Beanie level: Loan shark with a heart of gold

Best Choice Ever: finally! Ep 10. It feels like we are entering a romcom, for now. It’s time for Xu Kai to shine

FL: I want a transfer.
ML: Sure. Where do you want to go.
FL: Far away from you.
😂😂😂

Exactly 7 minutes later, he moved into the apartment complex where she works. Pffttt
I loved the way she called him ‘Yao Zhi Ming’ for the first time. Total shift of tone. Can we see less if mommy please.
Oh. Also, time for official breakup with her bf. I had enough of him and his apologies.

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    @lapislazulii I need a break from mom. She is ok one moment and back to her stupidity and overstepping boundaries again. Atleast Zhaming handles her well. Lol, insurance scammer 🤣

    I like the siblings together. So sweet.
    Wish father was a bit more assertive or Atleast speak up.

    I don’t mind the female leads ‘perfect’ character because she is struggling and confused while trying to do the right thing. She isn’t overconfident about her abilities either. I want to see her grow to a confident woman.

    I wish I had the gif of him standing by his new apartment.

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Blood Free 3/4:
So good!! Loved this action sequence!!
I guess romance is a possibility now 😅
Also, do you think the PM has a thing for our lady CEO?


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    All I could think was, is he going to change his sheets for her? Or is she going to sleep in his dirty bed? I mean…

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      😂 that thought crossed my mind first and then immediately went to smell-pheromones. That’s one way to kick start a romance.
      I am sure he smells good 😊

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    It looks like PM feels something for her. Too bad her eyes are directed somewhere better.

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    Oh! What is going on here?!

    I’m not currently watching this so now I’m totally wondering!

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      It was a short action sequence. He moves back to the dark alley so he has good visibility and the others don’t. I loved this fight. Hope you will check it out. It’s brisk and a lot happens in 50 minutes.
      On Hulu for US region.

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        Also the narrow alley gives him a better chance of winning a one to many fight. I liked this small bit of fight accuracy and also that his hands hurt after the fight too, even though people falling down and quitting after one punch is not as accurate 😅

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          Actually, it’s the other way round… getting back up again and again and again like most things show people doing is generally less accurate…

          The first guy is thrown or kicked back, after which everyone pauses. The second guy, which we can’t see, blows are exchanged roughly 5 times, 3rd guy he merely throws to the ground behind him before blocking 4 and hitting 5 with the bat, then he shoves 4 out of the way and blocks 6, after which he punches 6 in the solar plexus, and then holds a broken bottle to his neck.
          On the one hand, all of these people would be winded and or thrown off balance/ worse, and he moves on pretty quickly not really allowing a lot of time for recovery (good), and moves people out of the way so there’s only one person at a time (also good) and then nobody does anything once he threatens 6 with the bottle anyway.
          However, it’s not super well choreographed imo, to show that the people on the ground behind him, namely the second one, isn’t getting up any time soon.

          This is more at fault than people not getting up; the average person is not an MMA fighter, and even then they can go down with one punch or kick in the right place. And if you’re not used to taking a lot of hits or falling, and if you get hit somewhere significant, or thrown to the ground hard, you’re not actually getting up as soon as you think you are either.

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    nah.. PM has genetic disease and must heal his cells with that hidden cellular technology 😀

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    I have a feeling I might have to just binge through this once it’s all available!

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Best Choice Ever: @lapislazulii omy! The mother 😳😳😳!!! I feel the stress through the screen. Lol. I am amazed FL is so accommodating.
What is the world is she calling her daughter at work for? To ask if she had sex with her bf?? And if she said yes, I bet she would go hit the dude. Lol. She is projecting all her needs onto her daughter. I need to start FF her scenes otherwise it’s going to be tough. Thanks for the warning, I didn’t react too much because I was expecting much worse.
Is that Xu Kai’s voice? Feels different. It’s been a long time I saw his drama so.
I just watched one episode. Will continue. So far I like the leads. I can’t wait for him to soften.

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    It got better. I like that she cares for her family and they care for her too. Mom is overbearing. I mean, who takes a proposal ring!! The daughter didn’t even get to take it from the guy. Lol. The show denied every single kiss scene and now this. We get it. He is not the end game. We get it.

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      YEAH the mom is definitely A LOT (every time you’re like oh maybe she finally got the message, she pulls a stunt to make it worse 😥), but there’s a really cathartic scene a bit later when the FL has enough and goes off – it was very satisfying to watch. And the mom does cross a lot of lines, but there’s very misguided love there somewhere, so I vibe that they didn’t make her like some outright selfish and super extra antagonist. It was kind of comical how fast she switched up when she realised that Jialiang was rich 😆 the whole argument outside the window scene had me in stitches.

      Also yesss hahahah SML is very like, ok so you’re not endgame but you’re also like not a bad person per se just a bit of a wimp, just please get out of the picture already bYE.

      And I read somewhere that it his voice in this drama! Not 100% sure though – idk if you’re into costume dramas but if you are, he (and Jing Tian) were so good in Wonderland of Love that came out like late last year. I really like him here with Yang Zi though, both their characters have a very natural rhythm in terms of character development.

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        I wish Niu gets better roles. I like him and don’t want to see him in these loser roles. Even his character in Meet yourself was a bit wimpy.

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QoT
This weekends episode felt more like fillers with very little plot. The long run time felt so unnecessary. I don’t get why we are so focused on a secret slush fund when a person is dying??? Agreed they needed those funds to get their life back to even afford treatment. But I wish we saw some progress in her treatment. So is she going to be magically cured or are the writers ready to kill her character?

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    magically cured. No doubt. Maybe have another baby also.

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    I don’t think she’ll die by the end of the series, but I don’t think she’ll be cured either. It will be open ended kinda like Marriage Contract.

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    I enjoyed both episodes but yup, it’s a tad long to focus on the slush funds when Hae In is getting worse! Did their medical consultant go on leave or something? I highly suspect the magic cure ending but I’m hoping to be wrong (in a good way though, not the i will burn all your writing pens if Hae In dies way)

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Talk about PPL entering real life!!! What I found in my neighborhood store today. Of course, I bought it. No more feeling sleepy or tired from watching too many dramas. Hwaiting!
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    Is it delicious ? Does it taste like coffee?

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      This is hilarious! Kopiko is such a common candy here i’m amused by its revival in dramaland. It does have an initial coffee taste/smell but after that it’s just sweet.

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        This is the first time I am seeing it in the East coast of USA.

        @isthatacorner. I was surprised that it was a hard Candy. I was expecting it to be chewy caramel. It had a strong coffee flavor initially (there is a coating on top) and then it’s like sweet milk coffee. I like it!! It’s a good candy for post lunch cravings.

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    In Spain you can find them quite easily (and black coffee flavor too). But I have only found them in bulk so far, instead of bags.
    They are good. Enjoy! ☺️

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    I found some here, too! They’re very tasty and coffee-y!

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    I just saw it at my local supermarket yesterday, too! LOL–I wonder if the company itself is expanding its market or so many of us watch kdramas now that people have requested it at stores. I personally hate coffee so I didn’t buy any, but had a laugh when I saw the bag hanging there next to the Werther’s.

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    So not just SK it is the World’s no. 1 Real Coffee Hard Candy!
    BTW is there a no. 2 or is Kopiko the only contender!?

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    So apparently the PPL is working as designed 😉
    I’ve never even thought to look for them assuming they weren’t in the US. Silly me.

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Shogun 8: That was one heck of an episode. I am shocked, yet not, about Toranaga-Sama’s strategies. The poetry exchange between him and Mariko was beautiful. So was the tea ceremony with Buntaro.


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    Shogun is a masterpiece! I can’t wait for the action next episode.

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QoT: How to tell fake Hyun Woo from OG Hyun Woo. Just ask them to cry!! It would be a no contest.

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QoT should have been called ‘King of Tears’.
How much has KSH cried?? Hope he is hydrating well.

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Blood Free Ep 1 and 2

Loved it!! I loved it all. The plot, the pacing, the gorgeous framing, lighting and music. And Joppa looks bestest in 4K!!!
Everything moved fast and the \’everyone wants a piece of the pie\’ setup was done well. Love the leads already! Looks like he is married with a child, so no romance. Which is a good thing, because I want them to team up, build trust and as two smart people figure out everything that\’s happened so far.
I trust no one..

Screen-Shot-2024-04-10-at-8-29-18-PM
Screen-Shot-2024-04-10-at-8-31-05-PM

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    Btw where are you finding this drama to watch?

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    🫰 This sounds good, though I must say I feel a little conflicted about the potential no-romance part 😆🥲 Very much looking forward to this one nonetheless! I have ditched some other subscriptions and made sure that this drama is actually streaming on D+ in my area, so trial period starts tonight!

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      Not a huge spoiler, but looks like his kid is studying abroad. He does live by myself. So it may be he is separated or his family is living elsewhere. It’s a kdrama so I won’t be surprised if they sneak in a romance. I just feel this snow doesn’t need it. It’s only 10 episodes and episodes aren’t even long. There isn’t enough time for a convincing romance

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Mask (ep 7)
(No spoilers for future eps please!)
I didn’t realize this is the same writer as ‘Secret’!! That explains it. It is addictive. It started off very makjang but I love the leads. Their chemistry is so good!!
I always liked Soo Ae and she is so awesome here. Loving Ju Ji Hoon as Min-woo. From a guy who was on the edge most of the initial episodes, it’s been wonderful to see him grow close to her and warm up. His little smiles and ’not’ love confessions are adorable. I am surprised he fell for her so quick… we have 13 more episodes to go!
The brother is law is super creepy!!! He is watching them in bed.. yikes.. yikes..









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    Mask is the only over the top makjamg that I have fully enjoyed in all these years. Secret was extremely addictive, but I can’t say I enjoyed it.

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      I hear you about Secret! I still don’t know why i watched it but I couldn’t stop.
      Mask is delicious!!

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    You’re watching Mask!! Have fun!!

    And yes, that brother-in-law is something else!

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Lovely Runner Ep 1 & 2
I had forgotten this is a timeslip drama 😭😭 which I am not a big fan of. It reminded me of Twinkling watermelon, which I dropped. A female lead who is physically challenged, gets to go back in time and she is fine. I never understood why they need to do this. She could have just been his fan, had an accident and recovered because of his comfort.
I like Kim Hye Yoon (though she reminds me of her role in EY) and the leads are cute together. Of course, he liked her first ; )
I will continue just for their cuteness.. The embarrassment of seeing your childhood missteps (that love letter) was hilarious..

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    I don’t think it’s like Twinkling Watermelon. She’s happy to walk again but her first thought wasn’t to stop her accident. She wasn’t complaining about her handicap in the present.

    In TW, the time travel didn’t make sense because the ML wanted to change his father’s life when he was the one not happy with his father’s deafness and the consequences in his life.

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    maybe they will keep things the same.. there won’t be much of a story if he continued with his swimming career and she got her feet back..

    he should become an idol, she should lose her legs…

    the difference this time will be in her attitude after the accident. She has lived hopefully once with all positivity and she will live again (specially if accident saved someone’s life)… this time ML won’t have to hide away from her and hence will end up enjoying his career.. and eventually the two find their happy ending forever

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Nothing Uncovered Ep 7

Daebak!!
You cheated on your wife, why can\’t she cheat on you ; ) This is new! Both the male leads were fantastic this episode. The drama is getting better and better each episode!

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Screenshot-2024-04-08-at-7-26-08-PM

Also, its impossible to hate Wool Jae because Jang Seung Jo has the softest sad face ever!
Screenshot-2024-04-08-at-7-27-35-PM

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    I couldn’t watch JSJ in another sad role. I don’t think the sad eyes are going to light up at the end of this drama.

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QoT Ep 10
Screeeeeee!!! You go girl!!!
Best way to not let anyone threaten you, reveal the secret yourself.
I was so prepared for a noble idiocy and ready to be super annoyed. Thank you writers!!
That epilogue 🥰🥰🥰
Yes girl, that’s how you fight for your love.

Soo Choel 😭😭😭. Ottoke! Someone give this boy a hug.

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    A testament to the actor because Soo choel’s pain and heartbreak is so palpable. He’s so lost, like a puppy without its owner

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    I was watching rather skeptically and like you “ready to be super annoyed” … I couldn’t believe she would agree to marry that Eun-@$&. And then … in that split second when she paused before going off-script my heart literally stopped and then I screamed so loud at her words. Eun-seong’s face was worth watching! He’s good at being bad but please can someone cast Park Sung Hoon in a role where we can squee over him.

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      I’ve been waiting so long for Park Sung Hoon to be a swoony ML – Into The Ring was in 2020.

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        Exactly!! He is totally swoon worthy but urgh … give us something to work with here.

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        In a interview he said he likes the “good guy” role, but that he gets more love and attention/recognition for playing the “bad guy”. So he chooses the bad guys. 🥺

        He also said that he likes comedy, so if he wasn’t playing Eun Sung, he would’ve liked to play Soo Cheol.

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          Omo … just imagining him as Soo-cheol has me in fits of laughter. And before I *die* of laughter (thanks @mary for the pro tip) let me just say next time let him be a swoony ML and then he would never want to play the bad guy again.

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          The way looks and talk in interviews is totally swoony …I just want to ableto swoon over him in dramas too. 😂

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          Wow. I don’t remember PSH in comedy roles before, but I would like to see him in one in the future. Comedy is not something that comes easy even to experienced actors, so it would be interesting to see his talents.

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            Comedy is serious business. 😊
            It is indeed a fine art. Hope PSH chooses roles that showcase his strengths.

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            I remember he was in Into the Ring and Psychopath Diary (both comedies), but I don’t remember him doing the comedy. I remember that Nana was hilarious, but I kinda remember him being more calmed. And even if he was funny, I think it was a different type of funny from Soo Cheol (or any role I’ve seen KDY do).

            So it would be very interesting to see him in a role like that.

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      Eun-Song the character is totally a bad guy.. But watching Park Sung Hoon when she goes off script, his face gutted but so full of love.. thats why I keep having micro seconds of “oh he really loves her”. It might be better for the character if he was able to be a bit more wooden!

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QoT Ep 9:
Hyun Woo: “She doesn’t hit me”
😂😂😂😂

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The impossible Heir – The end
I can confidently award 2024’s Bean of Disappointment to this drama. I doubt any drama will beat this.
I don’t know what kept me going till the end, but it was weirdly entertaining in its own way. The characters were flat, motivations were never clear until spelt out and the female lead was a disaster. On paper this show had so much potential but failed in the execution. The writing was amateurish and the execution was flat.
Hoping LJW and Jun get better roles this year to erase this monstrosity. Jun needs to stop taking up these psycho roles.

On the plus side, LJW looked absolutely dashing in his suits and sweatshirts.

Saw this BTS gif and loved it!!

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    I couldn’t make it past episode 4, but also feel that it’s unlikely any other drama this year will be so disappointing. That is, I’m sure there will be other bad dramas, but not with such talented actors, one dreadful miscasting, and a writing and production team that seemed to be deliberately sabotaging their own work all the way through. “Impossible Heir” could easily have been simply a middle-of-the-road, mediocre show but the fact that it was so catastrophically bad on every level is what makes it special.

    I feel like there must be so many behind the scenes stories here to explain all the ways this went wrong, from the decision to cast a complete newbie with zero talent or charisma in a leading role to a script that I have a hunch was largely written and revised on the fly. I’d love to know when people realized what a trainwreck this show was going to be and if anyone tried to fix it.

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    That gif is 🔥 👌
    A move I need to include in my workout asap.

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QoT Ep 8
Oooffff. Finally caught up. That was one heck of a rollercoaster ride.
~ I freaked out when amnesia came, but I liked that they used it for Hyun Woo to come clean to her. A chance for him to be honest.
~ wow, ToD works on Koreans even in Germany 😬
~ Hong family is so dumb!! How did they even end up being rich. Grandpa is so greedy. It cost him his life. The way he smiled when gf offered to go to jail for him. Wow! He is a piece of S. And when investment comes. Which chaebol doesn’t listen to his legal team. If you don’t trust one person hire another one!!
~ I didn’t expect the family to be on the streets to actually happen. I think it’s a nice turn of events for the family to actually find their happiness being together. Looking forward to the fish out of water scenarios, especially mommy!
~ my heart broke for Soo-Cheol. He may be dumb but he truly loved his family. I hope they reunite.
~ so ‘love cures all’ will heal Hae-In?!! How is she going to afford treatment? I hope she tells her family now. It’s about time.

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    I wonder if the famous 35 cows are dairy cows, I want Hae In’s awful mom to have to milk them 🐄

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    TOD – except it didn’t work where it had to.. on FL of impossible heir

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    ToD is international yaw..
    I dont know how rich money works but surely they all have personal bank accounts and properties that’s not tied to the company?

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      They aren’t the smartest cookies. I feel grandpa managed all assets in his name. It’s probably now frozen due to the ongoing case.
      I hope Hae In has some money to go around.
      I was thinking if she had given a generous alimony it would have come in handy now!!

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Nothing Uncovered Ep 5
😂
Trust kdrama to have romantic shots and cue in romantic OST between a detective and a woman who is not only married (and still living with him) but also a suspect in a murder case.

I think this drama got a lot better. I am Definitely invested in the murder mystery.

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    I look forward to each new episode and find the murder case exciting and interesting, too.

    I’m also curious to see how things will continue between the three main protagonists. In any case, it’s sizzling between the detective and his former girlfriend.

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Wedding Impossible – Finale
The end! We could have arrived at this ending differently. It was a bit tiresome to go through the mandatory breakup, angst and time skip. I get it that given the mess, taking some time off helps. But wish it was a decision made by both and not just Ji An. I was surprised by how kind she was to him. I would have been super mad if someone did that to me and disappeared.
I would have rather seen more of Ji An trying hard to win her again after what he did.

That aside, it really was a lovely romcom with an admirable female lead. The leads were great together. The characters were well written. The show made fun of its own tropes and did them well. It gave us a very refreshing second FL!! That scene of them both pushing away Ji An to the other lady made me smile!!

I am ready for the next romcom!!

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Hide Ep 3 & 4
Lee Bo Young is so awesome here!! Not sure about the legal accuracies but it was nice to see Moon Young bring down Ma chap.
The ending of Ep 4 wasn’t surprising. When you cast a famous actor for a neighbor role you know they have a bigger role to play.
I am glad Lee Min Jae is choosing such projects. Gives him enough scope to perform. Hope he picks such roles for some more time before becoming a main lead.

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    I’m liking Hide for the acting and twists.

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    After the very bad Oh! Young-shim, I’m happy that Lee Min-Jae found a good role too!

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    Lee Bo-young is doing great here. In fact, I’m really liking this whole show.

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2024 Q1 Dramas
It’s been a busy winter for drama watching. I was noting down how many beans I had, and how would I allot them. This is going to be tough. I want to give multi beans to so many dramas. How can I not give beans to Nugget, Flex, Knight Flower and Wedding Impossible.
For now, I just marked the ones I want to give beans with 💙. Will revisit year end and see how I feel about these and how many beans I can give.

On Going
Hide 2/12
Nothing Uncovered 4/16
Queen of Tears 3/16
Shogun (Japan) 5/10 💙
The Impossible Heir 10/12
Wedding Impossible 10/12 💙

Completed
My Demon (2023 but not in year end list)
Welcome to Samdal-Ri (2023 not in year end list ??)
A killer Paradox
A Shop for Killers 💙
Chicken Nugget 💙
Flex X cop 💙
Knight Flower 💙
Marry my Husband
Queen of Divorce
Ready, Set, Love (Thai)

Dropped
I didn’t have any luck with cdramas this year. I think I dropped few more but I didn’t even mark them on MDL, so I don’t remember.
Amidst a Snowstorm of Love (cdrama)
Angels Fall Sometimes (cdrama)
Doctor Slump (cdrama)
Everyone Loves Me (cdrama)
Exploration Method of Love (cdrama)

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    To be able to bestow the beans they deserve on your favourite shows, you actually need to watch as many shows you don’t like as possible, and not drop them, so that you will have beans to give without feeling bad for OK deserving dramas that you will have to give xero beans.

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    You have finished a lot of shows! 👏
    I have earned eight beans so far (9 once Wedding Impossible is finished).

    (Btw, Doctor Slump C-drama?)
    I don’t remember if you enjoyed Amidst a Snowstorm of Love. I’m planning on watching it soon, but I have my doubts about its pace.

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    Super impressed with this list!!! I agree My Demon And Welcome should be on list.

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