#gu seung jun

[ofqueensandwitches]

My dad’s reaction toward “Crash Landing on You”

Before watching it: “This looks interesting, but you know how I feel about romantic drama shows. I watch it just because it’s super popular.”

When he started watching it: “This is perhaps one of the best Eastern Asian shows I’ve ever watched.”

Throughout the whole show: “Gu Seung-jun is the best character. He’s so perfectly written in every way, and that Kim Jung-hyun did well portraying him.”

At the end of the show: “That ending is garbage and I won’t ever forgive them for killing Gu Seung-jun.”

After was done watching it: “I want– no, I need you to write me a fix-it fic, Elle.”

[do-you-ship-it-polls]

Do you ship it?

[kdramafeeds]

Gu Seung Jun

06.06.2023

[yamsdiary]

🦁📰 Kim Junghyun’s reflections on his acting career, personal challenges, and future goals.

"...if you work until you die..." Kim Junghyun Dreams of Acting

Reporter Park Hae Jin [ⓓ인터뷰] "죽을 때까지 노력하면"...김정현이 꿈꾸는 연기 | 디스패치 | 뉴스는 팩트다! (dispatch.co.kr)

Kim Junghyun is a natural born actor. I knew it the moment I met him. There wasn't the smirking Gu Seungjun of <Crash Landing on You> or the cranky Cheon Suho of <Time>.

Instead, there was the serious Kim Junghyun. When I realized that his characters were strictly acting, and when he spoke of his confidence in acting, I thought to myself.

'This is someone who should be an actor.'

I asked him why he became an actor. He gave a simple answer.

"I enjoy the moment of acting. I'm happy to be able to act, it makes me hopeful."

Kim Junghyun made his presence felt in tvN's <Crash Landing on You>. He made viewers laugh and cry with his hateful yet lovable, cheerful yet heartbreaking performance. 

He kept the center of attention among the big actors. No matter who he was paired with, there was no awkwardness. He created narrative and chemistry with each of them.

Kim Junghyun, who on earth is this actor? 

Dreaming of being an 'actor'

Actually, Kim Junghyun is a late bloomer*. In 2012, he made his screen debut in the short film <I'll Be with You>.

[*T/N: humble beginnings, but great endings]

Since then, he's been acting wherever he can. Theaters, musicals, movies, and dramas. He doesn't discriminate between genres.  

"I saw the play <In the Smoke> and it made me want to be an actor. I cried a lot, and that's when I realized that I had the question mark (in my mind), which made me think about acting again."

Your acting career also started with theater. In 2013, you first appeared on the theater stage in <Thérèse Raquin>. But wait, what is the 'question mark' in your mind?

"I realized that acting is a precious thing where you can give and receive emotions from people. The idea of sharing new experiences was fascinating to me."

That's when he started to pursue acting in earnest.

Everybody has ups and downs

In 2015, he made his professional debut with movie <Overman> and was recognized by critics. He continued to gain recognition with each work, making his mark with <Jealousy Incarnate>, <Rebel>, <School 2017>, and more.

But there were also bumps in the road. When he dropped out of <Time> due to a sleep disorder and eating disorder, he was criticized for it. 

"I felt like I neglected myself. It was a time of deceiving, betraying, and beating myself up. I stopped loving myself. My self-esteem dropped, and my anxiety grew."

He didn't want to fall apart. He dropped everything and went back to the beginning. "I spent a year and five months recovering my body and mind. I've built a lot of mental muscle* as an actor."

[*T/N: willpower; perseverance, judgment, system of thought, exploration, impulse control, goal setting, and other mental traits]

It was acting, after all, that got him back on his feet.

"I always had the desire to act (in my heart). I had a lot of desire to work."

Acting became more precious to him during his break. "I became more focused on the present moment and enjoying it. I'm in a better state of mind to look at my surroundings."

Crash Landing on You

He put his heartfelt feelings into <Crash Landing on You>. Whether it was a lead role or a supporting role, it didn't matter. For Kim Junghyun, it weighed the same. He was grateful to just be able to act.

"I tried to enjoy the moment of acting, no matter if I was on set or reading the script, because I know it's important to do my best with what I can do now."

Kim Junghyun plays Gu Seungjun, a fraudster. His (life's) purpose is money and revenge. He didn't have the love of his parents. However, he was a pure man in front of love. He's a character with a wide range of emotions. 

"The most important thing was to maintain the position. I thought that if North Korea had Pyo Chisoo (played by Yang Kyungwon) and the crew, Seungjun should create that atmosphere in South Korea."

Kim Junghyun slept with the script by his bedside. He studied the script until he closed his eyes, and then acted it out; a not too serious, yet hilarious Seungjun.

He had his own way of speaking the North Korean dialect. "The dialect changes depending on the interpretation of the lines, and I just caught the nuances and put them into Seungjun's words."

The acting in <Crash Landing on You>

He gave the four-angle romance three-dimensional feel*. Though he didn't have much screen time, his acting was dynamic. It even captured the growth of one character.

[*T/N: given depth and realism; the acting has a realistic and deep feeling.]

"The writer did a good job of showing the inflection points of growth. Seungjun gave Seri (played by Son Yejin) a certain intentionality, and gave Dan (played by Seo Jihye) a more humanized approach. There was a clear temperature difference."

The crying scene in episode 15, for instance. When North Korean children sing, 'I'm a poor orphan,’ Seungjun sobs to himself. It's the first time his inner self comes out.

"The situation of being chased by danger, being alone in a hiding place... I was thinking about how Seungjun must have felt in that place. My heart ached a lot. I realized that he must have been desperate."

Kim Junghyun had his own input. "I wanted Seungjun to show emotion in this scene, and I thought it would be a turning point in his life."

The same goes for the shooting scene in which he jokingly says, ‘I did some clay shooting in South Korea.’ The scene is even more poignant because he did it with a light chuckle. This was also Junghyun's idea. 

"It felt right. My primary purpose was to reassure Dan. I was thinking about her right up until the moment I died. I remember that."

Revisiting the 'actor' dream

There is a certain ease to his performance. He is quick but relaxed, he is light but has weight. What makes him so flexible is his unwavering effort (to act). 

"It's like a swan on a lake, you need to paddle your legs vigorously to look relaxed. Even when you're acting, the action is (actually) going on inside."

"I ask myself, 'what keywords is this line influenced by?' or 'what purpose is it serving?' When you have a clear idea, you're less likely to get stuck (in practice)."

When asked about his next project, he said, "I haven't decided on a stage (to act), be it a movie, a drama, or a theater. I would love to get together with some of my favorite people and do some performances."

Recently, he's been studying English for two reasons: acting and writing. "If I get better at English, there will be more works that I can come across, and I want to experience and convey various kinds of acting."

However, Kim Junghyun has only completed one (series) episode. He plans to follow the path he's been given without hesitation. Once again, he's dreaming of becoming an actor. 

"I see where I'm still lacking, and I have a desire to grow, rather than just run in circles. I'm eager to share new experiences in any conversational way I can."

And one last thing.

"If you work until you die, won't you be able to fulfill that dream?"

ㅡㅡㅡ

Translated by @deeliciouskjh. Do not modify it in whole or in part. All errors are mine, constructive feedback is welcome.

[beri-allen]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love ❤

i also received the same ask from @wileyonce, @writerrose1998 & @chaoticstupiddm on my main + @therulerofallpotatos, so thank you lady, wiley, rose, and trashy + kira! i think my favorite 5 are (from newest to oldest):

The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (Wednesday) 5 times Wednesday tells Tyler a Story + 1 time she doesn't, or the Wednesday x Tyler "1001 Nights" AU. It's the longest one-shot I've written so far, and I think people who have read it (although there aren't plenty of them lol) really enjoyed it (at least i think they did?), so I'm glad.

I Put a Spell on You (Wednesday) aka the Wednesday x Tyler "Practical Magic" AU. It's the first AU I've ever written! And the longest fic I've done so far.

I Predict a Riot (Wednesday) While I wrote 2-chaptered fics before this one, I see this as my first multi-chapter fic, so I'm pretty proud of it.

I Carried You for Aching (Crash Landing on You) A character study on Seo Dan and a fix-it fic because I was in denial about Gu Seung-jun's death in canon. Like I said in the tags, the writer can suck my (non-existent) dick!

Wish I Were Here (Please Come Back Mister) I chose this one because there are only 3 fics on ao3 for this drama, and mine is the 1st one! That's how unpopular this drama is lmao. But for some reason, I'd still get kudos years after this fic came out in 2016, and the latest comment I got was from February 2023! It always makes me happy whenever I get a notification email regarding this fic.

[whenthegoldrays]

Seo Dan and Gu Seung-jun are the only ship allowed to have “Cornelia Street” applied to them, actually

[the-sky-the-stars-the-sea]

If your partner learns that they have to choose between saving you and getting on a flight that will take them to safety, and DOESN’T choose to save you, DOESN’T show up to your location within an hour with a freaking hunting gun to shoot everyone who harmed you, and DOESN’T keep shooting even though they will get shot and DOESN’T ultimately sacrifice themself to save you …

…

…

….

Then you don’t have the right partner.

[beatrixacs]

CRASH MY LIPS ON YOU (rated E)

Chapter 3/3:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/48162862/chapters/122267395

As Gu Seung Jun and Seo Dan share a loving kiss on the bridge (Episode 14), he reveals to her that it’s actually not their first kiss. Dan just doesn’t remember because she was too drunk on both occasions.

Short Canonverse Fix-it AU. Guaranteed Happy Ending.

[itspileofgoodthings]

He shouldn’t have died btw

[aahsoka]

this writer loves having an injured man in a long coat walk through the snow in the middle of nowhere to save his love interest from the second love interest

[ofqueensandwitches]

FANDOMS: Crash Landing on You, Why Her, Touch Your Heart, Law School

RELATIONSHIPS: Gu Seung-jun/Seo Dan, Gong Chan/Oh Soo-jae, Kwon Jung-rok/Oh Jin-sim | Oh Yoon-seo, Han Joon-hwi/Kang Sol A

RATINGS: Teen and Up Audiences

SUMMARY:

Seo Dan knew that people around the world just loved star-crossed romances. She could just imagine how people, especially women, would react when her story and Gu Seung-jun's eventually came out.

The hero nearly died a heroic death to save his lady love, and in return it was the heroine’s turn to save him to ensure they got the happy ending they deserved.

[beachboysnatural]

When characters are doomed by the narrative when characters cannot do anything but dig themselves in deeper when characters learn too late when characters resign themselves to their fate when characters have nowhere to go but down when characters look in the mirror and know they're going to die

[kpopscatterbrain]

Kdramas/Movies with strong female characters

Dramas

Eve (2022): Lee La-El (Seo Yea-Ji) When Lee La-El was little, her father died unexpectedly. Powerful people were responsible for his death. After her family was destroyed, Lee La-El prepared for the next 13 years to take revenge. Starting by targeting Kang Yoon-gyeom, one of the main culprits who orchestrated the death of her father. Along the way she becomes torn between her desire for revenge and her feelings for Yoon-gyeom.

It's Okay To Not Be Okay (2020): Ko Moon-Young (Seo Yea-Ji) Ko Moon-Young is a popular children's book author with antisocial personality disorder. She had a troubled childhood and a turbulent relationship with her parents. She develops romantic feelings for a psychiatric caregiver after a coincidental encounter and often goes to extreme lengths to get his attention.

Hotel Del Luna (2019): Jang Man-Wol (IU) Jang Man-Wol is the moody owner of Hotel del Luna. The hotel catering to the dead has been bound to her soul in order to atone for the sins she committed 1,300 years ago. Through the new manager Gu Chan-sung, the mysteries and the secrets behind the hotel and its owner are revealed

My Name (2021): Yoon Ji-Woo (Han So-Hee) Yoon Ji-Woo’s father gets murdered suddenly. She wants to desperately take revenge on whoever is responsible for her father's death. She starts working for a drug crime ring that her father was a part of. Ji-Woo joins the police department as a mole for the drug ring.

Vagabond (2019): Go Hae-Ri (Bae Suzy) Go Hae-Ri is an NIS agent and is currently working undercover at the Korean embassy in Morocco. She is tasked to help the bereaved families of a fatal flight. She helps Cha Dal-Geon whose nephew was on the flight uncover a darker and more sinister conspiracy than they expected.

Sisyphus: The Myth (2021): Gang Seo-Hae (Park Shin-Hye) Gang Seo-Hae is an elite warrior. She can take down the biggest men with just her bare hands. She is a sharpshooter and a bombmaker. She learned these skills to survive in a world that is dominated by gangsters and military cliques. One day she time travels to save a genius engineer.

Mr. Sunshine (2018): Go Ae-Shin (Kim Tae-Ri) Go Ae-Shin is an orphaned noblewoman and a member of the Righteous Army. Her parents were independence fighters who died in Japan due to their colleague's betrayal. She trains as a sniper. An american soldier Eugene meets and falls in love with Go Ae-shin. 

The Glory (2022): Moon Dong-Eun (Song Hye-Kyo) Moon Dong-Eun was a victim of high school violence. She waited for the bully ring leader get married and have a child. Now she is the homeroom teacher of her tormentor's child. Her cruel revenge plot begins.

Tomorrow (2022): Koo Ryeon (Kim Hee-Seon) Grim reaper Koo Ryeon is the leader of a crisis management team. The teams objective is to save suicidal people. Choi Jun-Woong (Ro Woon) is a young job seeker who is unable to secure a job. One night, he accidentally becomes a new member of the crisis management team.

Remarriage & Desires (2022): Seo Hye-Seung (Kim Hee-Seon) Seo Hye-seung who lost everything in an instant after her husbands affair and su*cide. She signs up to a matchmaking company Rex for the upper class, and participates in the race of her desires for her revenge.

Under The Queen's Umbrella (2022): Queen Hwaryeong (Kim Hye-Soo) Queen Hwaryeong is supposed to act with grace and dignity, but she has troublemaker sons. The queen decides to abandon strict protocols to transform her sons into deserving princes through education and personal growth, all while navigating the complexities of motherhood and royal life.

Juvenile Justice (2022): Sim Eun-Seok (Kim Hye-Soo) Sim Eun-Seok is an elite judge with a personality that seems unfriendly to others. She hates juvenile criminals and gets assigned to a local juvenile court. There, she breaks custom and administers her own ways of punishing the offenders.

K-Movies

Kill Boksoon (2023): Gil Bok-Soon (Jeon Do-Yeon) Gil Bok-Soon is a single mother and a contract killer working for M. K. Ent. Highly regarded by her peers, she has a 100% success rate and is one of a few killers rated "A" by her company. Right before Gil Bok-Soon is set to renew her contract, she gets involved in a kill or be killed confrontation.

Ballerina (2023): Jang Ok-Ju (Jun Jong-Seo) Ok-Ju used to work as a bodyguard. Ok-Ju is friends with Min-Hee, who is a ballerina. Min-Hee asks Ok-Ju for a favor. She wants Ok-Ju to take revenge.

The Witch: Subversion (2018): Ja-Yoon (Kim Da-Mi) A young girl escapes from a mysterious laboratory where she was trained to become a murder weapon. 10 years later, the girl, named Ja-yoon, is living a normal life, apparently without any memory of her past, she becomes involved in a crime.

Special Delivery (2022): Eun-Ha (Park So-Dam) Eun-Ha is a special driver for deliveries. She delivers anything or anyone for the right price. Her success rate is 100%, but she gets involved in an unexpected delivery accident.

Brave Citizen (2023): So Shi-Min (Shin Hae-Sun) So Shi-Min used to be a boxer in her student days. She now works as a contract teacher at a high school. She confronts a school bully, who frequently torments other students.

[ikjun]

AL'S DRAMA RECS VOL.1: these recs will solely focus on the writing of the shows, which to me comes down to two things: how well does the plot accomplish what it set out to do in the beginning? and how compelling are the characters written, no matter if their character arc means they become better or worse through the story or even remain who they are? my favourite dramas usually succeed in giving us a satisfying answer to both questions and these are the ones you will see on this list!

★★★★★ dramas (aka the greatest hits):

SECRET FOREST / STRANGER (2017-2021): the pinnacle of all dramas. follows the duo of no-nonsense prosecutor hwang si-mok (the acting star turn of he century by cho seung-woo) and police detective han yeo-jin (the ever-exceptional bae doo-na) investigating a murder case that blows open several scandals in the prosecution. season 2 follows several cases leading to an internal investigation on police bribery. it just does not get better than this and i fear it won't ever will. this drama has the understated styling of nordic noir, the classic shenanigans of an unlikely leading kdrama duo, and one of the tightest scripts ever seen in any tv show ever. | genre: thriller, melodrama, crime procedural

MY LIBERATION NOTES (2022): following the yeom family's three siblings living in the small town of sanpo on the outskirts of seoul, and the stranger moving into the house next door to theirs, this story navigates questions of sibling-hood and family, the purpose of life, as well as the sacrifices we make for the relationships in our life as well as our own happiness. this show earned its hype from the central love story between mr. gu and yeom mi-jeong (son seok-ku and kim ji-won acting the house down) but every one of the three main storylines is well-paced, gives the main actors moments to shine and grow, and ties neatly into the overarching plot to render you either moved or comforted, or even both. | genre: slice of life, melodrama

VINCENZO (2020): at this point are there still followers on this blog who haven't at least seen me talk about vincenzo? the writing of this show is maybe the peak of genre-blending done in kdrama, a culmination of years refining this skill to sharp perfection in a biting black comedy. vincenzo cassano (song joong-ki), consiglieri of a mafia clan he got adopted into, goes back to south korea to recover a frankly unholy amount of gold and fights a gigantic conglomerate (babel) to get there. if you watch past episode four, you will finish this drama, because everything ensuing from then on is just one iconic story beat after another. | genre: black comedy / satire, crime, romance

HOSPITAL PLAYLIST (2020-2022): a medical drama beyond reproach. this show is on this list for the way it wrote its characters and achieved the most satisfying character arcs in any kdrama, maybe, ever. a group of five friends in their fourties all working at the same hospital and navigating their professional and private lives, this drama doesn't shy away from eclectic backstories (and the leads all playing music together in a band) as well as truly heart-tearing moments of friendship and romance. never have i seen character growth done as well as i have seen it in the characters of yang seok-hyeong and kim-jun-wan. | genre: medical, slice of life, rom-com

D.P. / DESERTER PURSUIT (2021-2023): d.p. to me is a no-notes kind of show. it depicts the work of the military police pursuing army deserters through freshly enlisted ahn jun-ho (jung hae-in playing years below his age and leagues above many his actual age) who ends up empathizing and working to help and save the deserters he and his team partner han ho-yeol (an exceptional koo kyo-hwan) are meant to bring back to the army instead of incriminating them further. d.p. is much better for its tone, its writing and the risks it takes in its no-nonsense approach than some of the drivel revered solely for being more flashy and showy in this genre. | genre: military drama, action

★★★★☆ dramas (aka near-perfection):

PRISON PLAYBOOK (2017): the perfect prototype of the bromance as romance formula and one of the best found family dramas that really focuses on that. star baseball player kim je-hyuk (park hae-soo in his career-defining role) loses his career and lands in prison after he assaults the ex-boyfriend of his younger sister to protect her. the show centers on je-hyuk's time in prison, where he reunites with his childhood best-friend-now-prison-guard lee jun-ho (a supreme jung kyung-ho) and assimilates himself with the people he meets in his cell. this show hits all the beats so well from a stellar supporting cast to a great comeback kid narrative for je-hyuk from his time in prison to being released. glaring flaw: the age-gap / childhood friends romance, the conclusion of hanyang's story arc, who gets the short end of the stick while being the one out gay character in the show. | genre: black comedy, found family, slice of life

GOBLIN: THE LONELY AND GREAT GOD (2017): the defining kdrama for many. it may be the one drama that really delivers in answering its plot's defining question twice over and then some. goblin kim shin (gong yoo), cursed to immortality, gets his life upended once a grim reaper (lee dong-wook as wang yeo, a performance never to be seen or repeated again since) and the young woman (kim go-eun as ji eun-tak) who turns out to be his fated bride enter his life. an immortal man resigned on life finds purpose while knowing he will fatally die once the woman he falls in love with cures him of his curse. glaring flaw: the age gap romance between eun-tak and kim shin. could she have not been in college at least? | genre: melodrama, romance, fantasy

CRASH LANDING ON YOU (2019): the romance drama that could, and did. based on a real life incident, ceo yoon se-ri (son ye-jin, an acting veteran near beyond reproach imo) accidentally crash lands in north korea after a paragliding flight gone wrong. there she meets active duty soldier captain ri jeong-hyeok (hyun bin, thank you for your service) and has to stay with him and his military company. the fated love story starts there, but neither of them know they have met before, and already changed the courses of each other's lives before doing so again. minor flaw: is this drama romanticising the military? or is depicting of that on screen just that and nothing more? that is up to you to decide. | genre: melodrama, romance

HOMETOWN CHA CHA CHA (2021): the series remake of a korean rom-com film of the early aughts, this remains my favourite romance drama over all. dentist yoon hye-jin (shin min-a blessing our screens) moves to rural gongjin, a seaside village where nothing happens at all, after her professional life in seoul goes up in flames. it's not all sunshine in gongjin either as ye-jin meets hong du-sik (kim seon-ho),a handyman who is called chief hong by everyone and fixes all the big and small fires in the village. the two start as enemies that eventually fall in love. the romance is well-handled and paced and the second lead (lee sang-yi) is the best i have ever seen in a show, especially because of the arc written for him. minor flaw: the plot is not as tight as the respective character arcs, so sometimes sacrifices are made for the sake of a more emotional scenes. | genre: rom-com, slice of life

THE GLORY (2022): when you put the revenge in revenge drama, this is what you can get. song hye-ko returns to small screen brilliance in an incomparable performance as moon dong-eun, a woman who decides to infiltrate the lives of her school bullies and take them down one by one. this show delivers on plot even more than on characters, following through on every step of moon dong-eun's revenge without shying away from how gruesome or painful that path of vengeance can be. dong-eun gets help from plastic surgeon joo yeo-jeong (a delightful lee do-hyun), and the main cast is rounded out by lim ji-yeon and jung sung-il as dong-eun's grown up tormentor and her reluctant husband respectively. minor flaw: the show does spend a big chunk of its time on the group of school bullies and their interpersonal relations, which sometimes takes time away from the main plot. | genre: psychological thriller, revenge drama

♡ more specific genre watches (beware: usually crime):

LIFE (2018): written by the writers of secret forest, life is another thriller with understated direction and a more sombre tone. i would have put it in the greatest hits category, but watching it with other people made me realise how niche it actually is in genre. a corporate hospital thriller, the show revolves around the newly-minted ceo of sangkook university hospital, gu seung-hyo (a once again flawless cho seung-woo) and a dedicated ER doctor (lee dong-wook, stellar as ever) who depict the two sides of the patient care vs. profit conflict in the hospital. i can't even say more about the show because every other plot point is basically a spoiler. sharply directed and written, this is one of the best genre pieces i have ever watched, and is mildly reminiscent of hbo prestige television of the decade before. | genre: medical drama, corporate thriller

THE WORST OF EVIL (2023): are you even surprised? this was the drama of 2023 for me, one of the most stellar scripts i have seen. the worst of evil is very firmly a noir show and you have to treat what you are watching as such. it is heavily entrenched into its genre tropes and arcs, even more than most crime shows i have seen, and that can be off-putting for people unfamiliar with the genre, but if you are up for it, you will not be disappointed. opportune violent crime detective park jun-mo (ji chang wook, korea's finest new gen action actor) infiltrates a drug ring lead by jung gi-cheol ( fantastic and emotional tour de force by wi ha joon) and the lines begin to blur when neither of them knows if what they bargained for is actually what they want. the show lets its main plot dictate the pace, focusing on park jun-mo's descent into crime, and it is all the more better for it. | genre: noir, crime thriller, action

BEYOND EVIL (2020): the story about dejected and grieving small-town detective lee dong-sik (baeksang-awarded veteran actor shin ha-kyun) being partnered with elite detective and spinster seoulite han joo-won (child actor prodigy turned actor to watch du jour) has made its waves online for its very apparent gay subtext, but to reduce beyond evil to this would be a crime in itself. following lee dong-sik and han joo-won as they are tasked to solve a reoccurring serial killer case, the framing plot then fans open the age-old wound of dong-sik losing his twin sister and being blamed for her disappearance with joo-won having taken an obsessive fascination with the case. the two crime cases are exceptionally interwoven and the stories of the people in the small town of manyang, and how they all somehow tie back to dong-sik, is the perfect example of turning the small centrepiece of a plot into the binding force of every thread. | genre: procedural, psychological thriller

OUR BELOVED SUMMER (2021): i put this into the genre-piece category because obl is majorly focused on its main trope. romantic dramas can easily be trite to me, as this obvious list of crime shows doesn't tell you, but our beloved summer is one of the few that did everything right. it plays out the best trope ever done - exes to lovers - and does not back down from embracing the whole shebang to the nth degree. high school / college sweethearts choi woong (known beloved actor on ye-xiu tumblr dot com, choi woo-shik) and kook yeun-soo (the ever great kim da-mi) have to unite to replicate, or rather continue, the viral high school documentary they filmed years ago. the show shimmies its way from one moment of reconnection to another, culminating in the best kdrama kiss to ever be put to screen, and concludes in one of the most satisfying and, yes, romantic endings ever. the things a show can do when it just sticks to its main narrative, huh. | genre: rom-com, coming of age

[beri-allen]

ao3: beriallen she/her, 18+

Bulgasal: Immortal Souls 1. a little more and i'll go (dan hwal/min si-ho; t; 1/1) 2. if our lives are ours, what shouldn't we do (dan hwal/dan sol, dan hwal/min si-ho; t; 1/1) 3. we had so much going for us (dan hwal/dan sol, dan hwal/min si-ho; g; 1/1)

Crash Landing on You 1. i carried you for aching (seo dan/gu seung-jun; t; 1/1)

Hannibal 1. only grab air (will graham/beverly katz; t; 1/1)

House M.D. 1. calendar girls* (allison cameron/thirteen; t; 1/1)

Memories of the Alhambra 1. room 601 (yoo jinwoo/jung heeju; t; 1/1) 2. magic hours (yoo jinwoo/jung heeju; m; 1/1)

Once Upon a Time 1. the human (wooden swan; g; 1/1) 2. memory serves (wooden swan; t; 1/1)

Please Come Back, Mister 1. wish i were here (han hong-nan/song yi-yeon; t; 1/1)

Queen of Tears 1. 5 times hong hae-in died (baekhong; t; 1/1)

Running Man** 1. might just as well (monday couple; g; 1/1) 2. four times jihyo holds gary's hands and one time she doesn't (monday couple; g; 1/1) 3. no good unless real (monday couple; e; 1/1) 4. another night (monday couple; t; 1/1) 5. fine (monday couple; t; 1/1)

School 2017 1. 3 times taewoon confesses and 1 time he doesn't (ra eunho/hyun taewoon; t; 1/1)

Search WWW 1. the theory of time (song ga-gyeong/cha hyeon; g; 1/1)

Squid Game 1. 항복 (surrender) (457; e; 1/1)

Story of Kunning Palace 1. the dreams of butterflies (jiang xuening/shen zhiyi; t; 1/1)

The Acolyte 1. bond/freedom (oshamir; e; 1/1) 2. dying breed (oshamir; t; 2/2) 3. heavy is the heart (oshamir; e; 1/1) 4. i once was lost, but now i'm found (oshamir; t; 1/1)

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes 1. born liar (snowbaird; m; 1/1)

Twenty Five, Twenty One 1. we call it something different, something wrong, and something right (ko yurim/na heedo; t; 1/1)

Wednesday 1. slow, long, and excruciatingly painful (wyler; t; 2/2) 2. you have shrunk to the size of my thoughts (wyler; t; 2/2) 3. i predict a riot (wyler; m; 5/5) 4. the gift of the magi (wyler; t; 1/1) 5. the rite of spring (wyler; t; 1/1) 6. stop (wyler; e; 1/1) 7. the long game (wyler; m; 1/1) 8. the devil and the deep blue sea (wyler; t; 1/1) 9. interrupted remembrances (wyler; t; 1/1) 10. technicolor glasses (wyler; t; 1/1) 11. i put a spell on you (wyler; e; 7/7) 12. oh god, i think i'm falling (wyler; e; 2/2) 13. joyeux noël (wyler; t; 1/1) 15. in the heat of the moment (tynid, wyler, minor petroclair; e; 2/2) 16. the spirit is willing (the flesh is weak) (wyler; e; 1/1)

*imported from lj **rpf header & icon image credit: x

[whenthegoldrays]

Underrated source of comedy in k-dramas: characters who were canonically raised in England or America speaking English with the heaviest Korean accent you’ve heard in your whole life