Updated: May 30, 2022
Here’s a collection of quotes from the Korean series, My Liberation Notes (2022):
On life and purpose of living
“We can’t exactly say we accomplish nothing, don’t you think? Well, some days, I feel like I am. And some days, I feel like I’m back to square one. But I still feel I’ve been liberated even just a little.” – So Hyang Gi
“I found out why I was suffering, but other than that…” – Cho Tae Hun
“I think that’s what this is all about. Finding out what my issue is.” – Mi Jeong
“The feeling of holding something in your heart. My liberation.” – Mr. Park
“I only feel alive when I exhaust myself completely. If I have energy left, I feel heavy.” – Hyeona
“Do you want a part-time job?” – Mr. Gu
“What kind of part-time job? Cleaning?” – Mi Jeong
“No.” – Mr. Gu
“Then what?” – Mi Jeong
“Listening to me talk.” – Mr. Gu
“Five minutes a day. If you have five minutes of peace, it’s bearable.” – Mi Jeong
- “I get irritable when I’m in places with a lot of people. Even someone sitting alone at a table next to mine in a cafe irritates me.” – Mr. Gu
- “It might not be because they’re shameless. It might be because they don’t have the money” – Chang Hee
- “Even if I thought I did a good job, if they said no, all the work I did would go down the drain.” – Mi Jeong
“Even if you live alone, it’s fine. You can be perfectly happy. You can eat whatever you want, whenever you want, and sleep whenever you want.” – Gi Jeong’s friend
- “You should get paid to listen to someone else talking.” – Mr. Gu
- “I don’t think I was a one-coin won. I think I’ve been that mountain all along. I think I’ll return to that mountain.” – Chang Hee
“How have you been? Have you managed to liberate yourself?” – Mr. Gu
“I’m not sad at all. But why do I keep tearing up?” – Mr. Gu
“That’s why they say you can get away with anything if you have love.” – Chang Hee
“Even when you don’t know how you’ll go on, if you pull yourself together, you can still find things that are bearable.” – Mi Jeong’s dad
- “Do I have to have a goal? Can’t I just live my life without one? I can’t force myself to live for something I don’t really desire.” – Chang Hee
- “I think I’ve come far enough. This isn’t the right path for me. I don’t have to force myself to keep walking on it.” – Chang Hee
“When I get frustrated, I go out for a walk at night thinking, ‘I don’t care if I die tonight.’ I walk through a pitch-dark mountain.” – Mi Jeong
- “Tonight, I have nothing to fear. I’ll become a warrior.” – Mi Jeong
- “When I wander around aimlessly, I can catch the briefest glimpse. ‘So that’s what is in my head.’ The feeling of being abandoned.” – Mi Jeong
- “How do you know what suits you better? You have to try different workplaces.” – Gi Jeong
- “You’ve worked really hard. Take a break. Can’t you just say that?” – Chang Hee
- “And it’s not like I have any days off. It’s 365 days a year.” – Chang Hee’s mom
“I will not pretend to be happy. I will not pretend to be unhappy. I will be honest.” – The Liberation Club
- “When I see someone in front of me, my face automatically makes this expression. Even though I’m not happy at all.” – So Hyang Gi
- “Does anyone live without pretending?” – Mr. Gu
- “Nothing goes my way.” – Chang Hee
- “I once read a book about how to be a good writer to become a writer, and it is said that a good drama is one where the main character tries hard to achieve something but can’t do it. So I gave up.” – Hyeona
- “Why would I write something that’s like life? It’s so boring.” – Hyeona
“I think humans are only sane when they’re lonely. So I think I’m saner at night.” – Mi Jeong
“What do you do in the Liberation Club? What are you being liberated from? Work?” – Mi Jeong’s boss
“From people. From tedious people.” – Mi Jeong
- “I’m hungry. My face is burning up. I feel like I’ll collapse.” – Mi Jeong
- “He may be somebody at work, but he’s a nobody outside.” – Mi Jeong
- “The weaker you are, the more evil you get.” – Mr. Gu
- “I’ve never felt better after getting angry. It would take me two to three days to forget about it if I didn’t get angry, but if I get angry, it lasts more than ten days.” – Mi Jeong
“When I was a child, I was asked to hand in what we had prayed about at church. Looking at what my friends wrote, I thought, ‘Why would they pray for that? Grades, the school they want to get into, friends. They’re seriously praying for that? To God? But it’s God.’ There was only one thing I was curious about. ‘What am I? Why am I here'”? – Mi Jeong
- “I didn’t exist before 1991 and I won’t exist in 50 years, but I feel like I existed before that and will still exist after that. The feeling that I’ll exist forever. I’ve been frustrated by that feeling and I’ve never, in my heart, ever, felt settled.” – Mi Jeong
- “I feel uneasy in bed, I feel uneasy around people. ‘Why can’t I laugh happily like other people? Why am I sad all the time? Why am I always nervous? Why is everything so boring?” – Mi Jeong
- “It feels like people are all scarecrows. They don’t really know what they are. They’re just acting as if they do.” – Mi Jeong
- “People who say they live healthily and happily may be the people who decided to put all these questions behind them. People who have decided to lie and say, ‘This is just how life is.’ I’ll never do that.” – Mi Jeong
“I don’t care about where I’ll go after I die. I want to see heaven while I’m alive.” – Mi Jeong
“This comes and goes in cycles. Three days of the week are so tiring, the other three are just barely manageable, and I don’t even know how the last day goes.” – Gi Jeong
“There are just too many people. So it takes forever for my turn to come. I can’t get anything when I want them. I have to wait for everything. For food, to get back home, and even men.” – Gi Jeong
- “I think I would be liberated if I shaved my head.” – Gi Jeong
- “I guess I have been putting up a facade with people. Now that I’m alone, I’ve become so calm and gentle.” -Chang Hee
“That’s how life is. It seems to go well and then stabs you in the back. Did you think it was always going to be peachy?” – Mr. Gu
“It’s bizarre when you see a thing somewhere it doesn’t belong. A bird lying on the ground, a man hanging on a tree, even a dog on a farm.” – Mi Jeong
- “Just a few seconds ago, they thought dying was the only way out and jumped. But in just a few seconds, that feeling started to feel like nothing.” – Mr. Gu
- “Let’s run away. Telling myself that, I got on the train in a hurry.” – Gi Jeong
- “Misfortunes should come in small doses, but you keep stopping them and making them bigger.” – Mr. Gu
- “Women with sharp instincts can be scary.” – Mr. Gu
- “There are a lot of crazy jerks who do bad things and blame you for it.” – Hyeona
- “I want to face the mountains one by one instead of avoiding them.” – Gi Jeong
- “Women always asks for things like I owe them something.” – Mr. Gu
- “I was practically a dead man walking. I was barely alive. But you saved my life by stabbing me in the back.” – Mr. Gu
“Life is a series of embarrassments. It’s embarassing from the moment you’re born. You are born naked.” – Chang Hee
“I drink to feel high.” – Mi Jeong
“I drink to feel calm.” – Mr. Gu
“When I drink, it feels like the puzzle pieces that have been floating around in my head fall into place.” – Mr. Gu
“I think you’re unhappy because you don’t know how good you are.” – Officemate
“You should know who you are.” – Mr. Gu
“So why do I keep looking at my watch? I think I feel a complusion to live a productive day, but there’s not much to show for it. I’m just constantly looking at my watch and being chased by time.” – Mr. Park
- “I go to work, finish work, eat, and sleep. Everyday is the same.” – Mr. Park
- “When you desperately long for something, your soul already knows deep down that it’s not yours. You want it but you know it’s not yours. That’s what drives you crazy.” – Chang Hee
- “Do not give advice. Do not try to comfort. Those are the rules of our club.” – Mr. Park
- “I may not be able to be completely liberated from time, but resting when I’ve done enough, and waking up when I’ve slept enough. Finding my own rhythm like that might be the liberation I need the most.” – Mr. Park
- “If you hesitate to say something but then actually say it, you’re guaranteed to regret it. You hesitate because you know you shouldn’t say it. But you still end up saying it and making yourself miserable. Humans are really nonsensical animals, you know?” – Chang Hee
“Why am I feeling sad? Why am I sad?” – Mi Jeong
- “I’ve never felt real joy, pleasure, or excitement in my life.” – Chang Hee
- “If I die, it will be because of commuting to Seoul for work.” – Gi Jeong
“I’m hungry but there’s nothing I want to eat.” – Gi Jeong
“Then it’s not food you want.” – Mi Jeong
- “Out of the 24 hours in a day, I only feel okay for about a couple. And it’s not like I even feel good, I just feel okay. I just try to get through the rest.” – Mi Jeong
- “When I am drunk, I’m more human than I am when I’m sober.” – Mr. Gu
- “It felt as if I was walking out of my own grave. Completely hopeless.” – Mr. Gu
“I want liberation. I want to be liberated. I don’t know where I’m trapped but I feel trapped. There’s nothing in my life that relaxes me. I feel cramped and stifled. I want to break free.” – Mi Jeong
“I’m not unhappy but I’m not happy either.” – Mi Jeong
- “I’ve been so impatient lately. I just want to die already. After 14 years, my job is the same, the meetings are the same, and the people are the same. I curse and get mad the same way. It’s all the same endless repetition.” – Gi Jeong
- “If you think about it, all the assholes in my life started with that same look in their eyes. Eyes that seemed to say, ‘You’re not good enough.’ It makes you feel so small. Like you’re insignificant.” – Mi Jeong
- “Why do you act like you’ve done something wrong when you’re asking for what’s rightfully yours?” – Mr. Gu
“How did you end up moving here?” – Chang Hee
“I got off at the wrong stop.” – Mr. Gu
- “There will be people who frustrate you anywhere you go, and those people will never change. Then that means it’s me who has to change.” – Officemate
- “People are scared of thunder and lightning but strangely, I find them calming.” – Mi Jeong
- “It feels like I’m stuck but I don’t know how to get out. That’s probably why I hope everything ends all at once.” – Mi Jeong
“Everyone is on their way to their graves, so why is everyone so happy and excited?” – Mi Jeong
“Sometimes, I think that people who are damaged are much more honest than those who live their lives happily.” – Mi Jeong
“I don’t know where I’m stuck but I want to break free.” – Mi Jeong
“I wish I was genuinely happy and be able to say things like ‘Yes, this is life,’ ‘This is what life is all about.'” – Mi Jeong
“Fate is nothing more than a person’s outlook on life.” – Mrs. Yeom
- “If we had lived in Seoul, would we have been any different?” – Mi Jeong
- “Deleting it won’t make me forget what happened. I just have to bear it.” – Du Hwan
- “No matter what job it is, after six months, it becomes mundane. But it’s a lot better when you get along with others. It also increases productivity.” – Office Staff
- “Are we under special care or something? Can’t they just leave introverted people alone?” – Employee
- “Do you know what she said about Gyeonggi-do? She said Gyeonggi-do’s like an egg white. An egg white that wraps around Seoul.” – Chang Hee
- “If I imagine that I’m sitting here working next to you, even awful tasks like these turn into something beautiful. Work becomes bearable.” – Mi Jeong
- “Rather than going through exhausting, difficult times without you, isn’t it more admirable that I’m finding strength thinking of you?” – Mi Jeong
“No matter where I live, I think I would have been the same. I’d be living the same mundane life and no one would ever be interested in me. I felt like if I lived like this for too long, I’d shrivel up and die.” – Mi Jeong
- “You can afford to have a good outlook if you have money.” – Gi Jeong
- “The saying that love makes you kind has some truth to it. Whether it’s money or a man, if you have something, you become positive but do I have a man or any money? Neither.” – Gi Jeong
- “You could use a little self-awareness. Everyone else knows you except for you.” – Hyeona
- “People are so good with words.” – Mi Jeong
- “Once you reach a certain point, you start playing with your words. And once you start to enjoy drawing attention to yourself with your words, there’s no turning back.” – Hyeona
- “I like that you don’t try to get attention from people with your words. That’s why each and every word you utter is so special.” – Hyeona
“I want all of us to be happy. As bright and cheery as a sunny day. Without so much as a crease in our hearts.” – Mi Jeong
- “I wish I could work in an office. I want to sit inside a building where it’s quiet even if there’s a thunderstorm going on outside.” – Chang Hee’s friend
- “I don’t want to just say things to feel like I exist. I want to talk to relax. Words that make you feel relaxed.” – Gi Jeong
- “Maybe it’s just me who’s worth 20 points.” – Mi Jeong
- “I’m exhausted. I don’t know when it all started to go wrong, but I’m exhausted.” – Mi Jeong
On meeting people and seeking meaningful relationships
“Let’s go together. Step by step, trudging on.” – Mr. Gu
- “Love is supposed to give you strength. But will I be happy if we broke up?” – Gi Jeong
- “In every kind of relationship I’ve had, I’ve never walked away first. The other person always left me. So I thought maybe something was wrong with me.” – Mi Jeong
- “I want to prove to the world that he didn’t leave me because I was small and insignificant, but because he was a terrible person. That’s why he left me like that.” – Mi Jeong
“Are we a two? Or just one against one?” – Mi Jeong
“Are you drawing a line between us?” – Mr. Gu
- “That’s why I’m always exhausted. Since I decided to be someone who exists only to prove how terrible someone is.” – Mi Jeong
- “To be honest, I don’t know what the problem is. What did Tae-hun do that was so wrong? And why do I feel so wronged?” – Gi Jeong”Love is supposed to give you strength. But will I be happy if we broke up?” – Gi Jeong
“Yeom Mi-jeong! Just know this. I liked you for real. Later, I have no idea what kind of mess I might become. I’ll probably end up homeless. I’ll be grateful if I could end things before then. Anyway, I really liked you.” – Mr. Gu
“I really hate people. I hate seeing them moving around in front of me. If my temper suddenly flares, I don’t know what kind of expression I might show you, what I might do, or what I might say to you. I’m scared. But remember this one thing. Even if I end up becoming the asshole to end all assholes later on, remember I really liked you.” – Mr. Gu
- “I get weird when I’m with you. I keep saying things I never thought of.” – Mr. Gu
- “This man. He’d never let me hit rock bottom. He’s stopping me.” – Mi Jeong
- “No matter how you look at it, life as a human, whether it’s married life or work life, is about putting in the effort to get on with others.” – Gi Jeong’s friend
“Have you met someone who worships you?” – Mr. Gu
“Of course not ” – Mi Jeong
“Let’s meet up.” – Mr. Gu
“I can’t.” – Mi Jeong
“Why?” – Mr. Gu
“I’ve gained weight. I need to lose some weight.” – Mi Jeong
“Lose some weight in an hour and meet me.” – Mr. Gu
- “Why does it feel like that’s you? Something that feels so out of place and is screaming ‘I’m here.'” – Mi Jeong
- “I don’t want to have friends anymore. I don’t need them.” – Mi Jeong
“When I end up lying there, who do you think will be standing here?” – Chang Hee
“Probably me.” – Hyeona
“Let’s get married.” – Chang Hee
- “Come to me. I want you to come to me.” – Mi Jeong
- “He’s coming. He came. He is waiting for me.” – Mi Jeong
“Just the feeling of having someone is enough for me.” – Gi Jeong
“Why do you like her?” – Mr. Park’s daughter
“She lets me relax. I don’t have to be super energetic and fun.” – Mr. Park
“You’re rough and transparent.” – Mi Jeong
“You’re crazy.” – Mr. Gu
“Don’t shave your head. I’ll do it. I’ll be that ‘anyone'”. – Cho Tae Hun
- “Contacting a woman and asking to meet on the same day isn’t polite. Play hard to get.” – Mr. Park
- “It’s not interesting if you say yes at once. A guy gets anxious the most when a girl plays hard to get. That’s when guys go crazy. Just relax and put it off. It’ll be fine.” – Mr. Park
- “Let’s make him anxious. Try making a man wait for once. Why do you always have to be the one who waits?” – Mr. Park
- “When a man and woman like each other, shouldn’t you give each other the fullest? Why would you string it out in small portions?” – Gi Jeong
“I have this feeling I’ve never had before. Suddenly I feel lovable.” – Mi Jeong
- “I used to not talk unless someone made me. Would anyone want to hear what I have to say? But now, I just say whatever’s in my head. It just comes out.” – Mi Jeong
- “How do you two just know what the other needs without saying a word? He just looks around, and you just know what he wants and give it to him.” – Mi Jeong’s mom
“I turned my phone off that day because I was so embarassed.” – Gi Jeong
“Why? In case he called you?” – Mr. Park
“No. In case he didn’t.” – Gi Jeong
- “Even if you get rejected, you can learn something if it’s by a gentleman. I saw how dignified a person can be.” – Gi Jeong
- “Why do I feel sorry for you when I should feel sorry for myself?” – Gi Jeong
- “Even with the same person, you can name a thousand reasons to love them, and a thousand reasons not to.” – Hyeona
“I still think you’re okay. So let’s carry on. Let’s keep going.” – Mi Jeong
“What do you like about him?” – Officemate
“He has no shell. You know, there are people who are very polite, but it feels like it’s just their shell. A shell so hard that it feels like you’ll never be able to reach the person inside. But this guy has no shell.” – Mi Jeong
- “If I imagine that I’m sitting here working next to you, even awful tasks like these turn into something beautiful. Work becomes bearable.” – Mi Jeong
- “Yeom Mi-jeong’s imagination comes true.” – Mi Jeong
- “I was so happy to see you I almost hugged you.” – Mi Jeong
- “Getting to know someone is an amazing thing. It’s not just that person. It’s like they bring several universes with them.” – Gi Jeong
- “All men are the same breed. You have a relationship with one and you know all there is to know.” – Hyeona
“You don’t seem to have a problem fighting with me.” – Mr. Gu
“Because you like me. You can do anything in front of someone who likes you.” – Mi Jeong
- “If a guy they think is below them says he likes them, they get deeply insulted. Every girl in the world is like that.” – Chang Hee
- “Ever since my parents passed away, I’ve had this feeling of weakness inside me. I need to liberate myself from this feeling for my daughter to get over it, too.” – Cho Tae Hun
“When I really like someone, I think the opposite happens. My heart beats even slower. Like I’ve been freed from something. Like I feel peace in my heart for the first time.” – Mi Jeong
- “They’re not working right now, you know. They’re on a date.” – Gi Jeong
- “So this is what it’s like to have no parents. It felt like I lost one of my arms when I lost my dad. When my mother passed away too, it felt like both my arms were gone.” – Cho Tae Hun
- “I fall in love in the morning and hate them by the evening.” – Gi Jeong
“Which one do you prefer? Having no emotions just like before or being frustrated since you like somebody?” – Gi Jeong’s friend
“How come so many kids these days refuse to do that and just grow old all alone?” – Chang Hee’s mom
- “I’m a great person. I won’t ask to be loved.” – Mi Jeong
- “He always holds back. He takes a step forward but then stops.” – Mi Jeong
- “I don’t expect anything from you. I’m just happy when you smile. And when you cry, I wonder what happened.” – Chang Hee’s mom
“Are you sure that you and I will have become different people when spring comes?” – Mr. Gu
- “She’s the kind of woman who wants a kid. And I think the kind of woman I’m drawn to deserves that kind of life. But the problem is, I’m not a man who can offer that to her.” – Chang Hee
- “What’s wrong with me? Why can I not stop thinking about him? I must be crazy.” – Gi Jeong
- “If I think about it, the people that I thought I liked, all have things that make me uncomfortable. Things that disappoint me. Things that I hate. Things that I’m jealous of. They all have things that make me unhappy.” – Mi Jeong
“I might seem to be getting along with people without any problems. But in truth, there’s not a single person I truly like.” – Mi Jeong
- “There’s not a single person I truly like. I’m wondering if that’s why I’m being drained without realizing it. If it’s why I always feel alone and also as if I’ve been abandoned.” – Mi Jeong
- “I’ve decided to try finding someone like that. Even if the other person blows hot and cold, I won’t let myself sway. I’m going to just keep liking them. Wouldn’t that be better than dealing with people without any purpose? I want to try living differently.” – Mi Jeong
“If my partner finds success and I’m afraid of losing him, I’ll gladly let him go. Even if he hits rock bottom, I won’t be embarassed of hm. Even if everyone points the finger at him, I’ll treat him as I always did and just support him. Even our own parents never gave us that kind of support.” – Mi Jeong
- “I love that I don’t have to measure your affection. All I need to do is worship you. I love it.” – Mi Jeong
- “At other times I hate the sight of people moving around in front of me. I hate it more when they start talking.” – Mr. Gu
- “I’m as happy as when I get my paycheck whenever you message me.” – Mi Jeong
“People who have a lot of dating experience know what they want. But those who don’t, don’t know what they want or what type of person they are.” – Mr. Park
- “End things beautifully? Don’t make me laugh. There’s no such thing as a beautiful breakup.” – Chang Hee
- “In the past, people went to weddings to eat food since they were poor. But they all eat well now.” – Chang Hee
- “The type of woman a man likes never changes. Whenever my friends introduce me to their new girlfriends, I find that they date people who are just like their exes. Men’s tastes don’t change.” – Mr. Park
“How do you worship someone?” – Mr. Gu
“You cheer them on. You tell them they can do anything and that everything is possible.” – Mi Jeong
- “Repetitive relationships you jump into to find something to love about yourself, only to come out of them even more sure of how unattractive you truly are.” – Mi Jeong
- “To you, the most important thing is his attitude toward life. You look at his core.” – Mr. Park
- “Are you sure? That you and I will have become different people when spring comes?” – Mr. Gu
“A woman and a man are trying to live together, but if their priorities are different, how could that ever work?” – Gi Jeong
- “If you like someone, the first thing you do is look up where they live.” – Du Hwan
- “I’m playing a role of a woman who is loved. A woman who has everything she needs. Right now, I love someone and that someone is supporting me. So I want to imagine I’m at peace that I’m already enjoying the good times that I’ll be spending with you. That’s how I want to think of you.” – Mi Jeong
- “That’s why I invented you. You, who I’ll meet someday. To you, at least I wouldn’t be that ordinary, right? I don’t know who you are. I don’t even know where you are. And I’ve never met you. Who are you?” – Mi Jeong
- “Just because I’m closing the store down, it doesn’t mean I’m closing the door on our friendship.” – Store owner
- “That’s the problem with the countryside. Everyone ends up being friends.” – Chang Hee
- “In the countryside, friends and family are the same.” – Chang Hee
“Do you get to choose your family? You’re born and they’re your family. And they say this kid living next door is your friend.” – Chang Hee
- “They say that if the crickets are chirping, it’s 24 degrees Celsius out. Apparently, they know that winter’s on its way. That’s why they’re working so hard to find a mate so they didn’t have to spend the winter alone. Even those tiny little creatures find love, you know? But as humans, shouldn’t we be able to find love too?” – Gi Jeong
- “It’s because you look for someone who’s worth 80 points. And even if you do find him, you grill him about the 20 points he lacks while you look for someone better. That’s what you do. Love is not for everyone.” – Hyeona
- “I want to feel whole for once. So worship me.” – Mi Jeong
“Every relationship feels like work. Every moment that I’m awake feels like work. Nothing ever happens. No one ever likes me.” – Mi Jeong
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Synopsis: It tells the story of three siblings and a secretive stranger who want to escape from their dead-end life.
No. of episodes: 16
Starring: Lee Min-ki, Kim Ji-won, Son Seok-koo, and Lee El
Written by: Park Hae-young
Directed by: Kim Seok-yoon
Original network: JTBC, Netflix
Date: April 9 to May 29, 2022
Netflix subtitle translation by: Yoon-jung Song, Elodie Lieberman
Cover photo: JTBC Drama
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