My Korean Drama Addiction

This is crazy. Before a few months ago, I didn't even know anything about these Korean dramas. All I knew is that it was getting more and more difficult to pull my daughters, ages 15 and 13, away from the computer screen. To be honest, I had already gotten used to having to peel them away, as they spent most of their free time on the computer anyway, watching K-pop videos. But this was different. Rather than watching 5 minute music videos, these were hour long plus episodes, and whenever I'd rant for them to get off of the desktop, they'd beg me to allow them just one more episode. Seeing as an hour is considerably longer than five minutes, I felt justified in dragging them away.

And then began the chorus of, "Mom, if only you'd just sit down and watch an episode with us, you'd understand!"

I kept putting it off, but acquiesced eventually. And you know what? They were right. I did understand. I knew I was hooked immediately when my husband asked me to finish up on the desktop, and this time it was me saying, "Just one more episode, okay?"

These dramas are super addictive. They're ingenious, really, in that they're just so sweetly satisfying. I can't imagine anyone not enjoying them. Even my husband was sucked into watching three episodes in a row. By choice! I've only watched four so far, and all four have been romantic comedies, so my experience with the dramas as a whole is decidedly shallow. In the ones I've watched though, there are some consistent themes. There was always an antagonistic relationship between the two leads, with the male character being downright crabby at first. Over time, as can be expected, the leads overcome their obstacles and get together. The comedy is lighthearted, and the relationships are sweet. There is no smut here. Quite often in fact, the leads will only kiss a handful of times, if even that much, and we're talking a peck here and there...nothing like the over-the-top stuff you'll see in many of the American, or even Mexican (or other Spanish language) soaps/novelas. I've seen my fair share of those, so I know what I'm talking about! So when these leads finally do get together, you really feel their longing for each other, and really, what's romance, if not longing for each other? I find that this is lost so much in American shows and movies, but it's the kind of stuff I loved so much in novels like Pride and Prejudice.

So here's a run-down of what I've watched so far, and a brief description of each. I'm listing them in the order that I watched them, not in order of preference, as I can't commit to that kind of listing (although I'm fairly certain my favorite so far is the last I watched, so number four on this list).

1. Boys Over Flowers (25 episodes)

Based on manga, this one stars Lee Min Ho as the bratty uber-rich Goo Joon Pyo and Koo Hye Sun as the sweet, working class, feisty Geum Jan Di. Basically, the story centers around Jan Di, the daughter of dry cleaner. In the first episode, she is offered a full-paid scholarship to the prestigious Shin Hwa school after performing a heroic deed. This is a huge deal for the family, as the school only admits students coming from wealthy families. Upon arriving at the school, Jan Di is quickly aware that there is a clear pecking order, and those at the top, are called the F4 (Flower Four). These are four very fashion-forward boys who are the children of the wealthiest, most powerful families in all of Korea. Goo Joon Pyo is their leader. Jan Di soon realizes that it is best not to get on their bad side, as the F4, Goo Joon Pyo especially, are relentless in their bullying and hazing of students they don't like. Through a series of encounters, Jan Di manages to hold her own, and earns the love and respect of the F4.

2. You're Beautiful (16 episodes)

This one stars the beautiful Park Shin Hye playing Go Mi Nyeo, who has lived in a convent for most of her life, and is preparing to become a nun. She has a twin brother named Go Mi Nam (also played by Park Shin Hye) whose dream it is to become a pop star, in the hopes of being able to reconnect with their mother. I guess that he figures that being famous would help him locate her. He is offered to officially join a very successful pop group called A.N.Jell, so his dream is within reach. Unfortunately, Go Mi Nam, the brother, has had cosmetic surgery gone wrong (hahaha), and he is forced to leave the country for additional surgery and recuperation, so his dreams appear to be cut short after all. That is until his agent tracks down his twin sister, Go Mi Nyeo and convinces her to disguise herself as her brother, at least for as long as Go Mi Nam is unavailable. She reluctantly agrees, thinking of her brother's wish to reunite with their mother, and signs with the band. The other members of the band are crabby Hwang Tae Kyung played by the adorable Jang Geun Suk, the sweet and astute Kang Shin Woo played by Jung Yong Hwa (member of the Korean band CNBlue), and the cute and childlike Kang On Yu/Jeremy played by Lee Hong Ki (member of the Korean band FTIsland). Lots of fun is had as the male band members come to realize, one by one, that their new member is a girl, and all eventually develop feelings for her.

3. Heartstrings (aka You've Fallen for Me; 15 episodes)

Park Shin Hye and Jung Yong Hwa are back in this one playing Lee Kyu Won and Lee Shin respectively. They are both university students. Kyu Won is majoring in traditional Korean music/instruments, specifically the gayageum. Her grandfather who is her guardian is very cynical of any music that is not traditional, having been one of the top traditional musicians of his time. Lee Shin is majoring in modern music and is the lead vocalist and guitarist of a college band called "The Stupid." So yeah, the complete antithesis of traditional. And I guess that therein lies the conflict, yet of the four dramas I watched, the conflict was far less defined in this one. It didn't matter all that much to me, as I liked the characters. Lee Shin of course, is cold and crabby toward Kyu Won at first, as he is harboring a crush on a college dance teacher and doesn't have the time to give to any of this adoring college fangirls, not that Kyu Won is a fangirl...at least not at first. Eventually he comes around though, and everything ends just the way we'd like it to. What I did especially like and appreciate about this one is that little snags that are thrown at the characters from time to time, don't derail their feelings for each other. Very often, in most soap operas, regardless of where they're made, the conflicts come fast and furious, and every time, it alienates the main couple. Not so here. Once they're in love, they're in love, and trust one another completely.

4. Full House (16 episodes)

As mentioned above, this is my favorite of the four. It's also the "oldest," having been broadcast in 2004. This one stars the super famous Korean pop singer Bi/Rain playing Lee Young Jae, and the lovely and hilarious Song Hye Kyo playing Han Ji Eun. Ji Eun, an Internet novelist with little skill, was orphaned years earlier, and lives alone in the huge home her father built and named "Full House," as it was his belief that the home would always be full of love. She has two close friends, a couple named Dong Wook and Hee Jin who she has known for many many years, and they are really horribly wretched, albeit clueless human beings. Upon finding out that Hee Jin is pregnant, Dong Wook, already in debt up to his eyeballs, concocts a plan to sell Ji Eun's house and empty out her bank account to make up for his poor financial decisions. Dong Wook and Hee Jin convince Ji Eun that she has won an all-expense paid trip to Shanghai, and somehow come up with a one-way ticket to give to her. Ji Eun is suspicious at first, stating, "Nothing in this world is free," but she eventually gives in and agrees to go. Seated next to her on the plane is the insanely famous actor Lee Young Jae, who is as renown for his scandals as he is for his skill as an actor. Ji Eun quickly gets on his nerves and makes her way into the viewer's hearts as she's just so darn lovable. Upon arriving in Shanghai, Ji Eun realizes that there is something terribly wrong with this trip. No one is there to meet her, and she hasn't enough money to even pay the taxi fare complete. Thanks to a kind man named Yoo Min Hyuk, played by the handsome Kim Sung Soo, who is visiting the hotel to see his friend Lee Young Jae (surprise, surprise), she is able to register at the hotel. But only after she embarrasses herself, mistaking Min Hyuk for a Japanese businessman. After a few days of being unable to connect with her "friends" for an explanation for why things have gone so wrong, she decides to visit Lee Young Jae's hotel room to ask for a loan of money to pay for the hotel and a return flight home. He agrees to help, but only after she concocts a whole story about how she and his good friend Min Hyuk had at one time been in love. He agrees as a favor to his old friend, as he buys her story hook, line, and sinker. In the meantime, back in Korea, her "friends" have already sold her house...to someone representing Lee Young Jae. Upon arriving back home, she finds that it is no longer her home, and through a whole series of events (I'm skipping a lot here, I know), agrees to enter into a contract marriage with the actor in hopes of getting her home back. So this is one of those forced co-habitation stories, and I really think it's well done. Lee Young Jae is as crabby as ever, and Ji Eun is just delightful, and they sure do manage to push each other's buttons. I really, really loved this one. Swoon!

So, for anyone out there willing to give Korean dramas a shot, I promise you won't be sorry. You can watch them all for free here. Honestly, I'm really glad that with all of the junk on television, that my kids seem to prefer these shows. I don't really censor things for my kids. In fact, they do a great job of knowing what is or isn't appropriate for them to watch, all on their own. But it does my heart good to know that this is the sort of entertainment that they prefer. Not only that, but they're fun for me, too. And that's always a plus.

Now what to watch next?