This is officially my 1st post about a (semi) recap for a kdrama that recently concluded: My Absolute Boyfriend. Well actually, it’s more of a rant because I was typing away too many thoughts and realized that I was deviating from the main point of another post😅 So I decided to dedicate a separate entry for this altogether. If you’re interested in watching this kdrama, check out my first impressions post to familiarize yourself with the story.
Maybe this is the future we’re looking at given the progress of AI and technology today but I’d still prefer a human being as a lifelong partner. Watching the first few episodes of My Absolute Boyfriend gave me hope that perhaps this kdrama would be different. Boy was I wrong😂
An Absolute Choice
Da Da realized that she was truly in love with Zero Nine despite Wang Joon’s best (and a little questionable) efforts, he only ended up being friends with Da Da. Ironically though, Zero Nine was having a meltdown since developing human emotions is too much for his metal state. He ran out of power holding onto the memories he shared with the people he learned to love. Our lead female was heartbroken but she continued to live her life the best way she can. Da Da’s special effects make-up company grew bigger and she and Wang Joon are good friends.
It’s not that the story itself wasn’t compelling or that the cast was bad, but the character development could have been better and the potential for deeper reflections on having a robot vs. human boyfriend could have been further explored. Da Da was just persistent that she liked Zero Nine but does she really like him or is it just convenient that he was able to give her the time and attention she never got from Wang Joon? I hated the fact that they didn’t prolong her struggle of choosing between Wang Joon and Zero Nine since she shared so much history with the former.
In defense of Zero Nine
I disagree with the notion that being with a robot is having perfect love. It’s imperfect in a sense that issues and conflicts still need to be addressed when you’re in such a relationship. Think about all the backlash and raised eyebrows if other people knew you were dating a robot but even if you got past that, what about the fact that you can’t raise a family or grow old together? I do appreciate the fact that Da Da probably thought of these issues and decided that she would be okay with having no kids or having an unaging husband while she grew older. They had their share of arguments like jealousy, missing out on plans, and even a looming break-up just like any normal relationship.
But…
Zero Nine is a love robot programmed to be the perfect boyfriend to its owner. It’s hard to see that his actions are genuinely sincere towards her because it’s his very essence to be a loyal, caring, and unselfish partner. Even if the show did feature an episode where he told his friend that he wanted to receive love from Da Da (which is not programmed in him), he always has her best interests at heart.
It makes me think that she is sticking with him until the end because getting hurt would be of less impact compared to a human. Zero Nine can’t really hurt Da Da because he is hotwired to be her perfect boyfriend.
An Annoying Female Lead
I’m not the biggest fan of Da Da’s character because even if Wang Joon broke up with her and their relationship ran its course, I was so frustrated that the kdrama only showed Wang Joon’s faults and how he was more exhausted of their secret relationship. They were together for 7 years but she agreed to end it too without putting up much of a fight. She didn’t even show half the amount of effort and persistence she had with Zero Nine to make their relationship work. Yes, she was neglected and put to the side by Wang Joon because of his acting career but he could have called her out on not saying anything and also feeling exhausted of all the secrecy.
A relationship takes 2 to tango and I wish that they showed Da Da’s share of mistakes in their relationship too. Instead she meets a person who fulfilled the very things she wanted in a relationship without giving her past a second thought.
An Absolute Ending?
My Absolute Boyfriend’s ending kind of left it open for interpretation (at least for me). In the last episode, Wang Joon visited Da Da to tell her that he had been cast in a hollywood movie and asked her to go with him as his make-up artist. She declined (of course, you foolish girl!) his offer and I thought that this was really the end… but a green umbrella was shown inside his car as he was ready to leave her home. The final scene showed Da Da running into someone holding a green umbrella and wearing a brown coat as she smiles at the person. I mean, WHAT?!
Logic tells me that it’s Zero Nine, who magically came back to power and reliving their iconic under the rain scene in the earlier episodes. Except that I can’t imagine Zero Nine wearing such an attire and why even show Wang Joon having the same umbrella? I know it’s a pre-produced kdrama so there was no chance they could change the ending last minute but if I had to pick, the person standing before her is Wang Joon.
I know it makes little sense after building up the robot and girl but maybe it’s a message of hope that after losing a great love, you can find another one. Wang Joon remains vocal about his feelings for Da Da until the last episode so it’s not a far stretch for him to still try and make things work for them. Zero Nine did ask Wang Joon to take care of Da Da in his absence so this could be the manifestation of his last wish.
Wang Joon + Da Da Forever❤️
Wang Joon’s character was flawed and he showed it evidently when he publicly announced that he loved Da Da without her consent and tried to dissuade her from Zero Nine without trying to understand the situation from her perspective. But let’s be real, wouldn’t you flip out too if the person you love was dating a robot? But he showed his true colors with an honest heart and even helped her fix Zero Nine when he was malfunctioning. His love, like Zero Nine’s, became selfless and geared towards Da Da’s happiness. He reflected and learned to be a better person — an organic growth stemmed from making human mistakes.
If I could give an alternate ending/epilogue to My Absolute Boyfriend, it would be flash forward to a few years after Wang Joon has returned to Korea after becoming a top star overseas. He’ll go to the beach where he and Da Da took a trip to before. Coincidentally, Da Da will be there too. They’ll smile in recognition and walk towards each other as the scene zooms out to reveal an absolute, perfect sunset🌅