Obsessed With Kdramas!

She Would Never Know:

I loved the lead male character. He was cute and patient and romantic and endlessly chased her. I hated that the lead female character broke up with him, but I can understand why she did it. This opened the door for a little payback, he making her chase after him. It ends well for the majority of the people.

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha:

They each liked the other, but wouldn’t accept it. But bickering or not, they were very cute together. The other characters are very funny /quirky, and lovable. There’s a few tearjerker scenes as well, so have your box of tissues on hand. Out of the three series, this is my favorite!

Strongest Delivery Man:

I had started it many months prior, and just couldn’t get into it. But months later, in a different frame of mind, and being able to bypass the first several (already watched) slow episodes, I really enjoyed it. My only complaint is that the lead female character kept hitting or kicking the lead male character, and that seemed to be just fine by everyone. There’s a bad corporation, forcing family businesses to close so the corporation could take over the building. It was really nice to see rivals come together for the sake of the alleyway and families.

“Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds”:

My son and I recently came upon this movie, and it did not disappoint. It’s all about the afterlife and the trials one must go through to be able to reincarnate. Korea really develops their characters, so you come to love them, and tears were brought to my eyes multiple times. I actually cried twice watching this movie. It has a fantastic storyline, and the special effects are superb.

The sequel, “Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days”, picked up instantaneously, where the first one left off, and this one told the stories of the grim reapers, and the plot twists are unimaginable. Keep your tissue box with you. You’re going to need it!

Both star Ha Jung-woo, Kim Hyang-Gi and Ju Ji-hoon as the three guardian grim reapers. 

Yaksha: Ruthless Operations:

This is a fabulous movie! Spectacular storyline, action and a great group of actors, starring Park Hae-Soo, Park Jin-Young, Lee El, Song Jae-Rim, Sol Kyung-Gu (as Yaksha), and others. This movie uses the Korean, Mandarin, Chinese, Japanese, and English languages. If you like action movies, you’ll absolutely love this one!



(11) The King 2 Hearts:

Just as Shi-Kyung and the princess began to care for each other, he was murdered.

After her attack, he was the one that motivated her to accept her fate. He was extremely loyal to the Royal family and in love with Jae-Shin.

(12) Vagabond:

Cha Dal-Gun did his own personal investigation on why the airplane blew up, killing his nephew and many other children. He met Go Hae-Ri, an undercover agent for the NIS, and a cute romance begins. They discovered the ones that did the act, but were only able to catch the government officials that were covering everything up. The series ends with her becoming a minister and on her way back to Morocco. Dal-Gun had made his way into the group of mercenaries responsible for his nephew’s murder. Their next mission was to kill the minister. They shot out a tire so everyone got out of the automobile and thru his scope he saw it was Hae-Ri and he turned toward the other men and shot them saving her life. And then he cried. I know Dal-Gun is not dead but he’s out of contact with Hae-Ri so there’s no chance of romance. 😥

(13) Blood:

Why did Hyun-Woo (Jung Hae-In) have to die?? I loved this man!!

He was the saving grace of this series/he’s the only reason I was able to finish it. Hyun-Woo was a genius, extremely loyal to his Vampire friend and had a laid-back, endearing personality and was always smiling. I was so sad when he was murdered.

(14) Hotel Del Luna:

I was sad that in the past the Captain of the Guard had to be killed. He was handsome and kind and definitely in love with Jang Man-Wol. But he betrayed her and many of her people were killed. She enacted the revenge herself, not only killing the Captain but the Queen and everyone in the small village. As a punishment she became the CEO of Hotel Del Luna who caters only to ghosts. I so wanted the Captain to show up and explain why he had betrayed her and then their romance could begin again. He did show up but only as a butterfly. After 1000 years her punishment ended and she was able to go to heaven (hopefully to be with the Captain).

(15) Uncontrollably Fond:

I had a love/hate relationship with this series. I loved Joon-Young, but because of how he was treating Eul, I just wanted to knock him in his head. I loved that he went after the driver of the car that had killed her father (hit and run) but his method made me so angry! Once it was all solved, he takes Eul to the home that he had built for her and himself, and he dies soon after from his brain tumor. Oh, how I wanted them to have time together.

(6) Faith/The Great Doctor:

The actor, Phillip Lee, suffered a major eye injury while on set so he could not continue his part. Thus, Dr. Jang Bin had to die.

He was an exceptional doctor for his time. He was intelligent and caring and lived to learn. He was all about his patients and helping them the best way he could. I was saddened by his sudden death 😢.

(7) Gu Family Book/Kang Chi, the beginning:

Kang Chi’s father’s death was 😢 sad and unnecessary. He was a Gumiho and Protector of the Mountain, a good soul, caring and helpful. Played by Choi Jin-Hyuk, Gu Wol-Ryung was betrayed by the woman (played by Lee Yu-bi ) he truly loved.

They marry and he begins the process of turning into a human. When she sees him as a Gumiho , she runs away. He is mortally wounded and she leaves him to die. Because he didn’t complete the process of turning into a human, he becomes a Demon and now he is killing innocent people. He finds his love but she dies. He takes her to their den, lays her on their bed, he lays beside her and just simply ceases to exist. All of his pain and suffering was due to her selfishness, but he still loved her. I didn’t want him to die, I just wanted him to become ‘good’ again. I really liked this Gumiho!

(8) Goblin/Guardian: the Lonely and Great God:

I totally loved the Grim Reaper (Lee Dong-Wook), especially when he and the Goblin would go at it. I was saddened by his death, but I do understand that he needed to be with his soulmate. Why did Eun-Tak have to die? She was reincarnated many, many, many years later, but the Goblin still suffered all that time from loneliness, all alone again waiting for her return.

(9) Iris, the series:

Why did Hyeon-Jun have to die?? This death scene is one of the most riveting and shocking death scene I have ever seen. It literally took my breath away because it was so unexpected and it was so realistic, he trying to call out to her, to reach her. I was literally depressed for a week from just those last three minutes. I had been so happy that they survived and could finally be together.

(10) Mr. Sunshine:

Why didn’t Eugene just stay on the train car with Ae-Shin?? I don’t think he had to sacrifice himself for her to live. I so wanted them to be together. This was another ‘end of the series’ death scene that caught me off guard.

Lost loves:

I think I fall in love with every leading man in most of the Kdramas that I watch.… LOL. Koreans have this undescribable way of pulling out emotions from me with these stories. Sometimes, days, even weeks after the series ends, my mind keeps going back to those particular characters and many of them I actually miss. You may think me silly, but isn’t that the purpose of watching TV and movies? My own life is boring and dull, so these characters fill a much needed void. Thank you to the story writers, screenplay writers, directors, film crew, but especially to the actors and actresses that bring these characters to life for me every day. This list is not in any specific order.

So, who are my lost loves?

(1) Memories of the Alhambra:

I lost two loves in this series. First, why did Seo Jung-Hoon (played by Min Jin-Woong) have to die?? 😭😭

He was cute by his own right and so kind, sincere, and caring. But his dedication to his boss, Jin-Woo (Bin Hyun), went above and beyond. He took everything that Jin-Woo hashed out in stride and with a sense of humor. He even learned the game to assist his boss with moving up levels and that is what got him killed. But he resurfaced in the game as an ally and does continue to defend his boss. I cried and cried when Jin-Woo had to stab and kill his secretary’s character in the game so that the game would reset.

Secondly, Hyun Bin, even when being a jerk, is lovable. He is so charismatic! The more you learned about Yoo Jin-Woo (played by Hyun Bin) the more you cared for him because you could understand where his anger was coming from. And despite being hard-core on the outside, on the inside he was very vulnerable. This series ends with Jin-Woo disappearing in reality only to be found, still alive, within the game itself. 😢 Season two is a must! Jin-Woo needs to be found!

(2) Hyde, Jekyll, me:

I miss Robin (played by Hyun Bin)! I know he was incooperated into Goo Seo-Jin’s personality, but with the combination of both personalities, it’s still a different person. Robin was the best! He was selfless, fun loving, protective and he wasn’t afraid to show his emotions. Everyone loved him. It’s a shame he wasn’t the one to “survive”. 😢

(3) Vincenzo:

Played by Song Joong-Ki. He’s not dead, just ‘missing’. He’s very far away in another country and he’s keeping his whereabouts hidden. Come back Vincenzo! I miss you!

(4) Mouse:

I lost two loves in this series, also. Kim Young-Ok plays the grandmother that was stabbed to death by the serial killer. Later we discover that the serial killer was our sweet and kind officer, Jeong Ba-Reum. Grandmother was murdered by someone she knew and trusted. 😭

Which brings me to my 2nd lost love, Jeong Ba-Reum played by Lee Seung-Gi. I know he ended up being a psychopathic serial killer, but as the sweet, kind, helpful and caring officer, he took my heart.

After his brain surgery he began to feel emotions that he had never felt before. Watching him, as guilt and compassion started causing him pain, made me 😞 sad. Oh, he totally deserved it, but it still made me sad. The worst though was he in the church alone and dying. I still want to cry just thinking about it.

(5) Crash Landing on You:

He was such a player but why did Seong-Joon (played by Kim Jung-Hyun) have to die just as he started caring about someone other than himself?

He was at the airport. He would have survived. But he actually cared for Dan, who was kidnapped, so Seong-Joon went back to rescue her. He succeeded but it cost him his own life.

05/08/2022

“Do Bae Man”

I was able to finish it and I liked how it ended.

I do want to give a KUDOS to Kang Mal-Geum for her portrayal of Bae-Man’s aunt, the police detective. She was loud and rambunctious and feared nothing.

05/05/2022: I’ve been watching other shows because this one has gotten somewhat boring. I feel like they’re dragging it out more than what is necessary. But I started watching again tonight and people are now learning secrets that had been unknown to them so far in the series, which is making the stakes a little higher. I’ll see if I can’t finish the series out by this weekend.

**And to all of the Moms out there, Happy Mother’s Day!** 🎁 

04/19/2022: The storyline is progressing nicely. Pieces of the puzzle are starting to come together. And just as you think that Do Bae-Man is on the wrong side, new information proves that he is not.

It’s fun watching him wreak havoc on the well-to-do’ers who think they can get away with anything. Bae-Man and Woo-Min have finally teamed up to go after their #1 target, the first female 2-star general who killed their parents. They have gone after her son whom she dearly cares for, but she treats him like poo. He is 100% a mama‘s boy, spoiled, super rich but stupidly naive.

Keep watching…… 

04/10/2022: I love shows where the women can defend themselves, and this does not disappoint. Starring Ahn Bo-hyun as Do Bae-Man and Jo Bo-ah as Cha Woo-In do an exceptional job of whupping ass on the bad guys.

They are both military prosecutors and their process is vigilante ‘service’, first the vigilante part, then by the law. Of course, after seeing each other fight, they are impressed with each other’s abilities. Is this the beginning of a romance? We will soon find out………

04/06/2022: I finally watched the last two episodes and was a teeny bit disappointed. I didn’t like the year long wait while Tae-Moo was in the United States with his grandfather who was getting treatments for a heart condition, but Ha-Ri stayed in Korea so that there wouldn’t be any issues with the grandfather.

Eventually he does return and he asks her to marry him.

There was another romance with Ha-Ri’s friend (The one that didn’t want to go on the blind date) and Tae-Moo’s secretary/brother/best friend. I liked that romance, as well.

 Tae-Moo finally confessed but Ha-Ri is undecided. Being from a much lower income class, she knows it will not be acceptable for her and Tae-Moo to be together. On the other hand, she does like him. Regardless, Tae-Moo continues to woo her and she finally gives in and tells him she’s in it for the long-haul.

Backing up for a moment:

Tae-Moo introduces her to his grandfather but under the fake name. The grandfather loves her but then Tae-Moo discovers that she is his employee that has accidentally created some major issues for the grandfather and the grandfather absolutely hates her.

In season 10 the grandfather discovers her true identity and it ends with him telling her to break up with Tae-Moo.

Only two more episodes to go and I’m again at the waiting point…

The morning of 03/27/2022:

It took a while, but it finally began to improve once it got away from the tragic backstory.

Woo-Il, an orphan, was “adopted” by Hwan-Ki’s family when the boys were children. They grew up as best friends. Hwan-Ki had been outgoing, but after his secretary‘s suicide, he simply retreated inside himself and Woo-Il became the front man.

To protect his family, Hwan-Ki took all of the blame upon himself thus becoming the introvert.

The true story: Woo-Il was Hwan-Ki’s sister’s fiancé (by “force”) but he fell in love with the secretary and one night, being extremely drunk at a bar, he calls the secretary who goes to him and takes him home where things got a little extreme… they had sex.

Woo-Il and the secretary were seen by Hwan-Ki the next morning talking. She felt guilty and was upset so Woo-Il hugged her (which is a big no-no in Korea). Later Hwan-Ki brings up the incident to Woo-Il who immediately states that what had happened was a mistake, that the secretary had come on to him (when it had been the other way around) and the secretary overheard this.

Later she was approached by Hwan-Ki’s sister (Woo-Il’s fiancé) who stated that she herself could not blame Woo-Il therefore she was putting all the blame on the secretary. She also told her, “I cannot live without him” and she took out an eyebrow blade and deeply cut her arm. She told the secretary to just disappear.

The secretary tried to reach Hwan-Ki but he was in the hospital with his sister. Being extremely distraught, the secretary committed suicide by jumping out of the window of the high-rise building.

Later that night:

So I finished the series and I loved the characters, especially the lead actor and actress. They were really cute together.

Slowly over time the story began to piece itself together but I feel like it was way more serious than what was presented. The series revolves around someone that committed suicide and also about a young woman that would physically hurt herself to keep the man that she dearly loved even though he didn’t love her so much.

To me the comedic parts weren’t really funny. The storyline I did not like, but the characters I really loved. I’m glad I saw it, just really disappointed.

03/07/2022: I love this series!!

Sae-Bom has always wanted an apartment of her own. A new set of apartments had just been built and she really, really wanted one, but she didn’t meet all of the criteria, one of which she has to be married. So, naturally, she asks Yi-Hyun and without even thinking he said “yes”. So she repeated it again, “I’m talking about getting MARRIED” and he replies “yes, I understand”.

I get the impression that this couple have been together all these 12 years but never dated, just super best friends. Yi-Hyun, I think, let’s Sae-Bom lead the way and he simply follows just to be close to her. They are both superb fighters and officers.

So they move into the apartment, and Yi-Hyun has placed both beds in the same bedroom, but separate. They tell the people that they meet that they are on their honeymoon. 

The infected have been discovered in one of the buildings and Han Tae-Seok, the leader of a secret installation where research is being done to find an antibiotic that could pass through the brain and destroy the virus (played by Jo Woo-jin), has quarantined the entire apartment complex by putting up very tall, metal panels around the entire complex (10 or more high-rise buildings in this complex). Yi-Hyun and Sae-Bom are now trapped inside.

I love this couple!! It’s very obvious that they care about each other a lot. The other characters are interesting enough.

A drug called NEXT, used for ADHD symptoms, has caused the deadly virus. Although it was taken off the market, it was being sold illegally to patrons of the building’s gym. Once infected you have an unquenching thirst and once you’re around people that make you angry or the situation is extremely stressful, you then become zombie-like, wanting to bite and drink the blood from the humans. Once things calm down the infected actually becomes normal again and nobody even suspects that they are infected.

Sae-Bom had been scratched by one of the infected and Tae-Seok, a high school classmate of her and Yi-Hyun, takes her into the secret facility for testing. She continues to show no symptoms so he lets her out but she was to return every two weeks to have her blood tested. Then the quarantine was put in place.

She ends up having the needed antibodies in her blood that can actually kill the virus. Tae-Seok’s pregnant wife had been infected and when he gave her the serum thru her IV she was almost cured. Once she was given a second dose she was cured.

There are a lot of stories and mysteries involving the characters and slowly you find the answers to each mystery. And like I said in the beginning, “who is going to die next?”

Yi-Hyun has now been infected, as well, but he was able to hold back his thirst until he was face to face with a murderer and he changed and ripped the man’s throat out. It was a very satisfying death scene regarding that character, even though I knew he would come back as an “infected “. He was a serial killer on Korea’s most wanted list.

Sae-Bom had been taken out of quarantine by Tae-Seok so he could use her blood to create the antibodies serum. Now she is on her way back inside to rescue Yi-Hyun.

More later…..

And later that evening:

Sae-Bom is able to get inside the building and she finds Yi-Hyun in a zombie state. As she talks to him gently, he calms down and reverts back to his human self. She told him that she did not care what state he was in, she would always be there beside him, and then she kisses him.

Another infected person who never changed was taken in by Tae-Seok for his antibodies.

The story then jumps to one year later and Sae-Bom and Yi-Hyun are walking together down the street and everything is back to normal. She asked, “When did you really start liking me?” and he stated, “From the beginning.”

The end.

This is just gonna be a good ol’ ‘who’s gonna die first’ series. I love the two leads already, played by Park Hyung-Sik as Jung Ye-Hyun and Han Hyo-Joo as Yoon Sae-Bom, both members of an anti terrorist police division.

The series starts with Ye-Hyun sitting on the roof edge of his four-story high school while police below are trying to ‘talk him down’. Apparently he got an injury and can no longer play baseball, his favorite sport. The police already have a tarp ready in case he jumps, which, by the way, he had no intentions.

Because of the situation at hand the school was on lock-down which irritated Sae-Bom because she wanted to go home. So she tells the teacher she’s going to the restroom, she climbs the three flights of stairs to the roof, tells the police she was sent there because she was his friend and proceeds to climb up on the ledge next to Ye-Hyun and they began to talk.

After the short conversation she gets up and presents her hand to him to help him up. She promptly pushes him over the ledge and he lands safely in the tarp. She was being lead out in handcuffs and begs him to, “please, tell them you won’t press charges”. He looks at her and asks, “will you go out with me?” to which she promptly says, “No”.… Lol.

I thought it was a great first meeting. 12 years later they both work in the same specialized police department and are training new recruits when the virus breaks out.

More later…

This is another “OK” series. It’s about a young man , Kang Seon-Ho (Jung Jin-Young) that is a genius hacker (he’s never used it illegally). He decides to follow the girl, Oh Kang-Hui (Krystal Jung ), that he likes into the Police Academy.

Then there’s the lone Detective, Yoo Dong-Man (Cha Tae-Hyun), who barges in first and ask questions later so he’s constantly messing everything up. He is after the owner of an online gambling service.

While running amok again, Detective Yoo causes an accident which included Seon-Ho’s father. After an examination the father discovers that he has cancer that can be cured with surgery.

Not having money Seon-Ho hacks into the online bank account of the illegal gambling site and steals the $7000 needed for the surgery.

The Detective was able to track him down easily and was going to arrest him when the father came in and begged him not to ruin the boy’s future. The detective finally gives in and is punished by being sent to the Police Academy as an instructor.

As soon as he sees Seon-Ho, the Detective becomes a total ass. It’s like he has a personal vendetta against this boy. But during the training Seon-Ho proves his worth and has now garnered an acceptance by the Detective.

I’ve just gotten to the part where the detective’s partner was attacked just as he told the detective that someone in the police academy has a major role in the online gambling site (The partner is involved too). He now lays in a coma with a severe head injury.

The Detective, well he decides to forgo his values and asks the boy to help him do some illegal hacking to catch the bad guys, but the boy refuses.

More later…..