Part 2: Queer Representation in Kdramas
When dramas feature LGBT characters without prioritising their experiences
Heyhey! Hope everyone is doing good! I’m not sure how I’m coping with the new lockdown stuffs and the rise in Covid cases in Singapore, tbh. More importantly, I don’t think I’ve ever said this before but if you ever need a listening ear or need a space to vent (context-free rants are fine too), go ahead and hit ‘Reply’ and vent. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in Sg too. It doesn’t even need to be Covid-related. If you need a safe space to vent, I’m hereeeeee. You can DM me on Twitter as well 😊
So! This is Part 2 of my series on queer representation in Kdrama. Just to recap, this is what the three parts are about:
Overview
Part 1: (linked here) The portrayal of ‘pseudo-homosexual’ relationships and why this term is not only inaccurate but very damaging. (I’ll be covering dramas from 2007-2010s here.)
Part 2: A look at narratives which acknowledge sexual diversity but not the true extent of what it means to be marginalised (I’m mainly looking at dramas from the 2010s)
Part 3: Narratives that veer into more insightful commentaries on the experiences of the LGBT community in a society that continues to privilege heteronormativity. (Sit tight, cos we headed straight into the 2020s for this one)
Considering how long Part 2 turned out to be, I’m not sure if I need to break Part 3 into two more parts but I will cross that bridge when I come to it. Here we go with Part 2!
Today, we take a look at the presentation of actual LGBT characters and I’m looking at three specific dramas:
Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010), Personal Taste (2010) and Reply 1997 (2012)
Conversations and Allyship are Important, Yes...
I promised to come back to Sungkyunkwan Scandal because, upon rewatching the show, I realised there *was* a queer character featured in the main friendgroup of the show. The Sungkyunkwan Scandal foursome, comprised of Seon Joon and Yoon Hui (the OTP, played by Mickey Yoo Chun and Park Min Young), Jae Shin (the 2nd Male Lead, played by Yoo Ah In), Goo Yong Ha (Soong Joon Ki). Incidentally, this was the first time I watched Song Joong Ki and he played the part of the carefree, (supposedly) elite, vivacious friend to perfection. He reminded me a bit of Feste from Twelfth Night – spouting wisdom left and right while adding levity to a friendgroup that comprised two serious broody men and a woman who was too busy concealing her gender from everyone else.
As the narrative progressed, it became clear that Yong Ha had developed romantic feelings for Jae Shin. He openly reveals it when Seon Joon asks him about whether it is normal or all right for a man to have feelings for another man. Yong Ha’s revelation is part of a wider discussion they have about how socially shaped beliefs and views are the problem, not the romantic feelings in themselves.
Which is an important conversation to have! I’ll explain more in a bit but let’s take a look at another show from 2010 where similar conversations were had: Personal Taste
Personal Taste is the literal English translation of the Korean title, Gae-In-ui Chwih-yang. Gae-In means ‘personal’ and was also the name of the female lead (Son Ye Jin). Since the premise involved Gae In living with a man, Jin Ho (Lee Min Ho), who was pretending to be gay and then falling in love with him, the title was a play on her feelings for him being in conflict with his ‘personal tastes’. Here, we had a man who deciding that pretending to be gay was worth it because he needed to move into her house to study its architecture (there are plot reasons that explain this in more detail than I have time for). 11 years ago, I was too comfortable in my bubble of privilege to even realise what was wrong with this. Now, I see how this storyline is even more problematic than when a woman pretends to be a man. As a result, he is exposed to the typical homophobic judgement from other characters and to Gae In’s credit, she stands up for Jin Ho whenever she can.
As I mentioned earlier, these *are* important conversations that need to be portrayed on television. It is especially significant when leading characters are seen as allies for the LGBT because this ultimately contributes to the normalisation of existence, needs, emotions and experiences of the LGBT community in a very mainstream way. But these conversations alone are insufficient. Firstly, some of them end up sidestepping the point and try to paint being gay as just wanting to be really good friends (please refer to screencaps below). Secondly, these two dramas portrayed their LGBT characters and storylines in rather problematic ways.
But Narratives Matter Too…
In Sungkyunkwan, Yong Ha’s character achieved a happy ending, but did he really?? I’m unsure because the narrative doesn’t make it entirely clear. We start the series with him being this carefree ladies’ man, only to realise midway that he longs for Jae Shin, and then at the end, he’s this carefree ladies’ man again. There’s no clarity on whether his strong feelings for Jae Shin are actually just brotherly feelings or whether he’s just convincing himself to present as heterosexual because that is the easier way out and society doesn’t leave room for any other way of being with a man. There was just so much that was vague about Yong Ha’s emotional development. As seen in that sidesteppy conversation above, Sungkyunkwan Scandal’s flaw was that the writers presented all these opportunities for unpacking and addressing heteronormativity and the marginalisation of LGBT characters but they just brushed past everything and focused on the main OTP.
(That’s not to say the drama doesn’t touch on other themes like social class and elitism but as far as OTPs are concerned, they could have done better.)
Personal Taste had similar issues but first, let’s talk about that premise, shall we?
In the 2000s, the whole forced-cohabitation/proximity trope was a common trope – Full House (2004), My Girl (2005), Goong (2006) are just *some* of the dramas that capitalised on this trope. It provides rooms for all sorts of romantic escapade hjinks and is great fun. So, sure, the writers probably wanted to find a creative way to get the main OTP under the same rood. BUT. THIS IS NOT HOW YOU DO IT. Having your main character pretend to be gay *just* to invoke the forced cohabitation trope just means that:
- Within the narrative
o you now have a male lead who is clearly ignorant/privileged enough to believe that pretending to be gay brings you benefits that would outweigh all the discrimination the LGBT community actually faces;
o and you also have a female lead who is secretly hoping that her housemate is anything but gay
- Beyond the narrative
o you have just made being gay a *narrative obstacle that the main OTP has to overcome*
o and you’ve got an entire audience that is waiting to heave a sigh of relief at the eventual revelation of your male lead’s heterosexuality
That is not okay. THIS PREMISE IS NOT OKAY. (Sweet Munchies, which aired last year, had a similar premise but I’ll discuss that in more detail in Part 3) The first few episodes made light of men with feminine mannerisms and there were so many irksome comic ‘relief’ moments as Jin Ho tried to hide his heterosexuality.
Things only became more serious when the drama introduced a character who was actually gay. Not in a vague way, too. Choi Do Bin (Ryu Seung Ryeong) played a businessman who Jin Ho was trying to strike a deal. Do Bin falls for Jin Ho, partially because he admires the latter’s ‘bravery’ in ‘admitting’ and defending his sexuality to the other characters. It is only when he reveals his feelings that Jin Ho starts to understand how his pretense affects anyone besides himself and Gae in. Jin Ho eventually comes clean and apologises, leaving Do Bin to sweep away his feelings by himself. His heartbreak was difficult to watch. Because he was a supporting character, Do Bin’s arc was sidelined in favour of the blossoming of the main OTP. Like Yong Ha, his purpose was to serve then embrace the main characters and become a supportive presence in their lives.
From a narrative standpoint, even though Jin Ho *did* apologise to Do Bin for the pain caused, only Do Bin’s heartbreak was addressed. There was no wider acknowledgement that in pretending to be gay, Jin Ho was being hugely ignorant of the issues faced by the LGBT community. What’s worse, just like in the narratives discussed in my precious post, he effectively had that ‘off-switch.’ The ‘off-switch’ that, even today, many people unfairly expect the LGBT community to have. An ‘off-switch’ that allowed Jin Ho to unfairly experience one obscure financial benefit without having to even consider ANY of the discrimination that comes with actually being gay.
That One More (But Not Fully) Representative LGBT Storyline
Fast-forward 2 years to 2012. I still remember the first time I watched Reply 1997. I vividly remember watching this on my tiny study desk in a room I shared with my parents. Ok, this sounds squishy but it was cosy and it was the year of my university graduation and omg I need to do a whole post on why the Reply series means so much to me on a personal level BUT ANYWAYYYYYy -
In Reply 1997, featuring 6 high-schoolers, the writers made it seem as though the main love triangle were between female lead, Shi Won (Jung Eunji); male lead, Yoon Jae (Seo In Guk); and 2nd male lead, Joon Hee (Hoya). (Hoya was a kpop idol from the band INFINITE, which also meant that many INIFINITE fans flocked to watch Reply 1997 simply because he was in it.) Technically, there *was* a love triangle here. At the end of episode 3, which featured Yoon Jae casting jealous glances at Shi Won and Joon Hee, it was revealed that Joon Hee in love in Yoon Jae, not Shi Won. Kyaaaaaa.
I remember gasping out loud at this revelation because this was a *MOMENT*, okay? Never in my kdrama history (by then, I’d been watching for 6 years) had I seen a kdrama actually position a queer character front and centre. Unlike Do Bin who was somewhat at least a financially privileged rich ahjusshi who had his career together and Yong Ha, whose queer status was always just hinted at, beyond that *one* revelatory conversation, Joon Hee, was just a teenager, coming out to Shi Won on an Internet chat room, hoping that his friend would accept him for who he was. By the 3rd episode, the mild-mannered and empathetic Joon Hee had become a fan favourite. Thus, his revelation immediately thrust the audience into a position of concern – how was Shi Won going to react? Luckily, she treated him exactly the same way as before which was incredibly heartwarming, ngl. She respected his boundaries, kept his secret, never treated him differently, and when the adult Shi Won eventually wanted to pursue a relationship with Yoon Jae, years later, she apologised to Joon Hee, for not realising just how difficult it must have been to be best friends with someone you have romantic feelings for. Shi Won did right by Joon Hee all the way, imo. It is only at this point, after years of being best friends and housemates, that Yoon Jae overhears that Joon Hee had been in love with him from the start.
The thing about the Reply series, though, is that every series kept viewers guessing as to who the female lead would eventually marry. Clues are dropped throughout the series and every time a male character is revealed to be Not The Husband, the writers push forward another romantic candidate for the female lead to potentially choose.
This meant that once Joon Hee’s sexuality meant that he was not The Husband, the writers pivoted to make it such that Yoon Jae’s brother was a possible Husband candidate. Before I started writing this, I was going to say that Joon Hee’s character was not defined by his sexuality but…in relegating Joon Hee to a ‘supporting’ character who existed as a sounding board for Yoon Jae, whenever the latter struggled with his feelings for Shi Won, Joon Hee’s existence on this narrative plane was reduced to being the gay best friend with lots of wisdom (except his Yoon Jae didn’t even know he was gay and in love with him so.) Like Yong Ha and Do Bin, Joon Hee’s arc now revolved around ensuring that the main OTP flourished.
Even so, there were some significant moments that displayed the writers’ intent to portray what it is like to live while hiding your sexuality.
For one thing, the writers didn’t reduce the significance of Joon Hee’s feelings for Yoon Jae to a plot point. With Do Bin, we saw him experience moments of heartache after Jin Ho comes clean but Joon Hee, being part of the main cast, and Yoon Jae’s best friend, constantly had to field questions about whether he liked anyone, on top of just having to remember to breathe whenever Yoon Jae was around him. The writers also included some *prime* OTP moments for the pair. Joon Hee even got his own heart-pounding confession (Yoon Jae thought he was joking ☹) which still makes me cry because he put all of himself into that confession.
Another crucial moment is when *after* Yoon Jae finds out. It was never clear if Yoon Jae ever revealed that he knew to Joon Hee, until the end. Anyway, Joon Hee was about to move out of their shared apartment when Yoon Jae assured Joon Hee that their friendship was meant to last forever, WITH A BACKHUG. You might think that a backhug is just…a hug from the back. But as far as kdramas are concerned, backhugs are sweeter than regular hugs. Backhugs are *PRIME OTP CONTENT*! Fronthugs are like…tea. But backhugs are like BUBBLE TEA. FREAKIN MILK TEA WITH LIKE PEARLS AND ICE-CREAM.
Yoon Jae’s initiation of physical contact (aka skinship) was extra reassuring because it was an example of a heterosexual male who didn’t freak out at the realisation that his best friend, whom he had been living with, was gay. You know the kind of homophobic men I’m referring to. The kind who would spew crap like ‘eww, that guy’s gay; I don’t wanna be his friend any more. I don’t want him touching me.’ And we’re just sitting there, staring them down like ‘Excuse me, YOUR toxic masculinity and homophobia is suffocating everyone. NOBODY WANTS TO BE NEAR YOU EITHER, ALEX. NOBODY.’ So yes, Yoon Jae backhugging Joon Hee was a great example of how you can be heterosexual and, well, not a homophobic ass – which is something that escapes many heterosexual homophobic men even in 2021. Part of the main OTP’s arc involved Yoon Jae putting distance between himself and Shi Won (as seen in the screencaps of him on the phone with his brother) because he believed she was dating his brother. In embracing Joon Hee, was displaying an awareness and understanding of how terribly difficult it must have been for Joon Hee to be such a steadfast friend without being bitter about his own unreciprocated love.
One of the biggest gripes I had with Joon Hee’s arc was with how it ended.
In the last episode, Joon Hee’s waiting for someone to pick him up after their high school reunion and someone pulls up in a red sports car. He looks in through the front seat window and he smiles~~~ His OTP is clearly in the car~~~ BUT WE DON’T SEE WHO IT IS. WHY. Hoya explained in an interview after the drama aired that the man in the car was the director, who had decided not to reveal who Joon Hee ended up with so that the ending would be ‘open-ended.’
This was frustrating to me because the other teens, except Seung Jae, all had OTPs. But Joon Hee’s love was unrequited from start to finish. While Yoon Jae and his brother were equalised in their potential to be the Husband, Joon Hee’s relationship with Yoon Jae was doomed from the start and he was simply never on equal footing compared to Shi Won. He existed as a second lead in relation to Shi Won for like…3 episodes and never had his own loveline thereafter. It wasn’t just about his OTP.
It was also just about him being able to live his life with the support of his friends. Did the rest of the gang even know he was gay? Was this non-revelatioon of Joon Hee’s OTP supposed to reflect how he ended up hiding this part of himself from his friends his whole life? What was the takeaway??
And yknow what, as I write this, I see how this also makes sense – because so many people from the LGBT community *still* have to hide a part of who they are for various reasons. I live in a country where same-sex marriage is still illegal because 377A still exists. The public housing scheme in Singapore is also tied to whether or not you can get legally married. And honestly, in a world where relationships are always seen as a defining aspect of our identity (this is problematic in itself but that’s a rant for another day), it is a PRIVILEGE to have an answer to ‘are you seeing someone’ at a family reunion. It is a privilege to be able to say you’re getting engaged and then heading off to book a house under the fiancé-fiancee scheme. We often see women showing off their engagement rings and posting pictures of their weddings. And look, I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with celebrating the joy in your personal life on social media but I just don’t think enough people even *consider* the extent to which you are automatically displaced from conversations/situations if you happen to be anything but heterosexual. One example of this is how Shi Won’s mum loved Joon Hee and she would always ask him whether he was going to find a girlfriend, and every time someone asked him questions that exemplified the extent to which they bought into the heteronormative assumption, it brought to mind how, every single time, he had to decide whether to tell the truth and have a whole conversation about his sexuality or whether he should just smile and nod and be an unobtrusive presence.
Thing is, while I do see how Joon Hee’s arc brings out all of this reflection, I don’t know if it was necessarily something that the writers wanted to emphasise? As much as being in the main cast allowed the viewer to spend more time with him, as compared to, say, Do Bin, his experiences outside of these friendships weren’t elaborated on. I would have loved to see him meet someone new, fall in love, date and do all the OTP stuff with whoever was in the red car.
In Conclusion! (LOL not me tryina wrap up cos this thingy says I’m reaching the email limit).
As far as Sungkyunkwan and Personal Taste are concerned, both dramas attempted to combat homophobic perspectives, through heterosexual allyship, the portrayal of conversations surrounding LGBT acceptance and the introduction of openly queer characters. Reply 1997 went one step further with more focus on a queer character and his experience of having to live in the closet. But because all three dramas prioritised the main (heterosexual OTPs), there was never enough room to properly explore the complexities and the struggle in being sexually diverse in a frustratingly heteronormative world. More recent kdramas do try and address these complexities with more nuance and all of that will be discussed in Part 3, where I will talk about a bunch of shows that aired more recently, in the past 5 years or so.
See you in two weeks everyone! 😊
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