Beanie level: Noble idiot

Serendipity’s Embrace- I quite enjoyed the first 2 episodes, I think the pacing was quick and story moved along fast.
This isn’t a ground breaking show and might just be one for mindless watching.
Chae Jeong Hyoep has the most adorable smile!

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    Good thing about an 8 episode show is that they cannot afford to insert fillers.
    Sometimes a good mindless watch is all the pick-me-up one needs.
    A smiling face is always welcome. 😊❤

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MSM 13 continues to be an easy watch, the pacing slowed down a lot this episode but it still has its heart in the right place!
Jae Su continues to be a scene stealer!

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I am quite the scaredy cat and rarely watch horror/monster genre shows, Sweet Home 1 was one of the first few I sat through and really enjoyed.
Over the weekend I binge watched sweet home 2 &3 , my final outcome ⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Sweet home 1 had the most cohesive storyline and characters
• The reunion of Eun hyeok and Hyun Su was highlight of season 3. LDH never disappoints!
• Jin-young looks like an idol even when fighting monsters.
• Moo Yeol is HOT!
Unfortunately the storyline for S2&3 and the characters did not have the emotional pull that sweet home 1 had established.
I missed my favs from season 1 Park Gyu Young and Lee Si Young.
8
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    Thanks for the review! I was wondering whether to pick this up

    1
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    I love Sweet Home 1 to bits but too bad my favorite sword & guitar couple (Park Gyu-Yong and Kim Nam-hee) is gone, so is LDH’s character. Then I watched a few SH2 episodes but it lacks the charm and warmth of S1 – dropped by ep 3. Now that LDH is back, I’m struggling to continue it or not….

    2
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    Season one of Sweet Home was definitely the best of the three. The final season had some nice/touching moments but it was overall disappointing.

    0
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#rant!
I follow another blog where an article about BWS and the airport security drama has led to a fan war in the comments.
As I read the comments, I could not help thinking, being a celebrity in Korea must be crazy taxing on the celebrity \’s mental health.
If you are a star you basically cannot live a normal life (no dating, no talking, apologise for anything and everything)

I wonder if any other country has this kind of expectations off their celebrities?
It\’s scary to see how public opinion has changed in minutes for Woo seok for an issue that dosent even seem be his fault.
The actual issue at hand of fans crowding and airport and private security firms managing airport security seems to have been ignored.

I feel bad for these SK celebrities, pursuing your dream but being judged every second of your life!!

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    I had read about this. I think the issue was that the security person was flashing his phone light in the eyes of the fans.
    Is there a problem now that he has apologized!?
    Indeed being a celebrity in SK is scary. While he’s not a teenager but still this kind of public scrutiny can drive anyone nuts.

    3
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      Yup, genuine issue of private security acting beyond its rights however its the blaming of the celebrity that is scary. Bring a health professional, I see the effect of social media on mental health all the time, so this kind of social scrutiny is just unhealthy!

      4
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        Oh! I didn’t realize that BWS was being blamed. Since K-dramas give us so much comfort, sense of well-being and at times even healing it is even more sad that our beloved artists live such fraught lives.

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      I think the issue was the security person was flashing people who weren’t fan but just here to use the space too.

      But overall, it was on him and not BWS.

      2
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    Taemin had bad issues with that with SM there was basically no security and fans were literally groping him, putting things in his bag and just swarming it was creepy and upsetting. but with BPM he has 5 security guards and there are security lines in the airports so fans stay at a distance. Still it feels a bit like aquarium life from home to car to airport to stage to car to airport to home.
    it is not such an issue here since we do not have world scale stars. You can hang with “celebrities in the hipster district no prob but nobody invades. however the opposite is true with many wannabe celebrities (influencers) being way less than modest and just pushing their private life details on everyone.

    It infuriates me that S. korean artists have no privacy and fans seem to think they can control everything. all those psychoes need a therapist or a shrink it is a mental illness, it is not normal behavior.

    2
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    From the 2 different entertainment industry circles that I follow— Korea and China— both have their own issues and problem which are extreme, but are also different:
    In Korea, regardless of what it is— entertainment, politics, criminal cases, news, etc.— it is all REALLY heavily based on public opinion. So when it comes to the entertainment industry, which is an industry created and based in feedback of fans and fan support, said fans take huge no unhealthy advantages of that to tear people apart in all ways.
    In China, the government has the last say. In the Chinese entertainment industry, a celebrity is seen and treated by the gover As another civil servant— a.k.a. A government employee— so everything about them is monitored and regulated by the government, right down to the colour of their hair and their bodily piercings and tattoos, so if comes a time any of those things are banned (as it previously was until about half a year ago), then it’ll somehow be filtered and edited out on television, even if it cannot be stopped when it comes to the personal time of the celeb. As for fan culture, it’s more so fan wars taking place and anti-fans that will tear one or another celebrity apart and bring them down (there was a huuuuge anti-fan campaign against this one Chinese actor in late-2019 that lasted 10 months and their celeb’s career was basically on hold), but less about the fans nitpicking at what a celebrity does or what their staff does unless it’s super disrespectful on a human level (there was a female celebrity who was caught on tape spitting gum into her staff’s hand like they were her person garbage can and another instance wherein she was treating them like they were her maids and had them take off her shoes for her when she had free hands 🙄 Entitlement issues)

    2
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      Thank you for taking the time to write about this issue. This does clarify the relative level of public scrutiny. While worldwide being a celebrity is a “job” it does come with its own advantages and disadvantages. I just want that the artists get the respect and privacy they deserve but I wonder how many entertainment industries in the world can actually boast of such privilege.

      1
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        Yea, I think sometimes some of the celebrities do perpetuate some things themselves, like how some celebrities—regardless of it’s Korean or China— don’t treat it as a job and act like a big shot on and off camera for attention and likes, etc. and treat their public figure status as a sort of entitlement and excuse to gain public sympathy, to gain exceptions to some things and even feel like they are above reproach for some things (like the law), and sadly, that then also encourages fans to do some extreme things on their end which brings harm to others, including the celebrity they claim to care for and love

        1
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          I used to think the sasaeng culture is problematic but as you rightly pointed out at times the celebrity themselves act too big for their boots.

          1
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            Sasaeng culture is…. Yea 😔 Another can of worms
            Sasaeng culture to the extreme— like mailing your menstrual blood contaminated sanitary pad to a celeb or somehow being able to evade security and then put poison into something that you know the celeb will consume is ahhhhh (all real life examples, btw, of things happening to celebs in K-Ent.)… In the case of extreme sasaeng behaviours like the 2 examples ^, I blame it all on the “fan” or anti-fan themselves, because no one is ever going to tell another person do to those things unless the both of those people have issues. Such extremes ^ happen because the fan or anti-fan themselves don’t know how to think, and not because of something someone else— like the celebrity— has or hasn’t done to encourage the extreme behaviour. The onus of how a person thinks, views, and sees another person—which then dictates their behaviours— is all the sole responsibility of the person themselves imho
            On the other hand, if a celeb is obnoxious and is a horrible person to another, and is caught and seen by others and people react—albeit, unkindly— that can sometimes be the fault of the celeb, because they also need to know that their own actions have consequences and people will have opinions because a celeb is a public figure wherein what they do in front of open doors (i.e. in public, in front of fans and antis) is fair game— versus what they do behind closed doors—unless the celeb actively took measures to keep things private and their privacy was/is infringed upon. Some celebs don’t actively take measures— but fake doing so— because they believe that “bad press is still press” and will get their names trending, which is what the ultimate goal of some celebs are.

            At the end of the day, privacy—or lack thereof— and what a celeb does and who those actions (and even the attitudes) reach and touch upon is a whole can of worms and a much more in-depth conversation than a simple “Did they deserve it? Did they not?” black versus white or debate or comment made online

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          Also I never understood the weird behavior of being an anti-fan or engaging in smear campaign against a competitor of their chosen artist. I’m the the artist themselves would never support such behavior, still these people get aot of traction.

          1
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            * aot a lot

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            I agree, even the celebs themselves would never agree to nor condone such behaviours, and I’m glad more and more celebs come out online to put a stop to it— some even proactively prevent it— in C-Ent., but K-Ent. definitely needs to do more. I’ve increasingly seen more comments that are now able to take a more subjective, positive— and sometimes, even joking— stance on things made by anti-fans against their bias’ wherein they will say, “Well, so-and-so celeb’s antis don’t seem to be much antis at all if they’re seemingly online 24/7 willing to make the effort to comment/critique, watch, and hate on the content and the person they claim to be an anti-fan of… In a way, they are actually generating more traffic and clicks and popularity for the content of the celeb they claim to be an anti of” 😏

            1
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          Gosh I thought the extent of saseng behavior was when they entered Taecyeon’s hotel room but these examples have left me horrified. How can one be a fan if one is so disrespectful to the artist. 😫

          1
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          I confess to having me low-key concerned about these issues earlier but as I’ve learned more I’m more and more scared by these vile behaviors and actions.

          1
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            I’m sort of glad that I’ve been exposed to news about such sasaeng behaviours, because it’s definitely helped to shape the type of fan that I have become for celebs that I like/love and has shown be what and what not to do, how and how not to think, and how much or how little or how deep or not I want to—and should— delve into a celeb. It’s helped me to see these celebs as PEOPLE—just like you and I are— and that what they do as celebrities and in their fame is a JOB, nothing more and nothing less

            1
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            *Being exposed to such behaviours very early on in my journey of becoming a fan of some celebrities

            1
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            @bebeswtz That is a very perceptive remark and I appreciate that. Indeed sometimes knowing that you *don’t* want to be helps you decide what you want to be.

            1
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      Thanks for the insight bebe, health professional and am following this whole airport drama as with my professional lens on, this is my take- the video of his return post scandal, and he looks like a scared kid. The body language is opposite to the excited puppy he was in his previousl departure videos, gone were the waves, hearts etc.
      No smile and constantly bowing.
      This has definitely affected his mental health.
      Could it be an act? Maybe but body language rarely lies!
      I see why so many korean artists end up taking the wrong step!
      It’s like having a magnifying glass on your every move!
      Mental health is not a joke and I truly wish as fans we realize the effect we have on a celebrity who at the end of the day is a human being!
      Be kind is all I can say to these fans, it’s not so hard😊

      2
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I adore Kim Hye Yoon. I have watched most of her films/series and she definitely is a talented actress. Loved her pic from the Singles magazine, she looks ethereal!!! She is growing into a beautiful beautiful woman❤️
I feel like a proud mama🤣
#sunshine
17
6

Ep 10 of #mysweetcheekbones had me smiling and kicking my legs with all the sweetness.
Flustered UTG has my heart.
Also loving the chaotic found family.
I am very invested in the the second leads arc and wish they had more screen time.
My favourite from ep 10, such a lol moment
8
8

    The COVID result got to be joke of the year.

    6
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    This family is total chaos.
    The COVID joke was hilarious. And the affectionate “I loathe boss” was weirdly sweet. 😂

    4
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      Best chaotic family. I wonder if they ever listen to each other talking!? Also I loved, loved, loved the Deerlings caught between Mama and Papa Deer fighting.

      4
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        I loved that scene too. 😂 They really tried their best to get them together but they made it worse (well, technically, JH made it worse). LOL

        At least it went well the second time.

        3
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          I loved how comfortable they were to fight with each other. And her making faces at Ji-hwan while going with Joon was simply amazing.

          4
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    I loved every time he had to say “it’s a pregnancy test, not a Covid test” it’s like he’s convinced everybody would mistake as a covid test like him so has to explain. 🤣🤣

    0
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I have raved a lot about UTG and he truely delived a nuanced and heartfelt potrayal of a man in conflict with his past in episode 8 however can we talk about Han Sunhwa, she is so lovely as Eun Ha, pitch perfect in playing someone who is sympathetic and emphathetic at the same time.
She understands Ji hwan’s conflict and I look forward to seeing her bring him out if his self made shell.
I really enjoyed her acting in Work later, drink now and she is killing it in this show too. Looking forward to her next role!
Also loved the deerlings and Eun ha being petty with the boss 😀
#mysweetcheekboneshasmyheart
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    She’s killing it as mama deer!! I love Eun Ha so much.

    And she was my favorite in Drink Now, Work Never!

    6
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    Yes. I haven’t seen her in anything else but I’m loving both leads.

    5
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    tbh they were excess. He was injured, it was a bit abusive to no allow him to eat

    1
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    I haven’t seen her in Drink Now, Work Later but I’m glad she’s getting these lead roles.
    She’s been amazing as Eun Ha so far.

    4
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    I agree. These episodes were genuinely touching and poignant thanks both to the solid writing and the two actors letting us glimpse into the characters’ inner emotional worlds with only a scant amount of dialogue but a lot of subtle gestures and expressions.

    3
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While I love the main leads in #mysweetcheekbones, I also adore the second couple❤️
Would be great is we had more of them and less of prosecutor and the content creator girl
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    I think Kwon Yul is struggling to define his character. He is not villain, he is not love interest, not really a rival, so in the latest episode the little momentum he had was kinda lost, while the second couple is getting more intriguing & complex. they had connection and then one night stand which made them uncomfortable. they should talk honestly about what he meant by mistake, does he mean he didnt feel attracted at all or that it was just not how he wanted it to happen. if he doesnt want to be involved with her then how is he going to get out of the grip of parents without bringing their wrath on both.

    1
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    I feel bad for Eun Ha, but I’m skipping all the SML’s scenes. That guy has way too many undeserved screentime.

    I love this couple too!! 💜 Mi Ho practically jumping to make the heart with him, awwwww.

    3
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These pics don’t to justice to this amazing face! Those cheekbones, collarbones and soft smile will be the death of this ajumma 🔥🔥🤣🤣
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    cannot wait till he can be her Oppa again with ease
    lives take different turns, can we really find the people from our past, bc they change? But he has never really changed, has he.

    2
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    His gazes 😍😍😍 those soft gazes. Wow. This man is fire 🔥

    3
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      Tell me about it! The man is a chameleon soft gaze to killer eyes ufff!
      Glad to see green flag, manly men in kdramas!

      5
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        yes and him excessively apologising for everything.
        I thinka lot of ML are arrogant but he is humble and undemanding.

        4
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I recently read a interview of the Lovely Runner writer who mentioned how she has always been a fan of the ‘pure, unrequited love typically seen in supporting male leads.’ She mentioned she wrote Sunjae with Second Lead characteristics ( single minded in love, devoted, funny, kind and upstanding).
May be this was the reason why most of us loved Sunjae.
Who was your favourite Second lead??
My favourites who gave me a bad case of SLS had to be
Kim Seon Ho in Start up
Yoon Yoe Seok in Reply 1994 (I was team trash but that was becoz wanted YYS to myself🤣)
Hwang In Yeop in True Beauty
Choi Si won She was Pretty
Yook Sung Jae School 2017
12
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    I rarely get SLS, mostly I either prefer the ml or don’t care that much who she ends up with. My Roommate is a Gumiho is my worst case to date! 😩

    5
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    For Start-Up, I loved more Kim Sun-Ho in general but not really for the love story.

    Yook Sun-Jae for School 2017 too! There was 2 sisters, so I didn’t understand why the ML changed his love for the shy one.

    I didn’t have a SLS in Judge vs Judge but I loved how the second male lead was honest with his feelings and respected the FL’s ones. Usually, the second male lead waits for the ML to enter into the FL’s life to act. It’s quite frustrating. But in this drama, the 3 characters had a lovely relationship.

    My biggest SLS was in Sungkyunkwan Scandal with Yoo Ah-In!

    I always prefer the second lead in Boys over Flowers (in any version) because he was written as a first lead.

    In Cheese in the Trap, I had a SLS, even with the webtoon.

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    I think you mean School 2015? I’ve only watched 2017 from the School series, and I was really confused coz he wasn’t there. (I loved every single character in School 2017 and found it a great drama in general, so I still remember it clearly though I watched sometime back 😅. Please give this drama a try if you haven’t already).

    About SLS, only happened to me once, and a quite bad case 🤭. It was in Reply 1988. I guess I need not explain 😅.

    6
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      I also liked School 2017. I usually don’t like school dramas but the whole cast was so good and had a lot of fun

      2
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        I loved the commentary on education system. The story and cast was also exciting. Everyone had great chemistry. Aegyo queen shined in the end (Se-jeong 😂).

        2
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      Yes, my bad, I meant School 2015!!

      3
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    Favorite SL: Kang Cheol (Im Seul Ong) from Ho Gu’s Love.

    Why? Because it was all a misunderstanding. The funniest misunderstanding in kdramaland.
    In other words, he wasn’t a real SL.

    If I like the SL best, to me that means that I should drop the show.

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    I don’t usually get SLS, but I could mention some cases:
    My first first love, Shining Inheritance, or Lovely Liar.

    3
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    Choi Si Won from She was Pretty by a mile, I loved him and I especially loved him for FL. He liked her before she had a her makeover and was kind to her throughout, and the writers didn’t do enough to make me like ML, which takes a lot given he was played by Park Seo Joon.

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      I had the exact same feelings for this drama! But I didn’t like the drama enough to get SLS. It was an easy drop for me 😅. What did he call her though, Michael Jackson? 🤔 They were so cute, and he was so deserving!

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        It was one of my early dramas, I wasn’t as good at dropping shows back then, I kind of wish I had – by the end I think it was causing more annoyance than enjoyment… 2ML was my favourite part of the whole show

        Yeah, I think Jackson was what he called her, an inside joke after an early scene, if I’m remembering correctly but it’s been a while! 😁

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        It was Jackson because of her trousers and white socks as she was too poor to have a proper clothes budget she was wearing the same clothes for years. I loved those two and it was such a shame when he had his transformation and didn’t get to have a relationship with her as his real self.

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      Comment was deleted

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      Same! I did not like this drama but Si Won’s character was much better written than the ML. Even PSJ could not make me like him here.

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    the most conflicting one was Shin Se Gi bc it was the same man. but I kinda hated Do Hyun he seemed so limp. Yet I grew to love him too.

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    Yoo Ah In in Sungkyunkwan Scandal was my first ever SLS and still defines the phenomenon to perfection.

    3
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      Yoo Ah-In >>>>>> Yoo-Chun.

      But I prefered his character too. He was active to help people and I liked how it was his brother and her father who hide the thing ( I don’t remember the details 😅)

      1
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    Yoo Yeon Seok and Byun Yo Han in Mr. Sunshine

    2
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So distracted by those sexy collar bones and smile!
#sweetmobster
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Since my insta algorithm is still showing KHY updates, I came across this pic from the reward vacation.
Isn’t it lovely how KHY is adored by all her co-stars. The girl really has a magnetic personality.
She genuinely seems to be well liked by everyone who works with her.
One of the few actors I would love to meet (along with Lee Dong Wook, who seems to have a wicked sense of humor) .
11
1

My fickle Kdrama heart is slowly moving from BWS-HY obsession to Uhm Tae Goo love, so I had to spend last night looking for his videos.
For thise who haven’t please go watch him in House of Wheels, the man is so shy that I melted into a puddle watching his awkwardness! We need to wrap him in bubble wrap n keep him safe!
He is sooooo freaking cute!!

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How can I get Uhm Tae Goo\’s voice as my morning alarm?? 🥰🥰#askingforafriend

9
4

While trying to find my next binge worthy drama, I have fallen down the webtoon rabbit hole🤣
I just binge read The Daytime Star, which was so fun with an absolute green flag male lead. (Kim Hye yoon/kim Sejong/PMY would be perfect if this was Adapted adaptation)
Any recommendations on what I should read next?

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    I am enjoying The Producers second life which is ongoing. I loved Second Lead syndrome which has finished season one and I am eagerly awaiting season two. I think both of these would be great as adaptions.

    0
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    I will come back to you on this 🤗
    In the meantime, is there any genres you prefer/do not prefer?? (E.g. I know BLs or ones with violence might not be for all)

    1
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      Prefer romcom mostly, maybe thrillers and mystery.
      I am very new to the world of webtoons to happy for any recomendations.

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        I can’t really recommend anything that I’ve read with those parameters (I read BL, fantasy, and sappy romances 😅🤣), but I have recently read somewhere that another Beanie recommends Can’t Get Enough of You, which is a romcom. You could also try out the origin we rooms that some K-dramas are actually based off of,
        E.g. So I Married An Anti-Fan, Our Beloved Summer, Cherry Blossoms After Winter (this one I read and also watched the K-drama adaptation, but it is a BL), Business Proposal, Marry My Husband

        Many of them ^ can be found on the free app, literally called “WEBTOON” (the logo is green & white), but I’m not sure if you will have access to it, depending on where you are. I hope this helps! 😊

        1
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Trying to get out of my LR hangover and decided to watch Hierarchy.
Bad idea!!! The story and acting was terrible.
I remember watching the FL in 18 again, she was cute and acted pretty well. Not sure if she has done something to her face or lost a lot of weight but she looks scary thin and the acting was meh!
The MLs were a little bit better but overall this was a waste of time.
Back to watching BTS of lovely runner feeding my delulu mind😂
8
5

Since I have been obsessed with the Lovely Runner OST, I was wondering, which Song from an OST transports you directly to a scene from the show?
As my list is too long, I have stick to the top 6 (from the last 10 yrs)
1. Eternal love Healer
2. Stay with me Goblin
3. Romantic Sunday Hometown Cha cha cha
4. All for you Reply 1997
5. Aloha Hospital Playlist
6. Everytime DOTS

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    There’s way too many!!

    But just strictly of Kdramas, from the top of my head:
    1. “Give My Love” & “Our Love Will Always Last” — both the Korean and English versions of the song ( Save Your Last Dance for Me OST, circa 2004/05)
    2. “Hold On” ( Marriage Contract OST)
    3. ALMOST PAARADIIIIIIIIIIIIISE …. need I say more?
    4. Miss You In My Heart ( Queen for Seven Days OST)
    5. Kiss the Rain (Winter Sonata OST, circa 2002)

    4
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    This is very difficult as I have a HUGE list, for now I’ll stick with these:
    1. Once Again – DOTS
    2. Super Power Girl – Strong Girl Bong Soon
    3. Tempest – The Devil Judge
    4. Doberman – Military Prosecutor Doberman
    5. Down – See You in the 19th Life

    I was obsessed with the OSTs of SGBS, Goblin, DOTS, and MPD for a long time though🙈

    3
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    Thinking of the power of “transportation to a scene”, I’ll say these:

    _ Like a child. Kim Dong Ryul. (Flower Boy Next Door).

    _ Romantic Sunday. Car, the Garden. (Hometown Cha Cha Cha).

    _ The Hill of Yearning. April 2nd. (Crash Landing on You).

    _ Wind Song. Sohyang. (Go Back Couple).

    _ 25-21. Jaurim. (25-21).

    _ Light in the sky. Yoon Mirae. (The Best Hit).

    But I could say many many more. OST’s always transport me to their shows, and that’s great.

    4
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    So many wonderful songs, but here are two that take me right back to how it felt to first watch the drama:
    Writing Our Stories from Chicago Typewriter
    Cherry Blossom Love Song from 100 Days My Prince

    1
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    Call me basic but:

    1. Almost PARADISE – BOF
    2. Love is the MOMENT – Heirs
    3. I will PROMISE you -You Are Beautiful
    😂

    Jokes aside, my list is a little too long too. I have three playlist with just kdrama OSTs.

    Bonus:
    4. Forever Love – Kill It
    5. When I Go to Busan – When The Devil Calls Your Name
    6. Deeply – My Liberation Notes
    7. Innocent Man’s intro song.

    And there’s a track called “his whistle” in Tree of Heaven’s OST that has been hunting my family for years. We can’t get it out of our heads. It always takes us back then.

    1
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Since my journey down the kdrama rabbithole about 12 years ago, Healer has always been on top of my list as my fav kdrama. Excellent story with electric chemistry between JCW & PMY ( they sure set my shipping heart sailing)
While I have since watched 100s of shows, I have rarely obsessed over a lead pair and have also dropped a number if shows just cause the storyline went down the drain.

Lovely Runner has been the first in a long time where I stuck around and watched obsessively just for the OTP. I overlooked all the loopholes and obsessed over the leads like a lot if us here.
This had me thinking, will you watch a show just for the OTP or does a good story matter?

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    The OTP and their chemistry means more to me than anything. No story is perfect- although I hear Lovely Runner is close (I don’t live watch) so they are the only way I can keep going through the ups and downs. Just this year I have watched My Demon, Moon in the Day, My Man is Cupid and See You In My 19th year because of lead chemistry. All these shows were not popular by the end but i enjoyed them all. And I’ve dropped a few popular ones because of leads.
    @claire2009 @minniegupta1 @isagc @seeker @skiee @dramaticfoodie
    What do you all think?

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      For me depends on the Kdrama for example – shows like Hospital Playlist, Sky Castle, The Fiery Priest and Signal got me hooked because of the story and direction. While shows like DOTS, CLOY, QOT (promised mindblowing chemistry but where was it? only available in BTS or on instagram clips😔) and Alchemy of souls was mainly for OTP and their chemistry. AND the rare gems where casting, chemistry, story and direction was almost perfect (most importantly the finale was not rushed in these) – Lovely Runner, Hyena (Chemistry 🔥), Mr. Queen(🥇) and Fight My Way(🥇).

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      Yes same for me..if OTP clicks I’ll ignore other things, what matters is we enjoy it. I don’t mind little illogical things unless it’s too much. I also think that no drama will be all perfect, something will always outweigh other. It’s the people’s choice that matters. And to me lovely runner only had very little illogical things for a romcom. Same goes for doctor slump. I enjoyed both very much. If there’s no chemistry I feel I’ll drop it storyline comes next.

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      Impressed by your patience to sit through some of those shows😂 but I agree, the OTP really does sell the kdrama. Also I think while I tolerate noona romance, like aged OTP has my heart!

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      Yes, I think it’s the same for me too. The OTP and their chemistry and the characterisation are the most important factors that make me enjoy a show. If the leads have excellent chemistry, and their characterisation is consistent and makes me trust them and care for them, then I can overlook a lot of other things.

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      If I love the OTP, like really LOVE, I will probably love the drama, even though the script is not so good or the ending is disappointing (Heartbeat would be one).

      But there are many good shows with almost any romance (or no romance). Prison Playbook, Misaeng, Signal, Psychopath Diary or Weak Hero Class 1 are amazing shows. All of them are among my favorites.

      Some of my favorite OTP are in Flower Boy Next Door, Live up to your name, Queen Seon Deok, Bossam, Twinkling Watermelon, Seasons of Blossom, Shopping King Louis, My Dearest, Fated to love you, Mirror of the witch, Secret Romantic Guesthouse, Meow, At a distance spring is green, Into the ring, My unfamiliar family, Weightlifting fairy…

      I have to feel everything with them/for them. That didn’t happen in Lovely Runner (I know I’m in the minority).

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        I’m in the minority too. Lovely Runner was one of the few shows I tried to keep up with the live watch because I really wanted to join in the hype, it was a rare case when I had the fear of missing out. But I still couldn’t feel it like the majority of beanies did. I’m fond of the OTP, they are endearing. But their romance often doesn’t make me flutter or excited. I guess I’m looking for something more mature in the expression, especially given the fact that Sol is 34, I expected something more than the cuteness. I think Kim Hyeyoon is good in emotional scenes, but Byeon Wooseok is better in romantic scenes. I guess it isn’t intentional, but just because she happens to have big (and beautiful) eyes, there were so many moments of her eyes wide opening that after a while I started to feel tired of looking at them, and it took me out of the scene. BWS emotes through his eyes in a more subtle way. And they kissed already, but she’s still surprised whenever he touches her?
        I was stalling at ep10 and planned to binge the last 6 episodes today, but I wasn’t invested enough and my mind kept thinking of doing other things while watching. If not for the very lovely characters (Sunjae, Sol, Inhyuk, Taesung), this would have been a drop.

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          I didn’t drop it because I was having fun (even though I don’t like all the comic situations in the show), but I was trying hard to feel more for the OTP. I couldn’t.

          I had just finished When I fly towards you, with all its nostalgic, “slice-of-life” greatness, and Bossam, with the delicacy of that love story. Both shows made me cry happy tears in the end.

          Maybe Lovely Runner was a case of “wrong timing”.

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            Yes, probably a case of “wrong timing”. I’d just stepped out of Our Blooming Youth and See you in my 19th life, two shows that were not without flaws, but where the OTP and how the romance was played out made everything else work for me.

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            I had fun too, but sometimes the filler scenes were just too much. Anyway, I’m positive I can finish it tonight 😁

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          As I wasn’t carried away by my feeling for the romance, I started to notice things in the plot that appeared to be too convenient, although they may be trivial. Like who buys condoms for a wedding gift? And those a hundred condoms happened to fall into Sunjae’s bag? And Sunjae’s bag was then ripped open in front of everyone? And the two of them stayed all night in that video store and no parent questioned why their child wasn’t in bed at night? And why does she fall asleep at every important moment?

          Sol’s earnstness and desperation in saving Sunjae, and Sunjae’s devotion to her were what moved me, and I think this show would have been better with 12 episodes, because then we could have avoided many filler scenes.

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          I’m on ep 5. Trying not to fall to hard for Byeon Wooseok haha. I guess tall with cheek bones is one of my things. If he wears brown Claire you may have to pull me out of the rabbit hole
          I’m not loving FL but that’s ok. The show is flowing nicely and has some smile moments.
          Still lots to see. Ill be waiting for your comments when you finish

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            I haven’t caught him in the brown shade that ABH pulls off, so you’re not out yet, I guess 😅

            I have finished the show and would say the finale alone is worth watching, so if at some point you feel like you don’t want to keep watching, then just use the fast forward button liberally, you won’t miss a thing. As you don’t mind spoilers, I would say until episode 14, it’s all about going back and forth between Sol pushing Sunjae away, and trying to save him, and he getting hurt one way or another, physically or mentally. Episode 16 is how a romcom should end, and I would love to see an episode 13 of Seoha and Jieum like that.

            PS: If you love Taesung, then don’t skip his scenes. He’s a highlight of the show for me. I like the FL and ML enough, but not much how their romance was played out.

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            @claire2009 don’t worry I’m thrilled about seeing Song Geon-Hee in this drama and so far he is doing awesome. I loved him in Joseon Attorney- one of a few that watched and liked😃.
            Me – mind spoilers haha??
            I appreciate the advice. I’ll get through. I agree with your other comment somewhere that it should have been 12.
            I’m going back and reading all of @minniegupta1 comments which are always so insightful and help.
            Now really excited to get to the end🥰

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            @23new2kdrama I misread your comment and thought you meant if BWS wears brown then you’d finally be able to get out of ABH’s rabbit hole 😂 Ok I get it now, you’re already in BWS’s rabbit hole 🤣

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        I love your list of shows! Adding them now! I agree there are great shows with no romance. Then the whole cast has to have a connection and chemistry that you expect from a romance. Flex X cop and Hospital Playlist are my 2 examples

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        You listed some of favourites here, Bossam had me shipping Yuri and JIL so hard. Their next show together was rubbish but I stuck through it hanging on to my memories from Bossam and all their variety appearances🤣
        Blood free was another recent show where the story while interesting had many loopholes but the simmering chemistry between the leads🔥
        I also love procedural dramas and hate when the director tries to push a love story when there is zero necessity for it!

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    There are definitely shows I’ve watched to the end that were messy or even downright bad from a writing perspective simply because I really enjoyed the chemistry/romance between two or more of the characters/actors.

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    I have watched many a dramas wherein the writing doesn’t deliver but the OTP— and the acting of the cast in general— does deliver, for which then became the reason I kept with the drama until the end

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    Sometimes all you need is the OTP. When i was a new watcher i just needed the lead to be someone i liked and not in a genre i disliked. Oh wait, that’s still the case today..

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    I find that great chemistry among the OTP and cast can do a lot to overcome subpar writing. But the converse is less likely — if chemistry is lacking and the relationships aren’t believable, even an interesting story won’t hold my attention.

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    I totally can watch a drama only for the OTP.

    But there are a lot of chance it won’t make the list of my favorite dramas.

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    To me the story matters a little, but I can watch a drama just for the OTP if the characters are interesting and have a good connection.

    For ex, I couldn’t care less about the serial killer in You Are My Spring, he had no business there. But the two main leads (and even the other characters too) were beautifully written.

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    I suppose I am atypical, that I watch for the story only. Even if the OTP are played by actors I really really like, I end up dropping the show if and when I get fed up by the story or just got bored. Anyway, can always watch my faves in a drama I can watch.

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    I need to be invested in at least one of the actors to start the drama; It does not have to be the OTP per se. If I like the actor, I will overlook a lot of things, but it will carry me only for a few episodes before I give up. So, ultimately, the story has to hold. I also am a sucker for good dialogues and will finish a drama if I feel connected at a deeper level even though the drama itself might not be perfect.

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You know you are hooked when you wake up at 2am to watch a show🤣
Sun jae ya, Sol’a how do we go on after tonight?
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Started watching Lovely Runner after reading all your comments, enjoyed the chemistry and overlooked the loopholes but ep14!! Not sure what happened but I am in suddenly INVESTED, I rewatched the episode( which rarely happens) and liked it even more. This couple truly have chemistry!
Also, still trying to understand why I liked this episode so much🤣

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    adult romance is always fun

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    I liked it, too. One thing about this show compared to others is that there’s no lasting period where the couple gets together for real, which is when many viewers tend to start to get bored. In “LR,” even though we’ve had cute scenes and parts of episodes where Sol and Sun Jae are together and happy, there’s always a return back to the longing/yearning/angsty phase. Episode 14 took us there again, but as adults, with Sun Jae now having no real memory of Sol at all.

    As always, and as you also noted, the fact that the two leads have truly incendiary chemistry definitely inspires continued investment.

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      Yes!! Your comment hit the nail on the head. I do tend to get bored once the couple get together🤣
      Sunje feels that connection with Sol even though he has no memory of her!
      KHY is doing a wonderful actor and does a brilliant job of portraying the angst!
      One of the few couple I think I have no problem shipping!

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      What an astute observation. Indeed we have a lot of cute, fluffy moments but that underlying yearning and angst is ever-present and is perhaps the *secret sauce* of the drama. 😊❤

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    👋🏾 So glad you jumped in so you can enjoy the banter of beanies in love with a live show. The Matchmakers and Twinkling watermelon had the same beanies in love vibe. These moments highlight the sparkle of DB.

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