Therese Sta. MariaAnnyeonghaseyo!
That’s “hello” in Korean, in case there are readers that I can potentially drag down the K-drama rabbit hole with me. Before you make a run for it though, let me tell you that I too was once a non-believer of the hype around Korean pop culture. I didn’t really see the need to hop on the bandwagon of K-dramas. “It’s just another love story,” or “I don’t want to watch anything predictable,” I would always think.
Well, boy oh boy, was I wrong about the notion of typical love stories and predictable endings when it came to K-dramas. And after I finished watching my first series (CLOY forever!), I immediately understood why so many people adored the Korean way of TV storytelling.
Why is K-drama awesome?
So many twists and turns — some pleasantly surprising, while others completely rattling. K-dramas make sure that every scene has a purpose and they never drag emotional highs for far too long. In other words, it’s like all the necessary ingredients are incorporated evenly when Koreans cook up another K-drama.
But the highlight of K-dramas is undoubtedly the excellent actors who truly make you feel as if you’ve gained a friend you’re sincerely concerned for. Needless to say, it’s extremely easy for you to fall into the rabbit hole of K-drama once you give it a chance. Don’t worry, we’ve all gone through the stages and there’s no shame in admitting it. Let me paint you a picture of what it’s like. Resistance is futile!
Also read: All the Dos and Don’ts in South Korea That Locals Wish You Knew!
The stages of getting hooked into K-drama…
1. Your friends start telling you to watch one or two K-drama series
And you’ve told them repeatedly — “Ain’t nobody got time for that!” But some kind of mystic force has seemed to possess your friends. They can’t stop talking about their favourite K-dramas whenever you guys meet up or even when you talk in group chats. They’re stubborn and try to persuade you with everything they’ve got in their arsenal.
“The chemistry between the leads is electric!”
“Trust me, this is the best rom-com I’ve ever watched!”
“This guy has got to be the best actor in Asia!”
So on and so forth.
2. But you’re equally stubborn. K-Drama will never take you alive!
Just as your friends have a lot of good things to say about K-drama, so do you have as many excuses up your sleeves. But we all know the truth — you don’t want to open up to K-dramas right now! Maybe it’s because you’re the type to resist the more you’re told to do something, or because your head’s already wrapped around a different kind of TV and Netflix series. All of these are completely okay.
I for one know how annoying it can be to get so many recommendations on Netflix shows, more so on foreign films. But because you love your friends, you allow them to try and convince you. You won’t give in. You won’t give in at all…
3. You start to feel out of place when your friends talk about K-dramas
Okay, now it’s becoming a little bothersome, not because your friends have fallen in love with K-dramas but because you’ve realised there’s no way you can relate. Not unless…you give K-drama a chance?
But no! You have a will as hard as steel. So, you fight against feeling out of place and try to redirect the conversation to other TV or Netflix shows that you and your friends watch in common. Problem is, they don’t seem as engaged.
4. They start sharing photos of this good looking Korean actor on FB. Now you’re curious!
You’ve seen this Korean actor’s photo before and truth be told, you didn’t bother giving him a second glance. But the more people are posting his photos on Facebook, and all over social media for that matter, the more you realise that this guy’s actually devilishly handsome. And they say that he’s the lead in the latest K-drama on Netflix? Interesting…
5. The Internet has officially gone crazy with everyone’s reaction on the latest episode of the K-drama
Ah yes, the final blow that will seal your inevitable fate. The Twitterverse and Facebook have gone mad with the events in the most recent episode of the ongoing K-drama. What in the world is happening in that show? When you try to piece together the bits of information you gather from your friends’ reactions, the K-drama’s plot sounds too thick to uncover using only fleeting explanations.
So, you implore your K-drama obsessed friends to end your agony and tell you how the story is unfolding. They refuse because according to them, you ought to watch from the very beginning. With that move — you’re checkmated!
6. Enough! You relent to watch one episode to see what the hullabaloo is about!
On that fateful day when you finally give K-drama a chance, you either have high expectations or none at all (you’d be a fool to have low expectations at this point). And as you’re watching the first episode, you have to admit that the lead characters are pretty charismatic.
So far, the supporting characters provide either great comic relief or make your blood boil. The show has done a good job of capturing your full attention. But that’s only the beginning…
7. Once you see the chemistry between the lead actors…O-M-G!
The plot in K-dramas only gets better when the two leads finally meet. It doesn’t matter if the show centres on romance or not, to be honest; every romantic pairing in K-dramas will truly make you believe that the two individuals are meant to be.
The feeling of butterflies in your stomach every time a cute or emotional scene takes place is all too real. The best thing is, K-dramas don’t linger too long on eliciting that giddiness in one scene. It’s a smart move so as to make you want to watch their succeeding episodes. Hollywood romance films? We don’t know them!
8. “When I said I’d watch one episode, I meant…one season?”
Alas, you admit defeat. You can not go on without completing the whole season of this K-drama which is nothing short of God’s gift to mankind. You bid the outside world a temporary farewell as you willingly offer yourself to the rabbit hole.
K-dramas are inevitable.
And before you know it, you’re guilty of binge-watching your first K-drama series. We’re so proud of you.
9. And then you realise finishing one K-drama series was just the start of a new “relationship”
When you finish a K-drama series, there’s a 90% chance that you’re going to end up a huge fan of the lead actors. Hence, you “stalk” the actors’ social media, join Facebook fan groups, and follow fan pages too. Then you realise that you’re pretty late to the party and can’t wait to catch up on all the awesome K-drama series available on the Internet.
And yes, this is all part of getting sucked into the world of K-drama. Your friends were right to persuade you. Now you’re thinking of updating your status to “In a relationship with K-drama”. (You wouldn’t be the first one to do it!)
10. Congratulations, you are now a certified K-drama fan
Now that you’re a proud K-drama fan, you adopt certain things from K-pop culture too, such as calling respectable actors like Hyun Bin and Park Seo-joon oppas; as well as calling brilliant actresses like Son Ye-jin and Park Min-young onnis. On top of that, you find yourself craving for Korean barbecue more and more every week thanks to all those restaurant scenes in each K-drama series. Korean food too has become irresistible!
Also read: Personal Picks: Top 10 Korean Foods Everyone Must Try
With this, your declaration of surrender to K-dramas is a done deal. Your life will never be the same because you will always look forward to the next K-drama series.
Your Instagram will now be updated with the lives of your favourite Korean celebrities. Your Facebook feeds will perpetually be blessed with the beautiful faces of oppas and onnis. And finally, South Korea has become one of your dream destinations. To that, we say life’s a trip, so make travel happen!
