My 2011 K-Pop Highlights

What a year it was! For a long time I'd been hoping that "this will be the year I make some real strides" and 2011 turned out to be the one. I finally know what it's like to have a fulfilling full-time job, and I've finally gotten to see a country I'd been interested in for a while. I also get to be truly independent of my family for the first time ever (I love and appreciate my family greatly, of course, but there's a certain confidence that comes from knowing I can do some things on my own), and I've been paying down my student loan debt big-time. At last I feel like I'm going somewhere in life. I'm truly thankful for everything I've been able to experience here.

As you can see by the title though, this post isn't all about me. It's about the music I've had fun discovering in Korea! Most of you readers know I've gotten into cheesy Korean pop music, because, well, it's so darn catchy. Catchiness is mainly what I look for in music, and when you can't understand the lyrics, it's easy to overlook their probable vapidity.

While I've found lots of good stuff in the pop culture archives, this post is going to focus only on my favorite songs and videos that were released in 2011. Sound good? This isn't meant to be a "best of 2011" list, as I don't have nearly enough time to listen to every new song that gets released, it's just meant to be my favorites of the things I've come across. If you're the type of person who might potentially enjoy corny bubblegum (is that a mixed metaphor?), you might potentially find something you like here! Come on, give it a chance! It's better than most of the garbage being released in the U.S.!

First things first. There's my "bias group" (that's what Korean fans seem to call their favorites, at least on English-speaking forums), Secret. They were the group that got me hooked on K-Pop, and all the videos they released this year were great.

Secret - Shy Boy

Charming, anachronistic (what's with those Super Bowl pennants on the bedroom walls?), and clearly not representing a version of Korea that ever existed, this one as of right now is my all-time favorite K-Pop video. Secret is simply awesome, and it's nice to imagine a world where we shy boys actually attract the interest of girls like them.

Secret - Starlight Moonlight

Here's the retro-styled follow-up to "Shy Boy," released a few days after I arrived. This video was popular for its beautiful scenery. There's also a small in-joke at 1:54, as Ji Eun seems to recognize the porter in the station but can't quite place his face. This is a reference to the fact that the actor is the rapper who'd previously appeared in the video for her solo track, "Going Crazy."

Secret - Oh! Honey

This "video" was actually the teaser clip for the "Starlight Moonlight" mini-album, so it doesn't include the second verse of the song. It should count though, as I've actually seen it on the music channel here. Like the "Shy Boy" video, I'm not sure if these fashions they're wearing are representative of any actual period in Korean history, but then, a lot of K-Pop's style choices are based on whatever fits the musical concept. Entertainers are just people playing dress-up most of the time.

Secret - Love is MOVE

I've already given my thoughts on this song. In short, it's a thumbs-up. It doesn't have the most distinctive video; for the concept they did it's pretty much par for the course. Since it's Secret though, I'm basically required to include it here.

T-ara - Roly Poly

I'm sure this one will make my mother nostalgic for her disco days. This video is actually sort of a mini-movie, so it might feel a bit draggy if you don't speak the language (as is probably the case for most people reading this). If you want to skip ahead to the actual full song, you can jump to the 8:00 mark. If it wasn't completely obvious, the concept for this song and video were inspired by Saturday Night Fever.

Jewelry - Back it Up

This was another song that triggered my interest in K-Pop. I saw the video on the local foreigner station in Chicago before I left, and I thought it was pretty darn infectious. Jewelry is famous for being one of the longest-running pop groups in Korea, but the distinction doesn't impress me all that much considering none of these four girls are original members. I've decided the short, slightly-chubby girl is my favorite. She's cute. Their rapper looks like the Korean version of Leah Remini too, if that's of any interest to anyone anywhere.

I later learned that this song was co-written by Chris Golightly, a guy who tried out for American Idol in Season 9 and made it to the Top 24, only to be disqualified before the voting stage because it was discovered he had a previous record deal. He's been working as a songwriter in this country for the past two years or so, apparently, and he appeared on the current season of Superstar K.

Clinah - Come on Boy

I was withdrawing money from the ATM at the local convenience store when I heard this song over the speaker system. There was something different about it I couldn't put my finger on, so I went home and looked up the lyrics to find out who it was. It turns out this K-Pop group is actually a band! They have a singer, two guitarists and a drummer! After seeing their live showcases though, I have to question whether they played the instruments on this track.

This video is all animated, and it's cute enough. I think I missed some references due to the fact that I'm not an anime fan. For the record, I have no idea what the name "Clinah" means, and neither does anyone else, apparently.

Jang Gi Ha and the Faces - Another Relationship

OK, give me some credit. I did actually enjoy a song/video from a male artist this year. Of course, this guy's more of an indie rocker than a mainstream pop artist, so it's...different, you know? Whatever the case, this is a fun video, and the song is infinitely hummable. Give it a whirl.

Girl's Day - Twinkle Twinkle

A fine combination of aegyo and slapstick comedy. The "hajima, hajima, ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma" part gained a notable place in my classroom repertoire. The word "ajumma" is generally used to refer to middle-aged women, so I teased a girl in one of my classes by chanting "ajumma, ajumma, ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma," at her (complete with the arm move). I was proud of what I'd created when I later heard those kids chanting variations on it to each other.

2PM - Hands Up
Here's an actual boy group, if you were wondering what one looked and sounded like. I generally don't like the boy groups, as they seem to focus more on beats than melody, and I'm a melody listener. The only reason I'm including this song is because like "Twinkle Twinkle," it's given me a joke to use in class. The chorus is "put your hands up, put your hands up..." and my version occurs whenever I'd prefer my students to be listening rather than entreating me to call on them. Yep, you guessed it. My version is "put your hands down, put your hands down..." I'm so clever, aren't I?

KARA - Step

One of the fascinating things about K-Pop is that it makes me feel like I'm in a time warp sometimes. Many songs harken back to earlier eras, but sometimes they seem to do it unintentionally. This song, for instance, sounds to me like it could've been produced in the late 1980's. Everyone knows my weakness for that decade, as it reminds me of my innocent childhood, so it goes without saying that I can appreciate "Step." It may be 2011, but in South Korea, a song like this can be one of the year's biggest hits.

A Pink - My My

On the subject of time warps, this one sounds like late 1990's/early 2000's American pop to me. I can't really describe why I get that vibe from it, but for some reason it makes me think of my high school/community college years.

After writing the above passage, I looked up A Pink on Wikipedia and saw the following note about their latest album:

The lead single "My My" was particularly noted for having a sound reminiscent of girl groups of the early 2000s, such as S.E.S and FinKL.

I see my ears are not deceiving me!

SpinEL - Chu Chu

This video takes place in some sort of cutesy computer-animated bluescreen world, but the song is atypical of K-Pop, in that it's got prominent acoustic guitars and sounds more organic than a lot of the digitally-produced dance stuff that's prominent these days. This was also memorable to me for being released shortly after I arrived in Korea. I don't think it became much of a hit, but what the heck, I rather like it. These girls are young, so they'll hopefully continue to develop as artists.

After this sampling of K-Pop in 2011 from an overworked foreign teacher who doesn't always have time to check everything out, you've probably either:

a) found it interesting

b) run away screaming

c) become a lifelong fan

d) wondered when I turned into a giant cheeseball

or

e) some combination of the above

I'll admit that listening to this music doesn't make me the coolest guy in the world, but it's helped me make small connections with students and given me some good ear candy, so I don't regret it at all. Lest you think I'm obsessed with K-Pop for its own sake, I should probably note that there are many songs I don't like, and plenty that inspire nothing but indifference. As with any style, it has its share of good and bad, and these songs are among the good.

If you find this music interesting, but not enough to follow it on your own, fear not! I plan to be here to sift out the worthwhile stuff so you don't have to!

Christmas Party

Christmas Eve may have been the busiest Saturday I've had in a long time. I was out pretty much all afternoon, culminating in the party I went to with some friends. There was lots of good food to eat and we played some games. A good time was had by all as far as I could tell.

I was under the impression that we were all supposed to bring food, so I went out and bought some apples. It later turned out that the food was provided for us, but my apples were graciously accepted as an addition to the meal. We also had to bring a gift for the gift exchange game, and we were required to spend between 10 and 20 thousand won on it. It was stressful trying to find a gift considering I'm in a city where I don't speak the language and barely know how to find many of the things I want, but eventually I found something that was perfect: a stuffed Angry Birds toy. As soon as I saw it I knew I had to buy it.

For the gift exchange I ended up with a cool lighter. We played it white elephant style, except that a person had to do a dare to steal someone else's item. Only one guy tried to steal, and he chose my lighter. My dare was for him to sing his favorite 80's new wave synth-pop song. He didn't know any, so we ended up having him serenade one of the other guys, and it was a humorous moment. He let me keep my lighter though, since he was just stealing for the sake of having someone do a dare. My Angry Birds toy ended being a hit, as certain party-goers enjoyed throwing it at each other.

The other games were good too. The next one was a Christmas trivia game, which my team won. Some of them were pop-culture questions, while others were about the Christmas story in the Bible. I got some chocolate as a reward.

The last game was the best, though. It was none other than...the Name Game! My family knows what I'm referring to. The best part of it was that I wasn't the one who suggested it. Someone else actually knew this game and had us play it. Just like every time my family plays this game, there were some really random entries. One that baffled everybody was "Smack," which turned out to be the name of a Korean indie band.

For my name I put down Danny Kaye, which worked to my advantage, as only the older folks in attendance knew who he was. Because most of the players were busy trying to figure out who'd put down the names they'd heard of, no one ever got around to guessing I was Danny Kaye, and I won. I think it's safe to say I dominated Christmas Eve.

The party ended just in time for me to catch the last subway train home. I've spent most of Christmas day in my room, since I need some time to myself this weekend. Now it's onward to the New Year, and the season will officially be over. Christmas isn't as big deal in Korea as it is in America, so the season doesn't have quite the same feel here. Still, I had a great and meaningful weekend, and I couldn't ask for anything more.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Lovers in North Korea

So I guess anyone who keeps up with world events has heard the momentous news by now: North Korea's "Dear Leader," Kim Jong-Il has died. What does this mean for the future of the peninsula where I hold employment? It's way too soon to say. So far it's been business as usual around here, though reports are that the South Korean military is on alert and monitoring the situation closely.

There is one funny thing to come out of all this, though. The successor to Kim Jong-Il appears to be his son, whose Romanized name is given as Kim Jong-Un in the non-Korean media. In Hangul, however, his name is 김정은, which would be Romanized as "Kim Jung Eun" by most modern systems (and as "Gim Jeong Eun" by my personal Romanization system).

What's so funny about that, you ask? Well, remember my review of Lovers in Paris? The lead actress in that drama was named...Kim Jung Eun. She's fairly well-known in Korea, and even hosted a talk show that went off the air shortly before I arrived here. It appears that her name will no longer be associated with a charming female entertainer, but a tyrannical male despot.

Look at her picture. Doesn't she look likable? Compare that to this guy:

I like the first 김정은 better.

Thoughts on the First Half-Year

On May 30 of this year I arrived in South Korea, the first time I'd ever set foot outside North America in my 29 years. The last six months have been exciting, challenging, frustrating and rewarding all at the same time.

I've learned many things in this half-year, among them:

1. Adapting to a new country isn't as hard as I thought it would be. Once I learned my way around the neighborhood and got used to the fact that my conversations with others would be minimal, it wasn't so bad. I still remember how strange everything felt the day I arrived. It was like being in a whole new world. Would I be able to handle this country?

Six months later it already feels like home. My daily life has all kinds of oddities that I never dealt with in the U.S., and I'm accustomed to them. Every so often it dawns on me when I'm walking around town that...hey! I'm in a country I'd never so much as visited before May! Yes, I'm aware that I'm an outsider, but it doesn't bother me too much. I'm comfortable with it.

2. Teaching is a hard job. Contrary to what one of my co-workers told me the night I got here, this job requires a lot of commitment for maximum effectiveness. At least, it does for me. Perhaps I'm just not a natural-born teacher, and therefore have to expend more effort. Whatever the case may be, I'm certainly going to work hard to be the best I can be.

3. Becoming bilingual is no walk in the park, even for someone with pretty good language abilities. Yes, my Korean has been progressing slowly. A big reason is that I'm often tired out from work and don't commit as much time to it as I could, and I think another part of it has been laziness. I'm trying to buckle down and study more, because discovering this language on my own is actually fun when I do take the time to learn it. After being commended for my language abilities most of my life, I think I should be able to speak at least two of them fluently. I am able to understand more than I did before I got here, so that has to count for something.

4. Apparently I look German. Multiple people (I'm talking two here!) have made that observation, one of them a Korean guy who grew up in Germany. I've always identified most with my Scottish part, since it's the source of my name, but otherwise thought of myself as a general Euro-American. I didn't realize my German part was the dominant look I carried around on my face. Speaking of faces...

5. I apparently have a face or head that's disproportionately small compared to my body. Students frequently make that observation, and I have no idea what I'm supposed to say to it. I guess it means Koreans generally aren't as bulky as I am. It's hard to be aware of how you compare to others visually when you see everything from your own perspective.

6. Taking classes at ComedySportz was a good move. 2010 will probably go down in my personal history as the year of ComedySportz, and I was disappointed that I couldn't afford to take Level 4. I honestly believe the three classes I took there prepared me for this job though. They helped me become more confident in my decision-making and public speaking, and in small ways perhaps enhanced my funniness. If you want to take it even further, my CSz experience may have given me the gumption to attempt this overseas adventure. There's something truly satisfying about being able to look back at a decision and know it was a good one.

7. It's possible for me to have a job I like and make good money at. For a long time I thought I was destined to be miserable in whatever line I found myself, because I was constantly dissatisfied with my sources of income. This job has proven me wrong. I'm not saying I wake up every morning looking forward to teaching, only that I find what I do worthwhile and even fun at times. I've waited my whole life to to have a job I could be proud of, and now that I finally have one, I certainly don't take it for granted.

Like just about everyone, I want contentment in life. I want to know that I belong somewhere, that I'm making a difference in some way and that my situation is a stable one. Have I found that? It's way too early to say, because I don't know where my head will be in the future. It's possible I could get burned out on this job, as I did with every other one I had for a significant amount of time. I hope that won't be the case, but you never know.

Of course, this job being different than the others, perhaps it's an apples-to-oranges comparison. Perhaps the reason I don't feel so bad about going the extra mile for this job is because it means more to me. When I stay late preparing for the next day's classes, I know it's a character-building experience as well as an investment in the future of children whose minds have been entrusted to me, not some transitory service that'll be forgotten the next day. Again, not that I enjoy it, per se, only that the drudgery feels like it's for the greater good.

I don't know how stable my situation is either. It seems like many teachers in Korea change schools frequently, and I'm not sure why that is. Do many schools not like keeping their foreign teachers for too long? Do many people simply get tired of their schools and search for new challenges? Are there many shady schools that drive away employees and offset the average? I don't have enough knowledge to make a definitive statement. I do know, however, that the teacher I replaced was here for two years, and one of my co-workers recently extended her contract for a second year. That tells me at least one more year is within the realm of possibility, and after all the horror stories about shady hagwons I read on the internet, I'd prefer not to risk ending up at one of them instead of the good school I teach at now.

It's amazing how quickly things can change. At the beginning of 2011 I didn't expect to be doing what I'm doing. In fact, the thought hadn't even entered my mind until a friend suggested it as part of a birthday wish on Facebook. Within three months I'd gotten all the necessary paperwork processed and found my way to East Asia. It was a wild ride, but I don't regret it for a second. If there's anything to be learned from this experience, it's that taking risks can be incredibly rewarding.

First Witness

Well, well, well. There's an interesting piece of news in the baseball world. Korean pitcher Yoon Seok-Min is looking to come to Major League Baseball, and he's even hired Scott Boras as his agent. That's cool, I guess, but what's the big deal? Don't lots of foreign players jump to MLB? Indeed they do, but most of them make the transition before I've seen them live, not after. If we go back two and a half months, we find that Yoon Seok-Min was the home team pitcher for the game I attended this year. To boot, he had a masterful performance against the team that went on to be runner-up in this year's Korea Series.

Do you realize what this means? If Mr. Yoon becomes an MLB star, I'll be able to tell everyone I saw him first! I knew of his greatness before Joe MLB Fan had ever heard of him! All those johnny-come-latelies would have nothing on me!

Of course, if he comes to MLB and turns into a bust, none of this will matter. Who cares if you saw him first? He stinks! Even worse, he could end up with a team I hate and I'd be forced to root against him regardless of how well he does. After the way the 2011 MLB Postseason went (I actually had a nightmare about it recently and woke up feeling pretty rotten), I know not to get my hopes up about anything when it comes to baseball.

Oh, life.

Album Review - Secret - Moving in Secret

Yeah, I'm doing it. I'm becoming a pretentious music critic. No sooner do I waltz into this country than I start pretending I have some sort of expertise on music and culture that'd qualify me to give a real critique of one of their popular girl groups. I'm deplorable, aren't I? Even worse, I'm publishing this review two weeks after the album was released! What nerve have I!

As some of you who are aware of my major dork tendencies know, Secret's been my pet girl group since I started getting into K-Pop. I saw their video for "Shy Boy" and the next thing I knew I was a fan for life. As I explored them more and more, I found I liked them beyond that one song. They have the perfect balance of talent, personality and likability, and they've managed to become one of Korea's top groups through hard work and smart management. They're a true American success story...except they're not American. Besides that, their music incorporates more diverse elements than the typical pop groups whose primary style is synthesized dance pop. Not that I'm trying to diss those other groups or anything, but...I'll be honest, their music gets boring much more quickly.

Secret debuted in October of 2009, back when MLB was having one of its most forgettable postseasons in recent memory, and two years later, they finally have a full-length album. All their previous releases were mini-albums, none containing more than six tracks. This one has ten tracks, though only nine unique songs. The final track is just the instrumental for the first track, which seems to be a common disc-padding practice in Korea. I guess the popularity of karaoke in these parts makes as good an excuse as any.

The way music is generally promoted in Korea is that groups will announce their "comeback," AKA new release, a month or so in advance, and slowly reveal more information to build up the public's anticipation. There'll be teaser photos and videos to give you an idea of what their image and theme for the next single will be. Secret's last two singles, "Shy Boy" and "별빛 달빛" ("Starlight Moonlight") were charming and cute, so fans were expecting them to change it up this time. Sure enough, they did just that, with the teaser photos showing a sultry new "sexy black" image.

The record store threw in a free poster of the album cover when I bought the CD, and it's brought the total of wall decorations in my room to one. Inside the bulky laminated cardboard case that houses the album (and its massive booklet), we can see a visual love letter to cosmetics. Someone really went overboard with the makeup here. In the booklet cover photo they almost look like mannequins, lacking any natural variations in flesh tone, and I didn't even recognize Ji-eun at first. This might be just another one of my crackpot theories, but when someone looks like a completely different person, that might be a sign you're overdoing it. Come on, image department, these girls are already beautiful. You don't need to paint a mural on their faces. It worked as sort of an ironic statement with Poison's Look What the Cat Dragged In, but here, it's just tacky. I prefer some of the photos inside the booklet, where they're more moderately made-up and look more natural.

Enough commentary on the visuals, though. The audio is the most important part! Let's start our journey through this disc, shall we?

The first track is "사랑은 MOVE," (which approximately translates as "Love is MOVE") the lead single that I posted the video for last time. What do I think of it? Well, ya know...it's pretty darn good, though not my favorite track on the album. It makes a good single though, with its upbeat, hooky chorus. The thing I like best is that it's got some genuine rock 'n roll elements to it. The intro sounds straight out of a surf-rock garage band's 45 single before the heavy bass and horns kick in. The piano in the chorus and the tinny distorted guitar harken back to the days when people still danced to that genre which is now known as the all-too-serious "rock." Eat your heart out, all you pop groups with backing tracks constructed completely through a keyboard!

The next track is "섹시하게," which translates as either "Sexy" or "Sexily," depending on who you ask. This is probably the album's catchiest tune, but parts of it are also pretty goofy. It starts out with Zinger saying "Hey! So sexy right now girl! Just like me! Come on!" over a guitar and synthesized handclaps. Why is she singing to a girl, and using the vernacular of a braggadocious alpha male no less? I'm guessing the rap part was originally written for a guy, but they ended up giving the song to Secret, and changing the English lyrics was a low priority. We English speakers really aren't the target audience for this stuff. Despite some silliness, I can't help but love this song. No matter where you turn...hey! Check it out! There's another hook! You can't fight its brain-sticking-ness, so you might as well give up and let yourself enjoy it.

You can't have a good album without a strong ballad (well OK, you can, but it certainly doesn't hurt to have one). Look no further than the next track, "웃지 좀 마," to fill that requirement. The title translates as either "Don't Laugh," "Don't Make Me Laugh" or "Stop Smiling." Someday I need to get fluent in Korean and translate this stuff for myself. Hyo-seong is the star of this one, as she has a good quiver in her voice that really sells the emotion. Very beautiful. They've been performing this one in their TV appearances along with "사랑은 MOVE," which is a testament to its quality.

"Movie Star" is an interesting one. It's jazzy and has lots of starts and stops, reminiscent of the Transport Tycoon soundtrack. While it's not hit single material, it's definitely strong album track material. Maybe it's easier to do than it sounds, but the way they incorporate Zinger's rapping so seamlessly against this musical backdrop is impressive.

Speaking of Zinger, the next song is actually her first solo track! I'm happy with the decision to showcase her this way, as Zinger is my favorite member, and she also tends to be the most overlooked. After Ji-eun released a solo single in March, several fans (including me) thought Zinger should be the next to get a solo, as she's perhaps the most well-rounded member of the group. Fret not, our wish has finally come true! The title, appropriately, is "Amazinger." It's probably ironic that the rapper of the group is my favorite, as I'm not a big fan of rap music, but this track leans more toward old school rap than modern-day rap, so I actually find it quite enjoyable. I'm talking beatboxing, scratching, straight off the streets of New York. This thing's an oversized boom box full of fun. The only real disappointment I have with it is that it's probably not going to appeal to a very broad audience, and therefore, the chances of Zinger raising her profile as a solo artist like Ji-eun did are slim, at least with this song. That won't stop me from enjoying it though, and offering a 징거 화이팅!

Next is "Together," a slightly R&B-ish ballad. I say "slightly," because I doubt it could ever cross over into that market, and the chorus sounds like pure pop, but the chimes, synth-claps and slow piano in the intro definitely give it that feel. Compared to the stuff that came before it this one is more filler-y, but it's pleasant enough. I could probably say the same thing about "바래" ("Hope"), the next track. The only difference is that it's a midtempo pop song rather than an R&B-ish ballad. It's not bad, but not a highlight either.

The album takes a less-cheery turn with "Bastard." I never expected these girls to use such a provocative title, but I doubt they had much choice in the matter. Honestly this track seems like it would've fit the dark, sexy image of the teaser photos better than better than "사랑은 MOVE" did. It has a very heavy, angry sound to it. I'm not a huge fan, but I'll admit it's hookier than the previous two tracks, and might've gone over well with certain types of Korean listeners. I could easily picture a video for this song with the girls sneering at the camera, scrolling through six different sets of black outfits in frantic cut shots against black and gray-toned walls and...yeah, whatever. There are plenty of other girl groups who make those kinds of videos, but I prefer my Secret to be fun. I don't mind them trying to project a confident image, but a menacing one is kind of a turn-off. Besides, unless you're the Replacements, you probably can't get away with "Bastard" in the title of your single.

"Neverland" is the final unique song on the album, and it has an ethereal princess pop quality to it. No, there's nothing original here, but it has a great chorus with some fine harmonies. The translation of the lyrics I read seems to indicate that it's a song about love being an escape from reality. I can back that sentiment. I read Peter Pan to my kindergarteners recently, and Neverland does seem like it'd be a pretty cool place to hang, even if there is that whole issue of Captain Hook terrorizing you frequently. Back to the song though...I like it. It makes a good album closer, even if it's not technically the final track on the disc.

The aforementioned instrumental to "사랑은 MOVE" is actually pretty cool, even if it's more like a bonus track than a piece of the artistic whole we'd consider "the album." It allows you to hear more details in the mix and rock out a bit. I don't plan on learning the choreography and performing this song with three other people in a talent contest or anything, but you know what? Thanks to this track the option is there, and I appreciate that.

All in all, Moving in Secret is a fine effort, and it reinforces my status as one of Secret's few Euro-American male fans pushing 30. The girls' hard work is evident in everything they do, and TS Entertainment has done a great job in allowing them to stand out from the rest of the K-Pop landscape. I realize it might sound crass to mention their management company, but let's be honest: these girls aren't indie artists, they're a pop group. They bring strong talent to the table in terms of singing, dancing and rapping, and their distinct personalities and chemistry are a big part of their appeal. Without the guiding hand of some industry veterans though, there's no way they'd be what they are today. In the symbiotic relationship between producers and performers, we have here a case where both sides made out well, and I'll be waving the flag for them as long as they're still turning out fun, creative pop. It may have been dumb luck that led me to Secret in the first place, but it's the kind of serendipity I'll take any day.

New Secret Video!

Well, isn't this just exciting? Secret's new video came out today, and it already sounds like another hit is in store for the fantastic four. It's also their first single with a half-Korean, half-English title:



After going the "cute" route for two singles, they're changing it up with the in-your-face sexy route this time. That's certainly typical in the Korean pop world, I suppose because it helps keep you in anticipation for what the group is going to do next.

As for the music, I'm impressed. Secret's producers seem to be among the most creative in the biz, because they're always doing something a little different than what everyone else is doing, but not different enough so as to seem completely outside the market's interests. Take this song, for instance. They basically combined a 1960's garage-rock sound with modern-day heavy-bass dance pop. I'd never thought about that hybrid before, but now I've heard it, and it stands out from the pack in a good way.

It's been over two years since Secret debuted, and their first full-length album is out today as well. Their previous releases had all been mini-albums, which are essentially EPs or glorified singles. Needless to say, my weekend shopping list has a new item on it.

One of the Advantages of Living in Korea

I was just doing some thinking, and I realized that there's something I really like about being in this country: Koreans don't care about American football. Yes, football isn't even on the map in the Land of the Morning Calm. Around these parts the two main sports are baseball and soccer, with anything else having a niche following.

When Mariano Rivera set the saves record, they actually covered it on the news. I could open a newspaper right now and there'd be coverage of the MLB playoffs. The Korean baseball playoffs are going on right now too, and that gets its due priority, but there's enough interest in MLB to warrant a degree of media attention. I love it.

Yesterday was a tough day for us in Gwangju, as the KIA Tigers were eliminated from the playoffs. It was disappointing, but it shouldn't have been totally unexpected, as they were the lowest seed. We'll get 'em next year (I hope).

Right now I'll be happy for whichever team is left standing in MLB, as long as it isn't the St. Louis Cardinals. They're the only team left I can't stomach, and they just took a 2-1 lead in the NLCS. The Rangers are one win away from their second straight AL pennant though, a prospect I find most exciting. Before the 2010 season I never would have envisioned the Texas Rangers playing in two consecutive World Series. No AL team has lost back-to-back World Series since the 1963-64 Yankees, so if the Cardinals end up beating the Brewers, I hope those old Yankees can retain that status.

Right now I couldn't even tell you what week it is in the NFL season, and frankly, I like it that way. I don't know which teams are winning and losing, and I don't care, either. I've practically forgotten that the NFL exists. My focus is now completely on the one sport that matters, as it ought to be. If I can make it past the Super Bowl without knowing who won it, I'll feel a real sense of accomplishment.

Rough Week

This last week at school was one of my most difficult yet.

For starters, one of the Korean teachers left. This wasn't just any teacher though, we're talking about a woman who was an integral part of this school. In the classes I co-taught with her, her presence was often required for anything to get accomplished. It was strange having to do some of them on my own, and it was a near-miracle that I was able to get as much done as I did. There was also some schedule shuffling mid-week, and it was hectic getting used to different protocol for the same classes.

Of course, that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that I was hit with a cold that hoarsened my voice. It's tough keeping a class under control when you don't speak the kids' language; not being able to raise your voice above a low rasp makes it something like fighting a war with Nerf guns. I did the best I could though, and I hope I gave the kids sufficient teaching despite my vocal limitations.

My voice is getting better, and it's almost back to normal, but I've been resting it for most of the weekend. My hope for the next week is that it goes much more smoothly and that the obstacles will be kept to a minimum.

Treating Myself

I'm not the profligate type. Spending money isn't something I particularly enjoy doing, especially after having lived independently of my parents and understanding the value of a hard-earned buck. However, when you're on your own in a foreign country and making some decent coin, the temptation to put it toward something frivolous and not inexpensive frequently arises. With that in mind, I decided to contribute to the Korean economy, as it's a fine country worthy of my patronage.

I recently discovered that the downtown shopping area has an MLB store. Yes, that's right: an MLB store. An entire store dedicated to Major League Baseball merchandise.

Yeah, just try to keep me out of this place.

Most of the hats at the MLB store are stylized versions of real caps (and rather tacky, in my opinion), and most of the shirts, jackets and whatnot are too small for me, but hey, it's MLB! The league I love! I'd been there twice before and the notion of buying a certain piece of merchandise had entered my mind, so I decided I'd treat myself by purchasing it at some point. Today was the day I finally added this item to my possession, and it served me well on the walk home. What was it?

A Montreal Expos cap! I hadn't seen any around town, so I decided my first favorite team needed someone in this country to pay homage to it.

I thought I'd be a trendsetter. I thought I'd be a true original. I thought I'd be the hippest of baseball hipsters. I thought incorrectly. Before I even left the shopping district (about half an hour later), I saw a guy wearing the exact same hat! On the very day I'd decided to start this trend, I learned someone had beaten me to the punch!

Pride comes before a fall, they say. If the fall doesn't give you the right dose of humility though, you can always rationalize it by convincing yourself that the guy was in the store at the same time you were and saw you purchasing it. "Look at that! A foreigner, who must surely know more about Major League Baseball than I do, is buying this strange-looking red-white-and-blue cap! It must belong to the best team in America! I want that cap too!" Yes, that has to have been what happened. No doubt in my mind.

What did I do with that approximate half-hour between buying the cap and leaving? I went to the music store and browsed. Since there are several Korean artists I've grown to like, I wanted to see what the available selection was there. I'd had trouble in the past finding a singer I like, Jang Yoon-Jeong, but today I finally discovered where they were hiding her. Unlike Secret with all their mini-albums, she actually releases full albums, which is a better value, I must say. Since I was in a splurgy mood, I decided to add nuna Yoon-Jeong to my roster of Korean artists.

A beautiful face and a beautiful voice

There were only two songs on the album I'd heard before, but I ended up really enjoying the tracks that were new to me. As far as I can tell, none of her songs have any English in them, and many lyrics strike me as very simple, so perhaps it can help with my learning Korean.

While I'm not planning to become a habitual big spender, I think it might not be a bad idea to treat myself once in a while. I ended up with some good music in my collection and my retro White Sox cap ended up with a new best friend:

 The 1994 World Series matchup that should've been

Thoughts on Spring Days (or...A Love Triangle With Mother Issues!)

For my third Korean drama I chose to watch Spring Days, as it was the one airing in Chicago when I left for the country of its origin. If I recall correctly, the Chicago broadcast translated the title as Spring Day, singular, but I'm just going by what MySoju calls it. I actually watched a couple of episodes and got semi-into it, so I figured it was the last loose end I needed to tie up with the dramas. I understood the characters and their relationships to each other a lot better after seeing the first episode in its entirety, and it was a relief not to be stuck with my confused assumptions about who's related to whom and how.

Plot

It's hard to explain this story without giving away a few potentially surprising things, so if you plan to watch this drama, consider yourself spoiler-warned.

Eun-Ho and Eun-Sub are half-brothers, and both are doctors. Their father is also a doctor, and both sons entered the profession because of his expectations. Eun-Ho, the elder, is very responsible and decisive. Eun-Sub, on the other hand, hates being a doctor. His true passion is jazz music.

Dr. Pops got together with Eun-Ho’s mother through an arranged marriage, and he had Eun-Sub with a mistress. When Eun-Ho was ten, the father sent away his wife and married the mistress, producing an odd mixed family. Because of the unusual circumstances of how they came together, Eun-Ho and Eun-Sub have always had a strained relationship. While there is brotherly love between them, neither one can fully express it. Eun-Sub’s mother is also very insecure and prone to volatile behavior, which has scarred her son in many ways.

Now in his 30's, Eun-Ho decides to seek out his mother by himself, since his father has refused to tell him where she went after the divorce. His search leads him to his father's former teacher, a doctor on Jeju Island, under whom Eun-Ho had interned while learning his trade. Eun-Ho suspects this doctor knows where his mother is, and he agrees to work with him for a while in hopes of uncovering his mother's whereabouts.

This doctor has an adult granddaughter named Jung-Eun who lives with him and assists him in his practice. Jung-Eun is a woman who’s experienced a life of heartbreak. Adopted as a child, she was rejected by her birth mother when she met her as an adult. She also once dreamed of being a professional pianist, but her dream was dashed when she failed an important audition. To cope with the hurts in her life, she started suppressing her emotions and stopped talking altogether. Eun-Ho falls in love with her during his stay on the island and gradually helps her open up, finally inspiring her to speak again.

Jung-Eun's grandfather eventually gives Eun-Ho the information he wants: his mother's location. Eun-Ho leaves to meet her, but he promises Jung-Eun that he'll return for her. Eun-Ho and his mother, who works as a piano teacher, have a happy reunion, but it’s short-lived. When he heads home his mother insists on driving him to the train station through a heavy rainstorm. On the way there a truck swerves and runs them off the road. Eun-Ho's mother dies from her injuries, while Eun-Ho ends up in a coma.

Jung-Eun gets worried when she doesn't hear from Eun-Ho, so she goes off to find him. She learns about the accident, and travels to Seoul to see him in the hospital. Because she wants to be with him, she agrees to become Eun-Ho’s caretaker during daytime hours, in hopes that she can provide a warm environment that'll help him wake up. While Eun-Ho is in the coma, however, Eun-Sub develops feelings for Jung-Eun, unaware that she is actually his brother’s girl. While Jung-Eun remains devoted to Eun-Ho, she is charmed by Eun-Sub’s attempts to win her affection (which, I’ll admit, were a comedic highlight in a drama that was light on humor).

When Eun-Ho comes out of the coma, parts of his memory are gone. At first he thinks he’s eleven years old, because it’s as far as his memory goes. The doctors determine that he’s blocking out the trauma of his mother’s death, so his loved ones have to treat him like a child until his memory returns and avoid revealing that his mother is dead. Since he has no memory of Jung-Eun, he simply refers to her as “nuna,” which means “older sister.”

The situation gets further complicated with the introduction of Min-Jung, Eun-Ho’s childhood best friend who he asks to see in his amnesiac state. Eun-Sub and Jung-Eun track her down and bring her to see him, unaware that the two had secretly dated when they were older. Min-Jung had been the one who ended the relationship, but it was a decision she later regretted. She sees this reunion with Eun-Ho as an opportunity to win him back, and mistakenly believes at first that Jung-Eun is Eun-Sub’s girlfriend.

As with all dramas, the story takes several twists and turns before settling on a place to end, and to recap each one would be tedious.The main storyline though, is the love triangle between Jung-Eun and the two brothers.

Writing and Acting

To be honest, I wasn't overly impressed with the acting. It was passable, but it left me wishing for better at times. Of the three leads, I was most impressed with Ko Hyun-Jung, who played Jung-Eun. I wouldn’t say she was outstanding, but she did a very good job playing the somber, strong-willed, yet sensitive female lead. Jo In-Sung, who played Eun-Sub, was OK most of the time, but he occasionally could be a bit over the top. The actor playing Eun-Ho? Now he disappointed me. He had a good, likable character to work with, but in the intense emotional scenes it was always cringingly obvious that he was acting. Ji Jin-Hee, you are no Spencer Tracy.

To be honest, I thought the best performance was given by Jang Yong, who played Eun-Ho and Eun-Sub's father. He was a secondary character, but he always came through with the right emotions and delivery (at least, to my non-Korean-speaking ears). On a side note, I often wonder about the older actors in these dramas, given what I know about Korea’s history. The oldest of them must remember the Japanese occupation and Korean War, which were devastating to the country. I’ll bet they never envisioned a Korea where they would be making a living acting on television.

From the writing side, I had a few gripes. For starters, I felt the story progressed too quickly at times. I think (though I’m not positive) that there may have been points where we were supposed to believe more time had elapsed than they'd shown us, but the way it was executed didn't make that clear enough. Eun-Ho apparently fell in love with Jung-Eun almost instantly, and I think it would've helped if they'd spent more time showing their romance develop. While Eun-Ho was trying to help Jung-Eun talk again, the affection they allegedly felt for each other wasn't completely apparent, so it seemed completely random when they suddenly acted like lovers. Up to that point, Eun-Ho had seemed more like a friend in my estimation.

Then there's the whole issue of Eun-Sub and the fact that he's not cut out to be a doctor. We learn that he throws up when he sees blood and that he fainted at his first surgery. The obvious question would be how he ever got through medical school, but somehow we're supposed to believe that he made it to his residency at a real hospital.

Ending

I liked the ending to this one. The main storyline turned out the way I hoped it would, and the final shot had a big romantic moment that capped things off nicely.

As with the previous two dramas I watched, there were a few story threads (mainly concerning the fates of certain characters) that I wish there’d been some better closure on. Now that it’s happened for the third time, I’ve realized it’s typical for Korean dramas to shuffle some characters off into the background and downplay their futures. Most likely this is due to the fact that the scripts often undergo several changes and the writers don’t have time to tie up everything (see here for more details about how the production methods of these dramas are often less than optimal).

Music

Because Eun-Sub plays in a jazz band, there are several well-known standards included, such as "Fly Me to the Moon," "Cry Me a River," "Misty" and "The Girl From Ipanema." There’s no question that American culture has been one of Korea’s biggest influences when even jazz music has a following here.

There were several scenes at noraebangs (basically a room where you can do karaoke), but the only song anyone sang there that I recognized was "Eomeona."

Eun-Sub's ringtone is the song "Brotherhood of Man" from How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Not that I’m the biggest musical theater buff, but I’ve never forgotten Glenbrook South’s production of that number for their variety show (which we could pick up on local cable in Glenbrook North territory), and I recognized the melody instantly.

There were a few scenes in public locations that had pop music in the background, and the songs I identified were John Mayer’s "Daughters," Maroon 5’s "She Will Be Loved" and one I’d previously been unfamiliar with, The Real Group’s "Substitute For Life." The third song on that list is definitely the best. In fact, it’s a spoof of TV dramas and their melodramatic storylines. YouTube commenters for the video say it's been used in several Korean dramas. Perhaps the creators of these shows have more self-awareness than we realize.

Then, of course, there was the main theme that appeared in every episode, often every 15 minutes. Unlike Lovers in Paris, there weren’t several recurring songs, mainly just this one. It got kind of tiresome hearing it over and over, but hey, it could’ve been worse. I mean, it could’ve been an unbearably crappy song, and then where would that have left us?

This has nothing to do with anything, but some of the background music reminded me of The Flying House at times.

English

I picked up several English words and phrases in this drama, and I kept track of them more scrupulously than I did with the previous dramas.

Among the expressions I heard: "Never!", "one more time!", "stop!" and "bottom's up."

The character of Min-Jung had spent some time living in America, so she frequently incorporated English words into her speech. Several were positive words such as “fantastic,” “fabulous” and “marvelous.” When learning of Eun-Ho’s memory loss she quoted the titles “Back to the Future” and “Fly to the Past,” as well as the phrase “time machine.”

There’s a scene where Eun-Sub’s mother calls the father on the phone, and she asks him what the English phrase is for when you’re longing to see someone. He answers that it’s “I miss you,” and she starts acting gushy because actually, she’d just wanted to hear him say those words. Yes, the father gets annoyed.

Other words and phrases I picked up: “Coma,” “IQ,” “pump,” “presentation,” “audition,” “jazz band,” “jazz bar,” “wonderful,” “piano,” “pianist,” “relax,” “gown,” “role-playing game,” “stress,” “trauma,” “perfect” and “CPR manual.”

Other Observations

The thing that stinks about watching these dramas online is that technical difficulties are not uncommon. In one episode there was a point where the audio, video and subtitles were all on a different page, and it was as annoying as you can imagine. It's hard to comprehend on a 30-second time-delay. There was also one video server that had ads pop up periodically, obscuring the subtitles. You could click the X to minimize the ad, but by the time you did you might have missed something.

It was pretty obvious when the musically-inclined main characters were performing that they weren’t really playing. In one episode Eun-Sub is playing his upright bass and walks offstage in the middle of a song. The sound of the music doesn’t change at all, of course. I guess the electric bass player in the same group really knew how to pick up the slack. Also, they showed a close-up of Jung-Eun's fingers when she was playing the piano in one episode, and the sound didn’t seem to match the visual.

They actually used clips from the movie Big non-diegetically. When Eun-Ho thinks he’s a kid again, he has a hard time believing that he’s actually an adult who lost his memory, so Eun-Sub tells him that he made a wish with Zoltar and was given an adult body, just like in the movie (which is an error, I might add, because “child” Eun-Ho thinks it’s 1986, and Big came out in 1988). They then show some random clips from Big, like the kid making the wish at the carnival and his reaction to his sudden adulthood as Tom Hanks. It was a little awkward, but I guess they had to explain it in case someone hadn’t seen the movie.

Min-Jung’s family name is Kim, which surprised me a little. In the other two dramas I watched, it seemed that only minor characters ever had the name Kim (Min-Jung isn’t one of the lead characters, of course, but she’s definitely in the second tier of importance). I’m basing my assumption on a small sample size, but my theory is that because Kim is the most common name in the country, writers feel it would make the characters seem lackluster to have that name. Perhaps it’s similar to why most main characters in American movies and TV shows don’t have names like Smith, Johnson, Williams, etc. They’re too vanilla.

I was surprised that this drama actually showed two characters in bed after having spent the night together. My understanding is that Korea is stricter about portraying such things in media, so it caught me off guard when I saw it. At other points in this drama, as well as in Lovers in Paris, there were moments when it seemed like they were trying to leave it ambiguous whether the characters slept together. I like ambiguity better, since it allows you to hold the characters to a higher moral standard if you so desire. Of course, it became a semi-significant plot point that the characters slept together, so I guess making it clear served a greater purpose.

There were several times when they showed Eun-Sub getting along well with the children at the hospital in spite of his own discomfort with being a doctor. My thought when I saw that was that he’d end up becoming a pediatrician, but it never happened. Was it an idea they ended up scrapping, or were those moments merely intended to show a different side to the normally-immature Eun-Sub?

The subtitler for the version I watched online was clearly different than the one who subtitled the version shown on TV in Chicago. There were a few lines I specifically remembered from certain scenes that I didn't see this time around. It makes me wish I spoke Korean, so I could understand what was actually being said without having to rely on the subtitles.

Final Thoughts

Of the three dramas I’ve watched now, this one was my least favorite. I’m not saying I disliked it, I’m just saying I got bored with it frequently. There were definitely some points where I was more engrossed than others, which was part of the reason it took me so long to finish it (I actually finished it about a week ago, but I’ve been putting off writing this recap).

Overall, I think Spring Days was a pretty standard, run-of-the-mill Korean drama. If you're looking for a drama to watch, there are probably worse choices, but I can name two others that should be higher on your priority list.

MLB Cap Listing Update (8/28/2011)

I forgot to mention that I saw four new MLB caps at the ballgame the other day: the Rays, Nationals, Marlins and Mariners.

The list of caps I've seen now looks like this:

Atlanta Braves
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
Chicago Cubs
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
Florida Marlins
Houston Astros
Los Angeles Dodgers
Milwaukee Brewers
Minnesota Twins
New York Mets
New York Yankees
Oakland Athletics
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants
Seattle Mariners
Tampa Bay Rays
Washington Nationals

I did see what looked like an Angels cap with a retro logo once, but I'm not sure if that should count. I also saw an old Diamondbacks cap on TV, but I'm only including ones I've seen in person. In addition to those two teams, the ones I'm still waiting on are the Cincinnati Reds, Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays. How long before I'll be able to check them all off the list?

I've Made It to My Annual Ballgame

In 2009 I attended a White Sox game, in 2010 I attended a Cubs game, and in 2011 I attended a KIA Tigers game. I'd been wanting to go for a while now, but every weekend the Tigers were out of town, and my schedule doesn't allow me to go on weekdays. This Saturday they finally had a home date, so I jumped at the chance to go.

My original plan was to take a cab and go by myself, but since I didn't know anything about the stadium, I decided to ask someone who might know: Mrs. Kim's son. He's a baseball fan, so I figured he'd been to a few games in his day. He told me plenty of things about the stadium, like how much tickets cost, how early to arrive, good places to sit and all that. I appreciated his advice.

I figured that would be all there was to it, but something even better happened: he asked if he and one of his classmates could go with me. I figured "sure, why not?" It was a win-win. They got to do something on Saturday, and I got to to have some companions who could also serve as experienced guides for my first Korean ballgame. Mrs. Kim's younger son heard we were going, so I invited him to join us, giving us the full four that would make up our party.

In Korea, each team has a sponsor, though they do represent actual cities. Gwangju's team is the KIA Tigers. Their opponent was the SK Wyverns from Incheon, who've appeared in the last four Korea Series (winning three times, their only loss coming to KIA in 2009). Needless to say, it was a pretty big matchup. In case you were wondering, a "wyvern" is a dragon-like creature.

We arrived at Mudeung Stadium at about 4:30, half an hour before game time. There are actually two stadiums in the complex, one for baseball and one for soccer. We had to walk past the soccer stadium to get to the baseball stadium. We didn't spend much time standing in line before we got our tickets, and they didn't cost an arm and a leg either. 8,000 Won covered my ticket (about $8 in American money).

We ran into an unexpected delay when we went to the wrong entrance and had to navigate through a crowd of people to get to the other side, where our seats were. I remarked aloud, to no one who would understand, that it felt like something out of Spinal Tap. It wasn't a huge deal to walk to the other side, as the ballpark was smaller than most MLB parks.

We ended up in our outfield seats (not quite bleachers, but similar freedom to sit wherever) less than five minutes before the game began. This ballpark, as I said above, was much smaller than an MLB ballpark. It felt sort of like a minor league game because of the setting.

I'm certainly not complaining about the smaller venue size, as we got to be closer to the action than we would be at an MLB game. The outfield seats aren't elevated nearly as far above the field level, so I could read the left fielder's name on his uniform.

There's a lot of chanting from the crowd, often incorporating the name of the player at bat. They don't chant as much for the pitcher. Thundersticks are a big part of the stadium culture, as the accompanying noise figures into many chants (though some of us participated with clapping instead).

There wasn't much drama to this game. The Tigers scored all their runs in the first two innings, and it was more than enough for them to win, especially when they had their ace pitcher, Yoon Seok-Min, on the hill. The first inning featured two two-run homers (neither of which, unfortunately, landed in our area). In the second inning it was clear that the SK pitcher didn't have his best control, as he walked the first four batters before being pulled. KIA managed to score three runs in the inning for a 7-0 lead.

From then on it was smooth sailing. Yoon Seok-Min kept them in check most of the way (I believe he even struck out the side in the third inning). While the aforementioned fan involvement is famous in Korea, there was a bit of a lull in the middle innings. It made me feel a little less guilty about my own country's relative lack of enthusiasm that even these passionate Korean fans sat back and relaxed at points in the game.

The time between innings seemed to be significantly less than the two and a half minutes we get in the U.S. Despite that, they still managed to squeeze in several between-inning diversions, like the Kiss Cam, a beer-drinking contest, and a foot race with four people in car costumes (KIA cars, of course). They played music between innings too, but the only Western song I recognized was "Back in Black" by AC/DC.

Since the game started in the evening, the lights had to come on after the sun set.

I tried to get a video of the final out with my camera, but for some reason they just couldn't nail it down while I was filming, so I gave up. I did get a shot of the final scoreboard, though:

As you can see, those walks killed the Wyverns. Seven runs on six hits is pretty ridiculous. It's nice to see our guys (yep, the KIA Tigers are already "our guys" to me) being patient at the plate. Also note that the game ended at 7:45 after a 5:00 start time. Despite all the offense in this game, it moved at a reasonable pace that kept people from dozing off. As much as I hate it when people call our game "boring," I can understand it to a degree when the games drag on forever. A balance of fast-paced excitement and tension between pitches is baseball at its finest, and I definitely got that from this game.

After the game the boys wanted to get some autographs from the players, which unfortunately didn't happen. We did, however, get to see the Wyverns walk out to their buses in full uniform a few minutes after the game ended. I guess they must not have locker rooms inside the stadium.

The security guards shooed everyone away before any KIA players came out, so we all walked toward the exit of the complex. As we were walking, the two buses pulled out, right through the crowd. It was surreal to me to realize that last year's Korean Series Champions were in a large vehicle that I could reach out and touch if I wanted to. I'm not sure how often fans are allowed this close to team buses in America, though I have read stories about fans pelting the opposing team's bus with garbage back in the 1950's.

All in all, it was a great way to spend a Saturday. Would I do it again? Without a doubt. I haven't watched many games since I've been in Korea, but this experience of bonding with the team in a live setting may be the catalyst for me to start getting into and enjoying the Korean game the way I do with MLB.