Not to be excessive or anything but today is Reborn Rich\’s premiere and I\’ll finally see Joong Ki & Hyun Been together! ヘ( ^o^)ノ Did I mention I mention I LOVE Shin Hyun Been…..
I absolutely loved the ending for My Liberation Notes. We were literally dropped into their everyday lives in episode one and we leave them trudging through their everyday lives and struggles in episode 16. Only this time they have a smile on their face and are still on their liberation journey. PHY is a genius. I will greatly miss these characters so much.
So are you ok with the lack of character growth in the show (except for Change-hee)? Just curious, as I was disappointed in that aspect. In your words I am inferring that you like the ending because it shows we may never achieve true liberation, but it is the pursuit of liberation in our daily lives that is important. Is that a correct inference? I just want to understand your feelings, because many beanies feel the same as you.
I feel like our characters did have character development. The simple fact they were able to move forward with their lives with a more positive outlook was enough for me. They weren’t going to get a personality change. I didn’t expect and wouldn’t have liked, say for example, Mi Jeong to embrace people wholeheartedly or be a bubble of joy. It’s a very slice of life drama, especially the Yeom siblings, and I feel like character growth in real life isn’t as grandious or flamboyant as television depicts it. I don’t believe true liberation is impossible but I agree with the drama that it’s not something you can achieve that easily. Mi Jeong said part of that journey was finding out what our issues or problems are and I agree. We can’t accomplish anything if we don’t take the time to address what our issues are at the core. Like Gu finally took a step forward and we can assume he’s going to embark on that journey to try to overcome his alcoholism. So I guess what I’m getting at is that that journey is just as valuable as the liberation itself. This message was enough for me and it resonated to me on a very personal level so perhaps that’s why I loved this show so much.
Son Suk Ku gives me Jang Hyuk vibes. He has this effortless attractiveness (is this really a word?) and his voice/intonation is captivating. Just like Jang Hyuk. 🙃
Has anyone watched Designated Survivor? I started it on a whim…um yeah nothing to do with Son Seok Koo haha…but I\’m curious if anyone\’s watched here? Is it good?
Lee Joon-hyuk (1984) looked quite dashing in his naval dress uniform!
Straight political dramas I generally avoid with sageuks being the exception. I did not watch the original so it was all new to me. (I recall the special effects work was very well done.)
I enjoyed it but there was something that annoyed me at the time and I am trying to recall. I think it was the extended pauses that President Park indulged in to think/ruminate. Perhaps my memory is faulty.
lol.. i loved Son Seok Ku in it.. and first time he caught my eyee there.
then it had lee jun hyuk my favorite ❤
now abt drama.. its good. Politics was well done, and so the twists n turns. You’ll like it.
and if Som Seok ku then youll love him in it.
hehehe.. i am so glad that the mention of Lee Jun Hyuk reminds people of me.. my craze if not so hidden on DB 😂😂😂
SSK was great… despite having 2 of mt favs LJH n Ji Jin Hee he caught my eyes n heart. his acting, his mannerism, his portrayal as a secretary to help his President to keep him doing his best while keeping him away from problems.. his desperation everything was spot on.
I\’m absolutely in love with 2521. I love it. I love Hee Do. Her energy, resilience, innocence, and her adorable bangs are everything! I\’m so enamored by this character guys…
It\’s still 2020 on my side of the world so I can\’t end this year without a shoutout to my favorite performance of the year, Shin Hyun Been\’s Gu Hae Won in Reflection of You. To say she was phenomenal is an understatement. Her performance was simply exquisite. Matter of fact, I can\’t recall the last time I enjoyed an actor\’s performance this much. Apologies in advance for the long post.
Funny story by the way. I watched her earlier this year in Hospital Playlist when I binged both seasons and was really turned away by her character. I don\’t know if it was Gyeoul as a character or just Hyun Been\’s portrayal of her. Would I have liked Gyeoul portrayed by another actress? I don\’t know! Imagine my surprise when I came across her wiki page and realized she was Yuri in Confession. My Yuri – character which I loved when I watched it. I vividly remember being disappointed when I googled Shin Hyun Been back then and realized she was a relatively new actress. Lo and behold I was watching her in Hospital Playlist without realizing she was that rookie actress I loved in 2019. I intended on watching Reflection of You ever since I found out it would be penned by JBL\’s writer but I postponed my watch as I wasn\’t thrilled about her being part of the cast. Well, jokes on me beanies. Yup, I laugh at myself. It\’s like Hyun Been kimchi slapped me with her performance.
I watched Reflection in seven days and it would have been five had I not had to wait for the final episodes to air. It really was a great production with an incredible cast of talented actors, gorgeous cinematography and a haunting soundtrack (I refuse to talk about the story itself because it would be a very long post that I\’m not committed to write lol). In any event, the biggest factor that made this an adrenaline binge watch was Hyun Been.
I can\’t properly describe how much and in what ways she impressed me. But she became Hae Won and portrayed her with such nuance and raw emotions. She embraced her character and it reflected on her acting. Her mannerisms, her tone of voice, and her eyes. Her eyes are so expressive! You could feel Hae Won\’s anger, resentment, sadness, and self-pity. Oh, and how she would tease Hee Joo and her husband with such disdain, contempt, and malicious mischievousness. Oh, how I enjoyed this! Yes, Hae Won was a terrible, broken character but Hyun Been made it such fun television! She made Hae Won pitiful and in her quiet moments you would empathize with her even if she wasn\’t a character you wanted to root for. It\’s not often we have such empowered women in kdramas. In most revenge stories, the male lead is the competent mastermind behind the revenge plot so it was refreshing to see an actress take that role. And even though she starred alongside a talented veteran, Go Hyun Jung, I never felt she fell flat against Hyun Jung\’s talent.
The fact that she simultaneously filmed this with Hospital Playlist is impressive too. She played two polar opposite characters and one interpretation never escaped into the other.
By the way, I\’m ecstatic for her drama with Song Joong Ki. He was my first rediscovery of this year with Vincenzo, Hyun Been was the second and now I\’ll have both of them on my screen in May 2022! I\’m counting down the weeks! I really hope this is a good script and that her character isn\’t overshadowed by Joong Ki\’s. Please be good, please be good…
This post is honestly longer than I intended (:D) but I can\’t not applaud Hyun Been\’s talent. I\’m excited to see what projects she\’ll take in the future. She\’s such a promising actress and you can tell how passionate she is about her career by the way she expresses herself. And she has the cutest sismance with Kim Go Eun and Han Hyo Joo. Long story short, she has a fan out of me.
I did not recall watching her in prior shows, so until I saw her in Reflection of You she was new to me and yes, she was absolutely fantastic in this drama.
The One & Only is off to a good start! I found some transitions between scenes a bit off but overall I enjoyed the premiere. I\’m looking forward to the three women bonding and becoming friends.
Also, I\’ve seen so many comments saying it reminds them of JBL too. XD
Per Spotify, (G)-idle\’s HWAA was my song of the year. I admit I listened to that song an unhealthy amount of times. 2PM is my top artist of the year and apparently I\’m obsessed with Merry-Go-Round. 🙃
I have come to the conclusion that the character I absolutely hate in Reflection of You is Woo Jae. I despise him. How has no one slapped him yet? Oh well I guess he did get run over… Anyways I\’m officially caught up for the finale!
His character has def taken a turn for the worse in the last couple of episodes, but he seems no better or worse than any of the others. His comments to her husband in the pub were pretty horrible. I’m wondering if he will remember. She told him they had reached the limit with each other, but he’s still caught up in his possessive passion. On top of that, they’ve all used and abused him. I’m afraid that he may end up as collateral damage. The vibes are that someone is going to die.
It was interesting too seeing Hee-joo talk to her sister-in-law. It was the one moment when she came across as a warm and caring person. You don’t even see her like that with her children, although her background explains some of that.
Yeah they’re all rather sick characters (that’s an understatement really) but I have to agree with @eazal that I find Woo Jae to be the worst of all. I know it takes two to tango but he started all of this and the way he spoke of HJ, the woman he supposedly “loves,” is disgusting and condescending. How did he manage to make these two women fall in love with him?
But this drama is all about pointing fingers and its an endless cycle of the things all four of them have done to each other. I’m doing this because you did this to me…and then it’s just a domino effect. Pity none of them was able to walk away from this before they really went off the rails. If anything I wish Hae Won could have stopped before she was too far gone. I feel that she had the key to stop this chaos. Ahhh I just have so many thoughts on this show!! I hate them but love their characterization, if that makes any sense.
Every single character in this drama is trash, but Woo Jae is ever more trash that the rest of them.
I hated that he told HaeWon he would find out what he had done wrong in the past and would ask for forgiveness and when he remembers he goes back to the selfish trash he was and just ignores HaeWon like he was always done.
The least he could have done was apologize but it’s like that notion didn’t even cross his mind. Not even a half hearted apology. I hate that he used her and lead her on. If you’re a sick jerk okay so be it! Have your affair with HJ but I don’t understand why he didn’t break up with HW in the past. I don’t get it! Is it truly him just being selfish? Did he want a backup? Ugh this show.
@yongsital I’ve also been wondering why Woo-jae just didn’t break things off definitively with Hae-won in the past. From the flashbacks it certainly looks like he never really even liked her, let alone love her, so no idea why he didn’t end things. I suppose there’s the chance that once he got back from Ireland he was going to break up with Hae-won, except he never made it back. But who knows. Now all of them are in this situation they can’t seem to get out of and we all know things aren’t going to end well.
@korfan The thing with the flashbacks is that we got very little insight into his relationship with HW prior to HJ. I wonder if he really was so distant with her. He seemed reluctant about their marriage certificate but HJ was already in the picture then. Who knows. I really hope they tell us why he didn’t break up with her or delayed it so much.
I met a couple of WooJae in my life (not me being HaeWon, though). I tell you this: A person gets used to having someone by his/her side that adores them and it is ok as long as they don’t find “something else”. The minute they do, they just don’t care about that person. I find this part of his character specially accurate. That’s how trash people act.
I am starting to wonder if Haewon’s perspective is 100% accurate. I don’t understand how the Woo Jae we are witnessing now could have made Haewon fall so deeply for him in the past. Why was her feelings for Woo Jae so deep? Endless to the point that the girl chose to voluntarily be sucked into a black hole of misery. I need some answers. Haewon keeps reminding me of Kazuo Ishiguru’s novel…”A Pale View of the Hill”. Whose perspective has more truth in it. Is it possible that Woo Jae was Haewon’s obsession that spiraled out of control because of Hui Ju’s betrayal just like Hui Ju is Woo Jae’s obsession?
Hw’s perspective is just her pov. She feels betrayed and that’s what triggers her whole revenge. Is she right? Didn’t she read the signs of how little he cared about her? It’s not relevant because she never got an answer or explanation from him. I’m not defending her, but I understand why she is like this: she depended on other person to be happy (wrong concept to begin with) and that person just disappeared and she didn’t even know if he was dead or alive. Can you imagine doing anything this cruel to anyone?
Actually I do know cases of disappearance personally and I know its devastating to live with not knowing. The person I know, her fiance never showed up on her wedding day and she never got answers. She has thankfully moved on but till this day, nobody knows why or what happened. But my point was about memories and perspective and their reliability. This show isn’t about people who are either dark or either all sunshine. They are grey and so, it is interesting that beyond what she believes to be true we never get anything more fleshed out.
That novel seems interesting. Might have to read it one day. I really wish we could get the drama writer’s commentary on the characters; it’d give us a lot of insight. Also, looking forward to the post finale interviews to know how the actors read the characters. Personally, I don’t think HW was obsessed, just all these external conflicts/variables pushed her to the limit and she wasnt able to let them go.
Just imagine possessive, obsessed, and jerk Woo Jae ×100. 🙃 He’s practically harassing and stalking HJ 24/7 wanting her to rekindle their affair. Nasty to HW and jabs at HS any chance he gets regarding the accident. Oh he also covered up HJ’s involvement in the abusive BIL’s accident but I’m sure it’s just to have leverage over her. They’re all grasping at straws at this point tbh.
Spoilers ahead: Just finished ep 15 and I have to offload this:
Hee-joo (Hui ju) is a liar. She lies about her staged “rape” without any real reason; she lies to her husband about not knowing Li-sa’s reasons for self-harm, which means she cares more for herself than her daughter.
Hae-won is implacable in her self-pity and vengeful-ness; she had a chance to let it go, but instead stages a “non-suicide”. She should not be let anywhere near children. She’s venomous.
Seo Woo-jae is quintessentially reckless.
Makjang, makjang, makjang
I watched it too and it’s overflowing into makjang lol. What grated my nerves the most was HJ’s approach to Lisa regarding her self-harm. Yelling and forcing her into that conversation was exasperating and not the way to approach this. She’s always playing the “I’m such a bad mom” card and guess what you ARE! She’s horrible and still manipulates and lies amongst everything that is happening at the expense of her children. She says HW is lost in playing the victim and self pity card but she is too.
And oh I didn’t read HW’s non-suicide as staged? Am I too naive? Huh..what’d she gain from that? Because WJ obviously didn’t care and HJ didn’t seem to know about it. I don’t know what she plans on doing moving forward either. Is she really planning on being JY’s guardian? The court scene was uncomfortable seeing how JY was holding back her tears.
Maybe it wasn’t staged? I’m turning into Inspector Koo. The court scene was awful. She had no right to butt in and she truly had set him up. I actually thought she’d turned a corner after the barman told her about the older man she was envying, but when I saw her spitting venom at WJ, and also when HJ pleaded with her to stop WJ, I could see that she hadn’t. The word that comes to my mind when I see her in action is that she is implacable. She cannot let go. But HJ is just as bad, in fact she seemed worse in this episode. As you say above re manipulates and lies. She is really sly. It’s clearly all going to hell in ep 16. I wonder who killed? Was it Li-sa?
I just didn’t read HW as staging it. I might have to rewatch to see. Haewon has a lot of nice moments as in her conversations with the people who care about her trying to get her to stop. Every time I hope she’ll retreat and although I do think she’s taken a back seat in these last few episodes she still jabs at people. I must admit it was odd for HJ to ask her to stop WJ because HW had the ability to do so. Clearly no one can get through to WJ, much less HW.
I hope it’s not Lisa. The grown ups have ruined her life enough for her to carry that burden.
I don’t like the combination of what seems to be two different genres but hey I’ll watch it for the actors and hope it surprises me? Probably not but we’ll get KKN as a lead.
I just read the synopsis and it did not hang together v well. It seemed a bit half-hearted. Not a good sign. Perhaps they don’t want to give away too much, but Kim Kyung-Nam is memorable and I don’t mind Ahn Eun-Jin.
I like The Red Sleeve, especially Junho and Lee Deok Hwa but I\’m struggling a bit to get used to the pace of events. Yi San is very swoony in his confession but I can\’t help but feel it\’s a bit sudden. Am I the only one who feels this? I know this drama will cover a greater sequence of events so I understand the reason behind the pace but I wish I could \”believe\” this attachment a bit more. I\’m sad beanies!
I absolutely see where you are coming from. For me, it also required a measure of suspension of disbelief initially as I think the FL is not as strong or emotionally emotive an actor as Junho even though she is largely charming, delightful and mischievous. The Library scenes had a nice zingy badinage between them and after 4 episodes, I kind of had to surmise rather than emotionally believe that they were falling for each other. But, I think after that Bravura performance in Ep 5 and that achingly beautiful (h/t to Lonestar Girl) duet of confession via poetry, I feel much more invested in their story. What annoyed me though was the spectre of women’s actual and perceived inferiority which was present in Yisan’s irritating barb about “do you even know what it means”? The gendered lens always reminds me of the reality of women’s subjugation wherever a story depicts it.
Also, I have just started JBL and it is sad from the get go but it has already hooked me. Infeel dor the characters and was infuriated when Junho’s character was insulted, berated and struck. I was roapable. So glad he stood up for himself and didn’t accept that.
Yeah I wrote that halfway into episode five and I admit the remaining events made up for it and built on their relationship. But I still think the book confession was a bit sudden! Lol 😅 Regarding Yisan’s condescending expressions, of course I’m not surprised because not only was it a different time period but he is royalty so you know he’s going to have those moments. I’m just waiting for her to turn him down haha that’ll take him down a notch.
Ooooh yay to JBL! There is no male lead like Kang Doo. He’s broken down but knows what he wants and believes and is a gentleman! Junho blew me away with his acting here. You can feel his pain. I do hope you keep enjoying it. It’s the perfect show for this season.
I have binge watched seven episodes of Reflection of You in the past three days and Shin Hyun Bin is so good. That\’s an understatement really. I remember liking her in Confession but her character in HP was so meh I questioned my fondness of her. She\’s phenomenal though and why am I so invested in this story?
It’s the first drama I go to, which I take as an indication of something. She’s doing a great job of being remorselessly vengeful without being an OTT villian because she’s so vulnerable too. Most of all, it’s her self pity that she conveys so well. I’m in it for a potential twist. I’m also intrigued at the malevolence between the women. You could only feel that badly about someone you’re really close to. I suppose it’s a guilty pleasure, although I don’t feel too guilty.
I actually started watching episode 5 of The Red Sleeve but switched back to Reflection because I’m so hooked! I find it interesting that we get so many flashbacks but it’s still not clear what happened. I’m always looking forward to any scenes with the two women because the moments and conversations are so charged. Hae Won is sarcastic and calculating and you can she how she relishes in putting HJ on edge. But that vulnerability and self-pity balances it all out. When I sit back and think about the drama’s premise is when I wonder why I enjoy it so much. But it has a very talented cast and captivating style of storytelling. So yeah, no shame in this game lol.
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
October 25, 2023 at 1:31 PM
Jung Woo Sung & Shin Hyun Been pictorial for Tell Me You Love Me
MY GIRL IS BACK! AND THIS CONCEPT IS EXQUISITE.
…also it’s almost been a year since i last posted 😱
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
December 15, 2022 at 4:20 PM
You know I can’t let 2022 go by without posting this. Gu Se Ra 😍
Eazal
December 16, 2022 at 8:57 AM
They are the best OTP ever.
Isa is always time travelling
December 16, 2022 at 9:12 AM
Loved them!
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
November 18, 2022 at 6:18 AM
Not to be excessive or anything but today is Reborn Rich\’s premiere and I\’ll finally see Joong Ki & Hyun Been together! ヘ( ^o^)ノ Did I mention I mention I LOVE Shin Hyun Been…..
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
November 6, 2022 at 7:57 PM
Just wanted to say my girl Been is back and I’m glad we finally got to see more of her in the trailers.
mmmmm
November 6, 2022 at 10:00 PM
Really, we have had numerous legal dramas this year. I wonder how many we have had and will have until the end of the year
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
November 7, 2022 at 2:07 AM
It’s the current trend lol but I’m thinking this one won’t be as focused on the legal side. It sounds more like a revenge power struggle.
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
May 29, 2022 at 9:59 PM
I absolutely loved the ending for My Liberation Notes. We were literally dropped into their everyday lives in episode one and we leave them trudging through their everyday lives and struggles in episode 16. Only this time they have a smile on their face and are still on their liberation journey. PHY is a genius. I will greatly miss these characters so much.
Ghost of Tim (eccentric observations from a male perspective)
May 30, 2022 at 9:05 AM
So are you ok with the lack of character growth in the show (except for Change-hee)? Just curious, as I was disappointed in that aspect. In your words I am inferring that you like the ending because it shows we may never achieve true liberation, but it is the pursuit of liberation in our daily lives that is important. Is that a correct inference? I just want to understand your feelings, because many beanies feel the same as you.
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
May 30, 2022 at 6:29 PM
I feel like our characters did have character development. The simple fact they were able to move forward with their lives with a more positive outlook was enough for me. They weren’t going to get a personality change. I didn’t expect and wouldn’t have liked, say for example, Mi Jeong to embrace people wholeheartedly or be a bubble of joy. It’s a very slice of life drama, especially the Yeom siblings, and I feel like character growth in real life isn’t as grandious or flamboyant as television depicts it. I don’t believe true liberation is impossible but I agree with the drama that it’s not something you can achieve that easily. Mi Jeong said part of that journey was finding out what our issues or problems are and I agree. We can’t accomplish anything if we don’t take the time to address what our issues are at the core. Like Gu finally took a step forward and we can assume he’s going to embark on that journey to try to overcome his alcoholism. So I guess what I’m getting at is that that journey is just as valuable as the liberation itself. This message was enough for me and it resonated to me on a very personal level so perhaps that’s why I loved this show so much.
Ghost of Tim (eccentric observations from a male perspective)
May 30, 2022 at 6:50 PM
Thanks for your reply. I do understand your point of view.
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
May 25, 2022 at 3:00 PM
Son Suk Ku gives me Jang Hyuk vibes. He has this effortless attractiveness (is this really a word?) and his voice/intonation is captivating. Just like Jang Hyuk. 🙃
mugyuljoie is preciousss
May 25, 2022 at 4:17 PM
They both have that underlying menacing quality when they want to, or a hidden sweetness depending on the character they’re playing.
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
May 19, 2022 at 12:41 PM
Has anyone watched Designated Survivor? I started it on a whim…um yeah nothing to do with Son Seok Koo haha…but I\’m curious if anyone\’s watched here? Is it good?
Kurama
May 19, 2022 at 12:50 PM
I liked it. The casting was good. And Son Suk-Ku was really good in this one.
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
May 19, 2022 at 2:20 PM
Sweet! Yes, I’ve seen two episodes so far and already like the cast. It’s neat seeing SSK in a different role; so different from Gu.
bong-soo
May 19, 2022 at 1:05 PM
Lee Joon-hyuk (1984) looked quite dashing in his naval dress uniform!
Straight political dramas I generally avoid with sageuks being the exception. I did not watch the original so it was all new to me. (I recall the special effects work was very well done.)
I enjoyed it but there was something that annoyed me at the time and I am trying to recall. I think it was the extended pauses that President Park indulged in to think/ruminate. Perhaps my memory is faulty.
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
May 19, 2022 at 2:38 PM
Lol extended ruminating scenes, huh? That’s a first.
bong-soo
May 19, 2022 at 3:30 PM
Watch out for those ‘ruminations’!!
🧛♂️ 💔💔 but 👧💔💔💔💔
May 19, 2022 at 7:41 PM
Dashing Lee Jun Hyuk in that White Uniform… he looks dashing to me.. (like always😍😍😍)
Jance
May 19, 2022 at 3:57 PM
I started it but didn’t get very far… I think I got fed up of the politics?
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
May 19, 2022 at 4:06 PM
I can do politics in kdramas if they’re smart and don’t have too many of those cartoonish evil laughs from the baddies. XD
🧛♂️ 💔💔 but 👧💔💔💔💔
May 19, 2022 at 6:52 PM
lol.. i loved Son Seok Ku in it.. and first time he caught my eyee there.
then it had lee jun hyuk my favorite ❤
now abt drama.. its good. Politics was well done, and so the twists n turns. You’ll like it.
and if Som Seok ku then youll love him in it.
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
May 19, 2022 at 7:39 PM
The moment bong-soo mentioned Lee Jun Hyuk I thought of you. >.< Suddenly very excited about SSK in this drama!!
🧛♂️ 💔💔 but 👧💔💔💔💔
May 19, 2022 at 7:44 PM
hehehe.. i am so glad that the mention of Lee Jun Hyuk reminds people of me.. my craze if not so hidden on DB 😂😂😂
SSK was great… despite having 2 of mt favs LJH n Ji Jin Hee he caught my eyes n heart. his acting, his mannerism, his portrayal as a secretary to help his President to keep him doing his best while keeping him away from problems.. his desperation everything was spot on.
dramalover4ever
May 20, 2022 at 5:15 AM
Loved it.
PYC
May 20, 2022 at 8:19 AM
Watched it twice already! Great ensemble piece. SSK is magnetic but JJH was the reason I started this drama.
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
May 20, 2022 at 8:36 AM
Wow with all the good comments on it, now I’m really excited.
korfan
May 20, 2022 at 3:16 PM
I watched it and liked it. I never watched the original series though, so I have no idea how it compares to that show.
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
April 16, 2022 at 3:31 PM
Kim Taeri and Kim Min Jung owned their roles in Mr. Sunshine. Truly gut wrenching to watch them. I love this show.
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
April 14, 2022 at 5:18 AM
Almost done watching Mr. Sunshine and I have no idea how this will end but I know some characters may not make it. 🥲
Ghost of Tim (eccentric observations from a male perspective)
April 14, 2022 at 8:54 AM
Hold that thought.
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
April 14, 2022 at 11:42 AM
This could mean so many different things lol
mugyuljoie is preciousss
April 15, 2022 at 1:35 AM
Bring tissues.
Eazal
April 15, 2022 at 4:14 AM
Lots of them.
spazmo
April 15, 2022 at 10:10 AM
and you won’t regret watching it…
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
April 16, 2022 at 3:22 PM
I’ll say…at the finale now.
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
February 28, 2022 at 8:03 PM
I\’m absolutely in love with 2521. I love it. I love Hee Do. Her energy, resilience, innocence, and her adorable bangs are everything! I\’m so enamored by this character guys…
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
December 31, 2021 at 2:08 PM
It\’s still 2020 on my side of the world so I can\’t end this year without a shoutout to my favorite performance of the year, Shin Hyun Been\’s Gu Hae Won in Reflection of You. To say she was phenomenal is an understatement. Her performance was simply exquisite. Matter of fact, I can\’t recall the last time I enjoyed an actor\’s performance this much. Apologies in advance for the long post.
Funny story by the way. I watched her earlier this year in Hospital Playlist when I binged both seasons and was really turned away by her character. I don\’t know if it was Gyeoul as a character or just Hyun Been\’s portrayal of her. Would I have liked Gyeoul portrayed by another actress? I don\’t know! Imagine my surprise when I came across her wiki page and realized she was Yuri in Confession. My Yuri – character which I loved when I watched it. I vividly remember being disappointed when I googled Shin Hyun Been back then and realized she was a relatively new actress. Lo and behold I was watching her in Hospital Playlist without realizing she was that rookie actress I loved in 2019. I intended on watching Reflection of You ever since I found out it would be penned by JBL\’s writer but I postponed my watch as I wasn\’t thrilled about her being part of the cast. Well, jokes on me beanies. Yup, I laugh at myself. It\’s like Hyun Been kimchi slapped me with her performance.
I watched Reflection in seven days and it would have been five had I not had to wait for the final episodes to air. It really was a great production with an incredible cast of talented actors, gorgeous cinematography and a haunting soundtrack (I refuse to talk about the story itself because it would be a very long post that I\’m not committed to write lol). In any event, the biggest factor that made this an adrenaline binge watch was Hyun Been.
I can\’t properly describe how much and in what ways she impressed me. But she became Hae Won and portrayed her with such nuance and raw emotions. She embraced her character and it reflected on her acting. Her mannerisms, her tone of voice, and her eyes. Her eyes are so expressive! You could feel Hae Won\’s anger, resentment, sadness, and self-pity. Oh, and how she would tease Hee Joo and her husband with such disdain, contempt, and malicious mischievousness. Oh, how I enjoyed this! Yes, Hae Won was a terrible, broken character but Hyun Been made it such fun television! She made Hae Won pitiful and in her quiet moments you would empathize with her even if she wasn\’t a character you wanted to root for. It\’s not often we have such empowered women in kdramas. In most revenge stories, the male lead is the competent mastermind behind the revenge plot so it was refreshing to see an actress take that role. And even though she starred alongside a talented veteran, Go Hyun Jung, I never felt she fell flat against Hyun Jung\’s talent.
The fact that she simultaneously filmed this with Hospital Playlist is impressive too. She played two polar opposite characters and one interpretation never escaped into the other.
By the way, I\’m ecstatic for her drama with Song Joong Ki. He was my first rediscovery of this year with Vincenzo, Hyun Been was the second and now I\’ll have both of them on my screen in May 2022! I\’m counting down the weeks! I really hope this is a good script and that her character isn\’t overshadowed by Joong Ki\’s. Please be good, please be good…
This post is honestly longer than I intended (:D) but I can\’t not applaud Hyun Been\’s talent. I\’m excited to see what projects she\’ll take in the future. She\’s such a promising actress and you can tell how passionate she is about her career by the way she expresses herself. And she has the cutest sismance with Kim Go Eun and Han Hyo Joo. Long story short, she has a fan out of me.
Kurama
December 31, 2021 at 2:12 PM
2020? Waow your part of the world is very late 😅
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
December 31, 2021 at 2:36 PM
Wow lol! Well it sure does feels like it with how I felt my year was robbed.😅
dramalover4ever
December 31, 2021 at 2:56 PM
She was brilliant. Everything you said. Unrecognisable from her HP role.
korfan
December 31, 2021 at 3:21 PM
I did not recall watching her in prior shows, so until I saw her in Reflection of You she was new to me and yes, she was absolutely fantastic in this drama.
miss h
December 31, 2021 at 3:38 PM
I really liked her Gyeoul, but she completely blew me away in Reflection of You.
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
December 24, 2021 at 9:54 PM
The One & Only is off to a good start! I found some transitions between scenes a bit off but overall I enjoyed the premiere. I\’m looking forward to the three women bonding and becoming friends.
Also, I\’ve seen so many comments saying it reminds them of JBL too. XD
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
December 21, 2021 at 3:24 PM
Our Beloved Summer is such a delight to watch! 💛
Ally
December 21, 2021 at 3:43 PM
Agree +10000
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
December 12, 2021 at 8:01 PM
The more teasers that are released the more excited I am for this. One more week to go!!
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
December 7, 2021 at 2:51 PM
I got ahold of the book Reflection of You is based off of and it\’s a very interesting, insightful read so far.
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
December 2, 2021 at 2:33 PM
Per Spotify, (G)-idle\’s HWAA was my song of the year. I admit I listened to that song an unhealthy amount of times. 2PM is my top artist of the year and apparently I\’m obsessed with Merry-Go-Round. 🙃
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
November 30, 2021 at 9:13 AM
I have come to the conclusion that the character I absolutely hate in Reflection of You is Woo Jae. I despise him. How has no one slapped him yet? Oh well I guess he did get run over… Anyways I\’m officially caught up for the finale!
dramalover4ever
November 30, 2021 at 12:24 PM
His character has def taken a turn for the worse in the last couple of episodes, but he seems no better or worse than any of the others. His comments to her husband in the pub were pretty horrible. I’m wondering if he will remember. She told him they had reached the limit with each other, but he’s still caught up in his possessive passion. On top of that, they’ve all used and abused him. I’m afraid that he may end up as collateral damage. The vibes are that someone is going to die.
It was interesting too seeing Hee-joo talk to her sister-in-law. It was the one moment when she came across as a warm and caring person. You don’t even see her like that with her children, although her background explains some of that.
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
November 30, 2021 at 3:03 PM
Yeah they’re all rather sick characters (that’s an understatement really) but I have to agree with @eazal that I find Woo Jae to be the worst of all. I know it takes two to tango but he started all of this and the way he spoke of HJ, the woman he supposedly “loves,” is disgusting and condescending. How did he manage to make these two women fall in love with him?
But this drama is all about pointing fingers and its an endless cycle of the things all four of them have done to each other. I’m doing this because you did this to me…and then it’s just a domino effect. Pity none of them was able to walk away from this before they really went off the rails. If anything I wish Hae Won could have stopped before she was too far gone. I feel that she had the key to stop this chaos. Ahhh I just have so many thoughts on this show!! I hate them but love their characterization, if that makes any sense.
dramalover4ever
November 30, 2021 at 3:57 PM
He wasn’t straight with her, but I looks like Hae won was never going to take no for an answer. I hope there is some more unravelling to come.
Eazal
November 30, 2021 at 1:07 PM
Every single character in this drama is trash, but Woo Jae is ever more trash that the rest of them.
I hated that he told HaeWon he would find out what he had done wrong in the past and would ask for forgiveness and when he remembers he goes back to the selfish trash he was and just ignores HaeWon like he was always done.
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
November 30, 2021 at 3:09 PM
The least he could have done was apologize but it’s like that notion didn’t even cross his mind. Not even a half hearted apology. I hate that he used her and lead her on. If you’re a sick jerk okay so be it! Have your affair with HJ but I don’t understand why he didn’t break up with HW in the past. I don’t get it! Is it truly him just being selfish? Did he want a backup? Ugh this show.
korfan
November 30, 2021 at 3:31 PM
@yongsital I’ve also been wondering why Woo-jae just didn’t break things off definitively with Hae-won in the past. From the flashbacks it certainly looks like he never really even liked her, let alone love her, so no idea why he didn’t end things. I suppose there’s the chance that once he got back from Ireland he was going to break up with Hae-won, except he never made it back. But who knows. Now all of them are in this situation they can’t seem to get out of and we all know things aren’t going to end well.
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
November 30, 2021 at 7:43 PM
@korfan The thing with the flashbacks is that we got very little insight into his relationship with HW prior to HJ. I wonder if he really was so distant with her. He seemed reluctant about their marriage certificate but HJ was already in the picture then. Who knows. I really hope they tell us why he didn’t break up with her or delayed it so much.
Eazal
November 30, 2021 at 10:18 PM
I met a couple of WooJae in my life (not me being HaeWon, though). I tell you this: A person gets used to having someone by his/her side that adores them and it is ok as long as they don’t find “something else”. The minute they do, they just don’t care about that person. I find this part of his character specially accurate. That’s how trash people act.
gem28
November 30, 2021 at 9:36 PM
I am starting to wonder if Haewon’s perspective is 100% accurate. I don’t understand how the Woo Jae we are witnessing now could have made Haewon fall so deeply for him in the past. Why was her feelings for Woo Jae so deep? Endless to the point that the girl chose to voluntarily be sucked into a black hole of misery. I need some answers. Haewon keeps reminding me of Kazuo Ishiguru’s novel…”A Pale View of the Hill”. Whose perspective has more truth in it. Is it possible that Woo Jae was Haewon’s obsession that spiraled out of control because of Hui Ju’s betrayal just like Hui Ju is Woo Jae’s obsession?
Eazal
November 30, 2021 at 10:22 PM
Hw’s perspective is just her pov. She feels betrayed and that’s what triggers her whole revenge. Is she right? Didn’t she read the signs of how little he cared about her? It’s not relevant because she never got an answer or explanation from him. I’m not defending her, but I understand why she is like this: she depended on other person to be happy (wrong concept to begin with) and that person just disappeared and she didn’t even know if he was dead or alive. Can you imagine doing anything this cruel to anyone?
gem28
December 1, 2021 at 10:43 AM
Actually I do know cases of disappearance personally and I know its devastating to live with not knowing. The person I know, her fiance never showed up on her wedding day and she never got answers. She has thankfully moved on but till this day, nobody knows why or what happened. But my point was about memories and perspective and their reliability. This show isn’t about people who are either dark or either all sunshine. They are grey and so, it is interesting that beyond what she believes to be true we never get anything more fleshed out.
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
December 1, 2021 at 8:50 AM
That novel seems interesting. Might have to read it one day. I really wish we could get the drama writer’s commentary on the characters; it’d give us a lot of insight. Also, looking forward to the post finale interviews to know how the actors read the characters. Personally, I don’t think HW was obsessed, just all these external conflicts/variables pushed her to the limit and she wasnt able to let them go.
HANI
November 30, 2021 at 5:43 PM
I dropped at ep13 cause gdi, I hate everyone but what did he do after ep13? spoil me pls 😂😂
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
November 30, 2021 at 7:54 PM
Just imagine possessive, obsessed, and jerk Woo Jae ×100. 🙃 He’s practically harassing and stalking HJ 24/7 wanting her to rekindle their affair. Nasty to HW and jabs at HS any chance he gets regarding the accident. Oh he also covered up HJ’s involvement in the abusive BIL’s accident but I’m sure it’s just to have leverage over her. They’re all grasping at straws at this point tbh.
dramalover4ever
December 1, 2021 at 4:27 PM
Spoilers ahead: Just finished ep 15 and I have to offload this:
Hee-joo (Hui ju) is a liar. She lies about her staged “rape” without any real reason; she lies to her husband about not knowing Li-sa’s reasons for self-harm, which means she cares more for herself than her daughter.
Hae-won is implacable in her self-pity and vengeful-ness; she had a chance to let it go, but instead stages a “non-suicide”. She should not be let anywhere near children. She’s venomous.
Seo Woo-jae is quintessentially reckless.
Makjang, makjang, makjang
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
December 1, 2021 at 4:53 PM
I watched it too and it’s overflowing into makjang lol. What grated my nerves the most was HJ’s approach to Lisa regarding her self-harm. Yelling and forcing her into that conversation was exasperating and not the way to approach this. She’s always playing the “I’m such a bad mom” card and guess what you ARE! She’s horrible and still manipulates and lies amongst everything that is happening at the expense of her children. She says HW is lost in playing the victim and self pity card but she is too.
And oh I didn’t read HW’s non-suicide as staged? Am I too naive? Huh..what’d she gain from that? Because WJ obviously didn’t care and HJ didn’t seem to know about it. I don’t know what she plans on doing moving forward either. Is she really planning on being JY’s guardian? The court scene was uncomfortable seeing how JY was holding back her tears.
dramalover4ever
December 1, 2021 at 5:23 PM
Maybe it wasn’t staged? I’m turning into Inspector Koo. The court scene was awful. She had no right to butt in and she truly had set him up. I actually thought she’d turned a corner after the barman told her about the older man she was envying, but when I saw her spitting venom at WJ, and also when HJ pleaded with her to stop WJ, I could see that she hadn’t. The word that comes to my mind when I see her in action is that she is implacable. She cannot let go. But HJ is just as bad, in fact she seemed worse in this episode. As you say above re manipulates and lies. She is really sly. It’s clearly all going to hell in ep 16. I wonder who killed? Was it Li-sa?
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
December 1, 2021 at 5:37 PM
I just didn’t read HW as staging it. I might have to rewatch to see. Haewon has a lot of nice moments as in her conversations with the people who care about her trying to get her to stop. Every time I hope she’ll retreat and although I do think she’s taken a back seat in these last few episodes she still jabs at people. I must admit it was odd for HJ to ask her to stop WJ because HW had the ability to do so. Clearly no one can get through to WJ, much less HW.
I hope it’s not Lisa. The grown ups have ruined her life enough for her to carry that burden.
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
November 28, 2021 at 7:49 PM
This teaser for Only One Person is giving me Just Between Lovers vibes. Ahh so excited for these two!
💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜
November 28, 2021 at 8:21 PM
The premise is so off-putting for me but … KKN. Alas.
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
November 28, 2021 at 9:42 PM
I don’t like the combination of what seems to be two different genres but hey I’ll watch it for the actors and hope it surprises me? Probably not but we’ll get KKN as a lead.
💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜
November 29, 2021 at 12:37 AM
His first lead ahhhhh.
dramalover4ever
November 29, 2021 at 1:27 AM
I just read the synopsis and it did not hang together v well. It seemed a bit half-hearted. Not a good sign. Perhaps they don’t want to give away too much, but Kim Kyung-Nam is memorable and I don’t mind Ahn Eun-Jin.
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
November 27, 2021 at 7:33 AM
I like The Red Sleeve, especially Junho and Lee Deok Hwa but I\’m struggling a bit to get used to the pace of events. Yi San is very swoony in his confession but I can\’t help but feel it\’s a bit sudden. Am I the only one who feels this? I know this drama will cover a greater sequence of events so I understand the reason behind the pace but I wish I could \”believe\” this attachment a bit more. I\’m sad beanies!
DancingEmma
November 29, 2021 at 1:55 PM
I absolutely see where you are coming from. For me, it also required a measure of suspension of disbelief initially as I think the FL is not as strong or emotionally emotive an actor as Junho even though she is largely charming, delightful and mischievous. The Library scenes had a nice zingy badinage between them and after 4 episodes, I kind of had to surmise rather than emotionally believe that they were falling for each other. But, I think after that Bravura performance in Ep 5 and that achingly beautiful (h/t to Lonestar Girl) duet of confession via poetry, I feel much more invested in their story. What annoyed me though was the spectre of women’s actual and perceived inferiority which was present in Yisan’s irritating barb about “do you even know what it means”? The gendered lens always reminds me of the reality of women’s subjugation wherever a story depicts it.
Also, I have just started JBL and it is sad from the get go but it has already hooked me. Infeel dor the characters and was infuriated when Junho’s character was insulted, berated and struck. I was roapable. So glad he stood up for himself and didn’t accept that.
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
November 30, 2021 at 3:20 PM
Yeah I wrote that halfway into episode five and I admit the remaining events made up for it and built on their relationship. But I still think the book confession was a bit sudden! Lol 😅 Regarding Yisan’s condescending expressions, of course I’m not surprised because not only was it a different time period but he is royalty so you know he’s going to have those moments. I’m just waiting for her to turn him down haha that’ll take him down a notch.
Ooooh yay to JBL! There is no male lead like Kang Doo. He’s broken down but knows what he wants and believes and is a gentleman! Junho blew me away with his acting here. You can feel his pain. I do hope you keep enjoying it. It’s the perfect show for this season.
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
November 26, 2021 at 10:33 PM
I have binge watched seven episodes of Reflection of You in the past three days and Shin Hyun Bin is so good. That\’s an understatement really. I remember liking her in Confession but her character in HP was so meh I questioned my fondness of her. She\’s phenomenal though and why am I so invested in this story?
dramalover4ever
November 26, 2021 at 10:41 PM
It’s the first drama I go to, which I take as an indication of something. She’s doing a great job of being remorselessly vengeful without being an OTT villian because she’s so vulnerable too. Most of all, it’s her self pity that she conveys so well. I’m in it for a potential twist. I’m also intrigued at the malevolence between the women. You could only feel that badly about someone you’re really close to. I suppose it’s a guilty pleasure, although I don’t feel too guilty.
yongsital 🐧 ❄️
November 26, 2021 at 10:59 PM
I actually started watching episode 5 of The Red Sleeve but switched back to Reflection because I’m so hooked! I find it interesting that we get so many flashbacks but it’s still not clear what happened. I’m always looking forward to any scenes with the two women because the moments and conversations are so charged. Hae Won is sarcastic and calculating and you can she how she relishes in putting HJ on edge. But that vulnerability and self-pity balances it all out. When I sit back and think about the drama’s premise is when I wonder why I enjoy it so much. But it has a very talented cast and captivating style of storytelling. So yeah, no shame in this game lol.
dramalover4ever
November 26, 2021 at 11:18 PM
These two women!! They cannot leave each other alone.
emsel
November 27, 2021 at 12:23 AM
Comment was deleted
emsel
November 27, 2021 at 12:43 AM
It is an “addiction”. You will understand it as the drama progresses 😉
miss h
November 27, 2021 at 8:24 AM
She’s really good in it. I started watching for GHJ who is great too, but SHB just steals my attention.
Eazal
November 28, 2021 at 4:01 AM
I can’t believe you binge watched this drama. It’s so exhausting to me! You are a hero. And yes SHB is amazing in this drama.