introducing the k-drama fic collective

Hello! I made a new thing, which is a curated collection of fanfiction written for any and all Korean dramas.

This started via a tweet that questioned whether there was a collective place for Korean drama fanfiction on the internet, and while AO3, Wattpad, FF.net and AsianFanfics are all good places to start, they operate more as general archives instead of a curated collection specifically centered around K-dramas.

Since K-drama fic creators often face limited engagement due to the “limited series” aspect of K-dramas and the ever-churning content machine, I hope this collection will provide a remedy by highlighting some great pieces that have been specifically selected by readers or authors. No fic is too different, no drama too old/niche — please submit, submit, submit!

I could not agree more! I loved every minute of Run On.

Run On Final Thoughts

Looking around the Internet for opinions on Run On, there seemed to be a lot of people who didn’t like it for various reasons - too slow, the dialogue wasn’t great, the acting was weird, overhyped etc. And strangely, this doesn’t actually make me defensive about the show. I can understand why someone wouldn’t connect with it. It is pretty offbeat, and I can imagine a lot of it coming off as insufferably smug. Somehow though, maybe because I completely missed the show’s discourse when it was airing, I didn’t struggle with any of those things. I fell into the rhythm of the story with an ease I rarely get with K-dramas. I enjoyed every episode right up to the last. I actually finished a 16-episode K-drama romcom without skipping an episode. That’s pretty revolutionary! I don’t think I’m special for liking the show, but I do feel lucky. I feel lucky because I got to experience on of the best ensemble casts I’ve seen in a long time. I’ve never enjoyed a world in a drama so much. I really love a fleshed out supporting cast, and Run On practically spoiled me. The sheer amount of detail put into the character writing -into their personalities and their relationships with each other - made the world feel so fleshed out and vibrant. It’s no wonder the show never lost a beat when it had so many rich dynamics to draw its conflicts from.

In fact, I think the show might have been too rich - the final episodes are great, but there were so many threads that I wanted to see tied up neater and expanded on. The major threads came together nicely, but other elements suffered from a lack of time. The most jarring one would have to be Ye-Jun’s coming out to his mum. It’s a huge deal for a gay person to come out to their religious parent and an even bigger deal for that parent to accept them as they are. There’s a beautiful moment of conversation between mother and son that is just loaded with so much love and history that ends too briefly to make way for another brief resolution to another plot thread in the story. And, frankly, I don’t think the mother’s acceptance was very convincing. Maybe in a Korean context, “it’s okay to be different” would work, but Ye-jun’s mum is also Christian, and whilst she may not be as militant as Seon-gyeom’s dad, she’s definitely religious enough to threaten him with church when he comes out to her. “It’s okay to be different” simply does not work in a Christian context, because in Christianity, conformity isn’t necessarily a virtue (at least on paper). My particular strand of Evangelical/Pentecostal/Charismatic Christianity actually emphasises its difference with the world, and to be gay is to be of the world - to do the worst sexual sin in a world that’s already depraved. It’s total bogus - a lot of Christians have conveniently forgotten how Christian sexual morals were the status quo for hundreds of years and go around crying persecution just because we now have to be considerate. It’s why discussing LGBTQ+ issues with Christians is so frustrating - for a lot of them, being gay is a sinful choice made by depraved and/or confused individuals being encouraged by a sinful world that, in the meantime supresses and silences Christians, who are the true oppressed. Untangling all those layers of misinformation, bias and bigotry could be a show all on its own. That said, I’m glad Ye-jun’s mother accepted him. I’m glad that when he came out to Yeong-hwa, Yeong-hwa took him in his arms right away without question, which was such a powerful, beautiful statement. I’m glad that Ye-jun could have his happy ending. 

Speaking of happy endings, Yeong-hwa and Dan-ah’s arc ended better than I could have hoped for. I’m personally ruthless when it comes to romance - I don’t mind couples not getting together (there’s fanfiction for a reason) and if the foundation isn’t there for a couple to work, don’t force it. Usually the foundation is in terms of actual chemistry, but Dan-ah and Yeong-hwa had chemistry in spades. I was surprised that the writers actually remembered all the allusions to Rapunzel, and kept Dan-ah’s wealth in sight. The gap between them was simply too huge, and the inequalities too obvious. Dan-ah was wealthier and more powerful, Yeong-hwa was younger and healthier. I love the way Dan-ah’s derogatory “kid” was re-contextualized through her illness. He’s not just “kid” because he’s younger than her, but because he’s got a full life to live. He has vitality, which she feels she lacks. The show refuses to lapse into overblown dramatics regarding her health, but it nevertheless hangs over their relationship like one of many black clouds. There’s something poignant about two people knowing full well that their relationship can’t last, and still choosing to enjoy what little time they have with each other. And even if they couldn’t have each other, look at what they gained! Look at how they grew as individuals, at the friendships they made in the process.

I just have so much love for these characters and so much love for the actual performances themselves. I focused a lot on Dan-ah (which was completely valid lol), but that meant I didn’t get to gush about Im Si-wan and Shin Se-kyung absolutely killing it in their roles. They have such an ease with each other that makes their relationship genuine and adult in understated ways you rarely see in romcoms. In the hands of a clumsier actor, Seom-gyeom’s character could have been irritating (and for some people, he probably was), but Im Si-wan plays him with such care, conveying his nuances underneath his stoicism. And it’s lovely to Shin Se-kyung actually in control of her performance, after the mess that was Bride of Habaek. I spent a lot of time talking about Dan-ah and Yeong-hwa and I just wanted to emphasise that I loved our primary couple as much as I loved the secondary couple. As I’ve said before, this cast was just brilliant in every single way. I can’t think of any other K-drama romcom that invited me so vividly and thoroughly into the interior lives of its characters. I’m gonna stop here because this post is long af and I’ve already rambled enough, but yeah. This was magical.

Lol

That was the fakest fake kiss ever no one would ever think it was real of course not nothing to see here folks just two work partners doing what has to be done

This show gets more amazing at every episode. How will they sustain it for another 10 episodes??

The real boss behind Babel. I know who it is.

I loved Ki Seongyeom before. I love him even more now. Thank you @filmwuju for translating such a beautiful text.

[TRANS] Character Introduction: Ki Seongyeom

- released by writer Park Shihyun on Run On’s DC gallery board -

Ki Seongyeom (Male, 29) / National track and field athlete

He has been a fake of him for a long time. This must be how it feels to read an autobiography written by a ghostwriter. The three syllables of his name is buried under being the son of an assemblyman and top actress, and the brother of the queen of golf. There has never been once where he remains as a complete Ki Seongyeom after separating the title of his family from him. That is before he met the owner of the hand that pulled him out of the place he was buried in. With a fake gun in her hand, saying that it’s meaningful even though it’s not real.

Keep reading

Lol

I love these two

mijoo & seongyeom + feed your girl                                               ↪    “Eat.”

I love how in the end, when she comes over to put a sticker on his diary, he rolls his eyes and asks “do you still think I am a little kid?”

It’s like you’re a little kid.

I love how the next day, after he wakes up at Mi-joo’s house, one of his first stops is to go back and apolpgize to Dan-ah for letting his emotions take the better of him

This is a conversation that didn't make sense to me when I watched it the first time — like Dan-Ah says to Mr. Jeong, she did come up with the perfect solution when she suggested turning the scandal around to make it about justice. Seon-Gyeom's refusal feels like he's being contrary for the heck of it, but knowing what we later learn about his father constantly looking to put a spin on things to make himself look like a hero, it makes sense that Seon-Gyeom doesn't want to do what he associates with his father.

What's also superbly written is the back and forth between Dan-Ah and Seon-Gyeom. They do think similarly, she does agree with what she did and yet the two of them are entirely at odds with one another. She thinks she's managing things for his benefit when she orders the doctor's appointment for Seon-Gyeom and says that the photo shoot will continue as planned. He sees her behaving like his father, papering over the problems for the sake of putting up an appearance that will be to his profit. Seon-Gyeom lashes out by belittling Dan-Ah and the fact that Dan-Ah response is to barely flinch before cutting Seon-Gyeom down to size shows how used she is to being disrespected.

To make sure we know that Seon-Gyeom actually is Team Dan-Ah, we get the exchange with Choi Tae-Ri's agent, whom Seon-Gyeom shuts up when he badmouths Dan-Ah. "I don't think I've seen anyone who is as passionate as Ms. Seo when it comes to work," he says (and keep in mind, this is star actress and inveterate career woman Ji-Woo's son talking). It's reminiscent of the bit in Episode 1 when Yeong-Il tells the bullies that only he gets to criticise/tease Seon-Gyeom because the two men are friends. Outsiders don't have that privilege.

Another bit that makes more sense to me on re-watching is this scene in the parking lot, and once again, it has everything to do with knowing Seon-Gyeom has witnessed and survived abuse at home. When Choi Tae-Ri says "Will you please believe me?" something in Seon-Gyeom's expression changes. Until then, Seon-Gyeom and Mi-Joo were watching the other two fight like it's an absurd movie, but this is the line that is clearly a trigger for Seon-Gyeom and he decides he needs to save Choi Tae-Ri. Is he remembering something he saw or overheard (his mother or sister maybe?) or a memory from his own past? Who knows. But there's something very, very sweet about the antidote to this discord and violence being a kiss.

Speaking of violence, this is a great moment, when Mi-Joo describes to Seon-Gyeom one of his mother's films. Mostly because Mi-Joo clearly loves this slasher flick and also because we'll see Ji-Woo later in film that's equally slasher-y.

This bit is hilarious and I love the way it places the descriptions of movie violence with the eating and peeling shots (that carrot shot particularly is Emasculation 101). At the same time, there's something deeply sad about a woman who lives with an abusive husband and is unable to protect her children from him, making films in which she catches bad guys.

Mi-Joo and Seon-Gyeom's conversation over soju and omelette is a set of breakthroughs, with both of them opening up to one another. That it comes after this moment when they almost miss each other is, of course, fitting.

This is such a great scene because

a) it takes the Baywatch run to the next level

b) the way Seon-Gyeom is running with manic, blinkered speed while everyone around him is languidly living their everyday life is beautiful, funny and heartbreaking. (The extras' activities emphasise what the show's leads don't have at present — two parents and a kid with smiles on their faces; two boys hanging out; a man with his pet — but will eventually have. It cannot be a coincidence that there's a man with an adorable dog and later Yeong-Hwa woofs at Dan-Ah and asks her to take him out for a walk).

The most beautiful confession I have seen

to the beautiful you | ✨ for @cuddlybitch and @lj-loveletters✨

mi-joo & seon-gyeom; “Your affection for me gives me meaning and value. But I wasn’t sure if you had feelings for me the same way I do for you. I wonder if you also want to hold my hand, hug, and kiss me. I wasn’t quite sure about that. Because I do.”

Love this analysis of Oh Mi-joo

[TRANS] ep 15 - 16: Mijoo’s finish line and starting line

Mijoo finished the course.

While running, she remembered her pains from the past, and overcame them. This is something (about her) that is different from Seongyeom, who thinks of nothing while running, only the finish line ahead being meaningful to him. Mijoo and Seongyeom are different people like that. Unlike Seongyeom who silently but firmly strives for his goal of getting the first place, record is not a matter of consideration in Mijoo’s running. She just wondered whether or not to run with Seongyeom, but that didn’t matter anymore afterwards. Mijoo’s goal was her fight with herself, breaking out of her own limits, and just finishing the course in the end. Her goal is to reach the halfway point - both the first finish line and starting line - of her 29 years of life which she lived protecting only herself.* To let go of the past, to move forward.

What happened in the past kept tripping Mijoo. In order to not get hurt, Mijoo runs away when problems arise in relationships and protects herself, that’s how she has lived until now. She looks strong and tough, but it was way of survival chosen by the small, cowering self within her. Falling down like that, Mijoo stopped growing up and hid again. She let go of the chance to expand herself through relationships, and engrossed herself in protecting her natural self. If she didn’t have May eonni, if  she wasn’t able to seek comfort from movies, she might have remained with her thorns out. The men whom Mijoo met in those times were like love, but it was fake. In order to fill up the emptiness, she just took it if she could even if it’s fake, and if problems arise she escaped and threw it away. Like what May eonni said, Mijoo was a “shitty boyfriend” collector.

But this time, the person Mijoo met is real. He’s a warm and sincere person, but has anyone but himself in his heart. She falls for that person, she pities that person, she adores that person’s lacking aspects and while filling him up, Mijoo started to learn the way to grow up while loving someone who is not herself.

Mijoo is a loser. Especially more so in front of Seongyeom. Knowing so well how Seongyeom held on to her, Mijoo should become more unwavering as (his heart) grew bigger, but she still acts small. Even when she went with Seongyeom to discuss the marriage arranged by Seongyeom and Dan-ah’s fathers, she confirmed with Dan-ah regarding what she said a long time ago due to her misunderstanding. Mijoo picked on what (Dan-ah) said about Seongyeom liking Dan-ah in the past, and warned her not to call “my man” late at night from now on. It is important to Mijoo whether or not Seongyeom had once set his heart on Dan-ah, whom he keeps getting involved with and meeting.

Little by little, Mijoo is aligning with Seongyeom’s track. The two people who wasn’t even able to eat a meal together when they lived together, now share their daily lives with each other even when they don’t live together. They run together, work together, cook something and eat them together. Mijoo, who used to blend food and fill herself up with nutritional supplements, now begins to eat actual meals even on her own, and is usually up during the day. At first, she did it to align with Seongyeom’s “track”, but smart Mijoo knows that it’s really a path that is for her own good. Through Seongyeom, she learned the way to really treasure and love herself.

The first scene in episode 16 where red sweater GyeomMi cooks and eats (together), wouldn’t that be the ending? Mijoo told Seongyeom to pack his things for their trip, and Seongyeom said he can’t because he has work the next day. He was already working at that time. Seongyeom’s first day of work was after (Mijoo) talked with Director Kim Seonho regarding the entry of his movie in Dubai. Red sweater GyeomMi is the ending. A couple who leisurely cooks and eats at home during the weekend and shares their daily lives with each other.

“They showed the ending first and saved the climax for later.” Mijoo’s line in episode 8.

(original post link)

*T/N:  When you start running from A towards B, then run from B back to A, B is called the halfway point. In Mijoo’s 29 years of life, she lived protecting only herself. Now, she has reached the halfway point, which is her first finish line, the end of her 29 years of protecting only herself; but it is also a starting line, the beginning to loving others aside from herself.

I wanted to write a post about these two but now I feel I don’t have to. This is just perfection and precisely how I feel about Mijoo and Seongyeom as a couple.

#RUNONWEEK | Day Three: OTP                                     ↪ “When hungry, bang!”

Mijoo and Seongyeom have so much of what I love in a romantic pairing—hurt/comfort, teasing, caretaking, cuteness; long walks and long talks; sharing meals and hand holding. Their romance is one continuous conversation where they each explain to the other who they are, what has hurt them and made them, how they’ve worked to heal themselves, and they each listen. They witness one another.

There’s something about the physical interplay between them—it’s about how Seongyeom makes himself as small as Mijoo is when she feels frightened or weak, and how he falls in step with her when they walk. His immediate attraction to her is palpable—his visible interest in her (his gazes and how he does the absolute most in their initial conversations—“Are you a pervert?”; “I’m not crazy, I’m Gi Seongyeom.”), how he goes out of his way to spend time with her. Mijoo’s attraction to Seongyeom is at first sparked by how good-looking he is, but is quickly animated by how much fun she has when she’s with him, and how interesting she finds him, and how she wants to help him and take care of him. 

I didn’t realize it until their breakup in episode 13, but their romance actually follows the tried-and-true “will they, won’t they” formula; in kdrama romance discussions it’s usually referred to as “push and pull.” Many dramas don’t have the skill to pull this off for more than 8 episodes. The reason it works in Run On, the reason it isn’t immediately apparent, is because the “push and pull” is rooted in the particularities of the characters as opposed to simply resorting to arbitrary reasons for keeping them apart, and Mijoo and Seongyeom always, always put in the work to both understand each other and make themselves understood. That’s why their lines are so swoon-worthy. “To me, your story is the most important.” “Usually you run towards the finish line but today it was you.” “I did well to wait here for you.” “I came because you’re here.” All ways they say “I love you” to each other before they say those words in the finale.

I saw a snippet of some behind-the-scenes footage of Shin Sekyung and Im Siwan filming the kiss in episode 2, and Shin says “I have to  make sure the audience understands that Mijoo likes/welcomes this.” She succeeds—Seongyeom surprises Mijoo with a kiss, an act that’s usually a big turn off for me, and Mijoo is wide-eyed and still like so many “fish” kdrama kisses. But when Seongyeom pulls away she chases after him just the slightest bit. That’s what romance is. Desire communicated. And so in the last few minutes of the show, the camera narrows in on them as they watch a movie surrounded by their friends, family, and colleagues. Mijoo looks over at Seongyeom. He looks at her questioningly and she shakes her head no. She looks away, but Seongyeom reaches over and takes her hand. He smiles, she grins. He knows what she wants. They understand each other.

I couldn’t have put it better. I also loved how he did not really care about what others thought but not in a selfish way. He was certainly principled and tried his best to do the right thing.

Credit: JTBC Drama

Run On Week 

Day One: Emotional Support Character of Choice: Ki Seon Gyeom 기선겸 I hesitated on which character I wanted to highlight, but in the end I decided on Ki Seon Gyeom. It was in episode 2, when he stood up for Woo-Sik, that I knew I’d like how his character would play out. He lives by principles and values. I liked that he wasn’t too concerned about how others saw him and it makes me want to live like that. He was simply himself and I think that’s what drew Mi-Joo to him. He didn’t try to be someone else, hide himself or adjust to anyone else’s demands. Mi-Joo met him at a point in his life where he was done living up to the expectations of others. I loved all his little quirks and subtle interactions, whether it was with other characters or with himself. What made him unique was his one word responses that would lead to hilarious confusion from everyone. He had a particular way of talking and you either understood or you didn’t. Not everyone will understand someone like Ki Seon Gyeom and I think that’s ok. Also, can I say that my runner-up character would have been Secretary Jung and the way he was supportive of Seo Dan-Ah :)

#RUNONWEEK Day One: Emotional Support Character of Choice

Ki Seon-gyeom.

Not your usual male lead. He is a bit introverted, quirky, unfailingly polite with a strong moral code. He never hesitates before apologizing. It was beautiful to watch him grow out of his shell during the show - from someone who took the path of least resistance and did not get very involved with those around him (his friend had been dating the same girl for 10 years and he had no idea!) to taking charge of his life, learning to love himself, and forming deeper bonds with all those around him. Still waters run deep and you can certainly sense that with Seon-gyeom. 

One of my favourite scenes is when he finds MJ in the hospital and he asks her what she needs. She complains that the ladies beside her won’t stop talking to her. So instead of telling the old ladies to be quiet, he gets their attention to himself and drawns them away from MJ, making everyone happy.

I love this character. I love his relationship with Mi-joo. How respectful he is of her space. How he admires her confidence and independence. But that is for another post lol

I love these explanations of the original text. We miss so much with the Netflix subtitles!

Hello, thank you for ur subs! I really enjoyed it 💕 If you don't mind, can u explain the convo between gyeommi in ep15. The scene after they had a post-marathon meal, where songyeom ask "am i a kid" and mijoo replied with a cold weather (?). I'm sorry i just can't quite understand the flow? 😅

hi there~

this is how the convo literally went:

SG: am i still like a child by the waterside (to you)?

MJ: the weather is so cold, why would i put you out by the waterside. i should be keeping you close by my side.

in this part of the convo, seongyeom used the saying 물가에 내놓은 애 which literally means a child by the waterside, that is, alone and without his/her parents. aside from the literal meaning, it is said that a speaker who calls someone “a child by the waterside” is worried/anxious about the person because they look like they’re in a dangerous situation.

sources: (1) (2)

I cannot put into words how much I loved this brief interaction. He was so alarmed at how cold her hands were!

when the lovebirds have no regard for the host:

Yeah, I felt this way as well. This was the natural way for their story to end (continue?) in that final episode.

Final words on DanAh and YeongHwa from Run On

To be honest, I almost didn’t watch this last episode. I don’t know, I guess I was afraid the drama would disappoint me with the conclusion for this couple. And while some people were confused about it, because the drama didn’t show or said anything about their ending explicitly, I think they did end up together.

I mean, it’s as clear as day that they’re very much into each other. The feelings remained and the separation perphaps only made the heart grow fonder (she was wearing those shoes and he made that painting) lol Plus, DanAh was a vicepresident in the end, so I’m sure she achieved some (if not all) of her goals. I gotta say I admire greatly her desire to take back what was rightfully hers and how the fierceness to fight for what she wanted, profesionally, never wavered. Not even for YeongHwa. But of course, for DanAh this wasn’t only her job, it was her life, everything she ever prepared/studied for.

For a moment there I was upset because to me it seemed like she could stay with YeongHwa while working to achieve what she wanted BUT I get it. For her this fight in “her world” was always the most important thing and long before she met YeongHwa, she had set her mind and heart on it. She wanted to dedicate all of her time to this goal. DanAh had already made the choice and prepared her “schedule” and there was no time for YeongHwa in there.

And of course, YeongHwa, who had no dreams or goals, was just a normal student trying to meet deadlines, while full of uncertainty for the future. Your typical college student. Who had never fallen in love before. Meeting each other was obviously never in their plans but it happened and shook up their worlds and made them question things about themselves and each other. In the end they knew things about themselves that they might’ve never known otherwise. A great love will do that to you, teach you something, make you grow, no matter how it ends.

And I guess that is what this drama did that reminded me the most to real life. Because today you can meet a stranger while you’re busy living your life and tomorrow that stranger could mean the world to you. Serendipity, you guys. Life is funny and awesome like that.

P.S. But for real, no matter how long it takes, no matter the genre (I’m telling you I’m willing to watch an OCN criminal thriller!), I want SooYoung and TaeOh together on the screen. Again. Make it a romance, of course, even if it’s barely hinted at! But this chemistry needs center stage! They need to be the main leads!