July musings: ping-ponging between youth and middle age, a cute second chance love, and Japanese short horror films

"Miss Night and Day" is the kdrama I didn't think I'd fall in love with, yet here I am typing this down. "Serendipity's Embrace" is so cute and funny that it makes me want a second chance romance.

July is about to exit, stage left. How are you and your kdramas this month? Mine has been sloooow, to be honest. It used to be that I juggled four to five kdramas in a month. Recently, it’s been two or three. I surmise it’s just me being picky.

So what kdramas caught my eye (and heart) and finally pulled me out of my kdrama slump? I’m so glad you asked because I’ll be yapping about it today.

(Or you probably didn’t ask but I’m sharing, anyway, because I heard that sharing is caring.)

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“Miss Night and Day” – The dark horse of a kdrama that I didn’t see myself actually loving, which I do now.

Thank goodness for the rom-com fantasy mystery “Miss Night and Day” for saving me from my kdrama slump! While it did start slow for me and I nearly dropped it by episode two, I’m glad I picked it up again after a week or so. Its antics and bantering between the two main leads are just *chef’s kiss.*

Lee Mi Jin, our fearless and hilarious female lead, has been unemployed for eight years. As she dabbles in different part-time jobs while preparing for a major job, she suddenly finds herself turning into a 50-year-old lady (ahjumma!) by day and then going back to her 28-year-old self again during the night. It would’ve been really bad for Mi Jin, except that her day self snagged a job in the prosecutor’s office, where she works as a secretary for the prickly prosecutor, Gye Ji Ung.

Gye Ji Ung is known for his anything-but-Mr.-Congeniality personality and he has no plans to change that. He’s the type to do what he wants, when, and how he wants to. When he crosses paths with Lee Mi Jin, both old and young, Ji Ung is mystified by both. He feels that there is more to both women, but he can’t quite put his finger on it just yet. After many hijinks and attempts at catching bad guys, he seems to be falling for (young) Mi Jin. (He also has a soft spot for the old Mi Jin who works as his assistant, but for different reasons.)

Then we have Ko Won, the celebrity who lands himself in trouble and ends up working in the same office building as Mi Jin and Ji Ung. Ko Won is a victim of a spiteful stalker, and he has PTSD because of that. He has other problems that the public doesn’t know about and after talking with old Mi Jin, he feels grateful to her. Little does he know the surprise he’ll be unveiling, throwing him into confusion.

“Miss Night and Day” is a kdrama that’s perfect for watching if you’re in the mood for laughter and some cute romance. Yes, there’s a killer. Yes, the male lead has a sad backstory. However, the focus is more on the female lead’s quagmire, how she handles it, and how those around her react to that.

I highly recommend this kdrama, even if you’re just beginning to get your feet wet in the land of the white truck of doom, rich boy/poor girl pairing, and piggyback rides.

“Serendipity’s Embrace” – A high school misunderstanding that brings even more misunderstandings 10 years later

Picture this: During high school, you played Cupid between your best friend and her crush, Kang Hu Yeong, relentlessly delivering love letters to him. Each time, he either refuses or doesn’t even give away any reaction. Fast forward 10 years later and you meet him again randomly in a restaurant. Ever since then, you both keep bumping into each other.

Sounds cute, right? Damn right, it is. It is cute and more. “Serendipity’s Embrace” is all about second chance romance, where the female lead, Lee Hong Ju, finds herself falling (albeit slowly) for Hu Yeong when they run into each other as adults. It’s a tricky situation because the guy is her best friend’s first love.

This kdrama has just started and is only at episode four as I send out this newsletter, but each episode is just so cute and funny that I’m tempted to stop watching it and return to it when all 8 episodes are complete. Each episode is always funny and sweet and cute! It’s the perfect romcom for me: Hong Ju tries so hard to bring her best friend, Kim Hey Ji, together with Ju Yeong that she misses all the signals that Hu Yeong has been sending her.

It’s halfway through and I can’t wait to watch the latter half of “Serendipity’s Embrace” because I want to see a happy ending for Hu Yeong and Hong Ju. It’s perfect for you if you like your romance light and fluffy, with a good dose of humor.

“Karakasa” – My binge-watching of short Japanese horror films started with this and all I can say is NO REGRETS.

Who else here is a fan of horror, please raise your hand and say, “Aye!”

Recently, I stumbled upon four gems in the form of Japanese horror films. They’re actually part of the Japan Horror Film Competition, with each film going for no more than 15 minutes each.

Don’t let the length of the films turn you off, though. Each four of them is actually pretty good.

“Karakasa”

A young woman who’s waiting to meet her boyfriend during a rainy day suddenly goes missing. The question is what does that used umbrella and the odd woman have to do with it? And how?

This was my first watch among the four and it was pretty good. You already know what’s going to happen next, but you still can’t help but feel scared.

“Closet”

A young man is living all alone in an apartment where strange things begin to happen: a banging sound from inside the closet, a pair of feet in his peripheral vision, and the closet door is suddenly opened when he’s sure he left it closed.

The build-up of the suspense, together with the background music, sound effects, and camera angles, helped make this short horror film creepy despite having the same subject (“the haunted closet”) as other horror projects. Also? That ending… 🙃

“The Invitation”

Someone calls the cops and reports a strange smell coming off from their neighbor’s house. Two police officers – a young woman and an older male – promptly arrive at the apartment. What they see and encounter will make them regret stepping inside it.

This might be the most predictable among the four, but it’s still creepy and scary enough. Yes, I lived through the jump scares. Yes, I even enjoyed it. It’s horror mixed with tragedy, which makes it all the more terrifying.

“Best Wishes to All”

A college student visits her grandparents in the countryside, and she’s thrilled. All seems to be going well until she accidentally stumbles upon the horrifying secret that her grandparents are keeping from her. It’s a family secret that makes sure they all get the happiness they need…

This has to be my favorite among all four short films. The plot is twisted and terrifying. You can already feel something is off with the grandparents, if not the house, during the first few minutes. That haunting feeling contrasted beautifully with the college student’s evident happiness, so much so that the ending made my stomach feel queasy. I felt anxious and restless by the ending. 😅

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That’s all I have for you today, folks. I hope you enjoyed today’s issue! What kdramas are you watching or enjoying? What was the last good horror film or series did you see? I’ll be keeping my eyes on the comments in case some of you decide to answer! (I’d love it if you do, actually. 🙂)

And hey, if you love kdramas and horror as much as I do, why not visit my personal blog? I do talk about kdramas there, and more, like creativity and bits and pieces of the millennial life.

I wish you all a wonderful August! May it be kind, may it be warm, and may it treat you well. ♥️