Chocolate

In 2015, Hyun Bin was already playing the dalgona game Source: @xcovv Moving version lol

I haven't! I've only read Pride and Prejudice when I was a child but don't remember the story anymore. Was the movie good? Maybe I'll try one day. "I love you", it is used so much that it doesn't inspire much feelings anymore. But "I adore you", you must really mean it to say it right? 10 years later, you can say you love a person quite easily, but can you still say you ADORE that person? (especially like in HTCCC he doesn't turn his socks lol) Therein lies the difference I think. There's a sense of worship, attention/focus that may not be in "love".

“Squid Game” Is a Social Allegory Informed by Korean History There’s more to the game than gambling and violence. BY JAE-HA KIM OCTOBER 4, 2021 This year’s it series, Squid Game, is an intensely violent Korean drama with a plot that has been likened to the dystopian setting of The Hunger Games. But the gory survival series — which pits debt-ridden underdogs against one another — can also be viewed as a microcosm of South Korea and its complicated history. (Spoilers for Squid Game ahead.) Squid Game writer and director Hwang Dong-hyuk has said his series is an allegory for modern capitalist society. And his cast of misfits are people who don’t fit into the high-tech narrative of what South Korea has become since its poverty-stricken decades during and after the Korean War. They are two-bit gangsters and drunken thieves. But they also are migrant workers trying to support their families, rape victims looking to survive, North Korean defectors escaping poverty, and everyday citizens trying to pay off insurmountable debts. In short, there’s more to the game than gambling and violence. Here are five examples of how Squid Game reflects some of South Korea’s reality — and you might notice some familiar themes related to power structures all over the world. The Financier Squid Game is almost pornographic in how recklessly human lives are treated. But if you look past the blood and gore, you will see the hierarchy at play. At the top of the heap is a rich and powerful man who made his fortune “by lending money," and who started this sick game of death because … he was bored. Even as he is dying, he refuses to take responsibility for any of the human lives lost during the sadistic games. “I never forced you to play,” he says. “It was your choice.” Elder Poverty Though Hwang started work on Squid Game in 2008, it premiered during a pandemic when South Korea topped 33 countries for elderly poverty, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Even after South Korean president Moon Jae-in’s administration created jobs for senior citizens, the Korea Herald noted, their poverty rate was over 47 percent, according to Statistics Korea’s data from 2019. And at 46 percent, South Korea's net pension replacement rate falls below the OECD's average of 65 percent. Many of the senior citizens who had helped develop South Korea from a poverty-stricken nation into an economic powerhouse are unable to support themselves in retirement. Meanwhile, some Koreans in their 50s are ousted from their jobs and replaced by younger employees. Childhood friends Gi-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae) and Sang-woo (Park Hae-seo) both have mothers well past retirement age, who have to work nonstop to survive. 1997's Asian Financial Crisis This all plays into Gi-hun’s backstory. Until about a decade ago, Gi-hun worked for a factory that fired thousands of workers after the company experienced financial troubles. Like many unemployed Koreans, Gi-hun tried opening his own business (a restaurant) that failed, followed by another that had the same fate. The Asian financial crisis had repercussions that lasted for decades. And for uneducated men like Gi-hun, who didn’t have family money to rely on, his only option was a series of bank loans, followed by lendings from loan sharks – who made him sign over his organs (to sell on the black market) as collateral. Gi-hun has no idea where the prize money is coming from, nor does he care. Imperialism South Korea’s history with U.S. imperialism is alluded to in episode 7, when the rich, entitled, and English-speaking VIPs arrive on the island to wager bets on who will live or die. The games had been set up for their enjoyment at the expense of Korean (and a handful of other Asian) lives. While the dwindling players are fed barely enough food to survive, the VIPs enjoy a lavish spread tended to by naked, body-painted men and women. One of the VIPs orders a server – a policeman who has infiltrated the compound – to satisfy him sexually. His colonial mindset dictates his ownership over this Korean man’s body. The Korean War The most overt example of the Korean War’s impact is the storyline of Sae-byeok (Hoyeon Jung), a defector whose mother is still trapped in North Korea; meanwhile, her baby brother is stuck in a children’s welfare center in South Korea, waiting to be reunited with his family. But there’s also a climactic scene near the end of Squid Game, where two brothers face off. Both have guns. You can see dread, fear and conflict in their eyes. There is no optimism, because survival for one means death for the other. That scene encapsulated the turmoil some Korean soldiers went through when their country was split into two, making enemies out of friends and relatives, and forcing them to decide whether to kill or be killed by loved ones. Squid Game is not this year’s Parasite, so much as it is a satire in the vein of A Modest Proposal. Just as Jonathan Swift pointed out the abject brutality of telling the poor to satiate their hunger by eating healthy, plump babies, Hwang depicts the cruelty of lording a huge sum of money – literally – over desperate people’s heads, knowing that most will die as they lived: penniless. Source

It's so funny to read her journey and the comments to her posts

I think this is more likely. Throughout the show, SW has been shown to be able to discard personal feelings/ethics in order to win. This is supported by the way he killed SB too. Although by killing himself, I feel he has redeemed himself a little. He is also pragmatic and there is no sense in Gi Hun (and his mother) not getting the money since they have come so far. Haha, yes, the version at the shopping mall is more eerie looking than the original one. At least the one in the drama was "cute". I wonder why Netflix did the promotion in Philippines - do they have the most people watching k-dramas/fans in Asia? Awww thanks @stroppyse. Glad you finished. There were weak points in the plot, but generally it was an enjoyable watch. I might even re-watch the game sequences again.

[Single] Lee Joon-hyuk, special guest of Tale of the Secret Royal Inspector and Jo Yi ...Producer Yoo Jong-sun's first historical drama. Enter article 2021.10.05. 11:00 AM the original text Reporter Hyojin Kang (best@spotvnews.co.kr) ▲ Lee Joon-hyuk cspotiv NewsDBActor Lee Joon-hyuk will make a special appearance in tvN's new drama "Tale of the Secret Royal Inspector and Jo Yi". According to a report by Spot TV News on the 5th, Lee recently finished filming "Tale of the Secret Royal Inspector and Jo Yi" with a special appearance. Rumor has it that he has stepped up to add strength to his new work with producer Yoo Jong-sun, who worked with the drama "60 Days, Designated Survivors." Lee has been a colorful character in several films, including the drama "The Forest of Secrets," "Life," "365: A Year Against Destiny," the films "Along with the Gods" and "Baseball Girl." As many fans have been waiting for Lee Joon-hyuk's historical drama visuals because he had no connection with historical dramas, attention is being paid to what charm he will show in "Tale of the Secret Royal Inspector and Jo Yi". tvN's historical drama "Tale of the Secret Royal Inspector and Jo Yi", which is scheduled to premiere in November, is a comic couple's investigation into Heo Woo-dae, a fine gourmet who has been pushed back and became a fisherman, and a Joseon-era gisaeng wife who is rushing for happiness. Meanwhile, Lee played the role of Yoo Tae-han in the OCN drama "The Dark Hole," which ended in June. It also recently released the mobile game "Hello Popcorn," which participated in the development directly through the app store, drawing attention by topping the list of free games. Source

@Darkarcana That's really really good! 😂🤣

Jun Ji Hyun And Joo Ji Hoon Put Their Lives On The Line To Rescue Others In New Posters For “Jirisan” Oct 5, 2021 by E. Cha tvN’s upcoming drama “Jirisan” has unveiled new character posters of its two leads! “Jirisan” is a mystery drama starring Jun Ji Hyun as Seo Yi Kang, a top ranger at Mount Jiri National Park, and Joo Ji Hoon as her rookie partner Kang Hyun Jo, who is hiding an unspeakable secret. The drama will follow the story that unfolds as the two rangers begin to uncover the truth behind a mysterious accident that occurred on the mountain. The drama will be penned by Kim Eun Hee, the writer of many famous dramas including “Signal,” “Ghost,” and “Kingdom”—in which both Joo Ji Hoon and Jun Ji Hyun appeared—and helmed by Lee Eung Bok, the director behind the hit dramas “Goblin,” “Descendants of the Sun,” “Mr. Sunshine,” and more. Jun Ji Hyun’s suspenseful poster captures veteran ranger Seo Yi Kang in a dangerous situation. Dressed in a firefighter suit for battling forest fires, Seo Yi Kang appears to be breathing heavily as she faces an emergency head-on. The poster’s caption intriguingly reads, “Someone is sending me a signal from the top of that mountain…” Meanwhile, Joo Ji Hoon’s poster features the determined Kang Hyun Jo lost in thought as the caption reads, “That person is alive, I’m sure of it.” The mysterious caption raises the question of how the rookie ranger can be so certain of the unnamed person’s survival—and what exactly Kang Hyun Jo is hiding behind his slightly sorrowful gaze. “Jirisan” premieres on October 23 at 9 p.m. KST and will be available with subtitles on Viki. In the meantime, check out the latest teaser for the drama here! Source

Yeah, so out of the blue 😆 Ha Ram is written nicely - he doesn't have the inferiority complex of a blind/handicapped person. He is aware of the things he cannot do and accepts help when needed, like with the kite. Of course, he is also written as if he has super powers and is able to save Cheon Gi several times despite not being able to see 😆 Google translate is an a** sometimes lol. Viu subtitles shows he said "I love you". In abs article, it says "I adore you". I think I prefer the latter, makes me feel all fluffy haha. A few comments on episode 9: Prince Yangmyeong is not looking so attractive anymore haha. He insists on bringing Ha Ram to be "analysed" - what do they do there to a person? He's probably doing it as a guardian of the Palace but he doesn't seem to be sparing any thought for Ha Ram as a friend. Wonder if his attraction to Cheon Gi is affecting his judgement. But then again, Ha Ram also seems to be just making use of him for his revenge. I am quite surprised that before Prince Juhyang brought up the Demon in the previous episode, Ha Ram had no knowledge of it and had no suspicions that the Demon is residing in him. He suddenly blacks out and has no memories a few times but he just accepts it? When the kissing was interrupted, I thought he saw visions of the Demon. When he tried to strangle Cheon Gi and she called out to him, he could hear her. It doesn't make sense to me as Ha Ram is supposed to be very smart. I find this a weak point in the writing. Source: silvertrhee Another weak point, how can you meet with Prince Juhyang and play chess/go. How many blind people are walking around in this town? Of course he is going to know it is Ha Ram or at least he should suspect it. The writer cannot expect viewers to just accept that a mask can cover everything. Plus, Ha Ram can't see. Even if he can feel a specially made board, how can he play when he can't see where the opponent has placed his piece? It's illogical. Source: silvertrhee For now, I quite like Prince Juhyang. Though his methods are ??? he makes a good point that his grandfather also obtained the throne through a coup and he was not considered a villian. One of the reasons that he wants the throne is also to protect the country/people. Plus, the Crown Prince sounds really weak and the King's reason for absolutely passing the throne to the first born is silly.

I didn’t know that! But why? I really hate the idea of sharing a room with a stranger.

Good to hear. I'm curious. Which CCF was he allocated?

Oooh I love math. This is algebra... I hope. Nowadays, the syllabus and methods have changed so much. What do you mean "trend"?

Hahaha that's a formula 1 race track - turkey? @F1 Would you make it to this weekend's race? 👀

According to this video, they speculate that JH was the one who killed his colleagues 1 year ago because they were traitors! @abs-oluteM I think you're right that JH was the ex. I just found a review video which is quite good! It says the shadow in that resort photo is JH. Also mentions: Sangmuhoe is made up of retirees from the NIS. It is NIS vs Sangmuhoe (led by Baek Mo Sa). JY deleted the video from the NIS server because she cannot trust the NIS. But original file probably kept elsewhere. Doesn't mean she is betraying JH. It's just editing for a more exciting ending to the episode. SY still alive but moved by Baek Mo Sa to another location. She is working for them. CCW is undercover in Sangmuhoe trying to find Baek Mo Sa.

Actually when SY was shot, I though there was something wrong with the scene. She used her left hand to touch under her right breast and came away with blood. But when JH stood in front of her, the wound was on her stomach area under her left breast.

“Squid Game” Actor Park Hae Soo Talks About The Drama’s Popularity, His Relationship With Lee Jung Jae, And More Oct 3, 2021 by S. P “Squid Game” star Park Hae Soo shared his thoughts on the hit drama! “Squid Game” is a Netflix drama about a mysterious survival game with a reward of 45.6 billion won (approximately $40 million) on the line. 456 money-hungry participants wind up joining the game—only to learn that there is more at stake than just the prize money. Park Hae Soo plays Jo Sang Woo, the head of an investment team who is wanted by the police for stealing money from his clients. Following its worldwide release in September, “Squid Game” became the first Korean series to top both the domestic and global Netflix TV show rankings, as well as the first Korean drama to rank No. 1 on Netflix’s Today’s Top 10 in the United States. Additionally, the series has maintained a top 3 ranking in 83 countries around the world. Park Hae Soo reacted happily to the explosive popularity of the series, commenting, “Thanks to the drama’s popularity, I received congratulatory messages from all around the world for the birth of my child.” Park Hae Soo mentioned that he had anticipated, to some extent, the worldwide popularity of “Squid Game.” He said, “Although they’re Korean games, there’s plenty of things for people to relate to. I figured that people would think a lot about these things while watching the drama. I also thought that it would do well since it was centered around a sort of extreme game. However, I didn’t think it would become quite this big. I’m starting to realize the extent of its popularity after getting lots of messages from people living overseas.” Source

@ndbjee his caption for reaching 1m followers 😂

‘Squid Game’: Netflix Installed Replica of the Show’s Murdering Robot Doll at a Shopping Mall By Todd Spangler | Oct 1, 2021 8:33am PT Courtesy of Netflix What better way to promote a new TV show than to scare the living daylights out of unsuspecting passersby? In a marketing stunt for Korean thriller “Squid Game,” which has become a viral smash hit worldwide, Netflix installed a replica of the giant animatronic doll that appears in episode 1 at the Robinsons Galleria mall in Quezon City, Philippines. In the show, hundreds of debt-saddled contestants are mysteriously brought together to compete in children’s games for a huge cash prize — but with literally life-and-death consequences. The first game is “red light, green light,” overseen by the robotic doll, who explains that any contestants whose movement is detected after the light turns red will be “eliminated.” As it’s quickly revealed, that means they will be immediately shot and killed. The replica doll at the Manila-area mall monitors a crosswalk to catch jaywalkers, chanting the eerie “Red Light, Green Light, 1-2-3” song from the show. If a pedestrian tries to cross against the “don’t walk” red light, she swivels her head around and flashes LED-red eyes to single out the culprit. Yikes. Here’s a video tweet from Netflix Philippines showing the creepy 10-foot doll in action: Since its Sept. 17 premiere, the violent K-drama has taken the world by storm. “Squid Game” has consistently ranked as the No. 1 series titles in countries across the globe, according to Netflix. This week Netflix co-CEO and content chief Ted Sarandos said the show has a very good chance of becoming the streamer’s biggest show ever (and will definitely rank as its most popular non-English original series). “We did not see that coming, in terms of its global popularity,” Sarandos said Monday at Vox Media’s Code Conference. To date, the most-viewed Netflix original TV show in its first 28 days of release is “Bridgerton.” The mania for the show appears especially acute in South Korea, where broadband provider SK Broadband on Friday sued Netflix — seeking to recoup higher network costs — over a 24-fold increase in traffic from May 2018 to September 2021, citing in part the success of “Squid Game,” Reuters reported. Meanwhile, the actual doll created for “Squid Game” was spotted on display — with a missing hand — at the Jincheon Carriage Museum Adventure Village in South Korea’s North Chungcheong Province. But the museum has reportedly since put the doll in storage. Series creator and director Hwang Dong-hyuk told Variety he first conceived the idea for “Squid Game” in 2008 as a film. But Korean studios passed because of its ultraviolent themes, and he went on to create several hit films before being able to revisit the project about 10 years later. “When I started [writing ‘Squid Game’], I was in financial straits myself and spent much time in cafes reading comics including ‘Battle Royale’ and ‘Liar Game,'” Hwang said. “I came to wonder how I’d feel if I took part in the games myself. But I found the games too complex, and for my own work focused instead on using kids’ games.” Source

Which guy?

I like that he tells her the reason/background - I would want to know if I was Cheon Gi since he is blowing hot and cold. But he didn't tell her to wait, which he clearly intended from the monologue. Cheon Gi is remarkably understanding and she clearly likes Ha Ram more than Prince Yangmyeong. But realistically, in the era, as a poor female who has to look after a sick father, she may be very tempted to "settle" if she did not know Ha Ram's intentions towards her. The tension worries me a little. I hope they don't make Prince Yangmyeong a villian because of it.

Kim Soo Hyun Jokes That He Could Have Made An Appearance On “Squid Game” Oct 3, 2021 by U. Kim Would you have liked to see Kim Soo Hyun in “Squid Game”? The actor thinks he would have blended in well! The hit drama “Squid Game” is about a mysterious survival game with a reward of 45.6 billion won (approximately $40 million) on the line. 456 money-hungry participants wind up joining the game—only to learn that there is more at stake than just the prize money. On October 2, FTISLAND’s Lee Hong Ki uploaded to his Instagram Stories a photo Kim Soo Hyun had shared with him. Lee Hong Ki wrote on top of the image, “He sent me this photo saying he could have appeared [on ‘Squid Game’] too… haha hyung.. then you would have been the first one to die hahaha.” Kim Soo Hyun and Lee Hong Ki are known to be close friends. The photos are still cuts from “Squid Game” photoshopped with screenshots of Kim Soo Hyun’s past cameo appearance from tvN’s “Crash Landing on You” as his character Won Ryu Hwan from the 2013 movie “Secretly, Greatly.” Won Ryu Hwan is a North Korean spy who is deployed to South Korea, where he pretends to be the village idiot Bang Dong Goo who is always wearing his trademark green track suit. The character blends in with the other “Squid Game” actors clad in green as if he was meant to be there. Source

“Squid Game” Star Jung Ho Yeon Overtakes Song Hye Kyo To Become 2nd Most-Followed Korean Actress On Instagram Oct 4, 2021 by E. Cha “Squid Game” star Jung Ho Yeon is now the Korean actress with the second highest number of followers on Instagram! After catapulting to stardom in the smash hit drama “Squid Game,” the model-turned-actress has seen her Instagram follower count rise thirtyfold, going from just over 400,000 (before the show’s release) to 12.6 million in the span of just two weeks. Jung Ho Yeon has now overtaken Song Hye Kyo, who currently has just over 12 million followers, to become the second most-followed Korean actress on the platform. She may also be on track to catch up to Lee Sung Kyung, who holds the title of most-followed Korean actress with over 12.9 million followers. Congratulations to Jung Ho Yeon on her impressive feat! (Check out her Instagram account here!) Source

Wow! Lee Jung-jae and Wi Ha-joon on Good Morning America…