My unexpected fondness for Korean dramas was one of the effects that the COVID19 pandemic brought me. Since February of this year, I have seen a number of Kdramas of different genres which were from the advice of peers from my former office; some of which became personal favorites while there are also a number of titles I can recommend to friends who just started joining the Kdrama hype. Incidentally, I am closing this year with a heartwarming rom-com, Shopping King Louie.
In Shopping King Louie, Seo In-guk plays Kang Ji-Sung, who also goes by the nickname Louie, the heir of a chaebol chairman who resorts to online shopping as a means to divert his emotions from loneliness. After a plot to kill him causes him to develop temporary amnesia, he ends up in the care of Ko Bok-shil (portrayed by Nam Ji-hyun), a poor but kindhearted bumpkin who, despite growing up in the countryside and acquiring limited education, adapts well to challenges and situations associated with city life.
Prior to watching the show, I have read a few reactions online saying that Shopping King Louie is fun to watch. Well, I must admit that the comments of strangers did not disappoint. Next to teaching me a thing or two about the wonders of eCommerce and how online shopping influenced our lives, watching this drama at some point made me think about what it means to be truly happy. It made me recall a part of the lecture from an online course of Yale University called The Science of Well Being which I took at the height of the COVID19 lockdown. The course lecturer, Professor Laurie Santos stated a fact: “we live in a culture whose economy relies on us wanting awesome stuff (in order to be happy)”. She even raised an advice that rather than investing in material things, we should focus more on investing in experiences because it is less susceptible to social comparison.
Such advice was apparent in Shopping King Louie. The time Ji-sung spent with Bok-shil allowed him to see and experience things and situations that were unknown to him as he was raised as a sheltered rich kid. With Bok-shil as his companion, he learned how to put value and appreciate the things that truly matter; most of them weren’t even the extravagant kind that he grew up with.
The characters in this drama were fun to watch too as they also tend to teach the audience lessons about loyalty, trust, forgiveness and the importance of appreciation and its effect on others. I also loved the “oldies” feels because the drama incorporated the songs from renowned artists that aren’t even Koreans. It’s good to hear Celine Dion’s Power of Love, Frank Sinatra’s My Way, and All You Need is Love by the Beatles in a show that’s not even of American origin (but the main character Louis speaks good English!). The final two episodes got me teary-eyed for there are scenes that are just heartwarming but there are also some scenes that retains the kilig feels of romantic-comedy dramas. I am just glad that I am closing this year having finished a Kdrama that I can recommend to some of my friends. Oh, and a tip for the ladies, if you want a powerful piece of elderly wisdom on what wearing high heels can do for you, this one would be worth-watching.
Given that I still have 22 pending Kdramas on my device at home, I decided to use the fishbowl method to pick what to watch next. I was also hoping that by doing so, I could move on to Ji Chang-wook's charm after watching Suspicious Partner.
But it appears that the Universe is sabotaging my strategy because I ended up picking another show where he was part of. The action Kdrama The K2. I could have just returned that to the fishbowl but then, it would be cheating so despite not knowing what I'll be getting from it, I decided to go ahead and watch.
K2 tells the story of Kim Je-Ha played by Ji Chang-wook, a mercenary soldier from Iraq who flees to South Korea as a fugitive after being framed up and accused of killing his lover, Rania. As he tries to uncover the truth and discover the person responsible for her death, Je-ha crosses paths with Choi Yoo Jin, the ambitious eldest daughter of a chaebol family who aspires to become the country's first lady. He becomes part of JSS Security and is eventually assigned to serve as a bodyguard for Go An-na (played by Im Yoon-ah), the illegitimate daughter of Yoo Jin's husband and presidential candidate Jang Se-joon. While the two characters develop feelings and eventually fall in love, Je-ha becomes torn between choosing to work with his ally to give justice for Rania's death and protecting his newfound love at all costs.
This was the second action Kdrama that I have seen (the first one being My Secret Terrius). And while I was able to finish this for just four days(!), I must say this drama was different from what I have expected. For one, there is not much of the kilig-inducing scenes maybe because of the action and political genre. Next to impressive fight scenes that gave me some seemingly-excessive dose of adrenaline rush for four days, what I got mostly from this drama was a great deal of how politics could be a risky and dirty business. The audience will get a glimpse and an idea of how one's greed for fame and power corrupts their mind and morale to the point that it also affects those around them in a negative way. I despised the evil character of Choi Yoo Jin who was really a villain from the start until the last episode but I admired the bond between Je-ha and the JSS guys (even if Je-ha seems to be a threat to them because of his skills).
Despite the positive ending for the two main characters, I will be honest in saying that I'm not sure if I'll re-watch The K2 anytime soon as I'm not a fan of action dramas but I'd recommend this to those looking for a show with loads of fight scenes and are after some dose of adrenaline rush pumped into their system -- in a good way.
Over the past few days, two articles became noticeable on my Facebook wall due to two common things: famous (Filipino) directors and Kdramas. One earned flak while the other received praise and appreciation. I was not supposed to write this post as this would be in defense of my perception of Kdramas but then I thought what I am about to say might somehow be valid.
Six weeks into the ECQ. I will not deny that while I am not the type who would indulge in binge-watching Korean dramas, these shows are partly doing its share to lessen the boredom that I am feeling with having to stay at home due to the implemented quarantine. I've never really immersed myself in Kdramas. It was only around 2016 when the medical drama Doctors aired on late-night TV that I found myself devoting minutes of my supposed bedtime to watch a creative output from another Asian country.
I know I've previously mentioned in this post that this has been my favorite Kdrama. But I never thought that next to igniting my interest in medicine and life sciences, this would impart me great lessons on courage. I wouldn't say so, if not for a personal setback that I had to experience two years after. When the show was aired the second time through ABS-CBN's sister channel in 2018, I still went on to watch it. It was also around that time when our family faced the uneventful news that Papa was suffering from cancer.
Despite being told to live each day as normal as I can, I just knew that I am literally racing against time. When you learn that a loved one is suffering from an incurable disease, it's like living with a ticking time bomb every single day. So each one needs to make the most of the time that's left. My ultimate wakeup call came in the form of the Kdrama's episode 11. There was a scene there where Dr. Hong lay on the older Director Hong's chest while saying how happy he was to have him as his father. It made me realize that for the longest time, I was never vocal about such feelings to any of my parents, much more to Papa. I just knew that letting him know how much he was loved was something that should not be kept unsaid. And so, in our private conversation, two weeks after my 34th birthday, in between sobs from hearing his last requests, I took all the courage and strength that I have left and told him everything-- of how much he is loved and how lucky and blessed I have been for he was my father and not anyone else. My words did not come unreciprocated for I likewise received a reply that I'll always carry in my heart until it's time for us to see each other again.
That would be the last lucid conversation I would have with Papa. He turned for the worst in the days that followed and died five weeks later.
It's been a year and four months since he passed away and this is the first (and maybe last) time that I am writing about that moment on this blog. Recalling that moment causes my tear ducts to release the dam of emotions (and yes, I am partly sobbing as I type these things tonight). The void of losing a loved one will indeed remain in the heart forever but for me, the pain was somehow eased because I mustered the courage to do what was needed to be done and let out the most important words that were left unsaid for years.
So, going back to that director and his comment on Kdramas, I can say I have the right to oppose it. For what he claims to be just made out of faux Cinderellas and belofied characters once taught me something that his masterpiece might not be able to teach -- that is meaningful life lessons and courage was one of them.
