2024 K-Drama Challenge

7. A drama that started airing in your birth month (Gregorian calendar.)

I am an August baby and I decided to watch this show because it started airing on August 4, 2023. What an epic masterpiece of a show that is difficult to match and left me eviscerated after each episode! I saw it at the start of the year and it set quite a bar for the shows I watched for the rest of the year.

Completed in January 2024.

8. A drama with a title that includes a character's name  (May be a full name e.g. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo or a partial name and title e.g. Divorce Attorney Shin. May be original Korean title or main translated title.)

I chose this show to fulfill this prompt because it had been months (see number 7) and I was missing a bit of Namkoong Min. LOL!

Completed in August 2024.

9. A drama with a character who is an artist (May be a main or supporting character. Can be visual artist such as webcomic artist, painter, writer, etc. or performing artist such as musician, dancer, actor, etc)

FL was a pianist and SML was a musician. Also, this was where my Steve Sanghyun Noh obsession started (no shame about it!). This was a short series and I might even squeeze in a quick rewatch before the year ends!

Completed in January 2024.

10. A drama in which a game is played (May be any type of game e.g. Go-Stop, Baduk, Jenga, Drinking games)

This was probably one of the harder prompts to complete--game-playing scene sometimes is difficult to spot or remember unless if it's really a focal point in the plot. I watched this show to check off the prompt for the four-people poster until I saw the kids playing Go-Stop with Grandma in her front yard. Also, one of my most favorites this year!

Completed in April 2024.

11. A drama where a character wears a sports team uniform or jersey and/or watches a sports game (Any sport. For characters watching a sports game, can be live, on television, or on the phone.)

SML was a basketball player and was part of their high school team. I loved the original Chinese version of this show and I was so happy that this version really held its own. Another enjoyable watch!

Completed in December 2024.

12. A drama that revolves around a group of friends and features their friendship as a key part of the drama

Anyone who had seen this show will understand when I say that the trio of bestfriends from this show will always be irreplaceable. A heartbreakingly good show equal only to the casting news that none of the original trio will be appearing in its next season. Ugh!

Completed in May 2024.

13. A drama with an OST by a K-pop group member (Can be a current or former member of a K-pop group. Group can be disbanded.)

This was another show that I just started watching regardless of whether it will check off something in the challenge. Luckily enough, "Boyfriend" was sung by TXT Yeonjun.

Completed in November 2024.

14. A drama featuring an actor or actress who debuted before 2000 (Can be in a main or supporting role. A cameo or special appearance is not sufficient.)

If not for this, I wouldn't have known that Lee Dong Wook debuted in 1999. That silly, goofy man? Love him to bits! And I was not ready for this show--crazy as crazy gets!

Completed in July 2024.

15. A drama with childhood flashback scenes

ML had childhood flashback scenes in both his Joseon and present-day characters.

Completed in January 2024.

16. A drama with a character that is a part of the LGBTQ+ community (Main or supporting character.)

Kang Hyung Suk played a role of a gay man and he was as adorable as I remember his policeman character in Hometown Cha Cha Cha. I also don't get the hate this show was getting because I surprisingly enjoyed it.

Completed in May 2024.

17. A drama title that is not a direct translation of the Korean title (Example: Crash Course in Romance is not a Direct translation of the Korean title "일타 스캔들" (Ilta Scandal) One Shot or One Hit Scandal would be the direct translation.)

This show's Korean title is 아무도 없는 숲속에서  which translates to "In a forest with no one around". How crazy is this show? When I have the covers around me but I am still watching, then it's a good one!

Completed in December 2024.

(I had initially tagged My Dearest 2 for this prompt but it looked like it didn't meet the hours required, which is 12, for dramas in parts format. Hence, I can only tag the entire drama once--so I have kept it at number 7.)

18. A drama in which characters celebrate a special day [May be a special occasion such as a holiday (Chuseok, Seollal, Christmas) or a personal milestone (birthday, wedding, anniversary, graduation)]

This show, which focused on family storylines, had the common celebrations, primarily birthdays. Might I may mention the birthday giftbox that saved their lives?! IYKYK!

Completed in October 2024.

19. A drama in which characters take a trip (May be a road trip, vacation, or camping.)

The main characters took a trip to Taesong's (SML) hometown. Should I say how much I enjoyed this show? But there might not be enough space here so let's not. One of the best shows of this year and their yearend awards wins show that.

Completed in May 2024.

20. A drama chosen at random from your plan to watch list (Select from a minimum of 6 dramas using one of the following methods: dart board, wheel of chance, korean ladder game, roll dice, pull it out of a hat. Drama must be at least 10 hours in length.)

I had always meant to watch this way before December but I think I may have confused it with a C-Drama though. Its poster, perhaps. I had to redo the draw I first did because I initially drew Queen Woo but it doesn't qualify since it's less than ten hours in length.

Completed in December 2024.

21. A drama set in a rural/non-urban location (Setting must be a rural or seaside village/town.)

I apologize if I initially parked this show after I initially started it because I thought it dragged a bit. But when I went back to it and went past eps 3 and 4, everything was a breeze and it was overall enjoyable.

Completed in April 2024.

22. A drama with a character who is a chaebol (Main or supporting character.)

I usually do not watch shows that are currently being aired because patience is not one of my fortes. But I decided to join the horde of weekly frustrated watchers when this show was on. Well casted and acted, well paced, beautifully produced plus and an impeccable soundtrack. 

Completed in April 2024.

23. A drama with a character who works for the government (Main or supporting character. May be a politician, public servant, police officer, ARMY, NAVY, etc)

The main cast were police officers. Lee Dong Wook was his usual amazing self in this crazy show. And it also wasn't until months later (just this month!) that I found out that Cha Hak Yeon is also N of VIXX (my sorry late ass to K-Pop). I really enjoyed his episode in Tomorrow and he was actually the reason why I picked this show up again since I parked it after one or two eps.

Completed in August 2024.

24. A drama with a meal scene featuring 3 or more banchan (side dishes) on the table

As a foodie, I did notice that every meal scene with ML's grandpa, the table was always laid out with a smorgasbord of Korean side dishes. (A bonus task for this prompt was to cook myself some banchan. I really didn't mind this but I just realized while I'm typing this item that I did successfully make Korean pickled radish just last week. Yay!)

Completed in April 2024.

25. A drama where a character wears a long wool coat

Kim Myung Min's characters wore a long wool coat when his character left the prison right at the start in the first episode. He probably did many more times in the entire show, befitting his character. This show was great, by the way.

Completed in November 2024.

27. A drama with a main character that is over 40

Three of the main leads of this show are now currently over 40 but based on when it aired, only Kim Sung Kyun was over 40 then. I would take that his senior-ranked character would be more or less his real age, too.

Completed in August 2024.

28. A drama with a multigenerational main cast [Characters should span at least three different generations (i.e. grandparents, parents, children). Does not have to be biologically related.]

The royal family in this show spanned three generations--grandmother, uncle, nephews. And let me just say that this show is a classic example of "don't judge a show by its title" or something like that. This was really a gem of a show.

Completed in September 2024.

30. A drama with an episode which received more than 10% overall viewership ratings from Nielsen (Nielsen ratings are only available for terrestrial and cable station dramas, thus all OTT webdramas are disqualified.)

Not only did this drama, both its first and second seasons, had multiple episodes with viewership ratings well above 10% but full-season averages are also above 10%. It's lowest rating is not even the highest rating for other shows. It just goes to show how well loved this show was and deservedly so!

Completed in February 2024.

32. A single episode drama (Examples: KBS Drama specials, tvN Drama stage/O'PENing, JTBC Drama festa)

Who would have thought that the single-episode prompt was the one that made me start to think of throwing away the entire challenge? But only because I had a hard time finding these dramas being properly subbed, especially the newer ones that I really wanted to see. So I finally settled on what I can find in YT and this was my last show for the year--finished it right before I started finalizing this list!

Completed in December 2024.

33. A mid-long form drama (A drama over 20 hours in length. For participants that choose a drama that is 50+ hours in length for this challenge, please note it when you submit your completion status so that you can receive special recognition for completing a true long form drama.)

I wanted to watch a long-form drama for this prompt but I guess I will save that for when the long-form drama requirement comes back in the challenge. Oh, and wait, is Jung Hae In my most watched K-Drama actor this year? Hmmm.

Completed in October 2024.

34. A drama with less than 500 watchers on MDL (Drama must be over 12 months old with less than 500 users that have completely watched it)

This was one of the harder prompts to complete last year so when I saw it again for this year's challenge, I made sure to get it over with as soon as possible. I was watcher #430 as of January 8, 2024 when I finished it. What a gem of a little show!

Completed in January 2024.

35. A drama that is at least 10 years old

This show finished airing last August 23, 2014 so it meets this criteria. Ten years may not be much in the grand scheme of things but after watching this show, I realized that a lot of stuff did not really age well. Ahem, the fashion! (But then I remember wearing the same at that time!)

Completed in October 2024.

36. A drama featuring a Truck of Doom™ (Must be a Truck. Other vehicles such as buses, cars, and motorcyles are not acceptable. May be attempted or successful.)

The storyline for episodes 3 to 4 (or was it 4 to 5?) involved a truck of doom. I think it might also had been white so it was the epitome of the standard truck of doom description.

Completed in February 2024.