. The child who is bullied by the Chairman’s son also has a story to tell. He’s traumatized and vengeful, but human at the same time. Another twist that comes in the very end, a rather surprising one, is delivered by Soo-ah, Saeroyi’s first love, when she becomes the root cause for the fall of JangGa Corporation. I did not expect it, and it made me so proud.
All in all, this show deserves a good 4.5/5 stars for delivering great entertainment and a solid storyline. Watch Itaewon Class for a plethora of emotions and a tonne of encouragement. For a second there, the show had me thinking: I’m effing starting my own company and I’ll name it Itaewon Class too!
Nevermind that.
So, this has to be the end of my “review”. These are about all the special things that I can remember about the show for now. Until later, then!
P.S.: I’m currently watching Kingdom. I’ve heard a lot about it, so the next update will probably be about it. Or maybe the I.T. Crowd. That one is hilarious.
Goodbye, and stay locked in ♥