I am pretty sure that what I am about to say is going to be 100% accurate:

When you saw the subject line, you had no idea what I was going to talk about, right? 

In fact, I would bet that you have no idea who Butler Sung even is. If you knew right away and proved me wrong, please reply to this email and let me know – we have so much to talk about.

We are still in our “Storytelling” series, and this is the moment I’ve been waiting for. This story is near and dear to my heart because it’s a Kdrama. If you are not familiar with Kdrama, it has a set of interesting characteristics in my opinion.

• Kdrama is exactly what it says…drama. Crazy events happen with crazy circumstances. i.e. Two sisters get separated at a young age because one got lost in a bus station and they somehow meet as adults…mom realizes she now has to tell the truth about this which has been kept a family secret…just when she’s about to reveal all, she falls down the stairs and loses her memory. 
• Kdrama acting is not great. They overreact to situations, sometimes in a cheesy way, sometimes in an overly emotional way.
• Kdrama is very addictive. Once you start watching, you just can’t stop. And some of these series last 30-35 episodes. Some people (like my mom) binge-watch them non-stop without sleeping.
• Kdrama is all about character development. I don’t know how they do it, but whatever you believe about the characters they introduce in the first few episodes will have changed by the end of the series. You’ll either fall deeply in love with them, or you’ll hate them with passion. 

So, now that you are familiar with Kdramas, let’s talk about Butler Sung.

The story begins with Kim Min Kyu who is a CEO of a prosperous financial company. He lives in complete isolation due to a rare medical condition that has no cure. He basically breaks out in a severe rash and he can’t breathe. He’s allergic to humans. LOL. His isolation and loneliness become more tolerable when he’s introduced to a female android called AJI3, which Dr. Hong developed with an advanced capacity to respond to human emotions. Well, guess what? The AJI3 malfunctions and we find out that this AJI3 model was a direct replica of Dr. Hong’s ex-girlfriend whom he still has feelings for. So, what was he to do? He asks his ex-girlfriend to help him by pretending to be the robot until they get all the bugs sorted out. And you guessed it. Kim Min Kyu falls in love with the robot who is not a robot at all. 

When the truth is all revealed, after 30 episodes, Kim Min Kyu is angry, feels betrayed, and wants to isolate himself again. And during this deep contemplative scene of trying to figure out what to do (cue soft and sad BTS song in the background), as he’s walking around in his property in the mid-winter evening…depressed, confused, and sad, he runs into Butler Sung. Butler Sung is his butler who lives on his property in a small shack and takes care of all the maintenance around and in the house. He’s a bit older and has a lot of life experience and wisdom. They sit around the fire pit and he begins to enlighten this young CEO about love. This is where the transformation happens. A heart change, a perspective change…Butler Sung’s words penetrate deep into his soul and he realizes that life without her would be meaningless. What did he say? I am not going to give it away. You have to watch it to feel it…experience it…all 32 episodes of it.

Here it is, once again. The essence of our “Storytelling” series. Learning about the Hero and the Guide. The guide helps the hero become the hero. No one really knows or even cares that much about the guide (hence the mystery of my subject line), but the guide is the one who initiates the transformation. And this is what we do every day. We are the guide. Your client is the hero. Be the best guide you can be to help them step into their best story, in business and in life. Here’s a quick review and the breakdown of the story – make sure the brand story you tell answers these questions:

• Who’s the main character in the story? Kim Min Kyu
• What’s the character’s problem? He’s allergic to humans and lives an isolated life without love.
• What/Who’s the guide that the character meets? Butler Sung
• How does this guide help the character? He helps the main character realize that love is worth fighting for.
• What’s the plan? Confess his love for her and forgive her.
• How did he execute this plan? Beautifully with soft music background cued
• Did he win? He found his love and the cure
• How did the character transform? He overcame his deep abandonment issues and pain by allowing someone to love him.

Are you enjoying the Story series? I’ve liked it so much that I think we have to keep it going a couple more weeks! Kind of like binge-watching – there’s always time for just one more episode haha. But seriously, I truly hope this is helping you clarify your own story and the purpose of your business.

Related posts:

How To Tell A Story Learning From The Best Wax On, Wax Off Everyone Needs A Guide