A review of a Korean Drama - The Devil

Should the real existence of justice and fairness in the world be trusted through other means but not law?

A review of a Korean Drama “마왕The Devil”
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Before the release of Paris Hilton from jail for just a few days imprisonment because of illegal driving, everyone has hopes that she will finally deserve her punishment even she has wealth and power. It seems that justice and fairness doesn’t stand by peoples’ sides even though they know the truth that someone have committed fault. Should the real existence of justice and fairness in the world exist through other means but not law? Maybe a recent Korean drama “마왕The Devil” can discover more about that.


Righteousness is what On Soo, a keen policeman that is willing to utilize his whole life in protecting others, represents in the drama. At first, he was in his darkest phrase of life as a teenage because of a murder. He killed his high school’s schoolmate Tai Hoon due to the hate on Tai Hoon’s righteousness in helping others from getting bullied. Surprisingly, On Soo was claimed to have righteous guard towards the murder with the influence of his wealthy father on law. He could finally escape from the judgment of law.


It is amazing that On Soo chooses to be a civil servant when he grows up. From a logical prospective, On Soo should act like his father who abuses the power of being a wealthy man. However, it doesn’t happen. The reason for On Soo’s choice is deeply inspiring. As a strong condemnation of destroying others’ life arbitrarily nurtured in his conscience after the murder, this brings him a sense of guilt. In order to compensate for his guilt in the murder, he finally chooses to be a warm-blooded policeman with his biggest courage in serving others for the rest of his life.


On the other hand, Song Hor is another main character that symbolizes hatred in the drama. As his brother Tai Hoon was killed by On Soo impulsively, On Soo was supposed to deserve his own punishment under the judgment of law. However, law didn’t protect the victim’s side fairly even though people know the truth behind the murder. On Soo was claimed to be innocent with the help of his rich and powerful father. What’s more, Song Hor’s mother died at the same time because of the enormous shock brought from the innocent death of her elder son. All these inconceivable attack turns Song Hor into a devil. He decided to take revenge on On Soo as a mean to fight for his own justice and fairness when grew up. Surprisingly, he becomes a lawyer 12 years later after the tragedy of his family.


How ridiculous it is for Song Hor’s career when he grows up. As in the eyes of Song Hor, there should be no more trust built on law due to his past painful experience. However, he still chooses to be a lawyer. What makes Song Hor become a lawyer is probably a simple answer. He wants to fight for his own fairness and justice. He even wants to pay back the same or even greater painfulness with the same method to those who treat him unfairly and badly. That’s the most useful trick for the rich to manipulate so as to removing their guilt but creating a fake justice and fairness to naïve citizens – law.


When pursuing justice and fairness under the judgment of law, Song Hor’s family is broken all in a sudden. Even adults may feel horrible and unbearable towards the losing of their beloved ones. How great will the painfulness and cruelty of losing all beloved ones under injustice and unfairness for a 17-year-old boy like Song Hor be? This can never be imagined as it is too young and early for Song Hor to experience such cruelty. The only healing method for a 17-year-old boy can ever think of is probably paying back on others. That’s why he begins to implement his sophisticated plan to take revenge on On Soo unscrupulously. Song Hor provoked a series of suspicions and mistrust between On Soo’s friends and his family. This finally leads to the death of On Soo’s best friends and his father, and the breakage of On Soo ‘s family.


Happiness and satisfaction are supposed to be the by-product from Song Hor’s revenge on On Soo. Song Ho is also supposed to gain his own fairness and justice. However, all these don’t happen. What becomes unexpected is the coincidence of Song Hor in meeting a kind-hearted girl called Hae Eun. From the moment of meeting Hae Eun, Song Hor’s attitude towards his revenge on On Soo changed a lot. Not only can Hae Eun’s supernatural power discover more about a series of murder connected to Song Hor’s revenge, but Song Hor also received lots of comfort and care that he had never felt of in the past from Hae Eun and others.


Although Song Hor’s original pure and kind conscience was deeply aroused through the help of Hae Eun, it is too late for Song Ho to acknowledge that uses
unscrupulous mean to strive for the real fairness and justice is finally not the best way to do so. If it does, then he would just act the same as what On Soo’s father does. Both Song Hor and On Soo already lose too much under the influence from the tragedy 12 years ago. At last, both of them cannot escape from the consequence of what they’ve done in the past. Their lives are taken away by others too.


Maybe to every one of us, justice and fairness seem to be distinct in this new era. It just like the innocent death of Tai Hoon described in the drama. For Song Hor deeply believes that the real existence on justice and fairness is only valid through other means but not law. He chooses revenge as a way to do so. At last, it is so ironical that Song Hor doesn’t gain happiness, satisfaction and even the real justice and fairness that he hopes to fight for his brother’s death through his own mean. Trying the very best to live without regrets and violation of a pure conscience as a human is what Song Hor understands ultimately.


Still, it is hard to tell whether the real existence of justice and fairness can be trusted through other means but not law. As nothing is absolutely perfect in the world, implementing law doesn’t fully guarantee the existence of the real justice and fairness. Similarly, using other means doesn’t fully ensure the existence of the real justice and fairness that all people believe in. Indeed, there is one thing that every human being should bear in mind. That’s what Song Hor finally learns in the drama: Should people try their very best to live so as to maintain their own pure conscience and faith, that’s to think more about others before every action taken in life, is what human beings lack in building a trustful and harmonious society. To Song Ho in the drama, he finally forgives what On Soo did to his brother, but he cannot forgive himself. The answer is simple. He uses the wrong way to protect his faith and beloved ones with the ignorant of his conscience.