Review of K-Drama#3 - Mystic Pop-up Bar (쌍갑포차)

HI HELLO ANNYEONG~

I just finished this JTBC drama last week. This drama has brought me through a roller coaster of emotions throughout the 12 episodes. This drama is also available on Netflix! Fun fact? This drama is an adaptation of a web comic by Bae Hye-Soo.

Rating: 10/10 (lol again??)

*SPOILER ALERT*

Generally for those who do not believe in the existence of God or a mighty power above humans might not find this drama as interesting to watch. The drama is heavily based around the existence of a mighty power who looks over humans and judges you when your life ends.

As some might believe in karma, life is like a wheel, what goes around, comes around. If you do good in your life, you have the chance to be reincarnated to a better family in the next life and if not, you will have to repent in your next life as animals or insects depending on various factors. Bottom life is you will be judged on all you goods and sins when your life ends.

This drama is shows a lot karma to heavily emphasized the fact that your actions will shape your future. Wol-Ju took her own life (and her child). She had to repent but settling 100,000 grudges of living people. She took 500 years to complete that which was definitely not easy. Main reason is because her son would suffer in his next life(s) as long as these numbers are not hit. She only took on this challenge in order to save her child from misery.

Those who are greedy always end up defeated. There is no character in this drama that portrays any evil succeeding until the end.

This drama is more focused on the comedy aspect in the beginning. As the story progress, the characters backstory and past life is slowly revealed bit by bit. Viewers learn more about characters as well as the reason behind their behaviors and actions as the story continues. I had my suspicion but my guess was right on Manager Gwi being the crown prince and Kang-Bae being their son (huhu it is so sad tbh).

Through the last few grudges settled by Wol-Ju (those shown in this drama, the final 10), we see a lot of concerns that we may find ourselves relating to. Though the way to settle the issue may not necessarily be applicable in our real life, but viewers are shown a moral value of two in it.

Never judge a book by it's cover. This statement is often heard but it is always easier said than done. Majority of the society has always been quick to judge a person based on their appearance. Though some may argue that it has improved over the years, humanity is still far from living up to that sentence. We will never know life the person has been through to be who they are today, before you want to nitpick about the person, think carefully first on how your words can affect that person.

"Swords and guns are not the only weapons that can kill"

A simple word, sentence, gesture and even action can ultimately kill someone faster than objects that are created to kill. So, think before you say anything that you will regret.

Often times, we may think everyone understand our 'jokes' when we are dissing or making fun of them. The answer is NO. NEVER EVER assume people should understand that you are only 'joking' and don't actually mean it. A joke or not, some people can be severely affected by the so called 'joke' you said. Your 'joke' can also be the reason of their death one day. I'm not saying everyone should be serious all the time and never joke around. Only do it with people you are close to and before you do it, make sure you and the person you are talking about are on the same page and will not be affected by it.

What is a joke to you, may not sound like a joke to the receiving end. I know this too well because I was on the one who was throwing the 'joke' and assumed that my best friend understood my intention that I wasn't serious. But, what I did has hurt her so much. Fortunately enough for me, I did not loose her. I definitely got a waking call.

If you watched the drama, you might remember this part. It is a little weird because Wol-Ju stares directly into the camera obviously telling the audiences to live a good life. Because of Jin-Dong's mother's kind life that she has lived, Jin-Dong who was supposed to die was saved. May sound a little absurd in reality but I personally also believed that life plays out because of your actions and it is not 'already planned out'.

The few episodes towards the ending got me crying so bad (especially the last epsiode OMG WHY YOU DO THIS TO MY POOR EYES AND HEART). Everyone has their own hardships to face in their path of life. Do good to yourself and others. You shouldn't be the additional reason to other people's hardships. Love yourself and most importantly, cherish the people around you. Love them and show them your affection before they are gone. Don't only regret not being able to do the things you wanted to when it is too late. If you wanna tell your parents you love them, say it. If you want your friends to know how much you appreciate them, tell them. There is no reason that you shouldn't say it. Honestly, I know how hard it is to actually do these things (sigh) but start small, start somewhere. Before you know it, you will find yourself growing and improving!

✨ Life a live you won't regret when you look back ✨

Overall, this drama is worth the watch. I loved how everything played out from the characters to the plot and stories told through this drama. If this drama doesn't teach you a thing or two about life, I think it might be time for you to do some self reflection hahahaha

That's it from me for now! I am open to comments about this post, drama or just about anything.

See you soon!

🌙