Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
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This week we take a look at “Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo.”
SPOILERS AHEAD!!
Synopsis
“Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo” (“Weightlifting Fairy”) is the story of two college athletes – Kim Bok Joo (Lee Sung Kyung), a weightlifter, and Jung Joon Hyung (Nam Joo Hyuk), a swimmer – and the lives they lead as college athletes at Haneul Sports University. Bok Joo is the weightlifting team’s ace, a giant among her competitors. Raised by a single father and her uncle, she helps periodically in the family’s chicken restaurant, but focuses on training for competitions in hopes of winning another gold medal and being selected by a professional team. Joon Hyung lives with his uncle’s family and trains in hopes of becoming a national swimmer. He breaks records during practice, but during a competition, he gets dizzy and loses his hearing, which leads to a false start and a disqualification. After running into one another at Haneul Sports University, Bok Joo and Joon Hyung realize that they were elementary school classmates and rekindle their friendship. Initially, Bok Joo has feelings for Joon Hyung’s older brother, but eventually, the friendship between the two friends develops into love as they support one another in both their personal lives and in their pursuit of glory in their respective fields.
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Common Tropes
“Weightlifting Fairy” employs many common K-drama tropes – including snow fall and fireworks. But the trope that plays the most important role in “Weightlifting Fairy” is that of a past childhood relationship. Bok Joo and Joon Hyung run in different circles at their university. But after a chance encounter, they eventually realize that they were elementary school classmates until Joon Hyung’s mother remarried and moved to Canada and Joon Hyung moved in with his deceased father’s family. Joon Hyung was a scrawny kid who was often bullied and Bok Joo was an overweight kid who once saved his life.
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When they are reunited as adults and realize their childhood connection, Joon Hyung – despite Bok Joo’s many objections and threats – immediately begins to call her by her childhood nickname, “Fatty.” This sets the tone for their friendship as Joon Hyung delights in riling Bok Joo up. “It’s funny watching her yelling at the top of her lungs when she’s pissed,” he tells his roommate with a massive grin. But despite the teasing, Joon Hyung sees that Bok Joo is a devoted daughter and loyal friend. And when he eventually realizes his feelings for her, Joon Hyung realizes he has had feelings for Bok Joo since childhood.
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Unconventional Pairing
One of my favorite elements of “Weightlifting Fairy” is that, despite the social norms, Joon Hyung falls for Bok Joo first. Joon Hyung comes from a upper-middle class family, is considered good-looking, and has a perfectly lean and muscular swimmer’s body. Bok Joo, by contrast, is raised by her dad and uncle, comes from less affluence, helps out at her family’s restaurant (in spite of her busy weightlifting training schedule), and is considered overweight by Korean standards. Joon Hyung, to his credit, finds everything about Bok Joo endearing, and his affection – a testament to the acting of Nam Joo Hyuk – is obvious. You can see it in the big moments, but you can also see it in the little moments, like when he teases her or dries her hair. His brother, Jung Jae Yi (Lee Jae Yoon), even notes that Joon Hyung’s eyes sparkle when he talks about Bok Joo.
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Comfortable Together
Joon Hyung and Bok Joo share many sweet moments as they draw closer, both emotionally and physically. I love the scene at the overlook where they connect for the first time as adults. Joon Hyung opens up to Bok Joo about his trauma and she can relate as a fellow athlete. She tells him that he is going to succeed because she is a good judge of people and she can see it in his gaze. They jokingly stare into each other’s eyes and share a laugh, but you can feel in that scene just how much Bok Joo’s understanding and support affects Joon Hyung.
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Joon Hyung and Bok Joo are also not afraid to reveal their inner struggles to one another. Joon Hyung shares the truth about his parentage with her and Bok Joo shares her insecurities about being a female weightlifter. By opening his heart to Bok Joo and sharing his vulnerabilities, Joon Hyung is able to uncover the reason behind his psychological block with swimming. Unlike his previous girlfriend, rhythmic gymnast Song Si Ho (Kyung Soo Jin), Bok Joo never minimizes Joon Hyung’s feelings nor puts her own needs before his. An example of this is when Joon Hyung learns the truth about his mother and disappears. No one is able to locate him. Bok Joo has a very important media interview and is under a lot of pressure to perform, but she understands the impact that the revelation about his mother has on Joon Hyung and she excuses herself during the interview to look for him.
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As well as being emotionally comfortable with one another, the couple also becomes physically comfortable with each other. This is evident when they are hiding from the dorm head on the rooftop of Bok Joo’s dorm. They are lying down, huddled together, Bok Joo in Joon Hyung’s arms. Even after the threat of being discovered has passed, Joon Hyung wants to hold Bok Joo a little longer and distracts her by pointing out the stars. Bok Joo does not offer much resistance and instead looks closely at his face, complimenting his nose bridge. This interaction is a sure indication of how close the friends have become physically.
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And when Bok Joo is feeling down, Joon Hyung skips out on a group blind date to spend time with her. The arcade scene where they blow off steam is comical, but I especially love the following beach scene where we find Bok Joo, once again, comfortably lying in Joon Hyung’s arms. Later in the series, once they have begun to date, Bok Joo says to Joon Hyung, “You made me become addicted to you without realizing it.” This honest and vulnerable statement accurately depicts their sweet and innocent journey from friends to lovers.
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Jung Jae Yi
Jung Jae Yi is Joon Hyung’s older brother. He is a doctor and has his own obesity clinic. Bok Joo runs into him on the street one day in the rain and struck by his kindness, she develops a one-sided crush on him. Lying about what she does, she even begins to attend his clinic for weight management. As a weightlifter, Bok Joo’s weight must remain at a certain level, and weight loss negatively affects her performance. When her actions are uncovered by her coaches, she is forced to stop attending the clinic and focus on gaining weight to advance to the next division in her upcoming competition. Heartbroken, Bok Joo is unable to begin a romantic relationship with the doctor.
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Bok Joo admits to Joon Hyung that her love of Jae Yi is a fantasy. Though he cares for her, he never returns her affections romantically. Jae Yi’s heart belongs to another woman, though that bland relationship takes up too much screen time without adding much to the Lead Couple’s story. Instead, Jae Yi’s main role in “Weightlifting Fairy” is to open Bok Joo’s heart to love. Jae Yi is thoughtful, kind, and gentle, and he makes Bok Joo feel like a beautiful woman. By loving Jae Yi, Bok Joo realizes for the first time that there is enough room in her heart for more than just weightlifting. That space in her heart was never meant for Jae Yi, but without that relationship, she would never have made the room for Joon Hyung.
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It is also from Jae Yi that Bok Joo learns that Joon Hyung’s confident bravado hides an insecurity which stems from his traumatic false start in an international competition. Though Jae Yi is unaware of the reason behind Joon Hyung’s false start, by sharing his suspicions with Bok Joo, Jae Yi helps her to gain a better understanding of Joon Hyung. As a fellow athlete, Bok Joo can empathize with the stress of competition, and this softening of her heart towards Joon Hyung as someone who is hurting, also opens the door to their future relationship.
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Sacrifice
“Weightlifting Fairy” centers around competitive athletes in various fields as they train to make their dreams a reality. Those efforts take sacrifice – physically and mentally. As Bok Joo says, “there is nothing beautiful in this world without pain.” “Weightlifting Fairy” takes a look at the harsh realities of that pain as it explores the role of sacrifice in athletic training – the physical and emotional sacrifice of the athlete, as well as that of their families.
Athletes have to be in peak physical condition to achieve success. There are many obstacles to remaining physically fit, however. There are natural forces such as aging, as well as injury, colds, and other illnesses. Keeping their bodies in peak physical condition helps them perform at their best. But when competitive athletes do contract minor viruses, they are frequently unable to take medicine because of strict drug testing. When Joon Hyung catches a cold, his only optional is to drink natural teas and herbal supplements.
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Athletes must always maintain a proper and strict diet, depending on their sport. While Bok Joo must eat frequently and in large quantities to give herself a competitive edge in weightlifting, many athletes have to follow a strictly supervised diet to eliminate weight gain. Si Ho is Joon Hyung’s ex-girlfriend and a rhythmic gymnast who returns to Haneul University when she fails to qualify as a national representative. Si Ho must maintain a low weight to be competitive in rhythmic gymnastics, and strictly monitors her food intake. But if weight gain or loss are not properly supervised, then the athlete runs the risk of decreasing their fat-muscle ratio with the former, or being malnourished with the later. This is the case with Si Ho who frequently suffers from stomach cramps and indigestion, and is so nutrient-deprived that she does not have regular periods, all proof that her body is not getting what it needs to perform at its best. Si Ho’s strict diet also leads to insomnia. She attempts to counter the insomnia with sleeping pills, but it only leads to sleepwalking and binge eating, and eventually lands her in the hospital.
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In addition to the athlete’s sacrifices, in many cases, the families of the athletes must also sacrifice for their athlete to achieve their dreams. Not all parents support an athlete’s choice in career – it is a highly competitive field, requires a lot of sacrifice, and offers a low salary unless you succeed at the top of your field – but the parents who do support their child’s choice are faced with the formidable task of financing that dream. Paying for lessons and equipment are just a couple examples of the financial obligations of competitive athletics, and many families live in debt in order to afford everything that is needed. Si Ho’s parents sell their house to support her dreams. When her coach asks her to pay for private lessons in Russia over the winter break, her parents’ already stressed marriage ends in divorce. Even Si Ho’s younger sister sacrifices, living at home in a hostile environment where the focus is on helping her sister achieve her dream.
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But amid all of the sacrifice, Bok Joo’s weightlifting professor, Yoon Duk Man (Choi Moo Sung), shares a beautiful piece of advice. He encourages the athletes to love weightlifting for the joy of the sport. Even after you win a medal, he says, “your body is in bad shape from the strain that comes from weightlifting.” The goal, therefore, cannot be the accolades. Because if you live only for the accolades and your career ends without ever achieving a national title or Olympic gold medal, then you will be unhappy and full of regret. But if you are happy with the sport for its own sake, then you will live a happier existence, win or lose.
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Mental Health
“Weightlifting Fairy” takes a good look at mental health. Competitive athletes are under high levels of stress to perform and mental training for athletes is crucial to their success. Joon Hyung experiences psychological stress symptoms at competitions and training. Jae Yi encourages Joon Hyung to see a therapist. Through his therapy sessions, Joon Hyung learns that his stress symptoms were triggered by a childhood trauma. The therapist has a positive impact on Joon Hyung and his swimming, demonstrating, as Jae Yi states, that mental health is just as important as physical health.
“Weightlifting Fairy” also touches briefly on depression. While it is never labeled as depression, Bok Joo battles depression after she is no longer able to see Jae Yi. She is sleepy, has no strength, loses interest in weightlifting, and frequently cries. Depression creeps up on you without you knowing. Bok Joo realizes that something is wrong, but she is unsure of what it is. Up until this point in the series, Bok Joo has been bubbly and outgoing, and “Weightlifting Fairy” does an excellent job showing that depression does not discriminate; Even happy, go-lucky extroverts can suffer from depression. This message is touched at throughout the entire K-drama, but I would have loved to have seen it given even more emphasis.
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Two of my favorites
“Weightlifting Fairy” has two of my absolute favorite Korean actors - Kang Ki Young, who stars as Bok Joo’s uncle, Kim Dae Ho; and Lee Jong Suk, who has a cameo as Jong Seok, a fellow college athlete. The two acted together in one of my favorite K-dramas, "W," and there are many references to it during their brief scene together in “Weightlifting Fairy.” Lee Jong Suk’s character is a national representative in shooting, a nod to his character in “W” who is an Olympic gold medalist in the sport. In “Weightlifting Fairy,” he plays a customer at Bok Joo’s family restaurant, Bok Chicken, and Kang Ki Young finds Bok Joo gazing through an open window at him, the theme song from “W” playing in the background. Annoyed by the handsome young man, Kang Ki Young haughtily serves Lee Jong Suk, but before he can walk away, Lee Jong Suk grabs his arm and asks if he has seen him before, another reference to “W.” He flatters him by calling him a celebrity, recognizing him from his work as an extra from a weekend drama. Kang Ki Young is flattered and his attitude softens, telling Lee Jong Suk that he looks “like the main character from a comic,” yet another reference to Lee Jong Suk’s role in “W.” The grins the two actors exchange in this brief scene are priceless and their interactions in the behind-the-scenes videos are definitely worth watching!
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Fat Shaming
“Weightlifting Fairy” has been on my to-watch list for awhile, but I have resisted because of the fat shaming I knew it would contain. When the childhood friends are reunited in college, Joon Hyung immediately falls into the habit of calling Bok Joo by his nickname for her, “Fatty.” Though Joon Hyung’s intent is playful, his use of the condescending term, despite Bok Joo’s obvious displeasure, is disappointing.
In addition, Actress Lee Sung Kyung had to gain weight to star in “Weightlifting Fairy,” but even after gaining weight, she is far from “fat” in the K-drama. In fact, Bok Joo’s bulking clothing is used to make the actress appear larger than she really is, frequently layering sweats, hoodies, and large coats to add “bulk” to her frame.
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When the weightlifting coaches decide to have Bok Joo enter into the heavy weight level of competition, they tell her that she needs to gain weight to be at 63 kg (138.9 lbs). This blew my mind. Korean women traditionally have smaller frames than American women, but this actress stands an inch taller than me at 5’9.” According to Chris Cagle of HoodMWR, “The average weight of a 5’7’’ female is around 123-136 pounds for ladies with a small body frame, and 133-147 for women with a larger frame.” Having seen this actress in other K-dramas, she is not what I would consider a large frame. Therefore, the idea that Bok Joo is already considered overweight when she weighs less than 138.9 lbs at 5’9” is a bit alarming.
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Final verdict: MUST WATCH
“Weightlifting Fairy” lands firmly on my MUST WATCH list. This fun K-drama focuses on our Lead Couple who falls in love while facing the obstacles of becoming competitive national athletes. The story reminds me a lot of my favorite C-drama, “Falling into Your Smile,” but the stories are different enough to allow each to stand alone. The acting is great from top to bottom, and there is even an unexpected cameo from fan favorite, Lee Jong Suk! Set during the fall and winter, the scenes are filled with holiday decorations and beautiful lights. In addition, the soundtrack is filled with Christmas classics, such as “All I Want for Christmas” by Mariah Carey. Despite the expected fat shaming, the rest of these irresistible elements make “Weightlifting Fairy” the perfect K-drama to watch with a loved one as the seasons change and we ramp up to Christmas.
So there it is, our review of “Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo.” What did you think?! Thank you for joining us on this journey.
Have a favorite K-drama you think we should review, comment down below!! We look forward to seeing you back again next week!
Up next, “Cinderella and the Four Knights”
