Happy 4TH ANNIVERSARY (!!!!!!!!!!!) to the best drama with the best male lead of all time!!!!!

Gosh, has it really been 4 years? Has it been 4 years since I spent every waking moment of every day over a two month period constantly refreshing Dramabeans and Tumblr for new content? Has it really been 4 years since I totally neglected my studies and refreshed and refreshed the front page during my Thursday afternoon class waiting for the recap to go up, rushing to be the first to post and spending the entire 3 hour class reading and replying to the most insightful, squeeful comments on Dramabeans, and yet somehow managing to get straight As that semester anyway?

Even 4 years later, I still think that Because This Life is Our First EASILY has the most fun comment section ever. It was equal parts intelligence and pure fangirl energy. People wrote ESSAYS on these characters that we loved, and characters that we hated, and characters that we didn’t know how to feel about because they were so real and so well-written that they frustrated us as much as they made us root for them.

We squeed over the most unlikely Swoon-hee male lead I think I’ve ever seen in Dramaland. We, like Ji-ho, made the biggest deal about every *Sooji and Horang voice* uriiiiiiiiiIIIIIIII~~. We just about died at simple phrases that meant so much coming from our totally different but equally awkward, strange, yet totally compatible couple. Every “We really suit each other”, every “I don’t need a wife, I need you”, every conversation about recycling, about feeding Kitty, and of course, about going over to the in-laws’ house in Namhae to make kimchi.

Honestly, I believe I’ve rewatched this show over 7 times, but it’s been over a year(!) since my last time watching. Even after so long, I still get so into it, so invested that I have no choice but to detach myself from it a bit. It’s been a great balm during some of the most challenging times of my life, but if I rely on this story and these characters too much it becomes dangerous. I have learned to love and appreciate it from more of a distance, letting other dramas like My Ajusshi, Into the Ring, and You Are My Spring enter my heart as well, but I don’t see any show toppling BTLIOF in its #1 spot in my heart. Is it perfect? No, but so much of what I love about it is in its imperfection. I don’t think I could love a perfect drama this much.

Over the years, SoMinki have honestly given me stinker after stinker since this gem entered my life, but it never makes me feel too bad because I’ll always have Ji-ho and Se-hee (but… please, you two. Please, can you give me something to love in 2022? Please? At least one of you? Minki, if My Liberation Diary lets me down even with its stellar cast and crew… I don’t know what I’ll do). They’ll always be there when I need them… and yes, I do mean always, because yes, I do own the DVD boxset, and yes, I do own a full-sized snail plushie that has a constant presence on my bed.

I hope the whole entire cast and crew somehow knows how much this show means to me, and I hope they’re still proud of what they made. I wish I could let them know somehow, but hopefully the power of my love and affection will somehow reach them across the ocean… and okay, I’m gonna stop before the cheese becomes even too much for ME to handle. Just thank you, and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY.

Now excuse me as I join my snail and hit the hay. Goodnight!

(Thank you @egads for making me remember that today, October 9, was THE day! If only a few more hours had passed I would have missed it!)