Two undelivered love letters

In Korean dramas, the characters love to write letters. Two such love letters are never delivered, one in "Love Letter" and the other in "Seo Dong Yo".

In "Love Letter", Andrea leaves a letter for Eun-Ha before he departs for Italy. He tells her he will return if she wants him to. But this letter is intercepted by Woo-Jing and this changes the course of the drama.

From "Love Letter"

Eun-Ha, if we are destined to part like this........I cannot just leave this room that no longer holds your presence, because I really don't want to leave you. You said I found you, but it was actually you who found me. Eun-Ha, long long ago, from the moment we first saw each other, I have felt you are the one I want. There is no one else in this world that I want. I have to leave now; I have to spend a year at the seminary. If you want me to return, I will come back to your side, and I will never leave you again.

Andrea

The second half of "Love Letter" dramatizes the disastrous consequences of the non-delivery of this love letter. I've always felt the second half of the drama is weaker than the first half, in terms of the development of the plot and the relationship among the three main characters. Maybe I'm too rational and not emotionally involved enough, but is there anyone out there who also wants to scream: "Andrea, why don't you tell Eun-Ha your feelings when you're living with her under one roof all this time?" and "Aren't you aware of something called a long-distance telephone call?" Couldn't Andrea have called Eun-Ha? and for that matter, couldn't she have called him? How could two people purportedly to be so in love remain silent for a whole year? They may be Koreans, but they are human first and foremost.

But of course if Andrea and Eun-Ha had been as rational as me, "Love Letter" would have been a very different drama -- perhaps for the better, perhaps for the worse.

In "Seo Dong Yo", Seo Dong writes the Princess a letter after they have been separated for a while and leaves it tucked at a sliding window. Unfortunately it never reaches the Princess because Gi-Ru gets hold of it.


From "Seo Dong Yo"

I have been worrying since I left. You said you're afraid your love for me might change, but I now feel at ease. On the road I felt more and more certain of my heart, so I now feel at ease. I feel more certain than ever that my Princess feels the same way in her heart, so I'm now at ease. This certainty, is it love? This longing for you, is it love? When you summon me, I'll come. I feel this day is longer than the two months I was away.

Unlike Andrea's letter, this one has no salutation and no signature. The receiver will know whom it is from, and the writer will know she knows. Strangely enough, even the person who intercepts it knows who writes it and whom it's meant for.

There is one word in this letter that stands out -- "certain" and its variation "certainty". Seo Dong is so confident of his love for the Princess and her love for him. It will not change; it can withstand all difficulties and obstacles. This is so different from the diffident, tentative relationship between Andrea and Eun-Ha who are both damaged souls. Seo Dong and the Princess know they are destined for one another even when they first met, in spite of the social chasm between them. The drama is so inspiring because of this unwavering certainty.

There is another phrase that recurs in this letter -- "at ease". Seo Dong feels at ease in his relationship with the Princess. Even before he knows his birthright, he already feels on equal footing with the Princess. That is why it feels good watching the two of them together, as children and as adults, through all their trials and tribulations. In spite of everything, you feel their love will conquer all.

That is why the non-delivery of this love letter does not affect the relationship between Seo Dong and the Princess. The only person to suffer from this is Gi-Ru. The moral of the story is clear -- never steal and read another's love letter because it could hurt you (and you deserve that!)

In this computer age, nobody writes love letters anymore. E-mails are just not the same. A handwritten letter is something you can hold and cherish for years to come. I'd like to take this opportunity to call on all Jo Hyun-Jae fans to write to him as often as possible while he is in the army. It doesn't matter whether he can read what you write. The important thing is to let him know he is not alone and there are people who care. We'll always be there for him and we're right here waiting for him to return.