In the director Park Shin Woo (박신우)’s own words, “There are a lot of instances where we see people and judge that they are this or that kind of person. This can lead people to make mistakes and feel regret.”
“It’s Okay To Not Be Okay” (사이코지만 괜찮아) essentially carries the message of accepting people for who they are. In most K-dramas, viewers tend to fall in love with the characters immediately. This series poses questions like “Can I love this person? Can I feel empathy for this person?”
Get to know the 4 main roles here:
1. Seo Ye Ji (서예지) plays Go Moon Young
- Age: 30 years old
- Occupation: A popular children’s book author who suffers from antisocial personality disorder (ASPD)
Go Moon Young grew up in a successful household. Her mom is a crime-fiction novelist while her dad is an architecture professor at a prestigious University. Since she was bullied as a child, she detached herself from her emotions and became an antisocial. As an adult, she’s grown into someone’s who is prone to deception and lack of morals.
The actress said, “Most fairytales are good stories that provide children with dreams and hope. Go Moon Young thinks fairytales are cruel, terrible, and set in a realistic world. When you experience life and go out into the real world, it’s all scars anyway. For example, one of her lines goes ‘If you don’t want to get ill, you should talk behind peoples’ backs’. I think it tells the story of darkness within a fairytale that is unique to Go Moon Young.”
2. Kim Soo Hyun (김수현) plays Moon Kang Tae
- Age: 30 years old
- Occupation: Caretaker at a psychiatric ward
At first glance, Moon Kang Tae seems to have everything going for him. He’s easy on the eyes, physically fit, and has a heart of gold. But ever since he lost his parents at a young age, he had to step up and be the breadwinner. On top of that, he has to care for his elder autistic brother.
3. Oh Jung Se (오정세) plays Moon Sang Tae
- Moon Sang Tae is Moon Kang Tae’s older brother
- Age: 38 years old
- Suffers from autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
- Happens to be Go Moon Young’s illustrator
Mr and Mrs Moon only discovered that Sang Tae was autistic when he was 6. They decided to have another kid in hopes that Sang Tae will be taken care of. He doesn’t like loud noises or being touched by people. Luckily, he has an IQ over 70 and photographic memory as well as a natural affinity for creating art.
4. Park Gyu Young (박규영) plays Nam Joo Ri
- Occupation: Nurse at a psychiatric ward
- Gets caught in a love triangle with Moon Kang Tae
After her mother had fallen ill, Nam Joo Ri had to leave Seoul and return back to her hometown where she found an occupation as a nurse. Viewers will get to witness her and Moon Kang Tae walk a fine line between friendship and love. Someone’s about to get her heart broken here…
“It’s Okay To Not Be Okay” is a 2 episodes weekly (9:30pm) K-drama that is available on Netflix from 20th June 2020 onwards.
