Beanie level: Rooftop room dweller

Beanies, it has been such a whirlwind of a month. I haven’t had time to keep up with any dramas, except Arthdal, which my sister and I are watching together. If you saw my TOTM for June (“Homecoming”), then you know that the biggest thing I’m going through at the moment is moving back to the USA after four years of teaching English in China, and I have a lot of very mixed feelings about it. While I am confident that it was time for this change to happen, it’s tough closing that chapter of my life and starting over. Now, back in the USA, I have no job, no car, and I’m back to living at my parents’ house, which is… not a good place. I don’t want to say too much, but it’s a toxic environment in more than one way, and there’s not only one person to blame. We all love each other a lot, but no one really knows how to go about making things better. However, I’ve also only just arrived yesterday, so I’m sure it’ll start to feel less overwhelming as I adjust more and get some routines established.

As for some exciting things that have happened over the past few weeks:
1. DAY6 are finally coming back! And my sister and I are definitely planning on going to one of the US concerts in September.
2. My sister flew to China for my last few weeks there to help me pack up and move back, and on the way home we stopped in Seoul for an extended layover (one day, two nights). We went to Jeju last August, but this was our first visit to mainland South Korea, and we loved it! We took a walk on Cheonggyecheon stream, checked out the Dongdaemun History and Culture Center, strolled through Olympic Park, had coffee and ice cream at JYP’s Soul Cup Café, and ended the day with food and listening to buskers in Hongdae. There’s still a ton of stuff we didn’t have time for, but we were pleased with all of that for now.

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    Welcome back! From my experience, the first six months will be difficult yet manageable. Everything will be fine. Enjoy your new back.

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    -Hi! I’ve wanted to say I was a fan of your article, partly because of the DAY6 pic. I’m so happy to hear that they have a tour and am envious of concert- going Beanies.
    -I’m also at a similar stage of my life right now- recent college graduate. I try to focus on the day-by-day aspect and not let myself get too overwhelmed about the future. All this to say: I’m here for you! Fighting!

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      Thank you! I’m so excited to finally go see them. My sister went to one of their Youth tour concerts last year, and I was so disappointed that I couldn’t. I hope you’ll get the chance too!
      Good luck to you in your next steps as well. ^.^

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    “I have no job, no car, and I’m back to living at my parents’ house”

    I did that back in 1978 when I came back from teaching English in Taiwan. Sympathy.

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      Thanks, it’s encouraging just to know others have been in the same place and gotten through it.

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    Welcome back and please be easy on yourself while you adjust. It sounds like you used every second in Seoul well.

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Beanies, how do you screencap?? I’m working on a submission for TOTM, but I don’t know what pictures to include. I rarely take screencaps while I’m watching, and when I do they’re really not good…

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    You can pause the show and screen cap it on your computer. There’s usually shortcut keys that I use (on a Mac). Sometime I screen cap several in succession and pick the best one. On desktop, I use my snipping tool. There’s a lot of ways you can do it though.

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    If you use a Macbook, press ‘Command + Shift + 3’ on your keyboard to screenshot something

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Ladies and gentlemen: my favorite singer in the world. ❤️🦊

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So what I’m learning from dramas is: The reason I haven’t found my One True Love yet is because he’s probably some boy I barely remember from childhood. Like those sons of my mom’s friends we haven’t seen or had any contact with since my family moved halfway across the country when I was five. My mom has joked in the past about reaching out and trying to set me up with one of them. Maybe I should have taken the suggestion more seriously?

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    He was my boyfriend when I was six.
    But for some reason he moved to a different city and married somebody else?
    This is what I get for atheism.

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    I guess mine is that stranger boy who patted my head because I was crying over some scratches on my knees in the playground when I was about five. Damn, do I need to go back to that place n wait for him to show up?🤔
    with my luck, I might get chased by some guys trying to sell me drugs 🤧

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    I should find my neighbor who wanted to marry me when we were kids. I remember nothing but my parents told me his name. Oh and my dad told him he would let him marry me if he became a landlord. Guess he still hasn’t reached that goal 😂

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      My older sisters once forced me to have a mock wedding with a boy from the neighborhood. Last I heard of him, he was a chronically unemployed drug addict that was in and out of prison.

      I will say a hearty “no thanks” to that fate.

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        Well, it doesn’t count because it was your sisters doing. Your parents involvement should have more weight haha

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    I boy asked me to marry him when we were 9! I did. After 15 years 😬😬😬

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    *calls husband-to-be and says, “Did we meet when I was 6? if not, you might not be the One.”*

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*Insert weekly post about crying over Nokdu Flower here.*

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    I agree – it is getting so hard to watch how the younger brother is spiraling into his own dark hell as a sniper, his older brother trying to keep it together and keep his team alive and Lady Song who is caught in the middle.
    Knowing the history of when the Chinese and Japanese get involved and the end result.
    But this show is done so well I can’t stop watching (and feeling so sad about it)

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      I think the worst — and best — thing about Yi Hyun especially is that he’s clearly losing himself, and yet I understand the decisions he makes. They’re mostly wrong decisions, and turning him into a very cruel individual, but I understand why and how he’s becoming what he is. It’s heartbreaking to see him go from being so gentle and idealistic to being so disillusioned and vengeful, though. I’m both dreading and desperate for the brothers’ next meeting.

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        He was aware of how awful and corrupt his father is, but instead of being able to make a change through “civilization” he is falling down the hard path of going crazy.
        But that happens to people who go through intense combat – the only way they can cope is to be as bad as the others….

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          Exactly. Yoon Shi-Yoon is doing such a fantastic job of showing that trauma and how it totally changes Yi-hyun’s view of the world.

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      Oh my…so it looks like Gaksital.

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OMG those transitions.

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Oof, wow. Nokdu Flower. I don\’t want to say too much since not many have watched it yet, so somewhat vague spoilers in the comment…

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    That was one of the hardest-hitting betrayals I’ve experienced in a while. I knew we were going to get here eventually, I just didn’t expect it right at that moment. I was actually starting to feel hopeful, only to have that hope crushed in one blow. I feel personally hurt — not just hurt on Yi-kang’s behalf. Well done, Show; you made me cry.

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I swear, every time they perform a new acoustic version of this song, it becomes my new favorite. And here we are again. <3

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Have I mentioned how good Nokdu Flower is? Because it is SO GOOD.

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Rescue Me 2 is finally here! It’s definitely not the same show as season 1, but it’s not trying to be, and I’m ok with that. Though I do miss Woo Do-hwan and Seo Ye-ji.
Also:
1. I wondered if they might tease us with Jo Jae-yun’s character and create doubt over whether he’s actually Jo Jae-yun’s character from season 1, but it seems pretty clear that he’s not. I’m slightly disappointed, but only slightly. Because he was scary.
2. Does anyone else think Kim Young-min looks like DAY6’s Wonpil? Fans always compare Wonpil to Park Bo-gum, and while I can see that resemblance too, the moment Kim Young-min appeared on screen, how much alike they look was all I could think of. (That he was doing something music-related probably helped, but it’s also in his mannerisms and even the way he’s built.)
3. Speaking of Kim Young-min, his character is easily my favorite and the one I’m most worried for. I can see him either emerging from the coming deception with newfound faith and purpose or being totally, horrifically disillusioned and corrupted. I hope for his sake it’s the former, but either way I’m excited to see where the show goes from here.
4. This town is such a mess. I can see how a false teacher is going to have wide open opportunities to control people, especially when he’s as convincing as this one.

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It’s taken me a few days to decide what to say about Psychometric. The final episodes hit all the right notes for me, and left me satisfied. As a whole, I very much enjoyed the show with its interesting “balance” of extremely dark mystery and bright, adorable, innocent romance. But, that said, I wouldn’t number it among my top dramas of all time. Even within its run on air, it was almost always the last show of the week I would reach for. I’m content to have watched and finished it, and let that be that.

Or, I would, if it weren’t for Lee Ahn. Him I absolutely loved. Ahnnie was – is – vibrant, caring, and so endearingly dumb, and even his name is so much fun to say. Even though the show got increasingly dark near the end, it could never be unbearably dark with Ahn as its sunshine. So I am actually quite sad that I won’t get to spend two hours each week hanging out with him anymore. Ahn-ah, I’ll miss you a lot. <3

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No, HPL, no matter how hard you try, I won’t feel sorry for Eun-gi, or find him cute/appealing in any way. He makes me SO angry. He thinks he owns her, and it’s so gross. I wish he would just go away.

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    Ugh, and same goes for Choi Da-in. Why do we have to resort to childish, selfish second leads who won’t take “no” for an answer in order to manufacture jealousy and have the main leads confront their feelings? There are other ways, HPL. Ways that don’t make me want to throw things.

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    There does not seem to be any reason for his character, other than to help drive Ryan to Doek Mi – but that is ALL. Now for him to just back off – The two second leads in this show are soooooo annoying. But we are just half way through – what will happen now?
    Jealous Lion is cute – hurt Lion is heartbreaking…

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      You nailed it. He is pointless. He doesn’t even seem like a solid friend to Doek-mi.

      They just have a history of living in the same house and that is all that is being hung on to.

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    Yes, they have a way to go to make a hateful character

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My heart is so full. Thank you, Haechi, for a beautiful show, beautiful characters, and a beautiful ending. <3 I\'ll do my best to always remember that big changes happen little by little, and that really listening to others and understanding their perspectives is how problems get solved.

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So many awesome things happening in Haechi today make me worried about tomorrow…

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I just want to write a little appreciation post for the Beanie community today. <3 I grew up very sheltered and got into K-pop/dramas in college, so I’ve always been pretty out-of-the-loop in terms of American pop culture, despite being American myself. This week – being someone who’s never really gotten into Game of Thrones or Marvel movies – that sense of… uninvolvement?… has been stronger than usual. So I’m especially grateful to have a place where I can come and be somewhat in-the-loop, and talk to people who are experiencing the same fiction-related emotions I am. Here’s to those of us who currently have shattered hearts from Psychometric, find inspiration and hope from Haechi, squee over Her Private Life, are excited about Nokdu Flower, and/or just enjoy having this community to talk to when very few others in our lives have any idea what we’re talking about.

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    Comment was deleted

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    Thank you for your words @mistyisles – I feel exactly the same way. Dramabeans is one place where I feel totally at home and can share my passion.
    Like you I’m not a GOT or Marvel person – just give me dramas to squee over….

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    I feel the same. I think I would go crazy if I didn’t have beanies to fangirl over dramas and kpop with 💚

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So beautiful~ I don’t know much about Young Jae, but his voice is amazing. (And featuring more of Kang Young-hyun’s beautiful, heartbreaking yet uplifting lyrics!)

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    I was actually going to post this song myself, but you beat me to it. I really love the almost march-like inspiring sound that it has when the chorus comes in. The instrumental track does a really good job of giving a feeling of hope in my opinion. Glad you liked the lyrics too (the translation in this video happens to be mine).

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      Yes, I love how the music matches the feeling of hope in the lyrics. It’s definitely going on my list of songs to listen to when I need cheering up.

      Thank you for translating it! Young K’s lyrics are a huge part of why I wish I understood Korean beyond the odd words or phrases, because I’m sure there are nuances that are difficult or even impossible to translate exactly. But I’m thankful there are fans like you taking the time to help the rest of understand. <3

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Well, Deok-mi and Lion are beyond adorable together. I keep getting blown away by how considerate he is, too.

Cha Shi-an, on the other hand… Is it just me, or does something feel \”off\” about him?

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    that’s why i never trust the whole cold exterior personality that they throw for male characters because they end up being the biggest sweethearts. Although Ryan feels really different because of his surprising need to protect Deok Mi’s private life.

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      .. Because he thinks she’s gay and he wants to protect her freedom to be who she is. Gotta say I really appreciate that.

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        I LOVE that part of the story more than anything else.

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        I totally love how supportive he is of this whole situation. And when he asked ‘does she enjoy seeing you like this’ – I fell off the sofa laughing. Am not sure if he meant it to me in a horny way, but I was totally cackling.

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          Kim Jae wook, I hope in the future does more comedy because he is awesome at it. His face when his misinterpreted Doek-mi’s comment about her friends wealth. HA !!!

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            oh yes! that scene. His face..so awesome!

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            The funniest things in this show to me are Deok-mi’s super-dramatic daydreams and Ryan’s looks of utter confusion when he misunderstands something.

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    Ryan Gold is GOLD! Why did we have to wait so long for him to be in rom-coms..Why O Why?

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      He’s been in at least one more as a second lead, but he wasn’t funny in it until the last episode. It wasn’t a well loved drama (except by a few of us).

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    Oh yeah, something is really off with that dude. How did he know where in building that Ryan lived ? And why did Ryan act like that was not the first time that happened ?

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      what dude are you talking about? The idol who was so drunk he was trying to get in the wrong condo?

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        Ohhhhhhh…..he lives right above him. I did not catch on to that.

        Well then, nevermind.

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          Ohhh I missed that too. Still, there’s something about him that doesn’t feel right. He just looks shifty at times to me. And what was the fake cast about, I wonder?

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      Ryan lives right above the idol’s apartment. I assume the idol was so drunk that he went to the wrong floor .

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        Ah, that would make sense. I’m curious why Ryan didn’t call the manager, though. Maybe it was just another example of him respecting (and protecting) people’s privacy.

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          Ryan probably wants to get his good side so he can get to the paintings by Lee Sol that the idol did not have hanging in his home.

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So I’ve re-watched Circle this week, and I have some thoughts (in the comment, just in case there’s anyone who hasn’t seen it yet and still plans to – you have been warned).

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    1. I was actually a little nervous to re-watch this one. Since I obviously know how it ends this time around, I was worried that I wouldn’t enjoy it as much, or that flaws might stand out more. Groundless fears. It’s still so good, mostly because the emotional pull is just as strong. I’m not blindsided by plot twists; instead, I’m getting excited (or distraught) in anticipation of them. (And maybe crying over the twins more now BECAUSE I know how it ends.)
    2. Okay, one thing did stick out as a minor annoyance. Why does the camera shake so much?
    3. There are some things I’ve forgotten in two years. It’s fun getting to those parts and actually being surprised and wondering, “Oh, wait, what happens next? What IS behind that door?” or “Hold on, who is that, and what are they doing?”

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    4. This was the first show I watched with Yeo Jin-gu, and I loved him. Then I watched Reunited Worlds. And then The Crowned Clown. (Which, don’t get me wrong, he was phenomenal in the dual role, especially as King Yi Heon. But TCC’s second half made the unfortunate and baffling decision to do its best to pretend Yi Heon hadn’t existed, and by the end I cared nothing for the clown Ha Seon.) It’s sad when a talented actor fades in my eyes because of a less-than-stellar character, but it happened. So watching Circle was also an attempt to redeem Yeo Jin-gu in my mind, and I’m happy to say it worked perfectly.
    5. Professor/Minister Park Dong Geon. I spent several episodes wondering if I’d seen him in something else recently. (You know, when I wasn’t raging at 2037 him for being a lying liar.) Then I started thinking that his character reminds me a little of Haechi’s Wi Byung-joo. And then I realized: he IS Wi Byung-joo. Same actor. All I can say to that is: I don’t know anything about the guy in real life, but I double hate his face right now.
    6. Lee Ho-soo. I liked him the first time through, and always believed he would come around to Team Good and become reluctant friends with Joon-hyuk. But this time I think I gained even more appreciation for him as a character. He truly has a will of his own, and does whatever he thinks is right – which isn’t always right. He gets in the way of both good guys and bad guys. He makes mistakes, learns from them, and – reluctantly – lets his worldview change when it has to, all without losing the essence of who he is.

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    7. “Hyung, I’m scared.” This line KILLED me the first time I watched, and it killed me again the second time, even though I knew it was coming. Woo-jin was so brave, and so clever, and so fiercely determined to protect the people he loved, but he was still just a kid. Just an ordinary person who got dragged into something far bigger and crueler than he could handle. In a way, he was the ultimate Noble Idiot, giving his very life to save his loved ones without letting them in on it. Except, he wasn’t an idiot. He took precautions. He made plans. He tried his best to fool Professor Park’s people and run away (and he almost succeeded). And he did save Bum-gyun. But it wasn’t enough, and they still killed him in the end and used him to develop the memory-erasing technology. Much as it breaks my heart, I appreciate a story that acknowledges that very often one person can’t save the world on their own, that our best sometimes isn’t enough. But there’s still hope because Woo-jin’s efforts to save everyone by himself failed, but the combined efforts of Woo-jin, Joon-hyuk, Jung-yeon, Min-young, Ho-soo, and the detectives took Human B down. And that might not have been possible if Woo-jin had let his fear stop him from putting his life on the line. My favorite kind of hero will always be one that is vulnerable enough to admit they’re scared to death of what they know they have to do, but brave enough to do it anyway, even if the best they can do in the end is to fail as a necessary step in the process of victory.
    8. That said, I love the angle of a reunion-that’s-not-quite-a-reunion, and Woo-jin “surviving” despite dying. Obviously, there wasn’t time in two episodes to fully explore all of what that means, but I’m happy with how it played out for now. And by “happy” I mean I’ll be devastated if we never get Season 2: The Alien and the Clone. Or if we do, and it’s terrible.

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    9. Something I love about watching kdramas is that no show exists in a vacuum. My experience with a show is always colored by other shows and by interactions here on Dramabeans. It’s a lot of fun when everyone’s watching the same show together, while or after watching a different show together. At the time when Circle aired, another show I’d been hugely invested in was Rebel, and I wanted desperately to find some opportunity to make a joke about the mystery of “Which twin is Eorini – I mean, Joon-hyuk.” For some forgotten reason, I never found the opportunity, but I never forgot it either, so I’m putting it here for the sake of finally having said it.

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    10. Section Chief Ko. (I was going to post a picture, but can’t figure out how…) Both times watching, I kept getting distracted trying to figure out who he was. And I’m not talking about the character here, even though we know pretty much nothing about him, either. The actor looks to me like a mix between Seo Ji-hoon and Jung Il-woo, but I couldn’t seem to find his name anywhere. Then I watched to the end of the final credits and there’s a whole sequence where they go through each major character (and some minor ones) with their picture, character’s name, and actor’s name. This was still bothering me after two years, and it’s been right there the entire time. *facepalm* One last mystery, solved! (And it turns out he’s Eopsan! Another Rebel connection!)

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    11. Another thing I never got around to writing: At the end of 2017 I wanted to write my review of the year’s dramas by assigning each one a song from the EveryDay6 Project. I didn’t finish my list and never started writing the review, but the song I chose for Circle was “I’ll Remember.” I think it perfectly captures the sentiment of memories being the most important thing in keeping someone alive, as well as both brothers’ desperation to hold onto each other, even when Woo-jin’s memories are literally the only thing left for Bum-gyun/Joon-hyuk.
    12. I don’t really have a 12th point, but there are 12 episodes, so I couldn’t end the list at 11. If you read all of this, thanks! I’m not sure why it all poured out of me upon the second watch instead of the first, but once I got started thinking, I couldn’t stop until I’d gotten it all out of my system.

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Nooo stop making Yi Geum cry! It hurts. 😭

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I may not have commented much on it yet, but Haechi owns my whole heart right now.
I will say though, I’ve been struggling to imagine Yi Geum eventually condemning his son to die in a rice box, but with this week’s episodes something clicked. I don’t show if the show will address that event at all, but I wonder if this Yi Geum does it because he sees Yi Tan in Prince Sado. (I admit I don’t know a lot about the history behind this, but I can definitely see how a lot of terrible things could have been avoided if we’d locked Yi Tan up and actually killed him a lot sooner.)

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    I agree @mistyisles – this is my first show to watch on Mondays and Tuesdays. The growth in the Crown Prince is amazing. I too wondered about the future where he does that. What little I read said that he was crazy and violent. Is Yi Tan a real person in history and was he really that way? If so it would explain what the father did to the son later.
    Off to Wikipedia I guess.

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