#i need more eun ho (did i say that already?)

[scovilletwothousand]

hey can people please start making fanfic for twinkling watermelon because that show is my whole life right now but i’ve already watched all the tiktok edits and i crave content

[ovenstavern]

oh. my. goodness. its like 3am in my area and i just finished a nightlong binge on the manhwa, Secret Alliance by Creator Lero. if i had to put it into a genre, i’d say its a psychological thriller, and…

ho. ly. shit.

i was never a visual novel or “comics” person, but holy fuck. this blew me away. i discovered a tik tok about it, with the nutshell plot of “stalker crossdresses as a girl to stalk his object of attraction, who is afraid of men” and quickly gained an interest. but as i read further into the manhwa, it was so much more than that.

before i get into the details, i warn that the manhwa has dark topics such as stalking, obsession, attempted suicide, assault, sexual harassment, and trauma. the ramble (and spoilers) is gonna be below the cut. stay safe and healthy yall

okay. ho. ly. shit.

so, i don’t even know where to begin. the first few chapters introduce our main characters, eun sian and chae “yuri”. right off the bat, you quickly realize eun sian’s intense fear of men. you can already tell that she has some trauma with men, and as you continue to read, you find that her paranoid mother perpetuates and reinforces that fear; a helicopter parent to the extreme.

not only that, you can immediately detect that something isnt quite right with chae yuri (even before it was revealed he was a guy).

i dont really wanna explain the whole story in its entirety, as i believe its a story best experienced. but what i will go into is the amount of love that was poured into this story. it still astounds me

the characters are complex, and their personalities and actions are deeply rooted in the trauma that they went through. eun sian and chae yuri’s relationship is so toxic and wrought with manipulation and co-dependent, and it was written so well. it beautifully illustrates how two people that come from two different, but toxic households often can find themselves in a toxic relationship for the both of them, as they have no other reference for love.

and speaking of relationships, yujin’s and eun sian’s relationship makes me want to squeal and giggle and they’re just so cute!! i loveee at the beginning, yujin subverts our expectations and ends up being a playboy who loves the feeling of being wanted. it gives him sm room for development, and makes his relationship with eun sian so much sweeter.

yujin and eun sian make a deal that he helps her get over her fear of men, while eun sian helps yunjin get together with chae yuri. in the earliest stages of their relationship, you can tell that yujin was able to ground eun sian and reassure her when needed. even beneath his playboy exterior, his caring nature shone through, especially for her. meanwhile, eun sian makes yujin want to be better for her (and if you seen a very old post, you know how i feel about that). i loved their friendship at the beginning, and i loved their romance at the end. they’re so healthy for each other and im glad they got together in the end

and speaking of the ending?????? sjdkdndkddjjdksjdsknsnz. i loved it so. much. it was just so fulfilling. i won’t spoil it, but it touched my soul to its very core, and i couldnt think of a more satisfying note to leave it off of.

the depiction of trauma felt very realistic and well written too. eun sian’s breakdowns felt so well done, and not once did it feel like the story was calling her “crazy” or “hysterical” even if other characters told her that she was. and actually, all the relationships felt so realistic, its astounding.

and the character development was so… empowering. it was amazing to watch the moments eun sian take back the parts of herself that her abusers took, it was amazing to watch yujin transform from a playboy to a golden retriever boyfriend. i just… love love love!!

i do wish they delved into yujin’s backstory a lil more, gave hyunee (the best friend) a more influential role, and did some more with yunjin’s blackmail when he found out about chae yuri, but all in all, i loved it. i started reading at 11, and kept reading til 3. its an absolute page turner, and extreme kudos to the artist(s) and writer(s)! you have my respect

to those who want to read it, the sites i read the manhwa either has a subscription service, or an insane amount of porn ads and porn pop up browser tabs. just for viewer discretion. if it sounds like yall can deal, please read! you won’t regret it. ill definitely be revisiting this manhwa again and again. its that good

have a wonderful day yall! im finally gonna get some sleep

[agentcable]

Bad Prosecutor Ep. 3 Recap

Jin Jung relentlessly pursues Deputy Chief Prosecutor Lee in the murder case. He goes to extreme lengths and discloses evidence at Lee's inauguration ceremony, halting his promotion and making him the prime suspect in the murder. However, Jung needs more solid proof and goes after it in the only way he knows how to get things done.

If you want to watch the series for yourself, stop reading! This post contains spoilers to the storyline.

Jung went from being in the airport security's custody to causing a commotion at Deputy Chief Lee's public promotion ceremony. Let's backtrack to see how this happened.

While in custody, Jung played card games with fellow detainees unti A-Ra arrived to berate him and ask about his plans after causing a mess. Jung smirks and tells A-Ra that he has a plan. The plan is to escape from the airport security's custody by using the classic "I need to use the restroom" strategy and some impressive parkour across the restroom stalls. Jung rushed to the ceremony venue, ready to expose Deputy Chief Lee's alleged corruption. However, he arrived an hour early as the event had been postponed. Instead of waiting, he decided to make a grand entrance by hiding under the podium. Once the event started, Jung addressed the media and was asked if he had any evidence to support his claims. Jung successfully gets Yoo Jin-Cheol on a video call, where the owner admits to everything Jung claims, despite Do-Hwan's attempts to stop him. As a result, Deputy Chief Lee reprimands Do-Hwan.

Our hero is back in the interrogation room, and Do-Hwan informs him that he may face several years in prison for his actions at the airport. However, Do-Hwan receives some bad news that Jung is being released. Tae-Ho is the one who ultimately secures Jung's release, with A-Ra's assistance. Jae-Kyung scolds Jung for his actions and warns him that he will end up in a worse place if he continues his investigation. Despite saying inspirational yet "cringey" things about the prosecution, Jae-Kyung even calls him "old school". Upon returning to the office, Jae-Kyung finds Chul-Gi waiting with a dog that resembles the runaway. However, it is not the same dog. Although cute, Jae-Kyung searches for the runaway dog to no avail as Jung has already left with A-Ra.

Joong-Do and Eun-Ji are in an abandoned warehouse with a few gangsters, who are her old minions, guarding Yoo Jin-Cheol. However, Do-Hwan discovers their location and rescues the witness. He brings him back to the prosecution office and convinces him to retract his statement in front of the press. This makes Jung appear to be a violent troublemaker who coerced him into talking. Deputy Chief Lee becomes excited about his upcoming promotion when he sees the news. He receives several congratulatory flowers, which add to his excitement.

Jung gathers A-Ra, Chul-Gi, Joong-Do, and Eun-Ji at the secret hacker lair to plan a heist into the Deputy Chief's office. Their goal is to retrieve the USB containing photos of him and the hostess who was murdered. Despite everyone's attempts to discourage him, they push on anyway, much to the consternation of the by-the-book A-Ra.

Surprisingly, the office was raided while the deputy chief was present. Joong-Do infiltrated and hacked into the safe, while Eun-Ji and Chul-Gi waited to throw tear gas into the building. A masked Jung was waiting to grab the USB. After the heist crew escapes, the deputy chief enters his office and discovers the scene of the crime. He finds the USB missing and instructs Do-Hwan to look through the CCTV footage. However, A-Ra has already deleted the evidence and is reluctant to cooperate.

The next day, Deputy Chief Lee confronts Jung, but Jung has already released the evidence to the media. This once again stirs a frenzy and prevents the deputy chief from getting the promotion he wanted. He admits to Jung that he did not murder the hostess, even though he was with her on the day she died.

Do-Hwan asks Jin-Cheol if the deputy chief is really responsible for the murder. The owner claims to have seen someone else on the day of the murder, which was captured on his car's dashcam. He gives Do-Hwan the footage, which shows someone with a fidget spinner leaving the scene.

Jung checks the deputy chief's alibi and confirms it through the CCTV footage. They set up a meeting to discuss the truth, but Jung is surprised when the deputy chief suddenly falls from the building just before their meeting.

[rookie-critic]

Broker (2022, dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda) - review by Rookie-Critic

Broker is an absolutely beautiful film that touches on both the failings of the adoption system in South Korea (which seem relatively close to how they work here in the States, as well, but I'm not an expert so don't quote me on that) and, much like Kore-eda's previous film Shoplifters, the benefits of found family. Kore-eda is seen deeply set in his comfort zone here, and it's a little hard not to hear the synopsis or watch the trailer and think, "So it's Shoplifters, just this time with Song Kang-ho." After having seen the film, I can say that there are parts of me that still feels that way about it, but Broker has a lot going for it on its own merit to call it its own original, distinctive film. For one, and I wasn't sure this was possible, Broker almost seems even more sentimental than Shoplifters was, which is a pretty tall order all on its own. However, the movie never allows that sentimentality to tip the scales towards sappiness; leaving some of the more cynical characters to drag things back into balance. The acting is also great across the board. It's no surprise to anyone at this point that, if Song Kang-ho is in something, he's brilliant in said thing. That man is an acting force to be reckoned with, and I think one of the film's biggest strengths is that, in spite of this fact, the ensemble doesn't suffer. They all rise up to meet Song's level. I'd specifically like to give props to Lee Ji-eun (who is traditionally a singer, probably better known by her stage name, IU), who gives an outstanding breakout performance to the point where, for most of the movie, your attention is focused on her and not Song. I know that it's kind of just a part of the K-pop idol trajectory to eventually start acting, but that doesn't always mean that the idol in question is successful, or very likely even good at it. However, IU is without a doubt amazingly talented, and gives a performance that is both understated when it needs to be and big when the moment calls for it. Really, everyone just blends so well together and it sells the found family message super well.

If I had a complaint about Broker, and I do, it's that Kore-eda has already made a brilliant movie about found family and the failings of the system, the previously mentioned Shoplifters, and, in this reviewer's opinion, that film is overall better than this one. I found that I never connected with this group of characters in the same deep-rooted way that I did with the family from Shoplifters, and while that movie may have had a slightly less altruistically "happy" ending, it felt maybe just a bit more impactful. That being said, I can't knock Broker hardly at all for that, as there are probably a lot of people whose first of these two films will most likely be this one, due to both Song Kang-ho and IU's presence in it, and I think that Broker is great enough on its own to (mostly) stand up to the comparison, and will likely have fans that do make just as much of a connection, if not more of one, to this group.

Score: 9/10

Currently only in theaters.

[love-me-a-lotta-whump]

Same Old Problems - Weak Hero Class 1 Fanfiction

Whumpee: (연시은) Yeon Si Eun played by (박지훈) Park Ji Hoon

Synopsis: Getting Si Eun out of the ICU and fully healed is Soo Ho's only goal. Unfortunately things keep getting in the way.

Maturity Rating: Both the drama and this fic are rated R and/or MA.

Words: 2,484

Chapters: 2/2

Notes: Even though I'm a bit rusty, I'm very happy with my work. I already have something else in the works and I'm so excited! I couldn't be happier than to be back to writing!

MDL link for more information on the drama, itself

AO3 >>> [LINK] -=+=- FanFiction.net >>> [LINK]

Beep. Beep. Beep. 

That sound drilled through Soo Ho’s head as he sat next to Si Eun’s hospital bed. His eyes repeatedly scanned the oxygen mask, the IV, the heart monitors, all of it. Over and over and over his eyes wandered. It was mindless yet intentional. 

It had been a week since Si Eun was finally allowed to move from the ICU to a specialist floor. His heart had been having issues but thankfully not bad enough to keep him in intensive care. Everyone was grateful that he was extubated and now only using an oxygen mask. The doctors said he may soon be able to switch to a cannula, but they weren’t comfortable with it yet given how much he was still relying on the mask. It was frustrating to see him like that. He hadn’t moved on his own since before the incident.  

Every day, they were routinely moving his limbs and massaging his muscles to keep things from getting worse than they already were. Nurses kept coming in and doing their routine checks and exams and writing whatever they did down on the computers. It was getting annoying. All this checking and they still didn’t know when he would wake up? Why is his heart still having problems? Why did nobody have answers for him?! 

A voice broke him out of his spiraling thoughts. 

“Soo Ho. You’ve been here for too long. You need to shower and sleep. Have you eaten at all?” Young Yi was back with an americano in hand. She had only stepped out for a moment to go to the coffee shop. When she was met with silence, she set her coffee down on the table next to Si Eun’s bed and moved closer to Soo Ho. “You need rest.” 

“I don’t go home anyway. I sleep at school. How is this different? I’m sitting in a cushioned chair. Isn’t that better than a bed made of desks?” His tone was... not desirable to say the least. She stood back up and grabbed her coffee before heading back out of the room. There was nothing she was going to say or do to get him to leave that room so she might as well go see what Seok Dae had come up with regarding finding Gil Soo. 

O|||||||O 

A couple days later, a nurse entered the room. Soo Ho assumed she was only doing a routine check. However, this time she seemed more cheerful. “It looks like we can upgrade him to a cannula, now.” The nurse looked to Soo Ho. “How does that sound?” 

His face lit up. This was the news he needed. “Great!” He jumped up and watched as she switched out the devices. “Do you know if he’ll wake up soon?” 

“I’m sorry but no. This is an improvement, though. I can’t make any promises because it’s ultimately up to him, but it looks good. He is no longer on sedatives, and we have been slowly moving him to lower doses of painkillers for the past few days, so he has a better chance of doing it on his own.” The nurse finished changing everything out before putting things away and giving Soo Ho a pat on the shoulder. “I know it doesn’t feel like it but you’re helping him a lot right now.” After she left, some weight came off his shoulders. 

“Come on, Si Eun. You’ve gotta wake up.” 

O|||||||O 

“My job forced me to take time off to be with Si Eun so why would I not be here?” Si Eun’s dad snarked. 

He and Si Eun’s mom had been arguing quite frequently for the past couple of weeks. Soo Ho ignored it for the most part but that sentence wasn’t sitting right with him. Was his dad only at the hospital because he was forced to take time off or was he genuinely concerned about his son? It didn’t sound like there was any concern there.  

Soo Ho hadn’t really met Si Eun’s parents many times. Maybe a bow or a quick greeting here or there when he went over to their apartment before Si Eun moved but other than that, nothing much. This new prolonged exposure to the two was driving him insane. He was already stressed while watching his friend suffer, he was already exhausted and hungry. The constant arguing wasn’t helping. He stood and quickly stepped out of the door into the empty hallway where the two were going at it. 

“Fuck, can you shut up? Seriously!” He didn’t realize those words would come out so loud but maybe it was what the two needed to hear so he continued. “Your son is in the fucking hospital because he was beat nearly to death. Do you understand?! He was beaten within an inch of his fucking life and you two are arguing about how this is frustrating for you?! Grow up!” Hoping to have the last word, he stepped back into Si Eun’s room to get back to his chair next to his friend. 

“That little-” Si Eun’s dad went to grab the door handle but before he could, he felt an intense pressure in his wrist. 

“I wouldn’t do that,” Si Eun’s dad looked up to see the source of the pain. A very large... student? “He’s tired, stressed, probably hungry and he hates you right now. You see how big I am? He beat my ass once. Do with that what you will.” Seok Dae released his grip and allowed Si Eun’s dad to make the choice on his own. 

“You think I’m not- you think we are both not concerned about our son? This has been-” 

“Don’t,” Seok Dae motioned for Young Yi to step from behind him to go inside. “I don’t care.” 

O|||||||O 

A couple more days passed and still, Soo Ho had never left Si Eun’s side. If anything, he would repay Si Eun’s persistence in staying next to him after his fight with Woo Young went south a few months ago. It felt like they were a Newton’s Cradle. One would get hurt and once it got to the other, they did something stupid and got hurt. Then it would get back to the one and they would do something stupid and get hurt. Back and forth and back and forth they went, hospital visit after hospital visit, both trying to avenge each other like some sort of drama. 

Once again, Soo Ho spiraled into his thoughts, going deeper and deeper until someone ultimately spoke to him, snapping him out of it. 

“How long?” 

He lifted his head to see Si Eun staring dead into his soul. He really does love making direct eye contact. 

“I said how long?” 

He snapped out of his dazed confusion, “W-what? How long what?” 

“Here.” Si Eun’s eyes were heavily lidded. He was most likely barely awake. Wait... he’s awake!  

Soo Ho shot out of his chair, launching himself towards a very drowsy Si Eun. “You’re awake! Dude it’s been almost two weeks!” 

“Hmm.” He slowly put his hand on the bed behind his back and pushed. His arm shook as he struggled to lift himself up. He fell back down onto the bed and groaned. Soo Ho quickly went to help him sit up a little bit, pushing the button to get the bed to lift. 

“Don’t try and sit up on your own. Just lay back and I’ll tilt the bed up,” Soo Ho quietly pushed the button to call the nurse and continued helping his friend. “Hold on.” He continued helping Si Eun, trying his best to tune out his pained groans. 

Once the two were able to make him comfortable, the nurse opened the door to the room. “How do you feel?” She quickly and efficiently started her exam, asking tons of questions, running lots of quick little tests and checking all the machines over. 

“Tired.” 

“Understood,” the nurse laughed. “I’m nurse Choi Ha Neul. I have been and will be overseeing your care during the day and at night you will have my little sister, nurse Choi San Yi. It looks like all your vitals are as stable as we can ask for now. We still have some concerns but you’re healing well. We are going to keep the cannula for the next day or two and see if we can get you breathing on your own. We would, however, like to take it out within the next couple days.” She continued her exams, allowing the two to talk. 

Si Eun silently nodded before looking to Soo Ho. 

“No, I didn’t bring any schoolwork. You’re in the hospital. Rest.” 

Si Eun groaned but complied, slowly laying further into the bed, allowing the tension to release from his body. With all the school he had been missing, he was upset about missing more work but maybe he did need to rest. 

Right as the tension was fully leaving his body, a sound he didn’t want to hear hit his ears, giving him a migraine. 

“Si Eun-a!” His dad had entered the room, seemingly teleporting to his bedside, nearly pushing Soo Ho back. “How are you feeling?” Asshole always had to act like he cared. 

The room was silent. Soo Ho kept his eyes on Si Eun and he was not happy about what he saw. 

The shrill of the EKG filled the room. In a matter of seconds, Soo Ho was next to the bed, panicked. “Nurse, why is it making that sound?” He quickly looked back to Si Eun who was wincing, grabbing his chest, struggling to breathe. The nurse swiftly got everyone out of the room and got to work after calling for help. It felt like everyone working in the hospital that night was in his room, now. 

“Grab that!” Soo Ho overheard nurse Ha Neul yell to another nurse. The screaming machines were really starting to get to him. What was going on? Why was he getting better and suddenly, he was getting worse? 

“Fuck!” Soo Ho banged his fist against the wall. It was too much. Watching his friend suffer repeatedly was getting frustrating and he was sick of it. 

O|||||||O 

The next few days after that were painful for everyone, even Si Eun’s parents. Constantly waking up, feeling fine, then soon after, having intense chest pain, everyone leaves the room and next thing they know he’s sedated. Over and over again they do this dance with Si Eun’s health. 

After a few days of this, the doctors decided to limit visitation. Given how busy Si Eun’s parents were, it got to the point where they were not able to attend so it was only Soo Ho, Seok Dae and Young Yi who visited for the week.  

A few days later, on a bright morning, the sun shined beautifully through Si Eun’s window, bringing a slight warmth to his face, waking him up. He slowly and quietly turned to see Soo Ho in his usual spot on the chair next to his bed. 

“Hyung.” 

Soo Ho barely opened his eyes, “Is it lunch time yet?” 

“It’s morning.” 

“So, breakfast.” He stood, instinctively helping Si Eun sit up in the bed.  

Today felt better. Si Eun woke up first for once. For a little bit, they had him using the oxygen mask again, then back to the cannula, then nothing at all. The past couple of days had been smoother. He was walking up and down the halls and he was able to eat enough food to satisfy the nurses. He was getting better. 

After the two had their breakfast, the nurse came in and did her routine exams. This time, she asked Soo Ho to step out with her. He happily complied, hoping this was her telling him Si Eun could be discharged soon and they could continue his care at home. 

“I have to ask this based on his recent progress: Does Si Eun have a negative relationship with his parents?” 

“Sorry, what does that have to do with his condition?” Soo Ho hadn’t meant to be rude but why pry when the priority was getting him discharged? 

“It seems a consistent trigger for his heart problems was the stress of his parents being around him. In the week his parents have been away, his condition has improved exponentially so it’s something we must consider. In his form, he says he has no concerns about abuse at home, but we wanted to ask if you had any concerns about it, yourself. At this point, we must ask.” 

“He doesn’t have a very good relationship with his parents, but I can promise you there’s no abuse. They just... aren’t good people. Not to him at least.” 

“Okay. Well, if you have any concerns, please let us know. We need to make sure we’re doing the best thing we can for his condition.” 

Soo Ho nodded and bowed before heading back into the room. He barely stepped in before seeing Si Eun asleep while sitting up. “I wasn’t gone that long, though.” He laughed. He quietly went to the bed and slowly lowered it, allowing Si Eun to lay down to rest. 

O|||||||O 

Not too long after, Si Eun was being rolled out of the hospital in a wheelchair with his papers in hand and his friends at his side. Nurse Ha Neul brought him to the front while Seok Dae pulled the car around. 

She locked the wheelchair and walked around to stand in front of him. “Remember: keep your stress levels at a minimum and limit strenuous physical activity. Your heart can’t take it like it used to. Got it?” 

Si Eun bowed slightly before standing up out of the wheelchair and getting into the car. 

Soo Ho quickly turned to her with an apology on Si Eun’s behalf. “A man of few words. Sorry. At this point all he says is ‘No. Please. Stop.’ Just those three and mostly to me.” He followed Si Eun and Young Yi into the car and waved goodbye to Si Eun’s lovely nurse. He really should’ve gotten her number. 

“You hear what she said? No stress and no physical activity. Stop stressing about school and stop fighting. Got it?” Young Yi pointed her finger near his face before he slowly pushed it away. 

“I know.” He slowly reclined into his seat, closing his eyes as he took in the air from outside of the hospital. He had been there for nearly a month, and it took its toll. While he was walking away with a weaker heart than before, he was finally out of the hospital and living with his friends in peace. School was almost over, and he could finally move on with his life. Hopefully things will be better now, and he can escape the same old problems he’d been having for years.

-------

Thank you so much for reading!!!

[btsqualityy]

Magnolias In Springtime: Part Two

Namjoon x Reader

Genre: Arranged marriage!AU, ABO (Alpha/Beta/Omega) dynamics, fluff, and smut

Warnings: Mentions of infertility, mentions of miscarriages, unprotected sex, dirty talk, impregnation sex, impregnation kink, oral (both Namjoon and reader receiving), penetrative sex, squirting, knotting and creampie.

Author’s Note: You guys know that I always post something on my birthday so here it is! This is the second and final part to Magnolias in Springtime! If you haven’t read part 1, you can find it here! Truthfully, this second part was just an excuse for me to write Namjoon impregnation smut lol But I hope you guys enjoy it!

It’s crazy how much things could change and yet stay the same in the span of a year. 

You still loved your home pack, going back to see the Alphas, Betas, and Omegas that helped shaped you into the person you were today at least once a month. You were still spoiled by your parents, who made it their personal mission to shower you with gifts whenever they had the opportunity to see their only child. Most of all, you still used the skills that you had learned in your childhood pack as you prepared to become leader of your new pack with your husband. 

Speaking of your husband, Namjoon was the best and most enjoyable change in your life as you had spent the past year falling in love with him. 

Admittedly, adjusting to being in a marriage and to a man that you did not know or choose beforehand was hard, but you quickly found out that Namjoon was one of the most amazing people that you had ever met in your life. He was strong, dependable, and trustworthy just like a typical Alpha but you were delighted to find that he was also big on communication and making sure that you felt comfortable enough to talk to him, he was caring, and even sensitive in certain situations. He had quickly become your best friend and you found yourself falling for him not long after the wedding was over.

“Y/N?” Eun Kyung called out and you shook your head as you broke out of your thoughts. 

“I’m sorry,” you apologized sheepishly as you turned to look at your mother in law. “Can you repeat what you said? I wasn’t listening.”

“I see that,” she smiled knowingly. “A lot on your mind?”

“Kind of,” you shrugged as you fiddled with the handle of the tea cup that was in front of you. 

“Well, that’s understandable sweetie,” she assured you. “We’ve all been so busy getting ready for the Coronation, it’s no wonder that your thoughts are all over the place.” 

In the year since you and Namjoon had gotten married, Namjoon’s father Ho-jin had begun to slowly pass over the responsibilities of being Pack Alpha over to Namjoon. Two months ago, he had announced his official retirement and Namjoon would be having a Coronation to celebrate a new era of power. Of course, you would be celebrated as well given the fact that you would be replacing Eun Kyung as Pack Omega. 

“Anything you want to discuss?” Eun Kyung wondered. 

“You don’t mind?”

“Y/N-ah, that’s what we started these weekly tea dates for, remember?” She pointed out with a giggle and you smiled as you thought back on how your mother in law had insisted that you two meet every Tuesday aftermoon in order to talk and spend time together. At first, you were weary of it but it’s quickly become one of the highlights of your week, every week.

“I guess I’m just nervous about becoming Pack Omega,” you confessed. “I mean, I’m not from this pack and even though it seems like everyone likes me well enough, that might change once Namjoon’s officially Pack Alpha.”

“You remember how I told you about how my marriage to Ho-jin was arranged and how I replaced his mother when the time came?” Eun Kyung asked and you nodded your head. “I had the exact same fears as you do now and my mother in law, may she rest with the ancestors, gave me an amazing piece of advice that I have used continuously over the past 30 years. Wanna know what it is?”

“Yeah.”

“Your only duty as Pack Omega is to support your Alpha,” Eun Kyung began. “Whether that means reassuring him that he’s making a right decision, comforting him when he’s stressed and upset or even cussing him out when he’s dead wrong. The job of a Pack Leader is a stressful one and they must know that even if it feels like the world is on their shoulders, they will always have one person in their corner and that’s us.”

“That’s it?” You giggled and Eun Kyung nodded with a smile, pausing to take a sip of her tea before continuing.

“It seems intuitive right, because we’re Omegas ourselves but being the spouse of a Pack Leader means that we always have to shoulder a little bit more, whether it be more pain, more sadness, more hope,” she explained. “But I guarantee you, making sure that Namjoon is taken care will be the greatest thing that you can do for the pack.”

“I believe you,” you said. “I just know that Namjoon isn’t gonna make it easy for me. You know how he is about work and making sure the pack’s taken care of.”

“Don’t worry, Ho-jin already said that he plans to talk to him about finding a healthy balance,” Eun Kyung told you. 

“Good,” you smiled as you brought your tea cup to your mouth, taking a long sip from it. 

“Speaking of that though, there was actually something that I wanted to talk to you about,” she said and you lowered your cup from your lips.

“Go ahead,” you encouraged her before taking another sip.

“Are you and Namjoon....uh....fulfilling your....marital duties?” She wondered and you choked on your tea, immediately setting your cup down as you coughed harshly. Eun Kyung reached over and gave you several strong pats on the back, which helped you regulate your breathing again. 

“Uh, why do you ask?” You chuckled nervously.

“Well, with the coronation coming up, there’s been talk about the fact that you aren’t pregnant yet,” Eun Kyung elaborated and your eyes widened in realization. “Some people are beginning to become concerned.”

“And you’re one of them?” You shot back. 

“Yes, but not in the way that you’re thinking,” she laughed. “I’m worried about you as a person and not about your ability to conceive.”

“Why?”

“Because I know what it’s like to have your worth evaluated only in terms of how many kids you can pop out,” she smiled sadly and as her words registered with you, your jaw dropped as you put the pieces together. 

“Eun Kyung, you?”

“I struggled with infertility, yes,” she confirmed. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” you whispered as you reached out, setting one of your hands on top of hers. She turned her hand around and intertwined your fingers with hers. 

“Oh, I’m ok sweetie,” she swore. “After Ho-jin and I got married, we had miscarriage after miscarriage and it took six years before I got pregnant with Namjoon and he became our miracle baby. I’m telling you all this because I known how isolating that struggle can be and if that’s the case for you, I wanted you to know that you’re not alone.”

“I appreciate it Eun Kyung, but I don’t think that’s the case for Namjoon and I,” you muttered. “We’re just taking things slow and not rushing it. I mean, we’ve only been married for a year and we have years to have babies.”

“Alright sweetheart, alright,” Eun Kyung laughed. “I just wanted you to know that I’m here for you and if that’s how you and Namjoon feel, then I’ll get everyone else off your back.”

“Thank you,” you smiled gratefully and she tightened the grip that she had on your hand reassuringly. 

“No problem. Now, onto more important business,” she grinned. “Finding you a dress to wear for the coronation.” You nodded your head immediately, grateful that she changed the direction of the conversation because you had no idea how to tell her that you and Namjoon had only had sex a handful of times in the last year. 

.............................................

After finally leaving Ho-jin and Eun Kyung’s house a few hours later, you went home and made dinner. As usual, Namjoon came home around 6 and the two of you sat down in your dining room together, eating and talking about how your days went. 

Everything was going very normally until Namjoon called out to you as you both worked on cleaning up the kitchen.

“Y/N-ah?” He said. 

“Hmm?” 

“Did my mom say something to you today about a baby?” He wondered and you turned to look over at him, watching as he continued to wash the dishes as if he hadn’t just asked you what he did. 

“How did you know?” You asked.

“My father said something about it to me today after our meeting,” Namjoon sighed and you walked over to him, leaning against the counter so that you could look at him. 

“She did too, and she told me about her infertility,” you told him. “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

“Because it’s super personal to her and I didn’t know if she would be comfortable with me telling you,” he explained. “But why do you think I wanted 5 pups initially?”

“I get it now,” you giggled. “What did your dad say when he brought it up?”

“It was definitely less diplomatic than my mom,” he chuckled as he finished rinsing off the dishes and began drying off his hands. “He went on and on about how our family legacy needs to continue on and if we’re able, we need to have at least a few kids.”

“Hmm,” you murmured and Namjoon looked at you skeptically, raising his eyebrow.

“What’s that mean?” He laughed. 

“Nothing,” you shrugged as you looked down at your feet but he didn’t buy that, throwing the towel that he was holding onto the counter and moving closer to you.

“Hey, talk to me,” he pleaded and you sighed heavily before squaring your shoulders and looking up at him again.

“Why don’t you ever try to have sex with me?” You demanded to know. “I mean, besides our wedding night, we’ve only had sex during my two heats and your rut, and I’m guessing that you didn't tell your father that.”

“No, I didn’t tell him that,” Namjoon huffed with a smile. “And the reason that I haven’t been trying is because I don’t want to push you. Even though we both agreed to this marriage, it still never leaves my mind that you didn’t really choose this. I don’t want to force you into yet another life changing decision, because pups are forever.”

“Hey, I wasn’t forced into anything,” you gently corrected him. “Yeah, I had to make a choice to save my pack but I did that because I wanted to. Plus, you didn’t necessarily choose this either.”

“I know but still,” he muttered. “I just didn’t want you to think that you were obligated to have sex with me, let alone have my pups. And as for the heat and rut thing, it was easier because you asked for me during your heat and during my rut, I could blame it on my hormones.”

“You sure that it’s not because you’re not attracted to me?” You joked lamely and Namjoon smacked his lips together as he set his hands on your cheeks, forcing you to maintain eye contact with him. 

“Baby, you’re the most gorgeous woman that I’ve ever laid my eyes on,” he told you seriously. “I think the world of you, and you know that.”

“It’s kind of hard to remember,” you admitted. 

“I should have explained to you my reasoning and for that, I’m sorry,” he apologized. “But don’t you ever think for one second that I don’t want you. I think about you all the time, my Alpha gets nervous anytime that I’m away from you for too long and hell, my cock gets hard as soon as you look at me with these eyes.”

“Namjoon,” you whined through giggles, which made him smile as he looked at you fondly. 

“If you’re comfortable with it, I’d have sex with you whenever you wanted,” he said. 

“I’m comfortable with it,” you assured him. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he replied, leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to your lips.

“But what about pups?” You whispered, your lips moving against his as you spoke.

“Baby, I’d love to see you pregnant with my pups,” he told you. “If it were up to just me, you’d always be pregnant. All you have to do is say the word.”

“I want your pups Alpha,” you murmured as you looked up at him through your lashes. “Please.” Without another word, Namjoon bent down and scooped you up into his arms, making you squeal and cling onto him as he carried you bridal style out of the kitchen and up the stairs. 

“I could’ve walked!” You exclaimed while giggling. 

“This is more romantic,” he winked at you. After making it up the stairs, he walked down the hallway to your bedroom, using one hand to open the door before stepping inside. He walked over to the bed, laying you down gently before crawling on top of you and kissing you passionately. 

You moaned into his mouth, your legs coming up to wrap themselves around his waist as you pulled him closer to you. He moved away from your lips eventually, his mouth trailing downwards and sucking on the mating mark that he had given you on your wedding night. 

“You’re perfect baby,” he mumbled against your skin and you could barely reply because he had begun to grind against you. The thin layer of your leggings did little to inhibit the feeling, and you felt yourself whining as you became more turned on. 

“W-wanna suck you off,” you whispered shyly and he pulled his face out of your neck, looking down at you with a smile. 

“Alright,” he nodded before climbing off of you, settling himself next to you on the bed. You sat up then, reaching down and pulling off your t-shirt before letting Namjoon help you unclip your bra. Even though the two of you hadn’t had sex as often as you hoped, you had sex often enough to know that your husband was definitely a breast man and he loved to see them while you gave him a blow job. 

You moved down the bed and settled yourself on your stomach in between his legs, pulling down the shorts he had on and his boxers just enough so that his cock fell out, taking ahold of it in both of your hands. He was almost fully hard and you didn’t waste any time taking him into your mouth, swirling your tongue around the tip.

“Fuck,” Namjoon groaned deeply and hearing your Alpha feel good only spurred you on. You then took him as deep into your mouth as you could, making him moan from how good your throat felt around his cock. Once you deemed him wet enough, you began to bob your head up and down, using your hands to stroke the parts of his shaft that you couldn’t reach with your mouth. 

“Good girl baby,” he praised you. “So good to my cock.” You could feel yourself getting wet but you were too focused on doing your best to make your husband feel good. As you continued to suck him off for a few minutes, you could feel his cock beginning to throb lightly and you knew that meant that he was close to coming. Just as that thought registered in your mind though, Namjoon reached down and pulled himself out of your mouth. 

“What’s wrong?” You wondered. 

“You're sucking me off a little too well baby,” he chuckled. “I was about to come embarrassingly fast.”

“That’s ok,” you shrugged. 

“Not if you want my pups inside of you instead of in your mouth,” he smirked, making you blush at his words. “Here, switch places with me.” You sat up and shuffled on your knees up the bed, turning yourself around before laying down on your back. Namjoon then sat up and grabbed ahold of the waist band of your leggings, pulling them down along with your panties. You let your legs fall out and Namjoon licked his lips once he set his eyes on your bare pussy.

“I knew it,” he grumbled, reaching out and letting his middle finger ghost over your clit. “I could tell you were getting wet baby, I could smell your scent from your pussy.” Without giving you the chance to reply, he dove forward and sucked your clit into his mouth. You cried out, your back arching up off of the bed as he suckled on your clit. 

“Damn it,” you whimpered, lifting your head and watching him as he began to leave wide licks up your slit. 

“Let’s see how you do with a finger,” Namjoon muttered, pausing the actions of his tongue in order to slide his middle finger inside of you. 

“Oh fuck,” you gasped, letting your had fall back against the bed. 

“You’re so tight baby, you’re just swallowing my finger,” Namjoon groaned. You felt movement on the bed and when you opened your eyes, you were surprised to see that Namjoon was now laying next to you on the bed, looking down at you as he pushed a second finger in alongside his 

“You want Alpha to make you come like this?” He wondered aloud as he began to thrust his finger in and out of you. “Wanna come on my fingers?”

“Please,” you nodded and he smiled as he began to fuck you faster. Namjoon’s fingers were long and slender, meaning that he as able to reach the deepest parts of you without it being too overwhelming to you. 

“Ha, ha,” you moaned in time with his thrusts.

“You’re dripping baby,” he told you but you didn’t even hear him because you could feel your orgasm winding to it’s end in your core.

“I’m gonna come,” you announced and nothing could’ve prepared you for Namjoon pulling his fingers out of you. You whipped your head to look over at him, tears beginning to well up in your eyes as you felt your orgasm slowly but surely slipping away. 

“Why?” You pouted and Namjoon cooed at you before leaning over and kissing you firmly for a few seconds before pulling away. 

“Alpha wants his Omega to come on his cock while I come inside of you, ok?” He told you and you sighed reluctantly before nodding your head. 

Namjoon pushed his shorts and underwear all the way off his legs before reaching up and pulling his t-shirt off as well. He then sat up and moved to settle in between your legs, taking ahold of the base of his cock and tapping the head of it on your clit. 

“If you want me to c-come on your cock, d-don’t tease me,” you whined and he just chuckled fondly. 

“Ok, I’m sorry baby,” he whispered, guiding his cock into you slowly. You felt like you were going to choke on air as he stretched you out, since you had basically forgotten how long and thick he was. 

“Oh, just like that baby,” Namjoon mumbled as he began to slowly thrust in and out of you. “You’re opening up so good for me.”

“A-Alpha,” you whimpered, clutching onto his forearms as he began to fuck you faster. “Fuck, it feels so good.”

“What does?” Namjoon goaded you. “Tell your Alpha baby.”

“Your cock feels good inside me,” you moaned. “Feel so full.”

“God, I can’t believe that I was keeping myself from feeling your tight little pussy every day,” he grumbled. “I’m sorry baby.”

“It’s o-ok,” you stammered back, the beginnings of your orgasm starting to reappear.

“I’m gonna fuck you everyday from here on out if you let me,” he swore, looking down at you with hooded eyes. “Would you want that? Want Alpha to always keep you full with his knot?”

“Please, please, please,” you chanted.

“Want Alpha to fuck a baby into you?”

“Give it to me,” you moaned loudly and Namjoon reached up, sliding two of his fingers into your open mouth. You didn’t even hesitate to start sucking on them, making your husband groan as your tongue slid around the digits. 

“Gonna make you come,” he said as he pulled his fingers away from your mouth, reaching down and setting them on your clit. Your mouth dropped open as he began to rub firm circles on the nub and you were almost embarrassed by  how fast the stimulation sped up the pace at which your orgasm was running towards you. 

“Holy fuck, don’t stop,” you pleaded. “I’m gonna come.”

“Go ahead baby, I won’t stop you,” he promised as he continued to fuck you and rub your clit. Sure enough, your orgasm slammed into you a few seconds later. The moan that fell out of your mouth was almost deafeningly loud and you were sure that Namjoon would have indents on his arm from where you were gripping onto his skin as your back arched up off of the bed. 

“Fuck, you’re squirting baby,” he groaned as he took his hand off of your clit and placed his hands on the bed next to your head, fucking into you even harder now. 

“T-too much,” you murmured as you set your hands against his chest.

“You love it though. You’re still coming for me,” he smirked and you couldn’t help but to blush because you could still feel yourself leaking onto his cock. 

“I do,” you admitted and he leaned down, pressing a firm kiss to your lips. 

“You’re so perfect for me,” he grumbled and you could feel the beginnings of his knot starting to swell. “Squirting for me and marking your Alpha. God, it makes me want to stuff my knot into you and fill you up with my pups.”

“Do it,” you encouraged him. “Give me a baby Joon.”

“I love you,” he grunted and you gave him a small smile.

“I love you too,” you replied, moaning lightly when he kissed you again. As the two of you made out, Namjoon pushed his knot inside of you and you felt his cum start to pour into you. He continued to give you light strokes, making sure to fuck his cum even deeper inside of you than it already was.

“Making sure that it takes huh?” You giggled and he just blushed as he pulled back to look at you. 

“Gotta make it worth it,” he pointed out. “Besides, even if you don’t get pregnant this time, we can always try again and again and again.”

“As long as you make me come like that again,” you nodded in agreement.

“Oh, I definitely wanna see that again,” he smirked. “Maybe I should deny you your orgasm more often.”

“I’ll murder you,” you stated firmly, making him laugh loudly. 

“I’m joking baby,” he said, leaning down and kissing your mating mark. “Love you.”

“I love you too,” you whispered.

.............................................

A few weeks later, the day of Namjoon’s coronation had finally come. The entire pack was gathered outside near the wall of magnolias that you and Namjoon had gotten married near, waiting for the ceremony to take place. 

The two of you were in your shared bedroom, where you were helping him get dressed into his traditional hanbok. 

“Are you ok?” You asked him while you fastened the buttons on his chest. 

“Yeah, of course,” he chuckled awkwardly. “Why do you ask?”

“You’re trembling,” you giggled and he just sighed heavily.

“I’m terrified,” he admitted. “I’ve been looking forward to being Pack Leader my entire life but what if I’m not good at it? My dad and grandfather were amazing Pack Alphas and what if I can’t measure up?”

“Joon,” you tsked as you reached up and set your hands on his cheeks, making him look you in the eyes. “You can’t compare yourself to anyone else. You are going to be an amazing leader because you’re thoughtful, caring, and selfless.”

“You think so?”

“I know so,” you smiled. “Just like I know that you’ll be an amazing daddy.”

“A daddy?” He repeated confusedly and you nodded your head. It took him a few minutes but when he put the pieces together, his eyes widened. “Baby, are you pregnant?”

“I am,” you nodded, squealing in surprise when Namjoon wrapped his arms around you and picked you up, spinning you around in a circle. “Wait, you’re gonna make me nauseous!”

“Fuck, I’m sorry,” he laughed as he set you back down on the ground. “I just can’t believe it.”

“You’re happy, right?”

“Of course I am,” he sighed contentedly. “I’m so happy that our parents arranged our marriage.”

“Ditto,” you cooed, leaning forward and kissing him gently for a few seconds before pulling away. “Now, we have to go. You have to go and claim your rightful position.”

“We have to claim our rightful position,” he corrected you as he reached down and intertwined your fingers with his. After taking one last look at him to make sure that he looked good, the two of you walked downstairs and out of your house, ready to step into your new roles and the new phase of your lives. 

[fandomsonrequests]

dad!ateez: their dad instincts kick in

inspired by @latte-fairytaekwoon​ (thanks i have massive baby fever now :’] ) and those videos where parents bust out into ninja mode when their baby is about to fall or run into something

hongjoong:

“Okay buddy, just sit there while daddy works okay?” Hongjoong tells his eight-month-old son who was sitting across him on the soft couch of the producing room. His son only babbles happily, making his father smile. 

Hongjoong shakes his head in amusement and turns back towards his computer where he started working on his music. The first few minutes, he would occasionally look over to his son just to make sure he hadn’t wandered off or touch anything. And every time he sees him just playing with the toys that surround him. So far so good. 

But it didn’t take long for the little guy to become bored and for Hongjoong to become so immersed in his work. While he was busy, tapping away and finding some samples to use, his son started to stand. The baby held onto the back of the couch, walking towards the edge where he bounces up and down, his feet dangerously close to the edge. One wrong misstep and he would go tumbling off the side. 

Fortunately, at that moment, Hongjoong’s father instincts kicked in. Something just tickled in the back of his head to check his baby. And a good thing he did because the minute he turned, his baby slipped off the edge of the couch. The man immediately launched off his chair and grabbed his son by the arm, pulling him towards his chest and rolling back onto the couch.

The baby was stunned into silence, not comprehending what had happened before laughing and patting his father’s face. Hongjoong felt his heartbeat rapidly, a sigh of relief escaping him. He kissed the baby’s little palm and brought him over to his chair where he sat him onto his lap. 

“Maybe it’s best you watch daddy work.”

seonghwa:

“That’s it Hyonjin! Keep it up!” You encourage your four-year-old daughter from behind the camera.

It was her first time riding a trike so obviously, your husband, being the helicopter father he was, asked you to document the whole thing. Speaking of which, Seonghwa was right behind your daughter, jogging a little as Hyonjin speeds down the road. 

“There you go, angel! You’re doing great!” He cheered on. 

The little girl just giggles and pedals faster. But due thanks to the laws of physics, she was moving too fast— much too fast. And she didn’t see the mailbox on the side of the road that she was about to crash into. Luckily for you, Seonghwa started sprinting towards her, his arms outstretched. 

“Seonghwa—“ You call out to your husband when you realize what was about to happen.

And by the grace of a miracle, he grabbed Hyonjin by the waist, lifting her out of the tricycle right as it crashed into the mailbox. Your daughter who was blissfully unaware of what had happened just smiled down at your dad. But all color had drained from both parents’ faces, adrenaline rushing through you.

“Daddy! Did you see it? I was going so fast!” Your little girl says to her father, shaking her dad’s arms. 

Your husband smiles weakly but no less bright. “Yes you did angel, but I think you should slow it down a little.” 

yunho :

Eun-jung, your little six-year-old baby girl, squeals as she goes back and forth on the spring rider. You watch from the side with your newly born son in your arms. You, Yunho, and your two little rascals decided it would be fun to have a picnic at the public field nearby. You were just lucky there was a small playground built there.

Your husband laughs along with your little girl as he pulled her back on the spring rider. It was nice to see that he was having just as much fun as his daughter, their energies fueling each other. 

Eun-jung started to rock the rider a little, making it go back and forth a little more violently. Yunho grows a little more apprehensive at the rate she was going but lets her keep going- he didn’t want to ruin her fun after all. And that proved to be a good decision because the moment the spring rider tipped backward, the little girl loses her grip and falls off. 

You yell out to Yunho, your own instincts kicking in, but he was already moving. He held his arms out and caught her by the waist. The force from your daughter being practically thrown off practically sent the two tumbling to the ground. Yunho’s ninja mode flips on and he turns so that he lands on his back instead of falling forward, to avoid crushing his baby girl underneath his weight. 

When he realizes what happened, his eyes widened in excitement. “Aha! I told you bubba, your dad has Spiderman reflexes!” He teases his daughter. 

You roll your eyes in amusement but maybe he wasn’t exaggerating. 

yeosang:

“Doyun, stop moving. Your father is asleep.” You warn your son who was bouncing on his spot on the couch, Yeosang’s head being right beside your son on the couch. 

“Sorry,” He apologizes before returning your attention back to the television. The whole family, apart from Yeosang who was out like a light from working all day, decided to watch a film before heading to bed. Your younger son, Ji-ho, was sat on your lap while your youngest, Haneul, was sat beside you. 

Haneul was only a few months old but could already sit up. Her attention was turned from the television though, instead, focusing on the little insect that managed to crawl into your home. It was slowly making its way across the floor. And Haneul, seeing it skittle away, thought it was a good idea to follow it.

She scoots forward on the couch and fell off the edge. Your hand shot out when you saw her move to the corner of your eye but Yeosang was faster.

Yeosang magically woke up from his nap and his arm just moved on its own accord, pinning the baby to the couch. You grab her legs and gently lay her to the floor while your sons watch in amazement at what had happened. 

“Oh my God dad-” Ji-ho cheers. “That was so cool!”

Yeosang couldn’t help but chuckle, reaching over to pull Haneul and rest her upon his chest. “Thank you, kiddo. But that’s one of the reasons why they married me.” He sends a wink towards you, making you blush. 

“Just watch the dang movie, Kang.”

san: 

“Okay Nari, just let it out,” San cooes to his baby girl, her tiny body laying on his shoulder as he gently pats her back. He had just finished feeding her milk in the kitchen and it was now time for her to burp it out. 

He rocks her back and forth, traveling to the living room where your two-year-old daughter was watching the television. You were away on a business trip, leaving San in charge of taking care of your two little angels. Sooyun turned from her spot on the couch when she saw her dad approaching and smiled, reaching out to him.

“Dada!” She cooed and made grabby hands.

“Hey Yoonie, what are you watching?” He asks her as goes over, standing by the couch. 

“Pororo!” She answered and copied the cute penguin, making her father chuckle. She sees her baby sister in her dad’s arms and reached out to make grabby hands again. “Daddy hold please!” 

San smiles apologetically at her and shook his head. “Not now baby, Nari needs to burp-burp before you can hold her.” 

But the little girl wasn’t having it. She whines and reaches out again, leaning over the side of the couch and reaching up. San turned his torso away and kept telling her no. And in a last attempt to grab her sister, Sooyun jumped up over the side, making her fall over. San’s parental mode kicks in and he sticks his foot out, cushioning her head as she fell to the floor. 

“You okay?” He asks her and she nods her head. “Let’s keep this secret between us? Okay Sooyun?”

“Okay daddy.” 

mingi:

“Song Mingi be careful with Young-soo,” You warn as you recline back on the couch. You were suffering a sore back that day, so you were resting with a warm compress on your back. “That yoga ball you’re bouncing him on is old. It could pop.”

“Don’t worry baby, I have ninja instincts. He’ll be safe.” Mingi assures you as he bounces his son on the ball, making him release a joyous giggle. 

Young-soo squeals in delight as his father turns him around and maneuvers him so that he’s able to do a few front and backflips. Your husband laughs his deep but warm laugh when Young-soo poses like a character in a fighting game. And for a while, you decide that maybe it’s best to let them be. 

But just as you predicted- the ball bursts in midjump. You felt time slow down when you see the rubber fly everywhere, immediately straightening up despite the pain that shot up your spine. Mingi’s large arms grabbed at his son, pulling him up before his face could hit the floor. 

Young-soo starts crying from the loud noise and your husband hurriedly hushes him. “Don’t cry little guy, daddy’s here.” He says and wipes the boy’s tears. It doesn’t take long for Young-soo to calm down. Mingi faces you, a sheepish smile on his face when he sees your unamused expression. 

“Heh, told you,” He stammers. “Ninja instincts.”

wooyoung: 

Wooyoung looks into the pot full of mashed rice and banana pudding with milk- or in other words: baby food. He stirs the pudding, lowering the heat before looking over to his son who was sat patiently in his high chair. He played with his little rattle, keeping himself entertained with the object.

Wooyoung smiles at himself, proud that your little one was well behaved. He had definitely gotten it from you- or at least that what some of his friends and family say. He was left in charge of the house for the day as you were out at your older son’s kindergarten to pick him up.

“Your dad’s almost finished with the best baby food ever,” Wooyoung says proudly and turns off the heat from the pot. As he was busy transferring the pudding to the baby bowl and cleaned up his area as he waited for it to cool, his son starts to rock the chair, growing bored with the rattle.

The high chair slowly gains momentum, tipping over from side to side. Hearing the sudden racket, Wooyoung looks over to the baby, eyes widening at what he saw. He practically leaps over the counter as the high chair tipped over to the left, falling in that direction. 

Before it hits the ground, Wooyoung had slid over, dropping down to his knees and stabilizing the high chair. His son just looks curiously at his father, laughing happily and bonking his father over the head with his rattle.

“Okay, maybe you aren’t as well-behaved as I thought.” Wooyoung winces before chuckling to himself. “Now you got that from me.”

jongho: 

You and your husband Jongho thought it would be a good time to have a vacation at the beach with your twins. The beach resort you had booked had some beach activities for visitors to do- banana boat riding, speedboating, snorkeling, beach volleyball, you name it. It just so happened that one of the activities was ATV riding. 

And of course, your kids knew how well their dad was at driving the thing. So they asked if they could ride one themselves. Your twins were nine-years-old, so you and Jongho didn’t see any problem with letting them ride an ATV by themselves. Of course, he was going to supervise them but he’d rather they learn on their own.

“Alright Young-min, hold onto your sister,” He instructs them while you film from the side, a grin present. “Young-soon, remember this is the break and this makes you accelerate- BUT be easy on the acceleration, gently squeeze it- not press down on it, or else you and your brother will speed away.”

“Yes dad,” The two respond in unison through their helmets. Young-soon seemed so excited though as she was practically vibrating with excitement. 

“Okay kiddos, let her rip,” Jongho says as he steps away. 

The ATV slowly moves forward at a pace that allowed you and your husband to walk alongside it. They slowly gain speed but it was nothing that made you run after them. But your daughter, being so overwhelmed with adrenaline, accidentally squeezed the acceleration too hard, making them zoom forward.

“Whoa- whoa slow down!” You call out to them. 

Jongho’s paternal instincts kicked in and he automatically latched onto the metal part that jutted out of the back of the ATV, clutching onto it for dear life in an attempt to slow down the bike. Before they could crash into the changing shed nearby, he snatches the two up in one arm and pulled them off. The bike breaks to a stop, leaving you jogging up to the three. 

“I can’t believe I caught that in film.” You breathe in disbelief, making your twins look to you excitedly. 

“Can we see???” 

[alexhziee]

Review: A Piece of Your Mind

We all love differently. We all cherish things, memories and people differently. We see and feel things differently. Differently, we put great value in things while others don’t or vice versa. That’s what makes us unique from each other, you do things your way and I do things my way. I remember things this way while you grieve that way. This drama is a good contrast of characters, needing someone, loving someone, looking at them from a far and looking at them closely. 

It's one of those dramas that you had no plans on watching cause you already had a prejudice about it, that it would be boring. It's those that you never expected are usually gems that really struck you. It's nothing flashy or extravagant but the story and the way the drama made you feel, is what made you love it more. 

I don’t watch melodramas for the reasons that I find it a bit dull or slow and requires too much emotional investment. And reading the synopsis for this and watching the trailers, it gave that exact vibe especially with the aesthetic of it all. 

STORY

“We all love differently” is a good phrase to summarize the drama. Ha Won and In Wook’s love for Jisoo is different as are Seo Woo’s and Soon Ho’s love. 

Ha Won and In Wook’s love for Jisoo and her memories are quite the opposite. Ha Won cherished everything about Jisoo. She was the sunshine on a rainy day, she was the light in a dark room, the fire during winter and the warmth during cold days. She was Ha Won’s rock. He was willing to drop his life for her (he did) and would never regret it. 

Ha Won knew his place and never forced her, he waited and waited patiently and even when he realised that she loves someone else, he didn’t argue with it or fought, he respected her decision. Even when their lives moved on Ha Won held on to his love. Even with a tiny memory, he held onto it, he held onto her memories, he held onto her. Having a piece of Ji Soo was enough.

“I only want a small piece of her”

In Wook started loving his wife from afar. He watched her and loved her with all his heart. She was his partner and his other half as he did for her. She was his loving and supporting wife and he cherished and loved her just as much. He didn’t expect though that a past mistake could put a strain to their love and trust. In Wook loved her but his pride got in the way. 

He expected her to just accept it and move on and when she didn’t he distanced himself thinking that it was the best way to let her heal. But there was a part of him that hated Ha Won for loving his wife, he was insecure and guilty. Unlike Ha Won, a piece is not enough, he wanted everything from Jisoo.

Seo Woo and Soon Ho both love someone and the way they approach their love was different but still kind of the same. Seo Woo at first just loved Ha Won just like he did for Ji Soo, patiently and quietly but when she saw that he was hurting, she didn’t comfort him with flowering words but rather slapped him with the truth. 

While Soon Ho, she stuck on his side despite him pushing her away. She was persistent and that was her charm. She wanted to comfort him by being there she didn’t want him to be swallowed by grief. 

His tears give me pain. I want to tell him it’s okay and that he shouldn’t suffer anymore. I want to be able to give strength to my husband. 

-Ji Soo

Seo Woo had a question that I really liked and Eun Joo’s answer was even better. 

 Is one percent potential or false hope?

If you think, “I have a whole percent” it’s potential

If you think “I only have one percent” it's a false hope

I love the idea of viewing one thing differently. Depending on how you see it, it can be a good thing or it can be a bad thing. It's how you see it and how you believe it that matters.

There are a lot of lines in the drama that really struck me, especially when dealing with emotions from situations you can’t control. 

Seo Woo would say to Eun Joo one out of the 100 reasons as to why it won’t work out with Ha Won but I say for every dozen of reasons for it to be wrong, there are thousands of reasons for it to be right. 

“Being sad when you should be angry or annoyed is bad for you. Its okay to be angry”

I forgot who said it but I love that line. 

“Its gonna be okay, the world changes on its own”

I love that the romance was slow at times, it was refreshing from other dramas since it was slow and values too much on each character's feelings, there's no villian who vows to ruin everything but it rather focuses on the grief of loss, the desperation of longing and moving on from pain. 

There is a really good chemistry between both leads, they are the kind of pairing that you want to watch for a long time, which is why it's a bit sad that it got cut short into 12 episodes. 

CHARACTERS

Moon Ha Won is the kind hearted genius who founded M&H and the leading innovator of AI Programming. Despite his success, Hawon is longing for his first love, Ji Soo. His childhood friend and only friend when he was still living in Norway with his mom. 

What I really love about Ha Won is his consistent love and loyalty to those he values. He is very patient and calm, so it was quite different when he got mad. I love that he is such a cool boss and understanding uncle to Soon Ho, despite them being the same age or was he older by a few years?

I love Ha Won’s kind of love. He is not forceful, obsessive or constrictive but rather he was patient, understanding and sentimental. He’s not a high maintenance kind of guy (lol) he values simple things. He has this innocent look that you can’t help but fall in love with.

I love that his feelings (for Seo Woo) didn't just magically appear. It wasn’t love at first sight, he fell in love with her by understanding her. His feelings gradually developed the more he understands how Seo Woo thinks. When he first saw her, it wasn’t love but rather curiosity. He was kind of curious about her and the more he spent time with her, his curiosity morphed into something more.

Han Seo Woo is the recording engineer for a classical music studio. At first I kind of thought that she was just a normal person who is just trying to survive day by day but as the drama progresses, the more secrets of Seo Woo’s life unfolds which reminds of the saying “Don’t judge the book by its cover”. Seo Woo kept her pain inwards, like the majority of the characters in the drama Seo Woo is dealing with or have dealt with memories that are just too painful to handle alone. 

There was a time that it seems like Seo Woo is in love with not the actual person but loves Ha Won's love for Ji Soo, do you get me? She said she loves looking at him when he is asking about Jisoo, the way he cherishes her, misses her the way he gives his all for Jisoo, not being negative or being pessimist but it seems like she is in love with Won's idea of love. 

But after watching it all, I know that she genuinely loves Ha Won. 

I kind of get her dilemma and why she did what she did. She was being thrown in this rollercoaster of emotions and a person can only take so much.

Moon Soon Ho is the biological granddaughter of the diplomat who sponsored Ha Won and his mom while they were staying in Norway. She is like the complete contrast to Ha Won, she is impulsive, impatient and opinionated but that's just Soon Ho’s charm. 

I was a bit disappointed with her though, putting her crush over Ha Won, oh how much I wanted to rip her off the door but somehow I think it was for the better ‘cause Ha Won had the time to cool off and not do something impulsive. 

Kang In Wook is the tormented pianist who records at the recording studio who is also Ji Soo’s husband. I actually didn’t like him at first but I was moved by his pain. He genuinely loves his wife but his pride is his downfall.

It hurt my heart watching him in pain. 

ACTORS

I love the actors. Of Course I love Jung Hae In, although I haven’t watched a lot of his work since most of them are in genres or themes that I was not interested at all but everytime I do get to watch him, I always love him. Somehow this kind of genre and theme just perfectly fits him. 

Then Chae Soo Bin is one of my favorite actresses. She is really pretty and really good at acting, I saw her on I’m not a robot  and Sassy Go Go and I just fell in love with her. She is like a walking doll. 

Although I was a bit disappointed with Lee Ha Na (Soon Ho), I can’t pin point out what but somehow I was kind of disappointed with her in this, although I loved her in Voice with Jang Hyuk not the following season (lol)

And for Kim Sung Gyu, my amazing and awesome Young Shin from Kingdom. I love him here and in the kingdom, he perfectly played the tormented pianist really well. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

I rarely like OSTs or drama BGMs. I often find them subjective, like it fits for that single purpose alone and after the drama has passed, it's just no longer meaningful but somehow all of the music in this drama just gives me shivers (tbh, Idk why) but it just does. I find myself looking for it and constantly having it in repeat which is a big help for me right now since my insomnia keeps on coming back. 

e Aesthetic for the drama is very soothing, warm and calming which perfectly fits the overall feeling of the drama. The cinematography is really great and the locations are breathtakingly beautiful. 

Would I recommend it? Yes, it's a refreshing drama that nourishes your heart and your soul. It's one of those dramas that doesn’t need the over the top climax or horrifying or despicable villains. All the emotions that each character goes through from pain, desperation, grief to happiness is the main gem of the drama. 

If you haven’t watch it, instead of being led by stereotypes and prejudices (like me from the start) that melodramas are boring and dull, watch it with open mind and open heart and then you can genuinely judge if its a good drama or not.

ABOUT THE DRAMA

Synopsis

An innovator in the world of artificial intelligence programming, Moon Ha Won has made quite a name for himself in the AI industry. The founder and brain behind the popular portal site, M&H, Ha Won is a man everyone knows. A man devoted to his work, everyone knows he doesn’t take what he does lightly and expects his employees to follow suit, but he’s also known as a kindhearted, rational thinker, who never gets angry and never loses his cool. An ideal man, with a soft heart, Ha Won believes that when it comes to love, having even a small fraction of his love’s heart is enough to sustain him. But that theory is put to the test when Han Seo Woo wanders into his world.

A classical music recording engineer, Seo Woo hasn’t had the easiest life. With no family to support her, and no place to call home, Seo Woo has spent the majority of her life wandering and alone. Despite her difficulties, Seo Woo has managed to keep an open and optimistic mindset, believing that all things happen for a reason. Wandering down the path life has laid before her, Seo Woo soon finds herself crossing paths with Ha Won. As the two begin a journey together, they come to find that sometimes two different halves really can make a whole.

Episodes: 12 Aired: Mar 23, 2020 - Apr 28, 2020 Aired On: Monday, Tuesday Original Network: tvN Duration: 1 hr. 11 min. Content Rating: 15+ - Teens 15 or older Director: Lee Sang Yeob Screenwriter: Lee Sook Yun Genres: Romance, Life, Drama, Melodrama

Source:https://mydramalist.com/38491-half-of-half and google

[sadviper]

Kim Jin Won: Interview with Kankoku TV Drama vol. 97 (Aug 2020)

Director Kim Jin Won

A transformative drama about the birth and founding of the Joseon nation. Spinning a tale of the common people.

Director Kim Jin Won has been recognized for his delicate and heartwarming productions such as "The Innocent Man" (2012 KBS) and "Wonderful Days" (2014 KBS). From the time he first dreamed of directing dramas, he thought of telling stories from the point of view of ordinary people rather than from the viewpoint of the rich and blessed. It was the same for “My Country” (2019 JTBC), which was the director’s first time managing a full-scale historical drama. Although the theme was the founding of Korea, the starring roles were not famous figures such as Yi Seong-gye and Yi Bang-won, but the common folk at the lowest rungs of history. A human drama performed by fresh young stars and historical facts are exquisitely entwined to create a dynamic historical production. 

The contrast of Se-jong and Do-hwan as they unveil expectation-shattering performances

--What is the story behind how you became the director for “My Country”?

KJW: Can I speak frankly? To tell you the truth, I don’t really like historical dramas. But when I read the synopsis, it seemed very interesting. It was refreshing to have well-known figures such as Yi Seong-gye and Yi Bang-won play supporting roles in a story about the early days of Joseon. Instead, it pulls the story from the point of view of the commoners. While reading the script, I understood what regular people were thinking during the founding of the nation. That was interesting to me and I agreed to take on the production.

--When talking about the closing years of Goryeo to the early days of Joseon, aren't there essential people or events that have to appear?

KJW: We also thought it would be more interesting for Jeong Mong-ju (🔺1) and Jeong Do-jeon (🔺2) to make appearances, for they are indispensable to this era. The scale of the story would become larger and more dramatic. However, if we did that, it would be too similar to other works, so I abandoned the idea. First, the scriptwriter and I promised to not distort historical facts, and following this guiding principle, we developed the story.

(🔺1) Jeong Mong-ju (鄭夢周): A Confucian scholar and literary vassal who made a name for himself in the late Goryeo period. Yi Seong-gye and Jeong Do-jeon, who aim to establish a new country, oppose him. While planning their assassinations, Mong-ju himself is assassinated by Yi Bang-won's aides.

(🔺2) Jeong Do-jeon (鄭道伝): A politician who exercised his talents as an aide to Yi Seong-gye. He plays a major role in the founding of Joseon and the early national administration. He comes into conflict with Yi Bang-won, who was trying to succeed his father and become the king, and is subsequently killed.

--On the other hand, there are also fictional characters such as Seo Hwi (played by Yang Se-jong), Nam Seon-ho (played by Woo Do-hwan), and Han Hui-jae (played by Seol-hyun <AOA>).

KJW: Yes. Hwi and Hui-jae are characters we created from scratch. We researched how the common people lived during the founding of Joseon and the civil war that is known as the “Strife of the Princes”, and came up with these fictional characters. Nam Jeon, the antagonist and Seon-ho’s father (played by Ahn Nae-sang), was created by mixing together the real historical figures of Jeong Do-jeon and Nam Eun (🔺3). If anything, there are more elements of Nam Eun than Jeong Do-jeon. Nam Eun had several sons, but we made a single motif out of them and created Seon-ho. However, all his rebellious opposition to his father was our invention.

(🔺3) Nam Eun: A politician who was active from late Goryeo to the beginning of the Joseon era. He supports Yi Seong-gye with Jeong Do-jeon and contributes to the founding of Korea. However, Yi Bang-won launches the civil war that is called the "First Strife of Princes" and there Nam Eun loses his life.

--At the drama’s press conference, you told us about your dream casting.

KJW: Previously I produced “Just Between Lovers” (2017 JTBC) and wanted to cast Yang Se-jong as one of the main characters, however, during the preparation stage, that character was removed and I wasn’t able to make him an offer. Ever since, I’ve kept a close watch. Looking at Se-jong, he has a soft image and seems suited for melodramas, but in reality, he’s very manly and even handles his own action scenes. The character Hwi is adept at martial arts and is intelligent, but behind the scenes, he was a difficult character who carried an extraordinary amount of loneliness and heartache. When I met Se-jong, just as he was, I could see Hwi’s painful silhouette, and on the spot, I proposed that we work together.

--And what about Woo Do-hwan?

KJW: A long time ago, I asked my industry peers if there were any actors that were attracting attention recently, and that’s how I learned about Woo Do-hwan. At that time, he was a real newcomer with only two works in his filmography. To tell you the truth, Seon-ho’s casting was nerve-wracking. If the other actor can’t match Se-jong’s presence, then it’s difficult for a story that is spearheaded by dual male leads. After worrying over it, Do-hwan came out as the top contender and I made him an offer.

--How were the two on set?

KJW: They are the same age, but they are completely different types. Se-jong is the type of actor who acts after his emotions boil out of him. His emotions won’t emerge if he isn’t convinced, so he needs time to immerse himself in the role and empathize with the character. Do-hwan is the opposite; he is the type who enters the character instantly. Their styles differ but that difference created a transformative, synergistic effect. Se-jong said that one of his few friends was Do-hwan; they went as far as becoming best friends. They often came to me and talked about how they learned a lot from each other.

--During filming, at what point did you feel their charisma?

KJW: First of all, the scene where Se-jong was dragged off to jail was a performance that truly exceeded my expectations. He struck his head against the wall and was suffering, but his eyes! They were eyes that you can’t take a second time. Afterwards, I saw that his forehead was red and swollen. For Do-hwan, it was when we filmed the scene where his haggard figure was seated after Hwi’s sister, Yeon (played by Cho I-hyeon), experienced a traumatic episode. During rehearsal, tears spilled out of Do-hwan’s eyes. I didn’t expect him to cry; I immediately stopped the rehearsal and switched to filming. I thought that the actors properly captured the emotions; I told them to play those two scenes as they wanted to. Their performances were realistic and absolutely heart-wrenching.

Regrets for the limited romantic kiss scene

-- At what point did you feel Seol-hyun’s appeal and pick her for the role?

KJW: Casting the role of Hui-jae was a bit difficult. The drama was male-centric, and there was no clear romance. Be that as it may, even though the role is to become Hwi and Seon-ho’s emotional support, I thought that it had to be an actor that everyone understood. If it were Seol-hyun, she would give a skillful performance.

-- Seol-hyun’s performance received particularly good reviews.

KJW: I’m the most glad about that. During the middle of the broadcast, we held a press conference and from the very beginning, the reporters paid her many compliments. Without a doubt, her popularity increased with this work. She had a strong desire to do well, and together we discussed it and made it happen. In particular, Seol-hyun’s charms shone especially bright in the scenes with Seo Seol (played by Jang Young-nam), who manages the brothel.

-- There is one more main character: what is the story behind casting Jang Hyuk for the role of Yi Bang-won?

KJW: This casting was also very stressful. This drama was so nerve-wracking that you could say casting took up more than half the effort. In particular, Yi Bang-won is a figure that symbolizes this era, so I want an actor with a powerful presence to play the role. Otherwise, the scale will shrink and Yi Bang Won’s charisma as he faces the main characters will disappear in the second half. If you watch the drama, you’ll know that Yi Bang-won is involved in everything: he is in conflict with Seon-ho; he develops a close rapport with Hwi; and he fights for power with Yi Seong-gye and Nam Jeon. It requires an actor with profound emotions. The first person who came to mind was Jang Hyuk.

-- While filming, when was the moment that you thought ‘as expected’?

KJW: Jang Hyuk can dominate the screen with just the look in his eyes, without having to say a word. Also, he is as erudite as a historian, so I had an easy time as the director. The most memorable scene is the one with his father, Yi Seong-gye (played by Kim Yeong-cheol). In the scene where the two of them argued over the throne, initially I thought they would show a top-down hierarchy between a father and son. However, after rehearsal, Jang Hyuk and Kim Yeong-cheol were able to portray their relationship on equal footing. Man versus man. There was no discussion, it was a spontaneous expression. I could clearly see that Yi Bang-won was facing his father as a man. I thought it was excellent.

-- From the young to the veteran, the appeal of the actors was outstanding, and I enjoyed the male friendships.

KJW: First of all, what’s wonderful about Kim Yeong-cheol and An Nae-sang is that anyone who performs alongside those two ends up looking better. They only have to stand on the side, and it makes the other person look cool. Even Jang Hyuk, who is already strong enough, doubled in appeal when he was with them. After that, Jang Hyuk gave a lot of advice to his juniors. In the drama he was taciturn, but in reality he is quite talkative (laugh). Whenever he thought he didn’t have to be on set, he was always talking to his juniors by the side of the car that was used as the make-up room. Male friendships are good, but it’s just that I wanted to show more romance.

-- You mean Hwi and Hui-jae’s romance?

KJW: Yes. It wasn’t easy to incorporate the romance because the scale of each episode was so large. The only thing I was particular about was when Hwi was first taken to the battlefield--instead of remembering his sister, Yeon, he remembers Hui-jae. When I went to military service and woke up in the morning at the training center, the first thing that came to my mind wasn’t my family but my girlfriend (laugh). In the end, I changed it so that Hwi remembers both Yeon and Hui-jae. This was because Hwi is in a unique situation where he doesn’t know how Yeon is doing.

-- What about Hwi and Hui-jae’s first kiss scene?

KJW: I also have a lot of regrets concerning that scene. It was the first important kiss scene, but it took place in such a crappy little room! Hwi being beaten up, his lumpy face, and the shabby location are what I remember when I think about that scene. The art director and I did our best to film it as beautifully as possible. Otherwise, Hwi and Hui-jae’s feelings won’t be conveyed properly to the audience.

-- The early scene of paper lanterns soaring into the sky was also beautiful.

KJW: I put a lot of effort into that. It was the only happy time I could give Hwi before he heads out for the battle called the Liaodong Conquest. The script only called for flying kites, but I thought it would be unnatural to fly kites from day until night. After worrying about it, I ultimately decided to fly paper lanterns at night. The atmosphere was romantic, which was very nice.

Putting your heart and soul into the battlefield scenes

The trouble with bows and arrows in acting and film

-- You put in a remarkable amount of effort, not just for the romance scenes but also for the war scenes?

KJW: I poured the most effort into this part. There are a total of three battle scenes, but I filmed them all over six days. Of those, I focused the most on the scene for the Liaodong conquest. Hwi is suddenly taken to the battlefield, he’s bewildered and confused as to why he’s there, and he has to survive. I decided to film in one continuous take in order to highlight the figure of Hwi fighting without knowing the situation he’s in, but an entire day was gone just from checking the flow lines of the cameras and actors…It was an enormous challenge for me. It was very difficult.

 -- It was also impressive that bow and arrows were used as the main weapons instead of swords.

KJW: When I first spoke to the screenwriter, I wanted to take a different approach from other historical dramas, so I chose bow and arrow. However, that was the start of my troubles. Swords look cool and film well when you swing them around, but you can’t do that with bows and arrows. This time, I realized this while shooting. The actors also had a lot of trouble. Drawing the bow requires considerable power, so when they spoke their lines, their hands would quiver. Luckily they were all skilled at action and did a great job carrying it out.

-- One month after the start of filming, you regretfully asked yourself, “Why did I decide to do a historical drama?” (laugh) Was this because of the battle scene from before?

KJW: No. I didn’t have regrets during that time. It was during the appearance of the children. Two child actors played the queen’s (played by Park Ye-jin) sons. They only appear a few times in the drama, but for the sake of that scene, those two suffered a lot. I’m a father with a child their age, so it was really heart-breaking. When I was an assistant director, I shot a historical drama and I realized that it didn’t suit me, but unfortunately, over time I forgot. Hahaha.

--Seems like you really value the actors. When viewing the making video, the actors are often heard voicing their opinions.

KJW: That’s not always the case (embarrassed laugh). “My County” had many large-scale scenes, so I communicated the way I would with a contemporary drama. In particular, I had all kinds of discussions with the protagonists Se-jong, Do-hwan, and Seol-hyun. Thanks to this, the burden on each other was lightened, and we were able to save time during filming. After listening to the opinions of all the actors, I have an image of the scene before I film. However, for important scenes, I felt that I should capture the emotions the actors are trying to express rather than just capturing beautiful images.

--This is your second drama since transferring to JTBC. What is the story behind your transfer?

KJW: I wanted to continue directing. KBS is also a very good company and I learned many things there. But as any organization gets older, the time comes when you have to move to the next step on the ladder. It goes from director to producer, then from producer to a desk.  I transferred because I still had a strong desire to be in the field instead of in a managerial position.

--What are your plans now?

KJW: I don’t have any plans yet, but I’m joking with the staff that my next project will be set in Seoul, so they don’t have to go to the countryside and practically live there (like for “My Country”), hahaha. There is a project that I want to create for myself. A bright and healing work. After I transferred companies, I was told I could do what I want, so the first thing I filmed was the drama “Just Between Lovers”. After that, someday at least once, I want to try making a drama about the story of the Sewol issue. Nothing exciting, but the kind of story that heals the trauma.

[chaoticpuff17]

A Dangerous Game

part 8

Masterlist

She was only unconscious for a few minutes at most, but the way that Namjoon reacted to it would have made anyone think that she’d been in another car crash. He’d very swiftly scooped her up from the floor and deposited her on the bed propping her up against the pillows and giving her a stern command not to move while he went to inform Miss In of the incident. Given the fact that her head was still swimming, she didn’t argue choosing instead to remain lying on the mattress willing the nausea to go away and the room to stop spinning.

When Namjoon returned a few moments later, he took the liberty of planting himself right next to her at the head of the bed.

“Could you move?” She glared weakly at him from her position propped on the pillows, but her only response was an unamused stare and an arm being thrown over her shoulder to pull her into his side. She felt too ill to really put up more of a protest.

“The doctor will be here soon.” He spoke after a few moments of silence. “His orders are to keep you in bed until he arrives.”

“You’ll get no argument from me.” She huffed groaning as she tried to shift away from him.

The man sighed tucking her back into his side. “Lay still. You’ve already fainted once today. I warned you that all of this upset wasn’t good for you.” She seemed to deflate at that. Of course he had to be right. It was the cherry on top of everything that had happened today. “I know that today has been hard on you, but you need to rest.”

“Today wouldn’t be so hard if you had just let me leave. I could have been home by now.”

He chuckled looking down at her fondly. “How could I let you leave? The game isn’t finished yet, jagi.”

“Is this all a game to you? Is my life a game?” she demanded pushing herself up against the pillows to glare at him.

“Rest, jagi.” He sighed leaning against the pillows with a sigh. “You can fight all you want after you’re better.”

A knock on the door pulled both of their attention. “Enter!” Namjoon called allowing a man she could only assume was the doctor he had called for to enter the room. And she had to do a double take. Were all the men who worked under him secretly super models? The man who entered was perhaps one of the most handsome men she had ever seen in her life.

“Namjoon!” The doctor greeted with a bright smile. The informality of the greeting surprised her. No one else had referred to RM by his name, even more odd was that Namjoon allowed it.

“Seokjin.” He greeted though without the same warm smile. “I expected you earlier.” There was an admonishment behind those words though it didn’t seem to faze the doctor.

“I was dealing with Jungkook. Kid got all bruised up during a job.” The man shrugged. “He’ll be fine. Kid’s built like a tank.”

“Is this the patient?” He asked moving over to the bedside medical bag in tow. “I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting the lady yet, well not while she’s been conscious. I’m Kim Seokjin, the doctor for the knuckleheads that hang out around here, but pretty ladies get to call me Jin.” He flirted winking at her. “How’s that head feeling?” He asked her shooing Namjoon off the bed so that he could have better access to her.

She stared at the man sizing him up.  He looked kind enough, but looks could be deceiving in this world. If she had met him before her life had gone to hell, she would have assumed that he was nothing more than a kind doctor, but she knew better. If he willingly worked for Namjoon, if he was a friend of Namjoon, he couldn’t be as innocent as he seemed.

“It hurts.” She finally answered.

“I bet it does.” He hummed bringing out a thermometer to test her temperature. “I heard you took a fall. Can you tell me what happened?” The man seemed completely at ease even with Namjoon hovering over his shoulder.

“I stood up. I got dizzy…”

“She’s been agitated all day.” Namjoon interrupted crossing his arms over his chest. “She vomited once after she woke up, tried to jump out a window, and fainted after she stood up.”

The doctor hummed noncommittedly, but kept his focus on her as if waiting for her to answer for herself.

“I’m fine.”

“Y/N.” Her captor scolded.

“I’m fine.” She snapped back sick of the coddling, sick of Namjoon.

“He is right, Y/N.” Seokjin frowned bringing a flashlight up to her face. “Can you look right at my nose please? That’s great. Can you follow my finger without moving your head? Good, good. You took a rather hard hit to the head, Y/N. You’ve got a bit of a concussion. Normally I would do a CT to confirm, but I don’t think, Joonie will let us do that today.” He loudly whispered to her in a dramatically conspiratorial way.

“Hyung!”

“Joonie?” She snorted holding back a laugh. RM one of the biggest crime bosses in Asia was being called Joonie by his hyung. It was surreal.

“Let’s take a look at that cut shall we?”

“Go for it.”

The doctor lifted up the bandage apologizing as she winced as the adhesive pulled. “Well that doesn’t look good.” He cooed taking note of the raw itchy skin under the bandage along with the cut that he had stitched up.

“I’m allergic to medical adhesives.” She murmured keeping her eyes on the bed spread.

“What?” Namjoon seemed to perk up at that information. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

The look she leveled him with bordered on disbelieving. “I’m sorry if that slipped my mind during the whole kidnapping thing.” She huffed before turning a far gentler eye to the doctor who was looking over the wound with concern. “I found out a long time ago. It’s fine. It’ll itch and blister a bit, but it won’t do any long term damage. How’s the cut, doc?”

“Well, it’s not pretty, but the stitches are fine. It should heal up nicely. I’m going to clean it and then put a fresh bandage on alright?” She nodded her understanding allowing the doctor to do what he needed to do and wincing at the feeling of the antiseptic. “I’m going to send over some ointment for the blisters okay?”

“Thank you.” She murmured. She may have hated Namjoon, but the doctor was nice enough. She had no reason to be rude to him.

“Let’s take a look at those bruises okay? Can you sit up for me?” She nodded again allowing the doctor to help her sit up. “Namjoon, can you step outside for a moment?”

“No.”

Jin sighed turning towards the other man in annoyance. “I need to check on her bruising. If you hadn’t hit her with a car I wouldn’t need to. Now, give the poor woman some privacy. You can come back in after I’m done.” Namjoon didn’t move. “I’m not going to let her jump out a window, Joon.” Still no movement. The poor doctor looked like he was about to punch the crime lord or at the very least slap him upside the head.

“You hit her with a car. You bruised her up. Now I’m going to have to partially undress her to check on the bruising, and the least you can do is give her some privacy.” No movement. “I’ll call you in after I’m done. Go.” He ordered.

Finally Namjoon moved giving them both a wary look but following the doctor’s instructions and leaving the room. Jin didn’t make a move to do anything until the door had firmly closed behind Namjoon.

“Okay, Y/N. I’m going to help you undress. You have some bruising on your side from the crash. Is that okay?”

He was gentle waiting to do anything until he had her consent. He carefully undid the zipper at the back of the dress slipping the straps from her shoulder and allowing the garment to pool at her waist before draping a throw blanket over her to preserve her modesty. She decided then that she definitely liked this doctor more than she liked his boss. He was kind.

“It’s not too bad. I don’t think you got the worst of the damage, but you’ll be tender for a few days at the very least.”

Her ears perked up at that. “Do you know how the other passenger is doing? Eun-ho. Officer Choi Eun-ho. He was in the car with me. Is he alright?”

He sighed the easy smile falling from his lips replaced by a more pitying look. “I think he’s at the hospital. I don’t know much though.”

“But he’s alive?” She asked choking back tears as she did. “He’s alive?”

“Yes, he’s alive. As far as I know, he’s alive.”

“Oh thank god.” She sobbed hunching in on herself and allowing the tears to fall.

The doctor sat down beside her gently rubbing circles into her back as she cried. “It’s alright. You’re going to be alright.” He cooed letting her get it out of her system. “Namjoon isn’t a bad person. He won’t hurt you.”

“I just want to go home.” She sobbed.

“I know. I know.”

They stayed like that until her crying had calmed down. He helped her back into her dress, and even helped her clean up her face.

“You’re going to be alright, but I have to let Namjoon back in the room now.”

“Okay.” Her whisper was hoarse barely audible, but it was there.

He hesitated looking like he wanted to say something more. “I know this is hard, but you can always call on me if you need anything.”

“Thank you.” He nodded leaving to go get Namjoon.

“How is she?” Namjoon asked striding into the room and back to her side his eyes scanning her from head to toe. “Why does she look like she’s been crying?”

“It’s been an emotional day.” He shrugged not giving away anything else. “She’ll be alright, but you have to rest.” He admonished her sternly but gently, almost motherly. “And you.” He turned a stern gaze on Namjoon as well. “No more upsetting her. I don’t want any more calls saying that she fainted.”

“She’ll be alright?” Namjoon asked moving to sit on the bed beside her again.

“She’ll be fine so long as you don’t go upsetting her.” Seokjin sassed. “Now, Y/N. I’ll be back in a few days to check on those stitches, okay.”

“Sure, doc.”

He smiled and ruffled her head like a brother would. “Only light activity. Light foods so that they won’t upset her stomach, and plenty of fluids.” He ordered.

“Thank you, hyung.” Namjoon nodded patting his friends shoulder. “I’ll take care of her.”

“No upsetting her, Joon. I mean it. She’s been traumatized enough as it is.” He waggled his finger in the younger man’s face, and Y/N had to stop herself from laughing.

“I understand, hyung. Don’t you have other patients to see?”

Jin laughed walking out of the room, and Y/N had to do a double take. It sounded like windshield wipers, actual honest to god windshield wipers.

part 9

[fishylife]

Hyena Ep 12

- I was a bit confused about Geum-ja’s attitudes towards the case, but I think I agree with what Hee-jae. He said that she feels responsible for pushing Jeong-hwa to stay in a dangerous situation that she ended up dying for it. That was why Geum-ja was so weirdly neutral about it. She doesn’t want Chan-ho to have killed Jeong-hwa, because that would somehow exonerate her. At the same time, she is also hiding from her client the fact that she knew about Jeong-hwa’s relationship with Jun-ho, so she isn’t totally on Chan-ho’s side. So far, I think Geum-ja has hidden their relationship from everyone (except Ji-eun, who already knew before).

- I know I-jun’s job is basically just to look cute but I am but a shallow person and I cannot help but want to pat his head when he gets something done lol. All the other team members are so encouraging and reassuring to him, especially Chung-uk lol.

- So Geum-ja’s dad wants to threaten her. Geum-ja and Ju-ho think he doesn’t have evidence, but they’re also like WHAT IF. He’s just a huge thorn in their sides.

- Some corporate stuff happened. God, I’m really not interested in this corporate takeover stuff. It’s just that this show was never really about that stuff...even though it sort of was. Like, up until now the cases were more down-to-earth but now Song Pil-jung and Kim Min-joo are just playing with monopoly money as opposed to Hee-jae and Geum-ja who were doing like...more concrete field work. So getting Ju-ho to take over Issume and all the Kevin stuff just isn’t as interesting as the murder case.

- The ending was...not my favourite. The thing about romance is that sometimes you have a bunch of steps that are supposed to lead up to an acknowledgement that two parties are in love and in this case, I’m not sure that all the steps were there. You could say that Hee-jae’s jealous episode slowly got him to realize that he really had feelings for Geum-ja. The execution was very questionable though. As for Geum-ja, we had hints that she liked Hee-jae, or at least the idea of a lover, from the little things. But she spent the last handful of episodes getting annoyed at Hee-jae’s imposition on her personal life, so how did we jump from the little things through conflict into an acknowledgement of love? I know Geum-ja isn’t the kind of person to show her heart on her sleeve, but that doesn’t mean the writers can just give us nothing and be like “by the way Geum-ja is passionately in love with Hee-jae.”

- I guess Geum-ja “showing her love” was by telling Hee-jae that he needed to save his dad (?). Honestly that entire sequence was so weird. We barely saw Hee-jae’s dad, and even then, I felt like Hee-jae’s brother had more screen time in the recent episodes. And then all of a sudden Hee-jae’s dad is the one with the big target on his back that they all have to save. I’m probably just nitpicking, but when Hee-jae’s dad was talking to Pil-jung I was like “who’s this guy again? why do I care about him again?”

- This inheritance tax law side plot is also far less interesting compared to the MURDER MYSTERY we have going on. I understand that the big corporate merger and tax law cases are maybe more relevant to society as a whole, but like, as a viewer who wants to be entertained, it’s really breaking down the tension towards the end of the show when you should be ramping it up.

[weirdthingshappenman]

Romance Is A Bonus Book

So I finally got to this kdrama in my list. Since last year Lee Jong Suk won me over after two years of me insisting I did not find him attractive or his acting good. He shut me up and made me a fan of his in the blink of an eye. This little jerk keeps making me watch his kdramas. 

Romance Is A Bonus Book is one kdrama that I was not sure I would enjoy. I am glad to say I was wrong. They represent the romance in such a natural way. I liked how she was hiding in his house and he had no clue. The first scenes with the wedding were surprising. 

There was an important lesson in this kdrama for me. Love means not imposing your feelings on the other person. He never forced himself on her, he always supported her and let her make her own decisions.

This couple got divorced because he never supported her. It was not a big cheating scandal or physical violence. It teaches you that if yo do not feel cared for, you have the right to put yourself first. Also, that the other person is not a monster. You are both human.

With Ms. Go, I am glad that they portrayed how a woman can follow her career and not follow the marry-and-be-a-mom lifestyle. She met the guy again and he found with someone else what he could not have with her. Yes, it did pain her when she saw him, but she was also able to find her own happiness with someone else. Even if she remained single, she was true to her beliefs, and that is important. 

I was a bit upset when this girl said Dan-i had not sent the contract termination because I thought she did it intentionally. She kinda did, and I was upset that they just let it slide like that but oh well...

I was also a bit upset that Dan-i´s daughter was only shown once and barely mentioned. I felt like she did not really act like a mother, because when I watched When The Camelia Blooms, the relationship mother-child was very important. I do need to keep in mind there was a lot already going on here, though.

I cried when Song Hae Rin has friendzoned by Eun Ho. It pained me so much. She was very sweet and I am glad she was able to get oveer him. They also dealt with that correctly. I do not like when in a drama the second leads fall in love too quick. It seems as if they are just settling for someone else. 

The major plot twist at the end with Seo Joon was pretty cool and I was left with a good feeling from the kdrama. All the references to us being like books were amazing.

A lot to appreciate and I do need to point out that someone said Jong Suk seemed so natural here with Na Yeong. I did see it throughout the drama that they were comfortable with each other. Jong Suk has been acting for a long time and in every drama he improves, so I think that also needs to be taken into consideration, but yeah they did have wonderful chemistry.

FOR MORE REVIEWS CHECK MY BLOG

[woo-do-hwan]

The June Review

Dramas & Films I watched in June

The Romance of Tiger and Rose (2020) [9.5 out of 10]

I finally watched this so I could stop avoiding spoilers and tbh it did not disappoint. I finished this in about 2 days and I honestly don’t know what to do with myself now. I might have to start calling Lu Si the comedy queen because of the one heck of the performance she put on. I also loved the chemistry between the leads and by ep 10, it was so obvious the male lead was so in love with her, my heart just burst for them. The couple also reminded me of Donghua & Fengjiu in some instances bc Han Shuo is whipped for his woman just like Donghua is. Anyway... I might have to go rewatch this bc I feel empty inside now. 

My Dear Lady (2020) [6.5 out of 10]

I watched this curiously because of the summary but it seems most of the plot happened towards the end of the drama and by the end it felt rushed. I also got bored often watching most of this but the acting was still good. 

Kore Wa Keihi de Ochimasen! (2019) [8.5 out of 10]

I do truly enjoy watching some jdramas bc they’re just 10 episodes with no exaggerated or lengthy plot line and this was exactly it. It also had the subtle romance plot which doesn’t take the majority of the 10 eps which I quite enjoyed. And pretty much each ep came with a different story which I also loved with odd exception of the romance plot and the two last episodes. 

Kleun Cheewit (2017) [7.5 out of 10]

This isn’t my first lakorn and it certainly won’t be my last either. The chemistry between the two leads were amazing. I’m not sure what else to say... felt like they dragged out some parts and some things were a little so-so but good drama. 

Mystic Pop Up Bar (2020) [9.0 out of 10]

This is probably one of the best dramas I’ve watched this year, at first I wasn’t planning on watching it but I decided to give it a try and little did I know, I was going to be hooked two episodes in. I did mostly watch it for the back story (with the young actors) and I hope when they’re older they might consider doing another drama together. But I’m a sucker for tragedy & angst which I also try to avoid most of the time going into dramas (this is a very odd combo). The plot was great. A great drama, and I notice this also applies to books, when the audience guesses and already knows of the plot twists before they are revealed. It’s quite satisfying when all the pieces fall into place and that is exactly what happened. Mystic Pop Up Bar also kept it light-hearted bc you needed the humour after watching some of the angsty scenes, phew. 

Someday or One Day (2019) [8.5 out of 10]

I guess you could say this is a murder mystery for most of the episodes. The twist and turns are quite unexpected and I quite enjoyed watching. Greg Hsu could have my heart any day of the week. (this list is getting longer and longer with each passing day)

Want More 19 (2018) [7.0 out of 10]

A short web drama. I mean... the main reason I was here was for Day6′s OST ‘Chocolate’ It’s a great song. Also an amazing band. Again, it’s just a breather in between long-winded dramas. 

The Legend of White Snake (2019) [7.0 out of 10]

I know I said below another drama review that I had changed my ways and don’t skip through things now. Well... I skipped through this one mainly because I got fed up and bored, this consistently lasted through a whole chunk of eps. So I kind of skipped to the end... I didn’t miss much if I’m being honest and I wasn’t a fan of the ending. 

Tokyo Tarareba Musume (2017) [8.5 out of 10]

I went through a phase of watching dramas but regretted not paying enough attention to them the first time I watched them, either by skipping through the episode or just missing out episodes in general. Now that I’ve changed my ways and want to fully appreciate dramas, no matter how good or bad, I decided to rewatch this. There’s nothing better than watching Sakaguchi Kentaro be an angsty af man. Anyway, I enjoyed this very much. Jdramas have a lovely charm about them by not being too long and don’t drag out the storyline either. 

Good Casting (2020) [8.0 out of 10]

A better title for this show would be Chan Mi and her sidekicks... I wasn’t really a big fan of her character. She was literally everywhere & I think that’s where the plot falls... maybe I would have liked it more if we actually had a chance at seeing more of the other main characters. I think I was trying so hard to find a reason to like it but there wasn’t much to like about it. The premise of it sounded so appealing but again, it was just another drama that fell short. 

When My Love Blooms (2020) [7.5 out of 10]

Let’s be real here... I was watching this for Park Jinyoung & Jeon So Nee, I don’t know about you all. Honestly... I felt like Jinyoung & Jeon So Nee’s storyline would have worked well in a standalone drama. That would be quite interesting to see. Anyway, great chemistry between those two as well. I can’t say much for the present day storyline, easiest way to put it, I didn’t like it. But I suppose it’s what I get for a melodrama with the added extra drama tag. (Note to self, stop watching melodramas) 

My Woofy Poofy Love (2018) [8.0 out of 10]

It’s quite refreshing to watch short web dramas like this in between heavy dramas. You are angst free while watching fluffy web dramas. This was pure sweetness and very uplifting to watch, especially because I’ve been watching some heavy dramas recently. 

Where Your Eyes Linger (2020) [10 out of 10] (BL)

I’ve never given out a 10 before, they’re rare, extremely rare. Perfect actors, perfect length of episodes, perfect storyline. I loved it. I loved the way it reeled you in the first couple of episodes, with the fluff and the humour, then it eased you in and gave you a taste of the angst to come before completely ripping your heart out. And they gave us a kiss! A KISS! It was one of the softest kisses ever. PLEASE GIVE US SEASON 2... Ahem. At the moment, it is one of the best dramas I have seen this year. (I’m going to have to compile a list at the end of year of the best dramas, aren’t I? There’s bound to be more than one, Mystic Pop Up Bar is heading for a Best Drama crown this year too) Anyway. Go watch it, it’s worth it. 

The King: Eternal Monarch (2020) [7.5 out of 10]

Okay, if you follow me, you’ll know I was watching this for Woo Do Hwan and also Kim Kyung Name (you might have not known that one) and the queen Kim Go Eun. I mean it’s definitely not the best drama I’ve seen all year, it’s only June, there’s plenty of time for another drama to come out and impress everyone. But with this one... there was nothing really keeping me there except those three. My interest did peak around the middle episodes but died down quickly after. I wasn’t in love with Kim Go Eun/Lee Min Ho pairing but that’s just me, certain episodes they clicked with me and others they didn’t. I wanted more out of that final ep but I don’t at the same time. I wanted to see more of everyone’s life instead of the brief snippets we got, not to be biased but I wanted more to see more of Jo Yeong. I guess you take what you can get... we were teased with so much, the excellent cast, the hype for it and having a well known writer behind it but having watched it, it was a big let down, for me at least. 

Born Again (2020) [7.0 out of 10]

For an overall mystery/crime/fantasy/melodrama drama (If we can call it that) it wasn’t that bad... if we exclude the horror of the romance plot. The writer glorified what Jang Ki Yong’s characters did and that was not okay, he clearly needed help. Main Female lead ended up with the wrong guy. Lee Soo Hyuk deserves better. The stylist and him need a raise for his outfits during the later episodes when his past self takes over his current body because hot damn he was pulling that off better than any other character I’ve seen in a suit. 

My Holo Love (2020) [8.0 out of 10]

I loved the beginning of the drama but my interest died down after the plot was revealed (an evil man wanting the AI)... but I did however love the last scene of the series, that was a nice way to end it. 

Novoland: The Castle In the Sky (2016) [7.5 out of 10]

I just struggled to get into the storyline, I’m not sure whether to go back and watch the “happy ending” (ep 29) because I was fine with how they ended things. 

Maybe, Maybe Not (2019) [8.0 out of 10]

This a web drama, sweet and short ^.^

Long Time No See (2017) (BL) [8.5 out of 10]

This is just a short little drama, I loved the chemistry between the leads and it was very action packed for the few episodes it had. 

Snow Flower (2019) [Movie] [7.0 out of 10]

There is just something about Japanese movies... and sometimes dramas. It’s hard to explain, where they can be the most melancholic and beautifully filmed thing. It’s the odd feeling I get when I’m drinking coffee and it’s raining outside and I’m just overwhelmed and feeling nostalgic. Have you ever watched a film where you thought it was good, not extremely good, just good and not really have any qualms with it. This was the movie. Setting itself to be a sad movie with it’s summary surrounding terminal illness, but it’s hardly reflected upon. It focuses more on the romantic side of things which I didn’t mind. If you’ve got 2 hours to kill then it might be worth the watch.

Secretly, Greatly (2013) [Movie] [8.0 out of 10]

Worth a watch. It’s a good spy action movie with the comedy elements added into it as well. 

[tomorrowsdrama]

Hyena Ep. 16

I’m baaack!  Kind of.  I think I hit that point in my quarantine life where I kind of lost my mind so I went on an unexpected hiatus that lasted longer than intended.  I know it’s been over a month after the finale of Hyena but here are my ramblings.  This post is super long so I’ll save my thoughts on the series as a whole for another post.

Objectively, it was a pretty good finale that was entertaining and wrapped up the important plot lines.  We even got some sweet otp moments (more on that later) and satisfying smackdown of the bad guy.  But subjectively?  Personally?  Purely based on my selfish expectations?  I wanted more romance!  More sexiness!  I wasn’t expecting a wedding or anything like that but, not even one kiss?  Or a long embrace?  Why????

I mean, how can you give me all this sexy chemistry in the promos:

And then not make use of it in the finale?  That’s just not fair I say!  I feel bamboozled!

Ep. 16

Anyway, let’s talk about the parts I enjoyed of the finale.  This is mainly (99%) going to be about the moments between Geum Ja and Hee Jae.  So on the morning of episode 16, way back when, I woke up so excited for the finale.  Since this was the last episode, surely there will be a kiss!  And surely it would be epic given the chemistry between JJH and KHS.  I mean did you see that kiss in episode 8?  So when we started off the episode with the scene of Hee Jae telling Geum Ja he didn’t want to see her hurt anymore, I was amped.  Yes, we’re starting off strong with the romantic scenes I thought.

How can you not fall for him?

Geum Ja, you are not a gangster, you do not need to show your story through the scars on your body.  Joking aside, it’s sad that she’s been through so much in life that she has the scars to prove it. 

I love that Hee Jae says this half-sarcastically but you can tell that he truly does not want Geum Ja to go through any more pain/suffering.  And it’s his sincerity that makes Geum Ja smile so softly.  And this is where they kiss right?

Nope, he gets a hearty bro punch in the shoulder.

Cut for lots of caps and ramblings.  It’s a bit of a mini novel, you’ve been warned!

Mmm I loved how many scenes of concerned Hee Jae we got in this episode.  

Geum Ja screams from a nightmare and Hee Jae immediately runs into the office to check on her.  The only way he could have reacted so quickly is if he was sitting outside the office guarding Geum Ja which...AHHH I think I’ve just died and gone to hurt/comfort heaven.  Just look at JJH’s face.

EEE!  I audibly squealed when Geum Ja said this.  Ok, now I’ve truly died.  Geum Ja?  Asking to be comforted?  By Hee Jae?  What?  This is major.  She’s finally letting down her walls a little bit around Hee Jae and allowing herself to be vulnerable.  Keep on leaning I say!  Lean all the way into bed.

Omg and then she showed concern over Hee Jae’s own emotional state despite her own trauma.  His dad totally betrayed him just a few hours ago so Hee Jae’s having a pretty shitty day too.  But of course, Hee Jae is only concerned about Geum Ja.  Ahh, how many times is he going to make me swoon in this episode?  

Feet piled on top of each other?!  Are they finally in bed together?

Of course not.  Unfortunately, this isn’t that type of drama.  SIGH.  But this is still very sweet and squeal-inducing.

Have I talked about how much I love JJH’s little sly smirks?

I love that these two fools can’t stop worrying about the other.  Geum Ja knows better than anyone how deep emotional scars caused by a parent can be.  On top of that, Hee Jae’s father was someone he respected and loved, so the blow is even bigger.  I just really like it when my otp show how much they care about each other, ok?

Look at that smile on Hee Jae’s face.  It’s like there’s no other place he would rather be than next to Geum Ja. 

No, please don’t.  Y’all are not 12.  Please get at least a queen size bed with plenty of room for two adults to move around in and do...adult things lol.

And then.  AND THEN!  Geum Ja takes the initiative and turns over towards Hee Jae.  She’s finally the one taking the first step towards him without any prodding.  And Hee Jae smiles to himself and follows her lead to turn over also.  And then the two fools smile lovingly at each other as they fall asleep.  Omg, excuse me, I need a moment.  I’ve temporarily passed on to the other side from sheer otp happiness.

This moment was just too good.  I literally raised both my arms up into the air and cheered when I first watched this episode.  I thought, wow the writers are feeding us so well.  They’re showering us with so many romantic scenes.  The otp caring for each other?  Being tender with each other?  Sharing a “bed?”  I don’t want to ever get off this love train, keep it coming!  This is only the first third of the episode so surely it can only go up from here.

And then it ended on a comedic note.  I guess I should have seen that coming.  This is SBS, not TVN (or JTBC from the looks of The World of the Married).  Hah, well I suppose they both had a pretty tiring day so it’s understandable that they would not have much energy to do anything else.

It’s the little everyday things like asking if she’s ok that get me.

(JJH I thirst for you.)

Suuuuure you are.

Lol, he wouldn’t be Hee Jae if he didn’t pull something childish/petty.  At least Geum Ja is amused by it and finds it cute now.  Get you a man who can be both your emotional support and amusing bratty boyfriend.

Geum Ja does end up meeting Hee Jae for dinner and he can’t help but smile a little.  Gosh, it takes so little from Geum Ja to make him happy.

(damn, look at that profile!)

So some time during this episode, Geum Ja’s adoptive father died off-screen from the stab wound he sustained while stopping her assailant.  At first, I went “Huh, that’s it?”  But then the more I thought about it, the more I liked how matter-of-factly it was treated.  It’s certainly consistent with how Geum Ja deals with things.  Also, she faced her demons/him in a previous episode so you could say that she already resolved that chapter of her life.  

Still, you could tell that she’s not completely unaffected by it.  KHS’s acting in this scene is so good. You can tell there’s more to it than what she’s saying just by the little subtle changes in her expression.  I can only imagine the many complicated feelings she must be experiencing.  

On the one hand, he’s the worst part of her past life and surely deserved to die.  But on the other hand, unintentional or not, he died saving her.  Geum Ja does not state this with any affection or sentimentality in her voice.  It is merely something that happened.  Thank goodness the writers did not try to redeem him in the last minute.  One good deed does not make up for all the violence and abuse inflicted on her and her mother.  

Anyway, all that muddled history and emotions would make anybody conflicted.  They really handled it the best way they could - simply state what happened and move on.  No hate, no praise, no sadness.  He was a terrible man who paid the ultimate price and died.  I like that Hee Jae understands not to push the matter any further and changes the subject.

Bro, you’re delusional if you think you still have a chance with her.  

And then we get to the ubiquitous Big Shareholder Meeting that we see so often in dramas.  I love how Geum Ja is so ballsy in everything she does and she does it all in her comfy tracksuits. Of course the Big Shareholder Meeting does not go as planned and Song Pil Jung gets arrested.

God I love the look on Geum Ja’s face.  It screams “is this guy still talking to me?”

Can I just say, I love how utterly brutal Geum Ja is in her rejection of Kevin Jung.  Woof, ouch.  If I ever heard that from someone I liked, I would be so devastated and embarrassed, I’d find a dark hole to bury myself in and lick my wounds.  But of course, Kevin, like all the other men who fall for Geum Ja, seems to be into it.  It takes a certain type of man to go for Geum Ja and apparently that type is a total masochist who likes getting rejected and their heart ripped out.  I mean, to each their own.

I like whenever they do their power couple strut.

A bro fist bump?  Really?  Hm, I never really fist bumped the guys I dated but that’s cool I guess.  They’re going in to destroy Song Pil Jung so I guess a fist bump is appropriate.

Hm, I don’t know.  It seems like you’re the one who got arrested.

Bro.  Mister.  Are you for real?  Did you forget all the shitty things you did to her?

Yeah, that’s kind of a big deal I think.

SO. SATISFYING.  Whew honey, this exchange gave me life.  My skin has cleared, my bank account is full, and I’ve lost 5 pounds.

Yessss I am all for this nerdy JJH in glasses and turtleneck sipping on expensive instant coffee aesthetic. 

The couple that taunts together, stays together?

Hahahahaha, Hee Jae talking about being professional at work? Hahahahha.

I live for jealous Hee Jae because he’s extra ridiculous whenever he’s jealous.  In this scene he’s getting jealous over Ju-Ho calling Geuma Ja “noona” and it’s like come on, they’re foster siblings.  Let him call her noona.  Side note, Netflix translates “noona” into Eun-Young, Geum Ja’s real name, and it irks me.  Couldn’t they have just translated it into “sis” instead?

Now we’re around the 55 minute mark and I’m thinking, okay this is probably where it’s going to end.  This is when it’s going to happen.  They don’t have that much time left in the episode.  All right, give me us all that we’ve been waiting for.

(Good looking main stays looking good.)

You can’t ever accuse Hee Jae of not being committed to Geum Ja.

We finally get an explanation for why Geum Ja always stared at that huge building

Haha, can you expect anything less from her character?  At this point, I’m looking at the remaining time and thinking, ok then, when’s that kiss gonna happen?

SHRIEKS WHAT ARE THOSE HIDEOUS THINGS ON HIS FEET?!  On another note, I’m sure Kim Hye Soo must be so glad she doesn’t have to wear those gigantic heels anymore.

Omg, ok, this is it.  We’re getting shots of beautiful sexy people strutting and being playful with each other.  They’re setting up for a romantic ending kiss.  Ok, time to prepare myself.

Yes, put your arms around each other.  We’re getting closer now.

Oh, ok.  I guess this will be a far away in the distance kind of kiss.  That’s ok, too I guess.

Oh, wait.  Never mind.  Looks like we’re going to get a frontal view of the ending kiss after all.  Even better!

What?  That’s it?  What?  Did I miss something?  This can’t be.

Oh whew.  An epilogue.  Ok, this is when it’s going to happen.

Hahaha, they’re totally using the vloggers to advertise for their law firm.  I love how Hee Jae has loosened up on what he thinks a proper lawyer should act like and it’s reflected in his more flamboyant wardrobe choices.

These damn fist bumps again.  All the time spent fist bumping could have been spent hugging and kissing.  Priorities, people!

Hah, like hell Hee Jae would ever leave Geum Ja.

Haha knew it.  Boy is more whipped than whipped cream.

This pretty much sums up their dynamic.  SIGH I’m not going to get my kiss am I.

Oh no.  That caption can only mean one thing.

Yeeep.  That’s it.  This is the end.  Finito.  

Well.  All right then.  You know, the first time I watched this episode, I felt very disappointed that there was no final kiss.  I mean the last time we saw them kissing was in episode 8 at the midpoint of the drama.  This drama was clearly a rom com/screwball comedy so it only seemed fitting that there would be one last kiss scene.  That’s how you end a romantic drama!  But alas.

Actually, upon re-watching and re-capping this episode, I realized that even though we did not get any kiss scene, the writers still gave us plenty of sweet moments between Hee Jae and Geum Ja.  We got to see their lovely progression into becoming partners who supported and trusted each other so that was nice.  Even though they’re clearly together now, it’s nice to see that they still have their playful bickering dynamic.  So objectively, it was a nice ending.  I just personally wanted more smooches.

If you made it through this entire post, thank you for expending so much time reading my ramblings and congratultaions on having so much patience!

[odanurr87]

My thoughts on... Scripting Your Destiny

Release date: March 16, 2021

Episodes: 10

Available on: Viki

Summary: Every human is born with a book that records each moment of their life and that we call destiny. Shin Ho Yoon is one of the many deities in charge of writing those books, known among the gods for his meticulous approach to his work. For his latest project, the destiny of the mortal Jeong Ba Reum, he intends to write a masterpiece, a perfect destiny, pairing him with his first love, Go Che Gyeong, a scriptwriter for successful, if over-the-top, makjangs like Marriage Pact and Sky Cash. However, when Che Gyeong doesn't fall for the fateful encounter that he wrote, he decides to take matters into his own hands and bluntly approaches her to find out how to get her to fall in love. As the two begin to develop feelings for each other, the perfect destiny envisioned for Ba Reum threatens to disappear and a new destiny between a god and a mortal begins to emerge. But can a god of destiny write his own fate?

Rewatch meter: Medium

WARNING: Spoilers beyond this point.

Characters

From left to right: Park Sang Nam as Shin Myeong; Ki Do Hoon as Shin Ho Yoon; Jeon So Nee as Go Che Gyeong; Kim Woo Seok as Jeong Ba Reum; and Gal So Won as Samshin.

Overall, I liked the leads and most of the supporting characters. As far as the leads are concerned, I think Ki Do Hoon was able to deliver a good performance of what a god of destiny might, or perhaps should, be like: standoffish, emotionless, uninterested in the mortal realm beyond the scope of his duties. As such, Shin Ho Yoon feels the more godly of the different deities in the show, what is curious considering he's probably one of the youngest gods of destiny, what is explained through his cycle of rebirth. I wish the writer and the actor had made full use of this cycle by having the character of Shin Ho Yoon grow more emotionless as a result, what would explain why he's different from other gods. Perhaps this was intended, but if so, the results are mixed. You can see he was more impulsive in the beginning of his cycle as a god of destiny than he was, say, at the beginning of the show. However, the last incarnation we're shown of Ho Yoon, in Episode 10, appears to be more upbeat than any of his previous ones, a fact that could've been used to feed into the notion that something has changed (more on that later) and that's why he's having fun at the expense of the "newbies."

Jeon So Nee as Go Che Gyeong was very good throughout, standing out from her male counterpart, perhaps due to the nature of her character that allowed her to show more range. I never found her to be over-the-top, and she was able to pull off the comedic and emotional scenes very well. She also passed off as a high-schooler better than Ki Do Hoon, despite the fact that she's five years his senior, but I guess that's the power of female hairstyles! My only complaint about her character is that I wish she had been a little more creative writing her own fate. I mean, she is a talented scriptwriter that even a god stole from.

Park Sang Nam's Shin Myeong had good chemistry with Ki Do Hoon's Shin Ho Yoon, echoing the Goblin-Reaper duo from Goblin, what should come as no surprise as writer Kim Eun Sook is a producer for this show. They even paid homage to that iconic walking scene in the first episode. Unlike Ho Yoon, Myeong comes across as less devoted to his duties and more lazy. He himself admits to a disapproving Samshin that he copy-pastes destinies, but also makes an interesting point about only writing main events so that humans can fill in the gaps themselves. I'll let you decide whether this is really his intention or just an attempt to placate Samshin's anger. Consequently, his transition from a somewhat lazy god to a more serious one towards the end of the show was unexpected, but I guess it stands to reason given his worries about Ho Yoon, plus one shouldn't forget he's actually the older god. I do believe the show wasted an incredible opportunity to have Shin Myeong be the linchpin of our story.

Ho Yoon shields precious Samshin from Myeong's words on how to passionately express love.

As for the characters of Jeong Ba Reum and Samshin, I can say the former was functional to the plot and gets immediately sidelined once that function is completed, while the latter definitely stole every scene she was in (and she's 14!). I would've loved to have seen more of her, even though I feel her arc was a little disconnected from the overall storyline and could've been tied better if the last episode had gone in a different direction.

Execution

What if that something are meteorites?

The show has a lot of fun making fun of kdrama tropes, either through Che Gyeong's job as a scriptwriter or through the gods of destiny themselves, who take turns between being writers and viewers when coming up with the destinies of mortals. When Ho Yoon is having trouble understanding "the depth within humans which is beyond divine comprehension" (aka love), Myeong steps in to give him some advice on how "For love to happen you need to isolate them," stranding the pair in an island somewhere and having them stay in an inn with only one room available. Other gems from Shin Myeong include, "They got rained on, they're cold, their clothes are soaked. If they start a fire, we're 90% there." and "A woman always falls for a man who takes care of her when she's sick. Under one condition. He has to be good-looking." If you ask me, I think Myeong has been watching too many kdramas. Unfortunately for him, so has Che Gyeong, who makes her living writing them.

Are they gods or kdrama fans?

As you can see, there's a lot of comedy to be found in the gods' numerous, and failed, attempts to get Ba Reum and Che Gyeong together. However, as I mentioned before, the character of Ba Reum is mostly functional. We learn little to nothing of who he is, how his life has been, what his dreams are, what is a bit off considering he's supposed to be Ho Yoon's "masterpiece." With Ho Yoon and Che Gyeong slowly starting to get closer, as the former tries his best to understand the nebulous concept of love, Ba Reum falls into the background, what isn't really much of a shame as he doesn't contribute a whole lot in the second half of the show, to the point he could've been taken out completely with slight rewrites here and there.

The writing is similarly flimsy when it comes to the rules of the universe. For instance, early on it is stated that whatever gets written on a fate book cannot be erased, and yet when a character accidentally spills coffee on his fate book the ink on the page vanishes as if it were Voldemort's diary (there is also another instance of writing mysteriously vanishing that isn't explained). In another case, it is stated that anyone who knew a certain character got their memories of that character erased, yet one (very secondary) character still seems to be able to recall everything. These sort of plot contrivances are odd in that they are unnecessary and could've been worked around with relative ease.

It means we have a problem, that's what it means.

Another, more important, mystery that doesn't get explained is how Ho Yoon is able to "resurrect" multiple times. One of the rules of the universe states that any god who interferes with mortals, beyond the scope of their duties, and develops feelings for them, gets the Thanos treatment. However, it is eventually revealed that Shin Ho Yoon got the boot several times for this and yet was able to return every single time, with his memories erased. No explanation is provided for this and, instead, the show suggests, in the last scene of the last episode, that this is the case for all gods, as we see a couple of them return from extinction.

Personally, I feel there was a lot of potential left untapped here and this relates directly to my comment on how Shin Myeong should've been the linchpin of the entire story. If you'll recall the web drama One More Time, the reason why the male lead was stuck in a time loop was because of a contradiction that arose in the terms of the contract made between the female lead and the Grim Reaper. In a similar vein, I think the show could've suggested that Myeong first met Ho Yoon as a human kid and maybe wrote for him a fate that implied him falling in love or something similar. However, the human Ho Yoon died before that fate could occur and so became the god of destiny Shin Ho Yoon, destined to continuously "resurrect" until he could embrace his fate. A loophole such as this one could've neatly explained Ho Yoon's rebirth cycle.

The ending itself was a little underwhelming and it's easy to understand why, as it it suggested that Ho Yoon and Che Gyeong are stuck in an endless loop of the former falling in love with the latter and vanishing, with Che Gyeong being the only one able to remember all of their interactions. As fates go, it's rather depressing so it doesn't really jibe well when the show's upbeat main theme starts playing at the end. When I did my episode recaps for the show I suggested that, with some rewrites, we could've made Episode 9 the series finale and the show would've been better for it. How?

Imagine at some point in the show both characters remember everything, perhaps at that wind/lamb farm where Che Gyeong desperately calls out for Ho Yoon who, instead of running to her, walks away out of fear of vanishing for good this time. I would've planted seeds throughout the show suggesting Ho Yoon is developing emotions yet isn't vanishing from some inexplicable reason, and there are already some seeds of this in place. Perhaps he has a talk with Myeong about how strange that is and decides to see how far he can take it. The show would end as Episode 9 did, with Ho Yoon returning to Che Gyeong and asking for a caramel macchiato, the most expensive item. They both smile at the reference to their past encounter and we cut to credits with the main theme playing in the background. Ho Yoon's actions could serve to inspire other gods of destiny to try and write their own fates, like how Samshin (even though she's not a god of destiny) follows in his footsteps and decides to attend school.

Music

If you've read any of my reviews, you know that, usually, all of my recommended shows are accompanied by a soundtrack that not only has good music in it but that is used at the right time. This show has some very good tracks that stand out from their more atmospheric counterparts, such as Lee So Jung's "Skyline" (the show's main theme), Jeong Sewoon's "Time Machine," and Yongmin Ryu's "Chaotic." As far as instrumentals tracks are concerned, the obvious standout bar none is "The Deity of Fate." Other instrumental tracks aren't bad but they just can't hold a candle to this magical piece by Yongmin Ryu that has traces of Hotel del Luna's excellent soundtrack.

A couple of examples that prove how these tracks are expertly used include the end of Episode 7, that shows us how Ho Yoon and Che Gyeong first met through a flashback, with "The Deity of Fate" followed by "Skyline," and another scene in Episode 9, where Ho Yoon recalls his past and we see a quick transition between different days at Che Gyeong's coffee shop as she serves him a caramel macchiato, with "Time Machine" playing in the background. However, in the same way Ho Yoon conjures up a magenta pink moon to distract Che Gyeong, I do believe the show sometimes relies on such scenes to divert your attention from some of its plot holes or inconsistencies, hoping their beauty and poetic nature will thwart any deeper analysis that it might not withstand. It's up to you to decide whether you can let it slide or not.

Conclusions

In short, Scripting your Destiny is a fun show that doesn't take itself too seriously and that successfully creates a universe and characters I'd love to see more of, while trying to convey a timeless love story that has elements of One More Time, Goblin, and Angel's Last Mission: Love. I don't believe it succeeds in this respect, certainly nowhere close to the OTPs in any of those shows, in no small part because Shin Ho Yoon never makes that transition from deity to boyfriend that is present in shows like Goblin and Angel's Last Mission: Love. The romance between Shin Ho Yoon and Go Che Gyeong is one that looks good on paper and should've translated better to the screen. Having said that, their interactions are quite fun to watch and one could certainly envision a future where the two become a couple, provided Ho Yoon somehow manages to stop getting lobotomized. It's a shame but the series finale makes it lose several points as it doesn't make the most of the show's premise or message.

Would I recommend it? If you've watched and enjoyed the other shows I mentioned, yes, absolutely. Despite its flaws, which can be considered relatively minor to an extent (this is a web drama after all), Scripting your Destiny is still a much better investment than many kdramas and at a fraction of their time, and the comedy value of seeing how it makes fun of kdrama tropes again and again cannot be discounted. You're bound to have a good laugh for sure. Additionally, it features some gorgeous and creative (look at that last picture!) VFX-enhanced sets that rival fantasy dramas like Tale of the Nine-Tailed, which definitely had a larger budget and tried to recapture some of that Goblin magic but couldn't. And if you haven't watched the shows I mentioned watch this one anyway so we can have more good web or mini dramas (Handmade Love is an excellent one that runs the length of a movie) that give kdramas a run for their money. Until the next one!

[drivingsideways]

WIP Wednesday

So @rain-hat​ said I should post a bit from the latest fic so she can read it (properly formatted and not in a chat window, I think??), so here’s a bit from an as yet untitled fic set post-canon verse TKEM, featuring our favourite cop-who-got-a-different-life and also orphan-who-got-a-different-life thanks to Lee Gon being a total ass. 

The White Lily Orphanage isn’t a state organization, instead it’s run by the nuns from the Sisters of the St.Paul of Chartres Convent, one of the earliest established Catholic orders in the Kingdom. It’s not a large home- they have the ability to take in around twenty children at a time, though at the moment they have only half the number. The youngest right now is a three year old ball of sunshine, Jia and the oldest is the lanky fourteen year old Jihun. Hyeon-Min has been attending Mass at the church attached to the convent with eomma since- well, since he was ten.

(God sent Prince Buyeong to us, eomma had said, having found God via the kindness of a stranger, we must be grateful.

Hyeon-min had accepted her explanation then, and now, twenty years later, he doesn’t feel the need to tarnish her faith with his cynicism. He maybe agnostic about God, but he knows that the sisters are kind, that they try to do their best by their young charges, and that’s enough.

He knows enough about the world that he believes that one of its rules should be to pass on the kindness of strangers.)

He parks his bike and grabs his gym bag with the change of clothes, noting a rather beaten up looking sedan in the parking lot. Perhaps there were some potential adopters visiting today, not a very frequent occurrence.

The rates of adoptions in Corea were low, compared to the number of children who needed families. Usually, children who lost their parents were taken in by grandparents, if they were still alive, or the parents’ siblings, if they were not. The ones who ended up in the system- they were truly society’s rejects, the ones who had no one left who cared about them; a patrilineal society obsessed with bloodlines didn’t see them as anything but an inconvenience, or a shameful secret. That their own king was an orphan was not a hypocrisy; Lee Gon was king first, orphan second.

The slack with respect to the less nobly orphaned was picked up by religious or charitable trusts, and only a little by the government. The rules governing adoption were prohibitive- Seo Ryeong had told him about the circles that eomeonim and she had to run to officially take Gyeong-ah into the family. At some point, it had come down to bribery. She’d been tight-lipped and her eyes had glinted in fury, when she’d told him,  though it had already been far enough in the past that Gyeong-ah no longer woke up crying from nightmares, and didn’t stuff her food down at each meal as though she didn’t know when she’d next get one, or try to take as little room as possible in their already tiny apartment.

Gyeong-ah usually accompanies him on these visits too, though she couldn’t make it today.

“LET ME SLEEP” she’d texted in all caps, “I DON’T WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE FOR AT LEAST 24 HRS HYUNGNIM” .

He figured that meant she’d drop by when he wasn’t around.

 Jia-ya is the first one to spot him when he enters the common room, which is where the kids are normally, at this hour. She runs toward him, almost tripping on her toes, with her hands already raised high above her head. He drops the bag on the floor and swings her up, twirling her around, while she squeals delightedly. When he lowers her, she throws her arms around his neck, placing a candy-sticky kiss on his cheek.

“Hyungnim, where were you??” she demands. “You’ve gone so long that Chia forgot you”.

Chia is her favourite toy- a rather ratty looking cloth panda.

“Sorry Jia-ya” he says, “I had a lot of work”

She pouts. “Have you got chocolate?”

“Mmmhmm” he replies, nodding, “But let’s share with everyone later, ok?”

He puts her down on the floor, and turns to the others who’ve come up, all grinning, except Jihun, who’s trying to look unconcerned, remaining where he’s seated at one of the two computers, headphones in, fingers flying rapidly over the keyboard.

“Hey everyone” he says, reaching out to ruffle a head, tweak a chin. “Ready for a game?”

They’ve got a small basketball court at the back, not professional, by any means, but enough for the kids to work out some of their energy. For soccer, and other games, Gyeong-ah and he take them to a nearby sports club. Ryeong-ah had been the one who worked out a deal with the local residents association that owned the club when she’d made Assemblywoman; it was her constituency after all, and she had cultivated her relationships at local level, as much as she had in the higher echelons. Thanks to (former) Assemblywoman Koo, the kids now had access on alternate Sundays to the club. Luckily, the Sisters of St.Paul of Chartres weren’t too strict about preserving the holiness of the  Sabbath rest; as long as the kids attended Mass in the morning, the rest of the day could be spent as they wished. Today is a Sunday when they don’t have access to the sports club, so Hyeon-Min’s plans are adjusted accordingly- a game, then lunch with everyone, and then piling them all into the small van the orphanage has and taking them for ice cream, before he has to drop back at the station, just to check in on Woo Ji-hyun and Bo-Young who have the day shift today.

“Where’s Sister Lee?” he asks, and twelve-year old Su-bin pipes up “She has a visitor today” and her twin, Yun-seo adds, “He’s a handsome oppa”.

“Is he now?’ Hyeon-min grins down at her.

“Not as cool as you, hyungnim” she assures him earnestly.

“Drop the flattery” he tells her seriously, “You’re not getting an extra scoop later. Everyone go on and get changed.”

The twins and the others- Ming-yu, Jun-ho, Min-su, Seong-min, Min-ji and Eun-ji- dart off.

He picks up his bag again, heading off to the guest room to get changed, calling “Jihun-a, c’mon, let’s go” only to get a shoulder lifted in a shrug, Jihun not even bothering to look at him.

Well, he thought, that was new.

He didn’t press him, confident that Jihun would find his way out later. The problem, perhaps, was that Jihun was a few years older than the others, almost fifteen, ready for high school. The next oldest were the twins, at twelve, and the others fell between nine and eleven, except Jia, who was everybody’s darling at three.

Jihun was preparing to write the same scholarship exam that Hyeon-Min had taken all those years ago, to get into CNA. His grades at the local public school were pretty good, and he excelled especially at art- but it was a tough school to get into, given the sheer number of candidates applying, even more than when Hyeon-Min and Ryeong-ah had given the test.

Hyeon-min thought he could recognize in Jihun the same kind of hunger that he’d seen in Ryeong-ah, all those years ago. And just like all those years ago, one part of him was amazed, and proud; another was just scared for Jihun, for what the world might do to him, outside of the safety of this place. He tried to shrug the fear off- what use could it be to Jihun- and had begun helping him prepare for the test, instead.

Perhaps Jihun was upset because he hadn’t been able to come by for three weeks, although he’d spoken to him a few times on the phone and had checked in with Sister Lee as well.

When he changes into his shorts and t-shirt and comes back to check in, Jihun’s disappeared. Perhaps he’d changed his mind and decided to join the game, after all.

He’s about to duck out of the room, when Sister Lee comes in accompanied by a young man- the “handsome oppa” of Yun-seo’s description, clearly.

“Ah, Inspector Kang” she says, giving him her usual warm smile. “Good morning. You finally have a day off, I see.”

“Good morning, Sister Lee” he greets her, bowing.

She turns to the man with her.

“This is Senior Inspector Kang Hyeon-min from Busan PD” she says, and the man gives him a strangely assessing look, and bows. He’s fair, slightly shorter than Hyeon-Min, a dark eyes and a sharp nose in a square-jawed face. The glasses and the clothes- a light blue button down shirt that’s unbuttoned at the collar over khaki slacks,  give him the look of a librarian on vacation. He’s probably a few years younger than Hyeon-Min.

“I’m Kim Jun-Yeong” he says, bowing toward Hyeon-Min.

“Mr.Kim teaches art at the school” she says, meaning the local public school all the kids here attend. “He came by to talk about Jihun.”

“Is something the matter?” Hyeon-min asks, immediately. “Is Jihun in trouble?”

“Nothing like that” Mr.Kim says, with a smile. “In fact, I came by to chat with Sister Lee about Jihun’s future plans. He told me that he was preparing for admission at CNA.”

Hyeon-Min nods. “I’m trying to help out” he says. “When I can.”

“Inspector Kang has been a huge support to the children here for years” Sister Lee says, giving him another warm smile. “And since he’s a CNA alumnus himself, he’s probably the best suited to help Jihun ace the exam.”

“Yes, of course”, Mr.Kim says, adding, “Jihun-a has told me a lot about you already, Senior Inspector Kang.”

“Oh” says Hyeon-Min, politely, “He’s never mentioned you to me.”

Something wry passes over Mr. Kim’s face at that, and it makes Hyeon-min feel a little silly.

“Mr. Kim is of the opinion that Jihun should perhaps try for an art school later” Sister Lee says, “And finish high school at some school less demanding than CNA, Kang-ssi”.

“Did Jihun-a say that’s what he wants to do?” Hyeon-min asks, stunned. Jihun had never mentioned it to him.

There’s an awkward silence.

“He did seem open to the idea” Mr.Kim says, sounding a little apologetic. “He started asking me about art schools and scholarships a while ago. I didn’t know then that you were already preparing him for the CNA entrance.”

‘But” says Hyeon-min, feeling like the rug had been pulled from under his feet.

Sister Lee says, thoughtfully, “Perhaps he was uncomfortable bringing it up with me or you, Kang-ssi.”

“We never forced him”, Hyeon-min feels compelled to protest.

“Jihun-a admires you a lot, Kang-ssi” Mr.Kim murmurs, “It is but natural he would want to follow in your footsteps.”

Hyeon-min looks at him and meets that calmly assessing look again.

“Did he ask you to meet Sister Lee and talk about this?”

“No” says Mr.Kim, “He didn’t. In fact, I think he was a little upset when he saw me today.”

Well, that explained earlier, Hyeon-Min realizes.

“Will you—” starts Sister Lee, nodding toward back, from where they can already here the shouts of the children.

“Yes” Hyeon-Min answers. “I’ll have a chat with him.”

“Good” she says, smiling again at him. “I’ll talk to him later as well.”

She turns to the teacher.

“Mr.Kim, I really appreciate your dropping by. It’s not often we get teachers who are so concerned with the well-being of our students.”

Mr.Kim says, quietly, “I was brought up in a home too- not as good as this one” he adds. “I know what it’s like.”

Oh.

Well, now, Hyeon-Min feels like a total piece of shit.

“Thank you, Kim-ssi” he says, and tries to infuse it with something more than stiff formality.

Mr.Kim gives him a short nod.

“I’d better head over before the fighting starts” Hyeon-min says, giving Sister Lee a smile. “I’ll see you at lunch, Sister Lee.”

They part ways, and when Hyeon-min reaches the court just in time to stop Min-ji from punching Eun-ji in the face, he sees that Jihun is there as well, but sitting on the side-lines, playing with Jia, although he’s changed into game clothes as well.

He darts a glance at Hyeon-min and then quickly looks away, flushing.

Hyeon-min jogs up to him.

“Get in” he says, clapping him on the back, “So I don’t have to keep the peace all by myself”

Jihun looks up at him, uncertain, as though he’d expected Hyeon-min to be- angry- with him.

“Jihun-a” he says, holding out a hand toward him, “ C’mon.”

Jihun takes his hand and lets himself be hauled up, and Hyeon-min even manages to get a one-armed hug in before he scampers off, suddenly cheerful.

 It’s a good game, and after, as they’re all chattering at the lunch table, Gyeong-ah comes in and plonks herself down opposite the twins, and they stuff themselves to the gills before piling into the van.

Gyeong-ah’s driving, and as they pull out of the gate, Hyeon-min notices a black Hummer parked in the alley, five cars away,  the glasses shaded so dark, he can’t see inside.

He has an idle moment of wondering what a car like that was doing in the neighbourhood but is distracted by Jia-ya climbing into his lap to tell him all about Chia’s adventures in the place she calls “Funderland” (like Wonderland, but fun, she insists).

 On the way back, Gyeong-ah drives again, and this time the kids are mostly in a food coma, some of them burping softly, sprawling on the seats, so he gets a chance to talk to Jihun, settling beside him, right at the back.

“So” he says, “art school, huh?”

Jihun glances at him quickly and then away, head bent.

“Do you know which ones you’re interested in?”

Jihun looks up then.

“You’re not angry?” he asks, uncertainty writ large on his young face.

“Just surprised” Hyeon-min admits. “Why didn’t you ever tell me or Sister Lee? You know we wouldn’t have stopped you.”

He shrugs, looking away.

“Everyone’s expecting me to become the first CNA graduate from the home” he says, softly. “All these years”.

“Nobody wants you to be anything other than happy, Jihun-a” Hyeon-min contradicts him, gently. “I’m sorry if I ever gave you any other idea.”

Jihun turns to him.

“I did think I wanted that too” he says, candidly. “But then—I don’t know, hyungnim, frankly, it sounds like an awful place in other ways.”

“Who’ve you been talking to?” Hyeon-min asks, surprised, because he’d never said anything to Jihun about it other than good things about the academics, and the opportunities it would open up for him.

Jihun gives him a pitying look.

“Hyungnim” he says, “You know the internet is a thing right? Or was it not a thing when you were young?”

“Hey” he says, “I’m thirty-one, not a dinosaur.”

Jihun looks unconvinced.

“Student forums” he says, helpfully. “And even Mr.Kim—”

“Mr.Kim went to CNA?” Hyeon-min asks, surprised again.

“No” says Jihun, “But I think he knows people. He’s a teacher, right, he knows this stuff.”

“Hmm” says Hyeon-min, miffed.

Jihun eyes him again. “Are you angry I didn’t tell you, but I told Mr.Kim?”

Wow, Hyeon-min thinks, dissected by a fourteen-year old, wonderful.

“Don’t give me your backchat, Jihun-a” he says, and Jihun grins at him.

Hyeon-min diverts the talk into the art schools he’s interested in, and they spend the rest of the ride like that.

 Later, before Gyeong-ah and he head off, they have a talk with Sister Lee.

Sister Lee Jeong-hui- or “Dragon Lady” as Gyeong-ah liked to call her- was a petite woman with delicate wrists, and long fingered hands that poked out of the sleeves of her habit. Unlike most of her contemporaries, she’d joined the Order, not as a young girl, but in her mid-thirties, after making a name for herself as a labour rights lawyer, working up north, in the mining communities. She’d moved to Busan when her health took a downturn- her asthma was something terrible- and she’d been shunted around the diocese until ending up at the orphanage ten years ago. She’d taken one look at the lackadaisical administration of the Orphanage- then run by Sister Pa, who was already in her seventies, taken a deep breath, and got to work. She’d transformed the place, scrounging funding wherever she could- sometimes by just persistently annoying the powers that be- and was currently in a long drawn out battle with the Bishop of the Diocese over her demand that they expand their current home to start a support home for single mothers- the people most likely to abandon their children, for lack of resources and societal stigma.

They talk about her latest efforts in that direction, after Hyeon-min tells her about his conversation with Jihun.

“Thank you Inspector Kang” she says, softly, “I hope you’re not too disappointed.”

“Of course not” he says, staunchly, though perhaps he was, a little. “Jihun’s going to be great at whatever he does.”

“Yes” she agrees, a fond smile transforming her rather grave face into loveliness. “He’s a blessed child”.

“Anyway” she says, sighing, “Perhaps it’s just as well. Even with a scholarship, funding for other expenses would have always been a tension. This way, we have some time to prepare before he goes to art school.”

Gyeong-ah says, “What did the Welfare Association say?”

When the Diocese had hummed-and-hawed about the home for women, Sister Lee had turned elsewhere.

Sister Lee makes a rather un-saintly face. “That government policy doesn’t include- and you won’t believe this, or perhaps you will- doesn’t include subsidizing and rewarding irresponsible behaviour”.

“I thought Ryeong-ah said they had a specific budget for women’s welfare” Gyeong-ah says, hotly. “They can’t deny it only to some women, can they? Plus it’s a discretionary budget.”

Sister Lee sighs. “Child, I don’t know if I have the energy to fight that battle right now. If we had someone on the Committee there- but it’s all bureaucrats who think of it as a sinecure position really…”

She shrugs, and pats Gyeong-ah’s shoulder, comforting.

“I’m not giving up, Seo-Gyeong” she says, “Not yet.”

They bid her goodbye.

 As she puts on her helmet and climbs onto the bike, Gyeong-ah says, abruptly, “Sometimes I’m so angry with unnie for what she did- because she fucked up her chance to help people like Sister Lee, who really need her”.

“ Song & Kim will get her out” he says, “Right?”

“But what about after?” she argues, putting her hand on his shoulder. “Her political career is probably over.”

“It’s never over with Ryeong-ah” he reminds her, belting his own helmet, and adjusting the strap of his gym bag over his jacket.

As they drive out of the gate, he sees that the Hummer isn’t there anymore.