Eleison

It's also in the main tags 😆

I put my thoughts above in response to @cantstandjerkML, if you want to read them, so I don't annoy people and repeat myself. :)

You might also be struggling with the non-Seoul dialect? I do find the Seoul dialect the most pleasing to listen to, and it's probably because it's familiar. For that reason, the country dialects can be hard on the ears and can make characters sound rougher or less polished. That might be some of it? He's supposed to come off as a bit clueless, too (even though he isn't).

It's quirky (has a lot of mysterious stuff that has not been disclosed) but heartwarming once you get a few episodes in. It doesn't have the pristine, everything-is-perfect feel to it that you often find in Kdramas, or the smart, put-together ML who's gorgeous and perfect, and instead it feels like a real seaside town that has real people living in it.

If you're looking for a drama about sports, this isn't probably going to be it. In fact, most Kdramas with sports aren't really about sports, so it has a similar feel to My Lovely Boxer, actually, and even a little similar (but weirder, and like I said, less pristine) to Weightlifting Fairy.

If you're one of those who say the romance or sports drama is ruined by the "mystery killer" plotline that apparently ruins every Kdrama, then this will probably also not be for you. 😏

I changed my mind. The leads are adorable, and I am officially enjoying this.

Yeah, the way he stuttered out "soulmate"--(but in a bosom friend sort of way) after trying to find a way to describe what they shared--was so cute, and you believe it, because he identifies her immediately when everyone else has no idea. 😅 And I love how she totally dropped her fake persona to convey how she'd be incredibly disappointed in him if he quit, because she'd been rooting for him so intensely all these years. Even the part when she was alone watching the game replay and the announcer said, "We're so shocked at Baek-du's impressive performance today..." and she sniffs, "I wasn't." 😅 It was adorable.

I think there's some give and take between them. She's always been pushy and aggressive (but it seems like she's thoughtful underneath the rough exterior) and he likes that about her because he picks up on all that's underlying. He seems slow and dim-witted but is actually perceptive and intuitive but does not express it well (but he immediately knew she was Du Sik even though no one else had a clue), so he comes off as clueless, but both can see through each other to their deeper, truer selves. I have been liking that she's the only one able to help him see how much he truly loves sirreum, and I think he finds her expectant confidence in him infectious and encouraging. This is the person she was for him as a child, and he's missed it, which is why he's been so excited to have her back. I'm loving the subtlety of their interactions so far. I found them both strange in Episodes 1 and 2, but they both grew on me in Episodes 3 and 4.

Yeah, I want to see more, too! Never seen wrestling like this, and I like that they don't make innuendos or crack jokes about them being shirtless or use it as an opportunity to be lewd. In fact, overall, I am liking how "normal" everyone looks. I don't think I've ever seen such a slouchy, scruffy-looking ML. 😅 He has a very sweet face (I can't get over how different he looks (from Search, for instance) with all the added wrestler weight!) but he's clearly trying to be anything but swoony and enticing, and I find it refreshing. 😂 His personality is winning us over instead.

Both of the girls are kind of strange, but they're growing on me. 😏

I agree the drinking in this is excessive, but I'm struggling with "it's only unsafe for women"? I suppose it's safe for men, then, to get wasted? 🤔 So they can do awful things to women and then claim ignorance and relinquish responsibility because they were "drunk"? If they're the predators most often, I'd say it's often much worse--and far more unsafe for those around them--for men to get drunk than women. I know what you mean, but the way you phrased this was somewhat insensitive and isn't taking into account the context in which these women are drinking (they're not in a club or out in public spaces with strangers).

She's also good in Stranger. :)

Anything else by this screenwriter is excellent! :)

You mean has the public found out? If so, then not yet.

I watched an Episode and a half and it's... different! Not sure what I think yet. Never heard of or seen ssireum and the ML so far is kind of quirky. He seems constantly distracted, like his mind is elsewhere and you never know what he's thinking. If that's what they're going for, then he's on point.

Just had to say, your username makes me smile. I never realized how cute "blueberry muffin" sounds in English. 😅

Really enjoyed 7 and 8, and was relieved to finally get the reason for Yong Pil and Sam Dal's breakup, though it would all be a bit more believable if they were 10 years younger... It's okay, though; I'm still really enjoying it.

The sisters' two guys seem sweet, too, and I'm looking forward to how they'll factor more heavily into the story moving forward. Still loving the chemistry of Sam Dal and the Boys Over Samdal! ☺️

Haha, this drama just can't stay off the trending list; it keeps coming back against all odds. How many months has it been now? 😂

It was fun, and I enjoyed it. I kind of miss watching all the good classics, and am sad they're already experienced, since now few can top them and it's hard to find Dramas I enjoy as much as those. And you'll chip away at them and the list will decrease in no time :) I liked using MDL because it helped me know which dramas to avoid so I didn't waste my time on meh Dramas. All the best!

What streaming site(s) do you have access to/use? That also determines what you can see unless you use pirated sites. I use Rakuten Viki and Netflix. Here are some genres/types and super famous ones that you can try and look into to help you decide what you like:

The Replys (these have a family drama feel, with a main focus on romance and friendship):
-Reply 1988 (the best of the three)
-Reply 1994
-Reply 1997

The Schools (set in high school and themed around attending school):
-School 2013 (the best of the schools, in my opinion--quite good!)
-Who Are You: School 2015
-School 2017
-School 2021 (not great, in my opinion; very weak compared to the rest)

Ghost/Afterlife/Reincarnation Dramas (I will exclude the slough of many recent dramas with the reincarnation trope since I'm not familiar with them yet (some of these below have some romance but are not always "happy" endings)):
-Hotel De Luna (very famous)
-Mystic Pop-Up Bar
-Missing: The Other Side (2 seasons)
-Tomorrow
-Bring It On, Ghost
-Ghost Doctor (also a Medical Drama, enjoyable)
-The Master's Sun (a classic)
-Uncanny Counter (has a lot of action (with evil spirits and is also dark despite also being quite comedic)

Modern Gumiho/Goblin Fantasy Dramas:
-Goblin: The Lonely And Great God (a classic; super famous, with a beautiful but kind of sad ending; be warned!)
-Tales of the Nine-Tailed (2 seasons)
-My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho
-My Roommate Is A Gumiho
-Kiss Goblin

Office Dramas:
-Hot Stove League (also a teeny bit of sports)
-The Good Manager
-Suits
-My Mister
-Search: WWW
-Unlock My Boss (sort of)
-Shooting Stars (sort of)
-Misaeng: The Complete Life
-Start-Up (but also a Healing drama)

Slice-Of-Life/Romance/Healing Dramas:
-Oh My Venus (a classic)
-True Beauty
-My ID Is Gangnam Beauty
-Castaway Diva (also a found family drama with a light suspenseful component) (a favorite)
-Live On
-Another Miss Oh
-Our Beloved Summer
-At A Distance, Spring Is Green
-Hometown Cha Cha Cha
-Move To Heaven (no romance)
-It's Okay To Not Be Okay (very... unique (?) female lead)
-Beauty Inside
-Hogu's Love
-Angel's Last Mission
-When The Camellia Blooms
-Fight For My Way
-Once Upon A Small Town
-Romance Is A Bonus Book
-Itaewon Class (could also solidly go in the Revenge Drama category)
-Go Back Couple
-Thirty But Seventeen (or Still 17)
-What Happened to Secretary Kim? (a classic)
-Do You Like Brahms?

Sports/Slice-of-Life (some have romance below) Dramas:
-Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (a favorite)
-Run-On
-Racket Boys (very light romance)
-My Lovely Boxer

Melancholy Slice-Of-Life/Healing (some with romance) Dramas:
-The Good Bad Mother (has some suspense also)
-My Mister
-Just Between Lovers
-Moment At Eighteen
-Prison Playbook (has a teeny bit of sports, too)

Romance/Action, and a Thriller element (but light compared to the Crime dramas farther down) (love all of these, and all classics):
-The K2
-Crash Landing On You
-Vagabond
-Descendents Of The Sun
-Strong Woman Do Bong Soon
-Healer
-W: Two Worlds
-The King2Hearts (is alternative reality that pretends Korea still has a monarchy, but is also quite dated; I skipped all the ridiculous villain scenes until the end when he became important; something cozy about the classic old dramas despite all their flaws)

Historical (called "sageuk," and can be quite long) Dramas:
-Mr. Sunshine (be warned; sad ending)
-Six Flying Dragons (a classic)
-Moon Embracing The Sun (a classic)
-Tree With Deep Roots
-Under The Queen's Umbrella (a favorite, cool female lead)
-Rebel: Thief Who Stole The People (another favorite)
-Warrior Baek Dong Soo
-Sungkyunkwan Scandal (cross-dressing) (cool female lead)
-Tale of Nokdu (cross-dressing)
-100 Days My Prince
-The Crowned Clown
-The Bridal Mask (also quite dated; prepare yourself for over acting and bad sets 😅, and torture; but there's something special about it still)
-The King's Affection (cross-dressing)

Fusion Sageuk (have anachronistic and/or fantasy elements) Dramas:
-Alchemy Of Souls (2 Parts) (a favorite)
-Gu Family Book
-Hwarang
-Forbidden Marriage
-Queen In Hyun's Man
-Live Up To Your Name (also a Medical Drama)
-Splash, Splash Love (only 3 episodes)
-Arthdal Chronicles
-The Secret Romantic Guest House
-Love In The Moonlight (cross-dressing; could be in the sageuk section, but it shamelessly rewrote history so I put it here, a classic)
-Mr. Queen (comedy, body-switching)

Medical Dramas:
-Dr. Romantic (3 seasons) (2nd season is a favorite; haven't seen Season 3, but Season 1 is also good)
-The Good Doctor (American show of the same name based on this)
-Hospital Playlist (2 seasons) (quite famous)
-Doctor Stranger (end is kind of a train wreck, but Lee Jong Suk is great. :))
-Beautiful Mind

Modern Fairytale/Fantasy Dramas:
-I Can Hear Your Voice (also a Law Drama) (one of my all-time favorites)
-Pinocchio
-While You Were Sleeping (also a Law Drama) (one of my all-time favorites, a classic))
-I'm Not A Robot (a favorite)
-Legend Of The Blue Sea (a classic)
-My Love From The Star (a classic)
-My Lovely Liar
-Are You Human Too?

Law Dramas:
-Law School
-Miss Hammurabi
-Extraordinary Attorney Woo (a new classic)
-The Devil Judge (also Revenge and Action/Thriller)
-The Lawless Lawyer (also Action/Thriller)
-Suspicious Partner (but also heavy on romance; famous but not my favorite)

Action/Thriller/Detective/Crime (serial killer plot) Dramas:
-Beyond Evil
-Flower Of Evil (a classic)
-Stranger (2 seasons, also Law Drama) (a favorite, a classic)
-The Good Detective (2 seasons)
-Signal (a favorite, a classic)
-My Perfect Stranger
-Tunnel (a favorite, a classic)
-Bad and Crazy
-He Is Psychometric
-The Memorist
-Hello, Monster/I Remember You
-Mouse (famous for a major plot twist)

Monsters/Zombies/Paranormal:
-Sweet Home (famous, the 1st Season in particular; the monsters have kind of a stop motion kind of movement to them; unique! Very gory)
-Zombie Detective
-All Of Us Are Dead
-Happiness
-Search
-Duty After School

Revenge Dramas:
-Vincenzo
-The Glory

Older Classics:
-The Heirs (has a makjang feel, like My Perfect Marriage Revenge)
-Dream High
-Boys Over Flowers (I like the new Thai version the best, but there's a Korean, Taiwanese, Chinese, Japanese and Thai version; probably THE biggest drama of all time across all the Asian countries, and a must watch, just to say you have; has the famous hard-working poor girl meets chaebol heir that is the most famous romance trope in Kdramas, so, definitely a Kdrama Rite Of Passage)
-Coffee Prince
-Secret Garden (body-switching; the ML is a jerk for a VERY long time)

There's a bunch of famous makjang ones, like Penthouse, and there are a bunch like it (you can tell just from the posters, haha) that you might like, too. My Father Is Strange was all I could do.

And by the way, these are all Korean dramas. JDramas are not my thing, and I've only watched a few Chinese Dramas that were super highly rated (Hidden Love (modern romance drama), When I Fly Towards You, (modern romance drama with high schoolers growing up together) and Love Like The Galaxy (historical drama)), and they were very good. Chinese Dramas just have a different feel than Kdramas and I'm not sure I'm into it, and I kind of started with the best so I'm scared to venture into lower rating territory as I tried one and quickly dropped it. Cdramas are even more unrealistic and fluffy than Kdramas, which is saying something. 😏

This is probably WAY more than you wanted, haha, but I had fun compiling this and trying to decide what categories to use to group them. I'd also recommend you track the screenwriters you like as you watch, because they tend to write similar types of things and have consistent quality; tracking them can help you know what you'll like and what to look for (for instance, Castaway Diva, I Can Hear Your Voice and While You Were Sleeping are dramas I dearly love, and all have the same screenwriter; I know now she's always going to be one of my favorites). :) Enjoy!!

Ah, I've heard people mention VPNs, but I'm such technological dinosaur that I have no idea how to do one, haha. Is it difficult to set up?