Ji-ho's two friends from high school provide counterpoints to Ji-Ho's marriage of convenience. Bubbly Yang Ho-rang works in a wine bar and lives with her boyfriend of 7 years, Sim Won-seok. They are very compatible and very much in love, but Ho-rang is ready for marriage and children. Won-seok is the CEO of his own company, but he's struggling to get funding and is financially precarious.
134/N
Won-seok doesn't feel ready to be a husband and father, and breaks things off with Ho-rang. He doesn't want to hold her back from finding a partner who shares her goal of starting a family. Ji-ho's other bestie is Woo Su-ji, an ambitious and no bullshit kind of gal who works in a fast-paced corporate office. Su-ji is openly sexual, and dates for physical pleasure - she is not looking for a relationship.
135/N
Ma Sang-goo is Se-hee's boss at the tech company where they make a dating app called called "Don't Marry, Date". Sang-goo has a fling with Su-ji, but he wants to take things to the next level. Will he be able to break through her emotional barriers?
136/N
As this is a romcom, everyone does end up with the person with whom they belong. There are nonetheless some really unexpected character arcs, and challenges that must be overcome. Ji-ho displays both self-awareness and tenacity in achieving the kind of relationship she wants with Se-hee. She doesn't want to settle for a suffocating, conventional marriage like their parents have.
137/N
"Because This Is My First Life" deals with love and sexuality in more frank, and modern ways that most of the other dramas I've seen so far, which is refreshing. Beyond that there is a deep examination of what love and marriage mean, and how different couples can find ways of loving that suit them. This flawless drama instantly became a top 5 for me - 5 enthusiastic stars!
138/N
cw: spoilers
Wife's turn to pick the drama. She chose "Eve," a revenge drama from 2022 starring Seo Ye-ji (of It's Okay Not To Be Okay fame) and Park Byeong-eun. This is a gripping, visually stunning and frequently violent tale of a 13-year plot by Lee La-el (played by Seo Ye-ji) to exact revenge on the powerful individuals responsible for the death of her parents.
139/N
Teenage La-el watched the horrible Han chaebol family torture her father to death, and subsequently gain control of his semiconductor company. She returns 13 years later with a new identity, seeking revenge on the four individuals she holds responsible. One such is Kang Yoon-gyeom, part of the family by marriage to hieress Han So-ra. Kang is a shrewd and successful executive, currently running the business that by rights should belong to La-el and her father.
140/N
Yoon-gyeom (played by Park Byeong-eun) is a greatly admired businessman, whose stony exterior conceals psychological wounds received in childhood. Despite Yoon-gyeom's appearance of icy efficiency, we see through small gestures that he has deep feelings. When he was younger, he was stationed in Argentina, where he formed a love for tango and the music of Piazzola.
141/N
Le-el's plan is to seduce Yoon-Gyeom, who she captivates by performing the tango at an open house at the fancy nursery school their daughters both attend. Several lovely and cinematic tango sequences are a welcome part of the series' appeal. While La-el's intentions towards Yoon-gyeom are solely malicious, as the seduction proceeds she realizes that he is a man of integrity and deep emotion. Yoon-gyeom is suspicious of La-el, but he falls for her.
142/N
Yoon-gyeom is married to Han So-ra (Yoo Seon), the spoiled hieress to a powerful and ruthless chaebol family. The marriage was arranged, and while So-ra covets Yoon-gyeom, he clearly has no feelings for her. Yoo Seon turns in an over-the-top, but brilliant performance as the spurned wife. When she discovers that her husband is having an affair with La-el, things just really go off the rails.
143/N
Of course the role of Lee La-el is perfect for Seo Ye-ji, and she really delivers the goods as the femme fatale, in turns seductive, then twisting the knife in the guts of her victims. It feels like the camera focuses on La-el for minutes at a time, and it does not seem excessive - making her slow motion entrance in a stunning gown with every eye upon her or emerging from a pool of rose petals.
144/N
Some commenters have expressed that the chemistry is lacking between La-el and Yoon-Gyeom, but I thought they worked well together. I felt the emotions of attraction, suspicion, love and hate - even as they're trying to conceal their feelings. Eve is not breaking any new ground as a suspense-thriller, but there's plenty of intrigue and plot reversals to keep your heart racing.
145/N
Eve contains quite a bit of violence as well, so if you watch, be prepared for some gruesome scenes of cruelty and torture. 4/5 stars.
146/N
cw: spoilers
Dynamite Kiss (2025) was our next watch. Imagine if you will: a handsome leading man with finely chiseled features, opposite a wholesome beauty with a radiant smile, the plot a literal greatest hits of sure-fire tropes, and a sly self-awareness that 'yes, we're throwing all your favorite cliches at you, and you're going to love it'. You will have come up with a drama very much like Dynamite Kiss.
147/N
Go Da-rim (Ahn Eun-jin) is a warm-hearted, financially struggling young woman who appears to be flailing at life. Gong Ji-hyeok (Jang Ki-yong) is a successful, dashing young businessman who happens to be single. They meet randomly on Jeju island. Through a series of improbable coincidences, Ji-hyeok recruits Da-rim to pose as his girlfriend for the day, as part of a scheme to headhunt a star developer for a client.
148/N
Da-rim is convinced to go along because she’s desperately broke, and Ji-hyeok is offering a handsome sum. The plan is going well until their target begins to suspect whether the two are really dating. Da-rim improvises and plants a passionate kiss on Ji-hyeok’s surprised lips. The first ‘dynamite kiss’ and we’re only in episode 1. They end up back at his hotel room and things look steamy.
149/N
However, while Ji-hyeok is in the shower, Da-rim gets a call. Her mother had a heart attack and wound up in the hospital. Da-rim is so panicked she leaves without saying goodbye. Ji-hyeok is stunned when he comes out of the shower to find her gone. Despite having only just met, Ji-hyeok felt something special in the carefree, spontaneous Da-rim.
150/N
Obviously they meet again in Seoul, but a couple of months have elapsed. Da-rim, having been backed into a corner financially because of her debt-ridden brother-in-law, has fabricated some details about her personal life on a job application. So Da-rim is now working for Ji-hyeok at Natural Bebe, his family’s baby goods conglomerate, but she has to act like their moment in Jeju never happened.
151/N
This is familiar territory for drama fans, but we’ve got some great characters energetically portrayed by the talented cast. I felt our two leads had great chemistry, and Ahn Eun-jin is particularly adorable as the earnest young woman with a heart of gold who gets into impossible scrapes. The secondary, and mostly one-sided romance between daughter of chaebol family Yoo Ha-young and Da-rim’s best friend and single dad Kim Sun-woo is also very appealing.
152/N
We've got a lively power struggle going on at Natural BeBe, providing the dramatic counterpoint to the romance. Yoo Tae-young is another corporate raider who bears a grudge against Ji-hyeok, having been bested by him on a series of deals. Tae-young conspires with Ji-hyeok’s half sister Gong Ji-hye to discredit Ji-hyeok and his team. My wife and I thought this was an appealing romcom, well worth a watch if you enjoy the genre 4.5/5 stars.
153/N
cw: spoilers
Our next watch was "My Girl" from 2005. This was inspired by a previous discussion about the recent drama Dynamite Kiss. There are indeed many parallels between Dynamite Kiss and My Girl. We've got Jeju Island shenanigans. We've got the plucky, adorable FL who's in trouble with loan sharks due to an irresponsible family member. We've got a handsome and extremely rich ML with whom she becomes entangled through a series of improbable coincidences.
154/N
And most importantly, having established some fiction making their romance taboo, the two leads are placed in close proximity. In this case ML Gong-chan has hired FL Yoo-rin to impersonate his long lost cousin, in order to ease the conscience of his dying grandfather. Cousins dating cousins is a strict taboo in Korea.
155/N
Lee Da-hae as the scrappy, spontaneous Yoo-rin has to be one of the most delightful screen ingenues ever - she truly lights up the screen. Lee Dong-wook as Gong-chan is the achetype of the reserved, self-important rich boy who ultimately reveals his warm-hearted and loyal nature. Lee Joon-gi as Gong-chan's "playboy" best friend provides the cool and waggish counterpart to Gong-chan's seriousness, and becomes a rival for Yoo-rin's affections.
156/N
And there are countless more fun characters, from Yoo-rin's adorable friends, to Gong-chan's associates and family members. My Girl does have some clumsy plot devices, but when a climactic scene is teed up there is a big payoff. Well past the halfway mark Yoo-rin and Gong-chan have finally confessed their feelings, just as the fiction about her being the missing granddaughter is exposed.
157/N
Yoo-rin is convinced the only honorable course is to break off with Gong-chan and family decisively. In a dramatic moment she confesses (falsely) and very elaborately to Gong-chan's entire family that she deceived all of them for the money from the start. She delivers her long and very detailed confession, and then walks out, believing she's said farewell forever to Gong-chan.
158/N
My wife felt the final episodes dragged, where their ultimate reunion is hindered by an endless series of missed connections and second thoughts. My Girl has a lot of overacting and soapy melodrama like other older dramas, but to me that's part of its charm. There is also a dizzying sense of madcap spontaneity lacking in modern dramas. This masterpiece - the writing debut of the famous Hong sisters - became the blueprint for many romcoms to follow. 5/5 stars!
159/N
cw: spoilers
Can This Love Be Translated? is a drama that explores themes of language, communication and love. This 2026 series written by the Hong sisters also throws in some childhood trauma, (fictional) zombies and split personality disorder to spice things up.
160/N
Kim Seon-ho plays ML Joo Ho-jin, a multilinguist and professional translator. Our story starts in Japan when Ho-jin encounters Mu-hee (Go Youn-jung), an unknown Korean actress, in a ramen shop in a charming seaside town. Mu-hee's boyfriend left her 2 months ago, and has re-appeared as the chef of this restaurant. Mu-hee has come to Japan to confront him and presumably win him back.
161/N
Unfortunately the boyfriend is nowhere to be found, and instead we get an awkward and comically embarrassing confrontation between Mu-hee and the boyfriend's Japanese lover Momo who comes out of the kitchen and is very obviously pregnant. Mu-hee pressures the Ho-jin to translate the exchange, despite his (reasonable) reluctance. Our OTP is off to a somewhat inauspicious start. Mu-hee is a hot mess, and Ho-jin is kind of stiff and priggish.
162/N
Nonetheless there is something of a spark and they have a cinematic farewall by the train tracks. Time passes, bringing dramatic change Mu-hee's life. During her last day of filming zombie movie "The Quiet Woman" she suffers a terrible accident which leaves Mu-hee in a coma for six months. When she finally wakes up, the incident has gone viral on social media and the movie has become a cult hit. Mu-hee is suddenly famous, and high in demand.
163/N
Ho-jin and Mu-hee meet again months later for the filming of a reality show called Romantic Trip. Mu-hee has been cast opposite Japanese actor Hiro Kurosawa (Sota Fukushi) in a series in which the two will be thrown together in spectacular destinations around the globe in the hopes that some kind of chemistry results. Ho-jin's somewhat awkward role is to serve as translator between the two.
164/N
Inevitably I was charmed by the chaotic and vulnerable Mu-hee, and would watch this series if only on that basis. Ho-jin plays that more tedious type of lead guy who is competent, worldly and polished yet lacking in self-awareness, and unable to express his feelings lest it upset his decorum.
165/N
Hiro, Mu-hee's opposite in the "Romantic Trip" also starts off very priggish and unlikeable, but has a satisfying arc as the warm, unpredictable Mu-hee wins him over. This was a perfectly enjoyable drama with an appealing cast, gorgeous locations and a healthy sprinkling of kookiness and menace. Also zombies. 4/5 stars.
166/N
cw: spoilers
Having recently become curious about Korean history and the conflict between North and South, I picked Crash Landing On You (2019) out of my queue. I didn't have super high expectations for this improbable tale of a South Korean woman whose paraglider is carried by a storm into N Korea, but my wife and were all in from the first episode.
167/N
The chemistry between the two leads is legendary. Son Ye-jin plays Yoon Se-ri, a flashy and confident businesswoman who heads a successful fashion brand. Se-ri possesses a classic and elegant beauty. Our leading man is Ri Jeong-hyeok, a captain in the Korean People's Army, who is patrolling the DMZ between the two countries. Jeong-hyeok has a tall, broad shouldered masculinity and a serious demeanor.
168/N
Se-ri is planning to paraglide while modeling her new line of activewear. Unfortunately for Se-ri, a freak tornado carries her miles off course. She loses consciousness and crashes into the forest on the wrong side of the border. She wakes up hanging from a tree, with Jeong-hyeok in uniform aiming his pistol at her. His obvious assessment is that she's a South Korean spy.
169/N
Meanwhile, back in South Korea, Se-ri's family is clashing in very unbecoming ways. Seri's two brothers and their wives are truly awful, thinking only of how to take advantage of her disappearance to advance their own positions in the family business. The eldest is mostly just incompetent, while the younger one is actively evil, and tries to hide news that Se-ri survived the storm, and later hires thugs to keep her in North Korea.
171/N
If you're a fan of k-dramas you can probably imagine the sorts of crazy situations our cast gets into. As is typical of Studio Dragon productions, scenes of genuine danger and menace are deftly woven with more lighthearted moments into a very satisfying tapestry. The action ends up with most of our characters back in South Korea.
172/N
cw: spoilers
Castaway Diva is a drama layering a number of different themes and storylines across 15+ years. The drama begins with the unlikely middle-school friendship between Seo Mok-ha, an outgoing girl with dreams of becoming a singer, and Jung Ki-ho, a standoffish new kid on Chunsam Island. When Mok-ha learns that Ki-ho has a camcorder, she recruits him to film a music video for her. Ki-ho agrees grudgingly, but he soon comes to realize that she has genuine talent.
174/N
Mok-ha washes up on a deserted island where she ends up spending the next 15 years, Robinson Crusoe style, with only a seagull named "Gully" for a friend. Finally she is discovered by crew of young environmentalists and is returned to civilization. On some level we have an improbable feel good tale of dreams deferred, but eventually realized.
176/N
The operative theme is something Ki-ho's mother used to say: 'your wish will come true, just not in the way that you expect.' Upon returning to civilization, Mok-ha finds that her idol Ran-joo's career is on the rocks and her vocal chords are shot. Nevertheless, Mok-ha's belief in her idol is unwavering, and she devotes herself to reviving the older star's career, even as Mok-ha herself now has a shot at fame.
177/N
Meanwhile we have the mystery of what happened to Ki-ho in the intervening years. Ki-ho also escaped Chunsam island and his abusive dad. Now he's been reunited with his mother and brother. His mother is now married to the kindhearted Kang Sang-du, and all of them are living under assumed names to prevent Ki-ho's father, a diabolical former police officer, from tracking them down.
178/N
Lee Re as young Seo Mok-ha and Moon Woo-jin as young Jung Ki-ho back on Sangmun Island really have a lot of chemistry and spark. It would have been nice to linger more in that timeline. Lee Seung-joon as Ki-ho's diabolical father adds a healthy dose of suspense and menace to the action. Overall entertaining drama with many emotional and memorable scenes. 4/5 stars.
180/N
cw: spoilers
Our next watch was "My ID is Gangnam Beauty" from 2018, which is based on the webtoon of the same name. (Gangnam Beauty is slang for a woman who has undergone significant cosmetic surgery to be beautiful.) FL Kang Mirae's childhood has been shaped by being teased and ostracized by the other children - she is "ugly". We see her crying after a mean boy calls her "Kang Orc".
181/N
During the summer before starting her freshman year at Hankook University, Mi-rae gets a full face re-do at the plastic surgery clinic. When the bandages come off, she is a beauty. When she arrives for orientation with her fellow chemistry majors, the boys are taking notice and the girls are sizing up the competition.
182/N
The first few episodes of Gangnam Beauty are a real carnival of cringe. The way everybody sizes everyone else up and essentially ranks their classmates solely on looks is gross. The boys (most of them) are openly discussing which girls they think are hotter and which ones they want to date. Trigger warning for non-consensual sexual advances.
183/N
Mirae's inner journey is the central theme of the drama. Because she was an ugly kid, she possesses an outsider mentality, and chafes against her new found popularity. This gives her a degree of empathy, but she is not free from judging based on physical appearance. We see Mi-rae's thought bubbles as she rates other women numerically, and critically assesses any work they've had done.
184/N
The series' antagonist is Mi-rae's classmate Hyun Su-ah (Jo Woo-ri), by consensus the hottest of the incoming freshman girls. Su-ah makes nice with Mi-rae, who is flattered by the attention of the prettiest girl. However we soon see that Su-ah is scheming constantly to undermine Mi-rae and the other girls, and simultaneously leading a number of the boys into thinking she likes them.
185/N
Su-ah's scheming and fake affection make her the character you want to see destroyed. In the end we are forced to have a shred of compassion for Su-ah as her sad backstory is revealed. Mi-rae's love interest is Do Kyung-seok, the hottest boy in the incoming class. Kyung-seok like Mi-rae is a loner, having been scarred by his parents' divorce and the disappearance of his mother.
186/N
Kyung-seok is refreshingly impervious to the horniness of all his classmates, and is unmoved by the flirtations of several young women. He sees through Su-ah's deceits, and is pointedly blunt in rejecting her overtures, which is delicious. He is however very interested in Mi-rae, and not because of her looks. We learn that Kyung-seok knew Mi-rae in middle school, and was drawn to her back then - perhaps because he felt a kinship with a fellow loner.
187/N
Mi-rae is appalled, because Kyung-seok knows how she used to look like when she was ugly. Mi-rae cannot believe that Kyung-seok actually likes her, even as she becomes aware of her own feelings for him. Their courtship is predictably slow and tortuous but when they finally get together it's really something to see. They really capture the swoonworthy blush of first love.
188/N
For my money, Gangnam Beauty is not a masterpiece, but is is a highly entertaining watch if you can handle the cringe factor. It's also a fascinating treatment of the complicated world of beauty standards, attitudes towards plastic surgery, and the roles of men and women in Korean society. 4/5 stars.
189/N
"refreshingly impervious to the horniness" is a great phrase! 😆
Rikki Don't Lose That Number
EllenInEdmonton 
Jill