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[Staff Spotlight] Get to know girlfriday

Explain your username (and/or avatar).

I love ‘30s and ‘40s detective noirs, and my favorite character was the girl friday—the detective’s sassy, quippy assistant who always got overlooked when the detective stupidly fell for the (obviously evil) femme fatale. I just identified with that girl and wanted her to get the guy and solve the case. The avatar is from My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho. *finger guns*

What is the first drama that you watched (or the first drama that made an impression)?

Jealousy (1992) is the first drama I remember being more eager to watch than my parents were, and Feeling (1994) is the first drama I made VHS copies of and passed around to everyone I knew like a crack dealer.

Tell us about a job or two that you’ve had in the past.

Bartender. College lecturer. Guess which one paid more.

Have you ever lived a moment that you thought belonged in a drama?

The moment after a breakup, I walked out to the street and right on cue, it started pouring down rain. It was one of those picture-perfect drama moments where the rain hides your tears, and I distinctly remember thinking as I walked to the train that it only needed a ballad soundtrack and I would’ve been convinced I was in living in The Truman Show.

What’s your favorite drama that you recapped?

I have warm fuzzy feelings for The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry, the first show I ever recapped, and I have a lot of fun with supernatural rom-coms, so My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho and I Hear Your Voice stick in my mind as personal favorites. Oh, and The King 2 Hearts was an unforgettable show because of the Beanie fandom for it. It’s too hard to choose one favorite!

What drama genres do you especially like?

I love supernatural shows—anything from the frothy rom-com kind to the dark thriller kind. Mysteries are also a favorite genre. And I’ll likely try any rom-com you throw at me.

What drama genres do you especially dislike?

I tend to avoid the conventional melodrama or makjang family drama, the kind where evil mothers-in-law and chaebol CEOs make nice, downtrodden characters suffer in quiet for 50 episodes, and then they get cancer and everyone’s sorry. Who’s got that kind of time?

Is there a drama character you’ve ever strongly identified with, and why?

Jung Eun-ji’s character in Answer Me 1997. It was just one of those dramas filled with unnervingly familiar snippets from my own teenage past: Dad ripping idol posters from my walls, threatening to lop off my hair if I sneaked out of the house one more time, me spending way too many hours on the perfect mixtape and plotting my next rebellion. I saw my past self in her to an embarrassing degree.

What drama character would you want to be?

Yoo Seung-ho’s cat in Imaginary Cat. Exhibit A:

What was your major in school?

Film studies, psychology.

Favorite non-Korean movie and/or TV show?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Veronica Mars.

Which Hallyu celebrity would you actually want to meet and spend an hour with?

Na PD. Mostly because he seems cool to hang out with, and I could ask him all sorts of geeky questions. Plus, there’s the off chance that he’ll kidnap me and drop me off in a foreign country, and I’d get a vacation out of it.

Which of the 7 deadly sins would be your undoing? (Pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, or sloth.)

Gluttony. I have a shopping problem and I could actually imagine the slippery slope where I shopped myself out of house and home. I would be the best-dressed hobo there ever was though.

Your favorite drama has an unholy alliance with your most hated drama and produces a mutant baby drama. Describe the plot.

A fangirl goes up to Seoul to see her oppa in concert, and ends up being kidnapped and taken to North Korea. Years later, she returns to South Korea as a doctor, and the only person who doesn’t believe she’s a doppelganger is the boy who grew up next door, who also became a doctor. They fall in love, so naturally spies are sent to kill them.

 
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Hi girlFriday! (Wave

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Wow, that was quick I thought you'd space these out. Nice surprise though.
Ahhhhh, Buffy ? my obsession before I found K-dramas (I'm the type to only get over an obsession with another obsession)

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Yes, Buffy! I have all the DVDs, and the 1st 2 seasons of Veronica Mars. After Wonderfalls/JB yesterday, I wonder how many other beanies liked those shows, and if there is something special that made them appeal to future kdrama addicts.

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Ditto on Buffy. I had such a huge crush on Angel.. And then Spike. lol

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Buffy!! definitely my favourite show... Also the first show I watched in secret from my parents because I have a little sister who is 11 years younger and I remember being scolded for showing her a "scary" show, and they thought my Spike obsession was unholy jajaja but I at least never made a painting of him unlike my other sister (the middle sister) who till this day still has her painting of David Boreanez hanging on the wall in our parents home jajaja (her husband has not said a word yet, which is amazing... also she got married before her big sister U_U ... maybe because she's not a k-drama fan). Anyways, after Buffy finished and I found my replacement addiction had to hide the k-dramas I watched because they thought I invested too much time on them XD now they still think I invest too much time in them, and kind of, well totally blame me for my youngest sister (the one 11 years younger) obsession with k-dramas.

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Full fledged Whedonite here! So much so I have a kid named after a character. Can you guess who?

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Buffy will never not be awesome. You know, except for "Beer Bad" because that was a terrible episode. There's a group of us at work that love love LOVE Buffy and like to make references. I know one of my friends is having a bad day when her dry erase board says "Fire bad, tree pretty." I even have a Buffy action figure on my desk. Maybe because I see myself as fighting baddies for my work. To be fair, I'm finding them by looking at data and internet searches so maybe I'm not Buffy. Maybe I'm actually Penelope Garcia. I'm good with either one.

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I have a funko pop figure of Buffy :) I had her on my work desk for a while. I might bring her back.

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Favourite drama is Doctor Stranger? or is that most hated drama?

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Favorite is Reply 1997, Doctor Stranger is the hated one!

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Thanks! I didnt watch it cuz I heard it wasnt good. Thats why I was surprised it would be her favourite.

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"Wasn't good"? It's SOOOOO good. She and javabeans (and a bazillion) other people loved it. It mirrored my life at that time pretty closely and has a warm, fuzzy spot in my heart.

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I think she meant Doctor Stranger haha ?

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Yeah, sorry I meant I heard Doctor Stranger wasnt good. Have yet to watch any of the Reply series too cuz I just joined kdrama land last year but it is on my list to watch when I have a spare weekend. Tied down with so many ongoing dramas now. Thanks!

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@mistress @rachel1 oh yeah. I was clearly not awake yet. Doctor Stranger was bad. Which is a shame because the first two episodes were great! I was so excited but then it got stupid fast.

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I thought @stringofpurlswas being sarcastic about Doctor Stranger lol. I was like "people lived that?! Beanies lived that?!"

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Exhibit A just made me want to be Seungho's cat as well. omg How in the world did I forget this fluffy relationship?

The mutant baby drama though... hahahaha! As much as I like LJS, to this day I have never gone beyond episode 2 of Doctor Stranger. I pretend that this drama is just a 2-hour drama.

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I would've never thought about YSH's cat, but after seeing the picture above... ?

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Heol I recognized Doctor Stranger. But what's the other drama in that last part?

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Answer Me 1997

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Reply 1997.

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@stringofpurls, @vannerie thanks guys!

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Wait, the last part with the spies sent to kill them, is that Doctor Stranger? I thought it might be Level 7 Civil Servant, which we can't mention in front of the Beanie staff.. They want to pretend it never existed.... :D

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"And I’ll likely try any rom-com you throw at me." This is so me and I din't knew a bartender job could earn us more than being a college lecturer.

Good feels, you had that affinity for films and dramas right from your high school, same here.

I too have this dream of meeting Na PD (tho I don't think we can converse, language problem)

I think its high time that I go back to the time I was born and watch dramas such as "Jealousy" and "Feeling", also long impending "The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry"

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"Yoo Seung-ho's cat" LOL!

Mentioning Buffy brings all the memories back, I was so crazy for that show!

So Reply 1997 and Doctor Stranger?!

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Jealousy was also Javabeans first memorable kdrama wasn't it? Thanks for sharing these with us.

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Yes it was. :)

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It's nice to know that recappers are human too!
Super-natural rom-com is my personal favourite! *hi5 girlFriday*
I've got to thank you for recapping IHYV. It was through reading your recap that I started to catch the show and I love it!

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Heyhey @girlfriday I totally have a shopping addiction too! And ironically that's what got me really into kdramas because I needed an outlet to spend my time, rather than window shopping (because it always became actually shopping!). So that's when I really started watching dramas and not just reading recaps. And then I was down the rabbit hole with no turning back.
So I swapped one addiction for another! Haha.

My shopping now takes a backseat for my dramas. Except when there is a sale. Or a piece of clothing costs less than 10-20 dollars. Things that are below 10 dollars don't even register in my brain, it's a spinal reflex and they get purchased. Maybe I'm not that cured after all. ?

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The best kind. Organized with a weekly schedule too. :)

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"I distinctly remember thinking as I walked to the train that it only needed a ballad soundtrack and I would’ve been convinced I was in living in The Truman Show."

My sides! Cheers girlfriday!

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yes! reply 1997 is one awesome drama
Infact love all the reply series.

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Yes I love them too. 1994 didn't have many fans, but I thought the friendship in there was nicely done.

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"A fangirl goes up to Seoul to see her oppa in concert, and ends up being kidnapped and taken to North Korea. Years later, she returns to South Korea as a doctor, and the only person who doesn’t believe she’s a doppelganger is the boy who grew up next door, who also became a doctor. They fall in love, so naturally spies are sent to kill them."LOL

I'd like to commend Doctor Stranger for making a mark in your life.

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Hi, @girlfriday. *wave*
Woah, you mentioned all my fave dramas. From IHYV that started my addiction, Gumiho, to my all-time favorite Reply 1997.
Ha, I love your choice for drama character you wanted to be. Bok-gil did spent more time snuggling with Yoo Seung-ho than any of his other partners.

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Veronica Mars! Oh, you remind me of my childhood, GF.
And don't worry dear, shopping is every women's most deadly sin. You're not alone... ^^

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Hahha the mutant baby drama made out of Answer Me 1997 and Doctor Stranger is the strangest imagination ever and I would so not watch it if it were real. Or watch it to make fun of it's every scene! :P

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What drama character would you want to be?

girlfriday: Yoo Seung-ho’s cat in Imaginary Cat. Exhibit A:

Me: uh oh!

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Count me in as a Buffyologist. I would love to see a venn diagram of kdrama lovers/Buffy and Wonderfalls (javabean's fav). I think there would be significant overlap. Just thinking about this make me full of joy!

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LOL! That would be interesting. My sister is big fan of Buffy. I like to call her the guru of all thing Buffy ;). May I ask you, Buffyologist, are you a fan of the comics? I know that there are some debates about whether or not they should be considered canon. I've seen the show, but I haven't read any of the comics. I have, however, heard some of the things that go on and they just seem so far fetched.

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Dear Girlfriday, you are the reason why I watched King2Hearts and why I am still watching it 'til now. Thank you!

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Jung Eun Ji is like one of my most favorite characters ever! Love her to bits and of course R97 is one of the best dramas I have watched! ❤️

And I'm assuming being a bartender paid more than college lecturing? ?

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LOL! I was able to get the favorite drama/worst drama mash up without having seen the latter.

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I love ya, Girlfriday!
Love My Girlfriend is a Gumiho - watched it 3 times and LOVE The King 2 Hearts -watched it ..... I lost count! Was one of the participating beanies for that drama and had a ball of a time! TK2H holds special memories for me, cos some of my very good k-drama friendships were formed as a result of that drama. See? Watching k-dramas and joining in the beanie discussions can bring life-long rewards!

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Ha, you'd be the hobo woman from 'Legend of the Blue Sea' then?

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I like mutant baby drama part.. doctor stranger of course, i don't like it either.. thank you @girlfriday ?

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Great to see your 'profile' GF!

We seem to have the same taste in drama genres:
Likes the supernatural (check)
Likes rom-om (check)
Likes mysteries - definitely (check)
Dislikes - conventional melodrama or makjang family drama (check)

I deplored Doctor Stranger too... until today when I see characters get shot and fall off into water (as in the recent Man X Man even), I think ... oh no... they're doing a Doctor Stranger on us again. ? ?

Cheers GF! Always glad to read ya. ?

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After watching Imaginary Cat, I was so in love with Bokgil that I went to see the cat that played her when I visited Seoul (she's called Beetle and she lives in a very well-kept cat cafe in Gangnam). She's very chic and aloof, she sits on a shelf and never lets anyone touch her, and she only comes to you if you have snacks (girl knows her priorities).

And so I concluded that Yoo Seung-ho is some kind of cat whisperer, because how did he get her to be so sweet??

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What!?!? You can visit that cat? *scheduling trip to Korea*

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I want to meet Bokgil-shi!

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@blnmom @purpleowl Sorry for the late reply (I'm still not getting notifs when there are replies to my comments ;__;) but yes! She's at Gangnam Cat Attic (강남 고양이 다락방), you can go see her if you're ever in Seoul ^^ Directions here. The cat cafe is very well-maintained, the staff dote on the cats and play with them. There are some shy ones but quite a few of them are curious and will come looking for you!

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Dunno, I'm pretty jealous of Yoo Seung-ho in that picture, too. (Fact: that will be an exact picture of me when I go home in a month.)

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Great getting to know You! Based on your western choices I suggest you watch Wonderfalls. It's hard to find, but awesome.

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If you get kidnapped by Na PD, is that considered a vacation? I'd go only if Lee Seojin and/or Kang Haneul were going also.

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@girlfriday I laughed out loud on the train at you wanting to Yoo Seung Ho's cat ~ but who can blame you??!!

Is it bad I would marathon your awful mutant drama sometime when I'm either sick or moving and need something in the background?

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You wanting to possess his cat also reminds me of Yoo Jin Oh's antics this latest episode of Chicago Typewriter ~ possessing the dog so he can be cuddled by Seol ?

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Wow! I really like this section. I've been dying to know more about you guys and obviously thought it to be too intrusive to ask! And somehow I totally missed when Javabeans was up here. So off to read that now!

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@girlfriday I'm sure you have a random skill like javabeans

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Veronica Mars! Logan is kinda like an angry chaebol with a marshmallow center. I have similar taste and am a sucker for anything supernatural (and some sci fi).

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Best dressed hobo makes me think of Legend of the Blue Sea.

And omo, that mix up for the dramas! This time I know both of them rather than just one. Though, @javabeans hated parts seemed a bit worse than Doctor Stranger. Ew, just writing the name of that drama still makes me mad for all the hours I spent on it.

But Lee Jong Suk! So...

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"Gluttony. I have a shopping problem and I could actually imagine the slippery slope where I shopped myself out of house and home. I would be the best-dressed hobo there ever was though."
You would then looks like Hong Jin Kyung in Legend of the Blue Sea. maybe without the food stains...

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Any time anyone says the words "girl friday" I automatically think of you and DB in general now! Your recaps are always my favorite to read, GF. <3

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Hello @girlfriday! I love that you have this section in the page, yay to that!
I laughed at the Doctor Stranger reference.
Just so you know, I always love your recaps and POV and I'm your fan for life. You're the other half of what I consider the holy grail of recapping!

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Pleasure to know ya, GF. You're always a great read!

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If ur like Jung Eunji in 1997, I love u.

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It's really cool you guys are doing this! It's nice to get to know the people behind the recaps and the site! Thanks for all your hard work!

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Recognized Doctor Stranger as the hated drama right away. I still shudder at the thought of it... and all those hours of my life I'll never get back.

Also, the cat. Totally agree there would be no better character to be!

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It makes me sad that both your moments that resembled a drama are kind of painful memories. Why doesn't a good looking guy recover a umberella that we may have left in a bus and give it back to us right at the moment it rains? *sigh*

Also, I recently watched my girlfriend is a gumiho and also read all the recaps. It was super fun to read mostly because of all the comments you guys had left throughout the episode recap and in the last episode recap, both of you had commented! That was something I didn't expect at all! It actually felt like I was watching with you guys! I wish a drama now would get you guys that excited, so that I could be a part of that fandom too!

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JB & GF used to leave both their thoughts on the last recap for other dramas too.

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Buffy was my show back in high school. The past couple of weeks, I been watching some of favorite episodes from season two. I just finished watching the second season of Veronica Mars and the show is so good.

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Lol.
I tried watching Reply 97 but I was so unentertained that I couldn't finish the first episode and developed an allergy to the series since then. I love Jung Eun-ji and, I sort-of like Seo In-guk but I just wasn't feeling the show. Which is funny because being an obsessed teenaged fangirl is something I should be able to connect with.

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oh wow. u HAVE to watch 1997 and give it a chance again. it gets better too, it's only 12 episodes or something short... not that much time commitment for one of the best dramas of all time. I know u liked tlahl, and I love 1997 as much as tlahl so that tells us how good it is.

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I know GF and JB like the first half of 1997 better because it was nostalgia time period for them, but like tlahl, I personally like the 2nd half better because it's them being adults and uhm... well.. doing adult stuff.

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I remember having a really hard time getting past the screaming parents in the first episode or two. (Of course by the end of all three Remember Me shows, I wished I was their child.) It didn't take long to fall in love with 1997, really. Take gf's word for it ?

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Same, I didn't understand the whole hair pulling thing but once I got past the cultural gap, it was fine.

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Hi Girlfriday!
Just catch up with your podcast and I really enjoyed it!
Nice to see I was not the only Buffy and Veronica Mars fan!

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a lot of unexpected answers. I don't know GF as well as I thought, so good thing there's this spotlight for us :)

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