57

[Best Friends Forever] Unlikely beginnings


Just Between Lovers

By @yellowlemonfairy

I was having a conversation with a close friend of mine one day and we drifted into the topic of how we became friends. I remember not having the best impression of her. We were in the same orientation group for our first year in secondary school and our first conversation consisted of me asking her a whole list of ice-breaking questions and her replying with “yes” or “no.”

I recall walking out of that conversation telling myself that this girl was weird and that there was no way we were going to be friends. Fast-forward eight years later and here we are, reminiscing and chuckling over our first disastrous conversation. But that is how friendship works, isn’t it? It sprouts out of nowhere and people who do not seem to fit together strangely end up thick as thieves.

In Just Between Lovers, Gang-doo is just an average laborer with a haunting backstory who carries around a huge weight on his shoulders. The mall collapse robbed him of his father and his dream, and with nowhere to turn, he somehow found himself a friend in his creditor. What makes the story even more interesting is that his creditor is an elderly grandmother who sells medication without a license—truly a pair of misfits and an unexpected friendship. When I started watching this show, I never thought that these characters would grow on me so much. What is so precious about this pair is how the grandmother nudges Gang-doo into the right direction through her brash manners, keeping him rooted.

And that is what friends do—keep your head straight and point out when you are being a silly fool. In Because This Life Is Our First, Se-hee and Sang-gu have such contrasting personalities that any onlooker would wonder how their friendship works. Sang-gu is extroverted and voices his opinions while Se-hee is introverted and tends to keep things to himself. What binds them together and allows their friendship to work so well is how they understand each other without the other saying much. Yet they also know when to voice their opinions and give each other advice.


Because This Life Is Our First

The Buam-dong Revenge Club members are also an unlikely bunch of friends—three ajummas and a high school kid do not sound like a typical friendship, but it works marvelously. Though it was born out of highly unusual circumstances (revenge ain’t a very pretty way to start a friendship), their differences bound them together and they found comfort and strength in it. In one of the earlier scenes when the ajummas were plotting revenge against the principal for sexually harassing Do-hee’s daughter, a series of events prevented them from executing the act. However, Soo-gyum managed to use his skills to pull off the stunt, achieving a very satisfactory scene of the evil principal having the runs and embarrassing himself in front of everyone. People would have thought that this arrangement wouldn’t work, but it is the very fact that these individuals came from such contrasting backgrounds that they were able to fill the void in each other’s lives.

I used to think that the ideal friendship is forged between a few like-minded individuals and looked out for people who are similar to me in new environments. However, I have realized that my closest friends are actually people starkly different from me that I never would have imagined befriending from the get-go. Maybe it’s because we have such different perspectives that we manage to complement each other and introduce such varying ideas that provide topics for great discussion.

Friendships are not always smooth sailing, and I’m glad that this is reflected in dramas as well. The little quibbles, misunderstandings, and stepping on each other’s toes is what allows a friendship to grow to the next level. It is essential in allowing the characters to understand mutual respect and develop alongside each other.

The beauty of every relationship is not how perfect it is, but how despite the imperfections, the individual is able to overlook it because they treasure the bond that has been forged over time. Here’s to all the sweet human beings who make our Mondays more bearable, bad days a little bit brighter, and good days even better. We also call these humans a fancier term—friends.


Buam-dong Revenge Club

 
RELATED POSTS

Tags:

57

Required fields are marked *

@yellowlemonfairy thank you for writing about the unlikely friendships! I loved all the examples that you gave. Friends are those that complement one another. They are those that are able to give advices that the other never would have been able to think of. They are those that you can confide to. I loved your article!

10
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

thanks for reading! true friends are rly gems that are hard to come by and I find it even more so as I grow up

2
reply

Required fields are marked *

great post, @yellowlemonfairy !
I enjoyed the read :-)

6
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

thank you sweetie!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Haa, start of your friendship are a bit similar to mine. I met my best friend during the early weeks of secondary school, and her 1st impression of me wasn't pretty: she thinks I'm a snobbish, spoil brat from a rich family, when I'm actually just introverted with a permanent resting b***h face! And I'm not rich at all! We celebrated our 20th 'frieniversary' last year (we are 34) and we still see each other every other week. And I totally agree that a close friendship are mostly between 2 opposite people, as that way, we complement each other more.
The only downside of it is that she don't share the passion I have for kdrama! But that's okay, I have you awesome beanies for that!!

3
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

ooh I totally can relate to the introvert with the resting bitch face part cause so many of my friends tell me that they used to be scared of me too haha!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Great article! Loved your choice of dramas BTW. All these posts about BRC really make me wanna watch it. I'll definitely give this a try.
Just like we have heard the term "opposites attract" when used to describe a couple, the same could be applied to friendships as well. Thank you for highlighting that aspect with such good examples.

4
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

thank you for reading sweetheart <3 and BRC is a great drama do check it out, I found it a little weird at the start but stick on cause it gets rly hilarious and fun!

1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Watch it! ^^

1
reply

Required fields are marked *

What a lovely read @yellowlemonfairy! I also noticed that many of the people I like to befriend are really different from me. We have things in common that initially link us for sure, but as I get to know them better I see we are very different. But it's refreshing to have another point of view and their friendship becomes valuable. 😀

2
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

thank you for reading! v true its nice to have fresh opinions once in a while and have a great day ahead :)

1
reply

Required fields are marked *

What a lovely write-up! I have this theory that people in groups, tend to fill out these rolls or gaps. So if one person is predominantly talkative, the other will fill in the role of the listener (and so on and so forth). So friends being different is a given (it is a role you have to fill to make the group whole). What makes the friendship special, is, despite the differences, when it comes down to it, you both get each other and are willing to accept each as you are.

4
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

thank you sweetie! I do agree with you on how we fill in different roles in our friendship circles and that is rly what gels people together at the same time cause what a disaster it would be if people constantly try to out-talk one another. have a great day ahead!

1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Comment was deleted

2
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

thanks for your kind words and for reading :)

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thanks @yellowlemonfairy for a great post. Best friends share stories and adventures, good moments and bad. Your post is a fantastic reminder that, in addition to the things shared by good friends, best friends are those who, at the end of the day, have your best interest at heart.

In the sea of conflicts we've come to expect between enemies and frenemies in the dramas we love, it's always gratifying to see standout examples of best friends, such as the ones you mentioned because just like in real life, some are truly memorable.

4
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

thank you for reading and I rly agree w you how it is rewarding to see friends band tgt to support each other in their own unique way and elevate each other rather than being jealous of the other's success. have a great day ahead!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Halmoni!!!!

4
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

I love her character so much, in fact its been a while since I cried over a character :(

1
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

One of the best characters in Dramaland, EVER!!! She tells it like it is, gives hard but real and true love to those around her, and pushes you out of your comfort so that you can grow and develop as a person ugh LOVE HER ~!! ♥️♥️♥️♥️

2
reply

Required fields are marked *

Great post! I enjoyed reading it 😊 I've yet to watch the other dramas, but Gang-doo and Grandma is one of my favorite drama relationships.

It's really someting how some of your best friends can be so different but somehow you just fit together perfectly! It's fun to see that portrayed in dramas too.

4
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

oh yes their relationship was so unique to me, because while I do appreciate the friendships that we see in dramalandsuch as school friends etc, theirs just hit that special note in my heart. thank you for reading!

1
reply

Required fields are marked *

@yellowlemonfairy thank you....This month theme on friendship is the best. I endup tearing up while reading the essays, same with yours too. It was well written...I feel like watching the ahjumma's revenge club....its now on my to watch list.....

3
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

thank you for your kind words and for reading! YES do check it out and I hope you love it as much as I did because man that was one fun drama :)

1
reply

Required fields are marked *

"City Hunter" and his Ajussi 4EVER!.
Truest disparated friendship has never existed.

5
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

thanks for reading! speaking of city hunter its about time I check out that drama, its been on my "to watch" list for way too long (habits of a procrastinator)

1
reply

Required fields are marked *

This was such a sweet post 😁😁

2
4
reply

Required fields are marked *

thank you sweetheart! have a great day ahead :)

1
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thanks!

I also wanted to say I love your id name!! Now I really want to see a yellow lemon fairy :D :D so it can gift with me endless lemon cream cookies and lemonade hehe

2
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

hehehe aww that is so sweet of you <3 omg I am obsessed w rly sour things too and lemon cake is my go to treat, sadly I can't bake for nuts so luckily I have a baker friend that I get all my treats from

1
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Sour deserts are the best!!
I try to put lemon into almost everything i bake hehe--I think it compliments almost everything :D :D

1

I liked this view of friendship. There's a lot of truth in it for me as well.

1
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

thank you for reading and it's always nice to see that both of us have similar experiences hehe have an amazing day ahead!

1
reply

Required fields are marked *

awww thank you @yellowlemonfairy for writing this ❤️
and thank you to put Gang Doo and Halmeo as a thumbnail ❤️❤️

3
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

YESS my favourite duo, I cannot even describe how much I love them and when halmeoni left I cried so much my eyes were sore. thanks for reading!!

1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Great article on unlikely friendship!

4
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

thank you for reading dearie, have a great day!! :)

1
reply

Required fields are marked *

enjoyed reading the write up :)

Now I have to watch just between lovers and continue btliof because I'm weak for stories with such good friendships.

2
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

thanks for reading! yes do check them out these two dramas have been on the top of my favourites list ever since I watched them, maybe its because the vibes of these dramas somehow draw me in or they vocalise my inner thoughts. have a great day ahead!

1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I'm sorry, I was not able to read your post after starting sobbing immediately after seeing the picture of Gang Doo and Granny.

3
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

oh dear I can totally relate, I couldn't get over halmeoni for a very long time because for some reason she felt more than just a mere drama character to me. I hope that you have a great day ahead! :)

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thanks for this great piece! You've picked my top three favorite relationships from recent dramas, so endearing especially Gang-do and the Grandma who's the silver lining of all those lost souls around her.

2
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

thank you for reading! I'm v glad that we both think the same way and their relationship is rly so precious, have a smashing day ahead! :)

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I totally feel you about the first impression of you close friend. The same thing happened to my best friend and I in high school. In fact I recall she hated me for being so different from her coming from the same immigrant background. Somehow though we started hanging out through a mutual friend then we became inseparable. We were definitely very different but it all worked out in the end. LOL This post brings back memories from my high school years. Thanks for reminding me of the good old days.

1
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

hehe its so funny how both our experiences are so similar even though we may not be from the same place. I guess these are universal awkward "friendship building" problems :P have a great day ahead!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

My comment is very simple, but I really liked your article. For me, friendship is one of the most important things in my life. And I pay attention to friends in dramaland, because different than the main romance, usually they depict wonderful relationships among friends of all kind.
Sometimes in a drama the OTP fails very badly, but we have cool friends and easy going characters who save the day! 😂
Sometimes they teach you something you won't ever forget.
Sometimes they only make you laugh, but hey! In the real life not many people can make us laugh!! (Or maybe it is just me, because I ended up in a kind of depressed country, LOL😂). So... I really enjoy these side characters in all our stories.
From your examples, the friendship I enjoyed the most was between Gang doo and his grandma 😍

2
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

very true, friends are always there to cheer up the main characters and they are usually the unsung heroes in dramas and I do agree that laughter is very important in a friendship! I think very often what we seek in companionship is someone that understands us and is not afraid to vocalise our fears and concerns.
gang doo and halmeoni hold a special place in my heart and I hope you have a great day ahead!

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thank you sooooo much! Since I live in Europe, my day is almost finishing. 6:30pm. I am on a religious trip to Austria, and I still have to arrive the place of accommodation, and have a shower, and dry my hair, and go to sleep early because tomorrow comes the spring time and we have to change the clock and have one hour less!!!
So, my day is basically over. But thanks as lot. So far so good. 😀😊😀

1
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

oh wow that is a rly rly packed day you have, I hope you managed to get a nice warm bath to relax before your day starts again and maybe a cuppa hot tea if you are as tea obsessed as I am 😉

1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Kang-doo & Grandma! ❤️
I enjoyed reading your write-up @yellowlemonfairy. ^^

3
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

thank you sweetheart, have an amazing day ahead! 💕💕

1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Great post @yellowlemonfairy ! I loved all these friendships too.

1
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

thank you sweetie, I hope that you are having a great Sunday ahead! ☺️☺️

1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I enjoyed their relationship too!

You which other friendship was great too?

Ajumma and Healer's relationship --who wouldn't want a detective/hacker as a bestie, right? 😀

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Gah! 😫
Typo! I meant "You know..."
But I'm sure you guys know what I meant😊

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Ah, I’m a bi late in reading this but I looove this write-up!! Definitely a wonderful and articulate way of expressing the beauty of friendship. 😊

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

*bit

0
reply

Required fields are marked *