Korean Drama: Story of Solidarity and Comfort

In the JTBC Friday-Saturday drama "Everyone is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness" (hereafter referred to as "Fighting Worthlessness"), the line spoken by Hwang Dong-man (played by Gu Gyo-hwan), "Looking at a person on the opposite side of the Earth I've never been to, I realize I exist there too. All for One, One for All," deeply resonated with viewers. This line encapsulates the drama's message of solidarity within shared feelings.

While the logline for "Fighting Worthlessness" states it's about "a person driven mad by envy and jealousy, who can't succeed among their talented friends, searching for peace," the drama's content is far more complex. The protagonist, Hwang Dong-man, unable to achieve his dream of becoming a film director, becomes consumed by a self-made vortex of envy, jealousy, self-deprecation, and a craving for recognition.

Byun Eun-a (played by Go Youn-jung), who watches Hwang Dong-man, also harbors fear and dread within, contrary to her outward appearance. Her abandonment phobia, stemming from childhood trauma inflicted by her mother, psychologically torments her, causing nosebleeds.

The characters surrounding Hwang Dong-man also carry their own deficiencies. Film director Park Kyung-se (played by Oh Jung-se) is riddled with inferiority complexes, and the members of the group "Pal-in-hoe" (Eight People's Meeting) exhibit behaviors that have lost their humanity under the guise of being "good adults." They pity Hwang Dong-man yet view him as pathetic, feeling a sense of superiority that he is different from them.

The characters in "Fighting Worthlessness" each have their rough edges, and Hwang Dong-man, whose rough edges are amplified, is paradoxically the most honest. The other characters strive to hide their flaws and detest Hwang Dong-man for honestly revealing his inferiority complex.