Thanks to Jaime of http://thedramanoona.wordpress.com/ for the beautiful drama poster!
Scriptwriter’s Note
This drama was created in the spirit of some of my favorite fantasy/sageuk dramas like “Faith,” “Chuno,” and “Rooftop Prince” with a dash of “Thousand Years of Love” (not my favorite but could have been brilliant), and “Queen In-hyun’s Man.” I added concepts from some of my favorite Western Time Travel movies and shows and borrowed ideas I have used in the past for my own Fan-Fiction stories.
I now present the first *Official* Dream Drama Post on this blog: Aurora
~ Lady G.
Quick Synopsis
Eun Mi is a young, hardworking museum employee who is particularly passionate about the Silla era. One day, to her shock and surprise, she mysteriously time travels back to the Silla era, landing right into the life of Hyun Ki, a rough-and-tough street fighter and mercenary. Despite their vast differences in personality, upbringing and era, the two eventually fall deeply in love.
How will they overcome the colossal obstacles – literally spanning the time-space divide – that stand in the way of their love? An epic love story of truly cosmic proportions.
~ kfangurl
Main Cast
- Kim Woo Bin as Hyun Ki
- IU (Lee Ji-Eun) as Han Eun Mi
- Song Joong Ki as Kang Woo
- Park Bo Young as Bo Ra
- Yoo Seung Ho as Yang Gil
- Kim Yoo Jung as Jin Sun Hee
Poster art by kfangurl
~Meet Eun Mi~
Han Eun Mi (IU), 23, is a newly-minted employee at a fancy and very popular museum in Seoul. She is working hard for the grand opening of the Ancient Silla exhibition. Eun Mi is loyal and very dedicated to her job, so much so that she sometimes gets used without credit. She’s intelligent, though her head can be in the clouds when she’s focused on her work. Everything she does is for the love and preservation of Korea’s history.
Eun Mi’s father, Han Sung Po (Baek Yun Shik), was a history Professor. Her mother, fed up with competing with dusty old artifacts, left the family when Eun Mi was around eight years old, and Sung Po raised Eun Mi alone. Twelve years later, on a drive home from the grand opening of the museum, they get into a tragic car accident from the icy roads. Sung Po is killed, but Eun Mi is rescued by a mysterious stranger before the car explodes. Eun Mi only remembers her rescuer’s deep, soothing voice and “long, calloused fingers as gentle as a feather” stroking her face to keep her calm.
Two days later, in and out of consciousness, Eun Mi wakes up in the VIP wing of a prestigious hospital. The nurse tells her the bills are all paid and there is a car to take her home when she’s well enough, courtesy of the museum. The nurse gives no contact name or info, nor does the driver of the car.
Not long after, Eun Mi’s mother returns. She is looking for insurance money and claims her rights to the house, etc. Things go downhill fast. After a big fight, Eun Mi moves to a tiny shack-like apartment, leaving her mom to her booze and boyfriends.
Eun Mi uses up her savings to survive and takes any odd job she can find. She still has two years of college left. She falls into despair, thinking she has to give up the dreams she shared with her father, and she still mourns for him. She feels completely abandoned by everyone.
Eun Mi gets very drunk and in a desperate move, almost takes her life by attempting to jump in the Han River. But once again, the mysterious stranger rescues her and brings her home. She still never sees him.
The following day she receives another miracle in the form of a “daddy long legs.” He provides her with a steady flow of funds, a beautiful apartment, and whatever she needs to become a success, including sweet notes of encouragement left in her mailbox every few days. The only condition is that she continues to study the Silla and Goryeo Empires and not waver off. That’s no hardship for her, because she’s very interested in that time period.
Eun Mi tries hard to find her benefactor but it’s impossible. She finally accepts it all with a gracious heart and goes on to become one of the youngest experts in her field.
Working late one night, Eun Mi finds a brass artifact shaped like a compass with a globe-shaped piece of jade in the center. Her co-workers try to coax her out to see the Aurora Borealis, but she insists she has to finish the display. She will join them later.
A little bit like this
She cannot seem to date the device and wonders where it came from. It looks too new.
Curious, she triggers a mechanism on it by twisting a dial and the jade begins to glow. Green blinding light envelopes the room; it seems to seep through the museum windows from the sky outside. Before she can think she is transported to the past in the blink of an eye. Eun Mi lands into muddy quicksand, near to suffocating and drowning, and is rescued by a man with the voice and touch of the mysterious stranger…
~Meet Hyun Ki~
Hyun Ki, (Kim Woo Bin), 26, was at first reared on the Palace grounds, just before the real start of the Goryeo empire. Tensions and fears of an overthrow are high. Everyone suspects everyone and leadership is floundering. Hyun Ki’s father, Jung Soon (So Ji Sub), had always been a fiercely proud and formidable warrior for the King (Kim Gab Soo).
Jung Soon wavers in loyalty when he falls madly in love with the King’s most favored concubine, Hyun Ok (Sung Yu Ri). Eventually she gives birth to Hyun Ki.
At first, Hyun Ki is reared like royalty, but suspicion surrounds his parentage and the King begins to doubt and show him disfavor. As the baby grows, the King realizes that he and the boy are nothing alike, and notices Hyun Ki developing a strong bond with Jung Soon (because he is often ignored and cast aside by his siblings, the Queen, and other concubines).
One day the King sees Jung Soon, Hyun Ok, and Hyun Ki walking and laughing together in the gardens and it clicks that they are a real family.
Jung Soon sees the writing on the wall for the Silla Empire and he gets wind of plans about a raid that will surely destroy everyone in the palace without mercy. He wants to protect his family more than anything so he plots to sneak them safely out beforehand.
The King, meanwhile, wants to have the family executed, but it’s too late. A battle rages, and in one night the palace is desolated and ready for take-over. Jung Soon fights valiantly, but many of his own soldiers betray him by siding with the enemy. The King and all in his household are killed or taken to slavery.
Jung Soon makes it out alive, and finds his way back to his family.
Their blissful reunion is shattered two years later when corrupted General Seo In Tak (Park Sang Min) from the rival army recognizes Jung Soon as his mortal enemy.
In Tak kills Hyun Ok before a wounded Jung Soon can stop him. Jung Soon begs him to spare his son.
Eight-year-old Hyun Ki watches his family cut down before his eyes. He screams and tries to fight In Tak. Just as another soldier’s sword is about to come down on him, General In Tak stops the soldier. He knows how skilled and powerful Jung Soon was and discerns a fiery will in the son that he feels he can harness for his own army. The soldiers kidnap Hyun Ki and train him in the art of combat and war.
The army underestimated Hyun Ki. As he grows into adulthood, he never forgets his parents and how much they tried to teach and protect him in their short time together. He vaguely remembers the secret passing glances and touches of love his parents shared when not in view of prying eyes at the palace. Hyun Ki decides he wants no part of the disjointed factions or armies. Especially the one who killed his family. He wants to live free.
One night he makes his escape. He has a chance to kill General Seo In Tak, but stops himself, because the man had granted his father’s last wish and let him live. This will come back to haunt Hyun Ki years later.
Warrior Hyun Ki goes out on his own. He trains on the mean streets and he joins a band of mercenaries led by the cunning Chul Soo. (Kim Yeong Chul) He learns all kinds of survival skills. Despite his unique looks, he knows how to weave in and out undetected; he’s a master of disguise, and can charm the silks off anyone if he has to.
NOT Eun Mi. Grrrrr
Because of his army training, many of the mercenaries defer to Hyun Ki as their leader. This makes Chul Soo very angry and he eventually wants to kill Hyun Ki. However, he meets with General In Tak and learns of his fight to establish a new Silla. Chul Soo secretly becomes preoccupied with that and orders his mercenaries to step up their attacks and threats on villages and aristocrats. They must donate funds to support In Tak’s army or else suffer fatal consequences.
Unseen Potential – Sam Cardon
~The Year 883~
Hyun Ki is depressed. Without a family or roots, he does whatever jobs come his way with little regard to his nagging conscience. He’s never fallen in love and basically lives a rebellious, immoral life. He does have a soft spot for children, and he refuses to kill women, because the image of his dying mother always comes back to him.
Hyun Ki is given a big assignment to make a hit on a wealthy tradesman. The man puts up a hard fight, almost killing Hyun Ki. But when cornered, he pleads for his son’s life.
Hyun Ki looks into the little son’s eyes and remembers his father doing the same for him. He can’t follow through. Hyun Ki takes off and is determined to end his fruitless life. Their entire empire is crumbling with the upheavals surrounding the three Kingdoms and there is much war and bloodshed.
As he wanders through the forests, he sees a blinding and gorgeous green light enveloping the night sky, then hears a splash and a woman’s cries for help…
~The OTP~
Hyun Ki needs a breath of fresh air like Eun Mi in his life. She matches him wit for wit, and is very forward thinking like he is. She calls him out when he’s wrong and questions his methods and motives. She brings out the best in him.
Eun Mi is spunky, but very feminine, and gentle, while he can be needlessly harsh. She loves to sing – more to herself – but he loves her throaty, soothing voice and makes her sing for him. After some time he affectionately calls her ‘Jag-eun Il’ or “Little One” because he towers over her and she is light as a feather.
Eun Mi makes mistakes, argues over the injustices she sees, and gets herself in heaps of trouble that Hyun Ki has to keep saving her from. As much as she knows history, and all about a ‘woman’s place’ in ancient society, it’s hard to actually live it and be treated in such a manner.
He loves that she’s so strong-willed and gutsy in terms of being his equal. He likes all the challenges, and his heart had never been stirred by a woman like that before. Eun Mi has a vulnerability that makes him proud to be her big hero and protector on their adventures together.
~Main Supporting Characters~
~Meet Kang Woo~
In an early episode when Eun Mi is in the future, the TV is on as background noise. The news is reporting that the fantastic aberration of nature – the Aurora Borealis – will make another rare appearance over Korea. They talk about a young scientist, Doctor Kang Woo (Song Joong Ki), who disappeared 2 years earlier during the first Aurora Borealis. The news airs his last interview. He looks handsome and quirky. He firmly believes in his time travel theories and he connects them to the Aurora Borealis energies floating around. His discussion is very convincing, but he’s still viewed as a quack. After that time, he was never seen again.
While in Silla, Eun Mi is not sure how to return home. Eun Mi needs to ascertain when the next Aurora Borealis might appear – If that is the reason why she time-traveled. She begins a hunt for a scientist, or anyone who may help her understand the forces that brought her to Silla; anyone that won’t look at her like she has lobsters coming out of her ears. It seems a near impossible feat.
This obsession she has puts more of a rift between her and Hyun Ki. He wants to help her, but her tales are too outlandish. He tells her to give up her old life and just live in Silla… hinting at the possibility of settling down with him.
But then she actually finds Kang Woo.
In a mind-blowing twist, she discovers Kang Woo has blueprint designs for the exact time travel object she has, and has already built two versions. Kang Woo in both the present and past had always been shunned and made fun of for his ideas about electromagnetism and forces beyond human control.
It turns out Kang Woo is from her future, and he was the one who set everything in motion.
While trapped in Silla for two years, Kang Woo had tried to build devices to harness any electromagnetic power that would activate the time machines he had built. He is desperate to get home. But despite all his brain-wracking he realizes the power lies within the Aurora Borealis and they are at the mercy of its appearance.
In true Kdrama fashion, a love-square develops.
Kang Woo falls for Eun Mi, and doesn’t realize that his pretty and meek assistant/maid Bo Ra (Park Bo Young) is madly in love with him. A year prior, he had helped her escape slavery and impending prostitution by hiding her away.
Hyun Ki is jealous because Kang Woo and Eun Mi bond immediately. And Hyun Ki is forced to admit Kang Woo is a handsome man. Eun Mi is oblivious and enjoys his company. The two are from the same era of time and have so much to share with each other. They are always talking and laughing over their modern-day interests and memories.
Whenever she is with Hyun Ki there is always frustration because they don’t understand each other as deeply as they’d like. Their lifestyles and cultures are far too different.
Over time, Eun Mi’s time travel device, which she guards with her life, begins to glow again. The Aurora Borealis is set to re-appear but will only stay for 3 nights. Her time in Silla is nearly over. Kang Woo is determined to go with her. But in a sad moment, he realizes that Bo Ra cannot travel with him… which also means that Hyun Ki cannot travel with Eun Mi.
This truth devastates Hyun Ki and he needs to be alone to vent his fury and cry.
Throughout the drama Kang Woo forms an uneasy ‘bromance’ with Hyun Ki and helps his mercenaries and the peasant warriors by building crude but useful war instruments; smoke bombs, chemical weapons, arrow shooters and so forth.
After saving Bo Ra’s life, Kang Woo fully realizes his true love feelings for her. Although he was brilliant in the battle, he was never at ease. He is a peace loving person. He chooses to stay with Bo Ra and help the new Korea advance and develop through science and useful technology, not warfare. Bo Ra was always good at making natural remedies so she decides to study medicine so they can continue to help the peasants. They make their own happily ever after.
In the future, when Eun Mi is back to work at the museum, she is startled to meet a cheerful young man who almost looks exactly like Kang Woo. (Soong Joong Ki with golden eye contacts like he had in “A Werewolf Boy”)
He introduces himself as Kang Sung Jo, a direct descendent of Kang Woo’s line, and a scientist and researcher in the field of chemistry. He’s excited to see an ancient medical bag, along with samples of tools and inventions that his ancestor made. In the Silla era, Kang Woo had hidden these artifacts for Eun Mi to find in the future. He put a letter inside, thanking her for her friendship and reminding him of his life in the modern era Korea. Eun Mi also keeps a sweet picture of him and Bo Ra.
~Meet Yang Gil~
In keeping with real Korean history (but fictionalized a heckuva lot!) Hyun Ki has a younger best friend among the Mercenaries named Yang Gil (Yoo Seung Ho). In real history, Yang Gil’s birth, family line, and death is unknown. (Gee, someone should create a cool K-drama for this guy!)
Hyun Ki loves his bestie dearly even if he doesn’t show it often and gets gruff with him from time to time. He does that to keep Yang Gil strong. They protect and support each other, and Hyun Ki teaches him all his warrior tricks. He sees the younger man’s potential for greatness.
Hyun Ki had found 14-year-old Yang Gil wandering around scavenging for food in a poor village. My drama version of Yang Gil is an ex-aristocrat who has lost his parents. He was once spoiled and rude, but had a big change of heart after living amongst the peasants and being shown kindness.
Aristrocrat Brat Yang Gil
His new life spurs him in later years to fight for the peasants because of the Queen’s tax imposition. Yang Gil’s father had been on the mercenary hit list and killed for certain misdeeds against another aristocrat. But the charges had later proved false. Hyun Ki discovers this fact not long after he takes the teen under his wing. Fearful of losing the closest person he has to a family, Hyun Ki never tells him the truth. But one day Chul Soo reveals it in a drunken tirade against Hyun Ki.
Yang Gil is shocked and runs away, but Hyun Ki catches up to him. He allows Yang Gil to beat on him and let his anger out. Yang Gil even draws his swords, but Hyun Ki refuses to draw his.
After a long wrestling match, Yang Gil gives up and cries to his hyung. Hyun Ki apologizes over and over and tells him that he was not part of the crew that killed his father. He even gets on his knees in tears. Yang Gil believes him and their relationship is restored.
Eun Mi watches the exchange and her heart swells for Hyun Ki when she realizes he is not the empty shell he considers himself to be. His capacity for love and yearning for family pours out of him in that scene and she cries for him, hoping that somehow, she too, can fill his void.
~Yang Gil’s True Love~
Yang Gil becomes smitten with Jin Sun Hee (Kim Yoo Jung). She is an aristocrat while he’s a low-class mercenary, so their love seems doomed from the start.
2 years prior to the current story, they’d met in a busy market. A vagrant had tried to rob her and had knocked her down, but Yang Gil had caught the fiend and returned her valuables.
They meet again in the same market in the present. Yang Gil is 20 and she is 17. They’d never forgotten their first encounter and now, their love blossoms. He tells her the truth about his rich heritage, but she says she doesn’t care. She loves him, not his title. Sun Hee is very forward thinking and feels for the plight of the peasants and slaves. She does what she can to help them and Yang Gil loves and admires her even more for that.
At one point Sun Hee falls ill; she had spent the night helping a family take care of a sick child and she’d gone out in the rain. Knowing she had done this, Yang Gil finds her disorientated and feverish on the path back to her home. He rides her straightaway to Kang Woo. Sun Hee lives very sheltered, and Eun Mi remarks that she’s not used to the rugged outdoor life and being around germs. Everyone is sure she will die. Yang Gil is in agony.
Eun Mi and Kang Woo step in to save her using the medicine in her purse and remedies that are not yet known in that era. Sun Hee’s recovery is deemed a miracle and other sick people in the peasant village start flocking to Kang Woo. Although it cuts into his time-travel work, he finds that he genuinely enjoys helping them thrive and get well. He had once considered becoming a medical doctor, but he’d enjoyed physics and the mysteries of the universe too much.
~The Plot Thickens!~
One of the driving forces of this drama is that the child Hyun Ki spares from a mercenary hit, becomes a future General and King of Korea (aka Goryeo/Koryeo) – his name is Wang Kon.
Wang Kon is only 6 years-old in this drama. Wang Kon in history later becomes a General and eventually takes the throne in 935 when the last King of Silla hands it to him. He is instrumental in uniting the Three Kingdoms.
In this fictional drama story, thanks to Eun Mi’s knowledge of history, Hyun Ki and his crew eventually discover that the boy is a hidden prince, disguised as a wealthy commoner since he was a baby.
This was a secret that even Eun Mi didn’t know about. The King is Wang Kon’s father; The King was protecting Wang Kon from the devious In Tak and he tricked In Tak into believing the baby died. The man raising him (Lee Jong Hyuk) is a bodyguard and Second-in-Command to the current King. Although it’d started off just an assignment, he’d fallen in love with the boy. He felt like a real father.
The bodyguard was given the power to control trade on the Yeseong River and the new name, Wang Yung. He was also allowed to take the faithful Palace chamber maid he loved, Soon Young (Chae Rim), as his wife. Soon Young was also very attached to Wang Kon, having nursed him since birth.
This arrangement worked out well and they all lived along the river happily until the Mercenaries came. Hyun Ki and his crew eventually help the family escape to China and they remain until things die down.
Paper Lanterns – Michael Hoppe
~Drama Bits and Pieces~
Scriptwriter’s Note: I don’t actually have fully-written, ready-to-air scripts for my Dream Dramas. If only! I conjure up bits and pieces of the plot throughout my day as I go into daydream mode (which happens far too often!). So this is not exactly a play-by-play or sequenced post. But hey, dramas are filmed out of sequence anyway, right? ~Lady G.
1. Eun Mi wonders why Hyun Ki’s name never came up in her studies of the Silla era. In a bonding scene, Hyun Ki admits that he had been prepared to die when she literally fell into his life and it changed him forever. It dawns on her that major points in history are playing out because she intervenes. She’s helping to keep Korea’s history on its proper course. She eventually realizes that the mercenary leader, Han Chul Soo, is her direct ancestor. She remembers that her father spoke of their family history often. Chul Soo is in the history books as a vicious mercenary who’d had a change of heart and fought for a better Korea alongside Yang Gil.
2. At first Hyun Ki is frustrated with this bewitched woman who’d fallen from the sky. She clings to him like glue because she is afraid of her strange surroundings. She follows him everywhere, even into ‘bars’ filled with rowdy men who are stunned by her presence. She feels threatened, but Hyun Ki seems not to care. When one man makes lewd advances on her she slaps him hard in the face. He responds to her in kind and tries to drag her out. And in a favorite kdrama cliche, Hyun Ki’s hand flies out of nowhere and clamps on the baddie’s wrist. There’s jealous fire in his eyes when he tells him to let go of her and a sword fight breaks out. Eun Mi intervenes and stops Hyun Ki from killing the man, even though she’s secretly touched that he’d defended her honor so fiercely.
3. After a bitter disagreement, Hyun Ki forces Eun Mi away. He calls her crazy when she tries many times to explain about the future and he twirls a flower in her hair to tease her. He wants nothing to do with her because by that point all she’d done was cause trouble and bring unwanted attention to him and the mercenaries. They have a big argument and Hyun Ki warns her to stop interfering and telling him and his men what to do and how to go about business. She insists she’s only trying to help and to keep them alive. He cuts her to the core when he almost slaps her, and screams in her face that she is more trouble than she’s worth.
Deep down, Hyun Ki enjoys her presence and desires to protect her. His heart continues to hurt that entire day because of what he’d done. He admires her sweet smile and infectious, loud laughter that turns heads. He’s amazed that she can find joy in almost anything.
He enjoys the unusual love songs she sings prettily to herself when she thinks no one is listening. But his pride and lifestyle get in the way. For the first time he feels a shame he can’t shake off, but rather than want to kill himself, he wants to become a better man… for her.
4. After the argument, Eun Mi wanders around for hours in tears. She has begun to fall for this irritating but beguiling rogue of a man. She curses herself for behaving like a typical ‘Korean drama’ woman, pining away after a jerk who sometimes emotionally abuses her. But then she reflects on how he had rescued her from the quicksand, their near-kiss, and when he’d stood up to the giant man harassing her. Along with all the intense and seductive gazes he shoots her way that flush her from head to toe. (Flashback heavy sequence!)
Hyun Ki feeling guilty for leaving Eun Mi to fend for herself.
5. At night, Hyun Ki is hanging with his mercenary buddies in a rowdy place gambling and drinking with gisaengs on his lap. A thunderstorm rages outside and he feels guilty for leaving Eun Mi alone. After winning and paying for the next round of makgeolli, he runs into the storm to find her. By this time Eun Mi is wandering around the forest scared out of her wits, exhausted, starving, and in dire need of cover. When at last she finds a cave, a wild animal appears, but Hyun Ki swoops in and saves her again.
6. There are a ton of feels in the storm sequence. At first she’s furious and beats his chest, then gets dizzy and cries against him and makes him promise not to leave her alone again. And he actually agrees with a reluctant “kdrama hug.” He brings her back to the inn (on piggyback of course!) and helps her get fed and warm. He gives a strong warning to the other men to keep their distance and nobody wants to challenge him. She’s a little sick, but tells him to go in her big purse and get some aspirin (she keeps a bunch of packets). One of Eun Mi’s character quirks is the way she carries and guards her oversized designer purse, which she claims holds her entire ‘life’ – and that includes the Time Device.
As Hyun Ki rifles through the contents he becomes more and more amazed at the stuff inside. We see a crazy sequence of his imagination as he envisions the future and her world. His curiosity burns and he believes her future tales at last. He becomes determined to join her in that future.
~The First Kiss~
Eun Mi teaches Hyun Ki about the art of “aegyo” seduction. She had often rolled her eyes and mocked it in her modern world, yet she sees it plenty even in the Silla era. Plus it makes her jealous to see the gisaengs come on to “Nae Hyun-Ki-orabeoni.” She wants to set him straight on women’s wiles. She’s goofing around all cute and he’s just staring her down. He grasps her wrist and says, “Enough foolishness, woman!”
Hyun Ki doesn’t kiss her hard. On the contrary. He moves in quickly, then stops short right before his lips make contact, and kisses her gently. It’s fleeting but sensuous, and his eyes lock with hers as they process the moment. Their longing gazes get broken by a rude interruption… (of course it’s nothing important).
~The Penultimate Episodes~
Many little events, like secret meetings of the ruling of class in Silla, the Emperor with his Generals, and the plight of the peasants, will climax in a giant battle between them all. Everything revolves around the hidden prince and the secret plans of the wicked General Seo In Tak to re-establish the Silla Empire. It was Seo In Tak who had ordered the surprise raid on the King’s Palace when Hyun-Ki was a child. And he had had to get rid of Jung Soon (Hyun Ki’s father) because he’d discovered the treacherous plot.
However, Silla’s days are numbered. It’s time for the Korea as the world knows it today to take shape and form. Hyun Ki and his group all play a hand in the unraveling history.
Eun Mi is kidnapped by In Tak and somewhat tortured to tell him how she knows facts about the future. The rumors have spread that she is an odd woman, a Seer who has made wild predictions about the end of Silla and a new country called “Goryeo” that suffers from a split between North and South.
Eun Mi is kept in a rusted iron cage and constantly prodded and heckled by the soldiers. She regrets not listening to Hyun Ki when he’d warned her to stop spreading future stories. Mostly she regrets not admitting her love for him.
Hyun Ki and Eun Mi are separated for days and the search for her is on. Hyun Ki enlists the help of all his allies. Wang Yung, The little Prince’s father, shakes down some of the river merchants. He finds out where she had been taken from a trader who saw her forcibly put on a boat across the river.
Before she can be charged for treason by the Emperor, Hyun Ki and his mercenaries rescue her. Kang Woo takes her in to nurse her back to health, but Hyun Ki insists that he treat her wounds and angrily demands that no other man may touch “his woman.”
~Satisfying 2nd Lead Syndrome~
Kang Woo finally sees that there is a real affection between Eun Mi and Hyun Ki and decides to step aside. He lets Eun Mi sleep in a furnished, hidden interior room he had built in his home. He had once used it to hide Bo Ra.
Drunk Kang Woo is clear headed enough to realize his love for Bo Ra.
At night, Bo Ra comforts him as he drinks himself to sleep and he confesses to her that the only woman who had ever understood and supported him was her. Bo Ra never called him crazy and always believed in his ideas and theories, even if she couldn’t understand a word of it. We see a flashback montage of how she cooked for him, making sure he stayed healthy when his work would keep him awake most nights. How she cleaned, washed, and helped him construct his inventions (with some funny scenes of them going awry and blowing up, forcing them to run for it). Bo Ra even groomed him when he needed it.
Kang Woo gives her a long hug. Bo Ra escorts him to bed and tucks him and kisses him softly. When she turns away, Kang Woo opens his eyes briefly and smiles. He has decided on his fate.
~Hyun Ki & Eun Mi~
Hyun Ki sits by Eun Mi’s side overnight, sponging her down and keeping her warm. She wakes up periodically from nightmares of the torture but he’s right there to keep her safe and calm.
In the morning when he tries to feed her breakfast, Eun Mi cries and admits that her only thought when she’d thought she was going to die, was that she would never see him again. Hyun Ki is touched and holds her face for a tender kiss. He gently whispers that she is his ‘one’ and they must never be apart again.
Days pass, and as she heals, they find time to be young, goofy, and in love despite the chaos around them. We see adorable montages, long walks and deep talks under cherry blossoms, picnics, swimming, laying under the stars, more discreet kisses and whispered love vows.
There are some tissue-worthy casualties in the battle, minor characters peppered throughout the drama that give it charm, mostly those from the Peasant Village, and two of the Mercenaries who were loyal to Hyun Ki despite Chul Soo’s demands.
Near the end, Hyun Ki is once again forced to decide whether In Tak lives or dies by his hand. Hyun Ki fears losing Eun Mi’s respect, even though she knows there is a river of blood on his hands from his past. Chul Soo has by now switched sides. He will turn In Tak over to the Emperor. Rather than die in shame and shackles, In Tak rips Hyun Ki’s sword from his sheath, and falls on it, killing himself as he chants “Long Live Silla!”
After the final battle, the remaining soldiers scatter and peace is restored for a time. Eun Mi and Hyun Ki share an epic kiss under the glow of the Aurora Borealis as she fades away before his eyes. He savors the taste and scent of strawberry from her mouth and falls to his knees in grief.
She returns to the future, miserable, believing Hyun Ki had died young in some revolution because he is not in any history records. Hyun Ki is stuck in the past without the love of his life. He keeps a beautiful photograph of her close to his heart, that he’d swiped from her purse. On her phone she has a picture of them very happy and close, making the ‘V’ sign she taught him. She prints it out and keeps it on her work desk.
~The Final Episodes~
Two years years pass and all along, Hyun Ki secretly stashes artifacts for the future museum. He obsessively times the appearance of the Aurora Borealis with Kang Woo’s help. But it seems time plays a cruel trick. He time travels using the device Kang Woo gave him – but lands 2 years before Eun Mi’s adventures (which is the same time that Kang Woo had been transported to the past).
At first Hyun Ki is devastated and lost in this new world. He tries to remember all of Eun Mi’s Future Stories. He gets involved with a wrong crowd and becomes a gangster of sorts. His depression leads him to fall back into his old ways, even in the future.
Modern day Korean gangster Hyun Ki.
One night, Hyun Ki is feeling lousy with himself and the course he’d taken. He is no longer a man Eun Mi would be proud of.
He’s walking along the Han River bridge and reflects on the stories she’d told him of the mysterious benefactor. He suddenly realizes that it was meant to be him all along. All the events in modern times must happen first, for ‘time’ to come full circle. When he finds a younger, depressed Eun Mi, it tears his heart that he can’t be with her.
The time-travel cycle begins when he rescues her from jumping in the river. (A different replay of that scene from his POV.)
Hyun Ki has waited 4 years between the past and present, to be reunited with his true love. But to him it is worth every second and he is finally at peace with himself. He’s not easily looked down upon and builds up his fortune when he goes back and finds the stash of artifacts he’d hidden. He begins to secretly take care of Eun Mi. On the night she is supposed to time travel, he sneaks into the museum to put his time machine with the other artifacts.
When Eun Mi returns, her life becomes a whirlwind of busyness because the Silla exhibition is to open within the next month. Everyone is on edge about meeting the new museum owner. There are many rumors about him, and not all are complimentary. The big one is that he has the Korean underworld in the palm of his hand. This is partly true, but they all look to Hyun Ki with fear and respect and keep their distance, sensing the warrior spirit in him that cannot be toyed with.
At the glamorous museum exhibit opening, Eun Mi is excited to meet the mega-rich investor of the museum who had donated so many precious artifacts in amazing preserved condition. Because no one has ever seen him, she pictures a mysterious ahjussi with silver hair. Her jealous co-worker says the owner is “dying” to meet the young woman who put the whole Silla display together with such perfect detail. This will mean a big advancement for Eun Mi on the job.
When her jealous frenemy points him out, Eun Mi is shocked beyond belief to see Hyun Ki hobnobbing with the guests. She even wonders if he’s Hyun Ki’s descendant. Hyun Ki pretends not to know her almost all night, and she gets into a confrontation with him, full of grief that he doesn’t remember. The stress makes her faint.
When Eun Mi awakens, he is leaning over her with a compress and stroking her small face (It’s their little ‘love thing’ that pops up throughout the drama. Squee!).
He whispers in his husky voice, “I never thought you were so weak that you’d faint,” and gives her a big smile.
“I’m here for you, now and forever. I love you, Eun Mi-ah. I have always loved you, and despite a few lapses in my judgement, I have waited for you to return to me. Eun Mi-ah, you are my one.”
She gapes at him and asks if he had been her benefactor all along. He says yes and that she was the one who gave him the idea. She tells him she loves him too. They give each other a big hug and fall into a long, steamy kiss…
~Epilogue: Two Years Later~
Eun Mi and Hyun Ki are in rich marital bliss. They have set up educational programs and charities to help the less fortunate under the names of Yang Gil and Sun Hee. Eun Mi writes a popular fictionalized book of her time travel adventures called “Aurora.” It becomes a bestseller, a wildly popular manhwa, and a hit kdrama starring Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye. At night while watching it, she complains to Hyun Ki that Park Shin Hye totally ruins all the kiss scenes.
Eun Mi instructs a tour group at the museum and discusses the mysterious life of Yang Gil. As she hypothesizes about his life, it becomes a voiceover to the past. We see Yang Gil fighting revolutions to help peasants, among other noble feats, and finally, older, riding off into the sunset and out of history’s eye with his loyal Sun Hee to settle down and start a family of his own.
The montage fades over Hyun Ki smiling knowingly at the back of the group. His wife fills him with pride every time he sees her working at what she loves and bringing attention to Silla.
Eun Mi and Hyun Ki became historical consultants on the drama set because they are well-known experts on all things Silla. Korean audiences were tired of Joseon era dramas and want to know more about their ancient history. They tour the sets before shooting, meet and greet the cast and compliment the performances (Eun Mi holds back on complaining about the wide-eyed kisses) and everything is designed near exact to the real past. Hyun Ki boyishly marvels over the future and the inventions the modern world takes for granted.
In a funny montage we see their married life and how he still struggles with electronics, cooking, and his shaking hands whenever he’s angry at something (not her) and wants to reach for his sword (a number of household items suffered death that way).
Real Silla men don’t wear flowers! Aigoo…
As Hyun Ki drones on and on about the Silla era, Eun Mi puts his hand on her abdomen and tells him that they are about to start a new era together. Hyun Ki stares at her in happy shock and Eun Mi pulls him in for a sweet kiss.
~The End~
Poster art by Jaime of http://thedramanoona.wordpress.com/
Did you enjoy this dream drama? Let us know how you feel about it in the comments! 🙂
Aurora by LadyG & Kfangurl is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://thefangirlverdict.com/2014/08/28/kim-woo-bin-dream-drama-aurora/.
I wait. And wait. And wait. This is beautiful!
Thank you, Cris. I’m so glad you liked my 1st story. I loved writing Aurora. I still wish this was made into a real TV drama. 😀
Do you mean you’re waiting for that sequel to the Afterglow Drama? I know, it’s been forever. I’ve done a lot of other things in between. I hope I can continue to write the 2nd story. It has a very full draft so far.
Congradulations on becoming an aunt! I also just recently became one, if cousins counts as an aunts. And good luck for the nonfic book!
Afterglow wasn’t too long/big in my opinion, I loved it this way and it kept my unwavering attention till the end without feeling like there was a lot to take in. Which a lot of look stories tend to do. It’s perfect the way it is and I would love it if part 2 too had a lot powerful tentacles!
My mind is preoccupied by kpop idols and their cuteness but I’d love to look for new faceclaims! And So Ji Sub, man!
Hey! Hope you’ve been well lately, when will the next dream drama come out? I can hardly wait, everytime I read/ think about a well plotted mystery/action story, I’m reminded of your dream dramas, I love both Aurora and Afterglow especially, though I love the tale of three brothers too. I’m very eager to read the next dream drama, please give up one soon. Goodluck with everythiing!
Hi Liana!
Thank you so much. I’ve been, just a lot of RL changes in the last few years, I moved to another state with family, helped take care of sick relatives, became an aunt 2x again!
I’m also working on a non-fiction book for publication.
Stories like Aurora and Afterglow are definitely more my style when it comes my imagination. Though I had a lot of fun writing 3 Brothers and it’s close to my heart.
I’d begun drafting a sequel to Afterglow almost 2 years ago. It focuses more on a few new characters – who we learn are know our original team – both from the good and bad sides. I felt like this first story was too too big, & had too many powerful tentacles for just one.
It’s still in that first draft stage. I have my male lead – So Ji Sub, but i’m ‘casting’ other characters and keep changing my mind.
I could use help for a side character. Do you have any suggestions for a young man, no older than 22? – He has the power to manipulate the earth – sand, stone, dirt, lava, rocks, etc. Someone who can seem vicious at first, but ultimately has a good heart and desire to change.
Thank you for the confident push. I need so much confidence in all my writing. I have to go back over it and continue fleshing it out. I’d like to get it out there before the end of the year.
Take care! G
Butting in to say, Woo Do Hwan comes to mind as a possibility for your casting call. He’s a little older than 22.. he’s born in ’92, so he’s 26, but he might still be worth considering? He’s got that dark sort of look, so in my head, he looks the part. 🙂
The few years don’t matter. Dream Dramas, dream casting. lol I know of this actor I just haven’t seen him in anything. Except Dramaworld, but I don’t remember him much. I’ll keep him in mind and watch a few clips. Thanks, KFG!
The pleasure is mine! 😀
Dear Lady G, I’ve a serious question for you. Are you some sort of future seer? No I’m not kidding,but this seriously looks like your future self got devastated after watching MLSHR and decided to go back in time to write a better plot so in the future,you can boast, “See, even I can write a better drama,and I wrote this eons before probably even the very writers of ML thought of it!” (Sorry for making pun out of your own story😜)
The similarities I found aren’t neglectable,and its uncanny! The main difference is only Silla vs Goryeo.
1- Both happen during a natural occurrence, MLSHR-eclipse, yours-Aurora.
2- The main traveller is a girl, and the other is a male who has gone there before her.
3- The people she meet ‘re real historical figures,and she helps the course of history while she’s there.
3- the main lead is a freaking Tsundere bad boy.omo!
4- She has to return to her time,is sad of her loss, then gasp!, she unexpectedly meets the hero at a museum/gallery (MLSHR deleted ending)
5-The heroine is IU! 😮😶. (Spooked,then faints from shock)
And your story contains all the better-done storylines that I desperately wanted to see in MLSHR. It could have done wonders to that mess of a story.
1- Your heroine actually tells her friends that she’s from future whether or not they believed her. Ok, I get Su was determined to start her life anew at Goryeo, but she could’ve at least share her burden with So. That way she wouldn’t be feeling that lonely.
2- Your main leads actually talk things out,thus balancing their relationship.No secret kept.
3- You’ve done the hero-in-the-future thing uber-perfectly. I was actually against the idea of having a future So,because it’d be another ridiculous doppelganger cliche. I hated this in Rooftop Prince and even the original Scarlet heart. It’s notthe same person! So I was happy with at least THAT part of the MLSHR ending.
But you have once again masterfully round this up. Him returning to future before the circle begins and helping it happen, so after 4 years everything would return to normal and completed allowing them to be together memories intact and being the same originals? Bravo. That’s just brilliant.
4- This is your first story??😶 Unbelievable!! Congrats,and wish you all the best for your future work. It seems like even the experienced writers cannot sometimes pull of a successful time-travel drama,cause that theme can be extremely tricky. But then you wrote THIS!
MLSHR writers should’ve read this before doing THAT.
I’m not disrespecting MLSHR writers, it’s only the could’ve been epic drama was ruined due to the collective glitches they left here and there, on all departments. (Writing,editing,directing,clothing,music….Sigh!) It must’ve been tiring,and the end results disappointing.I understand,but it was the same for us viewers!!
Anyhow,sorry I shouldn’t be ranting about ‘nother drama here. I’m here to praise Lady G.😅 Honestly speaking, I read the other stories that you wrote later, and I, um, couldn’t find that much liking to them. It’s your first story that I thought the greatest one,and yes I know personal preference of course. And I sincerely wish you luck and hope to see moreeee of these!
Sorry for the long post,her
P.S.- You sure you aren’t a future seer??
Wow, Peony, I love your review! And thank you for your honesty about the other stories I wrote, I attempted different genres, I get that some would work and some wouldn’t for various reasons. But I did put my all into writing them. However this is my first and has a special place in the heart. 🙂 Sometimes a writer only strikes magic once.
I love Time Travel stories, and I understand the complexities of it, so maybe that’s what made it work too. For you to review it so highly years later is a huge compliment!
You documented nearly everything that I’d noticed about MLSHR! Even more because I unfortunately dropped that drama. I didn’t even think about the 2nd male time traveler! omygosh! Now that gave me more chills. lol.
Seriously, I’m not a seer, but I like to fancy myself a writer and I think by the time I wrote this I understood the formula of Kdrama writing. I have a lot of experience writing Time Travel themes in another fandom.
The way this story came to me (with some help from friends throwing ideas at me) made the most logical sense. I don’t like the doppleganger theme myself, I want it to be the real person, and for that to happen there has to be that full circle of characters. It always gives a Time Travel story that extra kick. I actually loved Rooftop Prince, but was disappointed with that ending too.
When I saw MLSHR, I thought omg, it’s IU! In the flippin’ past! I realize MLSHR is based off an original Chinese Drama, but I had not seen that until a year or so after I wrote this story. And I still wasn’t crazy about the story.
If anything, it was Jade Heart Palace that I loved and it inspired me a little. I think…but actually more of FAITH without the X-men warriors.
And okay, MLSHR didnt have Kim Woo Bin, but Lee Jun Ki fit the bad ass bill nicely. I could imagine him as a lead in Aurora. But it was written specifically with KWB in mind. (And for Kfangurl too, because she loves him!)
But IU in MLSHR was NOT the IU i’d imagined in this story at all. I kept wishing it were Aurora I was watching instead. lol But, MLSHR is their story, not mine. And they had to stay true to that character’s complete MARY SUENESS! omg, that’s what killed it for me, she was a Mary Sue. I called her “Mary SU” Too many close-ups of her shocked face bothered me. i was like, get on with it, we get it.
Half the time I thought, if she’s a modern woman, there’s no need for her to be so stinking shocked all the time. seriously. I particularly hated how they handled his scar reveal scene. She looked just as frightened as the rest when he took off the mask. Are you kidding me??? That little scar? I would’ve turned around and said to them, “You’ve shunned this poor man for THIS?? Get real! What’s shocking is how you’re so scared of a little scar when you live in an era of swords!” Ohh that got me so mad! LOL
I think eventually she should’ve told someone the truth. Especially So. I was not having that with my story. My girl wanted to get back home, she knew about the era because of her studies, but it was still completely foreign to her. So i made my character mess up here and there and act “weird” to them. I don’t understand how “Mary SU” could so perfectly blend into the past like she did in MLSHR.
So you’re right, I was devastated when I saw MLSHR. In fact I came back and reread my story after I dropped the drama. Not that I think I’m a better writer or anything, I just wanted to see the TT story I’d originally imagined for IU.
Are you kidding me, there was a deleted ending where she sees him again at a MUSEUM??? You know, sometimes I feel like Kdrama writers are reading MY stories and using ideas. hahaha. Ok went to check… … Oh, she saw paintings, and they were actual scenes that she’d witnessed in real life, how sad. But he hands her the handkerchief. Sigh. My ending was sort of inspired by The Lake House, a beautiful movie. Where the hero from the past literally WAITS for heroine to catch up to his time. Only I made him a rich, modern bad ass who was able to fund her life and set her on the right course to fulfill the circle. I’m sure if we think too hard about it there will be holes. hahaha. That happens in every time travel story. But I tried to avoid them for the ending.
I don’t particularly like sad endings, I wanted my story to be happy, with the lovers together. like Jade Heart and Faith – another example of waiting for time to catch up.
Thanks so much, again!
Wow wow wow!! My very 1st comment at this site got replied by Lady G😃😃
And so sorry, I later remembered and was late to reply on the main(and the best) difference of the main characters, that your IU is spunky and actually does things while being feminine. Su was uh,just feminine?? Dunno I saw there were( Some) times she stood up for herself,but the writing was done in a way that even it’s rare golden points would also ultimately mesh into the mess.
I saw the previous comments and while I’m sad for the accusation you got,but look! She told you that Aurora has a connection to a previous story,and I’m telling you it connects to a FUTURE story!! Seems like time travel shenanigans are lurking around😜 (Yup I know I’m bad at jokes)
And I’m right now reading your Afterglow,and I like it soooomuch. I haven’t ended it yet,but I can say it’s beautifully crafted. It gave me creeps and seems like a cross between x men and x files,yet maintaining its originality.
Seemingly you’ve the gift of creating strong imagery in your readers mind just by using few words. E.g. I loved the scene that when Kwang Dae was walking in the rain the rain drops turned to steam before hitting him.Wow.
Probably I don’t have a thing for melodrama. That’s why I fell in love with Aurora and Afterglow,I guess.
Good luck Lady G. Hwaiting!!
I will always respond to my comments. 😀 My writing “fame” has not went to my head yet! LOL. J/K. And I find your jokes so funny, that my story is time traveling and getting referenced all over, thank you for the support about that accusation. It was hurtful for a little while there because it was simply not true at all.
I totally get what you are saying about Su in MLSHR. There was very little she could do being a slave in the palace without the fear of getting her head chopped off or some other grisly death punishment for giving a Royal the side-eye. But in her Mary SUness, she of course gets rescued by the Princes every time. Basically she just stared at everyone and batted her eyes and they all came running to her. That’s what it felt like to me.
You’ll notice in Aurora I skirted over the political aspects and minor and all that. I really don’t know the full history of Korea and didn’t want to get too deep into it. The Politics in Sageuks make me snooze. Since this was my first story, my ideas were all over the place and the story wasn’t as fluffed out as the others. You’ll notice how my stories become more structured down the line with a large cast of characters.
I’m sooooooooo thrilled you like Afterglow! It’s probably my favorite! I love how you used the imagery with Kwang De and his heat. Thank you very much for that. I try to help the readers visualize since I’m writing a ‘TV drama’ and not a plain script. I hope you get a chance to comment on that story when you finish.
I’m in the process of working on a non-fiction book – nothing to do with Kdrama, so for the coming months I’ll be busy with that.
but I do have a sequel to Afterglow in the works with a lot of the old cast and New ones! The main guy is So Ji Sub. I can’t say when it will be finished or published here yet though. But keep on the look out. The ideas in Afterglow were too big to contain for just 1 story. Kind of like the X-men. How many movies did that have? I lost count. lol
I don’t go for melodramas either, maybe some cracky-crazy ones that suck me in. But I like the sci-fi action, mystery genres.
Happy reading! kamsahamnida!! 감사합니다
1-it’s bravery when you choose to weave the tricky history to your first story,especially you don’t like those in the first place.
2- I just put a comment on the Afterglow thread. Seems like you’ve already given some answers for qs I asked there as if you read my mind!
3- thanks for telling me I can joke. You’re so kind.
4- um, personally I think Afterglow can be a standalone story and doesn’t necessarily need a sequel. But you needn’t worry,it’s just my personal opinion and I’m glad that you’re working on a sequel.I’ll definitely keep an eye out. Who knows, I despised the idea of leads-in-future but then you made a marvellous turn on it. Same could happen here😀
5- here at WordPress,threads literally become THREADS after the 4th reply,then disappear on the phone-view. Is there nothing you can do?😢
6-💝🙋
Hi there, Peony – just wanted to butt in to respond to your question about the comment threads. I’ve double-checked the dashboard settings, and unfortunately, there isn’t any further adjustment I can make to the mobile view of the comments. :/ The only option would be to limit the number of responses that people can give to a comment thread, but that feels unnecessarily harsh since folks on this blog can sometimes go back and forth a fair bit when they’re discussing a show and limiting the number of responses would literally mean truncating their conversation. 😛 I currently have the comments set to accept the maximum allowable number of responses, which is 14. We’d love it if you’d like to read &/or participate in a comment thread. Unfortunately it looks like that would mean sometimes accessing the site on a computer or tablet instead, for when the conversations get longer.
Really glad you’re here tho, and, I’m uber pleased that you’re loving Lady G’s work! 😄
That’s ok,dear kfangurl.I’m so thankful and happy that you considered my problem. I’ve been a long time lurker of this site and have read many of your reviews. Actually,it’s only your posts I’ve read till now, and though I’ve heard many things about Lady G,I haven’t met her until yesterday I happened to marathon her stories.
And now I’m feeling bad about not leaving a praise for you too, as I spent so much time reading and enjoying yet not comment your posts.
✴- I can read your reply when I horizontally turn my phone. But it messes with the keyboard when I try to reply. You needn’t worry,as the thing cannot be helped.
✴- you haven’t butt inned, not at all. Actually I’m so giddy that I was able to speak with both Lady G and you on my very first time commenting here.😊😁
(May I tell you a secret? For a long time,I’ve fancied if I’m ever to start a blog, I’ll be asking for help and advisement from you and Mimi of The Talking Cupboard, my most favourite WordPress bloggers. Hehe. I’m feeling bit shy and awkward now.)
Good luck,kfangurl! Wish you many years of success ahead.
P.S.- The friendship between you and Lady G is so awesome it’s palpable.
Aw, thanks for the encouragement, Peony – you are very sweet 😘 It’s great to know that you’ve been enjoying the reviews, it’s always motivating to know that people are finding them helpful &/or entertaining! 🙂
I hope you do continue to enjoy the posts on this blog – and that you’ll be less shy about chatting with us, going forward. Fun fact: didja know that Lady G & I first met on the comments section of this blog? 😉 Moral of the story: don’t be shy, you never know when you’ll meet a fantastic friend in the comments section, lol 🤣
I agree with Peony 100% about your writing! But you already know that! 😉 And, Peony, it’s absolutely true we “met” in the comments section. I wouldn’t stop writing these book-long comments on her posts, I really loved her writing and the way she analyzed every drama, there was so much to talk about. Then one day out of the blue, she asked me if I would like to be a part of her blog and created me a SECTION! I said yes super fast! 😀
Well, y’know, I recognize talent & passion when I see it 😉 I just grabbed you while I could! 😄
Thank you for your opinions on Afterglow. I have a lot of big ideas for a sequel drafted, but I’m still in the should I? or shouldn’t I? stage. It’s funny because Kdramas almost NEVER make sequels. And if they do, it doesn’t connect.
And I see Kfangurl answered you question about the threads. She would know better than i do. This is her blog, I’m just a writer for it. I never used it on my phone really so I haven’t seen the comment section.
THIS is why I said that your friendship is palpable!!
Thank you for encouraging me. Now on,I’ll be commenting here whenever I can.
Lady G,if you have a good draft in mind and feel like the sequel can live up to Afterglow,doit,doit,doit! Don’t let my inexperienced hoobae words be that extra 0.001 that is keeping you on the fence that you’ve already been for much long. Cheers!
kfangurl and Lady G,hwaiting!!
Oh! Thankyu, I was confused, but if a WordPress account and Blog isn’t the same thing, it only shows how to sign up for a blog when I click sign up for account, is it the same thing? 😡
Sorry for the spam 🙁
It’s the same thing 🙂 Some people start WordPress blogs and then later delete the blog but keep the account, which allows them to keep using that username to interact with other blogs (liking & commenting). Other people sign up for a WordPress blog because they want the convenience of having a username to like and comment on other blogs, but they then never actually do anything with the blog itself. You don’t need to sign up for a WordPress account unless you want to. You can comment on WordPress blogs without an account, and you can like a post with a Gravatar account as well. I hope that helps to clarify! 🙂
Your first work is GREAT, I was confused a few times if I was reading an original work or a real drama plot of an aired one that’s been updated on internet :-):-O. It was one of the bests I’ve read :-), onto your next one now Afterglow and good luck for you future work 🙂
~~~~
I’ve already registers my email for updates, is that all?
How do I open an account? It says
The Fangirl Verdict is a blog and Lady G is an auther page or account right? How do I open an auther page/account like that?
I look forward to any future comments from you, Liana. 🙂 I wish all my stories were made into real Televised dramas.
Do I have to register a blog or can I register for an account?
This blog is The Fangirl Verdict and Lady G is an account right?
If so how do I open an account in this blog?
Hi again, Liana Rose, on the sidebar of this blog, there should be an option to follow for updates. It will take you to a place to register your email for update. There’s also a facebook page where we make sure to put all the latest post announcements.
If you’re interested in my other Dream Dramas, I’d love to know what you think of them. 😀
Hi Liana, just wanted to butt in and clarify that yes, this blog is The Fangirl Verdict, but Lady G is not an account on this blog. Lady G is using her WordPress account on this site, and additionally, she is an author on the blog as well. You like stuff on the blog using a WordPress account or a Gravatar account, but you don’t either if you simply wish to leave a comment. I hope that helps to clarify! 🙂
Thanks for clearing that up. Word Press is a little confusing even for me and I have my own blog on here (Not Kdrama stuff.) LOL. Liana, Kfangurl allows me to post my stories here and created a section for the Dream Dramas. 🙂
Dear Liana Rose, sorry for the late response, dealing with Hurricane Irma here. But all is well for now. Thank you SOOO much for reading this drama. It was my first official “Dream Drama” and still one of my favorites. You’ve given me one of the highest compliments, because I tried really hard to make it feel like the reader is a drama viewer, rather than just reading. So I tweaked the format.
I LOOVVEEE this dream drama! This is So GREAT! I forgot I was reading for a while and thought I was watching a live drama. Great work 🙂
Then IU eventually did a drama about time travelling to another era, which is Goryeo… and that is Scarlet Heart Ryeo!!!
Hahaha! Yep, it sure looks that way, doesn’t it? 😂
Well, now that was a long thread that needn’t not exist :)))) We are all Dramaland’s fans and we should enjoy it peacefully <3
Loved, LOVED the story! Even though I am not really knowledgeable when it comes to korean history (even in Romania, we study Europe's history and bits and pieces of other histories as it intersects with ours), so my opinion might not be valid, but I must say I really want to see this drama come to life.
I don't really know all the actors, but I do believe that Woobie would be perfect for the bad-guy-gone-good type of character. He really has a very nuanced way of acting and even though I am not a huge fan, I can recognise a talent when I see one. (please note, I said not a HUGE fan, but a fan nonetheless 😉 )
Now, without even intending to, I started comparing this story to The tale of three brothers, and I believe the tale was a lot more detailed. I liked both of them equally as much, but if possible, please think of developing this one further too. I'd really like to see more side characters take life and "dance" in your story alongside the main characters <3 .
Honestly speaking, I used to write short stories too, but now thinking back and comparing them to yours, they're such a far cry :)))) It's not my intention to start writing stories, but I'd very much like to be involved in developing one alongside you, kfangurl and all the other awesome fans you both have (I'm your fan! :))) ) So, please give us (me 😀 ) a headstart when you plan on starting a new story <3
Now, back to the story, what I really liked was seeing the struggles she had in the past and thinking that she was already initiated in the culture through her history studies, yet found it so difficult to adapt, made the story so much more realistic. And even her falling in love with a crude (at first sight) guy is understandable, since he is the one that saves her. I don't really like the whole "He is mean to you because he likes you" mentality because this can lead to serious problems, especially among kids (believe me, I know – younger sister <3 ). But this development seems real and easy to fantasize about 🙂
Another thread I would've wanted to see was Kang Woo and Bo Ra's love. Like them bidding Hyun Ki goodbye while holding their children's hands would have been a nice touch <3 (or something along that line 😛 )
Anyway, I must admit that my attention was directed towards the OTP, so the political plot didn't really stick (sorry 😛 ), but in my defence, I reaaaaaally like a good romance <3
I am amazed by what the human brain can weave and you, awesome, incredible, fantastic girls (and all the contributors as well 🙂 ) can really use your brain! You create such beautiful, intriguing stories, that I feel both disappointed that Dramaland doesn't know of them and protective as well, because I want them to stay as a little secret between you guys and us.
Anyway, since discovering this blog I've had so much more fun and watching drama is no longer a so-so experience, it's a delight because I get to share my thoughts with everyone.
Keep up the awesome work <3 !
Grammar mistake detected! “Needn’t” without the “not”. That’s a double negation. Sorry! I still need to polish up my english 🙁
Dear Sabina, Thank you so much for reading my Dream Dramas. Your opinion of the story is as valid as anyone’s. I was born in the United States, rarely even left New York, so you know I don’t know my Korean history. :p But I try to take care to learn it for research and also based on what I see in Dramas. I always loved studying history. When we were first coming up with ideas on another comment thread, I had a lot of help in the historical department too and we bounced around ideas. I tried to keep it simple.
Kfangurl is a much bigger fan of Kim Woo Bin than I am, but I think he’s a great actor and beautiful on the eyes. 😀
And you are right. “Tale of 3 Brothers” is much more detailed. It was my 2nd official Dream Drama, so I was more aware of the format, and basically the whole scope of what I wanted a dream drama to be. My 3rd one is going to be formatted differently too. More like a story- beginning, middle and end. With Tale, I put my deep heart into it, even pulling up themes in my own life for some of the events and characters. And I created a much richer world with many more characters to deal with.
I can promise you this, I’m nearly finished with the 3rd one and it’s going in for editing soon, it will be just as detailed and huge! <3 I can't wait to share it with the world. I'll keep you mind when I get the brain stirring for a 4th drama. I do have other ideas and bits of drafts.
I think it'd be nice to go back and enrich the Aurora story, real life and stress, writer's block, etc got in the way of everything for me so I basically couldn't think or write much for a year. 🙁 It was hard to get the 3rd new story off the ground for a while.
That's cool you are writer too. I love to write, then entering the world of Kdrama cut into all of it. But I'm so glad I found a way to merge the 2 loves! And I look back on my old stories and I cringe. But I know I was constantly trying to improve myself – took writing class, read many books on the art of writing, etc.
I thought it'd be fun to point out that the lead girl in Aurora had so much historical head knowledge, but coming to the past is a whole other thing. And I'm not a big fan of bully drama lead guys. I noticed real Kdramas have ways of redeeming their leads so I tried it with mine. I hope I conveyed that deep down Hyun Ki was a good man.
I grew to love Kang Woo and Bo Ra. He's the original Time Travel and the inventor of the device. His story could be a Kdrama of its own. I like your idea of having a child and saying a final goodbye to Hyun Ki. I wish I'd thought of it then. And the politics in Aurora bored me too. I'm actually not a big fan of real Sageuk dramas, they need to have a good mix of action, romance, etc. I tend to love fusions like I made Aurora.
There are so many writers in Dramaland It'd be a dream to write a real Kdrama. But I'm content with these stories, I vividly see them played out in my head as I write so it's like I'm watching a brand new drama. I like to keep it a 'fan secret' too.
You're very sweet, thank you for taking the time to leave such a long and constructive comment. 😀 It made me so happy to see it. And I'm glad you have fun on this blog. Kfangurl is an amazing drama reviewer and she's very encouraging to others when they leave comments. We have great discussions.
I am good friends with the Author, Lady G. And I even assisted in brainstorming this story. I can attest to the fact that it is a coincidence that the names and actors are the same. I watched as this drama came to life from a small kernel of an idea to the dream drama that it is today. As a fangirl myself I absolutely understand how protective we can feel over the stories, shows, and actors that we adore. However, I ask that you wait to cast such dire judgement on this story until you have read it. I am positive that you will find that the characters are in no way connected or based on the fanfiction that you love.
Hi Jaime, I never said the story itself is plagiarized or that the character’s personality and back story is plagiarized, I haven’t read it yet… But the character name and casting is created by Faye in every shape and form…. She has proof and a back story for it… It is not a common name as you’ve stated on Faye’s post, especially if Kim Yoo Jung is the cast… I’m still going to read Lady G’s story when I’ve calmed down, and give her whatever credit is due if it’s good… I never plan out to start a war…I am a fan of Fangurl and her site… I will debate this in a civil manner, no usage of offensive language on my side, so hope none of the other fans on either side won’t do so when they see these posts… I just want Faye to have recognition for creating the name Jin Sun Hee with Kim Yoo Jung as the cast that is all… It is too far fetched to say that the usage of that combination is a coincidence… Lady G needs to own up to that part… I’d like her to give us a back story for how she came up with it…
Safiresea / Faye is a good sport and doesn’t seem the type to get nasty about these kind of things as I can see that she’s letting this go… if you check out all her posts and fan posts you’ll see what I’m talking about, she’s a sweet lady with plenty of love to go around, she’s sharing and caring towards others… So I truly hope Lady G have a legit reasoning other than coincidence as an excuse, coz Faye doesn’t deserve this treatment especially from fellow fan fiction writers…
It’s not my intention to start a war. Considering the evidence and points I’m making to back up my claims, I don’t think I’m “blowing things out of proportion” as Jaime stated in Fayes site. I’m trying to be reasonable and nothing wrong with a good solid debate.
So here’s my points again that you call “coincidences”:
1) The name “Jin Sun Hee” which is not common for a K-drama character name, I can’t even find a drama using that exact name. I’ve checked out Wikipedia about Korean names as well as Google for Jin Sun Hee and Jin Sunhee, that combo in that order is very rare. I only found one Facebook and one Twiter account with a name in that exact order. If anyone can dispute this please do so. Thanks.
2) Jin Sun Hee acted by Kim Yoo Jung
3) Song Joong Ki is a cast member too… Kang (woo), a similar name to the Qanhn (ki) that Song Joong Ki plays, this is not a big deal as there are enough changes, the similarities here are okay. But is enough to use as evidence as a tie in with points 1 and 2 to throw the coincidence claim out of the water.
So for all 3 points to tie in together so nicely, it’s like winning the lottery which is a very rare occurrence, just saying…
I’m fine with everything once I have a plausible explanation by Lady G herself, and if she borrowed the name and cast combo to please update her statement where she gives credit to her sources to include Safiresea at http://mlfas.wordpress.com/
I’m still going to read Lady G’s stories and enjoy them if they are good fiction, I haven’t boycotted this site as yet. As Safiresea pointed out to me, after I complained to her, that “no need to boycott any site because of me, good stories should be read and appreciated 🙂 let me know how’s the story is” quote Faye… See, she’s awesome… so please give credit where credit is due…
Thank you.
By continuing to accuse Lady G with the idea that she has stolen these names and actors from Safiresea you are in truth perpetuating a war that your friend has asked be stopped. As you’ve stated she is kind, and from her responses I do not doubt this. If she has conceded the point that what we all as a unified front have been saying is indeed the truth, then perhaps you too should let it go. None of us have attacked yourself or Safiresea, and I ask that you show my dear friend Lady G the same courtesy.
I do not believe that we will ever manage to convince you of the truth as we know it, and honestly I don’t want to. That would just incite more angry words and war. I applaud your heart and passion, you love your friend’s work and adore her as a person. I can see that and I respect it very much.
I already let it go… and made apologies to Lady G where I saw fit to… I did let it go after seeing Safiresea’s response to kfangurl that she conceded to the point… Sorry for perpetuating a war however unintentional it was…
Hi Bobo, I’ve reached out directly to Safiresea to clear up this misunderstanding (here), and she understands and accepts our explanation. I hope that this matter can rest now 🙂
Hi Kfangurl, whoops sorry I’ve been misspelling your name.
Yes, I’m putting it to rest for Safiresea. Though Lady G’s, Jaime and your words sound genuine enough, I hope your link will be evidential enough for me. Else it’ll always loom over the back of mind regardless…
Doesn’t mean that I can’t come to love Lady G’s work even if she resents or hates me for my actions against her. I’m not biased that way… It’ll be just like when the show MLFAS was sued and dismissed in court for plagiarizing a manga… Hilarious considering they paid homage and used meta to ET, Superman, Heirs, other shows, books, latest K news and media… Guess what? It’s my favorite show, narrative flaws and all.
Hi Lady G, I came across Fangurl’s blogs yesterday and am now a fan of the site. I’m about to read all your fan fictions or “dream dramas” as you call it due to them being on this site and hoping that your writing is as high quality as that of Fangurl’s.
Though, I have a BIG ISSUE / COMPLAINT right off the bat with what I just saw. With just one glimpse at the characters and casting of the story Aurora, I noticed you have COPIED / PLAGIARIZED some of the character and casting from another fan- fiction that I dearly love. (This is something that Do Min Joon would detest, LOL!)
Jin Sun Hee / Kim Yoo Jung was a character and cast combination created by safiresea at http://mlfas.wordpress.com/. Also in my opinion, Song Joong Ki is in her story as Qahnki which is not too far off from the name Kang Woo that you have used.
Safiresea writes My Love From Another Star fan fiction. She may not have the literary qualifications as Fangurl or professional writers but her work has 100% heart, it is highly creative and imaginative. Her story is a continuation of the show’s storyline, it fills in most the show’s plot holes, inserts new elements and builds on the secondary characters. It is a diamond in the rough, but a diamond regardless …
To preempt you claiming it yours, I truly do not believe that you created them as her posts predates yours by many, many months… If you have no association with Safiresea and did not get her permission, please do so, at least give her credit for her hard work. She put in a lot of time to create her characters and has given her fans the back story to each of their creations…
I have given Safiresea notice of my findings, it’s up to her and the rest of her fans how they’ll perceive this issue.
I’ll read your stories once I’ve calmed down…
Please refer to this site http://mlfas.wordpress.com/2014/10/12/my-love-from-another-star-episode-40-preview/#comment-6977 to see my notice to Safiresea. Thanks.
I’m sorry, but I have never once read a K-drama based fanfic in all my time on the Internet. (And I’m talking 16 years) I only started watching K-drama as of 2012. I simply don’t have the time. I’m too busy WATCHING them and working on other projects online.
I don’t know who Safiresea is, nor do I read MLFAS fanfic. I have no real literary qualifications, But I do know that I put 100% of MY heart into my work and I am an honest person. If you read my scriptwriter notes, I readily admit the influences behind my stories and where I get some ideas. And they all come from movies, dramas, and books. NOT other people’s fanfics that have nothing to do with the story I’m writing.
It’s very, very disconcerting that you are accusing me of plagiarizing and copying someone’s work when you haven’t even read my story. And then for you to go run to and “expose” me to Safiresea without even giving me a chance to explain myself? That is wrong. Just wrong. And a very, very serious accusation to make against someone.
You have not only offended me, but those who helped me with the formation of Aurora, they were around during it’s creation and can assure you I did not steal anyone’s work. This drama was ‘born’ right here on this blog during a comment session and I continued to grow and develop it after a few months when I set it aside.
I can guarantee that I researched and carefully chose all the character names on my own, without looking at any other writer’s works. I scoured Korean name lists and baby name websites and mixed and matched as I saw fit. Simple as that. How many Korean actors and other Korean people have the same or similar sounding names? There are only so many Korean names in this world.
K-drama uses the same cast over and over in many dramas. I had a hard time picking a young actor for the character Yang Gil, and it was suggested to me to use actor Yoo Seung Ho by Kfangurl. I have never even seen him in a K-drama, but I liked his look and the pictures found. So I used him.
Kim Yoo Jung happens to be one of my favorite young K-drama actresses. And since the two actors were paired once in a real drama, I thought it would be cute to do the same in my story. Perhaps Safiresea had the same idea to pair them up? Why not? They look adorable together.
As for names SOUNDING like other names in the case of my character Kang Woo, there’s nothing that can be done about that. That’s not plagiarizing. I don’t know her character at all.
It Looks like Safiresea and I have the same good taste in actors, because I love Song Joong Ki and wanted no one else for my particular character of Kang Woo. Without having read her fanfic, I’m pretty sure my character is not in any way like hers. It is simply coincidence.
And just because you see a post date on here, doesn’t mean I invented my story on the spot. Aurora was an original drama I worked on for nearly a year before it even made it to this post and before I started writing for The Fangirl Verdict. I have drafts and ideas on file that go all the way back to December, 2013.
I respect all writers and their works and I would never knowingly plagiarize anything. If I wanted to continue with someone else’s fanfic or borrow their characters, etc, I would surely collaborate with them and give them credit.
I’m sure Safiresea is a fine writer. I have nothing at all against her, because I don’t even know her or her blog/Fanfic. But with that being said, I do not owe her any credit and I certainly don’t need to get her permission for anything. Aurora is an original story with my own original characters unless they were taken from real history as I noted.
I’m not about to start an online war with anyone. I never have and never will. But I know I work mighty hard to create original stories for fans to enjoy. I’m sure your friend is the same. However, I’m not going to cower to accusations like this.
Hi Lady G, sorry for the delayed response, just taking my time to word things properly I hope. I’m only sorry that I incorrectly worded some parts and acted impulsively in other parts. If you read all my posts carefully you’ll see that I’m not a hater of this site, you or your work in general. If you don’t like my post putting you in a bad light, can’t you just delete it?
Since Safiresea is letting it go and agreed to sweeping it under the rug as nothing but a coincidence I guess I have to accept it in the end even if I don’t believe it as such as yet. Since I’m stubborn like a dog with a bone I’ll finish off with my last thoughts on all this before letting go too…
Safiresea had every right to know first up, as HER fan it is my duty to report it regardless if you plagiarized her work or not. I do not have an ethical or legal obligation to you to address it with you first. So I don’t feel I’ve wronged you in that part by “exposing” you to her. Why would I be warning a complete stranger, an alleged thief, if they allegedly stole something, just to give them time to bolt before the alleged victim had a chance to identify the perpetrator? Yes, you have a right to defend yourself but you didn’t owe me as much an explanation as to Safiresea herself. Only she can decide how far she wanted to take this…
My first mistake is that I didn’t wait for Safiresea’s response to the private email I sent her to get her opinion first. I felt a sense of urgency and I impulsively acted out on the spot… Sorry Faye.
My second error was to “expose” you on the comment section instead of finding your email to send it privately or letting Faye deal with you instead. Lady G, I’m SORRY…
Thirdly I erred by stating outright that you “have COPIED / PLAGIARIZED some of the character and casting from another fan- fiction”, I should have worded it more carefully, that is a serious accusation so I apologize I’m sincerely and deeply SORRY….
But, what I should have said is, it LOOKS AS IF YOU COPIED / PLAGIARIZED a character name and casting combo from another fan- fiction, and that I have a strong case to back up my claims.
In consideration to the fact that I have enough basis (time stamped posts and conversations regarding the naming of characters and casts) for me to state my concerns is the reason for how I reacted to seeing your story’s character list.
My concern was not the story or character personalities and their life story in itself so there was no need what so ever to read the story first. As I’ve stated many times, my issue is in the creation of the naming of the character and the actress that play her. I have explained it clearly in an earlier post below at October 29, 2014 at 11:30 am. I acted based on evidential facts on hand, if this was a court case your word and your collaborators’ words alone means little, but if you have solid proof then that is a different story…
You say that you have drafts dating back to 2013, does these drafts contain the name and actress in question? I don’t want to know when you started the story that is irrelevant to the case, when did you come up with the name and actress combo? (If you go back and change the drafts now the time stamp will be updated, so if your claims are legit don’t mess with the old document for future purposes). I understand that Kim Yoo Jung is popular so it’s not questionable to cast her, it’s only questionable when you used the same name in conjunction to her. The name is very rare despite your argument about similar sounding names, I’ve done my research too and have stated such in the previous post. I wouldn’t be surprised if you picked up the name unconsciously by a suggestion of a fan that also reads Safiresea’s stories, just because you and your collaborators don’t read her blogs it doesn’t mean you didn’t hear it from others that have. Power of suggestion can also be the case here, coincidences is a very slim chance.
I see that Fangurl has posted a link to some evidence, I will check it out after this post, Since it seems Safiresea is letting this go I’m not going to push my concerns any further even if Fangurl’s link turns out to be unsubstantial evidence. So hope she has enough proof there because though your words seem genuine enough my beliefs stems from hard facts. If there’s proof Safiresea copied your idea then I’d tell her off too regardless if I’m a fan or not.
Hello Bobo, it’s a positive thing, that you are looking out for bloggers / writers, and want to protect them from any infringement of their work. At the same time, I ask that you give us the benefit of the doubt.
I can personally vouch for Lady G that she is telling the truth, in that she does not read other people’s fanfics. It’s not that they are not good. She is a busy person in real life, and I can attest to the fact that she puts so much time into writing her dream dramas for this blog, that she doesn’t have the time to follow other fanfics. Before your comment, neither of us were aware that there is a blogger by the name Safiresea who writes fanfic for YFAS.
The seed for the dream drama Aurora was first sown in December 2013, during a brainstorming session on this blog, which you can find here. If you follow the comment threads, you will be able to see us helping to pick out casts for the various characters in the story, including the casting of Yoo Seung Ho and Kim Yoo Jung. Song Joong Ki’s character was added later in the creative process, which is, unfortunately, not documented on the blog itself.
Since that time, Lady G worked on fleshing out her characters and the story, putting in a lot of research and thought. Now, I understand that you are perplexed by the fact that Kim Yoo Jung’s character shares the name Jin Sun Hee with Safiresea’s character, who is also played by Kim Yoo Jung. Since neither Lady G nor I had come across Safiresea’s writing before your comment, we can only put it down to coincidence. Is it a big coincidence? Yes. To the point of kdrama absurdity, even. But is it a coincidence that could plausibly happen? Yes. I am ethnically Chinese, and like Korean names, Chinese names have many possible permutations, depending on the combination of characters. My own Chinese name is considered unusual. Growing up, I even felt self-conscious of my name, coz it was so different from all my friends’ names. Theoretically, it should be pretty difficult for me to meet someone with the same name as mine, right? But in my teens I actually met a friend who shares the same name, and now we are very close friends. Huge coincidence? Yes. Coincidental to the point of kdrama absurdity? Yes. But still, it’s the truth, and our parents (who have never met) certainly didn’t confer before they named us.
I don’t have an explanation for why Lady G and Safiresea were both inspired to name Kim Yoo Jung’s character with the exact same name, but I can only say with every bit of clear conscience, that it is not copied from Safiresea’s story. As for the name Kang Woo, it is a very common Korean name. Personally, I don’t find a similarity between the name Kang Woo and Qahnki, which is why I have not said anything on this point.
And that is my very roundabout way of saying, thank you for your concern, Bobo. Safiresea is blessed to have a passionate reader like you who is always looking out for her. At the same time, this really is not a case of copying / plagiarizing. I hope you can relay the same to Safiresea, to set her mind at ease. It must have been upsetting for her to receive your notification about her work being copied. Let’s all agree that wow, sometimes coincidences in life can be mind-blowing & almost unbelievable. Sometimes, the truth can be stranger than fiction.
When you’ve had some time to clear your mind & heart over this misunderstanding, I do hope that you will enjoy Lady G’s story. I love it a lot, and would love for you to enjoy it too. 🙂
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Bravo, Lady G! BRAVO. And yes, this is amazing. Though Woobie really is meant for the gangsta life, isn’t he? Kidding. 🙂 Also, heeeey. Don’t hate on Park Shin Hye. I cringe at her kissing scenes as much as the next person (and I’m a fan!) but the last ehrm… Heirs closet kiss kind of redeemed her lip-locking skills. Of course, she let Lee Min Ho do all the leading…
Just another Dream Drama that I would love to see in real life! Thank you for sharing your gift with us, Lady G!
Thanks for reading and enjoying this one! I promise it’s only the ‘kissing’ I gave the ‘meta’ treatment. Otherwise, I think she is a good actress. Not my favorite, but good from what I’ve seen her in. Poor Woob is always branded a bad boy, he’ll have to come back with a softer look and do a rom-com drama now. lol. I think he looks amazing in the reddish hair. Kfangurl has a blog header or 2 with those pictures.
I’m afraid my late discovery of Nine ruined the Time Travel genre for me but if the director make a job as a good as you did on this scenario, I certainly will give it a go.
It has it all, the usual stereotypes, the romance, the bromance, the 2nd male lead syndrome, relative deaths/murders, mystery, history, modern days, birth secret, revenge, badass fights, paranormal stuff, even makjank?, to make it a credible Korean Drama. Well done, it’s impressive how well you captured the KDrama Land spirit !
I have some reservations about the cast though: Yoo Seung Ho is way too talented to make him a 2nd character and especially to someone like Kim Woo Bin who I only watched in School 2013 where he didn’t impress me at all (did I already said in another comment how much I’d like to have those 16 hrs back ?…Oops, I did it again XD ) But pairing him with Kim Yoo Jung is a great idea… let’s say as first leads in another drama this time.
Thanks for you comment and honesty here! I wanted to get all the K-drama tropes down. If you don’t, then it doesn’t quite feel like K-drama. lol. I’d say this drama has shades of Makjang, but no more than the usual K-drama that isn’t labeled as such. I think my next dream drama will have more of it. lol (That’s nearly finished and in the editing process now.)
I remember starting NINE and after episode 2 I dropped it. That upset me because it’s Time Travel. But If I don’t care about the characters, I can’t invest hours and hours watching them.
I never saw Yoo Seung Ho in anything, and at the time I couldn’t think of someone for Yang Gil’s role, someone in their teens. Kfangurl suggested him, and just by seeing the young pics in the clothes and all, I said, why not? I really like your idea of pairing in real life. When she’s ready, Kim Yoo Jung is gonna knock the socks off as a K-drama leading lady. She’s amazing and one of my favorite actresses.
Ah… a dream drama indeed. Love the cast so much! Will get back for the rest.
Thank you Kaiaraia, I’m happy you do. I look forward to reading any more comments/thoughts you have on it.
Kyyyyyyyaaaa Gina!!!! I love it! Though I’m not a sageuk drama person, the premise sounded extremely fun! I like that you incorporated many awesome dramas into Aurora. You made it so interesting my mind was telling me… When can we watch it? I seriously hope you can sell this drama idea to a network! Really! *raises her hand* I would watch it!
Thanks a bunch! I’m not big into Sageuk either, but if it’s something along the lines of Chuno I can get into it. I really did pull ideas from many hats for this. It would be amazing to sell the idea. Would have no clue how to go about it, but I want to see it made too. I’m happy you would watch it. 😀
I would LOVE to see Woo Bin and IU together in a drama!! I love the concept too, and the more JoongKi, the better. 🙂
Thanks for reading! Woo Bin definitely needs to take the lead in his next drama. Who knows, maybe they’ll read this and cast them together in something? haha. And I really miss Joong Ki. He floored me in Wolf Boy and Nice guy.
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Sleeping cycles are still strange and I wake up at odd hours with weird random thoughts. So tonight at just before 3 am I popped out of sleep and guess what my darling Lady G I was thinking about you and this Dream Drama! I’ve read it top to bottom once already but wanted to read it again before I commented cause like I’ve got loads of thoughts and squees and fangirling to talk about. But since my meds and healing body won’t let me sleep I just wanted to pop over here and say OHMYGOSHILOVEITSOMUCH!!!!!!!! Ahem… allow me to get a handle on my feels and just say you are lovely and this is lovely and I adore you!!! I want to read it through again and get my squees in order to post again chingu! But if you don’t mind can I share a link to this on my blog? So that I can squee all over again 😉 Anyway I should try and sleep but seriously you rock socks!!!
I will be so honored if you share the link! And I know Kfangurl will be too.
I’m sorry you feel so groggy. You are one strong Noona. My prayers and thoughts are with you. 🙂 I clicked follow on your main blog. I try to keep up with a lot of them out there, and this was under my radar. Shame on me. I’ll add you to my bookmarks, and the email list for Noona mail.
I do know about messed up sleeping cycles, One reason is I don’t start work in the early mornings, so I got used to sleeping in a little most days. And I always stay up way too late. I blame the dramas! lol Plus, I adore writing like you, so if an idea strikes, I’m awake clacking away.
I can’t wait to hear/read any specific thoughts you have on this. This drama in particular came together thanks to fan input from smart cookies like you, giving me historical ideas and options to play around with. That much I know. 🙂 Thanks to YOU, Chingu!!
I’m so excited about this dream drama section, I’ve been busily working on drafts for other ones. In time they’ll be posted. 😀
I finally got my post up! http://thedramanoona.wordpress.com/2014/09/03/dreaming-of-the-drama-of-my-dreams/ But I’ve got loads more notes and squees and I’ll comment again but I need sleep so off to bed with me!
I love it so much! Thank you. 😀 I’m curious to see which parts are your favorite, or what you can imagine from the scenarios I put out there. Get some good rest!
I have something to confess, I am a huge English period film/show/book fan. I’ve read everything Jane Austen, Ann Radcliff, and the Bronte sisters have written just to name a few. However, I’ve never really been able to get into Korean Historical shows. Granted I’m still such a newbie it could be that I was just not ready for that genre. Historical shows usually have a deeper plot, rife with the politics of the time, and an intensity that isn’t usually replicated in modern day dramas. Honestly, it was the political intrigue that made them difficult for me to watch. Perhaps its about time for me to give them another shot! And my newfound interest in them is thanks to you Lady G! Aurora is the sort of Historical piece that I could sink my teeth into and crack out on!
I’ve read through Aurora a few times now (it’s called passionate not obsessed) and I get a little thrill when I notice a part/plot/story theme that I helped to add through the plotting posts! Maybe that’s why I’m so in love with this drama? I’m not sure, but I know it has enhanced my experience. Having been able to brainstorm ideas and do a little research which you ended up using in the finished product makes me feel like a part of the drama as a whole.
Omo, where do I start? I really think that you’ve got the perfect cast. Reading the story descriptions of each part I can totally picture them in my mind and the actors sync so well to the part. I think casting is such a huge deal, it can really make or break a drama. Which is part of why I feel Aurora works so well. The parts are well thought out and their actors were carefully chosen and it shows.
As far as scenes go, my favorites are where you describe her modern sensibilities clashing with the Silla role of women. This is a place for huge character growth, not just for Eun Mi but also for Hyun Ki. He already bucks the norms of society and then she drops in and helps to justify and quantify his world view. And of course her love of history romanticized the past. Actually living as a woman in the Silla Era is a whole other matter. Being truly a second class citizen will open her eyes to the true measure of the strides made in modern times for women and class structure.
A drama tope that I love is the ‘daddy long legs’ thing. And I love how it comes into being here. You’ve done an excellent job with the time jumping. The mysterious figure and how her life is impacted by him become so much clearer at the end when we (the audience) become aware of who the ‘daddy long legs’ is.
The political and historical intrigue feels like another character to me in this drama. It has an impact on everyone and shapes the roles each character plays. However, it doesn’t feel as if it is overpowering. It enhances the story as a whole without drowning out the actors and scenery. Also, it has made me want to know more about the ancient kingdoms of Korea.
Of course the OTP is so good! All of their little interactions are precious, have a reason, and advance the story. There doesn’t seem to be any sort of stagnant part which is a huge deal. I can seriously feel the sizzle of their chemistry emanating from the screen now!
Thank you for making Aurora a reality! I can tell all the feels, heart, and passion that you poured into it! I can’t wait for more!!!!!
Wow, what a review! 😀 Muchas Gracias!
Jaime, I confess too, Sageuks are not my thing. I’ve only seen a handful. Maybe only about 5. I’ve read a few Jane Austen and love the Bronte books. I find them difficult to watch because of similar reasons. Too much politics. Some can be too, too violent, and I can’t stand it that the leads we’ve grown to love die almost every time.
I also think because I’m American, I’ve been much more exposed to Europe, English, and American history than anything else. They NEVER taught us anything about Korean history or those eras, the only thing we ever learned involving Korea was the War.
I’m glad I can give you newfound interest. Perhaps watching the Sageuks with a fantasy twist might suit you better than a straight one. Chuno and Tree with deep roots are must watches for ‘real’ ones. I want to watch Kingdom of the Wind with Song Il Guk because I love him and he has Silla hair in it. LOL!! He looks absolutely gorgeous and watching some scenes from it inspired me for Woo Bin’s look too. It’s almost like a sequel to Jumong.
And I’m happy you were part of the conception of this drama. It really cemented a lot of the character backgrounds for me. I love researching history, but I never had to research Korean history so it was a little tough. But it was fun.
I hope your arms are long enough…so you can pat yourself on the back! lol
Casting is so important to me too. I understand that not everyone will love the choices I make no matter who it is. Sometimes you watch dramas and think, wow, this guy/gal was really NOT right for this role. And it messes up your whole drama experience.
Too be honest here, I’ve hardly seen Kim Woo Bin in anything, but his presence is so alive and alluring, I feel like I have. And the fact that Kfangurl loves him so much, she brings all his stuff to life for me. Just looking at his pictures i feel this guy is going to make it big with his future roles. His pictures jump out at me…like the eighties video ‘Take on me.’ hahaha! They scream, give me a good drama/part/role, etc.
And he needs a Sageuk drama! Definitely. I’ve only seen IU in ‘Bel Ami’ which I wanted to love but ultimately hated. (Except for her and the 2nd lead ‘David.’ They were beautiful together.) She played the clingy type I can’t stand, but there was something so earnest and adorably beautiful about her that I really liked. And I’ve only seen one or 2 music videos. She’s adorable.
I know I didn’t go into much detail about her character growth with her modern sensibilities, but I allow the reader to imagine the pain and injustices she sees and experiences. We’ve seen it all watching these dramas, so we get it. We all romanticize the past. Eun Mi is probably far more grateful once she gets back to the future. I know I would be.
I purposely didn’t go too deep into the political intrigue because like I said, that stuff bores me. I simply didn’t know what to say. Otherwise I’d have to deeply research Silla. The main thrust of the drama was on the couple and their adventures. I really want to learn more about the Empires and Kingdoms too now. We know what dramas and their evil emperor sequences and battlefield scenes are like. I didn’t think I had to go into much detail.
Nice to know it sizzles! I think our dream dramas or imaginations sizzle and pop far more than actual dramas on our screen might. Because we know what we want to see and we aren’t confined to drama tropes (though it’s fun to add them in doses! Really!)
Or one thing I hate, audience/fan reaction-which can literally have them scrambling to change a drama script at the drop of a hat. That annoys me. If I have a story to tell I will tell it the way I want it to be told. Not because so and so doesn’t like this or that. Suggestions are one thing, but it’s sad to see perfectly good dramas ruined because you know the writers suddenly caved in to outside pressure.
I hope all my future dramas can have the same passion and heart. 🙂 I will try my best. Time Travel is a genre I know very well. I think that really helped me too. The other dramas will mostly be coming from scratch. But we’ll see how they go! 😀
Aurora deserves the best of reviews! I just hope that I did it justice!
The only Saeguk that I’ve watches is Sungkyunkwan Scandal and I haven’t even finished it, I’ve got 4 episodes left but I just haven’t been in the mood for it. Someday perhaps I’ll complete it and watch a few more… but for now I just can’t seem to get excited about them. My love affair with Regency and Victorian books is part of the reason that I prefer happy endings now. They are all pretty much tragic in some regard. I love them dearly, but these days I just want something heart warming that gives me good and happy feels!
You make an excellent point. Asian history isn’t really a huge topic covered in American classes. And even the war was glossed over, except for major points of our involvement. That was really my only experience with Korea. Which now that I’ve dove into this obsession of dramas I can see very clearly how sad and self-centered that is. I’m thankful to dramas for opening my eyes and cultural horizons.
You’ve inspired me to take a look at Saeguks for sure. I’ve added a slew to my to watch list! Though because of the love I see for Chuno I do want to watch that one. I’m thinking of trying to convince the hubby to watch that one with me!
Helping out with some of the history stuff for Aurora was the first time I really looked into the history of Korea. It is fascinating! And extensive! I think I’ll do better reading about their history first rather than trying to jump into a show. Besides I do enjoy reading about history. LOL you need a huge pat on the back too!
No one ever is going to cast a show/movie in which everyone feels the roles were filled correctly. But as far as dream dramas go I think if you’re happy with it then that is really all that matters. Though for the record I think you did an excellent job! KFG’s fangirl heart could easily bring Woobie to life, I can totally see that! He does sort of just leap out of the picture, doesn’t he? His presence is impressive. Though I do recommend School 2013 if you’re feeling up to watching Woobie in action, it is my favorite drama of his!
I haven’t seen IU in any dramas off the top of my head, however, I’ve seen her on Running Man and she was just the cutest and most adorable thing I wanted to keep her in my pocket. Even with my limited exposure to her I think she was just perfect for the role. Happy and sweet, but with the capability to have spunk when it was called for.
There really isn’t much need to detail that, I thought that was just a given. Modern girl tossed into the past and expected to survive, it seemed pretty obvious that she’d be aghast at the social injustice of her status back then.
As a reader (watcher when this gets picked up by a network) I appreciate the politics-lite of the story. It was the perfect amount. Enough to give you an idea of the turmoil which embroiled the land, but not too much to drown out the story.
It is one of a fangirl’s super powers, fantasizing about the perfect ending to a drama or the perfect story for a bias! Ugh I know! When a show does a 180 because of fan feedback and ruins an excellent story by giving into peer pressure, it makes me so so mad!
I have no doubt that your future dramas will be as exciting and well done as Aurora! Now stop commenting and get to writing! I want to read this next dream drama!!!!
I really liked this, too. I would watch this in a heartbeat. Such great casting!
Thank you. 🙂 It’s only natural to make the first drama starring Woobie for our lovely Kfangurl’s heart. 😀 Part of dream dramas is ‘dream casting’ too.
Dae bak… Amazing…. I wish I can watch this at Dramafever or Viki😄…
Thanks very much! Meeee too. 🙂
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