Chocolate

So, I've been watching this. 1 episode a week is really slow, but quite easy to watch and digest even if you're not all that interested 😅

The first few episodes were ok, the story plods along. But ep 7 was a re-hash of what we already know - they told you and then now they must show you by flashback 😆 It's no wonder the ratings dropped for that episode.

The acting is good, especially Park Sung Woon. The villian is also not bad.

Generally, you already know who is the bad guy, but just waiting to find out why he set up the killing vote, because he should be a target of this vote and not the organiser!

And, in my opinion, Park Sung Woon killed the wrong guy so I wonder if the show will just gloss over it. But I guess that also shows why meting out punishment without the law is not the way to go.

Has anyone read this? It was the book that Tang Ying (Fake it till you make it) was "pretending" to read on the plane to look cool. See, I like the drama so much I'm even reading the books the character reads! 😂 Obviously it must be an IT book and adapted into a drama, but I'm not getting it at all.

The captions on the cover says funny. I'm 50+ pages in and it's not really funny. In fact, the characters' lives seem sad.

Plus the title is conversations with friends. Let me tell you:

1. There are no "...." here. It's narration the whole way with conversations written as X says, blah blah blah.

2. These people are not friends! One (who is lesbian) is trying to steal the wife, and the other is interested in the husband 😂

3 hours ago, peperomia said:

This is an interesting theory. We shall see because I'm at a loss on who else would've paid it and why.

I think my theory is debunked right at the start or ep3 😂

3 hours ago, peperomia said:

The last time I saw Yoon Kye Sang, it was in Chocolate. He's so different here. LOL.

Haha, I was thinking the same, that his hairstyle really makes a difference to how he looks 😅 And I better go to the hair salon more often lol.

HB's first birthday as a dad ❤

Lovely work by @serineblack on X

https://x.com/serineblack/status/1705960805450359072?s=20

Happy birthday Hyun Bin!

There's a nice video here:

https://x.com/binibots/status/1705960511060205793?s=20

@mademoiselle 😂 I'm not as bad as you yet I think. At least I haven't anything to be played in the car yet hahaha. But it's an idea - I've not thought about it before 😅

So is your CZY overtaken by RW again lol?

7 minutes ago, mademoiselle said:

@Chocolate How's your Oppa Elvis Han's expedition go?

I'm re-watching as we speak 😂 It's on perpetual loop as I work. I don't even want to watch new dramas, although I started the kidnapping one last night. I also tried to loop LLTG instead, but switched back after 2 epsiodes lol. So Wu Lei has been demoted haha.

It's quite sad that none of his other dramas before this is interesting.

On 9/23/2023 at 5:30 AM, mademoiselle said:

Calling @Chocolate

This ahjussi and the genre might interest you

Hahaha yes, I will watch this. But mainly, the plot must be good.

On 9/20/2023 at 10:44 PM, abs-oluteM said:

Every time KYK shows me his body, he plays a psycho

Would you prefer he keep his clothes on and plays a hero? 😂

40 minutes ago, mademoiselle said:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxfhQNmNPRG/?igshid=MmU2YjMzNjRlOQ==

 

@JenL @Chocolate @SilverMoonTea when fans tease their oppa...

Whatever helps bolster his portfolio 😅

On 9/19/2023 at 3:45 AM, peperomia said:

And yes, who paid the hospital bill??

I've done the first 2 episodes. The child seems to have been brought up like an adult, looking at her room decor and the way she speaks. I think when she was in Hee Ae's room, she would have seen the child's photos and know that she is not the daughter.

My first thought was Ro Hee paid the hospital bill. But that's purely a guess 😂 because:

- she may have the funds given her parent's were rich, and she's smart enough to have planned to at least have access to funds (if not escape);

- has a close enough relationship with Myung Joon to want to help and could have found out about his background while she was at his house.

🧂🧂🧂

@abs-oluteM Ep20+ onwards is getting interesting because there is finally a villian!

11 minutes ago, abs-oluteM said:

I am not a fan of the genre for the rest @Chocolate @mademoiselle. This one it's like a romantic melodrama ...somewhat the sort of show I like. 

It sure is melo - the lady never smiles until now - ep19 - when she is starting to be nice to him! And they are still in University, doing internship! 😂

Elvis Han is quite cute though, as he tries so hard to be with her.

2 minutes ago, mademoiselle said:

How come you are going back to 2018 drama and not watch something more recent?

Past roles other than Never Gone. Haha

Never Gone was found by @abs-oluteM. I assumed she had already look through his drama list and picked the best 😂

16 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

Guys, I must love Rowoon a lot. I actually am feeling a bit sad with the news he's gone on solo even though I expected it. I prefer him acting over being idol anyway, but I do love watching him performing on stage too because he's good at dancing and is very charming. Not the best in KPOP as I'm sure there are better, but Rowoon as an actor and Rowoon as an idol on-stage are very different. I'll never see the charm he exudes and the face he's made on stage from now on. Imma gonna miss that. 

I feel your pain. Think about it this way, if he is going to act more, you'll get to see him for 16 episodes instead of a 4 min video. Or maybe he will do some solo singing?

6 hours ago, Tofu said:

@abs-oluteM @Chocolate He (Elvis Han) has a drama with Peng Xiaoran that I'm waiting for. It was filmed a while ago and have undergo two re-editing so hopefully it'll air soon. Typically, the likelihood is higher when one of the actors has a drama out that's receiving good reviews. With that said, this is a Youku drama and sometimes they are not as good.

Is this actress good?

Synopsis

What past roles? I'm still struggling with Never Gone 😂

7 minutes ago, abs-oluteM said:

What did you all think about that shameless girl who kept pushing herself on him? I thought that TY handled her really well at the end complete with allergy and a puffy face ! 

I'm old fashioned. If a girl has to say she likes him first, then it's a lost cause 😂 The shameless girl said it so many times, as if she was afraid he didn't hear her lol.

TY's the best, she's so quick on her feet. ZQ is also amazing. When TY invited the girl in, his reaction was "精彩" - like he was looking forward to an entertaining show. This couple is unmatched.

1 hour ago, mademoiselle said:

Xin Zhi's boyfriend is so scary. Is it the end of him now after the break up? I find it hard to believe he would let her go so easily, or he wouldn't go into another round of self-destruction (drink his liver to the hospital). I was even scared he'd attempt to hurt himself to keep her by his side.

Fortunately, this drama doesn't have the usual tropes. But I think even if he threatened suicide, Xin Zhi is hard hearted enough to not let herself be held hostage.

1 hour ago, mademoiselle said:

I'm actually not sure it was necessary to bring Tang Yang's 10 years crush back.

Haha, but he doesn't appear, then we won't have the very entertaining "confrontation" scene between the 3 of them. And another entertaining one at the end - you watch.

1 hour ago, mademoiselle said:

Back to the main couple. That kiss in E8 on the bridge was unexpected and so random! But, it was a good kiss and better than their official kiss in E9.

I love the E8 kiss best too. Actually, personally I think the rest of the kissing/making out scenes lack a bit of heat - it seemed more friendly and fun rather than sexy and hot. Considering the tension pre-confirmation, I was a wee bit disappointed.

Do you all know this bridge is call "Friendship Bridge"?

1 hour ago, mademoiselle said:

Like you all, I was also annoyed why she was telling him all the moments she was moved by him only to tell him it doesn't matter anymore. I, too, thought she was trying to cheer him up. And, I obviously were hoping he would tell her the same and he said no. Argh.

I was watching one of their interviews. Apparently, Elvira said it was recovery when he did not respond. She was trying to save her pride after the confession.

1 hour ago, mademoiselle said:

But omg @Chocolate, your Elvis Han doing the baby talk and aegyo after they are dating. Aaahahahaha!

Flirting comes naturally. So is aegyo / manja.

Hahaha I did think of CHW from super long time ago but I don't see it. Elvis is more suave and cooler? I don't know how to describe. How tall is he, @Chocolate?

Hahaha, he is quite cute with the aegyo. I still prefer the cool guy but it's very nice to know the man has another side in private time. Which does @abs-oluteM prefer?

According to google, he's 1.82. He doesn't look super tall though.

I have to say it again, very happy to watch a c-drama ML with some meat 😂

@ktcjdrama You have to persevere! Gets better with each episode. Feel free to FFW all the work and sister stuff 😂

I'm surprised that ZQ put up with the ex-GF too. She was totally unreasonable and he seemed too patient with her.

Step-sister apparently. I missed that too, but someone mentioned it in an earlier post. 

Liu Mei Ling turned out ok. There are no real villians here. Almost everyone got a good ending once they stopped faking it.

Nooooooo. Elvis Han is sooooooo much better 🤣

@abs-oluteM @40somethingahjumma @peperomia @mademoiselle

I found another 30 minutes of un-aired clips!

https://www.olevod.com/index.php/vod/play/id/49472/sid/1/nid/15.html

Apparently Elvis Han was not the intended ML 😱

I was wondering how they made that fly land on her at that exact moment 😂

Source: https://cyn-lynn.blogspot.com/2023/08/fake-it-till-you-make-it.html#comment-6270937440

15 hours ago, peperomia said:

@Chocolate Tang Ying said something in the last episode to Yu Chuanchuan that made me think of what you said here. As opposed to YCC who has many male friends, Tang Ying only has one, Ziquan. Unfortunately, he pretended to be her friend and tricked her into becoming his girlfriend. It was hilarious and so true to what you said that a man and woman can never be just friends. LOL.

There are friends and then there are "friends". For Tang Ying and Xu Ziquan, from the start, they clicked and treated each other differently as they would with their other normal friends.

At that level, they both only have 1 friend 😭❤.

(Anyway, I don't know why YCC would think having many male friends is an advantage. It just shows ZQ that he is one of many. But ZQ likes very much that TY had a crush for 10 years - because it means she would be devoted to him, which no other woman has done despite the numerous number he has come across.)

6 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

I saw two familiar faces in here. One is the actress who played Shao Shang's aunt (uncle's wife) in LLTG and the other is the rich man from the park. He played the king in The Long Ballad.

No wonder they looked so familiar!

6 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

Is Lin Xin Zhi really Tang Ying's blood related sister?

Step-sister apparently. I missed that too, but someone mentioned it in an earlier post. I don't particularly like to watch the sister's scenes 😅 I think she has a defective character - there were times where I think she was even jealous of Tang Ying - like when she found out about the friendship ring.

6 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

 I find myself warming up to Tang Ying and Xu Zi Quan from episode 3. It helps that we got a bit of backstory of Zi Quan's past relationship with his ex-girlfriend. And I like what @peperomia said about Zi Quan being genuinely a caring person based on episode 1 when he asked the flight attendant for a blanket for Tang Ying, and a gentleman of taking Xin Zhi home even though at the time both decided their date won't work out.

 

I think there's still a lot of getting to know both the leads in the episodes to come, and that's what I am staying for. And oh, and for more relatable slice of life dialogues and resonance. 😊

The first 2 episodes had a lot of introduction to the many characters and also their work. Ep3 onwards, they have more scenes together so it gets more enjoyable. I missed a lot of the finer points of their conversations and expressions etc on the initial watch, and understood more on re-watch. Hope you like it to the end too!

6 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

Episode 5

The way Tang Ying and Zi Quan interact is no way like friends. They are flirting. I'd see them as 朋友之上，戀人未滿 (beyond friendship but not yet lovers). She totally likes him already, does she not know or is like @Chocolate, in denial? 😂

Hahaha, she knows. She's admitted that it is too easy to fall in love with him and that would be dangerous for her because of his reputation. So she is trying to be realistic and careful.

And this is also why I am quite impressed by Tang Ying. Considering she has not been in a serious relationship, she sure flirts very well! Maybe it comes from fending off other men interested in her. And they are both definitely attracted to each other - would you let another person so close to you otherwise? I would have taken many steps back already or say STOP like a traffic policemen.

20 minutes ago, abs-oluteM said:

Don’t tell me that Elvis Han will be a one-shot wonder ? Sniff. ..,how to nurture this oppa love , if there’s nothing of him to watch ? 😭😭🤣🤣

Very hard. It’s really a show maketh a star.

Up to ep7 now with a lot of ffwd. There are more scenes now. He is the total opposite of Xu Ziquan. It’s still showing their University days - he is an ill-tempered boy who literally keeps scolding the girl he likes 😅  But the main problem is the FL - she is a depressing figure and never smiles.

He has another drama called Killer of the monster or something like that. Let’s try that 😂

@abs-oluteM I’ve been watching Never Gone. It’s ep5 and Elvis Han has barely appeared! The FL also seems to be lacking spunk. Really hard to continue.

2 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

I'm audting @Chocolate. You need to declare your new list.

Wu Lei, Ji Sung and Elvis Han

You've been waiting to catch me at it right! But sadly, I have a list now 😭. In order of adoption:

Hyun Bin

Ji Sung

Wu Lei

Elvis Han

@mademoiselle Please quickly try Fake It. I'm curious if you will like it.

4 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

I am up to here too. I ended up liking the episode. I was kind of skeptical when they brought in her old crush and he had that investment banker girl chase him shamelessly. In my mind I thought they were going to use silly misunderstandings to create unnecessary conflict. But it turned out really well because they talked it out towards the end of the episode instead of letting things fester. Like @Chocolate said before, the communication here between the leads is great. They put to rest his so called "player" reputation - no longer a pond owner but a tank owner. (This writer has a way with words)   And she too got some closure with regards to her old time crush. 

Yes! Their relationship is very healthy.

Sad to say, but most times, it is the woman who is unreasonable. But Tang Ying's character is also written very well. She doesn't let the misunderstandings fester. But she plots 😅 She wears her sexy lingerie, tempts him by being a little wild then says, come here, let's talk 😂 How's a man to resist.

And this scene in ep6, so funny! "Would you believe me if I said it was the fruit seller calling?" hahahahaha.

4 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

The sister's BF was terribly creepy ...but I am so not surprised. He was controlling and clingy. He had all the specifications she desired of a significant other, but that was all superficial. She didn't actually know who he really was before moving in with him. Fortunately for her , it didn't end badly - he could have been some crazed stalker. Now it seems she has a new interest in her landlord. This girl moves fast!

Frankly, the sister is a nightmare. She has all the traits a bad girlfriend/wife has. And I pity the BF. If he had met a nice girl next door, he probably would not be so extreme. But like Xu Ziquan says, one is willing to dish it and the other is willing to take it. He's not jumping into this fire pit - he's smart haha.

4 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

What  a shame  . I like this Elvis Han so much but I can't seem to find a drama premise I like. I was reading some of the reviews on MDL, none seems to catch my interest. Though maybe I will try this ...( ratings on MDL are not promising though)

https://mydramalist.com/25536-never-gone

Hahahaha me too! The drama has been on loop the whole week! I've re-watched the main scenes so many times I could probably recite it now. And every time I watch, I am still amazed by the writer. There is a lot of ordinary conversation, but within these conversations, a lot strikes a chord and shows how compatible they are.

Like this drinking scene, on first watch, it didn't seem special.

But the banter!

About relationships:

He says sometimes, men would rather spend time with men.

She says sometimes, the high brought by men cannot compare with a good idol drama or a bag!

Then he acknowledges some men can be pathetic.

She reciprocates and says that some women are too.

The back and forth is so good. Not many people can do that.

It's no wonder that he likes her more each time they are together.

Frankly for a man who has dated many women, he would be the last to do anything to lead them on. So to give her the ring, subconsciously, he was already there.

I will try Never Gone too. It's a romance and I am in a romantic mood lol.

A good summary for the ending here.

The only one who seems to have been unpunished is the father. He knew they were planning to murder Jin Woo and agreed to it - isn't that a crime? Or his wife and Secretary Jung didn't out him.

And apparently the kdrama bible holds true - second leads don't get the heroine 🤣

There has not been many kdramas for me this year. Longing For You was a good one.

32 minutes ago, mademoiselle said:

Are you still watching My Dearest, Choco?

Will wait for part 2. Too angsty for me to be left hanging.

32 minutes ago, mademoiselle said:

No wonder Tea doesn't love Rowoon. He is not pale (his skin is quite dark for a Korean).

Plus his lips are too red! 😂