프로그램 노트

Program Note

Donggeurangttaeng (Korean style meatballs) is a dish that demands a lot of effort. You start by mashing tofu and draining out the moisture, then mix in minced meat and finely chopped vegetables. Finally, you add eggs and knead the mixture by hand. Each ball is carefully shaped into a bite-sized round, coated in flour and egg wash, then pan-fried to golden perfection. (Phew.) It is not something you can casually whip up—it is usually reserved for special occasions like holidays or ancestral rites. To go through the trouble of making donggeurangttaeng by hand and bringing it to someone speaks to just how earnest and heartfelt the gesture is.

On the day of his father's memorial, Do-jin returns to his family home where his mother lives. At his side is his partner, Jiahao, holding a container of donggeurangttaeng he made himself. But Do-jin's mother is far from pleased. Jiahao's heartfelt offering is left untouched, growing cold.

In truth, the memorial is just a pretext. Do-jin and Jiahao have come to ask for his mother's blessing to marry. Coming out is already difficult enough—asking for approval to get married is even harder. As Do-jin hesitates, unable to find the courage, Jiahao grows frustrated. It is no wonder—Jiahao, who comes from Taiwan where same-sex marriage has been legal since 2019, had already received his parents' blessing, assuming Dojin's parents would do the same.

But this is South Korea. Though his mother has known about her son's sexuality since his teenage years, she has chosen to pretend otherwise. She doesn't even glance at Jiahao's lovingly made donggeurangttaeng. Even as she knows he is her son's partner, she insists he is just a close friend and avoids Do-jin's anxious attempts to talk—as if ignoring it could make it vanish.

Out of love for her son and a desire for his happiness, the mother turns away from her son and his partner. But the son longs for her to recognize their love openly. These two hearts, seeming too far apart to ever meet, can they ever find their way to each other?

It is a process full of labor, and sometimes pain—but one we can only hope they won't give up on. Just like donggeurangttaeng, which stays delicious even after it has gone cold, the happiness of two hearts finally coming together is bound to be deeply satisfying. (LEE Youngju)