Kdrama catch-up: My favorite hot-headed priest is back, beer business never looked so cute, and my watchlist keeps growing

"The Fiery Priest" is back and I'm here for it! On to something less action but also funny: "Brewing Love" is the kdrama that I didn't plan watching but I'm glad I started.

How was your October in kdramaland, folks? I skipped October, but that was unintentional. I swear that month is the month of good intentions but with so little time! 😆 Just when you have a concrete list of to-dos for life outside the 9-5 job, you get bombarded with unwell days and 923429 personal errands. WHEW! 😅

“When the Phone Rings” just released its first two episodes. Have you watched that kdrama? Admittedly, I have yet to finish watching the last episode of “The Judge from Hell.” That’s how crazy busy October was. November is coming in a close second, but at least I started two new kdramas, so yay!

Okay. Enough blathering. Let’s get this issue started!

“The Fiery Priest” season 2 – My favorite hot-headed priest and his hilarious gang of misfits are back and it’s even better than I imagined!

The first season of “The Fiery Priest: is one of those kdramas that made it to my all-time favorites list. It’s funny, the characters are quirky, it’s got action and perfect comedic timing, and the plot is interesting.

Kim Hae Il is a Catholic priest. He makes spiteful remarks, and he can be rude to others. Koo Dae Young is a detective. He talks a lot, and he is also timid. Park Kyung Sun is a prosecutor. She is smart and beautiful. She is also ambitious as a prosecutor and good at her job. 

The three of them team up and work together to solve a murder case involving a senior Catholic priest.

When they announced a second season, I was really excited. November couldn’t come fast enough! Now that it’s here, Fridays and Saturdays are made even better.

This time, Father Kim Hae Il is hell-bent on cracking open a drug case, which involves a lot of beating up The Bad Guys™ in Busan. He still has his top-notch fighting skills, and with the help of his loyal friends, detective Koo Dae Yeong and prosecutor Park Gyeong Sun, he tracks down everyone involved until he comes to a face-off with The Big Bad Boss in the near future. A spunky detective from Busan, Koo Ja Yeong, also becomes part of his crime-fighting group. 

With only six episodes out, “The Fiery Priest” season 2 is already at the halfway mark (it only has 12 episodes), so I expect more plot twists. I can’t wait for that moment when Father Kim finally comes face-to-face with Kim Hong Sik, The Big Bad Boss.

But where are the others?? If you’re also a fan of the first season and haven’t yet watched this one, you might be asking that question. Don’t worry! Vladimir Gozhaev is there, thriving in Busan and helping them. Actor Kim Won Hae never disappoints and being Vladimir Gozhaev is helping give this kdrama a more hilarious vibe. We still have our other lovable and quirky characters like the bread-loving O Yo Han who sleeps during mass, buffed-up Ssongsak who is doing pretty well with his business, Father Han Seong Gyu who’s keeping his temper in check (but fails half the time), and Kim In Gyeong, the cardsharp nun who is prone to gambling. They’re all back, although as support characters. Nonetheless, they’re all out there helping Father Kim and the others.

I just finished with the sixth episode and maaaan! Kim Hong Sik is one villain that really grates on my nerves. Sung Joon is doing a really great job in his role as the villain in “The Fiery Priest” season 2. He’s tall, dark, handsome, and deadly. He’s the type of villain who’s ruthless and smart. I’m really looking forward to how he and Father Kim will take on each other.

Have you watched “The Fiery Priest”? If you haven’t yet but want something that’s going to make you laugh out loud, give you satisfying fight scenes, and have wholesome and comedic characters, then you might want to give this kdrama a try.

“Brewing Love” – The beer industry was never this sweet, funny, and just plain adorable.

This kdrama went under my radar, for some weird reason. I didn’t even know about it at all. A few days before my operation, I was wondering what kdrama to watch. I’ve just finished a Thai horror movie, “Don’t Come Home”, and was also reading horror books non-stop. I needed something light and fluffy to balance what I consume. 😁 As fate would have it, “Brewing Love” sprang out on me, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Chae Yong Ju is great at her job as a salesperson for a liquor company. With her awesome leadership skills and easygoing, cheerful personality, she even managed to get their beer brand, Likey, in the number two spot! All is going well until the branch she’s working on is suddenly in danger of closing. To avoid this unthinkable thing happening, Yong Ju needs to put Yun Min Ju on board her company.

Yun Min Ju owns a brewery company in a small and quiet town, where he puts his past behind him and starts living there with the town’s warm residents. Min Ju is more than his own company, though. He’s actually an empath, which is the very reason why he and his father were never eye-to-eye. It’s also the same reason he’s been pretty much unhappy until he started living his own life.

“Brewing Love” has such a strong pilot episode. It even made the brewing industry seem interesting! As a result, it made me care about the characters. You know a kdrama is really, really good when that happens. I love the found family trope here as well, for both Min Ju and Yong Ju. This kdrama just seamlessly blends the love story and the conflict, which makes it enjoyable to watch.

While there are no Big Baddies here, there are conflicts such as losing one’s job like Yong Ju’s dilemma. For her, it isn’t just losing her job but also saving her team. Min Ju has his own personal struggles, such as the heartbreak of losing his mother at an early age, dealing with a harsh and overbearing father, and the issues he continually faces as an empath.

I love how Yong Ju and Min Ju bring out the best in each other. They complement each other beautifully. I’m looking forward to seeing how their romance will blossom and unfold. 🥰 A small-town romance like “Brewing Love” is the perfect kdrama to watch when you want something light and swoon-worthy.

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I still plan to start watching the other kdramas that were let out in the wild this month. My to-watch list includes:

• Gangnam B-Side

• Face Me

• When the Phone Rings

• Love Your Enemy

• The Trunk

I’m skipping on “Mr. Plankton” even though I adore Woo Do Hwan. It’s because I’ve heard that it’s a sad kdrama. What about you? What’s on your watchlist and what kdrama are you enjoying?