#yeon soo i want to be cool as you

[kinetic-drama]

Ep. 1 – Our Beloved Summer

Our Beloved Summer is a k-drama that should be savoured slowly, in those late August days full of laziness and cravings of the May breeze. The two leads, Choi Ung (Choi Woo-shik) and Kook Yeon-soo (Kim Da-mi), are ex-lovers who never want to meet again. They met in high-school through the shooting of a reality show, where the top student, Yeon-soon, sits besides the one with the worst grades, Choi Ung. Fate – or, actually, a second season of the show – will bring them back together.

The brilliant banter and script is carried out by the lead actors impeccably, making the show enjoyable and light. The drama depicts a complicated relationship of two people different to their very core, the difficulty of communicating openly with the person you love, and the harshness of a break-up and the sweetness of a second chance. The rest of the cast is pretty much perfect in my opinion, and the cinematography is one of a kind, with aesthetic camera angles and unforgettable scenes. Truly a gem of its genre, this k-drama made me want to rewatch it over and over again, just for the excitement of walking with the characters through their journey of discovery of love and themselves.

If you've seen this drama and want to know more of my thoughts, keep reading below!

And here we talk about the serious stuff. In all honesty, this is one of my favorite k-dramas. Not only for its characters, tropes, and message, but also the aesthetic. You know I'm a sucker for pretty coloring, rain kiss scenes, contrasts of lighting, photography and addicting soundtrack. We need more dramas like this one, high-quality shooting paired with cured acting and an abundant amount of chemistry, pettiness, glances, side stories and character development.

It's one of the first k-dramas I've watched and one of the few I've felt the need to start again as soon as it was over, so it definitely holds a special place in my heart. I'd be lying if I said I didn't first start it because of its cast (I knew Kim Sung-cheol from literally one episode of Vincenzo and he was just too pretty), but finding out the trope was ex-lovers to enemies to lovers again – oh god. I was in love.

I usually hate love triangles, but this one was perfect??? The second male lead, Kim Ji-woong, has the most likeable character I've ever seen in a supporting role. He knows Choi Ung and Kook Yeon-soo still have some unresolved stuff to deal with and never tries to force his own unrequited feelings into their relationship, but his role never feels too shallow, maybe because of his personal life story and his closeness to the leads. At the end of the day, he knows he's just an observer, like he himself says, and accepts gracefully enough the line that separates him from being happy with the person he loves.

The rest of the supporting roles are perfect, from the leads' friends, family and co-workers and their relation with said people. Even the role of NJ, the idol who takes interest in Choi Ung, never comes off as plain and useless. And the lack of unnecessary conflict and misunderstandings and excessive jealousy is exactly what I adore about this k-drama.

About our main characters, I have a lot to say and at the same time so little. Their childish interactions and messy relationship, on the border between hate and love, create the perfect game of push and pull, all adorned with a great amount of chemistry and comic moments. This drama doesn't just tell the story of two characters, but through them shares the incommunicability between people, so different but still so similar. Neither of them are good with words and expressing feelings out loud, and neither of them seem to understand what the other needs to hear. It deals with the mutual hurt, awkwardness and resentment of a hash break-up that happens when both are still in love, they are just unable to deal with it. All this in contrast with the silent understanding of the messages brought by thoughtful actions, private smiles and small touches. It's all about finding happiness and love in those little, short moments, showing a certain side of yourself to that person only, in the case of the cold Kook Yeon-soo, or letting your world be shaken to the core and feeling alive once that person comes around, in the case of the quiet Choi Ung. But as the k-drama demonstrates, most times only actions are not enough.

This view of love, in my opinion, is what sets this show apart and makes it a must-watch.

[paraliveimaginesblog]

!!! your writing is soo adorable omg !!! if its not too much do you mind writing watching either horror or romance movies w/ dongha, kenta, and hajun !! tysm nd i appreciate your works sm !!

(this was a cute message thank u so much!! I'm glad you enjoy my writing dear~)

Dongha Yeon:

Dongha thinks love without stipulation is silly. He wanted to watch movies that just had romance as a background, or not at all, but since that’s not what you wanted he had to find at least something to satisfy you. He thinks some of the more upscale romances, ones where the characters aren’t throwing themselves at each other but slowly build up into the types of people who are so close they’ll undeniably support each other whether they’re dating or not, are more tolerable but they’re certainly not a preference.

He always enjoyed watching other people suffering more than him, but horror still isn’t a preference. He’d like films that had a little more ‘what ifs’ to them, mostly because it’s what’s expected of him, to like movies that made him use his brain. But Dongha wanted some thoughtless fun too, maybe something that was a silly little slasher so he could watch foolish teens without feeling guilty because they had it coming. You can see the quiet contemplation in his eyes when he watches horrors, how he winced when there were killers whose background consisted of an abusive family, but rather than bring it up you tried to soothingly stroke the back of his hand with your thumb, pretending you needed the comforting instead.

Hajun Yeon:

Hajun is a man with unfiltered opinions so you’re wary about bringing favorite movies of any kind in front of him. Romance seems to get the harsher of the two, especially when there are big betrayals that are tied up by the end; when they leave a trillion loose ends, Hajun can’t help but wonder aloud how they can truly trust each other after that. He also rather there be an exciting plot to surround the romance, nothing too ‘slice of life’ as it wasn’t interesting to watch the life he was living. You would take offense but you can tell when he makes certain comments he’s trying to get a rise out of you, but it’s not the only time he speaks up. He seemed to be paying close attention to the actions of the leads, seeing the kinds of things you liked and thought were cute to jot down for later.

Horror is a genre Hajun seemed to enjoy a little more. He might not say they were his favorite but you can see the amusement in his eyes at seeing stupid people suffering for their decisions, especially when the bad guy ultimately wins in the end. He tells you that it feels more realistic but when there were main characters who went through nothing but trauma, good people who confronted the bad things they had done, who end up winning in the end despite what the film might foreshadow… He’d breathe a notable sigh of relief. You don’t tease him for this but you do put your head on his shoulder, trying to keep yourself still so he can’t tell that you’re giggling at his investment.

Kenta Mikoshiba:

Some horror movies make Kenta a little jumpier than others. Living his life in a locked down home, or even just in his regular cell at the prison, made it so he felt at least safely contained. But watching a supernatural movie where steel bars won’t protect him, nor will his beefy roommates, makes him a little on edge. He acted tough and when there were movies with cool killers with a schtick he always got a laugh, but anything that digs deep beneath the surface makes him antsy. You think he’s cute when he inched a little closer to you when you watched them together, though he always pretended it was for your sake (and you let him, since you were still getting prime hand-holding time with him).

Romance movies make Kenta roll his eyes. He’s filled with all kinds of criticisms for every conflict that comes up, mentioning that love made people stupid and he couldn’t stand it (ignoring the irony of the situation since he was watching said moves with you). You didn’t take much of his opinions to heart because it was clear he held up a wall when you watched them together, and you wondered how he’d feel if he watched one when it was just him. You can see him getting invested when there’s a star-crossed lovers type of situation, and he looked even more miserable if the romance was one that included distance as the stories main obstacle to overcome.

[yesdramas]

link your top 5 sets and tag 5 others creators to do the same

thank you @xiaolanhua and @theyilinglaozus for tagging me ♥

my favorite ship as userdramas entry — it’s the first time I tried some blending and different fonts so I liked the result.

rachel and samantha in a business proposal — never thought this set would be so funny to do

lee yeon talking to this little kid in the park — this coloring was a blessing, I could never do something like that before, and I forgot to save lmaooo

this luoluo set of the blue whisper — it’s the first ever set I tried using camera raw and turned out soo high quality and I loved the coloring here

the last episode of cang lan jue gifset — as you can noticed I had to put the two dongfang qingcang close to each other in the first gif and it turned out really cool. also the coloring is on point /cheers

I’ll be tagging @cuddlybitch @deokmis @thoresque @bareums @baijingting but only if you want to do (and haven’t been tagged yet!) 

[baenxietydad]

Swynrpwrimo Task #10 -- Love Is Stored In The Garlic

[Tracker]

Write about 10 significant meals that your character has had in their lives. Is it their favorite pasta dish? Is it the meal they were broken up over? Up to you to decide! Bonus points for images. 

Cultural note: In the bits featuring So-yeon, Mu-yeol typically doesn't address her by her name. In Korean culture even married couple don't Always use each other's names. You can! And people do! But So-yeon is two years older than him and so, even when married, he'd often just address her as noona (or in their native Daegu dialect, noonaya) because that's what Korean boys/men call girls/women a little bit older than them. Sisters, cousins, friends, schoolmates above them, even often girlfriends and wives.

1994, Yachae-hotteok

Mu-yeol's mother's older sister, Kyung-ja imo, married a human man in 1972 named Na Sung-soo. And when Mu-yeol was thirteen, their son Na Yoon-seul was the coolest person Mu-yeol knew. He liked the human clothes he wore, the music he listened to including the bootleg Japanese cassettes his human cousin gave him, and most importantly he liked when his cousin bought him street food with his pocket money (some paper and metal bits that humans wanted you to give them in exchange for food and things) as they walked around the city. On a cool fall evening, Yoon-seul was leading Mu-yeol through a market near his house when he stopped them by their favorite stand-- where a friendly ahjussi sold yachae-hotteok.

As the boys ate their snacks, Yoon-seul grew quiet.

"I think I might try to go abroad for university."

Mu-yeol knew what university was, because he was laughed at when he asked what it meant in front of Yoon-seul's human friends a few weeks ago. Yoon-seul had threatened to hit them for laughing.

"Why would you do that?"

Yoon-seul smiling thinly. "Daegu...Korea is no place for something like me. I hear half-fairies are treated kinder abroad. I've been studying my English very hard and uri abeoji agreed to send me to a hagwon to learn French as well."

"Kinder?" Mu-yeol hadn't thought anybody had ever been unkind to his funny and warm cousin. Who could?

"Some of my chingu at school call me a..." there's a slur in Korean for half-fairies, made up of 'half' and one of the slurs for fairies in general. "I cannot go live in the Hollow on the mountain like you, and I cannot hide my fairy features like my ears. Ah...but my parents cannot afford to send me abroad either. 어떻게?"

Mu-yeol did not have an answer.

1995, Kkaenipjjim

Dinnertime in the Biseulsan pixie hollow and Mu-yeol was trying to avoid his parents at all costs. They were so embarrassing! He grabbed a plate and looked around for a table far from his parents and found one--- well. It was the one where the clique of pixie kids his age that went to human school sat at, but there were plenty of empty seats.

Ah! And Song So-yeon was there! He blushed just thinking about talking to her. She was so cool, every time he talked to her he must sound so stupid...at least she was nice. Some of the human school pixies thought they were better than hollow school pixies and weren't so nice.

Mu-yeol steeled himself and approached the table, set family style like all of the other tables. The chatter grew a little quieter, as the snobbier of the bunch wondered to themselves what one of Scout Captain Bae's kids was doing over here.

"Um. A-anyeonghaseyo." Mu-yeol said, bowing his head in greeting to her, as she was the oldest pixie at the table. "Can I sit here, So-yeon noona?"

So-yeon smiled and gestured to the seat across from her. "Anja, Mu-yeol-ssi."

Mu-yeol took his seat and began to put food on his plate, trying to convince himself that the whole table wasn't judging him, that he wasn't being perceived as strongly as he felt he was. So-yeon easily engaged him in conversation, even bothered to include him when she was talking to someone else. She must have felt bad for him...he'd take it. Talking to her was nice even if it was out of pity.

So-yeon reached for some of the steamed perilla leaves, frowning when she tried to grab one with her chopsticks but it was stuck to the others. Without hesitation, Mu-yeol reached forward with his chopstick to hold the perilla leaf pile steady so she could grab one. She looked up to meet his eye and giggled, muttering a thanks.

Later that night, Bae Jun-ha would hit his hyung repeatedly with a pillow because he wouldn't stop asking 'but what do you think she meant when she said 'thanks?''

1996, Ojingeo-twigim

"Yah! Bae Mu-yeol!"

Mu-yeol whipped his head around, surprised anybody in human Daegu city would be calling his name-- until his eyes settled on Song So-yeon, who still managed to look cool in her school uniform.

He stood there, surprised and confused as to why she would call out to him.

"What, pretending you don't know me after we kissed yesterday?" So-yeon teased him.

"Wh-what? Ani! No, noona I'd never--"

So-yeon laughed and punched his shoulder. "I'm only messing with ya. Since you're here, walk with me."

Mu-yeol of course obliged.

"Do you have cram school today?" Mu-yeol asked.

"No. Well. Yes. But I'm not going." So-yeon said, crinkling her nose. "I don't need it, I was top of my class before my eomma made me go. She just wants to stress me out. Aish, now I'm mad thinking about it."

Mu-yeol was about to apologize for asking, but So-yeon grabbed his hand, startling him.

"Mu-yeol-ah, look! Fried dried squid!" So-yeon said pointing to a street food stand.

"Ah- um. Noona, I don't have money."

So-yeon hissed at him through her teeth. "Pabo. I've got money. I'm buying us some and we're going to walk back to the Hollow really slowly."

1999, Kimchi-jjigae

So-yeon had been home from her second year of university in Seoul for only a couple weeks and already she was getting down and moody. Worse, she wouldn't tell Mu-yeol why!

He tried prodding her several times but he knew better than to push when she changed the subject.

It was over bowls of kimchi-jjigae at their favorite human ahjumma's restaurant that So-yeon finally began to talk.

"My eomma is furious." So-yeon said out of the blue.

Mu-yeol set his spoon down. "About?"

"You. She's mad that...well, she hoped that..." So-yeon sighed and started over. "She hoped that us agreeing to date other people while we're apart meant I'd grow apart from you. You know her. Kang Kyung-ok would rather her daughter marry a human with an MBA than Promise to a sparrowman who didn't go to human school."

Mu-yeol said nothing, not sure what this was leading to. So-yeon was headstrong and did whatever the hell she wanted. At the same time Kang Kyung-ok was her mother. Nobody liked fighting with their mother.

"I hate that she things I'm better than you just because your parents didn't send you to school. What's so great about it anyway?" So-yeon said.

"It's not like we're even talking about Promising." Mu-yeol said.

So-yeon looked at him and blinked. "I mean...we could talk about it. You've finished your apprenticeship. If we Promised, you could come with me to Seoul. My mother would have to accept us."

Fairies didn't usually Promise as young as they were, but they could. And if they could...

"Yeah. Yeah, I think talking about it is a good idea." Mu-yeol said, head too full of clouds to discourage her from the subject.

2000, Daegusal-jorim

"Jagiyaaaa, Mu-yeol-ah!" So-yeon singsonged into their apartment.

Omo. He knew that voice, that was her 'sooo be nice' voice. He peered around the corner to see what was up and spotted three younger uni students behind her.

"Nugu..." Mu-yeol began to ask pointing at them.

"They're my hoobaes at school. Mu-yeol-ah, they eat nothing but ramyeon." So-yeon said, pouting. "I told them my husband cooked for me every day and would geed them too. Please?"

The selfish part of him was a little annoyed he had to play host suddenly, but at the same time, he wouldn't just let the poor kids (literally only maybe a year younger than him) go without a home-cooked meal.

"I've already started. If you'll chop some more green chili pepper?"

So-yeon comically saluted him and hopped into the kitchen.

2002, Chamchi kimbap

So-yeon let out the most defeated groan and let her head fall into her open textbooks.

"A Masters degree was a mistake, I wanna quit!" She whimpered.

Mu-yeol tsked at her and shook his head. "Quit if you want, noonaya. I'm not making you do it."

"Yah!" So-yeon shouted at him, whirling around in her chair to face him. "You're supposed to tell me I'm brilliant and studious and can do it!"

Mu-yeol raised an eyebrow and walked over to her from the kitchen with a plate in his hand. He held it out to her. "Eat."

So-yeon glared at him and grabbed a piece of tuna kimbap from the plate, her eyes widening and her shoulders relaxing.

Mu-yeol nodded knowingly. "Better, jagi?"

She nodded silently and snatched the rest of the plate from him, going back to her reading.

2003, Beoseot-tangsu

So-yeon did not take a single bite from her plate. This was unusual, as she loved to eat and would eat greedily when presented with a fully set table.

Mu-yeol looked at her, but she didn't look at him. This went on for a while, her eyes looking anywhere but at him or her plate.

"Noona--"

Before he could ask what was wrong, So-yeon lifted her leg to grab something underneath it and slapped it down on the table. Mu-yeol squinted, having never seen it before.

It dawned on his just as she was saying it. "I'm pregnant." And she stared right at him.

"Uh--" he looked at her, her eyes absolutely boring into his soul. "Are you su--"

"I took seven of those things. Do you know how much I had to drink to pee enough for seven of them?"

He blinked and nodded, watching her, trying to find a hint for how he should be reacting. They weren't trying to have a baby on purpose right now. In fact they hadn't decided yet if they even wanted to have children, let alone when or how many. Nearly four years into his marriage, Mu-yeol now understood that he and So-yeon absolutely should not have Promised as young as they did. They were impulsive, much too young to take Seoul on with no support, and incredibly lucky that they actually did still love each other as much as they did then.

Even still, it occurred to him sometimes that there were certain subjects they really should have broached together before they Promised. Like this one.

And, maybe, they should have been more diligent about using their moondust.

(reader's note: moondust is the birth control method fairies have that's 100% effective if it's used fairy-to-fairy)

"Oh. Right..." Mu-yeol didn't know what he was feeling. He wasn't...averse to the idea. He just thought that if this did happen, it would be planned. Anticipated. That they'd've decided on it. "And how do you feel?"

Are we happy about it? Should I apologize profusely?

"I'm...okay about it. I think." The 'I have to be' was silent. "Are you?"

Mu-yeol nodded, gesturing to her. "I am if you are. But. You should eat."

"I'm too nervous, I have so many things to consider."

"I know. We'll talk about it more after you eat. No major decisions on am empty stomach." He reminded her, then pointed to the pregnancy test on the table. "And remind me to clean the table, you peed on that thing."

So-yeon snorted and picked at her plate.

2003, Honghap miyeok-guk

The baby wasn't supposed to be here for almost another month. So-yeon had quit her job a week ago to spend time finishing up baby-proofing their apartment. Their parents were coming up to Seoul in two weeks to make sure they would be there for the baby-- except, they'd all be two weeks too late.

Their son was born on October 9th, a couple hours ago, at 35 weeks into So-yeon's pregnancy. Too early. He was smaller than he should've been. He had a small wing. But -- as Mu-yeol and the healing talents from the Seoul pixie hollow that came to their apartment to assist them kept reassuring her-- he was healthy. The first few weeks with their newborn would be extra rough as Mu-yeol understood it, but, they could keep him at home with his healing talent father looking after him.

"Here. I'll hold him." Mu-yeol said, holding out his hands for the baby. So-yeon handed him over, the baby quickly being replaced by a tray and a bowl of seaweed soup with mussels carried over by one of the other healing talents.

So-yeon made to pick up the spoon, but it was like the second she handed the baby over, every muscle in her body was shot. Mu-yeol quickly adjusted him to he cradled the baby in one arm and picked up the spoon with the other. He even blew on the hot soup so it wouldn't burn her mouth as he fed her.

"I know I said I would think of names too, but. All I could think of were girl names." Mu-yeol said, chuckling. "So. What's his name?"

So-yeon scrunched her brow as she eyed her new baby. "What about Nam-min? I've even figured out the hanja." She stared at their son longingly, as if he wasn't just inches away from her, held by his father so she could eat. "I think it's a very pretty name for him."

Mu-yeol smiled at the sleeping baby cradled in his one arm. "Nam-min is cute.".

So-yeon grinned, before her smile faded. She looked from the soup, to the baby, to her legs, back to the soup. "Mu-yeol-ah. He was just-- he was just in me. I grew him. I just, like, did that!"

He laughed low in his throat and leaned over to kiss her forehead. "You did great, jagi. He's wonderful. A 10/10 baby. At least five stars."

2008, Doenjang-jjigae

(Reader note: lol sorry Laur if 5-year-old Nemo is off)

"Appa?"

Mu-yeol swallowed his spoonful of soup. "Eo? What is it, adeul?"

Little Nam-min crinkled his nose. "Appa, are we...im'grinz?"

"Are were what?"

"Im'grinz. The other fledglings don't understand what seob-seob means. Our teacher says it's because we're im'grinz and we use different words."

"Oh!" Mu-yeol got it. He laughed before clearing his throat. "You mean immigrants. Eo. We are."

Well. This seemed to distress his son, as his mouth made a little 'O'. "What's that? Is it bad?"

Mu-yeol shook his head. "Ani. And nobody in the Hollow thinks it is." He was sure of that; and just as sure that Nam-min's teacher was only trying to explain to all of the children why Nam-min said Korean words sometimes. "It just means we weren't born here, in the country this Hollow is in. We're from Korea. We're Korean. You speak Korean, that's why some of your chingu don't understand some of the words you know. Because you know two languages."

"Ah...okay." Nam-min had more questions. "Is Korea in another forest?"

"It's very far away, and it's so big that there's lots of forests in it. It wouldn't fit in one forest."

"Huh. So...is...that where my mom is?"

Mu-yeol blanched. Aish. He was too young to explain things to in detail; who made him ask these things? "We lived together with your eomma in Korea, yes."

"Is she still there? Can we go visit?"

"Ah...your eomma...you know how Old Miss Maggie isn't at the circle anymore for meal time?"

Nam-min nodded. "Mhm. Mr. Flitterfoot said she finished the cycle of life so someone else can start."

"Yes, exactly. Your eomma had to finish...well, a bit earlier than Miss Maggie. But she loved you so much and if it were up to her --" and me "-- she'd be here. But remember what you learned the other day? Everything..."

"-- has a season!" Nam-min piped up. "And we have to welcome new seasons and accept when they end!"

"Mhm. Exactly. Sometimes seasons end before we want them to. And that makes us very sad, and doesn't feel very fair. Sometimes we don't really remember that season. But that doesn't mean that season didn't happen. Your eomma loved you very much, as much as Appa does. Even if you don't remember."

"So that's why the other kids have a mom and a dad? Or two moms and a dad? Or-- because eomma had to finish her life cycle early?"

"Yes. That's right. Do you feel...I hope you know it's okay. That you just have an appa."

"I know, Appa!" Nam-min chirped.

Yes, he was still very small, he didn't fully grasp how small and how odd their family was for the hollow.

2023, Haemul sundubu-jjigae

"You've been asking to come cook for us a lot lately." Miss Anna said, wriggling her eyebrows at him.

Mu-yeol choked on his soup. "Huh?"

"Come on. Share with the class. Who is it we're guinea pigs for?" Her granddaughter asked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Mu-yeol said.

"Oh, please. 'Is this Korean spicy or British person spicy? Should I make it milder? Is this good?' Who are you trying to impress with your cooking?" Miss Anna was going to get to the bottom of this!

"Nobody! I just want to make sure you two like it. That's all." Mu-yeol reached for his glass of water and took a sip.

A beat.

"Ah. So I guess you aren't flirting with Hatter after all."

Mu-yeol damn near choked again, swallowing his sip of water before sputtering. "What? Why-- who would th-- why would I-- who's saying that?"

Miss Anna and her granddaughter shared a look. Who indeed.

[rye-views]

Heroes. 영웅호걸. 8/10

I would recommend this show to my friends. I would rewatch this show.

Can you believe IU and Yoo In Na weren't friends at this time? Omfg can you believe in the movie university student voting episode, the students are literally: Ryu Hye Young and Go Kyung Pyo.

So jealous of Sayeon's date with Taec. Yoo soo jealous of them riding on the air force's planes.

I wish Nicole was in the ending episodes.

The revenge plans are so ruthless and creative. Everyone is so sly. The prank cams go so hard. Tricking In Na with Bongsun's cries was crazy.

It's so crazy watching this in 2022. IU and Jiyeon are so young. I can't with IU fangirling over Taeyang lmaoo. Kahi looks the same and still hot. Lee Jin is always beautiful. She's so pleasantly there, and it's so charming. I like how mellow she is. She also seems wholesome. I highkey think she's the funniest despite everyone saying she's boring. I loved Lee Jin the entire interview employee episode. She looking amazing in her outfit. Her interview was so funny. I love watching the members get along and having their moments. e.g. In Na and Sa Yeon imitating dogs and puppies. I think Nicole is really amusing and cool. Narsha is like an older sister I want. They're all so funny. Nicole defining Korean words is like the most beautiful and amusing thing. Sometimes, it's so wise and sometimes, it's just so funny. Nicole is more often than not, very intelligent, confident, capable, and strong. I love and admire it so much. I like Lee Jin and Kahi's friendship. it was nice to hear all the vulnerable stories in the teacher episode. You expect parts of it since the path to success is difficult, but these are good reminders and how struggles are different and the same. It's definitely inspirational and they're supportive words that I personally never hear in real life, so it's nice to hear it from people who are optimistic despite what goes on. I love IU tripping as the rabbit mascot. I love how people are so crazy for food. Ngl, I respect In Na and her ease in lying. I love how accurately they mimic each other. I love how IU does things so enthusiastically. I honestly respect everyone because they're doing soo many things that they don't need to/don't know/aren't good at, but they still do it with a hardworking attitude. I love In Na laughing when she's pleased.

I'm interested in learning about the village woman whose parents live in Uzbekistan. The soldier talent audition made me think about how random people are and what they do with their time.

The Seo In Young birthday prank was so emotionally hard to watch. Cute moments: IU hitting herself on the head, the grandmothers in the village learning slang words. Jiyeon and IU's relationship is cute. How they're both ambitious but friends. I love when you can see how earnest and hardworking people are. e.g. when Lee Jin scoops elephant poop with no complaints, when the popular team was trying to get revenge in the safari ep and tried to discipline the late-comers and the other team really heard it and felt responsible.

Funny moments: when they were imitating each other in pj's, In Na shouting for the grapes back after Jiyeon abandons her team, whenever In Na lies, Lee Jin finding dad jokes amusing, all the interviews for getting a job was so funny, Kku Kku pig and Seo Taeji joke was gold, Hwi Jae's poison dart thing, Lee Jin accurately guessing Narsha's rolling game answer of one bang and it's over, Narsha digging the sand for the buoy. There are too many funny moments to even document it all. Omg lmaoo at the Hee Joo girl living a dream with Eun Hyuk for her teaching lesson. Lmaooo at Narsha and Soo Ah's moms being the VIPs. Lmaoo at auctioning off IU's fan.

Memorable Quotes: "감탄사는 만국공통어."

[enterenews]

Moon Ga-young X Yoo Yeon-seok, even a date with Jung Dong-jin due to continued coincidence

Yoo Yeon-seok and Moon Ga-young and continued coincidences overlapped.

Ha Sang-soo (Yoo Yeon-seok) and Ahn Soo-young (Moon Ga-young) met in a place that could have been the beginning of a relationship in the JTBC Wednesday/Thursday drama 'Understanding Love' (played by Lee Seo-hyun, Lee Hyun-jung, director Jo Young-min, production SLL) aired on the 18th. showed regret

Han Jung-im (Seo Jeong-yeon) went to Ha Sang-su's house and talked about Yoon Mi-sun (Yoon Yoo-seon). Earlier, Han Jeong-im learned from a conversation with Yoon Mi-sun, her regular customer, that her son and Yoon Mi-sun's daughter were dating. Han Jeong-im worried about Ha Sang-su, saying, “Do you know what kind of house it is?”, but cheered him on, saying, “I agree with that relationship.

Park Mi-kyung, who learned Ha Sang-soo's heart, met Ahn Soo-young. Ahn Soo-young said, "What's wrong? Your expression looks a bit dark." Park Mi-kyung gave a different answer from her heart, saying, "I'm so happy these days. I'm so good with my seniors." Then, he said, "So I want to know more about you," and asked, "How was your senior? I thought I would know better. Didn't you really date someone? Did you like it or flirt?" When Ahn Soo-young didn't answer, Park Mi-kyung said, "Well, what does that matter? I'm the one I like right now," and she pretended to be calm.

Jeong Jong-hyun knocked on Ahn Soo-young's room and asked, "Can I come in?" Jeong Jong-hyun, who entered Ahn Soo-young's room, apologized, saying, "I'm sorry. I'm such an ugly person." Then, he confessed her inner thoughts, "Still, I like Soo-young a lot. That's why she is here." Jeong Jong-hyun cautiously approached Ahn Soo-young and kissed her. The two made love, but when Jeong Jong-hyeon fell asleep, Ahn Soo-yeong came out of her room and drank her tea, lost in thought.

Ha Sang-soo asked Ahn Soo-young, "Would you like some coffee?", and Ahn Soo-young replied, "No." When Ha Sang-soo was taken aback, Ahn Soo-young replied, "Please change clothes and come out, please ride", making Ha Sang-su laugh. Ha Sang-soo, who came over to get her coffee, saw Ahn Soo-yeong researching her job transition and lent her her own book. At this time, Park Mi-kyung went to work, and Ha Sang-soo approached Park Mi-kyung. Park Mi-kyung asked, “Shall we have coffee?” and Ha Sang-soo answered, “Would you like a cup of coffee too?” and went to the bathroom. In response, Park Mi-kyung looked at Ahn Soo-young, who was drinking her coffee, and she fell into thought.

Jeong Jong-hyun, who failed the test, packed his things at Ahn Soo-young's house and came back in a few days. When Ahn Soo-young saw Jung Jong-hyun, he was angry, saying, "I haven't been able to contact you for several days." Jeong Jong-hyun evaded his answer, saying, "I wanted to cool my head." Ahn Soo-young found out that she was in the pc room while Jeong Jong-hyun left the house, and asked to talk. Jeong Jong-hyun said, "I failed the test. I didn't know how to say it." When Ahn Soo-yeong comforted her by saying, “I can see her better next time,” Jeong Jong-hyun got angry, saying, “I may not be able to see her more.”

Ahn Soo-young and Ha Sang-soo also failed the job transition test. So Kyung-pil (played by Moon Tae-yu) said, “The branch manager did that,” and guessed that the reason Ha Sang-soo failed was because he was angry with Ahn Soo-young.

So Kyung-pil said to Park Mi-kyung, who pretended not to be anxious about the relationship between Ahn Soo-young and Ha Sang-soo, "Thrilling? .

Noh Tae-pyeong (played by Lee Hwa-ryong) asked Sang-soo Ha and Soo-young Ahn to pay his condolences when he heard the news that a VIP customer had passed away. After the condolences, the two people on the return train talked about failing the exam. Ahn Soo-young asked, "I regret it. You fell because of me." Ha Sang-soo replied, “Of course I regret it.

Ha Sang-soo suggested to Ahn Soo-yeong that they get off at Jeongdongjin Station, and the two got off at Jeongdongjin and walked along the beach. To Ha Sang-soo, who revealed his heart subtly, Ahn Soo-young avoided the awkward situation by saying, "I think it's too late. Shall we stop?" While waiting for the train, Ha Sang-soo asked, “Are you happy?” Ahn Soo-young, who had no answer for a long time, said, “Shall we break up? With Jong-hyun.” Ha Sang-soo looked at Ahn Soo-young with sad eyes, frozen as it was.

[loisroo]

ohhhhhh min woo is a little bitch. i’m gonna say something that many people are gonna dislike but i don’t care.

if you feel ‘attacked’ and upset that you have to adjust your own worldview/environment so people can receive equal treatment or when people start to receive equal treatment in general —then that’s a you problem.

even before this episode (seven) where min woo feels like he has evidence that young woo is getting special treatment, min woo had been stuck on young woo receiving special treatment. he’s jealous, confused and frustrated because he already has an idea in his head of what autism is and doesn’t think there is any way young woo could make it on her own. even after she is constantly helping and winning cases, even once she proves that she has a right to be there. he just ignores her growth and he can’t just admit — young woo is a good attorney.

for me the fact that young woo’s father said he would be a bad dad if it meant she could keep the opportunity that was given to her no matter what, no matter why, because she wouldn’t get another. that right there should be enough for someone to understand that young woo hasn’t received special treatment ever. the law firm correcting its mistake about discriminating against young woo (no matter the ceo’s secret reason) is the right thing to do. and if anything min woo highlighting the hiring practice mistake should show this fact more then prove him right.

[forthechubbies]

The Lost Korean Soldier Vol. 3

Hello Stranger

A woman stumbles upon an unconscious man in a park, and her life jumps from ordinary to extraordinary!

Jeongukk x Chubby! Reader

Gaslighting, Strong Language, and JK being adorable

Korean

LKS Vol. 2

My Teddies ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ @mwitsmejk @lolalee24 @mcusuperfreak @imbirdiez @sereisstuff @agustdboyoongie @97cityy @mochiarcher @toughbook @chubbyanarkiss @omgsuperstarg @jiminie-08

“Dong Yeon”

He looks just as yummy as the day he left...Oh, right, he left you. You pulled away from his strong arms and attempted to play it cool.

“Farwell.” You wasted your breath on a goodbye that wasn't coming anytime soon. He didn't want you to leave.

He held you back by your forearm. “Please wait- I know you still hate me, but I worry about you and want to know if you're doing okay.”

It’s odd how a small sentence can cause a mental breakdown.

You jerk your arm out of his grip. “Worried!?” You caught yourself and took in a deep breath before exhaling. “ I'm great, Dong Yeon. How is your millionaire business doing?”

He ignored your passive aggression. “It's been over two years, and that's all you have to say to me....after disappearing off the face of the earth.”

“Listen, Ding Dong; Unlike most people, I'm a big important Ceo which means if I'm late for work. I'm getting fired, so I'm going to leave now. Bye.”

Your heels clicked as you walked.

“Woah!” You heard him in disbelief. “You are so childish.”

It looks like your going to have to call out sick. “ I'm childish!” You made your way to his face.

“Yea! Who else would I be talking about?!”

“ How am I childish?! When you are the one who abandoned me and then tried to play the victim when I don't want anything to do with you.”

He grew silent. You watched his Adam apple jump.

“I don't have time for this- between you and Jeongukk, I'm bound to go bald.”

“Jeongukk?”

“Bye, Dong Yeon.” You finally took your leave.

Forty minutes after you get chewed out by your boss.

A ruckus blasted from the first floor catching the attention of your most nosiest coworkers.

“Let him in.” They cheered from your floor. “He's so pretty.”

“ I know.”

The guard sighed in distress. “ Ladies, please-...Sir, I can't let you in.”

“ I heard you the first time, but the thing is, I'm not fond of being told what to do soo.” He sprang over the vital card gate. “ Peachy!”

You gasped at his voice. “ Is he crazy?” You jumped from your chair, joining the crowd. You were a hairline away from breaking your neck how fast you ran to Jeongukk's aid.

“Peachy!” He smiled, rushing behind you. “ Tell him to get lost!”

You calmly explained to the guard that Jeongukk was sick in the head. “I'm so sorry for causing you trouble.”

“What is he to you?” He furrowed his brows. An expression Jeongukk mirrored.

“Boyfriend!” Jeongukk shouted in broken English.

“You have a death wish?” You turned to Jeongukk for a split second.

He giggled as a response and even went the extra mile to wrap his arms around your waist.

......

Apparently, You weren't aware it was your children to workday because this is how it feels.

At 2:00 pm sharp, it's quitting time. The stress of working and keeping Jeongukk out of trouble takes a toll on your body. You sighed, desiring a hot bath and a nap.

“My feet are killing me.” You huffed.

You squeaked at being carried suddenly. “Put me down.”

Jeongukk hushed you, pressing your head against his chest. “Take a nap until we get home.”

The sound of Jeongukk's soft heartbeat was a lullaby; unable to overthrow your heavy eyelids; you fell into a deep sleep.

When you woke up, instead of being at home, you were instructed to another handsome gentleman who claims to know Jeongukk.

“Kim.Taehyung!” The man patted his chest. “We've been friends for years. How could you say you don't know me?!”

[momentsatmydesk]

My Thoughts on ‘Our Beloved Summer’

In a line or two: 

Our Beloved Summer was such a healing, therapeutic watch that did not hide the 'humanness' of love.

The story: 

The drama is about two exes--- Kook Yeon Soo and Choi Woong (high-school students when they began dating) who had a 5-year relationship and broke up. They meet 5 years later and agree (fact: are forced) to shoot a documentary similar to the one they shot in high school. What starts from a '100 Things I Hate About You' turns into an introspective, messy yet heart-warming return to each other.

My Thoughts:

1. I love the layers in Kook Yeon Soo's personality. She's smart, socially inadept, deadpan, and more sensitive than she lets herself acknowledge. I love how the flaws in her character actually make her more endearing and relatable.

2. Kim Ji Woong, our male lead's best friend, is actually the prettiest one here, according to me. He's at constant war with himself, but I also love how he returns to the camera to shoot people's raw selves and finds comfort in it. 

I especially love his friendship with Choi Ung, who despite knowing that Kim Ji Woong has feelings for Yeon Soo, doesn’t push him away.

3. I thought the drama would come to be overwhelming given its storyline. But surprisingly, I couldn't keep away from it because of how comforting I found it to be. 

4. Then we have K-pop idol NJ. She's such a fireball. She's funny, adorable, and yet so trapped and defined by people's idea of her. I love how Choi Ung and she decide to remain friends, comforting each other when things aren't going their way. 

5. Okay, I love Choi Ung's parents so much! Honestly, the idea of running a restaurant and feeding people good food is the definition of a beautiful life for me. However, their care for Ung and his art is so cute and heart rendering.

6. It was through NJ that I realized how joy-crushing fame can be. You forget who you are and try too hard to become someone else's expectations of who you should be.

7. I think Choi-Ung's definition of happiness: "To do lie down and watch the sunlight stream through leaves" was when I first fell for him. 

I love how he's never glorified 'living big'. He's so content with his wants. He knows exactly the kind of people he wants to be around and isn't afraid to go for an unconventional way of living if it makes him peaceful and happy.

8. When they all head for a 3-day trip for the shoot, I got really emotional watching Yeon Soo enjoy herself. It was so nice to see her smile and laugh and let herself free. 

That was the first time I realized how lonely she must have been all these years, handling responsibilities and pushing people away to avoid hurt.

9. My favorite moment of the series was when Ung is waiting for Yeon's answer: will she travel to Germany with him as he enrolls in the architecture program? They meet at Sol Yi's restaurant and Yeon Soo chooses to stay back in Korea because that's what feels right to her. 

There is this amazing moment where they know what they have to do for themselves and yet are so supportive of each other, without letting go of the love they've fought so hard to come back to.

10.Then we have Sol-Yi. I mean, who cannot love her? She's Yeon Soo's 'Reality Check Provider' and also her soundboard + BFF. I have to say I absolutely enjoy watching Park Jin Joo on screen. Even with her supporting role in 'Her Private Life', she was fabulous. 

Here, Sol Yi is spontaneous, has a I-am-the-love-guru vibe and is atrocious in her choice of men. She cooks mediocre food but she doesn't give up on her dream. She's sassy, rude, amazing, and absolutely honest.

11. Lastly, I want to say I came to love Chae Ran so much. She's assistant produce to Kim Ji Ung and is also his unmistakable 'soulmate'. She possess so much sensitivity and yet is so calm and cool. 

I love how she decides to wait for Kim Ji Ung to be in a better headspace before she confesses her feelings for him. That was such a mature, soft, 'ah' moment.

Learnings:

1. When the Universe gives you second chances, grab them with both hands and work to give them your all. People do not come into your life accidentally. Each one is there for a reason.

2. Love has a funny, soft, ridiculously amazing way to make itself known. Allow yourself to feel it when it knocks your door. (P.S: Open it wide and let love rain in your heart.)

3. Love is a fairytale, with all the sparkles, the imperfections, the laughs, the tears, the growth, the support, and the gooey-warm feeling you get when you're with someone right for you.

4. Forgiveness is hard. But regret is worse. 

5. Whoever you were has made you who you are today. But you can always change if you don't like who you've become.

Last Words: 

Oh, please watch this show. It is absolutely adorable, warm and mature.💕💕

[kdramacrybaby]

Bad and Crazy (2021)

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime, Action, (Comedy)

Synopsis: Ryu Soo-yeol works as a police detective for internal crimes, but his own moral code is questionable at best. After he finds himself in the middle of what could become a big case, he tries to ignore it to not jeopardize his chance at a promotion, but the sudden appearance of the mysterious man "K" puts him in the middle of it. No matter how hard Soo-yeol tries to escape, K drags him back and refuses to give up the case. Soo-yeol wants to get rid of K before things escalate, but somehow K never leaves a trace behind after showing up. One might start thinking that K doesn't exist at all...

Episode info: 12 episodes / Runtime around 70 minutes

Lead cast: Lee Dong-wook (Ryo Soo-yeol), Wi Ha-joon (K), Han Ji-eun (Lee Hui-gyeom), Cha Hak-yeon (Oh Kyeong-tae)

Link to watch: You can watch on Dramacool and maybe on Netflix

Drama rec masterlist | Drama rant thread (beware of spoilers)

I saw gifs of this drama on Tumblr and just knew I had to watch it - I was not disappointed! Even just the intro to the drama let me know that it was going to be one hell of a drama.

First off - the music score in this drama is spot on! And the camera work/cutting is superb, especially in the scenes where they switch between Soo-yeol and K (usually the fight scenes, and they all look so cool).

This drama is pure chaotic energy at its very core, and it's hilarious. I actually laughed out loud while watching this. The dynamic between K and Soo-yeol is perfect, and I just love them both so much. I could watch the two of them - and their team - solve cases for several seasons and probably not get tired of it.

It's also surprisingly emotional too though, and the whole overall theme of the drama is basically following someone with heavy childhood trauma trying to deal with it later in life. So if you're not into psychology and talking about trauma, you should probably skip this one.

I am in no way qualified to talk about psychology and whatever terms they throw around in this drama, but overall, I do think they actually did a pretty good job on making everything believable enough - and by that I mean they established their reality of this psychology and stuck to it. I do know that conditions like this exist in real life, but as I said, I don't have enough knowledge to compare what is true and false.

Also, for other warnings: this drama does get violent - even the first three episodes are pretty much just people getting brutally beat up. A lot of fighting, a lot of blood.

If I have to sort of compare to another drama with similar themes - especially with the contrast of light and dark moments - it would have to be Vincenzo. If you liked either of these two dramas, you will probably like the other too.

But yeah, I had a fantastic time watching this and was pleasantly surprised by how serious it turned out to be too (I thought it would be a lot more comedy actually).

[whats-wild-to-you]

Dark Horse (100 Days sequel)

[Lim Ji-yeon]

[Jay’s POV]

“It’s obvious who’s behind the threats!” Soo-jin blurted out all of a sudden while we were watching a movie.

“Yeah?”

“Jiyeon.”

Jiyeon was my first employee. I was young back then and didn’t know what a good maid was, so I went with looks. She was petite, with porcelain skin and nice curves. One day she stood in front of me, asking me for a job. It was even before hyung was able to post an announcement that I was hiring.

“I want to apply for a job?”

I had just moved back into the house a few weeks ago and was answering the door myself.

“What kind of job?” I asked her, cocking an eyebrow. She looked like a schoolgirl, and even though I had been all about filling that void my father left when he died with women and sex, I was almost sure she wouldn’t qualify.

“Any job! I’m willing to do anything!” 

I raised an eyebrow again but invited her in anyway. After talking to her I found out that Jiyeon had just turned 20 and instead of going to uni she preferred to work and save money so she could leave home.

“Why do you want to leave home? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“After my father died, my mother remarried, and the guy is just awful to be around. He treats my mother poorly so I want to earn some money and give it to her so she can leave him.”

I wasn’t sure whether she was telling the truth or if it was just a sob story to make me feel guilty if I decided to dismiss her, but somehow I empathized with her.

“Fine. You are hired. You can stay here for now.” I had plans to build an annex, but Jiyeon would live in the house for as long as the construction went on.

Hyung threw a fit when he found out about it the next morning, but I had already made up my mind. Something about Jiyeon intrigued me. She looked innocent, but I knew she probably wasn’t.

Since she was my only employee, she took care of everything. Never complained, never fell behind, never forgot anything. It made me wonder if maybe her reasons for wanting to work here were true. She was diligent, always on time, always reliable.

One day, I found her checking her phone in the kitchen while waiting for lunch to cook and immediately she apologized, profoundly.

“It’s okay, you can check your phone. Are you expecting a call?”

“Yes, Sir. My mother said she’d call.” She explained meekly, her head hung low.

I walked over to her, using my thumb to lift her chin up. “No need to be scared, I won’t scold you!”

She looked at me, all doe-eyed, and in that moment, I noticed a spark in her eyes. A small smile appeared on her lips, but she was neither blushing nor looked away.

“Come with me!” I ordered her and quickly walked up the stairs. Behind me I could hear her tiny feet quickly catching up.

“You’re my first employee, I value you a lot. Even when I hire more people in the future, you’ll always be the one I’ll trust the most.”

“I want to earn your trust, Sir. Tell me, what do I have to do?”

I thought it was too easy when she asked, standing by the door, her hands folded in front of her.

“What are you willing to do?” 

“As I told you before, everything!”

My phone interrupted our conversation and I send Jiyeon back to the kitchen. Things cooled down between Jiyeon and I, especially since hyung hung out a lot at my house. When the annex was finally ready, Jiyeon moved into the biggest room. The first night she slept in the annex there was a thunderstorm going on outside. I was suffering from insomnia, so I was in the kitchen, looking for a bottle of whiskey.

Out the kitchen window I could see the annex and Jiyeons room. The curtains were drawn and suddenly the light turned on. Minutes later Jiyeon was standing in front of me, shivering. Her flimsy nightgown was soaked through, making the material see-through, her full, luscious breast staring right at me.

I felt my erection poking the fabric of my pajama pants and quickly took a few steps back, averting my gaze. I told Jiyeon she could go upstairs to her old room and change into dry clothes, and that I would bring her tea.

When I knocked at her door, I waited for her response, and when I entered, she stood naked in front of me.

“Oh, God, I’m so sorry!” I blurted out, quickly closing the door again.

“I’m not. I wanted you to see me naked!” She said, opening the door suggestively.

So much for her being innocent.

“Jiyeon-”

“You don’t need to do anything for me but let me do something for you! I noticed your friend Ari doesn’t visit as often these days, you must feel frustrated.” She concluded, focusing her gaze on my crotch.

That’s when I realized, Jiyeon wasn’t stupid. She figured out what exactly my relationship with Ari was about.

Under different circumstances, I’d have her already pinned down on the bed. But Ari had told me how she caught Jiyeon talking on the phone one day, gushing over her boss and how good-looking he was. I didn’t want to lead her on, since she was so young. But damn, she made it hard for me.

“I promise you, you won’t regret it!” She said, slightly pushing me onto the bed and immediately taking off my pants.

“Jay? Helloooo!?”

“Huh? Sorry. I zoned out! What did you say?”

“I didn’t say anything. Are you okay?”

“Yes. Of course.” I insisted, running my fingers through my hair.

“How well do you know Jiyeon? Or is that something I also wouldn’t want to know?”

I returned home from my ‘mission’, finding Soo-jin in the exact same spot that I left her.

“Any luck? Did you get something out of her?” She bombarded me with questions, while I went to the bedroom, undressing, eager to step in the shower.

“She didn’t say anything.” I lied, unable to look her in the eyes.

“Okay.” She answered in defeat, closing the door behind me.

“I’m sorry, baby! Talking to this woman always puts me in a weird mood.” I said when I came out of the bedroom 20 minutes later. Soo-jin was flipping through the channels, and I quickly sat down next to her, pulling her onto my lap.

“What do you say we go to bed?” I whispered in her ear, softly nibbling on it. 

Pictures of Jiyeon invaded my mind and I needed to push them out. Fast.

“But it’s only 8pm?”

“Well, I have a lot of things planned!”

She giggled, immediately making my heart feel at ease. I would be able to handle the past, as long as I had Soo-jin next to me.

“Okay, then. Lead the way!”

I picked her up bridal-style, carrying her up the stairs, when I felt the phone vibrate in my pocket. I carefully put her down, grabbed her hand and led her the rest of the way to the bedroom while I answered the call.

[Soo-jin’s POV]

In just seconds, Jay’s face darkened. He hummed into the phone but didn’t say anything. Only listened. After he hung up, he disappeared inside the bedroom and came out minutes later fully dressed. 

“I need to go somewhere really quick, okay?”

“Where are y-” 

“I promise, it won’t take long!” He reassured me, pressing his lips on mine. “I love you, okay?”

After he left, a weird feeling came over me. I panicked. Who was on the phone? What was the call about? Why did he rush out in such a hurry? And more importantly, why wasn’t he telling me things?

Jay keeping secrets from me was the kryptonite in our relationship. I was sure we could survive anything as long as we were honest to each other, but once somebody started a lie, it would be over.

I contemplated whether I should call Ri-Na, ask her to come over for company but I quickly dismissed that idea when Mr. Kim’s name appeared on my phone’s display.

“Is Jay there?”

“No, he had to leave. It sounded urgent.”

“Good. I’m coming over!”

Panic rose in me again. Something was not right, and I was dreading to find out what it was.

“What’s going on? Jay left in a hurry minutes ago.”

“I know. The lawyer gave new information. They talked to me but I said to them they should contact Jay directly.”

“Oh my God, he hats happening? Did they find something out?”

Mr. Kim shook his head. “I just needed to lure him away so I could talk to you alone.”

Now my antennas were definitely up. Mr. Kim needed to talk to me? Alone?

Before I had a chance to ask, we continued. “ I hired a private investigator to look into Ari and Jiyeon. He contacted me earlier, saying he found out something interesting.”

“Why? We talked to Ari! We ruled her out, didn’t we?”

“This was when the news of Jay’s impending scandal just broke out. I don’t know why but I immediately thought it could only be one of these two women. So I hired someone to dig into them.”

I felt my knees getting weaker so I quickly sat down on the couch. I didn’t like the tone of Mr. Kim’s voice.

“We don’t have much time, Jay will be back soon.” He said, handing me a big Manila envelope.

“It seems that Jay has been supporting Jiyeon financially, even after he fired her. Same goes for Ari, he’s been transferring her money since they returned home from the States.”

I felt nauseous. What did this all mean? Why was Jay doing this? To silence them? Were they threatening him to spill his secrets?

“Right now we don’t know the reasons why, but since we have an anonymous person trying to ruin him we must assume it’s one of these two!”

“I need to ask him about this!”

“No! Absolutely not! Listen to me, Soo-jin! Whatever you do, don’t tell him you know about these!” He exclaimed, raising his voice, waving the envelope in the air.

“Fine. I won’t.”

[Jay’s POV]

I parked my car in the garage, waiting for hyung to show up. Ten minutes passed before I watched him walking up to his car, a frown plastered on his face.

When he spotted me, he loosened his tie, vigorously shaking his head while approaching my car.

“I did it. I didn’t like it, but I did it.”

“Thank you, hyung!”

“So? What now?”

“Now we go talk to her.”

“Do you even know where she is?”

I nodded, getting out of the car. “We’re leaving tomorrow.”

“What are you going to tell Soo-jin?”

I stopped and looked back at Byung-ho as he was climbing into the driver’s seat of his SUV.

“I’ll figure something.”

“Jay, I know it’s not my place, but we already told her one lie. If you keep going, you won’t be able to separate lie from truth. And neither will Soo-jin!”

“I’m aware.”

***

[?]

[nctsjiho]

Can’t Go On Like This

warnings: none

era: beginning of May 2021

❀ When, the one and only, Lee Soo Man joins one of JiHo’s meetings, he reminds her of what her future could look like if she’d stop sabotaging herself

The noise of fingers tapping against the wooden table in the otherwise silent meeting room, sounded absolutely deafening. The tension was so thick, JiHo was sure you could cut it with only the sharpest of knifes. It was a suffocating feeling, even after having been in this same exact room for hours almost each day of the past month or two.

A fake cough caught everyone’s attention and all eyes were on the one and the only, Lee Soo Man. JiHo’s eyes were blown wide and were lingering with slight fear but more so pure youthful naivety. “JiHo…” The man started which caused the girl to sit up straight and nod in acknowledgment.

“We don’t want to take you out of the group. You know this. But JiHo… We can’t let you go on like this.” JiHo knew exactly what he was referring to and it was embarrassing that it came to a point were the staff she’d previously talked to had to get the founder of the company involved.

The man continued. “There’s no reason to keep you here if you keep declining our offers, it also looks very bad on us. Your fans want exactly what we can, and have tried, to give you.” He put emphasis on that last sentence which made JiHo want to bury herself deep into the ground, but she kept her composure as to stay professional in the situation. “If you keep saying no however because of, what your managers have told me at least, is your lack of confidence, then we will have to let you go and not try to save your contract.”

JiHo could feel the eyes of her closest female manager burn into the side of her face. Kim Yebin had been working with her since 2019 and had practically become her best and closest (female) friend. She was a bit like a older sister or a cool aunt that took care of her, but also treated her as an equal. She only wanted the best for JiHo, and sometimes the that meant that she had to be a little harder with her. The young idol wasn’t particularly stubborn, but when it came to her confidence or her own mental health, JiHo didn’t know how to take care of herself in that way.

For the past few weeks, and even over the course of her working with JiHo, Yebin had always pushed her to be more confident and sure of herself. She always had to remind JiHo that she had no reason for her to doubt herself and JiHo would usually listen, but the second Yebin turned her back, JiHo started doubting herself again.

“JiHo it’s time to start believing in yourself. We already do. Me, your fans, the boys, your family and even the whole company does. There’s no reason for you not to do so yourself.” Yebin pressed a few days ago.

Remembering the words JiHo’s manager had told her, she quickly glanced her way and send her a small smile, before focusing on Lee Soo Man again.

“We’ve given you so many opportunities many idols and trainees can only dream about. We as a company spent a lot of energy in not only NCT but you as an individual member as well. Don’t let that energy go to waste. Now that we cleared up the misunderstandings it’s time to move on and move up. Understood?” JiHo nodded before answering with a firm “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.” The smallest of smiles tugged at the corners of his mouth before he started to exit the room.

“Tomorrow we’ll have the meeting with Kim So Yeon, the CEO of Esteem. I want to move that meeting to the second floor lounge, so I need someone to reserve that room and notify the front desk so they sent our guests to the right place tomorrow.” He explained to the staff and not long after he left the room.

JiHo let out a big breath she didn’t realise she was holding in before dropping her head on the table in front of her. Her body trembled slightly as the nerves that had started to build up from the second she knew that Lee Soo Man was joining the meeting until now, began to subside.

JiHo felt the small hand of her manager start to run up and down her spine to sooth her. “Unnie~” The girl whined. “I know JiHo. Just... I know I’ve said it so much lately, but honestly, stop doubting yourself.” JiHo tilted her head so she could look at Yebin who watched her with a motherly gaze. “It’s not that I don’t think I’m good enough...”

The girl sat up and looked straight into her manger’s eyes. “It’s like when they asked me to join Dream.” A small sigh escaped JiHo’s lips. “It’s not that I wasn’t confident in my skills. I just felt like Dream should’ve been only the boys. I didn’t think I’d look good with them.” Yebin and one of the group’s other mangers sighed and shook their heads. “This is exactly not being confident in yourself.” Yebin explained which made JiHo mouth an “oh” in realisation.

“If you debuted in Dream, all the fans would have know was Dream with the seven boys and you. And they would’ve loved it, just as much as they love you with the boys now.” The other manager decided to add on to Yebin’s words. “It would’ve been just the same as if you agreed to debut with NCT U back in 2016. You did everything! Sang the guide for the song. You participated in making the performance. You did so much, you proved you could do it and then one day we hear that you decided not to go through with it and continued on as a trainee leaving the boys oblivious to the fact that you were planned to be added to the group since the start. JiHo you didn’t just have to potential, you had and still have the skill to back everything up. So believe us when we say that there’s no reason for you to ever decline an opportunity because you can do it.”

Even though the words were meant to be words of encouragement, JiHo couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty about everything. She had never told the boys about what kind of opportunities she had gotten from SM before and even after her debut. She felt guilty for keeping it all a secret, for changing how things could’ve been.

Being aware of JiHo’s internal turmoil, Yebin placed a hand on JiHo’s thigh and gave it a friendly squeeze. “Cheer up baby doll! From now on things will be better. And to start things off I’ll treat you to dinner.” The mention of food sparked a bit of excitement which was very clear to Yebin and made her chuckle. “You’ve become too much like the boys. You’re all just little kids.” She dramatically ‘complained’. Yebin reached out for her purse and then beckoned to JiHo. “Let’s go!”

When Yebin walked out of the room she heard a rushed shuffling and a taller figure retreating towards the practise rooms. The brown locks and the stature of the person seemed a bit familiar. But with the amount of people Yebin saw daily - whether that was consciously or not - Yebin couldn’t quite put a name to it. It probably wasn’t someone too close to her, since she prided herself in being good with people - names and appearances.

“Unnie, what are you looking at?” Yebin’s eyes must have been lingering in the direction the person disappeared for a while, because she didn’t notice JiHo joining her by her side. “Oh nothing! Let’s just go.” She sent the confused looking girl a warm smile before they headed towards the elevators. “Good, because I’m starving! I was so nervous for the meeting, I couldn’t eat all day.” JiHo complained while holding her stomach of which she was sure could start growling any second now - thank the Gods it didn’t start while she was still in the meeting. “JiHo! I told you not to skip meals even when you don’t feel like eating. You’re already getting so thin lately.” “I’m sorry, I’ll try to eat next time.”

With that both woman left the building to enjoy a meal together and take a break from the endless meetings and stress filled situations.

---

Side Note: The title might change as well as the little description/summary, and this wasn’t proofread because I’m on a little time crunch. I’ll revise it asap if needed! Also who was that, who Yebin spotted???

Have a good day/evening/night <3

[iiinejghafa]

Thoughts on secret forest s2! this is quite long lol fair warning

Overall, I enjoyed this season and don’t come away disappointed by it at all because it’s clear it serves as a “part one”/lead-in to season 3 in many ways. I think it suffered from being pulled in too many directions with respect to both plot and the chronology of the show; it felt like the writer was trying to balance keeping season 1 events relevant, setting up for season 3 (which at this point is undoubtedly about Hanjo and/or the resolution of investigative rights), and creating a self-contained story, whereas season 1, while admittedly not saddled with the burden of a prior story/season or certainty of a follow-up, was conclusive and wrapped up all the major ends. I think if more of the Hanjo stuff had been saved for season 3, or their role in the Woo-Choi case was wrapped up conclusively, it would have led to a tighter, more satisfying season along with more time for character development.

THE GOOD

I LOVED Si-mok this season. It was clear how much he grew from season 1 and he continued to grow into his emotions (acknowledging Eun-soo and Chang-jun, his stress over Dong-jae’s disappearance, how he erupted at Hu-jeong, his choice to seek out Choi to save Yeo-jin, etc.) and while he didn’t undergo as much development and changes this season, his capacity to emote and care about other people as well as his unwavering aim for justice and truth was reaffirmed. His relationship with Yeo-jin was also really well done; he’s never sad or angry with her for being cold towards him, but instead understands that she’s unhappy and frustrated with her job and gives her space to navigate that while expressing that he’s noticed and cares about her. Confronting Choi the way he did and the dinner scene (which I could go on about for days) really highlighted that he consciously knows how much Yeo-jin means to him, how well he understands her, and that he’s not going to let their relationship waver. He doesn’t believe for a second that Yeo-jin is okay, and I think going into season 3 in addition to their continued friendship he’s going to make an effort to keep an eye on her and support her.

While I was frustrated at times with Yeo-jin’s development, I’m happy with how it concluded. Like Si-mok, she unwaveringly follows her morals and ethics, but this season was the first time she felt pressured to bend on the rules due to politics and connections (ex. the assemblyman’s son) and everything that happened with Choi only confirmed that she can’t - and won’t - drift on things like this again. She also takes the high road in dealing with her career; even though she’s miserable working with colleagues who hate and distrust her, and as much as she misses her old team, she knows that staying in the Intelligence Branch is the only place she can make positive changes. It was crushing to see how unhappy she was, but given that her happiness/career conflicts were a theme this season (and was noted often by Si-mok) and somewhat unresolved, I’m sure we’ll see it carry through to season 3.

Despite their development not being as consistent and satisfying as season 1, I really loved how close Si-mok and Yeo-jin were this season. As frustrating as their relationship was during episodes 4-10(ish?), barely speaking and Yeo-jin being somewhat cold towards him, I understand why it had to happen. It reinforced Yeo-jin’s inner struggle and made her choice to forgo appearances with him later on all the more meaningful, and highlighted that at the end of the day, she will always trust him and considers him her closest friend.

I appreciated that Yeo-jin having feelings for Si-mok - a recurring but subtle theme in season 1 - wasn’t dropped. It wasn’t a core element of this season, but in my opinion, the fact that it was readdressed multiple times suggests that this is something that will continue to be developed in future seasons. Choi calls her out on it twice - and Yeo-jin never denies it, just deflects - and even Woo and Kim are suspicious that something is going on. While Si-mok doesn’t have/is unaware of any feelings towards Yeo-jin - or that other people think something is up with them - I think this season showed he knows she is incredibly important to him. Not just through his scene with Choi, which came about out of certainty that Woo would ruin Yeo-jin’s life and trusting Yeo-jin’s judgment that she and Choi had a bond, but through the way he observed her and the comments he made. “You don’t draw these days?” “Didn’t you want to work in police administration?” “You weren’t the kind of person to postpone things” “Is there a chance you won’t be okay?”; all this demonstrates he is well aware that she is unhappy and struggling, and this was his way of communicating his concern to her which is something he wouldn’t have been able to do in season 1. Another reason I’m excited for season 3 is because the natural progression from this is that he learns how to actively support and comfort her (e.g., he looks distressed and as if he wants to comfort Yeo-jin when they learn about Choi Bit but doesn’t know how).

In season 1, he notices when she’s upset or negatively impacted by something but doesn’t know how to address it and in season 2, he doesn’t know how to truly comfort or speak to her about her unhappiness but is able to convey, through his comments and remarks to her, that he sees her and understands that she’s struggling.

I’m really glad Kang didn’t succumb to Hanjo’s bullshit and resigned and even went to Yeon-jae to ask that she leave Si-mok and Dong-jae alone. I’ve seen other people theorize that Kim will step in as his new mentor, which would be cool to see, but I hope he returns in some capacity.

I loved that Choi wasn’t corrupt after all, just blindsided and dragged into bullshit, and her character served as a reminder to Yeo-jin to not compromise her values even when she’s in a rough spot or under pressure. I was suspicious of her and while I guessed right that she orchestrated the cover-up, not Woo, I genuinely thought she had more malicious intent and far-spanning connections that she would use to save herself. It was really touching that she gave Woo and herself up to save Yeo-jin, all because Si-mok approached her as someone else who cares about Yeo-jin and trusted her judgment. I don’t think Choi is a “good person” necessarily, just morally gray as many of this show’s characters are, but I did have more sympathy than I expected in the end.

Dong-jae’s disappearance and case were some of the most interesting parts of the season, and I liked how the show managed to turn a character I - at best - found occasionally amusing into someone I felt a hint of pity and empathy for. I’m sure he’s still the same weasel even after nearly escaping death - I have no doubt that he covered for Yeon-jae - but I’m curious as to how his relationship with his wife and family changes after this season. I know he’s popular but I genuinely don’t find him to be a good person at all, especially for nearly killing Eun-soo in season 1, but I’d like to believe he makes genuine changes going forward even under the guise of working for Hanjo (which seems inevitable as Yeon-jae will want to keep him in check and it will allow him to stay securely in one place, allowing him to both be near and protect his family).

I’m glad the Yongsan crew returned this season and played a part throughout. I was suspicious of Jang for a while and I’m glad he had nothing to do with any of the cases (though I’m confused as hell by that random gash and his behavior in episode 14) and his friendship with Yeo-jin was really sweet to see again this season.

THE BAD

Yeo-jin’s development was frustrating to watch at times, especially her coldness towards Si-mok and how her sunny bright personality was tamped down this season, even though I understand why. With her haircut in episode 16 (as noted by Si-mok, just like when they first met in season 1) I’m guessing that she will return more to her s1-self in the next season, now that she’s more self-assured and clear on how to proceed in her career. I think the theme of her becoming more and more close-off and shouldering her burdens silently will continue, in contrast to Si-mok becoming more warm and open, but hopefully this will get worked through in the next season.

Now that we know Yeon-jae’s subplot was basically season 3 fodder, I’m frustrated by how big of a part Hanjo group played in the story without any real definitive conclusions. There are too many loose ends - what exactly does she have to do with the meeting at the vacation house? Why does she have a relationship with Woo? What is up with Mr. Park? What relationship did she have with Park Gwang-su that led to her selecting him for the Hanjo work? What is going to happen with Hanjo Group and her relationship with her father and brother? Will she act against Dong-jae if he crosses her, or Si-mok, whom she mostly neglected and ignored this season?

I really, really disliked that the council meetings ended up being pointless. I understand that this was intentional - it forced conflict between Si-mok and Yeo-jin that would have had to happen at some point, brought Choi and Woo together, and showed that there’s no clear answer to the question of investigation rights - but it was built up to be this big thing and we only got two meetings over the span of 10 episodes.

I’m glad that the Segok case was passed on to Dong-jae’s junior, but I’m also a bit annoyed by the lack of conclusion to this case. My take was that Si-mok was thanking her for her insight and trusting that she would be able to take care of it, so I doubt we’ll hear more about it.

Si-mok’s loneliness and isolation felt like a bigger theme in the earlier episodes (lying about staying in a hotel because he can’t go to his mother’s, staying in a hotel and then the dorms, etc.) but wasn’t resolved before he was reassigned. We got those messages from his mother later in the season, but it was something that was never followed through with and didn’t ultimately contribute to anything aside from perhaps emphasizing Si-mok’s dislike for uncomfortable/unnecessary social interactions. Given the way season 2 ended with him and Yeo-jin parting ways again, and his inevitable season 3 return, I’d like to believe this will get more attention in the future. 

OTHER OBSERVATIONS

I saw it pointed out somewhere that Si-mok and Yeo-jin are going in opposite directions in their personal arcs; Si-mok is becoming more open and emotional, whereas Yeo-jin is starting to hide her emotions and silently shoulder burdens. This is a point I’m really excited to see explored in season 3 and what it means for their relationship. Does Si-mok, always evolving and becoming more emotionally mature, directly confront Yeo-jin at any point and express his observations and concern for her? Does he ever tell her that he spoke to Choi, or does Yeo-jin find out through her and how does she react? Does Si-mok’s elevated emotional intelligence come with the eventual realization that he may have feelings for her, in contrast to Yeo-jin hiding and deflecting her feelings for Si-mok this season perhaps out of resignation that he won’t ever feel that way about her? What conclusions do they draw from continuing to find each other again through the years, and how does that play into what they want for their own futures?

Yeo-jin comments that she and Si-mok are “always doing this”; working together, getting separated, and inadvertently coming back to each other again. Season 3 means that they will have to cross paths again in Seoul (I wonder what brings Si-mok back if not Hanjo?) and it’ll be interesting to see what they make of this pattern and if they ever consider what they want for their lives and future. We don’t know what Si-mok wants - if anything he’s perfectly content with remaining a prosecutor and being shuffled around to different assignments - but I can almost guarantee that he will start to feel pulled to stay in Seoul because of Yeo-jin. As for Yeo-jin, we know she misses her old team and being a detective - she wants to work with a team and do field work - but she’s also torn by her relationship with Si-mok and her desire to make structural changes from within even at the cost of her own happiness. Does this change at all with Si-mok’s eventual return and whatever developments occur in her career?

This is more general, but given how much was left unresolved and unaddressed I really feel like the writer knew she was getting at least season three. That and Netflix’s involvement (who generally move quickly production-wise) lead me to hope that we will get season three as early as fall 2021 or early 2022 barring any scheduling conflicts with the leads. I highly doubt Netflix will allow the production to stall another three years after the big numbers they pulled with TVN and undoubtedly on their own service as well.

UNADDRESSED THREADS:

Dong-jae, specifically how he handles Hanjo and what he chooses to do moving forward in his career and family

Hanjo’s full involvement with Park Gwang-su. Why was Woo brought along in the first place? What was the meeting about at the vacation house? What is so nefarious about Hanjo’s involvement, other than it was to discuss the lawsuits (I think)?

Yeon-jae’s battle with her father and brother

Yeo-jin’s backstory. We still know almost nothing about her life prior to this series other than the existence of a grandmother and her comment back in season 1 at the high school (watching the happy teen girls at the high school and saying “You should have been like that, too”). I would like to believe season 3 will finally deliver this lol but who knows

Si-mok’s messages with his mother.

How the investigative rights will be handled

This isn’t quite as open-ended, but Yeo-jin and her career. She got promoted but is universally disliked by her colleagues - though accepted by her new boss via her connection with Choi - and she’s at a desk job again after being shown repeatedly, since the first episode, that she misses her old job and coworkers and wants to go back into fieldwork/being a detective. Si-mok and the Yongsan crew are also attuned to her unhappiness and desire for her old life back, but again this wasn’t given a specific conclusion.

Yeo-jin’s feelings for Si-mok. This was addressed quite a few times this season without a resolution - season 3 fodder/carry over from season 1? - other than reaffirming the deep trust they have in each other and that she is a weak point for Si-mok (which Woo tries to exploit; given his connection to Yeon-jae, perhaps this will come back again).

Mr. Yoon’s appearances. This felt like the most obvious set-up in hindsight; there was no real plot or character-motivated reason for Yeo-jin to see or talk with him, but I’m not sure I understand the sudden sympathy towards his character or what this means for the future unless it somehow ties to Hanjo.

Si-mok’s headaches. He had two intense ones over the course of Dong-jae’s disappearance, but unlike season 1, there wasn’t an overarching conclusion or character development associated with that other than that he’s dealing with them better. This makes me feel that it will be addressed again in season 3, along with:

The theme of Si-mok being worried/stressed. This is brought up a lot in this season, and Si-mok repeatedly denies that he’s stressed about the Dong-jae case only to have two headaches over it. He clearly doesn’t understand what being worried/stressed means to him, and I think the only real resolution we got for this was that he was worried enough about Yeo-jin’s life being destroyed by Woo to confront Choi.

Woo is going to be indicted for what happened at the vacation house along with Choi, but one of the last things we hear from him is “This isn’t over. Not while I’m alive.” If he plays a role in season 3, I’m curious if he uses his connection to Yeon-jae to get out of things, or if Choi’s active role in covering up his death will spare him. Will he and Yeon-jae take revenge on Dong-jae and/or Si-mok & Yeo-jin?

I am VERY upset that there were no Yeo-jin drawings to Si-mok this season!!! Even after it was addressed back in episode 6!!! Season 3 better deliver!!!!

ANYWAY apologies for this word vomit and I’m sure some of my opinions will change over time but for now season 3 2021/2022???

[jasminsssiii]

The One Who Cared The Most

This is gonna be my long ass thoughts of Rang’s character so if you’re also invested to our pyscho baby fox buckle your seatbelt, be furious and cry with me.

From the beginning I already knew that Rang would be a goner because that’s what always happen to my favorite characters ha. But man they gave him such a beautiful character growth I was still caught off guard in the end even though the death flags were everywhere. I tried my best to ignore it hoping the writer is on her right mind but no. His character was written so well it will never be easy to let him go.

Rang was left by his mother to die and abandoned by his brother for romance. He spent hundreds of years alone, missing his brother, and being a puppet. It would’ve been better if yeon just killed him on their encounter I bet that is what he also wished for deep inside. In the beginning yeon can’t figure out how he changed so much from being a kid who cannot ignore an injured puppy to someone who is okay in killing anyone. Yeon cannot figure it out because he was dismissive of his feelings all those years but I as a viewer saw that he didn’t changed at all. It’s just that his brother didn’t pay attention. It was proven by the following episodes where we saw him rescued the puppy and go all soft to soo oh (black puppy huhu). Even in the spin off episodes we were given a glimpse of how lonely he was but still cared deep inside. He didn’t get much enough love and care, but he was able to share and give it to others especially to Yuri and Soo Oh. Just like yeon said “love is passed on in an uncanny way”. He was still a kid trapped in an adult’s body who was traumatized but tried to cover it up by troubling his brother who in reality he yearns to be with the most.

It became more painful when we started to see him finally become genuinely happy. He was freed from the contract and fixed his relationship with his brother. He was able to become and act like his true self. A person who is all smiles and only looks up at his brother. But as always, it didn’t last long. He was stabbed by the person he trusts the most and his brother was fixated on saving his lover. In episode 11 when they switched we even learned that he was convinced that the reason yeon chose jiah was because she didn’t cling to her family tragedy unlike him. How I wished yeon told him that his pain was justified because he did abandon him. It felt like he only started to care for rang when he had something to do with jiah urghh I’m so mad.

Now let’s jump to the last 2 episodes. It was such a painful watch. A very painful one. He finally got his brother back, has a kid to take care of, but got caught up in a mess again due to his brother’s romance. It was so sad to see yeon asked him to be the one to kill him, what yeon did was just add more trauma to rang. He knows himself he cannot do it but due to his love for his brother he was able to. His scream and sobs were so painful to see, the way he wiped his brother’s blood in his hand was too much for me to handle. Now to the last episode, I WAS COMPLETELY DEVASTATED AND I KNOW WE ALL ARE. He suffered alone for 600 years but got only to be happy for 6 months. He finally got his newfound family who takes care of him, who makes him laugh, who he eats meals with, who he watches tv with, who he walks on night outside with, who sends him off when he goes out and welcomes him back when he goes home. He already got it all and I bet even though they tried to make us believe that he still wanted to bring yeon back but we all know that he would’ve eventually moved on with the help of his new family.

Rang’s sacrifice was so unnecessary and I will be always frustrated with the way they made him go. The writer just showed that jiah and yeon’s romance was more important than rang’s happiness with his family. He wasn’t even able to say a proper goodbye to them. A final hug would’ve been more painful but I still wanted it. All he was able to do was leave them with a smile. Just like what yeon said he must have been scared being alone T.T but I know the sight of his family coming to him comforted him at least. Kim Bum’s acting was so brilliant there he got no lines but I knew what Rang wanted to say. That he is happy that there were people who truly cared for him and will cry for him. He is relieved that he will be at ease leaving them because he knew yuri and soo oh are in good hands with shinju. That although their time was short it was one of the best he had. “In my next life I hope I’ll meet you again as my family”. He even had their picture as his wallpaper oh god made the scene 1000x sadder.

Here comes the video message scene. It took me 3 days to gather my thoughts about it but it still hurts until now. The background music that was playing just made it worse. First I just want to talk about how his phone is full of photos of yuri, soo oh, and shinju he really wanted to cherish their moments together. His message to yeon oh god I still cry about it every time I think of it and when I see posts on it. The word “Hyeong” automatically echoes inside my mind. The way he tried to play it off and be cool about it but ended up a sobbing mess. I like how he said he will not apologize for troubling his brother because he was the bigger jerk since it was true. What made it 10000x tragic was that Rang wasn’t ready to let go. He wanted to stay so much and experience the life he had always been dreaming off. He wanted to call yeon “hyeong” many times. He wanted to live so much. He didn’t want to give up at that moment (I will hate the writer forever with this). Seriously, I can’t even talk about it without crying because Rang deserves so much better. The smile he gave one last time was full of regret, sadness, fear, relief, and hope that they will meet again in his next life (someone give kim bum his oscar please). His character was used as a scapegoat to bring the leads their happy ending. I totally feel cheated by the writer on this one they almost made me believe in the first 30 mins of the last episode that they will spare him but nah.

To conclude, Lee Rang was such a beautifully written character and well executed by Kim Bum that it will stay with me for a long time. Regardless of the things he did wrong even though he was sometimes a jerk (which was justifiable) we all know that he was just yearning for his brother’s love. Rang, if only given the chance will love and care for others without reservation even if the ones, he loves the most will not return the same feeling in the same degree. His passing, though a cause of my gut wrenching sobs, was beautiful. I so wanted him to learn to embrace love again and I’m glad at least he died knowing that he did something meaningful. I’ll just take comfort to the idea that he died knowing that he was loved and that he, too, loved well.

[dangermousie]

2019 END OF YEAR KDrama Post

Wow, I haven’t made one in years. This is going to involve only dramas that came out in 2019 because I watched a hell of a lot dramas made prior to that and trying to figure out which ones will give me a headache.

DRAMAS WATCHED (In order of liking from most to least as opposed to pure quality; I am including if I’ve seen at least two eps AND feel it was enough to make up my mind; yes I realize that’s inaccurate, but that’s my list)

Extraordinary You -  A philosophy and religion course AND a love story, and perfect at both.

My Country - a brutal, passionate, intense masterpiece of a sageuk. This is how they should be.

Crash Landing On You - the two eps that have aired brought my joy in watching kdramas back to me so vividly. This is everything. 

Encounter - the perfect noona romance of the year for me. It seems to have little plot (powerful older woman, idealistic younger man) but the characters made me love them with an unhealthy amount of attachment and the mood is just perfect. 

Haechi - smart traditional sageuk with a heart. This one will make you love it but also respect it in the morning :)

Queen: Love and War - Period, romance, mystery, helpless king and feisty heroine. It’s everything I love in one package. 

Chocolate - if, like me, you like slow old-school melo with genuine grown-ups, this one is for you. Ha Ji Won and Yoon Kye Sang are both incandescent in this. 

One Spring Night - a rare slice of life that worked for me so so much. I rooted for the main OTP like crazy (I did skip all the sister stuff though because boring to me.) It’s just a breath of fresh air.

The Tale of Nokdu - a rare funny youth sageuk that worked for me (except, ironically, for when they tried to be politics-heavy and serious about it.) Wonderful OTP, funny situations and just generally a delight. 

Memories of the Alhambra - I can hear people screaming that I put this so high, but this is a faves ranking, not objective one, and I loved the unusual premise (it ultimately fell apart but it tried), and Hyun Bin’s performance was out of this world and the aaaaagnst and I enjoyed waiting for it each week until almost the end. That ending though!!!!!

Psychopath Diary - this is black comedy at its best and hysterical and smart and somehow got me invested in the hapless protagonist. 

Hotel del Luna - clever and funny and smart. Hong Sisters largely back to form. I found the sageuk parts more engaging than modern ones, but what else is new.

Search WWW - some parts of it worked for me more than others, but it had solid writing and cool characters and some interesting OTP(s). 

Love is Beautiful Life is Wonderful - has the weekend drama slowness but it lovely and fun. 

When the Camellia Blooms - it was well made and the OTP was great and the acting top notch, I just don’t tend to go gaga for slice of life dramas, especially ones involving market ladies, much. 

Flower Crew Joseon Marriage Agency - competently done, pretty period piece about nothing. It was enjoyable and forgettable at once.

Catch the Ghost - I put it as high as I did because the OTP really did have lovely chemistry but the story was a complete mess, the police work made no sense and the heroine’s character was like nails on a chalkboard for me.

Joseon Survival - I got about four episodes in and liked it a lot but then Kang Ji Hwan turned out to be a convicted rapist, they replaced the lead and I didn’t go back. I kind of want to because I liked what I saw and I am madly curious as to whether they changed the main character or just said he had a different face now, no explanation. 

The Last Empress - pure inconsistent trash but so entertaining!

Vagabond - I made it eight episodes in before I realized that I would have as much fun staring at traffic. It’s a competently done actioner but without more, actioners never work for me, so this was a viewer/drama mismatch.

Arthdal  Chronicles - incoherent, visually odd and boring, this is arguably the worst drama this year but I am giving it higher place because the cast really tries (even if it tends to fail because it has nothing to work with) and because it attempted something different even if it failed spectacularly. SO BAD.

Melting Me Softly - yes, my brain was fully melted by this soulless, charmless waste of Ji Chang Wook and my limited free time.

VIP - Any drama that makes the main mystery and thrust of the story who the husband cheated on his wife with is BORING. Seriously, this is not exactly Hercule Poirot. They wasted their cast - I have NO idea why Lee Sang Yoon agreed to be in this as a one note character and Jang Nara is playing a second scorned wife in a row but without even the entertainment value of her previous outing.

Abyss - aptly named. The best thing I can say about it is it didn’t offend me but oh boy was it dull.

Absolute Boyfriend - I loved the manga but it’s time to accept this can never be adapted well. They wasted the cast and that ending was just an insult on top of a trash heap.

The Lies Within - you cast that cast and deliberately have no romance. You are dead to me. 

Woman of 9.9 Billion - competently made, but it’s everything I dislike - dour unpleasant bored people behaving as if they are in a particularly dreary art-house French movie but without any nuance or interest the latter came provide. 

Love with Flaws - shrill, dumb, neither acted nor written by anyone trying at all. 

Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung - objectively, it’s not the worst drama on the list, but it’s everything I hate in one package - willfully ahistorical but not cleverly so, male lead incapable of acting, the characters so one-dimensional they disappear, this purports to be a period drama but about as period as a space ship. God, I loathed this. 

FAVORITE DRAMA

Extraordinary You - smart (so mind-bendingly smart) and moving and totally unpredictable and with so many things to say about free will and religion and self and nature of memory and narrative, this had an insane impossible premise and yet somehow managed to do it full justice and stick the landing. 

WORST DRAMA

People with Flaws - this is different from least favorite because even if I loathed e.g., Rookie Historian or Woman of 9.9 Billion, I recognized some positive features; it’s just certain things really rubbed me the wrong way due to personal preferences. But this shrill hot mess of a drama is really everything that’s wrong with dramaworld.

FAVORITE MALE CHARACTER

Prince Yeoning, Haechi - fiercely smart, strong, tormented by the duality of his birth (royal father, servant mother) but not letting this distract him from his purpose, loyal to the bone, and with integrity nothing can shake but where you can feel that it’s not easy and that it costs him.

FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER

Eun Dan Oh, Extraordinary You - a go-getter who remakes the world (literally); smart, cheerful, strong, beautifully human. She feels so real and yet is larger than anything around her. 

NEEDS TO BE MURDERED

Yi Seung Gye, My Country - a sociopath destroying lives in his quest for power and control, even the destruction of his own family barely gives him anything but momentary pause. He is the reason for the tragedy of MC. 

FAVORITE SHIP

Eun Dan Oh x Haru, Extraordinary You - their love is literally universe and god-defying. They have loved each other as different people in three separate worlds (and counting), and have defied loss of memory and even loss of self as well as death, the end of worlds, and their god and the narrative and literally anything and everything, to be together.

Runner Up: Soo Hyun x Jin Hyuk, Encounter: tender and decent and his bringing her back to vivid life and the way they love and support and compliment each other.  

Probably gonna be on list if doesn’t go haywire: Crash Landing on You: she is a SK heiress, he’s a NK officer, they have mad chemistry and so much potential.

NOTP:

Tae Mi x Morgan, Search WWW - love the actors, love the chemistry, love the characters in terms of the way they are written, but they are absolutely wrong for each other and there is no future of any sort but misery ahead. None of their issues are resolved but are swept under the rug. It’s a cautionary tale, not a romance. I did a long rant before so not repeating. 

BEST SECONDARY OTP

Scarlett x Ji Hwan, Search WWW - they stole the shippiness in the drama for me. Cooky and adorable and noona romance done right.

FAVORITE SCENE

Haru’s final disappearance, Extraordinary You - the lights start to go out, the world literally dissolving, Eun Oh and Haru clinging to each other, with his telling her she was his beginning and the end. His name, the one she gave him, is the last thing he hears. In a drama full of amazing scenes the very gist of which was defying the very creator and universe and meaning of existence, this was the one that stayed with me the most.

BIGGEST CRUSH

Seo Hwi, My Country - I have a thing for deeply honorable, deeply tortured period badasses with long hair and a death wish (see Choi Young in Faith etc.)

BEST SCENE STEALER CHARACTER

Yi Bang Won, My Country - he started out as an antihero and ended up as arguably a tragic villain (or maybe still an anti-hero) but oh boy, was he magnetic and fascinating and sucking out all the oxygen whenever he was in the scene.

NEEDS A SEQUEL

Memories of the Alhambra - WTF ending was that?! All that misery and no real resolution?! Dammit!

TROPE THAT NEEDS TO DIE

Youth Sageuk - I hate most of them! They are anachronistic and dumb and honestly, what is the point of having fully modern people in period clothes? Just make a modern show and call it a day.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Melting Me Softly - Ji Chang Wook’s first project back from the military was an unfunny, unmoving, pointless mess with not an ounce of genuine enjoyment despite the excellent pedigree of everyone involved in front and behind the camera.

Arthdal Chronicles - the makers made excellent Queen Seon Duk, Tree with Deep Roots and Six Flying Dragons. The cast was uniformly A grade. The result was an open-ended, boring, incoherent mess that looks like a bad sort of a drug trip and made about as much sense. 

BIGGEST GOOD SURPRISE

Extraordinary You - I had zero interest in yet another high school drama with no actors I recognized. By the end, EY was an emotional brainy twister of a marvel that became my favorite drama of all time. I’ve been watching dramas for over 13 years so that’s saying something.

2019 DRAMAS I HAVEN’T SEEN THAT I MOST WANT TO WATCH

The Crowned Clown - I love sageuks and cast and it looks so smart and emotional

Angel’s Last Mission: Love - my next contemporary - I watched a little and loved what I saw

Fates and Furies - I saw a few eps and classic melo is so up my alley.

Clean with a Passion for Now - I like the cast and it’s a year of falling for hot weird bosses apparently.

Graceful Family - I love makjang and Im Soo Jung.

The Secret Life of My Secretary - downmarket Beauty Inside and I loved BI.

Love Affairs in the Afternoon - artsy adultery FTW

Item - I don’t like crime stuff but I am here for Joo Ji Hoon.

My Strange Hero - seems a little cooky but I am fond of Yoo Seung Ho.

MOST ANTICIPATED IN 2020

King: the Eternal Monarch - Lee Min Ho and Woo Do Hwan and parallel worlds and written by Kim Eun Suk. Yes Please.

I should probably make one for cdramas too though that one would be rather shorter.

[eventyrstuff]

Every Kdrama I’ve watched under the cut, to keep track and for recommendations.

Warning: Spoilers, few unpopular opinions ahead, please bear in mind: to each their own.

2009

·       You’re Beautiful – 16 amusing episodes (Finished)

o   Is the plot interesting? This was the era of female leads pretending to be male (Hana Kimi, Ouran etc), but I still loved it. We follow the story of the female lead (who was a Nun at the beginning) who pretended to be her twin brother and become a part of the country’s current hottest band because her twin had a cosmetic surgery mishap (lol). It’s mostly trying to fit in and try not to get exposed but of course our male lead discovered her true identity thus begin her suffering and second also knows but did not admit it thus begin his unrequited love and comic relief and best character in the series was left in the dark thus begin questioning his sexuality 7/10 o   Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? YES. Park Shin Hye is love and Jang Geun Seuk’s smile is freaking adorable. 9/10 o   Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? JEREMY AND SHINWOO AND JOLIE YES. 10/10 o   Are the OSTs compelling? MOST DEF. I fell in love with PSH’s “Lovely Day” and “ Without Words”, ANJELL’s “Still” and “Promise” though I prefer Lee Hong Ki’s version 8/10 o   Would you rewatch? I’ll definitely rewatch, I would love to compare my opinion back in my tween years and opinion now   o   Favorite Episode/Scenes: Episode 6 – Shin Woo and Mi Nam’s pseudo date (totally heartbreaking for tween me) Episode 11 – supermarket scene was the best, Episode 13 – Cooking scenes was hilarious, every scene with Jeremy, TAE KYUNG AND THE PIG o   Words Association: GO MI NAM, Pig-Rabbit, JOLIE!, Fly me to the moon, “hyung, vinegar?” o   Yes it has overused plots, common conflicts and family drama but the characters and their dynamics are truly worth watching this and if you need a good laugh (this drama has a looooot of funny scenes), this one is for you. 8/10

2011

·       Heartstrings – 15 forgotten episodes (Finished)

o   Is the plot interesting? It’s a college drama involving modern and traditional Korean music. I honest to God forgot the whole drama, I think there was rivalry between the main leads? 6/10 o   Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? Not sure, but if it’s Park Shin Hye, I guess so, sorry I’m shit at remembering this drama o   Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? I forgot so I guess not? o   Are the OSTs compelling? I am pretty sure it got an amazing Osts with having Park Shin Hye and CN Blue’s Yong Hwa but the only thing I remember was the song “Byeul” or Star and it was sung by the secondary character but it was really catchy o   Would you rewatch? Looks like I need to rewatch since I mostly forgot this drama o   Will rate once I have rewatched but if you shipped Yong Hwa and Park Shin Hye’s characters in You’re Beautiful, this one is for you.

Then after years of Jdramas, Anime, Mangas, YA books I returned to Kdramaland in…

2018

·       Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo – 16 charming episodes (Finished)

o   Is the plot interesting? College athletes’ coming of age drama, added a dash of love and friendship and dreams. Strong female lead and affectionate male lead, sign me the fuck up. 9/10 o   Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? I AM EMOTIONALLY INVESTED WITH THE LEADS PERSONAL AND LOVE LIVES. YES. 10/10 o   Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? YES EVEN THE CAMEOS (Hello Lee Jong Suk who I haven’t watched any of his drama yet at the time and Ji Soo) 10/10 o   Are the OSTs compelling? I downloaded 2 of their OSTs (You&I and Dreaming), it was the first Korean songs in my playlist 9/10 o   Would you rewatch? Absolutely o   Favorite Episode/Scenes: “BOK JOO, WATCH OUT!”, “YOU DIE, I WILL KILL YOU”, Snow kisses, the gang in the amusement park, THAT SCENE WITH JISOO AND JOO HYUK o   Word Association: SWAG, Messi, Chicken, Samgyupsal, WHAT, Chubs o   I totally recommend to everyone, it has a unique plot, still not over the main lead’s chemistry, you’ll fall in love with the whole story. 10/10

 ·       The Heirs – 20 clichéd episodes (Finished)

o   Is the plot interesting? It’s your typical rich man poor woman plot, high school setting oozing with alpha males and lots of trope scenes, if only female lead was also an heir or they develop more on her character it will be memorable, I can’t really differentiate with other dramas with the same plot – well except the male lead’s mother is not your typical mother who absolutely hates the female lead 3/10 o   Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? No, not really more on the secondary characters, both male and female leads are meh 2/10 o   Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? With the mute mother and FL’s bestfriend and his girlfriend yes, everyone else is forgettable 3/10 o   Are the OSTs compelling? I only remember “Love is a moment” because it was used by fanmade crack videos on youtube ahahaha 2/10 o   Would you rewatch? Probably no. o   I guess if you are a big fan of Boys Over Flowers and looking for the same genre this one’s for you, this did not really age well for me, probably would have loved this if I watched back when I was in highschool – reminds me of wattpad days. 3/10

 ·       W: Two Worlds – 16 enthralling episodes (Started 2018 Finished 2020)

o   Is the plot interesting? The plot is what compelled me to watch this drama, male lead is a webtoon character created by the female lead but made famous by her father. Male lead does not have your best childhood experiences but became really successful as an adult but there are mysterious instances that put his life on danger, the female lead (doctor) was drawn in on the comic and saved his life, unknowingly her actions changed the course of the story and it reflected on the comic in the real world – this was truly a good concept 9/10 because I actually forgot I started this drama last 2018 then rewatched and finished this 2020, I am still confused. o   Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? THE CHEMISTRY WAS ON THE ROOF ON THIS ONE. I DIDN’T EVEN CARE ABOUT THE OTHER CHARACTERS 10/10 o   Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? I was actually more focused on the main leads, did not exactly give much attention to other characters 3/10 o   Are the OSTs compelling? I only liked “Where are you” but it was sung by that guy who was jailed among other things so I don’t know how I feel now. Still the opening was lit o   Would you rewatch? Yes, I will try to fully understand what the mechanics or rules of being a webtoon character and being alive in the real world o   Favorite Episode/Scenes: KISS IN THE JAIL was the first thing that came to my mind, also real life scenes to comic scenes and vice versa- kudos to the artists, slap and kiss scene, the flashing scene, 4 romantic concepts scene, the adorable scenes recreating the illustration book, the transition when yeon Joo dropped her ring, the hospital bed scene o   Words Association: #4, handcuffs, all the winks, sudden “saranghaeyo”, ring, bus stop, “to be continued” o   This drama was amazing for the first 10 episodes then became complicated after, I loved the chemistry between the 2 main leads but unfortunately overpowered the whole story – don’t get me wrong I love love stories, but my reaction was the same as those who read the comics – too much cutesy stuff they forgot the storyline, I wanted them to explore the W show, but they focused on filling the plothole for the murderer which created more conflicts and confusing scenes. The line between the comic and real word created plot devices and more questions. This drama has flaws but cool premise though, I hate amnesia plot on any drama but it was well incorporated on this one. 8/10

·       Goblin – 16 amazing Episodes (Finished, rewatched 2020)

o   Is the plot interesting? A general in Goryeo dynasty got punished by the Gods to be immortal and his sword still in his chest only the Goblin bride can take it off so he can be at peace and die. Immortal lead with a side of grim reaper as best friend, charming female lead with a confident female boss – a story with reincarnation and ghosts, scenes that will tug your heart – yes, one of Kdrama Masterpiece 10/10 o   Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? At first no no with the age gap but yes, I say while crying o   Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? HELL TO THE YES, DEOK HWA, GRAMPS, SECRETARY KIM, HELLO CUTIE TAE HEE, SUNNY AND GRIM REAPER 10/10 o   Are the OSTs compelling? HAUNTINGLY BEAUTIFUL OSTS, particularly “Round and Round”, “I Miss You”, “Stay with Me” and even without lyrics I still worship “When the time stops” aka the music that speaks to your soul 10/10 o   Would you rewatch? YES ALREADY DID BRUH WILL DO AGAIN o   Favorite Episode/Scenes: Every bromance scene, I got hooked by the scene in the first ep where Eun Tak celebrated her birthday with her ghost mother, epic goblin and grim reaper modelling in the highway, everytime sunny flips her hair, grim reaper and his guests in the tea shop o   Word Association: Canada, sad love, candles, rain, chicken, tea, car crash *sorry not sorry* o   Totally recommended, well-deserved on its popularity. Will make you laugh and cry, at the same time. Acting skillz man. 10/10

 ·       Strong Woman Do Bong Soon – 16 whacky episodes (Finished)

o   Is the plot interesting? Female lead has super strength which was actually passed down to every woman born in her family, she wants to be a game developer but instead got hired as bodyguard of our male lead who is a ceo of a gaming company 8/10 o   Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? I remember that I did, I was? I need to rewatch haha o   Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? I remembered I did not like Ji soo’s character and don’t really remember other characters… o   Are the OSTs compelling? Can’t quite remember so I need to - o   Would you rewatch? Yeahp, will do o   I’ll do a rewatch before rating

I had a watch list back in 2018, but then I became busy with work and life until…

2020 (Details will be more longer since every Kdrama is still fresh on my mind)

·       My ID is Gangnam Beauty – 16 pretty episodes (Finished)

o   Is the plot interesting? Basically, female lead deems herself ugly and undergone a plastic surgery to fully change her face before attending the university – but a popular guy back in highschool (junior high?) was also attending the same uni and recognized her – it’s a mellow sort of drama tackling Korean beauty and it’s extent, still cute story tho 7/10 o   Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? We must protect Mi-rae at all cost, Cha Eun Woo’s character is a little bit emotionally constipated but Eun Woo is *swoon* 8/10 o   Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? I am all for Mi-rae’s family and childhood friend, Kyung Seok’s sister, Yoo eun was very notable as well, I love how her character is completely fair and understanding 7/10 o   Are the OSTs compelling? “D-day” and “True” is a bop to listen to, everytime I hear “Something” all I remember is Cha Eun Woo’s slow mo glance, other OST is a bop but not enough for me to put on my playlist 6/10 o   Would you rewatch? Probably but not right now o   Favorite Episode/Scenes: New face dance, bathroom scene with Kyung Seok beating the shit out of their senior, whenever Kyung Seok is annoyed with Soo-A but total heart eyes mode with Mi Rae, Cinema pseudo date – eating popcorn using straws, when he changed the color of his hair, Kyung Seok’s ID when he was a waiter, their high school date, and that last sweet scene in the final episode o   Word Association: gangnam, perfume, plastic, umbrella, soju o   I wasn’t planning on watching kdramas again after a long time but this quarantine just makes you do things and no regrets at all, MIIGB probably isn’t the best of the best but it definitely made me want to watch more kdramas and lo and behold more kdramas watched in a span of 2 months than in a year back in 2018. I love how it tackles on true beauty and female oppression and how idiotic alpha male trope is 7/10

 ·       While You Were Sleeping – 16 not enough episodes (Finished)

o   Is the plot interesting? A prosecutor, a reporter and a cop can see the future when they sleep, which helps them in solving cases and do their best to change it. Every case is fascinating makes you say “ohhhhh” when they present their defense and I am like *chef kiss* I love the premise and the supernatural part of the story. 10/10 o   Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? YES. JAE CHAN AND HONG JOO ARE ADORKABLE AND HAS INSANE VISUALS  10/10 o   Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? HAVE YOU MET JUNG HAE IN, THE PROSECUTOR TEAM WAS THE BEST. YES. EVEN THE SIDE CHARACTERS ON CASES AND THE VILLAINS 10/10 o   Are the OSTs compelling? I usually don’t hear the OSTs while focusing on a scene but boy oh boy, OSTs stole everything, I am obsessed with the whole album. The melody and tune is very captivating everytime you hear it you just want to embed it on your brain. If you are still having second thoughts watching this drama, listen to it’s OSTs the feels they give is the same feels when you watch 1000/10 o   Would you rewatch? I’ve watched it again after finishing it so yes, 100% yes, need more episodes still having withdrawal syndrome, still watching fanmade videos on youtube o   Favorite Episode/Scenes: Every episode lol, the opening sequence, the outro scenes in episode 2 and 3 (with that background music), everytime “It’s you”, “You belong to my world”, “When night falls” and “I love you boy” is the bg music, every Jae Chan and Hong Joo parallel (Episode 2 and 16 particularly), OT3 scenes, the shadow picture, KISS IN THE RAIN, IN THE SAKURA TREE AND THE ALMOST KISS IN THE CAR if I list down all of my fave, I will be writing the whole summary of each episode. Hmmm. o   Words Association: Snow hug, sakura kiss, batman and robin, scarf, JUST ICE, choir, seatbelt, samgyupsal, femme fatale, lip balm o   I HIGHLY RECOMMEND. ULTIMATE FAVE. I AM BIASED SHUTTUP. JUST WATCH. NONE CAN COMPARE. NUFF SAID. 100000/10 SOMEONE FANGIRL WITH ME

 ·       Pinocchio – 20 important episodes (Finished)

o   Is the plot interesting? This whole drama is about mass media and its major influence on anyone’s life and it is so powerful. We have a male lead whose family has experienced the impact of misguided news and it is painful to watch because this really happens irl at worse, this is due to a reporter which is our female lead’s mother. Now our female lead has Pinocchio Syndrome hence the drama title, she can’t help but hiccup when she lies, it’s very interesting to know why both leads wanted to be a reporter given their situation 10/10 o   Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? YES, I JUST WANNA HUG THEM. Imagine having a condition that forces you to tell the truth, you can’t keep your feelings, privacy or secrets at all and to add an indifferent mother who did not care for your dreams but more on publicity. Imagine having a dream and working hard to reach it but after college you fail every job interview and it’s so realistic I just ashfdsjfha (Except the Pinocchio syndrome part but come on) Imagine experiencing a childhood where you don’t know what happened to your firefighter father, is the news about him running away true because it was his fault all those other firefighters are dead? Imagine your brother doing his best to hold your family together because your mother is on the verge of nervous breakdown to the point of pushing her to choose death, pulling you to a hug and just jump? Imagine this male lead fighting every chance to not love this girl who is the daughter of the reason why his family is gone now and could not leave her because she is also the reason why he decided to fight for the injustice done to his family and to others victims of fake news and they are so supportive of each other. It freaking hurts and I’m sorry I just have a lot of emotions for these two 1000000/10 o   Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? YEEEEES, GRANDPA AND FATHER, I LOVE THEIR FAMILY DYNAMICS SO MUCH WHEN GRANDPA CRIED I CRIED! EVEN JA MYUNG HYUNG who has not enough episode in THEY DESERVE TO BE TOGETHER NOT JUST FOR ONE EPISODE. EVEN BEOM JU, YOO RAE, NITPICKER JANG, CAPTAIN, BOTH CAPTAINS ACTUALLY, CHAN SOO AND HIS FAMILY EVEN I LOVE TO HATE THE VILLAINS 100/10 o   Are the OSTs compelling? I was too focused on the intensity of the story but I do love the bg music –“First Love”, “The Only Person”, “Pinocchio” are few notable OSTs 8/10 o   Would you rewatch? YES FREAKING YES, I REWATCHED AFTER WATCHING IT o   Favorite Episode/Scenes: Episode 16 as a whole, because main lead conflict with each other was resolved and that dinner scene is one I always rewatch, of course episode 1 introduction for Dal Po is freaking hilarious, Episode 2’s “Because I like you” damn feels, snow kiss, all the grandpa scenes and brother scenes, that scene when In ha remembered being drunk, that scene where Dal Po meets his brother again and I just ahjasgdjhsdgf, the intense debate and paralleling it in the seminar, the Christmas episode pyung pyung pyung my heart huhu o   Word Association: Six Degrees Separation, rumor, button, MSC/YGN News, traffic cones, hiccups, piggy banks, text messages, family o   EVERYONE SHOULD WATCH THIS. I LOVE EVERY PART. IT WAS ON MY WATCHLIST LAST 2018 WHY DID I NOT WATCHED IT THEN. THE ACTING THOUGH YOU JUST FEEL THEIR INTENSE EMOTIONS THROUGH THE SCREEN. FEELS EVERYWHERE. 100000/10

 ·       Romance Is A Bonus Book – 16 heartwarming episodes (Finished)

o   Is the plot interesting? It’s about romance and books! Lee Jong Suk is on it what more can you ask for? Kidding aside it tells a story of a 30 something mother who to go back to work after 12 years which left a huge gap on her resume, she also got recently divorced and experiencing the repercussion of that, all of the job she applied for has focused on her work gap instead of her skills (which by the way as an HR a very hard truth). She applied as a support role on a publishing company and got hired but by omitting a lot of things on her resume. Oh and her childhood friend, our male lead is actually a co-owner and editor of the company. And he is also in love with her since high school. 9/10 but the fluffiness of the whole series is worth 10/10 o   Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? YES, Dan-I is totally relatable and Eun Ho is lovable. I love their relationship so much they are each other’s home. 10/10 o   Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? With Hae-rin (COME OOON UNREQUITED LOVE AGAIN WITH LJS CHARACTER?), Seo Joon, President Kim, Manager Seo, and our very own Gangnam Leopard YES. Others not so much. 8/10 o   Are the OSTs compelling? The OSTs are feel good, the kind of playlist you want to hear when you read or travelling, point to “Rainbow”, “Walking on Sunshine”, “Happy End”also the heart churning feels when “You’re Beautiful” and “ A Story I couldn’t see” begins playing in the bg 10/10 o   Would you rewatch? YES over and over and over again o   Favorite Episode/Scenes: The first episode with the wedding visuals, so aesthetic with the running in the highway, the power dance was so out of place but it was adorable, the scene where Dan-I reminisce her married life and it just breaks your heart, the essay part of her application is just motivating and sad, WHEN EUN HO WAS DRUNK AND WENT TO DAN-I’s PLACE BECAUSE HE ALWAYS GO THERE WHEN HE MISSES HER AND I JUST AHGSHJAGDKJGHJ, “If that’s love, I love her then”, GANGNAM LEOPARD CLUB SCENE, the subtle Snow confession (what’s with LJS and Snow???) the long brown overcoats comes out I’m there, when Eun Ho rejected Hae Rin so nicely I cry, movie date, the day Dan-I and Eun Ho spent together at their house, all the book pages at the end of each episode o   Words Association: THE MOON IS BEAUTIFUL, noona, power pose, love letters, books, seasons change, cucumber allergy, April 23 o   This drama is literally a warm blanket on a rainy day. Recommended if you want a pure love story with almost no conflict and mellow storyline – just the thought of finding love and home in the same person is truly heartwarming. For aspiring writers and book lovers! Love the quotable quotes in it and the warm feels it gives 10/10

 ·       Extraordinary You – 16 extraordinary episodes (Finished)

o   Is the plot interesting? We follow the story of the extras in a comic book. Get it? EXTRAordinary you, haha okaaaay, anyway, its fictional characters becoming aware that they are fictional characters and trying to change their fates, having a life of their own outside the “stage” and all around creating chaos – breaking the 4th wall if you will. We have your cliché high school filled with rich kids and an elite group called A3 (which was funny bc it was almost mocking F4), then we have the female lead who thought she was the main character of the story but was only the love bridge extra for the main characters. And our beautiful male lead who does not even have a name. Very attention-grabbing 10/10 also just found out the drama was based on a webtoon, so it’s a webtoon inside a webtoon nice. o   Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? Dan-Oh is a fun character to watch, her range of emotions and the way she acts in and out of the stage deserves a standing ovation, I don’t mind Ro Woon’s visual too haha 9/10 o   Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? Yes to Lee Do Hwa (Because violin playing cutiepie), Joo Da (girl became aware and finally got claws at the end) and Dried Squid Fairy and Su Hyang (because their history is interesting) , not really into Bae Kyung or Nam Joo (who was 2dimensional character until the end) 8/10 o   Are the OSTs compelling? I loved all the instrumental background music especially “Highschool Runway”, Also “My Beauty” which was very kdrama-esque ending song 7/10 o   Would you rewatch? BIG YES o   Favorite Episode/Scenes: Every Dan-Oh and Do Hwa’s internal monologue and their bromance, every time Dan Oh breaks character but the page flips, every time she curse and criticize the writer, checking the male population’s back, when Dan-oh opened the umbrella and we got to see Haru’s face *dokidoki*, every reaction when they transition from stage to shadow, I mean kudos to Kim Hye Yoon’s acting from crying to laughing then from head over heels over Bae Kyung then cringing at herself , “It’s Bae Kyung Time”, the scene where Haru and Dan-oh was holding hands and here comes third wheel Do Hwa the way they reacted with Dan Oh’s “Annyeong Lee Do Hwa” made me rofl o   Word Association: AYUUU JINJJA, HARUYAAAAA, stage, shadow, page flips, October 10, secret, flower o   I love the concept and how it felt like writing fanfiction, you put your favorite characters in alternative universes or different setting and watch them fall in love all over again – in this case destiny also plays a huge part since the writer continuously separate them but they still fall in love with each other outside the stage. It’s fun to see the other side or the fillers whenever characters are not on acting on stage, they have more character depth and development. I definitely love the Sageuk and College AU part. 9/10

 ·       Graceful Family – 16 wild episodes (Finished)

o   Is the plot interesting? It’s a drama full of Makjang so we are riding on a rollercoaster ride, I am here for all of it gimme gimme that outrageous plot with a dash of crazy family on the side and a group of people who cleans up their messes 9/10 o   Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? SEOK HEE IS THE BEST FEMALE LEAD YET FREAKING BADASS BITCH QUEEN. Yoon Do is okay but really overpowered by Seok Hee’s strong personality 10/10 for Seok Hee o   Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? I am very interested in Ms. Han and the Top Team’s deal unfortunately it was not addressed further in the series, wouldn/t mind a mini sequel with them as the main characters, Choi Na Ri and Seo Jin is loooove, and I love Wan Soo with all my heart even after everything that happened 9/10 o   Are the OSTs compelling? “Liar” is on my playlist solely for me to feel as badass as Seok Hee and “Black Diamond” because it plays with your emotions 8/10 o   Would you rewatch? Solely for all the WTF moments o   Favorite Episode/Scenes: ALL THE DINING TABLE SCENES, opening scene in the first episode got me hooked, all Seok Hee scenes made me stay, Wan Soo’s hilarious scenes, that whole hanbok shop scene, whole jail fiasco, when Seok Hee fights head to head with TOP management, PICASSO’S FUNERAL SCENE, Episode 9 when Choi Na Ri moved in, episode 15’s biggest plot twist, Episode 16 and it’s whole 1 hour and 45 minutes of drama o   Word Association: Home sweet home, Cannes, Picasso, power vacuum, kingmaker, Auntie o   It has a lot of flaws, plotholes and characters you wished was fleshed out but man what an exhilarating ride it was. I love all the dirty secrets in the closets and plot twists (won’t spoil just watch it!) but Seok Hee is definitely the show stealer for me. Soo Hyang’s character here is starkly different with her character in My ID is Gangnam Beauty and it’s really amazing. 9/10

 ·       Hi, Bye Mama – 16 heartbreaking episodes (Finished)

o   Is the plot interesting? This is all about mother’s love and the life she left behind. Our female lead died in an accident and has been a ghost for five years watching over her family especially her daughter, she watched how her family moved on – her husband remarried and her daughter grew up with a different mother. The Gods has given her a chance to live again if she gets back her place within 49 days – this means she get the chance to become human again and finally meet her daughter. 9/10 o   Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? I AM EMOTIONALLY INVESTED IN ALL OF THEM. 10/10 o   Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? SEO WOO YAAAAAA, Min Jung, her whole family and best friends even the other ghosts and their painful stories YES. 10/10 o   Are the OSTs compelling? I was busy crying and could not really hear the bg music because all I hear is my heart breaking a million times. But “Happy” made me happy and sad at the same time and the haunting “Same Town, New Story” instrumental is love o   Would you rewatch? I am not sure if I’m ready to cry again o   Favorite Episode/Scenes: whole episode 8 is where I broke down crying – I know this whole series is about mother’s and their unconditional love but episode 8 showed fathers and their incomparable love to their daughters and I just asjhdajksd the epilogue in this episode just made me cry nonstop – I am actually crying just remembering that scene, every epilogue will make you ugly cry, every time Seo Woo smiles, Episode 11 and that epic showdown in Kid’s café, when Yu Ri became human again and how happy she was she can hold Seo Woo, every scene with her and Seo Woo bonding, Gang Hwa and the egg,  the list of things she wants to do, when Seo Woo finally called her MAMA o   Words Association: mother, stepmom, ghosts,  “I am happy”, shaman, egg, 49 days o   I am emotionally exhausted watching this show, I cried on every episode, this definitely hurt me in every way possible. Highly recommended if you want a good long nonstop cry 10/10

Dramas I did not completely watched sans a few episodes, finished by skipping scenes or reading drama reviews. Warning: total unpopular opinions

2009

·       Boys Over Flowers – we all know Hana Yori Dango is superior, I just got bored of recycled scenes and I really don’t like LMH here, sorry

2018

·       Scarlet Heart Ryeo - Plot is very interesting but Sageuk dramas are not my cup of tea, reminds me of Fushigi Yuugi which I hated when I was a kid dunno why haha, will look for my motivation to watch the whole drama ·       Oh My Ghostess – got spoiled, skipped and just read episode summary

2020

·       Hello Monster – did not even finish 1st episode, skipped through episode 2 -3, too many plot holes, just read last episode spoilers ·       Hotel De Luna – finished 7 episodes got distracted by work and life. Plotline is interesting and characters look promising, will rewatch but I already know the spoilers and ending ·       School 2013 – just read the dramabeans episode reviews, may watch but reminds me of Gokusen concept (which I do love but very repetitive) so may not ·       Suspicious Partner – I liked the plot but unfortunately did not care too much on the main mystery of the whole show which was who the actual murderer is, did not like the shared childhood trauma, but acting still was good, its just the storyline ·       Doctor Stranger – I seriously would have loved to finish this because LJS’s acting skills on point (how can he be that seriously angry in North Korea then be clumsy adorkable in South? Howww) but alas, the female lead storyline is cringy I stopped at episode 6, read reviews and it would have been 20 wasted episodes for me ·       What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim – full of stereotypical tropes I could not finish, too romcom for me and could not invest too much about their history

Watchlist (2020)

·       Hospital Playlist ·       Crash Landing On You ·       Kill Me, Heal Me ·       I Am Not A Robot ·       Sky Castle ·      Love Alarm

Hit me up with your recommendations, better yet your favorite kdrama and reasons why it’s your fave!