Creative Villain Jeong Dae-geon
“Who am I?”
Whenever I throw out this question, the reply that usually comes back is a harsh rebuff.
“Stop talking such nonsense!”
It’s a world where even asking a single question isn’t easy. But when life doesn’t go the way we want, every human inevitably ends up asking fundamental questions. It’s only natural. That’s because the basic values we’ve believed in all along start to waver. It’s the gap between reality and ideals. It’s a brutal situation. That’s because we’re forced to choose between the two: reality and ideals. Giving up our ideals to follow reality is painful. But if we keep chasing our ideals, our very survival is threatened. That’s why, for most people, the choice is already decided. They choose reality. It’s a painful choice.
The theme that film director and novelist Jeong Dae-geon devotes himself to is precisely this problem of choice. People who face unavoidable choices. Struggling young souls in crisis, the kind society commonly calls “the youth.” His works don’t preach which choice is the right one. They simply listen to and portray the people facing a choice, and the stories of those who have made one. Of course, depending on which path you choose, your life will change dramatically. So his cry to agonize over it with all our might is probably close to a celebration of youth.
And now this man has become a contributor to the Hankyoreh newspaper. By all means, I look forward to passion-filled stories that prove our agonizing isn’t in vain.
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