#park hye-run

[bookwhispererthings]

If I had a chocolate bar for every time the female lead in a K-drama written by Park Hye-run says potentially hurtful things to the male lead to protect them, I would have two chocolate bars. It's not a lot but it is weird that it's happened twice.

[dosa-sambhar]

Shout out to losercore, pathetic boys in love has to be one of my favorite genders lol

[thegirlisuedtobe]

ah I realised why I like shin hye sun so much, she reminds me of park ji yeon 💖💖💞💞💞

[lunaritex]

𓏲࣪ ִֶָ ︎ִֶָ LOVE HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT 𖤐. — yang jungwon.

pairing: idol! jungwon x fem! reader. content: idol au, childhood friends to lovers, reader is female, reader is not an idol here, reader got stood up (not by jungwon), confession, fluff. wc: 1.7k

FROM HYE: childhood friends to lovers troupe will always hit idc!!! idk why this became kinda long though, whoops... ALSO NO DOUBT AND DAYDREAM IS SO GOOD IM ASCENDING

This cannot be happening. 

You sighed for the unknown time, leaning back in your seat as you tapped your phone. The screen lit up upon your brief contact but as always, there was no new notification from your boyfriend. Nearly an hour had passed and you were sure your current state was gathering unwanted pitiful glances thrown your way. You knew what they were thinking. In their eyes, they saw a dressed-up young adult, excited for her date with her boyfriend, only to get stood up and had been hopelessly waiting there, like a complete fool. 

You finished the drink and decided to leave, having waited long enough. You stepped out of the cafe, the door gently closing behind you as you pulled out your phone to call the first person you thought of. It only took two rings before the intended receiver picked up. 

“Hello? (Name), aren’t you supposed to be on a date with Sungjin?” Jungwon asked, concern evident in his voice. His questions put a smile on your face, probably at the fact that he knows your schedule for the day, despite how he was in the midst of practice when you heard music coming from his background on the other line. 

Your prolonged silence was starting to scare the idol, who had stepped out of the practice room after signaling to his members that he was on a call. Jungwon frowns when his ears register the poorly stifled sounds of you sobbing. Hearing you breaking down is similar to getting shot in the heart. 

“(Name), what’s wrong? You know you can talk to me,” he continued in a soft and assuring tone. 

“I… I got stood up. I waited there for an hour and Sungjin didn’t turned up, making me look like a fucking idiot,” you replied through your tears, letting out a bitter chuckle. 

Jungwon's grip on his phone tightened as he listened to you, his jaw clenching when he realized the pain in your voice. The news hit him like a blow: once again, you have been left standing alone, waiting for someone who clearly did not deserve you. His eyes darkened, a storm of anger brewing in them.

“Wait,” he interrupted, his voice low but seething. “He… stood you up? Again?”

You let out a sigh on the other end, trying to laugh it off, but Jungwon could hear the hurt behind it. That was all it took. He took the stairs instead of the lift, stepping out of the company. His sudden disappearance will surely cause his manager to be worried and how he had forgotten his mask would make the situation even worse. But none of that matters when it comes to you. 

“Where are you?” he demanded, his tone softening just a bit when he spoke to you. But there was an undeniable edge to his words, a mix of frustration and protectiveness that seeped through.

"Jungwon, you don’t have to—"

“Just tell me,” he insisted, his voice firm but reassuring. “I need to know where you are. I’m coming to you.”

“...I’m at the park we played at when we were kids,” you replied, knowing your childhood friend is very persistent when the times required him to be. 

Somehow, your feet had led you to the place where you had created countless memories with Jungwon. You took a seat on one of the nearest benches, watching as people of all ages minded their business. Some were having fun with their children or partners. There were children running around the playground area, screaming at the top of their lungs as they chased one another. The sight made your heart soften, as you remembered how you and Jungwon were just like them; having the time of your lives before the harsh reality of life combined with responsibilities had taken over you. 

“(Name)!” 

You turned at the shout of your name, eyes widening in pure disbelief at the sight of Jungwon rushing towards you without a care in the world. What rendered you speechless was how he had forgotten to hide his identity, resulting in the public stopping to openly gape at him. Some had even pulled out their phones to record him, ready to post it on the Internet. Flustered, you stood up, grabbed his hand and dragged him to your home. 

When the both of you are in the privacy of your home, you turned and smacked him on his head. 

“Ow! What was that for!?” He yelped, rubbing the spot with his hand. 

“You idiot! Why did you run out in the midst of practice, and without a hat or a mask too!? What’s going to happen if your manager hears you ditch practice!” You scolded him, resembling a mother scolding her child. 

“Alright, I’m sorry! The thought might have slipped my mind when I heard you were crying,” he admits with a sheepish grin on his face, lowering his hand. 

You sighed, rubbing your temples. “Look, it’s fine. You didn’t have to come all the way here. I’m sure Sungjin’s probably busy with work and he had forgotten to text me.” 

Jungwon gave you an unreadable look. “You’re always making excuses for him.” He shook his head, running a hand through his hair as he tried to rein in his emotions. 

“Tell me, has he done anything good for you in this relationship? Has he ever gone out of his way to make you feel loved, or even just… appreciated?”

You were silent, and he took this as a chance to continue. 

“But what about you? You deserve someone who’d show up without a second thought, someone who’d want to be with you, not leave you hanging like this,” Jungwon continued. 

You opened and closed your mouth. “I—” 

He exhaled sharply. “You don’t get it, do you?” He said, his voice softer but laced with pure honesty that made your heart race. “I’ve been here, right by your side, through all of it. I’ve watched you get your heart broken over and over… and every time, I keep hoping you’ll see what’s right in front of you.” 

You stared at him, the weight of his words sinking in. 

“I can’t stand seeing you hurt anymore,” he whispered, his eyes glistening as he held your gaze. “Because I love you. And I would never leave you waiting, not even for a second.”

“Jungwon, I…” You struggled to find the words, feeling a mix of shock and confusion. “You’ve… always been there. I just—”

“You didn’t know,” he finished softly, looking down for a moment, a faint sadness in his eyes. “I know. I never wanted to push you or complicate things. I just wanted you to be happy.” He paused, swallowing hard, his voice lowering. 

“But seeing you go through this again, seeing someone else treat you like you’re disposable, when I know you’re anything but… I can’t keep quiet anymore.”

Your chest tightened, a wave of emotions you had not expected crashing over you. All those times he had offered a shoulder to cry on, the countless moments had picked you up when you were at your lowest—had they all been laced with feelings you’d missed? Slowly, you reached out, placing your hand over his. His fingers were tense beneath yours, but at your touch, he glanced up, searching your face with an expression that was both hopeful and terrified.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” you whispered, your voice barely audible.

He looked at you, his eyes raw with vulnerability. “Because I didn’t want to lose you. I didn’t want to risk our friendship over something I could never take back.” His hand turned under yours, holding it gently as he continued. “But now… I can’t pretend anymore. You deserve someone who’s there, through every high and low, someone who sees you for who you are.”

The words touched something deep within you, warming your heart in a way you hadn’t expected. As you looked into his eyes, the realization hit you like a flood—Jungwon had been that someone all along.

With a breath, you leaned closer, feeling a sense of clarity for the first time. “Maybe I’ve been blind,” you murmured, a small smile tugging at your lips. “But now… I see you.”

A spark of hope flickered in his eyes, and without another word, he closed the distance, his forehead resting gently against yours. You saw how his eyes flickered to your lips for a brief moment. He was about to lean in when the moment was rudely interrupted by your phone ringing, causing you to pull away. Your face felt when you recognized the number. You were about to reject the call when Jungwon snatched the device out of your hand, accepted the call and put it on speaker mode. 

“What are you doing!?” You hissed, but he merely shushed you. 

“Hello, (Name)? Oh my god, I’m so sorry I missed out on our date. Are you still there? If you want, I’m free now and we can have dinner together if you want,” Sungjin’s frantic voice echoed throughout your apartment. 

“Sungjin, is it? Sorry but your relationship with her is officially over. I’ll greatly appreciate it if you could leave her alone,” Jungwon nonchalantly replied, his thumb drawing circles on your knuckles. 

“...Who is this? And what’s your relationship with my girlfriend?” Sungjin’s voice turned cold but Jungwon was unfazed, turning to face you with a wide grin on his face. 

“Me? I’m her new boyfriend and now if you could excuse us, we have a date to tend to, goodbye and see you never.” 

“Wait—” 

And just like that, Jungwon ended the call. He had even blocked his number, preventing your now ex from calling you anymore. You, on the other hand, burst out laughing. Jungwon puffed his cheeks. 

“What’s so funny?” He pouts. 

“N-Nothing, I didn’t expect the leader of ENHYPEN to be this bold, but since when we’re going on a date and since when you’re my boyfriend? I think you have skipped a few steps,” you teased him once you had calmed down. 

Jungwon’s eyes widened in realization. “Oh! Then (Name), would you do me the honors of being my girlfriend?” 

Chuckling, you moved closer to press a chaste kiss on his lips. “Of course, Jungwon. I’d be more than happy to do so.” 

He made a noise of happiness before engulfing you in a bone-crushing hug, to which you returned the gesture. “You have no idea how happy I am right now.” 

“And what’s the reason?” You inquired when he pulled away to admire your face. 

Jungwon’s features softened as he cups your cheeks. “It’s because I finally got the prettiest girl and I can finally call her mine.” 

[mrinafria]

[contains spoilers]

I'm an eternal digger of good narrative techniques. A decent story becomes great in my eyes if the narrative is done right. And it's one of the hardest things to do really, since there's no one-size-fits-all rule for what technique works well with a particular story and what doesn't. One of the primary reasons I keep obsessing over Lovely Runner is its' narrative technique. In all honesty, if it had a linear, singular narrative, I would not be hyperventilating over it on a constant basis (I still would just a certain amount, because both Byeon Woo Seok and Kim Hye Yoon deserve awards for what they are doing). One reason it has managed to knock it out off the park and take the top spot in my forever-favorite list is how wonderfully well the narrative is done.

The primary perspective used in this show is Im Sol's. It's through her we're introduced to the story. Her perspective gives shape to the plot, the characters, because we learn things through her. Her perspective is absolutely critical for exposition. Without her thoughts and way of viewing things, you would never realize why saving Seon Jae means so much to her, or why she would bend the rules and bulldoze ahead when it comes to his safety (exhibit A, her leaving home on the day of the accident, despite knowing about her fate). She'd rather have him alive than have him in her life. Without her narrative, you'd think it's really all about a fan saving her idol (thanks to everyone who'd rejected the script listening to that pitch by the way, I'm grateful we have BWS and KHY as the leads because of that, I would not change it for anyone else). With Im Sol's perspective, you realize, she is not just a fan: she's an ardent admirer, a cheerleader, a well-wisher, a protector, an invisible friend trying to support her friend any way she can, someone who respects Seon Jae, sees him as an idol but also as a human, someone who wants to give back to him the same kindness, empathy and love she had once received from him over a radio call. To her, Seon Jae is first a guardian angel and then an idol, the angel who changed her view of life, made her appreciate things even amidst all that could be wrong with the world and her life. He saved her. Not just on that day at the hospital but every time she struggled and faltered since then, he was there, as invisible as it may have been. So this time, she wants to save him, no matter the price.

Then comes Seon Jae. Oof. If Im Sol's perspective gives the story its beautiful, beautiful shape, Seon Jae's perspective breathes literal life in to the body of the story. The show wouldn't be what it is today if not for his perspective. Without his view into things, Im Sol appears as a fangirl going to extreme measures to save her idol, clinging onto him like a monkey (yes I mean the poster) embarrassing the heck out of herself, making you cringe (in a good, enjoyable way) throughout. Then you reach the end of episode 2 and it knocks the breath out of you because WHAT DO YOU EVEN MEAN. It all clicks.

All this while we kept thinking Seon Jae was caught off guard and just kind enough to tolerate her antics, and maybe he'd slowly fall for her now, only to realize we were completely oblivious to a whole different side of the story. If Im Sol's narrative draws you in and keeps you hooked, making you root for her to succeed, it's Seon Jae's narrative that makes you irredeemably fall in love with them and sincerely, genuinely, desperately hope they get their happy ending together after all the storm.

And the motifs. Walking/running, for instance. I'll focus on just one scene here. I recall seeing a bts where KHY is discussing the OG 2008 accident scene, and it explains how she has to slow down, while running away, for just a moment, only to be hit by the taxi driver. Have you ever been in a situation of absolute panic, desperation and stress, then suddenly found a familiar face or a name or a thing you could connect to, and felt a wave of relief rush through you? She sees Seon Jae, a person who is calling out her name. Even if she didn't know him back then, the fact that he knew her (and that he had his uniform on), gives her a sense of safety she badly needed that moment. That momentary relief, so visible in her features, then overtakes the crippling fear she felt running in the middle of nowhere with no one in sight in the dead of the night. Her body, already exhausted beyond anything, responds to the relief she feels for those few seconds, slowing down her steps.

And that is when she is caught off-guard and hit. That also might have added to Im Sol's anger at the hospital when she is screaming at Seon Jae, her internal anguish that if only she had not paused seeing Seon Jae, and kept on running, then maybe she wouldn't be hit, wouldn't fall, wouldn't lose her ability to walk. It's one thing to have tropes and symbolic things, but it's a very different thing to know how to use them effectively so they elicit very specific types of emotions/reactions out of people. Lovely Runner excels in that. All kdramas more or less have 'things' that take on different meanings for the couples/viewers. It's the way motifs are used to narrate the story in this one that has me going back over and over again to all the episodes aired so far. These are not just their 'things', these are 'things' that drive the plot forward, tell you about their characters, their personal motivations, what they mean to each other and so much more.

This is getting longer that I intended it to be so will end with this. I feel valued when watching Lovely Runner. And I've seen people saying the same thing. It feels like they respect your critical thinking skills, and your ability to infer, so they don't spoon-feed you everything from the get-go, and you can't predict much despite it being primarily a rom-com. You'd be pulling your hair out (again, in a good way) trying to figure out what they will show next, and you will be somewhat or very far from the truth, which will compel you to think further about the story, the characters, long after an episode has aired...I can't remember the last time it happened with a drama. I love this storytelling.

[sixcostumerefs]

Happy Asian and Pacific Islander Month to our queens!

Here in the US, May is Asian-American and Pacific Islander month. So just like last year, I'll be highlighting the Asian and Pacific Islander queens of Six. This year is especially fun as there's currently an Asian or Pacific Islander queen in every currently-running replica production of Six!

Pictured: Aragon: Grace Mouat (Burmese, 1st UK Tour and West End), Nicole Kyoung-mi Lambert (Korean, pre-Broadway regional tour and Broadway); Jasmine Shen (Chinese/Hong Konger, Breakaway 1.0); Chloé Zuel (Mauritian, 2020 Sydney); Phoenix Jackson Mendoza (Filipino, 2021-23 Aus Tour); Kristina Leopold (Chinese/Thai/Indian, Broadway/Boleyn Tour); 이아름솔/Lee Arum-soul (Korean, South Korea); 손승연/Sonnet (Korean, South Korea) Boleyn: Andrea Macasaet (Filipino, pre-Broadway regional tour and Broadway); Cherelle Jay (West End and 2nd UK Tour); Amanda Lindgren (South Korean, West End); Sunayna Smith (Indian, Breakaway 3.0 and 5.0); 김지우/Kim Ji-woo (Korean, South Korea); 배수정/Pae Su-jeong (Korean, South Korea); Fiorella Bamba (Filipino, Bliss 6.0); Thảo Therése Nguyễn (Vietnamese, West End) Seymour: Jasmine Forsberg (Filipino, Aragon Tour/Broadway); 박혜나/Park Hye-na (Korean, South Korea); 박가람 /Park Ga-ram (Korean, South Korea); Singh Viki (Indian, Hungarian non-replica) Cleves: 김지선/Kim Ji-sun (Korean, South Korea); 최현선/Choi Hyun-sun (Korean, South Korea); Danielle Mendoza (Filipino, Breakaway 3.0/Boleyn Tour); Kardffy Aisha (Persian, Hungarian non-replica) Howard: Jaina Brock-Patel (Desi/Indian, 2nd UK Tour); Zoe Jensen (Filipino, Broadway); 김려원/Kim Ryeo-won (Korean, South Korea); 솔지/Solji (Korean, South Korea); Elysia Cruz (Filipino, Canadian); Hien (Vietnamese, Hungarian non-replica); Sierra Fermin (Filipino, Broadway); Alizé Ke'Aloha Cruz (Filipina, Bliss 3.0/Boleyn Tour) Parr: Shimali de Silva (Hong Konger/Sri Lankan, original student cast); Vidya Makan (Desi/Indian heritage, 2020 and 2021-23 Australian Tours); Shannen Alyce Quan (Eurasian, 2020 and 2021-23 Australian Tours); Karis Oka (2020 and 2021-23 Australian Tours); Megan Leung (Chinese/Hong Konger, Bliss 2.0 and Breakaway 5.0); Roxanne Couch (Maori, West End); Joy N Woods (Southeast Asian and/or Pacific Islander, Broadway); Elena Breschi (Filipino, Breakaway 4.0) 유주혜/Yoo Ju-hye (Korean, South Korea); 홍지희/Hong Ji-hee (Korean, South Korea); Aoife Haakenson (Taiwanese, UK Tour); Lauren Mariaoosay (Indian/Polynesian/Malaysian/Cambodian, Canada) Notes: - All information is from this post. There may be additional info or queens missing, as it's only information I specifically have been able to verify. This list also doesn't encompass the full breadth of many queens' identities; many of them are of mixed race and ethnicity, or of several nationalities. That post provides further information. - I usually don't include actors who haven't debuted. That means that Kimberley Hodgson and Deirdre Khoo (both of the recently-announced Australian Tour) and Fia Houston-Hamilton (cancelled Breakaway 2.0) are not included.

Credits: Aragon: anniekwithacamera; Lloyd Bishop; _jasmine_shen_; jamesmorganphoto; sixthemusicalau, unsure of origin; ymduck_pic; _young_img Boleyn: Sara Crulwich; jonalderson_; Pamela Raith; sunaynasmith; _young_img; _shannon1025_, unsure of origin; fiorellabamba; Pamela Raith Seymour: Joan Marcus; hbiiii._.iin; jjang_beautiful; Szabina Jardek Cleves: hbiiii._.iin; gren_pic; Joan Marcus; Szabina Jardek Howard: Pamela Raith, Joan Marcus, day_star_._, 890110kr; Joan Marcus; Szabina Jardek; sierrafermin; Joan Marcus Parr: sixthemusical, unsure of origin; sixthemusicalau, unsure of origin; daynaransleyphoto; daynaransleyphoto; meganswleung; Pamela Raith; michaelah.jpg; elenabreschi; yoozuyoozu, unsure of origin; jjang_beautiful; Pamela Raith; Joan Marcus

[ashleyanemia]

I just finished Lovely Runner. 😭😭😭

YA'LL. I have been in the Asian drama and movie game for 17 years now. I started when I was around 13 years old and threw myself into it. I've seen well over 400 dramas and movies in my time. I have cried through plenty of them, been through many rollercoasters, plot twists, time jumps, slow plots, plot holes, terrible endings and happy ones. And Y A L L. Nothing prepared me for how wonderful and beautiful this kdrama was gonna be like ??? Excuse ME??? I thought it was gonna be the run of the mill like everybody else 1-2 eps in, and I was still gonna be happy about it anyways.

But Y A L L. I have cried at plenty endings of dramas as well. But I have never SOBBED at a final episode of a drama to be so... relieved, elated, happy, and beyond words that it was so emotional, wholesome, and endearingly happy.

In my hobby, (or as a faux profession of being an Asian Drama Savant as my friends call me at this point lol), I normally don't have the urge to buy merchandise, or own any physical product of projects.. But man. I'm gonna have to buy the drama set and some official merch of this drama. This is going to make it onto my obscure "rewatch/comfort" shows for the rest of my life. 🥹 It was so very precious, and I cannot express how cute, truly a good slice of life, and heart felt in life lessons this drama is.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST

The casting??? The most perfect pairing I've ever witnessed in a drama. Kim Hye-Yoon and Byeon Woo-Seok were the definition of perfection. The chemistry on and off the screen was just perfect. Nailed it, outta the park, chef's kiss, you name it.

[svt-rosalie]

97 🪱. ⠀ | _WORLD⠀٫⠀SEVENTEEN

?!⠀ ִ ⠀꒪ 드렘 ㅤׂ ⠀ 🧸 ﹨

🧸 : 세븐틴 𝄒 ﹙ 𝓡. ﹚

⌕ ‣     BASIC INFO ׁ⠀ ࣭ ⠀⠀⊹

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ BIRTH NAME — park jihye

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ HANGUL — 박지혜

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ ENGLISH NAME — rosalie dumont

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ NAME MEANING — from a sino-korean compound meaning "wisdom", formed of the hanja characters 智 (ji) meaning "wisdom, intellect" and 慧 (hye) meaning "bright, intelligent".

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ NICKNAMES — cozette ❪ by mother ❫, j ❪ by seventeen ❫, rosebud ❪ by carats ❫, roro ❪ by sister ❫, little nabi ❪ by father ❫

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ BIRTHDATE — may 3, 2000

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ AGE — 23 ❪ int. ❫ 24 ❪ kor. ❫

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ ZODIAC SIGN — taurus

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ BIRTHPLACE — paris, france

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ HOMETOWN — paris, france

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ NATIONALITY — korean-french

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ ETHNICITY — korean-french

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ LANGUAGES —

៹٠ french : 100%

៹٠ korean : 100%

៹٠ english : 85%

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ HEIGHT — 175 cm ❪ 5’9 in ❫

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ WEIGHT — 55 kg ❪ 121 lbs ❫

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ BLOOD TYPE — O-

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ HAIR COLOR — black ❪ naturally ❫, blonde w/ colored streaks ❪ currently ❫

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ EYE COLOR — brown

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ CLAIMS —

៹٠ face : unknown ❪ unknown ❫

៹٠ vocal : yooa ❪ oh my girl ❫

៹٠ rap : karina ❪ aespa ❫

៹٠ dance : jurin ❪ xg ❫

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ GENDER — female

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ PRONOUNS — she/her

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ SEXUAL ORIENTATION — pansexual

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ RELATIONSHIP STATUS — unknown ❪ est. unknown ❫

🪱 : 세븐틴 𝄒 ﹙ 𝓡. ﹚

⌕ ‣     CAREER ׁ⠀ ࣭ ⠀⠀⊹

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ STAGE NAME — rosalie

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ HANGUL — ���잘리

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ COMPANY — pledis entertainment ❪ 2013 - present ❫

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ TRAINEE PERIOD — 2 years ❪ 2013 - 2015 ❫

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ DEBUT AGE — 15 years old

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ GROUP — seventeen

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ SUBUNIT — vocal

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ POSITION — main vocal, lead dancer, visual

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ REPRESENTATIVE EMOJI — 🌹 / 🥖

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ INDIVIDUAL FANDOM — unknown

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ RANKING —

៹٠ vocal : 9 / 10

៹٠ rap : 3 / 10

៹٠ dance : 8 / 10

៹٠ visual ❪ korean standard ❫ : 8 / 10

៹٠ stage presence : 9 / 10

៹٠ acting : 7 / 10

៹٠ producing : 3 / 10

៹٠ songwriting : 8 / 10

៹٠ choreography : 8 / 10

៹٠ leadership : 7 / 10

៹٠ public speaking : 7 / 10

🧸 : 세븐틴 𝄒 ﹙ 𝓡. ﹚

⌕ ‣     PERSONAL ׁ⠀ ࣭ ⠀⠀⊹

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ MBTI TYPE — campaigners ❪ ENFP ❫

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ DESCRIPTION — campaigners are true free spirits – outgoing, openhearted, and open-minded. with their lively, upbeat approach to life, they stand out in any crowd. but even though they can be the life of the party, campaigners don’t just care about having a good time. these personality types run deep – as does their longing for meaningful, emotional connections with other people.

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ STRENGTHS —

៹٠ curious

៹٠ perceptive

៹٠ enthusiastic

៹٠ excellent communicators

៹٠ festive

៹٠ good natured

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ WEAKNESS —

៹٠ people pleasing

៹٠ unfocused

៹٠ disorganized

៹٠ overly accommodating

៹٠ overly optimistic

៹٠ restless

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ FAMILY —

⌕ ‣     AURORE DUMONT ׁ⠀ ࣭ ⊹ ❪ MOTHER ❫

—— birthdate : march 15, 1974

—— age : 49

—— birthplace : paris, france

—— ethnicity : french

—— occupation : bakery owner

—— status : alive

⌕ ‣     PARK HYEONJU ׁ⠀ ࣭ ⊹ ❪ FATHER ❫

—— birthdate : october 18, 1971

—— age : 52

—— birthplace : daegu, south korea

—— ethnicity : korean

—— occupation : pilot

—— status : alive

⌕ ‣     PARK JIYEONG ׁ⠀ ࣭ ⊹ ❪ SISTER ❫

—— english name : valentine dumont

—— birthdate : february 14, 2010

—— age : 13

—— birthplace : paris, france

—— ethnicity : korean-french

—— occupation : student

—— status : dead

🪱 : 세븐틴 𝄒 ﹙ 𝓡. ﹚

⌕ ‣     TRIVIA ׁ⠀ ࣭ ⠀⠀⊹

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ HABITS — pouting when she’s unfocused, stuff’s her mouth too full when eating ❪ makes her look like a chipmunk ❫, making random sound effect when doing something, always humming, gets clingy when sleepy

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ PHOBIAS — acrophobia ❪ fear of heights ❫

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ MEDICAL CONDITIONS — broken left hip, chronic back pain

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ ALLERGIES — sea food, coconut

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ LIKES — taylor swift, farm animals ❪ cows, goats, sheep, ect ❫, forest, baking desserts, astrology, harry potter, pastel colors ❪ pink, orange, purple ❫, ballet, playing piano, flowers ❪ tulips, lotus, tiger lily, wisteria ❫, romantic comedies, birthdays, autumn, scented candles

˳ ׄ ཐིiཋྀ ⟡ DISLIKES — gossiping, roller coasters, bungee jumping, air planes, strong smelling cologne, fizzy drinks, plain clothes, scary movies/games

taglist —

[youremyheaven]

Jupiter Influence Among Korean Actors

Over the years, I have noticed a distinct pattern in the Korean entertainment industry, where most stars considered to be icons have strong Jupiter influence in their charts. Korean general public prefers celebs with a graceful and elegant image, who also have "duality" (they're cute but fierce) and Jupiter natives are endowed with these charms.

I had already mentioned female Kpop idols & Jupiter influence on a previous post, so, this post will focus mainly on Korean actors.

Song Hye Kyo is arguably the most successful Korean actress of all time. She has been in the top billing for over 20years at this point.

She has Hasta Moon (I had mentioned in another post about how Hasta women are revered for their femininity and grace), Uttarashada Ketu (UA gives one a glamorous image) and Vishaka Mercury Atmakaraka.

Atmakaraka is what signifies our soul's purpose, hers lies in the Jupiterean nak of Vishaka.

In fact, its very common for Korean actors to have their atmakaraka or amatyakaraka in a Jupiter nakshatra.

2. Park Minyoung has Venus in Purvabhadrapada as her atmakaraka

She rose to fame playing a young girl who disguises herself as a guy in order to attend school in ancient Korea. It is her family's dire circumstances that push her to attend school in order to find work. This whole drama is very Jupiter coded and the majority of the cast have strong Jupiter placements as well.

Her most popular drama is What's Wrong With Secretary Kim where she plays the secretary to a CEO who is almost inept without her micromanaging his life. I've noticed that many Jupiter women tend to be in this position where, in whatever relationship dynamic, others don't know what to do in her absence because she often single-handedly runs the whole place and makes it look easy and only in her absence do they realise that its far from easy.

3.Kim Ji-won is Punarvasu moon

One of her best known roles is that of Choi Ae-ra in Fight My Way, which I would say is a very typical Punarvasu character. Punarvasu's enthusiasm, almost childlike behaviour and charm can fit the description of a quintessential Asian romcom protagonist and Choi Ae-ra is a very good example of the same. Her rise from the bottom rung of the ladder to working hard to get where she is, is also a very Jupiterean tale (since Jupiter moon natives go through their Saturn mahadasha as young adults).

4.Kim Go-eun has Punarvasu mercury & ketu

Kim Go-eun's first ever starring role was as Eungyo in the movie of the same name.

It is the story of a teenage girl who becomes the object of desire for a 70yr old poet. The movie is very Punarvasu coded imo. In fact, regarding her casting, the novelist, whose book was adapted to the film, had this to say:

 "She was perfect for the forever virgin and forever young image that Eun-gyo symbolizes."

This is literally the embodiment of Punarvasu energy which makes the native simultaneously sensual and innocent.

5. Gong Hyo Jin has Vishaka moon atmakaraka and mercury in Purvabhadrapada amatyakaraka

Her character in When the Camellia Blooms is very Jupiter coded. Jupiter energy can often be manifest as a kind of innocence and naivete and a tendency to be a goody two-shoes.

6.Shin Min-ah has Saturn in Vishaka as amatyakaraka

Her most well known role would be that of a doctor in Hometown Cha Cha Cha, in which she plays a person who refuses to compromise on her principles/ethics to get ahead in her career and has to end up leaving Seoul for a small town. This is again, very Jupiter coded because Jupiter influence makes natives very righteous and possess a strong sense of integrity.

7.Han So hee is Vishaka sun

She was recently in an MV for Jungkook's song 'Seven' which features a quarrelling couple. I've often noticed that with many famous Vishaka women, fighting with their partner, often publicly seems to become attached to their public image. This could also apply to their relationships becoming controversial in general. Miley Cyrus, Beyonce, Katy Perry, Lana Del Rey, Jennie etc all have their luminaries in Vishaka with the exception of Lana who has a Vishaka stellium and they've all had relationship drama that caught public attention in a major way.

The role that catapulted Han So Hee to fame was that of a married man's mistress in the drama The World of the Married👀

8. Jung So-min has Purvabhadrapada Sun & Venus (atmakaraka), Punarvasu Moon (amatyakaraka)

in Because This Is My First Life, she plays a broke writer who despite being a good daughter is not appreciated by her family at all, and despite being good at what she does, faces trouble in her workplace and is overall just going through a not so good time . As I've said before, Jupiter natives go through their Saturn Mahadasha as young adults and this phase is a difficult one where they have to work very very hard to get things done and make any kind of progress. Most K-dramas that focus on the adversities of life, as experienced by a 20 something probably has a Jupiter dominant native as its protagonist.

in general, the reason why Jupiter dominant men & women dominate Korean entertainment, be it music or dramas, is because of the kind of content that Korean entertainment focuses on and the kind of people that the Korean public chooses to support. K-Dramas are known for their complex plots, often focusing on people at conflict with their values and ideas, struggling with their conscience, facing life's challenges and overcoming adversity; class struggles, portrayal of wealth/lack of it, rising to the top, underdogs emerging as winners etc. These are inherently Jupiterean.

Even with Korean music, it has a unique system in place where idols have to "train" for several years before they make their debut. Being hardworking and being an "ace" who excels in several areas is prided on in Korea; in such a culture, it makes sense why Jupiter dominants emerge as the ones on the very top of the food chain.

Now, we'll talk about some male actors😋😌

Lee Minho has Mars in Punarvasu & Mercury in Punarvasu (his atmakaraka & amatyakaraka)

Honestly, his entire filmography is very Jupiter coded 🤣 The role that made him a household name was that of rich, spoilt heir to an immensely wealthy family who is the most popular guy in school and leader of his rat pack.

His most successful role is that of a King in the drama The King: Eternal Monarch which is about an ancient Korean emperor who time travels through a portal into modern-day Korea. Both the fact that he's playing nobility as well as the fact that the drama features time travel/alternate reality esque things makes it VERY Punarvasu coded.

(Punarvasu's element is ether and its deity Goddess Aditi is the Mother Goddess and creator the universe itself, many time travel/movies about the nature of reality feature Jupiter natives)

The drama co-stars Kim Go-Eun, who I have already mentioned above as a Punarvasu girlie🥰

2. Gong Yoo is Punarvasu sun (amatyakaraka)

He starred in the movie "Silenced" which was based on a horrifying true story where he plays a teacher at a school who tries to stand up for and protect differently abled children who are routinely subject to extremely cruel and abusive treatment at a boarding school.

Punarvasu natives are known for standing up for others, especially those who do not have a voice/who are unable to stand up for themselves. These natives have a strong sense of justice and empathy and do not think twice about questioning authority.

His character in Coffee Prince is one which made him a household name and in this drama, he plays a chaebol heir who falls for a young guy who is actually a woman disguising herself as a guy 💀I feel like Jupiter men have at least one movie/show in their filmography that is very queer coded (ex: Keanu Reeves, Punarvasu Moon with My Own Private Idaho)

His most well known character is that of Goblin in the drama of the same name, where he plays an immortal who seeks salvation. Very Punarvasu coded.

This is just a personal observation but I've noticed how many Punarvasu men have an androgynous vibe 🥵

3.Kim Woo Bin is Punarvasu sun (atmakaraka) and mercury

His breakout role was that of a wealthy chaebol heir in the drama, The Heirs.

Playing the CEO's son or the CEO, who is initially arrogant and then faces different trials and tribulations and ultimately redeems himself is a common Kdrama trope and I've noticed that the actors picked for these parts the most tend to be Jupiter-dominant.

4.Song Joong Ki has Vishaka moon & saturn (his atmakaraka)

Vishaka is a rakshasa gana nakshatra and I'd previously observed how many mafia movies feature rakshasa gana natives as the main leads. Joong-ki's Vincenzo sees him play a mafia lawyer.

His character is Arthdal Chronicles (featuring fellow Jupiter girlie, Kim Ji Won) is also very Jupiter coded. Its about the birth of civilization and life in the ancient world. Joong Ki plays the leader of his clan.

5.Park Seo Joon has Purvabhadrapada moon (his amatyakaraka)

He is one of those actors who plays himself in every show/movie he does. This means all his characters are charming, slightly awkward or a little dumb, but good natured and caring individuals who go above and beyond for others. This is like a quintessential Jupiter man trope.

Especially his character in Fight My Way, is VERY Jupiter coded and features fellow Jupiter native, Kim Ji-Won.

A slightly stupid but endearingly adorkable guy who works a low end job and trains to be a boxer whilst looking out for his friends and loved ones? Especially his whole side arc with his ex gf on the show is such a Jupiter guy thing; to forgive a woman and be there for her even though she never cared for him and only kept him around because he was sooo nice to her and did everything for her. I've seen this happen with many Jupiter guys because as Claire said in her video these are the nice guys who women keep in the friend zone because even though they're perfect and extremely courteous, women don't feel like they could be a serious partner.

His character in Itaewon Class explores Jupiter in a different way. He is a struggling businessman who is engaged in a long drawn out battle with a chaebol and finally emerges victorious in the end. Despite the chaebol's petty and below the belt tactics, Seo-joon's character always took the high road and held on to his principles and conducted himself with integrity. Jupiter natives are almost always destined to be the bigger person.

6.Park Bogum has Mercury in Punarvasu as his atmakaraka

He rose to fame for playing a motherless prodigy on Reply 1988. His character was a typical Jupiter one; he's very talented, successful and recognised for the same but he takes no pleasure in it and does not really indulge in the privileges it offers him.

His most famous role would be that of a Prince who falls in love with his eunuch (who is actually just a woman pretending to be a eunuch) in the drama Love in the Moonlight. Like I said before, Jupiter guys have at least one queer coded project in their filmography lol.

7.Park Hyung shik has Sun & Mars in Vishaka (his atmakaraka & amatyakaraka)

His most famous role is that of a CEO in the drama Strong Girl Bong Soon.

8.Yoo Ah In has Venus in Vishaka as his atmakaraka and Jupiter in Purvabhadrapada as his amatyakaraka

His character in the movie Burning represents the dark side of Jupiter men.

His drama Chicago Typewriter features him reincarnating in present day Korea after initially living in the 1930s.

Jupiter influence is visible in movies/shows that have tropes of alternate reality, reincarnation, time travel etc.

[ppeonppeonhan]

Korean GLs I'd Watch...

Let's try to manifest a world where some of the biggest Korean actresses were cast in major full-length GL kdramas.

COP + CRIMINAL

Esom (Because This Is My First Life) and Lee Da-hee (Search: WWW) play partners and besties, who both fall for their respective suspects for a crime spree against the patriarchy. (Think: Evening the pay gap at a major company; exposing scandals of sexist politicians; and chemically castrating sex offenders). Esom's love interest is Park Eun-bin (Extraordinary Attorney Woo), and Da-hee's love interest is Seo Yea-ji (It's Okay to Not Be Okay). It's a romantic crime thriller.

FRIENDS to LOVERS

Seol In-ah (Business Proposal) plays a new-money rich girl who hires a former old-money rich girl, played by Yoo In-na (Touch Your Heart), to be her personal assistant out of pity, but pretends she doesn't know her backstory. And Yoo helps Seol navigate rich society. Their conflict is that Seol's family bankrupted Yoo's family, and is getting the life Yoo was supposed to have, including the fiancee, the job, and the house. It's a sweet romantic comedy.

BOSS + EMPLOYEE

Kim Ji-won (Fight My Way) starts a job at a family law firm and works hard to get one of the partners, played by Son Ye-jin (Crash Landing on You), to be her mentor, but only because she wants her job. She starts off as a frenemie before Ye-Jin's hard edges rub off, and Ji-won develops a crush. Their obstacles are that Ye-Jin is married and in the closet, and Ji-won might be too ambitious to let go of her goals. It's a slow-burn romantic legal drama.

COOL GIRL + DORK

Park Shin-hye (Heirs & Pinocchio) plays a cold fashion house designer who hires an unlikely candidate to be her muse, played by Moon Ga-young (True Beauty). And what starts off as a toxic relationship blooms into a supportive one. Park Bo-young (Strong Girl Bong-soon) plays her head of design, who befriends Ga-young's bestie-turned-manager, played by Kim Seul-gi (Oh My Ghostess). They're the softer side couple. It's a romantic workplace dramedy.

FRIENDS to ENEMIES to LOVERS

Seo Hyun-jin (Why Her?) and Gong Hyo-jin (When the Camellia Blooms) were friends in college, but they had a falling out after a misunderstanding about a guy. They have a tense reunion as adults when Hyo-jin is setting up her nuptials at the wedding hall Hyun-jin manages. It's a slowburn romantic drama.

ONE-SIDED OBSESSION

Shin Min-a (Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha) plays the wife of a very powerful and abusive man and Hwang Jung-eum (She Was Pretty) plays the maid who is secretly in love with her and helps her escape. They go to Jung-eum's hometown where everyone assumes she's bringing her girlfriend home for the first time, because she didn't have the heart to tell them she got dumped after running away to be with her. Min-a decides to pretend to be the woman to pay her back, and they fall in love. The conflict being when Jung-eum's ex, played by Park Min-young (What's Wrong with Secretary Kim), returns to get her back.

💜 Your move Kdrama world! 💜

[manawari]

Solo Leveling werewolf AU!

If we have AUs such as Mafia and Vampire, why not Werewolf AU?

Other ideas are greatly appreciated!<3

SHADOW BLOODHOUNDS

> led by Sung Il-hwan, the Alpha.

> werewolves with black fur are rare, so it's no surprise that Sung Il-hwan soon became the leader of the pack.

> the name "Shadow Bloodhounds" was originated from a family of werewolves, who had dark reddish-brown fur, and the shadow term came from how the members frequently lurked in the shadows for surprise attacks. And since Sung Il-hwan became the Alpha, plus his wolf form being a black wolf, the name became stronger and prominent.

> Sung Il-hwan's son, Sung Jin-woo, is the Beta. Like his father, his wolf form also has a black fur. This became a big shock to the entire pack, especially when they saw their Alpha's son transform for the first time.

> before becoming the Beta when he reached 20, Sung Jin-woo had to fight the former Beta — as per tradition among all wolf packs. Despite being the "weakest" due to his birth, Jin-woo managed to win by sheer determination and since he became his father's second-in-command, he became stronger overtime.

> if he's not doing any werewolf duties, Sung Il-hwan runs a fire department, which he also works as a firefighter. He also holds urgent meetings in the station once everyone else is out. Sung Jin-woo, however, has chosen to be a detective rather than a firefighter like his father.

> Jin-woo is secretly the only member in the pack who has killed a human. Although, he never tells it to anyone.

> known members: Park Kyung-hye, Sung Jin-ah, Yoo Jin-ho, Yoo Soo-hyun, Lee Ju-hee, Han Song-yi, Kang Tae-shik, and Kim Sang-shik.

CRIMSON FANGS

> led by Choi Jong-in, the Alpha.

> unlike Sung Il-hwan, Choi Jong-in came from a heritage of Alphas and Betas. His father was an Alpha and his mother was a Beta. Thus, they led the pack together, as well as running a law firm, which soon fell into Jong-in's hands when he took his rightful place in the pack.

> for his Beta, Jong-in chose Cha Hae-in, who is his close friend since childhood. But not only that, she's also the fastest wolf in the pack and has the strongest smell, so it'll make sense of why he picked her of all strong werewolves in the pack.

> even though a werewolf's eyesight is sharp, Jong-in wears his glasses to shape himself into being a human. But when he's in his wolf cycle, his eyeglasses are taken off as they might break during his transformation.

> when there's a wolf cycle, it's also hunting season for the werewolf packs. Jong-in and Hae-in plot the strategy and divide their pack into two, sometimes three if their target is a larger herd.

> known members: Song Chi-yul, Son Ki-hoon, Gina, Seo Ji-woo, Lee Bora, and Han Se-mi.

RAVEN HOWLERS

> led by Lim Tae-gyu, the Alpha.

> usually, whenever there's a large flock of ravens, all of the Raven Howlers are gathered. Ravens also serve as the Eagle Eye of the pack, alerting the Alpha if anything dire happens.

> Ma Dong-wook used to be the Alpha, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, he stepped down and switched places with Lim Tae-gyu, who was the Beta at that time.

> during the wolf cycle, the entire pack will howl under the bright full moon whilst the ravens swirl in the air. It is a tradition for summoning more luck in the pack.

> while most wolves don't like to have birds resting on them, Tae-gyu happily lets the ravens rest on his fur however as they want, especially in winter.

> Tae-gyu also relies on Eun-seok, who serves as his "back-up" since he's quick to lunge into action or if someone is going to attack the Alpha from behind.

> known members: Eun-seok, Jung Ye-rim, Lee Min-sung, and Park Jong-soo.

BERSERK CLAWS

> led by Baek Yoon-ho, the Alpha.

> some believed that Yoon-ho came from a lineage that bore strong connection to Rakan.

> Yoon-ho is a fierce werewolf, lethal in his heavy claws. He's one of the biggest werewolves when transformed, but even in his human form, he can crush a head with his own bare hands.

> Park Hee-jin is his chosen Beta. She's a she-wolf with an impeccable sense for danger, she reads the situation quick and carefully, and her guts are as sharp as her mind. She's able to tell when a situation is not good and informs her leader firsthand before forming her own strategy.

> Min Byung-gyu, Yoon-ho's best friend, had once been offered for the rank of the Beta. However, he rejects it as he doesn't think leadership is his forte. And even then, he's one of the strongest wolves and protects his fellow members.

> Yoon-ho has a reputation of killing his own kind, making him fearsome that even some of his members are cowering on him.

> while the rest work in teams, Yoon-ho usually hunts alone as his strength is merely for taking down large animals.

> known members: Kim Chul and Ahn Sang-min.

CRESCENT GUARDIANS

> led by Go Gun-hee, the Alpha.

> Woo Jin-chul is his second-in-command.

> like black-furred werewolves, white-furred werewolves are also rare. And Go Gun-hee is the oldest living white-furred wolf, as well as the oldest active Alpha when most would retire before reaching his age.

> Go Gun-hee doesn't always go for action, mainly because he's looking after his strength, so he relies on his Beta for the task.

> Go Gun-hee is the most respected Alpha besides Sung Il-hwan.

> they're the only pack who has been recognized by other packs outside the country.

> Woo Jin-chul once took down an entire group of rogues, showing his formidability after they attempted to raid the pack.

> known members: ————

Other notes:

— pack wars are a thing, though not as frequent unlike decades ago.

— it is believed that Rakan, a beast entity who can turn into a human, had started the race by cursing several humans to continue his legacy and increase population.

— there are werewolves called 'Rogues' — it's when a werewolf is banished from their pack.

— there are certain outfits/fabrics that don't get ripped apart when shifting, rather they just disappear in the process.

— during the wolf cycle, all packs run to the mountains for camping — some build their own little houses deep in the woods, far from the human civilization. It is a coincidence if they stumble upon other packs.

[dangermousie]

As I was telling @aysekira, one ep in, I am enjoying Encounter but it is very very much a middle-aged lady wish fulfillment the way all those Bond movies with a dude who can kill people with a pinkie and have five hot girls at once are a middle aged man wish fulfillment.

Song Hye Kyo is a stunning woman but she's 11 years older than Park Bo Gum and the drama chooses (the actually brave and neat) choice of emphasizing the age difference instead of trying to pretend there is barely any. I don't remember what the actual ages in the drama are supposed to be but the age gap is supposed to be significant - he's straight out of college and she's a divorced woman in her 30s. And they show it! Her clothes are nicely tailored but they are frankly aging as fuck in the first ep - the dresses/suits she wears is not something anyone under 50 should wear, like something out of a Chico's ad. And he's all hippie flower child who does look straight out of college.

And the thing is, I am enjoying and swooning as intended (the chemistry and the acting are very much there) but in the back of my head, a little thought keeps running: I don't care if a woman is as stunning as SHK, in RL, no boy straight out of college will fall deeply in love and want to settle down forever with a woman that much older. Not unless he has issues that the well-adjusted ML simply does not have.* (And I don't think she would want him permanently either.) A vacation fling? Sure. A one night stand? Hell yeah. Even a short lived little relationship where she gets someone young and enthusiastic and not yet tainted by all complexities of long term dwelling in the adult world and he gets someone who knows her mind and is not insecure and can teach him the ropes and takes care of herself is possible. But not this. Not a true love forever immediately between 22 year old and a 32 year old (or whatever it is.)

*it's not that it's always not possible - I totally believed in the couple in Secret Love Affair and she was 20 years older than him and married to boot. But they were both truly wounded people and both were also so obsessed with piano that that mutual obsession overrode any age issues or really anything else. Here he's just too normal.

But you know what? I like fantasy dramas. Is it realistic to have this? Nah, not really. But it's not realistic to have a nine tailed fox run around looking for the reincarnation of his dead lover or an immortal goblin pal with a grim ripper in Seoul or whatever either. As long as the narrative is internally consistent, I can put away my real life take.

[kdramaspace]

🔁 please consider reblogging to increase our sample size

as always, if you’d like to submit a potential POTW question, you may send in your submissions here.

[sitp-recs]

BL Reclist - Part 4

Hello hello, here I am with another BL rec list no one asked for 😌 I’ve been reading a lot these days, while I wait for my fandom spark to come back. Most of these manhwas are still ongoing which means I’ve been busy with: alpha x alpha romance! Break up make up! Identity porn! Revenge! Mafia love triangles! It’s all here folks, pick your poison and have fun. If you’re looking for completed works, better start with 4, 8 and 9. You can also check my previous BL lists here, here and here for a few more completed series. I know these lists are a bit niche and not very popular but who knows, maybe I’ll find fellow BL fans who will enjoy these as much as I did!

1. Aren’t You My Type? by Ha tae jin / Toffee (M, ongoing)

Geon-ah responds to Hyun-dal's message, who mistook him for Hye-sung. As they continue to communicate, they grow closer and closer, their first face-to-face meeting seems like it will never come. An alpha x alpha romantic comedy that starts with a misunderstanding!

2. Blaze Out by Chepali, Zelnut & Kkoyo (E, ongoing)

Once a promising high school baseball player, Yeon Hong’s bright future is shattered by a tragic car accident, leading him to uncover the involvement of private loan sharks. Seeking revenge, he transforms into a loan shark himself, establishing “Coco Loan.” However, twelve years later, Hong’s journey takes a surprising turn when the powerful President Yoo Jaeyoung orders Hong to mentor his mysterious lover, ‘Panther.’

3. God’s Identity Card by Ni sansui & Djun (M, ongoing)

Lu Lanqiao, a forensic science student, became the most likely suspect in the murder of his elder brother overnight. His brother's last words put him on the run. While trying to find out who killed his brother, Lanqiao meets Fu Cheng, the police inspector who was hot on his trail. However, the relationship between the fugitive and the pursuer gradually changes.

4. Here U Are by Djun (M, complete)

Receptioning the newcomers is a task for YuYang, and he ends up helping the unsociable and towering LiHuan, the kind of person that does everything to be disliked. But after better knowing each other, he discovers that the giant isn’t that bad of a person at all.

5. Payback by Samk & Fujoking (E, ongoing)

While other students were preparing to take their CSAT exams, Lee Yoonhan was swept up in an exhilarating lifestyle of crime and debauchery. While working for a loan shark, karma catches up to him when a family member dies from an act of revenge against him. After years of repenting for his sins and trying to turn over a new leaf, he meets a man in the entertainment industry who gives him the opportunity to get his revenge.

6. Private Scandal by Totiko (E, ongoing)

Known as the muse of a renowned designer, Iliyan Moore has achieved almost everything a model could want: celebrity status, money, full bookings…and a reputation as a man-seducing home wrecker. Stalked by the paparazzi and harassed by an obsessed boss with a jealous wife, Iliyan is on guard against everyone around him. So, one could only imagine his shock when dashing Kyle Hackman manages to effortlessly charm his way past his defenses and into his bed on their first meeting.

7. Sparkling Baby by Zec (E, ongoing)

Due to a recent heartbreak, Hanjoon arrives in New York. Not only is he delighted to meet a Korean in an unfamiliar city, he has a one-night stand with him. "I should've asked for his name." However, these two end up meeting again years later, in an unusual place. Where will their one-night stand lead them to? Spin off from Lover Boy, featuring side character Baek Hanjoon.

8. Spring, the Color of Love by Chepali & Park Ji-yeon (M, complete)

"Je te veux. I want you." Cheongsun and Gonghyeon meet as college students, but their different social background and experience lead to a painful falling out. Ten years later, the two meet again in the world of hotel management and get to reminisce about their short spring love all those years before.

9. Unintentional Love Story by Pibi (M, complete)

Wonyoung gets unjustly suspended from work after getting caught up in a corruption scandal. When he accidentally discovers the chairman's favorite artist Yoon Taejun living under an alias, he is tasked with a tricky new mission. Could this be Wonyoung's chance to get his job back?

10. Wet Sand by Doyak (E, ongoing)

Click. A thoughtless finger slip leads Jo to snap a picture of Ian smoking on his balcony - and thus, their fates begin to intertwine. Jo can't stop fantasizing about the tall, handsome stranger on the balcony, and grabs any chance to get to know him better. Unfortunately, he doesn't realize that Ian does the dirty work for one of the region's largest, most unsavory gangs... and is the lover of one of their most powerful people.

[buldakdrama]

5 KDramas to Watch if You Want to See Female Villains in Action

There are three main elements to make a Kdrama worth watching - the main leads, the execution of the storyline and the villains. You can’t deny the fact that villains like Jung Joon Ho and Imoogi have made the courses of the dramas even more exciting and enthralling to watch. Villains have sometimes made us hate them with all of our hearts, sometimes they silently secured a place in it (just like Jung Guen Won from Itaewon Class). 

When it comes to Kdrama villains, they are mostly male but that doesn’t mean Korean Industry has not gifted us some of the cruelest and toughest female villains. And if you are yet to enjoy one of these bone-chilling female villains of Kdrama, then you are at the right place because today we have brought 5 deadliest yet underrated female villains for you to enjoy.  

1. Park Yeon Jin - The Glory

There is hardly anyone who has not watched The Glory yet. The drama deals with sensitive themes like high school bullying, abuse of power and money, infidelity and so on. And when a drama is mainly dark themed, the actors playing these dark roles need to be talented enough to pull the roles perfectly without leaving any loopholes. Lim Ji Yeon here plays the role of Park Yeon Jin, who is the leader of the bully group. She is a spoiled teen brat, who abuses her power and money to get away with her wrong doings. She constantly bullies Moon Dong Eun, pushes another student from the rooftop, kills one of her notorious friends, cheats on her husband and what not. She has all the ill-qualities that will make you hate her from the core of your heart. But her character and Lim Ji Yeon’s ability to blend with the role, makes the drama much more enjoyable and thrilling. So, if you have not watched it, you should give it a try but proceed with caution since there are triggering concepts.  

2. Choi Myeong Hee - Vincenzo

Everything I try to write about Choi Myeong Hee will fall short. The way we all wanted to kill her while watching Vicenzo is proof of the ability of Kim Yeo Jin in portraying this evil lawyer, who is also Jung Joon Ho’s ally. She’s nasty, she is evil, she is cruel, even her accent will tick you off very badly. But we have to admit to the fact that the drama would not be as marvelous as it is without her character in it. She constantly commits many wrong deeds only to gain more and more power. However, we must admit that we all have been quite impressed by her zumba dancing skills anyway. 

3. Cha Moon Suk - Lawless Lawyer

The character of Cha Moon Suk is the perfect example of two-faced. This Lawless Lawyer villain appears to be all noble and caring but she is actually corrupt and greedy. Lee Hye Young plays the role of a senior judge, who secretly runs a corrupt charity and spares absolutely no one who comes in her way. She doesn’t even hesitate to kill her dear friend nor does she show mercy for her long-time right hand man Ahn Oh Joo. She’s driven by her greed and can do anything to attain more power and money. In my personal opinion, her character and awesome screenplay is probably the only thing that makes the drama worth watching, as for me, both of the main leads could have portrayed themselves a lot better. 

4. Kang So Young - School 2015

Here comes another bully, Kang So Young from School 2015. Cha Soo Hyang plays this character of this spoiled teenager Kang So Young who finds great pleasure in bullying her orphan classmate, Eun Bi. Her bullying goes so far that Eun Bi is pushed to the verge of death. However, Kang So Young feels no remorse. As the drama goes, she gets even more evil as she does not show any sign of leaving Eun Bi alone. She does not even regret her choices and uses her parent’s power to get away with everything. However, at the end of the drama she reflects upon her choices and apologies to Eun Bi. But that does not mean her character is easily forgiven, am I right? 

5. Choi Yoo Jin - The K2

Here comes our last and my personal favorite pick, Choi Yoo Jin from The K2. Even though Yoo Jin’s character is not the villain but an antagonist, still she is a deserving candidate for this list. Song Yoon Ah plays the role of Choi Yoo Jin, who is a woman of mid 40s, she is also a daughter from a chaebol family but is disinherited. Her father disowned her because she married a politician. And guess what, that same husband, goes behind her back every night and cheats on her on a daily basis. She is also the CEO of JSS Security, which is responsible for her presidential candidate husband’s security. Her character certainly makes some bad choices, such as separating her step-daughter from her husband and using her constantly to blackmail the man, but she is the one to hurt the most as well. 

Even though her relationship with her family and husband is dianted and she is mostly used for money, she gives her everything to keep his husband’s image spotless. She grows a fondness, dare I say romantic feelings, for Kim Je Ha (Ji Chang Wook) but that too is quickly shut down as the main female lead comes into the picture. All in all, she may seem to be an evil woman but she actually is a victim of fate and betrayal, which is understandable. Song Yoon Ah’s incredible acting and her on screen chemistry with Ji Chang Wook is one of the primary reasons why you should watch the drama if you have not already. 

That was all for today, we will come with another recommendation post, sooner than you think. 

– Admin Nika

[starcrossed591]

KDrama Year in Review 2023

While I watched more KDramas this year than CDramas, none of them consumed my heart and soul quite like this year's crop of CDramas did (CDrama review post here). And I dropped KDramas more readily than I have in years past, in part because there were so many more things to watch than I had time for (also I had to finish my dissertation and graduate, etc etc). Still, there were definitely some that I really, really enjoyed, so here's this year's KDrama round up:

16. My Lovely Liar: Started strong, got boring real quick. Dropped for homophobic murder plot. Still, glad to see that Hwang Min Hyn can actually act (although full disclosure, I did still enjoy him in Alchemy of Souls, wooden as that performance may be). Hoping Kim So Hyun can catch a break and get a role in a drama more worthy of her in the near future.

15. Crash Course in Romance: Excellent performances and chemistry by the ML and FL. Romance between two middle aged people instead of youths is also a treat. Dropped around ep 12 because of the unnecessary, homophobic murder plot. Pass.

14. A Good Day to Be a Dog: Surprisingly stronger than the goofy premise suggests, largely on the basis of Park Gyu-Young's performance as the FL who turns into a dog upon being kissed. Pacing problems in the third act around the origins of the whole dog curse thing. Can't say I recommend unless you're really in the mood for some shenanigans, but largely inoffensive if a little silly. (Also it turns out Cha Eun Woo *really* leveled up his kiss game for this one!)

13. Love to Hate You: Perfectly serviceable rom com. Nothing too special, but a nice weekend binge if you're in the mood for that. Also a good way to see Kim Ji-Hoon's v handsome face and that *hair* without having to deal with everything involved with his rather murderous run in Flower of Evil.

12. Joseon Attorney: A Morality: Perfectly serviceable law procedural/Joseon historical. If you don't like either of those genres your mileage may vary, but I had missed having Bona on my screen, so it worked well enough for me.

11. Welcome to Samdal-ri: I seem to like this one more than literally everyone else I know, and I fully admit that my enjoyment of this drama is more vibes-based than plot-based. I guess I have a soft spot for Shin Hye Sun yelling at people at Ji Chang Wook going a bit unhinged over a woman who ran away from him (see also: Lovestruck in the City).

10. My Demon: Very much enjoying Song Kang as a cranky demon falling in love with a human. Very tropey in the best way, and feels like a return to form for the supernatural romance genre. Remains to be seen if they'll land the ending as of this writing, but enjoying as it goes.

9. Doctor Cha: A contribution to the slate of divorce comedies I watched this year (see also: Strangers Again (KDrama) and Let's Get Divorced (JDrama)), a surprisingly touching story about growing older when you've devoted your life to someone who has not done the same for you.

8. Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow (Part 2): While Ko Joon-Yung never quite managed to replace Jung So-Min as the FL for me, I definitely still enjoyed the closer to this fun fantasy series. Special shout out to Shin Seung-Ho as Prince Go Won and his pet turtle

7. Strangers Again: I didn't see a ton about this one on tumblr as it was airing, but I found this rom com? melodrama? divorce procedural? makjang? story about relationships and why they end unexpectedly profound. I tuned in expecting mindless makjang hot mess, and instead got a thoughtful meditation on divorce. Left me feeling unexpectedly melancholy at the end, but glad I watched it.

6. The Secret Romantic Guesthouse: Very fun sageuk! Probably won't knock your socks off, but it does what it does very well. Bonus points for a B couple as compelling as the A couple. I've also been a big Kang Hoon fan since Little Women, and there are a couple of other actors in here that I'm always glad to see working.

5. Perfect Marriage Revenge: Tour de force makjang. Came out of nowhere and blew me away. Hits all the right beats, and unexpectedly fun (and was a nice break from the heaviness of My Dearest for me). This was a good year for jaded and slightly unhinged transmigrated FL's back for their #revenge (see also: Story of Kunning Palace in CDrama land), and I was here for it. Also features one of the spiciest make-out scenes of the year, 10/10 recommend

4. See You in My 19th Life: Absolutely loved this haunting, melancholy, and sometimes unexpectedly goofy reincarnation drama. I loved the webtoon and had high expectations, and this drama largely met them! The continuing relationship between sisters Ji-Eum (Shin Hye Sun) and Cho-Won (Ha Yoon Kyung) was a special highlight for me, and while Shin Hye Sun is already a never-miss for me, I'm especially looking forward to whatever Ha Yoon Kyung does next. I prefer the ending of the Webtoon to the KDrama, but I'm still delighted this drama exists and am glad I watched it.

3. The Interest of Love: Look, I loved this drama. Even though it seemed on the surface like nothing but *mess* in the interpersonal lives of these characters working at a bank on the border between a rich and poor neighborhood in Seoul, it nonetheless had some of the most searing class commentary of the year for me. I also love an FL who will (spoiler) pack up her things and disappear at the drop of a hat, even if no one else will understand her decision to do so, because she just cannot deal anymore (see also: the FL in Lovestruck in the City, whom I also love but everyone else hated). This drama kept me gleefully coming back every week in a year where not a lot of others did.

2. Call It Love: A revenge slice of life melodrama that I found unexpectedly touching in its deep melancholy. Loved not only the main couple, but the relationship between the siblings and their pharmacist bestie. A lovely character study. (Also I somehow ended up watching this at the same time as Till the End of the Moon and Li Susu as Ye Xiwu's hidden identity/revenge plot, which was unexpectedly stressful! Had a very "it's the same picture" moment despite two dramas in two genres that could not be further apart.) If you missed this one (and since it aired on Disney+, you might have--Disney+'s effects on the KDrama streaming ecosystem will be the death of me), it's worth seeking out!

1. My Dearest (Parts 1 and 2): Kind of feels like everyone has said everything there is to say about sageuk of truly epic proportions, but it blew me away as well. Epic romance? Check. Twisty political machinations? Check. Heartwarming friendships between women? Check. Strong ensemble cast? And my top FL of the year, Lady Gil-Chae, played to perfection by Ahn Eun-Jin. I've adored her since Hospital Playlist, and am delighted that she's getting the attention and the roles she deserves. Namkoong Min also a top contender for ML of the year as Lee Jang-Hyun. Part 2 dragged for me a bit in places after a nearly perfect Part 1, but such a great drama overall.

Favorite Drama of the Year: My Dearest. See above.

Favorite Female Character: I mean, it's gotta be Gil Chae from My Dearest, right? She starts out as such a spiteful, spoiled noblewoman, and then turns out to have a core of pure steel. Turns out all her conniving and strategizing, which went towards causing mischief in the village, really just needed a proper outlet. While I would never want to be in the circumstances in which she found herself, if I did, she's exactly who I would want on my side.

Favorite Male Character: Everything's coming up My Dearest this year, because this one is Lee Jang-Hyun in My Dearest as well. Checks the box for my competence kink, and has a knack for showing up just when Gil-Chae needs him, even at great personal cost. Also a smart-ass, which I probably like a bit too much in a man.

Favorite Secondary Female Character: Cho-Won from See You in My 19th Life. Her relationship with her reincarnated older sister was almost more compelling to me than the main romance sometimes, and really helped develop how the ties that bind us are not just romantic ones. Also she was just super cute

Favorite Secondary Male Character: Could have picked anyone from Team Himbo in Alchemy of Souls, but gonna have to give this one to Go Won, himbo prince of my heart

Favorite Ship: Again, it's gotta be Gil-Chae and Lee Jang-Hyun in My Dearest. Sometimes, there are drama couples that nearly cause me pain when they are apart, and these two quickly became one of them. Though their relationships is hardly functional for much of it, through all that push and pull, they ultimately learn how to show up for each other. Also, their *chemistry* is insane!

Favorite Secondary Ship: I loved Hye-Seong and Sung Joon, the B couple in Call it Love. Seeing the SFL grow more comfortable with herself after a truly shitty ending to her previous relationship was a nice respite from the hidden identity stress of the A couple in this one. I'm also a sucker for a good romance where you start to see someone you've long taken for granted differently. (Close Runner Up: Cho Won and Do-Yun in See You in My 19th Life)

Favorite Platonic Relationship: Gil-Chae, Eun-Ae, and their maids, Jong Jong and Bong Doo, in My Dearest. I loved loved loved the relationship between these women in this drama, and part of the reason the second half of the drama suffered a bit for me is because of how far it moved away from this core relationship. They were ride or die for each other more than the majority of the men in their lives, and I loved that for them.

Trope that Needs to Die: While I find murder plots in rom coms tedious at the best of times, homophobic murder plots are really not it. Quit it, y'all. It's not cute.

Dramas I Missed: Moon in the Day, The Story of Park's Marriage Contract, and Tell Me That You Love Me (grrr Disney+ on this one) are on the list for next year. I'm probably missing others.

Non-2023 Drama Spotlight: Finally went back and watched Do You Like Brahms? for a hit of Park Eun-Bin. A lovely, if also melancholy, slice of life romance that's just as much about what to do when a (career related) dream that you've worked really, really hard for just isn't going to come through as it is about the main romance. Also made me fall in love with Kim Min-Jae and his lovely deep voice, enough so that I also then went back and finally watched Dali and the Cocky Prince, which was also a treat. Recommend both.

Most Looking Forward To: I continue to yearn for a Yumi's Cells 3, and who's to say if that one will ever come through, but I'm putting it out into the universe anyway. More realistically, I'm looking forward to the surprisingly stacked line-up of sageuks coming up, including Captivating the King and Love Song for Illusion.