Beanie level: Loan shark with a heart of gold

ep09-face-Slap
I’m still very much enjoying this cutely romantic and so delightfully OTT weekender, but I know that there are some of you out there who have vowed never to watch another drama starring Lim Soo-hyang, and so will never give it a try…and I hear you!

However, not only is she doing a quite nice job in this silly, snappy weekender, she also gives even the haters a chance to laugh. Enjoy!

BMR, episode 9.

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ep01-so-Silly
🤭🤣🤭😭 = Me, on what ended up being a red-eye flight, trying not to laugh uncontrollably at these two incredibly silly, highly-constructed variety games from Busted, s1e1. Yes, that’s Park Min-Young.
 
ep01-what-Has-Happenedtomy-Life
These are water balloons raining down. I’ve kept it at “Benny Hill” speed for (at least my) added amusement.

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    YASSSSSSS you’re watching Busted!!!!!!!! Lol these two things were so so funny – the water balloon gauntlet made me laugh so hard I got a stomach ache 🤣 This is one of my favorite variety shows – great cast, really funny moments, some interesting brain teasers (and watching them solve them), and mysteries that bring in a boat load of cameos!! Min-young was super good at the mystery solving and generally being a good sport about everything!

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      Yeah, it ended up being sooo late, this was the only show I could handle 😉 So funny–but I have to admit that I’m also sort of going through season 1 so I can, on @britney ‘s advice, skip to season 3 where a certain Ro-woon, I hear appears….

      But never fear @midnight ! I think I’m also hooked on Wild Romance…it is a little hard to handle the “soap opera” quality frame rate and the pantomimic quality of the acting…but there’s something addicting about it! LDW is, frankly, a really good actor and the cinematographer is also quite talented–too bad they only had a video camera to work with. I have some gifs planned, starting with the boss man of the bodyguard firm–I am IN LOVE.

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    I don’t remember a lot except Yoo Yeon-Seok flirting 😅

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ep06-quietasa-Mouse
Sparked by the conversation about that Blood Free scene yesterday featuring Lee Moo-saeng, Ju Ji-hoon, and Han Hyo-joo, I offer this example from Thirty-Nine of Lee Moo-saeng’s skill in expressing actively repressed, incredibly strong emotions. The way his head moves like it might come off his neck, and the quality of his forced smile…unforgettable. For those who want to remember with sound, this is episode 6.

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    My crush!

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      His voice here is in…cred…ible. Now I’m actually tempting you to go watch and spoil the drama. Frankly, it’s probably not your speed anyway, Midnight. All high-emotion and low, low payoff in the end.

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        You really really are! I probably will go watch a few videos tonight, because I don’t think I will ever watch the whole show. Thank you.

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    He was such a delight in Designated Survivor: 60 Days because I only watched him in jerk roles before.

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      He’s playing another awful jerk right now in Hide. He does play it well though.

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ep03-mmm-Croissants
It’s always the next day that I know what Blood Free scenes stick with me, and today it’s this one. These are some seasoned actors all putting their talents towards conveying unspoken sexual innuendo and jealousy.

The gif is the funny part of the scene for me–I just love watching people enjoy their food 😁–but for as long as imgur will allow me to have a huge, long clip of a Disney show up on their site, I offer you below, and here in a direct link, the full scene.

Definitely worth a watch–I don’t know that I’m 100% in a “You must watch Blood Free” camp, but this scene was wonderful.

View post on imgur.com

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    love the show… and who said no romance.. lol

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      Well, I don’t know how much romance there’s gonna be…but sexual tension there’s plenty. I’m still thinking about pheromones from last night’s conversation on @mayhemf‘s wall.

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        There’s definitely that and they are not being subtle about that. However, what I feel about iy. He’s married with a kid and considering how in the previous episode he quickly told his wife to talk later, we can guess he’s very busy but also equally secretive about his work. So yeah I’m in the no romance camp, I don’t want it here and the writer is not super keen on those anyway.

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          I’m not sure what I feel about it.*

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          @wapzy Well, his marital status is actually up in the air, tending towards being unmarried.

          At his house this week, it became more clear (to me at least) that the family in the photo (living in the US, I believe) on his desktop is his sister’s family. When Chae-woon talks about who lives in his house, he talks only of his family of origin. Now, he could be hiding a wife, but in retrospect, his “quickness” to get of the phone could easily be better explained by the way you talk to a sibling rather than a life partner…

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            You have a point. Come to think of it, anyone who has called them two his wife and kid are others, the BF employee and Jang yong shil, not himself.

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            Yeah. This episode it became clear it’s his nephew and sister on his laptop.
            Initially I too thought he had a family.

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            Coming back to respond here…I note that I’d lide to say: Sorry, @alasecond and @wapzy, for starting my replies to both of you with “Well…” and then stating a counter-position without acknowledging your own stated position. I did read them, and I do see your points as well! Maybe I’m trying to protect my good, old-fashioned sexual tension in a thriller drama a bit too hard…

            I’d like to think on the “is he or isn’t he married” question that there is some intentional play going on by the writer/PD to keep us hooked! I’ll bite 🎣

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            No offense taken at all Seonha, we’re just having a conversation.

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          he is not married.. his sister and her daughter

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    I will definitely at least check any show by the writer of Grid. I loved Grid. (One of maybe 3 beanies who did)

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      It’s definitely not that I’m not enjoying it–I am. But I think that it will be best to wait until all is said and done to really recommend it or not. There were twists this week that were interesting, but the writer really is going to have to be talented to pull this off in any engaging (rather than tedious) manner–and the PD is going to have to keep things complex rather than simplistic, IMO.

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    Just the incentive I need (and without any spoilers) to catch up on these episodes.

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    I really like the ‘unsaid’ scenes in the drama. The actors and body language says a lot. And this scene was terrific! You can read Lee Moo Saeng even when he said nothing.
    Same with the Prime Minister. You know there is something but you don’t know what exactly it is.
    And the way he held her hand and took the coffee away. I had no control over my heart 😍😍😍

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      When I watch clips from Hide I just hate Lee Moo-saeng’s character SO MUCH. I have to turn away, actually. I MUCH prefer him here, even if he does end up being the evil mastermind behind “all this” (I don’t know that this is the case, but right now, anyone could be the evil mastermind 😋).

      Frankly, the other reason I remembered the above scene was how great it would be to have Ju Ji-hoon to swoop in behind me dressed in svelte black trousers and a black turtleneck, carrying two cups of coffee, one of them mine. He would then sit comfortably next to me while I thank him daintily, and eat a crispy-crunchy croissant.

      Yeah, the PM. They gave us a juicy ending scene with him, didn’t they, what with the nurse and the IV and then his wistful stare.

      I think I’m in the camp that it isn’t affection for Ja-yu we see, but a desire to stay alive by any means necessary. I think???

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        IMG-6400

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        you need to watch the variety show he appeared in with Shinee footballer guy and that other child actor who was in the alien themed drama with twice’s member’s sister..

        anyway.. it is a trip to new zealand… and our guy is just so freaking awesome… one can salivate… also him and his kimchi powder (or was it MSG).. anyway.. watch it and you will love it..ahem love him more

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        I fell for Lee Moo-saeng in What’s Up, in a quite minor role, but he had so much charisma that I kept looking him up and there was next to nothing about him online back then. So he is one of my huge soft spots, despite all the foolish choices he makes in choosing roles.

        Him being in this, in addition to JJH and HHJ, is the ultimate cherry on top for me, and that scene you’ve included is amazing acting, which is completely expected of these three! 😍

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          The scene in which he breaks down in tears to stay by the side of the 2FL in Thirty-Nine is forever etched in my mind, cementing him as one of the most expressive actors I’ve ever seen in my entire life.

          The way he uses his eyebrows here!

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            I haven’t seen 39, but I am more than ready to believe you!

            Is he by chance a theater or music actor? That would explain why I couldn’t find anything about him back then, and why he was already so good.

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            Do you know the episode number?

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            I do, but the full context of this scene is a MAJOR SPOILER for the whole drama, so if you’re going to see Thirty-Nine front-to-end, I’d just watch it when it comes up naturally.

            It’s episode 6, 52m30s.

            I’ve always wanted to gif one line of it, so I’ll probably do that now. Once I stop crying.

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      That’s the thing about LSY shows, they usually have good actors to convey the silences and unsaid words which are aplenty in her dramas because they focus more on show don’t tell. Now that there are more clues that he’s single, I think I can enjoy these scenes better. I was definitely feeling something but was also apprehensive.

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        The Prime Minister though, is married but even if he feels something, I think it’s more like the kind of attraction rich guys can have over a successful pretty unreachable young lady in an industry full of men. However, I think he’s not as interested in her than in her technology.

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I would never, in one million years, have recognized Lee Dong-wook here, @midnight! I googled a bit after your mention of Wild Romance over on Beanie Recs, found this poster and thought, \”But I had it in my head that this was an LDW drama…\”

I, on the other hand, look exactly the same as i did in 2012. Literally no difference. 🤥 🤫

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    Seon-ha, this show might be my most favorite kdrama ever. I have watched it hundreds of times and still nothing comes near it for me. So any positive mention of it makes my heart sing! ❤️

    This was my 4th Lee Dong Wook, and 4th Lee Si Young drama. I loved them both before, and this show multiplied the love for me. And made me steadfast fan of Oh Man Suk, Lee Hee Joon, and Lee El.

    I don’t know why I love this show this much, I think I have only ever seen one beanie who loved it too.

    P.s. I look exactly like I did in 2012 too! What are the chances?? 😎

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      We are time-slip characters who never age, only grow wiser…

      Now, back to the drama at hand–I am in a super-live-watch drought, and will be happy to give this a try (breaking my “don’t go back past 2017” rule that is in place to keep me able to sometimes do my job instead of trolling the COMPLETE past K-drama catalogue), but I’d like to ask one follow-up question:

      I like baseball, but not all sporting dramas (Stove League could have used more baseball, and Fight My Way made me angry with the pummeling for sport). I liked Brain Works but didn’t like Midnight Runners as much. I liked Healer and Terrius but didn’t like Psychopath Diary or Vincenzo.

      Do you think I’ll enjoy it? I won’t hold you to it if you’re wrong, but I thought it’d be fun to ask.

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        Hmmm, ok, to go one by one:

        I loved Stove League and how it didn’t use much baseball but more managing stuff.

        I HATE Fight My Way but not because of sport.

        I… don’t know the relevance of Brain Works and Midnight Runners, except that I absolutely love them both.

        I didn’t dislike Healer but never loved it as much as other people. It is too cartoonish?

        I really liked Terrius but it was quite simple and forgettable for me.

        I like Psychopath Diary as a silly comedy, but it got very messy in the last quarter, and I regret not having stopped sooner on every rewatch. Yes, I rewatch even shows that don’t love if I have enough reason. I rewatch PD for the laughs, that is probably the reason I should stop where the laughs end.

        I dropped Vincenzo at ep 4 or 5, because I couldn’t take SJK’s emotionally confusing acting any more. I must know who to root for, my boy.

        None of these are really similar to WR in any way. Unless it was just to compare shows we like.

        Wild Romance isn’t really a sports drama. Yes, it uses baseball a lot more than Stove League, but the story isn’t about baseball. Like most shows where the main lead is a famous actor for example, you will see a lot of stuff related to acting, but the show is not about acting.

        The writer, Park Yun Sun, is very very skilled at depicting human relationships, all types of normal and abnormal ones. They love a side of crime and thriller, and usually use a very unique style of introducing it into their stories. They use psychology in a frighteningly convincing way.

        Watching WR in 2024 needs a strong filter for the over the top slapstick comedy, especially for Lee Si Young’s style of acting. For me, even in 2012, the slapstick was a facade, to hide the real emotions running wild in the hearts of all the characters.
        The topmost emotion being explored throughout the show is loyalty. In many many different shapes and forms.

        I’m SO glad that you aren’t going to hold me to it, because this just gave me a chance to “fangirl” to my heart’s content!

        Also, if you do end up trying it and you need a buddy, I’m always ready for a rewatch!

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          Yes, this “game” was about triangulating between what you and I like, with hopefully (although I think I failed here) sprinkling in a few dramas that may be somewhat like Wild Romance in terms of plot or pacing.

          Slap-stick might be OK…although I will say that the FL in W: Two Worlds did rub me the wrong way and we may be in the same position here…

          Here are the sentences that are selling me, “the slapstick was a facade, thide the real emotions running wild in the hearts of all the characters” and “…skilled at depicting human relationships, all types of normal and abnormal ones.” I love watching people whose emotions run amok and watching how that plays out, ideally in a fun way??? Emotionally high-strung is, I’m afraid, how I am.

          If I give it a shot, maybe I’ll post some gifs on my Fan Wall every fourth hour or something and call you, and anyone who wants to chat, over?

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            Yes! Please!

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            Emotions that run amok is this show’s specialty.

            I truly don’t know how biased I am, but there are wildly emotional scenes in this show that are distinctly burned in my mind. And I’m not talking about love. There are so many emotions!

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        Now, back to the drama at hand–I am in a super-live-watch drought

        No “Lovely Runner”? If you liked “Twinkling Watermelon” the it has the same vibe.

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          Thanks for thinking of me, @emsel! Unfortunately for my own K-drama-happiness, I did not enjoy Twinkling Watermelon, and the commentary that I’ve been seeing go by for Lovely Runner confirm that it, too, is simply not my cup of tea. I’m wishing y’all all the best, though!!

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            TW’s sole enjoyable part for me was the topnotch acting. For the rest I’m with you.

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            I was quite skeptical of Lovely Runner and have surprised myself with how entertaining and emotionally affecting I find it. I had the same reactions (wariness/enjoyment) to Watermelon. So, ah, data points.

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            I should have added – I find the vibe of LR different in a satisfying way – darker and more high-stakes. Maybe it’s the combination of how it deals with real-world pressure on artists and athletes, the emotional consequences of a devastating injury, and the swimming. I’m a sucker for swimming.

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    I didn’t specially like this drama (Jessica is not a good actress) except the OST Painful by Dong Woo that I loved.

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    who is this actress… should be known but can’t place

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    You could tell me that either one of those pictured actors is LDW and I’d believe you.

    There may be parts of me that look the same as in 2012. My biceps are still defying gravity. 😎

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      Come on! That red cupid’s bow of a top lip is recognizable anywhere!!

      Just joking. I’m very very bad at recognizing faces (Kdramas tell me that I’m partially face-blind) so I’m not surprised at anyone not recognizing anyone.

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        Well, I guess we know what you’re staring at, Midnight. Lips. 💋 LOL. I recognize him by his eyelids, due to their clear and present-ness, but even here (though I see it now), nope. I think it’s the facial hair, in large part, coupled with the hair color.

        My biceps would defy gravity, I think, if I ever used them. Where are they located again? 🚫💪

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          Weeellll if I want to be very honest, the lips in question are very similar to a pair I intimately know. So, yes, I do notice them a lot!! Now how is that for TMI on a very public forum!

          But joking apart, as I have already mentioned, I might easily not have recognized him if I hadn’t seen the show, and the poster, a thousand times.

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    All I remember about this show is that they kept fighting. They were more violent than high school gangsters. 😂
    Maybe I’m remembering wrong.

    She still looks the same, tho. She really doesn’t change.

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ep28-yeah-Yeah
BWAHHAHAHAH. 🤣😂 Terrius as sexy wi-fi repair guy. Gulp. The way he rips off those glasses like a sexy librarian, wearing that hot-hot, giant bluetooth earpiece 👓. They’ve got all dem ajummas’ numbers.
 
ep28-Boms-Services
Aw, yeah.
 
My Secret, Terrius, a.k.a. “Terrius Has My Back,” episode 28. This scene must have been so much fun to shoot.

I made a gif for you non-clickers, but IMO, ya gotta hear the soundtrack to the glamour shot, tho, for full effect. Here’s a direct link, or click unmute below.

View post on imgur.com

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    @attiton I gotta ask… what coding did you use to get the display on the last clip with sound? I tried everything the other day on some clips I had and I couldn’t get it to look like this with the imgur frame et al. Thank you!!

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      You know that moment when you click “Yeah, keep the audio” on a modal overlay after having uploaded an mp4? Right after that, imgur leaves you on a page containing your clip. It is that page’s URL that you need to use to paste into the Fan Wall Compose pane’s “add video” feature.

      Sometimes I can find my way back to that URL…like, it might be the URL for the mp4’s “post” not its “image,” but I don’t have the time or inclination to figure that out. Basically if you don’t grab that URL when you get it on upload, it’s hard to reproduce…and I have been known just to upload it again if I lose it the first time.

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        OK! Thank you so much! 😊 Adding it to my list of fan wall tricks.

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    So Ji Sub has that effect 😆

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    That sequence was hilarious 😆

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    OMG I love and laugh hysterically, in fact repeating this scene a few times 😂 I remember going crazy over this actor when Terius Behind Me was aired in 2018. But then who didn’t? Thank you, Seon-ha! ❤️

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    I remember nothing else from this drama except So Ji Sub having a freaking adorable relationship with the kiddos, even after filming wrapped and they all appeared hand-in-hand at the Year End Awards with each other. Freaking adorable 🥰

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    Oh my gosh, this was such a hilarious scene! And then the whole music choice for this! *laughing*

    Ever since this drama aired, I’m always reminded of this scene whenever I hear that particular song! Heh!

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      And when I say that particular song, I’m referring to the George Michael song not the one that’s playing here. Still hilarious though! 🙂

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It was one of those mornings today. I know you’ve had them like this. When you wake up singing, “DO INTERRRRNNN!!!” and you have no idea why. Luckily for me, Dramabeans has had me develop skillzzz and now I can play it whenever I want…and so, now, can you!

Also, this aria(?) happens to be how I remember the order of names to titles in Korean.

Also, I’d forgotten how hilarious his, “어, 왔어” line was after she walks in.

Also, he sounds like a teenager in this. I’m very used to (and very much prefer, I’m afraid) the older PHS as this point.

View post on imgur.com

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    All those years in musical theatre (2011 to 2019, minus 2015 & 2017) surely helped those pipes, I’m sure 😀

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    We looked up his music after we originally saw this and were disappointed in how un-operatic his popular catalogue was. He could have been a Freddy Mercury rock god, sigh!
    (I do keep hoping his singing will turn up again in some unexpected way in his dramas)

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    Irrespective of the fact I like PHS in all forms – young, old, and zombie, I was not as big a fan of his voice per se (OBY changed it). What Happens to My Family has a family singing event and he sings so bad (on purpose) that I thought it to be natural. So imagine my surprise at this. I wasn’t even sure ‘Do Intern’ was his voice at that point, so I looked him up and I was gobsmacked to know he was an Idol. But his ‘Bud’ in OBY is beautiful and it’s one of the songs that grows on you.

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Choi-Yu-Na-WOW

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    Choi-Yu-Na-WOWEE

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    Is that Song Ji-Oh?

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      Yes! It’s from her awesome turn as the coolest friend ever in Semantic Error.

      Wanting to punch the stand-in for an often frustrating friend – I can relate.

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        Hilariously, I just watched that LAST NIGHT 😀 So imagine my surprise when @attiton seemingly randomly posted that picture today. It was like the Twilight Zone for moment 😂

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          I watched it last night, too! For the second time in 3 days. That’s the fastest complete rewatch I’ve ever done. The first time round I watched in the 8-episode format, but then @attiton let me know that the ‘movie’ – which as far as I can tell is just the episodes all spliced together – has bloopers in the final credits that are AWESOME. Song Ji-oh has a couple of hilarious ones.

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            What are the odds that we’d both watch that last night?! It’s a beanie mind-meld! The bloopers were very funny. I’m surprised more k-drama rom-coms don’t include these as they leave the viewer with such an upbeat impression. I thought this drama was really well paced and entertaining.

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    yu-na-Frustrated-Jacket
     
    the-Yuna-Slide

    Two more for y’all. I can quit an…y…time. I can, I can, I know I can. These are just such amazing reaction gifs.

    In other adorable news, not that I skim-watched this drama for like the 10th time today, I noticed that in one of the final working bedroom scenes (the “working bedroom” being a staple set in Korean BL 😘) Sang-woo affectionately calls her “Yoochae” (her equivalent nickname to his “Sangchoo”). I gather that’s 유채, or ‘rapeseed?’ Zindigo, I think your Korean’s better than mine, so maybe you know better? But it’s sweet no matter what foodstuff he calls her!

    @elinor @zindigo

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      Are you sure it was Yoochae and not Yachae? The latter would be “vegetables,” which makes more sense in context since his nickname was lettuce.

      SJH is a terrific actress and needs to be hired for new roles stat.

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        That would be cuter! It may be, but (a) I got the romanized spelling from the subs, (b) when I close my eyes listen, I hear “ㅠ” and (c) since her name is Yoo-na, it fits the pun of their names better? But I’ll still think of her as “Choi Veggies,” though. No problem with a little stretching of the truth over here! 😘

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          At any rate, even if he meant rapeseed oil, which is a common cooking oil, in his language, it doesn’t have that fatal word in English 🙃

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ep09-red-Herring
The absolute best parts of episodes 8 and 9 of The Midnight Studio were the kick-ass supernatural fight scenes!

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    ep08-cute-Selfies
    NOT!!! So? For award for best physical contact by two loving adults in this drama, do you vote for the cute foreplay selfies??

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    ep08-jinjja-Kiss
    Is your vote for the first, non-practice, 진짜 kiss, as he calls it?

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      Oh, when he called it his non-practice first kiss, I just squeed so hard! Gah.

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      that first move is called a flat pancake kiss: you squish the other person’s face with your own until one of you passes out from lack of oxygen.

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    ep08-MOARKisses
    Or, how about the second round of the 진짜 kisses?

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      Does he seem inexperienced to you? Fans self.

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        there’s a lot one can learn from tv shows… He’s just been studying like the good studious ML he is.

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    ep09-crimeto-Cut-This-One
    This possibility for you to choose is the, “I can’t keep my hands and lips off you and I’m so psyched it’s mutual” scene. If you care to notice, the file is called “It was a crime to cut this one.”

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      That hair tuck was a classic. And the swoop in cherry on the top.

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    ep09-flutter-Cheeks
    I call this scene, “Flutter Cheeks.” Gah. Does it have your vote?

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      I loved it that they show both of them aflutter and unable to keep their hands off each other. Equal opportunity squee!

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      Their chemistry is so good and they just naturally seem like a couple💯 look at all this super casual skinship and kisses.

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    ep09-clothes-Rail
    Ah, the unnecessary hiding in the silly clothes rail. I bet that many of us will remember this scene long past when the show is over for its adorable sweetness.

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      I have to admit when he dragged her to hide I rolled my eyes. But that gave us this little nugget. Look at the joy in her eyes. Ours too. 🤩

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    ep09-inthe-Rain
    Instead, do you vote for this steamy one at the wet campsite? Or, do you only remember how the evening ends on a bit of a, well, Korean note??

    By the way, if you’ve made it this far (to the end, that is), I have a definite theory about what was so extra attractive and noticeably comfortable about these scenes for so many of us. I’ve made quite a few of these sorts of totally not fan-service gifs, and I’m often cutting out superfluous frames and shots with the female characters in them because they’re not interesting or useful. NOT SO here. Kwon Na-ra is not only an excellent kisser, but the director has her asserting both how she wants to kiss the ML and how she wants to be kissed by him WAY more than average. It’s awesome.

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      I didn’t mind AT ALL they ended on a Korean note as you say. This was so much more goodness already than we are used to, my fangirling heart couldn’t take it any more if they’d also shown the devil’s tango. 😂 @dylanrodrigues42

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        Plus, he is so inexperienced. It makes sense to wait

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          That’s right. But dude, you only have 50 days!

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            I keep thinking about this… If they DO get it on, then by drama rules, she’ll get pregnant, which will leave the writer the opening to have him die, with her living on as the mother of his child, being reminded (and feeling joyful) about what she had and lost every day of her life. Gah. Not what I want here.

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            I hit like on your comment, but I didn’t like that scenario! Please no. Pretty please. 🙏

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        I think the “Korean note” should be called the “Korean KD” note as by all accounts, this prudery is not a reflection of real life.

        1
        1

          Fair enough.

          1
          10

            I’m happy you’re online. I’ve been feeling a bit lonesome.

            1
            0

            It has been pretty dead around these parts of late…unless you are watching QoT and/or Lovely Runner, which I am not. I think you are enjoying the latter though, yes?

            1
            0

            Have you been watching “Lovely runner”? Such a nice bit of bittersweet froth with good chemistry. We’re all chasing the next hit. I both hate and love this chase. I tell you.

            1
            0

            It would’ve been more fun if you were watching LR too but I get it. Life and such.

            1
            0

            Well, thanks, Emma! But not to be a wet blanket, but I have the time, I just have ZERO interest in teen dramas, and even less interest in tear-jerking teen dramas…but you all will have a blast, I know it!

            1
            0

            I miss the time when we were watching “Heartbeat” during the fun bit. You had only recently joined, right?

            1
            0

            You’re forthright. I appreciate that but didn’t know you didn’t like adults pretending to be teenagers uninteresting!😂. It’s kinda embarrassing that I like some of them but what the hell. Live and let live.

            2
            0

            The next time a drama grabs my heart as much as Heartbeat did, I promise to gif the heck out of it and rabble rouse on the recaps… 약속

            With luck it’ll be a drama you can access and love as well!!

            1
            0

            One last thing. I love this sentence in korean:
            이 말썽쟁기를 어떻게 함연 좋죠? What do I do with this troublemaker? I bet you can use it too on certain occasions.

            1
            0

            I know just who you mean 🙄😉

            1
            0

    How lovely to wake up to this Gif fest! 👏🫰👏Though I must admit I accidentally voted for everything. But then again, how couldn’t I? 😆
    Their relationship really unfolded so naturally in these episodes! Squeeing my way through this show.

    💯🥂👻🐼

    4
    1

      I went bonkers and voted for all of them too as they were all delightful. Sorry @Seon-ha! But not sorry!🥰

      2
      1

        Actually, Emma, you only voted for four of them, and I know which 🙂

        I love likes!! So the “voting” part was really a ruse for the social-media dopamine of getting a message saying that Sonai or Emma liked me ☺️

        2
        1

02-Not-What-You-Think
I didn\’t think there was anything of note that I wanted to gif from Blood Free (which I keep calling \”Born Free\” in my head). Not because the show wasn\’t watchable; it just didn\’t seem that Seon-ha-gifs were needed.

I kept thinking about this interaction from episode 2 all day, though, and having gone back, I realize (perhaps) why. I had left my first viewing thinking it was about one thing, and then when I went back to make this clip, I realized it was about an entirely different thing. Sort of awesomely different.

This show is good so far, folks…but so many shows recently have started off well and then gone to the dogs. Or, perhaps, in this case, to the cows. Not this time, though, drama gods, 제발???

11
2

    I’m so glad for the early reports. Plan on watching it today.

    Your gifs are always needed. 😘

    5
    0

    I have not yet seen Ju Ji Hoon in a drama but that one clip tells me exactly why he’s so popular 😏 우와!

    4
    0

ep05-money-Shot
And this, my dear friends, is clearly how this man got this job. Cripes and jimminy.
 
ep05-sprinkler-Guy
Tee-hee. I giggled. I actually giggled. The \”actors\” acting was also hilarious.
 
ep05-my-Sweetie
Here, I curled my fists into little balls and held them to my eyes and said, and I quote, \”Squee so adorbs.\”

In conclusion, while I will always cop to the accusation that I end up boy-crazy in 99% of all dramas, I will only say–to justify myself for today–that I do hope they do better by Go Myeong-dong (Pil-seung\’s age-equivalent aunt). She is too similar for me to the woman-child Ma-ri in terms of character. More types of woman-tropes please, writernim! How about a strong one who is actually in charge of her life, knows her own sexuality and has her own life goals!

Beauty and Mr. Romantic, episode 5.

5
7

    I am trying SO hard not to start this because… May releases… but every week you pull me in further with your posts @attiton. (shakes fist) 😂

    3
    1

      It is my reputation to do this to people. It’ll always be there for you to binge later, though. It is my anti-goal to hear (as I sometimes do), “I watched because I got pulled in by the gifs, but then I hated the show.”

      3
      1

    From what I’ve watched of Ji Hyun Woo before, he’s got so much of that “dependable oppa next door” vibe with a hint of adorable and endearing dorky-ness, which I like and appreciate. Definitely not the “dependable oppa next door full of sexiness” or that “dependable oppa next door who’s actually got a secret crush on the FL” energy, which I find are 2 of the most commonly used “oppa next door” vibes that Kdramaland likes to shove down a viewer’s throat

    2
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ep01-first-Enough
This is my last, original post on Chicken Nugget, and I had been planning it to be the finale for a while now as I have been listening to folks respond to the drama.

The scene above happens in episode 1, and has been been cited a number of times as the reason people turned the drama off. The fake laughter is \”too much\” or \”not funny,\” and very \”off-putting.\” I get it. I do.

That said, this scene does serve pretty well to set the tone for the drama. If you\’re willing to go with the flow here, you\’re pretty much willing to go with the flow for the rest of the comedy, because while the humor isn\’t exactly \”like this\” the whole time, it certainly is as \”in-your-face as this\” the whole time.

 
ep10-second-Enough
So, it\’s with a quiet smile, and a sense of light irony, that we find that the production team not only bookended this drama with this same \”over-laughing\” joke, one that seemingly carries almost ZERO narrative content, but also actually injected some charming, and (for this drama) important character development into the decision.

Look at how Yellow Pants has gone from defending himself with \”I think you all went rather far too\” to asserting himself with \”I think you all didn\’t go far enough.\” Without taking this all TOO far, it\’s also important that the three of them are now sitting together at a table, (finally) sharing a meal rather than shouting at a distance across their desks at work. It wouldn\’t have bothered me one bit if this had been chosen as the final scene of the drama–one that was never really about the fate of the nugget.

Fin.

9
9

    ❤️ From one Nugget Nerd to another (Seon-ha, you’re the original NN!!), thank you for this lovely series of posts about a weird and lovely little drama!

    3
    1

      Thank YOU, Hopeful, for your ongoing engagement. I always enjoy talking about dramas with you, and when you choose to offer your thoughts and comments on my posts, it means a great deal to me!!

      1
      1

    Awww, @attiton, thanks for your support and devotion to this nutty show. This first scene is when I thought, oh show, so you’re gonna be like THAT and signed up for the ride. It completely, as you say, set the tone of 😂😵‍💫😂

    3
    2

      I know, me too 🤣 Thank you for being a Nugget Nerd, @bbstl … until the next one!! I’m warily looking forward to No Secrets in terms of comedy, but know it’s gonna get all mixed up with romance-schromance, which can sometimes be like putting PINEAPPLE ON PIZZA. 🤓

      1
      0

      Haha yes – when that scene happened, I was like, “So that’s how it’s gonna be. LET’S GOOOOOO!” 😆🤣

      2
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    Thank you @attiton for all the giffy goodness of this terrific story. I suspect there wasn’t a single line, scene, or direction that wasn’t carefully thought out … and your posts reinforce that thought. I’m looking forward to looking back on this k-drama at the end of the year 😉

    2
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    If only the episodes 3-4 were better, I would have continued it and enjoyed it, but the quirkiness wore off and I was bored by Ep 3 and 4. Or maybe if someone had given me the advice to skip episodes that did not work and move on to ones that did, I would have completed the drama.

    Thanks for sharing bits from the drama that were genuinely laughable😁

    1
    1

ep07-broken
Knowingly reposted as the following metaphor:

Me, here played by the Mad Scientist, talking to @hacja, portrayed by Yellow Pants, as we discuss our conflicting interpretations of some particular K-drama trope/scene.

I\’m all finesse and sophistication. Just saying.

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    Just forget about winning any argument with me, once I put on my yellow pants of reason

    4
    1

ep10-IWont-Die
Nuggie Niblet, episode 10. You go Seung-ryong Sun-man!! 🕺

5
7

    ep06-eat-Raw02
    And for the real Nugget Nerds. Out of its original context, I decided this gif might be a little too gross for my OP :).

    I want to add it for posterity though because, not only is this scene super-funny in episode 6–not least because of how this couple flees in the end–but also because I want to note that this is one time that the subbers got the beat of the joke better than the dubbers. Let it not be said that I did not THOROUGHLY STUDY BOTH TRANSLATIONS! 😎

    3
    1

      That was so gross,I couldn’t watch it 🫣

      1
      1

        LOOOOLL. I know the whole sound design made it that much worse as well…all that slurping and chewing.

        Am…I…helping?????

        Srsly tho. No way they let those actors eat raw chicken, right???? I wonder what that stuff really was Kim Tae-hoon’s packing away there. Marzipan??? No, too floppy. Hmm.

        OH WAIT is this a DISNEY crossover with Blood Free??? 😂

        2
        2

          I’ve given “what wasthat stuff, really?” far more thought than it deserves. It looked too real.

          I’ll have to go back and listen with subs – I watched the show dubbed, as you suggested. The slurping was a little hard to handle and I doubt it will be easier in the original Korean, but that scene was one of many where I had to pause because I was laughing too hard to hear the dialogue. I bet the actors had fun with that scene.

          2
          1

            I was gross-screech-yech-laughing like a little kid at this because it was almost unbearably gross, but so funny!! Having that couple there to see that and pretend it was normal while trying not to freak out was PERFECT. I tried not to think about what it was because it looked SO REAL 😱😱😱

            2
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          Yes, I also gave some thought to wondering what they made that of because it looked so realistic. I decided it was like the plastic-rubber food displays outside of restaurants in Japan. Do NOT make me think about whether they were actually swallowing 🤢

          1
          0

    Ahahah!! I totally missed this scene!! XD
    By the time I reached the last episode I was so bored and disinterested I just stopped paying attention, it seems! 🤣🙈
    (Yeah, I did not enjoy this show lol)

    1
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ep07-Joo-Wonfans-Self
Photos on the Cusp of Darkness, episodes 6-7. We K-drama fans know just how you feel sometimes, my friend.
 
ep06-manifest-Destiny
In the business, I think they call this \”manifesting your own destiny,\” Mr. Won 🤣

7
1

    Seo Ki-joo needs practice to sign!!

    Joo Won 🏆 can you believe it my autocorrect prompted the trophy as soon as I typed his name. This is surely a SIGN from his destined Daesang!! 😍 ♥️🤞

    3
    0

ep04-hunka-Burnin-Smile
BMR, episode 3. The thing that brought me the most joy and made me smile, was THIS smile. Lookit! I adore how our (sort of/one of?) 2ML is the hunky handsome soap-opera type with a million-watt smile. I still remember when this young man was in his military camo way back in episode one. 🤣
 
ep04-whatthe-Heckfire
AND, for those who couldn\’t bear to watch the scene…I offer you this gif. So cringey! So just like our ML as we\’re coming to know him. Still 18 in his head.

5
3

    😂 omg that dance is priceless. Love it!

    2
    1

      It’s the twisty-wrist move that keeps me coming back for more!! It’s almost as transfixing as PHS’ rabbit-ears thing??
      dance-Whut-PHS

      But it’s not nearly as transfixing as PHS exit dance…
      4daFanz

      😏🤩😅

      1
      1

        I was actually admiring his twisty-hips moves, but now that you point it out… he’s got quite the combo going here. I’ll bet he can walk and chew gum at the same time too 😂

        There are literally no words to adequately describe the magic that is PHS 🤩

        2
        0

ep03-Kids-Enjoying-Rollercoaster
I don\’t know yet how I\’m going to engage with the full 50 episodes of Beauty and Mr. Romantic, but for now, I think I\’m going to just post the scenes that bring me joy as I watch. In this case, It\’s episode 3, with actual kids actually enjoying an actual rollercoaster.
 
ep03-Kids-Enjoying-Photos
Here, they\’re more clearly acting, but acting adorbs. Is it too much to ask that we NOT see this scene again re-enacted by our older leads? Yes, it is, but I\’d rather not and say we did. Jebal, at all?
 
ep03-Kids-Escaping-Love
Love the framing and pacing of this shot. Love her throwing his words back at him that \”age doesn\’t matter when you\’re in love.\”💖 It sort of does, my sweet(s).

6
3

    For me there has been not enough joy in KDs since “Like Flowers in Sand” so I particularly appreciate your effort and gifs here.

    1
    1

      Thanks, Emma. I can always use the encouragement. I’m trying to focus more directly on the things that are joyful and fun, here on DB and everywhere.

      1
      1

        Good on you. It is hard for me to do that but I am trying too and appreciate your effort. I am always happy to encourage you! Btw, I never notice these things in a timely manner but congrats on levelling up. Could you please give me a loan with zero interest so I can buy a house?

        1
        0

ep03-Manicure-Eunuchs
A few days back, I had a not-so-mini GIF-ssay on the portrayal of masculinities in Chicken Nugget, and, while I\’d like to say there\’s an equal focus on what it means to be female to be narrated, this drama doesn\’t really have the internal equipment to do that. Ahem.

What it does have is the ability to let us know what ideal, and not ideal, women look like from the outside though! And sometimes, as a above, we get fantasies of what it might be like to be female and desire things. Hey, he wasn\’t all wrong.
 
ep08-husbandand-Wifethings
This send-up of Joseon sexuality was, on the one hand extremely problematic, but on the other, entirely spot on. Our wife didn\’t (necessarily) want to have sex with her husband to fulfill her own desires, obvs, but she most certainly needed to fulfill her obligations to have children, and play her part or else she literally would not have a life to lead. And, concomitantly, the men are all portrayed as man-children who can only think about their own satisfaction (whether that be lying down all day dressed in a \”suit,\” or as here, doing \”husband-and-wife\” things).

Nevertheless, I could not at ALL help but barking out loud at this scene. This is what comedy is for, y\’all, to show us the full shape of societal expectations and how we stupidly almost always rise to them. Perfect. Perfect.
 
ep05-saved-Your-Ass-Fantasy
Mi-na, a.k.a. our Nuggie, is of course the ideal female prtner in the mind of her not-ever-was-nor-ever-to-be(?) boyfriend Yellow Pants. Here is one living example of his fantasy ideal. Hey, I\’m in too.
 
ep04-nuggeta-Dentata
But then again, here she is appearing to Yellow Pants in her fantastic Nugget-a Dentata form… This show. I\’m tellin\’ ya. Timeless story. Literally timeless. We\’ve been telling this story since the dawn of time. I\’m always happy to laugh at it.

5
7

    I loved how, while the FL seemed like a less than one-dimensional plot device at first, each memory and flashback that was revealed showed more facets of her character. This interaction with the bullies scene was perfection at illustrating both his and her character (i.e., values, and as characters). I remember my professor in an acting class when I was an undergrad talking about script analysis, and she told us there were two ways to learn about a character and their motivations: by what they say about themselves, and by what others say about them (see them, perceive them, etc). This drama did that so well while working with not an actual lot of material 😂

    1
    1

      If anything, Chicken Nugget shows that “having a lot of material” is not what you necessarily always need to make a story work!!! 😆

      I think if we’d learned a lot more about Mi-na, the ending would have been more complicated/less OK/less funny. I don’t think we were meant to care too much about what the replay would hold for her, because, I feel, we were mainly asked to stay at the level of Yellow Pants’ and Sun-man’s consciousness about her. I’m not disagreeing with you that we did learn about her a bit–she thinks that a kind heart is good, but mainly wants a nice bod 😋–but I did end up feeling that she was mainly there as the projection of what these other men saw and needed…and I’m OK with that when it’s a send-up!

      1
      1

        I agree with you – what we got was enough! And in a drama like this, I don’t want to be made to feel empathetic about her fate 😅 We primarily knew her through their memories, which was a fun plot device. P.S. her Interstellar moment was so unexpected, so funny, and so good as a foreshadowing of the ending – this drama was chock-full of excellent surprises!

        1
        1

          I wondered about that, not only having never seen Interstellar, but also not having gotten that joke in realtime!!! It was foreshadowing?? Hilarious.

          1
          3

            Oh man, Interstellar was so long, and sad (to me) in an existential way, and you think it’s about space travel, but it’s actually about Love, and then through timey wimey black hole stuff you sort of almost come full circle – Nugget’s use was PERFECTION, and hilarious when it became clear in hindsight that it was foreshadowing!!!!

            2
            0

            So time (for me) has moved both faster than humans’ ability to perceive it and as slowly as Netflix on 0.5 speed, and I have finally just finished CN. I’ll have a lot of catching up to do, but in the meantime I went a-googling to find the Interstellar reference, because I haven’t seen that either, and stumbled on this. Damn, the internet is weird, but humans are weirder, and humans in charge of internet bots are the weirdest. (Maybe you’ve already talked about this nonsense, but I’ve been avoiding spoilers, as if that’s even a meaningful concept for this show.)

            I also found a YouTube clip of Matthew McConaughey inside the black hole, so now I get the profound meaning and existential message joke.

            2
            0

            @elinor We Nugget Nerds (at least @hopefulromantic and I) will eagerly await your commentary. I happen to know that I have four more posts left, and have already posted 52 gifs and 5 sound clips. So, no pressure or anything…

            1
            0


Nugget Nibble, episode 5. Choice of dubbed words, as always for this drama, exceptionally thoughtful.

5
5

    Oh gosh 😅 Lol at your comments 🤣 This scene was crazy – it’s terrible what’s happening in it, but it’s so funny, and his reaction (slapping on medicine with such skill that it impressed the bullies) is so in character, and wow – this drama was really something else!! I think “weird humor” is a definite humor niche, and K-dramas do it SO well.

    1
    1

      I just can’t get over how well “Eat shit, Bitch” matches the mouth shape of someone saying 시발. I’ll just always see that from now own.

      Also, though, this show only has a few words 🙂

      Every day in every way the Nugget Nerd community is growing…I saw you today @zindigo 🙂 Or should I say Gen-X-indigo??? 🤓

      My last post of creepy Tae-man ventriloquizing the millennials is priceless Gen-X-style humor…although the author of the webtoon is almost certainly a millennial skewering himself.

      1
      1

        I haven’t watched any of the dubbed version other than your gifs, but it’s so impressive – the best translating I’ve seen outside of Viki. Netflix brought their A-game for this one. It was particularly striking in comparison to the Disney translations over on Hulu with FxC at the same time… are they already experimenting with generative AI? Because some of their choices are just befuddling. Lol as a millennial myself, I almost had Tae-man pegged as a spoof of Gen-Z 😂 He really was creepy, though – it was like he was acting in a psychological thriller, while everyone else was acting in Chicken Nugget.

        2
        1

          …it was like he was acting in a psychological thriller, while everyone else was acting in Chicken Nugget.

          YOU’VE NAILED IT. It was exactly like that. I just loved it. I mean, I loved the dissonance of Tae-man’s character with respect to every other character (hence the post only on him)!!! When he threw that mirror down like an inverted-Snow-White-Queen, I just lost it. It’s not that CN has NO depth, it’s just so f’ing cynical about it. In that way, I guess we might be learning that the millennials and Gen-X have a lot in common–at least in terms of humor!!!

          You’re probably also right that Tae-man’s supposed to be “younger than you” I am so old, I’ve lost track 😏✊

          1
          1

            Yes his character and performance was dissonant with everything else! But it felt purposeful – he and his motives were supposed to clash with the rest of it. Honestly, it was a very well balanced drama! If the Nugget Nerds are any indication, it’s destined to become a cult classic on DB!!

            2
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ep03-Dont-Flash-Back
Today for the growing Chicken Nugget community, I offer you, Choi Sun-man!!! The Sun Man!!! The ultimate straight man, frankly. Even better than Bud Abbott, Michael Scott, or Tommy Smothers. Yeah, comedy hisgtory fighting words, sure. No one cares. Sun-man rules, tho. Or, more precisely, Ryu Seung-ryong rules with an enviable gift for deadpan delivery and targeted facial comedy. DON\’T FLASH BAAAAAACK!!!! 하지마!!! 하지마!!! Of course, the kids never listen.
 
ep03-entire-Fucking-Love-Story
I think I\’ve now giffed this entire scene across maybe four posts, I love it so much. I mean, I love the entire fucking thing. Phew. How\’d you like that call-back?? I won\’t get too self-congratulatory.
 
ep03-Never-Alone
Tee-hee. The facial expressions!!! Oh, he wants to be left alone sooooo badly!!!. I know just how he feels as the parent of a daughter.
 
ep02-Tired-Leave
This one\’s as much about Sun-man as it is about this cameo by one of our Be Melo cross-over actors, Heo Joon-seok. It\’s also a stand-alone GIF…take it for your own uses, Beanies!!! How many times have you been confronted with someone you wish to dismiss with such effective clarity??? Shoot this gif over to them. They\’ll get the message. 100% for sure.

8
2

    @Seon-ha: I badly want to be nosy and ask if you have a daughter but I am resisting it as I have boundaries!. The joys of the English language as that sentence of yours could be legitimately interpreted in two different ways.

    1
    0

    OH MY GOSH these gifs are pure GOLD Seon-ha!!!!!!👏👏👏 I loooove these scenes and I loooove Ryu Seung-ryong’s comedy. He’s hilarious in such a skilled way that he makes it look effortless. I first saw him in Extreme Job (one of my favorite K-movies), but he’s even funnier here. I’ll rewatch this drama just for him when I need a laugh!

    1
    0