Beanie level: Errand boy

#2024RoundUp 1-Your favorite drama.
I earn only a handful of Beans every year and even those few usually do not stay in my memory for long. Knight Flower is the only 2024 Bean that was not on my watch radar originally, and yet it immediately set the bar for 2024 dramas too high. This drama is going to feature a lot this month, so I’ll stop here.
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Another Disney cosplay with my friends.🦀



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SUCH SLANDER😮Shame on you, JaeSoo. SHAME. ON. YOU.😤
*MySweetMobsterEpisode13**NopeElephantWins*
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Best Subscribe ever, I say every episode again. Now I finally mean it.
*MySweetMobsterEpisode12**WhoIsAGoodBoy?YesBulldogIsOurGoodBoy!*
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Tell me you’re married without telling me you’re married.
*MySweetMobsterEpisode7**DoNotPissOffYourBabyPenguin*
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Since some Beanies rightfully need to know what the birthday cake looked like…;)
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    That is the perfect cake I love it 🥰

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    😊😍👏👏👏
    Great choice. Thank you for sharing the picture.

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    Oh! Happy Birthday once again!! 😊❤

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    That’s an adorable cake 🦄
    Happy birthday! 🥳 It’s good to know I have some same-age peers on here. I find that it can get lonely in online communities sometimes because of the lack of knowing how close or far I am in age with some people, which for me, personally, takes away that relatability, in terms of phases and experiences in life. Good to know I at least have you 🥰🥰

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      Comment was deleted

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      Tell me about it! I was behind my peers, went to a special school during a year to catch up and from then on classmates, friends,… were 92-liners. I still have the urge to poke 91-liners to check if they are real!🤭

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        I’m here!! 😘😘
        I had similar experiences, too:

        I took 1 semester (the 1st semester, actually) off from school—whilst all of my friends did their own thing and continued straight into university— and even took a reduced course load for the duration of my university years, so it took me a little longer to graduate, which also means I graduated later than my 91-line peers. I’m glad—in a sense— that I did that, because I was able to discover things on my own, do things on my own and also at my own pace and not feel the pressure to have to match up with others. At the same time, it also felt a little dragged out by the end and I was so done with everything, so I applied for grad but didn’t go to my own banquet lol But no regrets at all in how it all happened. I’m happy and at peace. And hey, I saved a couple hundred dollars not needing to buy a dress for grad banquet haha

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    Happy birthday, cute cake!

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    It looks lovely and I bet it tastes yummy. I want it. 😭

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    Cute! Happy Birthday! 🙂

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#Lovely Runner PL🌞🌞
@ally-le Reporting for duty!🫡
I have been mixing up Haruyaa❤️ and SungJaeyaa❤️ because same Female Lead.🤣
The song speaks for itself.😉

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@seeker The Mad Hatter Cosplay!🎩
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@ceciliedk
I could not reply further and wanted to move the convo elsewhere. My first language is Dutch, so English and Danish are family😉

Translation has lots of pros and cons indeed! I am autistic and need lots of structure, something hard to come by in the freelance translation lifestyle (or should I call it workstyle?). Also, my studies sucked all the fun out of language learning, so I had to keep it strictly as a hobby to keep loving it.

Pst, please tag me whenever you have random danish facts to share! Whatever I do retain from the language and culture is too book smart.😊

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*Clears throat* SHIPPPPPPPPEDYYYYYY SHIP SHIP!!!!!!!!
*MarryMyHusbandEpisode7**BeefcakeANDCheesecake!*
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Pavlovian conditioning: Lee Yi-kyung says Gwenchana. I split my sides.
*MarryMyHusbandEpisode2**OrShouldIShoutBINGOWheneverHeDoes?*

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    Oh that’s really funny!!! 🤣

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    Only if he says it twice in a row 😂

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      Nope, the three syllables or any variation and I am a lost cause!😂 I admire your composure😂

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        He will forever be associated with that word in k-drama lovers hearts and minds!

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    I started watching (accidentally at first, I thought I clicked on the Kidnapping Day on Prime — finishing watching Ep1 and carrying on to Ep 2 was not an accident) and did struggle with the Gwenchana bit when his shirt is ruined in the canteen.

    I’m conditioned to see Rebecca.

    Also… perhaps, just a thought here, perhaps he does not morph as much as I’d like him to into an evil character. I’d have gone full evil and embrace all the hidden violent aspects of the character, so just I stop looking and sounding like the gwenchana guy. But then, that’s me, and I am not Lee Yi-kyung.

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      In a darker drama I would fully agree with you, but it is supposed to be a melo/makjang/comedy?
      Anyway, to me the character feels like a blend of violent and pathetic, so he has to dial it all down a bit. For now at least, since it is only the beginning of 16 episodes. Also we mostly see him in public settings or with SooMin, no way he will act out there.

      That is of course also just a thought. I am learning to respectfully take up space, so I do hope I did not offend you!

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        @turtuallysarcastic — please do take more space, please take all the space you want and need!

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        Also I think he needs to be a charmer / or at least a person with whom we are to believe the FL as well as the 2FL fell in love with.

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          This is a fair point and I didn’t consider it. Not that it would stop be complaining that his character should be pure darkness behind closed doors though. But I have to admit (reluctantly, obviously) that you do make an incredibly fair point and that I will do everything in my power to completely ignore it. 😉

          I think I was expecting more duality in his character. Not that it isn’t there. It is. I just wanted more of it.

          I’d have been perfectly happy for the 2FL to have terrible taste in men, or to be attracted to someone who matches her very own brand of filth…

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            I love you too Ceecee. *whispers secretly* If he went the Evilive way … it would have been a different drama. 😅

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      Actually he is pretty dark and physically intimidating and abusive. For example much more than the husband in My Happy Ending who even when provoked did not respond by being physically abusive.

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        I assumed he was supposed to look physically intimating when he held his hand as if he was going to hit her (he does it a few times), but I just kept thinking:

        “Jiwon, don’t shut your eyes! Knee his crotch and run” so, I wasn’t entirely intimated by the husband character.

        I was more disappointed by all the missed crotch-kneeing opportunities… This is probably why I’m not allowed to write K dramas. That and the fact that I don’t speak Korean anyway.

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          I would have clapped the loudest if she would have done that! But no worries … I have hope that her “revenge” would bring him down to his knees.

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    ^^ same Chingu same!! Just could not help it … had to pause while I lol’ed!

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    I think I followed you earlier then when I got the notification that you followed me I inadvertently clicked it and unfollowed you. So I clicked again to follow you. Sorry for the confusion. 😅

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[2023 Year in Review]. Mysteries and Mental disorders.

By TurtuallySarcastic

Second seasons were very common in the year of the Rabbit, although I tend to stay clear of them. A spoiler enthusiast like me wants to know rather than guess. No baiting, just one story from beginning to end. Color me surprised when I discovered a recurring question in my 2023 watching habits: Who is it?!

The heir to the throne. His bodyguard. The gazillion serial killers. Episodes upon episodes of clues and red herrings, a mind full of theories proven wrong, and a voice gone hoarse from yelling at the scream in utter delight and frustration. The Secret Romantic Guesthouse and Crash Course in Romance might have been the only mysteries I actively got involved in, but many more would eventually lure me to the recaps to unmask the hidden identity. Every answered question on screen was another step closer to the big reveal.

Solving K-drama mysteries was a coping mechanism to deal with my confusion in real life. At the end of 2022 I finally got diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, a welcome explanation of struggling for a long time, notably academically and professionally. At the same time, this important news posed a challenge to my ideas about myself and my employment. Seeking out career guidance was necessary, thought it took me a while to figure out which steps to take in what order.

While I eventually got occupied with diagnosis recognition and job coaching, K-dramas would take a backseat for a few months. Gradually, the original confusion got replaced by sadness and anger, as many bad memories about ableism and ignorance would resurface. I did not know how to handle those feelings, until the episodes of Daily Dose of Sunshine were made available all at once. Spending twelve episodes in a psychiatric ward seemed quite daring from a Korean point of view, which piqued my interest even more. At first however, I was turned off by the stilted dialogue that came across like it was having a teacher-student dynamic with its audience.

Fortunately, the drama did much better at showing exactly how the mental disorders affected the patients. A couple metaphors sprinkled with a touch of fantasy demonstrated the inner workings of their brains and their perceptions. Schizophrenia for example, is just one of the depicted mental disorders that I understand much better now. The show also made me rethink my own mental health in unexpected ways. Therapy has been a tremendous help in battling panic disorder and depression after burning out at the umpteenth workplace two years ago. Never would I have expected visual metaphors like water or quicksand to vividly explain how I dealt with those two specific disorders back then.

Multiple patients received treatment for anxiety disorders that not only had developed at their workplace, but simultaneously kept them from healing and returning to the job. Depressed patients without energy to function got scolded by loved ones. Others were ashamed, in denial and terrified people would find out about their illness. All shared experiences, finally converted into detailed words.

The show became an abstract representation of that one understanding person I had been wishing for. A boss tells an employee falling ill is not her choice, nor does it make her a criminal or someone worthless who should shrink and hide away from society. A love interest calls out his ill significant other for demeaning the person he likes so much. A customer waits patiently while the cashier slowly counts her change. A bestie genuinely apologizes to his ill friend for earlier ableist behavior and suggests they share their mental health journey from now on.

I retract my earlier statement about the teacher-student dynamic with the audience since it might have been intentional. A patient’s network might be among the viewers. Despite their good intentions, their actions and reactions might range from awkward to ignorant, leaving the patients feeling even more misunderstood and frustrated. The show might want those viewers to learn to do better and remind patients to acknowledge the sincerity hidden underneath the awkwardness and the clumsy efforts. My own social network certainly benefited from that newfound appreciation.

On the other hand, it is within my right to speak up to them about my needs. In my case, autism handicaps me at work and exhausts me continuously. Taking all these tiny leaps of faith throughout 2023 demanded all my courage in exchange for aid at my workplace. My employer is currently searching every department to find me a new function adapted to my needs. Somewhere next spring I should hopefully rejoin the workforce.

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    Thank you for sharing your K-drama and personal journey. Very raw, intense and impactful. But then that is what life is. Here’s to a New Year which makes us be braver, happier and more fulfilled. Hwaiting!!

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    I am happy for you because your employer is amazing for being understanding and cooperating in finding what’s good for you. I hope you don’t mind to share the journey with us so that it can be an example or a guide for anyone especially employers to co exist and work together in this situation.

    Daily Dose of Sunshine is an interesting drama because of its highly sensitive topic which unknown to most of us and I love it coz it also presented to us from a layman’s point of view. I felt liberating after completed this drama and it answered some of my questions and decisions in life.

    Happy new year to you 🎊🎉🥳 and please share more insights and experience about this topic because it may also help others.

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      Thank you for being interested in my journey. I used to share weekly updates on Open Thread and in all the yearly end of the year reviews (yes, I am a veteran), so I am not new to baring my soul on here. Unfortunately busy real life and fear of speaking up keep me from actively joining in on the Beanie fun nowadays. I hope your encouragement can help me to battle this!

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    So happy to hear that things are falling into place at work so you have a timeline to the next phase of your working life.

    I think a lot of people were able to connect with something or to someone on Daily Dose of Sunshine it had so many important messages. Let’s hope it will lead to a different approach to K drama storylines about managing life challenges and move away from the love conquers all strategy.

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      The show was my hidden gem of the year! It was not meant to be among the great dramas, but it set an example and might open doors to more shows about mental health. Korea especially needs more of them.

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    I still can’t understand why db solicited TOTM posts and then only published two of them but I’m so glad you posted this here so we can read it anyway.

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      Coming from a brilliant writer like you, this is among the greatest compliments I have ever received in my life.

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    So, sequels breed like rabbits?

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    Thank you for sharing so openly! You’ve made me want to try Daily Dose when i have the time..i hope you’ll continually find the support & understanding you need in your journey ❤️🫶🏼

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      Thank you Chuna!❤️ If you do end up watching Daily Dose, do not binge, but dose it (pun intended) and perhaps balance with something breezy. It become more enjoyable for me as soon as I put a small break between episodes. 🙂

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    I’m so glad I had time to read a little of the fanwall today. Your persistence served you well. Hwaiting!

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    Turtie, amazing post! Happy New Year!! I’m so happy and proud of your journey, it astounds me how courageous you are and I’m so glad that work is supporting you! I don’t know if I already mentioned this but you really helped me to consider therapy and it has done a world of good with my anxiety. Here’s to watching more dramas together in 2024 and I hope this year is everything you have wished for and more!!!

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      Ayaaan!❤️ So glad to read you, long time no see! I wish you a happy, anxiety free 2024 with lots of good K-dramas! I did not know that you were considering therapy, but always happy to help! Thank you, you made my Monday better!❤️

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        Happy Monday!! thank you, I wish the same for you too ♥️
        Yes I just finished my sessions and it really helped to just get another perspective and learn some techniques,

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🎇Happy New Year Beanies! Keep Beaning on in 2024!🎇

I only got back yesterday evening from celebrating the new year elsewhere without internet, so I am trying to catch up as much as possible today before real life starts again tomorrow…😴

For me, it is a yearly tradition to publish something for the end of the year review in December. Some years the recappers select my essay, some years I publish it on my fan wall as a proper farewell to another K-drama year. Last week was too busy for me and too painful for Beanies, so I respectfully waited a bit.

In order not to hurt or offend anyone, I hereby announce that my next post will be my review. I do not underestimate Beanies and their resilience, but I’d rather be safe then sorry. Aside from offering me some needed closure, publishing would also be an exercise in daring to take up space. The essay is not too happyish, so please do skip if it might trigger or bore you. I only request to let it exist.❤️

Thank you for understanding.🙏🏻

Turtie🫂

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    Happy New Year!! 😊 Wish you a peaceful and joyous year ahead full of things you actually want to do.
    We look forward to reading your essay.

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      Thank you for the reassurance that it would be okay to publish @seeker!❤️ I was really worried.

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        The best part about the DB community is that you will always find support and understanding. As I learnt from @lapislazulii it is better to communicate / put across your views / thoughts than stew over what the other person may think.

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    Happy New Year and I hope you are happy with your end of year life and K-drama review. It’s your fan wall and you gave a trigger warning so hopefully it will be a welcome part of the narrative that covers the spectrum of thoughts and feelings about this time of year, the K-drama landscape and current real life events.
    Looking forward to reading the 2024 end of year review with all that is coming together in your life this year that has only just begun.

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    Happy New Year!

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And it still breaks my heart 6 years later
you feared you did not do well
when you were the example all along.❤️
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#2023RoundUp Day 17: Oldie (non 2023) you loved the most.

I used to work in taxation, but my team leader was not Im Shi-wan, so I switched careers after a few months.😒 I am only half joking, this K-drama actually took away a lot of the bad memories on that job. I had to wait long for the required alert mindset, but once I pressed play, I binged the two parts faster than I ever did with much lighter shows! And Yim Shi-Wan guys!😍
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#2023RoundUp Day 10: Your 2023 crush.

Less Beans than previous year. Twice the amount of crushes.
The fanwall did its one job.

Kang Hoon. The Secret Romantic Guesthouse, also Scene Stealer Award.
Im Shi-wan. Tracer, because Taxation has its sexy sides. Boyhood on radar.
Rowoon. Fan wall Lurker Destined With You. Matchmakers on radar.
Ha Joon. Fan wall Lurker Destined With You. Live Your Own Life on radar.
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#2023RoundUp Day 3: Side character that stole the drama.

Back in the spring when The Secret Romantic Guesthouse ended airing, I proclaimed Kang Hoon the winner of multiple 2023RoundUp Awards. The first one is Scene Stealer.
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Yup. I am definitely waiting until October 13th.

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I am in a fan wall hibernation nowadays…until @ally-le calls for duty!😘

Love to Hate You was a nice, but forgettable Valentine binge. This OST is too nice to forget.

Lovey Dovey by TAEIL #BeaniePlaylist2023

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    Aw!!! Good of you to drop by! I’m glad to “see” you on the fanwall again!

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“The life you want is on the other side of the shit you do not want to do.”

Where am I now?
sick leave in a state of limbo.

What life do I want?
To be capable in a job that does not compromise my mental health.

The shit I do not want to do?
Asking anybody at my workplace for help because I am scared of them.

What did I do yesterday?
Called the social services at work, made an appointment for next week.

First step has been taken!

Keep Beaning On

Love,
February

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Currently RecapPing

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