Overview of Thirty-Nine

‘Thirty-Nine’ is a South Korean romantic comedy created by Kim Sang-ho and received worldwide acclaim. The lead roles were played by Son Ye-jin, Jeon Mi-do, and Kim Ji-hyun. The drama focuses on the intricate relationship between the three friends. It premiered on JTBC on 16 February 2022. It covered 12 episodes.

The final episode of the series underwent the greatest national ratings, that is 8.1%, and at the same time, it was included in the Global Top 10 Weekly List of the most popular worldwide Netflix TV programmes for a period of four weeks.

Profile

• Drama: ‘Thirty Nine’
• Director: Kim Sang-ho
• Writer: Yoo Young-a
• Network: JTBC
• Episodes: 12
• Release Date: 16 February – 31 March 2022
• Language: Korean
• Country: South Korea

Cast

• Son Ye-jin as Cha Mi-jo
• Shin So-hyun as young Cha Mi-jo
• Jeon Mi-do as Jeong Chan-young
• Ha Seon-ho as young Jeong Chan-young
• Kim Ji-hyun as Jang Joo-hee
• Lee Da-yeon as young Jang Joo-hee
• Yeon Woo-jin as Kim Seon
• Lee Moo-saeng as Kim Jin-seok
• Lee Tae-hwan as Park Hyun-joon
• Ahn So-hee as Kim So-won

Synopsis

‘Thirty-Nine’, written by Yoo Yong-ah and directed by Kim Sang-ho, explores life at an older age when men and women may be less afraid of what other people think and may be able to accomplish things they couldn’t when they were younger. They also go about looking for love “naturally”, not trying to cover up the tiny lines that are starting to appear on their faces.

Son Ye-jin portrays Cha Mi-do in the show, a cosmetologist who wants to take a break to play golf. Kim Ji-hyun portrays Jang Joo-hee, a cosmetic consultant who is stuck in a dreary job, and Jeon Mi-do plays Jeong Chan-young, an acting coach who struggles to teach actors to emote.

‘Thirty-Nine’ centres on the relationships, friendships, and lives of three women who are approaching the age of forty. When they initially met as adults, Cha Mi-jo (Son Ye-jin), Jung Chan-young (Jeon Min-do), and Jang Joo-hee (Kim Ji-hyun) remained best friends for about 20 years. ‘Thirty-Nine’ recounts the experiences of women who are on the point of approaching 40 and beginning a new chapter in their lives, in contrast to past women-centric dramas that focused on women in their 20s or early 30s or women who draw out their dreams through their children’s schooling.

The story of these women, however, is dull and depressing in the beginning but as the drama progresses, the story becomes engrossing. The use of dated techniques is sporadically used, even though they may have presented a novel and original plot. Terminal sickness serves as the initial device. The focus of the show is on the friends accepting and enduring the unavoidable separation because Chan-young’s death is foreshadowed in the first few episodes.

This is where the issue first arises. Characters with complicated private lives weave together their stories. Chan-young’s complicated connection with Kim Jin-seok (Lee Mu-saeng), who was once her boyfriend but is now married to another woman, continues. Even worse, the drama gave the impression that he had an unhappy marriage in an effort to cover up the inappropriate tension between him and Chan-young. Yes, they have a lengthy history together, but it seems troublesome that this gives Jin-seok’s wife cause for complaint.

Making Jeong Cha-young “the happiest terminally sick patient” is the focus of the series starting with the second episode, which they eventually realise is not so simple, after all. ‘Thirty-Nine’ is not a sentimental drama. Even though everyone may appear to be smiling, everyone is actually engaged in an internal conflict as evidenced by the emotional struggles of every one of the characters.

Every episode serves as a gentle reminder to be there for your loved ones when they need you and to pursue your aspirations. Aside from the narrative, it is delightful to observe the attire and styling. Yeon Woo-jin, who plays Cha Mi-do’s boyfriend, Seon-woo, does an excellent job of being a loving partner and defending his sister’s adoption status. As the hapless guy is torn between his wife and ex-lover, Jeong Cha-young will beg every lady to stand by him without deciding whether to support the wife or the ex-lover.

Thirty-Nine finishes on a joyful note, letting everyone know that even if someone is missed when they are gone, life carries on. Episode after episode is a reminder of being present for your loved one when needed and to follow one’s dreams.

‘Thirty-Nine’: K-Drama Breaks the Rules to Show Reality of Death, Love, and Friendship

A Main Character Comes to Terms with Her Death in Thirty-Nine

It is uncommon for K-dramas to reveal to viewers that a key character will pass away before the end of the narrative, but what drives the underlying tale of what it means to live and confront death is Chan-young’s (Jeon Mi-do) diagnosis of stage 4 pancreatic cancer. The audience watches Thirty-Nine’s story even though they know she will die because they witness her and the characters’ progressing journey to have a positive perspective on life.

Even though Chan-young’s health is fatal, Mi-jo asks her to go for therapy. Chan-young is aware of her reality, though, she decides to spend the rest of her life with the people she loves. This encourages her to pursue another goal that she long ago gave up on; to become an actor. In addition to Chan-young’s acceptance of her death, the way it impacts the other character provides a novel perspective on a real-world scenario. Mi-jo and Joo-hee, like most people, are in denial, but they must learn to accept Chan-young’s choices. This does not imply that they never experience anxiety or despair.

The characters are forced to examine themselves as they deal with Chan-young’s death. Jo-hee begins to understand that her life is not supposed to be dictated by others. Mi-jo’s life enters a new chapter as a result of Chan-young’s efforts for her to find her mother.

In this way, the K-drama deviates from accepted romance norms. The main characters and Chan-young’s mother spend an episode having a typical time in her apartment. Mi-jo is the one who begs Jin-seok’s wife to let them be happy and turn a blind eye when she arrives. The revelation of an affair is typically controversial in K-dramas, and in ‘Thirty-Nine’, there are those moments.

When Jin-seok’s wife learns Chan-young will pass away and she recognises what they have, things take a turn. The relationship between Chan-young and Jin-seok is about comfort and connection rather than a taboo sexual appeal. Chan-young is not interested in getting married. She would prefer it if Jin-seok made amends with his wife.

‘Thirty-Nine’ K-drama Shows the Complexity of Friendships

Without a close-knit friend circle, a K-drama is incomplete. ‘Thirty-Nine’ also reveals issues that are hidden beneath the surface, despite the fact that viewers have fallen for the carefree and siblingly closeness amongst the female protagonists. Chan-young, Mi-joo, and Joo-hee are related, but ‘Thirty-Nine’ defies conventions in K-dramas to demonstrate that things are not always as they seem.

The best illustration is found in episode 10. From Chan-young’s disease progressing to Mi-jo finally seeing her birth mother, a lot has transpired. Joo-hee, though, has additional commentary. She feels bad after finding that her mother was aware of Mi-jo’s background.

She reluctantly acknowledges that Mi-jo and Chan-young frequently ignored her. She explains that she is usually the last to learn the truth. Joo-hee cries as she candidly says that she worries that Chan-young’s passing may cause her and Mi-jo’s to be broken. ‘Thirty-Nine’ defies K-drama conventions to highlight how death can affect many facets of life, either positively or negatively.

‘Thirty-Nine’ Ending Explained: Quality Over Quantity

Back at their residence, Chan-young’s parents urge Jin-seok to look after their daughter. Chan-young declined Jin-seok’s requests to marry her. After getting to know Mi-jo’s family, Seon-woo is planning to marry her. In line with Chan-young’s request, Joo-hee and Hyun-joon have been dating since she opened her own nail salon next to the latter’s eatery. Life carries on, and one chilly night, Jin-seok calls everyone to let them know the heartbreaking news they have been anxiously awaiting. Chan-young departs from them but her memories endure.

Jin-seok continues to live in Chan-young’s home. He desired to wed Chan-young so that people would refer to him as Chang-young’s spouse, but they were unable to consummate their union. Whether or not they were married, he still resides there because they were a couple, according to Jin-seok. He frequently goes to see his girlfriend’s parents and works in their restaurant. Mi-jo had been instructed by Chan-young to take her parents to their annual physicals and pay them a visit on their birthday.

In order to prevent Jin-seok from feeling lonely, she has also forced Mi-jo to make a pledge that she will see him every two weeks. Before departing for the other world, Chan-young had planned and prepared everything in preparation. She took care to prevent any of her loved ones from suffering. ‘Thirty-Nine’ ends on a happy note reminding everyone that though one will be missed in his or her absence, life goes on.

Awards

• Bechdel Day 2022
  Bechdel’s Choice 5
  Best Writer – Yoo Young-ah

Interesting Facts about Thirty-Nine

1. Due to the presidential election broadcast on 9 March, the 7th episode aired on March 16. Instead, a special broadcast of episodes 1-6 aired on March 10 under the title of ‘About thirty and nine.
2. The Korean drama is about three friends — Cha Mi-jo, Jung Chan-young and Jang Joo-hee — who have been together since their high school days.
3. Cha Mi Jo is played by Son Ye-jin, renowned for a string of acclaimed films and serials including The Classic (2003), A Moment to Remember (2004), Secret Garden (2011), The Pirates (2014) and Crash Landing on You (2019-20).

FAQs

1. How many episodes are there in ‘Thirty-Nine’?
   There are 12 episodes.
2. In which year was ‘Thirty-Nine’ released?
   It was released in 2022.
3. On which platform was ‘Thirty-Nine’ released?
   It was released on JTBC.
4. What is the Instagram ID of Son Ye-jin?
   @yejinhand is the Instagram ID of Son Ye-jin.