Mr. Wrong (Bay Yanlis)

Episode 5 Part 2 - Endgame

Ozgur liked playing games and having fun. In fact, you could say he looked at life as just one big game, and "living in the fast lane" was just part of that whole mentality. His father told him, "Life is a big race, if you stop, you will lose", a metaphor that he had come to live by. And in many ways, this meant becoming impulsive and taking greater risks. He thrived on the adrenaline rush this lifestyle gave him. But when you race, you may go too fast that you may not consider the consequences and lose sight of what's really important in life. This is something that Ozgur needs to still learn. This is what maturity brings. And falling in love with Ezgi, would help him start to realize this.

Even in his profession, although he may be successful, the choices that he has made has limited his capacity to see the wonderful life he may be missing. He followed his passion and turned his love for the nightlife into a business, to own and operate a restaurant bar. It's a venture definitely not for the faint at heart considering the high risk involved with this type of business although he seemingly runs it effortlessly. He initially entered into the business because he had enjoyed the night life so much he figured he might as well make a living out of it...to work and play at the same time. But even though he has purposely set up his life this way, he has confined himself to living only within this framework which doesn't allow much time for anything else, including having a family of his own, which he thinks he doesn't want to have anyway. It's no coincidence that his bar is called LaGabbia, (translated from Italian to "The Cage"). His work life inevitably runs into his social life—and in "social life" I mean night life. He doesn't really have the time nor the energy for friends and girlfriends outside of this world. So essentially, his social life is his work life. Other than Ozan who is essentially Ozgur's confidant, his "friends" are the people that work for him, and basically do what he tells them to do. And his "girlfriends" are patrons whom he picks up from his bar that he takes back to his place to play with and have fun, privately with no serious intentions other than hooking-up for the night. Understandably, he doesn't have any meaningful relationships in this world he made for himself because he doesn't allow himself to become emotionally attached to anyone as he is unable to offer anything more than just that. But this lifestyle can easily lead to a very unhealthy way of life... a risky game of Russian Roulette with his physical and psychological well-being. Ozgur has never really considered the repercussions of this lifestyle because he has never found someone whom he wanted to share his life with...until perhaps now.

Inviting Ezgi to his sister's wedding to pretend to be his girlfriend, was just another risky game he played. Although he was in denial, he already had feelings for her. And bringing her to meet his mother was a disaster waiting to happen...a disaster of hearts, that is. From the moment he took her, he really enjoyed playing the game of pretend lovers. He felt free to go through the motions without feeling restricted and enjoyed the thrill of it all. And he especially liked it that Ezgi was enjoying herself as well. They were free to try on the relationship and act on their feelings in the name of the game, without losing face.
Even their style of communication was playful. Their conversation was so much more than words. It was a verbal dance...one beautifully chaotic, one that awakened their spirits. They were fun together and brought out that sense of playfulness from each other. And it wasn't only when they spoke. It was the subtle smiles, the gentle shrugs and the light in their eyes. Even the silences were comfortable...which were only to be interrupted by jokes, and more jokes, usually at the expense of one of them. Yet from the dialogue that followed, it was clear that no real offence had been taken. They enjoyed the banter, the witty and not-so-witty put-downs. They teased one moment and were serious the next, although the sensible talk didn't last too long. Soon the hilarity started all over again. The two of them brought out the best in each other. But although they kept reminding themselves that it was all just a game, their eyes would tell a different story. That in the midst of the game...they secretly found love.

But their game proved to be too good, and too believable for everyone including themselves, to the point that their mothers started pushing them to commit themselves for marriage. And the mere mention of the word jolted them back to reality and reminded them of the reasons they had started this game in the first place. That's when the real game of pretend was forced to begin, to pretend that they didn't belong together. But although the act may have worked in cooling their mothers off, when it was all over, it made them sad and regretful because it wasn't what was truly in their hearts. Ozgur realized that this had been a far more dangerous game than he had anticipated, because in this game, he was playing with his feelings. Feelings that would hurt so much more because it was not just his own that he put at risk. It was Ezgi's feelings, and both of their families' as well. Ozgur definitely didn't consider the ramifications, never mind the risk of losing something so wonderful that he didn't even know he would want. Perhaps having had a taste of it and then losing it made Ozgur want it even more, because that love was something that Ozgur had never felt before, and it took taking Ezgi back home with him to see what he was missing. He realized that Ezgi had belonged there just as much as him. And unbeknownst to her, she had given him a gift. She let him catch a glimpse of what they could have had together...and it felt so right.

For Ozgur, it would be all he needed to take a long hard look at himself and finally grow up into the man he was meant to be...Ezgi's man.

Ozgur💘Ezgi