Cora

If you ever see someone walking around half-dead with panda eyes and a tear-stained face, clutching a cold cup of coffee at 7 a.m., it’s probably me, still emotionally recovering from the finale I watched five hours ago. I don’t watch dramas just to watch them. I let them ruin me (consensually).

My screen time report every Sunday is catastrophic. If a show doesn’t emotionally destroy me, did I even watch it? I want the type of storytelling that drags my soul through glass and then softly kisses the wound like it never happened.

Why I Watch?

Because in a world where everything feels rushed, dramas slow me down.
Because even when I know the ending, I stay.
Because pain in fiction makes the pain in real life feel less lonely.

I watch because I’m a romantic, because I want to live a thousand stories in one lifetime, because I want to feel. And dramas make me feel everything beautifully, tragically, and completely.

How did it all begin?

It started with background noise. One of those weekday KBS morning dramas with bad lighting, bad husbands, and one woman who keeps fainting in the same living room. I was just a kid, passing through the living room. But one day, I paused. A woman had just found out her husband was cheating with her sister, and she slapped him so hard the camera shook. I laughed. Then I sat down. Then I forgot to leave.

Before I knew it, I was secretly catching up on episodes on the school library computer between classes. Daily dramas were my first guilty pleasure. And let’s not even talk about the summer I spent rewatching Miss Ajumma and Ruby Ring on rerun channels at my grandma’s house.

My weirdest viewing habits:

Watched an entire fantasy drama while stuck in the bathroom with food poisoning.

Taped my phone to the shower wall using masking tape to finish a series I needed to finish before my night shift.

Hid under the covers with earphones in high school, pretending to sleep while secretly watching My Rosy Life on mute with subtitles. Almost cried when my mom caught me, not because I got caught, but because the scene was too sad to pause.

Once watched the same breakup scene from Que Sera Sera 18 times. Cried every single time. No regrets.

Used to fake headaches in the middle of family dinners just to go watch the daily 8:30 a.m. KBS drama on VOD.

10

★★★★★★★★★★ 

Transcendent / A Masterpiece. A drama that changed something in me. Flawless or close enough that its imperfections are irrelevant. Emotionally staggering. I will carry this one with me.

9 to 9.5

★★★★★★★★★ 

Exceptional. Richly layered, emotionally sharp, well-crafted. A near-perfect ride with only a few subtle stumbles. Left me deeply satisfied but still wanting just a little more.

8 to 8.5

★★★★★★★★ 

Strong, Memorable. Engaging throughout. Had emotional weight or narrative power, but perhaps pacing issues or one-off choices dulled its glow. I would recommend it readily.

7 to 7.5

★★★★★★★ 

Solid. A pleasant, worthwhile watch that delivered some standout elements, whether a performance, aesthetic, or moment of resonance. But not one I’ll revisit often.

6 to 6.5

★★★★★★ 

Uneven / Had Potential. Started well or had a compelling idea but faltered in execution. Might've had recycled tropes, lazy structure, or an unsatisfying second half.

5 to 5.5

★★★★★ 

Middling. Something I watched for the vibes, the cast, or sheer curiosity. I wouldn’t revisit or recommend it, unless it’s someone’s oddly specific niche.

4 to 4.5

★★★★ 

Disappointing. Felt more like a chore. Messy writing, poor tone management, or emotional beats that never landed. I finished it out of stubbornness, not joy.

2 to 3.5

★★

Bad. Frustrating, boring, or actively irritating. I couldn’t connect to anything. Directionless and emotionally hollow. Why did I keep watching??

1 to 1.5

★

Unwatchable. Poorly produced, emotionally incoherent, or painfully tone-deaf. I wish I could unsee it. Not just bad, but artistically irresponsible.