Say Love: Thoughts on The Secret Message

The Secret Message (2015)

Directed By: Park Myung-Chun, Yoo Dae-Eol

Warning: Spoilers!

You know most Asian dramas have unrealistic plots, but we still love them because we hope for these romantic storylines and magical moments to happen in real life. The Secret Message is one of those dramas.

The Secret Message is a Japanese-Korean mini romance drama. Woo Hyun (T.O.P of BigBang) is a Korean filmmaker, who is making a documentary about people’s love stories in Japan. While Haruka (Ueno Juri) is a contemporary dancer that is studying aboard in Korea. One day, Woo Hyun gets his phone stolen and is given his friend’s old phone as a replacement. He gets a text message from a girl named, Haruka, asking the previous owner of the phone number, “What is love?” Soon after, Woo Hyun and Haruka start a text messaging relationship.

I am pretty sure a majority of us have talked to strangers online. I mean, in this WordPress community, we are basically doing that. We are talking to people from other countries and cities that you don’t truly know other than within this 2D realm known as the internet. I am pretty sure that your parents told you never to talk to strangers. I am aware of that too, but I’ll be honest, there is something fun about talking to a new and unfamiliar face. You can tell him or her anything you want and won’t be judged. I think the appeal of talking to a stranger is that they do not know your true personality and any of your past mistakes or failures, and a stranger can give you some honest and real advice—a different perspective on life. For Woo Hyun and Haruka they were able to find comfort in each other words when everything else around them is falling apart.

There is a language barrier between Woo Hyun and Haruka, but they are able to translate their text messages to each other, and respond accordingly. Even though they  can’t communicate well with words, their feelings speak for each other. It is interesting to see that distance or language barriers did not stop them from being together, which kind of shows love having no boundaries.

The Secret Message is a simple storyline, but the complex emotions these characters go through is relatable, which makes it one of my favorite Asian dramas. I definitely would recommend it, especially if you ever had those online relationship feelings before.

5/5