#i should really watch and study korean dramas

[dropthedemiurge]

The second end credits. The metaphors. The afterlife. The sea meaning. The CHANGE OF PLAYERS!!!

Everything. This show has ruined me.

After being exhausted with bad finale endings in so many Thai Series last year, this short but mighty Korean BL called "Love for Love's Sake" just came and destroyed me in a few days.

The writing is just incredible. The themes are realistic and make you think about life. The production is very well-thougtful (come on! So many details are to be pointed out in decorations, dialogues and everything!). The acting is very natural and characters are refreshing and addicting.

I have so many feelings. SO MANY.

Damn, 2024 started so strong for me.

I'm gonna go drown myself in the corner and maybe get to my own happy afterlife

Okay, no, I gotta gather myself and write other several posts about hidden details in each episode. Haaa.

Anyway, 10/10 would recommend to watch for every BL lover or just Kdrama viewer.

How am I supposed to return to work, I have no idea but I'll try. Feel free to rant about this show with me in replies, reblogs or asks %))

Who the hell directed and wrote this show. I'm gonna go and pour some hearts on them.

[olderthannetfic]

Reading for Context

I don’t really feel like scrolling through community profiles has taught me anything. People tend to just post normal tumblr posts and not tirades about shipping. I was told to just scroll OTNF go understand, but OTNF’s feed is just screenshots from a K-drama and idiots pestering him about pronouns for some reason. Is there like a specific way to do it? So… i’ve actually never understood the social conventions of other people in any group i’ve been in. I haven’t really had in real life friends since middle school.

This is actually kind of an interesting question.

First, let me be plain, what you've been asking repeatedly over the last couple of weeks or however long it's been is this:

How does a neurodivergent person who fundamentally is not good at social nuance, reading comprehension, and picking up on context get better at those things?

I've known people whose parents hired coaches to work with them on a weekly basis for years. "How does socializing work?" is not a simple question.

Teaching reading comprehension is hard too.

I vaguely remember a lot of times in school where English teachers spent whole semesters trying to get us to understand not only what figurative language meant in context but how to detect that it was present in the first place. I still remember this one 9th grade classmate wailing "But why does it have to be a metaphor?"

What you're asking about is something most people work on for decades, yet you want randos to summarize it simply in a few sentences.

--

The first thing that jumps out at me here is the superficiality of how you're describing engaging.

When people say to lurk, they're talking about a deep engagement with a community. They're talking about reading closely, including comments, for a month, not scrolling back through a week and just skimming the top-level posts.

Did you open the replies on my tumblr posts where other people besides me are discussing things? Did you look at the reblogs with content, and not just the ones I reblogged back onto my own tumblr?

Beyond the exact number of days you should read or the exact procedure, people are talking about a very in-depth kind of engagement in general. The point is that it's difficult to just come into a new space and know how it works without studying it.

For example, I talk about oldschool fanfic stuff a lot. A logical default assumption is that I'm a woman. Are you not familiar enough with fanfic spaces to assume that, or are you coming from Spacebattles or something?

Why on earth would you default to 'him'?

I'm not insulted: it just shows a staggering lack of clue about the context you found me in.

I've linked you to my patreon where you can see my pro writing pseudonym, which is obviously female. My tumblr itself links to my pro writing and gives my actual name, which is also fairly obviously feminine. I've also recently talked about being pregnant. Yes, it was oblique and I only confirmed it in the replies, not a top-level post, but plenty of regulars noticed. (Yes, yes, biology is not gender, but still...)

There are plenty of clues I'm not a "him", but you missed them all. I don't care about pronouns, but I do care about people who don't bother to or aren't capable of reading closely.

Quite a few people have sent me asks asking what I'm watching. I have repeatedly said that it's DMBJ and described it as "the Chinese tomb raider franchise". Yet you assumed it was Korean for some reason. This suggests that you just scrolled through quickly and did not actually thoroughly read the text of the posts or the replies. It suggests that your eyes skipped over the boring-looking short text posts in between the picspams.

It suggests you didn't bother to google what I was watching when I did say the name because you don't give enough of a shit to bother. That doesn't suggest a very high level of interest in my blog or any reason I should cut you any slack or pay attention to what you think.

It also suggests that you didn't look back all that far. I've been posting a lot about DMBJ, but I only started downloading Ultimate Note on July 15th and Tomb of the Sea on August 1st.

--

If you want to understand a community, scrolling hurriedly through one month of content and not actually reading it closely is insufficient.

This is what people mean when they say you're not willing to put in the work and want other people to do it for you.

[linagram]

𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚘 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚒𝚖𝚒'𝚜 𝚝𝟷 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗!

it's time for these two to answer some questions!

first of all, they will be answering 15 questions. i checked the canon prisoners' interrogations again and i noticed that for some reason haruka and yuno's t1 interrogations had 30 questions, but all other prisoners had only 15? so yeah, we'll be going with 15 questions to make my job easier jdkdldld.

most questions were taken from the canon interrogations and i came up with some questions as well.

these interrogations will reveal some info about the prisoners, like their families, friends, interests, what they did before arriving in milgram, etc. most questions and answers aren't that deep, however, some of them may reveal something about their crime that hasn't been mentioned in their mv or voice drama. it's up to you to figure out how important their answers are though <3

now, if you're wondering, can these characters lie in their voice dramas and interrogations?.. yes, they can. it would be too easy if everything they said was true, don't you think so? don't worry though, what they say is true most of the time and some characters will be completely honest with you.

(divider link)

Q.01: Tell us about your family.

Akio: Me, father and mother. I'm an only child.

Aimi: Dad, mom, grandma, grandpa, my big brother and me! I love all of them a lot!

Q.02: Do you have any pets?

Akio: A pet hamster. Mother got him for me because she wanted "to help me feel less lonely" or something like that.

Aimi: Two dogs! They're so big and fluffy, I love them!

Q.03: Are you in any school clubs?

Akio: I left archery club after the president had to transfer to a different school and others refused to let me take his place because "I was too young". I wanted to join a different club but.. other students wouldn't let me for some reason.

Aimi: I tried to join many clubs in the past, but they always either had "too many members" or I was told that I should pick a different club that would be better for me :')

Q.04: What's your type?

Akio: I'm okay with anyone who's loyal enough to follow me everywhere and do everything I say. If they praise me a lot, that would be enough for me to become interested in them. I just want someone who can see how talented I really am.

Aimi: Huh, I've never thought about it before.. Honestly, I think I'd just want my partner to be my best friend too. It would be nice if they could protect me in case something happens, haha..

Q.05: Can you speak any language other than Japanese?

Akio: English and Korean. My mother is half-Korean, so I guess it's one of the reasons why it was easy for me to learn it.. It's not like I'm not smart enough to learn it without anyone's help!

Aimi: No :(

Q.06: Are you closer with male or female prisoners?

Akio: I hate all of them, but I always end up spending a lot of time with Kuroki for some reason. Guard 001's older brother also keeps trying to become friends with me. So.. Male prisoners, I guess? Talking to female prisoners is boring anyway.

Aimi: I'm friends with everyone here!.. Well, at least I hope that they think of me as their friend too. I want to be friends with you as well!

Q.07: Would you call yourself a good student?

Akio: I was the best student in my class, I thought you knew that.

Aimi: Not really :(

Q.08: What's your favorite food?

Akio: I didn't have much time to eat because of school, so I guess I'm okay with anything (something is crossed out) my mother cooks.

Aimi: It's hard to decide.. I'll go with sakuramochi!

Q.09: Do you have any hobbies?

Akio: .. Shouldn't studying be enough?

Aimi: Origami and watching movies with my big brother! Drawing is very fun too, though I'm not that good at it.

Q.010: Did you have any friends before Milgram?

Akio: Of course I did, didn't I tell you I was the most popular student in my school?

Aimi: .. I want to believe I did.

Q.011: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Akio: Someone famous and respected.

Aimi: I've never thought about it before and I don't really care.

Q.012: Are there any prisoners you can't stand?

Akio: Most of them, but especially Hanasaki and Yano. Himura is annoying too.

Aimi: What are you talking about, I love all of them!

Q.013: Do you have any special skills?

Akio: Honestly, the fact that someone as perfect as me exists can already be called a special skill.

Aimi: I don't think so? My classmates always told me that I'm good at making them laugh though.

Q.014: Would you say that your mental health is good?

Akio: I heard some guys from other class say that I'm so narcissistic, they thought there must be something wrong with me. Their words don't bother me, but the fact that my parents agree with them does worry me a bit.

Aimi: Umm, maybe? I wouldn't say I'm depressed or anything like that.. I have a loving family, two adorable pets and lots of friends, why would I be sad?

Q.015: Between ethics and emotion, which do you prioritize?

Akio: Emotions are useless and ethics don't matter to me. I just do what I think is most logical.

Aimi: I think both of them are important in their own way. I hate to say it, but sometimes I'm not the one who controls my emotions and it's actually my emotions that control me.

[ddreamzee]

The Eighth Sense Thoughts

okay so when i watch dramas i always write notes about how i felt after watching an episode, just to like look back on but like they’re actually funny so i wanted to post some on here to share.

since the eighth sense just ended, here are my thoughts while watching the eighth sense. it’s kind of random but if you’ve seen it it’ll probably make sense. don’t take this seriously bc i just word vomit on all of these lmao and the dashes in between indicate a new episode.

                    ---------oh also HELLA SPOILERS AHEAD----------

blueming vibes idk it's university set - bro she built differenttt. the vibes are so different compared to other korean bl's. it's kind of like itsay a bit? but like with better characters and a better story so far. i like jihyun too, his friend tho is so annoying like always bugging him about going out and joining the surf club, like bro he's a country boy in a new city and school, he wants to try new things stfu (it's also an excuse to see the cute guy he met but shhh) - tell me how jaewon's ex has the audacity to be annoyed at jihyun. she's just mad bc jaewon is giving him so much attention and hanging out with him and being close to him, girl did you expect jaewon too come crawling back to you even tho you're the reason why you guys broke up? he was in the military so he definitely didn't do anything to and everyone's saying that she cheated on him so who you think we gon believe? you fucked up ur relationship yourself and you're salty that he don't want you anymore. you're mad that he's content and doesn't think about you anymore, that he found someone else to take care of and be around. stay mad roach lmao - i love this so far omggg. jihyun keeps reminding me of cha junho btw. but like jihyun and jaewon like each other so muchhhh. like it's so natural, the way they constantly find each other and just abruptly hang out. they LITCHRALLY went on a date to the han river. tell me that wasn't a date. and i am living for jaewon's attitude towards his ex. he really couldn't give any less of a fuck about her and she over here embarrassing herself. she acts like she don't care but then she'll squeal to her friends that he went surfing bc of her and asked to partner with her for an assignment, delusional ass bitch lmao. she gets so pissed whenever jaewon is with jihyun, it's funny watching her be jealous. you wish that was you huh? and like jaewon and jihyun are just going with the flow with each other. the touches, the gentle hang holding, asking about dating, how jihyun always makes jaewon smile just by existing. AND THEY ALMOST KISSED AGAIN, THEY LEANED IN UNTIL JIHYUN'S STUPID ASS FRIEND HAD TO BE NOSY. GET LOST BRO. oh and i love jihyun's boss, she cares about him a lot and defended him when jaewon's ex was bullying him. also that girl that seemed to like jihyun is actually one of the girliesss, she just wanted to be friends. but girl you really made it seem like you liked him. i guarantee she did like him but then realized he was uncomfortable but she still wanted to be close so she said she just wanted to be friends. but i am living for this series it's so fucking good, i love the vibes. it does annoy me how much they eat and drink tho like god damn is that all they fucking do? wanna go drink? wanna go get lunch? we should have a meal sometime! i get that 's like the social life of korean university students but jesus christ good thing i ain't studying abroad anymore, i dont think i could survive this shit - BRO THEY'RE SO IN LOVE I'M SCREAMING. god they like each other so much. they are the only ones who fully understand each other. and that kiss scene in the water that started out as teasing but ended with them fully kissing bitchhhh. the tension is real out here. and like then after they were LITCHRALLY cuddling on the beach,, SHIRTLESS bein all cute n shit. like under the covers just messing with each other, biting each other, poking their faces and just enjoying each others company. i am living. but then wtf was that ending. jihyun drowned? but jaewon got him out but it ends with jaewon sitting on the beach alone. idk maybe it was a nightmare or something bc it was after the cuddling scene so they probably fell asleep and jaewon had that dream. either way i need them being sickeningly sweet in front of jaewon's ex, like holding hands, hugging or even kissing JUST SOMETHING. I NEED THIS BITCH TO KNOW HER PLACE, SHE AIN'T JAEWON'S GF ANYMORE SIT DOWN, JAEWON DON'T NEED YOU NO MORE. - JIHYUN'S FINE DON'T WORRY OMG. JAEWON PUNCHED HIS FRIEND WHO MOCKED JIHYUN'S ACCIDENT THO AND ALMOST GOT SUSPENDED BUT JIHYUN SAVED HIS ASS. THAT ROACH IS STILL ACTING LIKE JAEWON LIKES HER AGAIN AND THAT THEY'RE TOGETHER WHICH WE ALL KNOW IS A FUCKING LIE. BUT JAEWON IS ALSO AVOIDING THE SHIT OUT OF JIHYUN AND LITERALLY ASKED HIM TO FORGET ALL ABOUT THEIR TRIP, WHAT THEY SAID WHAT THEY DID, THE FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS THEY HAD, FORGET IT ALL! I KNOW DAMN WELL JAEWON STILL HAS FEELINGS FOR HIM AND SO DOES JIHYUN, BUT JAEWON'S TRAUMA IS MAKING HIM STEP AWAY BC HE DOESN'T WANT THE SAME THING THAT HAPPENED TO HIS BROTHER TO HAPPEN TO JIHYUN. HE THINKS HE'LL HURT JIHYUN SOMEHOW - IT GOT A GOOD ENDING THANK GOD I REALLY THOUGHT THEY WERE GASLIGHTING US IN THE LAST EPISODE BC THEY WERE GETTING ALONG AND BEING SO CUTE, JAEWON SAYING CLEARLY THAT THEY WERE DATING, EVERYTHING JUST CAME TOGETHER PERFECTLY AT THE END I REALLY WAS EXPECTING ONE OF THEM TO DIE OR SOMETHING. them kissing scenes thooooo. and joonpyo and yoonwon got together. but fr like jihyun sent jaewon that conan gray song and that's all it took for him to finally realize he needed to be with jihyun and that man came runnin. but he's such a cute boyfriend, we stan. and even until the very end his annoying ex was trying to get with him, literally like kissing him in front of jihyun and everything. jaewon said no no i don't play that hetero shit no more. SHE HAD THE NERVE TO TRY TO LIE TO HIM ABOUT CHEATING ON HIM UNTIL HE TOLD HER HE LITERALLY SAW HER GO INTO A MOTEL WITH A GUY AND GO ON A BREAKFAST DATE THE NEXT MORNING. SHE REALLY TRIED IT HUH. jaewon caught ur slimy ass and he was so nice about it too, jaewon is better than me cause i woulda laughed in her face if she pulled that shit. but he said it was okay, that he understood and was sorry. I'M SORRY BUT WHAT IS THERE TO UNDERSTAND OR BE SORRY ABOUT??!?! SHE CHEATED ON YOU WHILE YOU WERE IN THE ARMY, SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE TO DO. SHE KEPT SAYING I WAS LONELY I WAS LONELY, WELL GET SOME FRIENDS, GET A PET GET A DAMN HOBBY. THIS IS NOT HOW YOU TREAT YOUR BOYFRIEND WHO IS SACRIFCING HIS LIFE RN WHILE YOU OUT HERE SNOGGING OTHER MEN. YEAH I SAID SNOGGING. S N O G G I N G. IF YOU REALLY LOVED HIM YOU WOULD HAVE WAITED, NO QUESTIONS ASKED. I WOULD HAVE WAITED. YOU REALLY THAT THIRSTY YOU CAN'T WAIT FOR HIM?? LIKE YOUR LOSS THEN ROACH, YOU LOST YOURSELF A FINE ASS MAN. anyways yes jihyun and jaewon are so fucking cute i love them to pieces, jaewon is perfect boyfriend material. the cuddling, clinging, hand holding, shoulder resting, all of the above. yes. and the ending seemed like they were gonna go to the beach again but it felt like the beginning of a new chapter for them. like they are setting it up for a sequel. it really seem like we might get a sequel for this, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD GIVE ME A SEQUEL

Rating: 10/10

other reviews

[catgirl-yeji]

this shapeshifting vessel is a lie

hi and welcome to my corner of the internet. this blog is still under construction until I can add my about page ( did you know that you have to personally ask support to be allowed to use a page code with javascript in it? :)) well, you do now ) so beware of the construction tape!

I'm Autumn or Faon, I use they/them pronouns and I was born '95. ticked about all the boxes on the queer registration form and I'm currently in a queerplatonic poly relationship. central european & white. future linguistics & politics student, and plant parent. I really adore vampires and I write original and fan fiction, as well as poetry. I speak german and english, and I'm studying french, korean, japanese and finnish. lover of bats, snakes, horsies, deer and cats, as well as sharks. 🦈 I sometimes draw cat ears or fangs onto idols and actors ( see: my icon ), if you'd like me to make you an icon, drop me a DM.

my hyperfixations and interests change over time — yes, it was a phase, mom! name a constant state of being, mom! — and I change my username every two or so years. currently I'm really into the quantum leap spin-off, the motherland: fort salem show, and I'm watching a couple of k-dramas and such at the side. I play baldur's gate 3, stardew valley and control, but also 2064: read only memories.

I was very active in the shadowhunters and the dragon age fandom as well an 00q shipper. I will reblog every single gif of spirit - stallion of the cimarron, it's my childhood movie;; also, Jin Oshiro from STRAY (2019) deserved better, thank you for your attention.

you may know me as leafmiilk, taehdenveri, fliederfuchs or thetevinterelf — and most recently @catboy-jaebeom ! 🌺

tumblr veteran and survivor of the mishapocalypse. I've been renting this space ( occupying, maybe, rather? skjsdlkgs it's not like I pay rent ) since 2012, and trust me when I say: this website is a hellsite, but it's our hellsite, so, I'll stay until the last person switches off the lights, probably. >< a lot of other social media networks just never grew on me quite like tumblr.

I have two sideblogs worth noting: @splittergheist, my writing blog where I post short stories and poems irregularly, and my secret and private miscecanis / omegaverse blog ( a lot more interested in the world-building, concept and lifestyle than the smut, but no hate! ) that I may give out if you ask nicely and privately. also, if you're interested in some tumblr rp, you can message me as well, I have an OC blog for that. 🐰

that said, I tag my posts extensively, so if you need me to tag something, you can shoot me an ask and I'll try to tag specific things for you! please be nice in my inbox or I'll simply delete your ask and block you. 💛 oftentimes I'll message you privately when you send me an ask that doesn't seem like it should be answered publicly ( unless you've sent it on anon ofc ) and while I do answer tag games, I'm too anxious to tag ppl myself unless we're like super close, sorry ><

I track #faon.tagged. if you make ( especially kpop ) content you think I'd like ( itzy, got7, nct & wayv but especially ten, xiaojun and yuta, red velvet, shinee, svt but especially joshua, mingyu and dk, skz but especially hyujin and felix, but also others! ) you can use this tag, I'm always happy to reblog pretty gifs and support you guys, you're the backbone of our and any community.

relevant kpop stuff can be found under the cut, as well as some 'reviews' my lovely mutuals wrote for me ( if you like to leave a review, hit me up in my DMs! ) thank u, ily 💚🌼

and thank you everyone else for reading this, may your days be bright, I think we could all use that at the moment;; I'd super love new ppl to talk to ( pls have your age or an approximate in your bio! while I'm fine with talking to minors, I'd like to know beforehand if I do ), so message me!!

kpop stuff

ult group: got7

other groups I like: nct 127, itzy, wayv, shinee, red velvet, seventeen, oneus, ...

soloists I adore: xia / kim junsu, taemin, ...

biases: lim jaebeom & choi youngjae; nakamoto yuta & xiaojun; kang seulgi; hwang yeji & lee chaeryeong; joshua hong & lee seokmin; choi minho & lee taemin; kim leedo & lee seoho; park seonghwa & jeong yunho; kanemoto yoshi; ...

wreckers: mark tuan & kim yugyeom; ten lee; kim mingyu & lee woozi; kang yeosang & song mingi; shin ryujin; ...

for as long as xitter still exists, I can be found under jaebueomgi.

blog reviews

@meant-to-be-a-hero wrote on november 22nd:

Shall I compare Autumn's blog to a summer's day? I shall not, because I am not a hack. Equal parts language jokes, kpop boys (and girls, but I don't look at those) and #bitter millennial blogging, there's something for everyone here at Autumn's blog. They are also one of the few people who still write funky things in the tags, a true dying breed on Tumblr. I feel like I'm reviewing a restaurant or something. Either way, click follow, thank me later, because you will. It's a good blog, Bront.

— ���★★★★(★★) [ 7 out of 5 ]

@klutenpetter wrote on november 22nd:

It seems I have misplaced the URL of the blog in question that I was supposed to review.

— ★★★★★ [ 5 out of 5 ]

[lingshanhermit]

Lingshan Hermit: When You Don't Understand Chinese

I have seen many Chinese people who don't understand Mandarin. Among them there are both elites and ordinary people. They often do all kinds of absurd things. They often use inappropriate words in inappropriate occasions and in front of inappropriate people. For example, I've seen people describe asking their guru for advice as "not ashamed to ask". I've also seen people praise their guru for being very diligent in cultivation. (I've even seen people commanding their guru to do things.) They would speak to their guru in a peer-like tone, sometimes even using words that only elders should use. This is really sigh-inducing. It shows the consequences of the lack of Confucian culture: people generally don't know their own position and identity, they don't know who they are, who the other person is, where they stand, where the other person stands, which words can be used and which words cannot be used.

In the past when I watched Korean dramas, Koreans in the dramas were often reprimanded for not using honorifics to their seniors. Using honorifics to elders is a great tradition from China. But now you can hardly see such scenes in China anymore. Nowadays few people can discern problems in other's word choices during communication. Most people communicate in an equal tone. Subconsciously, they think everyone is equal (which shows they don't understand at all what equality is, they think putting everyone in the same position is called equality). I often see many juniors communicate with seniors in a peer-like tone, sometimes even in a senior-like tone, and neither side feels there is anything wrong with this. Every time I see such scenes, words like "collapse of etiquette and morals" come to my mind.

Most people's understanding and use of Chinese doesn't even reach a basic level - by my standards. I've seen people working hard to learn English, but never seen anyone making efforts to learn Chinese. They probably think that since they are Chinese, they are born to know Chinese, so there is no need to study it. But this is obviously not the case. Chinese is a great and precise language, and also a very difficult language to master. In the past, some said Chinese expression is not as precise as English. I told them that's because they haven't learned Chinese well. If you can understand what "bianji wuming" (pervasive, constant unawareness) means, you can experience the great precision of Chinese. But almost no one understands what bianji wuming is, so very few can experience the precision of Chinese.

Due to my status, I often need to communicate with others. During communication I find that many people often talk for a long time without getting to the point. What they express is completely different from what they want to express. This is the result of not learning Chinese well. These people were all born and raised in China, using Chinese in daily life. They didn't grow up in Queens, New York. But their Chinese level is so poor. This shows that Chinese is not as easy to grasp as you think.

Don't think this is a small problem. This is an extremely big problem. In the lineage of Buddha Dharma, there are three types of lineage: lineage of intent (secret meaning from the Tathagata), lineage of the clear symbols, and oral lineage. For most of us, our practice is unrelated to the first two lineages. You can neither comprehend the lineage of intent, nor the lineage of clear symbols. The only one you may be able to attain is the oral lineage. That means you need a lot of communication in your practice. If you don't understand Chinese, you will run into problems during communication. "Running into problems during communication" means you won't be able to understand a word your guru says - even though he speaks in Chinese. You won't understand at all. I think the consequences of this need no further elaboration. Such phenomena are prevalent among practitioners. I've seen many people who actually didn't understand a word, yet they all felt they did understand. Then they would practice according to their own "understanding", producing all kinds of strange realizations. This is the result of not learning Chinese well.

I mentioned earlier that many people often make jokes and use inappropriate words. This not only shows their lack of Chinese proficiency, but also their unawareness of their own position. You don't know who you are, where you stand, and where your guru stands. You don't know what tone and words you should use when facing your guru. When you don't know these, you cannot receive any blessings. It's like when the cup is not upright, water cannot be poured in. Can anyone tell me how water can be poured from the pot into the cup when they are at the same or the cup is even higher?

Written by Lingshan Hermit on September 9, 2023.

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灵山居士：当你不懂中文的时候

[separatist-apologist]

Hi, I am your Ottoman Obession era Anon.

Yes, I would recommend the book. Shadows of God by Alan Mikhail. I think i pick thus book after halfway watching Rise of Empire : Ottoman in Netflix. Why you should read this book? Please allow me to share my thought

1. I am not someone from History study or Labguage study. Therefore, I want to read history book that are easy to understand and not overcomplicated. You know,most often I put down the book because I couldnt follow the story or underatand what is going on. And i am not native English speaker, and it just hard for me to read certain book. Or maybe the author tried to hard to impress reader with bombastic word that after googling the word, i am still dont see how it make sense.

But this book? Damn, i feel like a girly pop reading a diary. It doenst just blandly narrated a story but I found this book interesting because it also give us the insight of the character. If i look back, it follows Selim journey from his childhood to how he claimed the throne. I can understand what is going on in the book and not to get lost myself.

Ngl, since the historical figure mention in the book is Selim, i am now rooting for him to claimed the throne and praying for his mother wellbeing. And oh! I love Selim mother the most in the book. The author touched a lot of aspect being an ottoman prince mother and his mother contribution during Selim ruling as a gavernor in Trapzor. They are very close to each other and i found it really sweet.

2. It does not exclusively follow Seim jourbey. The author also gives us hindsight on what is happening aroubd Europe at the time. I have read history book before and they exclusively narrate the historical figure and it made me confuse when there is foreign figure appear around the main historical figure. But this book? It tell us what was happening around,guve an idea where actually this event set place and how it correlate to other event in history. It became so fun to read when I can recognize othe histrical figure. For example the borgia. I know the borgia family because of a manhwa (korean type of comic).

It so fun to read and trigger my roller coaster emotionally.

3. I found it more interesting when I learn that Selim as said in the book is not highly favoured by his father. Especially when he is sent far away from Constantinople (or istanbul atm) assigned as governor. They said that the more far away the son is sent to givern a state,the lesser the chance the son get to be a Sultan.

It really made me think, did Beron apply the same thing? Except his intention to worsen the sibling relationship? Because i think I remember in one of your fic you had this scene where eris mentioning how lucky for Elain that Lucien is exiled. Otherwise, Beron would pit her and his other daughter in law. Which to me was genius since Beron wanted his son to fight each other for the throne.

Even in the book, it mention that the father/current Sultan is not excluded from this fraticide practice. The son still can and have the right to claw their own father from the throne

I recommend this book. Why? Simple, because someone slow like me can read it and enjoy the drama in this book. I think you would too. Sorry for the rambling tho.

You're back! This is the exact kind of recommendation I'm looking for, ESPECIALLY from a non-fiction book. When I was in grad school, one of my professors discussed what made good, academic writing ESPECIALLY if you were writing for lay people. And the hallmark of it was accessibility. Even within niche topics, your writing shouldn't be so convoluted that you need to re-read sentences over and over.

You can get away with some of it in academic journals but I'd argue if I'm reading a paper on a topic I'm knowledgable and published in, and I'm asking myself "what the fuck are you trying to say?" you've done a bad job.

And books ESPECIALLY because history is, in my opinion, one of the most fascinating subjects AND should be one of the most accessible ones as well. History is like gossip, it's half rumor, half fact depending on who is telling it. It's like when your friend texts, "can I say something fucked up?" like HELL YES tell me the atrocities and salacious gossip, I beg you.

I had a world history teacher in high school who once said history was the greatest soap opera and he made it accessible in a way that I've always been obsessed. And I'm saying all this because you said it was dumbed down enough for you to understand- but consider that it was WELL written enough to keep your attention rather than being so smugly satisfied with itself that the author renders the subject matter boring.

You sound exceptionally smart to me. You're reading in two languages! Give yourself WAY more credit and remember that a LOT of academics are just puffed up blow-hards that could use a regular person telling them, actually- you're not that interesting.

[bngsoo]

THE HEIR WHO GAVE UP EVERYTHING TO TEACH KOREAN - Korea Now

[The video starts with Jisoo smiling at the camera. He's the only person visible in the shot, recorded from the waist up. As the interview is conducted, the only prompts the viewer sees are the words written on the screen. There are no other voices heard throughout the length of the video. Though Jisoo is speaking English, there are Korean subtitles on the bottom of the screen.]

CAN YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF?

Hi, everyone. My name is Jisoo Bang, but you might know me as Soo Ssaem from the Soo Ssaem Channel on Youtube where I try to make Korean language and culture accessible to everyone. 

I have been teaching Korean on Youtube for about three years now but I have taught Korean language for much longer than that. I have been teaching online and I worked full-time for a language school in Seoul before I started working freelance in 2022. And now I'm here in the Yonhap News studio recording this interview!

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO CREATE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL?

I decided to start a Youtube channel because I wanted to help more people learn Korean in a way that is free but also more fun than just only reading a textbook. I have studied foreign languages myself so I know how challenging it is and I want to help others achieve their goals too. That’s why I try to use interesting methods to help my viewers learn Korean like learning through video games, for example. 

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO TEACH KOREAN?

I always had a passion for learning about other cultures and I think language is a very important part of that. It’s how we communicate with other people and learning a new language can help you connect with people who you don't normally connect with. So, I wanted to help those people that are interested in Korea too. 

WHAT'S THE BEST PART ABOUT TEACHING ON YOUTUBE?

The best thing is that I can do whatever I want to do. Because we're not in a classroom with a very strict curriculum, we can make it more fun and random, which I like. It's better to have fun when you're learning and I think on Youtube it's a perfect place to do that.

WHAT'S THE HARDEST PART ABOUT TEACHING ON YOUTUBE?

Actually, I think I'm not a very creative person. It's a bit stressful to take some ideas and make them become a real thing. I don't want my videos to be boring so I try really hard to make them interesting for everybody. Like... finding balance? You know, try to make it entertaining but also educational. It's hard sometimes.

Also, I had to learn about editing videos because I never had experience before. I've had to learn a lot about that so that was a bit challenging at first, but I really like it now.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO OUTSIDE OF TEACHING?

I like traveling and spending time with my family and my friends. But my favorite thing, it's being at home with my wife and our animals and playing games. That's where I can find my biggest happiness.

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR RECENT MARRIAGE!

Oh, thank you! I am a really happy guy now. Everyone who is watching this video should go subscribe to Pony on Youtube as well. She's helped me a lot when I was starting my channel so I hope everyone can support my wife in her career too. She deserves it.

CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT IS SOOTUBE?

Sootube is my second channel where I post random videos that don't really match my Soo Ssaem channel. It's more free and random so if you like that kind of things, you can feel free to check it out too.

WHY DO YOU THINK YOUR CHANNELS ARE GETTING SO MUCH ATTENTION?

Are they? Well, I think Korean culture is kind of a hot topic these days. Lots of people around the world are watching dramas and listening to K-pop music so there is a lot of interest and demand for resources compared to a long time ago. But I hope people are interested in my channel because I can make learning a bit more entertaining for them. And maybe also because I'm really an honest person about things, even when I talk about bad things. I'm a bit bold so I try to keep it realistic, not fake.

IS THAT WHY YOU HAVE BEEN OPEN ABOUT SENSITIVE TOPICS ON YOUR CHANNEL?

Yes. I don't want to pretend like I'm living in a fairy tale. I think some people might think I do, but I don't. I'm just a human being like everyone else and I think we need to change our perspective in society about what is okay to share with other people and what isn't. That's why I have talked about mental health on my channel. I would like to keep being open about those things so that other people feel invited to share their thoughts and feelings with other people as well.

WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THOSE WHO JUDGE YOU?

Nothing, honestly. I just hope they live a good life and stay focused on themselves. I try not to worry how people think of me these days, even though it can be hard. I come from a family with a lot of history that many people know about so I'm used to people having opinions that I don't always agree with. That's just how life is.

DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ENCOURAGING TO SAY TO PEOPLE LEARNING KOREAN?

Thank you for your interest in learning about my culture. And if you're learning with me, then I thank you even more. Korean can be challenging like any language so I hope you won't give up in the difficult times. Anything is possible if you set your mind to it. So, keep going and don't be shy about it. Fighting!

ANY LAST WORDS FOR YOUR SUBSCRIBERS?

사랑해요. I love you. Thank you a lot for your support. I'll work hard to keep making videos that you will enjoy. And I really hope we can see each other again soon.

Bye bye!

[tielt]

-Dae Jang Geum-

I wanted to mention it around the time Squid Games was popular, but I couldn’t figure out what exactly to write about it. There is a feminist icon who is part of Korean history that has a tv show near 20 years old. It’s a hokey period drama, I think it’s G-rated the whole thing that I remember is family themed and it really is a thing made to be respectful to though maybe not entirely accurate of a historical figure.

It’s the feminine version of Red Beard which is another old school heroic physician show I really love. If I had to place my feminist views on a collage that Jang Geum series feels on brand for what I ascribe value. When I watched it I realized that I had entirely misplaced a lot of positive instincts about what it means to be a loyal citizen in a situation where the system is based on Confucian standards of ethics and that I would want to work within a hierarchical system if it had proper standards of compassion.

I’ll mention the first thing Jang Geum learns as a child studying to cook in the royal kitchen and I love the way it’s introduced. When even doing the most simple task such as delivering water to someone you should have direct and thorough communication about the person, their health history and state of mind in order to deliver a holistic experience.

I been waiting for near a decade for a chance to tag this show in accordance to some issue or casually attached to some concept and it just never happened. This is the probably a better way to recommend it to anyone who wants a holistic not-Disney but very Disney period drama about cooking and medicine. It’s long and the beginning is pretty bad. 🤷‍♀️

This is me running some lit sage around my creaky bones for purification. I care though I would rather not these days.

[eyeshowmin]

Journal Entry #2 October 4, 2024

I woke up a bit late today because I don’t have any morning classes today. I have to go to campus at 2 PM for my writing test. In school, my favorite tasks are writing, but as I continued my studies as a TESL student, I found it hard to do writing. I felt like I was lacking with my writing skills. I sometimes felt unsure about my writing. I realized that I took more time than I should during the test. I started to worry about my carry marks for semester 1. Is it because I didn’t study enough? Or is it because I was too anxious with my answers? Although I had many questions in my mind, I continued my day like nothing happened. I tend to overthink every time I finish my test. But on the brighter side, at least I did my best during the test. Around 4 PM, I went back to my room to take a rest before I went out to eat with my friends.

At night, I watched a Korean series called Flower of Evil. The drama is filled with suspended scenes. It got me stressed to finish all the episodes. The actors did a really good job with their characters. After that, my friend bought me a cake as an early gift for my birthday tomorrow. I just realized that I will turn 18 tomorrow! I felt excited to be legal, although its just the same every year. I felt nothing has changed except my weight. Before I went to sleep, I read some comics on Webtoon and scrolled through online shops. I am planning to buy myself a gift for my birthday as a reward for my legal year! I ended up buying an anime character figure, Roronoa Zoro, from the series One Piece. I’ve always wanted it since I was 16. But I was waiting for the right time to buy. I think buying this on my birthday is the perfect time!

Sincerely,

Yasmin Kamilia

[kimyoonmiauthor]

Yeah, posting more story ideas to Asian writers...

So, again, doing the posting to more writers thing. Destined With You, I thought had a good thematic base, I loved the past life scenes, but it was lacking in thematic unification, organization and execution in terms of writing. I'm watching, though, It's a Good Day to be a Dog, which is quirky, but knowing Korean make the drama more funny.

Chinese Drama: Stereotypical girl becomes mother?

The stereotype of the mother that chases down her daughter to work harder on her grades, is hard-nosed, but on the other end, there is the sweet, a little lazy daughter whose grades aren't that stellar. I'd like to see how these two stereotypes become each other. How does the cute daughter who doesn't study that hard become the mother that is really strict about studying?

I thought the Chinese censorship board wouldn't be against time travel in this case, if it was say, daughter finds out about how hard mother worked to get where she is. Or we go beyond "Just got married" narrative--but the transformation from cute marriage to concerned parent. It would also give more opportunities to 30-year old women to have more interesting roles. The whole building towards being grateful towards your parents would totally be something I would think the Chinese government would say yes to. Also, you wouldn't absolutely need time travel for this.

I suppose might also work as a Korean drama, but Korean dramas would need stronger thematic building than this...

2. Korean dramas about the real and active religion of Donghak are missing from context?

We have Mugyo, but there are other native Korean religions, no? Maybe lesser known?

I still wish as a Korean for Koreans to be able to find our own unique genres made up of our own experiences of being Korean. I've been looking internationally, and Japan invented their own, Chinese have Xianxia, and Wuxia,. Japan has a few as well. But isn't there something that is uniquely Korean in terms of experience, belief and context that we could make into a genre? Pride as Koreans. BTW, I also found the origin of Han (Cultural concept). It is Japanese. It's from Yanagi Sōetsu's theory of the "beauty of sorrow" which was imposed on Koreans during the Japanese occupation. Nunchi and Jeong are clearly Korean. I still would like more dramas set in early Joseon... though... 'cause I read from Korean scholars that it had less regulation on women. (I suggested the widows story last time to fit around that slot.) Rom Com~~ And lastly, I'm going to ask my fellow writers to make fun of the whole, "Can't name a country in Africa trope." C'mon. You can't name one? You don't have a map? African people also watch Asian dramas and have been sorely disappointed with the whole, Africa is poor, and there's no one middle class, they are disease-ridden, and have no technology type of narrative coming out of East Asia. I had a really long and pleasant conversation with some people who are from Africa--various countries, and I think we can do better. Kenya, Ethiopia, etc. Why not do the research and maybe not promote the whole savioristic mentality that was done on us on them too. "Character is going to Africa." WHICH COUNTRY IN AFRICA? I'm truly asking all three China, Korea and Japan, WHICH ONE? Make a joke of it and then slam it by doing better. I truly feel embarrassed as an Asian when writers can't pull out a map and are being savioristic towards Africa. A whole continent when we should also understand how that narrative has also destroyed a lot of Asia too. I should note I had a Japanese drama idea, but I forgot it. Another time, then. It'll come back. Meh, I like seeing gaps filled. Gap theory works better to me, if executed well over combine three existing things. If someone goes left, you go right. If someone hasn't done, it, then do it. If someone goes right, you go left. What have they not done in doing that thing when it's obvious. On the US side, we're stagnating because studios and publishers won't take the right sort of risks and understand... so I wouldn't mind seeing people kick butt.

[gottabedramatic]

I AM BACK AND I AM IN PIECES

How am I supposed to move on from Lovely Runner? HOW?????

I just watched the last episode. Yes, I couldn't help myself and binge watched this drama in smaller portions – 10 episodes are out? I watched 8 in 2 days (actually I have more important thing to focus on, like my final exams coming up soon, but... it was LR. Definitely more important than studying, right?). I saved at least one episode left to watch before new episodes aired, but I gave up yesterday, watched 14th and 15th episode and then waited impatiently for the final ep today.

And I'm already considering a rewatch. I've never rewatched a new drama I just finished watching, I've never even thought about it in the first place. It didn't make a sense to watch again something I just finished, until this drama happened.

A few things about the drama (mainly Byeon Woo Seok):

Strong girl Nam Soon introduced me to Byeon Woo Seok, but when I found out his character dies in the drama, I just dropped it. I actually started it cuz I wondered if the drama would be at least half as good as Strong girl Do Bong Soon. Also for the cameo of Park Bo Young and Park Hyung Sik, and yes, they ate without leaving any crumbs, but that's about it. I really liked Woo Seok in this drama and I even posted a comment on ig's reel where I said morally gray character with good redemption arc would suit him.

I was definitely on a war with the spoilers, trying to wait until Lovely Runner finished airing. And I was utterly defeated by reels, tiktoks and yt shorts of Sun Jae being a total loser for Im Sol. The first thing from this drama that I spoiled to myself was Sun Jae's performance of 소나기/Sonaki/Sudden shower. (Btw, because the title of this song was never translated in the drama, the subs always said "sonaki", that's the only name of this song for me hahah.)

And what after I saw idol Sun Jae singing?My jaw? I had to take a walk to the Earth's core and back to pick it up. Byeon Woo Seok's voice was engraved in my mind in that very moment and this song is living there rent free for the rest of my life. I can't even speak Korean but I got the pronunciation of a few words from the song only by listening to it in the drama and now I'm singing along every time I hear it. And the meaning, the translation?????? If you can hear someone crying in the corner of whatever room or space you're in, that is me bawling my eyes out because of it.

Okay, now about the story (although I could talk about Sun Jae or Woo Seok all the time):

There were a few things I loved about this drama. First and foremost, the main leads devotion to each other. The number of scenes they had together. And the whole plot going around loser-love at first sight and selfless love that defies time and space? Perfect.

This drama was sometimes too hilarious. Whoever was in charge of the sense of humor department probably was one of the best comedians ever in their past life. Some scenes being funny because of Sun Jae being head over heels for Im Sol, then we have ridiculous scenes of Im Sol trying to act normal after she did something weird in front of Sun Jae. Their bickering, side characters making everything even more funny, the timing of all of these moments. The last time I laughed this much was while I watched Twinkling Watermelon. Before it, other kdrama that was as funny and memorable for its humor as LR was probably Goblin. And it makes sense since LR and Goblin have the same director (apparently, that's what reddit comment said, I'm too lazy to check hahah).

I could make even longer rant about this drama but here's the thing: rewatch never looked as temptingly as it looks now.

Also I definitely have to do an update on other dramas but I'll probably need another post for it. I got off my chest what I needed for now, and I'm going to start a rewatch or play Witcher 3 hahah (yes, I should definitely study instead of doing these things).

Dramas I'm currently watching:

A Journey to Love – 25/40 ep

My Demon – 6/16

Didn't finish yet and not sure if I ever do:

Strong girl Nam Soon – 10/12 (on hold)

18 again – probably 4/16 (and on hold)

Only for love – around 25th episode?

Want to watch, just waiting for more episodes:

Welcome to Samdalri

The Story of Park's Marriage Contract

The Last Immortal

A Good Day to be a Dog

Moon in the Day

so yeah, no tags cuz it's just for me as a reminder (for a drama slump) that in fact I have dramas I want to watch hahsha

[koreanstudyjunkie]

👂Korean Listening Tips: Improve Listening Skills

Tip Number One: listen to material that is on your level / listen to the right material

Listening to korean dramas as a beginner is usually not the best idea to effectively improve your listening skills. Youtube videos are the better option, because Korean used in youtube videos is actually used in real life. On the other hand, dramas are scripted and not as natural.

Korean dramas also have a lot of niche vocabulary. For example, if you watch a drama about hospitals words like “blood pressure” or organ names or anything else like that will appear often. That’s one of the reasons dramas can be hard to understand.

Lingq app is a good place to find stories that you can read and listen to at the same time. Podcasts are also very good for listening practice.

Music doesn’t count in my opinion. If you started studying like a month or a few weeks ago maybe, but at that point I think you are much too new to practice listening in the way I mention in this post. You should keep learning more vocabulary & grammar before attempting active listening. Of course listening to the language is good to help familiarize yourself with the sounds, but don’t expect to understand more than a word or two here or there at your very beginner level.

Tip Number Two: don’t be aftaid of subtitles

I am against using ONLY English subtitles (or subtitles in other languages besides Koresn) whilst practicing listening in Korean. Try using Korean subtitles while you watch youtube videos and while you watch your favorite Korean dramas. For very beginners, using subs in your native language could be a chance to understand more and get familiarized with how fast Korean is and the different sounds. I suggest watching once with Eng subs & again with Korean subs

Tip Number Three: read more

Reading and listening are one in the same - they both have to do with taking in context and interpreting what that context means. In other words, reading will improve your listening skills and vice versa. You should read and listen to improve your overall comprehension of the Korean language.

As with listening materials, try to find things that are on your level to read. Maybe reading Harry Potter books in Korean as a beginner aren’t the best for this unfortunately. Lingq & Naver Blogs are good places to find things to read. You can also go to wattpad and find some rather interesting stories in Korean. You can read webtoons as well.

Tip Number Four: take it slow

Nothing wrong with changing the speed of a video or a drama to understand it better. Koreans do speak rather fast and slowing down your audio can help a bit. I would say listen to it normally once and then again slower and then again normally. Or you could start slow and then go back to normal audio. Listening to things more than once is a good thing too. You’ll catch things that you didn’t the first time around.

Tip Number Five: change your mindset

Don’t aim to understand every single word and grammar you hear. If you can just get the gist of what is said - you’re doing great. Trying to focus on every word as it is said actually is what causes you to not be able to keep up with whatever audio you’re listening to.

A good tip also is to look at the mouth of the person while they are speaking - if their mouth is visible at least. You can also do this in real life conversations or just with online videos. This actually can really help you understand better although It may seem weird.

Another tip for understanding dramas would be alternating subtitles between your native language and Korean. For example, I watched Squid Game with my family in English subs, but went back to study on my own and watched with just Korean subs. So If you watch one episode with Korean/English subs first and then rewatch and switch it can help alot

📢[STORYTIME]

One of my goals was to understand Korean dramas - this was the first few months of starting Korean. I remember telling one of my friends that was studying with me at the time and she said “It’s gonna be a long time before you can do that”. And wow she was right. It’s like 5 years later and It’s still hard for me to understand Korean dramas😂 She stopped studying years ago, but here I am still chugging along.

I was watching this drama called “내일” or “tomorrow” on Netflix with just Korean subtitles. I could get the gist of a lot of things but there were also entire scenes (like 5 or so minutes at a time) 😬where I had no clue what was happening. I’ve been studying this drama as practice and I went through and broke down those scenese I didn’t understand🫢

But to be fair this drama is about grim reapers and death and I don’t know the vocabulary that well in that area😂 so I’ve learned a lot just from Episode 1. I have just moved to the 2nd episode and there are like 16 currently and more being added I think😳 I want to study the whole thing but I don’t know If I’ll stick to it that long lol

[chaeryybomb]

BRUTAL

pairings: female reader x best friend!jungwon

summary: they told you that these were the golden years, but to you "golden" was a rusting metal spray painted yellow. the story of a seventeen year old trying to survive high school when all you do is try your best. but your best friend jungwon makes it worth the while. 

genre: high school au, friends to lovers, fluff, tiny bits of angst if you squint, attempt at humour

featuring: jang wonyoung, kim sunoo & nishimura riki 

word count: 4.5k 

warnings: reader having a existential crisis most of the time, strong language, mentions of insecurity

the sour series masterlist

You slumped forward the moment the bell rang, letting your head hit the table. You could care less if a bruise would form on your forehead, you had much bigger things to worry about. Your teacher left the class wordlessly as the class was busy doing their own thing. And by that, everyone was buried nose deep in studying. You lifted your head to see the different books of the same topic scattered on your desk, a yellow highlighter balancing on the edge of your table.

Reaching over to grab the highlighter, you turned your head over to the side to look at your desk mate. Wonyoung sat there looking straight out from a k-drama, with her hair flowing down her back perfectly and her slender nimble fingers moving as she continuously wrote in her notebook. She was smart too, fluent in English and Korean, great at maths and science. And on top of that she was kind and friendly, everyone loved her. You did too, you had the honour of calling her your best friend. But sometimes you felt insecure around her, everything she did looked flawless and there you were just trying your best.

"Ack!" You yelped as you sat up straight, holding your forehead. Wonyoung rolled her eyes at you with a small smile on her lips, she had flicked your forehead to get you out of your thoughts.

Without taking her eyes off the textbook, she tapped your own workbook with her pen. Silently telling you to stop procrastinating. You pouted at her and looked at the clock, 10 minutes before lunch. Maybe a walk to the girl's bathroom would do you some good.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom," you whispered to Wonyoung. She nodded and smiled at you before you walked out.

As you strolled towards the girl's bathroom, you passed by the bulletin board outside your class. A bright blue poster stood out with the words "ENJOY YOUR YOUTH" in white. Scoffing at the message, you continued on your way.

"I'm seventeen now, where's my fucking teenage dream?" You muttered to yourself. You were tired of waiting for your life to end up like a coming of age movie. Everyone told you that these were the golden years and you should enjoy your youth, but you swear to god if you hear another one of those cheesy sayings, you might just cry on the spot.

Reaching over to open the stall door, you halt in your actions when you heard familiar voices talking.

"I'm so worried for finals, my parents are gonna kill me if I fail English again," a girl complained. You hear the sound of tap water running. "How are you so calm during this time, Mirae?'

"What's the use of studying hard anyways," the second girl, Mirae, said. "We all know the top spots are gonna be taken by Jang Wonyoung and Yang Jungwon, I just study enough to pass."

The other girl snorted at her reply. "Imagine if those two got together, the power couple of the year," she suddenly said.

"Poor Y/N then, she's gonna be over shadowed by them."

"As if she already isn't. I almost forgot they were a trio until you mentioned Y/N," the girl laughed.

"What can I say? They're out of her league," Mirae joined in with her laughter.

The two voices faded away as you heard the door closed. Finally pushing the door open, you looked at your reflection. Your eyebrows knitted in annoyance and your face was morphed in a scowl. You washed your hands aggressively and poked the inside of your cheek. What bugged you was that they were right. You were the black sheep between Wonyoung and Jungwon. Both of them were smart and amazing, and you're just…you.

You love your best friends, you truly do. But you were constantly compared to them and you hated it. Everyone wanted them, you watched as guys tripped over to confess to Wonyoung and girls squealing when Jungwon smiled at them. The two of them always reassured you that you weren't beneath them but you were sick of their sympathy. You're so caught up in the news of who likes you and who hates them. You just wished people liked you more.

Storming out of the bathroom, someone accidentally ran into you and caused you to fell onto your butt. The student immediately stood up and scurried off, not bothering to even a mutter an apology. All I did was try my best and this is the thanks I get, you thought bitterly.

They said that these were the golden years, but you wished you could just disappear. God, it's brutal out here.

"Y/N, wait up!" Jungwon called after you.

You stopped in your tracks as you watched Jungwon waved goodbye to some students before jogging towards you.

"You heading to cram school today?" He asked you as the both of you fell into the same walking rhythm.

You shook your head, clasping your hands behind. "I moved it to Thursday instead, Wonyoung said I had to many things on Tuesday," you told him. Originally, you would be heading to the library to study before heading over to the cram school. But Wonyoung took one look at your schedule and decided that you did not had enough breaks, so she managed to convince you to take the Thursday slot instead. Thursdays are one of the days where you would not go to the library.

Jungwon seemed to be disappointed to find out that you had switched slots. Maybe he should changed slots too, but does he have any empty spots open for Thursday though? He'd have to check later. Instead, he coughed and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Do you wanna come over later? The new Demon Slayer movie is out," he offered, hoping that you'd accept.

Unfortunately, you once again shook your head. "Sorry Jungwon, I'd want to cram even more later. Finals are really creeping in and I can't afford to waste any time," you told him with a sad smile. As much as you would like to ditch the books and watch Demon Slayer, the glaring C on your last history paper was telling you otherwise.

You stopped walking when you had reached your doorstep. "Thanks for walking me home, Jungwon. See you tomorrow!" and with that you disappeared behind the door.

Jungwon waved goodbye as he watched the door closed. The smile on his face dropped and his shoulder sagged. Jungwon you idiot, of course she would want to study, he scolded himself. With disappointment on his face, he trudged home with a heavy heart.

"Change of plans, guys," he announced as he swung the front door open, unfazed by the fact that Riki and Sunoo were lounging on his coach. He accepted the fact that Sunoo had somehow gotten the keys to his house (suspecting that his mother probably gave it to him due to favouritism or maybe Riki had sneakily made a copy).

Riki's head poked out from the couch. "She rejected you, didn't she," the younger boy said with a smirk.

Jungwon's face ears turned red as he glared at the boy. "No she did not!" He immediately told him. "She rejected the offer to watch the movie, that's different!"

"That's basically rejection, hyung," Riki laughed.

The other boy just glared at him. "Shut up!" he sputtered out before hiking up the stairs.

Sunoo gave Riki a look, to which the Japanese boy just shrugged his shoulders innocently.

Jungwon walked out from the shower, a towel around his neck with one hand running through his damp hair. Sunoo and Riki had left earlier, finally giving him some peace and quiet. His phone screen was flashing from his study table, initiating that someone was spamming him (quite aggressively) with text message. With a raised eyebrow, he picked up his phone

[7:09 pm] wonyoung: JUNGWON

[7:09 pm] wonyoung: JUNGWON

[7:09 pm] wonyoung: JUNGWON

[7:10 pm] wonyoung: WHY DID Y/N JUST MESSAGED ME ABOUT HOMEWORK

[7:10 pm] wonyoung: ISNT SHE WITH YOU

[7:11 pm] wonyoung: I THOUGHT YOU SAID U WERE GONNA WATCH A MOVIE

[7:11 pm] wonyoung: DEMON HUNTER OR SMTG

[7:12 pm] wonyoung: WHY IS SHE ASKING ME FOR HW

[7:12 pm] wonyoung: DID U CHICKEN OUT???

[7:13 pm] wonyoung: omg u chickened out didnt u

[7:14 pm] jungwon: jfc wonyoung

[7:15 pm] jungwon: and no i did not chicken out okay

[7:15 pm] jungwon: she declined

[7:16 pm] jungwon: she said she had to study ;-;

[7:17 pm] wonyoung: omg u suck

[7:17 pm] wonyoung: i told u the movie idea was dumb

[7:18 pm] wonyoung: but do u ever listen to me

[7:18 pm] wonyoung: no

[7:19 pm] wonyoung: and now u suffer the consequences

[7:20 pm] jungwon: yea yea i get it im dumb

[7:20 pm] jungwon: now what's ur solution the great jang wonyoung

[7:21 pm] wonyoung: i am so glad u asked :)

[7:21 pm] jungwon: oh no

[7:21 pm] wonyoung: stfu im giving u a better idea

[7:22 pm] wonyoung: a n y w a y s

[7:22 pm] wonyoung: my ynradar is going off and she's s a d

[7:23 pm] jungwon: how would u know

[7:23 pm] jungwon: she seemed fine today

[7:23 pm] wonyoung: stfu jungwon its best friend things u wont understand

[7:24 pm] jungwon: i-

[7:25 pm] wonyoung: and as her future bf u SHOULD start to train ur ynradar

[7:25 pm] wonyoung: anw its exam season stoopid

[7:26 pm] wonyoung: and its when those kids start to talk abt how the both of us are gonna get top scores

[7:26 pm] wonyoung: and they talk down on y/n while doing so

[7:26 pm] wonyoung: assholes

[7:27 pm] wonyoung: so i propose to u

[7:27 pm] wonyoung: a ✨ study date ✨

[7:28 pm] jungwon: i

[7:29 pm] jungwon: that's

[7:29 pm] jungwon: actually not a bad idea

[7:30 pm] wonyoung: obv i came up with it

[7:31 pm] jungwon: can u not

[7:31 pm] wonyoung: anw a study date

[7:32 pm] wonyoung: she's struggling in maths

[7:33 pm] wonyoung: specifically taxes because she said and i quote

[7:34 pm] wonyoung: "why do we have to do taxes when we pay people to do it for us"

[7:34 pm] wonyoung: so pls help her and try to cheer her up

[7:35 pm] wonyoung: and confess coward

[7:36 pm] jungwon: i make no promises for the last one

[7:36 pm] wonyoung: aFTER EVERYTHING I JUST SAID

[7:37 pm] jungwon: what if she rejects me wonyoung

[7:38 pm] wonyoung: WE'VE HAD THIS CONVERSATION A LOT OF TIMES JUNGWON

[7:38 pm] wonyoung: SHE LIKES U BUT SHES TOO DUMB TO REALISE

[7:39 pm] jungwon: sigh

[7:40 pm] jungwon: fine i'll try thanks wonyoung

[7:41 pm] wonyoung: np i expect y'all to be a couple by next monday <3

[7:41 pm] jungwon: i-

Sighing for the nth time of the night, Jungwon sat on his bed. He allowed the towel to slipped off his shoulders as his thumb hovered over your chat icon. Truth be told, he always thought his crush on you was unrequited love. You never showed any signs of returning of feelings so he thought he would just ignore the feeling until it was gone.

But oh boy was he wrong, because he didn't knew that he would be spending his high school years by your side. And now you occupy his mind 24/7. Wonyoung could literally tell that he was in love with you, but somehow you never caught on. He allowed Sunoo and Riki to convince him to do the whole "movie date idea", but that failed. So Wonyoung's suggestion was his only option left.

He typed out the message, ready to send it out. If only he could just press the button. Come on Yang Jungwon, you can do this. Just press the damn button Jungwon. Suddenly his phone pinged loudly, scaring the lights out of the poor boy as he yelped and his phone landed with a thud on the ground. He peered over his bed, as if his phone was a ticking bomb.

Oh, it was a message from you.

[8:01 pm] y/n: hey do u know where wonyoung is

[8:01 pm] y/n: she isn't answering my texts

Oh no. He realised that your chat was open, the two ticks indicated that he had (unintentionally) read the message. He couldn't just leave you on read. That's just evil. Scrambling to get his phone, he immediately typed a reply to cover for the other girl.

[8:02 pm] jungwon: sorry i don't :/

[8:02 pm] jungwon: what do u need her for

[8:03 pm] y/n: mf was supposed to teach me a maths question but she left me on rEAD

This was his chance! It was the perfect opportunity for him to score a date with you. Okay, breathe in breath out Jungwon. Don't mess it up and just ask her, he mentally prepared himself.

[8:04 pm] jungwon: oh i could help you if you want

[8:04 pm] jungwon: yk with finals coming up and everything, i can help you study

[8:05 pm] jungwon: if you want of course

[8:05 pm] y/n: omg srsly??

[8:06 pm] jungwon: pls help me study my braincells are literally dying

[8:07 pm] jungwon: jdsjkda okay how about this saturday at your place?

[8:08 pm] y/n: yeah sure

[8:08 pm] jungwon: cool its a date then!

You blinked at Jungwon's message. A date? Wait, did Yang Jungwon just indirectly asked you out? Nah, nah. You were overthinking it. Yes, definitely overthinking. Don't kid yourself, why would Jungwon ask you out on a date? Jungwon is just a friend, you tried to convince yourself.

Keyword: tried.

If he really was just a friend, then why did it felt like butterflies were in your stomach when he said "it was a date"? Then why did you frowned when those girls said that Wonyoung and Jungwon would make a good couple?

Oh god, do you have feelings for your best friend?

Saturday came faster than you would have liked it to. Ever since that last chat with Jungwon, it gave you the sudden realisation that you did in fact had feelings for your best friend. You tried so hard to avoid him in school because you don't want the butterflies back in your stomach. It was basically confirming the fact that you like him. Well, avoiding him also confirmed the fact but you choose to be in denial about it.

You didn't tell Wonyoung about your study date but lately she's been sending you outfit ideas on Pinterest. Specifically, date outftis. And whenever you tried to ask her a question about school, she brushed you off with a random excuse. So it left you no choice but to save those questions for Jungwon.

Speaking of Jungwon, he had texted you 10 minutes ago that he was on the way. You were standing in the middle of your room with your hands on your hips. Both of your parents were out for the day, which left you alone at home. You had taken out the low table to be used later and it was currently in front of you. Colourful workbooks were neatly stacked on top of it.

You did a 360 turn around your room. Was it messy? You cleaned it this morning when you woke up. Did you had any clothes out? No, doesn't look like it. For some reason, you were a nervous wreck. You blamed Jungwon. He just had to call this a date, didn't he.

Should you change? Maybe you should finally look through all those pins Wonyoung sent. Wait, no, why would you have to change into something nice. Jungwon was here to help you study, just that.

Yeah, a study date, your mind emphasised on the word.

The sound of the doorbell pulled you out from your thoughts. You immediately went to open the door. Yang Jungwon stood there on the other side, with his signature smile. Had he always resembled a sheep? He just looked so fluffy.

"Hey!" You greeted him with a smile, internally wincing at your way-too-enthusiastic voice.

But Jungwon didn't seem to mind it. "Hey!" he greeted back.

You moved to the side to let him in. "Thank you for having me," he said as he bowed then proceeded to remove his shoes.

"Uh, do you want anything? Water?" You asked him.

He shook his head.

"Ah, cool. Let's head to my room," you started to walk back to your room.

"Where are your parents?" He asked.

"Out," you simply replied.

That was when it dawned upon you, that your parents were not home. Leaving you and Jungwon, alone. Together. In your room. Alone. With the boy you potentially have a crush on.

"Y/N?" Jungwon tapped on your shoulder. You had stopped walking when you were suddenly washed over by your thoughts. Snapping out of it, you sent him a small smile before opening the room to your door.

The both of you shuffled into your bedroom, you sat down in front of the low table while Jungwon settled down next to you. He moved to take out his books then turned to you. "How about we do some studying and if you have any questions, you can ask me okay?" He said.

You nodded and flipped your own workbook open, immediately starting to work on the first question. Jungwon copied your action and a comfortable silence engulfed the both of you. As the time passed, you found yourself stuck on a certain maths question.

You slightly turned your head to the side to look at Jungwon. He was concentrated at doing his work, you felt a sense of deja vu while looking at him. He resembled Wonyoung when she was studying. At the thought of Wonyoung, you suddenly thought of what those girls said at the bathroom.

They would make a good couple, wouldn't they, you thought. The power couple of the year.

The butterflies in your stomach faded away into an uncomfortable feeling. Just the idea of them getting together already made you sick. You bit the inside of your cheek, you really did had feelings for him. And now it scared you because what if he doesn't feel the same. You made a mental note to consult with Wonyoung later, at least you hope that you'll allow yourself to tell her.

Jungwon must've noticed you staring and gently tapped your head with his pencil. A contrast to when Wonyoung painfully flicked your forehead.

"What's wrong? Are you stuck on a question?" He asked.

You leaned back a bit at the sudden action. You were so deep in your insecurities that you had totally forgotten about the literal problem sitting in front of you. Yet you couldn't even bother to ask him so you just shook your head. "I'm gonna get something to drink," you said instead.

Jungwon watched as you stood up, then decided to follow you as well. "I'll come along."

The boy joined you in the kitchen, perched on one of the island stools as you grabbed a can of soda from the fridge. He studied your movement as you worked around the kitchen. Your features were neutral, you weren't smiling nor frowning. But he could tell that your shoulders were tensed. Wonyoung was right, you did seem down. And he cursed himself for not noticing earlier.

"You okay?" His question made you stopped in a mid-pour stance, the can of soda was tilted but not enough for the contents to be poured out.

You brushed his question off and poured the drink into the cup. "Yeah," you hummed.

Unconvinced by your answer, he pried more. "You know you shouldn't care about what they say, right?"

You furrowed your eyebrows at him, pretending like you didn't understand where he was coming from.

"You're not below us, you know that right?"

You couldn't help but scoffed at his words. Jungwon's lips tugged downwards "I'm being serious here, Y/N," his tone was stern. "You shouldn't listen to what they say. You're more than just-"

The sound of the can being slammed down shuts him up. Your fingers tightened around the can as you looked at him. You didn't had the energy to hear him preach the same old "Don't Listen To Them" speech. You don't need his pity.

"I don't want to hear it, Yang Jungwon," you said through gritted teeth. Not sparing him another glance, you threw the empty can into the trash as you grabbed your glass.

As you walked past Jungwon, he suddenly reached out and held onto your forearm. "Y/N," he said softly. "Please tell me what's wrong."

You sighed and slowly turn around to face him, placing the glass back on the counter. You took in a deep breath before you opened your mouth. "I feel like I'm not enough," you finally said. "Everything I do just doesn't seem enough. All I'm doing is my best but it's just crushing my ego because everyone is telling me that you're better than me."

"I feel like no one wants me and I hate the way I'm perceived. It's always poor Y/N this and poor Y/N that's because everyone just sees me as your shadow and I fucking hate it. I only have two real friends," you gestured wildly. "And lately I'm a nervous wreck cause I keep comparing myself to the two of you. I'm not cool and I'm not smart, and I can't even parallel park!" You threw your hands up in frustration, the feelings you kept inside were pouring out like a waterfall.

Jungwon just stood there as he listened tentatively to every word. He didn't knew that you felt this way, bottling up all your emotions like that.

"And I'm so tired of people telling me to enjoy my youth and that these are the golden years. I might just fucking cry if I hear those words again," you finished ranting. It felt good, it felt like a weight on your heart has been lifted. Then you remembered that you just dumped all of it on Jungwon.

You opened your mouth to apologise to him but he surprised you by pulling him into his arms. At first you were standing stiffly at the sudden contact, but it took a millisecond for you to melt in his embrace. His arms were gently around your back and you returned the hug by wrapping your arms around his torso. The two of you stay in that position for awhile, relishing in each other's embrace. You definitely needed this hug.

Tightening your hold on Jungwon, you realised how important he was to you. He was your best friend and he was always there for you. It was stupid of you to compare yourself to him, when all he did was tried his best for you. The taller boy chuckled when he felt you rubbed your face into his shoulder, he involuntarily released a contented sigh. You felt one of his hands stroked your hair, it felt comforting. That action itself was enough for the butterflies to slowly settled back in you.

After a while, both of you finally (unwillingly) released each other. He pushed a strand of hair behind your ears and said, "You're wrong by the way." Which made you tilt your head in genuine confusion.

"You are cool and you are smart. You're like the coolest person I know. And no one thinks of you as our shadow, you don't hear it but I've always hear the juniors praising you for helping them and how enthusiastic you are," the way he delivered his words was filled with pure awe for you.

"And who cares if you can't parallel park. You didn't hear it from but Jay hyung failed his drivers test three times just because he couldn't parallel park," and that got a laugh out from you. Jungwon smiled proudly that he managed to make you laugh. "And you're wrong when you said no one wants you. I want you."

You blinked once, twice and thrice. He wanted you? "You're just saying that cause you're my best friend," you replied.

"No," he firmly said. "I like you, Y/N."

(Jungwon doesn't know where he got this sudden surge of confidence, but the mood was the perfect time for him to confess. It was a one time chance and he had to take it.)

You chuckled. "I like you too, Jungwon. We are friends aren't we?"

"No, Y/N. I like you. More than friends."

"Oh." Oh.

"Yeah," he scratched the back of neck awkwardly. Oh no, did you not feel the same way?

While you on the other hand, were malfunctioning on the inside. Your best friend just confessed to you and you were frozen on the spot. Why couldn't he had done it over text instead. If he had done it over text, then you could've left the message unread and you could've spammed Wonyoung for help. But the thing is that it wasn't over text and you couldn't just tell him to wait here while you panicked to Wonyoung in your bathroom.

Yang Jungwon likes you. And you like him too, right? Because if you didn't, your cheeks won't be heating up right now and your heart would have not be beating rapidly like it was going to break your rib cage any second. If you didn't like him, there would have never been butterflies in your stomach. Yeah. You like Yang Jungwon, you like him a lot.

"Me too," you whispered, it was soft but it was enough for him to pick it up. Jungwon eyes snapped to you, doe eyed filled with hope. "I like you, too," you said, this time louder. And you made sure you looked him in the eye when you confessed.

You watched as Jungwon's mouth morphed into a big grin. He let out a sigh of relief and dropped to his knees, surprising you. "Jungwon!" you squeaked, bending down to help him.

"I'm fine! I'm fine," he assured you as he stood up with your help. The grin on his face was still there. "It's just that … you like me," he breathed out. "You like me back, wow. I-I can't believe it."

Your face was definitely burning with embarrassment. You punched him lightly on the shoulder, turning away to hide your face. "Believe it, you dork. I like you, okay!" Somehow his grin was able to grew wider at your words, Gently, he took your hand in his.

"How about we stop this study date, and I'll take you out on real date?"

© chaeryybomb 2021

a/n: thank you so much for reading this <3

[a-pop-of-korean]

what inspired you to learn korean? once you began to study more seriously, what were your main resources, as well as whether or not you’d recommend them today? or if you have other resources you’d like to recommend?

I decided to start learning Korean because most of my friends growing up spoke a different language but I did not. I always thought speaking a different language was super cool and useful — it’s not only impressive to see, but it really broadens your horizons! I also really enjoyed K-pop and thought it would be cool to try to understand what my favorite songs were communicating!

When I started to study more regularly, I used a few different resources that I’ll list here:

Talk to Me in Korean: I remember listening to a lot of their podcast lessons and watching their YouTube videos. I def recommend it — they’re one of the most popular resources for a reason!

Howtostudykorean.com: This is a blog you’ve probably heard of. It’s run by a non-native speaker, which I think is kinda cool since I think non-native speakers can have special insight to help others out. That said, I’ve heard conflicting opinions about it and even I’ve seen some inaccuracies in their lessons. Some of their lessons are also more complicated than they have to be in my opinion. I would recommend it anyway just because it helped me get pretty far when I started advancing, but I wouldn’t use it as my only resource.

Other miscellaneous blogs and YouTube videos: Sometimes when I see a grammar structure I’m not familiar with, I just Google it and see what comes up. I look at a few different websites just to make sure I’m getting accurate info. Some of these websites include sayhikorean, topikguide, and koreanwikiproject. I don’t really use Tumblr that much for this, but I’ve def come across some great langblrs! While I unfortunately cant name any off the top of my head, I think just searching around should be helpful. When you’re at a level where you can comfortably understand them, I recommend watching videos that teach Korean grammar in Korean as well. It’s a fun challenge and a great way to learn :)

K-dramas and webtoons: It can be hard to immerse yourself in a language if you aren’t surrounded by native speakers. I recommend using K-dramas (for any level really) and webtoons (for more intermediate/advanced learners) to help with this! The website Viki has a really nice “Learn Mode” feature that displays both the Korean and English subtitles of a K-drama. Highly recommend! More about my webtoon recs here!

Apps: Some apps I really like are Drops and Hilokal! I’ve also tried Lingodeer, Tandem and Beelinguap for a while and those seem helpful as well. There are prob a number of other apps I haven’t tried too, so try them all out and see what works! (I’m personally not a fan of Duolingo for Korean tho so maybe skip that one lmao)

That’s a long list! Overwhelming, I know, but keep in mind that I’ve been studying since 2016 and have had plenty of time to try all these out. I would just recommend not relying on one resource and studying a little bit everyday. Just playing Drops for five minutes or reading a webtoon on the bus can make a difference. Try these methods out and see what works for you! I hope this helps, thanks for the question! 화이팅!

[kim-jonghyeon]

Hwang Minhyun, "A later start than other actors, I have to make a lot of effort and study" [Arena Homme Plus preview - October 2022]

[source]

A feature on actor Hwang Minhyun has been released.

Hwang Minhyun, who has been an active ambassador of the brand Moncler for four years, perfectly pulls off the Moncler collection and the special edition down jacket to celebrate Moncler's 70 year anniversary in a feature released on September 20.

In the interview following the shoot, he expressed his thoughts on the recently concluded drama, Alchemy of Souls (Part 1), and hinted at the anticipation for its sequel, Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow.

He confessed that Alchemy of Souls was a show that really wanted to appear in, saying about his first impression of the script: "It had things I'd never seen before and things I hadn't even imagined. I finished it in one sitting without rest. Upon reading it, my mind had been made up."

When asked about what the viewers should expect about its second season, he answered: "Naksu appeared in the brief preview. That probably sparked our viewers' curiosity. Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow is a show they can watch with bated breath, waiting for the events to quickly unfold."

He also revealed his hopes to show more growth in the future. "On stage, acting is guiding the mood to sync with the song, while singing and dancing in the span of three minutes. After a while, what would it be like if I expressed another character instead of myself? The process of taking a long time worrying and making an effort to become a different character seems amazing and cool. It's fun, too. I had a later start than other actors and have less experience, so I have to make that much more of an effort and study a lot. I want to show how I act in many different places."

Hwang Minhyun's photoshoot and interview can be seen on the October issue Arena Homme Plus and website.

[this is a fan translation by a non-native korean speaker and may contain inaccuracies. it has not yet been proofread or edited.]