It’s been over a year since I wrote this declaration of universal rights for kdrama addicts like us. I’m reposting it to see if we need to have amendments. Just tell me what you want you want and I’ll see if we include it.
@phoenix, see Article #4. You’re not obligated to ship Xiao Nai (or any character that Yang Yang portrays) with the leading female. You can ship him with the star of your autobiography. 😉
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I was going to write a manifesto but I’m already on my third glass of red wine sooo 🤷♀️ (shrugs).
This will have to do instead: The Declaration of the Universal Rights of Kdrama Addicts.
We have the following rights and privileges.
1. the Right to appropriate Korean words and use them liberally in conversations with non-Korean friends. Like this, “Yaa! Unnie! Mianhe but I cannot kaja to study hall with you because it’s bulgeum (TGIF), guerrigo oppa and I are eating chi-maek at the pojangmacha.”
2. the Right to high speed Internet. LTE or 4G.
3. the Right to binge-watch a drama until 5am on a workday.
4. the Right to ship ourselves with the leading man. Who the heck is Jun Ji-Hyun? This is us asking our sweetie a serious question, “Do Min Joon, how many babies should we have?”
5. the Right to curse out, blacklist, and hunt down the stupid writer(s) of stupid makjang plots and stupid open-endings. (Can’t you tell how traumatized I am?)
6. the Right to fast-forward through boring scenes, pause kissing scenes, and/or repeat our favorite scene a thousand times.
#pert
gif credit: jischangwook’s tumblr
7. the Right to discuss and obsess over the minutiae of kdrama with fellow kdrama fans.
8. the Right to watch kdrama in private while riding public transportation without fear of censure or opprobrium from nosy passengers looking over our shoulders.
9. the Right to fast and free subs. (Pfffffttt to you two, Dramafever and Viki. RIP, Dramafever.)
When are the subs up??!!
10. the Right to visit the land of fairy tales, Seoul, South Korea, to follow the footsteps of our favorite characters, and to search for our own Prince Charming.
Any other rights I’ve forgotten?
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Off the top of my head, I’ve a few more suggestions. Will revise and look for gifs later.
11. the Right to listen to the OST the whole day and belt out the song without knowing the lyrics.
12. the Right to use epithets and sobriquets for characters instead of their actual names (because all the unusual Korean names are messing up my auto-correct features).
13. the Right to feel maudlin and cry with the heroine.
14. the Right to use this guy as yardstick for all romantic boyfriends, real and unreal.
Introducing Xiao Nai. BMOC. Protective guy. Chinese, not Korean. Uber-hacker. CEO. Personal umbrella. Mr. “I’m worried you’ll catch a cold.”
15. the Right to believe in frivolous but romantic scenes.
Yes. Because a shower of cannellini beans are deadly. (You should have just pulled her out of “harm’s” way, Kyungsoo Do.)
It looks good. I especially like the revision of #14. Xiao Nai is a total dreamboat boyfriend!
I love this revamped list!!! By the way, maybe we should change the title to: “The Rights of Drama Addicts” (now that we are considering C-drama too and not just K-drama, in deference to Yang Yang/Xiao Nai).
Yes to #4 and #14: The absolute right to fantasize about YY (a passing nod to #12 here) calling me “Missus” in that sexy voice of his **and I don’t care how cheesy it sounds** 😛
Point #15…A huge YES! He’s the yardstick for all drama and real-life boyfriends from now on: Can the prospect say “I’m your everything” after gazing in exactly the way that XN does, or does he look half as dazzling in sunglasses, or can he beat everyone in terms of shrewdness without breaking a sweat, or is he daring enough to demonstrate his love and caring openly in front of everyone…the list goes on.
I can add two more: The right to hunt for and track down all English subtitled dramas of YY (or any other Oppa/Chinese version of Oppa who I’m currently fangirling over).
Also, the right to treat dramas as a form of education (learning more about human relationships, different cultures and other non-mentionable stuff ;).
But these may only be my rights and not universal rights of drama addicts 🙂
Once again, you’ve got me cackling in public.
Related to #5, we have the right to re-write scenes, episodes, or whole character arcs as needed.
Sometimes, writing a quick synopsis or storyboard is the only way I can put a crappy ending behind me.
Me, after a kdrama, I do a great purge of all the files, screenshots, Word docs, google docs, transcripts, notes, and emails from my gadgets and iCloud. Free up the space for a new drama…
😀
Madam President of the Yang Yang Appreciation Club, 😂
Since you’re already finished with the show and I’m at a snail-pace right now, would you mind compiling our reasons for picking Xiao Nia as Best Boyfriend Exemplar or Benchmark, Gold Standard, etc. We can use it as rubric for the next guy.
I started (but discontinued) my Best Kdrama Boyfriend (BKB) of the week.
http://bitchesoverdramas.com/2018/01/27/smart-bitches-the-1st-best-kdrama-boyfriend-bkb/
You can use that as guideline or springboard. Thanks!
I’ll probably write one too for XN, but I’m still on Ep 22.
@agdr03 and whoever wants to write one can do so.
I’m on episode 30 last night but I did not finish it so definitely tonight it will be done but I might be stuck to this episode because of the kiss scenes as per your spoiler from before! LOL! So I will just add to what Madam President of the Yang Yang Appreciation Club’s list once she’s put it up here 🙂
I think the above is good already. I just want to comment on it.
1- I try to speak korean (simple ones) with my cousin and sisters because they like kdramas too.
2- I am about to change our internet plans to a more better one. Here’s to more binge-ing on Yang Yang.
3- I can count on my fingers the dramas that I got so addicted to that sleep was not a part of my life. This one is one of them.
4- It’s good I am one of the perverted ones because morally my shipping of Yang Yang is an outright sin. I am going straight to hell. 🤣
5- I can’t remember the last time or if ever I have cursed a writer or director. I guess there’s always a first, but so far not yet.
6- This is guaranteed with episode 30 for me. I am in full anticipation!
7- That’s why I am here in your blog and loving it! Kumawo!
8- I have only done this with Hubby or the boys in the car.
9- I remember getting anxious while waiting for Fluttering Alert subs. It was hard.
10- I will definitely do this one day, not to find my Prince Charming though 🙂 It is my dream to visit Seoul.
11- I like to sing and I have memorized songs from OST of the dramas I love. I even print out lyrics. LOL!
12- This one really needs to be included!
13- Yes! Let’s include the right to cry with our Hero too.
14- I’m Your Everything! Let’s put him up on the pedestal. No one will ever come close.
15- Giving you something to put over your skirt so it does not flair up while on a bicycle. Bow down!
@packmule 3: Thank you for the honor: would absolutely love to write a post on XN being the all-time best BF ever!!! This is my favorite kind of assignment..if only all work was so enjoyable 🙁 Will do it once I’m back from office in the evening.
@agdr03: OOh! That bicycle scene…so caring **sigh**
At least I found a place where we could post a comment.
Did you know that in real life, even at work, I instinctively use the following expressions?
Aigoo,
Heol,
Aish.
“Aigoo” is the one that comes back the most easily.
Hey there @wenchanteur. You are soooo not Steven Seagal. lol.
“Yah!” After watching kdramas, that’s the word I find most versatile for everyday use. But my mother and grandmother would turn in their graves if they knew I was using the Korean version of “Hey!” in conversation. It sounds like I’m talking to a horse, instead of a person.
“Heol” and “Aissh” are still alien to me. I prefer “Goodness!” and “Oh dear.”
As for “Aigoo,” I still use “Awwww” followed with “Are you alright, dear?”
You can post anywhere here on my blog. Just pick the latest post, and write your comment there. I don’t mind if it’s off-topic. @agdr03 and I are famous for going off on a tangent anyway.
I didn’t know we’re famous for going off topic, but come to think of it, yes. LOL!
I still haven’t said my last piece for episode 30, a bit busy.
I like using Aigoo and Aish! 🙂
I like using Aigoo, Aish and Omo as exclamations too! 😊
I’ve been working long hours and need to catch up on my sleep.
Will get back soon with that Xiao Nai best BF post😍
Take your time. I’m now on Ep 28. Slowly and surely….
My good friend @angelangie recommended another straight-forward Cdrama, “I hear you.”
Goodness. That moment when he comforted her after being ejected from her apartment with Erxi was finger-curling sweet. I wanted to punch a pillow to get the cute-aggression out of me. How could he come up with things like that to say so effortlessly?
And her ex-husband! I think there’s hope for him. He can be transformed into a decent guy. He’s been warped by his wealth and upbringing but it isn’t too late for him to change for the better.
To me, if he can recognize bad from good behavior, and admire Weiwei and be repulsed by his girlfriend and her posse, then he can be rehabilitated, too.
@paçkmule3 there’s a scene there where he silently lends his support. She just sits with her head on his knee, while he works. To me, that scene was so romantic and caring – when in pain, just having someone near me who understands, without trying to talk to me out of it, is so important.
The ex-husband isn’t really bad – he was just misguided. In later episodes, he depends, especially in episode 29 and 30, I think, when he quits his father’s company.
That’s what I like about this drama – there are no truly evil villains here. Even the villains are grey. That other girl who admires XN and chases him later comes and apologized to WW. Even the supposed spy in XN’s office confesses on his own. But I’ll refrain from saying more as you haven’t reached those episodes yet.
Will check out the other C-drama you recommended. I’m kind of leaning towards picking up ‘Boss and me next – I checked some YouTube videos and they looked cute.
Like you, I too am a bit scared of checking out other YY dramas, just in case he’s not as good in them and his image in my eyes is somehow diminished! 😰
@packmule3 “Hey there @wenchanteur. You are soooo not Steven Seagal. lol.”
I’m sorry, I have a big problem, my hotmail mail has been associated with this image, and I don’t know where this link occurs. I couldn’t find it in my MSN or Skype profile, it’s happening elsewhere and I don’t know where. It’s terribly painful!
I just put my gmail mail instead, it might fix the problem.
Morning! Have you finished watching LoveO2O? 😊
I’m rewatching episode 30 and I forgot to say that I had another sub issue. In Netflix it was ‘voracious lech’. In YouTube it’s ‘hungry wolf ‘. I think I know what both of them are trying to say. 😊 I’m glad he admits that he is a hungry wolf because he grabs her a lot. RAWR! 😂😍
Why didn’t you pinch hubby when you wanted to get that cute aggression out? 😄 Wasn’t XN the best supportive boyfriend ever? He didn’t say a lot but when he did, you think about it and you realised how true it is. That’s why I will make a list of his best lines after rewatching it. 😊
Happy V-Day, ladies!!! 🙂
@agdr03 Please add all the lines that you want to add to my post on XN below.
@packmule3: I wanted to write this post on V-Day specifically, as my tribute to Xiao Nai – the “Best Drama Boyfriend” (and best real-life boyfriend) EVER! I hope posting it in the comments section is ok.
So here goes…
Xiao Nai, Xiao Nai,
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways…
1.He falls for a woman’s COMPETENCE, instead of her looks
In Episode 1, when he sees Weiwei in the internet café deftly moving the mouse to battle in-game demons/rivals, he is mesmerized by her skill in the game. Even when she gets up and passes him, he still doesn’t turn to look at her – he’s so lost in admiration for her COMPETENCE that her physical appearance doesn’t really register. The fact that it’s intelligence that hooks him and not merely outward beauty is again proven when he shows no interest in the campus’ No.1 beauty queen Yiran’s blatant pursuit of him. A man who falls for a woman’s intelligence instead of physical attributes is a keeper in my book – he will be there even when she becomes fat or old or toothless 😛
2.He is a DEADLY combination of Machiavellian intelligence and supreme confidence
Xiao Nai is the consummate chess and poker player – always ten steps ahead in mental games than anyone else, without revealing his true intentions till he makes his killer move. He knows the outcomes that he wants, and manipulates circumstances perfectly to achieve them.
In Episode 6, when it seems that the Zhen Yi company’s unscrupulous CEO is trying to poach XN’s friend to steal his gaming secrets, Xiao Nai is cool as cucumber and smiles mysteriously, saying that it’s a good opportunity to beat them at their own game (pun intended). He reveals in Episode 7 that he never intended to join Zhen Yi. His intention all along was to know more of Zhen Yi’s business secrets as he figured that company would become the boy’s biggest competitor in winning the New Beautiful Ghost Story contract to be floated soon.
To ensure that Weiwei gets to know him well and learns to gradually accept him, he strategically makes an in-game alliance first and does not reveal his true real-life identity till Episode 10, by which time he has carefully gauged her personality, social life and preferences. So when he openly walks up to her in the basketball court, he has already pre-empted all possible scenarios of her rejecting his advances in front of everyone. As @packmule3 says, he is “THE BOSS”. He is awesome and he knows it!!
There’s a scene in Episode 5 where within the bandit story, Weiwei suggests a dialogue: “Hand over the man and you can go.” XN’s friends protest that she should specify which man, to which XN says that it is clear which man, because clearly there’s no value in kidnapping the others (Ha!).
3. He is un-waveringly CARING – he notices his girlfriend’s every small discomfort and works to eliminate it
Oh, his instances of caring are so numerous that I can go on and on and on giving examples of this. In Episode 10, as @agdr3 pointed out, even though he was cycling, he noticed Weiwei’s discomfort at her skirt riding up her knees and stopped to buy her a big bag of snack to shield her modesty.
In Episode 11, he comes all the way to the hospital in the morning to drive the girls back to their hostel, after Er Xi is discharged from the hospital following a stomach flu. He even takes all her girlfriends out to eat, even before he invites Weiwei out to eat with his group of friends. He even eats spicy food without complaining, and allows her friends to order as much as they want, just because he knows that this will make Weiwei happy.
And did anyone else notice him smiling cutely and saving WW’s parent’s phone number as “mother-in-law’s house” in Episode 16 after WW calls him from there…so kawaii! In Episode 17, when XN comes to meet WW, she makes him clean up her friend’s kitchen, which he does without complaining again. He actually is putting his best efforts to woo his girlfriend. Remember he confesses in Episode 15 that this is his first time having a girlfriend.
He secretly deletes all malicious posts put up by jealous people on the campus forums. He does this on repeated occasions and I love how he unquestioningly defends her honor in total knight-in-shining-armor style! And who can forget that shielding her with his body scene in the rain? **talk to self: I’m NOT going to go into raptures over it again**
In Episode 25, after her falling out with Er Xi, WW goes to XN’s place and rests on his lap, while he works on his laptop, giving her the space she wants. Then when she asks him if they will ever quarrel like this in the future, he tells her that they won’t because they can solve all problems without needing to quarrel. “Er Xi is only a small part of your life. I’m your everything.” **at which point I fainted**
4.He TRUSTS her implicitly and never questions her actions
The trust between XN and WW is just amazing to behold – even when confronted with evidence that shows WW in a poor light, XN just calmly continues to trust her. In Episode 13, when his friend meets WW in the girl’s cafeteria, the friend messages XN: “Your wife is flirting with me!” XN immediately texts back: “Flirt well. I don’t mind.” (Ha!)
In Episode 23, in fact when a jealous Cao Guang asks XN if he ever doubted WW, XN clearly says: “She’s my girl. Why wouldn’t I believe her?” …and that says it all!
5.He LETS HER fight her own battles but He ALWAYS HAS HER BACK
I think the fact that he is a long-range player (was that the correct gaming term?) in the game is symbolic of how he lets her fight her own battles – as she leads from the front, he stays at her back to join in, if required.
In Episode 6, he joins her as Naihe to fight some monsters, and just coolly stands behind her watching her fight. Even though he is the topmost player in the game, he doesn’t show off his prowess to impress the girl. The one time he doesn’t do this, in Episode 4, when he challenges ex-husband for a duel in retaliation for slandering Weiwei’s character in a team video, he actually takes time to explain his reason to Weiwei. He clearly says that he would have let Weiwei deal with the matter herself, except that it had caught too much public attention.
In Episode 18, in real life, when WW is assigned to the misogynist A-Shuang in XN’s office, he deliberately does not interfere to make it easy for her, even when his friend complains to him that A-Shuang will make life more difficult for his girlfriend. He lets her deal with it on her own, till things get out of hand and she gets sick.
I read a poem called “Invitation” by Oriah Mountain Dreamer and the lines below have always stayed with me:
“It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.”
Xiao Nai is the perfect partner for that warrior woman who gives back as good as she gets. With Xiao Nai behind you, you know that you can fight and win any battle that life throws at you. He will NEVER run away in difficult times, and he will NEVER let you fall. He will not treat you as a china doll to be coddled too. He TRUSTS that you are capable because he CHOSE you as his partner.
If any drama writers are reading this, this is how a true hero should be written and this is how the character should be played – Yang Yang just nailed it.
And of course, it is a bonus that he looks incredibly hot and handsome while doing all this! This is a category in itself – how handsome and charismatic he looks in every frame**sigh**
Is it any wonder that I will forever compare all men in dramas, movies, books and real life to Xiao Nai?