#korean drama my only love song cast

[atiny-for-life]

Creative Spotlight #3: Jeong Yunho

Masterlist

Intro: With so many new Atinys coming in, I figured now would be a good time to shed some light on all the boys' creative solo projects over the years, big and small.

ANEWZ

Yunho once shared he wanted to be a news reporter/anchorman when he was younger which led to the inception of ANEWZ back in 2020:

That same year, he got to meet Jang Sung Kyu, an anchor he'd been looking up to, and interview him to get some tips and advice (yes, this was in the same video where Wooyoung sat so hard on Seonghwa's lap, Seonghwa looked like he was about to cry and that's why the view count is so high):

ANEWZ is by far the most consistent content we get from any of the members, with the most recent one being released on July 24th of this year:

We get Yunho talking to himself on the regular, interviewing other members, dropping the gossip about behind the scenes shenanigans and more. It's lovely.

Imitation Soundtrack

As a main cast member of the drama Imitation, Yunho was part of the fictional group Sparkling, together with Seonghwa and San, which means he also participated in various performances throughout the show, but let's highlight the most iconic one right here and now:

They made fun of Diamond for so long and still do sometimes ("FInalLY NOW, it's my tIME"). This performance is also where that dance move comes from Yunho is doing here (watch older content and you'll see Wooyoung doing that every five minutes - iconic):

Collabs

Around two years ago, Yunho, San, and Jongho were featured on a Pentatonix song called A Little Space which you can find here (it even includes a Korean verse!):

That same year, him and Hongjoong were featured in a Pepsi Commercial song together with Rain and members of Monsta X and Brave Girls (iconic):

On August 1st, 2024, Yunho was featured in an Eve Seo song called KkungKkungDda. The MV is very fun and goofy, featuring Yunho as the boy at school every girl wants:

Cover Song

The first cover he ever released on Ateez's channel came out 3 months ago, titled Even If It's Your Happiness:

Filmed on an old camera, the footage is grainy and in 3-by-4 format, giving it that nostalgic 90's feel. The song itself kicks off extremely pretty and cute, cozy and warm, perfectly fitting Yunho's voice and the self-shot footage which shows us the world through his eyes.

Then, reaching the halfway mark, the song explodes, drums kicking in, and we get to hear his powerful register, allowing him to really show off as a vocalist. It's really beautiful.

Original Song

On October 3rd, 2024, Be Alright was posted on Ateez's YouTube channel, a song written and composed by Yunho and Hongjoong together with Lakov and Balm. In a Live, Hongjoong claimed Yunho did 90% of the work on the song, but Yunho later denied this in his own Live (see below) and said he merely sang Hongjoong's song. Both are most likely stretching the truth a bit.

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A post shared by 쫑jjong 🧸 (@jjongxappleteez)

It's a beautiful song featuring a lot of piano accompanying Yunho's voice. (You can listen to Hongjoong's guide track here.) And as you listen, pay attention to the background vocals and you will ascend, I promise you. The lyrics are also deeply vulnerable, telling the story of a fight with depression and how much that can take from you.

The sadness, the loneliness, the isolation, the tiring struggle of rebuilding yourself as you make your way back out of that deep dark hole depression threw you into. Inch by inch, step by step, rediscovering your own personality and interests along the way, realizing only then everything depression took from you. Eventually, you start feeling hope for the future again. You realize you could survive all that pain and suffering your own brain put you through day in and day out for so long which means, no matter what else life throws at you now, you're strong enough to make it through. You'll be alright.

Fashion

Like Hongjoong and San, Yunho has now also made his debut in the fashion world. In his case, by attending Seoul Fashion Week for designer KWAKHYUNJOO, as can be seen on his Instagram:

On October 8th, 2024, the vlog for this event was uploaded to YouTube:

In the video, Wyatt from ONF also makes a quick appearance when him and Yunho bump into each other:

And we get to see Yunho take pictures with Kwak Hyun Joo herself, as well as with the lady he was seated next to during the event (whom I unfortunately don't know - sorry).

[gunsatthaphan]

~ Monthly BL Breakdown: September 2023 ~ 

👻 Happy October!!! 🎃

Disclaimer: ALL shows can be streamed here or here, as well as on Youtube and other platforms. For more info on where to watch what, check out this post! 

New breakdowns are coming at the end of every month - feel free to add stuff!  -> previous breakdowns

What came out this month? (green = seen/currently watching)

🌟 Senior Love Me? Season 2 - September 1st (Thailand) 🌟 Naughty Babe - September 2nd (Thailand) ✅ 🌟 Venus in the Sky - September 2nd (Thailand) 🌟 Marry Go Round - September 3rd (Thailand) 🌟 Where Your Eyes Linger (movie version with added scenes + commentary) - September 5th (South Korea) 🌟 Y Star Challenge (reality show) - September 8th (Thailand)

🌟 The Promise: Honeymoon Lost and Found - September 9th (Thailand) 🌟 Our Story - September 9th (Philippines) 🌟 Rerun (starring PP Krit) - September 13th (Thailand) 🌟 You Are Mine - September 15th (Taiwan) 🌟 Bump Up Business - September 15th (South Korea) 🌟 Wedding Plan Special Episode - September 16th (Thailand) ✅ 🌟 Right Time, Right You - September 17th (Thailand) 🌟 Kimi ni wa Todokanai (I Can't Reach You) - September 27th (Japan) 🌟 Bon Appetit - September 27th (South Korea) 🌟 Absolute Zero - September 27th (Thailand)

Monthly likes/dislikes

❣️ Naughty Babe - I'm loving this so much lol it's so silly but the comedy is so brilliant and so far I'm enjoying it more than Cutie Pie lol. The story is interesting and MaxNat's acting has improved a lot since CP which is nice. Definitely an unexpected nice little gem and also a band-aid for the soul after the OF-trauma every Saturday dskjhf

👎🏻 ø

New series & movie announcements

🎥 Like - Date TBA (South Korea)

🎥 Live in Love - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 Spirit Reborn - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 Red Peafowl (starring Max N., Mek J., Boun N., Gun N., Yacht S., LongFrank & others) - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 Couple or Not - Date TBA (China)

🎥 Ossan's Love Season 3 - Coming January 2024 (Japan)

🎥 The Luminous Begins (Prequel to The Luminious Solution, starring Kaownah Kittipat) - Coming December 2023

Other news from the BL world

❗️ The upcoming Thai adaption of Cherry Magic will premiere in November as confirmed by the cast. The airing date has yet to be announced.

❗️ Actor Est Ravipon (LBC2, Naughty Babe) joined GMMTV.

❗️ The upcoming Thai BL 4 Minutes has been announced to air in early 2024. One of the main actors, Bible W., disclosed that shooting will begin in October and run until December. Several months back his acting partner Build J. dropped out of the production as a result of a defamation scandal. Further details, such as a recast for his role, as well as an airing date, are unknown.

❗️ Santa and Earth (My Only 12%) and EarthMix (ATOTS, MLC) respectively announced that they will be having another project together in 2024. Details are unknown.

❗️ GMMTV actor Gun Atthaphan won an award for "Outstanding Asian Star" at this year's Seoul International Drama Awards.

❗️ This year's GMMTV 2024 lineup event will take place on October 17th.

❗️ The cast for the upcoming Korean BL Jazz For Two was revealed: Song Han Gyeom (OMEGA X), Kim Jin Kwon & Ko Jae Hyun (To My Star), Byun Sung Tae (Happy Merry Ending) will be the main cast.

❗️ A third season for the Japanesse BL Ossan's Love was announced for January 2024.

❗️ At their event "Always More", WeTV announced their 2024 lineup. The following BL productions are included:

Monster Next Door

I Saw You In My Dream (WeTV x DeeHup)

Me And Who (WeTV x Domundi)

Knock Knock Boys (starring Seng W., Best V. and others)

❗️ MeMindY announced their next 2 BL projects:

Love Sea (adapted from an unreleased novel) - Coming 2024

Boy Next World (universe travel plot) - Coming 2024

Both series are adaptions from Mame's novels and will air in 2024. Earlier, FortPeat (Love in the Air) confirmed in a press conference that they will star in another one of Mame's projects, which led fans to believing they will appear in one of the 2 projects, along with BossNoeul. The official cast reveals will take place on October 3rd and 5th.

Upcoming series & movies for October

👉🏻 Sasaki to Miyano - October 1st (Japan, Netflix release)

👉🏻 If It's With You aka Even If I Fall In Love With You - October 5th (Japan)

👉🏻 What Did You Eat Yesterday? Season 2 - October 6th (Japan)

👉🏻 Lucky Love - October 15th (Thailand)

👉🏻 GMMTV2024 lineup event + press conference - October 17th (Thailand)

👉🏻 One Room Angel (manga adaption) - October 19th (Japan)

👉🏻 The Camp Fire - October 29th (Thailand)

👉🏻 Shadow - October 31st (Thailand)

👉🏻 Boys Like Boys (dating reality show) - October TBA (Taiwan)

👉🏻 Bump Up Business - October TBA (South Korea)

[moaserendipity]

My Top 10 BL's of 2023

I am back with my personal top 10 of 2023. I know I've been super quiet these days but making a top 10 is always fun to do. The #1 has been decided early this past year but for the rest... It was a crazy year for BL but only a few were really top tier...🔥🔥

10. My Personal Weatherman (Taikan Yoho)

One of the Japanese BL's I really enjoyed watching. It was more grown up then the ones I've seen and that was very welcome. I love the dynamics between the main characters a lot. It was a bit of a slow one, with the lack in communication between the two but I forgive that because the chemistry was really good.

09. Wedding Plan

Oh how i looked forward to this one, the second I saw the trailer. I loved the storyline but I thought it was very short, which made them rush through it at times, which was a shame because it was actually really good and I just wanted to see more. I loved the chemistry between Sailom and Namnuea, So I really enjoyed watching them. They are very new if I'm correct but I didn't notice it at all, so hopefully they will get another BL together but a longer one. Also I love the GL in this BL, it was very natural and I in the end hoped they would be the ones that got to marry. Not to forget about the cameo;s of my babies Payu and Rain and of course Prapai and Sky.

08. Moonlight Chicken

This one I've waited for so so long and it was kind of a surprise because I love EarthMix, Like Mix is my man but my attention got taken away from them and got attached to GemFourth who played Li Ming and Heart. I just loved everything about them! I loved how they incorporated Sign language because Heart was deaf and just the overall chemistry between them, was everything. They made me smile so much. Jim and Wen, you know were amazing as well but I sometimes felt frustrated by their interaction. The close moments they had were amazing of course but it was not what I expected from EarthMix but overall this drama was definitely worth the wait!

07. Kiseki: Dear to Me

I absolutely loved this one. I couldn't get enough of it. I am a sucker for the Hate to Love trope and this had exactly that and in a gangster way. Like I loved it. ZeRui and Bangyi were made for each other and you can't tell me otherwise how he went to prison for ZeRui and even got hurt but he still decided to dedicate his bakery to him with his Strawberry cakes, ugh too cute. The second couple made me want even more. The sassiness of Ai Di and the coldness of Chen Yi, they were really something. The way Chen Yi didn't realize that Ai Di loved him until he went to prison or that one hot night made me slap my forehead because nothing was more obvious, so I can not explain how happy I was they finally got together in the end!!

06. My School President

This really was a GemFourth year because this was their first leading BL and boy how they won us over with their cuteness. The OST was also seriously top tier. I think I loved all the songs. This entire Cast was amazing! To think I almost skipped this one...That would've been a mistake for sure, so I'm happy that I decided to give it another try because I fell in love with them and bingewatched it in one go. I can't wait to see the next project from them.!

5. Our Dating Sim

this Korean BL was a welcome one. I loved the office setting of this BL and the fact that the episodes were short as usual, didn't disturb me that much. Their chemistry made up for that! I will never forget how my heart sank when Ki Tae thought Wan had disappeared again, this poor man but I loved how Wan immediately comforted him the second he saw him. I should really rewatch this again.

4. Last Twilight

I know it's still running but I can not leave it out of my top10 for 2023. I am impressed with Jimmy and Sea. These two are everything to me at this moment. Their chemistry is crazy and I am happy they have this BL to show their talents again. I am impatiently waiting every week for the next episode and so far no episode has disappointed me, which is rare tbh.

3. Sing my Crush

Sing my crush was not even on my radar but the second I came across it, I bingewatched it. I am a sucker for music BL's, where the actors can ACTUALLY sing and play instruments.. I loved it so much. from start to finish. I really think this BL was very underrated. I did not hear a lot of people about it but it definitely deserves more!

2. I feel you linger in the Air

Ever since I saw the trailer, I wanted to see this one badly and boy did it not disappoint! I was in awe every episode. I don't think I've ever seen a Thai Bl that was staged in the past. Also this way of time traveling is one I actually like. As long as no bodies get switched I am loving it. Their chemistry was top notch and those intimate scenes. That kiss in the rain, Art I am telling you and that massage scene, HELLO!! I literally forgot to breathe at that point and my face was almost stuck to the screen, crazy!! So yeah this was a true masterpiece!

01. The Eighth Sense

Let's all act surprised by this one...... what can I say? This one touched my intire being. It touched my soul, My heart everything. I cried, laughed and even cursed at 2 people in particular.. This is the biggest masterpiece of 2023 and nothing can change my mind about this. The way I anticipated every week and felt sad when it ended, ugh!! I just want to praise Oh Jun Taek for the way he acted, because if I'm correct this was his first acting job or at least he is very new but he pulled it of perfectly and Ji sub, I am applauding him for the way he portrayed Jae Won. All I need now is a season 2 or an special episode where we see them do the things Jihyun wanted... like just please!! In al seriousness everything was amazing about this one and that's why it's my number 1

I really do think that the Korean BL's won this round. I feel like they are finally stepping up their game. It's still not as Explicit as Thai or Taiwanese but that's not what I am expecting. I don't always have to have NC scenes because without a story, it's not worth a lot. Overal the Bl's were powerful this year and Top tier. Hopefully next year will bring us even better ones!! <3

[theladyoracle]

✧ General Creepypasta Headcanons ✧

𖦹⭒°｡⋆𖦹 The Lady Oracle's AU 𖦹⋆°｡⭒𖦹

Featuring: The Slenderman, Jeff the Killer, Jane the Killer, BEN Drowned, Eyeless Jack

a/n: Just jotting down some of the general headcanons that have been piling up in my notes app! Honestly it's so much that its starting to lag down the note LOL!

Also I take requests so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE shoot them into my ask box!

cw/tw: mention of murder (obvi), mention of torture, mention of vomiting, implications of 'incidents', implications of cannibalism

The Slenderman/The Operator

10ft tall...and then some

He/Him/It

Goes by both Slenderman and the Operator. The only difference is that he makes his Proxies only address him as the Operator. Denizens (lower ranking creeps, I'll make another post about this probably for my au...) are allowed to address him as either. This is to make sure that the Proxies don't get 'too friendly' with him

Seldom cares about anything going on between the people who live in the manor unless it directly affects him. Will actually get so annoyed if people bother him with petty problems or drama. He only cares about his things, his home, and his business

Is basically a dirty, evil capitalist landlord

Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss fr fr /hj

Is very supernaturally inclined. Reads books, casts spells, and brews potions. Is very knowledgeable of other realms, creatures, and magicks

Is very secretive with everyone in the Slender Woods. For all they know; he is the strongest, most powerful entity there is in the woods and they should fear him. This is how Slenderman likes to keep things

Out of touch with humanity, but sometimes its really funny! He will forget that humans need food to survive, and finds it 'inconvenient' that they need air to breathe...okay maybe its only funny to me

He finds some human things charming! Like fashion - he has a tie for every occasion and always wants to look presentable. He also loves a good riddle

Thrives with paperwork. Literally has a contract for every Proxy and Denizen. Loves structure

Will call the Denizens his 'children' at times....but will seldom ever call his Proxies his children. Proxies are regarded more as property or dogs than they are people

Jeff the Killer

Denizen (at age 21)

Is 29 years old

He/Him/His

5'10 with wide shoulders, a thin waist, and moderate muscle mass

I headcanon Jeff to be half Korean (on his mother's side) I believe this due to the traditional pronunciation of Liu's name

Loves using a knife as his primary murder method because its intimate - he truly considers it to be an art

Is close with BEN. He sees BEN as like a younger sibling (similar to Liu.) So he spends a lot of time barging into BEN's room (much to his distaste) and annoys the fuck out of him. I think he does this because he's pretty lonely too but doesn't want to admit it...

Before his psychotic break, he was obsessed with other famous serial killers. His other hobbies before murdering his parents include: manifestos, torture methods, and anatomy

Is a total metal head - doesn't listen to anything except for alternative music

Will totally ask you to "name 3 songs" if you're wearing a band t-shirt (even if he doesn't know the band...)

Owns a tattoo gun! Is really fucking bad at giving tattoos.....

BEN Drowned

Denizen

He/Him/His

I think of BEN as a sort of shapeshifter. Taking inspiration from the game Majora's Mask, I like to think that BEN is able to change his "skin" to however he wants to appear, but has a default form that gradually changes (so for example depending on who he chooses for a victim, he can portray himself as a 12 year old boy, a teenager, or even older) but his default form is one that can age as though he never drowned as a boy

This isn't just limited to age - he can use this to look as freaky as he wants. Usually this is just to make himself look more uncanny for his victims

I don't think BEN in my AU is the ghost of Ben Lawman (the boy who drowned) I think that Ben Lawman's essence was twisted and possessed by something inherently evil during his death

When he was found in the woods, the Slenderman saw the wicked potential that this new entity possessed and offered him a deal

Probably like 5'5"-5'6"

Skinny, like really skinny - despite how much he eats

BEN is a total incel :/

Frequent Discord, Reddit, and Twitch user

Despite the Slenderman giving him the incredible gift to age as if he never died, he is still so fucking immature. it's like dealing with a child

He always seems annoyed when anyone comes to talk with him. He takes everything as an attack and has the crudest, most annoying, immature sense of humor

He has to be bribed to do LITERALLY ANYTHING

His room smells like dirty socks and vape juice

Literal definition of "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY ROOM I'M PLAYING MINECRAFT"

Jane the Killer

Denizen

28 years old

Latina

Lesbian

She/her/hers

5'7" . Soft hourglass-shaped build with strong thighs and legs!

She is a woman of science and logic, and is overall just a very intellectual woman - lowkey kind of nerdy, it's sweet if you get to know her

Comes across as 'no nonsense' to newbies and people who don't know her well, but she's secretly very sarcastic and clever! She has the realest conversations, and is a powerful ally to have

There are a lot of rumors about her in the manor, because she seems to be the Slenderman's favorite

Oftentimes is doing a lot of household errands or chores for the Slenderman as part of her contract

Helps compile mission files for targets (sometimes helps with research, but mostly puts them together and then serves the assignments underneath resident doors)

Does the interrogations and initiation processes for new recruits to the manor (asks them questions to build their contract, shows them around, etc)

Quick-witted and sarcastic - doesn't let anyone talk shit to her. Literally no misogynistic comment goes by unchecked. She absolutely tears into the creeps that come at her

Has an absolute adoration for old horror films, true crime, and investigation shows

She loves solving mysteries or puzzles. Brain teasers and riddles are totally her thing! But...is like way too good at it. I mean, she can guess the answer to any riddle first or second try, and she's ALWAYS guessing the ending of movies within the first fifteen minutes. It kind of takes the fun out of everything

Usually likes to spend her down time alone. She feels like the 'mom' of the mansion otherwise (and hates when she feels like that)

Eyeless Jack

5'11" with a slim yet muscular build

25 years old

He/Him/His/They/Them

EJ is exceptionally intelligent - both in creative problem solving and just in general with his anatomical knowledge

He's is so quiet in everything he does. Sometimes this is comforting and sometimes its creepy. He's silent. He types quietly, he wraps wounds quietly, he cleans quietly....kind of just a strong and silent type kind of dude

He is the only resident of the manor that the other creeps feel safe and comfortable getting care from, because he actually keeps a sterile and clean environment while he performs operations

KIND OF RANDOM! But I think his parents were total hippies (literal cultists)

I like to think he was a vegetarian before the incident :'(

His skin looks super ashy gray but it's actually super smooth - he moisturizes all the time in attempts to get his radiant glowy skin back but it never really works with his dark gray skin

Has to wear eye masks to bed so that the ooze doesn't get all over his pillows and sheets. Usually he doesn't care if it drips on him or his clothes, but hates when he wakes up and it's all over his face

Cannot eat anything besides human organs without vomiting - and HATES vomiting. Like he's developed somewhat of a fear of it now...especially how it looks when it comes up

That's just about it for now! Thanks byyyeeee~!

xoxo -Oracle

[kverything-official]

Why Should You Watch Kdrama The K2

Honestly speaking, not all of us prefer romance and only romance while settling for a K-Drama. The same goes for me. Personally, I would go for action and thrillers again and again rather than settling for a rom-com (shhh.. Don’t tell anyone but I find them boring). 

So, as a result, my most favorite watch of all time is Korean drama The K2. This drama has each and every element that an action and thriller lover would want to see. But it’s tough to explain in a few words – why you should watch it. So, before the recommendations, let’s find out the: 

Reasons why you should watch Korean Drama The K2

The enigmatic man – Kim Je Ha 

No but seriously, Kim Je Ha is the primary reason to watch Korean drama The K2. He is a genius, be it the talks or the fights, he got the skills. 

A former leader of a special force and now a convict on the run, Ji Chang Wook’s persona perfectly blends with Kim Je Ha and makes him alive. Kim Je Ha is tough on the outside but soft on the inside. He beats people up mercilessly but feeds cats his own food. 

A complicated and one-sided love story 

There are not one but two love stories going on at the same time and both of those involve our protagonist Kim Je Ha, aka K2. One of these love-stories is fulfilling, another one is not. But you need to be attentive enough to catch it.   

Let me remind you that Korean drama The K2 doesn’t serve you with the typical love stories. Here love blooms in the most unexpected way. But I will not spoil anything. You can watch Korean drama The K2 yourself to know what I mean. 

Everybody is a villain 

One of the things that I like the most about Korean drama The K2 is that there is no character that’s casted just to fill a gap. Every character in the drama has a specific significance and they have something to do with the storyline. 

And most importantly, everyone is a villain. Be it by choice or by force, each and everyone makes decisions that are morally ambiguous. Even our protagonist Kim Je Ha does morally questionable things at times. And that is what has become the USP of Korean drama The K2. 

Song Yoon Ah does an incredible job as a bone-chilling antagonist, so much so that you are bound to develop a love-hate relationship with her character. 

I promise you, once you start watching it, you will realize why it is so distinct from other Kdramas of similar themes. 

The dark humor 

Korean drama The K2 doesn’t serve only actions and thrills, there is quite a bit of humor. The banter between Kim Je Ha and his colleagues is everything. There are also a few comic characters brigentening up the mood. The dark humor works like a refreshment in the otherwise tense atmosphere of the story. This is something you will be liking for sure. 

The action sequences – Oh My God! 

The action sequences in Korean drama The K2 are to die for. If you are an action lover like me then you will find your heart beating out of your chest each time Kim Je Ha jumps into action. 

Not a typical happy ending 

There is a happy ending but might not be the happy ending you think. They lose a lot in order to gain what they did in the ending. So, it might be a little heartbreaking to watch but Korean drama The K2 will keep you hooked till the very end, that’s for sure. 

Not every drama can offer the thrill and packed action that Korean drama The K2 offered but there are dramas that are almost as good as this one. Hence, when you are done watching Korean drama The K2, you might be hungry for more. 

That is why, I have crafted this list with 5 K-Dramas to watch if you liked Korean drama The K2. Continue reading it!

[stuffnonsenseandotherthings]

Castaway Diva - Wrap Up Review

I'm not quite sure what it was, but something about Castaway Diva felt like something of a throw back to the K-drama golden age of the early 2010s. Perhaps it was the plot(s - there were a lot of them), perhaps it was the characters (who were both deeply traumatised and wonderfully carefree), perhaps it was the way it was a simply just very fun watch (as long as you didn't think about it too hard, once you started asking questions things got a little holey).

Overall I did have a good time watching this; I liked the characters, I enjoyed their different dynamics, I even liked some of the songs, which is not normally the case for me with musical dramas but Dream Us is now on a playlist and I've looked up a few of the other songs too. The story itself was a relatively fun ride too, although it did suffer from being, for lack of a better phrase, very over stuffed. Domestic abuse, identity theft, the politics of the Korean entertainment industry, a social re-intergration plotline, a love triangle, and more all jostled for screen time and dominance and there were definitely times when it felt like were two completely different dramas going on at once, ones which just happened to be sharing sets and a cast. That feeling only grew as the drama progressed, unfortunately, along with the suspicion that, because Castaway Diva couldn't decide on what it wanted to be, both major plotlines suffered as a result.

One thing I did really enjoy the whole way through was the cast. Park Eun Bin was as stunning as always (although for the first 2 episodes it did sometimes feel like she was trying to shake off the last vestiges of Extraordinary Attorney Woo); it was great to see Chae Jong Hyeop in a lead role again; and Hakyeon impressed a lot as the second male lead with an actual heart of gold. I also really enjoyed Kim Hyo Jin as Kim Ran Joo, it was my first time seeing her in any role and she definitely left a very positive impression, so positive that I'm planning to keep an eye on what she does next.

Equally impressive as the adults were Lee Re as young Mok Ha and Moon Woo Jin as young Ki Ho, both of whom put on such compelling performances that I almost wished we could have had a drama solely dedicated to their lives on the island. Their performances and plotline were some of the highlights of the entire show for me and perhaps therein lies the main problem: the first episode was so impactful but so different from everything that came after it that my mind kept drifting back to those first 60 minutes and wanting more, wanting it so much that the fact that there wasn't more felt like a genuine loss, the loss of a very different, much darker, much more serious drama-that-could-have-been.

TLDR Stats

🎧 Music: 7.5/10 - Dream Us is on repeat and the other songs weren't skipped.

🎭 Acting: 8.5/10 - They carried the many plots and they carried them well.

📑 Story: 7.0/10 - The writers should have picked one story to focus on instead of trying to shoehorn two very different it's into one drama. The bits we got of each drama were pretty good and would only have got better if the focus was solely on them.

👩‍⚖️ Overall: 7.5/10 - I enjoyed it while I was watching it but I doubt I'll be watching it again.

🙆‍♀️ Rec for: People who are looking for a relatively light, uncomplicated watch with highly enjoyable chemistry between characters although be warned the first episode is anything but light.

🙅‍♀️ Wreck for: People who like to ask the question "why?" when watching dramas.

[iuteamstarcandy]

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[TRANS] IU ‘Pieces’ Album Introduction and Song Introductions

IU [Pieces]

The pieces in between my 20s that I didn’t bother to take out

1. Drama

It’s a song that I wrote when I was 20. I composed it because I wanted to cheer up a friend who was going through a breakup and was being very pessimistic about love for a few days. Although I didn’t release it yet, I have so much affection for this song that I sang it for my concert en-encore [T/L note: another encore after the encore] every year without fail. I occasionally tried to write songs with similar emotions, but it seemed like I was just trying to imitate (a version of myself from) a chapter that had already passed in my life, so I stopped doing that.

When I sang it during concerts, because I was in the moment, I could sing it easily and cheerfully, but while recording it, I realised that this was indeed totally different. Out of all the songs I recorded this time, I had the most difficulty with this song, trying to find the character [get into character]. In order to bring out the atmosphere during concerts as much as possible, there wasn’t any special arrangement done for this song.

I’m sincerely grateful towards my fans who didn’t forget the existence of the song ‘Drama’ and strongly requested for it to be released officially. ‘Drama’ is in between ‘Hold My Hand’ which made my blood boil (with ambition) because it was my first (self-composed song) and ‘Friday’ which I was already feeling pretty relaxed about, before I knew it. This song which I was not ambitious about nominating (for this album), because it’s a precious song that I hold close to my heart, perhaps is the reason and theme for this collection of (music) pieces.

2. Next Stop

I started writing this song when I was 25, so by the time I was done, I was 26. There are some songs whereby the lyrics and melody come to my mind together, like a piece of music born with the two as one. It had been awhile since I had a song like that and this was one of them.

It can’t be helped that (I am) biased towards such songs.

There wasn’t any format or particular chord work that I worked hard on, but the moment I wrote the first verse as easily as breathing, I was so in love with this song.

But even then, I forgot about it. Heh.

It was a year later when I encountered my character ‘Jian’ in ‘My Mister’ that I naturally took on that character and was able to finish the second verse. While there was no plan cast in stone, it was a song that I definitely wanted to release one day. Beyond being a storyteller, but as a top liner [T/L note: person who composes the main melody of a song], I think this song contains my most central emotions as a creator.

This is the only song that we mixed in the vocals from the guide version. It contains both my voice from 3 years ago, as well as my current voice. I sang it calmly back then, by now I sing it in a way that appeals (to emotions). Ironically, it might be because it’s all in the past now.

Between Jieun and Jian is a ‘station’.

The two are connected by the distance of a station.

[T/L note: literal translation of the Korean song title is ‘The Station’.]

3. Winter Sleep

It started out as a sketch when I was 27 and had more thoughts than usual about a life leaving this world and about being left on such a world and I finally completed the song when I was 29, after experiencing several more huge separations.

It contains the story of welcoming the first year alone after sending off a beloved family member, friend or pet. It was a track that the lyrics were not difficult to write due to the clear plot in the order of spring, summer, autumn and winter, but in comparison to that, (the whole song) took a much longer time to be completed. That’s because I wanted to use direct expressions, yet I didn’t want the emotions to turn out to be too superficial.

This song took the longest time to record.

I’m usually the type to try my best to be as concise as possible in my expression during recordings, but for this song, I didn’t feel the need to hold back my emotions. Instead, to maximise the feelings of longing, I tried to go for a rather bold(?) arrangement in the precursor to the interlude in the middle of the song and not in the second half of the song [T/L note: question mark used in the original text]. That’s also the reason why the song is based on piano, unlike the other tracks.

Even though a great loss came into my world, there were flowers blooming, stars coming up and poems being born out there without delay. In between these repetitive seasons is ‘winter sleep’.

As I sing this song, this time I really won’t break down anymore. They’ll know this isn’t a lie.

4. You

This is a song I wrote at the age of 24, when I was filming a drama in the mountains, so I couldn’t go home for days and I missed my friend who lived upstairs so much. [T/L note: IU was filming the drama ‘Moon Lovers’ and missed Yoo Inna who lives in the apartment above hers.]

I remember immersing myself in my character of the historical drama I was filming for ten minutes and imagined myself to be writing a postcard to someone far away, not knowing whether it would reach the person and with that, I affectionately wrote the lyrics line by line.

I thought hard about whether to include this track or not.

Many years ago, I had already told my fans that I did not intend to release this song, so in my mind that was the end of it. Then one day as I was surfing on YouTube, I happened to listen to this song again after a long time and saw in the comments that there were more fans than I had thought waiting for this song to be released. On top of that, perhaps because I had written the song sincerely, the lyrics in the song still touched my heart.

Feeling uncertain about whether I would include it in this album, I sang this song in the recording studio again after about five years and amazingly, starting from the first verse, it just came out right.

This is the only song that I let my fans listen to in the one and only year that I did not have any music-related activities in the 14 years of my singing career. [T/L note: It was an untitled april fools song that IU uploaded on her fancafe for uaenas.]

Between ‘Chat-shire’ and ‘Palette’ is ‘You’ wanting to slowly and quietly flow along.

It’s probably the song (title) with the least syllables out of all the songs I’ve worked on.

5. Love Letter

I sketched this song at 26, completed it when I was 28, and “even” gave it to another artist. It was the first time ever since I started composing that another singer sang my song. [T/L note: Previously IU only wrote lyrics for others’ songs, like Cherry B’s “Her” and Jung Seunghwan’s “The Snowman”, Seulong’s “The Moment” and Sam Kim’s “When You Fall”.]

Last year, I went on KBS ‘Sketchbook’ and sang this song, which gave me the opportunity to work with Jung Seunghwan, who is a singer I admire. When we working together on this song, I briefly explained to Antenna and Jung Seunghwan about (my plans) to release this collection of my pieces and earned their consent to release the song. I wrote the lyrics based on the scenario of one half of an elderly couple leaving the world first and writing a final love letter for the other half who is left behind.

If Jung Seunghwan’s version is more calm and refined, I wanted my version of ‘Love Letter’ to be delivered in a more straightforward manner.

The arrangement of the song is fairytale-like and lovely, but I tried to make the vocals sound solid and the song was comparatively easy to record. I also tried to vary the ‘da-o’ part each time it was repeated throughout the song.

The last part of the lyrics, ‘I am still there, remaining in your heart, more than anywhere else’ became the seed of the last track ‘Epilogue’ in my 5th album ‘LILAC’. It’s also something that I want to tell my fans that I am grateful for, who have known me for a long time, know me (for who I am) and continue to want to know me better.

In between a novel and a letter, with this ‘Love Letter’ that I pressed my sincere emotions into and wish to send to those who love me, I close this collection of my (music) pieces.

Translated by IUteamstarcandy

[charmsprout]

Hi my little spark. Why don’t you sit down and go on the journey of meeting all of these handsome men.

Park Seonghwa

Accidental Dinners

you was set on a blind date by a friend. seonghwa looked exactly like the description your friend gave you. he didn’t tell you the truth until after you two left because he was stood up as well

Kim Hongjoong

Halloween Miscommunication

you and hongjoong go to the same college and are both friends with seonghwa. seonghwa told you both that it was a costume party. he forgot to tell you guys the change of plans, which made you both show up in full blown out costumes

Jeong Yunho

Scripts Of Love

both you and yunho were casted for an upcoming korean drama as the love interests

Kang Yeosang

Failed Ice Skating

it was snowing for the past few days. you were trying to go get groceries, only for you to slip on the apartment building steps. yeosang came up at the right time to catch you before you fell

Choi San

Drunken Mistakes

woosan was drinking to relieve stress from all the work they’ve been doing. they both saw you walking past and wooyoung bet san to holler at you. he did it in korean because he thought you wouldn’t understand him

Song Mingi

Spinning Carousel

you were solo traveling to south korea. you decided to spend the day at lotte world. mingi and woosan was there trying to take a photo. you walked by and mingi asked if you’d take the pic for him.

Jung Wooyoung

Fake Love

you was at a bar to relax after a rough week you just when through. an abusive ex showed up and tried to talk to you so you run up to wooyoung hugging him and whispered for him to help you by pretending to be your boyfriend so your ex will leave you alone.

Choi Jongho

Dancing into the Frame

you’re a popular influencer. you’re a choreographer and do kpop dance covers. for the past few months any picture or video you take in public the same man shows up in all of them. you finally meet him when you’re hired to help ateez make choreography for their new song.

Bahng Christopher Chan

Universe in Your Eyes

you was on the way back to your hotel after a stray kids concert. you was singing off key to youtiful as you parked your car. you heard laughing and turned to see bangchan smiling at you

Lee Minho

Passionate Tempo

you moved to a different city. it took you awhile to find a new dance studio. when you found it, the first group dance was done in pairs. you are paired up with lee know

Seo Changbin

Charred Cookies

it was five minutes until changbin could get off work. he was unfortunately called to your apartment complex because you accidentally set of them fire alarm. your cat ran out so you went looking for him while you had cookies in the oven

Hwang Hyunjin

Broken Canvas

you entered one of your art pieces into an art gallery. a handsome man was staring almost glaring at your piece. you asked his thoughts on it and he rips your hopes to shreds before looking at you seeing your face fall

Han Jisung

Blooming Background Love

both you and han won chances to be in some up and coming comedy movie as extras. you guys clicked immediately after you both did the same silent skits in the background without even speaking

Lee Yongbok

you are a popular youtuber who originally did on the street interviews but you get invited to the louis vuitton 2023 pre-fall show to interview the celebrities there and you get to interview Felix

Flashing Lights and Radio Silence

Kim Seungmin

Midnight Nuisance at the Checkout

seungmin was grocery shopping for the dorm while teacher!reader was getting supplies for her classroom. both of them end up in a the same and only line with a karen

Yang Jeongin

Cooking Up Love

you debuted in a co-ed group the same time as stray kids. you and i.n have been shipped since debut. both of your companies put you both on a cooking variety show for fan service and exposure

Goo Gunil

Waltz into My Heart

you signed up for a beginner ballroom class to surprise your brother taehyung. you get paired up with a handsome man who can’t dance and took the class to be able to impress his future partner

Kim Jungsu

Quiet Home

your second home was a library that was near the local college that jungsu goes to. he has a class project he has to get done. he assumes you work there since you was putting up a stack of books. you tell him you don’t work there but still tell him what books he needs down to the shelf and the placement it should be.

Kwak Jiseok

Cotton Candy Pang Pang

you’re new to south korea and your roommate thought it would be a good idea to go to wolmido to ride disco pang pang to get you a man. the operator made you go running into a beautiful korean man with cotton candy colored hair.

Oh Seungmin

Library Project

o.de was studying at the campus library when you sat at the same table as him. he noticed you pulled out the exact same project he was doing. he gets the courage to ask if you’d like to work together

Han Hyungjun

Forgotten in the Changing Room

you and your „friends“ went shopping. you and a couple others from the group were trying on clothes. while you was changing into an outfit they left forgetting that you was there. when you stepped out of the changing room instead of your friends sitting there it was someone else. junhan was waiting for jooyeon to get out and when he did get out they both hyped you and your outfit up

Lee Jooyeon

Misunderstanding

jooyeon was trying to surprise gaon by covering his eyes only for it to not be him but a new debutee who had the same hair color as gaon for this comeback

[elderflowergin]

2022 kdrama/movie roundup!

It was a tough year for keeping up with anything because life, toddler, etc, but here are the things I watched, in part or whole, that I remembered. Hot Takes Incoming!

Sell Your Haunted House - Jang Nara in boots. Kang Mal-geum in dark lipstick. Touching, gay, many mother issues. The girls were fantastic. The boys weren't bad.

25 21 - I was dropped back into the 90s. Surprisingly, I didn't hate it. The girls were fantastic. Na Hee-do was correct to dump Baek Yi-jin. Moon Ji-woong, perfect boy. Ji Seung-wan for PRESIDENT!

Why Her? - Someone thought it'd be a great idea to throw Seo Hyun-jin's ex-client (shudder) current-student (TRIPLE SHUDDER) Hwang In-yeop into the romance mix when billionaire CHOI YOUNG-JOON and Crown Prince Bae In-hyuk were already there. And they thought it'd be funny if Hwang In-yeop won. NO.

Eve - The superior commentary this year on the horrors of capitalism. It ends with reparations (Park Byung-eun hands over his entire empire to Seo Yeji, who promptly divests it), rich people dying in horrible ways and Seo Yeji doing the tango. Were the makjang knobs dialled up so high they're broken? Yes. Was it fun? YES, because I got to see Park Byung-eun's range, which includes Pained Hottie, and Seo Yeji running men's feet over in cars wearing couture. We can ask for no more.

Juvenile Justice - No one asked "What happens if we take three of the most charismatic working actors in Korean entertainment today and squeezed the life out of them?" But someone answered anyway.

My Liberation Notes - Lee El, a revelation. Mr Gu, a revelation when he started talking, and not the good kind.

Grid - Kim Mu-yeol. Kim Ah-joong and Jang So-yeon had a great year. I didn't understand the time thing at all. This is a me problem, but probably the only time I'll face it this year. Right? RIGHT?

Bloody Heart - Jang Hyuk has done nothing wrong, ever. The girls were fantastic. Lee Joon, I heard your script was meant for Lee Joon-hyuk. Sorry.

Pachinko - The girls were fantastic. Kim Min-ha, baby, you're gorgeous. JUNG EUN-CHAE was everything. Sorry to Lee Min-ho, who had the tough double role of acting as Ko Hansu and also like he belonged to this cast of greats.

Our Blues - Great acting, but my own blues were sufficient for me. The girls were fantastic. Unwanted to wanted pregnancy storyline: no thanks. This is a me problem, but probably the only time I'll face it this year. Right? RIGHT?

Extraordinary Attorney Woo - 75% love; 25% NOT THIS AGAIN.

Little Women - The girls were fantastic. I ran out of air by this point in the year. I'll come back for you, gothic interior design, poison orchids, and Song Joong-ki in the best role he's played all year!

Through the Darkness - Almost too many twirling moustache psychos and dead girls. I did it for Kim Nam-gil because he's so pretty in this and in case it wasn't abundantly clear by now, I don't think with my brain. The lone living girl - Kim So-jin - was fantastic. Jin Seon-kyu, well-adjusted stealth hottie!

Reborn Rich - Samsung owes Lee Sung-min its entire semiconductor business as @rain-hat said. Lee Sung-min owes me reparations for making me watch this show for him primarily (secondarily Park Hyuk-kwon, Kim Shin-rok, Park Ji-hyun and Kim Nam-hee for their acting; Kim Young-jae because he is THE DILF). I'm manifesting NO TIMESLIPS in 2023 dramas.

Under the Queen's Umbrella - Kim Hye-soo pushing up her hanbok sleeves to carry babies and do embroidery should be projected onto my tombstone unto eternity. The girls were fantastic. And I know this is unusual, so bear with me, but: the boys? FANTASTIC ALSO.

Movies:

Vikram - Fahaadh Faasil, my thoughts are nasty and you don't want to hear them. The girls might have been fantastic had they been permitted to live and not be dumdums. That was never going to happen, of course. There was torture and a baby in significant peril, but it was also the most fun I'd had in a while. I should get my head checked.

Ponniyin Selvan - The sheer scale of work and sweat that has gone into the enterprise of making Vikram seem taller than Trisha Krishnan for the last twenty years! Iconic. The girls were fantastic.

The Naked Kitchen - This is sold as a story of a woman choosing between two men. That is a lie. It's about a man coming to terms with his marriage drifting into polyamory, and enjoying it. Shin Min-ah and Ju Ji-hoon fuck in a museum, which was also weirdly sweet.

Asura City of Madness - AHJUSSHIS WHY. Hwang Jung-min's shirttails worked very hard in 2012. Jung Woo-sung ate glass and has pathological issues about being as handsome as he is. We love him for it. We did not love this.

Hunt - Love is your bestie learning how to write and direct just to write and direct you in the role of a lifetime for you, personally. I don't know if that's what happened here, but that's what love is. And chemistry is whatever these two guys have in this completely ordinary movie that did not give any feelings. Hwang Jung-min, pussy OUT.

Decision to Leave - A well-deserved love letter to Tang Wei, just beautifully shot, gorgeous.

Il Mare - Absolutely lovely little film, reliant almost entirely on the star power of two actors who are so charismatic they don't need to meet in the movie to convince you of their romance.

Laal Singh Chaddha - There was a very beautiful wedding at the end. Aamir Khan's face must hurt.

Darlings - A movie that appreciated and respected noted hottie Shefali Shah.

[texaxwib]

My Only Love Song (2017) | Korean Drama | Only on Netflix

“My Only Love Song” is a Netflix original series and the best way to describe it is fantasy-drama-rom-com-time-travel-sageuk.

Song Soo-jung (played by Gong Seung-yeon) is a popular South Korean actress who storms off the set because she is angry about changes to the script and with the cast. She jumps into her van intending to drive off, only she ends up traveling through time and finds herself in the Goryeo (or Koryŏ) Dynasty. Coincidentally, she was playing the part of a Goryeo princess when she walked off! She actually gets to meet the real On Dal.

~ “On Dal (died 590), commonly referred to by Koreans as "On Dal the Brave" (yong-gamhan ondal (용감한 온달)), was a Goguryeo General and the husband of Princess Pyeonggang.” (Source)

~ The historical records for the Goryeo (or Koryŏ) Dynasty indicated that General On Dal married the princess. However, in this hilarious K-drama series, My Only Love Song, presents an alternative history of the romance between the princess and this brave warrior. The cast was just so adorable.

the real On Dal (played by Lee Jong-hyun),

the real Princess Pyeonggang (played by Jin Ye-ju),

her bodyguard Moo-myung (played by Ahn Bo-hyun), and

Byun Sam-yong (played by Lee Jae-jin), Song Soo-jung's manager.

I’d give this series two thumbs up! (If you watch this series, you’ll understand my rating. LOL.)

[jasonbehrs]

‘why didn’t i say it a million times’ impressions

writing this after finishing the whole series, so i refer to things out of order. spoilers under the cut.

these are not all of my thoughts, just the most overarching ones. if you’re watching and want to dump your play by play reactions on someone who will get it, definitely hit me up! i have plenty of both criticism and appreciation for the show :)

~~~

i started watching for sato takeru (sttkr) and sttkr only. i am so glad netflix doesn’t allow screenshots anymore or else my phone’s memory would be in huge trouble lol he portrayed naoki so CUTELY!

matsuyama kenichi (matsunichi) is another huge fave of mine, and i was wondering why he accepted a non-lead role for this drama. between the two of them (sttkr and matsunichi), he is definitely the better choice for the role considering the possession power. i love sttkr and think he’s talented, but i don’t think he’s better than matsunichi for pulling that off.

that being said, the show runners completely /wasted/ him. he wasn’t possessed nearly often enough to show off his acting acumen, and the detective stuff was very rote and not quite action heavy either. i appreciate what he brought, but i feel bad for him.

that being said (x2), i loved every scene where he and sttkr were partnered. matsunichi moves his face so much, and sttkr seems to forget he has a face to move. the visual dichotomy is so deeply pleasing to me. i need them to act together again, and in something better! (also, i cannot BELIEVE naoki did not hug uozumi in the last episode! where is the gratitude he spoke so much about? lol)

this is my first time watching inoue mao act, and i was not impressed. she is suuuper cute, but i don’t think she had a lot of screen presence. is it the character, or is it her?

speaking of her character, no one can convince me yui is the main character. she may be the female lead and inoue mao may be at the top of the call sheet, but this is a story /about/ naoki. we meet his family, we understand his regrets, we watch the lengths he’s willing to go to and not go to where it concerns the one he loves. yui’s idealism is still storytelling, but the realism in naoki doesn’t just reveal more about his personality, it drives 50% of the emotional plot. (it is worth saying that the other 50% comes from uozumi’s reactions to naoki’s decisions. doesn’t leave a whole lot for yui!!!)

i’ve seen some reviews so far that say the script wasn’t good enough for the superstar leads, and i hard agree. no one said it yet, but i hope no one blames the ensemble cast for it. i loooved all of the secondary characters. song hayoung is my ultimate favourite, the elder uozumi is my second. 🤍🤍🤍 (i love when there’s korean language in my jdramas lol)

i get that the murder mystery plot is necessary with a premise like ‘main character is a ghost but doesn’t know how he died’, but wow i was not invested at all. i could tell eisuke was involved from that very first shot of the grape jellies. i also think his motivation for murder seemed weak? most people break friendships over a misunderstanding like that, they don’t /kill/ the other party omg. the romantic aspect of the show and everyone’s interpersonal relationships were far more compelling. i WOULD watch 50 minutes of unwitting polyamorous negotiations between the dead naoki, the smitten uozumi, and the oblivious yui.

i can’t enjoy episode 10 for what it is. i understand it’s an epilogue/SP of sorts, but the fact that they saved The Reason The Show Is Named What It Is for the final conversation instead of the climax conversation in episode 9 really devalues the watching experience. i disliked 9 while watching, and i disliked it even more once i understood the function of episode 10. honestly, most of 10  could have been a montage, and i’d have derived the same level of satisfaction

the last 40 seconds though, excellent.  when you know he's gone and you're making peace with it at the same time yui is.............................. and then the whistle hits? i gasped. i wished there were no dialogue after that, but it was a good enough feeling that i rated it a 9/10 on mydramalist instead of the 8 i was gonna give it originally lol. ENDINGS MATTER!

speaking of which, i’ve noticed that jdramas lately are trending towards less bitter, more sweet endings. more definitive endings too. a lot of what drew me to jdramas was emotional heaviness, bittersweet quality, and open endings which kdramas and cdramas just weren’t providing me. i suspect that this is an appeal to global audiences, but i hope this is just temporary. i love payoff as much as the next person, but i also love thinking about the story long after it’s over. i’m getting less of that now, and i miss it

if you read to the end, thank you for your time! i hope you have a lovely day :)

[saturdiey]

𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐲

𝐆𝐲𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 | 𝐓𝐁𝐀 / 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 – 𝐘𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐞 𝐎𝐤

Yoon Chae-ok is a famous detective who can track down missing people, even ones who are dead. For more than 10 years, Yoon Chae-ok has worked with her father, Yoon Jung-won, to track down missing people, even ones who are dead.

She has a sharp eye and agile survival skills learned from her rough childhood roaming across Manchuria and Shanghai with her father. While investigating a series of missing person cases, including her missing mother's whereabouts, she crosses paths with Jang Tae-sang, the wealthiest man in Gyeongseong and the Master of the city's biggest pawn shop. Tae-sang is under threat from the Japanese police commissioner Ishikawa, whose beloved Korean mistress is missing. They strike a deal to assist each other in their respective missions. Chae-ok, Tae-sang and Jung-won infiltrate Ongseong Hospital in search of clues.

(source)

𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤 #𝟏 (사운드트랙#𝟏) | 𝐍𝐇𝐍 𝐁𝐮𝐠𝐬! & 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐧𝐞𝐲+ / 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐 – 𝐄𝐮𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐨

Soundtrack #1 tells the story of the struggles of Eunsoo (Han So-hee), a songwriter, and Sunwoo (Park Hyung-sik), a boy who has been her best friend for 19 years.

When faced with the challenge of writing a hit song about a one-sided love, unexpectedly, the two must stay together and share a love story to complete the song.

Han So Hee portrayed Lee Eun Soo's bright and honest character in a fun way through her cheerful acting.

(source)

𝐌𝐲 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐞 (마이 네임) | 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐱 / 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏 – 𝐘𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐉𝐢 𝐖𝐨𝐨 / 𝐎𝐡 𝐇𝐲𝐞 𝐉𝐢𝐧

My Name tells a story about female revenge and redemption. Teenager Yoon Ji-woo experiences bullying at Shin Young Girls’ High School because of her father’s involvement in the criminal underworld. After his sudden death, Ji-woo reaches out to Dongcheon leader Choi Mu-jin, who subsequently trains the girl over the course of several years, and helps her infiltrate the Inchang Metropolitan Police Department. The storyline follows Ji-woo as she attempts to identify her father’s killer while fighting against a misogynist drug dealer.

(source)

𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 (알고있지만) | 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐱 / 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏 – 𝐘𝐨𝐨 𝐍𝐚 𝐁𝐢

Yoo Na Bi, a student at Hongseo University's Sculpture Department, who has given up on love but still wants to go out on dates. Due to a cruel experience with her ex-boyfriend, she no longer believes in destiny and has vowed never to fall in love again.

(source)

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 (부부의 세계) | 𝐉𝐓𝐁𝐂 / 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎 – 𝐘𝐞𝐨 𝐃𝐚 𝐊𝐲𝐮𝐧𝐠

Yeo Da-kyung is the only daughter of Yeo Byung-gyu and Uhm Hyo-jung. Da-kyung grew up in luxury so she lives without worries and life goals. She majored in contemporary dance following her mother's wishes even when she had no passion or talent in dancing. Ultimately, she decided to stop dancing and became a pilates instructor. The innocent and vulnerable girl then fell in love with Lee Tae-oh, a married man, and has been having an affair with him for over two years.

(source)

𝐀𝐛𝐲𝐬𝐬 (어비스) | 𝐭𝐯𝐍 / 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟗 – 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐞𝐞 𝐉𝐢𝐧

Han So-Hee is cast for a supporting role in tvN drama series “Abyss” starring Park Bo-Young and Ahn Hyo-Seop. In drama series “Abyss,” Han So-Hee will play Jang Hee-Jin. She is the fiance of Cha Min (Ahn Hyo-Seop). She is a beautiful, but mysterious woman.

(source)

𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐧 (옥란면옥)|𝐊𝐁𝐒𝟐 / 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟖 – 𝐒𝐨𝐨 𝐉𝐢𝐧

𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐌𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 (백일의 낭군님) | 𝐭𝐯𝐍 / 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟖 – 𝐊𝐢𝐦 𝐒𝐨 𝐇𝐲𝐞

Crown Princess, Kim Cha-eon's daughter and Lee Yul's wife. Like Yul, she is also forced into the marriage and is constantly neglected by her husband. She secretly harbours feelings for Moo-yeon, one of her father's hired killers and the father of the child she becomes pregnant with, causing great distress for her and her father, as she never consummated her marriage with Yul.

(source)

𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 (돈 꽃) | 𝐌𝐁𝐂 / 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟕-𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟖 – 𝐘𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐨 𝐖𝐨𝐧

The show is about a family consumed by their greed and love for money, who are unknowingly being plotted against by a person within their inner circle. Here, So Hee’s character is a former employee of this family’s conglomerate and the secret lover of their CEO.

(source)

𝐑𝐞𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝𝐬 (다시 만난 세계) | 𝐒𝐁𝐒 / 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟕 – 𝐋𝐞𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐨 𝐖𝐨𝐧

Reunited Worlds centers on the story of a 19-year-old who dies in an accident, only to mysteriously find himself alive 12 years later, not having aged a day. The drama served as So Hee’s TV acting debut, where she played the fashion journalist named Lee Seo-won. Her character was the fiance of Young-joon (played by Scarlet Heart Ryeo’s Yoon Sun Woo), and the daughter of a hospital director.

(source)

[hellohallyukpop]

Exploring Korean Drama Merchandise: Must-Have Items for K-Drama Lovers

Some love Hollywood, and some love Bollywood but people who are Kpop and Kdrama fans have different levels of craze for their idols. The world of Kpop industry is one of the fastest growing industries and they have crazy fan followings.

From Korean dramas raising everyone’s expectations to Kpop healing souls and making their place in people’s hearts. So when you meet someone who likes Kpop and Kdrama it’s quite easy for you to buy gifts for them.

You will find multiple Kpop and Kdrama shops only. There are shops that also sell good and limited edition KPOP Merchandise. Hence you know that it is pretty easy for you to buy things for people who like Kpop and Kdramas.

Although there are many options available in the market it makes it hard for people to make up their minds when it comes to buying something. We understand the problems which is why we think this article is for you.

We are going to prepare a list of all the Korean Drama Merchandise that you can gift to somebody or yourself. Hence read the article till the end to know what new you should add to your collection.

5 K-drama/Kpop Merchandise

In this section of the article, we are including 5 trendy and all-time favorite Kdrama series and Kpop that you might have also loved. If you loved the series and its songs then you must be thinking about buying their merchandise too.

Hence we hope after reading the following article you will rush into the Kpop and Kdrama Shops or search for them online. So let’s get started!

1. See You In My 19th Life

It is a K-drama in which the lead cast Ban Ji-eum is someone who can remember all her past lives. In her 19th life, she is searching for the love that she met in her 18th life. Due to the tragic death of her in her 18th life, she now wants to reconnect with that man.

Under the merchandise of See You In My 19th Life, you will get a cover, mini book, photo book, photo cards, posters, etc. All this will be inside the official album package.

2. Goblin/ The Lonely And Great God

Goblin, which is also popular by the name “The Lonely And Great God”, is one of the most famous Kdrama loved by people all around the globe. Starring “Gong Yoo” whose name is Kim Shin is an immortal goblin. This goblin is looking for his bride who can remove an invisible sword from Kim Shin's chest.

On the opposite side of Gong Yoo they have cast Kim Go-Eun who is the Goblin's wife. Ji Eun-Tak (Kim Go-Eun) is a school student who can see ghosts and talk to them. All these ghosts kept saying that she was the Goblin’s wife.

When both the Goblin and Ji Eun-Tak confess that she’s Goblin’s wife, later on, she also says that she can see the swords on his chest. Songs of this Kdrama are very famous and people around the world already own its merchandise.

People love this series, as it has a beautiful and interesting storyline along with a good-looking cast with their great acting skills. If you have also seen Goblin then we bet you also want to have their merchandise.

3. Strong Woman Do Bong-soon

Park Bo-young was cast as “Do Bong-soon.” The male lead character Min-hyuk hires a bodyguard after seeing how strong she is. Min-hyuk is the CEO of a game company, and with each episode, he falls in love with Park Bo-young.

On the other hand Park Bo-young also falls in love with him but she also is confused about Guk-doo who’s her childhood crush. Strong Woman Do Bong-soon is another quite famous drama and everyone loved it.

So make sure you also want to have merchandise of Strong Woman Do Bong-soon then do go for it. You can easily find it in any Kpop and Kdrama Shop online or also in shops.

4. Blackpink The Game Photocard Collection

Blackpink is a world-known name when it comes to music or Kpop. Everyone knows each member of the Blackpink Group. Blackpink’s merchandise is one of the most selling Kpop Merchandise in the world of Korean pop music and dramas.

“Blackpink The Game Photocard Collection” was released on 2024/04/16. You will get an LP Package, Video QR card, Game Coupon Card, photo card, Photo Stamp, Photo Film, and Retro Deco Sticker. You will also get a Mini Poster under this merchandise.

5. Red Velvet

People who know about BTS, and BlackPink also know Red Velvet. Red Velvet is a world-known idol group in the world of Kpop. There are 5 members in Red Velvet, this group is under SM Entertainment.

Under the Red Velvet merchandise, you will get a cute Chill Kill Muddler and Tea Coaster. Multiple Kpop and Kdrama shops sell Red Velvet merchandise. Hence you will easily find them.

In A Nutshell

For fans of Korean drama, the world of Kpop products and Korean drama offers an intriguing assortment of must-have items. These goods range from chic fashion accessories to distinctive home décor.

Finding the wide variety of items offered is a trip that is guaranteed to delight and inspire, regardless of your level of experience with K-dramas. So take off on this journey and allow the allure of K-dramas to add a little Korean spice to your everyday existence.

If you read the article till the end then congratulations as we think you love Kpop and Kdrama a lot. The Kdrama and Kpop Merchandise we have included in our article, we think of them. You might already have some of these but if you do not have them then rush to your nearby Kpop and Kdrama Shop.

If you can’t find this merchandise or any others in Kpop and Kdrama Shops then remember you can find them online. Last but not least make sure you grow your knowledge about such Kdrama and Kpop Merchandise.

[minitwin]

Yearly Drama Recap 2023

Count for this year:

Cdrama: 13 Jdrama: 13 Kdrama: 5 Short dramas/movies: japanese: 5 chinese: 2 korean: 1

Currently watching/waiting for sub:

K-drama: 2 J-drama: 2

Meet Yourself and When I Fly Towards you are probably the Chinese drama standouts that will stay with me for a long time. Even their OSTs were my 1st and 3rd most listened to songs this year according to youtube music 😅 but it's a bit sad because they're not really dramas that I can convince my friends to watch and talk about so I ended up just crying by myself.

I don't know if I consider Animals a "healing" drama but I felt so touched by the first episode I remember calling my sister crying my eyes out. The playful chemistry and care that everyone in the show had for each other really got me and I hope this drama gets a ton of love now that it's on Netflix (in asia only so far). Thinking about it more, I think this drama really got the couple dynamic right compared to similar dramas and they were so sweet and comfy.

My Second Aoharu falls into that "younger successful guy + woman in a rough spot" bucket too but I think rather than the romance what it did right was the feeling of living with your friends and classmates that you really only experience in college. I still don't understand why there are so few college dramas out there (maybe because the experience is less universal?) but every single one that I've found holds such a special place in my heart. Please drama gods give me more college dramas :pray: :pray: I'm tired of getting my fix from crappy youtube dramas.

I think Love Me Love My Voice is, like many have said, barely a drama but it was so peaceful and relaxing. I love the cast's chemistry and it was so nice to wake up in the morning and have something to look forward to. It brought me a lot of joy in December. :)

I went back and read my post from last year where I said that "maybe Silent would save 2022 jdramas for me" and I think I liked it but I watched it right after I watched Animals which I think was a hurdle impossible to pass.

I didn't finish a single "full length" Korean drama this year which I think is understandable given the trends from the past couple years. Why does every romantic story need cheating or murder? Where are my actual romcoms? Didn't Netflix see how well Business Proposal did?? We'll see if My Demon pushes through but I don't have high hopes for finishing "A Good Day to be a Dog". The closest one to full length that I finished was Perfect Marriage Revenge which was a fun 12 episode ride. I think if it went any longer I might have given up so I'm very thankful to the team who decided to keep it at 12 episodes.

[gillianthecat]

I'm writing up a whole long thing on my reactions to this film, and how I would adapt it to be queer, but that's taking a while, so here are my thoughts on casting

BL Castings for The Apartment: 

Korea

is my first instinct based on the actors I thought of. And based on their non-bl dramas, I feel like they could get the mix of darkness, humor and cleverness right. I’m not sure their BL industry is there yet to do it justice, and 2/3 of the actors I choose probably would never do a BL proper, but since this (I assume) isn’t even on anyone’s radar to get made I feel like I’m allowed to go wild with it. This is how I worked through it in the comments of this post:

I don't know that the Korean BL industry could handle it, but I kind of want to send it over there for the actors. Maybe Ji Sung for the boss? I feel like the character needs the charisma and sex appeal to explain why the Shirley McLaine character is in love with him, which is inexplicable in the original. Although in queering the film you could keep him just as unappealing and find other ways to make that make sense. Maybe the actor who played Seo Joon in To My Star? For either the Lemmon or the McLaine role actually, I could see him as both and I think he can do comedy. Hmm... now my mind is turning. I don't know the third one yet. He's even less of a BL actor but the one who just came to mind for the third part is the actor who played Vincenzo and the lead from Reborn Rich, I forget his name. I think Seo Joon's guy as the Lemmon role and Vincenzo's guy as McLaine's role—he has this watchful stillness that I think would work well, and obviously he can do comedy. If we want a slightly less overtly sexy but still charismatic actor for the boss, perhaps the older lead from Beyond Evil? (I'm basically running through all the Korean shows I've seen with actors over 30, which isn't many. I'm sure there are others I'd pick if I'd seen more.)

So to sum up: Son Woo Hyun as Baxter, Song Joong Ki as Kubelik and Shin Ha Kyun as Sheldrake. 

At 37, Song Joong Ki is perhaps too old for the role, but a) he can look much younger than that, and b) I actually think it adds an interesting pathos to the story to have him as still trapped in this deadend secret relationship even into his late thirties, maybe having given up on finding anything better. Son Woo Hyun can do pining, he can do self-deprecating comedy, he’s gorgeous but I still think he could be convincingly everyman. 

As for Sheldrake, I ended up going with Shin Ha Kyun of Beyond Evil over Ji Sung (The Devil Judge). Mostly because I think Ji Sung is too gorgeous for the part. I think the character needs more sex appeal than Fred MacMurray gave him, but Ji Sung has too much, although I’m sure he could handle the role very well. I’ve only seen Shin Ha Kyun in the first couple of episodes of Beyond Evil, but my instinct is that he would be excellent at balancing the sleaze and bluster with enough charm to make it work. 

Taiwan

I feel like could do the best job with the story, characters and tone, but I haven’t watched enough Taiwanese shows (BL or otherwise) to know for sure, or who to cast. I don’t think I’d cast anyone from the three BL’s I’ve seen so far. About Youth—all way too young. Plus and Minus—I honestly remember almost nothing about the actors. We Best Love—hmm, I could actually see Lin Zi Hong in the Shirley McLain role, he can do a mix of charm and vulnerability that would work well. And he’s a good enough actor that he could handle Jack Lemmon’s part as well. Shu Yi’s dad could handle Mr. Sheldrake, we know he can play an asshole, and he’s got charisma that I think would help. But there are probably better options available.

Any thoughts from those who know Taiwanese BL better than me?

Thailand

seems to be what you were thinking about, @aliceisathome, but I think my instinct is to cast older than most of the Thai BL actors that I know. @alt-drama, Ohm Pawat and PP Krit are both amazing actors, but they both feel too young for me. And I haven’t actually seen Mew in anything, so I have no opinion on him.

Hmm. Well, if I give up on older actors, I think War Wanarat could do a good job in the McLaine role, he also has a combination of vulnerability and strength I think it needs. I was thinking about Saint for it too at first, and while I feel like he could do any role and be good at it, I think I’d rather see War. Perhaps just because I think he’s one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen, but the more I think about it the more fitting he seems. @placetneplacet also mentioned Mark Siwat, but I haven’t seen him in anything, so I can’t opine on that either.

And Baxter… for some reason this seems the hardest one to cast for me. I’m intrigued by placetneplacet’s idea of Off, although I’m not sure he has the comedic timing for it. He can do lovelorn and pathetic as well as charming flirt well, and those are the other important qualities.

oooh. Nanon. He also has that kind of everyman feel that Lemmon has and the character needs. I’ll pick him. And he can handle the comedy and the pining. Yes. Ohm perhaps could also be great, but I’ve only seen him as Pat, and the character feels so different that it’s hard for me to picture him as Baxter.

As for Mr. Sheldrake, the sleazy/asshole boss, while Saint can do anything, I really would like to see someone older in the role, because I feel like that’s a crucial part of the dynamic. Unfortunately I don’t know many older actors - since all the Thai actors I’ve seen so far are from QL dramas their playing parents and teachers and I’m generally not paying them much attention. The only one that has stuck out enough for me is the actor who played Mon’s stepdad from GAP, who MDL tells me is named Wo Jirawat Wachirasarunpat and is 60 years old. Which is actually more of an age gap than I was thinking, but what I liked about him was his air of charm and friendliness, which is something I want in the character, to make more sense of why the Kubelik character falls in love with him.

To summarize: Nanon as Baxter, War as Kubelik, and Wo Jirawat as Sheldrake (though he’s kind of a placeholder). With those two, I've kind of talked myself around to thinking younger actors could work.

Japan

I’m honestly having trouble envisioning this as done by Japan. Who knows, they could do an excellent version, but their style somehow seems so different to the tone of the original. (I’d love to hear the thoughts of those who know Japanese dramas and films better than me.)

Likewise, no actors stand out for me as right (probably because I’ve seen so few Japaneses shows), but, given that I’m looking for older actors, I am curious as to what Takeda Kōhei and Kimura Tatsunari (Nozue and Togawa of Old Fashion Cupcake) would do with the parts. I think I’d give Takeda the Lemmon role and Kimura the McLaine. Or perhaps Kusakawa Takuya (Minato from Coin Laundry) as Kubelik and Kimura as Baxter? None of them are exact fits for how I picture the characters, but they’re all such good actors that I think they would do something interesting. Takeda can do awkward charm and everyman appeal, I’m just less sure about that specific sort of Wilder comedy. We know that Kimura can handle the pining from afar and up close as Baxter (although he may be too pretty for the character), and I can see him doing the undertones of nihilism and angst of Kubelik as well. And I suspect he can handle to comedy well. Kusakawa is more of a guess, but he’s beautiful enough for Kubelik, and has the acting chops in general, given the difference between him as Minato and as Rokkaku in Cherry Magic.

As for Sheldrake, probably many of the older actors I’ve seen in supporting roles could do an excellent job, but I haven’t paid enough attention to them to pull one out.

I just saw someone talking about the sublime Billy Wilder film The Apartment on Twitter and am now thinking it'd make a fantastic workplace BL. But who would you cast? We'd need the Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine characters plus the sleazy boss (that's an easy one - I'd cast Mew!). @placetneplacet @heretherebedork @thequeenofsastiel @absolutebl @gillianthecat @clairificusrex @weekendatennuis

[iu-jjang]

[TRANS] IU ‘Pieces’ Album and Song Introductions

IU [Pieces]

The pieces in between my 20s that I purposely didn’t take out

1. Drama

It’s a song that I wrote when I was 20. I composed it because I wanted to cheer up a friend who was going through a breakup and was being very pessimistic about love for a few days. Although I didn’t release it yet, I have so much affection for this song that I sang it for my concert en-encore [T/L note: another encore after the encore] every year without fail. I occasionally tried to write songs with similar emotions, but it seemed like I was just trying to imitate (a version of myself from) a chapter that had already passed in my life, so I stopped doing that.

When I sang it during concerts, because I was in the moment, I could sing it easily and cheerfully, but while recording it, I realised that this was indeed totally different. Out of all the songs I recorded this time, I had the most difficulty with this song, trying to find the character [get into character]. In order to bring out the atmosphere during concerts as much as possible, there wasn’t any special arrangement done for this song.

I’m sincerely grateful towards my fans who didn’t forget the existence of the song ‘Drama’ and strongly requested for it to be released officially. ‘Drama’ is in between ‘Hold My Hand’ which made my blood boil (with ambition) because it was my first (self-composed song) and ‘Friday’ which I was already feeling pretty relaxed about, before I knew it. This song which I was not ambitious about nominating (for this album), because it’s a precious song that I hold close to my heart, perhaps is the reason and theme for this collection of (music) pieces.

2. Next Stop

I started writing this song when I was 25, so by the time I was done, I was 26. There are some songs whereby the lyrics and melody come to my mind together, like a piece of music born with the two as one. It had been awhile since I had a song like that and this was one of them.

It can’t be helped that (I am) biased towards such songs.

There wasn’t any format or particular chord work that I worked hard on, but the moment I wrote the first verse as easily as breathing, I was so in love with this song.

But even then, I forgot about it. Heh.

It was a year later when I encountered my character ‘Jian’ in ‘My Mister’ that I naturally took on that character and was able to finish the second verse. While there was no plan cast in stone, it was a song that I definitely wanted to release one day. Beyond being a storyteller, but as a top liner [T/L note: person who composes the main melody of a song], I think this song contains my most central emotions as a creator.

This is the only song that we mixed in the vocals from the guide version. It contains both my voice from 3 years ago, as well as my current voice. I sang it calmly back then, but now I sing it in a way that appeals (to emotions). Ironically, it might be because it’s all in the past now.

Between Jieun and Jian is a ‘station’.

The two are connected by the distance of a station.

[T/L note: literal translation of the Korean song title is ‘The Station’.]

3. Winter Sleep

It started out as a sketch when I was 27 and had more thoughts than usual about a life leaving this world and about being left on such a world and I finally completed the song when I was 29, after experiencing several more huge separations.

It contains the story of welcoming the first year alone after sending off a beloved family member, friend or pet. It was a track that the lyrics were not difficult to write due to the clear plot in the order of spring, summer, autumn and winter, but in comparison to that, (the whole song) took a much longer time to be completed. That’s because I wanted to use direct expressions, yet I didn’t want the emotions to turn out to be too superficial.

This song took the longest time to record.

I’m usually the type to try my best to be as concise as possible in my expression during recordings, but for this song, I didn’t feel the need to hold back my emotions. Instead, to maximise the feelings of longing, I tried to go for a rather bold(?) arrangement in the precursor to the interlude in the middle of the song and not in the second half of the song [T/L note: question mark used in the original text]. That’s also the reason why the song is based on piano, unlike the other tracks.

Even though a great loss came into my world, there were flowers blooming, stars coming up and poems being born out there without delay. In between these repetitive seasons is ‘winter sleep’.

As I sing this song, this time I really won’t break down anymore. They’ll know this isn’t a lie.

4. You

This is a song I wrote at the age of 24, when I was filming a drama in the mountains, so I couldn’t go home for days and I missed my friend who lived upstairs so much. [T/L note: IU was filming the drama ‘Moon Lovers’ and missed Yoo Inna who lives in the apartment above hers.]

I remember immersing myself in my character of the historical drama I was filming for ten minutes and imagined myself to be writing a postcard to someone far away, not knowing whether it would reach the person and with that, I affectionately wrote the lyrics line by line.

I thought hard about whether to include this track or not.

Many years ago, I had already told my fans that I did not intend to release this song, so in my mind that was the end of it. Then one day as I was surfing on YouTube, I happened to listen to this song again after a long time and saw in the comments that there were more fans than I had thought waiting for this song to be released. On top of that, perhaps because I had written the song sincerely, the lyrics in the song still touched my heart.

Feeling uncertain about whether I would include it in this album, I sang this song in the recording studio again after about five years and amazingly, starting from the first verse, it just came out right.

This is the only song that I let my fans listen to in the one and only year that I did not have any music-related activities in the 14 years of my singing career. [T/L note: It was an untitled april fools song that IU uploaded on her fancafe for uaenas.]

Between ‘Chat-shire’ and ‘Palette’ is ‘You’ wanting to slowly and quietly flow along.

It’s probably the song (title) with the least syllables out of all the songs I’ve worked on.

5. Love Letter

I sketched this song at 26, completed it when I was 28, and “even” gave it to another artist. It was the first time ever since I started composing that another singer sang my song. [T/L note: Previously IU only wrote lyrics for others’ songs, like Cherry B’s “Her” and Jung Seunghwan’s “The Snowman”, Seulong’s “The Moment” and Sam Kim’s “When You Fall”.]

Last year, I went on KBS ‘Sketchbook’ and sang this song, which gave me the opportunity to work with Jung Seunghwan, who is a singer I admire. When we were working together on this song, I briefly explained to Antenna and Jung Seunghwan about (my plans) to release this collection of my pieces and earned their consent to release the song. I wrote the lyrics based on the scenario of one half of an elderly couple leaving the world first and writing a final love letter for the other half who is left behind.

If Jung Seunghwan’s version is more calm and refined, I wanted my version of ‘Love Letter’ to be delivered in a more straightforward manner.

The arrangement of the song is fairytale-like and lovely, but I tried to make the vocals sound solid and the song was comparatively easy to record. I also tried to vary the ‘da-o’ part each time it was repeated throughout the song.

The last part of the lyrics, ‘I am still there, remaining in your heart, more than anywhere else’ became the seed of the last track ‘Epilogue’ in my 5th album ‘LILAC’. It’s also something that I want to tell my fans that I am grateful for, who have known me for a long time, know me (for who I am) and continue to want to know me better.

In between a novel and a letter, with this ‘Love Letter’ that I pressed my sincere emotions into and wish to send to those who love me, I close this collection of my (music) pieces.

Translated by IUteamstarcandy