[Opinion] `Cool`

Latest hit TV series and movies such as `The Cat at the Rooftop Room,` `The Woman Next Door,` `A Good Lawyer`s Wife,` `Mutt Boy,` `Bodyguard` and `Damo` are all `cool.` Men and women do not cry over their relationships, and there are no feelings of love and hatred, either. The title song of drama `Bodyguard` is `Be Cool.` ˝I thought you were cool okay,˝ said the mutt boy in movie `Mutt Boy.` In `Damo,` the man said to the woman, ˝Are you feeling hurt? So am I˝ instead of saying `I love you so much.` They are not just good enough for old generations who believe lasting love and passion count. But young generations just love them. They think `being cool` is the best compliment. The latest hits appeal to the cool generations in a cool way.

Americans tend to use the word `cool` too often, which means `fine, smart or in latest fashion.` The Time magazine recently wrote a story about `alpha consumers,` cool people who are quick to ride on latest trends in fashion, commodities and TV. The magazine also wrote about `trend watchers,` who collect information about latest trends to sell them to businesses. To young people in Korea, however, `cool` means more than `in latest fashion.` According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, `cool` refers to `marked by steady dispassionate calmness and self-control,` `ardor or friendliness,` or `marked by restrained emotion and the frequent use of counterpoint.

The fall editions of literary magazines such as `Literary Village` and `Literary Pocketbook` also seem to ride on this latest trend. Delicate touches on inner feelings all but disappear. Instead, there are `cool` descriptions of everyday life that do not deal with feelings. Books begin to reflect the `cool` culture of young generations. After breaking up with her boy friend, a woman removes his phone number from the list installed in her mobile phone. That`s it. She remembers him no more. At office, they do not have to work face to face with coworker they dislike thanks to the online communication system and messenger.

The `being cool` trends seem to be in line with the ever-evolving technology and the new life style that puts focus on spontaneity and convenience rather than possession. Being neat and sophisticated has become a virtue, and people now seem to go after `giving a little and taking a little` or `giving nothing and taking nothing` relationship. If you are cool, you do not have to be hurt. When you die, you will be lying cool under the ground. So they say you must live cool with a cool heart….

Kim Sun-deok, Editorial Writer, yuri@donga.com