Twenty-five Twenty-one Review

In the final episode of Twenty-five Twenty-one, Na Hee-do breaks up with Baek I-jin and says an interesting line. She says “I want to share everything with you. Your sadness, frustration, happiness. Everything. We’re lovers only during the good times. And a burden to each other during the bad times.” While I can somewhat understand I-jin too, why share things so that two people can suffer? If I had to choose one, I’m on Hee-do’s side. I’m not talking about just romantic relationships. There’s been so many relationships where I feel like I’m sharing all my deep hurts and the other person is not opening up.

우리는 좋을때만 사랑이야 힘들땐 짐이고.

I wonder about Na Hee-do. Did she marry someone that person who really shares everything with her, even during the tough times?

The cast, dialogue, and acting is excellent. I give it a 10/10. 🙂

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Start Up Review

Section 508. When I look for jobs, I look for the term ‘Section 508’. It’s basically a list of guidelines to make your website accessible to those who are visually impaired, so that the navigation menu can be used and images have the correct captions. Many sites are tested using a screen reader or an emulator. I try to make all my sites fully compliant to Section 508.

When I saw Kdrama ‘Start-up’, it was fascinating to see Nam Do-san to be so successful as a software engineer and make so many cool things like NoonGil, an artificial intelligence that can describe what it sees. It was designed specifically for Seo Dal-mi’s grandmother, who started to lose her sight. And it made me think about technology, how it could change the lives of those with various limitations.

I give Start-up a 9.6 out of 10. It’s the best Korean drama of 2020.

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Memories of the Alhambra Review

Imagine being trapped inside an augmented-reality game with your worst enemy, someone that betrayed you and you wanted to kill that person inside your mind. Memories of the Alhambra on Netflix is a drama that centers around this idea. What if our imaginations of killing someone becomes a reality?

Hyun Bin, who you may know from Secret Garden and The Snow Queen, plays the role of Jin-woo. (He is the CEO of J Group which is a large investment firm that specializes in optical devices.) He looks for Jung Se-joo, the creator of the very advanced augmented-reality game in Granada,  which is a southern part of  Spain. The game creator is played by Chanyeol of the Kpop group we know as EXO.

From all the Korean dramas I’ve watched recently, Memories of the Alhambra stands out because it’s fresh. It’s one of the first dramas to use augmented-reality gaming as part of its story. I have to praise Hyun Bin’s exceptional acting throughout the drama. He really looks tired and exhausted from fighting all the enemies inside this game.

This drama shows that even inside a game, there are many different allies and enemies. But it’s the same as real life. Real friendships in real life remain even in the game.

I give this drama a 9 out of 10 for its creative plot and great cast. 🙂

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Mr. Sunshine OST – See You Again

“See You Again” by Baek Ji Young

See your eyes
See your face
자꾸 가슴이 뛰어서
See your face
See your eyes
맘에 품은 걸 알았죠

내가 살아온
세상 어느 순간보다 더
소중해서

그댈 둘러싼
시간 꿈 모두 다 한 조각
공기처럼 간직했죠

너무나 아파서 슬픈 사랑은
매일 밤이면 낯선 얼굴로 서서

저기 바람은 가고 있는 길을
알고 있다 말하죠

I’ll be there
함께 하나요

See your eyes
See your face
자꾸 눈물이 흘러서

가진 것
아닌 것
아무 소용이 없었죠

내가 살아갈 세상
어느 곳에서도 그 이름
부를 수 없어서

이토록 아팠던 우리 사랑은
매일 밤이면 낯선 얼굴로 서서

저기 바람은 가고 있는 길을
알고 있다 말하죠

I’ll be there
함께 하나요

I’ll be there
I’ll be there

모두 흩어진 뒤에
만나죠
다 아픈 거죠

그곳에선 함께 웃고 있죠
I’ll be there
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Cheongdamdong Alice OST – Daddy Long Legs

Baek Ah Yeon Cheongdamdong Alice OST

“Daddy Long Legs” by Baek Ah Yeon

한걸음 한걸음 가요
Walking toward you step by step
그대도 내게로 와요
You are coming toward me too
그대 작은 미소는
Your little smile
나에겐 전부가 돼요
Becomes my everything.

사랑이겠죠 이런 내 마음은
I guess it's love, this feeling of mine
사랑이겠죠 부족하지만
I guess it's love, although it's insufficient
눈을 감아도 귀를 막아도 그댄
Even when I close my eyes, when I cover my ears,
느껴지는 내 안의 사랑
You're the love inside of me
닿을 수 없어도 돼요
It's okay if I can't reach
만질 수 없어도 돼요 
It's okay if I can't touch
지금처럼 그대로
Just like it is now
그 자리 그곳에 남아
You're still there

사랑이겠죠 이런 내 마음은
I guess it's love, this feeling of mine
사랑이겠죠 부족하지만
I guess it's love, although it's insufficient
눈을 감아도 귀를 막아도 그댄
Even when I close my eyes, when I cover my ears,
느껴지는 내 안의 사랑
You're the love inside of me

이렇게 그대만을 그리는데
I miss only you, like this
이렇게 아무것도 못하는데
I can't do anything, like this
그대의 흔적 조차 그리운데
I miss even the traces of you

그대의 마음 마저 머문다면
If your heart stays with me
그대의 눈길 마저 비춘다면
If your eyes are with me
내 전불 다 주어도 모자라요
Even if I give you my everything, it is not enough

사랑이겠죠 이런 내 마음은
I guess it's love, this feeling of mine
사랑이겠죠 부족하지만
I guess it's love, although it's insufficient
눈을 감아도 귀를 막아도 그댄
Even when I close my eyes, when I cover my ears,
느껴지는 내 안의 사랑
You're the love inside of me
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Unexpected You OST – Where is My Love?

“Where is My Love?” by F.I.X

When did my heart start beating
Why do I breathe only toward you
My heart toward you grows as I stop one foot away
What's wrong with my heart?

Because you started a new love 
You must not hear my heart beating
My heart, watching you without any words 
Why does it keep walking toward you?
 
My love can't be you
Because it never beat like this before
When my love comes I can feel it
My heart will say that it is my love
 
What did you do to me?
I wouldn't be hurting because of you
My heart, watching you from a distance
Why hasn't it given up

My love can't be you but
I haven't been hurt like this before
When my love comes I can feel it
My heart will say that it is my love

Why do I keep crying
Why do I feel this way
You aren't by my side 
It can't be because of that
 
You are my love
The love that I waited for so long
After my love left, I felt it 
My heart hurts
Now my heart says that my love is you
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Poem from The Equator Man

In The Equator Man, Seon Woo reads a beautiful poem to Ji Won.

너에게 이 시를 보낸다
I send this poem to you
니옆에 있는게 행복하고
I am happy being next to you and
니옆에 있는데 두려운 나는
I am afraid while I am next to you
너를 만나기 이전으로 돌아가고 싶지 않다
I don't want to return to the state before I met you

깊은 터널에 갖혀 앞이 보이지 않는 시간
Inside a deep tunnel, the times we cannot see ahead
너와함께 이 터널의 끝을 볼수 있다면 얼마나 좋을까
It would be so good if we can see the end of this tunnel together
우리 둘만 아는 길
A road only we know
우리 둘만 아는 시간
A time only we know
너도 나와 같은 마음이라면
If you feel the same way as me

말해줘
Tell me

난 길을 떠날거야
I will leave

넌 여기남아도 난 널 새겨서 가는길이 외롭지 않을것이다
Even if you remain here, I won't be lonely because I engraved you in my heart
그는 그녀에게 편지를 썻다
I wrote this letter to her
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Dream High 2 OST – Together

Dream High 2 OST Part 7

“Together” by JB and Jiyeon

Living day by day, when I'm struggling in this world
When I'm feeling like I'm just one person out of many people
When I see your loving eyes watch me, I feel special
When you give me a warm hug, all my scars heal up

When we're together when we're together
Everything becomes alright, all my bad memories are gone
When we're together when we're together
I become happy again, I smile without knowing it

When I'm lonely, when I feel I'm alone
When everything's unfamiliar, when suddenly I lose confidence

Because you believe in me and your voice gives me courage
I go out to the world again
Because you're standing one step behind me, watching me
It's so important to me

When we're together when we're together
Everything becomes alright, all my bad memories are gone
When we're together when we're together
I become happy again, I smile without knowing it

Just like now
If you are next to me
No matter what obstacle comes
I can overcome it

When we're together when we're together
Everything becomes alright, all my bad memories are gone
When we're together when we're together
I become happy again, I smile without knowing it
When we're together when we're together
Everything becomes alright, all my bad memories are gone
When we're together when we're together
I become happy again, I smile without knowing it
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Important Message Told in Dream High 2

Towards the end of episode 9 of Dream High 2, an important message is left. Shin Hae-Sung was on stage talking about a dream. She says that the school is divided up into two groups. One is for the regular class and the other one is for the honor class. She asked the audience, “Is a dream only meant for the talented? If you have no talent, does that mean you shouldn’t even dream?”

“If you want to dream, you must first close your eyes. When you close your eyes, it doesn’t matter how people look at you. When you close your eyes, you can face yourself, not the person they see you as. I tell myself to never give up a dream. Because it is not for the talented but for people who dream. We will run for our dream even with our small talents.”

The message is strong and I believe it summarizes the drama very well.

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Dream High 2 OST – Walking Toward Me

“Walking Toward Me” by Jin Woon (2AM)

Across the street, I see your image, with your cold eyes 
you look at me, 
walking toward me, walking toward me


You say things that can't be taken back, with your small voice 
you tear up the memories

Your eyes covered me with a blue ocean, you puff me out 
like white smoke from a cigarette, like I'm nothing


Like a sandcastle is washed away by the tide, like there were 
no memories left, you're trying to end it


I am drifting away from you first, my fingertips are still 
pointing toward you, 
drifting away, drifting away


With intolerable pain, I kept your last image in my eyes, but


Your eyes covered me with a blue ocean, you puff me out 
like white smoke from a cigarette, like I'm nothing


Like a sandcastle is washed away by the tide, like there were 
no memories left, 
you're trying to end it


Across the street, I see your image, with your cold eyes 
you look at me, 
walking toward me, walking toward me
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