Fall 2023 SDLC111
Monthly Language Learning Journal #2
David Kim
30262888
david.kim123@richmond.edu
For October, my language partner and I watched episode three of the Korean drama show “Mask Girl” on Netflix. Episode three “Kim Kyung-ja” continues on with the story of Ju Oh-nam. Ju Oh-nam is in love with Kim Mo-mi, but already knows that Kim Mo-mi is in love with her boss. Ju Oh-nam watches Kim Mo-mi following her boss into the company building after work. Even though Ju Oh-nam watches Kim Mo-mi’s boss, who is married, is having an affair, he was just happy that she was not Kim Mo-mi. This part scared me because I felt that he is a person who puts his feelings first regardless of whatever is happening right or wrong. This scene has nothing related with South Korean culture because it is purely an individual emotion and reaction depending on the person.
When Ju Oh-nam saw Kim Mo-mi going into a motel with her drunk boss, he could not hold his feelings and wrote a threatening email to Kim Mo-mi. The letter said “I know who you are Mask Girl.” When she received that letter, she was surprised in the office and quietly cried in the toilet by herself. Even though Kim Mo-mi got that email, she went out on a date with another streamer. He said he graduated college in America and complimented Kim Mo-mi’s appearance. However, he posted “She is ugly but I am still going to spend the night with her” on his social media. Kim Mo-mi wanted to refuse, but the guy would not let her go outside a motel room. The guy dies by an accident after a physical fight. Ju Oh-nam, who followed them by seeing the social media post, completely kills him and takes care of the dead body.
When Kim Mo-mi got back home and took a shower, I was shocked again by the scene production of her face melting down and fluttering. It felt like it was expressing her complexness and hate about her appearance. Ju Oh-nam came to her house and started talking to each other. Kim Mo-mi found out that Ju Oh-nam was the person who sent that email and said that she wants to erase it all. Ju Oh-nam tries to have sex with her but she does not strongly resist. He takes off her mask but she already rapped her head and face around due to plastic surgery. Without having a lot of time to be sad, Ju Oh-nam gets killed by Kim Mo-mi with a sharp object next to them.
The episode shifts to Kim Kyung-ja, the mother of Ju Oh-nam. Kim Kyung-ja raised Ju Oh-nam by herself. She called the police because Ju Oh-nam disappeared, but dead body parts in the refrigerator was the only thing they could find at his house. It was the body parts that he took care of for Kim Mo-mi. Kim Kyung-ja found out that the case was related to Mask Girl and tried to find her by herself. She gets prepared with a real gun and a stun gun. She finds a woman who had the same necklace as Mask Girl and kidnaps her. However, the woman says she is Kim Chun-ae, not Mask Girl.
Episode three captured the dark reality in South Korea about loneliness, bullying, adult live streams, rape, murder, and kidnapping. Even though it was exaggerated, Mask Girl is a good drama to learn about those topics. I am looking forward to the next episode.
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