Breathing easier this week with Yumi's Cells & my portal into the past.
Feat. cute cells and magical music~
Hey everyone! How’s it going~~ Hope you’re doing good, wherever you are. I am waitingggg for exam season to wrap up so that I can breathe freelyyy.
But! There have been a couple of things that put a smile on my face with this week. Of course, they’re kdrama-related.
Yumi’s Cells
This show is so cute! Kim Go Eun stars as Kim Yu Mi. She’s the main character but the *real* main characters are these personified cells in her head who give us a glimpse into why she thinks, feels and acts the way she does. THEY ARE ADORABLE. They live in this little village in her head and we often see Reason and Emotion clashing with each other before coming to some kind of consensus. My favourite cell has to be the Fashion cell, who was momentarily jailed for making Yumi spend too much on clothes ahahah.
The male lead, Koo Woong, played by Ahn Bo Hyun (who was insufferable in Itaewon Class but is wonderful here) also has his set of cells and it’s interesting how his cells function a bit differently from hers. His Reason cell operates within a control station and issues commands to others LOL
I love how the writer explains human behaviour through these cells. Every episode we're introduced to either more cells or more metaphors for how our inner selves function. My favourite analogy is the giant notice board in each of their heads, with sticky notes containing bits and pieces of memories, some which are placed right at the top and are constantly remembered and others which fall off or are hidden but resurface if anything happens to trigger these memories.
I know Yumi's Cells is based on a webtoon! And that the OTP in the source material may notttt be Yumi x Woong, but I’m gonna hold off and pray that Woong is endgame hehehehe. PleaseprayforOTP
This instrumental piece from Secret Garden
Yesterday, I was feeling quite suffocated at home so I decided to go for a run. Now, this is pretty much one of those that happens like once a year. I really ought to exercise more often. That aside, I really do love walking in the sun. (The image of Edward Cullen with his sparkly skin just popped into my head sidhsaido) I love how the sun feels on my skin. The warmth is like an embrace, a pat on the back, of sorts. For me, walks in the sun are transformed by this song.
Whenever I hear this, the first image that comes to mind is brilliant sunlight filtering through a canopy of leaves. Kdramawise, this song is associated with Secret Garden and how male lead Kim Joo Won (Hyun Bin) wandered through his massive garden with an imaginary Gil Ra Im (Ha Ji Won) next to him.
I didn’t have my own garden then but back in 2010, I’d taken to jogging through Punggol Park in the afternoons with melodious accompaniment. I’d choose to run along a specific path, off to the side of the park, away from the crowd. The song itself promises a fantasy of some kind, apt, considering the premise involves body-swapping.
A part of me always hoped that some door, a portal to another world, would open. A world where I’d go on adventures alongside otherworldly creatures. But I couldn’t complain, really. Life in 2010 was pretty fun. University was going great and, more significantly, my grandfather was alive and, as far as we knew, well. He wouldn’t receive his cancer diagnosis until mid 2011.
In more recent years, I make it a point to listen to the song, whenever I’m out for a walk or a random run. I still don’t have my own garden lol but I’d look up at the trees. I see the sunlight peek between the leaves, whispering it’s playful hello. I smile back and raise my brows in question. Will there be a portal today? Unlike 11 years ago, I don’t really need to go to another world. Now, I just want to be transported right back to Punggol Park. I’d run all the back up the path to my old house and give my grandpa a big hug and tell him how much I miss him. Going right back to where I was would be the magicallest thing ever.
Thanks for stopping by today, my friends :) Have a lovely two weeks! See you next soon. 🤎🤎🤎
Coming up next on My OTP Watch (in no particular order):
Part 3.2 of my series on queer representation in kdrama (Check out Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.1!)
My favourite OTP meet-cutes!
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