Mental Health
Unpacking ‘Yumi Cells’: Relationships, Pride, Dreams, and Happiness
I have just finished watching a binge-worthy Korean drama series titled “Yumi Cells,” both the first and second seasons, and I have learned more about myself, relationship, and happiness than ever before. So, let’s talk about it!
Warning! This article may contain spoilers 👀
While this might seem like a departure from my usual Medium topics, I believe this subject remains relevant to the themes I enjoy exploring, and I hope it resonates with most readers.
Some readers may already be familiar with this drama, while others may not. “Yumi Cells” is a Korean drama based on a webtoon comic of the same title. The story revolves around the personal life of a 30-something career woman named Yumi. This drama not only portrays the outer expressions of each individual but also delves into every single emotion represented by the “cells” inside the characters.
At first glance, this drama may appear to be like any other romantic drama. However, the more we watch it, the more we realize that it isn’t just another romantic drama. “Yumi Cells” meticulously examines life at a microscopic level for every character, depicting experiences that may seem ordinary yet are very relatable to most of us as everyday people.
While this drama doesn’t offer elements like crazy office politics, bloodthirsty criminals, or extreme and nerve-wracking situations, the ordinary scenes featuring the ordinary characters in “Yumi Cells” leave us with a profound sense of unexplained emotions and mental turbulence. The more we learn about each character’s cells, decisions, and actions, the more we can identify similar experiences within ourselves.
So, what can we learn from watching (or reading, if you’re also a webtoon reader) “Yumi Cells”?
Honesty and communication are indeed key to a successful relationship.
When Woong decided to break up, he explained that it was because he wasn’t ready for marriage, a topic Yumi had mentioned to him before. This made Yumi see only this single reason and not consider a second chance for both of them. However, Woong simply didn’t tell the truth about his actual situation. In reality, Woong was too afraid of burdening Yumi with his financial problems, which he was facing. He chose to hide it (also because he didn’t want to appear as a failure to Yumi) and shoulder the burden alone. If only he had told the truth, there might have been hope for both of them to maintain the relationship and find a way forward together.
Pride sometimes may lead to regretful decisions.
When Yumi accepted Woong’s decision to break up without question, in reality, deep inside her, the love cell remained uncertain about agreeing to it. The love cell sought help from other cells and almost chose the Pathetic cell to cling to Woong instead of accepting the breakup. Eventually, the Pride cell took control of the decision, leading Yumi to simply agree with Woong’s choice to break up.
Later in the scene, it becomes apparent that Woong was also unprepared to see Yumi agreeing without a second thought. When the entire scene concluded, we realized that Yumi was also regretting her acceptance because, at that time, her pride had overridden her love for Woong.
A similar occasion also occurred to Woong in several earlier episodes where he let his pride take over him, causing more harm to him and his relationship instead of doing good.
Pride can be important in our life, but usually when our emotions are too unstable to make decisions, our pride only will cause a loss on our end.
It is never too late to pursue your dream, and perseverance will eventually pay off.
Yumi impulsively submitted her resignation letter to pursue her dream of becoming a writer. It was indeed a rather reckless decision, especially considering the lack of preparation, which left her struggling with anxiety and financial difficulties. However, what’s truly important here is her determination to chase her dream, regardless of her age and the critics around her.
During her journey to become a writer, Yumi encountered numerous rejections, failures, and moments of self-doubt. These challenges nearly led her to give up on her dream and return to the corporate world. Nevertheless, her perseverance eventually paid off, leading her to achieve her dream and make her debut as a writer.
A similar story unfolded for Woong, who had previously faced bankruptcy and lived under the weight of significant debt. However, through his unwavering determination and a strong desire to eventually showcase his success to Yumi, he achieved success as the CEO of a game development company.
Trust can make your relationship grow stronger.
In the second season, Yumi eventually entered into a relationship with her co-worker named Yoo Babi. While Yumi and Babi were busily preparing dinner at his house for their Christmas Eve date, Yumi’s phone buzzed. She asked Babi to check her phone for her, and he obliged. As he glanced at the message, he noticed it was from someone named Patdol, causing Yumi’s expression to shift into shock. Babi had a hunch that it might be from Woong.
However, the message indeed was from Woong, the person she had connected with on the app where she had sold her rice cooker. Woong’s message conveyed a sense of distress and was a plea for her to meet him urgently.
When Yumi wanted to explain to Babi and took it upon herself to make sure to set boundaries, Babi just sincerely let her go and trust her. Internally, Babi grappled with whether he should discuss the text’s content with Yumi. The scene portrayed an internal struggle within his thoughts as he made an effort to prevent anger from consuming him over the situation. Instead of confronting her or dissuading her from meeting Woong, Babi chose to encourage her to go. His trust in her remained steadfast, reflecting a remarkably healthy response.
He loved her and understood that, as a supportive boyfriend, this was the best course of action. In this situation, trust served as the cornerstone, and it was the only answer.
Maybe it is time to stop if you can’t feel the love and chemistry in a relationship anymore.
The sweet beginnings between Yumi and Babi took a turn for the worse when Yumi had a realization and decided to stand up for her feelings. She had already compromised on many things because of her love for Babi, but one thing she could never bear was the fact that the man she loved was swayed by someone else.
She asked for a breakup when she visited him in Jeju on Christmas Eve, a time they had initially planned to celebrate together. Yumi’s sudden departure left him angry and miserable. However, several months later, they decided to mend their relationship as Babi returned to Seoul. Babi even proposed to Yumi soon after in a later scene.
After reconciling with Babi, Yumi started to lose her feelings for him, despite his caring and sweet treatment. Her emotions had changed after the breakup, and her love for him did not return to what it was before.
Listening to her feelings, she decided to end it with Babi without a single regret but with sincere gratitude for having known and been in a relationship with him.
What’s important is your own happiness.
By the end of the second season, Yumi had reconnected with Woong and Babi. However, this did not alter the fact that she would only regard them as friends, appreciating their unwavering support in helping her achieve her dream as a writer. The scene where Yumi interacted casually and amicably with her exes demonstrated the development of her character. She had ultimately found happiness for herself by making peace with her past, embracing her single life, and maintaining a strong support system around her.
So, for those of you who have watched this series, what lessons have you learned from it? And how would you rate ‘Yumi Cells’ on a scale of 1 to 10? As for me, I’d rate it a 9. Objectively speaking, the storyline, cinematography, OST, actors, and their acting are on point. I can’t give it a 10 due to my personal preference; I don’t like sad endings 😅, and this drama really plays with my feelings 😂 well… which means it successfully touched my emotions and deserved a 10 LOL.
