I celebrated my birthday two weeks ago. At 36, I’d say I am getting close to midlife. It took me weeks before writing down this birthday post because this is a different year.

I remember telling Mama sometime this year that I am indeed getting older. I know I am because part of the daily grind is dealing with struggles and living during a critical and difficult time. If my parents had Martial Law, I, in this life have the COVID19 pandemic. Months ago, there would be moments that I would silently have questions in my head. It was at the height of this pandemic when I would ask myself two things:

Magiging COVID19 victim din ba ako? and will I still be alive to reach my birthday this year.

I know it’s morbid. But at the same time, that’s reality. I know you’ll think I’m that paranoid but these thoughts reached to a point when just a month before my birthday, rather than thinking of how to celebrate that day, I found myself drafting an Executor’s Dossier (a thing I learned from working in a law firm) which contained a list of my online accounts and passwords and my instructions concerning those should the inevitable happen. It might be creepy for some, but to me, given that we are dealing and living at a time of worry, fear and uncertainty, that would be one less thing for me and my family to worry about.

Maybe, getting older was also a thing to blame that I did not really aim at the usual celebrations with a blast. Next to spending some quiet time visiting Papa and my grandparents at the nearby memorial park, I just went on to have my morning coffee at Starbucks. That was the only thing I’d even tell  Mama when she asked about my birthday plans.

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.

When I  started this blog around 12 years ago, gaining readers or followers was the least of my aims. To me, this platform was a mere space for me to practice my writing skills and just to serve as an outlet to release thoughts in my head and pent-up emotions from the stress of daily life. I started this blog when I was just 23; trying to sail through the troubled waters of freelancing, job-hopping, and navigating through my relationship with my then-boyfriend.

When this blog came to be, I was someone searching for my place under the sun.

But as time passed, I guess there was also something good with writing down my thoughts for I got to encounter people, only virtually. Some of them even became my friends, among them was this lady named Diane. The one behind the blog Diane Wants to Write, she discovered my blog by accident and has since became one of the silent readers. And while blogging was one of the things we share in common, there was another thing: Kdramas

It's just that I was a late bloomer to join the bandwagon. When Crash Landing on You became a hit early this year, I remember being the one almost left behind. I just hopped in after my officemates convinced me that it was worth my time and bedtime habit. I would find out later on that I would share the same penchant for this series with Diane who was also smitten by the male lead Hyun Bin (aka Ang Pambansang Asawa because a lot of ladies are head-over-heels with him!).

The topic of personally meeting up was among our plans back then until COVID19 and the community quarantine happened. But despite being at home, we continued with our Kdrama convos over Instagram. Around May this year, this little parcel came as a surprise in the middle of a stressful and scary period. And as this was something I was not expecting, a lot of thoughts were running in my head even before I got this from the delivery guy -- from the usual quarterly statement that I've been used to receiving from my bank, to even a subpoena from the trial court (yes, may ganong idea sa utak ko that time. Crazy but true.)

The parcel contained the merchandise that we often talked about. I honestly forgot about it because I've settled on the fact that there won't be any other way for me to receive those because of the restrictions brought about by the pandemic. But lo and behold, these cute little standees made its way to my home and eventually, my desk. Diane was that generous because there were three of those items together with a cute handwritten note. Talk about long-distance deliveries with a personal touch.

I know this blog entry is long overdue. But I still went on to write about it as a reminder of how strangers and friends can bring some comfort (even kilig) during this scary, difficult, and uncertain time. Especially if you get to share something in common -- fangirling over Kdramas and the oppas included!

Oh, if you're looking for some inspiration and have an eye for beautiful things, do check out Diane's blog, Diane Wants to Write or you can follow her on Instagram and be amazed by her photography and product styling skills! 

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Suspicious Partner was just a random pick when I went through the downloaded dramas on my device a few weeks back. I was hesitant to watch it at first because the series seem too lengthy given that it has 40 episodes . But I still decided to give it a go because of its legal genre.

A Kdrama from 2017, Suspicious Partner tells the story of aspiring lawyer Eun Bong-hee (played by Nam Ji-hyun), who meets stern prosecutor turned private lawyer Noh Ji-wook (played by Ji Chang-wook). After a not-so-favorable first impression during a rush-hour commute in a subway train, Bong-hee and Ji-wook's paths cross again when she becomes an intern in the Sunho District Prosecutor's Office -- the same office where Ji-wook works as a prosecutor. What happens when Bong Hee becomes accused of allegedly murdering her cheating ex-boyfriend and she gets prosecuted by her immediate boss is just the start of the crime-solving events that involved a number of theories, people and clues in order to catch the real culprit and prove one person's innocence. 

I must admit that the main reason why I  chose to watch this drama is primarily because of my curiosity about Ji Chang-wook. I have only known him to be a celebrity endorser of the Filipino clothing brand Bench (and has been used to seeing his face daily in one of the boutique's branches in a mall near my former office) but I only decided to watch his Kdramas just now. And while worrying about my patience easily getting burned down given that the drama has 40 episodes, I must say that this one was worth all the puyat and my patience.

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Compared to her previous role in another Kdrama that I saw months back, 100 Days My Prince, I enjoyed watching Nam Ji-hyun play the role of Eun Bong-hee in Suspicious Partner. From her being a prosecutor's intern to how she fought and struggled to prove her innocence  to redeem herself (with the help of Ji-wook) and eventually regain her rightful role of a full-fledged lawyer. And speaking of redemption, there was another scene in the drama that involved an event in the past related to the lives of the two main characters that I would confess, tugged a space in my heart.  

Given that the story has the element of legal drama, I was able to relate to the flow of the story. I guess my previous job being in the legal profession was also helpful. Next to just realizing that prosecutors could also be crush-worthy persons of authority, the show pushed my mind to ask thought-provoking questions (mostly who, why, and what) and even make assumptions just to challenge if what I was thinking about the scenario was right. Another thing that made this show interesting (at least for me) was it tackled another query I've once had in mind. A "what if" that, as shown in the story, happens to be one of the biggest dilemmas for those in the practice of law -- what if the one you acquitted was indeed guilty and that the one you convicted was really innocent. And while I was provided with an answer, it showed me that the search for truth, as well as the act of proving someone's innocence or guilt could be a complicated, exhausting process.

The presence of supporting characters in the form of Noh Ji-wook's colleagues also provided a good balance of comedy in the story. And while there's also an angle of a past love in the show, you won't find the character of Kwon Na-ra as the prosecutor ex-girlfriend intimidating compared to how exes are portrayed in other Kdramas.

It also gave me a glimpse and an answer to one long withstanding silly question that I've always had even when I was still an employee: how two lawyers (or those in the legal profession) go through romantic arguments and quarrels. But this show won't be complete as a rom-com drama without the romantic scenes between Prosecutor Noh and Attorney Eun. Talk about getting some dose of endorphins to counter all those stressful scenes that involved some crimes discussed during the whole series. I didn't even recognize the age gap between these two characters because they were able to execute the role of a couple so well. The ending to their story was simple yet, I still found it satisfying.

If you're asking me if I would recommend this show to friends for their binge-watching sessions, despite that this might be a lengthy one, I would say yes. If you're looking for some feel-good legal rom-com to watch, try adding Suspicious Partner to your list. Take it from me, you'd get just the right mix of laughter, a bit of drama, an ample amount of suspense, and some dose of kilig from this show.

Throughout this quarantine period, there had been a few Korean dramas that I have watched more than once because I enjoyed the story the first time. One of which is the romantic comedy Touch Your Heart. The show stars Lee Dong-wook and Yoo In-na who happens to be the second lead couple, Grim Reaper and Sunny in the 2016 Kdrama Goblin.

While I was unable to see them portray their respective roles in Goblin, I decided to give this one a go mainly because I found the trailer interesting. In Touch Your Heart, Yoo In-na plays as an actress named Oh Yoon-seo. After being involved in a drug scandal, she hopes to redeem her top star status by making a comeback as a female lead in another drama. But to do so, she must first get some work experience by serving as a legal secretary at a law firm. It is there she meets the workaholic and aloof lawyer, Kwon Jung-rok. Just when she's firm with just acquiring some field experience for her role, love unexpectedly blooms between her and her immediate boss.

I must say that I could somewhat relate to the plot of the story especially with Yoo In-na's role as a legal secretary as I also ventured in the same career before going into this unexpected hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More than just a glimpse of life inside the confines of a court, the law practice, and reuniting with legal jargon, what made me enjoy watching this drama was the element of romance (of course). But specifically, I liked how the show was able to convey the concept of office romance between two people from obviously different social status in such a delightful way. I confess, there were moments when I have to lock the door of my bedroom because I was squealing in giddy delight whenever there are kilig moments involving the two characters.

But the show is not just all about all that lovey-dovey stuff. It also included some elements of suspense and conflict especially the ones that involved evidence gathering during those crime-solving scenarios. This rom-com also showed some of the pros and cons, the ups and downs that are part of romantic relationships, and how vital compromise is for a couple to sail through the rough patch and make a relationship work. 

The episode ends with Yoon-seo making a successful comeback and finally deciding to make her relationship with Kwon Jung-rok known to the public. While the ending of Touch Your Heart is simple and not as fireworks-worthy as I hoped it would, I must say it was still worth watching. 

I would recommend it to friends who are after feel-good, lighthearted Kdramas to binge-watch on Friday nights. Who knows they might end up wanting to have someone like Kwon Jung-rok in their lives after finishing the series, as in #SanaAll.