While January may not seem like the busiest month for K-Pop comebacks and drama premiers, there are actually quite a few of both that I’m looking forward to in the coming weeks. What are they, you might ask? Well, read on and find out!
On the K-Pop side of things, I’m very much excited about the release of Park Kyung’s very first mini-album. Being the fan of Block B that I am, I’m always excited when they release new music, whether it be as a group, a sub-unit, or an individual member. The fact that Kyung is the one releasing new music this month just makes me happy. I’ve yet to come across a solo of Kyung’s that I didn’t love so, of course, I’m all kinds of excited to see what lovely goodness he’s has in store for us. The album, entitled, Notebook, is scheduled to drop January 18, which means we’ll have to endure just over a week of teasing before we can actually get our hands on this album. But really, in the grand scheme of things, a week isn’t that long… Oh who am I kidding? A week can feel like an eternity when you’ve got something to look forward to! Ugh! Kyung! Why you wanna torture us like this!?!
In other K-Pop news, Rain is supposed to be releasing new music early next week, as is Teen Top’s Niel. 2NE1’s final single, “Good Bye” is slated for release on January 21 and yes, I’ll probably shed a few tears. I just can’t help myself. Even when I knew this was coming (Minzy leaving was a kind of big tip-off…) I feel like we’ve come to the end of an era and that just makes me sad. (No, I don’t do well with goodbyes.) Continuing the solo releases, both SNSD’s Seohyun and miss A’s Suzy are releasing solos next week. Seohyun’s mini-album, Don’t Say No, and Suzy’s pre-release single are both slated to drop on January 17, while Suzy’s entire debut album, Yes? No?, will drop the following week. Wrapping up the month of January, Boys Republic is supposed to be releasing a trio of Japanese singles around the 25th, I believe which I’m actually very interested in checking out, as long as YouTube cooperates. (That frowny face of death that haunts YouTube is the bane of my existence. Well, that a laundry…)
On the drama side of things, there are a couple that have piqued my interest recently, the first being tvN’s, Introverted Boss (내성적인 보스 aka Sensitive Boss). With an introverted CEO of a public relations company, Eun Hwan Ki (Yeon Woo Jin, 연우진), and a spunky company employee, Chae Ro Woon (Park Hye Soo, 박혜수) whose only interest is in revealing who Eun Hwan Ki really is, you know this story is going to be fun. At least that’s what the trailers are promising, anyway. This drama seems to have the potential to be all kinds of funny, which is exactly what I’m hoping for as I eagerly count down the days to its premier. The first episode is set to air January 16 and I’m crossing all my fingers and toes, with the hopes that this drama lives up to my rather high expectations.
The second drama I’m looking forward to watching later this month is the MBC saguk, Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People (역적: 백성을 훔친 도적 aka Rebel Hong Gil Dong ). It’s based on the life of the legendary first revolutionary activist in Joseon, Hong Gil Dong, a character who was first brought to life in the Joseon Dynasty novel, The Story of Hong Gil Dong. According to the novel, Hong Gil Dong was the illegitimate son of a nobleman who was gifted with incredible intelligence and supernatural powers which he used to steal from the rich and corrupt aristocrats. (Hmm… Sound familiar?) While historically, there was a real-life bandit arrested in 1500, by the name of Hong Gil Dong, I’m pretty sure this story is based on the fictional character and that has me excited. It’s been a long time since I had a good Robin Hood-esque story to indulge in and I’m hoping this one doesn’t disappoint. *fingers crossed*
With the holidays over and the depression that comes with endless days of dreary winter blah-ness threatening to set in, it’s nice to have something happy around to chase away the winter blues. What I’d like to know is, what is it you’re most looking forward to in the coming weeks? Let me know in the comments below!