[2023 Year in Review] Eight recollections over 12 months

by Guest Beanie

By: @jerrykuvira

When I look back to the dramas that aired this year, it is fraught with mostly displeasure, betrayals, and disappointments. But there were a select few dramas that made the first quarter of the year a not-an-entirely salty experience (i.e., Recipe for Farewell and Agency). In salty year I also found sweetness, I found reminders, and I found lessons which I’d love to share.

1. A lesson in love and loss (Recipe for Farewell)
When Recipe for Farewell began airing, I expected the best, and it gave me more. For a drama that is centered around the moments before the final goodbye, it gave a lesson: in times of need, we can step up and be the kind of person people need us to be. And that was exactly what Kang Chang-wook did. From a man who was teetering on divorce, he became a man whose bond with his wife strengthened in her final moments. From a man who had no kitchen knowledge, he became a man who had in-depth knowledge of nutritious and delicious food. And that provided me a lesson in love and in loss.
 
2. A reminder in playing corporate ball (Agency)
Of all the corporate dramas I watched this year, Agency taught me a lot. One of the reminders was what gift to get for those who have it all — just like Go Ah-in was wondering what exactly to give to the VC Group chairman that would leave an impact. When she went for getting him cream buns, I knew she had made the right choice – it was something he liked, but his social status prevented him from enjoying freely. It was something that wouldn’t make him feel like he had to repay the gift, but he definitely knows he is going to reciprocate.

 
3. A lesson to be open with my spouse (Trolley)
Maintain integrity. Keep it to the end. It is okay to have differences in tastes and wants or for preferences to change. But it is of utmost importance that I’m open about these things so as not to let my spouse think she’s been living a lie with me. It was a shock in Trolley that of all the things to hide from his wife, Nam Joong-do never let her know that he drinks coffee. As we learned from this drama, betrayal can be birthed from seemingly mundane details like this, because it sets a current of mistrust into motion.

 
4. A reminder to not deter (Alchemy of Souls 2)
In the moment before everything was about to crash and burn [SPOILER ALERT!], Park Jin’s words expressed something we have heard in dramaland over the years: “Evil always does what it wants without ever stopping. But why is it that virtue always needs to prove itself over and over again?” He then proceeds to sacrifice his life to stop the bad guys. As Alchemy of Souls 2 showed in the minutes that followed that iconic statement, we must not hold back from pursuing virtue even though it isn’t easy.

 
5. A lesson in fashion (Crash Course in Romance)
It takes a great deal of error and bad choices before I’ll say “your wardrobe is whack.” While it was clear to me that Lee Da-hee had the most wrong wardrobe choices this year, I didn’t think I’d finally agree with Beanies about Nam Haeng-sun’s coat/cardigan choices. After putting on that particular coat that could house a billion engagement rings and a thousand Chi-yeol heads, I definitely knew what not to take home in Crash Course in Romance’s wardrobe lessons.

 
6. A lesson in communication (Strangers Again)
Some irreconcilable differences would not be so irreconcilable if only the couples had communicated. While Go Eun-beom and Oh Ha-ra had different tastes, I felt they’d have been more in sync with each other if they had voiced how much their choices mattered to them instead of keeping mum. If you know your significant other doesn’t like something which you can’t give up, discuss it in detail instead waiting for the other to yield or want out. Even when they both stopped being Strangers Again, they went back to being strangers again — because this time, they only mentioned the problem, they didn’t talk the problem through.

 
7. A reminder about the ripple effects of choices (Call It Love)
Our actions affect other people whether we like it or not, and the mistakes of the parents in Call It Love made a love borne out of revenge into a forbidden tryst. The choices their parents made created a series of bad outcomes for their children — Shim Woo-joo intentionally put herself in harm’s way, and Dong-jin’s mother’s actions affected his own romantic relationship in bitter ways. Thankfully, the kids decided to not continue the ripple effects of their parents’ choices, ending the cycle.
 
8. A reminder that life doesn’t always offer second chances (Perfect Marriage Revenge)
Unlike the leads of Perfect Marriage Revenge who got their second chances after kissing life goodbye, it reminded me that real life won’t give that option. Is there something I want to attain? Grab it instead of playing hide and seek. Do I want to put a ring on her finger, but I can’t get to a ring shop by the next minute? Make a makeshift ring out of flowers. Act fast because you might not get a second chance like Seo Do-gook did.

The lessons are over. The year is over. And while most of the dramas this year were a source of headaches, I was blessed with a select few that made the wrongs of the year not as salty. Here is to looking forward to another eventful K-drama year.

 
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