Sofie to Korea

As any other dedicated student of Korean I shy away from watching anything on tv that is not Korean. Anything else is just a waste of precious time which could otherwise have been spent learning this awesome language. However, with Korean dramas there are just SO many to choose from that actually choosing one can be a challenging task on par with remembering the difference between passive and causative verbs. ^^

I recently finished watching “앙큼한 돌싱녀” with my husband, and he really liked this one because it also centered around corporate Korea mainly taking place in an office. After that we began watching several other dramas that I just couldn’t make myself finish. My husband first suggested  “마이더스” (Midas) as it seemed like a corporate drama about stock manipulation and mergers & acquisitions. I agreed as the female lead was 이민정 who I find absolutely adorable. But after 5 episodes I was bored out of my mind, and my husband also started to lose interest. Next attempt: “City Hunter”. I really liked it, although I’m not sure I’ll ever truly understand all the fuss about 이민호. He seems to be too much of a flowerboy. After 3 episodes, my husband called it quits on this one, but I may watch it on my own sometime later. Then we turned to the much raved “별에서 온 그대” with 김수현 (who btw appeared to be THE most used model for any poster ad in Seoul. For the 12 days I was there he sure came to be a very familiar face!) but while I appreciate a larger production I didn’t really come to terms with the time/space traveling aspect. My husband then kindly hinted that he might need a (well-deserved) break from all the “미안해! 사랑해! 가지 마!”- filled Korean tv shows.

So, now I’m back to watching dramas on my own, which frankly makes it easier to choose. I’m still on my quest to watch ALL dramas with my K-drama 첫사랑, 송승헌 (except for “Dr. Jin” – I just can’t make myself watch him act as a neurosurgeon travelling to the Joseon era to perform brain surgeries on noblemen – 오빠, 죄송합니다) and the only drama left is “여름향기” which I have wisely saved for a crisis like this. No, honestly I’ve also put off watching it partly for fear that 오빠 would suffer yet another tragic fate as in “가을동화”, and partly because then there would be no unwatched 송승헌 dramas left; much like a child wanting to save the last piece of candy. Anyway, now I feel ready to finally watch it. I watched the first two episodes yesterday, and I really love it so far. There’s just something about these old dramas (this one is from 2003) that really appeals to me. Maybe it’s that the pace is nice and slow (both in storyline and speech), or the beautiful Korean landscapes, or the whole idea of eternal undying love. Whatever it is, it works! This drama also has a very intriguing soundtrack. Here’s a link to the ballad “비밀” with the sound of a beating heart in the background. Enjoy!^^