"I'm Like Litmus Paper" Koo Kyo-hwan: Memorable Lines from Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness

Actor Koo Kyo-hwan portrays Hwang Dong-man in JTBC's Saturday-Sunday drama 〈Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness〉, delivering lines that convey the character's complex inner psychology.

On the show, Dong-man is a man who has long dreamed of debuting as a film director and battles both others' dismissal and his own feelings of worthlessness. In a scene where his brother Jin-man (Park Hae-joon) asks what he wants, Dong-man answers, "Not being anxious. I just need to not be anxious," revealing a desire for stability over success. In contrast, toward people who belittle him, he declares, "I'll pull up the shining truth from the edge of my worthlessness. Expect my shining story. Try to stop me — see if you can," demonstrating his unyielding will.

There are also lines that show his relationship with Eun-ah (Ko Yoon-jung). Dong-man says, "I'm like litmus paper. If the other person is acidic, I'm acidic. If they're alkaline, I'm alkaline," using a metaphor to describe how he has adjusted himself to match others' attitudes. He also placed fallen leaves into the empty side-dish container before returning it to Eun-ah, saying, "If you catch a falling leaf, luck will come. I'll toss this bit of luck your way," revealing the character's tenderness beneath the surface.

When describing a calmness he has never experienced, he uses a vivid metaphor: "My favorite word is coziness. About a million times the feeling of peeling tangerines under a blanket in winter while reading comic books?"—expressing a desperate longing for tranquility.

Meanwhile, in episode 8, a plotline confirmed Dong-man's debut as a director through Hye-jin (Kang Mal-geum). JTBC's 〈Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness〉, starring Koo Kyo-hwan, airs every Saturday at 10:40 PM and Sunday at 10:30 PM.