[drama 2008] Happiness / Bliss / I Am Happy 행복합니다

[canyayasis]

Hi everyone,

I got a tiny request for the ones who've seen it so far:

Can somebody make a small synopsis for me about this series , which i can put in my topic for the rawreleases @ d-addicts? It would be greatly appreciated.

Have you got this, BADUY?

[Guest o-cha]

it's me again....hope you're not sick of me yet..hehehe.

Part 2..mostly on episode 2..there might be pieces from episode 1 since I don’t remember which one is what anymore hehehe.

Joon Soo is so adorable; he was so excited to meet the company president. For him that has to be the greatest honor in his life to be able to see and talk face to face with the CEO. He shared what was his greatest honor with his fiancée but all he got was an unenthusiastic response. I feel bad for the two at that moment…here was Joon soo basking in glory just dying to share his story with someone but getting a lukewarm (borderline cold) response..at the same time here was Seo Yoon feeling all horrible inside not knowing how she would break her engagement news to her family. Thankfully the awkward scene ended in a sweet “I love you.” Nothing can solve anything as good as I Love You..hehehe.

Aaahh forgot to say the Joon Soo push up scene is very cute indeed. I guess this drama is fair for all…it’s not just the women who are worried about looking good..apparently so do the men…

What else is memorable for me? Ah yes of course how can I forget the Lee boys going gaga over grandma. I think this was in episode 1 but hey I just remember now hehehe. The boys are so cute giving hugs to grandma in turn. I’m sure grandma was happy though she put up a hard front. I like how the Lee boys just look so normal and comfortable. They are totally believable as a family. I think my only displeasure with the casting for the Lee family is Kim Jong Seo as the oldest son. I don’t know if this is Kim Jong Seo’s first acting job or not but he just seems to be the weakest actor in the Lee family bunch and it shows. Another memorable moment for me as far as the Lee boys (I think I’ll start calling them the Lee boys whenever I mean the whole Lee family) was during their mother’s memorial service. Joon Ki (the eldest) was so ignorant of the whole process not knowing where to put the food or how many times to bow. In this scene we see Yong Jae (the adopted son) taking care of the service and really acting like the eldest son of the family more so than the real eldest son Joon Ki. I think seeing this grandma was bit unhappy which she later expressed to her son (papa Lee—briliantly played by Lee Kye In). Grandma is very disappointed with how her eldest grandson is turning out. We see in the second episode how Joon Ki is an aspiring musician and how he doesn’t care about running the family business. Joon Ki even tried to take money out of the little family store. So far Joon Ki is taking the role of the black sheep of the family. On the other hand, Young Jae is portrayed as a very good, loving, and hardworking man. When he overheard grandma and papa Lee’s conversation he didn’t sulk or get offended. Instead he just told papa Lee to not be too hard on Joon Ki hyung. I’m once again glad that the writer puts in another spin to a Korean society stigma. Adoption is still not a widely accepted practice in Korea and most Asian countries so I’m glad that the writer is portraying how an adoptee can seamlessly adjust to his adopted family. Hopefully more and more people realize that there is nothing shameful about adoption. So far I really like how the writer has been able to insert some social message here and there without it being preachy at all.

I also really enjoyed the moments between Kang Seok (Ha Seok Jin’s character) and Ae Da. I can totally see how Ae Da would fall for him in the future. After all what woman wouldn’t fall for a kind, mysterious, handsome stanger like Kang Seok? I can’t wait to see who Kang Seok turns out to be.

Okay one thing that bugs me…not because of the acting or storyline…but the infidelity of Sang Wook. His wife seems to be nice and kind enough so his infidelity really turns me off. I know he has known Ji Sook for a long time but that doesn’t excuse him for cheating on his wife. Where as the kiss between Joon Soo and Seo Yoon in HK was sweet, for me the kiss between Sang Wook and Ji Sook is just oh so wrong.

I just looked at the character chart and it seems like Ji Sook has a loveline with Yong Jae? Ooohh the plot just thickens. Hopefully I’ll be able to watch episode 3 and 4 soon.

[Guest o-cha]

the Lee Boys

credit: SBS Happiness website

[canyayasis]

o_cha !

it's just so great that you're here -

good reading - thank you!

[Guest mannymo]

@o-cha thank you for the recap, but what i actually meant was a synopsis in general about this series (so people know what it's about). Once again thank you for your effort.

[canyayasis]

Hi everyone,

I got a tiny request for the ones who've seen it so far:

Can somebody make a small synopsis for me about this series , which i can put in my topic for the rawreleases @ d-addicts? It would be greatly appreciated.

I don't think any of us know FOR SURE - what this series will be.

We have two good-sized families -

one family wealthy, with status

one family middle class, with a son who works with the family with status.

the rich daughter has fallen in love with a son from a lesser class.

her secret has already been revealed - so i think there's a whole lot of story to come.

[Guest mannymo]

Thanks for your reply,

i'll input your reply and give some explanation.

[baduy]

Have you got this, BADUY?

Yup I got it. But I kept stumm and let you and others do the work. Not because I didn't think mannymo's request was a good idea, because it plainly is, and we are all grateful for anyone who helps spread the word about this drama, but because a synopsis needs to be brief, pithy and concise. And if there's one thing funnier than the opening scenes of ep 4 of this drama, its the idea that I could ever write anything that was brief, pithy and concise. I mean look at how many words it's taken me to make this simple and insignificant statement.

[Guest puela]

ok rainydays over at idols-unlimited volunteered to upload the shinhwa version . Currently only episode 1 is available. U can get the MU links HERE

THANKS RAINY :D

[Guest rainydays]

ok rainydays over at idols-unlimited volunteered to upload the shinhwa version . Currently only episode 1 is available. U can get the MU links HERE

THANKS RAINY :D

Welcome, welcome! The least I can do.

Thanks to the wonderful WITH S2 team for subbing this drama too! I don't understand much Korean but I've sneaked a little peeks of "Happiness" here and there (I usually wait till the subs are out), it looks interesting thus far!

[Guest smiley6yrl]

Thanks Rainydays and Puela for all the direct dls~!!!! Shinhwa is the way to go... hehe

[baduy]

I've been trying to figure out a few things about Ae Da's personality and motives, but I need some help from people who understand Korean properly with something she says to her mother in ep 2 (00:35:30) when Mom and Daughter-in-Law are having a massage and Ae Da is sitting in with them. This is after the boat trip, and while SY is on her way to her "(half-)truth telling meet up with JS, after telling Ae Da she's too tired to go anywhere.

Ae Da says to Mom

엄마, 진짜 언니두 엄마 뱃속에서 나온 거 맞수? 혹시 잘 생각해봐? 아빠가 어디서 슬쩍...

and Mom cuts her off with a shouted "Shut your mouth!!" [시끄러워!]

So is Ae Da in effect asking (as a joke??) whether she and SY are only half-siblings? Speculating that if the truth were known maybe SY is her father's child but not her mother's and has been adopted into the family? Implying that this would explain why she and her sisters have such a different attitude to Mum's plans -- this is of course before Ae Da has encountered her Mysterious Stranger. Or have I completely misunderstood this line?

[Guest hjkomo]

^^ Yes, Ae Da is teasing her mom because Seo Yoon is so different from both of them, jokingly hinting at the possibility that SY is Dad's love-child.

[ay_link]

Brought to you by WITH S2

Written In The Heavens Subbing Squad

EPISODE 1 ENGLISH SUBS

*Ental* | *SHiNHWA*

CREDITS:

Main Translator: inbi

Spot Translator: hjkomo

Timer: victory

Editor/QC: ay_link

Coordinators: mily2, ay_link

***

Yay for Episode 1 subs! ^^

We're so excited to bring you this first episode *well okay, me especially lol!*

Can't seem to get enough and I brag about this series to everyone I know

Hopefully we can bring more people to enjoy this great series. Enjoy!

And Episode 5 is just around the corner... so excited~

[melica]

u r welcome... and I have several computers working on the uploading and downloading home, work's and my latop.. Thank Goodness for being able to remotely control all of them hehehe... ^_^v ...

I have been meaning to say thanks as well for a really long time so thanks for all the uploading you do. I really appreciate it

And as always, thanks to With S2 for taking on this show. I'm going to give it a try. 50 eps!

[Guest kacanghijau]

Thanks ay_link!!! Keep up the good work....

[baduy]

^^ Yes, Ae Da is teasing her mom because Seo Yoon is so different from both of them, jokingly hinting at the possibility that SY is Dad's love-child.

Many thanks for confirming that! It takes me further towards sussing out what sort of role Ae Da has in the emerging dynamics of this drama, but I think I'll wait to see (this weekend I bet) how she reacts to SY's bombshell (above all whose side she's on, and why) before I run anything past the thread.

That aside: if anyone thinking of joining me and other hopeful trekkers on the long trail toward understanding more of this language is interested to know the connections between those Korean words and that English meaning, here's a crude word-by-word breakdown of Ae Da's remark.

엄마, 진짜 언니두 엄마 뱃속에서 나온 거 맞수?

Mom, truly older sister-also mom['s] belly-in emerged-from-thing correct?

혹시 잘 생각해봐?

Maybe successful thinking attempt?

아빠가 어디서 슬쩍...

Daddy someplace-from secret...

(at which point Mom yells at her to shutup, literally saying "Noisy!")

In case that causes anyone who just enrolled for beginners' Korean lessons to tear up their application in horror: fear not. It is possible for people whose minds have been shaped by the very different grammar of (almost all) other languages to get the hang of Korean. The vital thing is to lose the notion that learning another language is mainly a matter of "learning words".

Learning words is indeed part of it, but where the grammar of a language is so distinctive and different, it's much more important to learn how Korean puts words together to construct meanings. And then to get into the habit of taking the Korean structures as they come at you, passing them in their native format from your ears into the bits of your brain that understand language, instead of trying to dissect, convert and regroup them into English patterns first.

One big problem is that a lot of text books (anxious to lower early drop-out rates) attempt to make Korean seem "easier" by shielding learners for as long as possible from sentences that can't be readily brought into line with more familiar patterns in other languages. The outcome, however, is that "real" Korean appears harder than it need be, because the first couple of years of textbook study are devoted to an artificial "lite" version.

Korean learners of the world: Kdrama and Kpop, plus on-line dictionaries, especially http://endic.naver.com, and of course the ever-helpful Soompiers, are your friends. And they're also a whole lot more fun than week after week of "authentic situational dialogs" like

- Freshman Lee. Where is your Korean Dictionary?

- It is in my bag, Professor Kim.

- Where is your bag, Freshman Lee? ... etc etc.

[Guest bent]

if i like coffee prince, princess hours, full hse kind of shows, would i like this?

dunno if i shud dl...

[Guest twopiece]

if i like coffee prince, princess hours, full hse kind of shows, would i like this?

dunno if i shud dl...

I think you'll enjoy it. To me, it was well worth it. Give it a try.

[baduy]

if i like coffee prince, princess hours, full hse kind of shows, would i like this?

A bit hard to say (it always is...) but I suspect you ought to give it a go.

Of your list, I can't really claim to understand the appeal of Princess Hours. I found it a bit too girlie for my taste. But then it is based on a soonjong manhwa and I am a male Senior Citizen, so perhaps it's just as well it didn't ring many of my antiquated bells. And I did sample it mangled dubbed into Tagalog/Filipino, which is not the fairest way to judge a Kdrama.

If you saw it, where does Flowers for my Life figure in your list of likes? People may think that's an odd one to bring up here, but what I have in mind is that that drama took a serious topic seriously, without ever being heavy, and at the same time it was consistently hilarious without ever being flippant or facile. And the way it managed to do that balancing act was that it was above all a comedy of character rather than situation. The characters and their interactions were wonderfully varied, richly imagined and superbly played. Which, on the four eps we've seen so far, I'd say is also the case with IAHappy. I think it was also the case with CP.

As for Full House, well again I'm not exactly the age or gender on which these things are primarily targetted, and I might get banned for life from Soompi if I said any more than that I thought the balance of ability between the two main leads was, err, somewhat uneven, and that one gave a magnificent performance while the other seemed to be doing a spot of pot-boiling and vehicle-riding between cutting CD's and doing gigs. Oops, said too much already. Forget that last bit.

One further thing, though. This is a weekender of (AFAIK) so far not finally decided length, but it seems likely that we are in this for 50 eps or more. That's a big slice of anyone's KDrama viewing time and life, so you might want to consider that aspect too before risking addictive exposure.