Here’s a collection of quotes from the Korean series, Mr. Plankton (2024):
Episode 1
“Every night, I imagined what I’d be like to die. Would it be exhilarating, like jumping over a hurdle? Or would it feel as freeing as throwing off soaking wet clothes? Maybe, like walking from one subway car to the next, or something else mundane. No, now that it’s here, it’s not like any of that.” – Seung Hyeok
“I want to keep living.” – Seung Hyeok
“She’s my eomma. And noona. Lover. Friend. Boss, my landlady, and pimp.” – Seung Hyeok
“Why does everyone else get one? Why is my life so messed up and everyone else’s isn’t?” – Jae Mi
“I want to be an eomma. That’s my dream. Since I don’t have an eomma, I want to be one myself. Showering my children with love. Don’t you think that sounds awesome?” – Jae Mi
“Love flows downward. But we never had parents. People who don’t know that love can only pass down resentment.” – Seung Hyeok
“Why do tragedies keep happening to people whose lives are already pathetic?” – Seung Hyeok
“You’re more likely to get sick when you’re poor, and you have no family to look after you when you’re sick. If you don’t have family, you’re truly all alone. And loners always push away other loners.” – Seung Hyeok
“It said, ‘Full of a father’s love, wanting only the best for his child.’ Isn’t that hilarious? So why did I get nothing but bombs?” – Seung Hyeok
Episode 2
“Made jjampong by mistake. Not entirely wrong. That’s me.” – Seung Hyeok
“But do you know what the difference between you is? Commitment. He’s not scared of committing. You heard him. He’s all in because he loves me. That’s why I chose him.” – Jae Mi
“You dump me and tell me I’m no fun, and now you’re showing up again?” – Jae Mi
“You’re the reason my life is a mess and why I got menopause at 28!” – Jae Mi
“I had to search the whole wide country to find these flower shoes in your size.” – Eo Heung
“They say if you give a woman shoes as a gift, then she’ll run away from you.” – Jae Mi
“If you run away, don’t worry. I’ll search to the ends of the earth and bring you back.” – Eo Heung
“This is how it feels to have a family. I’ve been wandering around in a field all by myself, alone, for a long time. This feels really warm.” – Jae Mi
Episode 3
“You know love is fickle, and people’s feelings change. And you still have faith in it?” – Seung Hyeok
“I only saw that guy from the back. But all I wanted was to run and give him a hug.” – Jae Mi
“Whether I do it or you do, one of us has to die so we never see each other again.” – Jae Mi
“I’ll grant your wish. I’ll leave you alone. And I’ll die. It’s just until then, I’m not letting go of your hand. You’re all mine.” – Seung Hyeok
Episodes 4-5
“I may never have won. But I’ve never given up first either. So promise me you’ll never let go of my hand.” – Eo Heung
“I mean I’ll be happy to leave you if that’s what you really want.” – Seung Hyeok
“In this game, it’s the cowards who get to win!” – Jae Mi
“Why’s my life have to end when it’s just getting good? It makes me want to stay.” – Seung Hyeok
“I guess if I married into his family, that would probably sort out my life. He’s offered me a lot. I would finally feel whole. I mean, if that’s happiness, then I should enjoy it. But what if I’m not able to reciprocate his happiness?” – Jae Mi
“What if I marry him so I can be happy, but end up being the seed of his unhappiness?” – Jae Mi
“I don’t ever want to be anyone’s unhappy seed.” – Jae Mi
“It feels like I’ve been running like hell towards a finish line. It was right in front of me, but it’s disappeared. All the momentum keeps me going and going. I don’t really know where to go from here, though. I’m already exhausted.” – Jae Mi
“From now on, don’t set any kind of destinations in your life. If you lose your way running towards a destination, it derails you from everything.” – Seung Hyeok
“There’s no way you can be lost when you don’t set a destination. You’ll be able to explore all the time. You can become a drifter like me.” – Seung Hyeok
“My vacation is ending. It’s like catching up on my homework.” – Seung Hyeok
“It’s all of the things that make me desperate that might take years off my life.” – Jae Geun
“A girl no better than a potato, and a boy no better than a mushroom.” – Jae Mi
“Don’t force yourself to laugh. It’s okay to cry.” – Seung Hyeok
“I’m just a mushroom cuddling a potato.” – Seung Hyeok
“But I guess in this lifetime, I’ll never have a mom of my own. That is why I decided that if I can’t have one, then I’ll become one.” – Young Jae Mi
Episodes 6-7
“When I was with her, I felt like I was a tiger. That’s when I first felt the desire to be as strong as one so that I could protect the person I loved.” – Eo Heung
“You kept your promise, but I couldn’t keep mine.” – Jae Mi
“What matters is we keep going. The destination doesn’t matter.” – Seung Hyeok
“I imagine your self-worth shrinks the moment you end up in the streets, no matter where you come from.” – Jae Mi
“You can’t forget that you’re a tiger, and you really shouldn’t abandon your forest just to protect one tree.” – Jae Mi
“Body temperature is kind of fascinating. You’d think everyone would feel the same, like lukewarm. But then you touch people and realize everybody feels different.” – Seung Hyeok
Episode 8
“That’s my dream. Sprawled out on the street, gazing up at the dazzling blue sky as I take my last breath. That would be great.” – Seung Hyeok
“Love and attachment are proportional. You let someone go because you don’t love them. When you don’t care, you don’t hold on. You abandon them because it’s easy to.” – Seung Hyeok
“An unlucky bitch like you and an unlucky bastard like me, we summon all the bad luck in the universe together.” – :Seung Hyeok
“I was wrong. It’s because you love them that even if it hurts, sometimes, you have to let them go.” – Seung Hyeok
“I stood out there hoping you’d come back. I was there for awhile. You didn’t show up so I thought that you might come looking for me here.” – Jae Mi
“Why do people say blood is thicker than water? You’re drawn to family. You just love them.” – Giho
“Your bad luck ends here. From now on, I’m your lightning rod.” – Seung Hyeok
Episode 9
“See those sparkles? Do you know what they are? Look closely and you’ll see that it’s actually plankton floating. They emit light that they capture from the sun. What you see is plankton shimmering.” – Seung Hyeok
“Let’s just say, after I die, I hope I come back as plankton.” – Seung Hyeok
“Crazy what you’ll do for love.” – Jae Mi
“When it’s my turn to die, I hope it’s not the last thing I look at. The white ceiling of a hospital room. It’s kind of depressing.” – Seung Hyeok
“How’s a naive and unlucky girl like me supposed to go on? Life won’t be any fun without you. How can I go on?” – Jae Mi
Episode 10
“I left everything that day. The man who was my appa. My past as Chae Seung-hyeok. And my belief in unconditional love. Everything.” – Seung Hyeok
“That day was marked the coldest in a hundred years. But being born from a frozen sperm, I guess I’ve always been built for the cold.” – Seung Hyeok
“From the outside, it looks like your life is your choice, and you’re free to do what you want. Anything. It’s impressive and also pretty cool.” – Eo Heung
“The moment you throw yourself into the unknown, you become a drifter and you’ll never be lost again.” – Seung Hyeok
“What did I do to deserve this? Tell me what I did to deserve being born as a mistake left to wander the streets. But now, as quick as a lightning strike, I’ll die?” – Seung Hyeok
“I was abandoned. No one came looking for me. But why me? Why doesn’t my life matter?” – Seung Hyeok
“There’s no place like home.” – Seung Hyeok
“We’re not homeless. We’re drifters.” – Seung Hyeok
“You’re the last scene of my life. Well, I guess, then I had a pretty good life. It was so much fun. Thorough and complete. I love you.” – Seung Hyeok
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Synopsis: A man plagued by misfortune and his ex, the unluckiest bride-to-be, are forced to accompany one another on the final journey of his life.
No. of episodes: 10
Cast: Woo Do-hwan, Lee Yoo-mi, Oh Jung-se, Kim Hae-sook
Writer: Jo Young
Director: Hong Jong Chan
Network: Netflix
Date: November 8, 2024
English subtitle translation | Images: Netflix
KORB 