Korean Drama Series: The Village: Achiara's Secret (2015)

The Village: Achiara's Secret is a crime and mystery K-drama series with 16 episodes.

A serial rapist and murderer (SRM) has evaded capture by the police for 30 years. Han So-Yoon, a young English teacher receives an anonymous letter regarding a sister she thought was dead. She relocates from Canada to Achiara, a small village in Korea, to find her sister, Kim Hye-Jin. Shortly after arriving, she accidentally discovers her sister's skeletal remains. It is clear her sister died a violent death.

• Law enforcement officials think she may have been a victim of the SRM they have been trying to capture.

• Political officials have an agenda and a “secret”. Investigating Kim Hye-Jin's death might expoe the secret and thwart their agenda. They push to close the case as an accidental death. But the politicians are not the only ones in the village with secrets.

• Han So-Yoon does not believe her sister was an SRM victim, nor does she believe her death was accidental. The coroner said Kim Hye-Jin's body had been buried for at least two (2) years. Two years? In such a small village where everybody knows everybody, her sister had been missing for two years and nobody asked about her? WHY? Han So-Yoon is determined to find out who brutally murdered her sister and why. But the more she tries to uncover the truth, the more people of the village try to hide Achiara's Secret.

With each episode, more questions get asked. Slowly but surely, Han So-Yoon begins to unravel the mystery of crimes that investigators had been trying to solve for 30 years, along with other crimes, including her sister's murder. It was a very intricate web.

Main Characters:

• Han So-Yoon played by Moon Geun-Young

• Park Woo-Jae played by Yook Sung-Jae

• Yoon Ji-Sook played by Shin Eun-Kyung

• Kim Hye-Jin played by Jang Hee-Jin

• Seo Gi-Hyun played by On Joo-Wan

• Seo Yoo-Na played by Ahn Seo-Hyun

Where to Watch

Korean Drama TV Series: Destined With You (2023)

Destined With You is a Korean drama a fantasy rom-com series, with 16 episodes, released in 2023.  

This K-drama series is a love story between Lee Hong Jo, a lowly civil servant at Onju City Hall and Jang Shin Yu, a successful lawyer who was hired to work for the city's Mayor.

• Jang Shin Yu suffers from an illness and when he tries to sleep he is tormented by a bloody hand that caresses his face. His illness is actually a centuries-old curse.

• Lee Hong Jo discovers that she is the owner of a box that contains a book of magic spells. Is there is a spell that can lift his curse?

These two people have a past-life connection. During the Joseon Era, Jang Shin Yu was Jang Mu Jin, a wealthy young nobleman who fell in love with a shaman named Aeng Cho. Lee Hong Jo was Aeng Cho, the shaman. It was a forbidden union that ended tragically. They meet again in modern times. Will their love survive this time? They are both told that whether tragedy or happiness, their destinies could not be severed. They are destined to be with each other.

Main Characters:

• Jang Shin Yu | Jang Mu Jin (played by Ro Woon, “The Kings' Affection”; “Tomorrow”)

• Lee Hong Jo | Aeng Cho (played by Jo Bo Ah)

• Rowoon’s New Drama ‘Destined With You’: Cast, Plot, Review, Episode Schedule, And More | TheBeauLife

• Enjoying Destined With You? Top 4 K-Dramas You Need To Add To Your Watchlist Starring Rowoon | Filmfare.com

• 'Destined With You' on Netflix Review: Stream It Or Skip It? | Decider

K-Drama Series: King the Land (2023)

King the Land is a modernized Korean version of Cinderella, a fairy tale written by Charles Perrault and published in 1697.

• Cinderella is Cheon Sa-Rang (played by Im Yoon-ah)

• Prince Charming is Gu Won (played by Lee Jun-ho)

Revisions to the Old Cinderella Fairy Tale

• Instead of Cinderella having 2 wicked stepsisters, she had 2 BFFs (best friends forever) who always had her back. It was Prince Charming who had a wicked half-sister.

• Instead of a fairy godmother, Cinderella has a wise, industrious, and generous grandmother who teaches her valuable work and life skills, raises her to be independent, gives her good advice, and supports her endeavors.

• It turns out that Cinderella and her 2 best friends all work for businesses owned by the King Group. The supervisors where the friends work, don't do anything to help them achieve success. Each supervisor acts like a wicked stepmother.

• Initially, Cinderella has a jerk for a boyfriend, but Prince Charming replaces him.

These changes or revisions do not make the love story of this Cinderella and her Prince Charmin any less enchanting.

My personal rating for this K-drama series is 8.4 out of 10 stars.

K-Drama Review: Crash Course in Romance (2023)

Crash Course in Romance is categorized as a romantic comedy, which is why the murder mystery woven into the plot was so surprising. Face it! Math teachers are boring! How could a writer possibly make their life exciting and interesting? 

This Korean drama series has 16 episodes and is streaming on Netflix. Where to Watch.

Image credit: Netflix.com

The main characters are:

• Choi Chi-yeol (played by Jung Kyung-ho) is a star math teacher at a prestigious private academy, The Pride; and
• Nam Haeng-seon (played by Jeon Do-yeon), is the owner of “Nation’s Best Banchan”, a side dish store in Seoul.

Choi Chi-yeol is a brilliant teacher who knows all about math but zero about romance. He needs someone with a generous heart like Nam Haeng-seon to teach him. He could benefit from a crash course in romance.

The first time they meet is crazy! Choi Chi-yeol guards his privacy and thinks someone is trying to take his photo without his permission. The photographer is Nam Haeng-seon's brother. But he wasn't trying to photograph Choi Chi-yeol. He only wanted a picture of the tiger that was on the jacket that Choi Chi-yeol was wearing. It leads to a misunderstanding and he tries to take the camera and run with it. Nam Haeng-seon sees this and chases after him. That's how they meet and this encounter leads the both of them to think that the other person is INSANE!

For years, Choi Chi-yeol has had a problem when he eats food. For some reason his stomach gets upset and he can not digest the food. But one day his personal assistant buys food for him from Nam Haeng-seon's Banchan restaurant. To his surprise, he enjoys the dishes. But when he realizes that the lady who owns the restaurant is the same lady who chased after him, he tries to disguise himself so that he can enter her place of business as a “regular old ordinary customer”. She eventually recognizes him.

The final encounter is what really connects them. The lives of the two main characters intersect because Nam Haeng-seon's daughter is one of Choi Chi-yeol's math students. She is so good that even when the ruthless moms connive and scheme to get her thrown out of The Pride academy, he is willing to tutor her privately. The time he spends tutoring the daughter spills over into time spent with the mother and them getting to know each other. A romance develops between the two of them, but there are many complications that occur in their lives that threaten their relationship.

“Crash Course in Romance” was exciting, interesting, and very entertaining. My personal rating for the K-drama series is 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Original source

Café Minamdang | Comedy Korean Drama Netflix Series

Café Minamdang is a K-drama series based on the web novel titled Minamdang: Case Note, written by Jung Jae-ha. This series is 18 episodes, released in 2022, and currently streaming on Netflix.

Nam Han-joon (played by Seo In-guk) worked in law enforcement as a criminal profiler but was framed for a crime he did not commit. After being released from prison since he could not return to his old job, he decides to become a shaman.  

• Nam Hye-joon (played by Kang Mi-na) - Nam Han-joon's sister, who is a former NIS ace (NIS=National Intelligence Service). When it comes to electronic technology, she knows everything!

• Gong Soo-cheol (played by Kwak Si-yang) works as a barista during the day at Café Minamdang and at night he's a homicide detective. He is also is Nam Han-joon's best friend.

• Jo Na-Dan (played by Baek Seo-Hoo) is a part-time employee and every once in a while he gets recruited to work with the shaman on “special jobs”.

• Lieutenant Han Jae-hui (played by Oh Yeon-seo) aka “Han the Ghost”, is a homicide detective assigned to the Major Crimes Investigation Division Seven as the Team Leader.

In addition to performing her duties, Han Jae-hui is quietly investigating the death of her brother who served as a prosecutor. She suspects Nam Han-joon of being involved in criminal activities. What she does not realize is that the people responsible for her brother's murder are also the ones who framed Nam Han-joon.

Initially, she thinks Nam Han-joon's shamanic shenanigans are interfering with her investigative work. But actually, both of them have crime-fighting goals. Eventually, they agree to coordinate and work together on an investigative effort.

Café Minamdang is 18 episodes, released in 2022, and currently streaming exclusively on Netflix. The IMDb Rating is 7.4 out of 10 stars. I agree.

Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938 | K-Drama Series Season 2

Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938 is the sequel to Tale of the Nine-Tailed and fans of Lee Dong-wook are super excited to see him playing the gumiho we all love, again!

In Tale of the Nine-Tailed (Season 1), Lee Yeon (played by Lee Dong-Wook, “Bad and Crazy”) is a 1000-years-old Gumiho. Having to live 1,000 years without the woman you love is a punishment. He hopes this punishment will end one day when he finally meets her again. According to legend, the Gumiho has to wait for a thousand years to turn into a human being. But if he finds the woman and they can be together, a thousand years was worth the wait.

However, it's not so simple to live for 10 centuries, find the woman you love, and live happily forever after, when you have two enemies that try to stop it from happening:

• an angry kid brother who feels that his big brother forsook him; and
• an evil serpent beast who has “issues”.

Both enemies have their reasons for wanting REVENGE!

It’s a challenge. But hey!  Love conquers all. Right?

RE:  Season 2:  How Did the Fox Brothers Go Back to 1938?

Tale of the Nine-Tailed, Season 1, is 17 episodes. When the main storyline began, it was the year 2020. All of the events that occurred went forward in time, not backward. So how did the gumiho brothers end up in the year 1938, during the Japanese Occupation of Korea? Uuhh? There was an unexpected turn of events.

Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938 is a K-Drama Series that premiered on Korean television in May 2023 and is available on streaming platforms in selected regions. (Where to Watch in USA.)

My Perfect Stranger is the Perfect for Time Travel K-Drama Lovers

Korean scriptwriters often come up with some very interesting time travel plots.  My Perfect Stranger is a perfect time travel K-drama.   

Two perfect strangers end up traveling back to 1987, both with two completely different objectives they wish to accomplish.  But as they begin to unravel certain events, they discover that their purposes are connected.  

However, it's the past.  Everything has already happened.  Can they really turn back the clock?  If they could it would be wonderful,  Especially since turning back the clock would result in preventing a serial killer from ever committing the crimes in the first place.

Hae Jun (played by Kim Dong Wook) works as an anchorman at a news station. One day as he is driving his car, his GPS starts acting weird and the voice announces that the directions have changed. Why do weird and strange things always happen on dreary rainy nights? Following the GPS directions he drives into a tunnel and is blinded by a bright light. He stops his car, gets out, and finds an abandoned car. At least …??? It looked like a car. It was actually a time machine. So he did what anybody else would do if they found a time machine. He got inside and tested it to see if he would really travel through time. First, he went to the future and then he went to the past. It was a blast!

But then he decided that since he had already made plans for what he would be doing once he retired, might as well travel to the future life to see if his life had worked out just the way he planned it. His future was not the way he planned it. He had been murdered! That was not a blast. It was a shock!

So! What would be your next thought? Time machine? My murder?

Go back in time to prevent the crime from happening!

Since he had successfully tested the time travel machine, going back and forth between the past and the present was easy. Just get in the car, set the year, and voila! You're there. But this one time, as he was driving through the tunnel, he sees a young woman standing in the pathway. 

The woman is Baek Yoon-young (played by Jin Ki-joo), an editor who works at a publishing company. He swerves to try to avoid hitting her but somehow they both end up in the year 1987. She is from the same time period that he was from, i.e. the year 2021.

But why was this woman brought back in time with him?

To him, she's a perfect stranger. For her, the feeling is mutual. She doesn't know him either!

They both have two different purposes for wanting to go back in time. However, as they begin to unravel certain events, it turns out their objectives are intertwined. 

• The death of Baek Yoon-young's mother was recorded as a suicide, but it is possible that it was murder. She needs to know the truth.
• Hae Jun is trying to find a serial killer in the hopes of preventing his own murder 30 years later. 

The first murder occurred in 1987 and it took place in Woojeong Village.  He and Yoon-young begin working together to unravel the mystery. They have a clue that is rather cryptic. There was a matchbox from the Boong Boong Cafe found at the scene of the first crime and it contained a note: “A woman who reads is dangerous.”

What could that possibly mean?

My Perfect Stranger is an extremely believable time travel drama and the murder mystery is a riveting crime thriller. The Viki viewing audience rated My Perfect Stranger, 9.5 out of 10 stars. I agree.

Space Sweepers (2021): Sci-Fi Korean Drama Movie

Space Sweepers is a sci-fi K-drama film, released in 2021, currently streaming on Netflix. 

You do not need much imagination to figure out that it's about people who sweep space collecting junk and debris. There are junkyards on Earth. Why wouldn't there be junkyards in Space?

• PLOT SUMMARY: “The year is 2092, and Earth is borderline uninhabitable, overrun by arid deserts and the dry orange color grading of Blade Runner 2049. Everyone who can afford it has moved off the ruined planet to live in orbit on a seemingly utopian colony named Eden, built and ruled by a megacorporation.” (Quote Source: Space Sweepers review: Netflix sci-fi movie feels like Cowboy Bebop | Polygon)

***

Meet the Victory Team

Tae-ho, Captain Jang, Tiger Park, and an android named Bubs are the crew of space sweepers who find Dorothy. The name of their spaceship is Victory.

In 2092 space debris is like gold or currency. Space sweepers explore space collecting junk and selling it. While exploring some debris to see what they could salvage to sell, a team of space sweepers finds a little girl in the wreckage. They figure she's a missing child and somebody will probably pay handsomely for her to be returned. Seems like a logical deduction.  Only ... 

A Little Girl is Not Debris, But She Can Be a Bomb!

***

Song Joong Ki’s Movie ‘Space Sweepers’ to Possibly Return with Two More Sequels | KDramaStars

K-Drama Review: L.U.C.A.: The Beginning (2021) | Make the World Better By Making Better Humans

L.U.C.A.: The Beginning is a Korean drama about a mad scientist who thinks he's good enough to be like God. In fact, he's convinced himself that he can make better humans than God.

This series is 12 episodes, released in 2021, currently streaming on Viki. As for the genre? It has elements of crime and mystery and elements of science that might have the viewer wondering if it's science fact or science fiction.

• According to current science, the Last Universal Common Ancestor, L.U.C.A. Is the ancestor of all living things, and is estimated to have lived some four billion years ago, when Earth was a mere 560 million years old.

First, a woman supplied her ovum and a man supplied his sperm. You don't need to be a scientific genius to know that is the beginning of human life. But! Suppose after you joined the ovum and the sperm, you combined human DNA with DNA from jellyfish, fruit flies, electric eels, and other animals. Now! Is the baby a human? A monster? A half-human, half-monster?  

Ryu Joong-kwon (played by Ahn Nae-sang) is a scientist who thinks that ethics hinder the research and advancement of science. He found people who were willing to fund his unrestricted research, so he was able to perform numerous kinds of scientific experiments. Only one of his experiments was successful. He genetically engineered an artificially enhanced child who was named Ji Oh. 

• L.U.C.A. stands for Last Universal Common Ancestor. Ji Oh (played by Kim Rae Won) is L.U.C.A.  This is his beginning.

Spotlight on South Korean Actress: Shin Se-Kyung

Shin Se-kyung is a popular South Korean actress who started her career in the entertainment industry as a child. However, my first introduction to her was in the award-winning television series Six Flying Dragons (2015–2016). She was the woman the king loved but he could never possess. Her performance was impressive. After watching that series, I earnestly searched for her in other Korean dramas.

Shin Se-kyung began as a child actress. Her acting career spans close to two decades with her filmography listing several films and TV series. From a combined total of 25 movies and TV series, fans can surely choose her “best five Korean dramas”. Even though Shin Se-kyung has accepted roles in various different genres, in my opinion, she shines brightest in fantasy or historical period Korean dramas. For this reason, my recommendations for the best five (5) K-dramas to watch are:

1. Six Flying Dragons (2015–2016)

2. Tree With Deep Roots (aka Deep Rooted Tree ~2011)

3. Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung (2019)

4. The Bride of Habaek (aka Bride of the Water God ~ 2017)

5. Queen Seondeok (2009)

For the year 2023, Shin Se-kyung was chosen to play the female lead in two highly anticipated TV series:

• Tan-ya in Arthdal Chronicles: The Sword of Aramoon (Season 2) (fantasy); and

• Kang Hee Soo in Sejak (aka Spy) (historical period).

You should add these two 2023 series to your watch list as well.

♦  Read more on PopGeeks.com

K-Drama Review: The Sound of Magic | Music. Magic, and Murder?

The Sound of Magic is a Korean drama based on the webtoon titled “Annarasumanara”; streaming on Netflix, released in 2022. It's only 6 episodes and is categorized in the Musical genre.

One does not usually expect a murder mystery to start with a song and dance routine. For this reason, my initial impression of episode 1 was confusion. (O.o)  Nevertheless, I decided to watch the series from start to finish and was pleasantly surprised. 

Yoon Ah-yi (played by Choi Sung-eun) is a high school student who is going to school, works part-time, and takes care of her little sister. She and her younger sibling were deserted by both parents. This young lady is having a hard-knock life.

Ri Eul / Ryu Min-hyuk (played by Ji Chang-wook) is … a young man who wears a top hat and insists that he is “a real magician”. He lives in an abandoned amusement park. When you first meet this character, you might think he's a bit weird. But you certainly don't think he's a murderer.

QUESTION: Is it possible that this “real magician” can really make real problems disappear?

She was hoping he could make her real problems go away.  But when he is arrested for the murder of one of her classmates she is in disbelief.  His real problem compared to her problems is HUGE!

♦ I gave this Netflix series 4 out of 5 stars. The story and the soundtrack were “magical”.

Read the full review on PopGeeks.com

♦

LINKS OF INTEREST:

4 Things We Loved And 1 Thing We Hated About The Premiere Of “The Sound Of Magic” | Soompi

Series Review: Why The Sound of Magic is Saving K-Dramas in 2022 | PopMachine

Netflix's 'The Sound of Magic' sets new records as it is garnering much popularity overseas | allkpop

'The Sound of Magic' Netflix Review: Stream It or Skip It?

♦

Korean Movie Review: Unlocked (2023)

UNLOCKED IS A KOREAN FILM STREAMING ON NETFLIX, RELEASED IN 2023. A YOUNG WOMAN LOSES HER SMARTPHONE.  A SERIAL KILLER FINDS IT AND TURNS HER LIFE INTO A LIVING HELL!

SOMETIMES SMART PEOPLE ARE NOT VERY SMART

Lee Na-Mi (played by Chun Woo-hee, “Love, Lies“) is a female hustler. She’s intelligent, talented, hard-working, has excellent marketing skills, and holds down more than one job. When she’s not working beside her dad in his cafe, she is doing other jobs related to marketing products via social media technology. Like most young people her age, she uses her smartphone FOR EVERYTHING!! Work and play. Her device has loads of photos with friends and family, as well as lots of revealing.text messages. Very revealing. It’s surprising how innocent innocuous casual conversations via text messages reveal a lot about an individual.

Lee Na-Mi is smart but she did something not so smart. She got stupid drunk and in her drunken stupor lost her smartphone.  A serial killer found it.

You can guess what happened next?

READ FULL REVIEW ON POPGEEKS.COM

Bad Prosecutor (2022) | K-Drama | Prosecutors Who Cover Up Crimes are Bad

Bad Prosecutor is a crime K-drama that made it crystal clear that prosecutors who use their positions of public trust to cover up crimes are BAD.

This Korean drama series, with 12 episodes, was released in 2022.

Jin Jeong (played by Doh Kyung-soo, 100 Days My Prince, Swing Kids) is an idealistic prosecutor. 

Some of his ways of investigating crimes can be considered “unorthodox” or “different from the herd”. But the only reason some of his co-workers want to label him as “bad' is because of the things they do when carrying out their official duties are really really bad.

Prosecutor Jin Jeong carries a wooden sword with words engraved on it that say “Anti-justice can not beat justice.” He zealously wields that sword figuratively and literally. Sometimes he gets into confrontations with criminals and has to defend himself. But he truly believes those words that his father taught him and tries to live by them.

Jin Jeong knew that some prosecutors had ways to erase dirty deeds, he simply developed ways to work around them so that justice could be served. How does that make him a bad prosecutor?

Doh Kyung-soo is the male lead in this series and as a loyal fan, I was not disappointed.  The storyline for Bad Prosecutor has room to grow and it would be great if there was a Season 2. But as of June 2023, there is no news in this regard.  If you have not watched this K-drama, I recommend adding it to your watch list.

Original source

Korean Drama Review: The Witch's Diner (2021)

The Witch's Diner is a K-Drama series, based on a novel of the same name; 8 episodes, released in 2021, and started streaming on Viki in March 2023.

Be careful what you wish for.

Jeong Jin (played by Nam Ji-Hyun, “100 Days My Prince) was approached by a witch who told her she could make one wish. She wished for REVENGE! Her wish came true but she was filled with regret. From that time forward she tried her best to dissuade others from making their “one wish”. Or at the very least they should think long and hard before making it. Because once they made their wish, it could not be reversed. No matter how hard she tried, she could not convince others NOT to make a wish.

How are the wishes granted?

There is a restaurant called The Witch's Diner. The sign outside says wishes will be granted. Guaranteed! When the customer makes a wish, the witch prepares a dish for them to eat. They must eat everything and their one wish will come true.

This series is categorized as dark fantasy. But I thought it was a delightful fantasy. My main complaint about this K-drama series? I don't know where to find the recipes. Those dishes the witch prepared looked delicious! Personally, I would love to taste the Mind Comforting Tomato Soup.

Original source

Glitch (2022): Alien Sci-Fi Korean Drama Series ~ Only on Netflix.

Hong Ji-hyo (played by Jeon Yeo-been) thinks she may have had an encounter with aliens when she was in middle school. By the time she becomes a young adult, she has been receiving psychiatric treatment because her parents are convinced her belief in aliens is a mental illness. They want her to get married and be “normal”. Her boyfriend announced that they were going to marry and her parents were thrilled. But then her boyfriend suddenly vanishes. Her parents think she chased him away. But she is convinced that he was abducted by aliens and goes to look for him.

The series is 10 episodes and it's about a young woman who searches for her missing boyfriend and uncovers cults and conspiracies about aliens. The storyline goes from weird to weirder to weirdest to … THIS IS FREAKING UNBELIEVABLE!!

The cast for this K-drama did a good job of acting. It was a believable sci-fi TV series. LOL.

Original source

Finland Papa (2023) | A Viki Original K-Drama Series

Finland Papa is a K-drama Viki Original series that is an unusual story of love and healing.  Just 6 episodes; released in 2023. 

Finland Papa centers around the life of a young woman grieving the loss of her grandmother. In the first episode of this very short series, we meet Yu Ri (played by Kim Bo Ra). She is wearing the traditional black hanbok dress and standing alone in front of her grandmother's memorial. You can immediately feel her grief, pain and sorrow. Not only has she lost her grandmother, but her father had also tragically passed away. They were her only family. Now she is left in the world all alone. How will she carry on?

Her childhood friend encourages her to apply for a job at a restaurant called Finland Papa. According to the job ad, the applicant will be required to eat dinner with the staff. Yu Ri goes for the job interview and SHE'S HIRED!

There is something delightfully wonderful, yet mysterious and strange about the restaurant, such as:.

• None of the employees know who “Papa” is. They have never met the owner of the restaurant. But he gave 10 rules they must follow or they will lose their jobs.

One of those rules is: If one of the employees has a problem or something that's bothering them, all of the other employees must stop what they're doing and listen.

Read full review at PopGeeks.com

 

The Secret Romantic Guesthouse (2023) | A Delightful Viki Original Series Based on a Web Novel

The Secret Romantic Guesthouse (2023) is a Viki Original series, based on the web novel of the same name by Kim Jung Hwa. Close to 6000 Viki viewers have given it an overall rating of 9.6 out of 10 stars. I agree.

There are three flower scholars who become guests at Ihwawon Inn, an establishment run by a young noble lady named Yoon Dan-oh (played by Shin Ye-eun).

• The first flower scholar is Jung Yu-ha (played by Jung Gun-joo). He is already paying for a room before the other two guests arrive. The ghost rumor does not bother him. He has chosen to live at the inn because it is comfortable and convenient, and he hopes to one day win the heart of Yoon Dan-oh and marry her. 

• The second flower scholar is Kang San (played by Go Yoon-hwan better known as Ryeoun). He came to town in order to take the civil service exam for martial arts and hopefully become a member of the king's royal guard. He is looking for a place to stay and Yoon Dan-oh persuades (or rather she “tricks”) him into staying at the inn.

• The third flower scholar is Kim Shi-yeol (played by Kang Hoon). He has no money but he did try to help a damsel in distress. Yoon Dan-oh is being harassed by a nobleman, along with his friends, who are trying to compel her to get married. He arrives at her in, slightly bruised and battered. He tells her she should repay the debt by allowing him to stay at Ihwawon Inn.

Two of the scholars have a secret identity and are on a secret mission. One of the scholars has a secret identity that even he does not know about, but he is also on a secret mission. One of the three scholars is the crown prince whose life was saved by Yoon Dan-oh thirteen (13) years ago.  Which one?

Read the full review: The Secret Romantic Guesthouse | A Viki Original Historical Korean Drama Series | popgeeks.com

Narco Saints (2022) | Korean Drama Based on a True Story

Beware of a wolf in sheep's clothing.  Narco-Saints is a Netflix series released September 2022, and based on the true story based on the true story of a drug lord named Jo Bong-haeing.  This criminal creep is definitely not the hero of the story.  The hero is an honest businessman from South Korea who traveled to Suriname to set up an honest exporting business with his dear friend.  

• Kang In-gu (played by Ha Jung-woo) is the business and Pastor Jeon Yo-hwan (played by Hwang Jung-min). is the wolf in sheep's clothing; a drug lord pretending to be a servant of the Lord.

Watch and stream Narco-Saints

Kamg In-gu'ss friend is brutally murdered and he gets falsely accused and thrown into prison for drug smuggling.  While in prison he is visited by someone from the National Intelligence Service and is recruited to participate in a secret operation.  The goal of the operation is to capture the drug lord who deceived him and murdered his friend.  Uh oh!  The wolf has grabbed a tiger by the tail.  HE'S GOING DOWN!!

Read full review:  Narco Saints | Korean Drama Based on a True Story | popgeeks.com

Business Proposal (2022): Korean Drama Netflix Series

Business Proposal is a Netflix Series released in 2022.

What is the best way to avoid going on blind dates?  There are two different answers to that question. 

1) Get your friend to show up for the date in your place and have her put on an act that will make the blind date run away and never look back!

-OR- 

2) Propose marriage to your blind date.  For real??  No!  Of course, it is not a real marriage proposal.  But it is a real business proposal.

• Shin Ha-ri (played by Kim Se-jeong) works as part of Go Food's Food Development Team One. 

She not only comes up with great recipes but creative ideas of how to turn the company's food products into best sellers. Her parents run a restaurant that sells great fried chicken. Her family, which also includes a younger brother, is not rich but they live comfortably and are happy. Her BFF (best friend forever) is Jin Young-seo.

Jin Young-seo hates the idea of arranged marriages and wants to marry for love. The problem is she keeps getting set up to go on blind dates to meet her “future husband”. But it's not really a “problem” because she has found the perfect way to get out of going on these dates. She sends her BFF instead.

• Kang Tae-moo (played by Ahn Hyo-seop) is the president of Go Food. 

He did not work his way up the corporate ladder. His grandfather put him in charge. But nobody can accuse him of not doing his job. He runs the business operations successfully, not just in South Korea, but in foreign markets as well.

Kang Tae-moo's grandfather wants him to marry so that hopefully he will see his grandchild before he departs this life. But Tae-moo has “issues” and does his best to avoid marriage. Kang Tae-moo's grandfather orders him to go on blind dates until he finds the woman who will become his mate for life. OR ELSE!!

Shin Ha-ri shows up pretending to be Young-seo, not realizing that the blind date is HER BOSS!  Shin Ha-ri does everything she can to discourage him and make him dislike her, not realizing that Tae-moo didn't want to be on the date either.

Tae-moo thinks her behavior is strange but he is distracted by his own thoughts. He's thinking of how to avoid the remaining blind dates his grandfather set up for him. He comes up with the perfect way to get out of going on these dates. He proposes marriage to Shin Ha-ri.

WHAT???!!!!

No worries. It's not a marriage proposal. It's a business proposal.

Shin Ha-ri signs a contract pretending to be his future wife. She goes FROM pretending for her best friend TO pretending for her best friend's blind date.  That way Kang Tae-moo's grandfather can stop pestering him and he can keep being married to his work.

Why do the best-laid plans always seem to backfire?

Read full review at PopGeeks.com:  Business Proposal | Netflix Korean Drama Series Based on Webtoon

  

Historical Korean Drama Webtoon Adaptation | Joseon Attorney: A Morality (2023)

Joseon Attorney: A Morality (2023) is a historical Korean drama series that stars Woo Do-Hwan. Fans of this popular South Korean actor are very pleased with his performance in this webtoon adaptation as the Joseon attorney Kang Han-Soo. 

For Money, Justice, or Revenge?

Kang Han-Soo (played by Woo Do-Hwan) was supposed to be dead. His father was falsely accused and executed. The false accusers then went to his home and killed his mother by hanging her, making it appear as a suicide. The people behind the brutal murder of his parents believed that he had died when his family home was burned down. But he survived, grew up, and studied to become a lawyer. He has a childhood friend who helps him with various court cases. 

Initially, he creates the impression that he is only practicing law for the money. But his plan also includes getting revenge for the unjust deaths of his parents.  However, when he takes different cases to defend commoners and slaves who have been wronged by greedy corrupt noblemen and wins, the people praise him for his noble efforts.  

• Kpopmap.com supplied an excellent summary of this K-drama series:  “Originally by Sim Gun and Writer Jeong, "Joseon Lawyer" is a hugely popular historical webtoon about a manipulative lawyer who orchestrates lawsuits and takes advantage of the victims but accidentally gets hailed as a savior of the people, which leads him to reflect upon himself and grow as a true server of justice.”