K Drama Chat Weekly

Today, we’ll be discussing episodes 5 and 6 of Queen of Tears, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Kim Ji-won as Hong Hae-in, Kim Soo-hyun as Baek Hyun-woo, Park Sung-hoon as Yoon Eun-Seong, Kwak Dong-Yeon as Hong Soo-cheol, Lee Joo-bin as Cheon Da-Hye. We recap the episodes and then we discuss: How some Korean families have a pattern where the children share one syllable of their name. An example would be: Baek Hyun-woo and Baek Hyun-tae. This helps us keep the characters straight and know who is related to whom. How Hyun-woo is increasingly ambivalent about his wife. Despite his anger and hate toward his wife, he can’t help it, he begins to fall in love with her all over again. What is probably the root of the couple’s problems: Hyun-woo came home one day to find staff clearing out the nursery. When he got a cold response from Hae-in, he ordered his things moved to the bedroom and the couple started to sleep separately. Hyun-woo and Hae-in keep missing opportunities to patch up t...

Today, we’ll be discussing Episodes 3 and 4 of Queen of Tears, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring starring Kim Ji-won as Hong Hae-in, Kim Soo-hyun as Baek Hyun-woo, Park Sung-hoon as Yoon Eun-Seong, Kwak Dong-Yeon as Hong Soo-cheol, Lee Joo-bin as Cheon Da-Hye. We discuss: The three versions of the song Tell Me It’s Not a Dream by 10cm. Why the show is called Queen of Tears. How our leads seem not to care about each other much BUT they defend the other to anyone who criticizes them and Hyun-woo definitely doesn’t like seeing Hae-in with David Yoon. How we learn that Hyun-woo was a sharpshooter in the military. How the Netflix website says that Hae-in has never stopped loving her husband and she can’t understand why he’s pulling away. We see lots of things to back this up: she seems happy that Hyun-woo is jealous of David Yoon, she defends him against her family, and she wants to cuddle with him. David Yoon turns out to be quite the snake. We think he’s out to gain control of the Qu...

Today, we’ll be discussing Episodes 1 and 2 of Queen of Tears, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Kim Ji-won as Hong Hae-in, Kim Soo-hyun as Baek Hyun-woo, Park Sung-hoon as Yoon Eun-Seong, Kwak Dong-Yeon as Hong Soo-cheol, Lee Joo-bin as Cheon Da-Hye. We discuss: The song we featured during the recap, The Reason of my Smiles by BSS. We introduce the characters of this show and stumble over their Korean names. How there appear to be five main leads, which seems to be common in K Dramas. The show is set in the modern day, in Seoul and the village of Yongdu-ri. The central premise of the show, which is that Baek Hyun-woo and Hong Hae-in are locked in a loveless marriage. Hyun-woo wants a divorce but nobody is on his side on this matter. Then Hae-in announces that she has a rare brain tumor and she has three months to live. Hyun-woo sees a way out of this marriage and maybe a chance to inherit some wealth, if he can convince his wife of his love. Whether the couple was actually...

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 10, the finale of Gyeongseong Creature, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Park Seo-joon as Jang Tae-sang, Han So-hee as Yoon Chae-ok, Wi Ha-jun as Kwon Jun-taek, Kim Soo-hyun as Lady Maeda, Ji Woo as Myeong-ja, Jo Han-chul as Yoon Joong-won, and Kim Hae-sook as Nawol daek. We discuss: The song we feature during the recap: Forever, instrumental version, by SUHO How Yoon Chae-ok is nowhere to be found until Beom-oh says he knows where she is. Mrs. Nawol and Mr. Gu are dubious but Jang Tae-sang believes him. We have a disagreement over who Jang Tae-sang intended to use the tickets to Shanghai. Did he intend for Yoon Chae-ok and her father to use them? Or did he hope he and Yoon Chae-ok would be able to go to Shanghai? The sadness, loss and betrayal Yoon Chae-ok must have felt when she learned that her father had gone to her mother and blown up the hospital. How Sachimoto helps Jang Tae-sang and Yoon Chae-ok escape the hospital. He is the only Japanese ...

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 9 of Gyeongseong Creature, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Park Seo-joon as Jang Tae-sang, Han So-hee as Yoon Chae-ok, Wi Ha-jun as Kwon Jun-taek, Kim Soo-hyun as Lady Maeda, Ji Woo as Myeong-ja, Jo Han-chul as Yoon Joong-won, and Kim Hae-sook as Nawol daek. We discuss: How Jang Tae-sang and Yoon Chae-ok are reunited and they manage to sneak a few moments of joy together. How Yoon Chae-ok doesn’t want to be forgotten and she makes Jang Tae-sang promise that they will always remember each other. The amazing kiss between Jang Tae-sang and Yoon Chae-ok! Jang Tae-sang’s plan to blow up Ongseong Hospital. How the Japanese control the news; the killings by Myeong-ja aren’t reported until Ishikawa is dead and then he is reported as having died honorably while going after the Joseon serial killer. How Yoon Chae-ok was on a suicide mission when she killed Dr. Ichiro. She can’t see a future, while Jang Tae-sang is motivated by a better future. After so many...

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 8 of Gyeongseong Creature, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Park Seo-joon as Jang Tae-sang, Han So-hee as Yoon Chae-ok, Wi Ha-hun as Kwon Jun-taek, Kim Soo-hyun as Lady Maeda, Ji Woo as Myeong-ja, Jo Han-chul as Yoon Joon-won, and Kim Hae-sook as Nawol daek. We discuss: How Jang Tae-sang was able to escape from Ongseong Hospital by getting the better of the Japanese soldier and holding up Lady Maeda to let him leave with her out of the hospital. Lady Maeda’s motivations for nursing Jang Tae-sang back to health. Lady Maeda calling Seishin, the creature, sensei or teacher. Commissioner Ishikawa confronting his wife about what is happening at Ongseong Hospital and what she did to Akiko. How we’re learning that Lady Maeda is the silent power behind what happens in Gyeongseong. How Jang Tae-sang negotiated with Ishikawa for the release of the Bonjeong merchants. How Mr. Gu was tortured and now we understand Mrs. Nawol’s warning about betraying your love...