This week I saw a news feature on KBS America that showed otters running around at night on the banks of the Han River. Otters are a rare and endangered species in Korea. Wildlife experts did not realize that otters have started to take up residence in the center of Seoul and some of its tributaries. However, the Korean Herald reported in 2023 that local authorities announced that 15 Eurasian otters were confirmed to be inhabiting there. The analysis, conducted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, is based on footage of surveillance cameras installed along the Han River. Otters, which are most active at night, were captured roaming around near Tancheon Stream, Jungnang Stream, and Yeouido Saetgang Ecological Park.

It never fails to amaze me that wild life experts are shocked when the public finds “extinct” animals in an area they are not supposed to be. In the early 1900s, mountain lions were considered extirpated from states east of the Mississippi River. However, in the early 2010s, people continued to report large cats in North Carolina. A few years later, several people captured photographs of mountain lions taking down deer in Northern Illinois. Since then, sightings of rare animals have been found all over American suburbs and cities (including a large population of coyotes living inside the city limits of Chicago.)

I don't know the specifics or the timeline of their relationship but the Han So Hee/Ryu Jun Yeol/Hyeri situation reminds me of Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt/Jennifer Aniston dynamics. It seems like a "bad girl" vs "good girl" thing which makes it easier to judge and villify those involved or have "teams". A difference is I don't remember if Brad got much backlash but RJY is getting his share of criticism.

One thing I saw in a clickbait title was how HSH broke up with someone to be with RJY and it just made me think what exactly do people want here? If she broke up with someone because she wanted to be with someone else, then isn't that a "good" thing because she didn't cheat or string the guy along? (No matter how long that relationship was).

oooh hi open thread and happy spring!
been so busy I missed last 2
we did the religion lecture it went well, but it was annoying I had to do such an extensive research myself bc nobody in Estonia is familiar with it.

do I have any library jokes? we had a squirrel come in through the window after hours. cleaning lady chased it up and down until she couldnt handle & we called the fire department. even those guys went through a lot of trouble trying to catch it bc it was climbing... our newly sews curtains. our ceiling is 6 m high...

it is spring, but someone came with a pair of skis. there is no snow...?

we were asked if we have a skull to borrow by girls who were filming an ad "for their student firm". we wondered what they produced. turns out: dry shampoo. maybe not the best idea to use a bare skull?

everyone, remember to drink enough water. I keep forgetting and then I get migraines.
art project: I have most of the materials. There is going to be a grey jacket of different materials and a see-through lilac dress from organza with flowers. Upper part: http://www.muis.ee/museaalview/528026 or http://www.muis.ee/museaalview/3933325 and Lower part: http://www.muis.ee/museaalview/529617 or http://www.muis.ee/museaalview/1414544. a 1930ies dress with a trail , I think short puffed sleeves maybe. so the artist had a secret daughter who he wanted to bring to his house but she never made it here. she was adopted to finland, he died 1942 after being paralyzed. I thought first I would make the lovers´ dress, but daughter makes more sense for the longing & dreaming

After watching a couple of older dramas that had 20 (or more) episodes, I wonder if any drama needs that many episodes. It's weird for me to think that considering I've watched seasons of American shows when seasons were like 20+ episodes long.

It's just while watching these dramas, I realized I was finding it tedious or repetitive the closer I got to episode 16 and then it was "and there's *still* more to go?!"

I'm liking the shorter episode count dramas. Better yet when the writers can completely convey a good story in that time frame.

I don't mind the longer dramas but this is just something that came to mind.

The pic of Na Hee-Do. Why do I still miss 25-21 so much?

Happy Friday, Beanies! Hope it goes better for you than me who's having an obligatory spring cold thanks to insane weather (snow two days ago, sun today, endless rain in between... yikes!). Today's playlist was supposed to have a different theme again, but since LYN, despite for once NOT filming anything atm, is still too busy – he's finishing another album! can't wait! - to stream and broaden my collection of live performances, I had to think of something else other than OSTs for now))) Apparently said album been in works for ages because he wanted its content to be different from his drama songs, which led me to ponder about how versatile his music actually is and how many people yet to be aware of the fact. Well, I can fix that)))

Let's start with the roots – aka old (from his debut era!) rock. Ngl, rocker LYN always tops everything in my ears by default – man was born for power ballads! - but this particular track isn't only cool for his metal vocals, but also mix of genres in instrumental. The way it starts so chill and then! There's no MV tho, idk why official upload claims otherwise:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73awthvwYBE

Ready for a mood whiplash? Next is probably his most trend-ish vanilla pop song I've ever heard – the style of your average kpop group doing a Chinese single to safely broaden their market. So saccharine, I can't even! Yet it's still super catchy and genuinely good – you can tell he's having lots of fun with it. He also covered Bieber in case you were wondering... no, I will never post THAT here, even my horizons are not this broad! Headphones advice, it's really better this way!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5UuYcB6sSs

Too much sugar? Likely yes - I needed some lemon tea afterwards lol, but if tea isn't enough, I have something even more sobering – rap. Yeah, you heard that right. It's not like he's a big pro at it... but not too shabby either, all things considered. Feat some traditional opera thrown in the mix because genre salads ftw))) Also rare case of an old performance that's not hurting my eyes style-wise – let's just say I've always appreciated his tight jeans game...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3ApJaoeEi4

More rap because I can lol. No, seriously – what the hell are his lungs made of? That speed at the end can't be human...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCnz7wBQL2g

Back to sweetness – this probably classifies as a lounge bar song? On the sexier side of that spectrum boy really needs chill with moaning delivery, I'm trying my hardest to stay PG here!. The lyrics lmao – that's something a college kid from philosophy major would've come up trying to impress their date after too many cocktails (trust me, I've been there!). There are subs so yall can laugh with me (put on headphones again, seriously!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOpmLPbqlgc

I'm wondering about the Korean attitude to LGBTQ couples. I see many BL shows on viki- most are from Thailand and Japan. So this would mean that Asian countries differ in their acceptance of couples. Korea seems to be very strict Traditional Family but as marriage is abandoned, have non-traditional options been excepted?
I fully believe that many of the actors we love must keep their sexual orientation secret- an added pressure to a life of concern over being seen as attached to anyone in the crazy fan culture.

NOTE- I have not watched Wedding Impossible yet but will when it is over- my question comes from love for all people, including my family members who are gay.

Kim Seon Ho is apart of a variety show again?! Good for him!

I didn't watch him on 1n2d but I saw some clips and it seemed he was a cute addition to that world.

Beanies, today I found out that a relatively recent friend of mine is also into kdramas! So now I might have someone to talk about dramas with IRL! This has never happened to me before! Not that they will replace all of you lovely people, don’t worry 😉, but I’m so excited!

I saw a video that said korean reporters had criticized some actors' movie performances and one of the criticisms I saw most was how the actors didn't seem like they were acting, they were just doing what they usually do. There was also mention about facial expressions

I don't quite understand that though it's not the first time I've seen such comments. I've seen that about Lee Jong Suk and Lee Min Ho. That even if their characters are different, certain characteristics are usually the same; for Jong Suk, his characters are some kind of "special" (super smart, has an ability, etc) for Min Ho, his characters are rich and he has some arrogance or playboy persona.

Thing is I feel like most Korean actors play similar characters if you look through a certain actors filmography. Like since I've been watching Lee Joon Gi, I see how often he's played characters who get screwed over to the point it's almost like [his characters] are cosmic playthings

Are there any truly chameleon type actors?
Maybe the guy from Unlocked and Summer Strike? Im Si Wan
He was SOOOOO creepy in the former and so passive in the latter

Okay. I know you won't believe this. The series 'Chicken Nugget' was almost impossible to sit through, really REALLY awful. BUT they saved it in the end. I know, I know, that doesn't sound remotely possible. I was shocked, myself.

A MISSIVE FROM 9TAILEDVIXEN'S UBER-BUSY WEEK:

1. The Case of the Non-Appearing Ticket

It is just ONE WEEK before The Rose's concert and the ticket has yet to appear on my AXS app despite me following up with The OVO Wembley and AXS.

If I have to go deal with this at the box office when I get there all jetlagged, I will be EXTREMELY put out, to say the least.

I hope Woosung Oppa's glorious voice is worth all this hassle...

2. Aerial Yoga

I managed to do the "Batman" pose today hahaha:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzKf5pF2NOk

This will be last class until May as I will be travelling. The Yoga instructor told me to do planks and keep working on my splits every morning so I don't go back to square one once I'm back.

3. This week in Korean Women's News:

(a) Korean women still struggle to shatter glass ceiling in finance sector

In the financial sector, the number of female executives or CEOs is particularly very low, as they face a double glass ceiling due to the financial industry's uniquely conservative and masculine corporate culture that has made it difficult for female workers to be promoted to top management positions.

Among the holding companies and subsidiaries of Korea's four major financial groups — KB, Shinhan, Hana and Woori — female CEOs exist at only 6 percent, or four companies, out of a total of 59 as of September 2023.

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/biz/2024/03/602_365509.html

(b) Career or family? The dilemma facing women in South Korea

'Women staying in work is essential for the economy, says Park Yoon-soo, economics professor at Sookmyung Women’s University in Seoul. “The problem is that social structure, including the work environment, makes it difficult for women to balance work and family life — so many of them are forced to choose one or the other.”'

https://www.ft.com/content/20b24ad6-b204-4170-bd4d-74fdd0413214

Did You Know? Character Limits on Dramabeans Comments Edition
Did you know that there are different character limits for different types of comments and posts on Dramabeans? Some of these limits are "breakable" and others are not.

1. Fan Wall Main Posts
Many of us have overcome the (apparent) 200-character limit on all Fan Wall OP posts. If you have not, instructions for how to do that are simple, and spelled out by yours truly here: https://www.dramabeans.com/members/attiton/activity/1452362/.

TL;DR: Paste in your content from elsewhere, but don't use your keyboard to do it, use the contextual menu revealed via your mouse or by force-pressing.

But! As @sicarius reminded the newbs in, um, 2020...there's still actually something like a 20,000 character limit on the Fan Wall posts. EVEN MORE still, long Fan Wall posts can start pressuring WordPress to break down at about 9,000 characters. So, stick to below 9,000 characters is the advice @sicarius offers. Apparently she broke Dramabeans once.

2. Comments Anywhere Else
Apart from OP Fan Wall posts, there's a 3,000 character limit on all other comments. So, whether you're replying directly to a Fan Wall Post or a Main Site Post, or replying to a comment on a Fan Wall Post or a Main Site Post, you've got 3,000 characters before you get that dreaded ellipsis ("...") that cuts you off in mid-sentence.

There's no workaround for this one, but we want to hear what you have to say!! So, simply reply to your own comment, and finish your thought. Done!

Or, if you like, you can check beforehand to see if your commentary will fit in one comment by using Word or a text editor to count your characters beforehand. A quick internet search shows that there are any number of free, but ad-filled, sites that will do it for you too.

PS: Another tip from Sic. Emojis count for two characters! I believe her, but even though I sort of work in this industry for real, I didn't know that!! Seems technically plausible! Thanks, 친구!

Anyone else notice the very pink lip balm/stick they are using on the MALE leads lately? On both male and female actually. It stands out way too much.

I think that the Japanese are not so open about LGBT relationships, if they show that type of relationships it is more for business, since there are a lot of profits, for example, yaoi manga sells very well, they have many female fans especially (probably the majority of the dramas are adaptations of yaoi manga), they also have bars/restaurants with the theme of hosts who fall in love with the male waiters, all as an experience for the customer, etc. but as you can see it is more represented by entertainment. I have seen videos of YouTubers who live in Japan and they say japanese are not so open to expressing these types of relationships freely, it is not that it is prohibited but being a country where the majority are elderly people who are highly respected, well, its difficult to be open with this kind of relationship. I don't know about Thailand, but I think they are more open compared to Japan and Korea.

So haven't we had enough of dating rumors / controversies yet that even Kim Soo Hyun gets roped in. 🤷‍♀️

I have seen a few stories in which characters gift shoes and wondered about it. Then, I realised that the stories I watched didn't end well.
The King's Affection - the Prince gifts red shoes to Yi Hiwi and loses her to another man.
My Dearest: Well, they go on to have a really messed up life, irrespective of the forced happy ending.
Our Blooming Youth: The Sargent sends his would-be wife a pair of pink shoes and goes on to not only lose her, but lose her to the Crown Prince no less.
I wonder if the writers weave in these clues ahead of time.