While the landscape of Korean entertainment can be vast and wondrous, it’s often the little things that make us fall in love, inspire awe, evoke secondhand embarrassment, or sometimes…break our hearts. In this segment, we ask our writers: Among the many things vying for your attention this week, what won and made your heart beat?
[Music/Idols] Key’s “Bad Love” is Anything But Bad
— Siena
When I casually maneuvered my Shawol way over to Key‘s new solo MV, I was not expecting my socks to be totally knocked off. I’ve enjoyed Key’s solo music before, but I truly can’t stress this enough, “Bad Love” is the type of song that would show up in the dictionary as the definition example of ‘Siena’s ideal pop track’. Retro synths? Check. Soaring ear worm chorus? Check. Dramatic feelings turned up to 1000? Triple check.
Anyway, “Bad Love” has been the fabulous soundtrack to my morning walks to class, my afternoon walks to lunch, and pretty much every other thing I’ve done this past week. If you somehow haven’t experienced it’s amazingness yet, I highly recommend you rectify that mistake immediately!
[TV/Variety] Anticipating Show Me the Money
— Karen
I’m definitely excited about the upcoming season of Show Me the Money! It’s the tenth season! I used to watch the show more religiously during its third to sixth season, but somehow my interest started to fade over the years. Life also got busy, and I’m always glad for our writers covering the show and Mnet publishing performance clips on their YouTube Channel.
The teams for season ten just came out recently, with the producer cypher video. That got me really pumped and I’m definitely looking forward to the Gaeko and Code Kunst team. Their music is bound to be lit, but I’m also looking forward to their witty and nonsensical comments; they’re really such a comedic duo. Perhaps this season will be on the humorous side, rather than its usual cut-throat atmosphere.
[Dramas] Nevertheless, is a perfect story about an imperfect love
— Qing
I finished Nevertheless, this week, and looking at it as a whole, it’s a story that requires a certain frame of mind to fully appreciate. It’s easy to lapse into an evaluation of Jae-eon’s (Song Kang) behaviour towards Na-bi (Han So-hee) and compare him against the kind, sweet Do-hyeok (Chae Jong-hyeop).
But the show continually resists a judgmental perspective by attuning the viewer to the shifts in Na-bi’s inner world: from curiosity and attraction towards Jae-eon, to waves of uncertainty that are nonetheless underpinned by a gut feeling that Jae-eon isn’t exactly the kind of person her friends are trying to warn her about. The emotional turmoil culminates in a breaking point, but after some much-needed distance, she gains insight into her feelings and makes an informed choice about their relationship.
On the surface, it’s true that Do-hyeok seems like the better guy. But Na-bi is constantly aware of how outwardly, everything about Do-hyeok looks right, but inside her, something feels wrong. In contrast, everything about Jae-eon looks wrong, but inside her, something about him just feels right. We’re not supposed to decide who is better for Na-bi; she gets to decide for herself. In the end, Nevertheless, is a perfect story about an imperfect love, and perhaps it is only those who are willing to understand and embrace the characters–warts and all–who can see the true heart of this show.
