I feel like a broken record, but You Are My Spring is not what I expected and is a lot better than I thought it would be. I love that it's so atypical to the extent that I keep re-reading the synopsis to see if I missed something, and I just realized there is a fantasy element to the drama. It makes me wonder if something sinister, even more than abuse, may have been going on in the orphanage where Chae Jun and Ian were raised, or if they were even raised rather than grown.
Whoever or whatever Ian is, he is far creepier, and I am sure with his own story than Chae Jun ever was, that's for sure, and whatever it is that shaped them into the life they led and still lead is absolutely rooted in that orphanage/cult-like church they lived in as children.
I love that there is little-to-no awkwardness between Da Jung and Young Do, from how they act around each other to how they speak to each other. It just flows like they've known each other forever. There is something spontaneous about them that so mutual and so palpable. But the weirdest part is how Chae Jun's suicide, the killing spree, and his doppelganger, or could he be his twin, none of it seem to fit with the flow of the story, which makes it even more interesting despite all the underlying current bubbling under the surface for all involved or maybe because of it.
What I like most about this drama because it sheds light on the impact of emotional trauma, which is similar to if not worse than physical trauma in that the physical heals. Yet, the emotional shatters one's sense of security, leaving them struggling with upsetting emotions, memories, and anxiety that won't go away. So, what was it in the seven-year-old Chae Jun/Ian life that led him to where he got to be; there was such sadness in him, which makes things feel entirely off.
But the more I watch, the more I realize what we saw of Chae Jun might not even be true; yes, he was a bit strange but now with Ian now in the picture, I am starting to think he may have been the one that visited Young Do at the clinic and not Chae Jun and that Chae Jun acted the way he did with Du Jung because he recognized Du Jung from their childhood days. It almost feels like Ian and Chae Jun may have lived interchanging lives with one dominating the other, which would make it more plausible for Ian to be the serial killer Chae Jun was just caught in the crossfire.
There is so much mystery in all the characters; from Ahn Ga Young to Park Eun Ha and her brother Park Chul Do to Kang Tae Jung (Kang Hoon) to their mother (Oh Hyun Kyung); they all appear quirky, but seem to suffer from some underlying trauma that could range from abuse (sexual, physical, psychological) to life-threatening accidents or illnesses, violence in school or the community, bullying, loss of a loved one or even neglect. Even Da Jung and Young Do. Unlike what it seems, You Are My Spring brings another side to how it's okay not to be okay until it's not and how dangerous it can get when those who are not okay reach their breaking point. I cannot wait to see where things go next. I love the In Ruin OST.