I’ve been watching Alchemy of Souls and I keep seeing articles pop up for me about the “passionate” kiss from episode 14… I just keep hearing Se Hee from BTIOFL in my head…
Hahaha! It reminded me of the similar “passionate” kiss in Hotel del Luna. The director of Alchemy is the same director as WWWSK and BTIOFL, and the show is on TVN… So… I’m wondering who is withholding passionate kisses from us?? Is it the Hong Sisters? Do they have something against passion?
#BVIPP2
I haven’t checked the fan posts for a while, and today I see this great trend and want to jump on board! I just had to look this song up again, because little bits of it get stuck in my head.
I want to applaud whoever is in charge of casting for the upcoming Liberation Diary. The casting of Lee Min-ki and Lee El as siblings is inspired. I 100% buy them as brother and sister.
I just watched the first 2 episodes of Business Proposal because I’d heard that it’s a wacky good time. It is! It puts the com in the rom-com. I was reminded of the hijinks from The Secret Life of My Secretary and it seems like it’s going to deliver on the sweet romance, too. Eventually. Right now, it’s just mad cap craziness and meet cutes. And as SLOMS had that fancy fish, BP has the archaeopteryx.
I binged the first 6 eps of Through the Darkness. Thankfully, I waited until it’s long hiatus was almost over. As compelling as the mysteries are, I keep getting distracted by Kim Nam Gil. At first, I was mesmerized by the perfect fit of his navy t-shirt. I had no idea what was ahead when they showed him getting fitted for his suit. Holy smokes, that fits him well. And I love the curly mop of hair on him, too. Looking forward to more episodes!
“I keep getting distracted by Kim Nam-gil.” Yeah pretty much. That’s me watching the entire hour-long episodes. Whoever’s styling him deserves awards and a huge pay raise.
Ugh. I’ve been dying for Lee Mu-saeng to play a role where he looks at someone with these eyes. This is not how I wanted it, though. This is not it. Thirty-nine , you’ve broken my heart.
THIS!!! I think that’s what I find most irritating about the whole cheating thing. Not that this relationship is being depicted (art should be free to portray any number of controversial topics), but that I just wanted these two in particular to be happy and wholesome together. Lee Mu-saeng has such great potential as a romantic lead but he keeps getting cast as the asshole.
Day 13: Drama beanies loved but you didn’t / Drama you loved but beanies didn’t
I know it’s a very unpopular opinion but I really liked Love Alarm 2. I did read ahead and knew who the endgame male lead was, so I was expecting that. Maybe that helped, I don’t know. I also really root for relationships that are mature and full of kindness, in general. The first relationship was exciting and full of high schoolish big feelings. The second relationship is what I would want for my friend or sister. I liked the theme of being unsure of what LOVE really looks like and what it feels like. And craving the security of a Love Alarm to tell you whether or not this is the real thing. I remember having these conversations with my girlfriends in our 20s. “Is this Love, like the big one? What if it doesn’t feel like rainbows and heart balloons every second that I’m with him? Would that be too overwhelming if it did??” This aspect of the story felt really real to me. I do wish there had been more communication about the Love Alarm shield, though.
#2021RoundUp
Day 6 – The OST you’re obsessed with
I loved the OST for Yumi\’s Cells! Even a month or so after it wrapped up, I keep listening to it. I especially love the song Nightfalling by John Park. It’s sweet and wistful and just enough upbeat.
Yayy for Nightfalling. I was surprised to see no Yumi’s cells OST mentioned but it was an underrated show anyway. Almost all of the OST was good but Nightfalling was great.
A few days late on this, but I am excited to hear that Janice Wu and Zhang Yujian are in love, married and have a precious baby girl! I just loved them together in Le Coup de Foudre and thought they had better chemistry than the OTP in Odyssey. I can understand wanting to hide their relationship to protect their daughter and their careers. I’m angry for them at the outrage they are getting from netizens who don’t like being lied to, but who also don’t like it when actors and actresses have personal love lives. They just can’t win in this situation.
It’s a bit more complicated than that. He has been playing up his single-man image (Avenux’s new video explained this some more, like how he somewhat deliberately acted close to Esther Yu when they were promoting Find Yourself – you can check it out to learn more). That’s what netizens were annoyed with (this is besides the point of paparazzi outing the couple, of course).
I watched the video of him saying he was single and it doesn’t bother me. If he and Janice agreed to keep it secret, then that’s part of it. And acting like you’re close to your costar in a rom-com is part of the job. We all eat up those BTS segments from C and Kdramas. It’s part of promotion.
Wow! Sisyphus is off to a great start. I loved the cinematography, especially this back and forth scene at the end of ep. 2. Lots of great shots and details throughout, though.
The flow of it is very good. It reminds me of the Memoirs of the Alhambra. They share the same FL actress as well. I love a scientific fantasy done well. *coughs* *notAlice* *coughs*
#2020Roundup
Day 17 – One that made you emotional:
There were a few dramas that really played with my emotions this year. Unfamiliar Family, Do You Like Brahms?, Flower of Evil all made my heart pound. But the one that really tapped into my personal feelings was Oh My Baby. The first few episodes had tears streaming down my face each time. I struggled with infertility for a couple of years and it brought back all those feelings of hopeless longing. I am also walking alongside a couple of dear friends who have reached 40 years old without finding a life partner or starting a family of their own, and it’s a peculiar but deep sort of mourning. Both of them always thought that children would be a part of their future and to know that they won’t is heartbreaking. It’s heartbreaking to watch my friend’s mother realize that she’ll never be a grandmother, too. It might not have been the best drama of 2020 but it sure hit home.
#2020Roundup
Day15: Secondary characters you will never forget
This is a two for one deal: Woo Do-Hwan in The King. He was equally fantastic playing Jo Young the icy, sexy protector of the king who is made of steel and Jo Eun-Sup the doofy, sweet friend from the precinct who is made of marshmallow. He’ll go down in Kdrama history as the only man to have a bromance with himself!
Day 14 – The drama that could have been but wasn’t…
I had really been looking forward to seeing Jang Ki-Yong in something. I loved him in Go Back Couple and Come and Hug Me, but this was not it… Born Again was a hot mess right from the start. I watched 1.25 episodes of this but just couldn’t watch the rest. Kill It didn’t really grab me, either. I’m not sure Jang Ki-Yong can be trusted to make good choices. I’ll keep tuning in, though to see if he’s hit another winner in the future.
I couldn’t finish episode 1, so I get you.
I did watch Kill it. I liked it. It was a total mess and had a terrible ending. I must be a little masochist now that I think about it 🤔
2020 Round Up
Day 12 – the “oldie” that you loved:
During the shutdown in the late spring my husband wanted to watch a Kdrama with me, and I had wanted him to see Because This Life is Our First for a long time. We married in our 20s but he was already a divorcee from a very short, hurtful marriage right out of college. When I was dating him, I remember telling my friends that no young girl dreams of growing up to be a second wife. It just wasn’t what I’d pictured for myself. This drama spoke to the feelings I had coming to love a man who had loved before and experienced a lot of life’s “firsts” with someone else. And I knew he’d relate to the ML and his decision to risk loving again. It’s beautifully done and one of my absolute favorites and I was delighted to share it with my love.
Day 11: The crush you discovered in 2020
I found Hyun Bin in CLOY to be a revelation! I’ve always been impervious to his charms before, but something about his jawline and that uniform. I haven’t swooned that hard in a LONG time. The other crush I developed is probably more a fling… We’ll see how his next few projects go. I really liked Kim Joon-han as Dr. Ahn in Hospital Playlist. And maybe even more so because I was also re-watching One Spring Night and his transformation between characters was amazing. While 2020 belongs to Kim Seon-ho, I have been crushing on him since You Drive Me Crazy in 2018. But, there is plenty of my love to go around and new crushes that bloomed in 2020!
Day 10: A drama that beanies convinced you to watch, which you loved
Hmmm… I know that this group and its buzz does effect the dramas that I choose. How could it not? I definitely watched World of the Married because of all the talk on here about its high ratings. I was a fun, over the top whirlwind and perfect for binging in my pjs while my kids did distance learning. Dinner Mates was another one. While a lot of the posts were about the annoying side characters, just the sheer number of people who were watching and commenting made me want to check it out. It was a great post-airing binge, because I could FF thru some of the annoying bits and just really enjoy the OTP – who were delightful.
Day 9 – The drama you watched just because and end up loving
I had a couple of those this year – maybe because there were some longer stretches this year when I was just trying to fill time… At least the dramas were there to keep me company! I think 365: Repeat the Year was the most surprising. I really like both Nam Ji-hyun and Lee Joon-hyuk or I probably wouldn’t have even tried it. I think this a show that used the short 12 episode format to its advantage. It didn’t drag or lag or get off course. I usually like a central romance in my dramas, but this one had just enough to give it some warmth.
If LJH is in a drama, I don’t watch it just because. I watch it for him, and him alone!
That’s why I can’t put this drama in this category but I really, really loved it and it was so much fun to watch.
I even may have got over my bias on NJH. I liked her here, and the two together even if we didn’t get an official “couple” were so, so cute!
I really didn’t see this OTP coming. I hadn’t placed Park Eun-bin because the other rolls I’ve seen her in were so different. Kim Min-jae was great as the young king in Goblin and as the SL first love in My First Time, and for some reason I hadn’t realized he was the guy from Tempted or Hit the Top… Anyway, I just didn’t really have an expectation for such a sweet and smoking hot OTP. I am delighted that I was wrong. They were completely swoony when not depressed, and even sometimes when they were.
I was just thinking last night as I watched the penultimate episode of Start-Up that this is one I’ll rewatch. The characters, themes and pace are perfect for another trip through this story. I’m a rewatcher in general, so there are a couple from this year that I’ll probably watch again. I will definitely watch season 1 of Hospital Playlist before season 2 starts. I think A Piece of Your Mind is so beautiful that I will watch it again when I want to snuggle in an get lost in its gorgeous, calming world. I could also see myself watching Extracurricular again. It was so excellent.
CS
August 6, 2022 at 10:05 AM
I’ve been watching Alchemy of Souls and I keep seeing articles pop up for me about the “passionate” kiss from episode 14… I just keep hearing Se Hee from BTIOFL in my head…
Elinor is trapped in the timeslip
August 6, 2022 at 10:15 AM
Haha, same! And if that Alchemy kiss was ‘passionate,’ I’m the queen of Daeho. Ridiculous hype.
CS
August 6, 2022 at 10:44 AM
Hahaha! It reminded me of the similar “passionate” kiss in Hotel del Luna. The director of Alchemy is the same director as WWWSK and BTIOFL, and the show is on TVN… So… I’m wondering who is withholding passionate kisses from us?? Is it the Hong Sisters? Do they have something against passion?
emsel
August 6, 2022 at 10:56 AM
Hong sisters earlier shows too did not have passionate kisses. I remember one in Hwayugi, but that was Lee seung Gi doing his best😂😂😂
CS
August 5, 2022 at 11:58 AM
#BVIPP2
I haven’t checked the fan posts for a while, and today I see this great trend and want to jump on board! I just had to look this song up again, because little bits of it get stuck in my head.
CS
March 4, 2022 at 9:22 AM
I want to applaud whoever is in charge of casting for the upcoming Liberation Diary. The casting of Lee Min-ki and Lee El as siblings is inspired. I 100% buy them as brother and sister.
CS
March 4, 2022 at 7:01 AM
I just watched the first 2 episodes of Business Proposal because I’d heard that it’s a wacky good time. It is! It puts the com in the rom-com. I was reminded of the hijinks from The Secret Life of My Secretary and it seems like it’s going to deliver on the sweet romance, too. Eventually. Right now, it’s just mad cap craziness and meet cutes. And as SLOMS had that fancy fish, BP has the archaeopteryx.
Ally
March 4, 2022 at 10:14 AM
Yes!!! I think your comparisons are spot on here and I loved TSLOMS!
CS
February 25, 2022 at 7:34 AM
I binged the first 6 eps of Through the Darkness. Thankfully, I waited until it’s long hiatus was almost over. As compelling as the mysteries are, I keep getting distracted by Kim Nam Gil. At first, I was mesmerized by the perfect fit of his navy t-shirt. I had no idea what was ahead when they showed him getting fitted for his suit. Holy smokes, that fits him well. And I love the curly mop of hair on him, too. Looking forward to more episodes!
ladynightshade wants to be gazed at by namgoong min
February 26, 2022 at 2:05 AM
“I keep getting distracted by Kim Nam-gil.” Yeah pretty much. That’s me watching the entire hour-long episodes. Whoever’s styling him deserves awards and a huge pay raise.
CS
February 18, 2022 at 9:48 AM
Ugh. I’ve been dying for Lee Mu-saeng to play a role where he looks at someone with these eyes. This is not how I wanted it, though. This is not it. Thirty-nine , you’ve broken my heart.
ladynightshade wants to be gazed at by namgoong min
February 18, 2022 at 10:55 AM
THIS!!! I think that’s what I find most irritating about the whole cheating thing. Not that this relationship is being depicted (art should be free to portray any number of controversial topics), but that I just wanted these two in particular to be happy and wholesome together. Lee Mu-saeng has such great potential as a romantic lead but he keeps getting cast as the asshole.
mugyuljoie is preciousss
February 19, 2022 at 1:25 AM
So far I see him a wimp in this one. I’d be thrilled if he divorced his wife and married Mi Do.
CS
December 13, 2021 at 7:38 AM
Day 13: Drama beanies loved but you didn’t / Drama you loved but beanies didn’t
I know it’s a very unpopular opinion but I really liked Love Alarm 2. I did read ahead and knew who the endgame male lead was, so I was expecting that. Maybe that helped, I don’t know. I also really root for relationships that are mature and full of kindness, in general. The first relationship was exciting and full of high schoolish big feelings. The second relationship is what I would want for my friend or sister. I liked the theme of being unsure of what LOVE really looks like and what it feels like. And craving the security of a Love Alarm to tell you whether or not this is the real thing. I remember having these conversations with my girlfriends in our 20s. “Is this Love, like the big one? What if it doesn’t feel like rainbows and heart balloons every second that I’m with him? Would that be too overwhelming if it did??” This aspect of the story felt really real to me. I do wish there had been more communication about the Love Alarm shield, though.
CS
December 6, 2021 at 9:16 PM
#2021RoundUp
Day 6 – The OST you’re obsessed with
I loved the OST for Yumi\’s Cells! Even a month or so after it wrapped up, I keep listening to it. I especially love the song Nightfalling by John Park. It’s sweet and wistful and just enough upbeat.
wapz
December 6, 2021 at 10:24 PM
Yayy for Nightfalling. I was surprised to see no Yumi’s cells OST mentioned but it was an underrated show anyway. Almost all of the OST was good but Nightfalling was great.
CS
December 8, 2021 at 11:21 AM
I’ve kind of been lazy about the roundup posts this year, but when I didn’t see anyone else mentioning this OST I had to say something.
CS
March 20, 2021 at 11:56 AM
A few days late on this, but I am excited to hear that Janice Wu and Zhang Yujian are in love, married and have a precious baby girl! I just loved them together in Le Coup de Foudre and thought they had better chemistry than the OTP in Odyssey. I can understand wanting to hide their relationship to protect their daughter and their careers. I’m angry for them at the outrage they are getting from netizens who don’t like being lied to, but who also don’t like it when actors and actresses have personal love lives. They just can’t win in this situation.
dokutokunaneko
March 21, 2021 at 4:13 AM
It’s a bit more complicated than that. He has been playing up his single-man image (Avenux’s new video explained this some more, like how he somewhat deliberately acted close to Esther Yu when they were promoting Find Yourself – you can check it out to learn more). That’s what netizens were annoyed with (this is besides the point of paparazzi outing the couple, of course).
CS
March 21, 2021 at 9:46 AM
I watched the video of him saying he was single and it doesn’t bother me. If he and Janice agreed to keep it secret, then that’s part of it. And acting like you’re close to your costar in a rom-com is part of the job. We all eat up those BTS segments from C and Kdramas. It’s part of promotion.
CS
February 19, 2021 at 10:20 AM
Wow! Sisyphus is off to a great start. I loved the cinematography, especially this back and forth scene at the end of ep. 2. Lots of great shots and details throughout, though.
mmmmm
February 19, 2021 at 10:37 PM
The flow of it is very good. It reminds me of the Memoirs of the Alhambra. They share the same FL actress as well. I love a scientific fantasy done well. *coughs* *notAlice* *coughs*
CS
December 17, 2020 at 8:43 AM
#2020Roundup
Day 17 – One that made you emotional:
There were a few dramas that really played with my emotions this year. Unfamiliar Family, Do You Like Brahms?, Flower of Evil all made my heart pound. But the one that really tapped into my personal feelings was Oh My Baby. The first few episodes had tears streaming down my face each time. I struggled with infertility for a couple of years and it brought back all those feelings of hopeless longing. I am also walking alongside a couple of dear friends who have reached 40 years old without finding a life partner or starting a family of their own, and it’s a peculiar but deep sort of mourning. Both of them always thought that children would be a part of their future and to know that they won’t is heartbreaking. It’s heartbreaking to watch my friend’s mother realize that she’ll never be a grandmother, too. It might not have been the best drama of 2020 but it sure hit home.
CS
December 15, 2020 at 6:02 PM
#2020Roundup
Day15: Secondary characters you will never forget
This is a two for one deal: Woo Do-Hwan in The King. He was equally fantastic playing Jo Young the icy, sexy protector of the king who is made of steel and Jo Eun-Sup the doofy, sweet friend from the precinct who is made of marshmallow. He’ll go down in Kdrama history as the only man to have a bromance with himself!
Fly Colours
December 16, 2020 at 1:03 AM
Wait! Weren’t Jo Young and Jo Eunseob the main characters in this? 😋
sirena
December 16, 2020 at 7:25 AM
@Fly Colours Yes, they were 😉
sirena
December 16, 2020 at 7:24 AM
I was disappointed that they never were given a chance to see each other again 🙁
CS
December 14, 2020 at 2:43 PM
#2020RoundUp.
Day 14 – The drama that could have been but wasn’t…
I had really been looking forward to seeing Jang Ki-Yong in something. I loved him in Go Back Couple and Come and Hug Me, but this was not it… Born Again was a hot mess right from the start. I watched 1.25 episodes of this but just couldn’t watch the rest. Kill It didn’t really grab me, either. I’m not sure Jang Ki-Yong can be trusted to make good choices. I’ll keep tuning in, though to see if he’s hit another winner in the future.
Eazal
December 15, 2020 at 6:13 AM
I couldn’t finish episode 1, so I get you.
I did watch Kill it. I liked it. It was a total mess and had a terrible ending. I must be a little masochist now that I think about it 🤔
CS
December 12, 2020 at 6:36 PM
2020 Round Up
Day 12 – the “oldie” that you loved:
During the shutdown in the late spring my husband wanted to watch a Kdrama with me, and I had wanted him to see Because This Life is Our First for a long time. We married in our 20s but he was already a divorcee from a very short, hurtful marriage right out of college. When I was dating him, I remember telling my friends that no young girl dreams of growing up to be a second wife. It just wasn’t what I’d pictured for myself. This drama spoke to the feelings I had coming to love a man who had loved before and experienced a lot of life’s “firsts” with someone else. And I knew he’d relate to the ML and his decision to risk loving again. It’s beautifully done and one of my absolute favorites and I was delighted to share it with my love.
suk
December 12, 2020 at 8:18 PM
This is such a beautiful story, thank you so much for sharing it!
Mani-chan
December 13, 2020 at 2:40 AM
Your story is so insightful. Thank you so much for sharing it with us here at DB
CS
December 11, 2020 at 8:15 AM
Day 11: The crush you discovered in 2020
I found Hyun Bin in CLOY to be a revelation! I’ve always been impervious to his charms before, but something about his jawline and that uniform. I haven’t swooned that hard in a LONG time. The other crush I developed is probably more a fling… We’ll see how his next few projects go. I really liked Kim Joon-han as Dr. Ahn in Hospital Playlist. And maybe even more so because I was also re-watching One Spring Night and his transformation between characters was amazing. While 2020 belongs to Kim Seon-ho, I have been crushing on him since You Drive Me Crazy in 2018. But, there is plenty of my love to go around and new crushes that bloomed in 2020!
CS
December 11, 2020 at 7:58 AM
Day 10: A drama that beanies convinced you to watch, which you loved
Hmmm… I know that this group and its buzz does effect the dramas that I choose. How could it not? I definitely watched World of the Married because of all the talk on here about its high ratings. I was a fun, over the top whirlwind and perfect for binging in my pjs while my kids did distance learning. Dinner Mates was another one. While a lot of the posts were about the annoying side characters, just the sheer number of people who were watching and commenting made me want to check it out. It was a great post-airing binge, because I could FF thru some of the annoying bits and just really enjoy the OTP – who were delightful.
CS
December 9, 2020 at 10:10 AM
Day 9 – The drama you watched just because and end up loving
I had a couple of those this year – maybe because there were some longer stretches this year when I was just trying to fill time… At least the dramas were there to keep me company! I think 365: Repeat the Year was the most surprising. I really like both Nam Ji-hyun and Lee Joon-hyuk or I probably wouldn’t have even tried it. I think this a show that used the short 12 episode format to its advantage. It didn’t drag or lag or get off course. I usually like a central romance in my dramas, but this one had just enough to give it some warmth.
Eazal
December 9, 2020 at 11:07 AM
If LJH is in a drama, I don’t watch it just because. I watch it for him, and him alone!
That’s why I can’t put this drama in this category but I really, really loved it and it was so much fun to watch.
I even may have got over my bias on NJH. I liked her here, and the two together even if we didn’t get an official “couple” were so, so cute!
ElKwesi
December 9, 2020 at 3:00 PM
One of my favorite dramas of this year. I watched it just cause as well & it turned out to be well acted and tightly written.
CS
December 9, 2020 at 9:59 AM
Day 8 – The OTP you didn’t think you’ll adore
I really didn’t see this OTP coming. I hadn’t placed Park Eun-bin because the other rolls I’ve seen her in were so different. Kim Min-jae was great as the young king in Goblin and as the SL first love in My First Time, and for some reason I hadn’t realized he was the guy from Tempted or Hit the Top… Anyway, I just didn’t really have an expectation for such a sweet and smoking hot OTP. I am delighted that I was wrong. They were completely swoony when not depressed, and even sometimes when they were.
Bebe | Nessa❣️
December 9, 2020 at 3:40 PM
These 2 😘😘😘😍😍😍😍🥰🥰🥰♥️♥️♥️♥️
john
December 22, 2020 at 3:01 AM
They made a wonderful couple. I recently watched Hot Stove League, Park Eun Bin shined there.
CS
December 6, 2020 at 9:56 AM
I love that the new renters of Samsan Tech’s old rooftop office are RGB! The little details just make me love this show more.
CS
December 6, 2020 at 7:48 AM
#2020Roundup
Day6: Drama You Know You Will Rewatch
I was just thinking last night as I watched the penultimate episode of Start-Up that this is one I’ll rewatch. The characters, themes and pace are perfect for another trip through this story. I’m a rewatcher in general, so there are a couple from this year that I’ll probably watch again. I will definitely watch season 1 of Hospital Playlist before season 2 starts. I think A Piece of Your Mind is so beautiful that I will watch it again when I want to snuggle in an get lost in its gorgeous, calming world. I could also see myself watching Extracurricular again. It was so excellent.