Han Sohee, Cha Eunwoo and Lee Soohyuk as characters of the web novel The Villainess is a Marionette. The webtoon trailer featuring the actors will be released on October 7th. I’m not familiar with the source material, but I will definitely check the trailer out because I’m curious how the actors are going to act out the novel’s lines… and the costumes! They are designed and made by Le Dénicheur, a South Korean fashion house specialized in haute couture and wedding dresses, but they’ve branched out in dressing K-pop idols and drama actors.
An illustrator/writer I follow on Instagram drew a hilarious rendition of Young-woo’s swoony comment to Jun-ho in episode 11 of Extraordinary Attorney Woo, and I couldn’t help but share it with the Beanies 😂 @jessoo 재수 on Instagram
Photoshoot with the male cast members of Alchemy of Souls 😊 Personally, I like this better than the couple photoshoot with Lee Jaewook and Jung Somin. It recalls the fantastical and historical theme of the drama, and the sartorial choices are more interesting.
The poster for “Part 2: Overturning Sky, Rising Earth” of Chronicles of Arthdal looks much better than Part 1, but I think the graphic artists should have worked on the lightning more because it seems evident that the photos of the actors are taken separately.
I didn’t know Kim Sung-cheol (Wise Prison Living) and Jo Byeong-gyu (SKY Castle) were going to appear in The Chronicles of Arthdal :O In my understanding, they’re playing slaves assigned in the Fire Tower.
I was thinking that Iseuburu, the leader of the survivors of the Great War and the Great Hunt, looked familiar and he’s played by Song Jong-ho!
I’ve seen snippets of “The Wind Blows” with Kim Sung-cheol, and wow he really shed off his boyish image from his last roles! 😍 His character in Arthdal seems to be following the recent shift in character, though he is more of a mysterious, untrusting person. I’m looking forward to seeing him there.
Ohmylord my worst dreams have come true: this drama is “Queen of Ring 2.0” (same writer)!!
Male lead develops prosopagnosia and mistakes female lead for his crush *face palm* (but there seems to be a twist). #loveatfirstsight
I didn’t notice this before but “Because This Is My First Love” seems to be a more polished(?) remake of “Because This Is My First Time”. All of the characters from the former, except for Jinyoung‘s character, have the same names of the latter.
I watched the two episodes of \”My ID Is Gangnam Beauty\” and they were pretty good. The first episode had a dark cinematography in order to stress why our heroine, Kang Mirae, decided to take a drastic step of having a full-face cosmetic surgery, and the surgery scene was more graphic than I expected (not bloody, but you can see some of the procedures performed on her face). One of the saddest and memorable lines was Mirae narrated she is never a \”winning lottery ticket, no matter how much [she] scratched\”, when she received flak for her appearance, after she lost so much weight 😔 I think the script writer did well by developing Mirae\’s interactions with her parents and writing that she has a friend outside of school, in contrast to the webtoon. Moreover, the show depicted yhe webtoon\’s other subjects such as the problematic hierarchical system of the upperclassmen and lowerclassmen in Korean universities and violence toward women.
About the acting, the actors adjusted to their respective roles well, but I only wish that Jo Woori\’s character, Hyun Sooah, was much more reserved about her true personality, like in the webtoon. Overall, it seemed like a decent campus drama that incorporates light and serious tones, and I\’ll continue to stay in tune.
“Gangnam Beauty”‘s 1st teaser is out!! It’s based on one of my favorite webtoons and it deals with beauty discrimination. I hope the drama really depicts the ugly aspects just like the webtoon did!
No, you are a girl disguised as a eunuch disguised as a nobleman as you follow your miscreant monarch on an undercover mission to go drinking, painting, hearing the complaints of the common people, or whatever the cause du jour of your sageuk 😘
To all Beanies who got worried about the casting news of the drama remake of Beauty Inside, Lee Minki is the first male lead while Ahn Jaehyun the second male lead.
Some people suggested that Chilsung’s role in “Wok of Love” is a guardian angel, and it’s not wrong since his name could be interpreted as “seven stars”. The “seven stars” reference was made in episode 5, when Poong was getting forcibly tattooed and one of the gangsters said he’ll be the seventh star to their Great Dipper a.k.a. the brotherhood of Hungry Fork.
@fencejumper It’s weird but I have a fixation towards names 😀 The idea of analyzing characters’ names in “Wok of Love” came up when I read the drama announcement, it was written that Sae-woo’s full name sounds like “sweet shrimp”, and it resonates with her love for Chinese cuisine. So I was thinking that there might be such hints behind characters’ names.
👏👏 Wow I’d never catch any of that (more so because I lack Korean language skills) but it seems more insightful now. The currently airing drama- Ms.Hammurabi also works with the main character’s names to show their personalities as judges. So this is fascinating.
I was thinking if the title of “Handsome Guy and Jung-eum” was a spoof on Hunminjeongeum (lit. The Correct/Proper Sounds for the Instruction of the People), a text that introduced the hangul to the Joseon peope, and it is! It’s also the name of the dating column Hoon-nam ghostwrites.
The writer’s names for her other characters are quite funny, like Coach Yang which sounds like “lamb skewers” and Yook Ryong, literally “six dragons”. The latter is a coincidence since his actor, Jung Moon-sung, starred in “Six Flying Dragons”!
This is so clever it makes me want to watch the drama, but alas, I tried and it is not for me. Most of these jokes are lost on someone who doesn’t know Korean, thanks for the explanation!
Although I can see that the rating hasn’t been impressive, I really liked the drama. People have issues with HJE screaming and all, but tbh everyone is kind of shouting in this drama lol. I am also looking forward to more interaction between HJE and NGM. Craving for good romcom for a while.
I actually read about Jung Haein’s famous ancestor, Jung Yakyong, but it’s today I found out that the latter was also reputed for his appearance and flawless fair skin. So I guess good genes run in the family 😜
Jung Hae-in gives me a young Kim Myung-min vipes and that’s the biggest compliment I could give him right now.
I’m not taken with him sageuks yet. Kim Ji-hoon had a stronger presence in “The Age of Blood” but he has been around longer.
Hae-in is hitting stardom pretty fast but he has talents and maturity to handle it.
Also he already completed his military service so that gives him room to continue growing as an actor and that also means he won’t disappear on us for two years…
That’s the fun part. Discovering more about an actor and what they are capable of.
I’m so glad he got to work with a respected PD like Ahn Pan-seok at this point in his career.
The webtoon Gyeryong Fairy has ended today! It wrapped up smoothly and now all I have to wait is for the drama.
And there is something that was bugging me after the first drama news came out. I reaaally wanted to let my trap spoil the story away since many people find the setup problematic (*cough* Stockholm Syndrome), but at the same time, I want Beanies to unfold the plot themselves. Still, if you are in the minority of wanting to know first before you sample the drama, then ask me about your curiosities through replies.
The ending of Hwayugi made me so empty. It\’s similar to the manhwa ending of Habaek\’s Bride especially after all the drama, but the difference is that Ohgong insisted to pursue Sunmi, despite the circumstances. Still, on the bright side, I chose to believe Sunmi is not gonna stay a spirit for so long because Ohgong is going to be reinstated into an immortal so he would be able to change her fate.
@cloggie@minnetter@hotcocoagirl Lol I feel like the plots used in dramas are very similar to classic romance novels.
-Sense and Sensibility: The tale of survival of two poor chaebol heiress sisters in Hell Joseon. The eldest is an executive and the most clear-headed and the youngest falls into a Candy fantasy. And their mother is irresponsible. Eldest\’s love interest is a heir who is clearly a noble idiot standing to his gentlemanly principles, and youngest \’s love interest is a well-off widower who is nearly two decades older than her.
-Persuasion: The reunion of first love – male lead has become a self-made man after his so-called stint in America and female lead has regressed to a Candy with a self-absorbed family.
-Northanger Abbey: Country bumpkin who has gotten her literary education from chaebol dramas visits Seoul and thinks male lead\’s family is in some kind of heritage conspiracy drama. She is also mistaken for a heiress so male lead\’s fatherplays cupid for both of them, until he starts trashing his fancy office when he discovers heroine\’s origins.
(I really don\’t know why the heroine in this story has fallen for male lead and there are not much interactions between them)
-Emma (there is already Clueless): Heroine is a sociallite who always bickers about her matchmakings and ideal men with her snarky cousin many-times removed. Who is also hot. I can totally see Jo Bo-ah as female lead.
-Mansfield Park: Heroine is considered as a maid to her relatives but she is the only one who truly loves her uncle. Hero is too stupid to realize that heroine is the \”one\” only after she has her makeover sheesh.
Some beanies say that they write their text on Notes and they paste it clicking ‘paste’ on their phone or computer. I was wondering the same until I randomly found the tip 🤗
I have to say the same thing about Clueless because the writers knew perfectly what they were doing.
I agree wholeheartedly! Thank you for continuing this conversation @sooyi
Sticking to Jane Austen for this discussion,
-S&S: I love the idea of a Joseon setting, all of the relations between the characters can stay the same with that, the half brother inheriting, the women going under the protection of their distant cousin, Brandon as the silent warrior friend of said cousin who was too busy fighting in war to be married though he still loves music, Edward Ferrars as a scholar with strict principles which leaves him forced to act as a noble idiot when manipulated by the upstart Lucy (a village girl who asserts herself as the distant cousin of the rich widow Jennings), and finally Willoughby. I think Willoughby should have a mane of glory, and appear as a carefree youth who gives everyone serious Second Lead Syndrome, until it’s revealed that he plays the charming rascal to many women. My only worry is that Sageuks often have political side plots, and I’m not sure how that would work in (unless through the Honorable Miss Morton that the Ferrars wish to join their family with).
-Persuasion: it’s a classic story, hard to go wrong with it, but Anne should be a candy piano player, that nows teaches music to spoiled rich kids and feels herself the background character as she appears in many expensive restaurants and parties just playing the music to other people’s lives. Or maybe meeting Wentworth again inspires her to follow her dream of being a musician, despite her family’s embarrassment. Of course Wentworth is a selfmade man after America.
-NA: She meets Tilney at a party, same as in the novel. She’s there *trying* to party with the fake friends she made when she first came to Seoul. He finds her naivety and simple wisdom charming, and that she so unabashedly likes him and doesn’t play the games other city girls do.
-Emma: I want there to be historical epilogues to the modern episodes which show how Emma would have gone down in Goryeo, Joseon, the 1930s, the 1990s, etc. It would be hilarious.
-MP: Oh gosh a makeover scene ~ that’s either Maria’s wedding or the ball when her brother is visiting, but by then Edmund is in too deep in his relationship with Mary Crawford (I vote the ball, because then us Beanies can throw things because Henry Crawford fell for her before then).
Sorry, you unknowingly invited a Jane Austen addict to talk…
Thank you fellow addict! I think the next step is casting these dramas ~
Ah, I’m so glad to hear those are your favorites, Northanger Abbey especially gets ignored a lot. In my case each novel has spent time as my favorite, so it’s hard for me to pick favorites now ^_^
Yay for Northanger Abbey love! It’s such a sarcastic novel, which is why I love it so much!! Especially Henry Tilney: he has too much sass haha. I wonder who I would cast him in K-drama world? I think JJ Field was perrrfect by the way
As for persuasion, I really want Shin Hye-sun to play Anne–I think she would fit that strong character-turned-into-shy-pianist role perfectly!!
Hehehe, Henry Tilney is my ideal man, and JJ Field played him purrfectlyyyy. I can’t decide who should play him, it needs to be an intelligent, sarcastic yet responsible, and good looking of course. I think Catherine Morland is one of the few instances where I feel a rookie actress might be perfect, since she is supposed to seem wide eyed and unbelievably naive ~
I agree for Shin Hye-sun, now we need a Wentworth. It needs to be someone that is charismatic, upright, and manly, but also has underlying pettiness that only his close friends (and Anne) see. What about Lee Dong Wook or Yoon Park?
@HotCocoaGirl Lee Dong Wook is so perfect for Wentworth!!! I need to see him in a uniform stat!
Rookie actress…like a charming idol? What do you think about Jung Hae in for Tilney?? He was so good with a simialarish character as batcop… I agree with you:Tilney is by far my favorite Austin hero!!
@goldenaddiction
A charming idol would be perfect! I haven’t seen Jung Hae in before, but I’ll trust you if you think he can pull off upright and sarcastic and likely to read silly novels ~ he already has the good looks down 😆
Yes! Jung Hae In was super cheeky and sarcastic in his role in When You Were Sleeping but also, I think, the most morally grounded of the trio (LJS and Suzi) so that’s why he came to mind!!
And boy…let’s not get started on the good looks hahaha. I’m really looking forward to Pretty Noona who buys me food because of him!
I’m afraid I don’t know about any recent, charming girl idols hmmm
Ill trust you on that then ~ I’m going to ask my kpop obsessed sister about female idols, she’s also Austen literate, so she should be able to give options for Catherine ~
@hotcocoagirl and @goldenaddiction However much I like Lee Dong Wook, can you help me get over my Prison Playbook addiction/withdrawal by having Lee Kyu-Hyung instead?
@hotcocoagirl and @sooyii Persuasion would be so perfect for a kdrama make-over, especially as Captain Wentworth especially returns with the purpose to get married.
This could create a whole set of blind-date scenes with younger girls that Anne actually knows (saying that Anne should actually visit a plastic surgeon because she’s aged so much that he hardly recognises her). Then he sets his sights on one of them, only for her to then get in an accident (maybe hit by one of those pesky motorbikes) and her to fall in love with the guy looking after her (maybe a kind-hearted motorbike courier).
And @hotcocoagirl I think it’s a great idea to have her as a background piano player. She broke off the engagement all those years ago because her aunt told her that marriage would destroy her dream of becoming a concert pianist and she should concentrate on her music. But that didn’t work out and she now plays elevator piano music in the restaurant where Korean Captain Wentworth goes on his blind dates!
I LOVE THIS SO MUCH
I NEED THIS NOW
Ahem, your idea of blind dates and Lady Russell encouraging her to break off the engagement to focus on music is perfect ~ with the family becoming bankrupt and Anne losing much of her spunk after rejecting Captain Wentworth, it makes sense she would just take non pressured jobs that paid. I want a main story arc of her rediscovering her pride and ambition for her music.
Ooh you mean the Matchmaking Motorbike? (It needs a name, like the Truck of Doom, as its sole purpose is to knock people into each other’s arms).
Ah, the motorbike courier could be a former soldier who lost all will to live after the death of his fiancee while he was overseas, so now he halfheartedly lives helping to care for her relatives, until he meets the young girl Korean Captain Wentworth is courting to spite Anne.
Exactly! And of course motorbike courier and KCW (korean captain Wentworth) were in the army together. That makes so much sense. I think we can relocate that whole part of the book that’s set by the beach to Jeju island where KCW’s friends have moved to after the army.
Plus KCW’s ex-army mate (who’s now a motorbike courier) also has an interest in music, so Anne thinks that maybe he likes her, until he has to look after young brat girl after the motorbike accident and falls in love with her.
Was KCW a lowly army doctor when he met Anne? Then he went on to train in the States before coming back as a geeeeeenius neurosurgeon?
Now all we need is a SL who seems absolutely perfect but is after Anne only for the inheritance (maybe some conglomerate voting shares?) and a ghastly sister’s divorced friend who tries to get remarried to the father and we’re all set.
Jeju Island is perfect! While a duet between Anne and the courier would be sweet, I still need them to have their conversation on poetry versus prose, because it’s one of my all time favorite passages in literature 🤗
Yes to lowly army doctor who Lady Russell says will always be gone because he’ll have to go on many tours of duty to provide for a family instead of pursuing fellowships with less pay.
I’m trying to figure out the Elliot’s family situation ~ maybe they only have shares left of a company but Sir Walter is too proud to sell them? Their cousin is obsessed with inheriting the company. Can their cousin Mr Elliot be Seo Kang Joon? I kind of prefer him as a villain than a lead…
@hotcocoagirl if that’s your favorite passage, we shouldn’t mess with it 😉
The family situation is tricky. If we don’t have them rent out their house like in the original (which really starts the plot) maybe they have a high-level restaurant that someone is now going to run instead of them? But what they don’t know, but the cousin does, is that the price of the real estate is so high that they would make a huge profit if they sold it, rather than try to run it? Not sure.
Seo Kang Joon would be good, or Dong Ha? We can see who’s available 😛
I like the restaurant idea ~ you’re quite devious @cloggie , remind me never to tell you if I become rich.
Our Mr Elliot is into real estate, but Sir Walter will only rent out his buildings, and refuses any developments because the buildings are historical. Maybe they have a fancy traditional Korean restaurant? Or maybe they own an old family compound (like rich families in several kdramas), and they rent it to the rich Crofts, who are retiring and desire to try a more traditional lifestyle in the country.
Oh, and Sir Walter is one of those older Korean men that always dress in traditional clothes, and insists on the daughters doing the same at home because they are from a noble clan.
@hotcocoagirl the traditional clothes and the family compound is soooo good!!! You’ve nailed it.
Poor Anne – living in the compound, wearing those clothes and playing background piano music in the restaurant – is stuck in this tiny circle whereas Capt WW has travelled the world, lived in the States and has had a few girlfriends probably. He’s moved on whereas she can’t. (and then he comes back and falls in love with her all over again)
That comparison between men having freedom to do things and women being stuck at home, unable to forget early relationships and what-could-have-beens is a large part of what the book is about and this captures it just so perfectly!
More and more I think this would be a seriously awesome kdrama … And thanks @sooyi for letting us hijack your fanwall to write our masterpiece
I’m sorry for my late reply! Your ideas of the Jane Austen classics are gold! Actually, I was thinking of a modern Korean rendition of the stories, so “Hell Joseon” is actually a moniker that means that one needs specs, ties, money and endurance to hard work and superiors in order to survive in South Korea. However, I think a real Joseon setting for Sense and Sensibility is more befitting because then it would give more context to the vulnerable financial and social situation of the sisters. I’m kind of imagining Song Jong-ho as Brandon because he does silent and charismatic well at the same time lol. Yes, even fusion sageuks need to have political scheming but then I think it should be forsaken to higlight social conventions and traditions.
I actually like Henry Tilney too out of all Jane Austen male leads because he is the honest and observative. But I think Elizabeth does not know all of his sides very well in order to be fully committed to him. I was thinking that she should have spent more time alongside Henry and for her to be more mature, but I guess it’s Jane Austen who’s trying to save us from endless drama.
Ah, I didn’t know the term Hell Joseon! It makes sense, sorry for the misunderstanding 😅
Song Jong ho sounds perfect ~ though right now it’s hard to picture him as anything other than the evil politician in Hwayugi 😬
I’m assuming you meant Catherine not Elizabeth? I agree that she didn’t know Henry very well, she was very much an innocent teen who fell in love without much reason. I think, by the end, they knew each other as well or better than most others before marriage in that time period ~ they knew the other to be honest to a fault, family oriented, religious, attractive, and that they could talk together for hours. I like to think they had a happy, though not super complex or witty, marriage. 😊
I was wondering how kdrama would do Persuasion, but of course he would spent time abroad to study and become a geeeeenius doctor. Or a self-made man in some other way
Well, these plots work and that’s probably why they are used all the time
sooyi
September 28, 2022 at 12:29 PM
Han Sohee, Cha Eunwoo and Lee Soohyuk as characters of the web novel The Villainess is a Marionette. The webtoon trailer featuring the actors will be released on October 7th. I’m not familiar with the source material, but I will definitely check the trailer out because I’m curious how the actors are going to act out the novel’s lines… and the costumes! They are designed and made by Le Dénicheur, a South Korean fashion house specialized in haute couture and wedding dresses, but they’ve branched out in dressing K-pop idols and drama actors.
sooyi
August 13, 2022 at 3:11 AM
An illustrator/writer I follow on Instagram drew a hilarious rendition of Young-woo’s swoony comment to Jun-ho in episode 11 of Extraordinary Attorney Woo, and I couldn’t help but share it with the Beanies 😂 @jessoo 재수 on Instagram
sooyi
June 26, 2022 at 5:32 AM
Photoshoot with the male cast members of Alchemy of Souls 😊 Personally, I like this better than the couple photoshoot with Lee Jaewook and Jung Somin. It recalls the fantastical and historical theme of the drama, and the sartorial choices are more interesting.
sooyi
June 19, 2019 at 3:17 AM
The poster for “Part 2: Overturning Sky, Rising Earth” of Chronicles of Arthdal looks much better than Part 1, but I think the graphic artists should have worked on the lightning more because it seems evident that the photos of the actors are taken separately.
💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜
June 19, 2019 at 3:24 AM
I can’t believe we’re on “season” 2 already? Like what was even the point of the separation?
mugyuljoie is preciousss
June 19, 2019 at 8:03 AM
So Netflix can call is seasons. At least they didn’t throw a month or three in-between the first and second season.
sooyi
June 19, 2019 at 2:54 AM
I didn’t know Kim Sung-cheol (Wise Prison Living) and Jo Byeong-gyu (SKY Castle) were going to appear in The Chronicles of Arthdal :O In my understanding, they’re playing slaves assigned in the Fire Tower.
I was thinking that Iseuburu, the leader of the survivors of the Great War and the Great Hunt, looked familiar and he’s played by Song Jong-ho!
mango
June 19, 2019 at 6:47 AM
I started The Wind Blows for Kim Seong Cheol and dropped it (sorry cutie!). Now, he’s in Arthdal?! Is he testing me?
It looks like the show casted as many as rookies/recently popular actors as it could.
sooyi
June 20, 2019 at 10:54 AM
I’ve seen snippets of “The Wind Blows” with Kim Sung-cheol, and wow he really shed off his boyish image from his last roles! 😍 His character in Arthdal seems to be following the recent shift in character, though he is more of a mysterious, untrusting person. I’m looking forward to seeing him there.
mango
June 20, 2019 at 11:18 AM
From the few episodes I’ve seen I liked his character in The Wind Blows 🙂 He got smooth haha.
Arthdal is tempting me with its cast.
Netsuke
June 24, 2022 at 2:56 PM
I still haven’t seen the Chronicles of Arthdal, but I have watched SKY Castle. The competitiveness was tiring. Helicopter parents.
sooyi
April 17, 2019 at 7:36 AM
Ohmylord my worst dreams have come true: this drama is “Queen of Ring 2.0” (same writer)!!
Male lead develops prosopagnosia and mistakes female lead for his crush *face palm* (but there seems to be a twist). #loveatfirstsight
sooyi
April 2, 2019 at 2:26 AM
I didn’t notice this before but “Because This Is My First Love” seems to be a more polished(?) remake of “Because This Is My First Time”. All of the characters from the former, except for Jinyoung‘s character, have the same names of the latter.
sooyi
November 19, 2018 at 6:51 AM
LMAO the son, Jeom-dol, is played (or more like voiced here?) by Jung Kyung-ho. *cough* “Cruel City” :DD
sooyi
July 29, 2018 at 3:16 AM
I watched the two episodes of \”My ID Is Gangnam Beauty\” and they were pretty good. The first episode had a dark cinematography in order to stress why our heroine, Kang Mirae, decided to take a drastic step of having a full-face cosmetic surgery, and the surgery scene was more graphic than I expected (not bloody, but you can see some of the procedures performed on her face). One of the saddest and memorable lines was Mirae narrated she is never a \”winning lottery ticket, no matter how much [she] scratched\”, when she received flak for her appearance, after she lost so much weight 😔 I think the script writer did well by developing Mirae\’s interactions with her parents and writing that she has a friend outside of school, in contrast to the webtoon. Moreover, the show depicted yhe webtoon\’s other subjects such as the problematic hierarchical system of the upperclassmen and lowerclassmen in Korean universities and violence toward women.
About the acting, the actors adjusted to their respective roles well, but I only wish that Jo Woori\’s character, Hyun Sooah, was much more reserved about her true personality, like in the webtoon. Overall, it seemed like a decent campus drama that incorporates light and serious tones, and I\’ll continue to stay in tune.
sooyi
July 4, 2018 at 2:44 AM
Poster for “Gangnam Beauty”! ❤️
sooyi
July 3, 2018 at 2:05 AM
I can’t help but think Yang Sejong looks like a mountain man 😂 Well, at least he’s aged up. #ThirtyButSeventeen
drawde2000
July 3, 2018 at 3:45 AM
Jumanji
sooyi
June 29, 2018 at 12:41 AM
“Gangnam Beauty”‘s 1st teaser is out!! It’s based on one of my favorite webtoons and it deals with beauty discrimination. I hope the drama really depicts the ugly aspects just like the webtoon did!
sooyi
June 21, 2018 at 12:38 AM
Lol I realized that I\’m an Eunuch in Drag but I\’m a Nobleman in Drag in my profile photo. 😂
Cocoa, The Fake Poet of February
June 21, 2018 at 6:49 AM
No, you are a girl disguised as a eunuch disguised as a nobleman as you follow your miscreant monarch on an undercover mission to go drinking, painting, hearing the complaints of the common people, or whatever the cause du jour of your sageuk 😘
sooyi
June 21, 2018 at 12:35 AM
To all Beanies who got worried about the casting news of the drama remake of Beauty Inside, Lee Minki is the first male lead while Ahn Jaehyun the second male lead.
mindy
June 21, 2018 at 4:22 AM
Yeah, the DramaFever article made that more clear. Thank you! DB’s article was a little misleading…
I still don’t want Min-ki to accept, though. The changes disappoint me. 😔
UmbrellaMan
June 21, 2018 at 5:35 AM
I was figuring that, but the DB article was indeed slightly misleading. Thanks for making it clear!!
sooyi
May 26, 2018 at 4:24 AM
Some people suggested that Chilsung’s role in “Wok of Love” is a guardian angel, and it’s not wrong since his name could be interpreted as “seven stars”. The “seven stars” reference was made in episode 5, when Poong was getting forcibly tattooed and one of the gangsters said he’ll be the seventh star to their Great Dipper a.k.a. the brotherhood of Hungry Fork.
fencejumper
May 26, 2018 at 4:33 AM
You have such great analysis! I’m stunned
sooyi
May 27, 2018 at 10:20 AM
@fencejumper It’s weird but I have a fixation towards names 😀 The idea of analyzing characters’ names in “Wok of Love” came up when I read the drama announcement, it was written that Sae-woo’s full name sounds like “sweet shrimp”, and it resonates with her love for Chinese cuisine. So I was thinking that there might be such hints behind characters’ names.
fencejumper
May 27, 2018 at 9:31 PM
👏👏 Wow I’d never catch any of that (more so because I lack Korean language skills) but it seems more insightful now. The currently airing drama- Ms.Hammurabi also works with the main character’s names to show their personalities as judges. So this is fascinating.
korfan
May 26, 2018 at 9:19 AM
Oh, this is interesting!
I’ve only watched the first two episodes, but I’ll certainly be watching the future episodes with this info in mind.
sooyi
May 27, 2018 at 10:26 AM
I’ve realized that drama characters tend to have more and more eye-catching names over the years and that they kind of hint their personality 🙂
sooyi
May 26, 2018 at 4:10 AM
I was thinking if the title of “Handsome Guy and Jung-eum” was a spoof on Hunminjeongeum (lit. The Correct/Proper Sounds for the Instruction of the People), a text that introduced the hangul to the Joseon peope, and it is! It’s also the name of the dating column Hoon-nam ghostwrites.
The writer’s names for her other characters are quite funny, like Coach Yang which sounds like “lamb skewers” and Yook Ryong, literally “six dragons”. The latter is a coincidence since his actor, Jung Moon-sung, starred in “Six Flying Dragons”!
WishfulToki
May 26, 2018 at 5:25 AM
This is so clever it makes me want to watch the drama, but alas, I tried and it is not for me. Most of these jokes are lost on someone who doesn’t know Korean, thanks for the explanation!
daydee
May 26, 2018 at 6:23 AM
That’s why I miss the DB recaps.
fay17
May 26, 2018 at 7:41 AM
Although I can see that the rating hasn’t been impressive, I really liked the drama. People have issues with HJE screaming and all, but tbh everyone is kind of shouting in this drama lol. I am also looking forward to more interaction between HJE and NGM. Craving for good romcom for a while.
sooyi
April 6, 2018 at 9:31 AM
I actually read about Jung Haein’s famous ancestor, Jung Yakyong, but it’s today I found out that the latter was also reputed for his appearance and flawless fair skin. So I guess good genes run in the family 😜
kiara
April 6, 2018 at 10:07 AM
History, my great love!
Jung Hae-in gives me a young Kim Myung-min vipes and that’s the biggest compliment I could give him right now.
I’m not taken with him sageuks yet. Kim Ji-hoon had a stronger presence in “The Age of Blood” but he has been around longer.
Hae-in is hitting stardom pretty fast but he has talents and maturity to handle it.
blueribbon
April 6, 2018 at 11:56 AM
Also he already completed his military service so that gives him room to continue growing as an actor and that also means he won’t disappear on us for two years…
kiara
April 6, 2018 at 12:38 PM
That’s the fun part. Discovering more about an actor and what they are capable of.
I’m so glad he got to work with a respected PD like Ahn Pan-seok at this point in his career.
korfan
April 6, 2018 at 1:25 PM
Oh wow, that’s so interesting!
sooyi
March 8, 2018 at 4:25 AM
The webtoon Gyeryong Fairy has ended today! It wrapped up smoothly and now all I have to wait is for the drama.
And there is something that was bugging me after the first drama news came out. I reaaally wanted to let my trap spoil the story away since many people find the setup problematic (*cough* Stockholm Syndrome), but at the same time, I want Beanies to unfold the plot themselves. Still, if you are in the minority of wanting to know first before you sample the drama, then ask me about your curiosities through replies.
sooyi
March 5, 2018 at 1:00 AM
The ending of Hwayugi made me so empty. It\’s similar to the manhwa ending of Habaek\’s Bride especially after all the drama, but the difference is that Ohgong insisted to pursue Sunmi, despite the circumstances. Still, on the bright side, I chose to believe Sunmi is not gonna stay a spirit for so long because Ohgong is going to be reinstated into an immortal so he would be able to change her fate.
sooyi
February 28, 2018 at 5:40 AM
@cloggie @minnetter @hotcocoagirl Lol I feel like the plots used in dramas are very similar to classic romance novels.
-Sense and Sensibility: The tale of survival of two poor chaebol heiress sisters in Hell Joseon. The eldest is an executive and the most clear-headed and the youngest falls into a Candy fantasy. And their mother is irresponsible. Eldest\’s love interest is a heir who is clearly a noble idiot standing to his gentlemanly principles, and youngest \’s love interest is a well-off widower who is nearly two decades older than her.
-Persuasion: The reunion of first love – male lead has become a self-made man after his so-called stint in America and female lead has regressed to a Candy with a self-absorbed family.
-Northanger Abbey: Country bumpkin who has gotten her literary education from chaebol dramas visits Seoul and thinks male lead\’s family is in some kind of heritage conspiracy drama. She is also mistaken for a heiress so male lead\’s fatherplays cupid for both of them, until he starts trashing his fancy office when he discovers heroine\’s origins.
(I really don\’t know why the heroine in this story has fallen for male lead and there are not much interactions between them)
-Emma (there is already Clueless): Heroine is a sociallite who always bickers about her matchmakings and ideal men with her snarky cousin many-times removed. Who is also hot. I can totally see Jo Bo-ah as female lead.
-Mansfield Park: Heroine is considered as a maid to her relatives but she is the only one who truly loves her uncle. Hero is too stupid to realize that heroine is the \”one\” only after she has her makeover sheesh.
greenfields
February 28, 2018 at 6:04 AM
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
KSKalways
February 28, 2018 at 6:27 AM
@sooyi
totally off topic but how do you manage to have such a long post on the 1st go on your Fan Wall? mine restricts me to 200 characters…
oh and CLUELESS was THE teenage movie 😘
sooyi
February 28, 2018 at 7:49 AM
Some beanies say that they write their text on Notes and they paste it clicking ‘paste’ on their phone or computer. I was wondering the same until I randomly found the tip 🤗
I have to say the same thing about Clueless because the writers knew perfectly what they were doing.
KSKalways
February 28, 2018 at 8:03 AM
thanks for the tip!!!!
Cocoa, The Fake Poet of February
February 28, 2018 at 7:01 AM
I agree wholeheartedly! Thank you for continuing this conversation @sooyi
Sticking to Jane Austen for this discussion,
-S&S: I love the idea of a Joseon setting, all of the relations between the characters can stay the same with that, the half brother inheriting, the women going under the protection of their distant cousin, Brandon as the silent warrior friend of said cousin who was too busy fighting in war to be married though he still loves music, Edward Ferrars as a scholar with strict principles which leaves him forced to act as a noble idiot when manipulated by the upstart Lucy (a village girl who asserts herself as the distant cousin of the rich widow Jennings), and finally Willoughby. I think Willoughby should have a mane of glory, and appear as a carefree youth who gives everyone serious Second Lead Syndrome, until it’s revealed that he plays the charming rascal to many women. My only worry is that Sageuks often have political side plots, and I’m not sure how that would work in (unless through the Honorable Miss Morton that the Ferrars wish to join their family with).
-Persuasion: it’s a classic story, hard to go wrong with it, but Anne should be a candy piano player, that nows teaches music to spoiled rich kids and feels herself the background character as she appears in many expensive restaurants and parties just playing the music to other people’s lives. Or maybe meeting Wentworth again inspires her to follow her dream of being a musician, despite her family’s embarrassment. Of course Wentworth is a selfmade man after America.
-NA: She meets Tilney at a party, same as in the novel. She’s there *trying* to party with the fake friends she made when she first came to Seoul. He finds her naivety and simple wisdom charming, and that she so unabashedly likes him and doesn’t play the games other city girls do.
-Emma: I want there to be historical epilogues to the modern episodes which show how Emma would have gone down in Goryeo, Joseon, the 1930s, the 1990s, etc. It would be hilarious.
-MP: Oh gosh a makeover scene ~ that’s either Maria’s wedding or the ball when her brother is visiting, but by then Edmund is in too deep in his relationship with Mary Crawford (I vote the ball, because then us Beanies can throw things because Henry Crawford fell for her before then).
Sorry, you unknowingly invited a Jane Austen addict to talk…
goldenaddiction
February 28, 2018 at 9:00 AM
@HotCocoaGirl A fellow Jane Austin addict really wants a fellow addict to keep on talking haha.
I love your renditions of the novels: especially Northanger Abby and Persuasion: my two personal favorites 😀
Cocoa, The Fake Poet of February
February 28, 2018 at 10:23 AM
Thank you fellow addict! I think the next step is casting these dramas ~
Ah, I’m so glad to hear those are your favorites, Northanger Abbey especially gets ignored a lot. In my case each novel has spent time as my favorite, so it’s hard for me to pick favorites now ^_^
goldenaddiction
February 28, 2018 at 11:39 AM
Yay for Northanger Abbey love! It’s such a sarcastic novel, which is why I love it so much!! Especially Henry Tilney: he has too much sass haha. I wonder who I would cast him in K-drama world? I think JJ Field was perrrfect by the way
As for persuasion, I really want Shin Hye-sun to play Anne–I think she would fit that strong character-turned-into-shy-pianist role perfectly!!
Cocoa, The Fake Poet of February
February 28, 2018 at 2:39 PM
Hehehe, Henry Tilney is my ideal man, and JJ Field played him purrfectlyyyy. I can’t decide who should play him, it needs to be an intelligent, sarcastic yet responsible, and good looking of course. I think Catherine Morland is one of the few instances where I feel a rookie actress might be perfect, since she is supposed to seem wide eyed and unbelievably naive ~
I agree for Shin Hye-sun, now we need a Wentworth. It needs to be someone that is charismatic, upright, and manly, but also has underlying pettiness that only his close friends (and Anne) see. What about Lee Dong Wook or Yoon Park?
goldenaddiction
February 28, 2018 at 3:19 PM
@HotCocoaGirl Lee Dong Wook is so perfect for Wentworth!!! I need to see him in a uniform stat!
Rookie actress…like a charming idol? What do you think about Jung Hae in for Tilney?? He was so good with a simialarish character as batcop… I agree with you:Tilney is by far my favorite Austin hero!!
Cocoa, The Fake Poet of February
February 28, 2018 at 4:21 PM
@goldenaddiction
A charming idol would be perfect! I haven’t seen Jung Hae in before, but I’ll trust you if you think he can pull off upright and sarcastic and likely to read silly novels ~ he already has the good looks down 😆
goldenaddiction
February 28, 2018 at 4:54 PM
@HotCocoaGirl
Yes! Jung Hae In was super cheeky and sarcastic in his role in When You Were Sleeping but also, I think, the most morally grounded of the trio (LJS and Suzi) so that’s why he came to mind!!
And boy…let’s not get started on the good looks hahaha. I’m really looking forward to Pretty Noona who buys me food because of him!
I’m afraid I don’t know about any recent, charming girl idols hmmm
Cocoa, The Fake Poet of February
February 28, 2018 at 6:52 PM
Ill trust you on that then ~ I’m going to ask my kpop obsessed sister about female idols, she’s also Austen literate, so she should be able to give options for Catherine ~
Cloggie
February 28, 2018 at 10:51 PM
@hotcocoagirl and @goldenaddiction However much I like Lee Dong Wook, can you help me get over my Prison Playbook addiction/withdrawal by having Lee Kyu-Hyung instead?
Shin Hye-sun is perfect.
goldenaddiction
March 1, 2018 at 9:29 AM
@cloggie Lee Kyu-Hyung is great too!!! Maybe he would bring an interesting note to the character lol
Cocoa, The Fake Poet of February
March 1, 2018 at 10:35 AM
@cloggie & @goldenaddiction
I’ve never seen Lee Hyu Kyung before, but looking at pictures he seems more like a Mr Knightley type?
Cloggie
February 28, 2018 at 12:44 PM
@hotcocoagirl and @sooyii Persuasion would be so perfect for a kdrama make-over, especially as Captain Wentworth especially returns with the purpose to get married.
This could create a whole set of blind-date scenes with younger girls that Anne actually knows (saying that Anne should actually visit a plastic surgeon because she’s aged so much that he hardly recognises her). Then he sets his sights on one of them, only for her to then get in an accident (maybe hit by one of those pesky motorbikes) and her to fall in love with the guy looking after her (maybe a kind-hearted motorbike courier).
This has all kinds of possibilities!
Cloggie
February 28, 2018 at 12:50 PM
And @hotcocoagirl I think it’s a great idea to have her as a background piano player. She broke off the engagement all those years ago because her aunt told her that marriage would destroy her dream of becoming a concert pianist and she should concentrate on her music. But that didn’t work out and she now plays elevator piano music in the restaurant where Korean Captain Wentworth goes on his blind dates!
Cocoa, The Fake Poet of February
February 28, 2018 at 2:26 PM
I LOVE THIS SO MUCH
I NEED THIS NOW
Ahem, your idea of blind dates and Lady Russell encouraging her to break off the engagement to focus on music is perfect ~ with the family becoming bankrupt and Anne losing much of her spunk after rejecting Captain Wentworth, it makes sense she would just take non pressured jobs that paid. I want a main story arc of her rediscovering her pride and ambition for her music.
goldenaddiction
February 28, 2018 at 3:22 PM
@Cloggie and @hotcocoagirl
this persuasion drama sounds sooooo good!!! Does anyone know a kdrama writer…
Cocoa, The Fake Poet of February
February 28, 2018 at 2:30 PM
Ooh you mean the Matchmaking Motorbike? (It needs a name, like the Truck of Doom, as its sole purpose is to knock people into each other’s arms).
Ah, the motorbike courier could be a former soldier who lost all will to live after the death of his fiancee while he was overseas, so now he halfheartedly lives helping to care for her relatives, until he meets the young girl Korean Captain Wentworth is courting to spite Anne.
Cloggie
February 28, 2018 at 10:32 PM
Comment was deleted
Cloggie
February 28, 2018 at 11:24 PM
Exactly! And of course motorbike courier and KCW (korean captain Wentworth) were in the army together. That makes so much sense. I think we can relocate that whole part of the book that’s set by the beach to Jeju island where KCW’s friends have moved to after the army.
Plus KCW’s ex-army mate (who’s now a motorbike courier) also has an interest in music, so Anne thinks that maybe he likes her, until he has to look after young brat girl after the motorbike accident and falls in love with her.
Was KCW a lowly army doctor when he met Anne? Then he went on to train in the States before coming back as a geeeeeenius neurosurgeon?
Now all we need is a SL who seems absolutely perfect but is after Anne only for the inheritance (maybe some conglomerate voting shares?) and a ghastly sister’s divorced friend who tries to get remarried to the father and we’re all set.
Cocoa, The Fake Poet of February
March 1, 2018 at 10:57 AM
Jeju Island is perfect! While a duet between Anne and the courier would be sweet, I still need them to have their conversation on poetry versus prose, because it’s one of my all time favorite passages in literature 🤗
Yes to lowly army doctor who Lady Russell says will always be gone because he’ll have to go on many tours of duty to provide for a family instead of pursuing fellowships with less pay.
I’m trying to figure out the Elliot’s family situation ~ maybe they only have shares left of a company but Sir Walter is too proud to sell them? Their cousin is obsessed with inheriting the company. Can their cousin Mr Elliot be Seo Kang Joon? I kind of prefer him as a villain than a lead…
Cloggie
March 1, 2018 at 2:28 PM
@hotcocoagirl if that’s your favorite passage, we shouldn’t mess with it 😉
The family situation is tricky. If we don’t have them rent out their house like in the original (which really starts the plot) maybe they have a high-level restaurant that someone is now going to run instead of them? But what they don’t know, but the cousin does, is that the price of the real estate is so high that they would make a huge profit if they sold it, rather than try to run it? Not sure.
Seo Kang Joon would be good, or Dong Ha? We can see who’s available 😛
Cocoa, The Fake Poet of February
March 1, 2018 at 6:37 PM
I like the restaurant idea ~ you’re quite devious @cloggie , remind me never to tell you if I become rich.
Our Mr Elliot is into real estate, but Sir Walter will only rent out his buildings, and refuses any developments because the buildings are historical. Maybe they have a fancy traditional Korean restaurant? Or maybe they own an old family compound (like rich families in several kdramas), and they rent it to the rich Crofts, who are retiring and desire to try a more traditional lifestyle in the country.
Oh, and Sir Walter is one of those older Korean men that always dress in traditional clothes, and insists on the daughters doing the same at home because they are from a noble clan.
Cloggie
March 2, 2018 at 12:36 AM
@hotcocoagirl the traditional clothes and the family compound is soooo good!!! You’ve nailed it.
Poor Anne – living in the compound, wearing those clothes and playing background piano music in the restaurant – is stuck in this tiny circle whereas Capt WW has travelled the world, lived in the States and has had a few girlfriends probably. He’s moved on whereas she can’t. (and then he comes back and falls in love with her all over again)
That comparison between men having freedom to do things and women being stuck at home, unable to forget early relationships and what-could-have-beens is a large part of what the book is about and this captures it just so perfectly!
More and more I think this would be a seriously awesome kdrama … And thanks @sooyi for letting us hijack your fanwall to write our masterpiece
sooyi
March 1, 2018 at 2:53 AM
I’m sorry for my late reply! Your ideas of the Jane Austen classics are gold! Actually, I was thinking of a modern Korean rendition of the stories, so “Hell Joseon” is actually a moniker that means that one needs specs, ties, money and endurance to hard work and superiors in order to survive in South Korea. However, I think a real Joseon setting for Sense and Sensibility is more befitting because then it would give more context to the vulnerable financial and social situation of the sisters. I’m kind of imagining Song Jong-ho as Brandon because he does silent and charismatic well at the same time lol. Yes, even fusion sageuks need to have political scheming but then I think it should be forsaken to higlight social conventions and traditions.
I actually like Henry Tilney too out of all Jane Austen male leads because he is the honest and observative. But I think Elizabeth does not know all of his sides very well in order to be fully committed to him. I was thinking that she should have spent more time alongside Henry and for her to be more mature, but I guess it’s Jane Austen who’s trying to save us from endless drama.
Cocoa, The Fake Poet of February
March 1, 2018 at 10:45 AM
Ah, I didn’t know the term Hell Joseon! It makes sense, sorry for the misunderstanding 😅
Song Jong ho sounds perfect ~ though right now it’s hard to picture him as anything other than the evil politician in Hwayugi 😬
I’m assuming you meant Catherine not Elizabeth? I agree that she didn’t know Henry very well, she was very much an innocent teen who fell in love without much reason. I think, by the end, they knew each other as well or better than most others before marriage in that time period ~ they knew the other to be honest to a fault, family oriented, religious, attractive, and that they could talk together for hours. I like to think they had a happy, though not super complex or witty, marriage. 😊
Cloggie
February 28, 2018 at 8:14 AM
I was wondering how kdrama would do Persuasion, but of course he would spent time abroad to study and become a geeeeenius doctor. Or a self-made man in some other way
Well, these plots work and that’s probably why they are used all the time