Quick life updates: I have lost count on how many weeks I've been spending at home. In the past 3 months, I've been working at home and adjusting to this "new normal" situation. While I still enjoy and pretty much on board with the idea of staying at home for months, part of me also feels somewhat stuffed and emotionally saturated. Repeating the same routine every day, having online meetings, and trying to get the work done at home are definitely challenging, but I'm still thankful for every new day I wake up. So, yeah. That's pretty much sums up my quarantine situation.

To keep me sane without any chance of going out, obviously, I've been constantly watching K-dramas, mainly on Netflix, and have finished more drama than ever.

So without further ado, this is the lineup and quick review of dramas I've been enjoying lately:

I first found out about this drama because this is what every news portal were covering: Kim Tae-hee's comeback drama after she starts a family. But what makes me decide to give it a shot is its unique premise about a dead mother who came back to life and has to face her husband and her daughter, not to mention that her husband already remarried. I ended up sobbing in 14 out of 16 episodes because this is so heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. I love it so much I actually have written a dedicated blog post about this. "Hi Bye, Mama!" will definitely in my Top 10 K-dramas of all the time ♥️

Everyone on my Instagram literally posted about this. At first, I thought this will be another overrated drama which I usually won't like (pardon the snobby me for being picky which often not liking what everyone likes -- i.e Goblin or What's Wrong with Secretary Kim). BUT oh but, I was actually hooked and ended up finishing it in less than a week! (and yes, I purposely waited for it to end before start watching it).

Firstly, there's Park Seo-joon (and Kim Da-mi!!). Secondly, this is not a romantic comedy. It involves revenge, business, and financial tips (?), and has a good moral story about a young guy who's determined to make his dream comes true. What a motivating story for a millennial girl like me. Thirdly, I really appreciate the writer and the staff for bringing up several topics that are probably still viewed as negative or taboo in Korea: black people, transgender, sociopath, and ex-convict.

I think the plot unfolds a little bit too slow with a predictable ending, but overall it's still enjoyable to watch because of its diverse focus on each character. In the end, I can't help but keep clicking the next episode button to see their progress and what awaits them. So, thumbs up for Itaewon Class!

THIS. also appears literally everywhere and I eventually gave in to what society dictates me to watch HAHA but I'm not complaining since this. is. gold. 

Melodrama is often draining me mentally because I'm just too overwhelmed to enjoy all the dramatic plot, expressions, and the suspense. But again, I guess this all depends on the plot, and this intense drama about a long and complicated relationship between Ji Sun-woo and Lee Tae-oh is definitely won a place in my top k-drama! Before this, the only Korean drama about cheating I have seen is "My Wife's Having an Affair This Week", which I have written about here, but this is obviously nowhere near TWOTM due to its comedic side.

The similarity? Both had me thinking about this possibility of cheating and put me in a realization that one day I might be the one in this position and that's why I should have become independent enough to support myself. The funny thing, this drama is also featured as the main topic in several famous Instagram accounts, mainly because of its moral story about marriage and finance. This just proves that you can learn some good things from this drama.

My keyword for this drama is "Friendship Goals". Seriously, this drama has successfully shattered my personal beliefs that "I don't need friendship goals because mine is already perfect" 😂 

I know that this is from the same director from the Reply series, but I never watch any of Reply drama, so I actually have zero expectation about how this drama will turn out. But I'm glad I started because I'm liking it!

I love how these 5 doctors have such a mature and healthy relationship. They support each other and have this admirable bond, without any sign of jealousy or any visible distance whenever one of them has a new partner, or even when some of them hang out together without the other's presence. This may sound simple and obvious since they're all adults (like..."what do you expect, duh?!"), but since I have witnessed some friendship dramas in real life, I can't help but notice this first.

Some of the side stories are just too sad for me, which resulting in me crying every time there's a scene involving a patient's death or any medical complication appears. Still loving it though because overall, I think this is a good, light, and heartwarming drama to watch. I guess after this I'll try to see the Reply series.

Just for your information: "She was Pretty" currently placed as my #1 k-drama of all time and of course I will watch Hwang Jung-eum's NEW DRAMA! especially when it's produced by Netflix! and it also has Yook Seung-jae in it!

I'm so excited when the news first came out until the very moment I watch the last episode. This drama deserves more than 12 episodes (yes, it only has 12 episodes which is not fair 😭). The only thing that's a bit disappointing about this drama is its final episode. In the last episode, I get the impression that the story is somewhat rushed and the scenes are a little bit... messy (?) It jumps from one thing to another thing too quickly and the transition is not that smooth. The story itself is so much predictable with only one particular line spoken by Weol-ju. But despite that, I'm still very much liking this drama and recommend this for you who are looking for some fresh and unique Korean drama!

That's all! I have watched (and re-watched) some other dramas, but too bad I just don't like it enough to write a post about it HAHA So, these are all my recommendations if you're looking for Korean dramas to watch.

Will post some more about Korean variety show because I've been hooked to some variety/reality shows. Stay tuneddddd!

It's only been 2 weeks from the final episode of "Crash Landing on You" and honestly I haven't fully moved on from its story until last week, I watched "Hi Bye, Mama", and I can say that this completely steals the spot from its predecessors!

This is the first drama where Kim Tae-hee starred in the last 5 years. You must have known her as the goddess in Korean entertainment because of her perfect visual, and this is her comeback drama after she married Rain & gave birth to 2 beautiful kids. Come on guys, this is KIM TAE-HEE!

Image: instagram @_angel_elijah_

The story is about Cha Yu-ri (played by Kim Tae-hee), a mother of 1 who had a car accident during her pregnancy which resulting in her death. Thankfully, her daughter (Jo Seo-woo) was born healthily. On the same day of her death.

After that, she's been watching her daughter closely for 5 years as a ghost. She's been witnessing all her little milestones, including when she learned to speak, to walk, started pre-school, and even knowing that her husband, Jo Gang-hwa (played by Lee Kyu-hyung), remarried with Oh Min-jeong (played by Go Bo-gyeol). Can you imagine how heartbreaking it is to watch your kid grow up with another woman as her (step)mom figure and you don't get to touch or even let her know how much you love her? 😭

(The premise itself already got me bawling but don't cry now, save your tears for the real deal)

What makes it more interesting is when Cha Yu-ri regained her human self (?) in exchange of a mission, and if she can accomplish that mission in 49 days, she can be a human forever. BUT not only exciting, this also become more complicated as she accidentally exposed herself to her husband and close friends, Shin Dong-mi and Gye Geun-sang (played by Go Hyun-jung and Oh Eui-sik).

Image: instagram @_angel_elijah_

Okay, that's the rough plot. Only 4 episodes have aired so far and I have hooked already. Why? Because it offers a different perspective of love from its predecessor, "Crash Landing on You", which is motherly/family love. It's not only revolved in Yu-ri's love for her child, but also highlight how Yu-ri's mom hurt by the loss of her daughter, how Yu-ri's sister been missing her the one and only sibling, and even how Yu-ri empathizes with the kid ghost who doesn't seem to understand that he has to leave his mom.

Every trailer released for this drama doesn't do any justice because they somewhat only presents the comedic angle to viewers. Think this clip fits better to represent the whole vibes and feels.

Image: Hancinema

Sumber: Hancinema

I'm coming back with another korean drama post! Finally after a long wait, a drama that's really worth your time is here.

Regarding the statement, I know as a k-drama lover, any kind of korean drama with your favorite oppa(s) is always worth your time. But let's be honest here. You do feel a little guilt while watching your oppa instead of being productive doing your job, don't you? Or at least that's what I've been feeling lately. I always consciously try to shift my attention out of my responsibility, and watching drama is one of my guilty pleasure because it does indeed kill my productivity in a way that I enjoy 😂

Dark and gloomy (?)  poster for the drama!  Although I must admit it doesn't look interesting and convincing tho. (image: soompi)

But this one is different I promise. This drama called "Tunnel" is like no other korean drama you have watched.  A complicated storyline, unpredictable twist, and also of course, my favorite oppa (aka Choi Jin-hyuk), it's all in here. Like other drama I have written about, you won't find any cheesy line or cringey-awkward-kissing-scene in this drama. Instead, you will find many scenes that involve a corpse, a body part, the act of strangulation, handsome detective (I'm talking about Choi Jin-hyuk here), and again, a corpse (I'm telling you in advance so you won't be shocked by the visual later--like I did).

So... what is this drama about actually?

Tunnel is a mystery, crime, and thriller drama. The main character is Park Kwang-ho (played by Choi Jin-hyuk), a detective who lives in year 1986. He was trying to solve a (suspected) serial murder case which shows the same pattern: young women being choked to death with some dot marks on their heels. One day, he was chasing the culprit down the tunnel but unfortunately, he got attacked and became unconscious. Then, he regains his consciousness in year 2016, at the same place, same spot, same tunnel where he was attacked in 1986.

Okay, that's a little bit of the background. Now, I'm writing down a short FAQ to answer the possible questions that popped up in your head while trying my best not to spoil the whole plot:


How did he go to 2016? Can he go back to 1986?
Of course he can!
But.. how?!
Sssttt.. I'm telling you this one way to know the details: go watch the drama!

How about the case he was working on in 1986? The culprit? The investigation? Is he going to solve the same case in 2016?
Yes, somehow he will (surprisingly) be going after the same culprit and investigate the exact same case from 1986 in 2016.
But how????
He will work with the investigation team obviously, which consists of people who are actually related to him in a very very very surprising way.

Who are this lady and that oppa?! (image: hancinema)

Who are they?
Sorry I have to stop here. But you can watch the drama if you want to know their identity :D

What happens with his family and friends in 1986 while he's gone to 2016?
This is where the interesting part is. In 1986, Kwang-ho did marry a girl he loves (aaw!) but unfortunately, he has no choice but to leave her in 1986 while he's stranded in 2016. This drama shows both eras (?) simultaneously, which means the people in 1986 know that Kwang-ho is gone but have no clue regarding his whereabouts. And by the time Kwang-ho leaves to 2016, there's something happened to his wife that leads to his fate in 2016..................................................................................

"You want to know more, huh? Please watch Tunnel!!!" - Detective Kwang-ho and detective Sun-jae in 2016 (image: kdramapal)

Trust me when I say I really want to spoil all the details here, but I must not spoil anything so let's just end this short FAQ with one conclusion: please do watch the drama if you wish to figure out the story :D


#1 It is NOT a rom-com
I love romantic-comedy drama (who doesn't?). But finding a good rom-com drama is so much harder than it looks. Statistically speaking, about 70% out of all 1,784 k-drama falls into rom-com category (p.s I made up the statistic because, why not!), yet, I can only name less than 10 rom-com dramas that are actually good enough to watch and the most importantly, those which won't bore the hell out of you. So, it's good to finally watch a drama that's out of your usual taste. But don't worry, there is also a refreshing comical scene in "Tunnel" (because I bet people don't want to witness a never-ending criminal act for the whole series, right?).

#2 Unpredictable
Have I told you earlier that this drama has an unpredictable twist? It's not that kind of drama where you can guess the finale right after you reach the first half of its pilot episode. There is a lot of twists you can't imagine, when you think it's going to be A then it's actually Z. In short, it's mind = blown. Boom. Also, the storyline is not boring at all and the suspense and + the mysterious plot kinda make your brain stays alert--especially for a coward like me, so you will not only sit there staring blankly at your monitor screen, wondering how many episodes left or deciding whether or not you should finish the drama because you're not sure if you like it or nah (cause this happens to me A. LOT). You will automatically hit the next button and suddenly find yourself on the last episode already :(

#3 Choi Jin-hyuk
Throughout this post, isn't it obvious that I have major crush on this guy? I have been keeping my eyes on him since the Emergency Couple (2014) era and been waiting patiently for his comeback. Now, the time has finally come. Jin-hyuk has discharged from his mandatory military service and coming back through this drama. Can we please take a second to adore his oh-so-perfect smile here?

O.M.G. (image: allkpop)

So, that's 3 simple reasons why I love this drama. Please keep in mind that I can write for 10 more points but I choose to stop here before I spill everything out and my fan girl side disgusts you :'D All I want to say is... this drama really needs more recognition and popularity because it's different and good and the chemistry between the casts is real and it doesn't bore you at all with its complicated storyline. My one and only advice: be careful with your binge-watching habit because I don't think you can apply them in this drama--especially with many scenes involve strangulation and a sight of dead body.

"See you when you finally decide to watch us on Tunnel!" (image: dramabeans)

pexels

One of the perks of being last year student in college is busy finishing your thesis while having an internship you have to take. This comparison is probably going to be unfair, as I have only gaining my title as a freelancer 2 weeks ago, while on the other side, having experience as an intern for around 10 months at 2 different tech companies. But I will go anyway!

Okay, so first....

Happy New Year!