Learning from Korean Drama
—Hotel Del Luna
"Learning the Art of "Letting Go"
Sometimes letting go is harder than holding on....
Hotel Del Luna is a celebrated Korean Drama which was published in 2019, and it can be classified into the genre of dark fantasy and romantic comedy. There are only 16 episodes in this drama, besides; it is about 75 to 90 minutes for each episode. The story is talking about a mysterious “hotel”, which only provides the lost “spirits” healing services before they go to the underworld; and a human hotel manager, Gu Canxing (played by Yeo Jin Goo), and a hotel president, Zhang Manyue (played by Lee Ji Eun) while they own the hotel and provide the special grade service for their “unique” guests. Many interesting and touching stories happened under the extraordinary settings of Hotel Del Luna.
Synopsis of the story
Hotel Del Luna, which is a spectacular building located at the center of Myeongdong in bustling Seoul city. What’s more special is that the appearance of the hotel varies from morning to night. In the morning, the exterior of the building is extremely old and shabby. Therefore, ordinary people are frequently unaware of the existence of the hotel unless someone with a good sixth sense. However, after the sun sets, the hotel will rise automatically and then turn into a fantastic skyscraper with a dazzling signboard on it. In general, many spirits will go to the underworld directly. Nonetheless, there are still some lost spirits staying at the earthly life, even though they no longer belong to this world. Hotel Del Luna is a place where they can take a rest before they go to the other world, and the hotel will help them compensate their regards that they leave in the earthly life.
The exterior appearance of Hotel Del Luna
The main storyline starts with the serendipity between the two main characters. Gu Canxing, who is an industrious and intelligent human hotel manager, but he is also very coward. Zhang Manyue, who is an irritable and capricious hotel president, and she has been restrained by the moon spirit tree in the Hotel Del Luna for 1300 years because of her strong obsessions and resentments. Canxing and Manyue, they are doomed to meet each other on account of their destinies have been interwoven with each other since 1000 years ago. With the accompany of Canxing, Manyue gradually lets go of the strong sense of hatred in her mind, and she finally embarks the journey to the other world.
In Hotel Del Luna, not only the guests have their own regards, but the employees have their unfulfilled wishes. Through different spirit’s stories, the drama aims to lead the audience to rethink the common social problems around as, and some thought-provoking philosophical issues. For example, a sneak picture problem, or the different perspectives of death. In addition to making the audience start to reconsider the significant life issues, many people are also touched by the romantic love relationship between Canxing and Manyue. In my opinion, even though Canxing knows that Manyue will leave him alone sooner or later, he still let her go bravely. It also echoes the main value of this drama. Regardless of pursuing your dreams, or even seeking someone you love, we inevitably need to face the predicament of holding on or letting go. Sometimes letting go is more difficult than holding on, and it often requires more resolved determination. This is a lifelong issue worth us keeping learning in our lifetime. Welcome to watch this interesting Korean drama, you may be very likely to sink into the exquisite scenes, Manyue’s gorgeous outfits, and the beautiful original soundtracks (ost) just like me.
