Good for the little stove company. More fodder for a research paper (why did 18 cut ties and this one remain loyal -- what went into those decisions). Lifetime guarantee that XZ will only ever speak highly of their firm.

Last thing I'll say on this (very educational) topic: WYB needs a haircut (sorry!) and he needs to get a real life (if he were my son, that's what I'd be telling him). I respect his enormous potential (he's earned that) but fame and cloistered living can crush people. I hope he won't be a living example.

… it’s actually something I’ve noticed of other Chinese celebrities, too— those who enter showbiz at a later stage in life (around 23/24 years old) and whom have had other life experiences before showbiz tend to be more stable, more mature and know how to face things as they come, and know how to face them by themselves and don’t need any protection (especially not from a management/talent agency).

@cliosservant1846
That’s okay!! Being frank about this entire thing is how I’ve been able to keep my head on straight and keep myself in check, lest things get too emotional and I misdirect my thoughts (especially at Wang Yi Bo, who I will continue to emphasize that I absolutely in no way have hard feelings for, it’s his affiliates I have problems with).

The name of the one endorsement which didn’t drop Xiao Zhan is Kai Xiao Zao, (literal translation is “turn on the little stove”), a brand that sells single-portion instant rice (think of it as the rice version of an instant hot pot). He’s eating one here in this vlog— iirc this was him after returning to his hotel room after his very first guest appearance on a show as a part of his comeback activities: https://youtu.be/AqvjnUIQOLg?si=f1546i1vXClb1bUB)

I don’t think it is exclusive to Chinese fan culture, but it is definitely a thing that is a part of Asian fan culture— not wanting your bias to be attached/dating/to have had a life outside of being a celebrity for the fans, I mean 😮‍💨 And I think it is one of the many, many things that is very wrong with fan culture.
Personally, I’d be over the moon if my bias is able to find someone they love and want to spend the rest of their life with! ♥️ Who doesn’t want their bias to be genuinely happy and to find happiness?? Maybe it’s just me, but I see my biases as just human beings— and not gods— and human beings are social beings that need relationships, and romantic relationships is one of them. On the other hand, forcing a narrative—especially about one’s sexuality— is actually a very, very, very dangerous thing, especially when it involves human rights.
In a way, I think Wang Yi Bo may already be on the road to loneliness —due to all the reasons you’ve already stated— and I think it’s because he was already on this road of entering showbiz since becoming a trainee in Korea since he was 13, and he’s now 28 (birthday: August 5th, 1997). He’s never had the chance to form relationships—and healthy ones at that— in a normal and healthy environment, always just being sheltered and protected by his agency, and only knowing what his agency feeds and teaches him—instead of developing a sense of self all on his own—which isn’t much, since all they want from him is to make money.
On the other hand, I think Xiao Zhan is okay. He may be a little lonely at times— who isn’t lonely to a degree in showbiz— but I think he’s got a good support system because, to this day, he’s still very close to his family (parents), and a lot of his own staff at Xiao Zhan Studio are actually his own personal friends from his university days. He’s got a good and steady head on his shoulders and a good sense of self, and I think that is due in part because he had another life and other life experiences (including a job and his own business) and had already established a sense of self identity before he entered showbiz— it’s actually something I’ve noticed of...

Yes, you hit the nail on the head! 2025 Se-ra feels SO over the top and, honestly, is kind of aggravating.

Ja-yeon in No Gain No Love, although she wasn't in a love triangle with the FL (thank goodness), Cho-won in See You in My 19th Life

Characters that I'm not sure if they count as 2FLs:
Joo-hee in Thirty-Nine (she wasn't technically a 2FL but the story treated her like one)
Ji-wan in Love is for Suckers

Okay, I wasn't sure on this one but if it's actually fun and whimsical, I might be sold now.

Oh my goodness, THE John Cho? I might have to watch just for him. I get really excited when Kdramas have crossover with American pop culture.

This was the 2nd ever drama! I watched it on my Hyun Bin binge after CLOY, my first drama!
I loved it, have to admit I was a bit confused, but it didn't diminish my enjoyment. I also loved very young Lee Jae Wook in it.
I have been wanting to do a rewatch, so thanks for the push!

Being frank is often the best, and shortest, course @nessa. Thank you for these posts.

I forgot to ask one thing: you mentioned "about 19" endorsements were current at the start of his first case. All but one pulled their endorsement. Which one did not pull their endorsement? This is a bugaboo with me. If I were Queen for a Day, I'd shut down the entire endorsement scam going on with these cdrama and kdrama celebs. They are ridiculous and I say that knowing that the endorsements are lucrative for the celebs. Just ugh, it's modern day slavery and worse.

"In China, being a celebrity isn’t that simple. Being a celebrity in China means that you’re also a public servant, a.k.a. A government employee. It is because of this, the government regards celebs as being the “faces” of the country, so any time a scandal or a situation happens with a celebrity in China, the government perks up." This is the clearest statement like this I've seen, and on the money. That's how I was viewing it without really understanding the industry and how it intersects with the Chinese government.

Now I'm going to be frank. Chinese culture, or any culture, demanding that their celebs lead celibate lives with no close relationships sentences them to perpetual immaturity and forces them to be evasive, reclusive and hyper private in their personal lives. That can, and does, lead to missteps for which their is no forgiveness. It wrecks peoples lives and that is appalling. IDK what these two young men (XZ and WYB) want for themselves, and it's none of my business, but I really hope they find some sense of normalcy or loneliness will overtake them.

And I'm very proud of myself because I understand the term "ying yang contracts". My education continues!

Fellow beanies already mentioned Emperor Owner of the mask and K2
I have a quite unpopular suggestion 😅😅
The fiancèe from Boys Of Flowers was more likabale than Jan-di. But I am glad she didn't end up with Joon-pyo because she deserved better.

I can't forget the YouTube comment saying that Kim Woo-bin is turning into his friend Lee Gwang-soo (I mean the teaser's over-the-top tone is right up the latter's alley) 😂😂

Jokes aside, I think the campy air of Genie, Make a Wish may be attributed due to an anecdote regarding her writing. Per an interview, it was actually a script Kim Eun-sook penned when she was in a rut working on another script, Mu-wol's Historical Records. She said the latter was a traditional sageuk, more somber in tone than Mr. Sunshine, and she became depressed and unsure of her writing ability while working on it because the script was not turning out like she had envisioned it to be, and the serious setting of the story started to affect her mood. So to get out her creative slump, she decided to think of a brighter, more whimsical story which is our genie drama. She was rather fond of Mu-wol's Historical Records, and she said she wanted to return to it one day, so hopefully it would see the light of the day soon.

@reply1988 Thanks for tagging me.
Well noted.

@marcusnyc20
Did you know he has played a pianist before in a drama called When The Devil Calls Your Name (a Faust adaptation starring Jung Kyung Ho). I have seen some clips of that drama and was tempted to watch it, but never got around to actually do that 😅

His mother was a piano teacher, so it makes sense he CAN play. I have faith in him 🙂

oops @midnight ... I hate this

I think I am ready to start watching Lee Sun Kyun again, but this is unfortunately one of those dramas which is not available to me either legally or illegally 🤐. Too many hidden gems that are only available on Viki Plus/ Kocowa (neither available in my region), and they are hard to find on the shrinking darkside as well 🙁.

Only Oh Soo-ah and NJ were in a love triangle with the main couple. The rest had their own love story separate from the main couple.

I definitely got second female lead syndrome for Oh Soo-ah because I could not stand the FL in Itaewon Class.

@anne18 ⬆️ better be safe.

I was hoping for something maybe a little more gritty for Song Kang’s return to kdramaland but I will say this:
he has nice hands lol. So for portraying a pianist that is important. I hope he has been able to bang away at the ivories during his spare time. For his role as a ballet dancer in tvN’s NAVILLERA (2021) (Netflix) he spent 5-6 months preparing for that role. (My favorite SK performance.) If he takes on this FOUR HANDS drama I have no doubt he will seriously prepare.

My Roommate is a gumiho. She technically was not the usual SFL she was a friend and ally of the gumiho but she was so awesome and so relatable trying to work it out as a human

Little Sun in Masters´ Sun as the most funniest especially with the Vanity ghost

Moonlight drawn by clouds

and Our Blooming youth had both Ga-Ram and princess Hayeon who were both brave and decisive. You cannot stop them! actually most females in that drama were examples of entrepreneurship, resourcefulness, boldness and character in a society where women were supposed to be subdued.