Winter Sonata II: All in the Family

In the long-awaited sequel to the TV series "Winter Sonata," the most popular and beloved Korean drama of all time, Bae Yong Jun and Choi Ji Woo reprise their roles as Minhyung Lee and Yoojin Jung.  Five years have passed, and the two lovers have finally found true love and marital bliss as a married couple.  Now living in Seoul, Minhyung works 14 hours day, six days a week heading his own construction company with three full-time employees and a bunch of contract workers.  Yoojin has quit her consulting business and is now a housewife who takes care of her rambunctious three-year-old son, Minoh.  Longing to rekindle the magic they shared during those dramatic days in 2002, Yoojin and Minhyung decide to spend their one week of annual vacation in late August at Yongpyong Ski Resort–the place where they found true love. 
 
The lovers and their son return to the resort only to find it fantastically changed.  The cafe that Yoojin redesigned has been closed for some time.  An unfinished 20-story hotel now towers over the original hotel where they found love.  Yoojin and Minhyung, with little Minoh in tow, endeavor to reminisce about the past by sharing a romantic dinner for three at the same restaurant where they shared their first dinner together following Minhyung’s recovery from a bout of amnesia.  Mayhem ensues when Minoh drops chopsticks and food on the floor and spills sugar on the table, embarassing the enchanted couple.  Later, the family returns to the gondola that brought Yoojin and Minhyung to Dragon Peak in 2002, where they spent that fateful night together on the mountain during a heavy snowstorm.  The family waits in line with the masses for a gondola like the one where they shared a tender kiss.  And they wait.  They wait some more.  Finally, after a long spell, with crying son in tow, they reach the coveted peak and walk around in the clouds that obscure their view.  They find shelter in the Dragon Peak western restaurant where they spent the night together in 2002, sipping on instant cocoa available during the summertime.  Unable to reclaim the lost magic, they return to the hotel and settle in for a nice game of bowling and kiddie rides.  The family is happy once again.

Off to relive “Winter Sonata”

I am taking my family this weekend to Yongpyong Resort, Korea’s largest ski resort and likely home of the 2014 Winter Olympics.  Barring heavy traffic, the trip should take us about two hours by car.  The snow is long gone, and the monsoon rains may be in full force, so we won’t be skiing.  Nevertheless, we’ll do our best to enjoy the short two-day trip as hikers and tourists.  My wife has been anxious to see Yongpyong Resort ever since she watched "Winter Sonata," one of her favorite Korean dramas.  The resort is featured prominently in the drama.  She wants to relive all the precious moments of the show, such as when Bae Yong Jun and Choi Ji Woo are at the resort "working" on a construction project (actually, most of the time they are focused on their love triangle–but I digress).  I gave my wife free rein to take us where she will tomorrow so that she can cherish those "Winter Sonata" moments.  I’m tempted to bring our CD player so I can play the theme from "Winter Sonata" at key places where the characters shared special moments, such as the time when Choi Ji Woo pushed Bae Yong Jun out of the way after a construction beam nearly fell on him.  The drama would have been much shorter if she had not.  If weather permits, we will try to do some hiking in areas normally dominated by skiers.  If not, we’ll explore the lodge and as much of the resort as we can during our brief stay there.
 
The next day, I get to dictate our itinerary.  We’ll drive a circuitous route through Odaesan National Park on our way back to Seoul.  Odaesan is just south of Seoraksan National Park, South Korea’s most beautiful and famous park.  Odaesan is not considered as spectacular as its neighbor, but it includes some noteworthy places I want to visit, including an historic Buddhist temple and great hiking in the park’s interior.  If we also have time, we will also visit the East Sea coast not far from Odaesan.  We’ll see whether Yongpyong or Odaesan turns out to be the highlight of the our.  No matter what, I hope we aren’t hampered by rain and forced to stay inside buildings and in our automobile.
 
Dear Reader, have a great weekend.  I’ll be back online Sunday night.

Did Enron kill Kenneth Lay?

Former Enron founder and CEO Kenneth Lay died of a heart attack yesterday in Aspen, Colorado while awaiting sentencing in the aftermath of his conviction on multiple counts of corporate fraud.  Lay was expected to serve up to 20 years in prison for his crimes.  When I read about his death last night, I initially thought, What did you do, Ken?  Commit suicide?  It would not have been surprised if he had committed suicide prior to sentencing.  No, I later read, he died of a heart attack.  Did Lay die of a broken heart? I wondered.  Not a broken heart in the sense of a jilted lover, but rather from the physical torment caused by stress and anxiety brought on by knowing that your world has fallen apart and you have nothing to look forward to in the next two decades except facing worldwide condemnation and perpetual incarceration. 
 
The courts ruled that Kenneth Lay, with the help of his trusted underlings, killed Enron.  Could it also be that Enron killed Kenneth Lay?  Did Lay orchestrate his own ending by succumbing to the pain and anguish brought on by Enron’s collapse?  Ken Lay will now go down in history as a tragic figure who elicits public sympathy for his sudden, traumatic death.  The world will now look upon him more favorably because of his untimely passing.  Former CEO Jeffery Skilling and former CFO Andrew Fastow will not be treated so kindly in the court of public opinion.  Both will face ongoing tarring and feathering by society, long prison sentences, marginalization, and eventually, death.  Lay’s life is over, but he unwittingly mitigated two realities that would have plagued him for the rest of his life–punishment for Enron’s demise and public hostility.  Enron’s role in Lay’s death will mute some of Lay’s guilt.  Perhaps Lay planned it that way.  Rest in peace, Kenneth Lay.