What’s With the Nose Bleed?:
10 Things You Will Always See in Most Korean Dramas

When I first started watching Korean films and dramas, there are some situations where I am truly lost in translation. Although, I am Asian as well I wonder about these constant repetitive things you will get to watch on almost all their dramas. Through more than a decade of watching K-dramas I almost got it to the letter what I will see somehow. It is like branding a product for without them it is not Korean Drama. So, if you are new to K-entertainment just enjoy the ride and maybe you can do life imitating art. Here are the things you can always depend on to see and what you need to do or expect when you imitate it in your “real” life:

(1) Their first love will almost always their everlasting love. So, if you want to end up with the K-guy, you will have to be his first love.

(2) Their first love almost always start during their childhood years. So, if you want a K-guy make sure you live there while you are still young and within the vicinity of the man you want to marry in the end.

(3) Somehow amnesia is not far away from happening. So, if you want to start all over again with your life or have a do over then, you got to have amnesia. It seems to be the easiest way out to do it in Korean style.

(4) Singing and dancing in a karaoke bar. If you are heartbroken or sad then, go to a Karaoke bar and sing, you’ll probably by coincidence meet the man of your dreams in a compromising situation that will create even more havoc in your life. But, you get to have an excuse of being drunk.

(5) Enjoy your soju because the man will carry the woman eventually in a piggyback style. So, when you get drunk make sure your K-guy is with you. It will create more emotional connection with your man and probably falls even more in love with you.

(6) Expect that after watching non-stop for more than 24 hours of drama or 2 hours of film there’s very little public display of affection. Be satisfied with the hugs and peck of a kiss with the scene zooming out. So, if you desire public display of affection from K-guy, then, you are in for a disappointment. To have that, you need to have a fever, so, your K-guy can touch you by putting washcloth in your forehead or accidentally fall, so, your K-guy can catch you when you fall.

(7) Marrying a K-man is like applying for a job. You got to have the right resume. Otherwise, your K-man’s parents will have a problem with you. So,if you plan to marry a K-guy you got to have the right status and have parents who are well to do and alive. Orphans are a pitiful state.

(8) They don’t call each other by name but by their age difference or position. So, you got to be close enough with your K-guy in order to call him “Oppa”.

(9) There’s got to be toilet humour. Growling of the stomach in hunger, farting in an inopportune time or blowing their nose in places they shouldn’t have. Guess, you don’t have to feel awkward when you do these private matters with your K-guy as it is but a natural way of things to happen.

And, last but certainly not the least, the reason why I wrote this post is the ever popular nose bleed. Once you see it, be prepared because most often than not it will turn out to be a terminal disease. And, the diagnosis is frequently cancerous with a definite expiration date. So, if you do get a nosebleed in your K-world immediately go to your doctor and just by x-ray their doctor will know you are going to die. However, don’t fret because you will certainly experience your greatest love story with your K-guy along the way.

As a K-drama addict I have been totally amused with all these premises for more than a decade. It is like a drug with a different kind of crazy high. I sometimes wonder my fascination with it as it sometimes make me really feel stupid. But, like any other addiction I stay because of the feelings I get from it. At the end of the day, Korean dramas and films are more concentrated of what one will feel rather than what one will see. If you look hard on your lenses you will either end up annoyed and never look back on Korean films or dramas or be happy because you still love it anyway. I must say I belong to the latter because with all its flaws, K-dramas and films makes me really feel all sorts of emotions…and that… by my definition is pure and addictive entertainment. Hence, I welcome the nose bleeds and its laughs that it brings to my life.