[Best Friends Forever] Who needs just one when you can have seven?

by Guest Beanie

By @jaderjy

When I saw this month’s theme post, my mind was already abuzz with all the awesome drama friendships I’ve watched that my brain was shouting out a whole list in my head before I even finished reading the first paragraph. And as I was reminiscing about my favorite scenes from various dramas, one stood out that gave me the warmest fuzzy feelings: Answer Me 1994.

This year out of the whole franchise was my favorite of all three. Too often the husband-hunting plot has been highlighted for this series that the friendship of the whole group tends to get overshadowed. But here each character left such an impression on me that I have re-watched it a couple of times already and the fondness remains.

First off, I loved that our gang started as a bunch of twenty-year-olds (not high school!) on the cusp of adulthood trying to find out what they want to be or where their place is in this world. There’s just something about college that forces you to grow up and it resonated with me because I certainly felt that way at that age—the time when the real world was coming to meet me and I had no way of delaying or stopping the inevitable transition into adulthood.

And they were not even friends at first! They were just a bunch of kids from the country trying to survive in the big city and the only thing that brought them together was that they were all living at Shinchon boardinghouse. And I loved that we got to see the progression from strangers to lifelong friends.

We had roomies Haitai and Samcheonpo who hated each other at first sight. Samcheonpo and his seemingly uptight personality clashing with the easy-going Haitai made for some hilarious bickering! Who would have thought that they’d end up playing the same game they would fight about or that they’d go to the rock cafe together, and that they’d cuddle like so when they sleep? Sometimes the person we thought we’d hate the most for being so unlike us ends up being that perfect friend to complement our strengths and weaknesses.

And it wasn’t just Haitai Samchenpo had a love-hate relationship with. Tiny terror Yoon-jin who would so easily grab him in a one-handed chokehold ended up becoming his match. Beneath her prickly exterior, all it took was for their kindness towards their mothers to thaw their hearts and see each other in a new light. I really loved their relationship—the way he put up with her being an obsessive fangirl (even getting the toilet bowl for her! Lol!) and the bankbook proposal, which was really touching.

If there was a boy-girl best friend relationship in the group, it was Na-jung and Haitai. The way Na-jung could see beyond his playful ways and fake relationships to say things straight to his face especially about his ex.

Or how, in one of my favorite scenes ever when Na-jung was doubting her self-worth for being the reason why Oppa didn’t like her back, Haitai was sooo sincere in reassuring her that he would have dated her if they weren’t such good friends? Gah, I shipped them right there and then! I suddenly wished for an alternate universe for these two. In fact, Haitai is my favorite character of them all, the way he was just there for everybody. I think he was the glue that held everyone together.

How about the way they just adopted Chilbongie into their group? The Seoulite baseball star who found their country accents and ways so endearing that he started copying them, even going so far as to say that he’d like to be reborn as a country boy. The seemingly normal behavior in their hometowns like being nagged to eat, having mountains of food prepared, or simply calling a friend’s mom “Mother” were things that touched his heart and made it more meaningful for someone who didn’t have a close family.

The boardinghouse wasn’t just where his friends were, it became his home and the friends became more of a family to him than his real family ever was. I’ll never forget how fearful everyone was when they thought something had happened to him. Even when he went away and I thought that it meant he was going to drift away from our gang, it turned out that the bond of friendship was much stronger because they made sure to keep in touch.

I also loved how at times when Binggeure was conflicted over whether he should pursue his dream or become what his parents wanted him to be, Trash Oppa was there to help him sort out his thoughts and guide him, with no judgment or reprimands whatsoever.

Just the presence of someone who will listen to you at a time when your desire to do what you want conflicts with what life needs you to do can change your life. Trash was the encouragement he needed to try out his dream, with a little help and support from Samcheonpo and Haitai, who were so ready to fight on his behalf when things didn’t work out, heh.

I mean, it just went around and around the way they had each other’s backs. Some of my favorite scenes were when they were all together, simply drinking or eating together, sleeping in the living room while listening to the radio, defending their provinces when out drinking with friends, or even teaching a dance to disorganized protesters.

And the bestest part was that throughout the years, through army duty, living abroad, getting jobs, heck, even losing a first love to another—their friendship stood the test of time. ♥

 
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