Lee Min-ho and miss A's Suzy confirmed to be dating

I don't normally talk about celebrity gossip on here but this is too huge to be ignored. Top Hallyu stars Lee Min-ho and and Suzy Bae of idol group miss A were recently spotted by Dispatch on several dates in London and Seoul. I swear to god, Dispatch will unearth all these secrets no matter where these celebrities go to secretly date.

Just hours after the photos and the rumor went viral, both StarHaus and JYP (entertainment agencies managing Lee and Bae, respectively) confirmed that the two stars have indeed been dating for the past month. And I am beyond pleased that they did not attempt to deny or redirect the rumors. Those only make things worse for everyone involved (coughChoizaSullicough).

I'm sure there will be negative feedback from fans of both celebrities but, so far, I'm glad I haven't encountered anything out of the normal "omg my oppaaaa". And let's be real. How can you complain? Both stars are huge names and they make one helluva good-looking couple. There is that 7-year age gap but Lee Min-ho isn't that old and Suzy turns 21 this year. Shouldn't really be a problem (again coughChoizaSullicough).

Anyway, I wish them the best of luck and may they continue to be gorgeous together. #BaeLee because #Suho or #Minzy just doesn't work for me.

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Currently Watching: The Heirs, Mi-rae's Choice, Pretty Man, Reply 1994

It's gotten really bad, this addiction of mine. I think this is the most number of dramas that I've ever attempted to watch simultaneously. By simultaneously, I don't mean I have 5 different screens simultaneously airing 5 different dramas. But If I could do that and still completely understand what I'm watching, I would. That would cut down on my drama-watching time significantly.

Aside from watching currently airing dramas, I'm also watching an older drama that has been on my to-watch list for so long. Also, I'm revisiting a favorite from last year. So without further ado, here are the dramas that are currently taking up most of my time.

1. The Heirs - As frustrating as it is to watch two overgrown teenage boys playing tug-o-war - sometimes emotionally and most times literally - with a tiny girl, I'm stuck to this drama like glue. For one, it does have a stellar cast - although most of them are underutilized and left in the background.

Aside from the main love triangle, I'm loving all the minor relationships in the drama. The mothers are awesome. Yoon Chan-young and Lee Bo-na are adorable. Well, Lee Bo-na is just all-around wonderful - and here I thought I was going to dislike her. I'm glad they took Krystal's character in a different direction because it's quite too easy to make her haughty, possessive, self-important role and turn her into a mean girl. It also must be said that characters like Lee Hyo-shin and Jo Myung-soo keep me sane.

We have 6 more episodes and I'm hoping we find some believable character growth in our main leads before the finale. If not, I will have wasted 20 hours of my drama-watching life that I could have very well used to re-watch City Hunter, a drama I actually liked Lee Min-ho in.

2. Mi-rae's Choice - While I'm more sympathetic towards the male leads in this drama, the Noble Idiot act that both Oppa and Kim Shin are pulling in the recent episodes are frustrating. I thought my annoyance would be reserved for Ahjumma Mi-rae, but no. The boys are starting to aggravate as well.

I'm just glad I'm still fully behind Mi-rae every step of the way. Because it's one thing to gripe about Noble Idiots and another thing entirely to have no heroine to support. I'm happy Mi-rae is not just likeable, but she's also shown the most character growth in the drama. She's no longer the weak pushover who was happy with being mediocre. Now, she has an actual dream and a goal to work towards. There's no way in hell she's ending up with Ahjumma Mi-rae's life and problems. She's above all that now and her growth has been fun to witness. Honestly, she needs neither men right now.

Here's to hoping that the final episodes redeem Kim Shin's decision to be an ass towards Mi-rae (to spare her from a future that hasn't even happened yet). I mean, we all know Mi-rae ends up with him, right? Park Se-joo may be awesome, but Mi-rae's just not feeling him. Sad. My Shin-woo feels are resurfacing. Let me love you, Shin-woo hyung!

3. Pretty Man - Come to think of it, we have Shin-woo and Go Mi-nam in separate dramas this season, and with the premiere of Pretty Man last week, Hwang Tae-kyung is back as well. All we need right now is for Lee Hong-ki to get himself a drama and my A.N.Jell babies will be complete.

That aside, Pretty Man had a pretty strong premiere week. In my personal opinion, that is. I'm not sure how it rated against The Heirs, who shares the same time slot, but I thought the first 2 episodes showed promise. While I was expecting fluff and cuteness, what I was not expecting was depth and mystery. I should have taken more note of KBS's decision to use Bel Ami as its international title, a reference to the Guy De Maupassant novel. Clearly, we're delving into darker and more emotional corners here.

I'm glad then that they have both Jang Geun-suk and IU on board. Both actors can do comedy and drama quite well. While Jang Geun-suk has a tendency to overact, it bodes well for the drama that he is also a very nuanced actor where multiple emotions come across with a single look.

Though they are of different genres, and are as different as night and day in treatment and aesthetics, what immediately comes to mind with the characterizations in Pretty Man is the 2007 drama Que Sera Sera. That character-driven drama tackled similar themes - an abusive relationship between a simple girl and a gold-digging womanizer. So while both lead characters in Pretty Man are completely flawed, I'm excited to see how working with each other will change them. Because that's where we're headed, right? Right?!

4. Reply 1994 - While I'm not liking how long this drama is seeming to be (20 one-hour-long episodes?!), I can't help but love its plot points and characters. A lot of the plotting is similar to its predecessor, Reply 1997, and yet it doesn't exactly feel the same.

What this drama does so well, as with 1997, is how they tackle real-life situations without aggrandizing these occurrences. First loves, first heartbreaks, one-sided loves, friendship, family - the drama finds these precious moments in the lives of our characters and highlights the emotions without amplifying them. It's very day-in-the-life and can easily make a wrong turn towards the mundane, but it doesn't. It's quite beautiful.

Because of the longer format, compared to 1997's total of 16 30-minute back-to-back episodes, 1994 actually jerks us around more in the question of who Na-jung ends up with. Is it Oppa? Is it Chilbongie? No, it's Oppa, right? Nope, Chilbongie? No! It's Haitai! Team Haitai for the win!

5. School 2013 - Truth be told, while School 2013 is on my list of favorite dramas, I actually haven't watched the entire drama. I used to watch it on KBS World when it aired late 2012 to early this year. And on those days I couldn't watch, I'd immediately go find the recaps on dramabeans while promising myself I'd download the episode eventually. I never did. So I finished the series half by watching it on tv, and half by reading the recaps online. I cheated and I'm sorry.

So now, with the vast onslaught of Lee Jong-suk and Kim Woo-bin feels (from both I Hear Your Voice and The Heirs), I've decided to revisit School 2013. Properly, this time around. I'm still on episode 2 (I started last night, to be fair) but the feels are already there. Heung-soo isn't even around yet and I'm already itching for his appearance and the promise of angst-y bromance. I luff them.

6. White Christmas - This drama has been on my list for the longest time. I actually started watching it several times before but never got past the first episode because of one thing or another. But I've always been told of how awesome it is and that I absolutely must see it. I actually have no excuses seeing how it's only 8 episodes long. And this is it. I swear.

I'm not going to deny the fact that the driving force behind watching White Christmas is, once again, Kim Woo-bin. He is awesome and I just need more of him. Not to mention the very many other model-actors in this drama. Apparently I have a thing for them. Lee Soo-hyuk, Hong Jong-hyun, Sung Joon - I love them all. If only Lee Jong-suk were in this drama too. HA.

7. We Got Married - In this variety-docu series, I'm still totally invested in the relationship of Taemin and Na-eun so I do try to stay away from the crazy things the fans have to say online. I don't need the netizen-driven drama to enjoy this couple, thank you very much.

I've also started to watch the 2 new couples: Jung-Jung Couple and the Yoon-han couple. I actually love Jung Joon-young and Jung Yumi together. They are hilarious and complete opposites, yet so awesome together.

To be honest, I'm thinking of dropping Yoon-han and his wife (I don't even remember her name). While I think they are cute and a perfect match, they bore me to tears. They should just get it over with and get married in real life. I loved Yoon-han even before he got on board the We Got Married train and he's an awesome singer and pianist, but this show is showing me how dull he is. Everything is just so damn serious with them. I can't. My older friends absolutely love it but I'd rather have more of Taemin and Na-eun's adorable first love instead.

So these are the shows I've been busy with on a weekly basis. It's insane. And yet, there are still other shows I watch every now and then, on top of my already busy drama-watching schedule. There's that adorable show Tablo and his daughter are on, Superman is Back. Cuteness overload, seriously. And then, of course, there's Running Man. And I also have to try to tune into the new season of 1 Night 2 Days, if only to check out the rapport between the new cast members and to see if the new PD is any good.

Ugh. I'm so ready to hibernate. Is it December yet? I need a breather. From work, that is. I'm probably just going to keep watching all these dramas (and the upcoming new ones) during my Christmas break.

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Hallyu stars send prayers to victims of Typhoon Haiyan

I've been gone for over a week but worry not, I'm safe and sound. Manila wasn't directly affected by the super typhoon that hit central Philippines late last week and I was actually in Vietnam when all this started to happen. By the time I got back, the typhoon was already making its way over to Vietnam. Imagine how lucky we were.

However, not so many people were as lucky. The devastation caused by the typhoon is immense and thousands of people have been affected. And here I thought the food poisoning that caused me and my sisters to worship the ceramic god was bad. Nothing is as bad as what's currently happening in Tacloban, Leyte, and other provinces affected by Haiyan. The fact that CNN's very own Anderson Cooper is in town to report on the disaster, well, that says something.

As this is not my personal blog, but a Hallyu-related blog, I'll keep things on the lighter side and share with you all the positive words and prayers my country has received from some of our favorite Korean stars. 

2NE1's Sandara Park, who grew up in the Philippines, took to Twitter to send out her thoughts on the typhoon. She also wished her Filipino followers well in Tagalog.

Jay Park

Flowsik of hip-hop/R&B group Aziatix

2PM's Nichkhun was actually in Manila during the typhoon for a fanmeeting, and he shared how he already was planning on visiting the Philippines after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake had hit the country awhile back. "A part of me was already here in the Philippines so when I heard about the earthquake, it really shook me," he said. 

Regarding Typhoon Haiyan, the Thai k-pop star shared, “It’s really heartbreaking to be a victim of something like this. I hope all the people in the Philippines are safe and those of you who are the victims, I hope you guys stay strong and keep your hopes up and never give up. I’m sure that when everything clears up, everything will go back to normal, for better.”

Kevin Woo of U-KISS

Model/actor Ricky Kim

Actor Lee Min-ho took to his official Facebook page, and cross-posted to his Twitter, his well-wishes for the Filipino people.

Their support and prayers mean a lot to us - especially since they're bringing attention to what is currently going on here. For more information on the typhoon and on how you can help, click here.

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New Drama Roundup: The Heirs, Mi-rae's Choice

While I'm still fully invested in the progress of my ongoing shows (i.e. We Got Married, WIN: Who Is Next?) and have bid farewell to the recently concluded Master's Sun, I have to admit that I have yet to finish Good Doctor. And it looks like it might take me awhile to get it over with. I know it's a good show and I've read really good reviews. But for some reason, I can't seem to make myself sit in front of my laptop and focus on the drama. Especially now that two new dramas have premiered in the past two weeks and they've been quite addicting. Maybe I can give Joo Won another go next time.

Meanwhile, The Heirs has been reigning my Thursdays and Fridays (Wednesday-Thursday in Korea means I have to wait a day later for the English subtitles) while Mi-rae's Choice has been tickling my fancy every Tuesdays and Wednesdays (Monday-Tuesday KST).


First of all, how can one say no to Lee Min-ho? You can't. You just don't do that. Combine his pretty with the pretty of a dozen other cast members and a girl can do nothing but give in. Kim Woo-bin, Kang Ha-neul, Kang Min-hyuk, Park Shin-hye, Kim Ji-won... The list seems endless. And it's a list of gorgeous actors who can actually act and whom I've actually loved in their previous works. And thank ye drama gods that the writing and directing seems to be going in the right direction as well. So far, at least. I know we're only on the show's fourth episode and so much can go wrong from here on out, but I have all my fingers crossed. Toes, too!

The drama has caught my interest and on so many levels. There's the romance factor. The sparks between Lee Min-ho and Park Shin-hye have been off the charts since the drama's first episode. Whenever Kim Tan (Lee Min-ho) stares at Cha Eun-sang (Park Shin-hye), I feel it. Lee Min-ho is really hitting my noona feels with his puppy dog look. I mean, he has pretty much fallen in love with the lead girl by the end of the first episode, which one might think unlikely, but then you take a look at Lee Min-ho's face and he just sells it. Plus, we have to remember that we're looking not at 26-year-old Lee Min-ho but at 17-year-old Kim Tan (ignoring East Asian age reckoning). And if you recall back to high school, it's not that far back okay, teenagers do fall irrationally in love that fast.


Another thing I love, and don't you dare roll your eyes, is all the bromance in the air. There are several in this drama and I love them all. For one, Kim Tan and Choi Young-do (Kim Woo-bin): what the hell happened between you two?! Also, Choi Young-do and Lee Hyo-shin (Kang Ha-neul): there seems to be an unspoken something between these two that results in a passive-aggressive antagonizing that seems like a cover up for a kind of fondness. I don't know. Choi Young-do and Jo Myung-soo (Park Hyung-sik): it's nice that Young-do found an adorable replacement BFF. Kim Tan and Yoon Chan-young (Kang Min-hyuk): the bromance hasn't happened yet, but can you just imagine?! And last but definitely not the least, Kim Tan and actual half-brother Kim Won (Choi Jin-hyuk): just kiss and make up already!

Also, all the familial criss-crossing has me intrigued. While I would normally roll my eyes at how, apparently, everyone in this drama know each other and are interrelated, I like how this gives us more meat for our characters' stories. Sooner or later, whether they want to or not, they will be crossing paths. You have Kim Tan who is engaged to Rachel, whose mom is now marrying Young-do's father but once had a little something-something with Chan-young's father, who happens to work for Kim Tan's father's company. Chan-young is also dating Lee Bo-na, who is Kim Tan's ex-girlfriend and is friends with Young-do and Hyo-shin, and most of these people are no longer friends with Kim Tan for some big reason no one has yet to speak of. I'm on the edge of my seat thinking Tan killed someone or something. I need to know!


Lastly, how can we forget that Eun-sang's mother works as a maid at Kim Tan's household? We can't. Because this brings our couple into co-habitation mode as early as the fourth episode. Oh, who am I kidding? They've been in co-habitation mode since the first episode! Except, that was in America and wasn't a real home home. But they're back in Korea now and they will still be co-habitating. Which is cute. But because they're back in Korea, there are harsher realities for our main couple. Like the fact that he's a chaebol and she's the maid's daughter. There are certain lines you just cannot cross. So indeed, the few days they spent together in California are now merely fragments of a midsummer night's dream.

I wonder if all my rambling is confusing for someone who has yet to see the drama. Perhaps. But isn't that good enough reason for you to want to check in and find out what exactly I'm talking about? If not, maybe these will help.





I think I have less to say about Mi-rae's Choice, if only because we're only on the drama's second episode and things have yet to really fall into place. But I have to confess, this drama is looking to be cuter than I would've expected.

First of all, despite Yoon Eun-hye's elegant reputation as a celebrity, I've found to be quite taken with her whenever she plays the unpretty and almost-dopey characters. Mostly because we already know how pretty she is, we don't need to be reminded of it in every other scene. This is why, for me, her most memorable characters will always be the ones she played in Goong and Coffee Prince. She kicked some asses with those sassy-dorky characters. And am I ever grateful that she's back to being just as kooky as the titular Mi-rae in Mi-rae's Choice (which also goes by the English title Marry Him If You Dare).


I like how her downtrodden character was given just enough zest to keep her interesting. And she's just such a perfect foil to stiff-as-a-rod Kim Shin (Lee Dong-gun) and the kind-hearted Park Se-joo (Jung Yong-hwa). And so far, I like how our lead girl can pretty much end up with either men and it would still be such a story to tell. Their interactions have been amusing so far and I can't wait for more.

While the whole time-travelling theme may be too early for a 2012 throwback (I mean seriously, this drama is a year late), I do like how straightforward they are with the how and why of it all. There are no mythological or magical explanations. It's pretty basic. How? Time machine. Why? To prevent her past self from the fatal mistake of marrying Kim Shin, who is said to have killed the person she loves the most. As vague as the why of it all may sound right now, with us not knowing if that's a literal "kill" and who the "dead person" is, it's enough for us to want to know more.


I also like how it brings important questions to the fore. Like, how much meddling does Future Mi-rae need to do for her path to totally change? We see her trying to prevent things from happening that will still happen when given another opportunity. Like when she tried to prevent Present Mi-rae from being involved in a car accident that finds fruition at a later time anyway. Also, in an opposite cause-effect tangent, does she even need to meddle more when things are already happening of their own accord without further pushing from her? Like how Present Mi-rae finds herself at Park Se-joo's side anyway, even after Future Mi-rae's "botched up" plan in Jeju.

What happens here on out is anybody's guess. And whether she ends up with either man is fine by me. I'm just hoping they don't turn Kim Shin out to be an actual murderer. Ack. Also, my dear Jung Yong-hwa, this has been, by far, the most appealing you've been in a drama. Keep up the good work. You are adorable. I'd marry either versions of Park Se-joo, whether chaebol or rookie VJ.



Crossing my fingers for both shows. Seriously. We've seen dramas start out big that fizzled out towards the end. Or worse, some dramas just take turns at random intersections, cut haphazardly into adjacent lanes, take random u-turns, and then find themselves completely lost that we end up with a finale that has strayed so far from the pilot that it seems like a totally different drama. I hope this is not the case with these two. I'm way too invested for that shit to happen.

The Heirs, Mi-rae's Choice, fighting!

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The Heirs releases first teaser trailer

Upcoming trendy high school rom-com The Heirs is in full gear as it continues to make waves a month before its scheduled premiere.

Fast on the heels of the release of stills from the set and character posters, the drama has upped the hype by giving us its first teaser trailer. The trailer, which aired after the September 19th episode of Master's Sun, gives us a glimpse into what we can expect from the drama.

Not surprising, the trailer boasts of its ensemble cast - all of whom are gorgeous young stars - and it clearly shows us that each and everyone of these characters are "heirs," including Park Shin-hye and Kang Min-hyuk's characters. That is, if being "heir to poverty" and "heir to intelligence" - respectively - count (which they don't).

Much of the hype for this drama is brought about by its stellar cast (duh), most of whom are not just pretty faces but have actual acting abilities to back them up. While that's well and good, I'm sincerely hoping they have a fresh story to tell. If it's just straight up Candy meets chaebol prince, I will be sorely disappointed - especially when they have all that talent to work with.

The Heirs succeeds Master's Sun and premieres on October 9.

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Character posters for The Heirs

It's a one-two punch from upcoming drama The Heirs as they've put up character profiles onto their website.

I'm ready to give up and sell my soul to this drama. Despite telling myself not to hype this up too much to myself, I can't help but be totally excited for this. I mean, it has Lee Min-ho and Kim Woo-bin and Kang Ha-neul. Can it get any better than that? (Yes, yes, it can. Throw is some Lee Jong-suk and Jung Il-woo and a whole lot of bromance and I can die happy.)

Annnyyyywaaayyyy. Here are the character posters from the drama's official website.

LEE MIN-HO as Kim Tan

PARK SHIN-HYE as Cha Eun-sang

KIM WOO-BIN as Choi Young-do

KRYSTAL as Lee Bo-na

CHOI JIN-HYUK as Kim Won

KANG MIN-HYUK as Yoon Chan-young

KANG HA-NEUL as Lee Hyo-shin

PARK HYUNG-SIK as Jo Myung-soo

IM JOO-EUN as Teacher Jeon Hyun-joo

KIM JI-WON as Rachel Yoo

JEON SOO-JIN as Kang Ye-sol

KIM SUNG-RYUNG as Han Ki-ae

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More stills are released from the set of The Heirs

Dramaland is abuzz lately with a handful of October dramas releasing photo teasers from their sets. The Heirs is not one to be left behind as it has been creating buzz from several months back, way before actual production was underway. Casting news consistently called for attention as the drama boasts of an ensemble cast comprised of pretty and youthful talents. And now that production has actually begun, the hype just continues to rise as the drama releases more stills from its set, following the trail of photos already released last week.

Lee Min-ho (City Hunter) and Park Shin-hye (Flower Boy Next Door), this drama's main couple, were in LA recently to film the pairing's first meeting. Lee Min-ho's character is a young chaebol studying abroad, while Park Shin-hye's character is the average girl visiting family in the States. I sense chemistry between the two and it excites me (even if the better part of me is telling me not to get my hopes up).

The drama has also released a slew of photos of the other characters. We have Choi Jin-hyuk (Gu Family Book), who plays the older brother of Lee Min-ho's character. He's looking dapper in his expensive-looking suit, standing in the middle of an equally expensive-looking jewelry store. Krystal also co-stars as an heiress to an entertainment fortune, she is the female second lead.

Kang Min-hyuk (You've Fallen For Me) joins the cast as a friend to Park Shin-hye's character. This probably means he's also of the poor kind. Kim Ji-won (To The Beautiful You), like almost everyone else in this drama who isn't Park Shin-hye or Kang Min-hyuk, plays an heiress to a hotel business.

The Heirs is set to air on October 9 on SBS.

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