A Soul Becomes A Star
Ryeon and the Escort Team are tasked with finding out why Lee Young-Chun wants to commit suicide. They’re not sure, but they’re going to do everything in their power to find out.
Ryeon briefs the others on this case and it is revealed that he has been part of the team since the Qing Invasion of Joseon and also since the Joseon period. For Ryung, he has been part of the team since the Joseon period too but after Ryeon joined. ..
The trio head out together and visit Young-Chun’s house. They’re determined to get it all cleaned up for him, given this can help improve one’s mood.
The old man is happy to have helped out and they laugh together. However, the gangsters are back and they demand that Jun-Woong leave town. Jun-Woong refuses and fights back, knocking out the thugs with a single punch.
Ryung-Gu tells Young-Chun that he’s a reaper and that he will die tomorrow. Young-Chun is shocked, and it seems like part of his issues stem from the fact that he’s all alone.
He’s a Korean war vet, but there’s no family recorded on his file. But why? Before we find out, Young-Chun mentions how his neighbour was found dead recently but decomposed so much that only his bones were left. This made him afraid, and off the back of this he wanted to try and find a quiet way to bow out this world (aka. suicide).
Ryeon and the others are determined to make Young-Chun’s last day a memorable one, by helping him out with the rubbish and carting it all the way up to the junkyard. The thing is, the real estate prices are rising all the time and those thugs we saw earlier are also threatening him too. The man there is eking out a living and struggling to get by. As an act of kindness, Young-Chun gives the man some money to help feed his kids. ..
As the sun begins to set, Young-Chun reflects back on his life and thinks back over how he could have done things differently. It’s here we actually see an extended flashback to see what transpired in Young-Chun’s life.
In this year, 1950, Young-Chun goes to volunteer for the Korean War. He is horrified by what he sees on the battlefield. Bullets whistle overhead and explosions pound the ground. The smell of death is everywhere. ..
Young-Chun mostly kept to himself but he did manage to make friends with a guy called Dong-Chil. Unfortunately Dong-Chil gets his leg blown off after an airstrike. Despite saving him from the battlefield, Dong-Chil blames Young-Chun for taking him away from a noble death. With tears stinging his cheeks, he tells Young-Chun to leave and never come back. Just before Young-Chun leaves, he tells his friend that he made a promise to his mother to return.
After the war, Young-Chun rushed home to find his house toppled and destroyed. His mother was nowhere to be found. Suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Young-Chun did not become a celebrated veteran but instead a mentally crippled ex-soldier. Hard labour only brought back memories from the war, not to mention difficulty in actually doing the hard graft, so he resigned to picking up paper waste. ..
It’s such a hard story to hear, but Ryung-Gu admits that war is hard for the reapers too, given they all work overtime to get the deceased to where they need to go.
Young-Chun, a 23-year-old man, believes his life is meaningless and worthless. He’s certain that he’s done nothing of note on this planet. Ryeon, a 23-year-old woman, teleports him up to the highest point in Seoul to look over the twinkling lights of the bustling metropolis below. She does this to show that his sacrifice was not in vain. He’s helped to preserve the country they’re living in today and if it wasn’t for his bravery, that may not have been possible. ..
Jun-Woong tracks down Dong-Chil, a veteran who is still alive. Young-Chun is delighted to find his former friend is still living. Numerous people recognize what Young-Chun has done online and show their respect. Off the back of this, Ryeon finds herself conflicted and tries to haggle with the King of Heaven, telling her that she wants to make sure Young-Chun gets a good passing. The King of Heaven nonchalantly bites back that everyone is judged fairly. ..
Joong-Gil appears to take Young-Chun, who was actually there that night on the battlefield. All the other reapers show up and honour his memory. This is a special case, and the King of Heaven appears in person, forming a royal guard of honour.
It is an absolutely beautiful and glorious tribute to one of many war veterans and a testament to the sacrifice these brave souls have made to their country. Young-Chun is seen off properly, and as he heads onto the great beyond, he’s reunited with his mother. And just to top things off, Young-Chun gets his picture taken during the epilogue, just prior to passing away, and within this he’s put on display for all to see in the shop window.
The Episode Review
The episode is a great follow-up to the excellent first one, and really nails the feel of the world it’s set in. The writing is beautiful and the story is compelling, making it a must-watch for anyone interested in science fiction.
The individual cases have really been the highlight of this show, and do help to overshadow some of the wooden acting from the Reapers. Now, that may be a deliberate ploy to show that these Reapers are emotionless and go about their jobs professionally, but next to some of the incredible acting on display from the different men and women every week, it is noticeable.
The story with the gang and the real estate prices going up doesn’t really go anywhere, and in fact could actually circle back around again if that man from the junkyard becomes suicidal. Mostly this is just an obstacle to reinforce how veterans and the elderly are largely looked down on by these sorts of thugs. ..
The finale of “Young-Chun’s Beautiful Life” was a beautiful way to end the show. It was a welcome change of pace and easily the highlight of the whole episode. However, it is not enough to make this the best weekend drama. ..
