“I’m willing to respect you, but only when you respect me as well.”

An illustration of someone who began breathing when their upside-down world finally turned around

Everyone around Oh Young-ah demands her agreement and understanding of their own definition of justice. Young-ah, who laughs a lot, puts others before her, and persists patiently, often feels overwhelmed by them but admires and respects their values at the same time. She convinces herself that she should join them in loving the environment, animals, and their lover because it is “desirable.” She forces herself to smile and apologize because she wants to avoid conflict with others. Young-ah even changes her hobbies and habits – but as she tries too hard, she becomes depressed and lethargic, losing her ability to laugh and her sense of being alive.

“Why don’t you go see a therapist if things are too much for you to handle?” Young-ah decides to go therapy when others start worrying about her. At the “Seohyang Medical Research Center” that researches brain procedures, she undergoes an “emotional control” treatment that lasts for four weeks. As a result, she loses control – over desires suppressed like squeezed spring, self-rationalization, anger, and resentment. She begins to feel destructive impulses. She calls someone “motherfucker” silently, and she spits out the words she has been holding in. Although she blames herself for being a bad person, she is showered with intense relief. Young-ah is baffled and visits the center again to find out what exactly the treatment is, only to be told that she must wait for its effects to wear off. Amid the realization that she is changing, Young-ah becomes addicted to the sweet fruit of freedom. She pours out her emotions in an attempt to escape from the people who have guided her to “goodness” – an attempt to break free from the prison of “relationships” that she has so carefully built. But the day inevitably comes when the effects of the treatment wears off – what kinds of consequences await her?

“There is no need to be sorry.” What kind of attitude should we have toward society and relationships?

To function as a member of society, one must be trained to contain oneself and to put others before themselves. There are institutions that exist to help with that, and professionals who work there train those who have yet to become adults. They are referred to as “teachers,” but people do not realize how much they sacrifice for society. Rather, they demand teachers to always be clean because many eyes are watching, and because they must set an “example.” But where does that “example” begin, and where does it end?