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I love how Boys Be Brave is really about how many different kinds of bravery there are and how they look different on each person.

Gi Seop's bravery is very different than Jin Woo's because his bravery is about realizing his own preferences and learning that he can want something and not want things and say no and say yes and truly care about himself and others without having to simply give in.

Jin Woo's bravery is about realizing that he isn't the person he thinks he should be and letting go of the perfection he's been chasing the way he chased his father's affection his whole life, to be brave enough to face his flaws and his feelings.

InHo is actually being brave, he's fighting for the love that lit up his life and the person he lost despite his love for him, he's not giving up and he's come back to find that bravery and that light.

Balgum's bravery is about his family, about his poverty, working himself to death trying to not be like his family and hiding from the people who live him because help and love are terrifying when you feel like you have to be ashamed of yourself for needing or wanting either one.

They all need bravery to save them from themselves and to bring out their light and their joy.

No matter how much Gi Seop is smiling, he isn't happy, he's so willing to change himself for Jin Woo, chasing anything that might make him loved while Jin Woo refuses to change any part of himself for love because he never wants to try and fail the way he did with his father.

All heartbreaking and beautiful and filled with the pain of craving love you don't know how to express are accept.

Be brave! You are worthy of loving and being loved.

#boys be brave #jin woo x ki sub #in ho x balgum #kdrama

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The Unknown series' journey has come to an end now

I think ep 10 was one of my favorites. A lot of moments that I enjoyed, loved and replayed too many times, it took me almost an hour to complete this episode.

Qian looking back through all moments where Yuan kept directly showing his feelings

Confrontation with Dr. Lin, he was too savage lol

"Behave"?!! Qian was dumbfounded! Me too me too

Qian cooking up an entire lie to cover his medical condition and H.O.T dorks taking hints about the so called checkup lmao

Yuan asks Qian so many times to not hide things and ends up giving him silent treatment but still makes sure to take care of him. Ugh!

Lili our cute and curious detective 😘

The heart breaking moment when Qian confessed to San Pang about why he was scared to give in and how he would rather want Yuan to live a good life without him. This was not even the saddest part, Yuan heard this conversation and it broke my heart for both of them. I really needed strength to move on from this scene......

Finally Qian spoke to Yuan. Finally Qian cleared his feelings. Finally Qian stopped Yuan. Finally Qian gave in to Yuan.

But yeah you guys get my point. This one was a whole ride.

my favorite scene from the entire series would be this though. The emotions, the acting, the dialogue, everything- took the cake!

#unknown the series #qian x yuan #ep 10 #It has now come to an end

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In the whirlwind of emotions of this episode I howled in laughter when Yuan patted Qian’s head and purposefully tap danced on his seniority. Qian was so shocked he used Boo’s full government name.

#unknown the series #qian x yuan #the DID YOU JUST PAT MY HEAD CHILD ??!! look #Even I was lost for words when Yuan did that #Laughed so hard realizing Qian and me had the same face lmao #Replayed this scene too many times

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The trailers of Boys Be Brave screams cute in every font possible!!

Ik I'm going to be addicted to this series when it starts airing. The trailer makes me assume it's going to be of high quality and I can expect great acting 😍

Apparently, it's past highschool friends to lover KBL from the director of "Our Dating Sim" and produced by the producer of "Move To Heaven". - More reasons for me to be looking forward to it!

Look at these blorbos! Even the posters can't hide it

❤️🌸☘️🌼❤️

Trailer for couple 1

Trailer for couple 2

#Boys be brave #Upcoming bl #Kdrama #blorbo #Youtube #by the director of “Our Dating Sim” and producer of “Move To Heaven” is like beautiful music to my ears~ #korean bl #On my watch list

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There's so many great scenes this week. Qian coming home drunk and, still unaware that he is the one that Yuan likes, tries to comfort Yuan; "Isn't it tiring to love him?" The work party, where Qian sorts things out with Ms Feng. Qian noticing that something is wrong with Yuan and immediately going to find him. The confrontation in the storage room. So, so many great scenes, but my favourite was this one:

"If he wants me to leave, the sooner the better, right?"

Yuan has always done what Qian has told him to do, be it joining activities at school or the running club - and now Qian wants him to leave, because Qian needs time and space to come to terms with the realisation that he is the one that Yuan has liked all along, and so Qian sends him away - and Yuan goes, becuase this is what Qian wants, it's what Qian needs, and it's what Qian asks of him. Yuan sacrifices himself by going, alone, to a foreign country across the world, where he knows noone, leaving behind his family and the promising future he's already started building with the game they developed - all so that Qian won't be the one to leave.

That's why the next scene hurts so much, because Yuan has already accepted that he's going to leave for New York - not for his own sake, not to move on, but for Qian. With Yuan out of the house, Qian can come home again, can stop sleeping at the office and can, hopefully, take better care of himself (thought Yuan has always been the one to stay by Qian's side and take care of him).

And so Yuan is the one who gets between them when Lili confronts Qian, Yuan is the one who protects Qian and the desicion to send Yuan away, Yuan is the one who pushes Qian to go on upstairs to spare him Lili's anger - because Yuan knows that Qian is suffering too, and wants to spare him any more pain.

When Qian gets to escape upstairs, Yuan stays with Lili and tries to comfort her, tries to turn the whole thing into something positive - for Lili and Qian both, so that at least the two of them will hopefully reconcile, to keep their little family from falling apart entirely, and to make sure that Lili will be there, with Qian, while Yuan is sent away.

"Qian is doing this for our sake."

And then the cut to the dark bedroom and crying and are you crying with me yet???

#unknown the series #qian x yuan

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The Pyramid Game 🔺

caught up with the live action of Pyramid Game webtoon, 6 episodes in and I'm really liking the adaptation so far!

There are minor changes with new characters but they follow the main plot really well.

I also came across few interesting romantical assumptions for Ja Eun and Ha Rin, I have news for you guys....😂

#myung ja eun #baek harin #Sung soo ji #pyramid game #Webtoon #adaptation #Found another addiction #Glad to see the queer rep not being as ambiguous as I expected #This also reminds me of Surviving Romance

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"Yerim. Do you want to use it?" "Thanks."

Pyramid Game (2024) Episode 3

#pyramid game #yerim x eunjung #im yerim #shim eunjung #kdrama #Pyramid Game Webtoon adaptation

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C-U-T-E

Please I'm screaming!!! Hahahahaha

Joowan is a babygirl in real life lmao and Minsu was not having it with all the flirting 🤣

#love for love's sake #lee tae vin #cha joo wan #oh min su #cha woongki

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I AM ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED WITH THIS SCENE

#love for love's sake #korean bl

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me:

also me:

#BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita: Crank Up Hen #I Became the Main Role of a BL Drama #BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita

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Weak Hero Class 1 (2022) + letterboxd reviews (pt.3)

#weak hero class 1

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Mr. Lee Donghun picked the right song and I'm blessed that I get to hear his version of Miracles in December.

Excited to see him in this show and hopefully he ends up having fun and making great friends.

I checked the cast and the Judges are top tier along with Da hee being the MC?! Damn hopefully this is going to be a no nonsense fun show!

donghun ‘miracles in december’

#a.c.e #donghun #build up #Vocal Boy Group Survivor #exo #miracles in december

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THE SIGN – CULTURAL REFERENCES, MYTHOLOGY AND META

‌

This post comes on the heels of the one by @respectthepetty about mythology and meta of The Sign, linked here. 😍👍 If you've not read it yet, I recommend you do before watching any more of this series, because it will help things make more sense (especially if you're not familiar with some of the cultural references thrumming in the background).

Anyway, I'd previously done some research on the legend(s) of the Garuda and the Naga in Southeast Asia, and so I'm writing this post to share what I've found because it does have relevance to at least some of what we're seeing onscreen in The Sign, and elaborates on @respectthepetty's post.

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The Garuda and the Naga are mythical beings with origins in Indian mythology that have been transposed into cultures across Southeast Asia.

In Hinduism, Garuda is a single deity, depicted in either full-bird form or part-bird and part-human, and is the king of birds and also a divine sun-bird (with physical attributes similar to an eagle's). His elder brother, Aruna, is the chariot driver for Surya the sun-god, while Garuda himself is the mount of Vishnu.

In Buddhist mythology, the garudas (sometimes also spelt garulas) are a society and race of gigantic predatory birds, sometimes also depicted as part-human in form. The garudas are intelligent, social and blessed with might and magical powers.

Thailand may be predominantly Buddhist, but it has also been strongly influenced by ancient Indian culture and Hinduism, and thus both the concept of a single deity Garuda and the race of garudas co-exist in Thai mythological beliefs.

The nagas on the other hand, are snake-like or dragon-like creatures, whose realm is the water world. (The word naga is derived from Sanskrit and is also etymologically related to the English word snake.)

In mythology nagas and garudas are perpetual enemies, although neither side is actually identified with good or evil – they are simply two groups eternally at war with each other (so occidental-leaning minds should dispel any preconception that the water serpents are necessarily the bad guys in The Sign, even though the narrative seems to be tilting in that direction).

When borrowed into popular culture (as has been done for The Sign) you may sometimes see influences of Chinese dragon and phoenix mythology (as Chinese cultural influence is also present in Thailand, and the dragon/phoenix motif of Sinitic culture nicely parallels the naga/garuda conflict pairing). And because of Garuda's association with the sun in Hinduism, and a parallel with the fiery phoenix of Western mythology, you may sometimes see garudas portrayed as aligned with the sun and/or flame as well.

There are some hints of these in The Sign. The naga that Phaya encounters while struggling underwater during the open sea training challenge in Ep.1 is very Thai in appearance (especially with the curved, forward-pointing crest, making it look much like the nagas that adorn Thai temple architecture). But the array of pronged, backward-pointing horns and trailing antennae appear to be a design nod at Chinese or Japanese dragons (East Asian dragons are also strongly identified with the watery realm, by the way). And in the graphics of the series (e.g., in the poster at the start of this post), the sky (the realm of Garuda) is suffused with sunlight and speckled with what look like drifting sparks, referencing sun and flame.

Because of the wings tattooed on his back and his time in the air force, Phaya is most likely the reincarnation of a garuda in human form (and this is why he struggled with the water challenge, as he was completely out of his element).

This is also possibly why we see him smoking early on in the series (because of the alignment of Garuda with the element of fire), and significantly he does this while Naga Tharn (irked by Yai's teasing at the dining table) seeks refuge in the washroom (which is ห้องน้ำ/hong naam in Thai, literally water room):

‌Billy also describes Phaya's character in the promo video for the series (linked here) as being "like fire, always hot and burning... quite hot-headed." 👍

Elsewhere in the same promo video (linked here), Tharn's good friend Chalothon is explicitly identified as the reincarnation of an important naga, which immediately signals that he and Phaya will be at odds in the series:

‌

The water deity that saves Phaya during the open sea challenge – Wansarat, whom he drew in his sketchbook – is not just Freen Sarocha in a fancy scuba suit. 😂

If you look at her arm and hand when she reaches out to save Phaya (before she turns into Tharn) the green scales meld into the skin of her human wrist – they're part of her natural covering, and she's really a nakhee/nagin/nagini, a female naga, appearing in human form to save Phaya.

The narrative has made it strongly obvious that Phaya is a reincarnated garuda, while Tharn is the reincarnation of Wansarat, from the lineage of the nagas. And the teaser-trailer (linked here) tells us that Phaya and Tharn/Wansarat are lovers bound to each other through time:

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However, the special promo video (released 24 November 2023) also tells us (in Heng's interview linked here) that Chalothon and Wansarat were lovers in past lives, even while it is Phaya and Wansarat (reincarnated as Tharn) who are paired by fate in The Sign.

And as the nagas and garudas are bitter enemies, the love story between Phaya and Tharn/Wansarat that transcends time and reincarnation cycles is also one that must have been (and will continue to be) forbidden by their respective naga and garuda tribes (especially since Tharn/Wansarat also used to be naga Chalothon's lover), and will undoubtedly be a source of conflict in the series. This is way beyond the Montagues and Capulets! 😍

‌

So with this as the base, I took a look at the characters' names, and those belonging to Phaya, Chalothon, Tharn and Wansarat especially also reflect their garuda/naga origins. 🤩

Phaya's name (พญา) means lord, king or leader. While it can be applied to the nagas (พญานาค/phaya naak refers to the King of the Nagas) it is also used for Garuda (the Thai national symbol) – พญาครุฑ/phaya khroot, or Lord Garuda (and is what his name references in The Sign).

(above) Billy Patchanon as Phaya

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Chalothon's name (ชโลทร) is rare, but it is derived from Pali/Sanskrit and means river, sea or body of water, reflecting the watery homeland of his naga persona.

(above) Heng Asavarid as Chalothon

‌

Tharn's name (ธาร) also has a connection to his water-dwelling naga roots. Tharn/ธาร is short for ลำธาร/lam thaan and means stream, brook or creek (and he is thus a naga nong to Chalothon's phi).

(above) Babe Tanatat as Tharn/Wansa

However, Tharn is his chue len. His formal name is Wansa, and is the same Wansa in Wansarat (which the narrative lets us know at Ep.1 [3‌/4] 9.35).

(above) Freen Sarocha as Wansarat

Now Wansarat is spelt วรรณษาร���ตน์ in the subtitles (at Ep.1 [3‌/4] 9.02), and I can't find any translation of it that makes sense in the context of The Sign's world-building.

But Wansarat's name is spelt differently elsewhere on the Internet (on Thai drama websites, and movie databases, etc. like thaimovie.org), and I assume they've all based it on official releases from Idol Factory because the spelling is consistent across these other sources – it's วรรษารัตน์ there.

And Wansa/Wansarat spelt this way also reflects the nagas' dominion over water, because วรรษา/wansa (an archaic word, referenced in an older dictionary but not newer ones) means rain or rainy season (from the Sanskrit varsha) – in Thailand the nagas are also associated with rain control, and prayers are offered to them for timely and abundant rainfall when it is needed. (The -rat part of Wansarat is a feminine ending meaning jewel or gemstone, and may echo with meaning for speakers of Indian and Sri Lankan languages, since it's derived from the Pali/Sanskrit ratna).

‌

Just out of interest (because nobody asked 😂) some of these naga/garuda elements were also present in the early episodes of KinnPorsche – the den of the Theerapanyakuls (nagas, wealthy beings of the underworld) was full of watery elements (e.g., the waterfall, the various pools, and Tankhun's carp – which in Chinese belief are the original, natal form of dragons). The -nak in Kinn's formal first name Anakin (which is not a traditional Thai name) is also a nod at the word naga. Porsche had the tattoo of a fiery phoenix on his back, and was out of his element whenever water was concerned (e.g., his failed pool challenge, the mermaid costume punishment, his misadventure with the sprinkler when he tried to smoke in the store room – water vanquishing the flame). Kinn was unable to make fire when they were trapped in the forest, despite claiming to be friends with the flame, while Porsche could immediately do it.

But I didn't see the KinnPorsche narrative taking the naga/garuda themes much further than these random nods in the earlier episodes. Maybe it did (like Kinn and Porsche could be seen acclimatizing to each other's realms more), but I just couldn't be bothered to look at the show more closely since it didn't really stand up to deeper scrutiny, and after the first few episodes I just went along for the exhilaration of the ride instead. 👍

‌

Anyway, I'm totally bedazzled by the level of world-building going on in The Sign and look forward to more from the series. If the first episode is anything to go by, I think Executive Producer Saint Suppapong may be on to something! 😍

#the sign #the sign the series #mythology

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Listen to Effortless here 🎧

They are back and they ATE!

And this is just supposed to be a pre-release for the upcoming mini album?! When the title track drops and I faint then what? A.C.E take the responsibility for wrecking us so hard!!

I'M READY FOR THE DARK CONCEPT! HELL YOU KNOW NOTHING!

I tell you Sehni's vocals are making me feel the emotions I've never felt before. Junhee has come back stronger with those killing visuals and Donghun you mysterious being stop! BK with the blue & pink lights, you are an icon✨

A.C.E Effortless (2023) [soundwave tutorial]

#they came back and ATE #If you've not heard it yet what are your waiting for?! #ACE #Effortless #new song #kpop #stream the song CHOICE

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I know you have. I’m sure you have.

But I’ve just finished watching kbl Blueming and I KNOOOOOOOOOOOW you would have had a lot to say about it.

Colours, frames, shadow, lighting.

Hit me with it please xx

Anon, I love that you are the first person to finally ask me, a color fundi, about Blueming because the show with a color in its name has to have color-coded boys in love, no? And one of them has to be a Blue Boy, no? So since you finished watching it, let me summarize the colors.

The Blue in Blueming

Siwon is the Blue Boy. BUT he is the negatives of his color: distant, sad, and impersonal.

And the reason he is this way is because he doesn't want to be a Blue Boy. When he was younger, he was bullied, so now, he tries to be a blank slate and hides his color under whiteness.

However, he can't hide his true color. His backdrops tend to be blue.

He is lit by blue lighting.

Or blue finds its way on him, like when he bumps into the blue painting.

And it's all because Daun, a mysterious and sophisticated Black Brooder, sees past Siwon's illusion which startles Siwon. The first time they meet, Siwon lies to Daun and tells him he has lunch plans with someone else. Siwon really doesn't, and Daun catches him in his blue and black striped sweater.

Siwon tries to hide his color, but it's already too late. Siwon's blue is starting to show over the white instead of hidden underneath it.

Siwon wants to prove he is better than Daun and attempts to keep an icy distance from Daun, but Daun is not competition, and his neutral color shows that.

But Siwon MUST prove he is superior and ends up getting drunk in his dark blue with light blue striped shirt with a black cardigan haphazardly tied around him when out at a bar with Daun near.

Daun takes a passed out Siwon back to his cold and lonely house, gives Siwon his black jacket to rest on, and takes off his blue socks with a bit of warmth coming from Siwon's direction. But interestingly enough, Daun is already gone for Siwon and framed in the muted blue next to him. And this is where we realize that Blueming is a story about Daun falling in love with a Blue Boy, which causes that Blue Boy to embrace his color.

The next few days, Siwon, who is embarrassed, ties to avoid Daun, but Daun has a gift for Siwon in a blue bag. It's the blue socks Daun took off of Siwon when he was passed out on his bed.

Siwon bumps into the blue painting trying to run away from Daun, which leads us to that beautiful bathroom scene where Daun helps remove the paint from Siwon's ear (and Siwon's sister flirts with his friend). Daun gives Siwon a drink afterward, and Siwon is officially shook-eth. The boy who normally looks at himself every chance he gets can't bring himself to look at his reflection and hasn't since the moment in the bathroom. So he sits in his blue "the pinnacle of life" shirt.

Daun calls him to wish him sweet dreams and requests they work on their assignment the following day. They spend all day together, riding around in the blue.

Daun ends up spending the night at Siwon's under the "GOOD GUY" sign hanging above Siwon's blue bed in the warm light compared to his cold house, but Siwon tries to be anything but blue while laying in the red.

Even with the space Siwon is still imposing, Daun shares that it is his birthday and Siwon tells him the man he ran away from earlier was his father. Siwon focuses on Daun spending his birthday with him feeling bad for not getting Daun anything, but Daun tells him he just wants to spend more time with him. And Siwon has fallen.

He gives Daun coupons to his house. He starts wearing Daun's black. But the blue secret he has been hiding gets exposed, when after finding out who Daun's parents are, his classmate from hell pieces together that Siwon's film is based on his childhood, and the blue starts leaking out.

Siwon and Daun argue, but Daun returns Siwon's blue bike to his house, which makes Siwon realize he can't keep repressing his true color. In the warm light, he questions why this handsome, charming, and sophisticated Black Brooder likes him, a guy who likes Mean Girls rather than new age French films, much to the surprise of Daun because he didn't think he was being obvious about his crush (boo boo, we ALL knew). They make up, and Daun, with a coupon in one hand and a packed bag in his other, spends the night at Siwon's, being the good guy he is.

The next day, Siwon is the bluest boy in his "This is never that" sweater, while Daun, who is a bit lighter in his grey cardigan, grabs Siwon's hand.

The classmate from hell doesn't magical fall off a curb, so he pops up bringing trouble with him, but Siwon has a film to focus on, so Daun decides to help by taking his Blue Boy to the beach.

They kiss in the warmest light.

And the blue blooming Blueming is complete with the boys' black silhouettes bathed in the blue light.

That's where the series ends. Daun gets his warmth from Siwon, and the boys are fully immersed in the blue. Done! Finished! It was great! Except Siwon still has an assignment to film. He wears Daun's black while talking to his child actor who is portraying him in the blue with the blue bike.

He finishes his film, and after the screening, he meets his boyfriend's mother while sharing green and neutrals with him, but he overhears that Daun used his position to sway his mom to pick Siwon's film, and Siwon is pissed.

Siwon doubted himself his entire life. He hid is color because he never thought he was good enough as he was. Daun asking his mother to select Siwon's film brings all those fears back to Siwon about not being enough, yet he doesn't hide his blue. His love for Daun is still there in the black, but Siwon's blue is just as present as he stands in front of his friend and his sister in her "Life is not a game" sweater.

Even though he is upset and feeling the aftermath of this revelation, his blue is still present

Daun tries to apologize while wearing blue, but Siwon is still very upset at the doubts Daun's actions have caused to rise within Siwon.

And Daun is forced to return back to his cold home, only to be alone with sprinkles of Siwon's blue and left to dream of his warmth.

Daun tries again to apologize, this time wearing a darker blue, with Siwon in his grey (or is that the lightest blue?!) Volcom cardigan with the mouth of the smiley face over his heart being taped up. BUT IT WORKS!

Siwon accepts Daun's sincere apology, and the boys return to the blue blooming on the beach. Daun kisses Siwon in his black-striped shirt that looks blue when the warm sunlight shines on it, and they walk along the shore feeling hopeful about their future, together, now that both have blossomed with the love they have been given.

Because in the end, love is what makes colors bloom and puts the blue in Blueming.

#blueming #daun #siwon

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Surviving Romance? More like surviving through multiple heart breaks and emotional trauma lol

<Possible spoilers ahead>

Aaaaah! Nononooooooo Not My Warrior!!

*Pulls hair and screams in agony*

A lot of things are happening, a lot ......and still not a single one of them is going as I want 😭😩

.

.

This moment brought out a lot of emotions 🥺😭😍🔥

I hope the author is not giving me false hopes 🙃

It's Okay! I'll now hold on to these little strings of hope even if they are going to turn out false!

#The number of times the author broke the 4th wall. Please have mercy on us lol #Huisu choosing to restart the story to get her friends back. Ugh! My heart #Although the bracelet may play a big role I wonder how much it can help her though #Good luck to Huisu trying to gain everyone's trust again. It's not going to be easy. #Surviving romance #Webtoon #Huisu #Chaerin #Rina #Jihyeon

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NEW SETS: Weak Hero Character Name Meanings (Korean) ~ LITERAL & METAPHORICAL ~ Part 1

I was in a bit of a somber mood after the ending so I made yet another set of character name meanings (Korean). If you notice the differences from my previous edits it's because I had since learned a little bit more about naming culture in China, Japan, and Korea. Enjoy!

#weak hero webtoon #weak hero #Character name meaning #These were so well thought