The break between Mhok and Day was necessary. We all agree that Mhok was traumatized by what had happened to his sister, and that trauma influenced his decision to reject the job offer, because he needed to be close to the people he loves. We all understand that he was projecting that trauma onto Day. Since Mhok feels like he wasn't there for his sister, he wants to make sure he is there for Day. But tangled up with this, deep down, was also his belief that Day needed him, that Day would break down emotionally without him by his side, and that he had to keep an eye on him at all times to prevent anything bad from happening to him. Which implies, in a way, that Mhok didn't have full confidence that Day could manage alone in all aspects, without his help and without his presence. Mhok, without realizing it, was creating a dependency relationship. Mhok was still in his role as a caregiver and not as a partner.
Mhok shouldn't have lied to him. As his partner, he should have told him that he had been given the job but he didn't want to take it because he didn't want to be away from the people he cares about, and at that moment, Mhok should have told him about his trauma, about how he was feeling those days in Songkhla, about his nightmares and his anguish. If he had done that, Day would have understood and they could have found a way to handle it.
But Mhok kept the truth from him. Day felt at that moment that Mhok was not treating him as his partner, that he was not leaning on him, that he had not talked to him about important matters and that he had made his decisions without even telling him. Day felt that they were still in a relationship of caregiver and person being cared for. Day felt that they were not in a relationship of equals. For that reason he asked Mhok if he would have hidden the truth from him if he were not blind. Faced with Mhok's silence, Day felt that he was being treated with pity. He realized that Mhok believed he should stay by his side because he didn't fully trust Day's ability to take care of himself. All of this disappoints Day. All this hurts him. He doesn't want a caregiver by his side, he wants a companion, a partner to share his life with. A life in which both can have their own independence and their own personal development. A life in which they grow side by side, in which they support each other. He doesn't want either of them to hold the other back, he doesn't want to be a burden to Mhok, and with this lie, he feels like he is. That's why he breaks up with him, because he doesn't want a dependency relationship. Day doesn't want to be reduced to his disability.
The separation was necessary because otherwise Mhok would remain in his role as caretaker, constantly worrying if Day was out of his sight. That wouldn't be healthy for either Mhok or Day. They both needed to achieve their own independence. They both needed to find their own path and they both needed to discover who they were for themselves and what they wanted to do with their lives, before they could treat each other like a true couple. In this way, both could have a relationship in which there is no dependency involved. With that time apart, Mhok realized that Day can take care of himself, that nothing bad is going to happen to him if he is not by his side. And so he was able to free himself from that weight and worry that both Day's mother and himself were putting on his own shoulders. Seeing how Mhok is after those three years, seeing how he behaves and how he flirts with Day, shows us that he has managed to free himself from that fear and that thought. It is even very significant and metaphorical that he removed the band-aid from his sister's car. This tells us that this healing process has occurred in him, although it would have been wonderful and necessary if they had shown it more explicitly in the series.
At that time each one had their own reasons and each one was going through their own process, so they made their decisions without thinking about what the other might feel. For me neither of them is guilty. I understand both sides. They should have talked about what each of them felt, but unfortunately in real life we don't always do that. We do not always know how to manage our own emotions, especially when we are not having a good time or when something makes us angry or hurts us, nor do we often know how to understand the emotions of others. It would be ideal, but it is not what really happens. The series should have also shown Mhok's process, and they should have had a conversation about it at the end, where they could both open up and apologize. Day was not aware of Mhok's PTSD, because Mhok did not tell him about it at the time. Even Mhok was not fully aware of his own trauma, it remained in the back of his mind until it suddenly came to the surface, following the failure of Day's surgery. And when he spoke out loud about it, he did so at the worst time, at a time when Day was feeling vulnerable, hurt and angry. I think Mhok feared that, given the failure of the surgery, Day would feel hopeless and end up making the same decision as Rung. And I also think that, for Day, those words of Mhok verbalizing his trauma at that moment, only made the situation worse because it showed him that Mhok didn't fully trust Day's strength to move forward, it only confirmed to him that Mhok didn't believe that Day could manage without him. In this sense, neither of them knew how to handle the situation in the best way nor did they know how to manage their emotions.
However, there are two things I really liked: the first is that Day wrote a book about Mhok, about second chances. I think that speaks volumes about his feelings towards him, about how much Mhok meant to his life and about his regret that things had ended that way between them. But at the same time, when he met Mhok again and he flirted with him, he wanted to put up a barrier because he was afraid to try, he was afraid that they would both get hurt again. But Mhok knows Day well and is able to know what he feels in his heart and what he really wants, even if he doesn't say it out loud or denies it repeatedly. Mhok knows when Day needs space and Mhok knows when he needs to give Day a little push. Their dynamic has always been like this.The second thing I liked is the fact that Day tells Mhok that he wants Mhok to give him a second chance, because I feel like it's his way of asking for forgiveness. And Mhok understands it. Mhok has always understood Day's personality. He has always understood what is implicit in the depths of his words. Mhok has always been more direct in expressing his feelings while Day is more subtle.Regarding another matter that was talked about a lot at the time, I also wanted to comment on something. Day was not angry at his brother for the accident itself, he himself knows that it was an accident and that it was his own recklessness. From what they let us see, their relationship was already complex before the accident. It was common for Day to go pick up his brother at the bar. After a long day of training and his college classes, Day would surely be tired of having to go out in the middle of the night because his brother was drunk again. Day resented him for this, for his irresponsibility and for having to take care of him all the time. And Night gave the impression of feeling some envy of his brother's success, given the somewhat ironic way in which he spoke to the waiter about Day. The fact is that after the accident, when Day was losing his visual ability, his mother insisted to Day that he had to sign a power of attorney for Night to take charge of his affairs and make decisions on his behalf. I know that his mother did it because at that time Day was refusing to go out and she didn't want him to feel more stressed and worried with the issues that had to be handled, such as college, but the decision didn't seem right to me: firstly because their children are adults and Day doesn't need a guardian. Second, because she is forcing her eldest son to take care of Day, as if he were his parent, which is the role that corresponds to her. This generated Day's tension, because he believed that his brother was taking advantage of the situation to pose as a responsible person, when in reality he was not, and to take absolute control of his things and his life. However, when he realized that his own mother was the one forcing Night to take responsibility for Day, he opened his eyes and realized that they were both suffering. And then his attitude towards Night changed.
LauLastWonderland:
