JTBC weekend drama ‘Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness’

Online users are sharply divided over a hugging scene in the JTBC weekend drama ‘Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness’(hereafter ‘Mojamusa’).

In the episode of ‘Mojamusa’ that aired on the 16th, Hwang Dong-man (played by Koo Kyo-hwan), a perennial aspiring director, finally makes his debut as a film director after many twists and turns.

That day, the two spent time alone at their regular manga cafe. With film production ahead and Hwang Dong-man feeling anxious, Byun Eun-ah quietly came to his side and offered words of comfort. Byun Eun-ah said, “If you want to run away, I will let you run away. What wealth or glory are you enduring fear for,” soothing his heavy shoulders. Then, looking at the choked-up Hwang Dong-man, she spread wide the cardigan she was wearing and wrapped him entirely within her arms. She then vowed steadfast love, saying, “If you ask to run away together, I will run away together, and if you ask to live in hiding for life, I will live in hiding.”

Although it was a dramatic piece of direction that showed the deep bond between the characters, a heated debate erupted on online communities and social media immediately after the broadcast over the so-called ‘cardigan hug’ scene.

JTBC weekend drama ‘Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness’

Some online users expressed discomfort, calling it an excessively infantile depiction for an adult romance. They reacted, “I was very taken aback the moment I saw it. If that behavior by two fully grown adults at a public place like a manga cafe were real, it would make no sense and would be uncomfortable,” “They could have just hugged, but deliberately putting him inside the cardigan to hug felt off-putting,” “Even with full context, this scene is appalling.”

Another user criticized the direction as excessive, saying, “I do not understand why a romance between a man and a woman is framed through maternal love in the first place. Forcing the hug inside the clothing seems to metaphorically evoke a baby in a mother’s womb, which is even more unpleasant,” arguing that this manner of hugging evokes discomfort and dissonance in a story about adult men and women.

On the other hand, many praised it as fresh direction that resonates with the emotional depth of the scene. Other users said, “I had never seen that kind of hug in a drama, and it felt very warm,” “It looked like the image of a strong mother that Eun-ah (Go Youn-jung) truly wanted to be,” “I felt a weight of love greater than in a kiss scene or bed scene” as they praised the message of comfort the work seeks to deliver.

As ‘Mojamusa’ races toward its conclusion, attention is on whether, amid the split between criticism and praise over this ‘cardigan hug scene,’ it will persuade viewers with its remaining episodes and finish on a high note.

Meanwhile, the JTBC weekend drama ‘Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness’ is set to end on the 24th.