JCP Feature: Achievement

It's almost the year-end, which means the awarding night marathon is arriving soon. Ever since I was into Korean content, I always watched the year-end awards of the 3 main broadcasting stations, which are KBS, MBC, and SBS. As I keep watching all of the awards shows, I get to see the progress of how the Korean entertainment industry grew. Also, it was fascinating to see the stars to be gathered in one place and how their work is assessed. It’s also a place to celebrate their hard work with fellow teammates. I just love it. With my 8 years of experience, I got to kinda guess the winners and it was a fun thing to do during the year end.

Let’s review the most memorable acceptance speech in 2022.

Lee Joon (KBS Drama Awards 2022)

Source: KBS Drama via Soompi

“I remember that I used to walk a long distance because I had no money with Jung Yonghwa when I was young. I am satisfied and happy that today, Jung Yonghwa could become the host and I got this big award as well. I used to be an idol singer, participated in variety shows and nowadays I got to shoot some dramas and movies. But actually, I am very scared. Actually, I declined ‘Bloody Heart’’s proposal three times before because I was not confident (to do well). That time, Kang Hana (his co-star) said that she would join if I joined, giving that kind of nuance. I feel I became a great actor and it gave me a lot of confidence to do well during the shooting. On the set, Kang Hana treated me like her child, she took care of me and kept assuring me that it would be okay. And I think I could finished the shooting thanks to her. Yoon Sungeun PD also took care of me. I also learned a lot from my co-stars, Actor Heo Sungtae and Actress Park Jihyun. In the past, when I was an idol singer and took part in variety shows, people surround me said, “How come someone like you do acting”. That time I thought, “Oh, I shouldn’t do that”. But in the end, I ignored them. I wanted to say, “You have done well” while ignoring that kind of saying. As I shoot some dramas, I think a lot about the production staff more than the actors. For the actors, we were separated into a few scenes, while the staff had to be there from the first scene to the last scene. Because of that, I feel sorry for them. This award should’ve been given to them. I am not sure if I should receive this. I just want to say thank you and I respect all of you. Thank you to my fans. Thanks to you I could become a better person. Happy New Year, everyone.”

I’ve been supporting Lee Joon since he starred in ‘Bloody Heart’ this year. I am sure that he will get an award this year. Not only because the drama was outstanding among the other historical dramas, but I can see how much Lee Joon’s acting improved. A little TMI, my bias in MBLAQ was Lee Joon. And that’s why I am really happy for him because he really worked hard for this role. I know it wasn’t easy to act as a king.

Kang Haneul (KBS Drama Awards 2022)

From the “Top Excellence Award” speech

Source: KBS Official Twitter

“Hello, I’m a Junior (actor) Kang Haneul. I (came up) with Do Kyungsoo again. (Laugh) I’m sorry. I was given this undeserved award. Thank you so much for the award. I’m so thankful, but I think I’m not even better than the other nominees. I’ll receive this award for Yoo Jaeheon (his character name in the drama ‘Curtain Call’). (He mentioned the drama staff and his team.) Becoming an actor might look like it’s nothing, but I think that there is one thing, when acting as a character, I could act more like the character other than myself. I’ll take this award as a reminder to be like that. I’ll give this award to Yoo Jaeheon and before becoming a good actor, I’ll become a good person first. Thank you.”

Kang Haneul won 2 awards from the 2022 KBS Drama Awards. He won the Popularity Award and Top Excellence Award, both with Do Kyungsoo. It was like a deja-vu hahaha. Kang Haneul felt like he was not as popular as Do Kyungsoo, so he was surprised that he won the ‘Popularity Award’. The drama ‘Curtain Call’ itself is not as good as expected, even though it was a star-studded drama. With those cast, the drama could do better, in my personal opinion. Well, what I’m impressed with is the fact that Kang Haneul is very humble. Technically he is a senior to Do Kyungsoo as an actor. However, he felt that he shouldn’t receive the same awards as Do Kyungsoo. Not only one, but two! The character Hwang Yongsik in ‘When the Camellia Blooms’ left a great and strong impression, which made Yoo Jaeheon's character became less impactful than the previous one. It was too bad, but still, Kang Haneul is qualified to receive both awards.

Lee Seunggi (KBS Drama Awards 2022)

Source: KBS Official Twitter

“Thank you. First of all, I’m very nervous. I think this year is the most difficult year in my entire life. I feel grateful and sorry as well for receiving this award. I thought that the ‘Law Cafe’ team would go back empty-handed, but maybe this award includes their hard work as well. In the past, I thought that the Grand Prize was something that was far away and I’ve never dreamt of having it. Also, I believe that the grand prize has several meanings. This year, the Grand Prize given is not for the personal achievement of one actor, but it is for all the hard work of ‘Law Cafe’ staff and actors. The director once said that the drama generated the most from KBS, so he told me to have confidence. I think this award was given to me as a representative. Actually, I’ve been thinking for hundred times whether I should come to this event or should I just ask for the understanding to be absent. As you might know, I have some personal issues, so I didn’t feel good coming to this party and laughing. But, I also couldn’t come here expressionless as it is not proper as well. I’ve been changing my mind several times. The only reason why I choose to come here is that I believe that a drama is made of a team’s hard work and my personal problem shouldn’t let the staff and other actors’ hard work go in vain and unappreciated. In addition to that, thank you for giving me this big award and I feel sorry that I have to receive it. Ö (He thanked the director, writer, staff, and other actors) I told myself, that if I received an award, I should say my acceptance speech short. But sitting down and seeing my fellow, senior and junior actors, it made me feel touched. Currently, I think that our country’s (media) content, movies, music, and entertainment, has reached out to the world out there. And I know that it happened because of the hard work of my fellow, senior, and junior actors right here. That’s why, I affirmed that, for my juniors who will sit here next year, the other next year, 10 years later, 20 years later, I should not pass the act of fighting and letting go of many things to claim my rights, something like this (issue). I received energy thanks to all of your support. I’ll be working hard as an actor in the future and thank you for supporting our drama. Since this prize is given to me as a representative of ‘Law Cafe’, I will treat you all tonight without any limit. Thank you.”

In my personal opinion, his latest KBS2 drama, ‘Law Cafe’ wasn’t as good as his previous projects. The drama doesn’t have high ratings, so I didn’t expect that Lee Seunggi would get the Grand Prize. 2022 was a hard year for Lee Seunggi because of the disputes with his previous management company. His hard work for the past decade went in vain (even though the company paid him some sum of money, but it was not the exact number, so Lee Seunggi donated that “unlucky” money instead).

In his acceptance speech, he was really emotional and it made me feel sorry for what happened to him. It must be very tough for him. I am not a big fan of Lee Seunggi, but I’ve seen him ever since he was in Two Days and One Night, so he was like a boy-next-door actor to me. May you have a great day ahead. This too shall pass! Fighting!

P.S: I wonder what they ate for the after-party dinner (?) lol.

Heo Junho (SBS Drama Awards 2022)

Source: SBS Now Twitter

“Hello, I’m Heo Junho. Nice to meet you. First of all, thank you to Father in Heaven for this Glory is Yours. Tonight, He blessed me with this miracle. Thank you to my wife who always prays for me every day and my family. My J Story family, thank you, I will greet you later on. My ‘Why Her’ family, I will treat you guys. While working for ‘Why Her’, from the character Choi Taewook, I learned about favoritism and shattered life. I realize that I am also a helpless human being, so I could not be separated from favoritism. But, I should not let the favoritism lead to a shattered life. So, I will be a lovely person to all of you, to viewers, to the staff, to my family. I will not disappoint actor for you. Thank you so much for giving me this award. Thank you.”

Heo Junho is a senior actor and he might not be as well known as any other senior actor, but his presence in every drama he starred in is firm. He received the ‘Top Excellence Award for Actor in Miniseries Genre/Fantasy Drama’ through the drama, ‘Why Her’. He was the villain in the drama, but his acting was so real, so I think that’s the reason why he received it. Unlike his character, he was a devoted Christian and very gentle in real life. Look at how he treated his teammates!

Lee Jongsuk (MBC Drama Awards 2022)

Source: Hiziumstudio Twitter

“I was almost died (because too nervous) until the result announced. First of all, thank you very much. 6 years ago, when I was in my 20s, I first saw the (trophy) awards. In my 20s, I didn’t understand the meaning of these awards. After I reached my 30s, through my comeback project, I got to greet you after a long time and received lots of love and I was given this big prize, I felt a big responsibility and more careful, which is very different from when I was in my 20s. Also, I have many people that I am grateful for. First of all, it’s been a long time since I acted (he just came back from the army) and this is my first time acting in a (specific) genre drama, I fear a lot. I wanted to thank the director ‘Oh Chunghwan’, whom I got lots of help and could rely on, from the moment I chose this project until I finished filming the drama. And I think I received lots of help from the staff more than any time before. Thank you to the director and staff. Also, for 8 months we really worked hard to live like a prisoner in the prison, so to my fellow prisoner actors and the ones who worked hard outside the prison, Yoona, Gyeongwon, and other actors as well, thank you so much. ... (He thanked his managers and management team) Also, thank you to my family and I’m sorry that I always became the first priority. Ever since last night, my mother told me to practice the acceptance speech since I’m bad at it. But, Mom, I think I’m fine, so you can be relaxed for now. Also, after I finished my military duty, I had lots of concern, fear, and trouble, but I have someone who helped me to become a better person and to have a more positive mind. At this time, I wanted to say something to that person. Thank you for always being a great person and I wanted to say that for a long time, I liked and respected you. Whenever I saw that friend, it made me think that I should’ve worked harder and become a good person. It would be nice if I treated you better, if I am a good person and I think I reflected a lot. I will try harder to become a better person and this big award that was given to me will become my source of strength to live my life. I will work harder as a good actor in the future. Happy New Year to the viewers and thank you.”

Big applause for the drama ‘Big Mouth’, it was the most highlighted drama from MBC in 2022. I really love this drama especially the cast because personally, I am a big fan of Yoona and Lee Jongsuk. When the news about them will have a project together, I have a big anticipation. It’s because Lee Jongsuk used to be Yoona’s fanboy and they will act as a married couple. I’m so thrilled! I guessed that Lee Jongsuk would get one of the big prizes, but I was quite surprised that he was the one who got the Grand Prize. I was thinking that Kim Heesun from the drama ‘Tomorrow’ would get the prize because she is a veteran in the industry and her acting was very good (though I dislike that pink hair, even though it still looks good on her). The most memorable part of Lee Jongsuk’s acceptance speech was the part where he confessed that he was in a relationship with IU (indirectly). I am really supporting the couple! May you guys have a beautiful relationship! Lee Jongsuk is really cool!

Choi Sooyoung (MBC Drama Awards 2022)

Source: Twitter

“To be honest, I knew that I was the nominee when I had my rehearsal earlier. So, my acceptance speech might be not so short. Anyway, thank you for giving me this award and letting me have an important role tonight. Yoona, it’s time for you to cry now. (Yoona acting as if she is crying). The drama ‘Fan Letter Please’ has growth, cure, healing, and many more good messages inside. Unfortunately, the airing schedule overlapped with ‘Reborn Rich’, which many people might not watched, but today I could share the good news with the people who made this drama together which I think is a great event. To director Jung Sanghoe, who worked hard to make this good drama regardless of the length of the episode, and writer Park Taeyang, it was an honor to be part of this project and also, to be just there and matched well with the story, actor Yoon Park, thank you. As this year marks my 15th debut anniversary, I worked as a Girls Generation (member) and filmed ‘Fan Letter Please’, spending the hottest summer ever. Suddenly, the very hot summer passed, and it became cold. I think there were some painful and sad things that happened. To people who felt this winter incredibly freezing and painful, I wanted to send a fan letter to say you’ve done well this year and you’ve worked hard and it will be okay. You’ve worked hard and happy new year. Thank you.”

Besides Yoona, the other member of the Girls Generation who is good at acting is probably Sooyoung. She is stacking up her cinematography slowly and steadily. She used to be acting as a supporting character, but recently she nailed it to become a lead character. I haven’t finished watching the ‘Fan Letter Please’, but in some of the episodes that I’ve watched, I liked the drama. It was a short drama with only 4 episodes, but like she said, the drama was packed with great messages. Her acting is getting firmer than before. And I believe the turning point of her acting career would be ‘Run On’. After that drama, she kept on working on various dramas and worked together with top-notch actors. She really deserved this award. I am impressed with her speech which has both wit and seriousness. 15 years of experience in this industry was truly not easy. You’ve done really well, Sooyoung. I’m a proud SONE. Congrats!

This year, there were lots of good K-dramas. Even though the OTT platform’s drama has gained more attention than the main 3 broadcasting stations, I still find joy in watching those dramas. I am so excited to see who will get nominated for this year-end drama award. I might focus on MBC and SBS this year. 

So, who is your favorite drama this year? Also, share your prediction of who will get the grand prize this year!

See you soon on my next post!

JCP FEATURES: CARNATION

“Family is not always about blood, but it’s about the bond.”

May is a family month in South Korea. They celebrate “Children’s Day”, “Parent’s Day”, and “Teacher’s Day” in May. Despite that, the pandemic has changed the concept of family. It helped us to realize how important family is and what family really means. This feature might be more personal and full of emotions, but I hope you after reading this you can take care and think of your family more, no matter how hard it is.

Before I started the main point of this feature, I wanted to let you know that this is purely written by my own opinion with a help of my personal experience, watching Korean drama, and the Internet. First of all, I’ll start with my experience.

My nuclear family consisted of 4 (now there are only 3 of us). In Indonesia and Chinese culture, we also count the extended family too. Since my mom is the eldest daughter and the first child of seven, my family was obligated to take care of extended family stuff and she did it. Compared to my cousins, my brother and I are closer to my grandpa and late grandma. And here I am right now, living with my kid-like grandpa. (By the time I uploaded this blog, my grandpa has moved out from my house.)

As I’m writing this, I have an uncomfortable term with my extended family. Well, not openly. (It’s open now!) I prayed for them every day, even though I don’t really fond them as I used to be. As I grew older, I got to know “adult stuff” and it doesn’t always a good and happy one. As I’ve said before, my mom is the eldest daughter, so she used to take care of all of the family stuff and it feels like that my aunts and uncles put that responsibility to my dad and me (since my brother is out of the country). It’s not that I don’t like it, but they are should the one who took care of my old grandpa. They are his children, while I’m only a grandchild. After my mom passed away, I got to know how hard her life was and feel terrible for not being able to pay back her love fully. The saying “you never knew until you lost it” is really relatable to me as I never thought that my mom’s presence is this significant. She was the armor of our family and she’s been holding up by herself. The 3 of us didn’t realize it until we face this drama.

It sounded like a full of sentiments and anger, but it’s only the tip of my family drama. Since I don’t want to make it bigger, I just wanted to give you a picture that every family has its own drama. Whether you came from an individualistic or collectivist culture. Enough with the personal side story, I wanted to share some movies and Korean drama that helped me to understand the concept of a family.

The story of intertwined two families, Choi and Seo. The Seo’s lost one of their twin daughters due to some illness and one day on their way back, they found a girl and take that girl home. They raised the girl for 25 years and treated her as their own daughter. No one in the family knows about it other than Mr. and Mrs. Seo. It turns out that the girl Seo found is the lost daughter of the Choi family. The drama shows how a family is not always about blood. Even when both families know the truth, Choi’s long lost daughter didn’t feel like at home. Maybe it's like any other Korean family drama, but I surely enjoy every episode of the drama. Sick father, harsh youngster life, and sparks of romance are included in this drama. It’s a very relatable drama that will make your eyes puff, but you will find your heart lighten.

I first watched this movie on the airplane and I was so terribly regretted to watch in-flight. I cried my heart out because this movie is very touching. It’s about two brothers that separated for years before because the bigger brother was in jail. When he was out of jail, he found out that his brother has lost his sight. One day, he found out that he has cancer. He tried to make us of his brother to be a Paralympic sportsman, so he can secure his future. A lot of mishaps might happen to you and your family, but eventually, we need each other. We had to have someone we can rely on.

This drama succeeds to make me cry every week. I cannot explain with words how this drama gave me console. Watching this drama is like having a tap on my back. Everyone has their own way to express their feeling of loose someone. Some might feel depressed, feel lonely, or try their best to move on. But one thing for sure, we will miss the person we lost. The drama portrays the love of a mother that has to leave her daughter and husband suddenly due to an accident. For 5 years, she was a ghost that always lingers around her daughter. One day, she was given a chance to be a real human for 49 days. The drama reveals how precious is your life and the person you love means.

This is the most recent drama in which you can watch it on Netflix. The drama included a fairytale that you might have heard before, so it’s pretty easy to follow. It might be a gothic drama, but actually, most of the fairytales were used to be cruel and have a dark storyline. It’s Okay to Not Be Okay or Psycho but Okay (literal translation) is about two brothers and a girl that had ill-fated relationships that turns out they cure each other wounds. The highlight of this drama is the bigger brother has a mental disability and had a phobia of butterflies. The younger brother is exhausted and really wants his brother to overcome his phobia. Over time, the younger brother met a psychopath fairytale writer, which turns out that they were met once when they were a kid. Actually, the writer had a lot of wounds from her childhood and she didn’t want to open herself up and ended up becoming a selfish human being. The drama tells us that everyone may have their own past stories that might not good, but there will be someone that will help you to overcome it. If you feel lonely, say that you are lonely. Again, this tells you that a family is not always a blood-related. 

“If we take a family photo, we are a family” – Moon Sangtae

Disney Pixar always succeed to make me cry over an animation movie. Actually, the storyline was pretty simple, it’s about a curious Mexican young kid that ended up to the Land of the Dead. He wanted to prove that his love for music came down from someone in his family. In that Land of the Dead, he wanted to meet his idol and asked for help to convince his family that his music is good. He ended up unravel his family history. The movie includes Mexican culture that is identic with togetherness. Familia, they don’t take this word easily. “Mexican generally maintain strong links with the members of their extended family” (britannica.com). Every scene in this animation gave a clear example of a Mexican culture that I can relate pretty much. I was raised by my grandma and had a close relationship with her compared to my other cousins. This post pretty much summarizes what this movie all about. My favorite part? “Remember me.” Once you are bonded as a family, you shouldn’t forget them and you are always going to be that part of that family. Read more about the life quotes from Coco here.

This animation clearly shows that a family isn’t always about humans. You can build your own family with your pets or even your favorite toys. Even though it might be an extreme one, but the important thing is, anyone or anything can be your family. I cried my eyes out loud the most when I watched Toy Story 3. This is might a bit of a spoiler (if you haven’t watched it, please watch the movie right now), but I really cried after watching the scene where Andy says, “But the thing that makes Woody special, is he’ll never give up on you… ever. He’ll be there with you, no matter what happens.” Even when I’m writing this, my eyes were a bit teary. What Andy said really hit me hard. The quotes made me realize that I should be a person that will never leave someone out, especially a family. Andy gave his toys a new home, a new family that might take care of them better as Andy needs to carry on his life. But it doesn’t mean Andy and his toys are not a family anymore. Again, once you are a part of a family, you’ll always be one. Maybe not physically, but it will always stay in your heart.

I probably can say that this is the most sorrowful Korean movie that I've ever watch. Even though this is an old movie, but the storyline is still relatable to this day. The movie is about a mentally handicapped, single father that was sent to prison because of falsely accused. The inmates in cell number 7 helped that mentally handicapped inmate that was not able to be separated from his young daughter. No matter who you are, if you are sincere, there will be someone that will help you. Family is like that. You can see clearly that prison is not always a bad, sorrowful place. It’s a place where hopes started. The mentally handicapped inmates show to his inmates that there is a way and miracle can happen at anytime. The inmates create bonds among them and make them a family. The movie reminds you that family plays an important role in your life, no matter how hard the situation is. Even in very hard situations, you can find a new family. I really recommended you watch this movie, if you haven’t.

Again, the movie has a connection with a mentally handicapped character. I didn’t mean to choose similar characters and storyline, but every movie or drama have their distinctive concept about family. “Keys to the Heart,” tells about a long lost eldest son that finally reunited with his mother and finally meet his half-brother with down syndrome. Not enough with the harsh past, the eldest son lost his career as a boxer and had to take care of his brother since his mother has a chronic illness. I find this movie is very soothing, but also heartbreaking. I believe sometimes, people might have some ridiculous thoughts such as, why I was placed in this family? But I think it’s a very humane thought. Just, don’t dwell on it too long and find a way to reconcile with your family. The movie portrays how a situation could force you to stay with your family. Because they are the only treasure you have.

Well, the list might go on, but these movies and dramas pretty much cover-up the concept of family, which family is not always about blood (and talking about family will touch your inner heart and will make you cry A LOT). Friends or pets are the ones that we can choose as our family members. Bonds made us into a family. Talking about it, I am so glad that I have a little community that has the best bond. We respect and treat each other more than a friend or colleague, but a family. I think this community is one of the greatest gifts that God gave me. I’m thankful for them. Even now the members keep on growing. One of our members has got married and her husband is our new family member. Again, a family is not only about blood, it was beyond that.

As you can see on the list of recommendations, you might notice that most of them are Korean movies and dramas. It’s not because I like to watch Korean movies or dramas, but it’s because they portray the concept of a family the best. Korean culture stands for collectivism instead of individualism. Well, sometimes it can be burdensome since it also occurs at work too. As you might notice, in some Korean dramas or movies, they portrayed get-together-dinner a lot, which you cannot see in Western movies. This short scene shows the idea of collectivism, which “emphasizes the needs and goals of the group as a whole over the needs and desire of each individual” (verywellmind.com). One of the traits of collectivism is families and communities have the central role. But, since the world changes every second, this culture seems to be fading away. The new generation started to be more individualistic, which led to the crash between the older and new generations. I guess because of that kind of irony; they tend to bring up those kinds of storylines.

In Korea, there are two words for a family. One is ‘Gajok’ and the other one is ‘Sik-ku’. The difference can be seen if we took each character and match it to the Chinese characters (many Korean words rooted from Chinese characters). The broad meaning of ‘Gajok’ is blood-related people in the same roof (house). While ‘Sik-ku’ means people that eat together. Koreans prefer to use ‘Sik-ku’ more than ‘Gajok’ because we spent quite some time at the dining table (normally, we eat 3 times a day) and it occurs every day. So, how to get to know each other better is by eating together. While eating, you can talk and get to know each other. Whether you realize it or not, when we are compatible and feel comfortable with another person, we create bonds, which eventually we think them as part of our family member. Sometimes, even though you are blood-related, that doesn’t mean you know each other well. That’s why the word ‘Sik-ku’ is more preferable because it means friendlier than ‘Gajok’.

Well, we cannot choose our parents and which blood-line we have, but we can build our own family. People you love, people who know to treat you right. The rule of thumb is to have a happy life is to treat your precious relationships right. Well, I’m not in the position to say this since I had a bad term with my extended family now, but it taught me a lot and you might also learn something from me. No matter what, they are part of my family, so I’ll have to open my heart first. I tend to clear my mind and don't let the negativity hits me.

I accept the fact that there are many types of personalities in this world and it’s applied to your family members.

“We may have the difference, but nothing’s more important than family”

 – Miguel.

Thank you, kiddo for saying that out loud. I’ll try my best to keep this on my mind. Like other relationships, it works only if both sides open their heart and making efforts of the relationship.

I’m sorry for the delay since I’m working nowadays. It drains my energy to the fullest and got things to sort out too. Didn’t plan that these features will be this long, but I hope this helped you. I’ll see you soon in my other post!

K-DRAMA: THOUGHTS AFTER REWATCHING 'DESCENDANTS OF THE SUN'

Well, we didn’t know what will happen in the future. As surprising as their marriage, their divorce news was incredibly a huge shock for their fans, including me. I almost forgot about this issue completely, but then KBS World was replaying “Descendants of the Sun” and then, I want to do some experimental study if the fact that Song-Song couple divorced changed my view about this drama or not.

Some of my friends kinda dislike this drama, but on the other hand, I loved it since the first time I watched it. At first, it's because of Song Joong-ki's first comeback after his military service. But after watching it few episodes, I liked all the casts inside this drama. It's a mega project and there is a little Korean drama that took an army troop and doctor relationship as the setting. So, I wanted to know what is the reason I liked this drama. Is it purely because of Song Joong-ki? Or because of the story itself? So, here it is viewpoints that I got after rewatching the drama.

1. I got to focus more on the chemistry of Yoon Myeongju and Seo Daeyoung.

Source: KBS via Pinterest

At first, I didn’t really pay attention to this couple, because all of my focus is toward Song Joongki’s comeback drama. But, on the second time, I watched it, this couple should receive more love! They are not just a sidekick. Here are a few moments of the couple that I love.

When Yoon Myeongju helped Seo Daeyoung gave revenge for his ex-girlfriend on her wedding day. The “angel” act is quite memorable, for me.

Source: KBS via Google Images

"For lieutenant Yoon, I chose to lose”. 

Seo Daeyoung’s feeling is real for Yoon Myeongju, but he is not really good at expressing it. The typical "I leave you because I love you" scene. But, Seo Daeyoung made it cool. If I am her, I’ll definitely clueless about his feeling. I think it is because of his sense of duty is pretty strong which, and Yoon Myeongjoo doesn't have the same concept of dating means. Also, Seo Daeyoung is a part of the Alpha Team, which has many dangerous tasks. He is afraid that Myeongjoo will get hurt often seeing him doing those dangerous tasks.

Source: Netflix

The walkie-talkie scene when Yoon Myeongju was confirmed infected the virus. It was so heartwarming. Maybe, it is quite relatable these days. As many friends and family members of the infected COVID-19 might experience this stressful situation. When you are sick, the most painful part is your mind, not your body. It’s the battle of yourself. 

Source: descendant-of-the-sun.tumblr.com

2. Onew’s acting was remarkable

Source: KBS2 via Pinterest

As a SHAWOL (SHINee’s fan name) for 10 years, I’ve always attracted to what SHINee members do. I knew Onew has participated in a few musicals and dramas. But I guess, this is the first real, important, noticeable role that Onew has. It’s not easy to act crying, but he really nailed it.

3. My favorite scenes are always my favorite.

I probably have more than 10 favorite and memorable scenes of this drama. Even after rewatching the drama, the scenes are still vividly reminisced in my head and heart. I still feel the same emotion for the scenes I love. Here are some of my favorite scenes:

WINE SCENE (Ep. 4 - 5) 

Source: as tagged via Pinterest
You probably know which exact scene I’m talking about. Yeah, the last scene on ep. 4 and the opening of ep. 5. I love this kissing scene because it’s just not a kissing scene. It’s the start of their romantic-comedy-thriller relationship. The awkwardness, butterflies, and many emotions in one scene. I like how Yoo Sijin’s expression in this scene and how he said the lines, “It’s not like there is no other way.” I believe the wine taste sweeter than it supposes. Since the previous episodes have a brighter mood, this scene is the opening of what is coming in the “unknown” land.

Yoo Sijin speaks English.

I don’t know why, but it seems like this shows how capable Captain Yoo is. The scene looks cool. Mostly he spoke English in his uniform and like what Kang Moyeon said, “Woman have fantasies about a man in uniform”. I can relate to this so much.

The “what is your blood type?” (ep. 11) scene.

Source: KBS via Pinterest

I cannot leave this scene out. Maybe some of you didn’t get the joke behind this scene, because sometimes there is a mistranslation. But I really like this scene. I even make dubbing for this scene on an app a few years ago. Can’t imagine that Song Hye Kyo can act that cute (since she acted mellow character most of the time). I couldn't say anything else for this scene. Hands up! with thumbs up!

Yoo Sijin requested a chopper to the Arab League.

Source: Netflix

It is not a really important scene in the drama, but I just kinda like it. He said, “I have a date to keep”. He looks cool here. How come he can be that sweet even in an intense situation. Good moves, Writer Kim!

The “forget this” (ep. 12) scene. 

Source: KBS2 via Greenteaafrappe (Tumblr)

It was such a dilemma for Kang Moyeon since she is a doctor to see someone died right in front of her eyes, but she's also in danger. To make it less frightening, Yoo Sijin covered Kang Moyeon’s eyes before shooting Agus. I loved this scene because I wish I can have someone who can protect me like that, without the shooting and killing part of course.

All scenes of Yoo Sijin and Seo Daeyeong’s bromance. 

Source: descendants-of-the-sun.tumblr.com

 Their bromance is love. This is how a bro-hood should be, I think. They know how to support and tease each other. To be there by their side in joy or sorrow. Their bromance is so cute to me.

"He is my friend"

Source: KBS via Google Images

It is not a realistic scene, but helping the North Korean personnel is also looks awesome for me. I didn’t know much about the army and action stuff, but the director captures the scene pretty great and it looks awesome for me. The choco pie thing is a brilliant idea. Hope the South and North can get their peace as soon as possible.

Red Velvet as a cameo (last episode). 

Source: KBS via Google Images

This scene is just a sidekick, but I just love how the troopers acted in front of a girl group. They are legit fanboys. And who can resist Red Velvet, anyways? 

4. It’s not about romance, but it’s about relationships.

The genre of this drama is a romance, but it’s not a hardcore romance like we used to know. It’s emphasizing the relationship. Either it is with family, friends, and colleagues, even the unfortunate neighbors. The drama is like a donut covered with sugar. The sugar is the romance and the donut is the relationship.

5. Ahn Bohyun’s charm rediscovered

Source: KBS via Google Images

Ahn Bohyun who acted in ‘Her Private Life’ and ‘Itaewon Class’ actually acted in this drama. At first, I didn’t recognize him but after the rise of ‘Itaewon Class’ and his name got more popular, this drama was mentioned. So, after rewatching the drama, I finally got to recognize him. He barely had lines inside the drama, but he shows that he got the potential and great visual. The Alpha Team looks great, aren't they?

Alpha Team in action!
Source: KBS2 via oketekno.com

The drama reminds us of it’s not about ourselves, but also others. There are a few scenes where we can see how the other part of the world is still suffering and need our attention. There are few touching scenes (like when Kang Moyeon and Yoo Sijin have to choose who to save between the two survivors inside the ruins) and it’s relatable with our daily lives. The drama teaches us that there are types of people in this world and how we act toward them might change their life. Someone greedy and ignorant, the troublemaker, the mood-maker, the savior, and many more types of character that we might encounter at least once in our lives. And it applies to every part of the world.

Inside the drama, there was once a virus outbreak, which the situation is as suspense as today. Rewatching that scene reminds me of how hard medical teams work. If you are part of the medical team and also a survivor, stay strong! My prayers are with you, guys. I can get it if you are frustrated and feels stuffy, but please hang in on and pray all the time.

The only unrealistic thing about this drama is there is 0.0000001% probability that someone like Yoo Sijin in real life, I guess. But the main storyline works pretty real to me.

It turns out that the fact that the Song-Song couple got divorced didn’t really affect my views about the drama. But in some scenes, I got to think about them. Maybe, they were like this or that before they chose to part ways. It is only my assumptions and how I empathize with them.

“I think you are not the man I can handle” - Kang Moyeon

This line stroke me right into my heart. I didn’t know that this line can be that hurt and didn't know their feelings actually. I hope both of them are happy now and get through the painful past. Please don't be harsh to them. 

Surprisingly, I remember a few lines of the drama. Sometimes, when I remember the lines or scenes of a drama, I feel proud of myself. For some people, it might be useless stuff, but it makes me happy. Anyways, this is purely based on my opinion, so if you don’t agree with me, it’s okay. I just want to share and who knows we might share a similar opinion. And by the way, I really worked hard finding those archives. I searched Tumblr for hours..... and had to redo it because some didn't work.

Thank you for reading this post. Maybe you are interested to watch or rewatch 'Descendants of the Sun' after seeing a few pieces of it. I wanted to have a break from writing JCP Features for a while (though I’ve been late for 2 months already), so I post this instead. See you real soon on my next post. 

Bye~ 

Stay safe people!

xoxo,

Travel Diary: Seoul 2016 (Part 1)

“Oh Hello, Korea! I’ve been missing you so much!!” 

(Especially after I came back to my K-drama addiction mode on).

After 2 years, finally, I WENT TO KOREA!! It was an unexpected trip, because I just got only one week holiday. I went to Korea with my mom only this time. We didn’t spend a lot for this trip because my mom has already bought her ticket last year (she opened the ticket, which mean it doesn’t have a fix date, but there is an expired date) and it was almost expired. I got mine for free because we used our miles point. Just FYI, became a miles member is very beneficial!! Register yourself now to your favorite airline, especially the one that joined alliances. Because if you use other airlines in the alliances, you still can collect your miles point.

Day 1

Arrived at Incheon International Airport. I really love this airport after Changi Airport. Usually the arrival immigration is not so crowded, but I don’t know why it was extremely crowded at the time I arrived. Not only packed with fellow Indonesian, but French, Chinese, Japanese, and others. I got out from immigration for around 50 minutes! Even the luggage bags have already came out of the conveyor belt. My cousin and uncle picked us up this time. Before we went out from the airport, I rent a WiFi router. I know Korea is very generous with Wifi, but my aunt didn’t have Wifi in her house, so I really need this router. Or not I have to stay inside a café to reply messages, update instagram, even calling. It will cause so much stress and much more money.(More info about this, you can leave on the comments below!)

From the airport, we stopped by to eat our lunch near the airport. We ate Jjajjangmyeon or black noodles, which is one of the top food in Incheon. We ate at a matjib, which means famous restaurant with excellent taste. We ordered, Kanjjajjang, Samsungkanjjajjang, kampungi, and jjambong. (It feels awkward to write the names in Korean using latin characters). We made a bad choice, because we ordered too much! The portion was too big for 4 people to finish it. I’ll put the address, tips, and what their specialties down below after the diary ended. (Somehow I didn’t have the video footage for the food, so in my Travel Diary video the restaurant and the food didn’t show up).

Our big feast

Jjajangmyeon or Black Bean Noodles (짜장면)

Jjambong or Seafood Spicy Noodle Soup (짬봉)

Kkampungi or Sweet Sour Chicken (깜풍이)

The sauce is called Kanjjajang (간짜장)

The noodles or myeon (면)

This time I stayed at my aunt’s apartment in Dongdaemun area. I really liked it!! It was the most strategic place to stay in Seoul. So, if anyone of you will visit Korea in the meantime, it is better to stay in Dongdaemun area or City Hall area. Her apartment was extremely convenient. (But I don’t took any picture of it, sorry!)

I’m waiting for my aunt to came back home from her work, but she’s still have a lot of things to do. So, my mom decided to have dinner ourselves. We headed to CJ Food Building near my aunt’s apartment. It only took 10 minutes walk. I went there with my 3 cousins 언니 and one of them has a daughter. Yup, I’ve became an aunt. My nephew is super cute!! I’ll post a video of her here in the blog. We ate at Bibigo inside the CJ Food Building. Basically, CJ Food Building is an office whereas the restaurants inside are the subsidiaries of CJ. There are Bibigo, VIPs, Tour Le Jours, Cold Stone, and others. 

Bibigo is a casual dining restaurant that sells traditional food such as Bibimbap, various of Korean soups, Bulgogi, etc. Their price is also affordable. They’ve open their restaurant in several places in the world, including Indonesia! You can find it in Pacific Place Mall. But their menu in Indonesia and Korea are much likely different. The price was also different. But still, their standards are the same! Both of the branches are delicious!

Beef Tenderloin Rice

After we finished our dinner, we went for a walk to Dongdaemun Fashion Complex. It was 15 minutes walk from CJ Food Building. There are bazaars at night, but at that time it was freakin’ cold, I prefer coming inside a building. One of them is Doota! (Doosan Tower), the building was undergone some renovation 2 years ago (the last time I went there). The inside was done, but the outside was still under renovation. Nevertheless, the products sold inside were still pretty and very eye-candy. I wanna buy it all, if the price was not that high! I prefer buying Zara, H&M, etc rather than the local brand inside it. The reasons are they can’t let you try it, the price is more expensive than the brands I’ve mentioned with a similar design, and they only have one size. You know how small are Korean girls? If you are someone like my size, you’ll be having a hard time buying clothes in Doota, Migliore, AM PM, etc. 

After window-shopping all of the floors, we stopped by at Smoothie King. This is my favorite smoothie shop. All of the flavors are yummy! They use fresh ingredients and no added sugar. Very healthy and yummy.

Day 2

I enjoyed my sleep on the previous night. I woke up quite late but still I can enjoy the beautiful day in Seoul. On my second day, I visited Ihwa-dong Mural Village. It is a very famous shooting location/background/props for K-drama. The most recognizable one is on “Rooftop Prince” drama. But before entering the village itself, I was fascinated by Daehakno Area. It is a youngster, especially university students’ area for hanging around and shopping. There were a lot of cafes and shop with cute stuff inside and also cheap!! I really liked it. You can visit there by taking Hyewa Station (line 4) exit 2. There were signs that lead you the way to the Mural Village.

The Entrance to Daehak-ro Area

Directory

The first mural you will see is the one below. You will also a map that shows you the mural you should take picture with it. But, I couldn't find it all. Maybe they are replaced with new murals. I’ll put the pictures in chronological sequence, so when you visit it, you can follow the picture I took.

Mural #1

 

Mural #2

Some random artsy decoration along the street

From behind and you can see a glimpse of N Seoul Tower

 

Girls with Uniform Trying to Transport Back to 80s

#randomshot

Ta-da! The Famous Spot! (Mural #3)

Hi Bunny and Catty!

Mural #4

Day dreamin'

Mural #5

Pandas Mural that I found when I lost my way back

not the original angel mural, but this is the spot a WGM couple took a shot

You can kiss Kim Soohyun on this mural #KimSoohyunFTW

Flower Mozaic Stairs

Mural #9

The iconic angel's wing (Mural #9)

On the middle of our journey, my mom was thirsty. So, we stopped by at a local café, named Café Travel. Inside we can try out how it feels living in oktabang or rooftop room. Their drinks were also nice and the café were also comfortable. On the other side of this café, it is the entrance for Naksan Park. But, unfortunately I didn’t went there because I wanted to finished my mural tour first.

Cafe Travel on a Rooftop

Naksan Park Entrance

After finished exploring the mural village, we stopped by at a cotton candy stall. It's quite expensive than we have it in Indonesia, but the cotton candy in Korea was too cute, that I can't resist. 

Isn't it cute?

  
We ate our lunch at around 3 PM. It was quite exhausting, yet it was fun! We ate at Pizzeria’O. They’ve been featured in Tasty Road variety show. With such a good credence, we entered the restaurant. We ordered calamari, mushroom pizza, and orange drink. The food we ordered was fantastic! I really liked the calamari, because the seasoning was perfect and the squid were soft and tender. At that time, I was having a toothache, so I couldn’t open my mouth too big and chewing hard food. Their mushroom pizza was also nice and smells good. I guess they use truffle oil to create the nice smells.

Combinations of soft calamari, prawn, and chips!!

Mushroom pijaa!

Finished eating, we were going to Han River, the most recognizable shooting location in K-drama. But, we lost our way when we searched for our main entrance. Even though we were lost, we finally found our way back even though we have to walk around the neighborhood! Getting lost can be very beneficial sometime, but not in a cold windy day. 

Cute poop(s) on the street that I found when I lost my way (again)

Han River is located in Yeouido area, near KBS building, 63 Building, some 5-star hotels, and other offices. You can take Ttukseom Park Station to visit this river. The reason I want to visit this park is because I wanted to see cherry blossom! But, at the time I went there, it was almost gone and rain just came down few hours ahead. In the end I didn’t saw any cherry blossom but I enjoyed seeing some flowers here. Koreans like to have picnic on this season particularly, so there were a lot of human at the park. If you don’t like to saw a lot of people, you can manage to come here before office hours ended. 

Coincidentally found this painted stairs inside Yeouido Station

Seoul Skyline x Han River

Picnic situation at Han River

Some minimalist pond with moving water spray (?)

Hail Korean public toilet!!

Closer look to Han River

With mom in front of butterfly-shaped flower

Hairstyle does make a different!

Colorful roses

Since we didn’t get to see any cherry blossom, we went back home. I was extremely sad, but since it was cold also, I decided to go back home as fast as we can. Before we went to our apartment, we stopped by at Lotte Fittin. It is a department store like Doota, AM PM, etc. But their price is more affordable since they are having sale! Then, after buying few things we stopped by at Sulbing, to get our favorite dessert! Sulbing is a famous red bean shaved ice shop in Korea. Their top menu is their Patbingsoo (Red Bean Shaved Ice) and Injeolmi (mochi-like) Honey Toast. We ordered both of those huge desserts for two. Even though we didn’t finish it all, but our craving have been satisfied. (Shown in the video)

Day 3 

We didn’t plan much for this trip, but every time we came to Korea, we must visit Namdaemun Market. Our first stop is Namdaemun market. We bought some souvenirs here. It was much cheaper than you bought in duty free shops. We went to stationery shops and bought some cute stuff for scrap-booking and cute money envelopes (angpao).

This is the Namdaemun Gate

We make a sudden plan to Hongdae. Before we went there, we stopped by at my cousin’s shop near Hongdae. We picked up her then we ate together in Hongdae. We visited my mom’s favorite restaurant, which is Masan Dallae Agujjim. It is a seafood restaurant specialized in agu-jjim. I didn’t know exactly what kind of fish is “agu”, but it is a fish with big bones. The food is very spicy, but it is very yummy. I didn’t like spicy food but I do love this one. After finished eating all the meat, we ordered rice and they will make fried rice with the leftover sauce, and it was the yummiest part. You should do that whenever you eat this kind of food. 

After finished eating, we stroll around Hongdae and try to be Korean youngster. LOL. I stopped by at Style Nanda. It was their first off-line branch. It has 3 floors and sells both makeup and clothing. I didn’t put any footage of Style Nanda in my video, because they said that no picture and video are allowed inside. I got some footage, but in the end I didn’t insert it because it will make me somehow a criminal. I bought 2 items of Style Nanda and I’ll include it on my Korean Haul (which will be posted after this one).

After strolling around Hongdae, we stopped by at the Hello Kitty Café in Hongdae. They have renovated it and it was bigger than the previous one. I didn’t take much picture because it was dark already. Their menu remains the same mostly, so we ordered what we used to have. Hot chocolate, ice tea, yogurt, tiramisu cake, and banana cake (this one is the new menu). I really wanted to try Sobok Ice Cream in Hongdae, but I was too full and too cold to get an ice cream. I’ll definitely came back to get them.

What we ordered

My Hot Chocolate Kitty

Me and my Korean Cousin inside the Hello Kitty Cafe

I’ll split my travel diary blog post into two parts, because it was too long. I think you will get bored to read all of it in one post. The video itself is a 20 minutes long, so you probably get bored. I’m really sorry with the long delay and a not stable video. But, I really appreciate every watch, like, and comments. Thank you so much!! 

Here are the address of the restaurants and how to get there:
TeukHeo Sonjjajang Maeul (Incheon)
Address: Baekseok-dong, Seo-gu, Incheon, South Korea
(Korean : 인천 서구 백석동 55-14 번지)
Phone: +82 32-561-1457

Bibigo
Address: They have too much branch, so I'll leave the website below so you can search the nearest branch near you. 
Website: english.bibigo.co.kr/
 
Smoothie King
Address: Junggu Jangchungdan-ro 275, Doosan Tower 4^th Floor no.56 (Euljiro 6-ga)
(Korean: 울특별시 중 장충단로 275, 두산타워 4층 56호 (을지 6가))
Website: www.smoothieking.co.kr/

Café Travel
Address: I can’t find the address but when you saw Naksan Park entrance, it is located on the opposite side.

Pizzeria’O
Address: ‪48, Dongsung-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul‬
Phone: 02-3673-5005
Website: http://mpizzeriao.fordining.kr

Sulbing
Address: Junggu, Eulji-ro 245 (Eulji-ro 6-ga)
(Korean: 서울특별시 중구 을지로 245 (을지로 6가))
Phone: 02-2276-0992
Website: http://sulbing.com

Masan Dallae Agujjim
Address: 355-17 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul,
(Korean: (홍대), 서울특별시 마포구 서교 355-17)
Phone: +82 2-333-0846

Hello Kitty Café
Address: 364-14 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul (Hongdae area, Hongik University Station Exit 9)
Phone: 02-333-0846