Whenever I watch taiwanese/korean sappy dramas, you will say one of the following:
- again watching this kinda shows
- nice meh? Why you like to watch so much?
- You ah... don't watch and then learn to be suku suku ah...
All these sappy shows follow a tried and tested method to reach to the audience:
- female and male leads miss the opportunity of getting together, go through a huge round of obstacles, before finally being together
- female and male leads are happy together, but due to many different circumstances such as illnesses, parents' disapproval etc, are forced to go through the vicious cycle of trying to overcome it all, before finally being together
- either 2 male leads fighting over 1 female, or the other way round. Who will emerge the final champion?
In the third scenario, it is usually one of the following;
- 2 males are deeply in love with 1 female. As usual, she will always have many happy memories with one, but she is not in love with him. The second, she loves him back deeply, but their times together are normally filled with tears and pain.
- 2 females are deeply in love with 1 male. One of the female will always be the bad person, and try ways and means to discredit the second female. However, the female which the male leads loves will always be the second female.
Everytime I watch sappy dramas, I walk away with the knowledge that I am one of the luckiest person in the world. Why you ask?
- The person with whom I have the most happy memories are, is you. Most of our time together, is spent in great happiness. Not only just sentimental happiness, but also, playful happiness, childish happiness. Wrestling together until our family members ask why are we fighting like small children. Playing silly games together, making up songs and poems and whatsoever.
- The person who has seen me cry, and whom I have seen cry. Not only because of the pain we sometimes bring to each other. But also due to the pain that friends, family, work and the entire world has given to us.
Drama serials always show the girls having to choose between the guy they don't love, but always has happy memories with, and the guy they love but with whom she always cries.
I have the two different guys, but in the same person.
Guys in sappy dramas ensure that the gals they love are protected and cared for well by them. You do everything in your power to make sure that I am protected, against things I am scared of, against the bad people in the world, against the unfairness that I may be subjected to, against sickness and idiots. You do everything you can to care for me. From ensuring that I am covered with the blanket in the middle of the night, to asking me if I need additional facial stuff for my face, to nagging at me to drink lots of water, to giving me massages whenever I am tired, to buying sole pads for my heels so that my feet don't hurt so much.
No matter what happens in this world, what happens in the office, what happens in the family, what happens in school, I take comfort and solace in the fact that when I see you, and am enveloped in your arms, it is like as if nothing can affect me any more. Nothing else matters. All the hurt, anger, unfairness, anxiety. Really seems to disappear, albeit for the short moment, from my mind.
I used to think that sappy dramas are the result of an imaginative script writer. Now I know, it is not just that the scriptwriters are imaginative. It is because in reality, these things do happen in real life. Males and females do fall head over heels in love with each other. They do have relationships so full of troubles, worries and pain, yet they are still in love with each other. They do have relationships that are full of carefree memories.
I have met my sappy drama guy in real life. And I thank God for you every single day. I am thankful that it is you. And if that is the one and only thing I can have, it's enough. I don't need mountains of money, or being the valedictorian of the school. I don't need a high flying career. Just as long as I have you.