As the puppet of his brother that would eventually be cast aside, Hanseo took a leap of faith to fight against the puppeteer and the strings that tied him up. While he used to be a coward that would run away with his tail tucked between his legs, he matured into a young man who could stand for what he wished for and what he believed was right. Overall, his character leaves behind a message that left many thoughts for me to ponder and write about. Buckle up, and hopefully enjoy.
(PSA:
This will be less wordy than my previous draft, which tumblr ungratefully destroyed. It's okay. You are saved from my wordiness.
PSA 2.0
This is somewhat of a character analysis. It pretty much is. I'm not perfect at character analyses, so hopefully you get what I'm trying to say. If not, my bad.)
Jang Hanseo's first impression on me wasn't that memorable. He appeared somewhat snobby, much like typical CEO rich men, but he lacked confidence. It was almost like he wasn't the one pulling all the strings - like someone was pulling his own.
Almost immediately after, he's revealed as a puppet of the real figurehead of Babel - although their identity is not revealed until a few episodes later, his interactions with his puppeteer highlight his cowardice and weak attempt to stay on their good side. His cowardice makes up the foundation of his character.
When Hanseok - the puppeteer - is revealed, his relationship with Hanseo can be examined with much more depth. Hanseok has obviously caused Hanseo to fear him, in order to prevent him from acting out of line. But Hanseo still has some bits of resilience left in him, even after Hanseok thinks he's smoothed it all out.
Hanseo is seen voicing his wishes to be free from his brother multiple times. Of course, he is afraid of what his brother might do to him, or he's fearful of what he might lose if he turns away from his brother's side. Even so, he shows enough resilience to want to break free from his brother's control.
Hanseo finds an ally in Han Seunghyuk, a friend who resembles him when it comes to cowardice. Hanseo probably knows but doesn't acknowledge that Seunghyuk is not enough to break free from his brother, but he still follows his advice and acquires the necessary means to take his brother out once and for all.
Although Hanseo has the determination, he lacks the confidence. He does a shabby job of injuring his brother, which is nowhere near a successful kill. He doesn't have the confidence to kill his own brother, which can be seen in his hesitation throughout their hunting scene. A part of him still considers Hanseok part of his family. It holds him back, which is why is he is unable to kill Hanseok that day.
His failure only makes his brother more aggravated. Hanseok is now aware that his puppet's strings are starting to become loose and thin, to the point of breaking. He reins his brother back in, using the tactics he's always used, and decides he needs to come out from the shadows.
Now, Hanseo might think that he's finally been tossed aside as a puppet. But deep down, he realizes that he's nowhere near safe yet, because he's under his brother's radar, and who knows what Hanseok might pull in retaliation for his stunt during their hunting trip. While Hanseok might talk sweetly and make him believe that he won't be harmed, both brothers know that can be changed in an instant.
Even with Seunghyuk on his side, Hanseo knows that he needs something else to grab on. His final straw.
Vincenzo Casanova Cassano.
When Mr. Consigliere intereferes with Hanseok's intitiation ceremony, Hanseo looks at him with awe. He knows that Vincenzo is the enemy of his brother, the enemy of him, but he needs to find a method to keep himself safe and free from Hanseok's iron control.
Seunghyuk's suggestion to meet Vincenzo is the lifeline that Hanseo grabs onto with his dear life. He won't let go after this.
While their first meeting is unsightly and particularly rude on Vincenzo's behalf, Hanseo most likely believes that Vincenzo is the only way he can be free. He even offers to deliver his brother into Vincenzo's hands, to which the mafia man says he doesn't interfere within family matters.
Even so, Hanseo does not give up. Instead, he becomes one of the moles that Vincenzo wisely utilizes. In some instances, his quick thinking got Vincenzo out of some sticky situations - particularly the situation with the INTERPOL. Hanseo's actions reflect his decision to follow Vincenzo and support him, which is something he may not have even done with Hanseok.
Hanseo's bond with Vincenzo is special. He regards him as a brother, someone he feels much more comfortable with than his actual brother. His bond with Vincenzo allows him to shrug off the strings that his brother placed on him, and he starts to grow out of his own shell. He begins to spread his own wings, and become more confident in his character.
When Jipuragi reunites with Wusang in court, Hanseo makes clear whose side he's on. Seated next to his "Vin hyung", he flaunts his relationship with the Italian lawyer to his associates and a very peeved Choi Myunghee. He's happy to be by his side, and he doesn't regret it one bit.
(I found this interaction between Vincenzo and Hanseo absolutely precious. They're just two brothers looking out for one another.)
To the very end, his loyalty towards Vincenzo never wavered. Even as Hanseok promised to spare Hanseo if he just followed his orders, Hanseo ignored his brother's potentially false words and retaliated - he's ready to be finally free. He knows that once he goes down this road, there's no turning back.
As Hanseo calmly says, he "will make a choice that [he] won't regret". (This is my favorite quote ever. Not even gonna lie to you.)
In his tussle with Hanseok, Chayoung becomes one of the injured. With quick thinking, Hanseo sacrifices himself and fights with Hanseok for control of his gun once more. He sets himself up as the sacrifice so his brother won't harm the other two, which is completely unlike his character thus far. Hanseo has always feared his brother and his abuse, but he now places himself in the way of bullet in order to protect Vincenzo and Chayoung.
In the end, he takes the bullet. He's free from his brother, but at what cost? His own life. It's an ending that Hanseo knows was coming.
Hanseo's character has always had to make very difficult decisions. Whether it was to follow his brother's orders, betray his brother, suck up his pride and plead to his brother for a second chance, follow Seunghyuk's advice, or even take to Vincenzo's side, Hanseo has had multiple decisions that affected his growth as a person. If Hanseo hadn't taken the leap of faith to follow Vincenzo and break free from his brother, he might've been stuck at the strings of his brother's doing for much longer. He might've died at his brother's hands as nothing more than a pawn waiting for its removal, rather than die in his attempt for freedom.
Hanseo is a character that endlessly struggled for what he wanted, and some might say he died in vain. He would probably disagree with that. While he still feared his brother, he didn't let that fear overtake him; he looked death in the eye as he was willing to sacrifice himself for his loved ones' sake. He no longer cowered in fear; he bravely stood for what he believed was right.
All in all, Jang Hanseo was not a character who died in vain. His story of redemption leaves behind a reminder to viewers that struggling may be necessary to move onto a life that is much more fulfilling; you don't always get the easy way out. Hanseo was scared, he was always scared of his brother, but he also summoned the courage to stand against his own brother, simply because he wanted to be free. He was strong enough to fight against his brother, rather than sit by and let him do what he wanted.
Hanseo didn't die with regrets. He was happy to finally be free.
pixelskylines
dededos
discoholicmusic
kaledo-art
germansingergirl
jbbartram-illu
snowghoul
blakekathryn
