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aer-in-wanderland · 4 years ago

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구미호뎐 | Tale of the Nine Tailed - Lost in Translation EP01

In which my sister and I sat down with a pint of mint chocolate chip and wrote down everything that occurred to us while watching the fan-subbed version of TotNT EP01. Contains mild spoilers.

Prologue

We open with an excerpt from the Hyeonjoonggi (현중기・玄中記), which the internet informs me originated in China sometime between 265-317 CE. In Korea in particular, gumiho are typically thought of as being female, but this is an example of a classical text that says they can be either. From what director Kang Shin Hyo said at the TotNT press conference, the premise of TotNT began with the idea of challenging this base assumption by making the gumiho male and placing him in modern-day Seoul. I would translate the passage as follows:

When a fox becomes 100, it can become a beautiful woman, or become a man who has relations with women. A fox that lives for 1000 years communes with the heavens and becomes a cheon’ho (heavenly fox). Its gifts are like that of a powerful shamaness; it can perceive things more than 1000 leagues distant.”

To my sense, the passage was introduced to show precedent for the existence of male gumiho in traditional folklore, as well as to illustrate that foxes over 1000 (cheon’ho) can be closer to deities than monsters.

On to the show. The year is 1999. I’m surprised the subs left ‘Fox Ridge’ untranslated as Yeou Gogae since it seems like it would be relevant information that the place where the accident takes place is somehow tied to foxes.

When the imposter parents (who I believe are also foxes) chase little Ji Ah up into her room and her not-dad says, “You little brat!” (or at least, that’s what the subs we’re watching say), this is an example of what’s called ‘code switching.’ His phrasing is somewhat old-fashioned, which in this case helps to give the impression that he’s not human since it’s the cant of creatures in traditional fairytales. For anyone studying Korean, the line is, “요 년 봐라,” where ‘nyeon’ might mean anywhere from ‘girl’ to ‘wench’ or even ‘bitch.’

Okay, I have to ask. Does no one else in Seoul drive on Fox Ridge? How did Ji Ah have time to go home, get attacked, and then be returned to the scene of the accident (I’m assuming by Yeon) before anyone came across it?

Also, how did Yeon know where to take her? He tells grown Ji Ah that he just happened upon her after catching the scent of blood, but I get the sense there’s more to the story than that. I feel like this is part of a larger pattern wherein Yeon goes out of his way to rescue someone and then pretends as if he didn’t.

Episode 01 Title Card: What Happened on Fox Ridge

According to Yeon’s alarm, our current timeline begins on Saturday, August 29, 2020, and he has a wedding to attend. 2020 yet no COVID19? I guess this really is a fantasy drama. ;p

The BGM playing while Yeon gets ready is called ‘The Fox's Wedding Day,’ or, more literally, ‘day when a fox goes to be married’ (Yeou ga shijip ganeun nal) and it’s actually Yeon’s theme. I was expecting his theme to be the track entitled ‘Gumiho,’ but I guess not lol

The sun-shower. In both Japan and Korea, a sun-shower is known as ‘a fox’s wedding’ (kitsune no yome-iri/yeou ga shijip ganeun nal), so this is already cluing us in that the bride is a fox (I say ‘bride’ because both these phrasings typically apply to a bride marrying into her husband’s house. The phrasing is different for grooms, who ‘receive’ the bride). This is what Yeon means when he arrives at the wedding hall and says, “That’s because a fox is getting married today.”

It’s strange to me that the bride’s identity has completely dropped out of the subs. She’s Yeou Nui (literally ‘fox sister’), a folklore character of the Brothers Grim-style horror school of fairytales. Her thing is that she’s a gumiho who preys on families with only sons who desperately want a daughter. She insinuates herself into their lives, brings calamity down upon them, and finally, eats their livers. Like most fairytales, there are many permutations of her story, but many of them feature her saying she’s consumed 999 livers. I understand where - absent this context - some people might have seen Yeon as the bad guy here (spoiler: he’s not).

The subtitle here for Yeon’s line says: “But you need to know that changing your identity isn’t as simple as you think.” What he literally says is:

Yeon: How did you go to ground so completely? You think that if you change your face and your identity, your blood-stained past will change too, right? But changing lives isn’t as simple* as changing subway lines. [*Note: ‘simple’ is in English]

This is the first real dialogue we get from Yeon, and one thing it’s doing very intentionally is showcasing just how much he’s adapted to modern life. It does this both with the content of what he says (talking about changing subway lines), as well as with the amount of English loan words he tosses around. So I personally would have kept the bit about the subway in if I had been translating.

Yeou Nui’s line was translated as, “Please forgive me,” but it should more properly be, “Spare me,” or “Let me live.” Yeon is an enforcer, not a judge. (Also, ‘forgive’ is another word entirely).

Yeon’s line that’s subbed, “Listen, you fox. How could you dare dream of having a happy ending after eating so many livers?” is the result of what’s called diagonal translation, which is an unfortunate side-effect of subtitling conventions. What he literally says is:

Yeon: Yeou Nui, after eating the livers of countless adoptive parents and older brothers* how can you dream of a happy ending?

[*Note: The word he uses for ‘brothers’ here is 오라비들, which is a semi-antiquated word, and again, the sort of language used in folktales]

Yeon’s line, “Here’s a piece of advice” is more literally, “Here’s a bit of advice stemming from experience,” which is the first hint we get in-drama that he’s been in a similar position.

Nam Ji Ah

We get our first introduction to adult Ji Ah as she narrates the script she’s editing for her TV program on her way to the wedding hall. When Jae Hwan worries about her changing the script without the writer’s permission (again lol), Ji Ah's response translated literally would be:

Ji Ah: Then let’s go with this. PDs’ livers have to be swollen or coming out of their bodies.

That’s a pretty disgusting image in English, so I don’t blame the subs for changing it to something more sensical and less graphic. But as a cultural note, in Korea and Japan, having a large liver means to be gutsy or brave. Ji Ah’s character description similarly describes her as, ‘a woman whose liver is [so large it’s] coming out of her body,’ meaning she’s about as gutsy as it gets.

Okay, call me a cynic, but I loved Ji Ah’s line about not being able to digest wedding food due to the choking atmosphere of forced happiness pfft

Jae Hwan saying, “Who knows? You may meet your destined partner at a place like this,” as Yeon walks by in the background = Jae Hwan unwittingly hitting the nail of the head #1

Lol Yeon acting like a bored kid held captive at a dinner party while the wedding takes place. Bless Lee Dong Wook because I’m sure it’s all ad libbed. I feel like this could be a game: spot the LDW ad lib.

The Wedding Hall Incident

When Yeon returns to her dressing room after the wedding, Yeou Nui changes tactics from begging to putting her hackles up and challenging Yeon. Linguistically, that’s marked by her code switching to an archaic cant. Yeon, however, remains unfazed and responds with the most modern thing possible, completely undermining her bravado:

Yeou Nui: Oh former master of Baekdudaegan, what authority have you to condemn us?

Yeon: Get a hold of how she’s talking (rhetorical). Hey, if it wasn’t for you I would’ve been watching American TV shows while eating ice cream today!

Okay, I love the way Yeon materializes his sword. I thought he was (un-)transforming his umbrella at first, but he later does it with a plank of wood so I assume he can do this with pretty much anything?

On the topic of his sword, I posted a gif set not long ago referring to it as a sa’ingeom (사인��), literally ‘Four Tigers Sword’ (referring to the year, month, day, and hour of the tiger when such swords were supposedly forged). You’ll notice it doesn’t have a cross-guard since they’re traditionally ceremonial swords rather than actual weapons. The first sa’ingeom were made during the reign of King Taejo (1392-1398), but I assume they gave him one despite it being somewhat anachronistic because they’re also said to cut down evil spirits and ward against calamity. Mostly, though, it looks really cool and is very traditionally Korean.

Not for anything, but I love this BGM track that’s playing during the wedding hall fight (‘The Uninvited’). This short action sequence was so great. I wish we could have seen more of Yeon hunting down supernatural baddies. Also more of those gumiho eyes. More gumiho everything in general.

As he stabs her, Yeon’s line to Yeou Nui in the subs was rendered as, “Don’t do something stupid like falling in love in your next time.” I would have translated this as, “If you’re reborn, don’t do something so [useless] as falling in love.” Again, for anyone studying Korean, the phrase is ‘사랑 따위" (sarang ddaui). ‘Ddaui’ means ‘such a thing as,’ and it’s always used to disparage whatever proceeds it. There’s no good way to communicate that disparagement in English grammatically, so I opted for ‘useless’ in an approximation.

The BGM that plays the first time Ji Ah spots Yeon leaving the wedding hall is called ‘White Pupils’ (or literally ‘white eyes’). The imagery typically associated with that is death, so I’m curious what inspired the track title. Maybe they mean ‘white eyes’ like the fortune teller since it’s used at fateful moments?

“Who knows? That may be the story you were destined to cover.” = Jae Hwan unwittingly hitting the nail on the head #2

“Were they mass hypnotized or something?” = Jae Hwan unwittingly hitting the nail of the head #3. Thank you, exposition fairy. ;)

Okay, when Ji Ah and Jae Hwan examine the scene, Ji Ah’s line is subbed, “I need to see what that woman of this love story looks like,” which is ungrammatical in addition to being wrong. What she actually says is:

Ji Ah: I need to see the face of that protagonist of the Romance of the Age. [And I believe the ‘protagonist’ she was referring to is actually Yeon ;) This is bordering on meta, seeing as he’s actually the protagonist of the epic romance that is TotNT]

Kim Soo Oh

The BGM playing while Yeon sits in the park people-watching and then looks pensively at his hand is called, ‘Thread Rings.’ Between that, what LDW alluded to in his VLIVE, and some still cuts I saw of deleted scenes from EP16, I’m convinced there was something more to those rings that got cut due to time constraints. ㅠㅠ

Fun fact: This scene between Yeon and Soo Oh was the first scene of the drama that they filmed.

When Soo Oh asks Yeon what he’s doing there, the sub for Yeon’s response was, “Nothing other than waiting for someone.” That strikes me as off in tone as well as pacing. I would have translated it as, “Just.....waiting for someone.” (which is literally what he says).

When Soo Oh asks Yeon why he’s waiting, the sub says, “Because a fox can only love one person till death.” I don’t really have a problem with that translation, but what he literally says is, “Once a fox takes a mate they never forsake them. Until death.”

Sub: “How are you coping with that?” / “Not well.” > Literally: “Are you okay?” / “I’m not okay.” I actually like the sub here since it better conveys how precocious Soo Oh appears in this scene. He seems to alternate between precocious and adorably dim throughout the drama depending on who he’s with, though when he’s with Rang, it’s mostly the latter pfft

When Yeon turns down Soo Oh’s offer of friendship he says, “Your nose. I’m not big on men with runny noses. And human lifespans are too short to be friends with me.” Yeon's use of ‘men’ struck me as funny since I guess to someone over 1600 years old, an 8 year old and an 80 year old aren’t all that different. Also, Yeon giving serious life advice to an 8 year old is adorable. He talks to him like he’s an adult.

The Afterlife Immigration Office

Between the BGM and the way the camera pans up the endless levels of shelving, did anyone else feel like Yeon entered Hogwarts for a sec? (not complaining) ;)

For the record, Yeon uses banmal with Taluipa and calls her halmeom (granny). In contrast, Hyeonuiong is pretty much the only character Yeon speaks to in jondaetmal and addresses respectfully as ‘elder’ (eoreushin). He speaks to Ji Ah’s parents politely as well, but it’s mainly because they’re her parents.

The text introducing Taluipa’s character wasn’t translated in the version we’re watching but it reads: ‘The god who rules over the River of Three Crossings (Samdocheon), the boundary between this world and the next.’ The hanja for her name (奪衣婆) refer to her traditional role, namely, removing the clothing of the dead for her husband to weigh on the Uiryeong’su (su = tree) to measure the weight of their sins. This is the same tree that the Uiryeong’geom (the wooden sword that appears in EP13), is allegedly carved from.

Lol Taluipa saying she has to keep up with the times but also using a computer that’s positively ancient (come to think of it, it’s probably from the 80s since that’s her favorite decade)

Again, I’m surprised that Yeou Nui’s character name dropped from the subs completely. The subs here just say, ‘the female fox.’

For Taluipa’s line, the subs say, “You’re to obey the order and capture who you’re sent after,” but that’s a loose approximation. More literally, it should be: “If the higher ups say to bring someone in, then you just have to bring them in.” I’m only mentioning it because the line implys that both Taluipa and Yeon report to someone higher up the chain of command. Otherwise they may be misconstrued as Taluipa’s orders.

Yeon’s line, “My compulsory military service has gone on for 600 years. How could I not go crazy?” is hilarious when you consider that Korean men are required to complete 2 years of military service, and even that often feels like an eternity, so I think for any Korean, the idea of 600 years of it is just exceptionally cruel. The line is iconic enough to have been included in Yeon’s character profile.

I noticed this a while back, but ‘mountain god’ is being consistently translated as ‘mountain spirit.’ Technically, Yeon is (was?) a god, if a low ranking one in the grand scheme of things (the Korean word is ‘sanshin’ where ‘san’ = mountain and ‘shin’ = god). I understand the use of ‘spirit’ though, since he’s not a god as gods are typically thought of in western mythologies.

Lol Yeon sticking his fingers in his ears (I would bet money this was also an ad lib)

Taluipa has a line that’s subbed, “Foxes never stay in debt.” More literally, it should be, “They say foxes repay eunhye no matter what.” You can find my explanation of eunhye here.

Wow, the subs really dropped the humour ball on Taluipa’s line here. First off, she says, ‘Right now’ in English. And while the sub says “Do you want your freedom back?” what she literally says is. “Do you want to be discharged?” (since Yeon had just likened his duties to military service).

On his way out, Yeon actually tells Taluipa, “Halmeom, you’re going to go to hell” (which is not the same as the underworld/afterlife as it said in the subs. Taluipa’s job is literally to ferry souls, so she goes to the afterlife all the time anyway). Also, when he says “I’ll pray for it everyday,” his phrasing is that of an elderly person pfft

As I mentioned, Yeon speaks formally to Hyeonuiong, who in return affectionately calls him Yeon-ie or Yeon-ah, which I find adorable.

Lol I’m not used to Ahn Gil Kang playing such a friendly character. Seeing him wheedle Taluipa with aegyo is hilarious.

Code Red

Somewhat of a side note, I can’t help but wonder, is Shin Joo’s last name ‘Gu’ because he’s a gumiho, a la My Girlfriend is a Gumiho (2010)’s Gu Mi Ho-ssi?

I wish the subs had just left ‘Lee Yeon-nim’ as-is, instead of changing it to ‘Mr. Lee.' As a general rule, I’m in favor of preserving character forms of address when translating.

Personally, I would have translated the name of Ji Ah’s TV program as: ‘In Search of Urban Legends’ rather than ‘Unveiling Urban Legends.’

I really like the dynamic between Ji Ah and writer Kim Sae Rom. “Should we fight?” / “Yeah, let’s fight~” How great is it that this drama doesn’t have a single catty, bitchy, stuck-up or otherwise obnoxious female character?

For anyone keeping track, Shin Joo speaks to Yeon in jondaetmal while Yeon speaks to Shin Joo in banmal, underlining their master/retainer dynamic.

Side note: There are actually multiple ‘types’ of jondaetmal: what I think of as ‘neutral polite’ (i.e. simply adding ‘yo’ to the end of all your sentences), the more formal polite (i.e. ending with ~[seu]mnida), that which elevates the subject, and that which lowers the speaker. The interplay of the four allows for varying degrees of politeness. The way Shin Joo speaks to Yeon is pretty much the highest degree. That doesn’t mean they aren’t close. Polite language can indicate distance but also level of regard irrespective of distance. This applies to Rang and Yoo Ri as well.

Again, Shin Joo calls Ji Ah ‘PD-nim’ but that became ‘that female director’ in the subs. PD-nim is a respectful (and non-gendered) form of address, and it’s perfectly suited to Shin Joo’s genial and deferential personality, so I wish the subs had just kept it.

I read an episode recap where the recapper mentioned she wasn’t sure what Shin Joo’s deal was. At the time I was confused, but now I think I get it. In the subs, Shin Joo says, “When I’m a seasoned veteran? I’m now up to the point where I’m wondering if I’ve turned into an actual person.” What he actually says is:

Shin Joo: No way~ How long have I been living in this (the human) world? Recently, I sometimes even have an existential crisis wondering, ‘Am I a person or a fox?’

[So he flat out says he’s a fox here, but that wasn’t reflected in the subs.]

Fun fact: this was Hwang Hee’s first scene that he filmed with Lee Dong Wook, and the BGM as they exit is Shin Joo’s theme.

I love the way Lee Dong Wook played this scene where they pay their tab. That is all.

It’s only as Yeon and Shin Joo exit the restaurant that we see that the sign out front reads ‘The Snail Bride’ (Ureong Gakshi). This is another folktale in-joke, since the snail bride’s whole thing is that she cooks delicious meals for her human husband everyday.

For the record, the Snail Bride (Bok Hye Ja) also uses honorific language towards Yeon and calls him ‘Lee Yeon-nim.’ I just assumed it was in deference to his ex-mountain god status, but it turns out she has a personal reason for holding him in high regard as well that we discover in the final episode.

As Yeon and Shin Joo walk away, Shin Joo’s line is subbed, “That show’s actually quite famous.” Since Korean doesn’t require a subject, the sentence is somewhat ambiguous, but I understood him to be referring to Ji Ah herself rather than the show since he says: “[Something is] really famous around the broadcast station.”

Lee Rang

Lol Kim Beom. How are you 32 years old?

I love how sharp and no-nonsense Ji Ah is. It’s so refreshing to not have to wait for the characters to catch up to what the audience already knows.

Rang’s theme that plays as he transforms back into his suave self is so iconic. The music director (Hong Dae Sung) really is a genius. It’s funny when you think about how different Rang’s theme is from Yeon’s.

Fun fact: Kim Beom shared in his Instagram LIVE that Rang ‘picking the wrong shoes’ was actually intentional. He was testing Ji Ah to see if she’d notice.

Okay, Rang says here that he likes, “everything about her (Ji Ah) from head to toe,” (not in a romantic way but in a grudging respect/she’s fun to toy with kind of way) but what happened to that? Are we supposed to assume that he would have liked her if she hadn’t been the object of his brother’s affection? But he approached her knowing that’s who she was...? I don’t know. I do know I wish they’d had more scenes together. Their verbal sparring is great.

Side note: One Korean fan nickname for Rang and Yoo Ri that Kim Beom liked was ‘Hoket-dan,’ playing off the Korean for pokemon’s ‘Team Rocket’ (Roket-dan) and mashing it together with the ‘ho’ from ‘gumiho’ haha

Yeon’s obsession with mint chocolate ice cream is a hilarious counterpoint to his status as a cheon’ho and his ex-mountain god title. Point to the writer. In Japanese, this would probably be called ‘gap-moe’.

When Yeon tells the man behind the counter, “When I’m indebted to someone, I’m obligated to return the favor,” he’s once again talking about eunhye. As a fox, he’s supernaturally bound to repay good deeds done for him. As far as I’m aware, this is unique to the drama and not part of the traditional gumiho lore.

Yeon eating ice cream like a happy kid XD Lol Lee Dong Wook, how are you 39?

Fun fact: Yeon’s line when he answers Rang’s call, “The number you have reached doesn’t exist, you punk” was an ad lib by Lee Dong Wook. The combination of the formal phrasing found in a typical voicemail recording followed by ‘you punk’ is particularly funny. It’s so witty I actually wouldn’t have known this was an ad lib if LDW hadn’t confessed as much himself.

“Let’s meet.” / “I refuse.” / “I’ll set your house on fire.” Hahaha What is with these brothers? Are they 1600+ and 600, or 16 and 6? Are the zeros silent??

Bus 1002

Ji Ah: “If possible, pick a different dream. I’ve been on the clock for 22 hours straight now.” I like Ji Ah so much. She’s unpretentious, intelligent, honest, driven, resourceful and witty.

Lol As Ji Ah struggles with the old man, you can hear Yeon offscreen urging the driver to get moving. Only he calls him, ‘driver yangban.’ Yangban is originally a word for a nobleman, but much like the word ‘lady’ in English, what was once a term of respect is now...not. lol Also, I’m pretty sure this was another ad lib by Lee Dong Wook since it happens entirely in the background.

This scene with Ji Ah piggybacking the old man is so classic spooky-folktale. I love it.

"You’re the only person I saw.” *Close up of the totem pole* They managed to make that whole sequence creepy despite nothing actually happening. Cool cool cool.

So our old drunkard is revealed to be a Mokjangseung (mok = wood). Jangseung in general are totems that stand at crossroads and the entrances to villages. tvN published some backstory info explaining Ji Ah’s past with this particular Jangseung and why he elected to save her which I translated here.

Aaaand we’re back at Fox Ridge. I can’t believe I only just noticed this, but the episode title could refer equally to the accident in Ji Ah’s past and this bus accident in the present.

Of course Rang staged the accident at the site of Ji Ah’s greatest trauma. Also, the fact that he knows that about her is telling.

Appropriately, the BGM playing as Ji Ah arrives at the scene of the accident is ‘Fox Ridge’ (Yeou Gogae). Iconic.

Back over to Yeon. The first time I watched this I wondered where on earth he was heading in that downpour but it turns out he was in pursuit of Rang, who had given him the slip.

Seeing Yeon limping injured through the rain ㅠㅠ Also, while Yeon later tells Ji Ah he carries his umbrella everywhere because he hates his fur getting wet, he clearly isn’t bothered here, choosing to keep it sheathed on his back instead. I guess all bets are off when he’s in Gumiho Mode.

Detective Baek and Ji Ah speak in banmal and he calls her ‘Nam Ji Ah,’ which I assume means they’ve been friends for a while.

Wow, good for Ji Ah for having made note of the exact number of passengers in the midst of all that chaos. I certainly wouldn’t have.

Hospital Encounter

So after Rang gave his brother the slip, Yeon realizes the next day that he’s at the hospital thanks to the news article Shin Joo reads out to him. Idk but I like that shot of the two of them heading out. There’s something vaguely Avengers about it. Which is maybe not surprising given that was another early influence for the show.

I liked this conversation between Ji Ah and ‘Soo Young.’ We get to see Ji Ah’s own resolve and drive in the advice she offers: “Even so, I hope you’ll become strong. It’s way more fun to be a PD than a victim.”

As with when he arrived at the wedding hall, the cinematography + BGM as Yeon approaches the hospital with his red umbrella is just A++

The BGM playing when Ji Ah spots Yeon approaching the hospital information desk isn’t on spotify or anywhere else that I’ve seen. It reminds me a bit of the ‘Tubular Bells’ theme from the Exorcist (a movie I actually haven’t even seen). If anyone knows what it is, I’d love to know.

“My only talent is my face~” pffft Also, decidedly untrue.

When Ji Ah tells Yeon, “Yes, I’m scouting you, but not for that,” She literally says, “but not for that genre.”

And now the subs say ‘Fox Ridge.’ Okay, then.

When Yeon says, “From the sound of it, it won’t be well made,” ‘well made’ is in English. Again, the peppering of English through Yeon’s speech makes him sound more modern.

When Yeon says, “Plus, I’m very devoted” his line is more literally, “Plus, contrary to how I look, I’m the devoted type.” Are you saying you look like a player? pfft

Yeon is such a big softie, so why does he keep threatening to kill people? Does he not realize they might take him seriously?

For this entire conversation (interrogation?), both Yeon and Ji Ah are switching back and forth between polite speech and banmal, almost on a sentence by sentence basis. On the whole, it gives the impression of a verbal sparring match.

“It’s not as if this was a blind date. No thanks on a second one.” lol I do enjoy cheeky Yeon.

Oh, I love that Ji Ah thinks on her feet. Using her leather bag to lift Yeon’s fingerprints was a smart move. Although, I’m not entirely convinced it would work that well in real life.

The ‘grim reaper’s outfit’ exchange was a coordinated ad lib between Lee Dong Wook and Hwang Hee. I mean, of course it was lol Casting Lee Dong Wook is the gift that keeps on giving.

Was that supposed to be Yoo Ri entering ‘Soo Young’s’ hospital room in those boots?

Minor detail, but ‘Soo Young’ calls Ji Ah ‘eonni’ meaning ‘older sister.’ It’s common convention in Korean to refer to people by familial ‘roles’ that fit their general age range even when you’re not actually related. I could digress, but I guess I just find it jarring when they have her addressing Ji Ah by name in the subs since Ji Ah is older and virtually a stranger.

Okay, when ‘Soo Young’ hears that Ji Ah lives alone, the smile she gives is effectively creepy.

The contrast between ‘Soo Young’s’ narration and the events of what actually happened on the bus that we see as viewers is great. Point to the director.

Wow, Rang really just slaughtered a whole bus worth of innocent people without a thought. I feel like we all managed to forget that about him as the show progressed. Hats off to the writer and to Kim Beom’s compelling performance. I actually worried initially that Rang would remain a one-note character because that would have been such a waste of Kim Beom, who is a fantastic actor. I’m so glad that wasn’t the case.

I love the subversion of viewer expectations when it turns out that Ji Ah knew all along that ‘Soo Young’ wasn’t who she claimed. This is something TotNT does repeatedly and well. We get both the dramatic tension of her being in danger and the satisfaction of her having had the upper hand all along. Point to the writer.

I’m pretty sure Ji Ah knocked that pitcher over with the express intent of using a shard from it as a weapon. Point for character consistency. Past or present, Ji Ah is apparently a ‘stab first, ask questions later’ kind of girl.

The Brothers

“Hey you! I clearly told you I didn’t want a second date?!” Haha Oh, Yeon.

I saw comments from Korean fans about how Yeon burst into her house with his shoes on here, and now I can’t not think of them when I watch this scene: ‘Entering the house with your shoes on...in the Republic of Korea...Ha...’, ‘Even if you bust the whole house apart, you have to take your shoes off before entering...’ lol

I love Yeon’s line that’s subbed as, “As if, brother.” In Korean, it’s “Do you want to die, little brother?” The word he uses for ‘little brother’ is ‘아우야,’ which, while still used occasionally today, is an antiquated word Yeon might just as easily have called Rang 600 years ago. It’s also, in contrast to the first half of his sentence, quite an affectionate term of address.

Rang’s line subbed as, “It’s a long story, but the family has a dirty past,” should more properly be: “It’s a long story, but you might say we come from a broken home.” Saying they have a dirty past makes it sound like they’re the mafia or something. Also, as a fun language note, the expression is literally ‘a bean-powder household.’

“Are you worried I’ll be sucked into the Underworld?” should be: “Are you worried I’ll go to hell?” Not sure where they got ‘sucked into.’ Rang just means when he dies. Also, I wish the subs would do a better job distinguishing between hell, the underworld, and the afterlife. They’re three different words.

“It’s because you embarrass me, that’s why.” Lol at the way Yeon covers his eyes. That’s definitely another ad lib from Lee Dong Wook.

When Rang calls time here, he actually calls Yeon ‘hyung.’ I suspect this wasn’t in the script but rather something that slipped out subconsciously on Kim Beom’s part, since the writer was clearly saving that word for when it would hurt us viewers the most. ㅠㅠ

Yeon’s line is subbed, “Old habits really do die hard,” but it should properly be: “You still haven’t fixed that habit?”

“If you don’t find it until the end of the next month, this woman will die.” This should actually be: “If you can’t find [that] by the next end of the month, your woman will die.” The subject is actually omitted so it’s unclear to what exactly Rang is referring, which is intentional. I also understand hearing ‘your woman’ (ni yeoja) as ‘this woman’ (i yeoja), but when they later flash back to this conversation they use a different take in which the line delivery is clearer and I’m confident it’s ‘your woman.’ This also explains Yeon’s confusion, since at this point he didn’t even know she’d been reborn.

I Waited for You

For anyone wondering how Ji Ah got into Yeon’s apartment, apparently his house code is 0000 lol

From his expression as he discovers and then watches the video she secretly took of him, I feel like Yeon is impressed with Ji Ah in spite of himself and I’m 100% here for it.

For the record, from this point forward, Yeon and Ji Ah use banmal with each other. Ji Ah has a tendency to speak to many of the supernaturals in banmal, which is honestly the opposite of what I would have opted for in her shoes.

Yeon’s question of, “How did you come here?” could mean either, ‘What brings you here?’ or ‘How did you get [in] here?’ in Korean, and honestly they’re both valid haha

Minor note, but she actually says his Korean age is 36, which would be 35 by the typical reckoning...except he’s actually ~1636 so it’s a moot point, really.

Ji Ah’s line, “Now I can proudly say that it’s fate,” translated more literally would be: “At this point, it really is fate and not coincidence.”

I feel like Ji Ah’s strategy of throwing herself off the balcony here is possibly the only thing she does in this entire show that strikes me as dumb. Like, I’m pretty sure if Yeon hadn’t been both benevolent and able to fly (and she had no guarantee that he was either), letting her just fall here would have been the easiest way for him to resolve the matter/the only thing he could have done.

Yeon’s line, “Did you just test me?” is one of the rare instances in which he code switches to archaic speech. I guess using his gumiho powers put him in a Gumiho frame of mind. ;)

On the whole, I prefer the instrumental OST tracks to the lyrical ones, but ‘Blue Moon’ is just sooooo catchy. I wish they had continued using it more.

And that concludes Episode 1. I’ve never posted anything like this before, but hopefully it was at least mildly interesting. Let me know what you think.

#tale of the nine tailed #totnt #lost in translation #I've never done this before so think of it as an experiment #this is what happens when language nerds watch dramas #korean language #korean culture #kdrama #구미호뎐

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kim-lexie · 4 years ago

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do do sol sol la la sol.

overview.

this drama follows the story of our tragic ra-ra who is currently in a mess, when her fiance runs from the alter and her father unexpectedly passes away, she is scammed out of her money and finds herself in eunpo, a town full of lovely characters who come to surround her. as well as our man jun, who is ra-ra's knight in shining armor. i love it. it's great. their story is funny and lighthearted. i would rate it a 10 out of 10; however, that finale had me balling my eyes out and i felt oh so betrayed.

this was a fabulous drama. each and every week i was waiting for the next episode. thank you to our beautiful man, lee jae wook, for interesting me to watch this. go ara did a beautiful job and i loved her as this carefree character. jun was such a great stoic character and we were able to peel back all his layers and i loved that he showed rara a different side of him. they were so lovely together.

*spoiler alert*

goo ra-ra. this girl was our carefree gem. at the start it was more of oblivious as she lived a very sheltered life, one in which she was always supported by her father. she was his darling. when he suddenly passed away our girl was left abandoned. this was tragic and she only had mimi by her side. she got herself together, after being abandoned at the alter only to be scammed. the definition of tragic for our leading lady. then we run into our knight in shining armor as she was trying to meet mr. dodosolsollalasol. (very sketch but we live in dramaland and it’s totally normal)

sunwoo jun. his character is stoic and quiet, reserved. never ventures outside, stays quiet as we later find to stay hidden from his family. but when ra-ra enters she seems to open him up. he ends up helping her financially after she runs into him on his bike, and she is injured. logic is nonexistent at this moment (we later find that he knew her previously but she forgot about him...) but he nevertheless, helps a girl out and this brings us to the wonderful people of this town, eunpo.

jun takes her back to his home because our girl is homeless. and introduces us to the fabulous crew in eunpo. now they’re not about to let this new girl into their circle. however, she quickly makes her way with her sweet oblivious nature. i loved jin sook-kyeong, with her hilarious nature, the owner of the hairdresser next door to where jun was staying. and her daughter jin ha-young. it was so funny how ha-young transformed from being obsessed with jun to finally seeing that her best friend lee seung-ki had feelings for her all along! literally the cutest progression of friendship to romance. and i loved that we got to see them in the end after a few years with a family of their own.

i loved the little crew that they formed with ra-ra, jun, dr. cha, seung-ki, and ha-young. they were precious. how everyone would gather at jun’s workplace and eat dinner together. i loved how they all brought out different aspects of the other’s personalities.

the ladies that all meet at the hair salon provide so much aid to ra-ra and i love how they all gather around her in support of her dreams from opening her own piano academy ‘la la land’, to wanting to find mr. dodosolsollalasol. they all rally around her.

now ra-ra needs to earn her keep and pay back jun. la la land was a dream that came out of her wanting to continue to pursue music after her impact on mr. kim, an older fellow in the community who recently lost his wife. (side note: i loved the episode where jun played mr. kim and ra-ra his late wife in recreating their love story. it was precious, and my heart was sooo full). this venture to start lalaland leads her to a prodigy student, jae-min. this precious bean goes on to do great things!! i also loved the moments when jun and ra-ra would come together after their long days and she would play the piano and jun would tidy up the space. they were cute and supportive of one another.

i cannot forget about our doctor cha eun-seok. this man seemingly followed ra-ra to eunpo. he wanted to escape seoul and start fresh in eunpo. he seemingly pursues her briefly but ra-ra already has feelings for jun. but he is a constant in her life, always there to be supportive of her dreams, and be there as a shoulder to cry on especially at the end.

now on to the tea. as it turns jun has been on the run from his family. which turns out to be sunwoo group, the owner of the main hospital in seoul. and turns out jun isn’t an oppa, he is a senior in high school. he ran away after his family’s pressure became too much. they were unsupportive of him in his academic pursuits, as well as neglected his feelings of grief after his best friend ji-hun passed away in front of his eyes. but min-su the owner of the agency sent to track jun down comes and notifies his mother. and everything blows up. and we find out all about this and it shocks everyone in eunpo. especially our ra-ra.

jun of course is dragged back to seoul to be essentially in lock down to study, but he misses everyone in eunpo especially his ra-ra. they seemingly go back to a somewhat normal life. jun in seoul studying, and ra-ra pursuing her career as a piano teacher. but our sweet beans seung-ki and ha-young decide to open a wedding business and use ra-ra and eun-seok as their first trial wedding. jun sees this post on social media and runs to eunpo, stealing the bride at the alter and running away with her. it was quite the ending to the episode. i was floored. like noooo way would she marry dr. cha. she still loves jun! and of course she did.

nevertheless, jun still needs to finish school and then after the exams they decide they can meet again. but in the interim jun comes to find that he has leukemia. here is where it gets ohhh so soapy. he doesn’t want ra-ra to see him like this so he uses min-su, as he was investigating how jun was, to his advantage. he has his friend from school stand in as his ‘girlfriend’ to prove that he has moved on from ra-ra. it was devastating. because how she has truly realized how important jun was in her life and that she wanted to be with him.

among all of this ra-ra comes to find that mr. dodosolsollalasol was not mr. kim but rather jun all along! she walks by a cafe of the same name and it all comes flooding back. they met prior to her piano recital, jun bought her a drink from the cafe because she lost her wallet. and it all comes full circle. she had to leave before he could come back after a phone call. jun sees the message she wrote to mr. dodosolsollalasol, and comes to see her one last time before going off to treatment. but they keep in touch via messaging and phone calls. he even does a virtual piano recital with them on christmas eve. it was precious.

and you think all is well. he will come back after treatment, and they can be together. well you thought. if you asked me at this point what i would rate this drama, a 10 out of 10. but these last two episodes threw me. his mother returns and basically says that jun is dead. everyone in eunpo thinks this man is dead. years....i say YEARS later ra-ra is playing her little song she played whenever jun would come home from work, and homeboy decides to waltz in the door. what the even?! at least they end up together, but i was still at a loss as to why he lied. it was so uncharacteristic of him. quite disappointed in the writers’ choices here.

honestly, when i look back i still recall fond memories of this drama, but the last two episodes were soooo sour. but lee jae wook was in it and he got the girl in the end so i guess that makes up for the deducted points due to the nonsense. so it is still a 10 out of 10 in my book. i would highly recommend this one. it was a gem.

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ichliebeanimalcrackers · 4 years ago

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Secret Love Affair

Yes, I’ve watched another Kdrama and this one is definitely getting added to the “My Favorites” list. I’d describe it like this: if the Palme d’Or could be awarded to a television show, then this one would definitely be in the running (and it would most likely win it). There are 16 episodes but it feels more like a movie and that’s one of the things that makes this drama stand out. I’m not sure where to begin, so I’d like to apologize in advance if this particular opinion piece is all over the place and has no respect for proper punctuation. I had a lot of feelings after watching this drama, and one simply needs to let all of that energy out. With that said, I’m just going to do bullet points because that seems to make sense in this situation lol

Since music is always an essential part of any show/ movie (especially in this case), I have to start with the soundtrack because it’s magnificent. It really is. It fits well with the theme and constantly adds an extra layer of emotion to what’s already happening on the screen. Whenever you hear the end credits waltz, you know something is about to happen and it makes you feel a bit uneasy. “Four Hands” is full of longing and “Affair” is cautious but steady. More often than not, this show uses music to convey emotion in place of a dialogue. One needs to simply listen and look at the characters expressions to understand what’s happening. One of the great things about music is that on some awesome, cosmic level it’s alive and has the power to make us feel and understand things without any words.

Whenever I watch a show, I like to read the comment section because there are always interesting opinions out there. I was surprised to see that some people thought that the pace of the show was too slow. I certainly respect other people’s opinions, but I personally think that it wouldn’t have made sense if the story kept on jumping from one thing to the next. There was plenty of intrigue throughout the entire series, and I was already feeling nervous 10 minutes into the first episode. It’s a difficult situation to be in, but Sun Jae/ Hye Won met their soulmate. They have finally met their match. They both see each other for who they are and that’s more than enough to fall in love. What’s even more awesome is that something was already there even before they officially met. He briefly saw her at the concert hall and she saw a video of him playing piano (just his hands). Talent recognized talent and the rest is history.

Honestly, I was surprised with her friends. Pleasantly surprised. They already seemed like pretty cool people from the beginning and it was made even more evident as the show progressed. I expected them to scold and alienate her, but they didn’t. They were there for her and even comforted Lee Sun Jae when he had no one else to turn to. I bet they were shocked to learn about the relationship between the two (and the other stuff), but they tried to understand the situation from her point of view and didn’t leave her side when things really went downhill. We can only guess what happened after the events in episode 16, but I really hope that Professor Jo got appointed as the next Dean instead of Oh Hye Won’s husband (Professor Kang)...The man is obviously more qualified, has a good personality, the students respect him and he’s simply a chill guy.

Speaking of Oh Hye Won’s husband...I feel bad for saying this but that man is just pathetic. Don’t get me wrong, they all have their own flaws but in this case there was nothing that set him apart other than him being totally indifferent unless it had to do with his position in the school hierarchy. He, along with the others, was ready to throw her under the bus for the “greater good” if the situation called for it. At some point in the show, I believe they do mention that they didn’t marry for love and that it was more of a comradeship. This means that they’ve been married for at least 10 or more years and you would think that during that time people would become each other’s support system. Nope, not in this case because the man never cared to begin with and it seems that she’s the one who has always carried the relationship. She definitely works more, she’s a better musician and she’s kind of a legend in this school/ foundation and perhaps that’s why (subconsciously) her husband always felt inferior. Yes, it must hurt to find out that your spouse is having an affair, BUT I don’t think that’s what bothered him so much. I think he was more scared of losing his chance of becoming the next Dean and not being able to mentor Sun Jae (who would definitely further solidify his credibility as a professor). I might be wrong, however, that’s how it seemed to me. There were a couple of other instances when he should’ve taken her side. For example, that scene when she comes back home with a bandaid on her forehead because the psycho lady threw game pieces at her and it cut her skin. A normal person would've been concerned that someone would do that, but he simply brushed it off as if it’s OK that they treated her like that. Ugh, just thinking about it annoys me.

The cinematography was great. It’s a different style and it stands out from the ones that one would normally see in other dramas. It fits well with the mood of the show. The camera shots from different perspectives, the color and how some of the angles repeat but at different pivotal moments throughout the show added an extra oomph to the overall viewing experience.

If anything, this show should give people an appreciation for classical music or at least they’ll be able to recognize it whenever they hear it again. I was listening to songs on YouTube Music the other day and a song popped up in the “recommended” category and it was the Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody On A Theme of Paganini, and I immediately thought “Omg! That’s the piece that he plays during the recital!” If it wasn't for this show, I would’ve never known the title of this piece.

The way Sun Jae treats Oh Hye Won. We really do need to take a minute to talk about this because certain details were too precious. Everything was always done with sincerity and without trying to show off in front of the person that he loves. First of all, the way he started mopping the floor when she came to his apartment for the first time. He didn’t let her step onto the floor until it was clean (it already looked pretty clean) and he gave her a towel to clean her hands after she touched the staircase railing that leads to his apartment. How he makes sure that her head doesn’t hit the pipe when they are walking through a construction site/ abandoned building. How he went on a full cleaning/ home improvement mode when she sent him her confession because he wanted this to be a safe place. He changed the lightbulb outside, so it wouldn’t be as dark in the stairwell and he power-washed the concrete stairs. He treats her like she’s the most treasured being he’s ever encountered in his entire life. These actions might not be heroic or grand, but there’s a lot of warmth/ love within them. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the shoes. They way he constantly places and rearranges her shoes. Bonus: the fact that Oh Hye Won listed him in her phone as “Home” and when he sees that...Ahhh! My heart is so full!

All of the actors were great. The age difference between the two main lead actors is similar to the one of their characters and it made this story more authentic/ believable. I don’t think it would’ve been the same if the actors in real life were the same age but one of them tried to play someone younger/ older. Their chemistry was on point too and they simply look great together.

The fact that they both knew the severity of the situation and the repercussions that might come with it will surely send chills down your spine. It is an extremely risky situation and perhaps more for her than for him but it’s still dangerous. I’ve read a comment where someone mentioned that up until 2015 adultery was punishable by law in SK. After reading that, it certainly put things in perspective. I think they both felt the spark from the very beginning, but Sun Jae was bold enough to be the first one to say that he has feelings for Oh Hye Won. And how difficult it must have been for her to take a chance on something that she wasn’t expecting. The characters know and we as the audience know that there’s no turning back once they take this leap of faith. I mean *shivers* it’s impossible not to feel nervous for these two! Bonus: their first night together. Great choice by the director to only let us hear their conversation while showing spaces in the apartment. It’s their moment and theirs alone.

Something else that I like about this show is that Sun Jae never let others influence his opinion/ stance on the matter at hand. For the most part, he based his opinions on what he was experiencing and what he was able to observe. Of course there were things that he didn’t understand due to his age and perhaps in certain aspects it’s good that he didn’t fully understand, but he certainly wasn’t oblivious. Also, I like that Oh Hye Won didn’t treat him like a child. She’s older, that’s true, but she wasn’t constantly reminding him of it. Even with the age difference, they are equals and understand each other in a way that’s unique to them. When they had moments of frustration, it wasn’t because one of them felt inferior. It was because they saw the other person hurting and felt helpless for not being able to make it better.

The horrible people that she had to work for. Oh Hye Won is a smart individual, and I’m sure she knew exactly who she was dealing with and the things that they were capable of. Nevertheless, she carried on while keeping her head high without letting things get to her. The thing that frustrates me the most is that this diligent, intelligent, talented person took most of the beating for something that the other party was equally guilty of but most of them were able to walk away unharmed. At the end of the day, they regarded her as a disposable tool and didn’t think anything of it. It’s just unfair. I was glad that at least some of the others who were involved got what they deserved. One must have nerves of steel in order to endure what her character had to go through and not lose one’s dignity in the process. You can’t help but have respect for someone like that.

As much as I wanted a more Hollywood type ending, I think the writers gave us the most realistic and logical ending. Even though she had to go through all these hardships, she’s finally free from the grasp of those who have never truly valued her. There are still challenges to conquer, but at least she will be in control of her life and all future decisions will be hers. I suppose that in the end she was indeed the true winner.

Sun Jae’s soliloquy at the end *sigh* If that’s not one of the most romantic and heartfelt speeches of all time, then I don’t even know anymore. They’ve always had their own way of communicating, especially through music/ music references, and this one is perfect. I can’t figure out if it’s the same piece that he wrote about in his journal as a kid or if it’s the one that Professor Jo recommends to him or could it be the one that’s listed by Oh Hye Won’s name in the program? In any case, it’s extremely fitting that he would compare her to a classical piece of music. She’s the physical embodiment of that music. He will play it every day regardless of the weather or his mood. They have to be apart for the time being, but this will be his way of keeping her close. Once again, I think this goes to show that their connection goes beyond the ordinary. It’s on a cosmic level and just like music it has no boundaries.

The show has an open ending and I truly like to believe that everything turned out OK. I’d like to believe that he did win the competition. I’d like to believe that she was released sooner than expected. I’d like to believe that they lived a long and happy life together. That’s what I believe and I’m going to stick with it.

Moral of this long post: this is a great show and it’s worth it.

#secret love affair #kdrama #kim hee ae #yoo ah in #another one #viki #6 years too late #but that's okay #ahn pan seok #jung sung joo

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collectsfallenstars · 5 years ago

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Gravity: A Summary of the Development of Jeong TaeEul’s Feelings for Lee Gon in “The King: Eternal Monarch (Part 2 of 3)

EPISODE 5

Once she lands on the Kingdom of Corea and he gives her his name, Lee Gon, all bets were off. All protests she had in her head had been silenced at the face of this new reality. She now has to deal with this strange pull that she feels towards him.

It had been easy in the beginning to say she was doing it out of duty. And when it became more than that, she could say it was pity because of what little she knows of his family history. But now, she was there in Corea with him without any excuse. She was there for herself, she wanted to know this man. And in this episode, she got to know him without even spending much time with him. He wooed her, and won her over, with almost no effort on his part.

Now, let’s talk about the kiss. Because this episode will definitely be remembered as the one where Lee Gon kissed her. Kisses are important, yes. It’s a sign of a more visceral nature, something material that can affirm the physical attraction that had always been there. And she is aware that he’s attractive. It’s been overtly said numerous times in the first few episodes. And Jeong Tae-uel is very much aware of it. however, what is important to note though is what she told him before the kiss, when he rested his head on her shoulder in a seemingly romantic gesture.

“YOU’VE NEVER DATED BEFORE, RIGHT?

“YES, I HAVE.”

“SHOULD I GUESS WHEN?”

“GUESS.”

“NOW.”

I like how this works two ways and they reveal two layers of Jeong Tae-eul. This can first be understood as a challenge to Lee Gon, which is what he understood it as. It is a direct challenge to his experience in dating. She’s basically saying he’s absolutely clueless, an amateur to wooing girls. She is not impressed. And that’s standard Jeong Tae-eul behavior—shooting down Lee Gon. However, underneath this bravado is a softer side of Jeong Tae-eul. This is the slightly insecure woman who has now seen how far away she is as a commoner from the other world to the king of this world. So with this line, she’s also actually asking how many women he has been with, how many women has he treated this way, is she special enough, how might she fare against the ghost of those other women?

And the two-fold meaning of this line is what makes this scene so delicious, especially as Lee Gon took this moment to purposefully interpret her question in another way. After taking it as a challenge, he kisses her in order to prove to her that yes, he does know what to do on a date, he knows how to kiss, has kissed before, but he actually evades her question by saying that he kissed her to declare to her that they are now dating. And yet, neither of them have ever clearly stated how one felt for the other. But with this kiss, and her being there voluntarily, they are both sure that something is there between them, something worth exploring and deepening -- otherwise, he wouldn’t have persisted in reaching through her emotional wall, and she wouldn’t be there in his kingdom, letting him in slowly.

Also, I would like to point out how much I like that she didn’t recoil from a kiss, which can sometimes be the norm in most k-dramas. Those surprise kisses can sometimes be cringey, even if it’s meant to portray the innocence of the female character and the passion of the male character. Jeong Tae-eul here is not a wilting little flower who can be shocked by a kiss and I am here for it. Now, while she didn’t recoil, she also didn’t kiss back either. And I am fine with that because she’s not exactly someone who is easily overcome with passion.

You will see her reaction though, in a flashback of this moment in the next episode. And it’s only revealed much later how she reacted after that kiss. You see, he gave out telltale signs that he was going to kiss her by moving his hands up and around her face and angling his head towards her. He moved unhurriedly, not slow, not fast, unhurriedly. And because it was a gentler kind of surprise kiss, you can see how she had time to prepare for it. Her eyebrows moved up like she was confused that this was happening. And then you see her eyes focus on his lips. When their lips touched, you can see from her profile that her eyes had opened wide. She did not look in pain. She did not look like a kiss was forced upon her. She looked like a woman who was kissed by someone she would accept a kiss from, but had no idea how badly he had wanted to kiss her just then. And when Lee Gon moved back to declare that they are now dating, Jeong Tae-eul’s face was the softest it could look while simultaneously being amazed at his audacity. And then she quickly changes the subject. I love Kim Goeun. That is all.

Okay, now that they’ve established that there’s a physical attraction there, it was time to put a little bit more substance into their relationship. Kisses don’t make relationships after all. In the following morning , JTE accompanied Lee Gon to some of his royal engagements, dressed as one of his security guards.

Seeing Lee Gon open a basketball tournament and give a lecture on math in a university made her realize how adored he was not just for his looks, but for the way he interacted with his people, and his intellect. He wasn’t some crazed maniac prattling on about parallel universe. She got to see him as the King he said he was and he was loved, he was magnetic.

She walked around a country that looked beautiful, prosperous, peaceful and most of it was because of his leadership. His country showed him to be a capable, powerful, and yet graceful man. And for a strong, no nonsense woman like Jeong Tae-eul, all those traits were very attractive. Strength respects strength after all. But for her, who had to grow up fast because of an almost incapable father who would accept eggs as tuition fee, those traits would also mean that she can actually depend on Lee Gon.

Jeong Tae-eul is characterized as someone who is a very capable detective and skilled martial artist. Lee Gon often says what an amazing woman she is while watching her work a case. He looks at her almost like a savior. In the next episode, we will see more of her history with Kang Sin-jae. And he also looks at her like she was his savior. And she is. She did rescue him from living a thug life. At one point, she even held things together at her father’s taekwondo studio. Being a strong, independent woman is definitely a point of pride for her but at times, it can also be very exhausting. And if she deems herself as strong, she needs someone equally as strong, if not stronger than her, before even considering to hold on to that person’s hand when she needs help. Lee Gon was exactly that kind of person.

Another thing that possibly won her over was the fact that he didn’t drag her all over the place while he had to fulfill his duties. He gave her space, as strong people often need it. He let her go and explore on her own, but not without keeping her protected through Jo Yeong.

And in perhaps, one of the sweetest gestures in the series, Lee Gon personally picked her up when she was stranded without a ride back to the Busan palace. It was a gesture that was perfectly timed. For Lee Gon, he had just finished all his duties for the day so it wasn’t much of a problem. But for Jeong Tae-eul who had spent the entire day exploring his kingdom and being reminded at every turn how much he had accomplished, how great a king he is right down to a building sized poster of him. All this greatness is bound to make her feel a little small, no matter how confident Jeong Tae-eul. And so when he picked her up in such a grand fashion, as what a king does of course, ignoring protocol or risking being photographed together, it reminds her that Lee Gon will always be ready to shorten any kind of distance between them – whether it was king and commoner, or the infinite space between their two worlds.

EPISODE 6

Lee Gon at this point is full on boyfriend mode, even without the labels. He is openly declaring his feelings to those near him, even his enemies. He let PM Koo see how he laughs in the presence of Jeong Tae-eul, which he has never done with her nor with anyone else in public. And in his private plane, with two of his staff looking at them, he plays with her hands under the pretense of having a secret conversation, and also affirms to his secretary that Jeong Tae-eul is the woman he had been talking to her about. Now while Lee Gon is there, enjoying the fact that he finally has Jeong Tae-eul by his side, she is on a different page even though she’s letting him get away with all is public displays of affection.

“I WAS TRAVELLING AROUND TODAY AND I REALIZED YOU MUST HAVE BEEN LONELY IN MY WORLD”

“WERE YOU LONELY HERE?”

“IT WAS FRUSTRATING TO NOT HAVE SOMETHING THAT COULD PROVE MY IDENTITY. THATYS FOR COMING TO PICK ME UP.”

This scene marks a clear shift in Jeong Tae-eul’s perspective on Lee Gon. And true to her character, she communicates it properly and clearly. Having spent the entire day in an unfamiliar world, she gets to fully put herself in Lee Gon’s shoes when he first arrived in her world and it isn’t lost on her how horrible she was to him. She was the one who had constantly doubted him at every turn when he was trying to prove who he was to her. Once their places were switched, he gave her a wide berth, provided protection from afar, and only swooped in when she called for his help, instinctively knowing that this was what she needed to see things for herself. He was kind to her, gentle, right down to this moment when he’s preparing dinner for her. And instead of giving her a hard time about how mean she had been to him, he instead chose to focus on her loneliness while in his kingdom. Her discomfort overrides any hardship he had experienced in her world.

Although this does reveal a humbled, softened Jeong Tae-eul, it does not necessarily mean that she’s jumping in with both feet into this thing with Lee Gon. This total admission that she had been wrong to treat him so harshly while he was in her world and the thank you that followed almost feels like a goodbye. Now that she has seen the truth, that Lee Gon is the King from the Kingdom of Corea, she’s also very much aware that she’s from the Republic of Korea. While their parallel worlds are real, one rule for parallel lines is that they will never, should never meet.

This is why she didn’t hug Lee Gon after he shared his history of betrayal at the hands of his uncle. This is why she keeps asking for her ID so she can go back to her world, and Lee Gon senses her instinct to pull away before she gets involved further with him. Because that’s what she’s doing. At this point, she knows this won’t end well for both of them.

That’s why she gave a resigned answer when Lee Gon said he was trying to make her jealous over a mystery woman he had prepared a meat dish for.

“I CAN’T BEAT THAT PERSON ANYWAY. WHOEVER IT IS, THAT PERSON MUST BE FROM THIS WORLD.”

She is trying to withdraw further and further away from him by saying this. I am not from your world. I am not fit for you. But then Lee Gon chooses this moment to give her her ID card in order to drive home the fact that he doesn’t care about them belonging to different worlds. Her ID card came to him at the most important part of his life and while it’s still an unsolved mystery for him, he seems to have taken it as fate at work.

“IT SEEMS LIKE A DIFFICULT QUESTION TO SOLVE, BUT THERE MUST BE A SIMPLE AND BEAUTIFUL FORMULA FOR IT. AND YOU ARE THE ANSWER I’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR. FROM NOW ON, I WILL PROVE IT ONE BY ONE. WHOEVER IT IS, AND WHICHEVER WORLD THE PERSON IS FROM, YOU’VE BEAT THAT PERSON.”

And with this, he pulls her right back to him. He is telling her that he refuses to let her go and downplay her importance in his life. She is connected to, if not the reason, why he survived. She is the reason why he is here in the first place and he swears to her that he will prove it and make her see for herself, the way he’s done before when she had doubted him.

“SO DON’T YOU DECIDE ALONE TO LEAVE LIKE THAT.”

When he tells her this, he essentially solidified them as a couple in the most base

sense of the word. Not the lovey-dovey boyfriend/girlfriend let’s go steady now feel. They are together now, a couple, two people taken as one. That’s why important decisions have to be made by the two of them together. Although he knows he has the power to stop her from leaving him with just one command, he won’t do it. Because they’re both adults and not a modern day representation of beauty and the beast. There will also be no silent self sacrifice for the happiness of the other. There will be no fading away into the night, or disappearing forever into the other world. I mean, that’s good if you’re looking for melodrama. But this couple isn’t after that. They are surprisingly just a normal couple, but with unusual circumstances. See, normal couples communicate properly. Whatever happens to them will be decided by them. It is a fitting declaration of war against the laws of parallel universes just before he leads his country to a naval war with Japan.

And in the moments when they are alone in the room before she sets off for her world, she sees him in his navy uniform. A picture of dignity and strength, traits that are attractive to Tae-eul, of course but he is also a picture of heavy responsibility. And behind him looms his imperial robe, a symbol of the country he is responsible for. And for Tae-eul, who had just been pulled back into this thing with Lee Gon, this sight was especially bittersweet. This was the man she was with and he carried with him an entire country, across the universe. He can’t just leave and go live with her in her world.

And yet, he persists to make it work somehow.

“I WILL COME BACK TO YOU. WILL YOU WAIT FOR ME?”

Jeong Tae-eul nods yes. And when Jeong Tae-eul says something, she means it. This time, she’s all in with this relationship. And she’s never been the wishy washy type.

“I WILL SEE YOU AGAIN, LEE GON.”

This was Jeong Tae-eul reaffirming his existence. She believes him now, knows who he is now. And also, by saying his name so boldly like this, she is stepping up and laying her claim on Lee Gon. She was saying, okay, you defied the laws of the universe and crossed over to my world to find me. Now I’m going to defy the laws of your country and call you by your name, because only I can do that, because you’re mine now.

#the king eternal monarch #jung tae eul #jungtaeeul #lee gon #leegon #jeong tae eul #jeongtaeeul #kimgoeun #kim go eun #lee min ho #leeminho #kim eun sook #kdrama

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storm-in-a-glass · 5 years ago

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My favorite ships from kdramas - appreciation post (part 2)

I have no idea if you've been waiting for that but I described the last list as part one, so I guess I should make another one. So today is The day. BTS plays in the background, list is ready, I have exam in two days but who cares, let's go!

1. What’s wrong with secretary Kim? - Kim Mi So & Lee Young-Joon

Let’s be honest. We have Park Min-Young and Park Seo-Joon. It had to work. They had to had crazy-like chemistry, it was meant to be. Whenever there was a kiss I’ve been worried my computer will set himself on fire bc all this hotness. Iconic comedy, iconic character of Park Seo-Joon, iconic romance. Also can we all agree that Park Min-Young have like the best luck when it comes to screen partners? Shit, girl. You must have saved thousands of people’s lives in your past life.

2. While you were sleeping - Nam Hoong-Joo & Jung Jae-Chan

Second Male Lead Syndrome hit hard with this one. But still not hard enough to stop me from gushing over the Nam Hoong-Joo and Jung Jae-Chan cuteness. I mean, c’mon. Suzy is motherfucker queen and Lee Jong-Suk is so pretty it makes my eyes hurt. Plus I adore that they were just so idk normal? Not perfect like most of the kdrama’s couples. She has growing hair leg, and he can be gross sometimes. SO WHAT?! Welcome to the real world. They loved each other anyway.

3. Innocent man/Nice Guy - Seo Eun-Gi & Kang Ma-Roo

Man, between all this fluffy couples this one is kinda dark. But that's exactly what I loved about them. She was a bitch, especially at the beginning. He was a the dickest dick in the whole Dickland, Mayor of Dickville. Two sinners, bad, broken and selfish. Raw. Different. Flawed. They were hurting, they've been hurt. The ending of the drama was meh for me but this couple stands strong. And you know that Song Joong-Ki is the only one for me. He just makes me so happy whenever he's on the screen.

4. Touch your heart - Oh Jin-Shim & Kwon Jung-Rok

They proved love exists in Goblin and now they did it again. Firstly: Oh Jin-Shim is one of my favorite female characters ever. She's just so cheerful and inspirational. I watched this drama when my life was kinda shit, but after watching her journey back to the top I felt great, like I could do anything. Secondly: Kwon Jung-Rok is the cutest idiot ever. He's so charming with this awkwardness of his. And together they create this cute, healthy kind of relationship I stan so much. LOVE THEM.

5. Her private life - Sung Deok-Mi & Ryan Gold

So like I said before I'm pretty sure that Park Min-Young could create great chemistry even with a plain chair. But holy shit, in Her Private life we're getting whole Mendeleev's table. The story is pretty simple, there's no incredible groundbreaking plot, but Kim Jae-Wook is so hot and works so amazing with Park Min-Young that I didn't even care for the plot. I just wanted to look at him as long as I could. Also, Ryan Gold is perfect boyfriend. I want him for next Christmas.

6. Angel's last mission: love - Lee Yeon-Seo & Dan

Omg, I shed so many tears on this one. Being completely honest I wasn’t huge fan of Lee Yeon-Seo at the beginning, she was really annoying for me. But Dan, my baby L, was such a cutie I decided to watch it despite of female character and boy, I am so happy I did that. It was truly touching, sad but beautiful story. And mains are just two puppies, so in love with each other, that you have this sudden desire to leave kdrama’s world, go outside, meet someone and being as cute as Yeon-Seo and Dan. Fortunately, this desire passes very quickly. I have another episode to watch, you know?

7. Cheer up! Sassy go go - Kang Yeon-Doo & Kim Yeol

I know most of you have a very strong Second Man Lead Syndrome when it comes to Sassy Go Go. And let me just tell you: I would die for Seo Ha-Joon. Ji Soo is one of my favs and he did such a breathtaking job in this drama. When I started watching it, I've actually been thinking I would be suffering, bc after watching few videos on YouTube I knew that SMLS is strong with this one. I wanted to ship him with Kang Yeon-Doo. And partly I do, I am. BUT DAMN. KIM YEOL. Like I said, I was prepared for loving Seo Ha-Joon. I was rooting for him even before watching. But then that one scene happened and that was it. I was done. You know which one I'm talking about. "One, you move away first. Two, I move away first. Three, since we're in this position anyway, we do it". It made my heart beat faster and since that moment I was sold.

Btw that plot line with parents was totally unnecessary. Why, writers? Why?

8. Because this is my first life - Joon Ji-Ho & Nam Se-Hee

This drama is so important for me, you have no idea. I just felt it to the core of my being. And no, I didn't married my hot landlord although i'm not opposed that idea but it's just freaking incredible story about growing up, learning how to do this whole adult-shit, being your own person, being someone's person and finally about finding yourself. GOD, IT WAS SO GOOD. And main couple! UGH. My babies! I know I named Kwon Jung-Rok from Touch Your Heart the cutest idiot ever but in that moment I guess I had to forget about Nam Se-Hee, bc he wins that category. But he was also understanding and respectful and patient and just...kind. Just simply kind but somehow that is everything. Plus I love Kitty. It's the prettiest cat ever.

9. Extraordinary you - Eun Dan-Oh & Haru

The latest drama I watched and holy guacamole, I loved it so much. And even though I love Baek Kyung with my whole heart I don't even know why because he's an asshole, I just have to admit that Haru and Eun Dan Oh are freaking perfect for each other. THE WAY HE RESPECTED HER. Damn, that's some valuable shit right here. Watch and learn, boys. WATCH. AND. LEARN.

10. Encounter/boyfriend - Cha Soo-Hyun & Kim Jin-Hyuk

The last but not least. Actually, it’s my fav couple on this list. Noone is able to dethrone Kang Mo-yeon & Yoo Shi-jin from DOTS from being my fav ultimate, but damn I must say Soo-Hyun and Jin-Hyuk were really close to do that. I fell in love with them since the first scene and now, long after watching it, I still think about them everyday. I’m not even joking. Where you can find a man who’ll take cute photos of you and dance salsa with you on Cuba? With whom You could talk about poetry and art? And who will be as cute as Park Bo-Gum? Any ideas? I’m not asking for friend, I’m asking for myself.

#kdrama #kdramas #what's wrong with secretary kim #while you were sleeping #Innocent Man #nice guy #touch your heart #her private life #angel's last mission: love #cheer up sassy go go #because this is my first life #extraordinary you #encounter #boyfriend

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jodieminimal · 6 years ago

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Kim Jae Wook - Actor Spotlight

June 5, 2019 by misvictrix [Soompi]

Kim Jae-wook is in this week’s spotlight, but he hardly needs an introduction. His recent drama Her Private Life, where he starred opposite Park Min-young, is quickly becoming a cult favorite — and yep, both their performances were fantastic. As the drama has just wrapped up (nooo!), it seems like a good time to take a look at Kim Jae-wook’s acting career.

Born in 1983 in Seoul, South Korea, Kim Jae-wook’s career had an early start in 2002 with a small role in the MBC drama Ruler of Your Own World. He was young at the time, and apparently didn’t enjoy the acting experience. Instead, he focused on his modeling career for many years. When Kim Jae-wook finally returned to the small screen, it was with a supporting role in two now-classic dramas: Dal Ja’s Spring and Coffee Prince.

Although those dramas (especially the latter) should have been enough to guarantee his success, it hasn’t been till recently that he’s starting to get the recognition he deserves. After Her Private Life, he’s definitely at a great point in his career. Quick, make us more dramas!

Here are some dramaland moments from Kim Jae-wook, followed by his full filmography.

Who Are You (2013)

I’m not quite sure how I got through all of this drama. I don’t like creepy tales, and I especially don’t like poorly written creepy tales. However, I have a soft spot for Taecyeon, and tvN, so it seemed like a good idea at the time. Little did I know that this drama would be my introduction to Kim Jae-wook (*choir of angels*). It’s not exactly easy to steal an entire drama when you don’t even have a single line of dialogue — but Kim Jae-wook sure pulled it off. In Who Are You Kim Jae-wook played the wrongfully-murdered beloved of So Yi-hyun’s heroine. She was haunted/visited by him (depending on how you look at it, I guess) and it’s just a testament to his acting that his character was able to have the impact he did. White as a sheet, more silent than any Jang Ki-yong role, and not even doing much but standing there, Kim Jae-wook’s compelling screen presence held this drama together. Thank you.

Temperature of Love (2017)

In the face-off of Yang Se-jong and Kim Jae-wook, who can ever win the heart of the heroine? Truthfully, this drama was about much more than its love triangle — in fact, the love triangle was one of the weakest elements. It’s also one of the rare dramas where my perennial second lead syndrome was shelved (it’s a good drama practice to shelve that painful emotion from time to time). In Temperature of Love, Kim Jae-wook was cold, rich, and completely taken with Seo Hyun-jin’s screenwriting heroine. Though I didn’t love how the triangle/tension played out in moments, I never doubted the authenticity of his character’s emotions. Kim Jae-wook was also a nice foil for Yang Se-jong, who seemed extra young and chipper next to the suave businessman with the power to make or break the people around him.

Her Private Life (2019)

I loved the thought of Kim Jae-wook and Park Min-young starring together, but wasn’t really sure what to expect out of this drama… and boy have I been pleasantly surprised! I’m one of the first people to get drama fatigue over rom-coms with no personality — luckily, Her Private Life has not only personality, but pizzazz, super duper chemistry, and yeah, it’s also hilarious. Kim Jae-wook is great in this role, and it’s such a better character for him than the somewhat (conceptually) similar role he played in Temperature of Love. Here, he gets to have so much more fun, not only because he’s actually in the leading role, but because the script, thankfully, gives him more to do than just be a cold, smitten boss. Not that he doesn’t rock cold and smitten too.

Kim Jae-wook’s full filmography:

Ruler of Your Own World (2002) [Drama]

Kim Jae-wook made his acting debut with a side role in this Lee Na-young and Yang Dong-geun drama, but apparently had a bad time filming, and wasn’t sure about pursuing acting.

Dal Ja’s Spring (2007) [Drama]

Though many were blinded by Lee Min-ki when they watched this drama, Kim Jae-wook had an important (for his career, not really the drama) side role here as Lee Min-ki’s friend. Importantly, this drama was his return to the small screen after a 5-year break.

Coffee Prince (2007) [Drama]

I love long-haired Kim Jae-wook. That is all.

Antique (2008) [Film]

Comedy film based on a Japanese manga about a bakery that starred Joo Ji-hoon, Yoo Ah-in, Choi Ji-ho, and Kim Jae-wook, and got a good bit of acclaim.

Kingdom of the Wind (2008) [Drama]

Kim Jae-wook had a side role in this epic historical drama that told the story of several figures from the Three Kingdoms period.

Pygmalion’s Love (2010) [Drama]

Having grown up in Japan (he spent 7 years there), Kim Jae-wook has a great command of Japanese and it’s helped his career a lot. This short Japanese drama with Kim Joon and Minamisawa Nao is just one example.

Heart of Gold (2010) [Film]

Kim Jae-wook and Hong Kong actress Janice Man starred in this web-released movie about a Koream artist who travels to Japan.

Bad Guy (2010) [Drama]

No matter how bad the hero is, or how bad the plot is, this melodrama is one I want to watch. In addition to Kim Jae-wook, this drama starred Kim Nam-gil, Han Ga-in, Oh Yeon-soo, and Jung So-min.

Mary Stayed Out All Night (2010) [Drama]

This rom-com starred Moon Geun-young, Jang Geun-seok, and Kim Jae-wook and hit some hairy behind-the-scenes drama. In-drama drama was more about love, marriage, and forging marriage certificates.

Save Me (2010) [Film]

Short art film with Kim Jae-wook and Kim So-yi as a couple with a weird hobby.

Who Are You (2013) [Drama]

Getting ghosted by a ghost has never looked so good (see above).

Age of Feeling (2014) [Drama]

Unfortunately, Kim Jae-wook met with more behind-the-scene drama while shooting this ill-fated Kim Hyun-joong historical drama, and left mid-show after its writer swap.

4teen (2014) [Drama/Cameo]

Kim Jae-wook played the adult version of one of the leads in this two-episode drama special about a group of fourteen-year-olds.

Sweet Temptation (2015) [Web Drama]

I’m not sure how Kim Jae-wook wound up in this series of short dramas written for the members of T-ara, but he did.

Planck Constant (2015) [Film]

This art film starred Kim Jae-wook in the lead and chronicled his odd and/or erotic fetishes.

Two Rooms, Two Nights (2016) [Film]

Kim Jae-wook starred as a popular movie director who tried to keep two girlfriends going simultaneously. I’m not sure if we’re supposed to sympathize with him or not? Because I’m not.

The Last Princess (2016) [Film]

Sohn Ye-jin starred in this historical film as the last princess of Korea, and Kim Jae-wook was the Japanese nobleman who married her.

Voice (2017) [Drama]

The first of OCN’s Voice dramas made a big splash, and Kim Jae-wook got a lot of attention for his role in this Jang Hyuk and Lee Hana drama.

Temperature of Love (2017) [Drama]

It might not be perfect but I really enjoyed this drama — and the wonderful cast: Yang Se-jong, Hyun Seo-jin, Kim Jae-wook, and Jo Boa (see above).

Butterfly Sleep (2018) [Film]

Kim Jae-wook starred with Miho Nakayama in this Japanese film about a writer with Alzheimer’s who met a younger Korean man (Kim Jae-wook).

God’s Quiz: Reboot (2018) [Drama/Cameo]

Kim Jae-wook had a cameo in the final episode of the latest/fifth installment of this series about a medical examiner’s office.

Her Private Life (2019) [Drama]

Lion Ryan Gold. Yes, yes, all the YES (see above).

BONUS: I read somewhere that Kim Jae-wook loves to clean and sometimes cleans for 4-5 hours at a time. I just needed to share that information.

#kim jae wook #her private life

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unsaltedbutterandwheatbread · 7 years ago

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Inner Duchess’ Thought of: 9 K-Dramas Premiere’s Week

Last week felt like a very busy week since we had 9 K-dramas’ premiere episodes along the week. I repeat, NINE K-DRAMAS! I feel proud of myself for watching (or at least peeking) 6 out of that 9 dramas and I will share my thoughts about them. I’m not ranking them but order it by alphabetical instead.

Because This Is My First Life / 이번 생은 처음이라

Our leads: Lee Min-ki and Jung So-min.

Such a refreshing drama! The story is about Nam Se-hee and Yoon Ji-ho, who end up live together in one house where Se-hee is the landlord and Ji-ho is the tenant. Se-hee needs to pay the house’s mortgage so he rent one of his room in his house and Ji-ho needs a place to live in Seoul. Many things happen, Se-hee and Ji-ho decide to tying the knot, even though they know each other not long ago and yeah, no love between them (yet).

This drama gets my attention because of its slice-of-life genre and all the characters’ problems feel so close to me: things about getting a good job, things about survive in a big city, things about married a perfect man, things about live separately from parents, etc. Because the characters are 30-ish years old, I feel like their problems are (or could be) my problems since age 30 is just a few years away from me :’D This drama also like questioning me what would I prioritize for my future: good career or having marriage (or maybe both?)

Black / 블랙

Our leads: Song Seung-heon and Go A-ra.

Honestly I didn’t plan to watch this drama since I kinda bored with the theme. But well, later I found this drama quite interesting. The story is about Kang Ha-ram who has an ability to see the shadow of death, the “thing” that will appear on someone’s back when their death is around them. She and people around her thought her ability is a curse and Ha-ram herself afraid of that thing decide to wear sunglasses everywhere she goes. Then she meet Han Moo-gang, a detective whose actually her childhood friend. Things happen and suddenly Moo-gang possessed by a grim reaper.

One thing I wait from this drama is Ha-ram and the possessed Moo-gang hand-in-hand help people from their death. Episode 1 is more interesting that episode 2 but this the point: the ending scene of each episode is such a tease and make me want to watch the next episode so bad!

Go Back Couple / 고백부부

Our leads: Son Ho-joon and Jang Na-ra.

Just like Black, I didn’t plan to watch this drama. The story is about an unhappy married couple, although they've married for a long time. Choi Ban-do and Ma JIn-joo used to love each other but then they regret married in young age. They decide to separate and divorce, wishing they could turn back time when they were a stranger for one another. One morning, their wishes fulfilled and they back to the time when they still a 20 years old university student.

Jang Na-ra is really no aging at all. She’s almost 40 years old but this role of 20 years old university student still suit her. I only get peeking on first episode but I will try watch the second episode this week. It’s not like I don’t like the drama, but I still have no interest in the drama. Hope will like it because the story is kinda light and no need to thinking hard XD

Mad Dog / 매드독

Our leads: Yoo Ji-tae, Woo Do-hwan, Ryu Hwa-young, Jo Jae-hyun, Kim Hye-seong, and Hong Soo-hyun.

The main idea of this drama is about a team leads by Choi Kang-woo, a former detective, which have a role to investigate insurance fraud’s cases privately. BUT YEAH THERE’S WOO DO-HWAN EVERYBODY! My current crush after watch him in Save Me :x

But not only Woo Do-hwan, I found Ryu Hwa-young is so great in this drama and I didn’t expect I’ll love her! Anyway, I feel a little Lookout’s vibe as they work as a team, just like in the Lookout drama (but I hope Yoo Ji-tae has a different fate with Kim Young-kwang in that drama XD). I’m such a trash about this genre and definitely add this drama to my Wed-Thu schedule!

The Package / 더 패키지

Our leads: Jung Yong-hwa and Lee Yeon-hee.

Another drama that I didn’t plan to watch to. The story is about a small tour group from South Korea travels to France and lead by a Korean tour leader in France, Yoon So-so. The travelers themselves have their own stories and how they end up taking the tour, including Yoon So-so herself.

I grew up as a tourism high school’s student and at first I only want to check the drama since I never found a drama with this theme before. And actually, I love the drama! I usually love travelling show since I could feel like I join the journey and no wonder I love this drama. And add Jung Yong-hwa, he’s such a cutie pie hereeee! :3 Oh yeah, there’s Yoon Park here too, he appears as a mysterious man and I kinda sure he’s So-so’s ex fiance, but we’ll see. Oh by the way, I found out that Air France sponsored (what is the correct way to say it?) this drama and no wonder it sets in France. OH I’M SO EXCITED OF THIS DRAMA and definitely will add to my Fri-Sat schedule ^^

Witch’s Court / 마녀의 법정

Our leads: Yoon Hyun-min and Jung Ryeo-won.

MY FAVORITE ON-GOING DRAMA! Honestly this is another drama I didn’t plan to watch to BUT IT TURNS OUT TO BE MY FAVORITE! Ma Yi-deum is not like another heroine we had in legal drama: she’s more like an anti-heroine, acted perfectly like a witch, and kinda annoying. She uses many drastic methods to make sure she always win all her cases. After got an incident with her senior, she is transferred to a special division that handle any kind of sex crimes. She teams up with Yeo Jin-wook, an older-rookie prosecutor who used to be a psychiatrist.

Ma Yi-deum is soooo annoying yet so refreshing for me and Jung Ryeo-won nailed it. She’s the reason why I hooked up with this drama. She is so fragile since her mother left her when she was a teenager but she won’t show it to the world. She acted so tough and sometimes so witch-y and that’s why I love her. On the other hand, we have a calm, gentle, and good-looking rookie prosecutor, Yeo Jin-wook who could balance Yi-deum. And yeah, they really have a good chemistry! I don’t know will Yi-deum and Jin-wook end up together or not but I really love them as a partner at court. This drama topped my on-going drama list and yeah definitely add it to my Mon-Tue schedule.

As you could guess, I didn’t watch another 3 yet: 20th Century Boys and Girls, Revolutionary Love, and Avengers Social Club but I think I will try to watch the first 2 episodes. Avengers Social Club most likely to be the first I will check out since I kinda like the synopsis. For Revolutionary Love, I think I will check it out for Gong Myung (ah he’s such a cutie with his spectacles ;D) and for the 20th Century Boys and Girls, I didn’t think it will suit me but we’ll see.

So, wishing you have a busy week till November! :D

#because this is my first life #이번 생은 처음이라 #ocn black #블랙 #go back couple #go back spouses #고백부부 #mad dog #매드독 #jtbc the package #더 패키지 #witch's court #witch at court #마녀의 법정 #inner duchess thought #kdramas talk

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kdramareviews · 7 years ago

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❊ IT’S OKAY, THAT’S LOVE ❊

RATING: 100000/10

Yes, here I am again with my exaggerated rating--but, if you just watched the drama with me in person, you would have understood how crazy I was for it.

My friend kept telling me to watch this show over and over again because her bias from EXO (D.O.) was in it. She would tell me that it was such a good show, and it was one she would highly recommend. But me, being the stubborn me, was still so caught up with Fight For My Way; that, I didn’t even bother checking it out. But just last week, I have never been so crazy over a man called Jang Jae Yeol.

OKAY FIRST LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT. I NEED TO LET MY FEELINGS OUT.

JANG JAE YEOL (played by Jo In Sung) IS HANDS DOWN THE MAN OF MY DREAMS. OKAY, I KNOW I SAY THAT ABOUT ALL THE MEN IN THE DRAMAS I WATCH, BUT THIS MAN. THIS FREAKING MAN. HE IS LITERALLY SEXY INCARNATE. SEXY IN A WAY THAT 1) THE WAY HE TEASES HAE SOO, AND 2) HE IS AN EDUCATED MAN WHO WRITES NOVELS AND HANDLES A RADIO SHOW. THE AMOUNT OF TIMES I SLAPPED MY BED/WANTED TO PUNCH MY LAPTOP BECAUSE OF HIS IMMENSELY FLIRTATIOUS PERSONALITY IS INNUMERABLE. I HAD TO PAUSE THE SHOW BECAUSE MY EMOTIONS WERE SKYROCKETING. LIKE ONE MINUTE I WOULD BE LIKE “OMG I LOVE YOU JANG JAE YEOL THE SWEETEST BOYFRIEND IN THE WORLD” THEN THE NEXT “OMG JANG JAE YEOL MARRY ME AND HAVE MY CHILDREN YES DADDY THE ONLY DILF IN MY LIFE”. It was indeed a rollercoaster.

From the first episode, Jae Yeol’s flirty and teasing personality was already seen--especially, in the part where they had the talk show between Hae Soo and Jae Yeol. I was immediately hooked from that part on. I knew I had to keep watching.

The show is interesting as it tackles mental health issues like depression, schizophrenia, and many others which I quite liked. It helps the viewers understand that mental illnesses aren’t “light” diseases that can be cured through simply pills or support groups. Mental diseases are actually quite severe to the point where isolation is necessary as it can harm the patient and even those around the said patient. Apart from that, it gives a nice view of the people who surround this patient--how they cope with a loved one who has this disease.

Sure, this plot may make the drama sound quite heavy as it involves mental illnesses (well, for me, if I read a summary that explained similar to the way I did)--but, it was not, surprisingly. It is both a light and heavy drama, in a sense. A majority of the drama was amusing and light because of the chemistry between the couples in the show. But towards the end, it starts to get serious as these mental illnesses arise and become issues. Other than that, it was the most entertaining drama I’ve watched. You actually won’t be able to sleep because you’ll want to watch the next episode--especially, if the next episode could involve a kiss between Jae Yeol and Hae Soo. BuuUuuUuUuuut, I wouldn’t want to spoil it, so I guess you’ll just have to watch and see for yourself.

WHICH LEADS ME TO MY EMOTIONS OVER THE CHEMISTRY BETWEEN Hae SOO AND JAE YEOL--MY DREAM RELATIONSHIP WHICH MY FUTURE BOYFRIEND. IF I DO GET ONE.

Hae Soo is literally me--but, not to the extent that she gets panic/anxiety attacks when someone kisses her. It made me quite sad that the reason why she developed this illness is because she was traumatized from having seen her mom cheating on her father. And to think that some people have experience as well is extremely saddening.

But apart from that, Gong Hyo-Jin a.k.a. my queen, played her role as Hae Soo exceptionally. I absolutely love Hae Soo’s assertive personality as it makes her appear like such a powerful person. And every time she was able to beat Jae Yeol in an argument (ESPECIALLY IN THE FIRST EPISODE DURING THE DEBATE ON THE TALK SHOW OMG) I internally scream, “YAS QUEEN THAT IS MY QUEEN GIRL POWER SISTER!” And wow. If I were a man, she would probably be the woman of my dreams. She is the kind of girlfriend I want to be. I absolutely loved her teasing personality as it made Hae Soo and Jae Yeol’s relationship extremely exciting.

I particularly remember what Kwang Soo said that Hae Soo will tease the man she likes constantly, whereas the man would be completely impatient in having sex with her. Yes, people, I said sex.

I just love that personality of hers! She is so dominating! Yet, she is also educated as she is a doctor as well, and a loving and sacrificial daughter to her family! I mean??? Who wouldn’t want a woman like Hae Soo???

And because of her dominating and assertive personality, and Jae Yeol’s teasing and sexy personality--Jae Yeol and Hae Soo is probably the hottest couple in all of the dramas I’ve watched. THE AMOUNT OF TIMES THEY TEASED EACH OTHER AND KISSED EACH OTHER. And not to mention, this is the first drama I’ve watched that involved sex as a topic. It is quite on the mature side, which I really enjoyed as someone who is in nearing her 20s.

AND EVEN THE OTHER CHARACTERS AND SIDE COUPLES PLAYED THEIR ROLES EXCEPTIONALLY.

Soo Kwang (played by Lee Kwang Soo, yes the comedian, even I was shocked to find out that he acts too!) was a character I extremely admired. He has this disease called Tourette Syndrome where the patient would experience “motor and vocal tics (according to Google)” in unexpected times. But what made him special was that, despite this syndrome of his, he never gave up in trying to heal himself. And when another character was diagnosed (that’s for you to find out who when you watch the show ;)) with a mental disease, he was the most supportive person ever. He was probably the number 1 fan of Hae Soo and Jae Yeol and it was the cutest thing ever. He would mostly be on Hae Soo’s side and join her in calling Jae Yeol a “player” and a “dog”--which, was the funniest thing ever.

And other than that, I was so happy when he was successfully able to find a woman he likes and accepts this syndrome of his. And that woman was played by my first girl crush, Lee Sung Kyung--who of course, executed her role exceptionally as well. I found it quite weird, however, that Soo Kwang was already someone in the working age, but he dated So Nyeo (played by Lee Sung Kyung) who was a high school student. But other than that, they relationship was still slightly cute as So Nyeo was an absolutely supportive girlfriend who loved Soo Kwang even for his syndrome--which, “heals” throughout the show.

And even Dong Min (played by Sung Dong Il) was a great actor. I remember he played the antagonist in Legend of the Blue Sea, so it was quite new for me seeing him as a protagonist this time. But, wow, he executed his role as a doctor and a support system for all the characters! He has a fatherly image to me especially, because he was someone every one came to when they had problems--apart from him being a doctor as well similar to Hae Soo. He was a wise man who always confronted Hae Soo and Jae Yeol when something was wrong, and he always knew the right things to say--especially, in the scene when Hae Soo was starting to realize that she had feelings for Jae Yeol.

And his relationship with Young Jin (played by Jin Kyung) who was another doctor was one I truly treasured. Dong Min and Young Jin used to be married, but got a divorce. And though Young Jin still had feelings for Dong Min--which, she admitted in the middle of the show--they compromised by becoming close friends towards the end. It was a relationship that was so comforting, because it just goes to show that sure, you did love this person to the point you married this person, and even though these two people may be separated, your love for someone will never fade, it was just converted into a different kind of love--like a friendship type of love. And wow, just the thought of that was so comforting to know.

And of course, a special mention to Kang Woo played by our very own EXO’s D.O. who executed his role exceptionally as well. Kyungsoo is extremely talented as someone who has one of the sweetest and most remarkable voices in the K-Pop industry. And other than being a worldwide singer, he is now a renowned actor. Kudos to you, Kyungsoo! I find Kyungsoo such a cutie throughout the show as he wore school uniforms, and cute striped shirts. He is indeed a smol boi. I really don’t want to mention his character as it kind of spoils the show, but he played his role exceptionally well--trust me on this.

AND ALL THE OTHER SUPPORTING CHARACTERS, OF COURSE, PLAYED THEIR ROLES WELL AS THE SHOW CAME OUT TO BE ONE OF THE MOST RENOWNED SHOWS.

I always say this in the reviews I write but: I wish I could say more. But, of course, a novel of my appreciation for this drama would be more convenient.

I extremely recommend this show to everyone, especially if you’re looking for shows that are light and have a more mature vibe. I was extremely satisfied with the show, especially with the ending as well, as it was filled with moments that make you extremely giddy to the point where punching one’s laptop would be necessary. And yet, it is a show that tackles different kinds of love which I liked as well. And on a personal note, this show surprisingly also gave me tips for when I do get into a relationship.

Just a disclaimer too, this show does have a mature vibe, and there is a scene where sex is involved. So, just take that into account when you do plan on watching this show.

Other than that, the show is absolutely one of my favorites with a great plot and a great cast.

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jae-bummer · 7 years ago

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My Idol: Party Thirty One

My Idol From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My Idol is a South Korean competitive reality dating game show. It currently airs on Wednesday nights on Jae-bummer’s blog. First broadcast in 2016, the show offers the opportunity for a lucky fan to go on seven blind dates with seven idols. The idol plans the date with the show throwing in specific missions to complete during the day. At the end of the initial dates, the show opens up an audience vote to decide what three idols will move on to the second date.

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - Part 9 - Part 10 - Part 11 - Part 12 - Part 13 - Part 14 - Part 15 - Part 16 - Part 17 - Part 18 - Part 19 - Part 20 - Part 21 - Part 22 - Part 23 - Part 24 - Part 25 - Part 26 - Part 27 - Part 28 - Part 29 - Part 30 - Part 31 - The Finale

You stood on your tiptoes as you peered over the waist-level cement wall keeping you from the bustling streets of Seoul. The wind whipped around you, causing your clothing to dance, independent of your own movements. The sounds of the city contaminated the gentle orchestral music pumping from a hidden speaker on the rooftop. It was the perfect place for a bad situation.

And that was a conservative way of phrasing the situation you were in.

The cars and buses and people below had no idea you were up on the top of that building. The salarymen, schoolgirls, and even perhaps a hustling trainee, lived their lives independently of yours. They made decisions that had brought them here, to this very moment, as they struggled down the street to work or school. You however, had made the decision that had brought you to this rooftop.

You could have been one of them. You could have been on your way to work. You could have been continuing on in your mundane, every day, but you didn’t. You had signed up for the biggest reality television series since We Got Married or Superman is Back. You opened your heart up to complete strangers just to have it taken from your own chest. You had been given an opportunity to make another decision.

That’s what this was after all. We all make decisions every day. We decide to carry our bodies out of bed. We decide to go to work or not. We decide to put our best face forward or hide from the world. We make our own agendas. The universe works around our decisions, and you knew that. You knew tonight, that there would be no right or wrong, but only a series of shifting possibilities of what could be. With each word you spoke, with each action you considered, and with the big decision you had to make, your future was yours to create. It was your destiny to shape.

So why did you feel as if there had to be a right or wrong decision?

You supposed it was the natural need every human faced to justify why they had made a decision. Obviously if one was wrong, you would feel more at peace with yourself about leaving it behind.

But the problem was...you didn’t want to leave anyone behind.

You turned around, running a hand through your hair to clear any loose tendrils from your vision. The roof of the restaurant that the My Idol crew had commandeered had been decorated with elaborate lights and roses, the ideal setting for breaking a very capable heart.

Maybe even your own.

You closed your eyes as you turned your back to the streets below you and leaned against the half wall. You crossed your arms and took a deep breath. At any minute, you would be launching yourself toward another string that would connect you to a new decision down the road.

Damn, you were sick of deciding.

You guessed this is what happened whenever you actually wanted the power to be in your hands instead of the viewers.

“Y/N,” a quiet voice broke through your thoughts. You opened your eyes and looked over, noting your favorite producer. “It’s time.”

“Can it not be?” you whispered, looking down to the pavement.

She fixed you with a sad smile as she set her palm on your shoulder. “I trust you’ll make the right decision.”

And there they went with the right or wrong decision again.

While you wanted nothing more than to explain to her that there were technically no right or wrong decisions, there was no time. More production crew members were appearing and several cameramen. You felt oddly comforted by the sight of Sweaty and Armpit, the only two people who knew the entirety of your journey.

What wonderful company to be in.

You uncrossed your arms and slowly made your way to the platform centered toward the end of the roof. You gingerly stepped onto the hollow material and positioned yourself toward the middle of the small stage. You waited patiently knowing at any moment, the My Idol contestants remaining would be ushered out.

Your idols.

You thought back to the entirety of this crazy situation you had been thrown into. Jay Park and Lee Jooheon knew the insanity of My Idol all too well and it was hard to imagine the experience without them. They provided a view of what it looked like to be two men on completely opposing sides of a spectrum.

On the surface, Jooheon and Jay looked similar. Both were talented, good looking rappers who worked incredibly hard in their field. They both composed and wrote, stayed true to their respective teams, and had tried to find love on a reality television dating show.

What the world had a hard time understanding was how intricately different they were.

You knew from your very first date with Jay that he was going to be a recurring issue in your future chapters. You despised him on sight, vowing to yourself that you wouldn’t give in to his greasy charms or devilishly good looks. You knew that deep down, his pretty face covered up an ugly side that had gained reputation in the industry. He was nothing more or nothing less than a player.

That was until he kissed you.

That was until he called you.

That was until he showed up to your date with poor, unknowing Sehun, to simply see if you were alright.

That’s when things turned.

You hadn’t realized things had turned with Jay until your mouth had responded with little hesitation at the first voting special. When given the opportunity to continue with any idol who had been eliminated, you had given that gift to Jay, the one you had originally thought to be less deserving. With the coming dates and trials the two of you would face, you found out how truly electric he was. He was like a magnet pulling you in just enough. His attention was addictive and he was just as willing to give you all of his as you were to give him only a portion of yours. He was content with being the man you had chosen, and not the man Korea had chosen.

Things never had to turn with Jooheon. You were smitten from the start.

You respected Jooheon and were admittedly a fan of his music before you even set foot on your first date. He had lived up to every idea you had of him in your head and made him fit into the mold you wanted him to. He found no issue in following the My Idol rules and was a shining example of how a contestant should perform during dates, challenges, and the act of capturing your heart.

Yes, Jooheon was the man Korea had chosen, but thinking back, would he have been the name you would have spoken aloud instead of Jay if he were put in that bottom tier position? Although, Jooheon didn’t really confirm your feelings until your second date, you wanted to think you would have chosen him just the same. But that was not a decision for you to have made...this was.

You tried to keep your eyes from brimming with tears as Jooheon appeared first. His steps were confident as he approached the platform, his own eyes darted every way beside actually connecting with yours. You could tell he was nervous no matter how much effort he put forth to look otherwise.

You nodded at him, biting your lip as your eyes finally met. You recalled the situation from when you had left him in the airport, knowing that this moment would be happening in only a week’s time.

You had always like airports. You liked the idea of a giant waiting area where people were leaving and arriving to begin different chapters of their lives. Every emotion could be felt in the terminal of an airport and that intrigued you.

You had gripped to his jacket with life you didn’t realize you had in your fingers. You were scared and confused and had no idea of what to do next.

“It’s going to be alright,” Jooheon had chuckled, his face deep in your hair. “I’ll be there. Things are always alright when I’m there, aren’t they?”

You hummed a response, unsure of yourself, so how could you be sure of him?

“I know this is scary,” he continued. “I know this is a decision you didn’t want to make...but we’re here now. There’s no avoiding it. Someone will be hurt and I’m selfish to hope it isn’t me...but most of all I hope it isn’t you.”

“I’m going to be hurt,” you had squeaked. “I can’t imagine having to pick between the two of you.”

Jooheon had leaned back, tilting his head so he could focus on your face. He lifted the back of his hand to pat gently at the tears streaming down your cheeks. “You’re strong...and in the end? We’ll all be okay.”

You looked at the man who had consoled you through multiple My Idol episodes, even during the last the two of you had been on together. He let out a deep breath and nodded at you, allowing for a slow smile to spread on his face.

He was right. At the end of this evening, someone may be hurt...but you would all be okay.

You looked from Jooheon’s face and to Jay who had appeared out of the door behind him. His movements were much less confident than Jooheon’s. He tripped over the narrow carpet the My Idol crew had rolled out, leading to the platform you were all standing on. He tried to recover, moving into a more leisurely stroll as he continued down the carpet. You weren’t used to seeing this side of Jay and it made your stomach flip.

Seeing an unconfident Jay made you nervous.

Jay smiled at you, offering up a small wink as his eyes immediately sought out yours. He wanted your comfort and you were unsure if you could give it to him. Quickly finding his spot beside Jooheon, he grasped his hands before him.

It was time to begin.

“Hey guys,” you whispered, barely capable of looking up from your shoes.

“Honey-babygirl,” both guys nodded. They looked up for a moment, catching each other’s eyes with a scowl before beginning to laugh nervously.

“Guys,” you nodded again, directing their attention back to you. “...I...um...I don’t really know how to start.”

“With a decision,” Jay nodded with a laugh. “I mean...that’s what I would prefer.”

“I can’t say I disagree,” Jooheon muttered.

If it were only that easy. “This has been an...eventful journey to say the least,” you hummed, trying to center your thoughts. “It’s hard to believe how this all began...I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be standing here, in front of two men I care about very much. I remember each date as if it were yesterday. We all started this journey...afraid...skeptical, maybe even worried. None of us had any idea exactly what to expect. The hardest part of this whole experience has been the moments where I’ve been powerless...and the moments of not knowing what to do next. My biggest fear during My Idol has been falling in love and not having that love reciprocated...I’m selfish. I haven’t wanted my heart broken and I haven’t wanted the responsibility of breaking a heart...”

You took a deep breath, trying to ignore the tears beginning to stream from your eyes.

“And I’ll be the first to admit, I’m still afraid. I’m not thinking about now. I’m thinking about the future...about my possible forever and how it’s so hard to know what decision will make me the most happy. I also know...in order to overcome that, I have to make the decision. I have to choose one of you...Jooheon...or Jay.”

You looked up to each man, making sure you stared directly into their eyes. You wanted them to know how much you cared, even though you were about to disconnect from one to grow stronger with another.

“I’ve always heard,” you continued quietly. “When you have to make a hard decision...you should flip a coin. Because when that coin is in the air...you suddenly realize what you have been hoping for. I’ve realized...as I’ve been going on dates...”

You hiccuped, letting your emotions get the best of you. You stopped for a moment and wiped the tears.

“I’ve realized that eventually...I’ve gotten more excited to hear from one of you over the other...and my heart has made the decision on it’s own...

And the idol...the idol I choose...is...Jay.”

You felt as if the growing tension before you had been popped as if it were a balloon. The stifling weight released from around you as Jay’s shoulders loosened and Jooheon’s only tensed. Jay nodded, a grin covering his handsome lips as he began to step forward.

A moment that should be regarded as a celebration for a new couple only meant the death of what could have been. A strange feeling began to coat the air and intertwine itself amongst the three of you as electricity seemed to course from Jooheon’s body. While Jay pulsed with positivity, Jooheon could only scowl.

You immediately wanted to reach for him. You wanted to comfort him and use all of the words you weren’t able to say. You wanted to create an intimacy in the denial you had been forced to enact. You felt incredibly guilty and the pain of your choice stung.

“No,” Jooheon said quietly, shaking his head. He looked up from the ground and toward you, an expression you had never recognized before set deeply within his eyes. “No.”

“No?” Jay chuckled, lifting his brows.

“No,” Jooheon said more passionately. “It’s not fair. I played by the rules. I played My Idol like I was supposed to and I was supposed to win. You don’t win if you don’t put in the same type of work.”

“Yeah, cause I put in more work,” Jay laughed. “Don’t hate the player, hate the game.”

You watched the men in front of you with a sickened stomach. It felt as if your insides were tying themselves into nervous knots as you watched the exchange. You had never expected for Jooheon to react like this. You could understand that he was frustrated, but you had expected for him to be frustrated with not winning your heart....not from not winning the game.

“I was supposed to win!” Jooheon exclaimed. He pounded his fist in his opposite hand as he spoke. Rage pumped through his veins and caused his face to turn a new shade of red. “The producers told me I had to play the game and play it right and I would win. They even gave me that shitty line to use about Jay and I used it and it didn’t make a difference!”

“You...you what?” you squeaked, your head beginning to pound.

“The producers fed me the line about the Jaebums,” Jooheon nodded. “Jay Park was my biggest threat. He was the only contestant from My Idol to be hand picked by you and for me to win, I had to get him out. That’s why I said it. Too bad it completely backfired and got Jaebum hyung to admit something none of us knew.”

“What?” you whispered, your eyes growing wide. The truth in Jooheon’s words hit you like a brick wall at full force. You stumbled backward, barely capable of even getting in adequate breaths. “You hadn’t heard by mistake? You...you had been coached by producers to get Jay out?”

“Don’t you get it, Y/N?” Jooheon gasped. “It’s a game. I was sent to win the game. Sure, I like you. I like you an incredible amount, but I had a job. It’s incredible that you thought...and you still think Jay was here for a reason that was any different.”

“Jay?” you asked, the sudden stain of hurt filtering into your emotions. “Is...is that true?”

“Of course it’s not,” Jay spat, furrowing his brows. “I’ve been here the entire time for you baby-”

“Don’t call me that,” you hissed, his words burning like a hot iron against your skin.

“He’s here for his career,” Jooheon groaned. “We all were. We had a meeting before the show even started about how it should go. Jay and Seunghyun hyung went rouge because they wanted more screen time. That’s it.”

“Shut the fuck up before I shut you up,” Jay hissed, shaking his head at Jooheon. You saw from the corner of your vision two security guards step closer to the stage.

“Stop,” you cried. You were unsure if you were going to pass out or simply explode from the emotion building inside of you.

“Y/N,” he said weakly, offering up his palms to the sky. “You can’t believe what he’s saying. He’s angry. He’s bitter. He’s fucking butthurt. He has to reconcile what he did with himself. Don’t let him mess up what we’ve done.”

“How can I even believe what we’ve done Jay?” you whispered, your voice barely audible to yourself. “It’s been a production this whole time. You said yourself that you had a plan when you came on this show and falling in love wasn’t it.”

“Plans change,” Jay said quickly, shaking his head. “You have to believe me.”

“I don’t know what to believe anymore,” you whimpered, wiping away the tears that had reappeared on your cheeks. Jooheon’s betrayal hurt more than anything you had every felt and a blind anger tainted your vision. You thought you had been making a difficult decision between two men you had built a possible future with.

But it seemed as if that future was built on matchsticks and with one sentence Jooheon sparked it into flames.

You began to reach around your body, ripping at the wires pinned to you. You tugged at the microphone sitting snuggly on your neck line and shook your head. “But it sure as hell isn’t either of you.”

To Be Continued...

#jay park #park jaebum #aomg #lee jooheon #monsta x #jooheon #my idol

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epean-blogs · 5 years ago

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My Top 5 Recommended Visually Spectacular K-drama Fantasy

~ E.M.Y.

Nowadays, many people like Korean drama, which is one of the most addicting televised dramas in Korean language for entertainment. I am one of those people who love k-drama. We all know that there are lots of genres under k-drama. Some examples are horror, romance, comedy, fantasy, crime, historical and etc. But today, we are going to focus on the fantasy genre k-drama and its visuality as said on the title header above. So if you like fantasy k-drama then keep reading…

#1 Hotel del luna

Plot:

This drama is about Jang Man Wol, who is the CEO of Hotel del Luna. The hotel is situated in downtown in Seoul and has a very old appearance. She made a big error many years ago and, because of this, she has been stuck at Hotel del Luna. She is beautiful, but she is fickle, suspicious and greedy. Goo Chan-Sung worked as the youngest assistant manager ever at a multinational hotel corporation. He is a sincere perfectionist. He looks level-headed, but he actually has a soft disposition. Due to an unexpected case, he begins to work as a manager at Hotel del Luna. The hotel's clientele consists of ghosts.

- mydramalist

Cast:

- IU as Jang Man Wol - Yeo Jin as Goo Chan Sung

Country: South Korea

Episodes: 16 (ongoing)

Aired: Jul 13, 2019 - Sep 1, 2019

Aired On: Saturday, Sunday

Network: tvN

Duration: 1 hr. 10 min.

My Notes:

- If you like ghost, then this k-drama suits you. - What I really like in this drama? I like the visual effects (CGI) on its every episodes because it gives impact to the story and gives more emotions. - According on what I’ve searched, this drama (Hotel del Luna) had the most fantastic CGI effects. And if you want to know more about that visit this link. --->>>> https://www.soompi.com/article/1346591wpp/10-memorably-fantastical-cgi-moments-from-hotel-del-luna

# 2 Goblin

Plot:

In ancient times, Kim Shin (Gong Yoo) is an unbeatable general in wars, but the young King (Kim Min-Jae) is jealous of Kim Shin and kills him. Kim Shin becomes Dokkaebi (Goblin), possessing an immortal life. At first he thinks that he is blessed, but he realizes that he is cursed.

Closer to the present day, Kim Shin has waited 900 years for a human bride to end his immortal life. One night, he saves a dying pregnant woman (Park Hee-Von) who is destined to die. Meanwhile, the Grim Reaper (Lee Dong-Wook) is unable to find the dead pregnant woman. The woman gives birth to a baby girl named Ji Eun-Tak (later played by Kim Go-Eun). 9 years later, Ji Eun-Tak lives with her mother and is able to see ghosts. One night, her mother suddenly dies. On that night, she meets the Grim Reaper.

In the present day, Ji Eun-Tak is a high school student. She still sees ghosts and hears their whisper of “Dokkaebi’s bride.” She now lives with her aunt’s family, but she is mistreated by them. On her birthday, Ji Eun-Tak sits by the sea with a lighted birthday cake. At that time, Kim Shin suddenly appears in front of her. Kim Shin does not know why, but he can hear her voice and appears in front of her against his will. Coincidentally, Kim Shin lives with the Grim Reaper at the same house.

Now, Kim Shin appears in front of her against his will, whenever she turns off the lights. One day, Ji Eun-Tak tells him that he is Dokkaebi and she is his bride.

- AsianWiki

Characters:

-Gong Yoo as Kim Shin - Lee Dong-Wook as Grim Reaper

- Yook Sung-Jae as Yoo Duk-Hwa

- Kim Go-Eun as Ji Eun-Tak - Yoo In-Na as Sunny

Episodes: 16 (finished)

Release Date: December 2, 2016 - January 21, 2017

Genre: Fantasy / Romance

Language: Korean

Country: South Korea

My Notes:

- One of must watch k-drama, this will make you cry at the same time have a romantic feeling and excitement.

- In terms of visuality, I’ve ranked Goblin second because it was really good. In terms of computer graphic effects, even the camera position and lightnings to evoke emotions to the audience were great.

Trivia:

One of the most remarkable scenes to me even to the audience in the Korean drama Goblin is the sword that was stubbed into Kim Shin(Gong Yoo)’s chest, but did you know how that it was made? According to what I have searched online, “the show’s crew said in Saturday’s episode.

To create the illusion of being impaled, Gong was required to wear a suit, crafted by the art team and pasted with pieces of the sword. Computer graphic effects were added later to shroud the sword in green smoke.” – Rumy Doo , https://www.thejakartapost.com

# 3 Legend of the Blue Sea

Plot:

Sometime during August, 1598, newly appointed governor Dam Ryung (Lee Min-Ho) stays for a night at an inn run by Mr. Yang (Sung Dong-Il). During that evening, Mr. Yang shows Dam Ryung a captured mermaid named Sim Chung (Gianna Jun). Later that night, Dam Ryung releases her into the ocean and, before she swims away, Sim Chung reaches out her hand to Dam Ryung which he briefly holds.

In the present day, Joon-Jae (Lee Min-Ho) is a smooth talking conman with magician like abilities. He works with Nam-Doo (Lee Hee-Joon) and Tae-O (Shin Won-Ho). For their next score, Joon-Jae impersonates a prosecutor and swindles a large amount of money from a wealthy suspect's mother. Joon-Jae then travels abroad and stays at an oceanside resort. Meanwhile, Sim Chung is swept up in a tidal wave and washed ashore near the oceanside resort. She sees Joon-Jae.

- AsianWiki

Cast:

- Jun Ji Hyun as Sim Chung/Se Hwa - Lee Minho as Heo Joon Jae/Dam Ryung

- Lee Hee Joon as Joo Nam Doo - Shin Won Ho as Tae Oh

- Shin Hye Sun as Cha Si A -Sung Dong II as Ma Dae Young

Network: SBS

Episodes: 20 (finished)

Release Date: November 16, 2016 - January 25, 2017

Country: South Korea

Language: Korean

My Notes:

- If you love mermaids like me then this drama will be the best to watch.

- I admire Jun Ji Hyun when she acted as Se Hwa and her eyes were full of emotions and when it came to Sim Chung I liked it to because she made me laugh when she had no clue about the outside world since she was a mermaid.

- It was true that this drama has a top-caliber production elements, because when you watch some of the behind the scenes of legend of the blue sea in YouTube you can see there that it’s not easy for the whole team in order to produce this Korean drama.

- One of behind the scenes of legend of the blue sea link on how does there visual effect work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB5sIHPDAZE

# 4 The Bride of Habaek

Plot:

When the narcissistic Water God Ha Baek (Nam Joo Hyuk) visits earth in order to find a magical stone powerful enough to help him claim his throne, he seeks out the help of his servant and destined bride, psychiatrist So Ah (Shin Se Kyung), whose family is fated to serve the water god for generations. The problem is that she has no belief in the gods and initially mistakes him for a total lunatic suffering from delusions. Things get even harder for Ha Baek, when the Wind God Bi Ryum (Gong Myung), the Water Goddess Moo Ra (Krystal Jung), and a hotel CEO/Demi-God Hu Ye (Im Joo Hwan) show up to complicate things and stop him from reaching his goal.

-DramaWiki

Cast:

- Nam Joo-Hyuk as Ha Baek (Water God) - Shin Se-Kyung as Yoon So-A

- Lim Ju-Hwan as Hoo Ye -Krystal as Moo Ra

- Gong Myung as Bi Ryum

Also known as: Bride of the Water God 2017

Genre: Fantasy, romance

Episodes: 16 (completed)

Broadcast Network: tvN

Broadcast Period: 2017-Jul-03 to 2017-Aug-22

My Notes:

- If you are a fan of Nam Joo Hyuk then you should watch this.

- In terms of visuality I really like the CGI effects in this drama the fact on how they make effects on the water thing it was so awesome and it seems realistic for me, I love it.

- If you watch this k-drama there are so many stunning visual scenery one of them is the Realm of the Gods in water country…. This scene was so remarkable and so lovely.

# 5 Mama Fairy and Woodcutter

Plot:

In the Goryeo period, Sun Ok-Nam was a fairy. She came down to this world and took a bath at a waterfall on Gyeryong Mountain. While she took the bath, a woodcutter took her fairy clothes and hid them. Because of this, Sun Ok-Nam could not go back to Heaven. She then married the woodcutter and they had two children together, but her husband died from falling off of a cliff. Sun Ok-Nam tried to find her fairy clothes, but she still could not locate it. Needing her fairy clothes, she decides to wait for husband to be reincarnated. Now in the present day, she makes coffee at a cafe on Gyeryong Mountain and waits for her reincarnated husband. Finally, after 699 years, she gets a feeling that one of the two men visiting her cafe from Seoul is her reincarnated husband. Sun Ok-Nam is not sure which one of the two men is her husband. She decides to follow them to Seoul to find out.

- AsianWiki

Cast:

- Moon Chae-Won as Sun Ok-Nam -Ko Du-Shim as Sun Ok-Nam

- Yoon Hyun-Min as Jung Yi-Hyun - Seo Ji-Hoon as Kim Geum

- Jeon Soo-Jin as Lee Ham-Sook - Kang Mi-Na as Jeom-Soon

Other title/name: Tale of Gyeryong Fairy

Network: tvN

Episodes: 16 (completed)

Release Date: November 5 - December 25, 2018

Country: South Korea

Language: Korean

My Notes:

- This story is really nice to watch because it is full of mystery and plot twist about the fairy and his reincarnated husband. But she is not sure which one of the two men is her husband. So she decided to follow them to Seoul to find out.

- It was also fun to watch because there were a lot of CGI effects used in this drama, and I think it was nice in some part but there are some parts also of the drama that are not really good for me, but all in all I like how the drama was created.

- Oh! What am I curious about in this drama is why do they decide to put ______hahaha !! guess what??? like that inside the egg.??? If you want to know what was it, and know more about this drama just watch this k-drama.

- If you want to know more about the memorable CGI moments in k-drama visit this link https://www.dramacool.info/8-bizarre-cgi-moments-mama-fairy-woodcutter.html

So that was all My Top 5 Recommended Visually Spectacular K-drama Fantasy, hope that this will help you to find new k-drama for you to watch on. Especially when you are new in watching Korean dramas I will highly recommend the top 3 on my list and by that see you on my next post.

Sources:

https://www.soompi.com/article/1346591wpp/10-memorably-fantastical-cgi-moments-from-hotel-del-luna

https://mydramalist.com/32925-hotel-del-luna

http://asianwiki.com/Goblin_(Korean_Drama)

http://asianwiki.com/The_Legend_of_the_Blue_Sea

http://asianwiki.com/Mama_Fairy_and_the_Woodcutter

https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Bride_of_the_Water_God

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB5sIHPDAZE

https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2017/02/06/special-episodes-reveal-goblin-behind-the-scenes.html

https://www.dramacool.info/8-bizarre-cgi-moments-mama-fairy-woodcutter.html

#ICT #Fantasy #fantasykdrama #koreandrama #RecomendedFantasyKdrama #hotel del luna #Goblin #legendofthebluesea #bride of habaek #mama fairy and woodcutter

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tinamaetales · 8 years ago

Text

Who is the real stranger?

I know I’ve already posted a blog about Doctor Stranger but I just can’t help but write another one and this time I would like to discuss each of the characters’ impact (somehow?) on me. This is more like a reflective approach on it. I’ll try my best to communicate my ideas properly...please bear with me.

And also, this is full of spoilers

As I’ve discussed before, Doctor Stranger is a medical-romance drama with Dr. Park Hoon (portrayed by Lee Jong Suk) as the main character. The story revolves around him trying to find his great love whom he lost contact with years ago and at the same time surviving the “politics” in the hospital.

For me though, the characters are strangers in their own right.

Dr. Park Hoon. In North Korea (where he and his father were ‘kidnapped’), he is a great cardiothoracic surgeon. Although during this times you can feel that he only became one because he had no choice; seems like there’s always a gun pointed towards his head each time he did a surgery. He’s great, no doubts with that but the “passion” for what he’s doing is not there. Events happened and his life turned upside down again: his father died, he lost contact with Jae Hee and he finally went back to his original home, South Korea.

On the next episode we can see that from the serious and kinda snobby genius cardiothoracic surgeon, Park Hoon became a goofy but penniless Doctor. Heck, he even ended up in jail one time. It seems like he almost lost everything, but one thing remained, his profession — him being a doctor.

Being desparate in reuniting with his true love, Hoon does everything in order to earn money...even if it means he has to work as a surgeon at the hospital where his father used to work before they were kidnapped. Despite having money as his motivation to work, Hoon does his best in order to make sure that he saves the lives of his patient.....even if it means going against a lot of hospital protocol #ThugLife.

Park Hoon is a stranger because most of the time he loses his translation as to why he really did become a doctor.

Dr. Han Jae Joon. His introduction to the show was epic: we can see him doing a surgery and being so good at it (right at that moment I knew that he will be a tough competitor of Park Hoon). He got his medical degree from Harvard University. Also, he’s got great people on his surgical team. Although great at being a surgeon, you can still feel that something is “off” with him. Most of the time, he’s “cold” One thing that you would notice is the fact that he has a lot of “toy figures” of tall buildings; the biggest was a castle. Often, he is seen putting blocks on that castle; he says it helps him concentrate and train for his surgery. Another shady thing about him is his closeness towards the daughter of Myung Woo hospital chairman.

Jae Joon is a stranger because his hidden agenda is stronger than his willingness to fulfill his duties as a doctor.

Dr. Han Seung Hee. The woman who looks a lot like Jae Hee. She came from Myung Woo hospital’s branch but was then later transferred to the main hospital because of her skills. She’s an an anesthesiologist; she later became a part of Dr. Park Hoon’s team. It was then later revealed that she’s actually Jae Hee and is currently under a secret mission.

Seung Hee is a stranger too, and I think it’s for the same reasons as Jae Joon although their intentions differ.

Dr. Oh Soo Hyun. She’s the daughter of the chairman of Myung Woo hospital. She’s also from the cardiothoracic department. I would like to refer to her as a prisoner, someone who despite having it all in life (she’s rich, has a good career, etc...) something else is still missing and those things are what make her a prisoner for she earns for that freedom to be free in order to get that “missing” aspect. She’s a prisoner of her father’s standards. I really do think that she only became a doctor just so she can please her father. She’s a prisoner of her career....yes, she’s a caring doctor, but is that what she really wanted? She’s a prisoner of love because that’s what she longs for.

She’s a stranger, too.

Dr. Moon. Or as Dr. Park Hoon calls him, “master”. He used to be the head of the cardiology department until Jae Joon comes along and proved that he is better than the former. Dr. Moon, despite being a doctor for a long time is a stranger too for his desire to become the head of the department is stronger than fulfilling his duties to his patient.

Dr. Yang. The most obvious stranger in this series. He’s a doctor yet he does dirty things for the sake of money. And that’s how I know he’s a stranger.

All of them are strangers but as the story progresses, we can see the change in them and how they grow into becoming real doctors. But my favorite and the one I would discuss more is the case of Dr. Park Hoon and Dr. Han Jae Joon.

Fire and Ice. Left and Right. Vertical and Horizontal. A Tale of two great Doctors. A Tale of two Strangers.

Dr. Park Hoon and Dr. Han Jae Joon are both great thoracic surgeons, their medical records are a living proof of that. Both of them are great in their own right. I would’ve love this drama more if the focus is on the story of this two great doctors and how they are able to transform from being strangers to fully embracing their roles as a doctor (because I somehow felt like the romance part is kinda forced in here....no offense).

What made them go side by side is the competition set up by the hospital’s chariman and whoever wins will conduct the surgery of the Prime Minister (which was later found out to be a surgery for the President and the PM was just a cover up)

Let’s put them side by side.

Fire and Ice.

Park Hoon’s cheerful and friendly while Jae Joon’s a bit distant, cold and serious most of the time. The two are really different in their personalities and I guess it’s where they came from that made them that way. Although I really felt like Hoon should also be distant and cold because of the things he went through before: Park Hoon was kidnapped together with his father to another country; he witnessed the love of his life, Jae Hee, being taken by the authorities because of a “crime” related to her father; he witnessed his father dying at the hands of the authorities; he tried saving Jae Hee but he failed; he found himself back in South Korea and ended up close to being broke. Despite all of these, Hoon became a cheerful, friendly, funny and sometimes playful person. While on the other hand, we have Jae Joon who also has a dark past. His father died because of a medical malpractice committed by Myung Woo hospital and since the administration of the hospital lead by Chairman Oh (Soo Hyun’s father) does not want to own up for their mistakes, he vowed revenge on them. He created a plan on how to bring Myung Woo down and it should start with him being a great doctor....being so great that he would end up getting the position of the chairman and from then on he will bring Myung Woo down (referring to the castle he used to ‘play’ with.... one has to enter the castle first and once inside, it will be easier to destroy it).

Left and Right.

They have different motivations; Hoon is being motivated to work in order to earn money that he will use to find his great love while Jae Joon is being motivated by his desire to make the people responsible for the death of his parents pay. Those motivations of theirs affected the way they handled their patients — in some cases.

I guess out of all the patients they’ve handled during their “competition” the most prominent example of how different Hoon and Jae Joon are is with their final round patient. In here, Jae Joon’s patient is a 20 something year old woman while Hoon’s patient is a 40 year old man. Both patients require the same procedure although they somehow differ in their situation; Jae Joon’s patient will get married soon and she plans on having a baby but undergoing a surgery would prevent her from conceiving a child, on the other, hand Hoon’s patient does not have any further issues. Since it’s the final round of the competition, both Doctors are aggressive to win however this round also shows the “real” doctor.....the woman can live without undergoing the procedure (that is at least until she can have her baby? I’m not quite sure in this part though) however if the surgery won’t push through, Jae Joon will lose the competition....so Hoon decided to raise the white flag: at the last minute he exchanged patient with Jae Joon and since the woman is now his patient he decided not to push through with the surgery, thus showing that he truly cares for his patient’s whole well being...even if it means putting himself at risk.

Another example that I would like to use is when Dr. Oh’s mother needed a surgery however it was already obvious that such surgery has a very low percent chance of being successful. Jae Joon who cares more about his “reputation” and “standing” at the hospital declined on doing the surgery while Hoon decided to push through. The patient died during the surgery, but at least Hoon showed that he didn’t give up on his patient, right? There was a committee held in order for Hoon to explain his actions and he answered with “It’s a doctor’s duty to perform surgery even with one percent chance of success” YASS!! YOU GO THERE BABE! Anyway, he then continue to explain himself by saying: “Is a doctor only supposed to operate on patients with a high rate of success? There are people who want and ask us to save those patients! Is a doctor someone who gives up on surgery and leaves the patient to die?” Do I need to explain this further?

I think It is already obvious that Hoon despite claiming that money is his motivation, he really truly cares about his patients. Jae Joon on the other hand also cares for his patient (I know deep down that he cares!) but he’s just being blinded by his plan of seeking revenge. However, there is also one instance that the situation reversed, when it was Jae Joon that was more willing to save a patient’s life (even at the expense of his career at Myung Woo) than Hoon.

All I’ve discussed so far are the “heroic” deeds of Dr. Park Hoon thus putting Dr. Han Jae Joon into the dark side however as just recently mentioned, there is one event that it was Jae Joon who acted as a real doctor than Hoon and it was on their supposed second round patient. That patient’s life was put in danger because of some mistake committed by the surgery team of the internal med department and since Hoon knows how to correct it, he wanted to do the surgery himself. However since the patient’s from a different department they have to get the permission of that department first. Anyway, long story short, Chairman Oh decided that whoever wanted to do the surgery will lose; so if Jae Joon will do it, then it means the competition’s over since he already lose the first round while Hoon on the other hand has the advantage and so he agrees to do the surgery thus making the competition tied. But since this is the drama world the story does not end there. Hoon was threatened that something will happen to his precious Jae Hee (I’m really not a fan of their love story; I prefer Hoon with Soo Hyun #QuackCouple). So in the end, Jae Joon decided to push through with the surgery. This is the time when I said to myself, told ya he’s a caring doctor as well...he’s just being blinded by his revenge plans. I really admire Jae Joon in this scene because it was in his actions that I saw that after all, he himself knows that above anything else, he’s a doctor first and he shall do his duty. Chairman Oh was furious at him for doing this (since it was obvious from the start that he wanted Jae Joon to win the competition) for if the surgery goes wrong then there’s more reason for the patient’s family to file a lawsuit against the hospital. Chairman Oh even threatens the entire surgery team that they will lose their jobs if they continue with the operation. Jae Joon yells back with “What are you so afraid of?!” then explained that if they will just admit their mistakes and apologize sincerely then they can prevent a lawsuit but Chairman Oh insisted that it’s impossible in which Jae Joon replied with “That’s because we’ve never apologized sincerely! We’ve ignored the people who lost their parents and their children because we didn’t want to lose our money and positions. I’ll show you that you are wrong.” And at that moment I felt like Jae Joon also deserves to be a lead character like Hoon. But wait, there’s more! A chaos came inside the operating room as one of Jae Joon’s assistant became nervous that resulted to the bleeding of the patient’s heart...at that moment, Hoon seems to be reminded of his father’s words: “...don’t ever forget the fact that you are a doctor” and he decided to join Jae Joon’s team. He also reminded the other doctors that they should not be ashamed for choosing to continue with the surgery despite the risks for that’s what doctors should do. Hoon said, “The people up there should be ashamed. Look.” (referring to Chairman Oh and the other doctors who are just watching the surgery) “You should be proud. You’re the only real doctors in this hospital.” And then he saves the day! Gosh, this is my favorite part of the drama!

Vertical and Horizontal.

Both doctors have their fair amount of successes and failures during their stay at Myung Woo and in the end I love how they were able to move past being a “Doctor Stranger” to being real doctors. What I would like to say in this final paragraph is that Jae Joon and Hoon are really different and yet the same.

They may have their own reasons for the actions done but in the end I’m happy that they were able to understand what being a doctor should really be.

In the end, despite the prime minister being the reason for all of his suffering, Hoon still decided to do whatever it takes to save his life. He realized that as a doctor, he should fulfill his duty of saving lives, even if the patient is an evil personified like the prime minister. For him, any person who lays down on his operating table is just another patient, nothing more nothing less so as a doctor he must do his best in saving that patient’s life. He was once a stranger but now he really did become a real doctor.

As for Jae Joon, I also love the “closure” for his character. He became a doctor because of his plan of bringing Myung Woo down as a revenge for what they did for his father but in the end, he realizes that such plan is absurd and not worth it because if he will pursue it then he just became like the people he hates, the people responsible for his father’s death. He realizes that he became a stranger because he lost in touch with his real purpose as a doctor. Before he left the hospital, he told this to Hoon (and it’s one of my favorite lines from the show) : “You taught me a valuable lesson. Any doctor who doesn’t truly respect the lives of patients is a stranger.”

Doctor Stranger, despite its flaws, was a great drama and I didn’t regret that I chose this as the first KDrama to watch after years of not watching KDramas; it was a great re-introduction. I’ve learned a lot from this and someday I would definitely rewatch it.

Doctor Stranger tells us the story of Park Hoon and Jae Joon, who are fire and ice, left and right, horizontal and vertical. Both are thoracic surgeons. Both are great. Yet, they are different. Doctor Stranger tells us the story of two strangers who later become real doctors themselves.

#personal #doctor stranger #k drama #park hoon #lee jong suk

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theexcogitativelibrarium · 8 years ago

Conversation

When your Admins get a chance to talk...

**Spoiler Alert: Please do not read if you haven't seen Missing9 Episode's 13 + 14**

Aqua:This is totally random but I love Lee Kwang Soo so much!!!!

Pisces:Fell in love with him on Running Man and haven't gone back since. He is pure gold.

Pisces:Was so happy to see that he and D.O. bonded after learning about the group and watching IOTL...like D.O. has been so blessed

Aqua:I lowkey had a crush on his character in IOTL

Pisces:He was really endearing in IOTL

Aqua:It's interesting that both D.O. and Baekhyun worked with Sung Dong Il. While D.O. didn't really have interactive scenes with him, Baekhyun had him as a father-in-law

Pisces:I was so happy to see him again in SH! He played his character so well in IOTL! Really good actor. And he's so hilarious!

Aqua:Yo, I'm excited 'I Love Catman' comes out this month

We gotta support the baby

Pisces:Mm apparently they were saying it's delayed? I hope that's not true. I'm ready to see all of Sehunnie's efforts. So exciting

Aqua:NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Aqua:And next week the last episodes of 'Missing9' air. They still haven't found Yeol's body. I'm mad they have been thoroughly ignoring his disappearance

Joon Oh seemed to be looking for him when you look at the wall he had in his room but...

Pisces:Mm not sure they're ignoring it or if it's part of the plot. Everyone else who died had a very definitive acknowledgment of their death

Yeollie not so much

Aqua:Like what he's "dead" and forgotten from episode 6 until 16? They not right for that. I mean I get why they fixated on So Hee's death but...have you seen this week's episodes yet? If not I won't say more

Pisces:I did

Aqua:Okay then.

Aqua:I get that her death lead to them uncovering the conspiracy behind Shin Jae Hyun's death. I think that was ultimately the true focus of the show. Find out about the true circumstances surrounding his death and exonerate Seo Joon Oh. All the other side stories take a back seat to that

Pisces:Yea that seems to be how it goes

Aqua:I also find it interesting that Tae Ho can't sing. They used Jae Hyun's vocals for Tae Ho. I don't know if a lot of people caught that

Pisces:I laughed for a very long time. All of his behavior made sense after that

Aqua:Girl, when I tell you I was so over his entitled behind at that point. Like , dude, you had no true purpose in the group besides being cute and you wanna act superior?!?!?!?!

Aqua:No wonder Jae Hyun wanted to leave. Y'all were using the hell outta him and he wasn't getting any credit. Talk about a fucked up trainee period. They all trained and they chose an attractive, non singing dude for a singing group and made you be his voice behind the scenes instead of letting you debut. That's so fucking twisted.

Pisces:Sounds like something that could actually happen. A dig at the industry perhaps?

Aqua:Tae Ho's obsolete ass....

Pisces:That's a really tough role to play. Especially with his name like Yeol's being SO close to his own. Quite a gamble

Aqua:I think they're purposefully "pissing off" EXO fans for a shock factor

Pisces:Mm but Yeol agreed to the script and most likely (unless he wasn't told before each scene that was filmed) what would happen to his character as the

Aqua:They were still changing the script and plot up until they started shooting in November. They scrapped earlier footage they shot in October because it changed. There were stills leaked that are nowhere to be found in any of the episodes; He was originally supposed to be a playboy.

Pisces:Oh ok *but Yeol still agreed to do the script....so...?*

Aqua: You don't remember them talking about his kiss scene and stuff earlier on?

Pisces:Not right now I don't

Aqua:I think we posted some stuff about it in Oct/Nov. Let me go look

Pisces:Ok

Aqua: *sends post to Pisces to view*

Aqua:That's what we posted in October

Pisces: *looks at post* Yep

Pisces:If anything it seems his role changed from being a main character to more of a supporting role. At least he wasn't fired from the project and given a chance to be part of this really interesting story.

Pisces:One of my questions would be how Choi Tae Ho wasn't found out sooner by fans. Guess he was never put on the spot to sing live. Like EXO does for us.

Aqua:Or they always had a vocal track ready. Or maybe they pulled a Singing in the Rain and had Jae Hyun sing into a mic while Tae Ho lip synced

Pisces:That's so terrible

Aqua:I wouldn't put it past them

#Silver Screen Saturday #mini discussion #Missing 9 #Picnic #It's Okay That's Love OST #My Dear Archimedes #I Love Catman #Pisces can't wait to see the premier photos and videos #You know that as many of Sehunnie's brother are able will go to support him

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hainexxchan · 8 years ago

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Alright, so it has been a while since I have done this, but since I have some time, I am going to write my views on three different Korean Dramas. I won’t say much about the plot for these because I think that you guys should watch them to find out what happens. :)

The first Kdrama I will be talking about is Descendants of the Sun

So Descendants of the Sun is a drama that focuses on the trials and hardships of two main relationships. The first relationship is between Yoo si Jin (Song Joong Ki), a military captain, and Kang Mo Yeon (Song Hye Kyo), a doctor. The other relationship is between a military sergeant, Seo Dae Young (Jin Goo), and a military first lieutenant, Yoon Myeong Ju (Kim Ji Won).

First of all, I want to give this drama a two thumbs up! I thought it was outstanding! This drama had been on my watch list for quite some time, but I just didn’t think I would enjoy it. It wasn’t until I watched a YT video by TerryTV about American Girls reacting to Korean Male Drama actors, in which Song Joong Ki was one of those Korean male actors. Terry showed them a clip from Descendants of the Sun, which is what piqued my interest more for the drama. (Partly because Song Joong Ki is adorable :3) I haven’t watched many dramas with military plots to the storyline, but I am definitely looking forward to watching more of them.

If you’re looking for a drama with romance, disaster, and overcoming hardships, then this is definitely the drama for you. You can watch this drama on Netflix, Viki, or DramaFever. There are 16 episodes with 3 special episodes.

Viki Link: https://www.viki.com/tv/23205c-descendants-of-the-sun

The second drama I will be talking about is The Innocent Man

I decided to watch this drama because of Song Joong Ki (Who was the main male character in Descendants of the Sun).

This drama was definitely intense on hardships and betrayal. I was on the edge of my bed the whole time watching this because it kept me guessing on what was going to happen next.

To vaguely describe it, Innocent Man is about Kang Ma Ru (Song Joong Ki), an intelligent and promising, yet poor, medical student, who was so in love with Han Jae Hee (Park Si Yeon), who was a childhood friend from his neighborhood, that he would do anything for her, including throwing his future away by taking the guilt of a crime that she committed. Because of this, Ma Ru had some jail time and was expelled from medical school, while Jae Hee married a rich company owner. When Ma Ru returned home, he finds out that Jae Hee married someone else. Feeling betrayed, he began to pursue Jae Hee’s step-daughter, Seo Eun Gi (Moon Chae Won), who was a bratty director of her father’s company. His intentions with Seo Eun Gi started as a way to get back at Jae Hee but he began to develop feelings for Eun Gi overtime, but felt bad about it so he tried to push her away. That day, Eun Gi finds out some very unsettling news that causes her to rage and cause a bad accident. Find out what happens between Ma Ru and Eun Gi by watching The Innocent Man at Viki. https://www.viki.com/tv/7995c-the-innocent-man

The third Kdrama I will talk about is Moonlight Drawn by Clouds.

I started this one mainly because of Park Bo Gum (who is another very much adorable Korean male actor) I liked him in both Tomorrow’s Cantabile and Hello Monster, so I thought I would watch this one to see how he does as a prince.

I won’t go into so much detail with this one because I think I may give too much away if I do, but I will say that it is another drama that deals with the hardships of two people falling in love with two different social statuses.

Lee Yeong (Park Bo Gum), is the only son of the King to the Joseon throne. Hong Ra On (Kim Yoo Jung) was a street smart girl who was raised as a boy for safety reasons and went by the name of Hong Sam Nom. To repay a debt she owed, she was sold and ended up as a Eunuch of the palace under the Crown Prince’s rule. Slowly the Crown Prince begins to have feelings for Eunuch Hong and is confused because he was unaware that he was actually a she. When he finds out of her true nature, the Crown Prince does everything he can in his power to protect Hong Ra On from being caught so that she can remain at his side. Find out what happens between the Crown Prince and Ra On by watching Moonlight Drawn by Clouds at https://www.viki.com/tv/30308c-moonlight-drawn-by-clouds

#Descendants of the sun #innocent man #nice guy #moonlight drawn by clouds #love in the moonlight #Gureumi Geurun Dalbit #Sesang Eodiedo Eobneun Chakan Namja #Taeyang-ui Huye #태양의 후예 #세상 어디에도 없는 착한 남자 #구르미 그린 달빛 #song joong ki #song hye kyo #jin goo #Kim Ji Won #Moon Chae Won #park si yeon #park bo gum #kim yoo jung

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kjtamuser · 8 years ago

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The reveals come fast and furious in this episode.

Legend of the Blue Sea Episode 14 Recap

Professor Jin puts Joon Jae under hypnosis. Joon Jae finally remembers the fate of the original lovers…

Dae Young laughs and throws his spear. Dam Ryung shields Se Hwa from the spear which pierces him! Se Hwa hugs Dam Ryung. She looks at him knowing he’s mortally injured. He dies. She hugs his lifeless body. She takes the spear and pushes it into her body! Then he remembers a young Dam Ryung promising a young Se Hwa that if they meet in the future, he will meet her and protect her. He promises to remember this conversation.

Joon Jae wakes from the hypnosis and cries stricken with grief. He didn’t remember, he didn’t protect her, he failed in every way possible. That was effective portrayal of pain by Lee Min Ho.

Dae Young walks down the hospital hallway. He stops at Professor Jin’s door. He opens the door. He overhears Joon Jae telling the original lovers story to Professor Jin. Joon Jae wonders why they’ve been reincarnated. Professor Jin wonders if there��s a dream that is unfulfilled. They discuss whether it is Dae Young’s desire to harm them that is repeating OR the current lovers story that is repeating. Why can’t it be both? It certainly seems like both are entangled yet again. Professor Jin suggests Joon Jae send Sim Chung back. He immediately rejects that and states they have an opportunity to make a new ending. Atta boy! Dae Young smiles and walks away. Present Dae Young has it too easy and it bothers me.

Driving home, Joon Jae vows he will protect Sim Chung.

Joon Jae arrives home, startles Jo Nam Doo as he demands to know where Sim Chung is. He dashes out and searches for her. He finds her by the claw machine. He hugs her and recalls her in the past and present. He wants to know what her bucket list is. She wants to observe romantic love (dating) and dirty love (unknown but must be treated with care). Joon Jae agrees romantic love is the next thing they’ll do.

He takes her hand and the fun begins. They feed each other, they play video games (they are both awesome dancers), they see a movie (she weeps through The Titanic, the cleaning lady finds pearls from her tears), and have coffee.

Joon Jae asks Sim Chung if he were to die what would she do. Follow you is her automatic response. Irked Joon Jae explains that if he died to save Sim Chung, then he’d want her to live on and make a new life. Sim Chung asks if Joon Jae could make a new life without her. He pauses, then claims he could. With a serious tone he tells her to make a life if something happens to him. He makes her promise him to live on. She doesn’t understand why he’s pushing this. She refuses to promise, it tempts fate. Neither of them are happy.

Driving home it’s icy between them.

Joon Jae asks to talk to Tae O when he gets home.

That leaves Sim Chung to complain to Jo Nam Doo about Joon Jae’s odd request. Jo Nam Doo warns Sim Chung to resolve this matter or they could be teetering on breaking up. He tells her that Joon Jae has never had a relationship last beyond 3 months and that is where their relationship is. Sim Chung isn’t happy to hear that.

Joon Jae tells Tae O to ratchet the home security maximum. Tae O guesses it’s because of Dae Young.

Speaking of the devil, Dae Young visits Professor Jin and demands that he be hypnotised just like Joon Jae. He wants to know how things ended for him in the past. His present life has felt like a continual punishment. What happened in the past that made it like this? He claims he didn’t kill them. Professor Jin asks who did.

What? We saw Dae Young throw the spear that pierced Dam Ryung. He directly caused their death.

Chi Hyeon is now in charge of Joon Jae’s father’s company. He claims Joon Jae’s father is not sick but only taking a rest with an intent to retirement. He glares at the board and tells them anything they want must now be discussed with him. He’s blunt, if you can’t work with me, you are fired. That quiets down the dissenters.

The up swept hair looks good and offers a sense of authority along with Chi Hyeon’s focus and swagger.

Chi Hyeon tells Joon Jae’s father the surgery went well. Joon Jae’s father says his eyesight is still worsening. He asks Chi Hyeon to contact Joon Jae. Chi Hyeon lies and says he contacted Joon Jae when the illness first occurred. Chi Hyeon assures Joon Jae’s father his biological son will visit soon. He looks cold and angry.

My reaction? “I don’t buy this” or agree with the writer’s addition of Chi Hyeon to team evil. Chi Hyeon flipped too easily to evil. He was torn between caring for and hating Joon Jae before. He loved and hated his step-father before. I know the writer laid the foundation, but it still feels jarring.

Sim Chung watches a martial arts movie and mentally rants about Joon Jae’s obsessive need for her to promise she wouldn’t die if he died. Joon Jae tells her to stop thinking about him like that. She wonders why he’s so attuned to her thoughts. She thinks to herself there are other fish in the sea (pun intended) besides Joon Jae. He doesn’t like that and Jo Nam Doo finds them squabbling. He tells them to break up. Joon Jae tells Sim Chung to stay home. She refuses. He wants to know where she’s going. She wants to know where he’s going. He won’t tell so she won’t tell. Irked, Joon Jae leaves. Jo Nam Doo urges Sim Chung to harden her heart to Joon Jae.

My reaction? Why would Joon Jae leave? He knows that Sim Chung, the woman he’s vowed to protect, will go out on her own.

Joon Jae visits his father’s assistant in the hospital. Joon Jae tells his father’s assistant (who cannot speak) that they were friends in a former life. He vows to find the man that put him in the hospital. Joon Jae shows him a picture of Dae Young and asks him to blink twice if this was the man that harmed him. The assistant looks at Dae Young and blinks twice. Joon Jae asks if there is someone related to Dae Young that is nearby. The assistant blinks twice. Chi Hyeon interrupts their conversation.

My reaction? I liked Joon Jae showing the assistant the picture of Dae Young. That nailed down who hurt him quickly. And then speak of the devil, Dae Young’s likely son, Chi Hyeon arrives just as they are talking about someone related. I pity Chi Hyeon who has completely lost in the parent lottery.

Chi Hyeon lies to Joon Jae that he didn’t mean it when he told Joon Jae to take care of his father while Chi Hyeon would care for his mother. Joon Jae asks about his father’s health. Chi Hyeon lies and says that father is out of town with friends and left him in charge of the company. Chi Hyeon tells Joon Jae that father’s new will leaves everything to his mother and him. He lies that he begged father to reconsider. Joon Jae notes that Chi Hyeon doesn’t have to twist the knife so he’ll hate his father. He can hate his father without help. Joon Jae wonders if Chi Hyeon has an ulterior motive. As he leaves Chi Hyeon asks about Sim Chung. Joon Jae doesn’t like that. Chi Hyeon claims he thinks of her and wonders if she’s happy. He shrugs and tells Joon Jae to forget it. He leaves.

My reaction? That scene worked pretty well. Their antipathy is unchanged.

Cha Si A considers texting Joon Jae that his mother works in her household. When Joon Jae’s mother brings her porridge because she’s not feeling well, Cha Si A is grateful and kind. As Joon Jae’s mother leaves the room, Cha Si A hugs her from behind startling her. Joon Jae’s mother tells her she feels uncomfortable and leaves.

Cute!

Joon Jae’s mother tells Ahn Jin Joo that Cha Si A isn’t acting normal. Ahn Jin Joo claims Cha Si A was never normal. Joon Jae’s mother asks about the son of Heo Il Joong (Joon Jae’s father). Ahn Jin Joo says that Seo Hoo’s son Chi Hyeon runs the business because the biological son disappeared 10 years ago. Joon Jae’s mother is stunned. Didn’t he study abroad? Jin Joo says the son ran away and his inheritance is being given to the new family. Joon Jae’s mother says she needs to go. Cha Si A says she’ll take care of Joon Jae’s mother’s chores. Joon Jae’s mother leaves. Si A chides Jin Joo for not addressing the help with respect. Si A declares they should call her mother because she does everything for them. She yelps when she realizes Joon Jae’s mother washes her underwear.

Cute!

Joon Jae’s mother arrives at her former home. She flashes back to exiting the house as Seo Hee was entering. She believed Seo Hee’s lies that stealing her husband wasn’t intentional. Joon Jae’s mother asked Seo Hoo to raise Joon Jae with kindness. Seo Hee agreed and confirmed that Joon Jae’s mother wouldn’t return until Joon Jae was an adult, so he could adjust to the new family. Present day, Joon Jae’s mother decides to ring the door bell. Seo Hee sees her and can’t believe she has the gall to visit.

Joon Jae’s mother demands to know where Joon Jae is. Seo Hee says she doesn’t know. He left on his own, she didn’t kick him out. Seo Hee pretends to care that this hurts Joon Jae’s mother. But Joon Jae’s mother doesn’t believe it. She demands to know if Seo Hee planned all along to take everything she had and make it hers. Seo Hee turns the tables on her. She wouldn’t have given up like that. She never would have left her son with another woman. She never would have stayed away if she left her son behind. She calls Joon Jae’s mother stupid.

Joon Jae’s mother calls her Kang Ji Yeon. Seo Hee tells her firmly her name is Kang Seo Hee. Joon Jae’s mother tell her she is Kang Ji Yeon. Joon Jae’s mother claims she’ll bring her son back to where he belongs. Joon Jae’s mother says she’ll take back her rightful place in this household. She leaves. Seo Hee calls someone. I’ll assume it is Dae Young.

That was bold of Joon Jae’s mother to confront Seo Hee directly. It’s too little too late and only served to ratchet up Seo Hee’s need to crush and kill. But it was good that Joon Jae’s mother realized and stated that Seo Hee hoodwinked her. You have to say that Seo Hee was right that Joon Jae’s mother gave up completely and easily. It did make her look stupid.

Sim Chung pulls Joon Jae’s mother out of the path of an approaching car. Sim Chung says they need to go shopping together. They head off.

Tae O follows Sim Chung per Joon Jae’s request. He snaps pictures of them shopping and texts them to Joon Jae.

As he stares at the back of his mother’s head (not front facing picture) Joon Jae marvels how easily Sim Chung makes friends. Detective Hong shows Joon Jae Dae Young medical records. He asks if Joon Jae knows a woman named Kang Ji Yeon. Joon Jae does not. Detective Hong says that Dae Young and Kang Ji Yeon had a child together. Detective Hong can’t believe he’s working with Joon Jae, how did this happen? Joon Jae recalls the government official that helped him in the past. He smiles that Detective Hong is really a nice guy. Joon Jae is startled to see that his doctor is Dae Young’s doctor.

Detective Hong and Joon Jae interview Professor Jin. He confirms he treated Dae Young for anger issues and mental disorders. When Detective Hong asks if Dae Young has seen him recently, Professor Jin lies and says he has not seen Dae Young. But Joon Jae reads the “tell” of his lie when he sees the Professor Jin’s nervous tapping of his fingers. He and Professor Jin stare at each other.

Sim Chung walks Joon Jae’s mother back to the house she works at. Sim Chung recognizes it as Si A’s house. She leaves.

Tae O snaps a picture of Joon Jae’s mother going into the house and turns to follow Sim Chung. But Si A appears and assumes he’s stalking her. He tells her what she is thinking, is incorrect. He tries to follow Sim Chung but Si A stops him. She tells him she’s got her own problems and doesn’t have time for him. Tae O realizes that Sim Chung is gone. He runs after her. Si A wonders if she was too mean.

Si A and Tae O interchanges are cute! She’s oblivious and only sees what she thinks she sees.

As Sim Chung nears Joon Jae’s home, Chi Hyeon is outside. He offers to carry her groceries.

Joon Jae tells Detective Hong that he needs to ask Professor Jin one thing. He asks Detective Hong to bring the car around and turn the heat up. Detective Hong automatically agrees then refuses on principal.

Professor Jin tells Joon Jae that Dae Young visited yesterday. He explains that medication is needed to control his violent tendencies. Professor Jin states the Dae Young was hypothesized and said he didn’t kill the original lovers. Joon Jae finds that surprising. He asks who did kill them. Professor Jin says that Dae Young did not reveal who the killer was. Professor Jin promises to let Joon Jae know when Dae Young returns for his medicine.

Tae O texts Joon Jae that he lost Sim Chung. Detective Hong and Joon Jae drive home quickly. Chi Hyeon sees the message from Joon Jae on Sim Chung’s phone. He turns the phone off while she is away from the table. They eat together.

Dae Young recalls throwing the spear into the water. It was the spear that grazed Sim Chung’s arms. He recalls the spear that pierced Dam Ryung was thrown by another man. Now we know that Chi Hyeon threw the spear that killed Dam Ryung. Dae Young can’t see the man’s face but sees his ring.

What difference does it make whether or not Dae Young threw the spear that killed Dam Ryung? He organized the framing of Dam Ryung. He organized the people to hunt Sim Chung. He fought Dam Ryung when he came aboard. Why would I absolve Dae Young just because someone else threw the spear? He created the situation. He was the responsible evil forces at play.

Joon Jae arrives home and is none to happy to see Chi Hyeon escorting Sim Chung home. He snatches the groceries from Chi Hyeon’s hand and literally drags Sim Chung inside the house.

Joon Jae stalks to his room without a word. Jo Nam Doo can’t believe they are still fighting. Sim Chung states Joon Jae got upset when he saw her with Chi Hyeon. Jo Nam Doo can’t believe Sim Chung met Joon Jae’s second family.

Sim Chung clutches her heart as she prepares for bed. She wonders if it’s been too long since she swam. Joon Jae hears her.

Joon Jae kicks out Jo Nam Doo and Tae O for the day to give Sim Chung privacy to swim and rejuvenate. Sim Chung stares at the pool with longing. Jo Nam Doo stares at the house speculatively.

Sim Chung swims in the pool. When she surfaces she sees Jo Nam Doo. He asks what she’s wearing. He guesses it’s a costume for her part-time job at the aquarium. But he thinks back to all the unusual things he knows about Sim Chung. He sees that she is a mermaid. She asks him to hand her the robe. Her legs return. He’s startled. She asks if he’ll tell Joon Jae. He says it depends on how she answers his questions. She confirms that she has legs on land but not in the water. She confirms she cries pearls. Jo Nam Doo sees dollars signs and is excited. He tells her they should do a world tour. She’s not happy that he wants to sell her secret. But she agrees and suggests they shake hands. He hesitates but shakes her hand. She erases his memory. He chides her for swimming in cold weather. He leaves. Sim Chung wonders if Joon Jae found out, would he also sell her like Jo Nam Doo wanted to. She imagines that Nam Doo confirms that Joon Jae would sell her out and that erasing Nam Doo’s memory was her only option.

Nam Doo can’t remember and it’s driving him crazy. He complains at dinner. Sim Chung THINKS she may not have erased his memory well. That gets Joon Jae’s attention. He realizes that Nam Doo must have found out. When Nam Doo says that he was Sim Chung in the pool, Joon Jae hits the back of this head and tells him to eat not talk. Sim Chung stares at Joon Jae.

After dinner she leads him another room and asks how long he will treat her like this. Joon Jae asks again, if something happens to him, but Sim Chung interrupts. She won’t live without him, end of story! He wants to know why. She THINKS “my heart only beats if you love me. My heart on land has a limited time. If you leave me or this world, my heart stops beating. Unless I return to the ocean, I’ll probably die.” Without thinking, Joon Jae asks if she’s dying. Shocked, Sim Chung asks what he said. Joon Jae asks what will harden without him. Sim Chung realizes that Joon Jae can hear her thoughts. Joon Jae says she stated her heart would stop. Sim Chung wants to know how long he’s heard her thoughts. Neither one of them cares to answer the other. They are focused only on their question. They do the glare and stare.

My thoughts

Sim Chung finally realizes Joon Jae can hear her thoughts. About time that she learned this. The timing for this reveal was spot on. We’ve got 2 episodes to go and plenty to wrap up, this secret had to come out. This episode was packed with plot points. Doesn’t seem like most characters have a past version of themselves? Is it overkill on this?

Side characters notes. Nam Doo’s desire to use Sim Chung to make money resonated with me. I’ve been leery of Nam Doo’s loyalty to money versus Joon Jae. Thank goodness Sim Chung wiped his memory. Tae O can’t win for trying. Si A assumed he was at her house to stalk her. Si A was amusing when she hugged Joon Jae’s mother, much to her horror. As far as Joon Jae’s mother, See Hee made a fair point that she walked away too easily. She did. Joon Jae’s mother believed in the honor of the woman that stole her husband and left her only son behind. Bad choice, bad choice.

On the evil side of the house, Dae Young realized he didn’t throw the spear that killed Dam Ryung. I don’t care. He created the situation. The fact that past Chi Hyeon threw the spear doesn’t absolve Dae Young at all. It does create the show-down we’ll see in the next 2 episodes though. Frankly, I’m disappointed that Chi Hyeon flipped the switch and went evil. The writer had plenty of evil in the form of Dae Young and Seo Hee. Wouldn’t it be more dramatic if just when Dae Young and Seo Hee are about to commit murder, Chi Hyeon arrives and stops them, knowing or learning then and there that he’s the love child of these two evil people? The writer has made it too easy for team evil this entire series.

Dam Ryung / Joon Jae (Lee Min Ho) confronted Sim Chung letting her know that he could hear her thoughts. He’s got every right to be upset that Sim Chung’s heart is hardening and she’s dying. He needed to reveal that he could hear her thoughts. But it creates a situation where Sim Chung can reject him, run away, etc. and fall into the clutches of team evil. You see the potential ending just like I see the potential ending too. Joon Jae will confront team evil (one of more of them) in a climatic moment and he may or may not lose his life trying to save Sim Chung. She may or may not lose her life trying to save Joon Jae. Lee Min Ho has done a stellar job selling these plot points that aren’t as strong at the end of the series as the front side of the series. Lee Min Ho and Gianna Jun have created a couple I care about. I want this couple to overcome the three evil forces in their lives. Will they?

Sim Chung (Gianna Jun) finally realized that Joon Jae can hear her thoughts. Will she forgive him for not telling her? Will she run away upset that he kept this from her? I liked that Sim Chung unknowingly helped Joon Jae’s mother shop and they enjoyed each other’s company. Does it surprise me that Sim Chung was adamant that she would choose death over life without Joon Jae? No, that’s the right choice for her. I’m on board with it. Too bad for Joon Jae, but she’s all in for you, and you can’t force her to live without you. Now you know she literally cannot live without you. That raises the stakes considerably.

Check out another instrumental OST song “Hidden Story”.

Legend of the Blue Sea Episode 14 Recap The reveals come fast and furious in this episode. Legend of the Blue Sea Episode 14 Recap

#ep 14 #episode 14 #푸른 바다의 전설 #Legend of the Blue Sea

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