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thereismusicinmysoul · 3 months

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Work was closed today because of an ice storm, so I took the unexpected day off to finally finish the pleated wrap skirt I've been working on since early November! I got really rambly about the whole thing so here's a picture of the finished product and I'll drop the rest below the cut.

This project came about because I've been watching The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty with some friends and I DESIRE a swooshy skirt. While I didn't follow any patterns and wasn't setting out to make the same exact style of skirt, it was definitely influential. (This skirt brought to you by numerous tutorial videos, including one on Chinese mamianqun's and one on Korean hanbok's, and an absolute refusal to actually follow anyone's instructions. No pattern, we die like men)

It's been almost 10 years since I've done any sewing, so I decided to buy sheets from the thrift store so that I wouldn't cry as hard if things went horribly or I had to trash the project. (Don't get me wrong, I still cried. Because Oh Golly did things go wrong. But it wasn't as tragic as if I'd used full price fabric from Joann's, ya feel?) So from there the idea grew from "pleated wrap skirt" (my rationale: I don't have to be precise in my measurements, straight hem, but still lots of swoosh) to "make this skirt out of a queen size top sheet with as little waste as possible" because who doesn't love a challenge?

....and oh what a challenge it ended up. I plotted things out in my notebook, planned how I would cut everything, and oh let me tell you: rationally I knew how big the sheet was. But laying it out to cut it? So huge. So much fabric. It covered my entire bedroom floor. All of this going into a single skirt oh god what have I gotten myself into? But this part actually went the smoothest of the whole process! Because...

I wasn't doing normal pleats. Since I was trying to make the swooshiest dress with as much of the fabric as I had, I did "deep pleats" which is. A normal pleat but if you shove more fabric inside the pleat. No one wanted to explain to me exactly how to do this. The one person I found who did gave me MATH about it. And boy am I bad at math. Used a pillowcase to practice and wrap my head around how the math worked (the intangible makes no sense to me, I must hold it in my hands), sorted the math, started pleating for real! Measured my pinned pleats and it came up way shorter than anticipated. Have I mentioned it's been a hot minute since I've sewn? Also this was my first attempt ever at pleats. SO! I unpinned everything, made my deep pleats slightly less deep, pinned them all up again, and then blessedly listened to my Grammy's advice to baste the pleats first. Because horror of horrors, my measurements were right the first time and now my fabric was too long for the waistband I'd already put Quite A Lot Of Effort Into. Like, it's a wrap skirt. I would've just made do. But no. It wouldn't even fit.

Within this process, I sewed together my three skirt panels, put in a pocket (oh the choices I made. This pocket did not survive to the completion of the skirt because it was BAD. I was terrified that the fabric wouldn't hold up to the weight of me dripping my phone into it and covered the ENTIRE pocket in interfacing. This would be fine if I'd wanted it to fuck up the way the skirt lay, but this was not in fact what I wanted. I am however very proud of the placement I worked out for it, it sits inside one of the pleats so it isn't visible), hemmed the WHOLE FUCKING THING (look. Again. I knew it was a lot of fabric. But it did not occur to me that I would be hemming fucking 240" across the bottom, plus 30" up either side. I used ALL of my pins to accomplish this), and made a very lovely waistband and ties.

Now it is at this point that I went out of town for thanksgiving, remembered I had other Christmas crafting plans, started a new job working more hours, and left this skirt to languish until a few weeks ago when I finally had the heart to rip out all of those pleats, remembered I wanted to redo the pocket while I was here (and let me tell you, I needn't have worried about the strength of the pocket. I had that fucker in there GOOD. I think it took longer picking out that single pocket than it took taking out all of the pleats), and then set about redoing everything.

Now something you may not know about me is I exist in somewhat of a state of chaos. I try to write things down to negate this, but uh. Guess who didn't write down where she left off, and couldn't decipher the mad scientist notes that made sense in the heat of the moment, but not several months later? That would be me. Thankfully I was able to sort things out, get the pocket put back in, got the pleats pinned in record time, and praise whatever deity you may recognize, it was the right length this time! So this afternoon, I attached it to the waistband, did a very lovely "stitch in the ditch" (that I had to take out because something got fucked up in the back and it wouldn't lay right. I never regretted how closely I matched the thread to the fabric more than I did in that moment), REDID all that stitching, and now I have a skirt!

Ultimately, I don't actually know if I'll wear it. I no longer own many tops that lay well with a skirt without making me hate my body, and I don't know that I like the length. Maybe a shopping trip and cutting off several inches (...oh god I'll have to re-hem it...) will make me like it on myself better, but even if I don't and I never wear it, this has been a really fun and fulfilling project! I'm satisfied just with having completed it and I've learned a lot in the process! And hey, for going into this refusing to follow a pattern, with a goal of "use the entire sheet in the skirt" I think it came out pretty nicely. Plus, if nothing else, I can pleat like an absolute pro now.

#kayleeblogs #what an adventure this was. truly a fun experience tho even for all that I'm being dramatic about all the bumps along the way #and hey! a skirt! and it swooshes!

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piganatur · 1 year

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THE EIGHTH SENSE EP 1

The eighth sense is: - the type of production that I tend to inhale - giving me such k-indie film vibes I’m humming with joy

I watched the first two episodes like two days ago. Rewatched them again the next morning. Pondered for a day, then watched the first ep again. At that point I accepted: this show lives rent free in my brain.

It’s something about: - the opening sequence because it literally plunges us into the middle of what this story will tell and what it’s about. It’s the wave crashing over our heads and after seeing nothing but the confusing (but crucial) bits, much like the white crest of said breaking wave, the scene in the bar slows down. We’re up at the surface again, waiting, building for the next wave

It’s something about: - how funny it is that in the bar, there’s noise, everyone chats loudly, there’s ought to be the dynamic of life and fun – a certain kind of rush to the scene – yet it’s the opposite. I’ve seen people describe it as too boring and long of a scene. It’s fascinating to think that it’s our timeout before the next wave. Two conversations from the bar: 1, about getting dumped/love life and 2, about getting rejected/ finding a job AND THEN we have the table with Jaewon who’s about to look for a job + broke up with his gf + is about to meet Jihyun... I already love this sm

It’s something about: - how everything Jaewon’s friends say about 1, him being impressive (for not taking time off school, for interning at a foreign company, for doing his military service then getting certificates and straightaway acing TOEIC… so things he had to do) and 2, him being backed up (by connections, family, money… essentially the reason why he had to do those things – bc they’re expected of him *just think about his mum’s messages*) COMES INTO FULL CIRCLE His friend says ‘when I see you I feel like I’m suffocating’ >> man… imagine what it’s like for Jaewon. He’s angry but stifles it and it builds in him. He’s trapped in that scene (background sounds and music fades out as Taehyung’s accusations echo through his head) until he’s literally knocked off his seat. And that’s when he shows his anger. And Jihyun embraces him and pulls him away from that (and the scene slows down again!!!)

- Jaewon knows what they say about him is true but that’s a double edged sword when others only see the positive side of it. Seeing how korean media represents university friendships, the way his friends act is (sure, shitty… but also) kinda typical. If they all met at the start of university, besides attending school and working on their social connections they drink/have fun together. The mention of someone’s connections or money (especially in their final year) is simply their drunken-jealous bitching about how easy it is for Jaewon, how he has no worries. And Jaewon also pretends to be drunk so he can let it go and make up with them but he’s obviously so fed up like… ppl just look at him and see

It’s something about: - the scene where Jihyun and Jaewon first talk. Jihyun not only gives Jaewon two cigarettes… he also has the lighter on him while he hands Jaewon those cigarettes but chooses to light one for him with his very cool bbq lighter instead. So then he can give the lighter as a farewell gift a few minutes later!

It’s something about: - Jihyun’s allure and that it’s his lack of preconceived assumptions about Jaewon. Jaewon doesn’t have to be any certain way around Jihyun and sometimes that’s the best someone could wish for

It’s something about: - Jihyun drinking with his boss lady. That scene is so magical because Jihyun is portrayed as a quiet countryside boy full of fears but he still pulls people in, connecting with them even when he doesn’t try (also I’m pretty sure boss lady is the tteokbokki shop owner from WYEL, where are my fellow WYEL enthusiasts at?)

It’s something about: - the scene w/ Jaewon at the gate of his house. Everything about that scene is just *chefs kiss*

It’s something about: - Jihyun trying to follow Jaewon and losing him vs Jaewon catching Jihyun eating lunch by himself (yo, I’m vibrating on a cellular level)

It’s something about: - Jaewon almost pissing his pants when caught talking w/ Jihyun in the cafeteria. It’s too funny to me

It’s something about:

this damn shot that makes me go feral - Jihyun follows Jaewon out of the bar to talk with him, they’re framed together yet there’s a line between them with the mirror/double images (I’m biting the edge of the table) BUT the moment Jihyun talks to Jaewon it’s all gone. Jaewon’s 'I didn’t see you earlier' is so telling

There’s also the scene with Jaewon and the therapist lady but I’ll come back to that in ep two

#ps. i already love yoonwon #when she told jihyun that boys always join the surf club because of eunji #so it must be the case for him as well #jihyun’s reply of “It’s not like that” is peak comedy #i tried to be coherent but its hard when my brain is all scattered #theres still more #but this post is already so long #thank you t8s cast and crew #the eighth sense #여덟 번째 감각 #ep rundown

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absolutebl · 2 years

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Hi there, thanks a lot for answering my question on Thai bl acting styles, it was very informative.

I just read your review on Light on Me and I love that your reactions reflect my own feelings while I watched that show. It was my second Kbl after where your eyes linger and I love that show so much that it is still one of my top bls.

I agree with your statement on how clever Korea is with tropes, I went into the show and arrogantly tagged Shinwoo as the Seme character and love interest, because of the nature of he and TaeKyung meeting and I immediately spotted the enemies to lovers arc they were on but the show turned my expectations on its head when Daon was introduced and was given all the traditional tropes a Seme and Main ML character is given. I was honestly rooting for Daon, TaeKyung confession to him was everything, until the picture incident. After that ShinWoo got more fleshed out and I found myself jumping ship. I didn't hate Daon for his actions as the narrative treated him fairly and was sympathetic towards him even while it punished him for his inaction.

I was so confused by the end on who I wanted TaeKyung to end up with. The hand hold scene where TaeKyung chose ShinWoo was one of the most angsty I have ever watched, my heart was literally in my mouth❤️❤️

I haven't watched that many Korean BLs(Where your eyes linger, light on me, color rush 1 and 2, first love again, cherry blossoms after winter, semantic error and to my star. That's a lot more than I thought.)

I think their style is my favorite, I like how clear they are about their narrative, how they move towards their goal and use tropes to help the story not become the story like Thailand does

Thailand might have the heat down for their BLs but plot and narrative focus is where I believe they falter, as a lover of plot and precise storytelling, their works don't tend to be my favorites because of this, they are exceptions of course.

I wonder, do you think that the Korean BL industry has the potential to rival the Thai one? I know that due to the strength of Kdramas in the industry it might be hard for Kbls to really make their mark because with Thailand j never would have looked at their ent industry if not for BLs.

I don't know much about the K industry but I once saw that BLs would never be allowed to air on TV in Korea even they were made into long running series of atleast an hour like Kdramas, if that is an issue, how do you think streaming can help out? For example do you think a Kbl with a high budget can be put on Netflix? Wouldn't that be a good alternative?

J would really like to see what Korea can do with it's BLs if provided with the budget.

Sorry for such a long ask I just really like hearing your thoughts.

Bye😘

I think the KBL industry IS rivaling the Thai one. Because of the things you said you like about it.

More importantly it's now sucking in NEW fans, which used to be Thailand's wheelhouse. These days it seems about 50/50 (and I say that mostly because of the new follows I get and what they talk to and ask me about). A few short years ago here on tumblr was all Thai all the time, now KBL is seriously givin ThBL a run for its money.

Shocking that Korea could move so fast. I mean they've done this in less than 3 YEARS! It takes Hollywood 3 fucking years to raise the funds to even think about shopping a script for fuck's sake.

Korea is now very much setting expectations and defining new watcher requirements. Especially something like Semantic Error.

I think Japan has upped production BECAUSE Korea got in on the scene so dam hard and quickly and efficiently, but JBL doesn't have the commercial machinery (or focus) to really dominate.

So It will be Korea as the only one who can rival Thailand, but ON THEIR OWN TERMS. KBL are very intentionally not doing BL on Thailand's terms but on their own: shorter, higher production, using idols, making sure it is very very pretty.

I'm kinda awed. But not too surprised.

Hallyu gonna hallyu.

And yes I think Netflix might snap a very high production value longer KBL asset up, especially after the success of Heartstopper and Squid Game. So far none of the KBLs listed as in production this year have struck me as something Netflix would like. They have specific taste over there. And last I checked they want at least an 8 ep arc of 40-60 ea (12-16 would be better). KBL hasn’t done one of those yet. I’m thinking it has to be a serious adult-leaning one too, like the Korean version of Life: Love On The Line. Or an actual Kdrama BL, like my long awaited gay version of Descendants of the Sun.

#korean bl #Hallyu #kdrama #KBL #K-BL #light on me #semantic error #heartstopper #squid game #life love on the line #descendants of the sun #K-drama #korean drama #korean film industry #japanese bl

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dropthedemiurge · 10 months

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i started watching because of you and i did not expect to cry so hard over the main character's dad. don't get me wrong, the angst and romance drama is very sad and secondhand embarrassment too but what apparently hits me the hardest rn is the dad stuff. i don't know much about thai society but i can guess they value family a lot and being a sudden orphan must have nerfed the main character's confidence even more

oh also pear is really cute we love to see a girl winning. you go get that education and the life you deserve! im hoping for her sake the writers will be compassionate to her in the ending however that works out. she's so kind to everyone, please be kind to her. it's not her fault she has a somewhat crush on her childhood best friend. that's quite a long time to get to know someone

i also feel bad for the angsty guy like when he showed up drunk the day of the wedding i wanted to close the blinds and give him water. call his heart a fiddle the way he's being played/strung along rn. ten years ago i probably would have read sad angst fics of him and cried for him because he's so obvious about his feelings but clueless guy is so oblivious. but i don't think those secondhand emotions will hit until clueless guy is enlightened so im happy to postpone all of that for later. clueless guy really is quite the train wreck.who knew time wizards could fix light-up snow globes? i want a snow globe that lights up AND plays music. in the show they think it's cheap but that is combining several snowglobe selling points into one. in addition to having fake snow in the sculpture ball!!!!!!

i don't really know what else to say so far im not caught up yet but thanks for exposing me to this. oh also! it's funny they included a cat food commercial in the show. they really know their demographic lol

First of all, I really appreciate you anon sharing your impressions of Be My Favorite with me - but I couldn't be more perplexed when the first message came in without warning and NOTHING indicated me that you were talking about BMF and not some random time wizard shops xDD Anyway, now that I'm on the same page -- YOU GET IT! Anon, you get it. I'm not watching BMF as much for the romance and everything, as I'm watching it to see all character's development (which is done so great) and damn, all the scenes and flashbacks of Kawi, the clueless guy, with his dad are just so. Hitting right in your heart :'))) Not just Thai society, basically in Asian culture they value family and traditions very strongly! (as opposed to western's individualism etc). You can see a lot of Thai, Korean, Japanese series incorporate it so well with showing hierarchy between people, dependence from parents -- but also caring about each other, sticking close with your family and wanting to put all effort into managing that bond. It even extends to other people outside of the family, people being affectionate and bonding with one another and calling their friends family or caring for strangers and helping them because they remind them of their relatives etc.

Sorry for the sidetracking xD Pear is absolutely loveable person but all the characters so far in this series are grey, there is no fully bad or fully good person.👀 I'm really curious to see whether they'll go with Pear.

Clueless guy is maturing with full speed. Pisaeng also found the courage in Kawi and now he'll stand up hopefully to own his life and be confident about it. They all grow and hopefully they'll take care of each other, as it seem to be the message of the show. But... There are still few episodes left and damn, let's get ready for even more angst xD I'm happy that you were motivated to watch Be My Favorite because of my posts! I feel bad sometimes for spamming but the quality, the production, the storytelling is done SO WELL in this series that I cannot help but share and share. Because it's a rare thing nowadays and I'm excited. I literally have no complains about this show at all, I'm fascinated to dig and interpret every single detail.

New episode is coming today! Have fun watching!

#be my favorite #be my favorite series #asks #droptheanswer

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lgcxminji · 1 year

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MINJI was called to a meeting with her manager, PARK EUNSOOK.

while it was mentioned beforehand about what could be discussed to each of the members, there’s still a bit of uncertainty as to what EUNSOOK would say. “please sit down, MINJI.” EUNSOOK gave a sincere smile as she points towards the chair right across from her. the older woman turned her tablet towards MINJI as she shows some statistical data that would be hard for anyone to understand, but as EUNSOOK scrolls down on the document, the comments coming from the coaches are revealed. “many of our coaches have been analyzing the idols and their performances over the last few months, especially during the year end ceremonies. in addition to that, we have our marketing team checking to see how everyone is doing individually. as for you, we’re happy to say that you’ve received quite a number of compliments regarding your performances. they’ve noticed some improvement as a performer and are please to say that you’ve been doing a wonderful job as FABULA’s main dancer and lead vocalist.”

EUNSOOK then looked at MINJI as she began explaining some of the other comments she has seen as well. “some of the coaches encourage you to keep working on your ACTING, because we see so much potential in that and we believe that if those acting lessons paid off, you could be the main dancer that people should watch out for in legacy.” EUNSOOK smiled happily and proudly like an older sister. “they also suggested that it would be best for you to work a bit on your language skills as well, specifically with KOREAN and ENGLISH since we do have plans to promote FABULA overseas more. aside from that, keep up the good work. it makes me proud to have you be a part of FABULA.” she paused, thinking it was now MINJI’s time to express what she wanted to say. “now about you. when the time comes, what do you see yourself doing more of in the future? i know you’ve done an array of activities and gigs during your time as a trainee and even while being in FABULA, but we want to know — what do you enjoy doing aside from performing on stage?”

OOC NOTES:

the content of this submission is fully ic and doesn’t reflect our opinions ooc. the feedback is mostly based on the muse’s skill set and points. while you don’t HAVE to follow everything mentioned in the feedback, it’s highly recommended to do so for optimal results. once you have responded to this prompt, please tag this as lgc:perfreview and send the form below to the points blog before FEBRUARY 12, 2023 11:59PM EST so you can claim your points. as for the points, we’ve listed possible skills you can distribute the 10 points to. if you wish, you can distribute them across multiple skills instead of one (ex. +4 acting, +6 korean instead of +10 korean). your reply must have a minimum of 300 words (and this will count as post activity).

MUSE NAME ∙ PERFORMANCE REVIEW

- PR SUBMIT: +5 korean, +5 english [ LINK TO SUBMIT ]

minji sat still for a moment, just thinking. what did she want to do? who did she want to be? she didn’t have to think long, though. “this sounds silly, but aside from performing on stage, i love… performing on stage?” she giggled, letting her bubbly, youthful energy remain known to her manager despite the influx of new years resolutions she’s probably expected from the talkative girl. “don’t get me wrong, i have never ever second-guessed my desire to be an idol- to be a part of fabula,” she said, thinking back to the day she was revealed, about a whole year ago, to be a member of the group.

“i’ll be honest though, i did feel very jealous hearing about the newsies performance last fall. i knew why i couldn’t be a part of it, of course, and that was completely fine. my schedules with fabula will always come first. but i do miss being able to be a part of a stage production like that.” she had shared this feeling with her friends before, but never with her manager. it was quite nerve-racking, to say the least, but she knew what she wanted, and to get what she wanted, she had to make it clear that it was what she wanted.

“if you mean actually off stage, i am actually interested in acting in dramas and films as well,” she smiled. “that’s why i was so excited to be cast for the cameo on bullet inquiry; i thought it would be a great opportunity to try and see if i enjoy acting for the camera, or if i’d rather just focus on live performance, whether that be as an idol or in musicals.” she wanted to be clear that she had thought about this in advance. this wasn’t something she was saying for the sake of having something to say; this is truly what she wanted. finally, as a side note, she added: “i also really liked being in the cf for sola since that kind of goes hand-in-hand with acting!”

to close out the meeting, she decided to speak for her future not just as herself, but as a member of fabula. “i definitely agree with you on the skills i need to work on- i’m sure you could already tell based on what ‘extra’ coaching sessions i’ve been attending that acting was on my mind a lot lately. but, i’ll definitely work on my english and korean too,” the bilingual knew she was, somehow, rusty in both languages. a tune-up was definitely in order. she made sure to remember to add a few language sessions to her training schedule from then on. “thank you, eunsook-nim,” she smiled. and as she walked out the room, she punched the air; she’d forgotten to ask about the 'special someone’ at the bullet inquiry set.

#[ solo ]#lgc:perfreview

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don-dake · 2 years

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《女人俱樂部》 | 《Never Dance Alone》 (2014)

Had a recent rewatch after a good number of years. Still as enjoyable as ever. I was not wrong to include this as one of my favourite series from TVB, if not the ONLY one still, from post 2010 back then!

Eight years ago (has it been so long?!) when it first aired, this series pleasantly surprised me with its strong script, better than usual production standards and strong performances from almost everyone in the cast, even the young rookies playing the younger versions of the seven main female characters.

(TVB series were already steadily becoming irredeemable rubbish a few years prior, so going in with low, very low expectations and finding myself actually truly enjoying this series came as an unexpected welcome!)

That this series boasted the return of some actors — namely, Carman Lee 李若彤, Rachel Lee aka Loletta Lee 李麗珍, Fennie Yuen 袁潔瑩, Angie Cheong 張慧儀, Gloria Yip 葉蘊儀, Elvina Kong 江欣燕 and Flora Chan 陳慧珊 — who hadn't been seen onscreen for some years then, actors of whom I have fond memories of from my childhood, that was icing on the cake!

(Sadly, what was thought to be a second wind for some of these actors was not to be. With the exception of Carman Lee who had been and still is active in the Mainland China market, the others have more or less gone back into oblivion…)

And now, eight years later, this series' themes of time and friendships found, lost, and found again (if really lucky), are still as relatable and as relevant as ever.

Perhaps more so now than before, as I get even closer in age to the characters on the older side in this story.

Unofficially ‘inspired’ by the 2011 Korean film, “Sunny”), the story is well paced, the two different timelines of the late '80s and 2013 are interspersed well and complemented without over-shadowing each other.

A TV series also allowed for more development of the main characters (of which there were more than usual too) in this story and gave an audience time to know them better.

In all honesty, I thought this adaptation was better than the original movie in a lot of ways; I much preferred the lighter set up of “Never Dance Alone” for one, unlike the original where things tethered on the imminent passing of one of the friends, and the resolution for the friends in the movie had too much of a ‘fairy godmother saves the day with monetary and other tangible rewards’ cliché to it.

NDA's happier and more relatable conclusion resonates better with me.

I also appreciated the fact that efforts were made to cast younger actors who physically resembled their older counterparts. For one, it made relating between the past and present that much easier, and two, it also indicated that if someone in production cared enough about a not-too-crucial detail like that, it probably meant this production had more sincerity and earnestness in delivering a series to be remembered (which they succeeded, in my opinion).

In a culture where there is little room for fussiness, and TV series are churned out in quantity over quality — most meant to be watched and quickly forgotten as soon as the next one comes along — and certainly made more for entertainment value than any real artistic merit, “Never Dance Alone” stands out in being not just another ‘time-filler’ series but a series that strived to tell a good story and has much heart in it, even if its heart was transplanted from a donor named ‘Sunny’.

↑ Third bar from the top shows one of M Club's competitors to be a group called ‘Sunny’! Easter egg? :)

TVB may not have officially acknowledged ‘being inspired’ by the Korean film, but someone in production seemed to have stealthily done so through a blink-and-miss-it shot of the scoreboard from the dance competition the characters took part in in the finale episode.

#I have a lot of warm fuzzy feelings for this series hence #Dake Rambles #Never Dance Alone #TVB #HK Drama #Carman Lee #Rachel Lee #Angie Cheong #Fennie Yuen #Gloria Yip #Elvina Kong #Flora Chan #Winki Lai #Eliza Sam #And other younger actors whose names I can't remember now and am too lazy to look up…sorry!#My Caps

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resi4skz · 3 months

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From Brush to Heart (a bang chan fanfic) CHAPTER 4

Pairings: Bang Chan/Rebecca(OC), Han/Luna(OC) Genre: Romcom

For the next few weeks, I got Luna acquainted with the few necessities to get around outside. I got her a new phone number, got her registered in korean classes and some days I would let her follow the map on her phone whenever we were out. We even visited Just Java and had their coffee. It was the yummiest coffee I've ever had. We enjoyed every bit of the time we had with each other. Luckily, we started our work next month also so it was great to know that she won't be home alone.

"Hey, Luna, do you want to try tteokbokki?" I ask as I scroll through the menu on my phone. "I'll tell them to make it very mild."

"Sure!"

I find a restaurant with good reviews and order on the food app. "Okay, our order will be here soon. I even ordered fried chicken."

As we wait for the food to arrive, I turn on the tv to pass time. "Hey, what if you get to work for Stray Kids?"

"Doubtful," I say flipping through channels.

"Hey now. Don't underestimate your skills."

"I'm not. I just don't want my first day to work THE group. What if I say something really embarrassing?"

"Then you'll have something to tell your grandkids." I hit her arm as she laughs. "Relax. You'll do fine, trust me."

Our food finally arrives and we eat as we watch tv. I even teach her some words in Korean when she asks me. We finish eating our dinner and soon we start getting ready for bed. After doing my skin care, I settle myself in my bed and turn off the light. Let's hope Luna is right about me doing well at my job next month. I promise myself that whoever I will end up with, I will give it my best.

---------------------------------------------------------------- Next month rolls around pretty fast and I get more and more nervous which I shouldn't be feeling. A few days ago, I went out and registered for a Korean name: Kim Na Eun. Only Luna and I know about this though.

Luna finally started working at the coffee shop today and I'm standing in front of my mirror as I examine my outfit. I'm wearing a beige button shirt with a long black jean skirt and white sneakers. Giving myself pep talk before I head out. "You got this, Becca."

It takes me half hour to reach JYPE and soon I'm in the HR department filling out some forms. I get introduced to my team members and soon I'm following one of the staff members, Yujin, down towards the makeup rooms. She told me I'll also be meeting the group that I will be assigned to. She introduced me to other makeup artists and I was surprised that everyone was so friendly which made me feel at ease somewhat.

She leads me to another room full of makeup vanities. There were a total of 12 chairs and even had a couch at one end. "They should be arriving shortly." I smile at her as I wait with her. I admire all the vanities that had makeup products laid out along with hair tools. The door opens and I hear the commotion of a couple of guys laughing and talking but I don't turn around as I'm still looking at all the makeup stations. "Becca-ssi!"

"Ne," I turn around and I suddenly wish I was still home.

"These are the guys I was talking about. You're assigned to them."

Back home, whatever I did, whether it was school work or job wise, it wasn't ever good enough for my father. I wanted to learn dancing when I was 15 but took my money pot away that I had been saving since I was 10. I wanted to learn ballet, dad called the ballet dance school and had them deny my admission. Whatever it was, it wasn't worth my while because he wanted me to become a surgeon like him. So he had me studying 24/7 till I collapsed and was on bed rest for 3 months. Even then, he gave me stuff to do related to medicine. Since then, I always did what he wanted me to do. Till last year, I did whatever made him happy. But when I finally stood up, he crushed my dreams.

I was very glad because I got all certifications, even international ones, for this moment all thanks to Luna. Of course, she was on my side the entire time. If it wasn't for her, I don't know how I could've dealt with all the stress. She pushed me and told me give it all my best. And thats's exactly what I did. Living in a new country was surreal. Everything was new to me. The food, the environment, the smell in the air.

But now as I stand in front of 9 handsome men staring back at me, I don't think my life could get any better. All of them introduced themselves to me and I was in awe of their beauty. Each member had their own aura. I glance around and noticed that only 4 out of 9 had different hair colors. I made a mental note to tell Luna later when one of them walked towards me. He had blonde with blue streaks styled hair, eyes that shined like stars and a jawline that was swoon worthy. I couldn't help but stare at him as he stood in front of me. Bang Chan stood in front of me. I know somewhere Luna is kicking her feet in the air.

"You're not from here, are you?" Bang Chan asked.

My god. I had seen him a few months ago. I don't know if I can handle this. I mean out of all the boys, he was the one I was most fascinated with. I watched them from their pre-debut days till now. And he's right here. Standing. Looking all glorious. In front of me. And who knew I would be seeing him again.

"No, I'm from Australia," I replied, containing my posture.

"Oh, really?" The way his eyes lit up, I wanted take a picture of it. "Which part?"

"Melbourne." I replied. I don't think he remembers me?

"Ah, the city of night life and architecture," he said, smiling. I think my mental state is not okay at the moment. Seeing his smile was one of my favourite part of him. It always made my day. But to see it in person....

"Yes, but I never got to enjoy it. I like Seoul more," I said.

"So you'll be our new makeup artist?" He asked. When I'm about say something, the voices come.

"What's your name?" "Does she like ice cream?" "Ask her age!"

All these questions came like a firing round in a game. I burst out laughing but immediately stop when they look at me. "Sorry."

I looked at all of them and replied in korean, "My name is Rebecca Greywood. I'm 20, korean age 21. And I like chocolate flavor."

It got quiet and I blinked at them looking back at me. "Uh, did I say something wrong?" Even the staff was looking at me. "Uhhh, hello?"

Felix the one with blonde hair, Jeongin with red/pink hair and Seungmin the one with dark brown hair, skipped towards Bang Chan and smiled. "Noona!"

Noona? Oh my god. I need to call Luna like asap.

"Yah," Bang Chan said to his kids who immediately went quiet. "Don't scare her. Sorry about them, teenagers and all."

"It's fine," I say, waving them off. Internally, my brain is doing math of Bang Chan's and my age. Oh my god. If I'm 20, and if I'm doing the math right, he's older than me by 2 years. "Nice to meet you all."

All the other members bow and smile at me. And Bang Chan extends his hand towards me. "Welcome to the team."

I look at him and his hand. I raise my hand and shake his hand. "Thank you."

As he's walking back to the members, Yujin comes to me. "Oh I forgot to tell you. You'll be one of the main makeup artist for Bang Chan, Felix, and Han."

Wait, did she say Bang Chan? "Gamsahamnida," I say and look around the room. The eight of them were chatting and fooling around whereas I have only seen them like that on my laptop. I try to compose myeelf but the fangirl inside me wants to scream. I fish out my phone and take a quick selfie with the room behind me and quickly send it Luna. I put my phone on silent. I will have to talk to her when I'm off work.

One of the staff members claps her hand. "Alright, we have a new member joining is officially today!" She gestures towards me as everyone in the room, including the boys clap welcoming me. I bow and smile.

"Thank you for having me." I clench my hands trying to get the nerves out.

"Alright, we have a show in a few hours. Felix and Han will be covered today, Rebecca-ssi. So you can get started on Chan."

I don't think I heard her right. Did she just I have to work on him? The man that made the fandom go crazy over his abs? I look at where he's sitting playing games on his phone. Jeez, even sitting down like that he's attractive. Damn, I don't think I'm going to be able to survive this job.

Putting my feelings aside, I walk over to where he's sitting. "Please make yourself comfortable. I'll start by prepping your skin." I turn towards the makeup items laid put for me to use. Wow. They really went out. I quickly study the table and spot the skincare stuff. Picking up on of the moisturizer, I study and frown at the ingredients. "Why are they using this stuff? This will just make your skin dry and break out after," I mutter under my breath. But not my place to say anything so I sanitize my hands before I turn around and start prepping his skin. I use gentle hands and when my fingers touch his cheeks, I nearly swoon over how smooth it is. Holy, I would kill to have this smooth and silky skin. I start the makeup with foundation application followed by concealer to hide any blemishes and blend everything together.

Once I know the foundation looks great, I put face powder followed by eyebrow shaping and eye makeup. I strictly kept it professional but couldn't help to admire his beauty. When his eyes were closed, I noticed his eyelashes. They weren't long but weren't short either. The last thing that was left were his lips. I gulped when he tilted his head up so I could apply the lip products easily. Gently, I swipe the product over his plump lips. I don't outline his lips that much. "Where do I know you from?"

I freeze and look at him to him looking at me. "Sorry?"

"Have we met before?" He asks.

Yes. It's what I want to say. But I shake my head. "No."

"Oh." He says, still looking at me.

"Okay, you're all done." I say as I put the brush in my hand down beside all the brushes.

"That was fast," he says as he gets up to inspect my work. I watch as he checks his face thoroughly and his eyes go wide at particular spot. It was where he had a blemish or a simply an aftermath of a popped pimple. "You covered it? I can't even tell that it was there. Wow."

I beam at him. "I'm glad you like it."

"Thank you." He simply smiles warmly at me and I drop a brush, not because I wanted to but because I was transfixed on his smile. I only wish I could've taken a picture. He bends down, picks up the brush and hands it to me.

"Thank you."

"Anytime." Then he leaves to go to the other members.

I think I need a break.

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I'm currently sitting in the break room having my lunch. A few people were sitting and eating their lunch too. I have my phone in my hand watching a dance practice of one of Stray Kids songs and I almost want to dance to it.....if there weren't people around. I receive a text from Luna.

L: uh, what is that picture of?

B: me with people I'm working for and with.

L: and WHY exactly why do I see the faces of Bang Chan, Han and Seungmin? Felix?

I stifle a laugh and try not to choke on my food.

B: that's because I'm their MUA.

L: ....

B: girl, I'll see you when I get home because my lunch just ended.

L: get back here!

I grin as I pack up the leftovers and head out of the break room. But before heading back to work, I hopped in the bathroom to quickly brush my teeth and touch up on my makeup. Once I was done, I head back up to the makeup rooms and see that it's empty. Or what I thought was empty. As I walk inside towards my makeup station, I see 3RACHA snacking on chips and snacks as they joke around with each other. I bow to them as I clean up anything that needed to be cleaned.

"Becca-ssi." I turn around and see Han walking to me.

"Ne?"

"Hokshi noona namjachingu isseyeo?"

I blink at him before bursting out in laughter. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh," I say, chuckling.

He laughs. "Sorry, I didn't wanna ask but," he turns around and looks at at Changbin, who suddenly has an interest at imaginary dust on his clothes. "Someone dared me."

"It's okay. And no, I don't have a boyfriend," I say with a smile.

Then I see their leader walk up to Han and pat him on his back. "Han-ah, stop messing with the newbie."

"Sorry." Han apologizes but I wave him off.

"Sorry about him, he's usually not like that." Bang Chan says as Han goes back to Changbin.

"Ah, no. It's okay. I don't mind," I say smiling. He stares at me for a few seconds and I suddenly question my life choices. "Uhm."

"It's you!" He exclaims, pointing his finger at me.

"Sorry?" I blink at him.

"You're the girl from the other day," he says. Oh, he finally knows. "I knew I've seen you somewhere before."

"I'm sorry," I say as I bow.

"Are you kidding? If it wasn't for you returning my bag, I would've lost big chunk of our hardwork forever," he says smiling. "I should be thanking you."

I beam at him. "It's fine really. I'm just glad it didn't get into the wrong hands."

"Thank you, Becca-ssi."

"Ah, just Becca is fine."

He nods his head. "Becca." The way he said my name sounds so sweet like strawberry dipped in chocolate.

"Ne, Bang Chan-ssi."

"Just call me Chan." He smiles at me before going back to Han and Changbin.

"Chan," I whisper. I smile and go back to my previous task. I think I'm going to like working here.

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CH 1 | CH 2 | CH 3

#bang chan fanfic #stray kids bang chan #bang chan #chris bang #christopher bang #stray kids

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purplesurveys · 4 months

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1793

Yesterday

1) What was the weather like? Did it change your plans in any way? It was extremely sunny during the day which kind of sucked, because yesterday my family played host to a family reunion on the rooftop and the weather made things feel a little uncomfortable. In the afternoon, while the sun did hide for a bit it ended up being super humid anyway, so in either case it really just ended up being a super sweaty affair lol.

We addressed it by making sure our aircon in the living room was turned on the entire afternoon, so that anyone who starts to feel super hot or dizzy can choose to go down – which is why it ended up pissing me off when I caught a few people not even trying to hide their bitchings about how hot it was at our place and yet refused to go downstairs when I offered. Complaints are classic Filipino guest things but something I've never learned how to tolerate so I was pretty irritated from the get-go of that damn reunion.

2) What did you do yesterday, anyway? Helped my parents host said reunion, for the most part. I was so exhausted from all the walking and hosting and socializing all over the house so ngl I was knocked out from like 5 to 8, right after people left ha. When I woke up earlier this evening I spent a few hours playing a game on my phone and now I'm here winding down with a couple of surveys. Not a very eventful Saturday which is how I prefer my weekends to be.

3) Did you eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner? What did you have? I didn't have breakfast as usual. Lunch wasn't a full meal for me, I just got like 3 pieces of sushi from our reunion spread. I also didn't have dinner and just made a cup of coffee which is still right next to me.

4) Did you do some form of exercise? What? If going up and down the stairs 200 times counts as exercise then it would be that.

5) Who did you spend the most time with? My sister. Out of the huge crowd at home, we knew each other the best so we stuck together, lol.

6) What television shows or movies did you watch? I finished Gyeongseong Creature super early on in the morning (like, technically I was watching it from Friday then it bled into the midnight hours of Saturday haha), then I also played a couple episodes of Friends for the very few people who were in my age group in the reunion.

7) What time did you get up and go to bed? I got up at like 9. Went to sleep at 3 AM earlier.

8) What was the best bit about yesterday? I can't decide between watching Gyeongseong Creature and getting to eat sushi.

9) What about the worst? Being bombarded with work messages on a Saturday. My work! Makes me! Depressed!

10) Did you talk to anyone on the phone? Who? Why? My mom needed help ordering additional food for the reunion so she called me up while she was doing last few errands at the grocery so I can take care of it.

Today

1) What time did you get up? I just got up and it's currently nearly a half hour past 8.

2) What are your plans for today? I'll be taking my family to my favorite ramen place for lunch, then later in the afternoon I'll be seeing my close friends for our super late Christmas party.

3) Have you eaten any meals yet? What did you have? None yet. I don't mind not eating for a few more hours because I'll be eating a lot today lmao, so I'd rather save up the hunger so I can fully pig out for both lunch and dinner.

4) Are you planning on seeing your friends or boyfriend/girlfriend? Yup! I'm seeing Angela, Reena, and Hans later for dinner/Christmas party. I don't think we've been together since...August? In any case, we'll be at our fav Korean spot so I'm looking forward to it.

5) Does your favorite television show air today? Breaking Bad ended 11 years ago.

6) Have you spoken to your parents yet? Nopes.

7) How many texts have you received? I haven't gotten anything yet for today.

8) Are you planning on going to bed early? I never do on Sundays because I never look forward to Mondays.

9) Have you done anything remotely productive today? Nope. The full load of my day will start in like an hour when we head to our usual Sunday mass and after that I'm going to be traveling everywhere hahaha. BGC for ramen, then I might have to shop for clothes for my Seventeen concert next week, then head home so I can drive out for dinner with friends.

10) How much money did you spend so far? Are you planning on spending more later? None yet as it's only 8 but I am for sure going to be pulling out my card a few times today.

Tomorrow

1) What time do you have to get up tomorrow? Around 8.

2) What do you hope the weather will be like? Chilly but not too chilly. Cold weather feels so good that it makes me miserable when at work, because when the weather is comfy like that all I want to do is rest. So it'll be nice if it were cold, but I hope it's not too comfy!cold that all I'll think about is why I'm not in bed, lol.

3) Is there anything you’re dreading about tomorrow? The fact that I have work and that it's Monday.

4) Is there anything important you need to do, or can you just relax? Nope, can't relax.

5) Do you have plans to see your friends? No, I never have time to during weekdays.

6) What do you hope will happen tomorrow? I hope my schedule will be nice to me.

7) Are you going to wake up at home, or somewhere else? Just at home.

8) If you don’t have any plans, what do you think you’ll end up doing? I'll be working.

9) Do you have to get a work out in at some point? Nope.

10) Will you be working or studying at all? Yes.

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whatsgoingoninkpop1989 · 8 months

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Introduction to the topic of the blog.

Hello everyone!

For all those reading today we will be digging into the topic of this blog which is Kpop!

So just what is Kpop? Well dictionary.com defines it as “pop music from Korea”. While I do think that gets the gist across it is a little vague isn’t it.

If we look at a definition provided by academics David Spatichia & Monsurat Otolorin we can define it as this; “K-pop means Korean Pop, which is a musical genre consisting of different music styles, including hip-hop, rap, dance music and ballads.”

Already we now have a better idea of what Kpop consists of; and that is multiple genres. While when we first think of Kpop the more popular groups that release smash hit pop songs come to mind, like BTS, but its really made up of all sorts of music and artists. Many Kpop songs often combine genres or incorporate multiple genres into one body of work or song to create a more solid impression on audiences. A major Kpop record label SM enterprises does this with many of their groups. One of their groups, SNSD, “mixed rap, metal, dance, and many more genres to create something never heard before in the country.”, which is easy to see in the song, “I got a boy”.

youtube

This is common across Kpop the same way western pop songs will feature a rapper to mix a song up.

So we know that Kpop is basically just Korean music that can be watched or streamed online.

But how popular is it and just why is it so appealing?

Well to put bluntly how popular it is into perspective in 2022 $231.4 million ($305.3 billion won) was exported globally from Korea in Kpop albums. Comparing this to Kpop album exports in 2018 which amounted to $64.4 million we can see there’s been a massive increase in just 5 years!

The appeal of Kpop comes from numerous factors. These ranging from amazing sound production to flashy music video sets and addictive choreography or as Vox puts it “K-pop has become a truly global phenomenon thanks to its distinctive blend of addictive melodies, slick choreography and production values”.

The combination of these visuals, dances and music makes Kpop much more interesting and appealing to some then music from other countries.

All of which make for an excellent blog topic!

#kpop #kpop boys #kpop gg #kpop girls #kpop icons #kpop news #Youtube

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whatisonthemoon · 11 months

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The MacNeil/Lehrer Report: Korean Intelligence and Lobbying Scandal (1977)

This episode of “The MacNeil/Lehrer Report” on PBS originally aired June 20, 1977

You can watch the full video here

ROBERT MacNEIL: Good evening from Washington. Over the weekend we`ve had another burst of revelations and charges concerning the Korean intelligence and lobbying scandal. The New York Times reported that two years ago the United States bugged the Presidential mansion in South Korea, and produced specific reports on what the Times called "Korean bribery of American Congressmen." Former Texas Governor John Connally charged on NBC`s "Meet the Press" that the story could wind up as the biggest cover-up of this century. Official Washington, jittery after the Watergate experience, has watched the slow drip, drip of reported facts with mounting fascination. Every new element makes the web of Korean activity more tangled and harder to grasp. Jim? JIM LEHRER: This is a story with just about everything -- everything but an ending. Big names in government have been thrown around. There are tales of $100 bills stuffed in envelopes, lavish parties at exclusive Washington clubs, offers of gifts and trips and sex, secret agents lurking about and just about anything else you`d need to spice up a pulp thriller. But no only is the ending up in the air, the middle chapters aren`t complete. There are scads of investigations going on, but as of now most of the public information has come from those few who have chosen to talk or from various investigative journalism efforts. What we`re going to do tonight is simply put together the highlights of what is know at this point: the public record thus far, that will include some juicy tidbits of spice but also the more substantial question of what`s been happening to U.S. policy toward Korea in the process. MacNEIL: The roots of our Korean connection are buried in our military and economic entanglements with Korea. The bargaining counters have been troops and money. President Carter`s decision to with draw American ground troops from Korea signals the end of a military presence lasting since the Korean War. This presence began in earnest when the communist North Koreans invaded the South in 1950.The war ended in stalemate in 1953, after 54,000 Americans had died. The leading question for U.S. policy then became: how to prevent another conflict involving the major powers whose interests crossed at the thirty eighth parallel? The answer was regional stability and the containment of China. This meant the continuing presence of U.S. troops in South Korea, some 60,000 till 1970, then 42,000. It meant massive military and economic aid, officially more than $13 billion to this day. It also ultimately meant supporting whatever government happened to be in power in Seoul: at first, Syngman Rhee; then, after a coup in 1961, the increasingly despotic regime of Park Chung Hee. We wanted stability in Korea and Park was glad for U.S. assistance to buttress his power. That was the initial quid pro quo. But if Park needed U.S. troops and money to stay in power, we soon needed his help in Vietnam. South Korea sent 48,000 troops to Indochina in the late 1960`s. President Johnson and then-President Nixon paid nearly a billion dollars for them, and only told the Congress later. Special war-related contracts were also made available to Korean businessmen, hand picked by Park. When President Nixon recalled the Seventh Division from Korea in 1970, Park handed Uncle Sam another whopping bill, this time $1.5 billion in aid. Now a third bargaining counter appeared: rice. Washington began to ship huge amounts of rice to Korea under the Food for Peace program. Korea didn`t need that much rice; in fact, it ruined Korean rice production, as AID officials kept pointing out. But it kept the price of rice down in Korean cities where Park supporters resided. It enriched Park and his colleagues when they sold it for profit, and it kept American rice growers -- and their Congressmen -- happy. LEHRER: In Korea, President Park had other problems. There were student demonstrations, close and contested elections, and talk of U.S. troop withdrawals. So the new President set up the Korean Central Intelligence Agency -- the KCIA -- to combat this dissident trouble from within. It was modeled after the American CIA. but soon there were complaints from anti- Park Koreans about KCIA strong-arm tactics and out and-out brutality, among other things. But the organization grew -and flourished. A recent New York Times Magazine story estimated that it has more than 50,000 agents o various kinds on its payroll, both in Korea and abroad. And "abroad" has meant mostly the United States. Its job in Korea may have been to quiet the dissidents, but here the KCIA`s primary mission was to win friends and influence people, the more important the friends and the people the better. Dr. Jai Hyon Lee, Chief Cultural and Information Officer at the South Korean Embassy here from 1970 to `73, appeared on our program last November, and here`s what he had to say about it:

Dr. JAI HYON LEE: I was attending a series of staff meetings in the spring of 1973 at which the KCIA station chief, with the aid of his assistants, was telling us what sort of clandestine operations they were going to do. In other words, they were trying to orient us to their plans so that they could initiate us into that operation. And in those plans included were such as seduction and, if possible, payoff or buying off American leaders, including Congressmen and Senators. LEHRER: Press reports, particularly in the New York Times, say the American lobbying plan was hatched at a meeting in November O, at the presidential mansion in Seoul, known as the Blue House. It followed the Washington announcement that 20,000 of the 60,000 American troops in Korea then would be withdrawn. In addition to President Park and other high officials of the Seoul government, the Times and the Washington Post have reported that at least two other people were present: Tongsun Park and Pak Bo Hi. They are important to this total story, and we`ll be back to them. The Blue House plan included making campaign contributions and gifts to American public officials as well as offering them free trips to Korea and other places, honorary degrees from Korean universities and a lot of entertainment here in Washington. Dr. Lee summed up the purposes:

LEE: They wanted to influence the Congress and their legislative activities in favor of Park`s dictatorial policies -- that`s one thing they went after. But it was not only those KCIA agents stationed at the Embassy but there were other channels... LEHRER: Dr. Lee said the KCIA`s efforts here also included the suppression of criticism among Korean residents in the United States. In short, the KCIA operation here has been extensive. In addition to the work done out of the Embassy in Washington, there were also KCIA stations at Korean consulates in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Houston and at the Korean Observer Mission at the United Nations. MacNEIL: The key operative -- perhaps the most important unofficial link -- between the Korean government and the United States was-Washington businessman Tongsun Park. This Park -- no relation to President Park - became famous in Washington society for his lavish parties for society figures, Congressmen, Senators and high government officials -- valuable contacts for an unregistered foreign lobbyist. Park was born in Korea, but came to school in Washington in the 1950`s. As a student at Georgetown University he met Chung II Kwon, Korea`s Ambassador to Washington, later Prime Minister. Chung introduced Tongsun Park to President Park and to Kim Hyung Wook, the director of the KCIA. On June 5 the New York Times quoted Kim as saying, "When I was director of the KCIA, he was my agent. I controlled Park at that time." Kim said that Park volunteered to persuade Congressional friends to vote for more military aid to South Korea. In return, according to the Times, Park was later named sole agent of American rice sales to Korea. After attending that Blue House meeting in 1970 Park began operating in Washington in a big way: offering campaign contributions to Congressmen, throwing large parties for such luminaries as Tip O`Neill when he was majority leader and John McFall when he was majority whip. Among the hundreds of guests were high level officials like Gerald Ford, Elliott Richardson, and former CIA director Richard Helms. In all Park spent between one-half and one million dollars a year, according to the Washington Post. Just where all that money came from is not certain. But when Park fled the United States last winter, he left behind a network of holdings that connected him to many influential people in Washington as well as made money for him: a mansion in an exclusive area of Washington; an apartment in the Watergate; this headquarters for his holding company, Pacific Development, Incorporated; a third home in Georgetown; stock in Pisces, a fashionable Georgetown discotheque; businesses such as the Sutter`s Tavern Corporation, which operates the Georgetown Club -- the site of many of his parties. And Park included his friends in the deals. A number of "silent" partners in Congress have come to light. In a November 1976 interview former Democratic Congressman Richard T. Hanna of California told the New York Times he earned between $60,000 and $70,000 in three years as Park`s silent partner. According to the Times Park told federal investigators that another partner, former Congressman Cornelius Gallagher, who spent more than a year in jail on tax evasion charges, also accepted money from him. The Times said that in 1975, after Gallagher had left Congress and prison, Park transferred $250,000 from a Bermuda account to him. But from the beginning, rice deals were Park`s forte, and may have been his chief source of money. According to the Washington Post he received eight million dollars over four years in the early 1970`s from just one U.S. rice exporter. Congressman John McFall, a Democrat who represents a rice-growing district in California, has told the Washington Post that he wrote at least four letters for Park and received some 9,000 in cash over a period of five years. In one letter written in February of 1973, McFall praised Tongsun Park to President Park Chung Hee. Two months later Park held a party to celebrate McFall`s selection as majority whip in the House. One of Park`s contributions to McFall was $4,000 in cash left at his office on October 18, 1974, while McFall was out campaigning. JOHN McFALL: That was a legal contribution from Tongsun Park, who in 1974 was not under any kind of suspicion. He was a well-known man here in town. I put that into a legal account. I spent it for legal office expenditures, and I have filed with the clerk a complete report of my office account from its beginning in 1972 and a report for this Congress which shows how I spent that money for newsletters and office equipment. That is a complete statement of what my relationship is with Tongsun Park, which is only those two legal contributions. I have known him only as a rice salesman over the years, and helped to sell California rice, with him as a broker for South Korea. MacNEIL: Until a new law came into effect on January 1, 1975, foreign contributions to Congressional campaigns were not illegal. Otto Passman, the powerful chairman of the House subcommittee that approved foreign aid appropriations, also wrote Park Chung Hee to praise the "phenomenal" work of Tongsun Park in arranging large American rice sales to South Korea. According to the Washington Post, the former Louisiana Democrat also noted that Korean purchases of rice, cotton and soybeans had "greatly helped" his district and state. Park also helped sell rice grown in the Louisiana district of former Congressman Edwin Edwards and offered a contribution to his gubernatorial campaign. Edwards, now Governor of Louisiana, claims he refused the contribution but admits that his wife, Elaine, did accept $10,000 in cash from Park. Gov. EDWIN EDWARDS, (D) Louisiana: My wife does many things that I don`t know about, and vice-versa. I`m sure every wife has secrets from her husband, some large, some small. This particular incident happened five years ago, seven months before I became Governor, two months before I won the first primary, at a time when I was not on the public payroll. Even my harshest critic has not suggested that there was any quid pro quo for the money or that I had done this, that or the other for Tongsun Park in return for the contribution. It was a private matter between him and Elaine. And unless and until someone is prepared to show a violation of the public trust or an improper action on behalf of Park in return for it, then I never did understand the great hue and cry about it. MacNEIL: In mid-October last year, Park quietly left the United States, leaving Justice Department lawyers with whom he had been cooperating wondering whether he would ever return. Park visited Seoul and Tokyo after his departure, according to the Washington Post, and is now believed to be living in London. LEHRER: Tongsun Park wasn`t the only Korean who threw big parties in Washington. Another was Suzi Park Thomson, a naturalized U.S. citizen who worked for four different Congressmen in the last ten years. Her last job was with Carl Albert, the recently retired Speaker of the House. She earned $14,000 a year as a clerk-typist, but somehow managed to throw numerous large and expensive parties to mix Congressmen and Koreans. The Justice Department is granting her immunity to talk, according to the New York Times. But there is more to this, of course, than parties. Back to Jai Hyon Lee, the former press secretary at the Korean Embassy in Washington. He told us of a scene one day in the Ambassador`s office: LEE: The Ambassador was at the desk and quite busy packing up something out of his attached case. As I approached he looked up and said, "Well, I`m busy. Why don`t you speak up for what you got on your mind? I have to leave soon." So I said, "I can`t discuss this matter within a matter of two or three minutes." By that time he was finishing up his packing of hundred dollar bills into a number of plain white envelopes, and I was kind of appalled to see so much cash. I saw a large amount of money, but never in cash. So I asked him what he was doing. He said, "Well, K need these things delivered." He was by then through with stuffing this money into envelopes, and he put some envelopes into his inside pockets and outside pockets; still there were about a good two dozen envelopes left in his briefcase. He closed the briefcase and he was standing up, so I asked him where he was going. And he said, "To the Capitol." LEHRER: That brings us to another important man who attended the Blue House meeting. His name is Colonel Pak Bo Hi, a former Korean intelligence officer and now known mainly as translator and aide to controversial Reverend Sun Myung Moon. In 1964 Colonel Pak helped found an organization here called the Korean Cultural and Freedom Foundation. A former intelligence colleague, Kim Jong Pil, the founder of the Korean CIA, was named honorary chairman. Honorary presidents through the years have included people like former U.S. Presidents Truman and Eisenhower. Richard Nixon was on the board of directors at one time and so were Ed Sullivan and Perle Mesta. The Foundation appealed for money to finance Radio Free Asia, which unlike Radio Free Europe had no connection to the U.S. government, although some contributors may have thought it did. Another of its projects was the Children`s Relief Fund, set up to help feed hungry children. Last October the New York State Board of Social Welfare barred the Foundation from further fund raising in the state on the grounds that an investigation showed that only eight percent of its money actually went to children. There have been suggestions that-this and other funds collected by the Foundation were used in the Blue House lobby effort but there is no publicly disclosed evidence to back that up. Colonel Pak`s association with money did not end with the Foundation, however. He was also involved in the formation of the Diplomat National Bank in Washington. According to the New York Times, Colonel Pak personally assembled half of the bank`s initial two-`million-dollar capital with the express purpose of servicing the Asian-American community.

And one of the bank`s biggest depositors was Reverend Moon`s Unification Church. In addition, the Korean Cultural and Freedom Foundation moved its accounts to the new bank. There`s also a Tongsun Park connection in this one. The Times reported that the bank`s organizers kept Park off the board of the bank but that Park secretly went ahead and invested $200,000 in the project through business associates. The directors have since asked the Park people as well as Colonel Pak and the Unification Church group to sell their shares. While there has been the implication that the bank was used as a depository for some of the influence-peddling money, there have been no charges that the bank itself was involved in any wrongdoing. MacNEIL: How many officials and members of Congress this vast and intricate network was able to reach is as yet unclear. The Washington Post reported "at least twenty-two," the Washington Star sails many as twenty-five," and the New York Times reported the possible involvement of ninety members" of Congress. Representative John Brademas of Indiana, the present majority whip, said he received three campaign contributions from Park totaling $5,150, but turned down a free vacation. According to the Washington Post, Nancy Howe, former aide to Betty Ford, and her husband accepted two vacations. Jerome Waldie, former Democratic Congressman from California, accepted $2,000 for his gubernatorial race. Others under investigation, according to the Washington Post, for accepting contributions include Representatives Joseph Ad abbo, John Murphy and Lester Wolff, all New York Democrats; Republican Tennyson Guyer of, Ohio and Democrat Robert Leggett of California. A number of Congressmen also took trips to Korea. According to the New York Times, they included Republican Edward Derwinski of Illinois an Democrat Clement Zablocki of Wisconsin. Zablocki is also a member of the Advisory Council of the Korean Cultural and Freedom Foundation. Others went to Korea with money provided by the Korean-U.S. Economic Council, a group closely associated with the Korean government. According to the Washington Post these included Republicans Willaim Ketchum of California, Robert Daniel, Jr. of Virginia, Marjorie Holt of Maryland, and Senator Jake Garn of Utah. Garn told the Post he took the trip because "I don`t believe in junkets at the taxpayers` expense." This same organization partly funded the trips of Republican Thad Cochran and Democrat David Bowen, both of Mississippi, and Democrat Dawson Mathis of Georgia, according to the Washington Post. When questioned, many said they felt no conflict. Some, given gets or contributions, felt it necessary to return them. According to the Washington Post, these people gave gifts back: Democrat Phil Burton of California sent back to the Korean Embassy a topaz pin that had been left at his office for his wife. Republican Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska returned a campaign contribution of at least $2,500. Don Bonker, a Democrat from the State of Washington, was offered something different -- a beautiful woman. He said no. Democrats Walter B. Jones of North Carolina and Helen Meyner of New Jersey both turned down free trips to South Korea. Republican Charles Wiggins of California was offered a contribution he declined. Rep. CHARLES WIGGINS`, (R) California: It was in 1974, and it was in the election season, and we had some small talk and simply exchanged pleasantries which included a question on his part as to how my campaign was going. And I told him that it appeared to be going fine. Then he said that he hoped that I was re-elected, and he said that." there are people in Korea that would be interested in helping your campaign." Well, he simply made that statement, and that triggered my response, which was simply that it`s illegal for foreign nationals to make contributions to American political races and of course ,I couldn`t accept any such help. MacNEIL: John Nidecker, a White House aide to President Nixon, was given $10,000 in cash as he left Korea after a visit in 1974. He returned the money and also later gifts of antiques worth another $10,000. A few months later a Korean national assemblyman left valuable gifts for twelve White House aides, including a pearl necklace for President Nixon`s secretary, Rosemary Woods. All those gifts were mailed back to Korea. Former House Speaker Carl Albert, in whole office Suzi Park Thomson worked, was showered with gifts of Korean art worth more than $5,000. Albert reported them to the government, and they now sit in the vaults of the General Services Administration. LEHRER: There is a final fundamental question: did the Blue House plan to influence the Congress in its Korean policy pay off? All that`s known at this point is the Congressional record on Korea -- every Congressional effort to call for a troop withdrawal has been defeated. In the most recent action last Thursday, the Senate declined to endorse President Carter`s decision to pull out the remaining 42,000 troops. The record is the same on military and economic aid.-- almost every effort to reduce it has been defeated. Another "known" in this equation is that Melvin Laird, then Secretary of Defense, warned the State Department as early as 1970 that the Koreans had set up a lobbying effort to undermine the withdrawal of American troops. But anything substantial one way or another on the question of linkage will have to await the outcome of one of at least fifteen investigations now under way. There is a special Korean Investigation Subcommittee of the House International Relations Committee. The House Ethics Committee is probing the conduct of individual members of Congress. A Senate subcommittee has looked into connections between an oil company and Tongsun Park. And the Senate Intelligence Committee is now reviewing actions by the FBI, CIA, and Justice and State Departments. The Justice Department itself has been presenting evidence to a grand jury for over a year. Other agencies, which include the IRS, SEC, Federal Reserve Board, Department of Agriculture and the Army, are looking into questions germane to them -- the tax returns of possibly involved Congressmen, possible payoffs by defense contractors, the financing of the Diplomat Bank, illegal kickbacks on rice deals, rigging of bids on military contracts, and so on. Finally, last week, the Republican leadership, Senator Howard Baker of Tennessee and Representative John Rhodes of Arizona, suggested it was time for the appointment of a Watergate-style prosecutor. So far, President Carter says no. Jody Powell, the President`s spokesman, said that unlike Watergate, there was no reason to believe the Attorney General to be involved or in any way unable to carry out an appropriate investigation. Everywhere,. it seems, there are some reminders of Watergate. One of the most obvious areas of comparison is the possibility of an official cover- up. Donald Ranard, former head of the State Department`s Office of Korean Affairs, raised this question on this program last November. DONALD RANARD: It seems to me that we knew enough to have moved this administration towards an investigation far earlier than it began. We knew this beginning in 1970, we knew it in `71; in `72 I was talking to the Department of Justice; in `73 I was discussing the matter with the FBI and in `74 as well. But for reasons which I still have some difficulty grasping, it was an administrative decision, I believe, not to move ahead with it. LEHRER: Ranard claims to have received numerous rebuffs from Justice Department officials including John Mitchell, Richard Kleindeinst and Robert Mardian on grounds of "insufficient evidence" for prosecution. If the government did indeed move slowly as charged, why was there a reluctance to investigate aggressively? RANARD: Because of the money being passed -being passed, I think, on both sides of the aisle. I think the administration was probably in no position to open an investigation against the Korean CIA. MacNEIL: Whatever the reason for the delays, there is clearly no mood in Washington for any rush to judgment. And the very deliberate pace of all these investigations has fed the frequent charges of a cover-up. But at this moment only federal officials at the heart of the investigation could say whether this is going to blow up into a scandal of Watergate proportions or disappear in a puff of political smoke. Although there have been unconfirmed reports, it is not even known whether anyone -- Congressmen, U.S. officials, or Koreans -will be indicted...and if they are indicted, for what specific crimes. To know all that we`ll have to wait until more facts come out. Much may depend on the evidence of Kim Hyung Wook, the former KCIA boss who controlled Tongsun Park. Kim is now living here in exile. On Wednesday he testifies in public before a House subcommittee.