The Voices that Matter in the KDrama “The World of the Married” (부부의 세계)

Another Korean Drama that tackles the issue of infidelity is making its way to the list of the most watched series in the history of Korean Television. Unlike any other infidelity themed drama, “The World of the Married” is different because the story is not just about infidelity but about what happened after the divorce. Just because the married couple has decided to settle through the divorce doesn’t mean the issue is over. The series shows the effect of cheating in a relationship not only to the couple but to all the people around.

The premise of the show is all about an established doctor Ji Sun-woo who looks successful in any aspect of life, i.e. family, career, etc., but things has changed when she found out that her husband Lee Tae Oh is having an affair with a younger woman. At first, it’s like any other cheating story, but wait, there’s more. Things started to become even more complicated when she found out that everybody knows, including her trusted friends and colleagues, about the affair of her husband. What happened next is a series of adrenaline rush triggering events that could capture the attention of the viewers and would make them want to see more of the show. I guess that’s the reason why the show keeps getting high ratings every episode.

Aside from the no dull moment on every episode of the show, “The World of the married” shows what really matters when it comes to relationship at least in the context of Korean Culture. In my opinion, the show reveals the sentiment of Koreans (and maybe other culture too), when problems like this arise in the family. Everybody has an opinion, everybody wants to speak, everybody wants to be heard, but here are the voices that really matter as depicted in this show.
 

1.    The voice of society

I must say that in Korea, whether in reality or in drama, society has a say. For them, the voice of the society is very important. That is why a lot of Koreans are so pressured because they have to keep up to the expectation of the society. In this drama, it was depicted for so many times.
What would the society say to a kid with divorced parent?
What would they say to a husband who has a wife more successful than him?
What would they say to a single middle aged woman?
What would they say if you are a son of a convicted murderer?

What would they say if you are a single mother?

All these and more are the questions pertaining to the perspective of the society, because whether we like it or not, their opinions weigh more than our own.

2.    The voice of money

Money talks, and yes it does. Although it’s not new anymore, if you have money you can be anything you want. You can control a criminal, you have a say in the society and everybody is after your approval. There are a lot of situations in this show that involve money and how it plays vital role in executing your plans. We need to say no more about this because I believe this is true not only in the context of Korea but all around the world.

3.    The voice of rumors

Let’s admit it, we love listening to rumors than inspirational speech, right? I mean, who does not love to listen to some juicy news? Regardless of your status in life, you are prone to listening to rumors because gossipers are all around the corner. In this show, the concept of rumor is inevitable because this is all about infidelity and the topic of a cheating husband is a treat to talk about. Regardless of how you ignore the rumors, it will always have a direct effect on you and your family.

4.     The voice of the mothers

The show also depicts how far the mother will go to protect its children. Things may get complicated and mistakes cant be reversed, but mothers will always be mother. When it comes to the love for their family, they will go an extra mile even at their own expense.

5.    The voice of the kids

The adults have all the say to everything and there’s no way for the kids to voice out their sentiments, so sometimes they speak through their actions and often result to rebellions. We may not see it at first, but in the long run, there will be psychological effect to them. 

What is good about this drama is that, the depiction is close to reality. There’s actually no real definition of antagonist and the protagonist, you judge based on your perspective. With its last two episodes looming this weekend, will there be any happy ending to the characters of this show? Or will there be more bloods to shed, tears to cry and life to destroy to fix what appears to be a chaotic society of Gosan.