How K-Drama “Queen of Tears” Delves into Marriage
Hong Hae In and Baek Hyun Woo in "Queen of Tears" got married out of love. However, their marriage is riddled with numerous red flags, leading to misunderstandings and distance
Unlike many previous romance K-dramas, “Queen of Tears” starts off with the turmoil within the marriage of Hong Hae In (Kim Ji Won) and Baek Hyun Woo (Kim Soo Hyun). In recent episodes, the drama begins unraveling the knots to explain the reasons behind Hyun Woo’s marital woes, from their love and happiness gradually fading into coldness and distance over 3 years of living together.
Hae In’s serious illness, with only three months left to live, or the reappearance of an old flame, become tests for both Hyun Woo and Hae In to rediscover love from scratch. Through many challenges, the red flags slowly diminish thanks to love, trust, and respect.
Thus, “Queen of Tears” serves as a profound exploration of marriage. Here, writer Park Ji Eun and directors Jang Young Woo – Kim Hee help viewers navigate questions about marriage and the true essence of happiness.
Does Marriage Sabotage Love?
First, it must be noted that Hong Hae In and Baek Hyun Woo came together purely out of love, unaffected by status, power, or money. Initially, Hyun Woo thought Hae In came from a humble background. He even boasted about his family’s wealth with 30 cows, owning rental properties, and being ready to support Hae In if she were unemployed.
Upon discovering that Hae In is the heiress of Queen Group, a third-generation chaebol, Hyun Woo fled to the countryside. Meanwhile, Hae In fell in love with Hyun Woo’s sincerity and kindness as a country guy. Hyun Woo was Hae In’s first love.
Married out of love, but their three years of living together faced many red flags (status, family, personality). The biggest crisis that made them view each other as strangers came from losing their first child.
When heartbreaking events struck, Hyun Woo and Hae In stopped communicating, sleeping in separate beds. The breakdown in Hyun Woo and Hae In’s marital life stemmed from a lack of communication, exchange for understanding.
Hyun Woo didn’t understand his wife. He thought she was selfish, trading happiness, family, children for career, status. Meanwhile, Hae In always appeared strong, independent, somewhat cold, and indifferent. Both continuously criticized each other, each believing they were right.
Hyun Woo’s accumulating frustration made him fear his spouse, leading to contemplating divorce for relief.
During a conversation with his friend over drinks, Baek Hyun Woo lamented: “She and I married out of love, but after marriage, why did that love slowly fade away?“.
Kim Yang Gi (Moon Tae Yu), Hyun Woo’s friend and a divorce lawyer, responded, “The root cause of all marriage problems is possessiveness. Couples don’t need to try. They get disappointed, argue, then drift apart. Marriage only makes love impossible to sustain. If you want long-lasting love, it’s best not to marry.“
The Essence of Marriage
As Hyun Woo and Hae In’s marriage gradually cooled and faced the risk of collapse, another crisis emerged when Hae In discovered she had a terminal illness, with only three months left to live. Around the same time, Hae In’s ex-boyfriend reappeared, threatening Hyun Woo and Hae In’s relationship even more.
The continuous challenges posed opportunities to rekindle love, awaken protective instincts, and provide solace to each other within Hyun Woo. He sought all information about Hae In’s illness, stood by her side, and embarked on the journey to fight against the disease.
He gradually understood Hae In’s true character hidden behind her rough exterior, along with the mental pain and loss of loved ones in her past. From there, Hyun Woo grew to love and respect his spouse even more.
Facing illness, Hae In also learned to be humble. She no longer carried everything on her shoulders, but learned to share and open up.
In episode 5, as they stood on the stairs of Sans Souci Palace (Germany), Hyun Woo finally released the long-buried grievances. At that moment, Hae In also shed tears and said, “I don’t want to be alone. Let’s go home. I thought there was a miracle here to live. But what I want is to go home with you.”
In every circumstance, the true essence of marriage is being there for each other in difficult times, sharing pain and looking in the same direction. The core of marriage is love.
Time or life’s events may sometimes make the relationship rocky, but love is the anchor that makes marriage enduring. Modern women, no matter how strong, have the right to be vulnerable in front of their partners.
The most important thing for Hyun Woo and Hae In is that their love for each other always remains, not extinguished. When Hae In faces difficulties, her last thought is the moment they fell in love and Hyun Woo’s smile.
Hae In trusts, believes, and always takes pride in her husband. Even when she acts coldly towards Hyun Woo, if someone speaks ill of him, she immediately defends him.
As for Hyun Woo, his love for Hae In is as natural as breathing and always a sturdy support, especially when Hae In faces the biggest challenges in her life.
As Kim Yang Gi said, “We learn to swim when we’re young. But then we don’t swim for a whole decade. What happens when you suddenly fall into the water? You still swim to survive. Even when you feel you’ve forgotten everything, the body still remembers. Love is just like that.“
Of course, “Queen of Tears” is not a marriage handbook to ensure all viewers have happiness in their hands.
But the story of Hyun Woo and Hae In prompts viewers to reconsider their relationships, the value of happiness, and marriage. If at any moment both think of giving up, remember the moment of beginning and learn to love each other again from the smallest things.
Source: znews
