Stefne Miller: Finding Community in Kdramas and Kpop + When The Phone Rings Thoughts

S1 E11 / Stefne Miller, founder of Army Project 529 and Kdrama fan, joins me to talk about some of her favorite dramas and how they’ve impacted her life as well as the international community that’s formed with the rise of the Hallyu wave around Kdramas and BTS. 

☎️ And then we get into our thoughts on  When The Phone Ring—what worked for us (so, so well!) and how sometimes a drama just hits you with a white truck of doom in the homestretch. 

🚫 Spoiler warning! Our wide-ranging conversation touches on the following shows: 

• Squid Game
• Crash Landing on You
• King the Land
• Uncontrollably Fond
• Extraordinary Attorney Woo
• Twenty-five Twenty-one
• Cheat on Me if You Can
• When the Phone Rings
• Snowdrop
• While You Were Sleeping
• The K2

Stefne’s recs:

• Crash Landing on You 
• Business Proposal 
• What’s Wrong 
• What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim
• Dr. Romantic
• Extraordinary Attorney Woo
• Train to Busan
• Kingdom
• Bloodhounds

Current Watching: 

Stefne: Trama Code, Melo Movie, When Life Gives You Tangerines

Sara: The Potato Lab

Links:

ArmyProject529.com

Stefne’s TikTok: StefARMYProject529

Transcript

Sara Rosett 0:17

This is the How I Met My K-Drama podcast, and it's all about K-drama origin stories and recommendations. I'm Sarah Rosette, and today Stephanie Miller is here. She's a K-drama watcher and founder of Army Project 529.

unknown 0:30

Yay!

Sara Rosett 0:31

So happy to have you.

SPEAKER_01 0:32

Thank you for having me.

Sara Rosett 0:34

Well, thank you for taking time to come on and talk about K-dramas. I just love talking to everybody.

SPEAKER_02 0:40

It's easy to talk about.

Sara Rosett 0:42

Mine too. And I feel like, you know, we don't always have somebody in our life to talk to K drama talk about K-dramas with. So that makes it nice. Well, tell us a little bit about yourself, just a few sentences, whatever background you'd like to share.

SPEAKER_01 0:56

I am a mom of three boys who have now all grown and moved out. And um, so I had to have something that filled my time since I don't have, you know, I'm not running around doing sports and all that. So I go to work during the day and then I come home and I either watch K dramas or I watch BTS stuff or work on our project. And um, it's made my life the communities around both, both K dramas and BTS, have just filled my life so much that well, I won't say I don't miss my boys, but I don't miss them as much. How about that?

Sara Rosett 1:29

Yeah, I understand that. I'm an empty nester and it's you do you do have more time? I totally understand that.

SPEAKER_01 1:36

And you know how boys are like we don't hear from boys. Like I think daughters like are probably in more communication. My boys, if the phone rings or I get a text message from them, usually something's wrong.

Sara Rosett 1:45

So you're like, oh no.

SPEAKER_01 1:47

Yeah, what's going on now?

Sara Rosett 1:49

Well, tell us how did you get into K dramas? And do you remember what your first K-drama was?

SPEAKER_01 1:54

Yes. Okay, so it kind of depends because I think it was like during COVID era and we were all home forever. So my first thing that I ever watched that was like Korean was Squid Games. I don't consider that like a K drama, but it did get me into obviously Korean-made dramas, but also reading subtitles and all that. But I would say the first K drama I watched that was like where made me obsessed was Crash Landing on You.

Sara Rosett 2:20

Yeah. Yeah, that's like a gateway drama for so many.

SPEAKER_01 2:25

And like it's the OG. I feel like it's the OG, and it got it probably pulled a lot of people in.

Sara Rosett 2:31

When you watch that, what did you think? Were you like, this is a whole new avenue of entertainment that I've never heard of?

SPEAKER_01 2:38

Yes, because in my different, okay, so in my different life, I guess, previous life, I have written screenplays before. We've had I've had a movie made. I so I've been in this world and I had sort of gotten tired of uh, I would say Western or American tone and movies because they all just seem so, I don't know, I was just kind of over them. I think I'd studied writing the scripts so much that there was nothing new or interesting because I could see the patterns of storytelling and the beats of story and all of that. And so when I got into um K-drama and especially Crash Landing on You, and to see something so well made and a full story told over the 16 episodes, I was hooked. I was like, you know, because American stuff, you either get a very short hour and 30-minute movie where they don't have time to really develop much, or you get season after season where they drag everything out because they have to try to make it interesting for so long. And I and I just realized really quickly with Crash Landing on You that with these things, you get 16 power-packed, amazing, the best they can give you episodes. And then that's usually it. And so they just write storytelling to keep you in it the entire time. And this just, I just think it it just blows Western culture shows out of the water.

Sara Rosett 3:55

Yeah, you get that full arc. Yes. I remember one I was watching, I was like, oh my goodness, they're going to re this character is going to be redeemed. He's not going to be the bad guy the whole time. He's going to get to have this redemption arc, which we would probably not see as often in Western media because you want to continue, especially if it's episodic, you want him to keep going.

SPEAKER_01 4:15

So I totally absolutely you have to give him a starting point and an ending point, right? You've got to give them growth. And um, I'm sure we'll probably get into when the phone rings later talking about that. But I that was one of my big things about that show is that there were people who are like, he's so red flag, he's so red flag. And I was like, you gotta start somewhere with the character to give them places to go and room to grow and to keep them interesting. Um, and I love that you get not only that with one character, but you can get it with multiple career care, I mean, characters, side characters. I mean, it's I just me too.

Sara Rosett 4:48

I agree. Well, tell us five of your favorite K dramas. They don't have to be, they can be your top five, they can be like a theme.

SPEAKER_01 4:56

I can write this down because I've watched so many and lose track. Okay, so obviously Crash Landing on You, even though it's, I mean, it gets special because it was my first, it's also truly one of the best you can ever watch. And I don't know that much will ever be better than that for me. My second that I picked was King the Land. And part of the I chose that one is because my husband actually watched it with me and loved it. Cool. And we got to watch it together. And it was one where I didn't feel like I mean, I to me, it even broke some of the normal kind of K drama um things that they do. Like, you know, you didn't have the oh, they have to break up for a period of time before they, you know, you didn't have all that, so I really loved it. It sort of changed things up a little bit, and I just thought they were adorable. Yeah, another one uncontrollably fond.

Sara Rosett 5:43

Okay. I have not watched that one yet.

SPEAKER_01 5:46

Okay, that one is my favorite because, and I don't want to give a spoiler, but it's gonna spoil. So I'm sorry.

Sara Rosett 5:51

It's okay. I'll put a spoiler tag on this.

SPEAKER_01 5:53

So later it is the most heartbreakingly beautiful thing I've ever watched. And at the time I really needed like an emotional release, and boy, did that did that give it to me. And it's just one that I hate but I love, and it has stuck with me forever. And so if I had somebody who's like, oh, I just need to get in my feels, that's the one that I would I would recommend.

Sara Rosett 6:18

Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Sometimes I sometimes I don't want to go to the that place. But yeah, I've heard a lot of people say that that's they love the K dramas that make them cry. And I just want the ones that touch my heart. I don't want to be weeping.

SPEAKER_01 6:32

Yeah. Well, you would be weeping, so maybe don't watch it. Um sometimes when I go back and I rewatch, because I love to rewatch stuff. Um, I'll stop it at a particular episode where I feel like, okay, now they get a happy ending, so I don't go. No, you're done.

Sara Rosett 6:45

Like friends and Phoebe was like, old yeller, wasn't that the one that she was like, it's over. There's no more.

SPEAKER_01 6:52

There's no more. Just pretend it doesn't continue. But the acting was so beautiful. And um, I really love that, you know, um, he's a celebrity and she, you know, the whole thing.

Sara Rosett 7:02

Oh, I love the ones that are set in them.

SPEAKER_01 7:04

Amazing. They're amazing.

unknown 7:05

Cool.

Sara Rosett 7:06

So keep going. I interrupted you.

SPEAKER_01 7:08

So that no, you didn't interrupt. Okay. Um, my other one would be um The Extraordinary Attorney Woo. I love that one too. Yeah. I love it. It's some of the most beautiful television I've ever watched. And I think at first, because again, American television had turned me so off that at first I was like, oh no, here we go. Because here's the thing: I do not like watching television and then feeling like they are trying to shove a message down my throat, right? And American television to me, that's all it's become. Like they get their issues or they get their whatever, which I'm all for issues. It's not that I don't want issues, but they're not creative in how they do it. They just jam it down your throat and it just makes it very in your face. Yes. And I hate that. And so one of the things I love about Extraordinary Attorney Wu, other than the fact that the actors are beautiful and she was phenomenal. Um, but they found a way to touch such important topics, and you don't feel like you're getting preached to or, you know, scolded or whatever. It's just part of the beautiful storytelling. And um, that's forever one of my favorite. And I'm hoping they come back with a second season. I don't say that often. Um, but yeah, I love that one.

Sara Rosett 8:17

Yeah, that was my first K drama.

SPEAKER_01 8:19

Really? Yeah. Special place. I can see how that would drag you in. Like I could totally see from then on, you're like, I'll never watch anything else.

Sara Rosett 8:27

Yes. Because I love I love the full storyline and I loved the each character, you got a full story about each one, some more than others. But I was like, wow, we're gonna get the story of her friend and of this other guy then that works in the office. I mean, it was just it was so good.

SPEAKER_01 8:44

Well, and I love too the way that in you know, the enemies to lovers. That wasn't that wasn't like the main thing between the main characters, obviously, but you kind of got it with that friend. You know what I mean? Yes. I I so they they are so creative in the way that they use these different elements of storytelling to surprise you and to keep it fresh and new. And I thought that one was just absolutely so beautifully done. I every well, yeah, I would recommend it to anybody.

Sara Rosett 9:11

It's it's yeah, I even got my husband to watch it with me. So that's some of some, you know, or he just like, I don't think I don't know if this would go for somebody who hasn't watched Korean or isn't used to subtitles and stuff, but that one I think goes over well pretty well.

SPEAKER_01 9:25

There's one scene that I will show people just to be because I'm like, I just want to show you the difference between American television and dramas, and it's the scene where they first meet at the that's what I was thinking of. One too. The most beautiful piece of television, and it's so sweet. And if you're not hooked on that, uh there's no hope for you, I don't think.

Sara Rosett 9:50

And it just encapsulates their whole relationship because he's very much a green flag, and you know, it all it just shows how he helps her, he supports her, and he just accepts her the way she is. He doesn't try and change her. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So cool. All right. Did you have one more?

SPEAKER_01 10:07

Yeah, I have one more. Okay, and that is 2521.

Sara Rosett 10:11

Oh, another heart, another heart wrenching.

SPEAKER_01 10:14

Yeah, yes. The thing that's different about uncontrollably fond and 2521 is uncontrollably fond, at least you know from episode one that something bad it's gonna happen, because you you're told from episode one that he's got this issue, right? Right. But this one, it was like the came out of nowhere, and you're like, Oh. It's either that you love it or you hate it that you're like, wait a minute, I just I just invested 16 hours of my life, and this is what you're gonna do to me, you know. But it's just such an empowering, beautiful, well done story. It's not very often you see, again, that you see a female athlete character take on the world and do well without feeling like they're trying to be like, oh, girls can do it too. You know what I mean? Like it this was just a well done story, a well done story.

SPEAKER_03 11:05

Yeah.

Sara Rosett 11:05

So that would be when you did the when you did that hand motion, you said something comes out of nowhere, and I was like, you it was we were white truck of doomed. You know, like the white truck of doom gets us sometimes.

SPEAKER_01 11:18

That's one of the only ones where, well, one of the few where I'm like, okay, that could have been so different. Like I would love to sit down and talk to the writer and be like, okay, why did you feel like they couldn't? I mean, it was one thing for them not to be together. Okay, again, spoiler, spoiler. It's one thing for them not to be together, but for for it to just seem so ign insignificant later on. That's I think the part that broke my heart. But anyway, yeah. So again, it's unexpected. And right, and it's in most Western television.

Sara Rosett 11:46

Right. And a lot of these shows, they're interesting. They're like, oh, let's talk about it. Let's see what do you think. What what I watched one uh ambiguous ending. Oh, that's a spoiler. Mystery call uh it's on Vicky. It's um Cheat on Me If You Can. And hardly hardly anybody has watched this that I've heard of. And a couple people in this online group online have watched it, but like I don't hear anybody talking about it. And it's got this ending where you're like, ooh, I really need to chat with someone about this.

SPEAKER_01 12:21

I love that's what I love about shows. What I love about K-dramas is exactly what you just said. You finish something, you're like, I need to talk to someone about this because I have to think this through out loud and get other people's opinions. Very rarely do I feel that way about something that I watch on American nothing against American. I'm a I mean, I you know, nothing against it. Yeah. Maybe I'd just been around it for so long I needed something fresh. Um, but it's very rare that I watch a K-drama that I don't immediately want to talk to 25 people about it.

Sara Rosett 12:52

And really dig into the characters and things. Yeah. Well, speaking of that, do you have a K-drama trope that you just can't resist that you're like, oh, this is an auto watch for me?

SPEAKER_01 13:02

Pretty much any anything enemies to lovers is always gonna be probably go to.

Sara Rosett 13:07

Yeah. Yeah. I can see.

SPEAKER_01 13:08

Because I love the push, the push and the pull of that. Um, especially when they can do it in such a way where, well, that's like King the Land. It's one of the reasons I love King the Land so much because they did it in such a way where they were enemies to lovers, but at the same time, you knew he was in love with her. I mean, so freaking quick that you knew what was going on in his mind, but you still kind of got to watch the push and pull. And uh yeah, it's definitely my favorite. There's so many different ways you can go with it. And um, yeah, I love that stuff.

Sara Rosett 13:39

Yeah. Well, what about a favorite? Do you have a favorite actor or favorite uh someone that you followed their career or like a genre that you're just always drawn to? Okay, let me think. I'm not really good with pronouncing games. Um no pressure, I'm not either.

SPEAKER_01 13:58

Actually, one of my favorite, which I don't really, she was in a recent one, which I wasn't a real big fan of, was I like Susie Bay a lot. And she was an uncontrolledly fond. And maybe that's why because I fell in love with her that, and then also with While You Were Sleeping, which was one of my favorite series. Um, I really love her a lot. Uh and I'm trying to think who else. Um I think that's part of what I love about it is there are enough actors to keep you interested, but you also see them kind of come back and come back that you get familiar with them, and it's always nice to see them doing something a little different. Um and again, I can't say names well, but uh the same actor that was uncont uncontrollably fond with her, Kim Wu Ben, I he's such a I I'm gonna say sort of a bad word, but he's such an ass in almost everything he plays, but he does it so well. And then I don't know if anybody like that's listening to this knows the true story about him, but like he did this story, he did that movie about, you know, again, spoiler, but you know, he has cancer in that movie. And then to know that a couple of years later he himself got cancer and had to leave the industry for a while, um just adds to him, right? The power what he's overcome, and then I have to see him in other things. Um, so I think I fall in love with every character. I'm the kind of person that when I'm watching a drama, I will stop it and I go down the rabbit hole. Like I look them up on IMDB, I'm like, what else have they been in? And then I go, you know, totally in so yeah, me too.

Sara Rosett 15:31

I have a tendency. Uh sometimes I'll think, oh, this what did this show they did, not for me, but these other four that's like how I get a lot of my recommendations or watch uh watch list, I guess. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:42

Okay, and then who's the guy? I don't know his name. I'm sorry, again, I'm horrible with names. The guy that was in K2 and um healer. Oh, um Chichang Wok. I love him. Yes, I think so. I love him. He has, I mean, everything he does is spectacular. No matter what genre it is, no matter what he does, spectacular, and I adore him.

Sara Rosett 16:07

That's cool. Yeah, you're not alone in that.

unknown 16:09

Right.

Sara Rosett 16:10

There's a lot of people that really love him too. I do too. Well, how have we talked about this a little bit, but how has K-drama just impacted you? How has it impacted your life?

SPEAKER_01 16:20

I think again, well, in one way, it's given me a community, in one way that, you know, I think that's really important. But I think another way is one of my I became friends with, I don't know if you know her, Nunes Nunchi, who she's on social media and she does, you know, she uses uh K-dramas in therapy. Yeah. And she was one of the very first people that I saw on social media once I kind of got into K-dramas. And watching her talk about using storylines and watching other people work through stuff helps you mentally. And it really made that connection for me. Because as a writer, when I was dealing with stuff going through hard times, I would make a character go through what I was dealing with, and then I could process it through them. And for me, I feel like K-dramas do that a lot. And one of the things I think that makes K-drama so powerful, which we sort of have spoken about, is you get full 16 episodes, you get a full, really well-done character arc to see the growth that you can take. Or like when I'm thinking of um, you know, some of these parents that are horrible in some of these movies, you know, maybe there's no character growth for them, right? But you get to see that family dynamic, or you see the relationship dynamics, or you see traumas happening and how do they overcome or whatever. And I think there's something about sitting down and just immersing yourself in a world and allowing yourself to sort of go through your own process as you watch them do that. And at the same time, you're being entertained and you're laughing and you're crying and all of those. I think it's its own form of therapy. Um, the story and the storytelling is so beautiful and the scenery is so different. And I have fallen in love with the culture and the respect and all of those things that it makes you re-examine your own world and your own um relationships. And you know, I do I treat my family the way that they, you know what I mean? Like you can do that whole thing because you've got plenty of time to watch the characters. And I think that's probably my favorite, my favorite thing that I get out of it is my own sort of processing of real life stuff.

Sara Rosett 18:27

Right, yeah. And it's it's easier to process it as you're watching something sometimes, I think, than maybe talking about it with your family. Like you may need to watch some stuff to and to recognize it and admit it to yourself. Sometimes that's easier because it's a show and you can watch somebody else go through it.

SPEAKER_01 18:46

Yeah. You you know what I mean? Because you're watching it as a third person versus this is my own stuff I'm going through. But at the same time, your your mind is making those connections, and I think it's very healing. I think they're really healing.

Sara Rosett 18:59

Yeah, I do too. And I I love the Nunes No Chi No No Chi. I know her uh podcast. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:05

I'm taking her, you know, she does tours, you know, in Korea. And I'm taking her one of her tours in September. Well, it's actually taking two of her tours. I'm I'm originally just gonna do the BTS tour, which we're, you know, we as a group are doing it for Army Project 529. There's about 20 of us going. And then she was like, You should come a little earlier and do this other where they go to K drama location. So I'm doing that too.

Sara Rosett 19:26

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:27

So I'm gonna be just like locationed out. I'm gonna be geeking like a total nerd and loving every second of it.

Sara Rosett 19:33

I imagine, yeah. Wow, that'll be great. I can't wait to hear about that. It sounds like you'll be there for a while.

SPEAKER_01 19:39

Yeah, I'll be there for a month.

Sara Rosett 19:40

Wow, that's great.

SPEAKER_01 19:42

I mean, I've never really taken a big trip before. I've this is like the only time I've ever done it. And was like, you know, we we became friends and she was like, hey, with the project want to do a tour. And I was like, Oh, yeah. So I did that. We sold out in two days. We sold a tour out in two days. Um, and then when she approached me about doing the other one, I was like, okay, but there's a week in between. So I was a little nervous about that. I was like, a week alone in Seoul. And so I was like, sure, I'll go for it. And then I just found out two of my friends from work are coming now to join me on that week. And then the week after our project one, which nobody else knows this yet, the week after our project tour, there's six of us that are gonna go to Jeju Island and we're gonna stay at the same house that Joe Cook and Jimin and V stayed at in their show, Are You Sure? So for three days. So, like I just the trip of a lifetime, you only live once. So there you go.

Sara Rosett 20:34

Yeah, well, that is awesome. Do you know what K drama locations you're going to? Is there one that you're looking forward to, or do you not know anything about it?

SPEAKER_01 20:41

I don't know yet. She like keeps it secret until yeah.

Sara Rosett 20:44

So surprise you. That's great.

SPEAKER_01 20:47

Yeah, I'm really excited.

Sara Rosett 20:49

Yeah. Talk to us a little bit about our about Project 529. And since you mentioned that, kind of explain what that is and tell people about it because I know some people will be interested in that.

SPEAKER_01 21:00

Well, I um, you know, again, talking about dark places, I was in a time in my life when my mom had moved in with us because she had cancer and it was just a really like we my husband and I had to live in our basement, which isn't finished. It's just like concrete, cold, wet, you know, dark. Because my mom had to be up on the main floor and it was just a really difficult time and she was really suffering. And I actually watched, which is interesting, getting back to K-dramas. I turned on Frencation or in the soup frencation on Disney Plus because I had gone over to Disney Plus to watch Snowdrop.

SPEAKER_03 21:33

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 21:34

And it recommended that reality show because I had three K-drama guys in it, like the Wuga Squad guys in it. Um and so I started watching that. And I was like, I love these guys, like I love them, you know, as actors. But there was this other kid on the show, and I was like, Who is this kid? He's adorable, he's so charming, so humble. Didn't know who he was. And then one night that, you know, on the show, they were sitting around, you know, around a campfire talking about concerts and stuff. And I I was like, okay, he must be a singer. So I made the mistake of Googling, you know, who is B rabbit. Down the rabbit hole. Yeah. Yeah. Down the rabbit hole. So BTS came up. And I just fell in love with BTS and of course K-dramas at the same time, but the way their relationship, again, relationship. They were the way they are with each other. They're very talented. All of that is very true. And their music is great and I love it. But it's who they are as people and it in their music and their and their relationship that really drew me in. And so, but just like K-drama, like I felt so alone because it was something that they were something that I enjoyed so much. And I didn't have anybody to talk to about it. Because if you talk about K, you know, K-pop or whatever, people think you're crazy, especially in my right. And so I just so happened to joking one day made a video and put it on TikTok where I was talking about something BTS related. And then I revealed that I'm talking to my chickens because I had nobody else to talk to about it. And that video sort of took off. And what I found in the comments were hundreds of comments of people saying, I'm just like you. I love them, but I don't have anybody to talk to about it. And so we sort of, I was like, well, then we need to build a community. And so we started off with a Discord uh group. Uh, we called ourselves the Nunas or something like that. And it was just mostly people like 35 and older that love BTS. And then when all the guys started leaving for military service, I was like, you know, I mean, we're not gonna have anything to do. They're gonna be gone for all this time. Maybe we could get together once a week and watch a piece of content together, whatever. And then somehow from that, I mean, literally it happened in three weeks. We put together a small team of people who built a website and we created this whole project.

Sara Rosett 23:44

It's like a world.

SPEAKER_01 23:45

Yeah, it's a whole world. It's like based on two things. Content, which we've gone through their whole discography now. It's been, you know, 60 weeks, I think. Um, and then also community. They're equally important. And community, we've got, you know, over 5,000 members across the world. And there's like 80 of us that are going to be in Chicago night two for J Hope's concert. I mean, we it turned into this beautiful community where we love each other and support each other and watch the guys. And it just so happened we were not bored because they kept releasing stuff in their solo era. We were completely overwhelmed. Perfect. Worked out perfectly. Perfect. And it turned into something I absolutely did not plan, I did not think about, but it's absolutely one of the most beautiful things in my life. And because again, I think we're built for community. And when we love something, we want to share it with it. Talk about it. Yeah. And that's what it's become. So we also have a lot of people who are into K-dramas here. Like in our Discord, we have K-drama threads where people just talk about K-dramas and stuff. They go, the worlds go together, really.

Sara Rosett 24:50

Yeah, they do. Because so many people who are in K-pop come over to do drama and back and you know, yes. And some of the actors release music that's in the K-dramas. So it's like it's all interwoven. Yeah, it's very interesting that I think in this day and age, people are very in, like, especially once you're out of school and married and have kids and stuff, it is hard to find friends in this world where we're all so connected yet disconnected. It's very weird. So I can see how just like finding people who have your same interest, it's a great jumping off point for friendship.

SPEAKER_01 25:25

It absolutely is. You know, my husband and I were watching this morning. We were watching um J-Hope did a uh show where they followed him around for a day. And he just so happened to be talking to these other men, and they were all talking about their military service, right? Just throwing out stories. And I said, one of the things I love about South Korea is, you know, they've all every man that lives there has a shared experience, which even if you have nothing else in common, even if you disagree on every other area of your life, you have this one common thing that gives you something to connect with someone about and it automatically gives you a sense of community. And oh, we have something in common. It's harder to hate someone or dislike someone who you share something with, right? And I think that's what we see in our community with BTS, and I think the same with K-drama is we are all over the spectrum, probably. We don't talk about politics or religion or anything like that. But I bet you we, if you were to ask us, we're all from different backgrounds and beliefs and and systems that we take part in, but we've got this one thing, right? That connects us, and that's really all you need to feel like you're part of something, you're not a weird person, you're not crazy for loving 30, you know, seven, 30-year-olds, you know, who make you um from the other side of the world. Um, and sometimes all we want in life is to know we aren't alone.

Sara Rosett 26:45

Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:46

Feel seen. And I think that to me is the thing that I'm most proud of with this project is people are no longer alone. They are seen, they are loved, they are appreciated, and we have a good time together.

Sara Rosett 26:58

Yeah, that's wonderful. Well, you mentioned TikTok and talking to your chickens, and I connected with you through Instagram. One of your videos was up about um when the phone rings, which was hilarious. Your videos are always hilarious. So let's talk about when the phone rings a little bit. So yeah, I think that was I that was the first I like to watch older stuff. I binge a lot of older things. I don't watch airing shows all the time that are out, but that one was everywhere, like everybody was talking about it. Yeah. So I don't know. Tell me about, I guess, um where the when the phone rings kind of falls in your like do you keep track of your K dramas and do you kind of organize them? Like I should.

SPEAKER_01 27:45

I wish I did. Um, I'm not an organized person, I'm just kind of always off the tough. So yeah. And I might start a show and then be like, nah, and then stop it and then go back to it another time when I'm headspace. So I don't really try anything. But when the phone rings, I'm kind of like you. Like, usually I I like to just watch them all, like just sit down and watch them all because I'm I don't have patience at all. And it was one that I kind of took a risk on. I was like, okay, I'm actually going to watch this as it comes out each week. And I was, as you saw probably in the video, I was obsessed. I was too what I was right there with you about was the community, yet again, that was swarming. Like everybody was talking about it. And so it wasn't just the show, it was everybody else that you got to be involved with and talking about and the excitement, and everybody was had theory. And the questions, yeah, and the questions and what is going on. And so it was just this whole world of community, which was so beautiful. I frigging loved that show until until I didn't love that show. Um and here's the thing like I I have so many thoughts about it, and and um I just think they ran out of time. Like, I just really feel like okay, I'm trying to think how to say this and not have people hate you or me or this podcast because it's a fabulous show, and the actors were amazing. So I don't want to come off like I don't like the show, I loved it.

Sara Rosett 29:13

Right. I did too, but I had some issues with it too.

SPEAKER_01 29:16

Totally. They just it's just like okay, that whole thing where he went overseas. They just I mean, okay, here's my thing. You spent this entire time building up this character and turning him from red flag to green flag, right? And he knew she had abandonment issues, and he knew, and then what do you have him do? Abandon her. And then go off to someplace we've heard of maybe in one episode very, very briefly. It didn't make sense. And like I got a lot of people on my comments who were mad at me for making that point, and they're like, Well, you had to read the book. Well, no, no, I don't have to, I shouldn't have to read the book. You should tell me if you're gonna make a show on it and it's important, then you put it in the show. And they have all these episodes, they should have referred to it over and over again.

Sara Rosett 30:02

Yeah, that's what I thought too.

SPEAKER_01 30:03

For it, right? But they didn't, so it just felt so disconnected, and then she tromps through the jungle and like this perfect thing.

Sara Rosett 30:11

It's one of those that like when you pull back and you start really thinking about it, when you're not immersed in it, you go, Oh, that was a little unbelievable, and this was a big plot hole. It's like you don't want to look at it too closely. There's some books that I read like that too, that you're in the in them and you're all but then later on you think, wait a minute, right? That I don't it doesn't hold up under like deep scrutiny. But I think that those first six episodes or so were so well done. And they did so many interesting things with his character and her character, and you know, the one thing I noticed that they did would they would have they would mirror scenes like there was a scene where um he's at the rooftop as a child, and then there's another scene later where she's on the rooftop, like in the next episode or two. So even though they're separated and not together, they are visually you're seeing them do some of the same things again, and it kind of I mean, they did interesting things like that. But I was like, This is kind of cool.

SPEAKER_01 31:10

The way that they hit all these pieces together, I mean, they just hooked us, and so we and we they were so good at it that even the stuff that was like okay, that's kind of no, you just loved it and you went with just what it was, right?

Sara Rosett 31:24

Yeah, I was like, I'm in.

SPEAKER_01 31:26

Yes, we're totally bought into it. We don't care that she fell off a cliff and didn't die. I mean, you know what I mean?

Sara Rosett 31:31

Like, we're like a lot of stuff like that, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:33

Just sweep that away. You know, there were things that you're willing to ignore, but that for me, those last two episodes were just like I said, if you would have given them four more episodes, like giving them the full 16 where they could flush that out, but I still will never forgive them for having him desert her like that and still stay in contact with everybody else in her life. I know.

Sara Rosett 31:52

I know. There's this thing in K-drama where it's like the people go away and there's like no telephone, no FaceTime, no Zoom. It's like we cannot communicate. It's very I it that's one of my pet peeves that I don't one of the tropes I don't like.

SPEAKER_01 32:05

They do that in so many shows. Like there was one of my favorite ones, um, and I can't remember the name of it because I'm under pressure. But childhood friends, and she she looked very different when he came back, and so he fell in love with the friend, but then they got together finally.

SPEAKER_03 32:21

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 32:22

I can't remember the name of it, don't you?

SPEAKER_03 32:23

I can't remember you.

SPEAKER_01 32:24

Um, but anyway, yeah, he's like, okay, well, now that we're together, I'm gonna go take this job in America for a year and be gone. Like, I never understand when they do that. It's like, yeah, okay, we fought for you guys to get together, and now you're just gonna, but so that drives me crazy.

Sara Rosett 32:39

But yeah. Well, I feel like with when the phone rings, I know that they're being faithful to the book, but this has made me think about adaptations. And as a reader, I'm a big mystery reader, so I love to watch Agatha Christie adaptations. And it bothers me when they kind of go off and left field. So I like them to stay close to the source material. But this one, I was like, that it just, even though it was faithful to, I didn't read the original material, but it made me think, yeah, every time you adapt it, it's a whole new thing.

unknown 33:09

Right.

Sara Rosett 33:10

And you have to let it be what it needs to be for that format, right? But still kind of retain the essence of the original material. That's what I want.

SPEAKER_01 33:20

It's you either stay true to it, like decide we're gonna stay true to this and follow it, or you say we're gonna be inspired by it and give yourself and if you're then start from day one. So we know this is not possible to, you know, because you're expecting it's gonna stick with it, it's gonna stick with it. It makes it good. But I almost got the Game of Thrones thing out of it, you know, where they did so great and then blew it at the end. And I kept hearing that, you know, the that this was like um fan fiction almost.

Sara Rosett 33:49

This the you know, the when the phone ring Yeah, yeah, the comparison.

SPEAKER_01 33:52

Yes. And that's sort of what it reminded me of. It reminded me of it was a great start, and they got ahead of it sort of a little bit. Oh, yeah. And um, I don't know if that's true, but that's kind of my perception. And I think again, if you would have just had a little more time to develop that part of the story, maybe we would have loved it. Like it. Yeah, maybe we'd have been we would have been like, yeah, dude, go live your life and go figure shit out. Oh, sorry, I guess, and go figure stuff out, and um and yes, get yourself figured out so you can come back a whole per like if you would have given us a moment to explain that. Well, I think we could have accepted it.

Sara Rosett 34:29

Yeah, and yeah, that and communication was their whole thing. That's what we were seeing them learn to communicate, and then for him not to communicate, and the thing that I thought if like he she felt that he that she wasn't worthy of his love. Right. And he was like, Tell me how not to love you. And I thought she never got the opportunity to say the same thing to him. So if they had taken that and like ditched some of the jungle stuff, yeah, and then he had told her that he didn't feel worthy, she it would have been perfect mirroring. You could have said, had her say, Tell me how not to love you. Like I can't. So, like he, you know, like he got the chance to say that and do that, but just her character never got that. And so, yeah, I thought she never got that.

SPEAKER_01 35:15

And then I don't ever like it when the love scene is forced. Like to me, it was like, I'm not even enjoying this because I don't know why we're here. How do why this is just how I felt I was like, so she just had to go hunt you down in the middle of a jungle and get kidnapped in the way.

Sara Rosett 35:32

I mean, it was just so that's like that was just like a bridge too far for so many of us. I don't think I don't think you or I will get canceled for saying this because a lot of people have the same issues. And and if you loved it, fantastic. I'm so happy you enjoyed it. But yeah, and there are certain shows that I'm like, I just don't I see hear the criticisms, but they don't impact me. I'm like all in. And this one, it was just a little too much at the end for me to keep going with it, you know.

SPEAKER_01 36:01

Well, I think it also sort of adds to that whole debate, which was what my original video was that went so viral on Instagram, which was do hey, okay, are we waiting to watch this all together, like all in a row, or are we gonna do this slowly? Because this is usually why I'm like kind of like you, and I wait for a show to completely be out so I know what to expect. Maybe if I knew, okay, the ending is a little blah, blah, blah, then I wouldn't have got my hopes up so high and it would have been fine to watch that. But I was so invested and I had spent 12 freaking weeks and I was like, I know, and you're like, what?

Sara Rosett 36:34

I know. Yeah, we were a lot of us were there. It was it was a moment that all right. Well, glad we talked about it. I feel much better getting that on my chest.

SPEAKER_01 36:43

Right now we've had therapy sessions about it, so we could move on.

Sara Rosett 36:46

Well, um, do you have a a recommendation, like a show? Like if somebody's never watched K-Drama and you're trying to get them into it, do you have something that you would recommend, like a go-to recommendation or not?

SPEAKER_01 36:57

I have a few. Okay, so it depends on um, okay, I'm writing another one down because I just thought about it. It depends on what they enjoy, okay? But this, these are my choices. Obviously, crash landing on you. If you're just a romance, like a you, but you also like like I love the the the North and South Korea part of that. Yes, so interesting to me.

Sara Rosett 37:18

So unique and interesting, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 37:19

Yes. Whether it's real or not, I don't know. But you know, we love it. Okay, so that's a good one. If you're just someone who loves like a happy rom-com, business proposal is always good. And whatever what happened to Secretary Kim is a fun one. I like those too. Um, if you like drama, uh medical stuff, I love Dr. Romantic. Like all seasons of that are fantastic. Um extra, extraordinary or extraordinary for me. Um, and then the one I just added is a movie. But it's fantastic, and that is the train to pass on. And um, like for anybody that likes like scary kind of um Kingdom is also really good. Like my husband loved Kingdom, which is the um zombie one that goes that takes on in like ja in the a long, long time ago. Um, those are would be my ones. Like, I think the special thing is figuring out what kind of stuff do you normally like, because the beautiful about the Korean film industry is they have all these comers we have. It's just a matter of figuring out which things finding them.

Sara Rosett 38:28

I think the rom-coms sometimes suck up all the oxygen, like people talk about them the most, but there are plenty of others.

SPEAKER_01 38:34

Oh, yeah, if you like period pieces, if you you know, action, bloodhounds was great. My husband actually watched that one and really liked it. So I think a lot of it, again, you know, we talk about community and not wanting to do things alone. And so I love that my husband has come along to some extent. He didn't totally love it, but there's some good ones, and there's stuff you can together and not feel like they're just getting the cheesy, you know, American Korean version of Twilight, which I was you would be sign up for immediately, right? Totally.

Sara Rosett 39:07

Well, what are you currently watching right now?

SPEAKER_01 39:09

Right now, I'm trying to finish, which it's just because I'm in a really busy season with work, but trauma code. I started that and really like I'm really wanting to watch um that when life gives you tangerines with I.

SPEAKER_03 39:22

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:23

But I'm again, I'm like, I should I wait. Yeah, I know, me too. Really heard people talking about it yet, so I'm kind of waiting to see.

Sara Rosett 39:33

Yeah, I do that too. Even because I've noticed that there's like this something will come out, and there's lots of chitter chatter chatter about it. And then I I wait and see sometimes, even if it continu if it continues to pop up, then maybe I'll check it out, you know. And then some like I but I don't know. That one looks very interesting, and the release schedule is like four episodes a week. Oh, and then and there's only 12, I think. So it's like seasons of the year or something. I haven't really looked into it.

SPEAKER_01 40:02

So I recently started, but I dropped, which I actually hate to admit this, but I did uh that When the Stars gossip one. Like I did not get into that one at all. And I really wanted to because I was like, okay, this is a different take on it.

Sara Rosett 40:17

Something we've never seen before, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:19

Right. But I I couldn't get into it. But um, so yeah, trauma code's on right now. And um, I just finished, oh, I don't know, I don't know why I can never remember. Mellow Mellow Mellow. Mello movie. Yeah, yeah. Yep. Again, I was like, I I liked it, but I was ticked off that you gave us this secondary, you know, couple this whole time, and then the way that it that did anyway, I don't want to give spoilers, but yeah, uh, I'm about halfway through that one.

Sara Rosett 40:44

And it's I I think a lot of them are marketed as rom-coms, and then you get into it, but I mean it's called Mellon Movie, so I knew it wasn't gonna be like super light and fluffy.

unknown 40:54

Right.

Sara Rosett 40:54

But um, yeah, so I'm watching that one. I just I checked out the potato lab.

SPEAKER_02 40:59

You like that one? Because I have that one written down.

Sara Rosett 41:01

I liked I like the first two episodes, but it's very light, it's very funny, and I'm always here for that. Uh some people are like it's attorney wood. Yes, it's his first project after getting out of the military. Uh Kong Tao, I think. Yeah. Yeah. And I mean, I liked it. It's I've heard a lot of people did thought it was too light and fluffy, but I'm like, you know, it's okay. We can have this spectrum. We can have fluffy and we can have dark and gritty, and it's okay to be anywhere on there. And to not be into one of those is fine.

SPEAKER_01 41:33

But yeah, I mean, everybody has a different vibe, and my vibe may change based on the day. You know, I just don't remember what I'm gonna be in the mood for, but that's also on my list. I have that's the two of the ones I have written down is the potato lab and when life gives you tangerines. But I'm also like you, like I love to just go back into Vicky and find an old one that I've never watched before and just get to lose myself in that. And then again, that usually sends me down the rabbit hole of okay, I'm like this person. What else have they made?

Sara Rosett 41:57

And then you know I'm lost. I hear you. I do the same thing, and then it's like I come back to my watch list and I'm like, oh my goodness, now I have yeah, five times as many. I do. I I have a spreadsheet, but I don't update it as much as I should. You know, when I first started, I think because everything was so new. I and I'm a writer, so I was like, I want to remember this character, they how they did this so I could go find it and watch it again later.

SPEAKER_03 42:24

Uh-huh.

Sara Rosett 42:24

And now they're just like coming at me so fast, and I'm like, ah, watched. I don't take many notes or anything.

SPEAKER_01 42:30

Do you fear at all? I'm curious asking you a question, but do you fear at all that they're gonna start Americanizing them too much?

SPEAKER_00 42:38

Oh, yes.

SPEAKER_01 42:39

I think that's my fear, like the Netflix ones, especially.

Sara Rosett 42:43

Yeah, I know. And uh, we've talked about this some in another episode, but people who have watched them a lot longer than I have, and you I think you really can see like the second season, the just I went back and I watched one, like one of my early ones that I watched was Chief Kim, um, good manager, and it's like an office workplace kind of a little bit thrillery drama, but there's a redemption arc in it and stuff, and a lot of humor and comedy. But there were things in that that I was like, I haven't like that. Was the first one where I heard somebody say daybok. Like, and I was like, oh, okay. So that's how it's used in a sentence. And I feel like they're incorporating more English words. Do you notice that? Yeah. Instead of using more Korean things. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:29

English words, more like more sex, more nudity, more um, which, you know, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but it's one of the things I loved about um K dramas was I'm not approved by any stretch of the imagination. If it's done well, I'm fine with stuff. But sometimes stuff just feels like, oh, we need to check this box, we need to get this over, and it's not done well. And so my fear is yeah, that that Netflix, especially, because I just heard that Netflix poured in like a billion dollars or something into the Korean film industry. Street. And I'm like, oh crap, what are they gonna ruin this for all of us? You know? Um something beautiful. Part of what I think, part of what I love and what we love as a K drama community is we love the cultural differences. We love we love that we're getting insight into a whole different world, but we're still the same, but you're yet we're not, you know what I mean? Like we're seeing humans are humans and we have the same struggles and we have the same traumas and we have the but but the way the culture around that system works is so different, it's intriguing. So I pray that they don't don't ruin it. I know don't ruin it, please don't ruin it.

Sara Rosett 44:39

I know. Well, you know, I think all media they tend to throw money at something and see how it does, and then a lot of times that money gets pulled away and thrown at the next big thing. So who knows? We will see. Yeah, we will see. I mean, I I don't know that like Extraordinary Attorney Woo really needed a second season. I'm happy to go back and see those characters again. I just hope they do it well, you know.

SPEAKER_01 45:02

I'm like you. I mean, I'm like, what are they gonna do? Break them up again? I mean, you know, because I hope not. That's what they would do. They'd be like, oh, now we have to have them separate because now they have I mean, they already did that in season one for an episode, but um, I'm like you. Like, if you're gonna come back and it's gonna be powerful and great and creative, bring it back. But if it's gonna be we're just trying to milk this for everything we can, I'd rather not. Let me just have this perfect memory of this perfect little and move on.

Sara Rosett 45:28

And we're fine. Yeah. Fine. Well, this has been so much fun. Anything else you want to talk about about K-drama or any other shows you want to mention or anything?

SPEAKER_01 45:36

I would just say this. I I just want to say, you know, to anybody that's out there, maybe in the industry, I just want to thank them for doing this because I think not only have you have you given me and so many people just a beautiful way of step of storytelling, but you've also opened my eyes to a very small world that I lived in in a very small circle. And I think you've opened my eyes and my heart to a whole different world. And and we just I feel like rather than just being part of my own little country and my own little state or whatever, I'm now part of a global experience. And I realize that again, like I said, none of us are alone. We're not different. We all experience the same things, we all love the same, we all hurt the same. And I think it's beautiful that I we that there's another way of storytelling out there that incorporates all that. And so I am just eternally, eternally grateful for crash landing on you to come crash in my life and literally change it.

Sara Rosett 46:33

So changed so much. Well, awesome. Yeah. Well, tell everybody where they can find you and everything that you're doing because you have a lot going on.

SPEAKER_01 46:40

I do. I mean, most of my handles, I think, on social media are Steph AP529 or something close to that. Um and so I mostly talk BTS stuff, but when I do have time to watch K dramas, I talk about that a lot too. And then our um, if you're a BTS fan or or want to even join our Discord to talk about um, you know, K dramas, you're welcome. Everything's at ap529.com. Um, and then we have a links page that you can, you know, do that. And then also one of the great things that we've done is we have what we call the Mah City map. And you can go and put your name on a map. Yes, it's really cool. And um, you don't put your personal information, you just put your social media handle, and then anybody around you that's close to you can find you and you can find your community. Or what we're also using it for now, people are like, I'm gonna travel to New York City. I wonder if there's anybody there. And then you connect with people so you already know people when you go.

Sara Rosett 47:30

It's just like smart.

SPEAKER_01 47:32

And so check that out. It's at ap529.com slash map.

Sara Rosett 47:37

I went and had a look at it and it looks really cool. And actually, there are a couple of people not too far from me. I was like, this is so fun.

SPEAKER_03 47:44

Yeah.

Sara Rosett 47:46

All right. Well, we will have all those links in the show notes. And um, if you enjoyed this podcast, um take please take a few minutes to write or review it wherever you listen to podcasts, and that will help people find it. And just thank you so much for being here.

SPEAKER_01 47:59

Thank you for having me. I had a great time.

Sara Rosett 48:01

Me too. All right, see you everybody next week. Bye.