It’s been a while since I ugly cried watching a drama. I kept having to remind myself that these people are fictional characters and there was no need for me to bawl my eyes out over them. That’s what my brain said while my heart screamed, “But I’ve come to love them, their journey, and their aspirations. And they are gone now!”

And to watch these characters turned into ashes as blood dripped from their clothes was so heartbreaking. Because I watch them, I know them, and I love them. So, kudos to the writer for creating these charming, interesting, and wonderful characters that I wholeheartedly loved and rooted for.

No matter how sad it is I am on the side of loving this ending for them. Because that’s the reality. They were a part of the vanguard army. And even now, in our era, the front liners are the first to get sacrificed. For all of them to survive would be a fairytale.

In a sense, the fact that they all did not survive makes this drama more memorable for me. Because war is ugly. War is ruthless. And war kills people. And these people are not numbers. They are individuals. With loved and beloved ones. With beautiful lives and distinctive personalities. These characters died doing what they believed was right. They died protecting their ideals and loved ones. They died after living and doing their utmost.

Ning Yuan Zhou, you’re a unicorn. A perfect man that does not exist in this world. Thank you for protecting and watching over all my favourite characters.

I love you, drama! Thank you for the eye-cleansing scenarios.

On what it takes to be a chaebol’s wife (a totally useless essay that sheds light on the reality of candy characters)

K-dramalands are rife with chaebols (well, lesser now in recent years) and their romance. Their choice of partner is usually less fortunate than them in terms of monetary possession, leading to rag-to-rich Cinderella stories. But dramas involving chaebols that I enjoy usually do not focus on this aspect (as Cinderella is my least favourite childhood fairytale) but instead on how the women affect and shape their life, changing them for the better.

Perhaps my first chaebol k-drama is All About Eve, a romance between an heir of a broadcasting station and a newscaster. Sun-mi is kind, cute, and well-liked by the public. Most importantly, she makes him happy. However, will she survive the vulture world of her partner’s life? Will the darkness of his world erode her goodness? How much will he be able to shield her? Fortunately, Sun-mi may be kind but not naive. When it comes to push and shove, she knows how to stand up for herself. Also, she has the biggest supporter by her side. My verdict: she’ll be fine.

Next, High Society. The social difference between Chang-soo and Ji-yi is obscenely huge. However, her optimistic and realistic view of life, sunny disposition, and humour make me root for her happy ending with him. Like she said, they may break up tomorrow but she wants to be with him today.

A Piece of Your Mind: Is Ha-won a chaebol? Arguable, but for the sake of including my favourite drama in this essay I am going to assume he is one. If Seo-woo ends up marrying him, without a doubt she will, I can’t help thinking that she may need to fill the shoes of Melinda Gates and Priscilla Chan, and that is such a huge role to take on. I wish Seo-woo can forever tinker in her recording studio, enjoying the quiet moments of life. I’d like to think that since Ha-won has an aversion to putting himself in the public’s eye, there will be less pressure on Seo-woo to assume a philanthropic role.

Celebrity: My favourite part of this addictive series is the romance and the way Kang Min-hyuk utters the cheesiest line as if he is talking about food. A-ri may have fallen out of the 1% society but she retains the grace and confidence of those who belong in that stratum. Suffice it to say, I can see her standing by his side (and firing a few of his staff), playing her role to perfection, and shutting down any criticism of her flaws and shortcomings.

See You in My 19th Life: Oh, the stratospherical height these two possess. Without a doubt, they make a beautiful power couple. With the intelligence, competency, and decisiveness of these two, the future of MI Group is promising. I wish for Ji-eum to remain at MI Mobity, climbing up the ladder as an engineer and leading the subsidiary in the future. Seo-ha can handle the rest, I suppose, with plenty of help from others, which is the most important task of an enterprise, to recruit and retain talents.

King the Land: I can’t imagine a people pleaser like Sa-rang can handle the vitriol of chaebolland.

Cheese in the Trap: Kim Go-eun’s portrayal of Hong Seol is charming and endearing but her skittish demeanour makes it painful for me to watch her in public settings. Meanwhile, Oh Yeon-seo’s Hong Seol possesses the grace and poise that is sorely needed in a public persona.