etoks21

You are absolutely right, and I never ran into this shameless form of headline writing until I came to MDL. I don't recall what headline it was but the first one used two actors' real names and claimed one had hit the other or something. I don't usually pay attention to MDL front-page articles but I thought "wow, did they really do that?" and foolishly clicked on the link.

Of course, the altercation took place in some stupid drama, but that info didn't show up until within the story. I had never seen such a thing in any entertainment reporting in the U.S. "ROBERT DOWNEY JR. RAPES SCARLETT JOHANNSEN, ARRESTED IN NEW YORK CITY..." Then it turns out this happened within the plot to a new movie they were co-starring in. No, that has never, ever happened in a normal country.

thediamondlife needs to get a life of their own.

Very good. 9/10

T.O.P. is a good actor.

Bravo. Well-written.

Like you, there is much about MDL I like. I don't have the fortitude to stick with most of the K and J dramas, so I'm mainly a feature-film, gay-themed film, and BL user here. But I Iove that each show has a page, you can rate and comment on shows, all that stuff. I enjoy keeping "Best of..." type lists and being able to look back at what I've watched, what I've dropped, etc.; this place is remarkable in many ways.

But also like you, i HAAAAAAAATE trash-gossip articles like this. Beginning way back in 2009 with the self-hanging death of Korea's most popular actress, her manager, and her brother, then the 2010 suicide of Park Young Ha, a popular actor from the first wave of K-dramas who had leveraged his fame in Japan into becoming one of the most successful Hallyu singers, I have been horrified by the never-ending tide of celebrity suicides in Korea.

Then Jonghyun, of SHINee, the only K-Pop group I took seriously; an almost unbelievably gifted young man, killed himself in 2017 at the age of 27. I cried like a baby. Then the next year, Sulli and Gu Hara. Then two months later, Cha In Ha, who I admired for his acting talent from "Love With Flaws," checked out, also at the age of 27. In April of 2023, the phenomenally talented K-Pop star, Moonbin died by suicide. Eight months later, the Korean king of actors, he of the resonant baritone speaking/singing voice, Lee Sun Kyun, took his life, alone in the middle of the night in his parked car, after agonizing months of abuse from the press and public.

There are dozens more celebs dead by suicide from 2005 until now. In the U.S., where I live, this tsunami of suicides would be a non-stop, top of the page headlines, huge story. There'd be TV news specials about the problem. People would be distraught and upset, wondering who was next and why.

In Korea...mostly crickets. Every time another celeb kills themself, we are mostly told to shut up and pretend it didn't happen, "for the sake of the family, as they send off their loved one to be a twinkling star in the heavens, watching over us." You know the drill. It is so...sick.

So what does MDL do? What they've always done, is intrude on the personal lives of entertainers as if it's their and our business. A lot of these articles are mainly an excuse to list all the celebs' upcoming projects, blah blah blah. How about writing articles ABOUT the projects and skip the personal stuff? Too hard?

Anyway, the editors of MDL have not learned a damn thing and this article is proof of that. On we go, same old, same old, until the next time someone hangs themselves from a bedpost or fires up the briquets. WTF?

Sorry to rant again, but this is a seriously emotional topic for me, which is why I go off on MDL every time they play their part in the twisted K-celeb/fan death culture.

The number of Korean celebs who have taken their lives from about 2005 until now is staggering, and in almost every case intrusive, unethical cyber-bullying and horrific character assassination in the press has been the cause.

Now THIS is why some of these relationships are suspect as to whether they are real, or just an excuse for social media like MDL to hype the parties' various products.

How about not reporting on their personal lives at all?

Why? Why do you hope they last? How does their relationship, if there is one, effect your life?

Oh look! It's the notorious "lo_ve," back with a stupid and intrusive front-page article about other people's personal, romantic business, complete with syrupy, insipid quotes from agency PR hacks, urging us to "look warmly on their relationship."

Why does MDL continue to post this trash on the front page? Who cares? None of our business? But then, of course, the article is actually longer AFTER the disclosure of the alleged dating, bringing us up to date on every damn thing either one is doing professionally. Surely, this wouldn't be a fake relationship to give agencies an excuse to hype upcoming shows, through social media...would it?

Oooh, they were "spotted dating on the street!" I'm wondering how it's possible to know they were "dating" on the street. Do people just look different when they're "dating," as opposed to when they're just meeting up as friends for coffee?

Oh, but that's right, we have confirmation from the agencies of both parties that they "are getting to know each other with good feelings." Because, you know, getting to know each other with "bad feelings" kind of sucks.

Korea has the weirdest, most caustic celebrity/fan culture I have ever encountered. If one of these two were spotted enjoying some weed or looking funny at a cocktail waitress, we'd go from glowing beatitudes to calls for their immediate cancellation. Then we'd get a suicide, which would doubtless lead to yet another excuse for a front-page article.

But, I have a question: Is it only K-Pop "idols" who get cancelled for "betraying their fans" by dating? Is dating OK for actors but not idols? Why?

Cycle never ends. Nothing has been learned.

Oh...I am also quite "relaxed" too.

This is you above: "I can't understand what made you so angry about these comments..."

lol I was kidding. Up above you told me to "relax" and wondered what made me "so angry," when I am nothing of the sort.

So I was sort of joshing with you by asking the same questions. :P

EXACTLY. And DENIAL and FEAR are what Qian is experiencing and why he is going to such lengths to stay in the closet. Which is not the same thing as being UNAWARE that he is gay or has gay feelings. He is approaching his sexuality in the exact OPPOSITE way from Yuan, who is accepting of who and what he is. To me, that dichotomy is an integral facet of this story. One gay man living in lies, the other in truth. It's a big part of why this BL is so powerful.

I was aware that I was at least very "different" from my male peers by early grade school, and I knew I was sexually attracted to other boys shortly thereafter. And I grew up centuries ago in a conservative U.S. state. Kids have sexual feelings much earlier than most adults choose to remember about themselves once they become parents.

That denial and fear that gay kids feel every minute of every day as they grow up is why many of us suffer emotional/mental problems that never go away; we just learn how to live with them and overcome them.

Jesus, "relax, why are you so angry?" This is what MDLers come up with when they get into a discussion with someone who argues their position unapologetically, without every third phrase being "this is only my opinion," or "I don't mean to offend you," or "please forgive me for disagreeing with you," or "please excuse me for being alive."

The fact that I write an opinion means it's MY opinion. There's no need to state that fact. And I don't apologize for using my brain to form thoughts or my fingers on the keyboard to express them.

You seem to STILL be arguing that YOUR interpretation of the character is the precise one intended by the writer. Is that correct? The writer of the novel or the writer of the screenplay for the series? And how do you know the intention of the writer of either? The best you can do is guess, like me. We guess way different because humans don't think the way you claim Qian does.

I have seen every watchable BL in existence, so I am well-aware of the "gay for YOU" trope. It's stupid and insulting to the audience. I don't get why you folks have such a hard time imagining that a character's actions and words do not accurately reflect their inner thinking, that people say and do things ALL THE TIME to hide their true selves from others. This is not news. When I hear a BL character say "I am only gay for YOU," my rather rational brain deduces that they are...wait for it...LYING.

The people I've been arguing with above claimed Qian is "UNAWARE" of his homosexuality, which is something quite different from not being "100% sure" about it, as you write. They're saying Qian has NO IDEA he's gay, as opposed to thinking "am I gay?" "Am I bi?" "Am I straight?" See the difference? They're alleging that Qian has never experienced, in all his years, a sexual attraction to another man. I call BS.

People don't "turn" gay or "become" gay. They are born gay...or bi or straight, or whatever.

Finally, I don't care if the novel was written in 1948; the series was made in 2023 and as far as I can tell, the series is SET in the present day. So there goes your argument about that.

BTW, you sound awfully...upset. Are you OK? Why are you so irritable and rude?

Pretty good flick. The near-ending knocked it down two full points for me. No cop even looked at him. No one called an ambulance. Stupid.

Kim Kang Woo is at his hottest and Park Sung Woong is at his badass best here. Jung Jin Young is great too.

The above-mentioned plot hole and a few others took this from a 9/10 to a 7/10 from me.

Still, I recommend it.

Yes, it will be nice for him when he gets to the stage of "accepting" his homosexuality. At that point he can let go of the stress of denying to himself what he already feels and knows to be the case, which is not the same as being UNAWARE of those things.

"This drama has portrayed Qian as not interested in romance with females and no attraction to males." Are you saying Qian is Asexual? Are you saying it's not possible he told the young woman investor of his disinterest because he's hiding his homosexuality and doesn't want to complicate things further by faking an attraction to her? Are you saying it's not possible he is fully attracted to men but in the closet?

"So this would be a case of i am not gay i just love you." lol Are you serious? Anyone who says that is a liar, just as Qian will be a liar if he says it to Yuan.

Speaking of Yuan, he is currently, along with Lili, just about the only remotely honest person in this drama. He has asked "why can't I love Qian?" but he has also asked "why can't I like men?" He doesn't feel the need to play the "only gay for YOU" game, which only exists in BLs in the first place.

"...Qian is not narrow minded but not yet Open minded about homosexuality..."

If a person is "not yet open-minded..." then it follow that they are closed/narrow-minded. It's fun to read you all contorting yourself into spastic, figure-eights to come up with excuses for Qian's current state of being closeted. Why is it so difficult to accept that he's fully aware of his feelings for Yuan but not anywhere near ready to accept them, which totally explains his over-reaction to Yuan's confessions?

"Why are you so angry and bitter? "
Why do you think I'm angry and bitter? Because you dislike the points I make? Since we're calling names, however, why are you so lame and stupid?

It's a terrible thing to throw spoilers around. Talk about whatever interviews you want, but put it behind a spoiler if it reveals anything not presented on the screen to that point. This isn't hard to understand.

"Let them tell the story they want to tell us." Am I preventing that? How? You're assuming to know the interior workings of the characters' minds just like I am. Still, you're not willing to admit you have NO WAY of knowing the WHY of Qian's and SP's psychological motivations any better than do I. You like them, they're hot, and so you like to think they couldn't possibly be acting/thinking in ways that can be justifiably criticized.

As for your last statement...hahaha, dear god, you're oblivious. (Oh dear, was that 'angry and bitter?') How can a person be "confused" about their sexuality unless they are AWARE of the various feelings they are having? The confusion emerges from the pressure, as you mentioned, to put themselves in a defined category when they don't have to. That said, the vast majority of humans are gay or straight with some minor overlapping, whether you like it or not.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/389792/lgbt-identification-ticks-up.aspx

You're nuts, but thanks for the self-righteous, prophetical rant. It was entertaining to read. I'm picturing you perched with your gnarly wood-branch staff, robes and wild, silver hair flowing, as you babble at full volume into the empty wind.

It's always telling that your type sees "hatred" where there is none. Acknowledging reality does not require the wasted emotion of hate, but accusing someone who disagrees with you of "hate" is a simple, and lame attempt to discredit what they've said by attributing it to negative emotionalism. Cuts no ice with me.

"Gay vs. straight?" lol, most of the people I know and love are straight. Did you know it's possible to be straight and not at all homophobic? No, really! It is! Projection is a thing, and it's oozing out of your every pore.

Finally, yes, I do like dictionaries. Words have actual meanings, though people like you throw them around as if they mean whatever you want them to mean in the moment.

Oh, oh, oh...how old am I?

"He wants ZY to be straight, but not for the reason that gay is wrong. "

What a sad. desperate rationalization to make. How about a comparison: "He wishes his sister's husband was white instead of black, but not for the reason that there's anything wrong with being black." Does that statement work for you too?

I think you're making the mistake of defending Qian and SP because they're predominantly decent, likable people. LOTS of likable people are bigots. And no, I don't "tolerate" bigotry, no matter who the bigot is. Which doesn't necessarily mean I refuse to have anything to do with the bigot, were they a close, personal friend or relative. BUT if, over time, their position did not change, I would definitely cease to include them in my life.

For more, please read my response to the comment above.