Smile, Dong Hae Episode 120

At the Kim household, everyone is informed about the release of ads. Sae Wa tries to douse the atmosphere by saying that they might receive calls from impostors. Hye Sook follows Joon in their room and asks him to stop running the ad but Joon refuses to do so.

Anna is trying to read the paper but she hears Sun Ok screaming. It turns out that Sun Ok burned her hand and dropped the pan. She feels so nervous about the infomercial and thinks that dropping the pan was bad luck. Anna calms her down and tries to encourage her.

Sae Young and Tae Hoon is shown sleeping. He falls off the bed and discovers that they're late for the infomercial. Tae Hoon wakes Sae Young up and they hurriedly leave. Sool Nyeo is left with the twins and she starts reading the newspaper and sees the Dong Baek ad. She recognizes that the picture is the same as the one in Anna's room so she calls Sae Wa to confirm her suspicion. Sae Wa tells her mom the truth. Sool Nyeo, although shocked, goes off to Anna's house to steal their newspaper.

At the station, Kang Jae and Dong Hae are preparing for the broadcast. Joon arrives and encourages his son but Dong Hae pushes him away. Kang Jae saw how sad and hurt Dong Hae is and he consoles him. Tae Hoon and Sae Young arrives. Dong Hae feels a little bit sad upon seeing Kang Jae showing love and care to Tae Hoon and Sae Young.

Pil Yong is shown talking to Hye Sook and Do Jin, saying he wants a full report about Taebong Kimchi's results at the broadcast.

Yoo Jin arrives at the station to help out in the infomercial.

Pil Jae receives his police ID back but he's on night duty. He calls up Anna and decides to pick her up to go to the network. Sool Nyeo arrives at the Lee household, and Anna starts to panic and constantly calls on Sun Ok for help. Sun Ok comes out and wonders what Sool Nyeo is doing there. Sool Nyeo uses going to the bathroom as an excuse to grab the newspaper and to get Anna's toothbrush at the same time.

The infomercial starts airing, while the Camellia kimchi team watches it on TV.

Pil Jae is on his way to pick Anna up. He sees Anna beside a kid playing with bubbles, and a fast car is approaching nearby. He runs off and saves Anna from getting hit by the car. Sool Nyeo and Sun Ok sees them and they run to his side.

Kang Jae messes up during the broadcast but Dong Hae successfully saves the day, showing different ways to serve the kimchi.

Everyone takes Pil Jae to the hospital. The doctor says that Pil Jae needs to undergo further tests. Sun Ok needs to go to work at the factory while Sool Nyeo needs to take the twins home so they leave Anna with Pil Jae.

It's announced that Taebong Kimchi sold all 1,000 packs with 10 minutes to spare. Bong Yi was so happy that she started shouting. Do Jin gets pissed and leaves the room.

Sae Wa calls her mom to ask for the toothbrush. Sool Nyeo also reports that the Lee family subscribes to that newspaper with the ad.

Taebong Kimchi team goes home very happy and they intend to share a celebratory meal. Dong Hae goes out to pick her mother up at the hospital. Dong Hae apologizes to Pil Jae and thanked him too for saving his mom.

Sae Wa goes to her house to get Anna's toothbrush from her mom. She states her plan to prevent Anna or Dong Hae from meeting Mrs. Jo.

While having dinner, Tae Hoon receives a call from his friend, saying he's outside their house. Tae Hoon goes outside to pick him up.

Bong Yi runs into the elevator guy again outside their house. He says that he's there to ask Bong Yi money for his hospital bills, since she hit him. Tae Hoon appears and he hugs the elevator guy. It finally dawns on Bong Yi that this guy is Sun Woo, her brother's childhood friend.

Sae Wa massages Mal Sun's shoulders and gets a strand of her hair in the process. She goes to her room and carefully packs the samples and puts them in an envelope. She receives a call from Hye Sook so she leaves the envelope on the bed.

Sun Woo shows a great deal of interest on Bong Yi, even hinting that he intends to marry her. Dong Hae and Anna arrives. Bong Yi and Yoo Jin immediately stands up to go to Dong Hae's side.

Joon goes to the Jo couple's room to give respects. They remind Joon that Do Jin is having the broadcast tomorrow and that he should encourage him. Joon says that he intends to do just that. Meanwhile, Sae Wa is in Hye Sook's room and reports about the DNA test to be done tomorrow. Joon goes to Do Jin's and Sae Wa's room and sees the envelope. He picks it up and the contents fall on the bed. Sae Wa goes in and sees Joon holding the samples.

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Smile, Dong Hae Episode 119

Anna and Pil Jae goes to Sae Wa's house to get Anna's old clothes back. They see Hye Sook so Anna tries to hide behind Pil Jae. Sool Nyeo denies stealing the clothes and demands proof from Anna. Of course Anna can't prove it so Sool Nyeo takes advantage of the situation and asks Sae Wa to leave with Hye Sook, which they did. Sae Wa tries to explain the situation to her mother-in-law and realizes that Hye Sook already knows that Anna is Dong Baek.

Meanwhile, Bong Yi, while going to work, rides the elevator with some guy who wouldn't stop looking at her. The guy then touches her shoulder so Bong Yi screamed, kicked the guy, and starts hitting him with her bag. But he was only trying to remove a strand of Bong Yi's hair on her shoulder so Bong Yi got really embarassed and apologized lots of times until she exited the elevator.  The guy then says something like "I thought it was her. Or maybe not."

Back at Sae Wa's house, Anna returns the clothes to Sool Nyeo in exchange for her old clothes. Sool nyeo refuses to take it back, saying those clothes are more expensive and that she should forget her old clothes. Pil Jae pressures her into giving the clothes back but she doesn't give in.

At the station, Dong Hae and Tae Hoon chooses Kang Jae to be part of the infomercial despite Yoo Jin and Sae Young's nagging.

Hye Sook and Sae Wa arrives at the Kim residence and the Jo couple was so glad to see Sae Wa back. Jo Pil Yong leaves for work with Hye Sook. Sae Wa goes to her room. Mal Sun follows shortly to ask her about Dong Baek's picture frame. Sae Wa promises to get it repaired soon but it was revealed after Mal Sun leaves that the picture frame's already fixed and Sae Wa's just keeping it in her bag. On the car, Pil Yong again says that he's glad to see Sae Wa back. And that he hired an expert to speed up the succession process. Hye Sook reminds Pil Yong of his wife's feelings regarding the succession but he promises to talk to his wife about it.

Pil Jae still tries to make Sool Nyeo return the dress but she's really not caving in. Sae Young arrives and Pil Jae asks her too if she's seen Anna's old clothes. She remembers it from the other day and tries to say it but Sool Nyeo covered her mouth and stopped her from doing so. Pil Jae gets a call from Sun Ok, asking him to help out at the kimchi factory. They had no choice but to leave but Pil Jae promises to come back. After the two left, Sae Young tells her mother that she knows that Pil Jae was talking about that red dress she brought home. She then says that her mom needs to bribe her for her to shut up. Sool Nyeo agrees, although she's pissed.

Dong Hae and Tae Hoon returns to the kimchi factory and tells Kang Jae to join Dong Hae on the infomercial. Kang Jae is apprehensive but he eventually agrees, saying he'll do anything for the factory.

The guy in the elevator is revealed to be the finance expert Pil Yong was referring to. He came to the CEO's office to greet him and say that he hasn't made up his mind about the job offer yet.

Bong Yi goes to Do Jin's office to tell him that she'll do her best on the infomercial as a chef of the hotel. Hye Sook enters Do Jin's office while Bong Yi is leaving. She reminds her son to do his best on the home shopping project and to not let anything stop them from inheriting the hotel. Hye Sook also mentions that Sae Wa has returned home but it's only temporary. Do Jin is left confused by all of it.

Bong Yi, on her way to the elevator, calls Dong Hae to tell him what she just did. Meanwhile, the finance expert was in the elevator, talking to a friend of his. Bong Yi runs into the guy again while on the elevator and clumsily gets out when she realizes it. She tells Dong Hae about the guy and Dong Hae jokingly remarks that she's pretty so guys go crazy over her.

Mal Sun calls Anna and eventually wanted to see her. But because of their complicated situation, she suggests they don't tell anyone if they're gonna meet. Dong Hae, Tae Hoon, and Pil Jae arrives so Anna had to cut the call off.

Sae Wa basks in the compliments of her colleagues, which only makes her more intent on keeping everything she has now. On the other hand, Kim Joon makes a call and was informed that the ad for Dong Baek would appear tomorrow. Also, that Taebong Kimchi's infomercial would also air tomorrow.

Bong Yi prepares an egg facial for the guys and applied them with Anna and Song Yi. Sun Ok joins in too.

Mal Sun welcomes her husband and the Kim family home, and Sae Wa comes down blabbering about how her mother was sick that's why she wasn't home. Joon and Hye Sook enters their room. He asks Hye Sook why Sae Wa is back and she simply says that Do Jin needs Sae Wa so she had no choice. She goes to Sae Wa and Do Jin's room to tell her son to bear with Sae Wa for a while, without saying the reason for her change of heart. She goes out, Sae Wa follows her to the dining room. Sae Wa convinces her to run a DNA test for Mrs. Jo and Anna to make sure they really are mother and daughter. She then calls Sae Young to get Anna's toothbrush or a strand of her hair. Sool Nyeo hears this and they both wonder why Sae Wa is asking for those things.

The next day, Joon calls the attention of Mr. and Mrs. Cho to tell them that the ad has been published. At the Lee household, Pil Jae starts reading the papers but stopped as everyone prepares to go to the home shopping channel. He leaves the newspaper on the bench to go with them on their way out. Anna is left with Sun Ok. She sits on the bench, notices the papers and starts reading it.

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Proposal Daisakusen ~Operation Love~

Warning! Spoilers below!

"Hallelujah chance! *wink and pose* Noooooooo!" That's Yamapi's signature line in the drama.

Proposal Daisakusen is a story about childhood friends (Ken and Rei) who lived their lives together from grade school up to college. The series opens with Rei getting married to their high school professor (Tada). During the reception, Ken gives a message for the newlyweds. After his speech, a slide of Rei and Tada-san's pictures that serves as the timeline of their relationship was played. While watching the slide presentation, Ken realized that he had a lot of chances to tell Rei how he feels for her but didn't act on it. A fairy then appears, telling him that he will give Ken the chance to go back to the past by using the pictures on the slide. He would be transported a few hours before the photo was taken and would be back to the present when the camera flashes. He should then use his chances and make Rei his girl.

He was really able to go back to the past and little by little changed things. He even made his two friends (Eri and Hisashi) go out with each other. But it's not enough for Rei to be his girlfriend. Everytime he goes back to the present, it was always during the slide presentation, which means that Rei still got married. However, it was implied during these travels that Rei also has feelings for him but eventually gave up because she feels that Ken doesn't feel as strongly as her. She thinks that he prefers keeping his emotions to himself that's why she got so frustrated. Ken was supposed to propose to her too and even bought a ring but Rei rejected him before he even started proposing. Ken threw the ring away but their friend Eri found it and gave it to Rei. This made Rei doubt her decision about marrying her professor. That was the last photo. Ken already gave up but was shocked to realize he was on the stage and was only about to give his speech. He finally got the courage to say everything he wanted to say and walked out of the hall. Rei got confused even more but was let go by her fiancé and she followed Ken.

This series was recommended by a classmate of mine, a hardcore jdrama fan! :)) When I got to watch it, every episode thrills me and I was always eager to watch the next one, especially when it was about to end. The story shows that most people have regrets about things they made in the past and silently wishes to correct their mistakes. However, we aren't as lucky as Ken to get a chance to go back to the past. The only thing we can do is accept the past as a part of our life and act on the present. As a singer said before, "There's no future in the past." The present is still there and we can do something about it for the future. The drama also emphasized that there was never a right timing. Say whatever you want to say or do whatever you want to do so that you won't find yourself waking up one day and realize that the opportunity slipped by. *sighs* Another regret.

Proposal Daisakusen made me realize that I am lucky for waking up today, which means that I still have the chance to do or say what I want. It inspired me to look forward to my life on a positive way. I really recommend this series to everyone! Long live Japan! :))

49 Days

WARNING: This post contains some spoilers so those who are interested to watch this series and/or hates spoilers, please leave this page immediately. Thanks! :)

I first learned of 49 days when it was aired on a network here in the Philippines. I thought that the story is interesting and that the plot is unique. I've always regarded Korea as a benchmark in quality dramas. Most of the Korean dramas I've watched pleased me so I was quite excited about this drama.

49 days is the story of a young girl, Shin Ji Hyun, who has everything in her life: loving parents, very good friends, beauty, wealth, and a handsome & smart fiancé. One day, she encounters a vehicular accident and sees her own body full of blood.  She then learns that since it wasn't her time to die yet, she would be given the chance to live again if she would be able to gather three pure tears from three people who sincerely loves her. Ji Hyun was very positive about having many people who loves her but then she discovers that her life isn't as perfect as she thought it was. The people she considered as friends dislike her and won't shed pure tears for her. What's more shocking is that her fiancé is actually in a relationship with one of her best friends and they are planning to bring down her father's company. Now she has to find three people who really love her and at the same time stop her fiancé from stealing her father's company.

When I watched the first few episode on TV, I felt that I couldn't wait for the remaining episodes so I finally decided to download the episodes so that I could watch it before being aired on TV. True enough, every episode was very exciting. The story developed unexpectedly and the actors were very good at portraying their respective roles. It also illustrated the belief about karma. It was one of the things in this drama that sparked my interest because it says that you have a fixed lifespan determined by how you lived in your past life. The idea of having modern grim reapers was also interesting.

However, I felt really bad when the female protagonist had to die in the end. I think that it was so unfair, given that she has to waste 49 days of her life looking for at least three people that truly loves her only to find out that she would eventually die five days later. Well, who said life is fair? In my opinion, the story was trying to teach a lesson that life is very short. As what was said by the Scheduler, "We are born to die." We have to live each moment as if it is our last day so that we won't have any regrets. I would also like to quote some dialogues that really touched me. Han Kang's mother said that when you love someone, it's okay to be misunderstood. You would rather be misunderstood than to explain because you know that it would inflict greater pain to the person you love. Also, Ji Hyun said that it's more painful hiding your feelings for someone than not knowing what you really feel. I think these statements are very profound. It entails a lot of sacrifices but at the same time great concern for your beloved.

The alternate title "Pure Love" is really fitting for this series since it shows different kinds of love, but the most important one is pure love since it would show that you love a person unconditionally and that the only reason you love that person is because they are who they are. Although I categorize it as a tragedy, most of the characters got their happy ending and I guess that is what's important. When I shared my sentiment to my sister about the death of Ji Hyun, she said that it made the drama unique up to the very end. If she hasn't died, then it would just be a typical drama where the bad guys get arrested and the good guys would live happily ever after. Upon hearing this, I felt at ease. The writer really did a good job on this drama. Overall, I was satisfied with the drama and I would always want to watch it again.

I Wanna Go to Japan!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the pictures used in this post.

If I would be given the opportunity, I really really wanna go to Japan. And I already thought of things to do when I get there.

First of all, I'd like to go to this mall. It's called Shibuya 109 as you can see. I learned about it from the mangas I read and the animes I watched. I think it's very famous and I'm really excited to see how it looks inside.



Next, I wanna go to Osaka. It's amazing how Japan maintains a balance between their tradition, which is very evident in Osaka, and the modernization, which is very evident in Tokyo. It's as if these two are in an entirely different place. Going to Osaka would probably make me know more about Japan's culture and appreciate the country more.

Of course, my visit won't be complete if I won't get the chance to cross one of the busiest streets in the world. According to what I've read, the traffic lights signal stop for 30 seconds then the people just cross the street.

I also want to eat in food stalls in Fukuoka or it's what they call yatai. There are different dishes for sale and I want to taste all of them! Yum!

I've never seen a real cherry blossom up close so I'm also planning to do cherry blossom viewing or "hanami". These flowers weren't Japan's national flower but they play a very important role in their history and culture.

Well, those are the only things I was able to come up with so I'll just get back on it later. :)