As a Nigerian, one of my favorite things as a child was moonlight tales and folktales, especially the type where we get to experience and imagine animals (mostly tortoises) as humans. Such stories were always a thing to look forward to, because not only do we find them captivating as kids, but the aura and exaggeration that these stories are told with, especially by the Grandmas and Grandpas, was second to none. Another thing to note is the never-ending lessons we always derive from them.

It's glaring that with the periodic invention of different things, especially in the media, we no longer have time for these tales, nor do we have the time to pass it down to other generations as in time past. However, if you will agree with me, a lot of modern things we give attention to have close relations to these moonlight tales and that’s where K-dramas come in. I know it’s a different culture (Korea and Yoruba), but if you disagree, tell me why K-dramas will tell us Gumihos can turn into humans and a folktale will tell us an antelope can do likewise.

What am I driving at? The fact that even though we have lost the privilege of deriving lessons from these tales, K-dramas are still filling the gap for some of us in some ways. And just like I pointed out lessons derived from King the Land, here are subtle lessons we learned from the recent ‘No Gain, NO Love’.

Spoilers Ahead

Cyberbullying can end a life

Seriously speaking, this point cannot be overemphasized, and it's so heartbreaking that most perpetrators don’t see it as a big deal. I picked this point from the story of the second lead couple and although the case of cyberbullying was used as a plot developer, I am sure you agree with me they legit told us how cyberbullying can ruin a person's health, mentality, and will to live. In a world where we all have access to uninterrupted internet and freedom of speech, there is still a need for us to mind our use of this freedom to the detriment of others.

Stereotypes destroy the best of things

Feminism or misogyny aside, gender discrimination will always be a deal breaker everywhere. Just like in the case of the female lead who was sidelined regardless of her competence, all because she was an unmarried employee, these types of stereotypes keep eating deep into society every minute. Let's be realistic for a minute. Contract marriage rarely works in real life, so imagine if that were to be a real-life situation.

Some people live on even in death (kindness)

People say it takes nothing to be kind, but in actuality, it takes a lot to be kind. Even though they lost their father and husband respectively over being kind, the female lead and her mother were still kind and even kept a great relationship with other people. And just like one of her foster children said at the burial hall, the female lead mother lived a life that didn’t end even in death. Commendable and worth emulation, I must say.

Always put yourself first

For a minute, I wanted to enter the series and slap the male lead (a factory reset slap), and thank God the female lead finally did that figuratively. Living your life based on promises made to some people? If it’s a dream, I will wake up. There’s a very thin line between selfishness and foolishness, and most times we have to double-check if it’s not the latter. Even though keeping good relationships and even our promises are great, you don’t have to move a mountain for someone who would not move a pin for you (Just like in the case of the male lead and his mother).

Okay, that got a bit too serious, right? We are learning!

Anyway, who watched this series spinoff (Spice up Our Love)? Yes, I did, so if you did too, did you think the spinoff story was necessary? Let me know in the comments.