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Youth of May: Poetry in Motion

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There comes a TV series or a movie that makes a space in your heart without you even realising when and how, but you do realise why – because long after it is over, you can’t stop thinking about it. About the moments that made you smile, the moments that made you cry, the poignant lines that stayed with you for long and the characters that will never ever leave your heart. 

There are underrated gems in TV viewing – that won’t appeal to the masses, that won’t climb the popularity charts, that won’t get the hype or the buzz, but when the viewer finds them, they won’t leave an ounce of discontent; because they have managed to blend storytelling, direction, aesthetic appeal, set design, casting and acting seamlessly.  

Youth of May is the hidden, priceless gem that 2021 served us in KDramaland. Why it took me so long to finally watch it I do not know, but I do know that I will return to this drama many times in the coming years.  It’s heartbreakingly beautiful, yet hopeful and that is my biggest takeaway from this poignantly told tale. 

Youth of May revolves around four youngsters in their early 20s, each with their own dreams and aspirations amidst the Gwangju Uprising of 1980.  I’m merely an avid KDrama viewer and not a historian; therefore, I will urge the readers to read about the Gwangju Uprising which was an extremely traumatic and tragic period in South Korean history. South Korea was under military dictatorship until 1988 and it’s still a very young democratic nation. The young students led peaceful democratic protests against the military rule and martial law imposed by Korea’s military dictatorship. This uprising in 1980 was crushed brutally by the military and many innocent lives were lost. For almost 2 decades this movement or incident and the lives lost were not acknowledged or spoken in Korea and it was only in 1997 that a memorial was finally built to commemorate the victims. 

Lee Do Hyun plays Hwang Hee Tae, is the main male lead, a medical student, son of the powerful and brutal Hwang Ki-Nam who holds a powerful position within the Korean military with his own political and selfish aspirations.  Hwang Hee Tae is battling his own trauma from an incident, living in guilt and doing everything he can to set things right, even if it means painstakingly succumbing to his father’s cruel demands. 

Go Min Si plays Kim Myung Hee, is the main female lead, a stoic, young lady working hard as a nurse to support her family, has a strained relationship with her father from an incident in her past, and aspiring to pursue medical studies abroad. 

Lee Sang Yi plays Lee Soo Chan, the elder brother of Lee Soo Ryeon, a privileged guy who wants to build his pharmaceuticals company and expand his father’s business, only to realise that doing business without being in hand with the military dictators is a near impossible task. 

Keum Sae Rok plays Lee Soo Ryeon, a gutsy law student, daughter of an industrialist who is actively participating in the student protests, but has to ultimately cave in to the demands of her to be father-in-law to save her family. 

The drama all of 12 episodes, focusses on these 4 central characters, their families and friends and how they get embroiled into the happenings of the ongoing democratic protests, intentionally or unintentionally.  Given the backdrop of the tragic Gwangju Uprising, the drama covers multiple facets of human relationships – it gives a beautiful romantic story to cherish between the main leads, an almost love triangle, a beautiful friendship that is scarred by events of the past, two kids who carry their own baggage and come together to form an unbreakable bond of friendship, parents who make sacrifices unbeknownst to their kids and a selfish father who only reeks of cruelty, but ultimately realises the futility of his greed for power.

The moment the viewer first sees Hwang Hee Tae and Kim Myung Hee, it is known that their story will be another retelling of star-crossed lovers and yet the viewer wants to be with them on every step of their journey. What is it about tragic romantic stories that attracts us? Is it their unconditional love for each other, is it their innocence, the pure unadulterated love they experience, knowing the future may not be theirs, but them wanting to live the present with no regrets? 

When Hee Tae tells Myung Hee – ‘I realised it’s not the month we have that I’m afraid of, but how much I will hurt after the month is gone.’ And after a brief time of separation, owing to the obligations they hold towards their families and friends where it is near impossible to risk being together; Myung Hee realises how much she is in love with Hee Tae, and lets him know that she doesn’t want to spend that month of May without him. Knowing very well it won’t be an easy journey, the two still decide to be together and face all the hurdles that life will throw at them. The rest of the drama is them trying to overcome the challenges thrown at them given the tumultuous times.

And while they go through their own growth and help each other overcome their fears, the family and friends tied to these two also have their own journeys

Lee Soo Ryeon who finds her purpose to help the activists after being saved by the noble policeman whose sacrifice she can never forget,

Lee Soo Chan goes through his own emotional turmoil and realises to use his privilege fighting for the right cause,

Jung Hye Gun a student activist, has found his purpose, but also realises it will come at a greater cost, 

Hwang Jung Tae, the younger brother of Hee Tae, shows enormous maturity and courage beyond his age not once, but twice, 

Kim Myung Soo, the younger brother of Myung Hee, who only wanted to be a track athlete sees his life take a different turn for unintentionally being the reason for the losses in his life,

Kyung Soo who was an activist, but ends up in military service at the time of the uprising, finally finds the courage to take a stand.

There isn’t a single character in the drama that doesn’t leave an impact on the viewer, however small or big their role is in the drama and therein lies the beauty of strong, powerful storytelling. 

This drama given the backdrop could have easily depicted more brutality, cruelty and melodrama and it doesn’t. It makes the viewer feel it, rather than show it and that to me is indeed, brilliant direction and writing.  From the first scene to the last, I maintain that Youth of May is a beautiful poetry in motion – and as a viewer we go through all the emotions that the characters experience - their moments of happiness, sorrow, struggle, desperation, helplessness and finally the peace they manage to find.  

The drama’s main theme is loss – loss of loved ones, loss of dreams, loss of aspirations, loss of families. Loss that is tangible and intangible; but it is also about how the characters emerge from these losses and find their purpose, because ultimately hope and love is what keeps us going in life. The love you have cherished will come back to you, like Myung Hee’s love for Hee Tae finds its way back to him. Her beautiful words stayed with me for long and they are etched in my heart forever:

‘Lord if something happens and we have to let go of each other’s hands please don’t let the sorrow overwhelm the lives of those left behind. Even if the tears we shed fill up to our chins, please don’t let us drown and give us the power and courage to swim safely throughout this life’

There are so many poignant and beautiful moments that stay with you, but this one stayed with me the most; because amidst the tragedy unfolding around Myung Hee, it was so easy for her to feel depressed and blame others, but she didn’t, not even for one moment and that is the whole essence of this drama. 

Lee Do Hyun and Go Min Shi are absolutely flawless in their performance.  Lee Sang Yi and Keum Sae Rok do great justice to their roles. Every actor including the two child actors put their best foot forward and as a viewer you have no complaints – the 80s classic feel, the taut script, the perfect direction, the soothing music and songs, and the poetic narration. Rarely does a drama get all its components right, and this one simply tugs at your heart strings all the time it plays on the screen.  

Is Youth of May the most heart-breaking drama I have watched – Yes. Would I still recommend it to the readers to watch – Definitely Yes! 

p.s: Which is the moment that sealed the romance in the drama for me? The moment when Hwang Hee Tae dedicated one of my favourite romantic numbers to Kim Myung Hee. If that is not classical 80s romance – I don’t know what is! 

Note for the readers: 

This drama also led me to read a poignant book ‘Human Acts’ where the death of a teenage boy during the Gwangju Uprising impacts the lives of the other characters to present day and who themselves are victims to the horrors of the Gwangju Uprising. Every chapter, every word, every character, every story leaves their mark on the reader through the beautifully, heartfelt woven words of Han Kang. Han Kang is a well-known South Korean Author and winner of Man Booker International Prize for her novel The Vegetarian. 

About the contributor: Minal is an avid KDrama fan based in UK, who chanced on Kdramas in March 2020 and since then has never looked back.