Jo Hyun Jae

Interesting thesis, but it doesn’t hold water.

What is a villain? A bad guy, an evil person, a wicked woman. (Yes, it could be a woman*) Unless they are born freaks, very few people are inherently evil, but are shaped by their experiences in life. Giroo in “Seo Dong Yo” is one such. Quote:”He is smart, intelligent, and so human.” Agreed. So smart and intelligent that he plans his future with absolute precision.

Our first glimpse of Giroo is a boy whose place at the ritual ceremony in the court of Shilla is taken by another. He sees Seo Dong as an usurper, and everything he does from that moment on is to reclaim his right. We next see him in “negotiation” with the King of Shilla. He offers to spy for Shilla — good loyal subject. But, this is in exchange for the hand of Princess Sunhwa. I find this scene very unnerving — two men (one hardly one yet) talking terms (each with his own agenda), using the Princess as the “chips”. The King is the greater “villain” here — he is using both the boy and his own daughter. I doubt if he ever means to honour the agreement. But there is something devious and calculating about Giroo asking for the Princess as his reward. I do not find any evidence to suggest that Giroo has loved the Princess since he is a child. She doesn’t even seem to know him. He loves a princess, not Sunhwa. He feels he is entitled to her, and this is very offputting (to me, anyway.) To Giroo, love is possession. He wants to be the Queen’s Consort (if/when Sunhwa inherits the throne, and he’ll do everything to make sure she does, I bet.) Later, when he is firmly entrenched in Baekjae as Buyusun’s right-hand man, if Princess Woo Young would have him, I suspect he wouldn’t mind. He just wants to marry a princess, any princess.

Quote:”When Giroo was spying at Haneulchae, he was during no real evil.” He is biding his time. He befriends Seo Dong because he wants an ally, maybe a follower. He sows the seeds of discord and he plants suspicion against Seo Dong. The Baekjae exiles are nursing a snake in their bosoms and do not know it. Giroo uses people; he exploits their kindness and goodness. They treat him like a brother, but he would not hesitate to wipe them out to advance his own scheme. Yes, he is a schemer, but for all his meticulous scheming, he is no match for Seo Dong’s innocence and goodness and wisdom.

When Giroo discovers that Seo Dong is the one the Princess is in love with, his jealousy and fury erupt. He feels absolutely outraged — he is so sure of himself that he finds it an insult that the Princess should prefer Seo Dong to him. Actually the Princess only has eyes for Seo Dong; she is not even aware of Giroo’s existence. Giroo’s unrequited love for the Princess drives him to embark on his epic journey of revenge. I understand Giroo’s motives, but most men who are rejected do not go on a killing spree.

Here are the indictments against Giroo:

~He is a thief — he steals Baekjae’s “Book of Knowledge” and the secrets of their arts and crafts, techniques and inventions. He betrays their trust in him and robs a country of its most precious assets (now called “intellectual property”.)

~He is a murderer — he kills the Crown Prince, the King, and hundreds of citizens of Baekjae. True, he is acting under orders from Buyusun, but he has a choice. Once he makes the choice, he is launched on his journey of no return. Human beings have to live with the consequences of their actions.

~He attempts to kill Moraksu — he thinks he has succeeded and even taunts Seo Dong about it.

~Nothing would give Giroo greater pleasure than to kill Seo Dong too (and not from lack of trying.)

Like Buyusun, Giroo believes the end justifies the means. He would do anything to achieve his ambition. But I think in the course of this pursuit, he has lost sight of his objective. He claims to love the Princess, but he treats her most ungallantly. He threatens her; he blackmails her; he tries everything in his power to kill the man she loves. At some point he loses his perspective — he cannot even distinguish between the means and the end. One bad deed leads to another — after a certain point, DOING bad has become his nature of BEING bad.

Character is destiny. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus’ maxim applies admirably here — “A man’s character is his fate.” The kind of person that Giroo is determines his destiny. He blames everything on external circumstances; he chastises other people for doing him wrong. But not everybody in the same boat as he would do half of what he did. And those are not ordinary crimes that he commits — regicide, for one. I feel there is a certain flaw, a tragic flaw (just like the Greek tragic heroes) in Giroo — hubris (pride, arrogance.) Pride comes before a fall — this old English saying holds true in his case. He is brimming with self-confidence; he trusts his own judgement and no one else. He does not have the humility to admit he has made mistakes. Had his life been smooth sailing, Giroo could have become a notable aristocrat. But once it hits a snag, he snaps. He does not have the innate strength and integrity (that Seo Dong has.) They grow up under very different circumstances, of course. Giroo has been born to privilege and wealth; Seo Dong has known nothing but hardship and poverty. Giroo’s character has never been tested until he becomes a spy for Shilla. He has the ability, no doubt about that, but he does not have the rectitude (that Seo Dong has to sustain him through thick and thin.) As time goes on and he sinks deeper and deeper into the abyss, all Giroo has to keep him going is revenge, and even that has a hollow ring to it.

“What one cannot avoid is not fate. What one can avoid but still chooses to go down that path, that’s fate.” What Seo Dong says applies to Giroo too. So many times in the course of the drama Seo Dong pleads with him to give up, to turn back. Even at the very end, when Giroo tries to assassinate Seo Dong, now King Mu, who again gives him a final chance to save his skin, he still would not quit. He says it is too late, and perhaps it is. No one who has done what he did could live with those “sins” on his conscience.

Giroo is a well-drawn, well-developed character, and Ryu Jin plays him with subtlety and earnestness. He is the perfect foil to Seo Dong, the antagonist vs the protagonist, the anti-hero vs the hero. Notice I did not call him a “villain” — he is a three-dimensional figure, a very “human” being. Some stock villains in dramas have the word “VILLAIN” carved on their foreheads (you know what I mean.) But you see Giroo “becoming” a miscreant and you understand how and why that happens. Still, it doesn’t excuse him in any way. No, I don’t hate Giroo. I even feel sorry for him. But I still think he’s a bad guy. And I would avoid him like the plague.

P.S. What’s this ludicrous idea that Princess Sunhwa would live longer if she married Giroo? Who can play God? If she could not marry Seo Dong, I think Sunhwa would end her days in a nunnery.

(* There’s a woman in SDY that I detest. Guess who? Answer in later posting.)

This is the thesis of our resident expert on SDY.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

“The prince and princess live happily ever after!” This is how most fairy tales usually end. “Seo Dong Yo” is by no means a fairy tale because our hero and heroine only lived together for 13 years.

This is an English translation of Jo Hyun Jae’s exclusive interview with KBOOM (October 2008 issue) prior to his military enlistment. Jo Hyun Jae talks about his starring role in the television drama Seo Dong Yo. (by misa123 first published in EVERjohyunjae on 2008.9.22)

A. That’s like asking me who I love more, my mother or my father…. How about you? Do you love your mother? Or your father? (Laughs) I don’t think I could give up either one. I think work and love are both important.

Q. One of Seo Dong’s lines is “One can escape one’s destiny, but I choose mine.” What are your own feelings about destiny?

A. I think I could if I wanted to (laughs). I think if the fans want it, and it makes them happy, it’s fine for me to do a bit of singing. But since acting is what’s important to me, I doubt I could become a real singer. But if I get the chance I’d like to record some new songs to share with my fans.

A. Well, it might be because I am an actor, and appear a lot on TV….(laughs). It might be because people like the fact that I seem friendly and easy-going.

A. As in Dae Jang Geum, this was a drama that really centers around the lead role, so I was almost never able to go home. It was a terribly demanding role physically, so I tried to keep up my energy by eating whatever people said was good for my body. Looking back on it now, I feel a bit of regret because I think if I had been in a bit better shape I might have delivered an even better performance. Of course, I got a lot of credit from the other actors for keeping up with such a demanding schedule, and they gave me a lot of encouragement. I think all of that helped give me strength. I believe you have to hone the ability to perform under any circumstances. It was a difficult but very significant role for me.

A. I had it cut thinking my schedule of public appearances was over, but I guess it wasn’t (laughs). When I don’t have anything on I like to get it cut short like this. It’s more comfortable and I personally prefer it this way.

A. If there’s time I’d like to study, but from what other people have said to me there is not much point in making plans, since it is unlikely they will work out (laughs). Because of my work I wasn’t able to lead a very well-regulated life, so I’ve made it my goal to come back from the army with a body that’s really in shape. A well-regulated life makes you healthy. I’d hope to come back with a sound mind in a healthy body.

(THE END)