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Dramabeans 5-Year Anniversary Giveaway #1

javabeans: Happy New Year! Another year has zoomed by — time flies when you’re watching dramas, don’tcha know — and 2012 marks an extra-special moment for us at Dramabeans, because the site turns 5 this month.

girlfriday: Happy birthday Dramabeans! You’re finally old enough to go to kindergarten!

javabeans: Or advanced into middle age, if we’re talking cat years. And as we know, the internet = cats.

girlfriday: Well that explains where all the time from the fourth dimension went to, ‘cause I certainly don’t FEEL five.

javabeans: I can’t believe I’ve been doing this for half a decade. K-dramas have sucked away my youth! How is this site still going? To think, when I started in January 2007, my primary mode of thought was, “I wonder how many people would stumble onto this place randomly.” Because then that would be a measure of how many people were interested in dramas in the English-speaking world. As it turns out, a whole damn lot.

girlfriday: I find that most of life’s truths can be found in quotes from Field of Dreams: “If you build it, they will come.”

javabeans: Also “This is my corn. You people are guests in my corn.” And “I have just created something totally illogical.”

girlfriday: See? Maybe internet also = baseball.

javabeans: In any case, we decided The Big 5 called for some celebratin’, and how better to celebrate than to give tons of stuff away? It’s a month-long Anniversary Giveaway Extravaganza!

girlfriday: We’ll be raining down presents during the entire month of January, because if you’re part of the Dramabeans community, it’s your birthday too, and birthdays call for presents!

javabeans: You might want to mark Sundays on your calendar, because every Sunday (or Monday, if you’re ahead of us in the States) we’ll be giving away something super-duper-fantastico exciting. Wait, am I overselling this?

girlfriday: Only if you’re a grinch who hates presents. Every week we’ll be asking you a question, and all you have to do is leave a comment with your answer and email address, and you’ll be entered in that week’s drawing.

javabeans: We’ll select winners by random draw. Check back a week later, and see if you’ve won! If you haven’t, fear not, because we’ll be announcing the next round as well. More prizes!

girlfriday: And they get better each week!

Giveaway #1

Question: What was your Drama First Love? Tell us about the first drama you fell in love with, that brought you over to the dark side. Don’t forget to leave a valid email address so we can contact you if you win.

Prizes:

  • You’re Beautiful Director’s Cut DVD set
  • one $25 Gift Certificate to Yesasia.com
  • one more $25 Gift Certificate to Yesasia.com

Winners announced: Sunday, January 8th, at 8pm, Pacific Standard Time.* This giveaway is now closed. Thanks for entering!

 
*Or, 10pm in Mexico City, 11pm in NYC, 1 am in Buenos Aires, 4am in London, 5am in Paris, noon in Singapore and Manila, 1pm in Seoul and Tokyo, or 3pm in Sydney and Vladivostok. Okay, you get the point. (You can refer to this handy Time and Date converter to find out what this is in your time zone.)

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Coffee Prince. The Grandma/Han Gyul interaction in the first episode had me hooked, and then I just fell in love with EVERYBODY.

Happy anniversary!

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first drama would be winter sonata!!!
that the first ever korean drama show in my country tv channel...
so basically that is the first korean drama i ever loved...
korean drama has some power to it...
actually i don't really like sad ending but if korean drama, i don't mind.. i'll still watch it...
I REALLY LOVE KOREAN DRAMA!!!!

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Full House! starring Rain and Song Hye-Kyo. the cutest couple ever. I first saw this drama while channel surfing in China, then watched it again as soon as I returned to the states in Korean. Started an epic trend of drama-watching! :D

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hong gil dong.

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me too!

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i meant HGD! lol!

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YAB!

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Stairway to Heaven

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Omo...the number of comments is insane.
I think it was YAB that got me hooked on k-dramas, though my first k-drama was Playful Kiss (and I watched it first only because I'd seen the anime and liked it, and my friends advised me to start with it saying it was funny - yeah, it was, and I liked it overall. Actually, I'm glad that I didn't watch it later (after some other dramas that I really loved), since it is surely not the best out there)
It all happened in April 2011, and after I watched YAB and fell in love with it, there was just no turning back. I even got my mother hooked on k-dramas (YAB was her first), and she's really addicted now. She's watched far more dramas than me already. I don't even know when she has time to watch them, tbh))

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My Girl for the comedy. LJK was just adorable. I rarely laugh out loud watching TV, but the sauna scene was my funniest k-drama moment.

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The first drama I watched was "Playful Kiss" and almost never watched another one, but fell in love with BOF. Searching that was how I found dramabeans and then I was completely drawn over to the darkside. Everyone thinks that it is too much work because of course, I have to read the subtitles but the storeis are good. Other favs are "City Hunter, Runaway Plan B, Flower Boy Ramun Shop, You're Beautiful. Love Le Min Ho. I can even sing "Fight the Bad Feeling" from BOF and I don't even know Korean.

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My first drama (and first drama love) was A Love to Kill aka 이 죽일놈의 사랑. This was only about a year ago, but it seems like I've been watching dramas FOREVER.

I had become obsessed with Rain--how I found/became obsessed with him is a long story for a different time--and I started listening to his music. I was literally in a frenzy trying to find all things related to him. Long story, short...I decided to watch his first drama.

I spent my Thanksgiving Break watching that drama and finished it in only 2 days...I. Was. Hooked. Dramas are like drugs, I swear. At first I was SO confused because I didn't know what "oppa", "hyung" or any of those terms meant but, as we all know, google is your best friend.

When I finished A Love to Kill, I thought it was GENIUS. The BEST thing I'd ever watched. I cried practically every episode (I cry at everything, so that doesn't say much). I was so depressed when I was done. *Spoiler if you haven't seen it* Everyone DIED. I was crying so much. My soul was literally crushed. Just hearing the song "It's Still Love" by 신승훈 from the drama made my stomach tighten because it was just so sad and beautiful.

Since then I've watched about 1650564690654 dramas. I haven't re-watched A Love to Kill (I'm not one to re-watch things I've already seen) so I don't know if it was really as good as I initially thought. Who knows...?

I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make my comment this long! My family always say I talk too much...

Well, Happy 5th!♥

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My introduction to K-drama was Dae Jang Geum, with the theme of maternal love in various forms. And, the two typical specialties associated with being a mother; i.e. cooking and doctoring.
And, this drama was a catharsis for me, after the death of my own mother. Tears? The entire bundle of tissue from Costco.
My thought was that any industry that can make such a wonderful drama must have even more to offer. And, I've been an addict ever since.
Not only a K-drama addict, but a Javabean addict that followed you to the newly created Dramabeans site.
Thank you for five+ wonderful years.

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I was channel surfing one night and came across "Beautiful Days". Curious about korean dramas as my mom had just raved about Winter Sonata, I decided to watch an episode and fell absolutely in love with Lee Byung Hoon and his soulful eyes. His acting blew me away. There was no turning back after that...

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Congratulations on 5 years!
I have to say that I've been a resident of Kdramaland since as far back as I can remember. The first drama I do remember absolutely loving is Mr. Q! It was way more than 10 years ago I think... (I feel really old). Kim Min Jong was (and still is) really hot.
And then Autumn in my Heart and Winter Sonata were my all-time favorites. I got completely sucked in when I discovered I could get Kdramas on the internet and my whole world changed. It's become a full-blown addiction!

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Just started watching K-drama 6 months ago. I watched My Princess and had a big crush on Song Seung-heon. Then came Boys Over Flowers, Goong, then Coffee Prince and got totally hooked (complete with eye bags from lack of sleep). Since then, I probably watched 20+ K-dramas and I'm not even Korean!

Taking a break right now, I finished Kim Sam Soon last night and now going through K-drama withdrawals.

Had many lost in translation intances, but thank God for Dramabeans recaps, I didn't miss out. To a non-Korean like me, Dramabeans also filled some cultural gaps. Thanks, Dramabeans!

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The first drama I've wached was Cinderella's Sister, I know it hasn't been a long time, but, I was WAOUH in front of this drama, the first episode wasn't starting in a gorgeous way, but I wanted to give it a try, and they got me. Moon Geun Young was such a great actress. Especially when I saw the behind-the-scenes she passes from laugh to tears in a second and a special mention to Taec Yeon (wish he was the lead man). So even if it wasn't perfect it was my first drama, my first k-drama love, the way leading to other beautiful ones.

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Hm...The one that has changed my life forever would probably be Tomato. Although, when I saw it, it was a dubbed version, but nonetheless it was interesting and with a pretty good-looking leading man. And since then, dramas have been a part of life. Also..Congrats on making it to 5 years! Hoping to see dramabeans grow even more in the future! =)

-nie

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my first k-drama love was Queen Seon Deok. I love Mishil's Golden eyebrow and Bidam's hotness!

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my first drama love would be beautiful days!! oh..lee dong gun....swoons...

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My Name is Kim Sam Soon!! I've watched it so many times with my sister I can't count it on my fingers... it's what's kept my korean alive :) HAPPY HAPPY ANNIVERSARY DRAMABEANS!

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Boys Before Flowers. I stumbled across it on hulu and have barely watched any american tv since (so many dramas, so little time!).
Nothing can get you addicted to a genre like Lee Min-Ho being a bumbling man-child who keeps trying to win his heroine's heart in the most ill-advised ways possible.
Especially when one of those ways is filling her swimming pool with ducks.

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Jewel in the Palace was shining so brightly that I was attracted by it! :)

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For me it would be the drama Autumn in my Heart! It was such a tear-jerker! and i got hooked to kdramas after that.

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Delightful Girl Chun-hyang :)

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My first drama was Boys Over Flowers but I have to say my first love was Iljimae which began my complete obsession with Lee Jun Ki! He is the only actor that I have seen every single movie, drama that he has been in. He is also the only one whereby I've actually bought the DVDs! No other actor has that title!

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Growing up with Korean parents, I've actually watched a lot of dramas as a kid. It was just something to do when I was bored and the TV was on. Never something I'd watch with a passion like I do now. What really got me addicted to Kdramas was "Boys Over Flowers". This drama was so addicting. I would literally watch this non stop and have my eyes glued to the screen with my bowl of rice in one hand and a spoon in another. I would tell my friends about it and talk about it with whoever was willing to endure my constant spazzing. (I was only 11 ;_;)
Of course now I realize the drama had many flaws, and I've grown to like many other dramas as well, mostly rom-coms. But this drama was the one that got me into Kdrama. (Along with Kpop and everything Korean lol)

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Delightful Girl Choon Hyang!!

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I love reading all the comments and seeing some dramas mentioned that I've watched i the past as well. It's really nostalgic and makes me want to go back and watch them all over again XD

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Haha, have you ever had sooo many comments? :)
I meant to leave my comment earlier, but a problem with my connection hindered me.

My choice is: Sassy Girl, Choon-hyang (Delighful Girl)
It's funny, it has heart and comedy. Maybe I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I did had I watched it later in my life and at a different time.
I wasn't very happy when I watched it and it was my way of fleeing from reality - and it worked. Hehe, Sassy Girl helped me survive and therefore it's my first "drama love".

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My memory isn't that great, but I think it's the first time I see that many comments in the same post, wow o__o Anyway, first thing first, congrats for all these years ^^

The first k-drama I watched was, as others said, 'Full House'. I'm not really sure if it is my "Drama First Love" per se though, because, being used to faster-paced, shorter j-dramas, I remember being a bit bored watching it. But considering that I watched it five years ago, and I'm still watching k-dramas, I suppose it wasn't ~that~ bad :P

My e-mail: yoio AT hotmail.com

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Question: What was your Drama First Love? Tell us about the first drama you fell in love with, that brought you over to the dark side.

We'll that ain't no joke. Since a Vietnamese friend introduced my wife and I to Secret Garden in March of 2011, I've binged, to the ridicule of all my friends except she, on Drama's to the extent of over 700 hrs watched.

Secret garden is still one of my fav's because it has a little bit of everything rolled into one nice package. All the cliches delivered with a little bit of a twist. Chaebol son, amnesia, prince and pauper trade, body swap, pig skin aversion, mistaken identity, overbearing mom, kick butt girl... you name it. Plus the music is good, if a little old and canned by the end. Ha Ji Won is cute, hot, nice, pretty, self consious, self-assured, and Hyun Bin is flawless.

Great performances all the way around

Here is a list of the shows I've watched in order of "stickiness" as dramabeans would put it.

I've watched all of these in their entirety except for a man called god because it was just to stupid. I couldn't get through 2 episodes.

City Hall 7.6
The Greatest Love (Best Love) 7.6
City Hunter 7.5
Secret Garden 7.5
Can You Hear My Heart 7.4
Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge 7.4
Athena: Goddess of War 7.3
My Lovely Sam Soon 7.3
Boys Before Flowers 6.9
Sungkyunkwan Scandal 6.9
Hana Yori Dango 6.8
Protect the Boss 6.6
You're Beautiful 6.5
Creating Destiny 6.4
Heartstrings (You've Fallen For Me) 6.4
Love You 6.4
My Girl 6.4
Call of the Country 6.3
Playful Kiss 6.3
Tatta Hitotsu no Koi  6.3
Joseon X-Files 6.1
IRIS 6.1
My Princess 6.0
Myung Wol the Spy 6.0
Stars Falling From the Sky 6.0
Atashinchi no Danshi 6.0
What's Up Fox 6.0
Coffee House 5.9
Lie to Me 5.9
Mei-chan no Shitsuji 5.9
Oh My Lady 5.9
Personal Taste 5.9
Hana Kimi 5.8
It Started With A Kiss 5.8
My Girlfriend is a 9 Tailed Fox 5.8
Nodame Cantabile 5.8
Tamra the Island 5.8
They Kiss Again 5.8
9 End 2 Outs 5.8
They Kiss Again 5.8
They Kiss Again 5.8
Full House 5.5
Hotaru no Hikari 4.8
Snow Queen 4.8
A Man Called God 4.6

My favorite actress of all time now is Kim Sun Ah and my 13 year old daughter and 12 year old daughter both want to mary Lee Min Ho, or Siwon from Super Junior if Min Ho is unavailable.

Oops, forgot I hadn't added Flower Boy Ramyun Shop. We loved it. Definitively at the top.

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wow, you watched that much? in less than a year? and i watched 1/3 from your list in these 10 years. you make me feel like an antifan. =p

and, you are a guy. and married. so thats double cool.

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My Name Is Kim Sam Soon. I found a link to Dramafever on another site. I thought the picture for the show looked cute, so I followed the link, which is something I never do. I started watching and just didn't stop. That was probably three years ago, and I think I'm hooked for life.

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What was your Drama First Love? Tell us about the first drama you fell in love with, that brought you over to the dark side.

My Lovely Sam Soon was the first drama I fell in love with. Instantly, I was drawn to Kim Sam Soon because she was my Korean equal. I am just as clumsy and love desserts just as much and relate to guys the same way. It was like watching a show with me in it. I laughed so much and grew in love with Hyun Bin's character right along with Kim Sam Soon. This was the first drama that I kept wanting to watch the next episode as soon as the previous one ended because I couldn't stand not knowing what was going to happen. I was caught up, sucked in and over-all engulfed with the characters and the story line. My Lovely Sam Soon was my first love.

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Boys over flowers. Because the boys are nice to her and are cute and fun and its interesting. Kim Hyun Joong and Lee Min Ho are hot.

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My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho! I've watched other K-Dramas before this, but the one that truly got me hooked was My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho. I loved Shin Mina and Seung Gi so much and I especially can't get enough of Seung Gi, which lead me to watching 1N2D.Needless to say,I got hooked on that too.

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I’m Sorry I Love You (MISA) & So Ji-sub!

I first started off watching j-dramas courtesy of my eldest studying Japanese @ school, but I graduated very quickly to the wonderful world of K-dramas!

And my fate was sealed the moment I started MISA!! What can I say - So Ji-sub, SO-JI-SUB!!!

I mean, the lengths I went to, to not miss an episode... (see: http://www.dramabeans.com/2010/07/your-addiction-stories-giveaway-winner-announced/ under the heading EXCUSES!)

Since that fateful day, there have been so many wonderful dramas - mentioned in all of the previous posts. And as I read them, I found myself agreeing, yes that one was great... and oh, I loved so&so in that one too... and wasn't he a nasty, evil villain!!

But my first love will always be I’m Sorry I Love You (MISA) & So Ji-sub!!!

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Happy 5th anniversary!! I've never understood the whole drama craze, but after my friend basically summarized in depth the first five episodes f secret garden, I finally caved and decided to watch it. I was the best and first drama I have watched and that drama was soon followed by many others including you're beautiful! Thanks for the wonderful site!

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The first k-drama I fell in love with was All About Eve. I was like eleven when that drama came out and there was something about the anti heroin plot that I really liked. Plus Jang Dong Gun was so charming, aaahhh!!!

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YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL!!
It was the first drama i watched and it will always be my fav!!!
I loved everything about this drama!
I can't explain it in words, but this drama was just TOO BEAUTIFUL!!!
Happy 5th Anniversary Dramabeans!!!

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Your Beautuful <3

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My first K-drama was in 2000!! :) i saw a series called "Woman vs Woman" in Arirang! I loved it, it was sooooo funny, and then i got hooked onto another drama but i forgot the name, after that they stopped showing that channel and i lost in touch until 2007 wen i redscvred dramas online with subs etc :D lol and from Fullhouse i havent stopped my addiction!

( On a side note can someone here tell me a drama name airing in the early 2000's in Arirang?? It had the the leads (girl and boy) working in an underwear company, thats their job , coming up with new underwear designs! The lead guy was called Joonjae, and his brother Hoon jae, and they fall for the same lead girl. But the older one gets her, and the younger one goes after anther girl who is already pregnant etc. GAH someone PLEASE TELL ME THEY KNOW THIS DRAMA in the early 2000 :( i wana see how it ended )

sandr.pete@gmail.com

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Boys before Flowers! Yoon Gi Hoo rocks!

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Congratulations on your 5 year anniversary!

The first korean drama I fell in love with City Hunter! The drama was mystery, touch of romance between actor and the actress. city hunter got me wanting more koren drama everyday. It was actually finding dreambean that got me to the dark side of kdrama.

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My Name is Kim Sam Soon!!! The first one I ever watched was Personal Taste, and I loved it for being my gateway drug, but it was MNIKSS that reeled me in, hook, line and sinker!

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Manny was my first Kdrama that i fully finished.

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My first drama ever was Glass Slipper, I never missed one episode during the whole time and stuck to the screen like glue. I even gave my young cousin nickname after SJS's character since he always shouts so loudly (just like Chul Woong :D). I'd cried until my eyes gone all red and swollen for all the sad scene and especially the last episode as well, and to think i was around 12 when i watched it, and now it's roughly a decade of K-drama watching, I still enjoy all the drama that's coming out every month *shudder* so unbelievable, the power of the dark side that is Korean drama.

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I think what got me to the dark side was My Girl. The start was a bit bumpy IMO, but within the first few episodes I got hooked (the fact that Lee Dong-wook is hoooot didn't help). It's not my Hong sisters drama (that goes to Delightful Girl though) which I watched after given how addictive My Girl was.

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I love princess hours :) it was one of my first love dramas since it was a big hit all over and i love the story line. It was like a Cinderella story where a poor girl is transformed into a rich girl ,but it has its traditional aspects which make it even more interesting. Its a fusion of the old and new cultures of this world.

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I spent my entire childhood watching historical chinese dramas with my mother. I vividly remember seeing Zhao Wei, as the bubbly princess in the original Huan Zhu Ge Ge (so much better than the new one, by the way). However, my first drama love would have to be my first Korean drama: Dal Ja's Spring. Chae Rim was just so adorable and Lee Min Ki was simply perfect. Kang Tae Bong will forever remain as the perfect guy. Today, most of the male leads are so obnoxious and rude to begin with (e.g. Joo Won in Secret Garden, Chi Soo in FBRS). Why can't they be smart, nice, caring, sensitive, good-looking, AND be able to cook amazingly like Kang Tae Bong. Sure, Chi Soo had perfect taste, but Tae Bong was just perfect.

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My first k-drama love was Delightful Girl CH... I am a sucker for marriage contracts turned into love dramas. :) Shortly there after, Goong and STLDFM. I avoided all the huge Hallyu ones - but DGCH was a good one. :) Totally sucked me in.

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