Kolorful Palette: Jeju warmth [Warm and Cozy]

by Fanderay

Ahhh…Jeju Island. I absolutely love it when dramas are filmed there. The background settings are always gorgeous and I absolutely love the light. What a perfect place for a drama called Warm and Cozy.

At first this drama had me quite taken aback because it just didn’t feel Hong sisters-esque, and I was starting to wonder if they hired ghostwriters or something. I was enjoying it perfectly well, but my expectations had me feeling a bit off-kilter while I watched the first episode. Then Jung-joo threw an imaginary spear at her cheating boyfriend and everything clicked into place. I thought the second episode was the perfect blend of charming sweetness and zany antics, and the minutes flew by despite the lack of dense plot.

I think what made time go by so quickly is that I wasn’t impatiently waiting for anything specific to happen or impatiently waiting for something uninteresting to end. I already like all the characters so much that I was perfectly content to just sit back and watch their rather mundane interactions. I think it takes deft writing to properly pull such a drama off, so I’m glad that it’s the Hong sisters who are taking this one on. It’s also a nice change of pace for them, and I’m hoping it’ll see as much success as their kookier fare.

I primarily chose to draw this scene because I loved the setting (I expect that will be happening a lot in this drama) but it also represents what I like about these characters. Jung-joo is strong and pragmatic, and rather than sitting there wailing about her loser boyfriend and her bad luck, she stoically washes the poop off her shoe (which she also had on her face!!). Even when she hears that she’s lost her job, she keeps it together pretty well despite being stunned, and doesn’t even fall apart in front of Gun-woo’s cute attempts to console her. Female leads in dramas are often annoyingly emotive and over the top (it tends to rub me the wrong way since I’m more the emotionless robot type) so I find Jung-joo to be a refreshing and admirable change of pace.

Gun-woo on the other hand is just so freaking kind-hearted I can hardly believe it (compared to what we’ve come to expect of rich stereotypes). It’s not just Jung-joo’s nonexistent cancer that’s making him that way either. Sure, he’s more of a cheeseball because of it, but he was already surprisingly nice ten years ago, and it never feels like he has to force himself. It’s a relief to know that every wealthy character out there doesn’t need to be completely rehabilitated by a spunky poor girl. Instead, I expect that the two of them will simply help each other grow and find happiness, and that’s a lot easier to relate to.

My original plan with this drawing was to use palette knives, but to use them I first have to lay down color with a different medium. I used chalk (which wouldn’t make any sense whatsoever in the real world) because I liked the way it interacted with the palette knives, but then I ended up doing the whole thing with chalk and when I started messing around with the palette knives it just felt like I was ruining the drawing. Next time I’ll make sure to use the knives as I go since I really do like the look they create.

I don’t know what to expect in the episodes to come, but I’d be pretty happy to just watch the two leads win over the town and rebuild Jung-joo’s house (I’m a big Property Brothers fan so it’s right up my alley!). It seems like there’s going to be more to the story though. Surely the two of them can’t be related, but that makes me wonder if Jung-joo is the actual biological child? Maybe not, but I think something tricksy is definitely going to happen, and a switcheroo could be fun. In the meantime I just want more Jeju. It’s like going to the spa!

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