oh to be friends with your nineteen year old mum | By Nevi Ayu E.
and go on a picnic together. I’d love that…
I missed my mum, like bad, especially when Yoonyoung said “Now there’s no one who can answer when I call out ‘mum’.” And wow, she got to meet her mum again on that very day.
There’s this part on the show’s intention written on namuwiki: Even if there is a murder case presented as the main story, at the end of the day, we hope that what remains isn’t the 'incident’, but the 'people’. We want to draw out the story about understanding the people around you, the story about people correcting their wrong choices, and the story about meeting your loved one, over a long period of time.
About 'understanding the people around you’ point, in Yoonyoung’s case, we got her listening to Soonae talk about her dreams and her realising that what her mum left for her was a normal letter, not a suicide note. Then, her understanding the relationship between Heesub and Yoosub. And recently, we got Yoonyoung and Heesub’s scenes at the end of episode 8 and 9, which was 데칼코마니 decalcomanie, parallel scenes, because of Yoonyoung’s narration, in which she starts by saying: 나는 누구고 여기는 어디인걸까요? 이토록 긴 시간을 건너온 나는… Who am I and where is this place? I traveled to this distant past…
On episode 8 and the beginning of episode 9, she went on somewhere along: Did I travel to this distant past just to hear you say that? At last, everything is clear. For me, you are a pathetic person who I can never understand, no, who I never want to understand.
But then, after learning about what happened and seeing Heesub walk out from the inn covered in bruises and blood asking what he did wrong at the end of episode 9, she said: How should I, who traveled to this distant past, answer your question. Not knowing what to do, I just sit like a fool, here, on your darkest night.
As I write this long post, I am hoping this drama stays fun for me till the end hahaha. Dialogues taken from Korean drama My Perfect Stranger (2023), written by Baek Soyeon.
Should we just hug each other for a bit? There were too many things that happened today, so let’s just…
Hug! This is a hug post for you. You have worked hard living and surviving up until today!
This drama has a lot of 데칼코마니 decalcomanie (k-tweets use this term, so I’m just gonna use it too haha) scenes and dialogues, which I love love love, parallel scenes where they do stuff that resemble each other, say similar things, and ask and answer, on different scenes. And on this scene, Haejun kind of responded to Yoonyoung’s words on a much previous scene, where she said: If we can’t go back to before we know each other, then there’s no such thing as square one. To which, Haejun “answered” after this hug: 모르는 사이가 되는건 원치 않으니까 Because I don’t want us to become strangers.
Dialogues taken from Korean drama My Perfect Stranger (2023), written by Baek Soyeon.
I probably wouldn’t have checked out “My Perfect Stranger” if I hadn’t recently watched the two-part “Coffee Prince” reunion special and was reacquainted with Kim Dong Wook. I’m very glad I did or I would have missed out on a time-travel, crime drama that may be kind of low key but has a lot of heart.
Yoon Hae Joon is a news anchor who, on one dark, stormy night in 2021, finds himself in possession of a car that’s really a time machine and takes joyrides to the future. But he finds out his life was cut short in 2022 — by a serial killer who was never caught decades earlier. So he sets up house in the small village of Woojeong in 1987, ingratiates himself to the villagers and hunts his killer.
Baek Yoon Young (Jin Ki Joo) is the harried editor/personal assistant of a popular crime novelist who has a rather thorny relationship with her parents: Dad seems feckless, mom comes across as pitiful. One day, she gets into a fight with her mom, who later dies, seemingly by suicide. Guilt ridden and devastated, Yoon Young wanders near Woojeong Village and quite literally crosses paths with Hae Joon, who’s on his way back to 1987, and accidentally gets transported with him. There she meets a boy and a girl who would one day become her parents. Knowing how miserable they are in their present lives, Yoon Young tries her best to keep them apart, even at the risk of wiping out her existence.
I’ve a weakness for time travel and mysteries (“The King Eternal Monarch,” “Tunnel,” “Signal,” “Reborn Rich”) so my interest was immediately piqued, but it’s the characters and the relationships that had me looking forward to the next episodes. It’s not just the leads, but the supporting cast as well, especially the younger versions of Yoon Young’s parents. The series finds a lot of humor in Yoon Young’s interactions with 1987 Baek Hee Seop and Lee Soon Ae. It’s hilarious and a bit heartbreaking to see just how similar Yoon Young is to the father she’s so disappointed with, they’re both a little impulsive but both have big hearts.
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The dichotomy between Hae Joon, who is fighting to stay alive, and Yoon Young, who’s willing to give up her life so her parents don’t make what she thinks is a mistake, is also interesting. I wish the series showed a bit more of their romance. It’s a bit low key as well, but it does fit the tone of the series,
The twists and turns are interesting and while the final reveal isn’t necessarily surprising it explains a lot of things and, despite being devastating, actually places (most) characters on more positive paths. Don’t curdle your brain trying to figure out the rules of time travel, the series is less focused on the mechanics than it is with portraying familial relationships and all the complicated emotions wrapped up in them.
oh to be friends with your nineteen year old mum | By Nevi Ayu E.
and go on a picnic together. I’d love that…
I missed my mum, like bad, especially when Yoonyoung said “Now there’s no one who can answer when I call out ‘mum’.” And wow, she got to meet her mum again on that very day.
There’s this part on the show’s intention written on namuwiki: Even if there is a murder case presented as the main story, at the end of the day, we hope that what remains isn’t the 'incident’, but the 'people’. We want to draw out the story about understanding the people around you, the story about people correcting their wrong choices, and the story about meeting your loved one, over a long period of time.
About 'understanding the people around you’ point, in Yoonyoung’s case, we got her listening to Soonae talk about her dreams and her realising that what her mum left for her was a normal letter, not a suicide note. Then, her understanding the relationship between Heesub and Yoosub. And recently, we got Yoonyoung and Heesub’s scenes at the end of episode 8 and 9, which was 데칼코마니 decalcomanie, parallel scenes, because of Yoonyoung’s narration, in which she starts by saying: 나는 누구고 여기는 어디인걸까요? 이토록 긴 시간을 건너온 나는… Who am I and where is this place? I traveled to this distant past…
On episode 8, she went on somewhere along: Did I travel to this distant past just to hear you say that? At last, everything is clear. For me, you are a pathetic person who I can never understand, no, who I never want to understand.
But then, after learning about what happened and seeing Heesub walk out from the inn covered in bruises and blood asking what he did wrong on episode 9, she said: How should I, who traveled to this distant past, answer your question. Not knowing what to do, I just sit like a fool, here, on your darkest night.
As I write this long post, I am hoping this drama stays fun for me till the end hahaha. Dialogues taken from Korean drama My Perfect Stranger (2023), written by Baek Soyeon.
Should we just hug each other for a bit? There were too many things that happened today, so let’s just…
Hug! This is a hug post for you. You have worked hard living and surviving up until today!
This drama has a lot of 데칼코마니 decalcomanie (k-tweets use this term, so I’m just gonna use it too haha) scenes and dialogues, which I love love love, parallel scenes where they do stuff that resemble each other, say similar things, and ask and answer, on different scenes. And on this scene, Haejun kind of responded to Yoonyoung’s words on a much previous scene, where she said: If we can’t go back to before we know each other, then there’s no such thing as square one. To which, Haejun “answered” after this hug: 모르는 사이가 되는건 원치 않으니까 Because I don’t want us to become strangers.
Dialogues taken from Korean drama My Perfect Stranger (2023), written by Baek Soyeon.
One thing I’m loving about the kdramas from the recent years is the growing number of soft boi male leads…..i mean are they raising the bar a bit too high? Absolutely. But I can live with that.
Since My Perfect Stranger hasn’t come across my dash, I don’t think many are watching. But I’ve been enjoying the twists and turns.
What I’ve really been enjoying is the unwilling/forced partners to willing partners to friends to lovers slow burn between Hae Jun and Yoon Young. I was beginning to wonder if it was going to happen. I would have been okay if that didn’t happen since it’s not that kinda ship for me. Still, ep 10 has a distinct shift and I’m excited. Especially since it’s Hae Jun who has realized he’s in love with Yoon Young and has been for a while.
He hasn’t actually said it but when she’s sleeping, he’s annoyed that she’s “consistently indifferent”. He knew the moment she asked if he’d be happy if she was gone. Which if I’m remembering right, was several episodes ago. And wow, he’s been hiding it very well. Yoon Young is going to take a little longer to realize her feelings.
As for Jae Jun’s mom, my guess is the Bong Bong Cafe owner, not Mi Sook.
After all, I wanna write something for this bright, cheerful, but also tranquil and resilient drama of Hometown Cha-cha-cha.
Many of us wished things could be different but here we are, at the end of the road and end of the blurred line of a drama character and the actor who brought it to the scene. I know a lot of fans of the drama and of KHS are very sad now. We pay regret to such a talent and such a character.
I started this drama with very low expectation, just picking up something after Hospital Playlist 2. I only watch romances and this romance hit me so hard. I love all the cinematic close-up scenes of them, the music, the dreamy color blending and all the random/spontaneous waves of sexual tension that hit our main leads (and us) so hard that left their heart pounding and their minds wandering. The healing side of the story is also very believable and well-made.
I will be eternally thankful to KHS for bringing us the vivid yet vulnerable Hong banjang. His eyes can speak a thousand words and we might never see them again.
Well it’s is hard to point out and put into words. And I’m already planning to re-watch it, whenever I get time to🙈
The thing that gravitated me towards the show was that I recently finished watching Hospital Playlist and wanted something to give a slice of life, in a similar quality. I was wary initially. I was afraid that it would end up being a typical example of a romantic comedy that fails to capture your imagination and emotions but you still watch because you want to see a fairy tale ending. However. I couldn’t be more wrong.
The first episode itself was so unique, in its own way. I remember being introduced to a totally new yet familiar world. The characters were true to the people I knew. I could find a resemblance. I could feel the honesty and warmth. The first episode itself felt like a warm hug. As I proceeded further, I was more and more invested. I could escape my real life and yet find it there somehow. I could recognise my emotions and hence, get a clearer vision about myself, instead. Hong Du-sik and Yoon Hye-jin felt so real. I was sometimes him and sometimes her. They both helped me find a balance in my life. And I might as well add that they are so amazing. I love them. And they are beautiful. And I absolutely adored their relationship. It was mature and warm, fun and lively, hopeful and understanding.
But mostly what I love is the relationship between Hong Du-sik and Ji Seong-hyun. It is so warm and funny. It is makes your heart swell with love and happiness. It gives me peace. The fact that instead of portraying the typical archetype of rivalry between them, they showed love is enough of a reason to watch.
What I loved was also the philosophy that Hong Dusik lived by. I, myself, am not really into the world that is highly money oriented, so competitive, so alienating, so fake. Therefore, the philosophy resonated on a deeply personal level.
The show gave me hope overall. It gave me hope about myself and my life but also for us as community. A show like this is bringing us together, maybe because we resonate with what it stands for and that gives me hope. Maybe we can find a way out of the blood thirsty competitions, modern alienating and feeling of fear and mistrust. Maybe we could be as accepting as Hong Du-sik and Yoon Hye-jin are of eachother, as Yoon Hye-jin and Gongjin are, as Hong Du-sik and Ji Seong-hyun are. Maybe we all would find our Gam-ri who would guide us to our happiness, who would hold our hands and who would make our palate tingle with beautiful tastes. Maybe we would find our Bo-ra who would break our teeths but would cry with us and promise to eat so that we would never feel lonely.
Maybe we would find ourselves living in a beautiful seaside place and laughing and screaming as we clean the neighborhood.
It took me days to understand why Doha and Seonah never thought of apologizing to Dusik when what happened wasn’t entirely his fault. Then I realized…
He never explained himself. He never bothered telling them everything.
Of course, everything was one-sided because the only thing he told them were his apologies and that he wants them to live better despite the tragedy although it hurt him too. Because that’s his personality trait. Throughout the show, we’ve seen how he’s always so nosy and tries to fix everyone’s problems so they wouldn’t worry too much. It was so evident during Gam-ri’s struggle to get the dental implants for herself. Dusik just assumed she needed extra money because Hyejin questioned her about it. He rushed to her house and handed her a wad of cash although she never needed them because she can obviously afford it. This guy is all about, “You need my assistance and this is all about you and your problem, and since I care so much, just sit there and let me fix it for you.” He’s too selfless and he loves and cares, a lot. And that’s a problem.
I understand how natural it was for him to take all the blame. He knew his privileges. In all honesty, Seonah had more to lose than Dusik. She lost her husband, which I assume is the breadwinner of the family. Losing him meant that she’d have to raise an infant alone and find a job to feed her kid and herself. She needed to survive without a partner, a person that’s supposed to be there when things get tough and supports her in difficult situations. It was totally normal for her to swear at the world, including Dusik. And Dusik, being the empath he is, would never dare telling her what actually happened because at the moment, a wife lost her husband and a child lost his father to death.
For Doha, Dusik is known to be “the guy that got my dad into this mess” because the conversation that Dusik and the dad had was theirs only and no third party was there to clarify everything. The tragedies that Dusik, Jeong-u, and Doha’s dad experienced are not fully revealed to the families. And the lone survivor, who will never care about explaining himself, suffers the consequences of things that could not be fully controlled by him. And this is where the writer tries to simplify things with Episode 15, that is for Dusik to forgive himself.
There will always be problems that we cannot fully control because that is the nature of the world we live in. We make mistakes, have misunderstandings, we fight, and we also reach a point where we learn to forgive and understand each other. Humans are complex beings that do not fully understand where is the correct road, path to a fulfilling life. And everything will always be grey. It’s never black and white. I love how the writer really emphasizes on human healing, be it with other people or within the self. Shin Ha-Eun fully captured what human behavior is.
i just think homecha came to us at the perfect time… so many of us have lost people very recently in our lives because of the pandemic and we didn’t even get to see them or give them a proper funeral or say goodbye and it’s such a painful reality we’re going through right now…
the way gam ri’s son says that the people with most regrets cry the most at funerals. i felt that. the feelings of self-guilt have intensified recently because how selfish can you be to not be there for your loved ones when they need you the most? like i know i physically cannot possibly go to a funeral, it’s not like i have a choice, but still… it just doesn’t sit right with me
but for some reason the way the entire town of gong jin comes together to give gam ri a proper send off and then see her every day afterwards in the furniture in her home or the wind blowing the trees or the bright sun in the sky or simply her kindness in the all the lives she’s touched gave me the kind of closure i didn’t know i desperately needed right now
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