2pm always

It’s a decent drama for hopeless romantics, but not for realists

⭐⭐⭐

The Encounter was the last drama Song Hye Kyo did before her hiatus for over two years. Since she is coming back with a new drama project, I decided to rewatch Encounter to mark her comeback.

Its story revolves around Cha Soo-Hyun (Song Hye Kyo), a daughter of a politician father and an ex-daughter-in-law of a powerful family. She met Kim Jin-Hyeok (Park Bo-Gum) in an unexpected encounter during her trip to Cuba. They met again as CEO and employee in South Korea. 

This drama is one of those fairytales dramas most people grow up watching - the princess and the pauper. The good thing about it is that the production team embraces its concept. It is evident in the animated fairytale short intro of every episode.  There are plenty of aesthetic shots in the drama that gives viewers a more romantic and fairytale feel.  To tweak a cliche romance drama, Yoo Young-A, the writer, decided to make the female lead the CEO and have the opposite main character do the cute antics. In the past, it was always the other way around. Song Hye Kyo has her little share of acting cute, though. Of course, the never-ending battle-for-the-CEO-sit is still there, but at least it didn’t involve any villain-plotting-to-murder-the main lead plot. The drama has an overall sad tone, but the supporting characters lighten up the mood. 

Cha Soo-Hyun is the typical CEO character. Confident, poise, with a sad backstory. We always get to see her cry, worry, and occasionally smile. She only got upset once or twice, and it lasted for a minute. It would have been better if we saw more emotions from her. Also, it would have been a good buildup if we saw her character struggle in fighting her feelings a bit more. The impact when she would finally let go and give in to her feelings would have been immense. The drama undermined her character when she turned to male characters twice for advice about what she should do regarding hotel concerns. We don’t see male characters doing that. They contemplate and make decisions on their own. Cha Soo-Hyun is supposed to be confident, and she has been running the hotel for years. Heck, she even upgraded the hotel’s status from a three-star to a five-star hotel. For sure, she would know how to deal with those concerns. Song Hye Kyo’s performance as Cha Soo-Hyun is satisfactory but not consistent. It was cringy watching her act worried in some of the scenes, but she’s good other than that.

The male lead Kim Jin-Hyeok is the perfect boyfriend. Good looking, overly kind, family-oriented, thoughtful, and sweet. He’s flawless, which is disappointing. It wouldn’t hurt to give him one weakness for a little realistic characterization. On the other hand, Park Bo-Gum did an exceptional job as Kim Jin-Hyeok. He gave life to his role and owned it. His cute antics and sweet smiles would reach you, but the cheesy lines would get you too.

Because This Is My First Life is a Korean drama that aired in 2017. It's been a while since the release of this drama, but not all K-drama fans have seen this. Some are simply not aware. If you needed that one push to convince you to watch this drama, this article will help you. So, read on!

1. If this picturesque kissing scene isn't enough to persuade you to watch the drama, go ahead and scroll down.

2. The drama tackles social issues such as females being subjects of sexual jokes.

3. It also discusses the heavily patriarchal society of South Korea.

4. It also dives into the complexity of marriage. It talks about what does it mean to get married, and what does it take to get married.

Of course, the drama isn't just about issues. There are swoon-worthy moments, lol moments, and of course, a few heartache moments.

5. The progress of how the main characters slowly warmed up with each other was endearing to see. You will surely appreciate how they started from being awkward to being daring.

6. The second lead characters have their own unique love story! Love knows no age and boundary, as they say.

7. Well, the drama didn't just show romantic love, but a parents' love as well. Children often don't understand a parent's love language, but they love on their own way.

8. You can look forward to the hilarious scenes, especially between the main characters. They are refreshing and on point. The scene where Nam Se-hee meets his future-in-law is something you can look forward to as well.

9. Quotes. Who doesn't like relatable quotes, right? There are many relatable quotes in this drama you will surely love, so make room for some screenshots in your phone already.

I have seen this drama three times already, and I know I will still have re-runs in the future.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Because This Is My First Life is a story about Yoon Ji-hoo and Nam Se Hee who lived together as a tenant and landlord but agreed to get married to solve their respective problems. An inevitable bond developed soon after.

The summary sounds like any other marriage contract K-drama, but this one is not. This drama is a gem. Its beauty comes from the relatable situation of the characters, the refreshing characterization, the fresh style of comedy, and the relevant issues it tackles. I like the fact that each couple has their unique stories and different concerns surrounding marriage. I also love the fact that it didn't portray the characters as flawless. It showed their strengths and weaknesses. The drama also presented ideas concerning marriage that are worthy of pondering.

The drama is directed by Park Joon-Hwa, whose most recent work is Touch Your Heart. What's Wrong With Secretary Kim is his most popular work yet. This drama might not be his most celebrated work among fans, but admittedly, this one is a bit better. Although, there are still those unnecessary close-up shots on hands during kissing scenes. The script was written by Yoon Nan-Joong, who also worked on Flower Boy Ramen Shop and The Queen Office. Nan-Jung has shown diverse concepts and characterization in her past works, but this is her best work so far. It's refreshing, timeless, and riveting. And I must say she did an excellent job with the dialogue.

Jung So-min (Playful Kiss) starred as the female lead opposite Lee Min-Ki (Dal-ja's Spring). The actors have great chemistry, and both performed pleasantly. Lee Min-Ki's portrayal of the unemotional and eccentric character is admirable. He also naturally delivered the comedic scenes that will for sure have you laughing out loud. Jung So-min, on the other hand, gives justice to her role as a struggling writer. Kudos to her for slaying the Gyeongsang dialect as well. It's endearing to see how their characters slowly warmed up to each other.

The supporting casts also delivered their jobs nicely. Their characters are well-written, and there was enough screen time to tell and show the progress of their stories. Nothing feels forced.

Morrie: You know what that reflects? Unsatisfied lives. Unfulfilled lives. Lives that haven't found meaning in life. Because if you have found meaning in life, you don't want to go back. You want to go forward. You want to see more, do more.

RATE: 9.8/10

Writing this review makes me nervous, to be honest. The drama is so good, and I'm afraid my review won't give justice to how good it is.

The story revolves around Kim Je-hyeok, a baseball superstar who was imprisoned over excessive self-defense. It follows his life inside the prison and how he survives living there.

The plot alone will tell you that this isn't your regular Korean drama. Like the director's (Shin Won-ho) past works, the most notable is the Reply series, this drama centers more on life and friendship. The representation of characters is realistic. This one doesn't have an eye-candy and extremely wealthy oppa. Or a cutie cheerful female lead or the badass fashionista main character. This one has an average looking-guy named Kim Je-Hyeok (Park Hae Soo), who is mighty in the baseball field but quite dense in other aspects of life. His performance is admirable. The transition from being calm and simple-minded to temperament is remarkable. The love interest, played by Krystal, whose performance is equally pleasant, is the perfect representation of a college student. No fancy outfits, no good-looking son-of-wealthy family running after her, no prolong unnecessary love triangle. Jung Kyoung-Ho, who played Lee Joon-Ho, best friend of Kim Je-Hyeok, performance was terrific. The chemistry between him and Park Hae Soo as best friends is effective and impressive. Good thing I don't see posts that people are shipping their bromance.

The secondary characters are unique, and each has their own personality, which is evident and consistent throughout the story. They have their own stories that reveal their own depth. Among them, Lee Kyu-Hyung, who played Han-yang, stole the spotlight. He stood out the most with his exceptional acting and good chemistry with the rest of the cast. Kudos to him!

The casts were great, but Lim Hwa-young can do better. Her acting is a bit bland, and she's lagging behind the others. But in all, I couldn't imagine other actors playing their respective characters. They were able to radiate the emotion from the small screen to the viewers.

Some will think that this drama is too heavy and dark. They are not wrong, but they are not right either. Thanks to their unique characterization, comedy comes naturally out of it. I can guarantee that you're going to love the humor, and you can especially look forward to Kyu-Hyung's character. I wouldn't spill so much about it as I don't want to spoil and lose the charm of this drama.

Of course, it's not just all laughs. This drama is a rollercoaster of emotions. You'll laugh, cry, get shocked and mad. Just when you thought everything is fine comes another storm. Every end of the episode will have you at the edge of the seat. I'll bet that you couldn't help but click for the next episode because you couldn't wait for what will happen next. There are lots of heartwarming and tearjerker moments as well without the overly-sugar-coated dialogue. The script is more beautiful because it is realistic, and one can reflect on it. There are also great rare shots in the drama, which are surprising and refreshing.

She couldn't help, but to stop and froze on her feet. She didn't want to see him neither be alone with him. She tried her best to calm herself before turning to him.

"I'm not", she lied. That came easy than she expected. "I'm really on my way back inside."

He moved his head up and down. "Okay. So would you mind staying here for a bit?"

She was surprised, but she tried her best not to show it.

"I told you I'm on the way back inside," she avoided his gaze like plague and looked around even though there were nothing to see. "They're probably waiting for me." She said referring to their high school classmates.

Clearly not convince, he took a deep breathe and ran his fingers on his short wavy black hair.

"Alright. Just give me a minute or two, okay? I just want to ask something."

She hesitated. Why was he suddenly doing this? What was he going to ask?

"Okay."

"Tell me honestly. Why.. why do you keep avoiding me?"

She fell silent. He continued.

"I know you saw me the other day, but you turned around. And now, you're doing the same thing. You've been avoiding me since we got here. Why?"

Silence.

She clutched her fist and slowly looked up to him. Her brown eyes met with his.

"You don't really know?"

"I want to hear it -"

"Because I am ashamed. I am ashamed for all the things I've done, for the way I've acted. When I see you, I remember those memories."

"Stop holding on to those memories. You have to forgive yourself. Move on."

Those last words. It broke her heart even more.

She smiled bitterly.

She turned her back at him. "Don't worry. I will."

- Inspired by Kodaline's Moving On

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