#korean series review

[dramascoop]

Red Swan K-Drama Episode 1 Recap & Review | The Drama Scoop

Red Swan Episode 1 Recap

Episode 1 of ‘Red Swan’ begins with a speech given by NOW’s director Oh Wan-Soo, where she takes a stand against terrorist atrocities. Following that, she gets a warning from ISIS asking her to step down or face severe consequences. Seo Do-Yoon enters a casino while Oh Wan-Soo meets with Crown Prince Mohammed.

Do-Yoon Learns About The Assassin

Seo Do-Yoon spots a group of thugs spying on them and learns about an assassin, Mr. L. He then disguises himself as the janitor and enters the boss thug’s room. Soon, Mr. Park arrives with payment from the ‘flower shop’. Do-Yoon recollects the word was used by his brother’s assassin. After leaving the casino, he gets a call from Mr. Park asking to meet up.

Do-Yoon Rescues Wan-Soo From The Assassin

We see a flashback of the night Do-Yoon saw the assassin kill his brother. The next day Wan-Soo leaves to donate her necklace despite a shortage of bodyguards. Do-Yoon happens to be in the vicinity looking for the assassin. As soon as Wan-Soo leaves the venue, the assassin aims with a sniper and fires at her. Wan-Soo gets saved as a woman escorting her steps in the way and gets shot instead. The sniper continues to fire, and her bodyguard takes a shot for her too.

Locating the sniper, Do-Yoon begins to fire at him and rushes to guide Wan-Soo out of harm’s way. He gets her into a car and drives away. Soon enough, their engine breaks down, and while fixing it, Do-Yoon discovers a tracker which he immediately discards. He takes her to his place to get cleaned up. Initially, she is hesitant, but he reassures her that she will be safe. She helps him tie a bandage around his injury, and he helps her wipe the blood off her face. He then returns her to the embassy where she meets her husband.

Do-Yoon Joins ‘Flower Shop’

Following that, Do-Yoon meets up with Mr. Park, and they catch up after a long time. Do-Yoon recalls the happy memories with his brother and the time his brother donated a kidney to him. Mr. Park offers him an opportunity to work with the ‘Flower Shop’, explaining it’s a confidential way to address the Hwain Group. Do-Yoon agrees to join.

Do-Yoon Becomes Wan-Soo’s Bodyguard

Wan-Soo gets a call from her mother-in-law and goes over to speak with her. Park Mi-Ran orders Wan-Soo to bribe China and cancel the party. Wan-Soo refuses to cancel the party and bribe China. Her mother-in-law throws a fit and later tells her husband to have Wan-Soo killed. Wan-Soo calls for a press conference to broadcast the threats ISIS made. On the night of the party, Mr. Park introduces the new bodyguard and the man who saved her life, Do-Yoon.

Red Swan Episode 1 Review

Delving into episode 1 of “Red Swan,” it’s evident that the drama falls short despite its beautiful aesthetics and ideal plot setting. For various reasons, the interactions fail to ignite the desired feelings we would expect, lacking tension or thrills.

The first interaction between Wan-Soo and Do-Yoon is critical to the drama, but it does not deliver the required intensity. The assassination attempt and subsequent rescue could have been more thrilling and glorious.

The scene at Do-Yoon’s stay was progressing well until the moment he wiped the blood off Wan-Soo’s face, which felt awkward and forced. Building a good relationship takes time, and it would have been much better if the two had shown some restraint before finally giving in to their feelings.

We’ve still got the entire show ahead of us, and the premise is promising. Let’s hope the drama makes good on its potential! If you’re looking for more K-Dramas to watch this July, here are the Top 5 K-Dramas for July 2024.

Thank you for diving into our latest KDrama review at The Drama Scoop! We appreciate your time and passion for Korean dramas. Stay tuned for more exciting reviews, news, and insights. Happy watching, and see you in the next article!

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - It's 2024 & I'm talking about TayNew... really?

(They pretty much told us all to sit down and shut tf up, 'cause they got this. AND THEY DO.)

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Feb 2024 Wk 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

Cherry Magic (Sat YouTube grey) ep 9 of 12 - I broke. In my defense, it was Monday, I needed comfort, and TayNew were right tf there. Ya know what? They are great in this show. It's a great adaptation. I might like it more than the JBL live action. You know why? Really, honestly WHY...?

That was a PHENOMENAL KISS. Those boys did Thailand fucking proud. They did fandom a solid. Thank you OGs for reminding us how it's done. I was getting used to SloppyHot. And SloppyHot has its place, but that TayNew rooftop kiss was a top tear class act. It was tender and sweet and respectful and joyful. It was eye work and breath work and years of practice. How very far BL has come while still staying so much the same. TayNew - I salute you!

(Read all about distribution issues here.)

The Sign (Sat YT) ep 12fin - we waiting, I guess? Bah.

Cooking Crush (Sun YT) ep 11 of 12 - The recipe book thing was so damn cute and I love a claiming. YOU KNOW I LOVE A CLAIMING!

In fact, I love OffGun.

I love food based BL.

I adored seeing a reboot of "the infamous dragging". 

But I don’t love anything else about this show. Sigh.

1000 Years Old ep 1 of 12 - Finally we get our gay vampire BL from Feel Good Bangkok. Stars Shane (My Engineer) and fresh face Opal, directed by Champ (2gether). It’s kind of odd but enjoyable. A group of teen UFO seekers find a vampire instead. Opal looks a bit like a mix between Newnu + Leo (VIXX) - so cute + edge. Also, nice to see Shane again on our screens after so long. 

Finally, I like the subtle (and sometimes not subtle) presence of ghosts permeating this show. Do the friends know she's there? Do they know she's dead? Is the existence of paranormal accepted but not that of aliens? Or are the two combined? Is this lazy writing or just fun world building? Who cares! It's enjoyable.

For Him (Thurs iQIYI) ep 12fin - the nail painting bit was very cutie queers and I've not seen it done in BL before, so that was nice. For some reason captions never dropped for me on this last episode, but it didn’t really matter. Not much happened and I understood everything anyway.

Quick pitch?

From the people who brought us Unforgotten Night based on a y-novel, about a young man nursing a heartbreak who has a one-night stand, but the other boy didn't want it to end. This turned out to be a pulp that wasn’t half as good as it should have been and even less memorable, but not terrible. 5/10 DON'T BOTHER unless you're v bored

City of Stars (Fri iQIYI) ep 3 of 12 - Oh it is such a pulp: the acting is not good and the script is terrible. Of course, I’m mildly enjoying it. Very good dream kissing. There's something appealing about these main characters - I think it's the moot crushes. We rarely get to see that. These days everything feels very one sided, this... isn't.

A Secretly Love (Thai WeTV) - Khonprot, a third-year hazer of the engineering faculty, has a secret crush on Pluem, a tsundere fourth-year head hazer. Over the years, he's seen Pluem cycle through girlfriends. Recently, after a public breakup, however, Khonprot thinks maybe a boy has a chance.

I tried but I can't get into my WeTV account anymore and I'm way too lazy to figure it out. I'll catch it grey if I can, since I've rebooted the bootlegging side of my BL life for Cherry Magic anyway.

So this show may stay in this section, or I may bump it down to "it's airing but..."

If anyone is watching it, let me know if it's good?

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Love For Love's Sake (Korea Weds iQIYI) 7-8fin - Ugh it was GREAT, despite some pretty telling flaws. I ended up feeling like some of the filming was amateurish (very overworked low angles - director's first feature, I assume), and the narrative is a little disjoined and on the nose, AND the subs are clumsy (which I don't expect from KBL) BUT I still loved it. (FYI - I wouldn't be so harsh on a BL for this kinda thing except one from Korea.)

Quick pitch:

This isekai-based KBL is about a man who must win a game by convincing a reserved teen outcast to fall in love with him. Of course, that teen represents himself and his own unhappiness. Like many queer narratives, this show is actually about self worth, trust, and found family, and it is VERY on the nose. But I don’t expect subtlety from my BL and I enjoyed it's truly lovely redemption arc and earnest performances. While I found the narrative a touch disjointed with overworked filming angles and poorer than average captions, this is certainly much better than early KBL in terms of consistency of tone, script, and immersion. Highly rewatchable and charming, which counts for a lot. 9/10

Trigger warning for suicide depicted.

Perfect Propose (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 4 of 6 - Gosh, it’s so lovely. But I do just constantly want to give them both hugs. 

AntiReset (Taiwan Fri Viki/Gaga) ep 4 of 10 - Oh look, Taiwan has created yet another BL where I spend most of the time watching it grinning like an idiot. Surprise surprise. The pet name thing was fucking adorable. Also Taiwan once more proving they come by their "kings of kissing" title honestly. I mean to say. In a week of good kisses this one was just... WOW.

On the other hand, some of the underpinning themes are starting to v worry me (ownership, consent, age), and we only just got started, and I don't trust this production company so... I have concerns.

But also... YAY KISSES!

(I'm made of weak moral fiber.)

Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 6 of 10 - Like many other shows on this list. I just enjoy it the most when the two leads are on screen together. So this episode was kind of lacking because they were apart for most of it. I also am starting to agree with the tone of the plot, that maybe they ARE better off as friends not lovers. (And I'm sure I'm not supposed to want that.) Oh Japan, must you?

My Strawberry Film (Japan Gaga) ep 1 of 8 - Oh it’s good. In the arthouse lane so don’t expect sweetness & light or an HEA. If there’s no cartoon aspect to a JBL, there’s usually no joy. But it is certainly good. Teens uncover some old film and a mystery around a pretty girl. The background music is wildly annoying (and rarely in the background). 

It's Done

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - will binge when I have any spare time. 2024 is crazy busy for me so far.

The Servant and the Young Master - from Vietnam, it's on YouTube. I will give it a try when I have a window of time.

Began Beginning (Myanmar YouTube) - A Burmese BL? @heretherebedork vouched for it, so I will give it a watch.

7 Days Before Valentine (Weds WeTV) - Gave me Luminous Solution vibes have decided not to watch.

It's Airing But...

Dead Friend Forever (Thai iQIYI) - rumors are it's interesting. I'm waiting to know how it ends.

Ossans Love Season 2 (Japan Gaga) - 5 years later, will anything have changed? This is Japan so… probubly not. I won't be watching this. I disliked Season one and actively hated the follow ups. No thank you.

Playboyy (Thurs Gaga) 14 eps - Dear Playboyy, it's not you, it’s me… I hate you. You’re about as deep (and as palatable) as a shot glass of cum. While I'm sure you’re someone’s kink, you're my weakest link. Goodbye. I DNFed this at ep 5. Frankly I'm impressed with myself for getting that far.

Time the series (Tue Gaga/YT) 10 eps - dropped it at ep 4.

Next Week Looks Like This:

2/24 Unknown (Taiwan Youku) 12 eps - Older brother tough guy breadwinner looks after his sister and defacto adopted little brother. Little bother falls in love with him and is sent away after a stolen kiss. But when he comes back…

Sam Lin has a cameo so even if I wasn't already excited, I'm in. We should be on our guard though, Taiwan will occasionally go edgy, dark, and sad... this could go there.

One assumes GMMTV is filling in the BL time slot with something queer on their YT Channel after Cooking Crush ends, they gonna lose subs if they don't. But I've not been paying attention to the chatter so I don't know which of their line-up it will be. I think G4 are filming/off radar now, and Earth is in that het noona thing? Plus they gotta sort out the IP for MIx-Up and Ossen. So it won't be one of the announced adaptations. They'll hold My Golden Blood for the high season, so I think it'll be one of the lesser known lead-outs. Wandee or Only Boo maybe? But they only just started filming those. Are we getting our long awaited GL? Anything else left from 2023 that I forgot about?

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Two crawling kisses from Thailand this week. Now this is a fetish I didn't know I had. Turns out, we love this one! (*waves hand in air* I speak for all of us now.)

Cooking Crush

City of Stars

Possibly the best tsundere to cinnamon roll pivot we've had in a long time.

Also the best asshole to KING pivot. Could we have a whole drama staring this character now? Please?

And finally our sunshine learning to love himself.

SIGH. what a lovely show.

And a good SMILEY kiss from a KBL.

And then some cute cuddles? Korea is spoiling me these days. I'm catching expectations now. What's next? Japan learns to kiss in their light BLs? Ha! I kill me.

(All Love for Love's Sake).

(Last week)

[survivalistghost]

having watched meteor garden, boys over flowers and f4 thailand, i have to say that thailand did the best job in this series.

[deafening-enthusiastic-dreamer]

Family By Choice

She is so adorable and talented, I have seen her in so many dramas lately, she is doing a great job.

Father- Daughter duo I didn't think I needed, but love anyway.

Feeling a chaotic vibe- Just how I want it to be... I am genuinely excited for this.

Going to be a fun ride!

[soul-from-another-era]

Are you okay? no mf i just finished 25 21 series.

[mare-sanguis]

this scene here is shot like we're jaewon. yes, there are multiple pov shots in other kbls as well but this takes the cake. here the sole focus point is jihyun. theres no annoying background, not even annoying noise from other people. just the shower running. the cherry on top is the fact jihyun isnt fully visible but hidden- making it obvious those are stolen glances.

if they continue to deliver us more scenes like this idk how i'll survive because as a lifelong artist and someone who was raised with melancholic media the whole bl is scratching the right part of my brain and i already know i'll obsess more over it the more episodes come out

[somanykdramas]

HIERARCHY

GENRES: Drama

SUMMARY: A bunch of rich kids go to school, bully the non-rich kids until one of them dies, and then kinda get away with it even after justice is served?

THIS SHOW HAS EVERYTHING: Fancy cars, classrooms that look like brutalist Hogwarts, ice cream, vacation homes, illegal recordings, cell phone charms, drugs, murder, art studios, absentee parents, hunting, emotional survival, and locker room pecs.

HOT TAKE: But really really, what was the point of this show other than to flaunt nearly a thousand brand names over seven episodes?

We start off with a murder mystery of an innocent student, get caught up in the class wars of a rich prep school and are forced to endure mediocre relationships, love triangles, and rivalries. We kinda get justice for the murder, but in the mean time are forced to choose which rich bully we hate the least which is a game with literally no winners.

I am justifiably annoyed that there is a post-credit sequence at the end of this series teasing yet another mystery I don't care to solve. Please, Netflix, leave this drama where it is. We don't need more.

Also, Kim Jae Won, YOU NEED TO BLINK. I can kinda look past the fact that you only have one expression for every emotion, but at least blink so we know you're human.

[chrispychanniem]

My Honest Opinion:

I swear this series is one of the most underrated BL series of all times. Like why doesn't anyone talk about this series? When I first watched it, I felt like this series needed more recognition and I still believe the same.

The storyline is rather easy to understand and that is exactly what I love about this series.

I personally love this series and highly recommend watching it.

[herigo]

[ayahmdeesworld]

Series Review: Lovely Runner

Sunjaeyah! She falls in love, but he falls harder. From Wikipedia: Lovely Runner is a 2024 South Korean television series starring Byeon Woo-seok (Ryu Sun-Jae) and Kim Hye-yoon (Im Sol). It is based on a web novel titled Tomorrow’s Best, which was also serialized as a webtoon by illustrator Doong Doong. Im Sol had an accident and she was ruined because of the accident so she won’t be able to…

[lokh]

why is the search on youtube fucking garbage

[kdramahunter]

lovely runner

it took me forever to actually sat down and do this review because no words could amount to how I felt when I was watching this show. I'm literally writing this with the OST playing in the background and on my second rewatch, it's serious business.

The plot is all up on my alley, perfect amount of fiction with real world. The acting is incredible, both leads are able to transmit every single emotion. At times I felt all giddy inside and I couldn't tell if it was due to the chemistry or just the incredible job they both did at acting.

But heavy emphasis on how good they are at acting, I've seen other dramas with both of them and they are always so good, Extraordinary You with Kim Hyeyoon is in my top 5 dramas of all time.

This plot can be messed up so easily because things can be forgotten, but my props to the writers because they did an excellent job of adding things without ruining the flow of events or the rules they had set at the beginning. The jumps they make are executed in key moments that help you get even more entranced with the story.

One issue I tend to have with kdramas is the balance between characters, there was no problem with this at all. The leads steal the show hands down and even though the side characters are set for support, you end up getting interested in them as well, but they don't take the focus away from the leads.

I got confused sometimes but my doubts were answered quickly. It's just so well done I know I will constantly rewatch it and it will stay in my top.

Plot: 90

Acting: 100

Ending: 95

TOTAL: 95/100

recommend? YES!!! absolutely

links:

explore tags | about the blog | recommend kdramas

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - I'm All Over the Place, and so are the shows

Organized, in each category, by ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Nov 2023 Wk 5

Ongoing Series - Thai

Last Twilight (Fri YT) ep 4 of 12 - The Jasmine flirting thing was so darn cute, I can’t. I love these two so much. 

The Sign (Sat YT) ep 2 of 10 - Oh it’s great. Flirting. Fighting. Fate. Murder. Eventually we’ll add fucking. A trifffecta. I could do with a bit less training but whatever. And we have learned our boys are laboring under a geis. NO SINGING. Otherwise this ep was actually pretty flipping great. 

My Dear Gangster Oppa (Thurs iQIYI) ep 6 of 8 - Ooo kidnapping and the sides are suffering betrayal. Also Tew kills again. I like that they don’t shy away from the fact that he’s a killer and Guy was genuinely scared.  And then Tew had to break up with Guy to protect him in Noble Sacrifice (tm). How Cdrama of him. Rough ep all round. 

For Him (Thurs iQIYI) ep 1 of 10 - It’s not exactly good, but it’s better than I was expecting, and I tend to cut pulps a lot of slack out the gate. The plot is more interesting, Him is a sweetie (I like that in a seme) and our uke has both game and pluck. He’s a femme bitch, I LOVE that in a boy + we never get it femme in the lead. The acting is not great, sound all over the place, but there are no terrible sound effects, the soundtrack is okay, and our high heat came with a side of BJ + condoms, and no one has sung (yet), so I think I like it. It’s giving me Big Dragon vibes.

Linguistic moment: 

Him used Him/ter for pronouns & ha. Very flirty. Nail used rao back a little bit of a challenge. (No pom and didn’t use his own name either.) Gauntlet thrown. Our baby ends up with rao/kao but I don’t think that’ll stick. Him is getting Phi out of him if it's the last thing he does.

Bake Me Please (Mon Gaga) ep 2 of 6 - The characters’ shared backstory is no surprise but I do like this show. Those little private smiles as they find family. Those lingering gazes as they find romance. Lovely. Also Shin wants to marry into Peach's family so bad, I’m reminded of Laurie in Little Women. All that said, it’s never the top of my list to watch for some reason. 

Cooking Crush (Sun YT) 1 of 12 - How could I have forgotten how stunning Off is? Meanwhile… I love Gun’s character, he's so cute. But this show is a bit too comedic for me. I wish GMMTV were taking this script seriously. Sorry Neo et al I’m not sold on the sides. In general? I don’t love it. I don’t hate it either. In other news, I think I'll go make toast.

Pit Babe (Fri iQIYI) ep 3 of 14 - I love the sides and unholy amount and in general it was fine this week probably because I decided to do a trash watch.

Twins the series (Fri GaGa) ep 5 of 10 - I’m getting fatigued. Also holy random sex Batman. Where did these extra sides come from? I’m confused. Tonal pingpong going on, and not just in the shower.  

Middleman’s Love (Fri YT & iQIYI ep 4 of 8 - Finally a direct confession Jade can’t avoid. Will things get a bit more serious?

Absolute Zero (Weds iQIYI) ep 10 of 12 - I don’t know why I watch this show, the acting is great, but it just makes me cry.

Playboyy (Thurs Gaga) 3 of 14 eps - What a bonkers thing this is. Very kinky and also just odd. I do keep thinking about the pinks with it. Similarly, there doesn’t seem much glue holding this thing together, dried cum of course but not glue. And despite what some kinksters say, the one cannot replace the other.

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) Fake Love ep 15 of 24 - This is a weird installment. Too stalker and random blackmail for me. But not as bad as abuse and death, I guess? 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

A Breeze of Love (Korea iQIYI) eps 7-8fin - Not much of a love triangle in the end (you just found out he is actually gay and broken hearted = an opportunity not a tragedy). Meanwhile I like that the high school break up was just mr insomniac's fault. He got jealous and angry and petty. No miscommunication just an asshole kid. I did find this show a little slow, even though it was your standard length KBL. Odd that. They are very cute boyfriends tho. 

All in all:

Tsundere insomniac grump reunited with his sunshine jock ex (human sleeping pill) who now hates him. Basketball is also involved. While the simplicity of a reunion plot makes this more cohesive than most KBLs, it is a tad stiff and slow, never managing to lift itself out of "pretty and pretty enjoyable" - I liked it but I don’t think I’m going to remember much about it. 8/10

VIP Only (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 3 of 10 - It has the feel of a one act, with such a limited cast and location, which reminds me of KBL. Still watching these two quietly fall in love and process affection through their own art forms is sweet. This is a very soft gentle show. 

Sahara-sensei to Toki-kun (Japan Fri Gaga) - Toki, a delinquent but pure-hearted kid falls in love with his handsome phys-ed teacher, Sahara. This is very much my trope but very manga campy, which I don’t love. I’m quite torn. Toki is an idiot but a lovable one. But do I like it?

It's Airing But...

The Whisperer (Sun ????) 10 eps - Thai horror BL that ALSO involves cheating (what joy is mine). He has dimples (My Ride) but I don't think even dimples can motivate me to watch. You can tell me how this goes if you can find it.

SHADOW (Thai Gaga) 14 eps - I'm not wild about Thai horror (or horror at all) even one featuring Singto and Fluke. I'm holding off. If told it's good, I'll binge.

7 Days Before Valentine (Weds WeTV) 10 eps - Giving me Luminous Solution vibes, so I'm waiting to binge if told it's safe.

Beyond The Star (Weds iQIYI) 8 eps - House of Stars meets Boyband. I was NOT impressed with ep 1. Waiting to be told if I should bother.

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - I find this series more fun to binge, so I'm waiting until it completes its run.

In case you missed it

One Room Angel (Japan Gaga) finished. Adaptation of Harada’s manga (which I did not like) about a clerk who (nearly) dies and ends up cohabitating with an angel. I was warned that the ending would not work for me so I decided not to bother.

My Biker BL short movie from Wayu supposedly premiered Nov 27 on their YouTube Channel for Members to watch. I couldn't find anything further. The MDL description makes me think it's not for me so I bother.

Next Week Looks Like This

Short list of the December offerings.

12/9 Cherry Magic (Thai remake) YouTube 10 eps

12/9 Behind the Shadows (Korea movie) ??

12/14 Dear Kitakyushu (Thai/Japan movie) ??

12/23 Dead Friend Forever (Thai horror) iQIYI

Original 2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED). With the end of the year upon us I'll do an "announced for 2023 but never happened list" soon.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

I love these dudes so much, and make no mistake they def dudes. On point banter, my dudes. (Sign)

Yes they are cute but so far that's all this show has going for it. (Middleman's Love)

I'm a simple human, I just like seeing Off kneeing. (Cooking Crush)

(Last week)

[northnodal]

doona! reflections (spoilers):

i initially expected it to be the typical average boy falls for manic pixie dream girl trope—a male fantasy of a vulnerable, unstable idol dropping everything for them.

however, i found the storyline realistic for the context. doona was vulnerable and taken advantage of at a young age then later grew attached to someone—won-joon—who showed her real care for the first time in her life.

her performing passion was associated with emptiness. she first did it because she didn’t want to be abandoned nor forgotten, but the payoff was artificial. the intention drained her.

with won-joon, she experienced something genuine—it meant a lot to her and kept her alive, as she said in the finale. that’s why it was so “passionate,” ecstatic, and tumultuous for both of them.

of course, that didn’t automatically heal her complicated attachment to park in-wook, and it was hard for her to deal with such unfamiliar emotions (toward won-joon). she acted in inconsistent ways and didn’t know how to maturely navigate the relationship.

but she gained knowledge from her connection to won-joon—she got a taste of how it felt not to be lonely or used.

she eventually made a comeback, not for artificial love, but because performing brought her joy. won-joon regretfully let her go, leaving her feeling abandoned once more.

4 years later, she was in a completely different place. not only was her career successful, but she was no longer lonely. she had a support system. she no longer “needed” won-joon, but missed him nonetheless.

the show ends with them consciously parting ways. doona returned to her career in a much better place—a place of joy, not a need.

the show was on the darker side and centered around doona transforming her relationship with idol life and loneliness. the main characters don’t need to end up together for it to be a happy ending. sometimes they just grow from their time together and move on—doona grew to form genuine relationships and love for herself. that’s what i loved about the series.

gif source

[deafening-enthusiastic-dreamer]

Love Next Door

I loved this shot - giving thriller vibes

Finally we got to see how their relationship came to an end. I liked how they showed it, it felt true to the story, something we could see happening in real life and no matter how much its hurts, its still the truth.

I felt soo bad for him. But the dialogue where he says, no matter how much i like you, you don't get to tell me how i feel for you.

It hits different, ngl It hits hard.

Kill Me Now, Ahhhhhhhh I can'ttt

Cryinggggggg

I can only imagine how hurt both of them must have been, and for her to go through all of that just unbelievable.

[dreamingkdrama]

Lee Gon

Drama: The king - Eternal monarch

Status: Main character

Portrayed by: Lee Min-Ho

Yes, he is incredibly handsome, that's a fact. I wasn't a big fan at the beginning, he was cute but I didn't feel the connextion on the emotional level. He seemed to have kind of generic "main protagonist's personality". However, it got better later in the show. Lee Min-Ho showed some acting skills and I really rooted for king Lee Gon at the end. I think he really fits the role, he looks very regal :)