An act requiring someone in a new environment to pretend that everything is fine while actually being ignored, bullied, or treated horribly.
Section 1. Whereas a kdrama must epitomize a person’s loneliness by contrasting a person’s actual situation with what he/she describes via phone calls:
(a) A newbie on the job talking about how the boss likes him/her and how all the officemates are impressed while doing menial tasks like getting everyone coffee or stapling press releases together.
(b) A (usually) Busan kid transferring to Seoul and regaling Mom/Grandma/whole village with stories of his popularity with city girls while trying hard not to get lost in the tall buildings and busy intersections.
(c) A character who is having a Merupisu Law Day gets a call… which turns out to be a birthday greeting. Said character then lies about eating seaweed soup, getting a huge birthday cake, having a party, and enjoying a third round while actually singing alone at a noraebang.
(d) An unemployed breadwinner pretending to be rich, bragging about eating meat while actually hanging out at a pc shop, looking for a job and eating instant ramyun.
Section 2. Effectivity – scenes described in Section 1 of this act are effective in wringing tears/sympathy from the audience, especially if the actor/actress can manage that perfect mix of trying-to-sound-ecstatic-but-can-barely-hold-the-tears-back look.
[[There seems to be a lot of new people visiting kdrama laws lately, so Welcome everyone! I highly suggest you read my favorite post where I judge Queen In Hyun’s Man for not following kdrama laws. In case you’re getting tired of checking the site for updates, why not follow us on twitter, like our facebook page for updates, or subscribe to the blog (check the sidebar on the right!) No? Ok. I understand. I did all of that for dramabeans but still check that darn site 20x a day. My instinct is faster. You don’t really need to subscribe if you can just abuse the F5 button. 😀 ]]
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That singing happy birthday to yourself scene form SUFFB was simultaneously one of the most pitiful, heart-wrenching and exasperating scenes ever. JUST TELL THEM ITS YOUR BIRTHDAY!!!
*nods* I don’t get why people expect everyone else to remember their birthday. I’m a really nice grandkid but I can’t remember my grandparents’ birthdays.
Don’t even get me started on people who hide their birthdays on social networking sites just to see “who their real friends who remember their birthday are”. (IF you’re hiding it for security or age-concealment reasons, hide away!)
This is also the reason why when a character actually remembers a birthday (when it seems like the person is going to be alone), it is so epic. I have never wanted seaweed soup as badly as when Hyun Bin gives if to Kim Sun Ah’s Kim Samsoon’s character on Jeju Island in the rain and muck (in MNIKSS). He follows her up the flipping mountain for goodness sakes to confess, be with her on her birthday, and give her seaweed soup and choco pies. Could anyone resist that?
It’s extra sweet because Sam Soon (like most of us) actually LOVES food and isn’t your typical I-CAN’T-EAT-THAT-I’M-ON-A-DIET girl. 🙂
I’m also touched when people remember my birthday or do something special for it, but I don’t hold grudges against those who forget.
Also, as a subcategory of birthdays left uncelebrated, there is the birthday hijack. This occurs when our main character’s birthday is ignored and left uncelebrated because someone else’s (usually an unimportant and even annoying someone else) just happens to have THEIR birthday on the same day. Of course, usually our main characters have to watch sadly as their main love interest gives attention/presents/ etc. to that OTHER person, while they smile on the outside and pine away on the inside.
Ugh. I forgot about that. Or, not exactly birthday1 vs birthday2, but when Bitch discovers that it’s heroine’s birthday and actively pretends Hero from going to birthday by manufacturing stupid circumstances like a corporate meeting or some such.
“still check that darn site 20x a day” That what I do too i don’t trust facebook or twitter i feel like they kinda late………refresh….. refresh