Beanie level: Fan club president

The one thing I don’t get about Mouse is this constant reference to a blossoming love between Ba-reum, a policeman in his 20s/30s, and Bong-yi, a high schooler. I don’t think the show actually plans to go there, but errr…what? Why is this even a thing that is a thing in the show?

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Update: After all that whining on this post (https://www.dramabeans.com/activity/p/1214277/), I have been offered an internship with the employer in question! 🎉 This is by no means an easy success story. I’ve been recruiting for 6 months, interviews began 3 months ago. I’ve submitted 30+ applications, only had 3 interview invitations and one actual offer.

The pros are that this is exactly the kind of work experience I wanted from the internship, it’s an employer I’m genuinely interested in and may want to return to if I am given an offer to stay on (I submitted a lot of applications because I had to, not because I wanted to), and my interactions with the folks at the company have been great! Cons: They’ll pay a little over half of what the other companies I interviewed with, would have paid. Pros: It means I’ll actually have a life, be able to write and watch dramas.

Thanks for all the encouragement folks. <3

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    Yay, Greenie!!! I’m so glad, and so happy for you!! And thanks for sharing your experience with rejection, too. It gives hope to people like me who are also applying for things!

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      If I may ask, what are you applying to? (No pressure to share)
      All the very best! Ugh – tell me about it, rejections are hard.

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    I knew that would happen! Congratulations!

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    Yay! Congratulations Greenie!

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    Congratulations!!

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    Congratulations Greenfields! 😀

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    Congratulations!

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    Congrats!

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    Congratulations @greenfield. I knew it would be okay for you in the end

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    What I told you girl! Congratulations.
    Also maybe when i said things work out for you it usually refers to things you share here(because I’m unaware of your struggles otherwise) . I do believe that positivity begets positivity. And all the encouragement and positive vibes help. Believe in yourself, you’re already one of the most daring people I’ve come across.

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      Thank you! <3 ^^
      "I do believe that positivity begets positivity." – Agreed!

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        This comes from a fairly pessimistic person lol. But things at least work out for me when I shun every negative thought or attach excessive hopes to what I want. That is why I didn’t want to add a “but if it doesn’t work out” to my comment on your post. I’m glad it did work out. Fighting!

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          Hahaha I’m right with you in being fairly pessimistic! As my post-interview post here shows 😀

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    OH G! This such a great news!

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    YAAAAAAY!!! Congratulations!!!

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    Congrats! This is good!
    It’s tough to find balance between work and life, so sometimes earning less, even if it’s an inconvenient (we all work for a salary, at least me!) you can have some other rewards.
    I hope this is the first step you need!

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      Very true! And salary wise, this is in any case a monumental leap for me hahaha, so I really can’t complain

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    Great news!

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    @greenfields Congratulations!!!!!!!!

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    I rarely have time to be here, so your story slipped under my radar, but yay! Congratulations!🎉
    I remember your encouragement when I was jobhunting and figuring things out years ago, so I hope I can return the favor now! Go Greenfields Go! 🥳

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    Congrats to you. Have fun at work!

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    Thank you for the update! Im so glad that things are turning oit! Experience and being where you want to be is worth so much more than money. Congratulations! Congratulations!

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      This! Money may pay the rent but it’s worthless when you are constantly challenged by not being where you want to be and are not enjoying the experience.

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        Agreed. This is very true. I think that finding a balance is hard – I’ve for some reason, found it very hard to earn money? Because I was previously in a profession where it was acceptable to not pay juniors (they were to acquire their own clients while ‘learning’ from a senior aka slaving for them), I value the opportunity to earn more a little disproportionately. But I fully get what you mean.

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#Navillera is so good. The depiction of Chae-rok’s possible depression, the limitations of old age, the potential for friendship, family and healing regardless of one’s age, and the universal message of allowing one another to just be who we are, and so much more. The first two eps definitely moved me. I’m fully invested in these characters and their lives. Storytelling at its finest.

Also, as a Song Kang-focused aside, he is – I think – maybe overdoing some of his acting. From expressionless most of the time, to outraged when he learns he has to teach Deok-chul – the difference between the two states is too vast. But he’s totally won my heart here as well! Could perhaps be my new favorite actor? (among the younger ones)

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    I really like this drama, too! So far, anyway.

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      My only complaint: I hope they don’t introduce a romantic plotline involving Chae-rok and Deok-chul’s granddaughter. I just want Chae-rok and Deok-chul to be friends/surrogate family, without any of the complications coming from a relationship between Chae-rok and Deok-chul. (Also, does every drama need a romantic subplot?)

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        coming from a relationship between Chae-rok and Deok-chul’s granddaughter***

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    I can tell this one is going to be a gem.

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Just bombed an interview with an employer I was super excited about. My heart is broken – as is my pride. Definitely currently in the big fall phase of the saying, “after a big high, comes a big fall” (or however it goes). Must be the first person with a full tuition scholarship at a top tier uni/school (& I do mean pretty well known) who can’t even get an *internship* LOL

Note here, LOL = Life Over, Loser! The worst part is I keep thinking maybe it will still work out. It’s not like it was a bad interview. It just wasn’t a great one either. This is the final round, I’m so close.

SO I’m going to try and borrow positive vibes from the universe and think positively. Which next involves me drowning my sorrows in the visuals of a sweaty and muscular Song Kang who is releasing his forehead in the beautiful Navillera. (And I do not mean that in a creepy way, more like, at least my eyes are happy even if the rest of me is sad)

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    Hopefully one of those times when we think we bombed, but the other person is thinking how well we did.
    Enjoy your visuals (watching later tonight) and good luck.

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      Thanks Beverly 🙂 I really appreciate the words of encouragement.
      My interviewer (essentially the manager for the team I’d have worked with) ended it with, “Good luck! I hope it works out. If it doesn’t, then I’m sure you’ll do well at anything you touch.” – since she’s the one deciding whether or not I make the cut, I’m guessing that ending means its a no. BUT positive thoughts. Positive thoughts.

      Hope everything has been well with you?

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        I’m sure you’ll do well at anything you touch.

        Sounds like a pretty great compliment nonetheless. It sounds like she sees your talent and worth and that if not with her company, then someone else will snatch you up! Sometimes the best place for you is not exactly where you would pick first. Do you mind telling us what kind of internship it is?

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          Thanks Ally. On reviewing the interview questions, I’m fairly certain I did a poor job in my responses. XD But I do appreciate it. It’s a commercial strategy internship at a Fortune 100.

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    Hey @greenfields, it’s going to be alright. I’m really sorry that you had a bad interview. You are in a really good university so I’m sure more opportunities will come your way.

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    As little as I know you, I think even if things are going left they work out for you because you were brave enough to take that step. I must be totally wrong but that’s what I have observed. So don’t lose hope.

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    Best of luck! If this doesn’t work out, you will find the right place and opportunity. In the meantime, enjoy the forehead and the muscles.

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    @greenfields I believe that it will work out and that you have landed your dream job 🙂

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      I’m going to borrow this belief sirena! As I go in for the final interview with them later today. Thanks!

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    Sending you lots of good vibes! I’m sure it’ll work out, and if this isn’t the one that is meant to be, I’m sure the universe has something bigger and better waiting in the wings for you.

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    Sending positive thoughts your way. 🙂

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I really like Mouse? Its proving to be quite a bit of fun? Also I think they\’re misdirecting us with the focus on the young doc – hoping to see Lee Seunggi finally play a villain.

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    I like it too. Things seem too straightforward right now, so I think there will be lots of twists, hopefully one being villainous Lee Seung-gi.

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    I like it too (I haven’t had a chance to see episode 4 yet so I am avoiding social media). I’m sure it’s misdirection because it seems way too early otherwise – but then maybe they want us to think it’s misdirection 😅 I’m overly suspicious of everything.

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    I hope they dont backtrack and make LSG a hero once again.

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Perhaps only @smaltwalt and I will be interested, but this cover of EXO’s “Growl” is good! I feel like Golden Child expressed the song so well – it’s well suited to their vocals and rap.

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    A really good performance overall! The most surprising thing is the number of lines Bomin got. LOL.

    Still gotta say that, as a diehard EXO-L, I prefer the original. But that doesn’t minimize the fact that this, too, is good.

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Er..this Ji Soo situation is mind-numbing. The allegations are insane and terrible. So heartbroken.

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#FanStatus Updated 2/2

So err…something unthinkable has happened. Until about a year ago, I refused to even remotely consider idols past ~94 liners as bias material. Like, that’s just weird! Too much younger than me (I’m clearly a few years over the ~94 line). But lately, I’ve been getting into Golden Child, and the utter unthinkable has happened: A younger than ~94 line bias has found me. ’99 line to be exact: Hong Joochan. Just look at him, this is clearly a kid!

Anyway, apart from rudely standing out to this ahjumma noona, he also plays the piano, violin and guitar, composes a little, forms 1/2 of the main vocal duo of the group; and is one of the two most confident, hilarious on variety guys of an already hilarious 10 member team. I would say I do bias all the members of the group, but one just particularly stands out, so he’s a bias among biases? Weird.

That apart, Golcha have delicious melodies and gorgeous vocals. I’m not otherwise a fan of songs such as this one below (‘Don’t Run Away’). They usually seem too generic to me. But here’s Golcha taking something I don’t usually love and turning it into something I can’t put away.

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    I’ve decided not to care about my age and biases anymore. I’m so much older than all the idols unless I want to dive into Sechs Kies.
    I’m not crushing on them anyway, which I think is what made me feel weird about it when I first got into kpop. I had some idea that was a big part of it. 🤦‍♀️
    But Taemin is my bias cause I find him so freaking talented, love his music, and he makes me laugh. 🤷‍♀️

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      I think what you say makes sense. There’s no way I’m crushing on a ’99 liner, but..I guess..I’m so conscious of that age gap that it feels weird. But now that I write it out here, it seems like an absurd to thing to waste my time on. Like you, I’m just enjoying the guy’s talent, loving his voice and laughing at his antics in variety – pretty much just being entertained. So he’s doing a good job. That’s pretty harmless. Okay I feel better now hahaha

      Also, Taemin is all of those things and more, for sure!

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    Poor Suga.

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      I think after nearly 3.25 years, it’s time for Suga to let me go! T_T T_T
      But honestly that’s not happening. It’s Suga at #1, then everyone else. But Joochan is a definite bias too!

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#FanStatus Update 1/2

I’m a huge fan of BTS. Love their music, lyrics, performances, variety, camera personalities and so much more. Love Suga, especially Suga. Their music and message pushed me to be honest to myself, helped me find my way out of a seemingly endless phase of depression, stick through a tough job and eventually, to use that experience to begin forging a path towards the kind of career I really want. It’s been incredibly hard and I’m nowhere near where I want to be just yet, I also know I’m quite privileged and lucky – but BTS have very much been part of the journey.

However, I’ve also spent the past 2 years not really liking their musical direction. Because the music itself doesn’t appeal to me anymore, I don’t follow their other promotions either. But then, because I don’t follow their promotions or activities, I begin to forget what I love about them. There’s so much good music and funny variety content out there, it’s easy to get distracted. In the time that’s passed, I’ve found many groups I like, such as BAP, Oneus, Day6, Onewe, Mamamoo and particularly, lately, Golden Child.

And yet, despite all this, the love lingers quietly under the surface – and occasionally, it explodes in a burst of emotion. When a song like Black Swan, or Blue & Grey, comes out, when a cover like this one, Coldplay’s “Fix You” comes out, I remember why I love them so much; and of just how much I love them. Honestly speaking, I may never love another artist as much as I love this septet.

Because I’ve been struggling a bit with job hunting/applications/interviews lately (hey, drastic career pivots were never meant to be easy!), I’ve been thinking more and more about how I found myself in this (fortunate) situation; and among other things BTS come to mind. They released this cover of Fix You last night, which is why you get this long, ramble-y post about my feelings.

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    I have not been following them from the beginning but I have read up on them now.

    If people don’t see what their plan is, I just don’t know what to say.

    They are explicit in wanting to grow and expand, to literally everyone.

    They want a Grammy. They have never made that a secret. They know Dynamite is a test to see if they can get one. They only got 2 nominations. They are not happy. They are regrouping to make their dream happen.

    I just do not understand some people who seem to get a group is only going to make to commit to a niche group and not want to welcome others.

    Make it make sense.

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      They are definitely ambitious. I think it is partly why their music has evolved over time and moved closer to the Western mainstream.

      I don’t know that the musical choices were completely theirs, though. I think, lurking behind them, is their even more ambitious CEO, who is a super savvy businessman and who has milked BTS as BigHit’s cash cow (at this point, I’ve lost track of how many smaller outfits BigHit has acquired). I think Bang realizes that he hit on something ineffably special with BTS, something that really speaks to a lot people, and he’s leveraging them to full effect. Thus, TXT, a decent but not particularly remarkable group IMO, has been steadily riding on BTS’s coattails and has managed to build a strong foundation in their own right.

      I also think BTS probably feels some pressure from the expectations others have for them. They are now seen as exponents of Korean music, and the path they are paving is important for junior artists and probably has some importance even from a wider cultural perspective.

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        But…Bang is not saavy, he got really lucky. He and his partner were bankrupt before scouting and putting these seven together and then when they did, the group went over like a lead balloon, especially with the cultural appropriation and they were rightly called on it. It wasn’t until they got to LA where the real culture shock came in and if they wanted any longevity, something needed the change and those kids were to ones to speak up first about it. I will say this for them, when they are told something ain’t clicking and is offensive (RM was notorious for his ‘blacent’ in the beginning), they go listen and regroup which is why they work now on a global scale, they want any and everyone to know who they are. BTS is the blueprint and if other groups don’t changes their ways, they would be nowhere near where this group is now. If Bang had his way, every group now will be a cultural appropriation mess and would have no mass appeal. This is a business. They are a commodity. There is a shelf life. Full stop.

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          I still cringe when I see Namjoon with that “afro” or would that be considered a high-top fade? Either way, I’m so happy they let all that go.

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          Yes. That shelf life. BigHit and BTS are fully aware of that shelf life. They have been preparing for it for couple of years now. With all the acquisitions, mergers and collaborations of products, BigHit is getting ready for the loss of BTS. The members are aware of that as well. They know their time in the limelight is not forever. I can sense they want to do their own thing now. (SM made a big mistake not preparing EXO for the inevitable. They got caught off guard, they stopped. Their fans never got the proper closure. The members as well.)

          That’s why I mostly agree with the route they are taking music wise. Yes, many of their recent songs are geared toward the West, but it has to since they are catering to the West. Dynamite is definitely a business decision. And it worked out for them so well. They adapted to the pandemic, and made BE and also did their own concerts. I thought Love Yourself series was amazing, and to me, that was their last album that didn’t cater to the West as much.

          They still remain Koreans as ever though. They still promote Korean culture and products. They still do concerts on their own turf. They do promotion while remaining in their country. They don’t let executives in LA dictate who they want to be. And that’s something to be proud of. They are still in control of their own destiny.

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            Not sure to what extent this comment is directed at me vs @larelle79, but, for what it’s worth, I agree a lot with what you’ve said.

            SM never prepares their groups for the inevitable. With EXO, the problem is that they never really gave most of them an opportunity to branch out. I don’t know if this is because they wanted to play up how mysterious they were or if it was an internal decision by members of the group (I’ve heard Minseok say he has a hard time with varieties; on the other hand, lots of members have expressed a desire to do more diverse work in the past, including the usually reticent Kyungsoo), but either way it was a bad move. The result is that, with SM no longer pushing them like mad, they’ve now sort of been left on their own to figure out a path for themselves. Kyungsoo will be fine because he has a solid foothold as an actor. Lay is also well-established in China now, although I’m not really sure if he sees himself as a member of EXO now that years have passed since he last promoted together with them. Baekhyun’s solo music has consistently done alright and he sings a lot of OSTs, so he might be okay as well. But even Baekhyun probably is a bit unsure about where he’s going to go next, and things will be particularly tough since his military service is still pending.

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      I don’t get what you’re saying because possible typo here: “I just do not understand some people who seem to get a group is only going to make to commit to a niche group and not want to welcome others.”

      As for the rest, yup, they want a grammy – they’re so close, why should they not? Yup, the price they’ve paid is some of their artistic uniqueness and charm. To appeal to masses, you can’t be niche. It’s a trade-off. In any case, groups and their music change with time.

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        I didn’t get that part either.
        But I’m starting to understand/feel Cypher 4, Mic Drop, Ddaeng & Ugh on a different level now 😌

        Also some of Namjoon’s specific lines from Persona.

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        Gatekeepers seems to not want groups to evolve and appeal to a wider audience. Your first statement veered towards that.

        This group ain’t surprising anyone with their plans and goals yet some people out here seem to think they know better and want to tell everyone else that.

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    I’m not a fan, either now or before. However, I think their music up to “Blood, Sweat and Tears” was very distinctive and good. However, afterwards, as they became bigger and bigger, their music just started to sound like generic Western pop (at least to me). That’s not necessarily a bad thing; even among mainstream pop music, their music is still probably solid stuff. But it’s not really what brought me to K-pop to begin with. IMO k-pop is really interesting because it is often more musically adventurous and that results in unique songs.

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      agreed, that’s what I don’t like about their recent direction either. But by the time it got to it, they’d already made such a strong impression that I love them regardless 😀 After all, as I mentioned, they got me through something very difficult.

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    I still have a soft spot for them and hope they’re enjoying their lives since it seems like they must work non-stop. Like you, their recent music hasn’t been to my taste except for a few songs. The performances of ON have amazed me and I’ve listened to their Tiny Desk concert on repeat.

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      <3 <3 agreed!

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      I go back to Tiny Desk performance at least once a month. It’s so good. So intimate, and raw to some extent. I hope Someday or One Day, I will get to see them perform in an intimate setting like that. Live.

      I’m also helping their performance tobe the most viewed video in that channel. 🙂

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        Yes to watching them perform in an intimate setting like that one day! That’d be a dream come true.

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    I haven’t liked their music since the 3rd (I think) album. I like them more so than anything else now. I feel your pain.

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Back on DB after ages and I have to say I\’m glad I picked 15th February. Thank you for the beautiful posts for Love February, beanies. I\’ve been having a bit of a rough time at school (in a foreign land amidst a pandemic) and with job hunting (since I\’m making a drastic career pivot) – and reading your posts for the last hour reminds me that the world isn\’t all dark. 💕

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Is Mr Queen possible a BL? Because despite his obviously female body, Jang Bong-hwan is clearly male. And Cheoljong is falling in love with this male.

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    I don’t think it’s really appropriate to put it in just one restrictive category (especially “BL”, which… As an umbrella category I am not a fan of for a number of reasons). I think that’s reductive.

    It’s a show that’s fluid about both gender and sexuality and I think that’s fantastic.

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      That makes sense. I’m interested in how the show will handle this given Kdramas’ more conservative standards. So far the idea seems to be towards a moving to “feminize” the male.

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        Yeah it’s definitely not going as hard with the gender and sexuality stuff as I would like but hey, for a super mainstream kdrama I’m fairly impressed

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    Welcome back. Hope you stayed healthy, wealthy, and wise?

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      Thanks 🙂 I hope all has been well with you?
      As for me, I can’t quite claim to have stayed healthy, wealthy and wise. xd But I’m certainly trying.

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June Photo Challenge
Since this is an open theme, I’m doing “Current Favorites” i.e. favorites from whatever I’m watching/ listening to at the moment.

Day 5: In Red
As much as I enjoy watching this character on screen, I’m still going to pretend eps 17 & 18 never happened. Please let me know when we’re over the noble idiocy and related pain.
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June Photo Challenge
Since this is an open theme, I’ve decided to go with “Current Favorites” i.e. favorites from whatever I’m watching/listening to at the moment.

Day 4: With Food
Of my current watches, my favorite moments with food have to be those around Nuannuan‘s love of hotpot in My Love, Enlighten Me. First of all, Nuannuan (played by Elenor Lee) is one of my favorite heroines ever. She’s a complex character – well written & well acted – and doesn’t take the male lead, Han Che‘s bullshit lying down. Her desires and feelings, especially what she wants from both her career and Han Che, are consistent and explored at depth. I’m not on his side at all, but if she likes him, then I’m 100% in support.

One of her “traits” is her love for hotpot. She even names her cat “hotpot”. The image below is a screenshot from ep 5, part of which revolves around a hotpot dinner at home with all of the show’s young characters. Han Che can be seen sitting away & having a bland meal. As he falls in love with her, Han Che starts to join her in her hotpot meals. It’s a nice, understated touch that shows how much Han Che likes her. Because he now likes Nuannuan, he likes the things she likes, including hotpot.

10/10 want to be a little more like Nuannuan.
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Current Drama Status #79
Over the past month, I\’ve been introduced to the wonderful world of C-dramas. Can\’t believe how many I\’ve completed. You know how it is when you first discovered K-dramas? Binge watch, everything is so refreshing, so much fun! Exactly like that for me, but with C-dramas atm. I\’m losing track of the shows I\’m watching. So here\’s my latest list.

1. (Mon-Tues) Oh My Baby Ep 6. I adore this show! Nearly my favorite thing to air this year.
2. (Mon-Tues) The Romance of Tiger & Rose. Ep 18. Let\’s pretend eps 17 & 18 never happened please.
3. (Wed-Thurs) My Love Enlighten Me. Ep 18. Still not on Han Che\’s side, still fully on Nuannuan\’s side.
4. (Thurs-Sat)Mr. Fox & Ms. Rose Ep 12. CUTE. My favorite of them all so far.
5. (Thurs) Road to Kingdom. Ep 5. They did Golden Child dirty.
6. (Fri) The King: Eternal Monarch. Ep 10. Ugh. How to catch up. The worst of them all.
7. (Fri) Where Your Eyes Linger. Ep 4. BL with so much potential – why is it so short?
8. (Unknown) Fake Princess. Ep 6. Elenaor Lee here as well, other than My Love, Enlighten Me. She\’s really good – like a different person in this show.

Lets not even get into my to-watch list.

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June Photo Challenge
Since this is an open theme, I’ve decided to go with “Current Favorites” i.e. favorites from whatever I’m watching/listening to at the moment.

Day 3: In sunglasses
Here’s one of my favourite moments from one of my favourite dramas, Oh My Baby. In ep 3, Jang Nara as Ha-ri is out shopping with her mom, and absolutely gorgeous; when out of the blue her mom grabs her and uses her as a shield. Mother-daughter relationships ftw. I can totally see my mom doing that to me too.

I tried to find/make a gif video but failed. 🙁 So here’s a photo of Hari looking fab in sunglasses before it happens:
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June Photo Challenge
Since this is an open theme, I’ve decided to go with “Current Favorites” i.e. favorites from whatever I’m watching/listening to at the moment.

Day 2: Selfie
This is a tough one. I couldn’t think of a current favorite selfie at all, so here’s a selfie by a current favorite idol-producer-rapper, Stray Kids’s Changbin. From the first time I heard Stray Kids’ music in 2018 to now, Changbin has always stood out. I’d say he’s amongst the best idol rappers in the industry today. And so, Day 2 goes to Changbin; and beautiful, melodic and sad latest release, “Streetlight” (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oCptmj2gIQ).

10/10 would recommend Changbin to everyone.
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June Photo Challenge (Suggested by @purplesheesh)
Since this is an open theme, I’ve decided to go with “Current Favorites” i.e. favorites from whatever I’m watching at the moment.

Day 1: Drama Character
Gao Zhenhe, Mr. Fox & Miss Rose
The male lead of this presently airing C-drama is a scrawny, messy looking guy. Normally, I don’t like such guys, but Gao Zhenhe has me swooning (just a little). Thanks you @hades for recommending this show.

Mr. Fox & Ms Rose is a fun romance. A jewel hunter crashes into an isolated mountain area, and is rescued by a tribe that is completely cut off from the world. Their Queen for reasons, decides to marry him & he goes ahead with it to win her trust, deceive the tribe and run away with their precious stone. So now, she follows him back to the city to get what is her’s back. This is in the plot description, and it doesn’t sound like anything particularly unheard of – but it is SO MUCH FUN. An unexpected sense of adventure and laugh out loud humor form the backdrop for this story. It’s fun, and the acting, pacing and dialogue is good – no complaints so far (ep 12).

Ren You Lun is really selling the male lead, Gao Zhenhe. He’s intelligent, resourceful and cunning, and uses his wits to lie, cheat and deceive – this is clearly not a good guy. In fact, we find him in the middle of a long con, working to gain someone’s trust and obtain information, when the show opens. But at the same time, he is also clearly not a bad guy.

Gao Zhenhe has male privilege on his side, his character gets away with things we may not always forgive female characters for; but Ren’s portrayal of him is a big part of why we forgive and even understand him. He has a soft side, his micro-expressions tell us he knows what he’s doing is wrong & feels bad, and that he’s fiercely loyal to the people he loves.

No wait, I’m understating things – Ren’s portrayal of this bad boy has me swooning, and I don’t swoon so easily over bad boys. It’s the soft cuddly ones like I’ll Go To You When The Weather is Nice‘s Lim Eunsoeb that I usually like. Didn’t think much of him at first either, but by ep 3-4, I was hooked — both to the characters, including Gao Zhenhe, as well as the show.

10/10 would recommend Gao Zhenhe to everyone.

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    Clearly I forgot this was meant to be a PHOTO challenge. 😀 Tomorrow onwards. Please consider the video a moving photo till then.

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    I am watching this too! I started late last night cuz of Hades too lol and I am now on ep 9!!!!! 😱😱😱😱😱 the episodes just keep rolling!

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      Also these two. heheheheheheehhehe.

      need more skinship ngl.

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        Lol @hades mentioned you’re watching it too. Isn’t it adorable? My only complaint is that Xing Yue – while still being visible & doing a lot – isn’t given a lot to do, & isn’t there yet, emotionally & mentally, with Gao Zhenhe. She’s far behind. I really need her to catch up so it’s more “equal”. But also, yes to more skinship 💜 & more cuteness

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          That was my issue too. I wish she had showed more traits of a tribe leader. I mean I can forgive her reaction to the civilization world since everything is indeed new in her eyes, but I wish there was still Yknow that aura around her that she’s a leader of a pack while adjusting to her new world. Anyways she hasn’t really bothered me, so I’m good for now with her.

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            Exactly. She’s too not-leader like to be believable as a leader but it’s ok. Lol

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    I hope he remains/becomes more of the good guy we know him to be. 🤞🏾

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      I really like that he’s got her best interest even if he found her a chore to be with.

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        Agreed. He does seem to genuinely care for her. @hades, I think he’ll definitely make at least one hard decision that’ll be difficult to forgive him for. Maybe. Or maybe not, this show is too cute.

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          He does seem to genuinely care for her.

          He did mention that she’s an important person to him because she saved his life. I liked it when he thought to himself he wouldn’t disclose what happened to him in the 15 days he went missing, so his friends wouldn’t get curious about the tribe that was living in harmony.

          He does not forget people who did him good. Even as early as ep 3, when he left to escape, he said goodbye to her (tho she was knocked out at this time!) and felt bad for tricking her.

          And we’ve had quite a few instances where he chose to see her than go to what should have been his top priorities were. ie-when he went back to pick her up from the senior home and when he went to get her from Yi Tian’s studio instead of flying to Tadong.

          I really like that he is, yeah, genuinely concerned about her. This might be a stretch – but I think when he left her at the cliff, he was actually on the way to get Xing Yue back when Xia Nian called him that she had gone missing. 😬 Or else why would he lie to Xia Nian that he was sleeping when he was actually in his vehicle driving!

          I think he’ll definitely make at least one hard decision that’ll be difficult to forgive him for.

          I’m at the part now in ep 9 where uncle talks about one’s weakness. And how loving someone is deadly. Oh-uh!

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            “This might be a stretch – but I think when he left her at the cliff, he was actually on the way to get Xing Yue back when Xia Nian called him that she had gone missing.”

            Come to think of it that’s entirely valid. I was wondering where he was going, since he’d already been home.

            Agreed with all your observations famy! So much. It’s so awesome to have another person to squeal over this drama to!

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    I like how you’ve approached the challenge.
    This drama sounds so fun from all I get on the beanie wall… I will have to get over my issues about Chinese (I hardly deal with its phonetics and musicality) because I’m so tempted to watch!!

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      Hahaha is it the voice overs that they do? Because that’s definitely a weird thing in C-dramas

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        No, it’s just the phonetics. I can’t connect to that. I feel like everybody has some kind of cold or that they cannot pronounce correctly some sounds and it drives me crazy. I can deal with Korean and Japanese, but Chinese is really hard, haha.

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Oh My Baby I’ve been enjoying this more & more with each ep but today, with ep 5, I fell in love. More than anything, I love that they’ve taken these two 40 yr old folks & given them what looks like an incredibly sweet, awkward romance. We often see this with younger OTPs but rarely ever with older people – and somehow I find it more believable here? Young people are much more bold in general. As an older person, you’re hesitant to start something new, your walls are up and harder to breach. Or maybe this is just me generalizing from my own feelings.

There’s also the lovely relationship between Ha-ri & her mother. Jang Na-ra seems to love these kinds of roles — where there’s a mother-daughter plot too.

I’ve found my next drama love.

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Please watch this reaction video to kiss scenes: US vs K-dramas. The description of K-drama kisses is GOLD. 🤣🤣

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    Laughed so much! 🤣

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    🤣🤣🤣
    thanks for sharing, green guy was so funny hehe

    (also 1st clip is from “A couple’s world”, it’s one of the major event and the scene didn’t end like they showed here, you also gotta the background story of it, for a Kdrama it was very daring)

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    These guys are cracking me up.

    “It’s like a dining scene ended just after picking up a spoon.”

    *laughing*

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    This was fun to watch 🤣

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    Honestly, as someone born and raised in a Western nation, I still am not used to the level of affection shown in our dramas and movies. Honestly, I feel like a voyeur most of the time lol

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    This was really fun.
    These guys react as adults as I reacted to kisses on screen when I was 10 🤣🤣🤣🤣

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    Hahaha! They are such guys/fan girls. This was hilarious!

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    Their reactions are hilarious!! CHUUUU

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“The Best of You in My Mind”: An Appreciation Post

I’ve finished ep 21 (out 24 total) and just wanted to take a moment to talk about how beautiful this show is. I wrote a long post elsewhere, but here, I simply want to share one of the best scenes I’ve seen on television. About halfway through the show when the male lead’s (Xu Fang) best friend tells him to do something or the female lead (Lin Xi Chi) will soon be dating another guy, Xu Fang clearly states that even though he likes her, it’s her choice to date who she wants to date, and all the time she spends with the other guy is relevant to her education – so how can he stop her? This is a maturity and an understanding of consent that I have rarely ever seen in Asian television/maybe even global television, and I deeply appreciate it.

That small, inconsequential scene captures the friends-to-lovers arc between the leads. It’s a healthy, natural and loving relationship. They seek each other out in difficult times, and support one another to be the best version of themselves that they can be. This is framed by a soft, wistful soundtrack, and despite their struggles and insecurities, you know you are watching a safe, beautiful show.

Not all dramas need to show healthy relationships, most dramas thrive off conflict and tension. There’s conflict and tension here to, but it comes from believable things and the characters’ own struggles, insecurities and fears – rather than external meddling. It’s beautifully done, and leaves me feeling both a little sad, and extremely happy, when watching “The Best of You in My Mind”.



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