‘Fool’s Love’ Is A Sweet Tale Of Tolerance And Compassion

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Fool's Love
Im Seulong
Choi Woo Sik
Uee

"Fool's Love" was not a perfect drama. Some of the plots twists were hard to believe but all in all it was a perfectly heartwarming tale of tolerance and compassion.

Spoiler alert: read no further if you haven't seen this drama.

Some developments were difficult to believe even for a diehard drama fan. Did Im Seulong's character Byun Kang Chul really not know he had fallen for Kang Ho Kyung, played by Lee Soo Kyung, rather than Kang Ho Gu, played by Choi Woo Sik? And did anyone believe Do Do Hee, played by Uee, could continue her swimming career after having a baby?

But illogical plot twists aside this drama had some tear inducing lessons about walking a mile in another person's shoes.

Im Seulong's character thought he was gay because he thought he was in love with Kang Ho Gu. Although it turned out that the object of his affections was a girl, his mistaken impression meant he had a chance to understand how love is not logical and how wrong it is to judge someone for whom they love.

As Do Do Hee tells Byun Kang Chul in one of the final episode, you are much nicer "now that you're gay." Byun became more sympathetic, more tolerant and understanding.

Uee's character was a single mom. That's looked down upon in Korea, where only a small percentage of single women who become pregnant choose to have their child and that child may face discrimination. It's not until pretty late in the drama that viewers realize she became a single mom because she was raped. The drama portrayed her as a sympathetic character, even a brave and principled one for having her child and raising it, and for loving her child despite the fact that the child is a product of rape.

The laws against rape in Korea have changed over the last few years but the burden of proving rape can still be, as it is in many other countries, on the victim.

"Fool's Love" was a drama about revealing your true self, whether that is something as silly as showing your boyfriend your makeup-free face or something as life altering as revealing your sexual orientation or a traumatic incident in your past.

Ho Gu's name means fool but the character is hardly a fool where it matters. He's often surprised by what he learns about Do Do Hee but ultimately he's compassionate and understanding. He focuses on the person he loves rather than on a stereotype. And there's nothing foolish about that.

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