30 Days Book Challenge Day 3: Your favorite series
Okay, I love series, and I probably can list more than 20 series in one go. Which would be cheating. Heh.
So I’m going to pick my most recent discovery, instead. Megan Whalen Turner’s The Queen’s Thief series. Enigmatic characters, complicated plot, clever twist, and dangerously fun adventures. A satisfying fantasy take on kingdom politics and intrigues.
Day 4: Favorite book of your favorite series
The 3rd book: The King of Attolia. Nothing is as satisfying as watching everyone underestimated your favorite hero exactly like you did during the first book, knowing that the revelation was going to be just as rewarding the second time around.
This is my favorite book series too! I love all of the books but The King of Attolia was my favorite for the same reason. I loved how it all built up to the ending where everyone realized that their whiny, lazy king was the real deal.
The dialogue is so smart, smarter than me lol. I’ve had to reread in order to take it all in.
30 Days Book Challenge Day 2: A book that you’ve read more than 3 times
This one is easy.
Jodi Picoult’s Nineteen Minutes. I bawled like a baby whenever I re-read it. I know it’s not her best book to date, but it’s the one that touched me the deepest. I still don’t know what makes me willing to go through all those pain over and over again.
30 Days Book Challenge Day 1: Best book you read last year
I kinda want to cheat and answer The Tawny Man series because I love everything about it. The adventure, friendship, romance, life lesson, even the it-sucks-being-an-adult stuff. It’s not that easy to get a fantasy stories revolved around a 30 something hero, and this series get an extra point just for how well it handled it.
But if I have to pick one book, it would be the final novel: Fool’s Fate. The uncertainty of change and the hopefulness that surrounded it, the lesson about facing your pain and seizing happiness for yourself, and the notion about boundless love. It was a near perfect conclusion for this epic tale.
A breakdown scene never felt this raw and painful. It was short compared to many other similar scenes in k-dramas. But I couldn’t shake off the feeling of intruding into someone’s very private moment. So private and in secret that it almost like Jang-hyun himself is hiding his breakdown episode from his own self.
Sigh… It’s impossible to hate this guy.
That stone bridge across the river is just beautiful and atmospheric. Especially at night when characters just standing there mulling over their convoluted thoughts and feelings.
This show was so beautifully complex and the characters were so fully realized – I think it was easy to write them all off for different reasons at the start, but by the end you really were rooting for all of them to find happiness. But Son Seok-koo really hit it out of the park with this character – I somehow wanted to strangle him and give him a hug. And he was so expressive, not just with his face but with his movements.
This is such a memorable scene.
We, adults, like to pretend that we know everything. When in fact, sometimes, it was those kids who actually see things more clearly. It’s unfortunate that most often than not, we are the one who introduce them to the harmful prejudices that has plagued our lives longer than we realized.
I\’m one of those logical romcom watcher who always cheer for the male lead that the female lead likes and chooses to pursue. In another words, SLS is an almost unheard-of concept for me. But if we were to broaden the meaning of SLS from \”cheering for the wrong person to get the love of their heart\” into \”getting much more invested in the second lead\’s story despite their flaws\”, then I have the perfect answer for that.
Extraordinary You\’s Baek Kyung, actually I\’m still not so sure if me following your story closely to the very end should be attributed to the character himself (who was admittedly one of the more complex and relatable character in the drama) or the actor who brought this arrogant high schooler with hidden vulnerabilities to life (Lee Jae-wook!! 😍😍)
Same! I’ve only had 2-3 cases of SLS.
Also Baek-kyung was by far the more interesting guy in EY. I was so happy to see Lee Jae Wook in a bubbly smiling role afterwards though. He also stole every scene in his next drama.
Haha me too. When I was watching this drama, I was wondering why I can’t hate Baek Kyung and was still somehow rooting for him despite him being so mean to Dan Oh. I thought maybe because he seemed troubled but nice inside. Or maybe because I just finished watching Search: WWW then 😆
30 Days Drama Challenge Day 17: Drama that deserved a S2
Probably a very unpopular opinion, but I wanted another season (or two or three) for Life. That drama dealt with the necessity of fundamental change to create a better health system, and by the end of the story, the doctors have only came to that realization. It\’s going to be a long, uphill battle. It would demand enormous effort and strong willpower from all of them to move the change gear, and the ending has only ushered them to that understanding.
There are tons of material to be mined off as the source of the next season\’s stories, be it related to the hospital management issues or exploration of everyone\’s personal life. Given the recent news of Secret Forest\’s second season, I\’m actually a bit more hopeful that Lee Soo-yeon writer-nim will gift us the 2nd season someday. Besides, this drama arguably has the best character for Lee Kyu-hyung, and it would be a treat to watch another 16 eps of Ye Seon-woo living a good life.
Life is such a non-cookie cutter medical drama that by the end of it most characters have been “enlightened”. It could indeed have a season 2 to show their subsequent journey and there are so many characters that we audience care.
I think it wasn’t as popular ratings or buzz wise that is why there were never talks of a season 2 when it surely deserves one. The only medical drama I loved watching. I’m watching Hospital Playlist too but I’m totally skipping the medical parts and that’s what Life avoided. Also I think President Gu is one of the best complex gray character dramaland has seen. At one point he looks good and reasonable, at the other he looks bad until he’s fully revealed. Idk if JSW’s character was the same in Forest of Secrets because if it is then I’m missing a lot. Also LKH just broke hearts ten times more in this show then he normally does lol.
JSW’s character in Forest of Secrets cant be more different from that in life – who due to some brain surgery in his young age doesn’t have emotional engagement. He’s one introvert but calm and superb investigator. President Gu on the other hand is multi-faced, sophisticated and dapper – all his suits in Life look great on him. Just show what a sublime actor he is.
30 Days Drama Challenge Day 16: Worst Drama Villain
SPOILER!!!
My vote goes to Trap, because I didn’t know that we watched the story unfolded from the villain’s POV. Needless to say, that was the most disturbing drama-watching experience I’ve had.
P.S. Ajusshi, please come back with a sane drama soon.
It’s hard to pick one, but I’ll go with Friend, Our Legend. An old 2009 noir drama that depicted long-lasting friendship and its eventual death in all its painful details. It was a gritty and devastating story about the pain of growing up and carving your own path in the unforgiving world. It was a memorable tale of sweet childhood, exuberant youth, and jaded adulthood.
And personally, I think more people need to watch Hyun Bin playing a quiet, non-chaebol character whose silent rage towards the unfairness in his life slowly ate him up inside. He totally killed it here, bringing a new depth to his acting. Something that I want to see once more.
I thought I would skip on today\’s challenge because I\’ve been lucky enough to drop dramas with potentially problematic OTP long before it reached the half point. And then I remembered that one drama where I did my hardest defending and cheering for the OTP, only for the lead male to go on a nonsensical year-long separation with all communication cut out. Then he came back to his one and only love all convinced that losing life is preferable than living with disability. Like, WHAT?!?! Yes, I\’m talking about you two, Yeo-reum and Soo-yeon from Fox Bride Star. That was the first time I balked at the finale eps reunion, shouted \”No!\” to my screen, then proceeded to write long angry rant and un-favorite that drama from my shows page.
(Yeah, I\’m also crying, Yeo-reum, but definitely not out of joy.)
I quitted on episode 15. Then realized it was episode 15 and basically FF the whole final episode.
I hated this so much. I hated ML so much.
The “one year later” didn’t make sense (well, like anything in the show did 🙄).
I have anger issues with this show.
SAME. I watched episode 15, saw the fanwall the next day and noped out of the last episode. I was like, I do not need to waste an hour on this nonsense. I did watch a few clips of the security couple on youtube, but that’s it. This drama was such a trainwreck by the end that I was sad that these amazing actors were stuck with such nonsense.
This drama was the literal definition of Thematic Suicide. It just blew a giant frakking hole in everything it implied it was going to do and could’ve done and it wasn’t JBL or Radiant Office, that kept the heart of their stories despite the rocky finish, at least not for me; FBS just obliterated the whole thing with that ending.
I’m still mad at this drama. What COULD have been. My girl Chae Soobin deserved better. Ironically, it’s probably one of her better rating dramas to date.
Technically, there are so many other dramas that has great OTP, but Na-ri and Hwa-shin from Jealousy Incarnate is still the last couple that reassured me that romcom used to be so much fun. I miss the times when romcom is hilarious and heart-fluttering, yet still full of important messages. When exploring all the facets (even the silly and the ugly) of a romantic relationship is the main drive of the story. When writer doesn\’t need to inject an ill-fitted thriller to move the story forward.
Hwa-shin and Na-ri are as unconventional as a couple can be. They are always unapologetically them during all the phases of their relationship: from medical check up \”dates\” to impromptu dance of love. They make slice-of-life super exciting, turn potentially bloody love triangle into something hilarious, face the heavy issues sensitively but with their good humor still intact, and retain their complex personality well after they\’ve became an official couple.
It\’s 2020. Seo Sook-hyang writer-nim, don\’t you think it\’s time to come back with another romcom full of witty, bizarrely make sense, and superb dialogues? Because I\’m desperate of one now.
Jealousy Incarnate!!! ❤️
The last show that made me wait for the episodes was Be Melodramatic and before that was Jealousy Incarnate. Writers have seriously forgotten that rom coms used to have good comedy too. And well the comedy in JI is spot on and it’s the only show I’d like to rewatch. I was kind of disappointed with Wok of Love but most people who continued watching it said that it was in line with what SSH has previously written. Hence, JI was rather only different. I just wish she writes more like JI often. We don’t get laugh out loud wacky comedy much anyway.
That, he is. But I like the way the drama dealt with it. In another drama it would be a full-blown melo. But here, there’s a good balance of seriousness and good humor. Everything felt very slice-of-life. Like something that could happen in everyone’s lives and they showed us how to deal with it well.
I love this drama! I love him in his glasses and her, “dont let other people see you in your glasses!” I love him trying to sleep with her when the 3 of them are all living together when she’s trying to “make up her mind”. I love the bromance (stop mid-fight to assure themselves that they are still best friend!)
I love that first kiss when they both assure themselves that they are horrible people–but they couldn’t stop themselves anyway.
Their chemistry is OFF. THE. WALL
At first, I didn\’t plan on participating in this challenge. Because how am I supposed to choose 1 from 200 something drama I\’ve watched for years??
But reading today\’s theme, I felt that I should give Oh Min-jung from Hi Bye, Mama! a shout, if only because a nice yet complicated second female lead is still a rare gem in dramaland. And also because she stood tall, calmly and quietly disproving the infamous stereotype about evil step mother. I love her with all my heart. And I still wish the writer treated her better.
These two\’s brand of constant bickering is just so funny. I love how Song-hwa is the only one who can shut Jun-wan up whenever he started to rant and nag about everything. 🤭🤭
I loooooooove the episode this week <3
And YES! Their scenes are so much fun to watch.
I'm so happy to have JKH on my screen every week ;A; that hair pulling scene with JJS was hilarious. I loved the ruffled look on JKH XD
Out of the 3 who rushed to ask her result, Jun Wan’s scene is my favorite. And omo..that fight with Ik Jun,,he just lost it when IJ kept promoting bro-in-law 😀
I can’t wait to see Ik-jun’s reaction when he finally know that her baby sister is dating Jun-wan who is famous of having a lot of short-term girlfriends.
Yeah, but how sweet was that phone call with Ik Sun – he was totally giddy & melting! IJ would probably be ok but also threaten to beat him up? He looked totally crushed when Dr Ahn said IS was still hurt from her last break-up.
Actually, I\’ve shared this quotes around 2 years ago when My Ajusshi was airing. But re-reading the novel, I found this scarily relevant to what we have to do in this challenging situation. So, here it is. A wise statement from Amber, one of my favorite female character in Mad Ship by Robin Hobb. I always remember Amber for her astute observation, sharp questions, and her courage to always point out the uncomfortable truth everyone tried to pretend away.
Everyone thinks that courage is about facing death without flinching.But almost anyone can do that. Almost anyone can hold their breath and not scream for as long as it takes to die. True courage is facing life without flinching. I don’t mean the times when the right path is hard, but glorious at the end. I’m talking about enduring the boredom, and the messiness, and the inconvenience of doing what is right.
And also, a worthy reminder for us all.
Stop using every mistake you make as an excuse to fail completely.
Remember when Jeong-won protested about how fast Jun-wan eat whenever they ate together? Maybe this is the reason. You should blame young Ik-jun and Seok-hyeong, Jeong-won-ah. 🤭🤭🤭
Another BTS goodies from #HiByeMama. This particular scene is quite bittersweet in the drama, but the rehearsal and preparation are such a riot.
[Lee Kyu-hyung is, once again, trying to find a better position for his scene with Go Bo-gyeol. He lifted her in fireman carry and argued that it was the most comfortable for both of them, while she played along and \’drunkenly\’ waved her hand towards her new unnies]
[Lee Kyu-hyung (while looking at Go Bo-gyeol): \”Yuri, walk. You can walk by yourself.\”
Go Bo-gyeol: \”I\’m not Yuri… ㅠㅠ\”
She then asked the cameramen responsible for shooting the BTS videos if they captured that moment. Lee Kyu-hyung is all flustered, trying to explain that he said that because he saw Yu-ri still sitting on the stair.
The PD then took pity and saved him by saying that he just trying to be funny. ㅋㅋㅋ]
[The cast are discussing about what can someone in Kang-hwa\’s position do if situation like this happened for real. Shin Dong-mi (Hyun-jung) quipped that if Lee Kyu-hyung really said things like in the 2nd GIF, he would die for sure. Go Bo-gyeol agreed and told him that she would feel hurt.
Lee Kyu-hyung: I\’m also sorry… hiing…
He slunk away, making the ladies burst out laughing.]
The production team knows precisely what I want. Lee Kyu-hyung always looks great with kids. And this special BTS collection is no different.
[Aww… I love the way he softly said \”You\’ve worked hard,\” to the baby]
[daddy Kang-hwa is pissy at too-cute-and-playful Seo-woo ㅋㅋㅋ]
[Daddy Kang-hwa who turn into a jukebox for Seo-woo\’s sake. \”Baby Shark ddu~ ru~ ru~ ddu~ ru~\”]
The production team must know that we, the viewers, are quite desperate for more sweetness between Kang-hwa and Min-jung because we got a rare peek at the BTS of their scenes. Enjoy!!
[Lee Kyu-hyung is trying to find a different pose so that their walk together doesn\’t feel too awkward. When Go Bo-gyeol questioned his suggestion, he laughingly said \”I don\’t know how a couple normally use an umbrella together.\”]
[He suggested for them to walk while linking arm, and Go Bo-gyeol teasingly protested that she wouldn\’t want to do that since she is preparing for a divorce. Lee Kyu-hyung: \”Shouldn\’t you pretend that there\’s nothing wrong while preparing for that, instead?\”]
I guess it wouldn’t make much sense for them to link arms cuz we’ve never seen much physical affection between them but even just sharing the umbrella makes my heart flutter.
I\’m celebrating the budding friendship between Yu-ri and Min-jung. The ship sail, everyone! And judging from Seo-woo\’s bright grin, the little girl definitely approves of this new development.
Love it! Minjeong doesn’t seem like the friendly type although she is a kind person so it’s nice to see her interactions with Yuri. I’m tired of people talking crap behind her. It’s also nice to see her smiling.
gadis | Going through my lo~~ng to-watch list 📝
August 5, 2020 at 12:51 AM
30 Days Book Challenge
Day 3: Your favorite series
Okay, I love series, and I probably can list more than 20 series in one go. Which would be cheating. Heh.
So I’m going to pick my most recent discovery, instead. Megan Whalen Turner’s The Queen’s Thief series. Enigmatic characters, complicated plot, clever twist, and dangerously fun adventures. A satisfying fantasy take on kingdom politics and intrigues.
Day 4: Favorite book of your favorite series
The 3rd book: The King of Attolia. Nothing is as satisfying as watching everyone underestimated your favorite hero exactly like you did during the first book, knowing that the revelation was going to be just as rewarding the second time around.
meowingme
August 5, 2020 at 3:06 AM
Your post reminds me that the sixth book is going to be released sometime this year, time for a reread ^^
gadis | Going through my lo~~ng to-watch list 📝
August 5, 2020 at 3:12 AM
Exactly. I’m too excited. ^^
miss h
August 5, 2020 at 8:44 AM
This is my favorite book series too! I love all of the books but The King of Attolia was my favorite for the same reason. I loved how it all built up to the ending where everyone realized that their whiny, lazy king was the real deal.
The dialogue is so smart, smarter than me lol. I’ve had to reread in order to take it all in.
gadis | Going through my lo~~ng to-watch list 📝
August 5, 2020 at 12:30 AM
30 Days Book Challenge
Day 2: A book that you’ve read more than 3 times
This one is easy.
Jodi Picoult’s Nineteen Minutes. I bawled like a baby whenever I re-read it. I know it’s not her best book to date, but it’s the one that touched me the deepest. I still don’t know what makes me willing to go through all those pain over and over again.
egads aka Dame Maggie
August 5, 2020 at 4:55 AM
Sometimes you just need an external, but familiar, trigger for a good cry.
gadis | Going through my lo~~ng to-watch list 📝
August 5, 2020 at 12:24 AM
30 Days Book Challenge
Day 1: Best book you read last year
I kinda want to cheat and answer The Tawny Man series because I love everything about it. The adventure, friendship, romance, life lesson, even the it-sucks-being-an-adult stuff. It’s not that easy to get a fantasy stories revolved around a 30 something hero, and this series get an extra point just for how well it handled it.
But if I have to pick one book, it would be the final novel: Fool’s Fate. The uncertainty of change and the hopefulness that surrounded it, the lesson about facing your pain and seizing happiness for yourself, and the notion about boundless love. It was a near perfect conclusion for this epic tale.
beffels
August 5, 2020 at 11:59 AM
Oh I loved these! I haven’t been as into Robin Hobbs latest but these were great.
gadis | Going through my lo~~ng to-watch list 📝
June 9, 2020 at 4:34 AM
A breakdown scene never felt this raw and painful. It was short compared to many other similar scenes in k-dramas. But I couldn’t shake off the feeling of intruding into someone’s very private moment. So private and in secret that it almost like Jang-hyun himself is hiding his breakdown episode from his own self.
Sigh… It’s impossible to hate this guy.
#MatrimonialChaos
mugyuljoie
June 9, 2020 at 7:07 AM
One of my favorite dramas. I’m still obsessed with the river crossing and the powerful bond between the women.
gadis | Going through my lo~~ng to-watch list 📝
June 9, 2020 at 7:43 AM
That stone bridge across the river is just beautiful and atmospheric. Especially at night when characters just standing there mulling over their convoluted thoughts and feelings.
mugyuljoie
June 9, 2020 at 9:14 AM
It drove me to pester our Beanie from Korean Dramaland for locations so I could at least virtually visit the crossing location.
SnarkyJellyfish
June 9, 2020 at 8:52 AM
This show was so beautifully complex and the characters were so fully realized – I think it was easy to write them all off for different reasons at the start, but by the end you really were rooting for all of them to find happiness. But Son Seok-koo really hit it out of the park with this character – I somehow wanted to strangle him and give him a hug. And he was so expressive, not just with his face but with his movements.
Eazal
June 9, 2020 at 9:33 AM
As always, SSK stealing the show, although all four leads were amazing.
Jenmole ☁️☁️
June 9, 2020 at 6:00 PM
A hidden gem this show was. A great cast was a plus.
gadis | Going through my lo~~ng to-watch list 📝
May 31, 2020 at 1:09 AM
This is such a memorable scene.
We, adults, like to pretend that we know everything. When in fact, sometimes, it was those kids who actually see things more clearly. It’s unfortunate that most often than not, we are the one who introduce them to the harmful prejudices that has plagued our lives longer than we realized.
#MatrimonialChaos
gadis | Going through my lo~~ng to-watch list 📝
May 18, 2020 at 7:33 AM
30 Days Drama Challenge
Day 18: Drama with SLS
I\’m one of those logical romcom watcher who always cheer for the male lead that the female lead likes and chooses to pursue. In another words, SLS is an almost unheard-of concept for me. But if we were to broaden the meaning of SLS from \”cheering for the wrong person to get the love of their heart\” into \”getting much more invested in the second lead\’s story despite their flaws\”, then I have the perfect answer for that.
Extraordinary You\’s Baek Kyung, actually I\’m still not so sure if me following your story closely to the very end should be attributed to the character himself (who was admittedly one of the more complex and relatable character in the drama) or the actor who brought this arrogant high schooler with hidden vulnerabilities to life (Lee Jae-wook!! 😍😍)
MeloMe
May 18, 2020 at 8:44 AM
Heh so you are like me. I, too, always root for the main guy except for an exception or two.
WishfulToki
May 18, 2020 at 9:16 AM
Same! I’ve only had 2-3 cases of SLS.
Also Baek-kyung was by far the more interesting guy in EY. I was so happy to see Lee Jae Wook in a bubbly smiling role afterwards though. He also stole every scene in his next drama.
CindyMahri
May 18, 2020 at 9:49 AM
Baek Kyung was the only reason I even went through watching EY until the finale. For the life of me I find the leads’ romance boring. Haha
uzistar
May 18, 2020 at 11:19 AM
Haha me too. When I was watching this drama, I was wondering why I can’t hate Baek Kyung and was still somehow rooting for him despite him being so mean to Dan Oh. I thought maybe because he seemed troubled but nice inside. Or maybe because I just finished watching Search: WWW then 😆
gadis | Going through my lo~~ng to-watch list 📝
May 17, 2020 at 6:44 AM
30 Days Drama Challenge
Day 17: Drama that deserved a S2
Probably a very unpopular opinion, but I wanted another season (or two or three) for Life. That drama dealt with the necessity of fundamental change to create a better health system, and by the end of the story, the doctors have only came to that realization. It\’s going to be a long, uphill battle. It would demand enormous effort and strong willpower from all of them to move the change gear, and the ending has only ushered them to that understanding.
There are tons of material to be mined off as the source of the next season\’s stories, be it related to the hospital management issues or exploration of everyone\’s personal life. Given the recent news of Secret Forest\’s second season, I\’m actually a bit more hopeful that Lee Soo-yeon writer-nim will gift us the 2nd season someday. Besides, this drama arguably has the best character for Lee Kyu-hyung, and it would be a treat to watch another 16 eps of Ye Seon-woo living a good life.
PYC
May 17, 2020 at 7:04 AM
Life is such a non-cookie cutter medical drama that by the end of it most characters have been “enlightened”. It could indeed have a season 2 to show their subsequent journey and there are so many characters that we audience care.
Kudo Ran
May 17, 2020 at 8:07 AM
didn’t know I needed a season 2 of Life before your post, I’ll be glad to watch this (and welcome again President Gu on my screen 🙂 )
IamPilgrim
May 17, 2020 at 8:14 AM
It’s been my favorite medical drama.
Eazal
May 17, 2020 at 9:20 AM
Yes a to a second season with it.
Because a second season would also have Lee Jung Hyuk as President. I’m already fainting!!!
wapz
May 17, 2020 at 10:12 AM
I think it wasn’t as popular ratings or buzz wise that is why there were never talks of a season 2 when it surely deserves one. The only medical drama I loved watching. I’m watching Hospital Playlist too but I’m totally skipping the medical parts and that’s what Life avoided. Also I think President Gu is one of the best complex gray character dramaland has seen. At one point he looks good and reasonable, at the other he looks bad until he’s fully revealed. Idk if JSW’s character was the same in Forest of Secrets because if it is then I’m missing a lot. Also LKH just broke hearts ten times more in this show then he normally does lol.
PYC
May 18, 2020 at 6:56 AM
JSW’s character in Forest of Secrets cant be more different from that in life – who due to some brain surgery in his young age doesn’t have emotional engagement. He’s one introvert but calm and superb investigator. President Gu on the other hand is multi-faced, sophisticated and dapper – all his suits in Life look great on him. Just show what a sublime actor he is.
wapz
May 18, 2020 at 9:37 AM
Multi faced is the most appropriate word for President Gu. He definitely is a good actor and Forest of Secrets rests on my should be watched list.
gadis | Going through my lo~~ng to-watch list 📝
May 16, 2020 at 7:00 AM
30 Days Drama Challenge
Day 16: Worst Drama Villain
SPOILER!!!
My vote goes to Trap, because I didn’t know that we watched the story unfolded from the villain’s POV. Needless to say, that was the most disturbing drama-watching experience I’ve had.
P.S. Ajusshi, please come back with a sane drama soon.
purplerain☔
May 16, 2020 at 8:53 AM
I want a season 2 of trap
gadis | Going through my lo~~ng to-watch list 📝
May 16, 2020 at 6:08 PM
You must be one of the drama’s intended audience. Meanwhile, here I was, heaving a sigh of relief when Trap finally aired its final eps.
purplerain☔
May 17, 2020 at 2:03 AM
Hahaha. I really liked the plot twist.
gadis | Going through my lo~~ng to-watch list 📝
May 14, 2020 at 6:22 AM
30 Days Drama Challenge
Day 14: Underrated Drama
It’s hard to pick one, but I’ll go with Friend, Our Legend. An old 2009 noir drama that depicted long-lasting friendship and its eventual death in all its painful details. It was a gritty and devastating story about the pain of growing up and carving your own path in the unforgiving world. It was a memorable tale of sweet childhood, exuberant youth, and jaded adulthood.
And personally, I think more people need to watch Hyun Bin playing a quiet, non-chaebol character whose silent rage towards the unfairness in his life slowly ate him up inside. He totally killed it here, bringing a new depth to his acting. Something that I want to see once more.
bbstl
May 14, 2020 at 7:32 AM
Wow, what an interesting choice. I count myself as HB’s #1 fan so probably I should watch it again too.
gadis | Going through my lo~~ng to-watch list 📝
May 8, 2020 at 6:34 AM
30 Days Drama Challenge
Day 8: Worst NOTP
I thought I would skip on today\’s challenge because I\’ve been lucky enough to drop dramas with potentially problematic OTP long before it reached the half point. And then I remembered that one drama where I did my hardest defending and cheering for the OTP, only for the lead male to go on a nonsensical year-long separation with all communication cut out. Then he came back to his one and only love all convinced that losing life is preferable than living with disability. Like, WHAT?!?! Yes, I\’m talking about you two, Yeo-reum and Soo-yeon from Fox Bride Star. That was the first time I balked at the finale eps reunion, shouted \”No!\” to my screen, then proceeded to write long angry rant and un-favorite that drama from my shows page.
(Yeah, I\’m also crying, Yeo-reum, but definitely not out of joy.)
SnarkyJellyfish
May 8, 2020 at 8:12 AM
Yeah…I literally just did not watch the last episode because this drama devolved into nonsense and I was so mad at all the wasted potential.
Eazal
May 8, 2020 at 1:06 PM
I quitted on episode 15. Then realized it was episode 15 and basically FF the whole final episode.
I hated this so much. I hated ML so much.
The “one year later” didn’t make sense (well, like anything in the show did 🙄).
I have anger issues with this show.
SnarkyJellyfish
May 8, 2020 at 1:15 PM
SAME. I watched episode 15, saw the fanwall the next day and noped out of the last episode. I was like, I do not need to waste an hour on this nonsense. I did watch a few clips of the security couple on youtube, but that’s it. This drama was such a trainwreck by the end that I was sad that these amazing actors were stuck with such nonsense.
💜 Book 7: Sicarius The Queen of Melonia and The Ube Melona 💜
May 8, 2020 at 2:18 PM
This drama was the literal definition of Thematic Suicide. It just blew a giant frakking hole in everything it implied it was going to do and could’ve done and it wasn’t JBL or Radiant Office, that kept the heart of their stories despite the rocky finish, at least not for me; FBS just obliterated the whole thing with that ending.
mugyuljoie
May 8, 2020 at 6:00 PM
Security Couple was the only OTP.
Eazal
May 9, 2020 at 1:17 AM
Kim Kyung Nam was the main reason I finished this drama.
saturtledaisy
May 9, 2020 at 3:38 AM
I’m still mad at this drama. What COULD have been. My girl Chae Soobin deserved better. Ironically, it’s probably one of her better rating dramas to date.
gadis | Going through my lo~~ng to-watch list 📝
May 7, 2020 at 6:26 AM
30 Days Drama Challenge
Day 7: Best OTP
Technically, there are so many other dramas that has great OTP, but Na-ri and Hwa-shin from Jealousy Incarnate is still the last couple that reassured me that romcom used to be so much fun. I miss the times when romcom is hilarious and heart-fluttering, yet still full of important messages. When exploring all the facets (even the silly and the ugly) of a romantic relationship is the main drive of the story. When writer doesn\’t need to inject an ill-fitted thriller to move the story forward.
Hwa-shin and Na-ri are as unconventional as a couple can be. They are always unapologetically them during all the phases of their relationship: from medical check up \”dates\” to impromptu dance of love. They make slice-of-life super exciting, turn potentially bloody love triangle into something hilarious, face the heavy issues sensitively but with their good humor still intact, and retain their complex personality well after they\’ve became an official couple.
It\’s 2020. Seo Sook-hyang writer-nim, don\’t you think it\’s time to come back with another romcom full of witty, bizarrely make sense, and superb dialogues? Because I\’m desperate of one now.
wapz
May 7, 2020 at 7:37 AM
Jealousy Incarnate!!! ❤️
The last show that made me wait for the episodes was Be Melodramatic and before that was Jealousy Incarnate. Writers have seriously forgotten that rom coms used to have good comedy too. And well the comedy in JI is spot on and it’s the only show I’d like to rewatch. I was kind of disappointed with Wok of Love but most people who continued watching it said that it was in line with what SSH has previously written. Hence, JI was rather only different. I just wish she writes more like JI often. We don’t get laugh out loud wacky comedy much anyway.
BC
May 7, 2020 at 8:52 AM
He had breast cancer though. It wasn’t a thriller but as we know cancer is one of the worst serial killers out there.
gadis | Going through my lo~~ng to-watch list 📝
May 7, 2020 at 4:24 PM
That, he is. But I like the way the drama dealt with it. In another drama it would be a full-blown melo. But here, there’s a good balance of seriousness and good humor. Everything felt very slice-of-life. Like something that could happen in everyone’s lives and they showed us how to deal with it well.
BC
May 7, 2020 at 10:47 PM
I didn’t put an emoji of sarcasm but I liked this when it aired maybe I’ll rewatch one day if I like still like it.
gadis | Going through my lo~~ng to-watch list 📝
May 8, 2020 at 12:40 AM
Oh, oops… That’s the peril of written conversation, I guess.
isa: I'm not a serial killer I'm just really passionate about things
May 7, 2020 at 8:59 AM
I love this drama! I love him in his glasses and her, “dont let other people see you in your glasses!” I love him trying to sleep with her when the 3 of them are all living together when she’s trying to “make up her mind”. I love the bromance (stop mid-fight to assure themselves that they are still best friend!)
I love that first kiss when they both assure themselves that they are horrible people–but they couldn’t stop themselves anyway.
Their chemistry is OFF. THE. WALL
gadis | Going through my lo~~ng to-watch list 📝
May 7, 2020 at 4:26 PM
That bromance and romantic rivalry that gave us the best childish mud fight. That was epic. I love everything about this drama.
Kudo Ran
May 7, 2020 at 11:26 AM
HwaShin that guy so jealous that he’s jealous of their son haha 😂
that drama was a nice one 🙂
(Jo Jung Seok with glasses though 😍 !)
gadis | Going through my lo~~ng to-watch list 📝
May 6, 2020 at 5:03 PM
30 Days Drama Challenge
Day 6: Best Female Lead
At first, I didn\’t plan on participating in this challenge. Because how am I supposed to choose 1 from 200 something drama I\’ve watched for years??
But reading today\’s theme, I felt that I should give Oh Min-jung from Hi Bye, Mama! a shout, if only because a nice yet complicated second female lead is still a rare gem in dramaland. And also because she stood tall, calmly and quietly disproving the infamous stereotype about evil step mother. I love her with all my heart. And I still wish the writer treated her better.
Katakwasabi is PPL Queen 👸🏻
May 6, 2020 at 5:19 PM
Oh!! She has my heart~~~ I rooted for Minjung from day 1. She’s lovely, loving and so so nice.
Eazal
May 7, 2020 at 4:15 AM
Thank you for this!!!
She was, for me, the centre of the whole drama.
After all… who is SeoWoo’s mum?
gadis | Going through my lo~~ng to-watch list 📝
April 17, 2020 at 4:38 AM
These two\’s brand of constant bickering is just so funny. I love how Song-hwa is the only one who can shut Jun-wan up whenever he started to rant and nag about everything. 🤭🤭
#HospitalPlaylist
Lotus
April 17, 2020 at 5:09 AM
I loooooooove the episode this week <3
And YES! Their scenes are so much fun to watch.
I'm so happy to have JKH on my screen every week ;A; that hair pulling scene with JJS was hilarious. I loved the ruffled look on JKH XD
frabbycrabsis
April 17, 2020 at 5:29 AM
These two are my favourites.
You can tell Jun-wan loves Song-hwa so much, they’re just platonic goals.
sirena
April 17, 2020 at 6:58 AM
I love the friendship of these characters 🙂
parkchuna
April 17, 2020 at 8:34 AM
Out of the 3 who rushed to ask her result, Jun Wan’s scene is my favorite. And omo..that fight with Ik Jun,,he just lost it when IJ kept promoting bro-in-law 😀
gadis | Going through my lo~~ng to-watch list 📝
April 17, 2020 at 8:45 AM
I can’t wait to see Ik-jun’s reaction when he finally know that her baby sister is dating Jun-wan who is famous of having a lot of short-term girlfriends.
parkchuna
April 17, 2020 at 8:51 AM
Yeah, but how sweet was that phone call with Ik Sun – he was totally giddy & melting! IJ would probably be ok but also threaten to beat him up? He looked totally crushed when Dr Ahn said IS was still hurt from her last break-up.
MeloMe
April 17, 2020 at 1:33 PM
I knowww!!! That sceenne was a sooo cuuute. Squeeeaall😆😆
CindyMahri
April 17, 2020 at 10:52 AM
Loved these scenes too!!! HAHAHA
gadis | Going through my lo~~ng to-watch list 📝
April 8, 2020 at 12:15 AM
A cute GIF set to brighten your days, beanies.
\”How to spend your time with Dad at shooting location\” by our cutie pie Seo-woo.
1. Playing rock-paper-scissor
2. Playing arm wrestle (p.s. it\’s also a good way to learn acting from Dad 😉)
3. Playing peek-a-boo (plus Dad teasing Seo-woo by calling him \”old man\” 🤭)
#HiByeMamaBTS
gadis | Going through my lo~~ng to-watch list 📝
April 5, 2020 at 1:51 AM
Ahjumma April
Actually, I\’ve shared this quotes around 2 years ago when My Ajusshi was airing. But re-reading the novel, I found this scarily relevant to what we have to do in this challenging situation. So, here it is. A wise statement from Amber, one of my favorite female character in Mad Ship by Robin Hobb. I always remember Amber for her astute observation, sharp questions, and her courage to always point out the uncomfortable truth everyone tried to pretend away.
And also, a worthy reminder for us all.
Fighting, everyone! We can do this.
gadis | Going through my lo~~ng to-watch list 📝
April 3, 2020 at 1:28 AM
Remember when Jeong-won protested about how fast Jun-wan eat whenever they ate together? Maybe this is the reason. You should blame young Ik-jun and Seok-hyeong, Jeong-won-ah. 🤭🤭🤭
#HospitalPlaylist
parkchuna
April 3, 2020 at 3:37 AM
damn that ramyun looks so goood!
mmmmm
April 3, 2020 at 4:01 AM
Now I understand when someone told me that everything a person does has reasons behind it.
gadis | Going through my lo~~ng to-watch list 📝
March 24, 2020 at 6:59 AM
Another BTS goodies from #HiByeMama. This particular scene is quite bittersweet in the drama, but the rehearsal and preparation are such a riot.
[Lee Kyu-hyung is, once again, trying to find a better position for his scene with Go Bo-gyeol. He lifted her in fireman carry and argued that it was the most comfortable for both of them, while she played along and \’drunkenly\’ waved her hand towards her new unnies]
[Lee Kyu-hyung (while looking at Go Bo-gyeol): \”Yuri, walk. You can walk by yourself.\”
Go Bo-gyeol: \”I\’m not Yuri… ㅠㅠ\”
She then asked the cameramen responsible for shooting the BTS videos if they captured that moment. Lee Kyu-hyung is all flustered, trying to explain that he said that because he saw Yu-ri still sitting on the stair.
The PD then took pity and saved him by saying that he just trying to be funny. ㅋㅋㅋ]
[The cast are discussing about what can someone in Kang-hwa\’s position do if situation like this happened for real. Shin Dong-mi (Hyun-jung) quipped that if Lee Kyu-hyung really said things like in the 2nd GIF, he would die for sure. Go Bo-gyeol agreed and told him that she would feel hurt.
Lee Kyu-hyung: I\’m also sorry… hiing…
He slunk away, making the ladies burst out laughing.]
gadis | Going through my lo~~ng to-watch list 📝
March 19, 2020 at 1:07 AM
The production team knows precisely what I want. Lee Kyu-hyung always looks great with kids. And this special BTS collection is no different.
[Aww… I love the way he softly said \”You\’ve worked hard,\” to the baby]
[daddy Kang-hwa is pissy at too-cute-and-playful Seo-woo ㅋㅋㅋ]
[Daddy Kang-hwa who turn into a jukebox for Seo-woo\’s sake. \”Baby Shark ddu~ ru~ ru~ ddu~ ru~\”]
#HiByeMama
Eazal
March 19, 2020 at 7:18 AM
He just looks amazing.
Full stop.
We only need him.
Ayan
March 19, 2020 at 2:43 PM
Adorable!
gadis | Going through my lo~~ng to-watch list 📝
March 17, 2020 at 3:19 AM
The production team must know that we, the viewers, are quite desperate for more sweetness between Kang-hwa and Min-jung because we got a rare peek at the BTS of their scenes. Enjoy!!
[Lee Kyu-hyung is trying to find a different pose so that their walk together doesn\’t feel too awkward. When Go Bo-gyeol questioned his suggestion, he laughingly said \”I don\’t know how a couple normally use an umbrella together.\”]
[He suggested for them to walk while linking arm, and Go Bo-gyeol teasingly protested that she wouldn\’t want to do that since she is preparing for a divorce. Lee Kyu-hyung: \”Shouldn\’t you pretend that there\’s nothing wrong while preparing for that, instead?\”]
#HiByeMamaBTS
earthna
March 17, 2020 at 7:39 AM
My hearttttttt
BdxPelik
March 17, 2020 at 3:01 PM
I guess it wouldn’t make much sense for them to link arms cuz we’ve never seen much physical affection between them but even just sharing the umbrella makes my heart flutter.
kiara
March 17, 2020 at 7:39 PM
My ship lol.
Eazal
March 19, 2020 at 8:44 AM
Whenever I walk with someone under an umbrella I always link arms, it’s the only way not to get wet!!
gadis | Going through my lo~~ng to-watch list 📝
March 17, 2020 at 2:30 AM
I\’m celebrating the budding friendship between Yu-ri and Min-jung. The ship sail, everyone! And judging from Seo-woo\’s bright grin, the little girl definitely approves of this new development.
#HiByeMama
earthna
March 17, 2020 at 7:41 AM
Love it! Minjeong doesn’t seem like the friendly type although she is a kind person so it’s nice to see her interactions with Yuri. I’m tired of people talking crap behind her. It’s also nice to see her smiling.