Dear CLoY writer and director,

How do you troll me? Let me count the tropes.

Episode 3. 

1.  Luxury car

Nothing says, “I came, I saw, I conquered,” like an impressive chariot.

In Jung Hyuk’s case, it didn’t matter that it was only a loaner Jaguar. In the villagers’ eyes, he was elevated to demi-god’s status.

2. The nosy ahjummas and their Trojan Corn

We all know what happened when the Greeks brought a gift to the Trojans, right? They hid inside the big horse and let the Trojans wheel in the horse inside their city walls.

Well, the nosy ahjummas also wanted to seek entrance into Jung Hyuk’s house. That’s why they came bearing gifts.

But Seri would have none of that. She saw through their scheme and blocked their entrance.

Nosy ahjummas are a staple in these folksy kdramas. Remember the ahjummas in “When the Camellia Blooms”?

3. Piano skills

Have we ever seen a kdrama hero that isn’t versatile in all the arts? Really! Western culture lionizes flawed heroes like Sherlock Holmes (a psycho!), James Bond (a womanizer!), Indiana Jones (hobo-looking), Hans Solo (his best friend is a Wookie), and Hercule Poirot (he’s Belgian. Need I say more? hahaha).

But Korean dramas only have overachieving heroes.

4. Separate beds

In kdramas, paragons of virtue = virgins

To be honest, this is one reason I like watching kdramas. It’s written in stone, like the Ten Commandments for Drama Writers, that the romantic couple should show restrain and practice celibacy.

5. The tragic past

There has to be a tragic past in the hero’s life.

6. Evil fiancee/girlfriend

For full effect, her outfit must scream “evil,” too.  It looks like a gaudy curtain.

7. Hair-tying

Until I watched “Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency,” I didn’t know that part of the wedding-night ceremony called for the groom to remove his bride’s headpiece. It struck me then that touching a woman’s hair was associated with a more intimate act than I originally perceived. (My hairstylist would laugh at this though. He’s male.)

In kdrama, the man grooming the woman’s hair is a courtship trope.

8. Truck of doom

This literally is a truck of doom. It beats the white truck of doom in “Goblin.”

9. A heart of gold

Kicking puppies and denying food to beggars are a no-no for heroes and heroines alike.

10. Plants as surrogate

Plants are always used as surrogate in kdramas. Since she’s not going to be there, she planted a fragile tomato seedling for him to take care and remember her by.

I already told you about the “Little Prince,” right? It’s a must-read for kdrama fans.

11. The forced kiss

In his defense, she did command him to “shut up and just do it.”

Note: the first kiss MUST be shot from multiple angles for it to be a trope.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Hmph!! The director missed an arc shot and didn’t rotate the camera around the couple as they kissed. Unbelievable negligence! 🙂

Episode 4. 

1. Fight scene

Of course, he could take down a gang in less than two minutes. I told you, right? Hyun Bin served in the marines. In fact, he was the poster boy for the marines.

2. Flashbacks

Flashbacks, like the cliffhangers, are used in kdramas a lot.

3. Illegitimacy

Yes, a makjang wouldn’t be a makjang without a birth secret or a birth scandal.

4. Bicycle ride for two

5. Drunk on Soju

Why is it that heroines always get drunk? It’s about time that kdrama writers show characters drinking responsibly.

But I did like that despite being piss-drunk, she won the name game.

Jung Hyuk found it funny, too, and sided with her.

That glance he gave Chi Su to stand down was swoon-worthy, too. He was telling Chi Su to accept when he’s beaten and not to try to weasel his way out.  It was heart-fluttering because it told me that, later on, he would take her side should there be any arguments between her and her weasel-y brothers.

Off-topic: I can now spell that word, seojjokhaneul in Hanggul although I don’t know what it means. lol.

6. Going to bed in her street clothes.

NOOOOOooo!

I know I was supposed to just keep my eye on the fact that she was sleeping on his bed. But I’m a germaphobe, and people sleeping in their street clothes is a big eeewww for me.

7. Personal barista

I’d love to have a personal barista but I often wonder when have kdramas started glamorizing baristas? Did it start with Gong Yoo and the “Coffee Prince”?

I swear, in another century, the neighborhood barista could have been the sexy village blacksmith…you know, that OTHER man who wore an apron and worked in a steamy environment. lol. But instead of making hundreds cups of  latte a week, the blacksmith pounded on hot iron and flexed those muscles.

8. Social climbers

You can spot them by their bouffant.

9. Token of affection

I’m always stunned when a kdrama writer takes an inconsequential, ordinary household item, and transforms it into a symbol of tenderness.

Seri — and I — will never look at scented candles the same way again.

Episode 5.

1. Push-pull dynamics

How do I define a push-pull relationship to a kdrama newbie?

I say watch Seri’s behavior in the first minutes of this episode. That’s push-pull. One minute, she was gushing over him and praising him. Then, the next minute — because she realized that he was an engaged man — she was pulling away and scolding him.

2. Chaebol who distrusts everybody

Typically, the hero is the chaebol, and the heroine is the poverty-stricken sap. Since Seri plays the chaebol daughter, she necessarily must act cynical and cold-hearted.  She saw through SeungJoon’s act and told him flat-out to quit it.

3. “Gyunwoo and Jiknyo”

In kdrama, all you need to know about astronomy is the story of the stars Altair and Vega, alternatively known as the Cowherd and the Princess. They’re the original star-crossed lovers, and they’re reunited once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.

Here’s the story, so you don’t have to google this:

Korean Chilseok Festival: The Love Story of Gyun Woo and Jik Nyo

What is commonly known as the Chilseok or Qixi Festival (七夕 “The Night of Sevens”) in Chinese falls on the seventh day of theseventh lunar month. It has sometimes been called Oriental Valentine’s Day since the late 1990s, which is, strictly speaking, an inaccurate depiction of the festival.

In late summer, when the stars Altair and Vega are high in the night sky, Koreans tell the following love tale, of which there are many variations:

Once upon a time, there was a king of heaven. He had a young daughter name ’Jik Nyo’ (a woman who weaves cloth). She grew up to be a good-hearted and beautiful young woman, so all the angels in heaven loved her.

On a flowery spring day, Jik-Nyeo went out of the palace and met a young man called ’Gyun Woo’ (a cow herder). They fell in love at first sight and promised to marry each other. However, when the king of heaven found out he was very angry. How could a princess be with a cow herder?

“You two must be punished,” said the king. “Gyun Woo, you must go live in the faraway lands in the east and Jik Nyo, you must go live faraway lands in the west, across the Milky Way.” Jik Nyo cried and begged the king. But the king did not change his mind. The king let them see each other once a year across the Milky Way on ‘Chil Seok’, the 7th day of the 7th lunar month.

They loved each other so much and it was heart breaking for both of them to live so far apart. Gyun Woo and Jik-Nyo both shouted out their names across the river. But the Milky Way was the deepest and longest river in the heavens, so they could barely see each other. Gyeon Woo and Jik-Nyeo cried and cried and their tears fell in the Milky Way and it soon turned into a big rain storm. Their tears made the river overflow and people and animals living on earth lost their homes.

The birds soon became worried and said to one another, “My goodness, we are in big trouble. If we don’t do something, everything will wash away.” “Maybe we could make a bridge across the Milky Way and help Gyun Woo and Jik Nyo cross the river.”

The animals said “Crows and magpies can fly very high – would you please build a bridge across the Milky Way?” “Yes, we will try,” said the crows and magpies. A year passed and again it was the seventh day of July. All the crows and magpies in the world gathered and flew high up to the Milky Way. They lined up across the river, and flapped their wings to make a bridge.

At last Gyun Woo and Jik Nyo came and saw the birds gathering around the Milky Way, holding one’s tail in another’s mouth. Finally, Gyun Woo and Jik-Nyeo were able to cross the Milky Way so they rushed to each other and met.

From then on every year on the seventh day of July on ‘Chil Seok’, the crows and magpies built the bridge across the Milky Way and there were no more floods. This bridge was called “Ojack kyo” – a bridge built by crows and magpies.

source: Koreanbuddhism.net

4. Necklaces

Yes yes. I know that the expensive men’s watch is important because it belonged to Jung Hyuk’s hyung. But so is this necklace. I’m sure it’s something meaningful to her because she didn’t want to part with it. She pawned her watch instead.

5. Ramen

There must be a ramen-eating session in a kdrama otherwise it’s fake kdrama.

6. “Woke” jealousy

Jung Hyuk needed to taste jealousy in order to recognize his growing feelings for her. He was annoyed to discover that his subordinate received more finger hearts that he did (two hearts versus one). And denouncing her “capitalist heart” was petty.

7. Noble idiot

We can see this a mile away, right? He’s going to sacrifice his happiness so she can escape the country. Once she “defects,” the consequences will be a triple whammy for him. One, he’ll disgrace his father in the military. Two, he’ll stop his investigation on his brother’s death. Three, he’ll get stuck in a loveless marriage to Dan.

8. Train food

I didn’t know until I watched Korean variety shows that hard-boiled eggs and soda are the quintessential train food.  Also, the best way to crack the egg is to play rock-paper-scissors and the winner gets to crack the egg on the loser’s forehead.

9. Draping his jacket over her shoulders

This is a trope we never fail to see in a kdrama: the guy shielding the girl from the elements. lol. I’d hate to be a guy in Korea because I love my coats and scarves, and there’s NOOO freaking way I’m giving them to a girl.

10. Resting head on the shoulder

11. Hyun Bin squinting his eyes

This should be a trope. 🙂

It’s part of his macho guy charisma: to stride across space with a purposeful air.

************

I haven’t finished watching Ep 6 so my review will have to wait till later.

One thing I should mention about Episode 6 is the “first snow”.

This is a well-known trope in kdrama. It was used in the “Memories of the Alhambra,” a kdrama that also starred Hyun Bin.

Seri: (excitedly) It’s snowing!
JH: (calmly) I’m watching, too.
Seri: Isn’t this the first snow? (he nodded) Goodness, we’re in trouble. This isn’t good. (he looked at her) If you watch the first snow with someone, your love will be fulfilled. Have you not heard of this myth?
JH: (looked away then looked at her again and shook his head) It’s my first time hearing it.

In normal circumstances, I wouldn’t doubt his words. But his noble idiocy in the train warned me that he was capable of lying with a poker face.

Seri: (suddenly leaning in to whisper) In Seoul, the communication network crashes when it’s the first snowfall of the season. It’s crazy! They’re all trying to set up a date with their crushes. Why? If they watch the first snow together, their love comes true.
JH: Really?
Seri: Yes! But it’s not supposed to work between us. It’d be a hot mess.
JH: Yes. That’s a big mess.

Okkkaaayyy… let’s give him the benefit of the doubt here. He might not have heard of this whole “first snow” superstition. However, let’s not forget that “first snow” was one of the ten words that he spoke to his tomato plant. 

🙂