K Drama Chat

We apologize for the echo issues in this episode. Jen was on vacation and not in her normal setup. In fact, she was in a gym in the Outer Banks because the beach house her family was renting was too noisy! So sorry! We will do better next week!

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 6 of Hotel Del Luna. In this episode, the relationship between Man Wol and Chan Sung is further developing. Man Wol tells Chan Sung that her time to leave is coming but that Chan Sung should not be sad. When Chan Sung’s ex-girlfriend shows up, Man Wol abandons her plans to go eat webfoot octopus with Chan Sung and sits at the hotel beach by herself. We have two side stories. The first is about an actor who died while playing a king. He arrives at Hotel Del Luna, thinking he is still a king and it’s up to the staff to help fulfill his wishes. The second is about the ghost from Room 13 who is now killing men. Finally, we see three flashbacks from Man Wol’s life.

We do a short recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We discuss:

• Sung Hee, our guest on this show. Sung Hee went to college with Joanna and they studied in Paris during their junior year.
• The growing friendship between Yuna and Hyeon-jung. We also learn more about Hyeon-jung’s life and little sister.
• What hangover soup and webfoot octopus are.
• The baby that brought the restaurant luck and Joanna’s son, who brought their favorite Japanese restaurant luck.
• The K Drama elements in this episode: the back hug, food, alcohol, the wrist grab, flowers.
• The side story with the actor who believed he was a Joseon king.
• The side story with the ghost from Room 13 and how she’s now on a killing spree. Her victims get tricked into clicking a video of what they think will be a beautiful woman in her bedroom, but instead, they get murdered.
• The Korean obsession with perfect skin.
• Man Wol’s outfits and which ones we like best.
• The actor Yeo Jin-goo: his background, his acting, and why we love him.
• Jen and Sung Hee’s weddings (they are Korean-American).
• The Korean terms for “your majesty” or “sire.”

References:

• A Poem Called You by Taeyeon (with lyrics)
• Buena Mano from the Philippines
• Rising cost of living and inflation in South Korea
• Yeo Jin-goo Wikipedia page

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 5 of Hotel Del Luna. At the end of Episode 4, Jang Man Wol has saved Koo Chan-Sung from the ghost in Room 13. In this episode, the hotel staff look for other ways to get rid of Koo Chan-Sung, but Man Wol says he’s staying by her side. We see two flashbacks from Man Wol’s earlier life: Man Wol and Yeon-wu under the big tree, and Man Wol in a wedding gown in a large bedchamber. We also have a side story with a ghost bride who doesn’t want to get married but an elderly couple has other plans for her.

We do a short recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We discuss:

• How our podcast made FeedSpot’s list of Top 40 Korean Drama podcasts
• Our new website at https://www.KDramaChat.com
• What Korean brides and grooms wear during weddings.
• The significance of the red string ceremony in Korean weddings.
• The flashback of Man Wol and Yeon-woo at the big tree and how Yeon-woo wants to take care of Man Wol in her old age.
• The flashback of Man Wol in the bedchamber, and the mysterious person in white who enters the room.
• The story of the ghost bride and who is ultimately responsible for trying to marry her to another man.
• The K Drama elements that we see in this show: the Trip and Catch, the Swarovski product placement, and the triangle between Man Wol, Koo Chan-sung and the ghost bride.
• We also talk about other potential K Drama elements: the Quirky Friend, the Deep Lean, and the Arm Rest.
• Our favorite Man Wol outfits from this show.
• Our favorite Korean dishes and where to get them in the DC area.

References:

• Top 40 Korean Drama Podcasts
• Red String Ceremony
• Why Wasn’t Chocolate Popular in Korea?

In Episode 4 of Hotel Del Luna, things are getting complicated between Man Wol and Koo Chan Sung. Chan Sung continues to dream about Man Wol, who is upset that Koo Chan Sung is learning about her past life. Through flashbacks, we learn more about Man Wol’s life and we have two side stories. We also learn that the hotel staff are plotting to have Koo Chan Sung removed as manager because they fear his arrival is making the tree come back to life and make time start flowing again for Man Wol.

We do a short recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We discuss:

• How Man Wol and Koo Chan Sung’s relationship is changing as he learns more about her past.
• We see that Chung Myung once again saves Man Wol and is true to his word when he promises to save Yeon-wu.
• How the side story with the blind ghost is not what we expected
• The unexpectedly sweet story of the old man and his dog
• The appearance of the grim reaper
• How Mago is a deity in Korean, Chinese and Japanese mythology, especially as a protector of women
• How the hotel staff try to trick Koo Chan Sung into losing his mind by visiting the ghost in Room 13
• Man Wol’s many outfits and which ones are our favorites
• The famous Korean skin care routine with its 10 steps
• The latest K dramas we’re watching

Show references:

• Magu in Wikipedia
• Grim Reaper in Korean Culture
• Korean Skin Care Routine 
• Techie Helmet for Skin Care

In Episode 3 of Hotel Del Luna, we learn more about Man Wol’s past life, we meet Mago, we learn more about the hotel’s main staff, and we meet Yoona. Through several flashbacks, we learn about two important men in her life, Yeon-Woo, a fellow gang member, and Go Chung Myung, the Captain of the Princess’ Guard. Mago tell Man Wol that she is tied to the tree but she must move on. After putting a blossom on Koo Chan Sung’s heart, Koo Chan Sung starts having dreams of Man Wol’s past life. We also have a new character: Yoona, whose body is inhabited by Soo-Jung, whom Yoona pushed off a bridge.

We do a short recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We discuss:

• The triangle between Man Wol, Yeon-Woo and Go Chung Myung, as well as the triangle between Man Wol, Koo Chan Sung and Go Chung Myung.
• The potential for romance between Man Wol and Koo Chan Sung, whose dreams are now filled with Man Wol and her past life.
• The flower element again
• The amazing cameo by Lee Goon-Ji
• How the hotel staff refer to Man Wol as Jang Man Wol and sajangnim.

Show references:

• Lee Goon-Ji makes a cameo on Hotel Del Luna and send a snack cart to the Hotel Del Luna set - https://www.hellokpop.com/kdrama/lee-joon-gi-surprise-cameo-hotel-del-luna-sweet-snack-cart-iu/

In Episode 2 of Hotel Del Luna. we follow Koo Chan Sung as he navigates between his job at the fancy hotel and his (offered) job at Hotel Del Luna. Koo Chan Sung and Jan Man Wol work together to help a ghost tiger find peace and once again, they go out to eat. We learn that Manager Noh is ready to retire and he pays a visit to Koo Chan Sung, to try and convince the younger man to take his job. We also see the guest manager, Seo-hee, fulfilling the wishes of several guests, demonstrating that the hotel helps ghosts fulfill their wishes and overcome their grudges.

We do a short recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We discuss:

• The ghosts who overcome their grudges or fulfill their wishes in order to move on to heaven
• How ghosts travel to heaven via the bridge over the Samdo River
• How Jang Man Wol is misunderstood; she comes across as materialistic and aloof, but she can also be very perceptive and caring
• The food in this episode, namely red bean porridge and sashimi
• The Baekdu mountain range and its connection to feng shui
• Formal and informal greetings in the Korean language

Show reference:

• Korean Version of Feng Shui 

Episode 1 of Hotel Del Luna introduces the main characters, Jang Man Wol and Koo Chan Sung, as well as some of the hotel staff, mainly the bellman, the guest manager, and the bartender. The episode flips back and forth between the past and the present, and between the main storyline and the side stories. 

We do a short recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We talk about our first impressions of the show and what we loved about the first episode. We discuss:

• What we know about Jang Man Wol
• What we know about Koo Chan Sung
• What we know about the hotel
• How 3 of 14 K Drama Elements show up in this episode, mainly: flowers, alcohol and food.

We close with a few words about Korean names, including how you address someone formally, informally, and our new Korean nicknames.

Here are some of the websites we referenced:

• What do flowers mean in K Dramas?
• Primrose flowers in a witch’s garden

This is the pilot episode for K Drama Chat. In this episode, we introduce ourselves, Joanna Pineda and Jen McWhorter, and talk about why we love K Dramas and why we decided to create this podcast.

Rather than just review our favorite K Dramas, we want to go deep and analyze each episode of our favorite series. For our first season, we have chosen Hotel Del Luna. This series is on Netflix, so it's easy for everyone to watch. This series features amazing actors, an amazing storyline, gorgeous cinematography, layers of myth and symbolism, and plenty of side stories and surprises.

But before delving in Hotel Del Luna, we talked about the 14 elements that, our experience, exist in every K Drama series. Some of our favorites are:

• Gorgeous OSTs (original sound tracks)
• Food; there's lot of eating in K Dramas
• Crying; there's lots of crying, by both women and men
• Love triangles
• Umbrella scene

K Drama Chat is a weekly series, with new episodes dropping every Friday. 

We welcome your comments about our shows, what we got right, what we got wrong, and what we missed. We also want to hear your insights into the episodes that we cover, and your suggestions for shows to cover in future seasons.