254. Drinking Solo 혼술남녀 (2016) Korean

Ha Seok Jin, Park Ha Sun, Hwang Woo Seul Hye, Min Jin Woong, Kim Won Hae, Gong Myung, Key, Jung Chae Yeon, Kim Dong Young

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A

I started this for Key, straight up.  I had heard good things.  I don't remember why I didn't watch it when it came out.  I remember Lizabreff was really excited for it, but we just never got around to watching it.  Which is weird.  But then I started watching it without her, which is also weird.  But that's what happened.  I was not disappointed.  Ki Bum was the best part of the whole show.  Di ro ri!  I'm pretty sure he's my spirit animal.  I mean, I guess Ha Seok Jin was a bonus... JK, I loved everyone in this whole show.  There was no one that I didn't like, and that was the beauty of it.  It was about people.  Flawed people who are dealing with a lot of crap.  We have the exam school teachers, who all have their own struggles, and the students, who are living under the cloud of the civil service exams and having to study all day every day.  So everyday someone is going to be drinking solo, for some reason, good or bad.  Or Ha Seok Jin will just drink solo every day because he's high quality trash and it's his time of "healing."  The show is basically advocating alcohol, but trying to also promote healthy drinking habits.  Really, I was all about those "high quality" snacks during all those drinking scenes.  They made me so hungry and jealous.  I loved how the characters all developed well and how I cared about everyone's story.  I was shipping everyone, even if I knew they were bound to be alone, because they were the second male lead.  Everyone had their times of being sad, but it usually wasn't stupid, it was realistic.  Only sometimes it was stupid.  Then everyone ended fairly happy, which is also good.  It was a good ending, although the last episode was so long that I am dead tired now because I stayed up too late to finish it.  It was a little slow paced, but there were a lot of loose ends to tie in the last episode.  I felt like they gave all the other characters besides the main couple more time to resolve, but since I loved them all that only seemed slightly weird.  They were trying to leave it open, I know, but it was a bit too open maybe?  I don't know.  It was still good, just too long for after midnight.  This noona is getting too old for that.

248. Radiant Office 자체발광 오피스 (2017) Korean

Go Ah Sung, Ha Seok Jin, Kim Dong Wook, Lee Dong Hwi, Hoya

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A

I don't normally love office dramas this much, because they are usually about chaebols and office politics.  This one has more of a Misaeng vibe to it, however, which means its about the peons instead.  The office workers.  The interns.  Only they were contract workers instead.  Three of them.  They met in the emergency room when they had all tried to kill themselves, each for their own version of "life is so hard it sucks."  Then they all ran from the hospital, since none of them could pay their fees, and since that moment, they are buddies for life.  To the point where they laugh and cry for each other.  They are some of the most adorable friends ever.  I loved how raw and messy all of the relationships.  Even the people you hated were relatable at times.  Ha Seok Jin was great.  He was so awkward.  It was great to see her perception of him change, but also him just change as he realizes that he can change.  It was a super cute romance too.  Very organic and slow building.  It was a cute, normal person romance.  All the romances were.  All the relationships were.  All the people were.  Messy, but lovable.  I loved Bender (Oh Dae Hwan).  He was so annoying, and it was hilarious.  We loved to hate him, but couldn't really hate him, because we loved him.  The embodiment of every annoying, brown-nosing, power trippy sunbae office worker.  He was my favorite, as he usually is, but really I just loved everyone.  Except that Dr. Seo.  He was the worst, and I didn't want him to be redeemed or anything at the end.  Nope.  He was annoying.

231. One Percent of Something 1%의 어떤 것 (2016) Korean

Ha Seok Jin, Jeon So Min

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: B

They might be one of the cutest OTPs ever.  They weren't any good at being in a "fake" contract relationship however, which is good, we didn't want them to put off being cute together.  They from the moment they signed the contract were dating for realsies.  Well, at least he was.  She took slightly longer.  This actually makes sense, because faking dating is just silly.  It was a short drama, so the pace was snappy, I liked that.  It meant that there was less time for the crappy and they focused only on the things that we wanted, which was the main couple.  I also liked how consistent everyone was.  She was fiesty and strong the whole time, he was an adorable little butt the whole time.  but at the same time there was character development as they both got stronger from being in a relationship with each other.  I especially loved how she held her own against that horrible and stupid bitca.  She won every single time against that bitca and I loved it.   She was so strong and logical against those bitca's stupid moves.  I kind of liked how there was no real 2nd male lead, which confused me first because that cousin kid never did anything, and just stood there all the time.  But I liked how honest everyone was.  They never lied, they just neglected saying what was important until the last minute, thinking that's the way it had to be.  But for a "fake" couple they sure kissed a lot, which makes it seem silly that they didn't know that they had fallen for each other.  So it was nothing grand plot-wise, but its simplicity is one of its virtues.  Consistency was beautiful.  Random other characters, whatever, but it was all about the couple, which is great.