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'Record of Youth' Episode 3: Things take dramatic turn as Hye-jun gets a part, Jeong-ah confesses she's his fan

With Jeong-ah's help, Hye-jun is able to help his grandfather take the first step in making a dream come true at the age of 71
PUBLISHED SEP 14, 2020
Park Bo-gum and Park So-dam (tvN)
Park Bo-gum and Park So-dam (tvN)

The title of Park Bo-gum and Park So-dam's show, 'Record of Youth', may indicate that this show is about the struggles, dreams, ambitions of the youth. However, in Episode 3 of the show, they portray the beauty of believing that age is a number that doesn't obstruct us from making our dreams come true. Social constructs and self-doubt stop us from reaching out for what we truly want in life at any age. This is portrayed through Hye-jun's (Park Bo-gum) grandfather, Hye-jun himself, and his new friend Jeong-ah (Park So-dam).

First, we see how Hye-jun struggles with the decision of taking a two-year break from the industry that he wanted to work in — show business. He is a successful model who refused to use a well-known designer as a sponsor to move up the ladder in either the entertainment industry or the fashion industry. He did choose his beliefs over success, however, there is not much that he is able to do without support or connections either and so, after failing the audition of a movie that he had really wanted to be in, Hye-jun decides to enlist in the army.

Hye-jun and Min-jae (tvN)

A senior at his former agency, Lee Min-jae, however, has now become his manager and wants him to give another chance with her by his side. A lot of Hye-jun's failures were also caused by his former agency's CEO, who was greedy and manipulative. So with someone such as Min-jae by his side, Hye-jun may just be able to grasp more opportunities while building up his profile from the ground up as well. However, Hye-jun is initially super hesitant and even goes as far as almost getting his head shaved 10 days before he had to join the military. It is Jeong-ah who convinces him to let it be and to chop his hair if necessary closer to his date of enlistment. 

It is only after Hye-jun receives a different part in the same film audition that he had failed in, that he rethinks his decision in agreement with Min-jae. Shouldn't he attempt to try all options available before giving up on his dream that he had worked to make true over the years? That's how we see Hye-jun accept the part, even if it was just a tiny one. He is also informed that he lost the lead role to his friend Hae-hyo not because his friend was a better actor but because he had better visibility online. Initially, Hye-jun also finds it hard to be around Hae-hyo because he cannot help but compare himself with his friend. However, he later realizes that he and his friend are different people who shine differently even when it comes to approaching their work. It is with this conviction that Hye-jun manages to move forward.

Hye-jun and Jeong-ah (tvN)

Then we have Hye-jun's grandfather who used to dream about making a name for himself in the world of acting but trusted the wrong people who then conned him. This continued until he became a poor man whose wealth was stolen by conmen who cheated him in the guise of giving an opportunity. The reason why Hye-jun's father hates his choice of wanting to pursue acting as a career is that he has seen his father get financially ruined because of the same dream. In fact, we often saw Hye-jun and his father argue over this and after one such argument, Hye-jun's grandfather is unable to stay on the sidelines. He tells Hye-jun that he wants to begin doing a part-time job so that he can give his son spending money.

This is something that Hye-jun shares with Jeong-ah, with whom Hye-jun has become quite comfortable, and it is she who gets the idea of getting his grandfather introduced to the concept of senior modeling. Initially, Hye-jun is dead set against the idea, and he also doesn't want his grandfather to go through the whole struggling phase that comes with wanting a career in the fashion world. However, after he has a word with his grandfather and understanding that his grandfather is yet to give up on his dream, Hye-jun decides to help him. It is also at this time that Hye-jun coincidentally sees the videos of him that are saved on Jeong-ah's laptop after which he concludes that she was his fan after all. So he tells him that he hates liars and then asks her whether she's his fan. That's when she confesses.

Jeong-ah and Hye-jun get closer and more comfortable around each other (tvN)

After all, age shouldn't stop Hye-jun's lovely grandfather from reaching out to make his dreams come true. So, Hye-jun signs his grandfather up for modeling classes. However, we cannot be certain that this attempt would be successful, because Hye-jun's father might not be receptive to this new idea of letting his father work part-time to earn money.

However, what is certain is that dreams have no expiration date and hence one can try with passion and ambition at any age to fulfill one's dream. Jeong-ah is another perfect example of this narrative because she is someone who used to hold a successful corporate job before she gave it all up to pursue her passion — being a makeup artist. She left her job and then signed up to become a part of a salon where she works as an assistant. She also busks on the streets as part of her make-up channel.

How their journey of making their dream come true play out over the rest of the episodes is something we have to watch out for.

'Record of Youth' originally airs on tvN on Mondays and Tuesdays in South Korea and can be streamed on Netflix in the US.

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