Parisian runway, healing and reunion over 15 years > News

For Lee So-ra, this Paris runway was not just a one-time event. The deep trauma she experienced as a model in her 20s imprinted the runway in her as “a place I never want to stand on again,” and for a long time, that fear remained coiled up in a corner of her. But before this performance, she decided to break down the wall of fear that had been imprisoning her. Her complicated feelings as she waited for her turn amidst the support of her colleagues, including Uhm Jung-hwa, were conveyed to viewers, and the moment she finally finished the runway successfully, her lament, “I did it,” was a declaration of self-liberation that went beyond a simple sense of accomplishment. The moment she was finally free from the shadow of the past that had oppressed her for a long time, the runway became the stage of the most perfect healing for her.

The essential point of this journey is the reunion with Hong Jin-kyung and the depth of emotions they shared. In the exotic landscape of Paris, we began to carefully open the doors to our hearts that had been tightly shut while living separate lives for the past 15 years. Hong Jin-kyung shed hot tears just by listening to Lee So-ra play the piano, which proves that they understand the weight of pain they have each had to endure over the years better than anyone else. Their confession that “it was so difficult to look at the wounds” clearly showed the extremely human and weak side of the individual hidden behind the glamorous job of being an entertainer in front of the public. The sight of two people wiping each other's tears and offering comfort suggests that the restoration of a true relationship ultimately begins with acknowledging each other's wounds as they are, without denying them.

Behind the heavy tension of the fashion show, the romance of the city of Paris and the joy of unexpected deviation also coexisted. While Hong Jin-kyung was busy preparing for the show, Lee So-ra showed off her human charm to the fullest by wandering the streets of Paris, enjoying busking and dancing with strangers. In particular, the scene where she is drawn to dance by a street dancer is a symbolic passage that shows how Lee So-ra, who lived a strictly controlled life as a model, began to express her inner self. At first, she wanted to run away out of shame, but she soon gave in to the rhythm and enjoyed herself, making her feel relaxed after overcoming the trauma. The process of mingling with locals like Paco, taking photos and sharing their daily lives represents her new relationship with the city of Paris and a change in her attitude toward life.

This program goes beyond simply showing viewers the other side of a fancy fashion show, and sends a universal message of ‘growth and healing.’ For a model who lived with trauma in her 20s to stand on stage again after 15 years, the process must not have been smooth at all. However, in the process, because they were together with a colleague named Hong Jin-kyung and because of the sense of liberation that Paris gave them, they finally gained the courage to look at their wounds head-on. The public applauded not only their successful runway show, but also the human suffering behind it and their sincere comfort to each other. This ultimately became a milestone on how we all must face and overcome the big and small wounds we experience in our lives.