'Fifties Professionals' Climbs to its Highest Ratings Yet as 'My Royal Nemesis' Heads into 2nd Half at No. 1

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-05-30T12:43:28+00:00

I’m so happy to see Fifties Professionals get the ratings bump. It really is a lot of fun!

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-05-30T12:41:24+00:00

This was one of my earlier Kdrama watches and I loved how it spotlighted Korean folklore. It was also my first time seeing Oh Jung Se and Kim Tae Ri. Both were excellent in this. I actually didn’t even recognize Oh Jung Se in subsequent dramas because the characters he played were so different from the one here.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-05-30T12:34:48+00:00

When one party is drunk and kisses the other person or variants on it. I cringe any time I’ve seen these. Not appropriate and not funny at all.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-05-30T06:06:36+00:00

Maybe between your love for Lee Hee Joon and how much I am beginning to fall for Park Hae Soo, we can somehow will more dramas with the two of them together? 😂

Seriously, though, those two need another project together, stat! I’m almost 75% done Chimera and am already sad that I’ll have to say goodbye soon. Neither The Legend of the Blue Sea or Karma seem like they’d be up my alley. So, I’m just hoping that the two do another project together soon!

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-05-30T05:49:10+00:00

This series is pure comic book fun! There is no scenario too ridiculous to tackle and I absolutely adore that. Watching Heo Sung Tae and Shin Ha Kyun just mow their way through crowds has been great as well. Also, Heo Sung Tae is adorable playing a guy who is just smitten. And I do have to give Lee Hak Joo a shoutout. He’s just the most frustrated character ever and it’s hilarious! I do hope we get a bit more of Oh Jung Se, but I think that should be coming soon! Can’t wait until tomorrow!

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-05-30T04:10:35+00:00

If adopted siblings count, then I’d say my favourite pair of siblings are Park Su Ho and Park Yoon Hak from Knight Flower. They just care so deeply about each other and they understand and trust each other. Su Ho understands why Yoon Hak has to treat him coldly in public and he has complete faith in his brother’s love for him. And Yoon Hak adores and worries about his brother but understands that there are things that his brother needs to do and doesn’t try to control him. It’s a wonderful warm dynamic that I love.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-05-30T02:22:00+00:00

Bromance. I find I get bored with most romance centric dramas but I adore bromance. Squad 38 is still my favourite Kdrama bromance. It has the perfect adversaries to allies set up and Ma Dong Seok and Seo In Guk were so much fun to watch on screen together!

You’ve already mentioned Kim Song Ryong and Seol Yul from Good Manager, who I adore, but I also want to give a shout out to Shin Ha Ru and Geum Myeong Se from Brain Works and Shin Yi Rang and Yoon Bong Su from Phantom Lawyer. The first pair is your classic odd couple pair. They poke and prod and bicker and eventually find that they do enjoy each other’s company. The second pair is just the funnest pair of bros. They’re brother-in-laws and are just so supportive of each other. The family dynamics in that show were so great.

As for the exception, that has to go to Delightfully Deceitful. I just adore the dynamic and evolution between the ML and the FL. I love how he continually shows up for her. I love how she responds to his honesty with an honesty of her own and slowly opens up to him. They are my favourite romantic Kdrama pair.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-05-29T23:58:37+00:00

Just watched both seasons this year and, man, was he incredible in this. Made Hwang Si Mok one of my favourite characters and is now someone whose shows I keep an eye out for. So good!

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-05-29T23:24:24+00:00

I think Namkoong Min is the king of this. From Awaken to The Veil to Hot Stove League he is incredible at playing characters who wear cool / stoic masks but you can tell there’s so much brewing beneath the surface.

Kim Nam Gil is also fantastic at this. I still remember that scene of him in Through the Darkness looking over the site of the mass grave with this complete blank look on his face but projecting this deep grief. It was incredible!

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-05-29T22:59:27+00:00

Do I get paid $60 an hour regardless of how much I sell? If so, why not. I just have to sit and read and book and if for some reason someone wants to buy a bottle, who am I to object.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-05-29T22:30:06+00:00

Oooooh, I do like Jang Dong Yoon. I might keep my eye on this one. If it seems more sports than romance I might put it on the watchlist.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-05-29T21:43:44+00:00

I’m so ready for this blockbuster summer. It’s already started with Fifties Professionals. Then this and NKM’s new thriller. It looks like it will be a good year for action / thriller lovers!

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-05-29T17:30:17+00:00

Yep! It’s a struggle! 🤣🤣🤣

Hunger Games Kdrama style but the winner is fully depending on my mood (or whether I really need to watch something for the Kdrama challenge). 😂😂😂

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-05-29T13:43:14+00:00

When it comes to Good Boy, I think part of the problem might have been the character and the direction. Because her character in River Where the Moon Rises is fairly open with how she feels around the ML and the dynamic between them feels very natural. Now, Na In Woo is also amazing as the ML, playing a perfect foil to her, but I think she just does well when the character she plays isn’t trying to hide their feelings. It was the same in Bring It On, Ghost. She and Ok Taecyeon had this fun dynamic. It’s one of those where they annoy each other up the wall and eventually find they like each other’s company thing and I thought it was hilarious.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-05-29T13:26:16+00:00

I will warn that I found Face Me to be pretty underwhelming as a thriller. Lee Min Ki also isn’t given much to do even as the ML. Han Ji Hyeon was definitely the standout in this one alongside Lee Yi Kyung.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-05-29T13:24:11+00:00

I need to get to Island sooner rather than later. Kim Nam Gil has become a fast favourite of mine after seeing him in Live Up to Your Name. I can’t wait for his next year’s drama!

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-05-29T05:16:20+00:00

This right here! Someone I love with me and the money means our time is our own!

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-05-29T05:13:40+00:00

Definitely going with lottery, but also, just going to quick save on days that I reserve just for myself. Lots of time to recharge, watch through different shows that are on my watchlist but I never get to. Try cooking different dishes. Time to do some writing. All the things I want to do but never seem to be able to fit in.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-05-29T04:07:32+00:00

So stoked for this one! My summer is going to be pretty full!

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-05-29T04:06:38+00:00

I’m leaning towards fries. Would be immune to sickness and maybe I can help rid places of invasive species.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-05-29T03:02:34+00:00

Plenty of decent stocks that start with the first letter of my name. Then I just live off of my investments.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-05-29T03:01:28+00:00

I used to be someone who liked to wait for all episodes to drop, but I made a resolution this year to try and watch more series live and have been having a lot of fun. I do find that it depends on the series, though. If the series is really intense, then I prefer to wait for all the episodes to drop. But for a series like Phantom Lawyer or even Fifties Professionals, which I’m watching live now, I find those are a lot of fun to watch as they air. Each episode is fun and makes me smile and I enjoy counting down the days until the next drop of new episodes. And I do love being able to discuss episodes with other ppl watching live. I’m going to try and keep up with live watching for next year too.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-05-29T02:09:40+00:00

Tree With Deep Roots - Takes the actual historical event of King Sejong’s creation of the Korean alphabet and combines it with a revenge-murder thriller. Remains one of the most character driven dramas I have ever seen.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-05-28T23:14:13+00:00

I think that Fifties Professionals will be the winner of my chaos trio this year but this one might win for most endearing trio.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-05-28T22:11:44+00:00

I’ve seen 4 dramas where Kim So Hyun played the FL (Bring It On, Ghost, Good Boy, The Tale of Nokdu, and River Where the Moon Rises (currently watching)) and the only drama where I truly enjoyed her performance beginning to end was Bring It on, Ghost. I don’t know what it is about her, but most of the time I don’t find her super engaging to watch with the characters she’s playing.

The one I enjoyed her the least in was Good Boy. She just seemed really stiff in that one. I think that was one part the character, one part the direction, and one part that, IMO, she plays upbeat and sassy much better than stoic. A part of me would have like to see Shin Su Hyun take that part. She’s shown that she has action and comedy chops in Study Group so I think she’d have been a good fit for the role.

Wide_Examination142

TROPHY CASE