11pts

Oh! Young-Sim

Name: Oh! Young-Sim
Genre: K-drama
Rating: 11

(오! 영심이) 2023 ENA, Genie TV

Young-Sim (Song Ha-Yoon) is a young woman whose early years were immortalized in a series of graphic novels her father drew years ago. Now she's a reality TV show producer, and she has to produce a dating show sponsored by Kingvely, a company started by her childhood sweetheart (Lee Dong-Hae). He moved to the States unexpectedly when they were young, and now he has returned.

K-Drama Bingo Score

Using the Modern K-Drama set

Running commentary

Song Ha-Yoon — "Kim Byul" — is pretty adorkable. The whole drama is a light-hearted romcom, based on a (real world) webtoon about the young girl Oh Young-Sim — what would her life be like at 30? And this is how it plays out — young love hits young adulthood (+ reality TV for that extra extra).

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Childhood friends forgotten
(2 pt)
Notes
Characters knew, or at least encountered, each other in childhood, but somehow forgot
S01
Childhood sweethearts, separated when he suddenly moved to America, find each other again…but a bit more feisty.
Bullying
(1 pt)
Notes
Be Best, Korea
S01E10
Young-Sim explains why she was mean to Wang Kyung-Tae
Cartoony FX
(1 pt)
Notes
Animal or cartoon visual and sound effects to reinforce behavior or mood
S01
The entire thing is premised on a cartoony past
Finger hearts
(1 pt)
Notes
Any use of finger hearts by a character
Korean Standoff
(1 pt)
Notes
Two principal characters have a serious, sometimes emotionally confrontational, conversation while standing at least 1m apart
Pinky swear
(1 pt)
Notes
Two characters doing a pinky swear

Touching thumbs at the end is not a thing in America (based on my terrible polling), so that gets an easy bonus point for any wannabe K-drama.
Rumble tummy
(1 pt)
Notes
Audible stomach rumbling to indicate hunger
The Playground
(1 pt)
Notes
Any scene taking place in a neighborhood playground
Thumbs up
(1 pt)
Notes
Two thumbs up for "Good job!"
Wrist grab
(1 pt)
Notes
Dramatically grabbing someone by the wrist as they walk away

Unmatched Bingo Spaces

(Dis)possession
Ghosts, spirits inhabiting bodies, or body- or identity-swapping
Vehicular tragedy
Someone is/was hit by a car, truck, bus, or motorcycle
Chicken & Beer
치맥, anyone?
Cramped quarters
Sleeping in a repurposed closet, or on a balcony, or in insane tiny student housing
Crushing Debt
Characters are motivated by their debt (or a family member's), including the threat of foreclosure
Memorial service
Funerals and memorial services
Middle-of-the-Road Soliliquy
Verbal musings on deep existential questions and/or tragicomic situations while in the middle of the street
Piggyback
Someone gives someone else a piggyback ride
Shamans & Talismans
Yellow paper talismans, written in calligraphic red ink; visits to a shaman for fortune-telling or body transfers
Son Hyeung Min
Mentions of Son Hyeung Min, or staying up to watch Tottenham Hotspur play
강한나 (Kang Han-Na)
The presence of Kang Han-Na makes everything at least 1 point better
내 친구 ("My friend…")
A character tells a story about "My friend" that is actually about themselves
한국어학교 (Language lessons)
Specifically linguistic wordplay, discussions about spelling, pronunciation, or Chinese root words