American Perspectives: Would 민재이 be considered selfish? "Our Blooming Youth" Ep.7 Response

Come Visit me!

It was a question that popped into my mind while I was watching last night.  Because of 민재이's decision to run away, and 가람's decisision to go with her, things have gotten complicated.  For one thing, we have the issue of a close friendship where hierarchy is most certainly the "elephant in the room." Granted, I'm an American, and hierarchy tends to be a dirty word, even though we actually have our own, while pretending we don't. (that's a whole other story for another time).  With this hierarchy in place, I get the feeling that 가람 hasn't really had the opportunity to think too much about making any other choice.  She has seriously been dependent on 민재이 as her personal servant for a really long damn time.  It's not like she could just wander around on her own free will and decide who her friends were outside of 민재이's home.

That being said, 가람 is now wanted by authorities due to 민재이's suspected actions, and for being a runaway servant.  She wasn't exactly in a position where she had much choice.  She couldn't tell on her friend, and the option of being a government slave isn't all that appealing, either. As some say: "Six in one hand, half a dozen in the other." Adding insult to injury, if she is caught by government officials, her punishment is being permanently branded on her left cheek so that it is impossible for her to live freely, ever.

And this is where the issue of privilege comes into play.  민재이, even though she has to hide her identity, she has the privilege of being a noble woman where she can find the needed backing (Crown Prince) in order to clear her name.  Something like that would never be an option for 가람, ever.  민재이 does not run the risk of being branded.

Because the punishment for 가람, if she lives or dies, is irreversible either way, I have to ask: "Is 민재이 being selfish?"  At first, I thought, no.  But now, that I've had time to think about it, consider the class hierarchy, consider the leverage she has, the fact that her story isn't solid.  I'm going to have to say yes.  There is a tendency on her part to be self absorbed to her privilege without any regard to how her actions affect 가람. 가람 was her literal partner in crime prior to them running away, and if we're being honest, due to the class hierarchy, she didn't have much of a choice.  She could have said no, and told 민재이's father, but because she is her personal servant, there is a high risk of insidious heavy punishment when Dad isn't looking.  If she goes ahead and sneaks out with 민재이, due to her being a "Daddy's Girl," it affords her a bit more leeway.  Something that I have to appreciate about the 사극 is that it subtley shows you the consequences of behaving like a selfish American individualist.  Every action, every word affects everybody around you.

In regards to 민재이, so many people are bending the rules and looking the other way on her behalf.  While 가람 made the choice to follow her, it really bothers me that she's putting so much more on the line for 민재이, but I feel like 민재이 is too wrapped up in herself to return the favor.

To be fair, 민재이 did lose her entire family, so her priorities and thought process are not always going to be ideal.  Her life is also at stake, so she has to go to great lengths to clear her name.  Her story is beginning to fall apart, so the position she is in is extremely precarious.  So, while I do think she is being very selfish, she's also responding to a very un-ideal situation.