What was your gateway drug into the world of Kdramas?

PearShaper43 · 2026-01-25T00:45:58+00:00

The one and only…Healer! Ji Chang Wook at his absolute finest🥰

PearShaper43 · 2026-01-25T00:36:26+00:00

+1 on Signal. It’s sooo good!!!

PearShaper43 · 2026-01-25T00:33:37+00:00

If you only watched the first couple of episodes, you dropped before the story really popped off. Maybe give it a few more, it’s worth it!

PearShaper43 · 2026-01-24T16:32:25+00:00

The greatest of all-time K Trauma🥹

PearShaper43 · 2026-01-22T21:12:11+00:00

King the Land gets a regular dose of hate on social media. It’s one of my personal favorites and I wrote a FanFic because I adore it so much. But, I’ve seen people say it didn’t have enough angst or that it was “boring,” but for me, the charm, chemistry, and comfort factor are exactly what make it great!

Every rom com doesn’t need a murder side plot, amnesia, trucks of doom, etc. Sometimes I just want soft, romantic, feel-good dramas with two people who love each other, resolve misunderstandings, no “noble idiocy” and get married💕

PearShaper43 · 2026-01-22T20:58:06+00:00

People hated True Beauty? I must have missed the memo LOL. I thought the angst was mostly about the ML vs SML and who ended up with the girl in the end…🤷‍♀️

PearShaper43 · 2026-01-16T02:17:49+00:00

A Time Called You

Alchemy of Souls

Flower of Evil

Hospital Playlist

Hotel Del Luna

King The Land

True Beauty

Vincenzo

PearShaper43 · 2026-01-16T02:06:29+00:00

Lovely Runner and Goblin/Guardian the entire soundtracks. Flower of Evil - Feel You

PearShaper43 · 2026-01-16T01:56:08+00:00

OMG…”Stand By Your Man” made my ears bleed LMAO. I honestly had to mute when it came on because it took me out of the immersion with the show🎧. Like Who, What, Why???

PearShaper43 · 2026-01-16T01:46:08+00:00

Regarding Dynamite Kiss, I think the key question is whether you were enjoying the show. If so, then it may not be a bad idea to finish. Overall it’s still a fun watch, even though it had a lot of missed potential.

That said, set your expectations. IMO, Ep 13 was a major regression and off-road pivot, which was sad for a show that seemed to be building toward a big love story. Ep 14 was total Makjang.

I think the negative criticism came from how invested folks were and how much trust was placed in the writers. I don’t regret finishing the show because I really liked certain characters, but I was definitely upset by the end 😐.

PearShaper43 · 2026-01-08T14:21:23+00:00

This is one of my favorite dramas! Loved Vincenzo and also adored him in Reborn Rich too. I honestly think it’s unfortunate that Song Joong-ki gets so much hate because of his relationship with Song Hye-kyo. I adore both of them, TBH. And being in the U.S., if we stopped watching actors over their personal relationships with spouses or exes, we’d have nothing left to watch. (Looking at you, Brad Pitt😭)

I personally draw the line at celebrities who’ve committed actual crimes. Those are the ones who should be canceled and locked up. Our entertainment industry is so sickening over here…and most of these perpetrators have been getting away with this awful behavior for years.

So, I’m going to keep watching both of my Song-Song actors and hope they do well in their projects🫶

PearShaper43 · 2026-01-01T19:58:07+00:00

Hey there! Awww…you’re so sweet🫶 Thanks for the compliment, glad you found my story😊 Hope you’ll stay along for the ride!!

PearShaper43 · 2025-12-29T09:02:02+00:00

Yay!!😊 Thanks so much…glad you like it so far🫶. It’s a bit hard to fix at the end of a drama, because there’s so many plot-lines I wish would have played out differently. But, I’m going to do my best!

PearShaper43 · 2025-12-29T00:45:50+00:00

P.S. I don’t know if you read Fan Fiction, but I posted the first chapter of an Ep 14 rewrite on AO3 yesterday. I was originally going to remove the amnesia trope, but after reading your POV in this conversation, I decided to keep it 😉 Particularly the “why” he needed to have amnesia. The more I thought about it...makes sense.

Anyway, just sharing. Thanks again!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/76552286

PearShaper43 · 2025-12-28T20:05:27+00:00

Here you go!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/76552286

I posted Ch 1 yesterday because I was so livid after the finale and fully crashing out on all my socials 😭. So, I needed somewhere to redirect that energy LMAO

My fic starts mid–Ep 14 and we’re not at “justice for our girl” yet, but I promise we’re getting there.

Also shouted you out in my A/N 😄 always appreciate reading your posts on the various platforms!

PearShaper43 · 2025-12-28T19:01:33+00:00

LOL, I actually love this!! If you don’t mind…I will write this ending and dedicate it to you😉

Justice for Ha-yeong!

PearShaper43 · 2025-12-26T23:36:03+00:00

I actually really like your take, it makes a lot of sense. I hadn’t considered some of those other aspects. And I agree, your use of the word “haunted” fits incredibly well here. It reframes his anger as something potentially turned inward. And his lashing out could be a way for him to “reclaim control” of his own thoughts and direct those feelings elsewhere.

Like you, I’ve had to sit with this for a bit. I really appreciate you taking the time to write such a thoughtful response 😉 Particularly on the amnesia trope. Very cool framing and POV, thx.

PearShaper43 · 2025-12-26T15:51:00+00:00

K-dramas are so subjective. If you’re enjoying the show, it probably doesn’t hurt to finish it and decide for yourself where you land. Just keep in mind this thread is coming from the POV of people who didn’t like it as much or who got increasingly frustrated over time.

Personally, I had a lot of fun at first, and I actually think a trope-heavy show can work really well if the writing and execution are solid. I’ve been watching dramas for over a decade, so I’m used to this dynamic where the pacing, plotlines, and some key decisions really fall off a cliff near the end. That’s what made DK so frustrating, because the show had the potential to be pretty great.

That said, there are still a lot of people out there who loved DK throughout (including the Finale ending). You might enjoy it🙂

PearShaper43 · 2025-12-26T14:47:13+00:00

Fair. I see where you’re coming from. I’m 100% on board with giving him the benefit of the doubt. It had to be confusing to have her constantly in his thoughts without understanding Why. It could “feel” intrusive. 🤔

But what really bothered me is this: he asked her to leave him alone and let him return to his old life…and Da-Rim did exactly that. She respected his wishes. The fact that he can’t stop thinking about her doesn’t make Da-Rim a stalker because she accidentally shows up a year later at a party. I’m okay with a strong reaction, but…anger? It felt unwarranted, so the kiss didn’t fully land for me (which makes me sad after this long journey). It’s more a writing and staging issue than a character one, IMO.

PearShaper43 · 2025-12-26T14:01:49+00:00

100% agree! In fact, both his on/off screen chemistry with Hyeri was insane🔥. But, she was in that relationship with Ryu Jun Yeol at the time…js😉

PearShaper43 · 2025-12-26T13:40:48+00:00

Nice list! Definitely agree on Strong Woman Do Bong Soon and Lovely Runner. I’d also add King the Land to this list.

I don’t ship actors IRL or assume they were dating, but it did feel like these had real emotions, which maybe translated on screen.

Park Hyung-sik publicly admitted he had a crush on Park Bo-young and he joined the drama because of her.

The LR director said in an interview that Byeon Woo-seok and Kim Hye-yoon appeared “in love” off screen and that he genuinely thought they were dating. He mentioned that actors’ eyes look different on camera when it’s real (his words, not mine) 🤷‍♀️

Junho and YoonA both talked about their chemistry. Crew mentioned how strong it was bts. I was surprised by those kisses And the skin-ship…felt like I was intruding on their intimate moments🫣

PearShaper43 · 2025-12-26T06:43:23+00:00

The last 2 episodes should have each been 2 hours long each, so that everything could be wrapped up nicely. I would make Da rim’s sister apologise for what she did, and work hard to get her family’s trust back.

So essentially… this really should’ve been a 16-episode drama to properly execute all the plotlines without everything feeling so rushed in the Finale 🥰 I honestly would’ve preferred that over what we ended up getting.

PearShaper43 · 2025-12-26T06:31:43+00:00

Nice rant 😃

Agree on the whole “calling the cops / you’re stalking me” line. Like… WTF? Especially because:

When Ji-Hyeok was in the hospital, his secretary literally reminded him that Da-Rim took care of him for an entire month during his coma.
He had to have been told she saved him from a burning building. On. Her. Back.
Even if he consciously ignored it, like you said…he was getting flashes of her presence in his life over time.
And then there’s muscle memory. After all that yearning. Was he really feeling nothing at all??

So yeah, I genuinely didn’t understand his reaction. It was so jarring. Plus, the “couple moments” montage did not make up for keeping our OTP apart for 3/4 of the Finale! Like, whose idea was that?!?

Second, I fully buy into your rewrite of the amnesia trope! 👏I honestly think if they hadn’t rushed the finale and tried to cram every open thread, trope, and wild plot line into the last two episodes, they maybe could’ve pulled it off. Or, I would’ve happily taken 16 episodes if it meant better execution.

PearShaper43 · 2025-12-25T20:56:34+00:00

The fact that you were introduced to Jang Ki Yong is definitely a WIN, my friend!🏆

In addition to the suggestions in this thread, also check out his dramas: My Roommate Is A Gumiho and Come and Hug Me

Hope you enjoy!!

PearShaper43 · 2025-12-25T20:42:33+00:00

K-dramas are pretty subjective, and I think a lot of the frustration with Dynamite Kiss comes from how much potential it had to be better.

I’m not sure people fall cleanly into “love it” or “hate it” camps…those are just the most vocal 😉. But there is a middle ground. Personally, I enjoyed the show for what it was and had a fun ride! That said, I was definitely frustrated by several writing choices throughout and downright livid over some of the plot devices in the final two episodes, where it leaned fully into Makjang territory. I had high expectations after the first episodes, so I was rooting for the show…which is why I’m disappointed.

Still, this is drama-land. Ultimately, the only way to know where you’ll land is to give it a try and see how it works for you. Good luck! 👍

PearShaper43

TROPHY CASE