Their new album is filled with tunes that are reminiscent of third generation K-pop groups. The starting notes of the first song “IOI (Where My girls At)” even gave me a blast to the past, reminding me of their following act, Wanna One’s title song “Energetic”. Since I.O.I’s disbandment (the group was short-lived, only 8 months!!), the girls have gone on such different trajectories — Kim Se-jong made a splash with Business Proposal as an actress; I LOVED Jung Chae-yeon’s role in Family by Choice; I almost didn’t recognize Kang Mi-na in Welcome to Samdal-ri in her glow-up; Yoo Yeon-jung, So-mi, and Chung-ha all continued to be great singers and performers in the K-Pop world, while the others pivoted into musical acts and small screen acts.

Their song “SPF 100+” is an absolute summer bop that’s destined to go on loop during my outdoor walks this season. The lyrics confidently reminded listeners that they were the IT girls back during the heights of their K-POP group tenure.

Now just say it, say it
We are back here again
Summer pop fantasy
Can you feel it, feel it
Even after a long time passes
Summer pop fantasy

Of course, we can’t not talk about the title “Suddenly.” When the song was first teased and shown via Reels on the internet — the girls doing the killing parts of the song via a challenge video in their practice clothes — the song was received with mixed reactions. Some people are disappointed that the song went in a soft and retro direction instead of their fast-paced high-energy songs in the past. In fact, some people even said it missed the mark in the era of short and addicting tunes that work so well on short-form video platforms. However, to me, this is a refreshing and nostalgic song that reminds me of their iconic song “Downpour” and just the right slow intro into early summer. The song title “Suddenly” embodies the quick passage of time and how in a blink of an eye, 10 years has passed. As a listener who had accompanied the K-Pop industry for a long time, and the girls’ journey since the group was created, I couldn’t help but feel a similar sense of bittersweet and surprise at where I’ve ended up today.

The song “If I” hits extra hard.

So if I
Could do this love all over
Our time, I will engrave it deeper in my heart

Rewind,
to all my days with you
I’ll hold you tighter

If I
Even if we drift apart
I’ll always be there for you

Rewind
And I’ll be running back,
I’ll be running back

From the girl’s perspective and how they have developed in their 10 year career, if they had the chance to go back and do the survival show and the girl group all over again, would they? Yes, and they are going to cherish the moments even harder. Again, I’m falling into reminiscence of my journey in the past 10 years…would I do those moments over again? The I.O.I girl’s survival show journey hits the hardest in my core memory (and probably the most successful act) since the ones that follow the inaugural show (I’m well aware of the controversy surrounding Produce 48 and IZ*ONE and the eventual fall of X1 — WOODZ you came out alright but I’m still sad for the other boys)

The K-pop industry isn’t without its fault, yet I love how it pulls my heartstring through different seasons and how hard I can fall for the stories of some groups and the universe they built for me to escape from real life into.

Just in the last few weeks, 2PM celebrated their 15th anniversary (and I’m once again reminded of my millennial kpop fan-ness) and Rain came swinging out with his new track “Feel It” — just as savvy as he was when he was rocking Rainism (2008 high school graduate over here). I can still remember when it was a huge deal for Shinhwa to be celebrating their 15th anniversary (my first K-pop concert ever! in 2013), yet these groups that I grew up and are closer in age with are now also hitting similar milestones. Maybe the takeaway is that these groups are riding this significant wave of Kpop renaissance, I should also be reflective and proud of all the things I’ve achieved as well.

I cried so hard when I.O.I performed “Downpour”, a song that sings so bittersweetly of goodbye — of moments that came suddenly and ends just as suddenly. In the new song in this album “Then, Now, and Forever,” they sang about that promise again.

어땠을까 그때 우리 I wondered what it would have been like back then
이별을 말하지 않았다면 if we hadn’t say goodbye
마법처럼 이루어졌을까 would it have come true like magic?
멈춰진 시간의 약속 A promise frozen in time
나 그대에게 갈 I’ll go to you
태엽을 감고 달려갈게 I’ll rewind the clock and run to you
기다려 줄래요 기억하나요 Will you wait for me? Do you remember?
그때 우리 그때 우리 Back then, us

눈부시게 사랑할게 I’ll love you brilliantly,
영원한 빛으로 감싸줄게 I’ll wrap you in eternal light
너를 위해 노래할게 (나 노래할게) I’ll sing for you
더 이상 멈추지 않게 (멈추지 않게) So it won’t stop anymore
긴 소나기 끝에 (긴 소나기 끝에) At the end of a long downpour
서로의 눈빛 여전한 이곳 (여전한 이곳) Here, where our gazes remain the same
반짝이는 해처럼 Like the brilliant sun
환히 웃고 있네요 You’re smiling brightly
지금 우리 지금 우리 Now, us

Not to mention, all the girls look great in the retro outfits that’s reminiscent of the styles in the 2000’s. The way the music video was shot in a vintage filter really appeals to the millennial earning for throwback analog. I love that what I loved in the past are all making a comeback.

Who’s the first K-Pop group you follow? Mine were Super Junior, TVXQ, and Shinhwa.

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Of course, I also couldn’t wait for Byeon Woo-seok’s return to the kdrama scene with the highly anticipated “Perfect Crown”. However, I was slightly disappointed that the show was a Disney+ exclusive and I’m still boycotting the network so I don’t have the chance to watch this show beyond the first two episodes I sneaked through my friend’s account in Taiwan. Then there’s Yoo Yeon-seok’s “Phantom Lawyer” that I’m saving for a long airplane ride. Another one of my dreamy K-drama boyfriend, Ahn Hyo-seop has a new show as well “Sold Out on You”…but I was pleasantly surprised by a new sleeper drama that’s taken my attention this past week.

“My Royal Nemesis” stars Lim Ji-yeon (I only know her as the villain from “The Glory”) and Heo Nam-jun (I actually really like him from “When the Phone Rings”) who to me were great actors but didn’t really leave a lasting impression. However, in this new show, their “villain-ness” was brought to center and both became the protagonists of their show — they look cool and mean on the outside, but are both kind of softies inside.

Kang Dan-sim (played by Lim Ji-yeon) was sentenced to death (framed/infamous for being a villain) in the Joseon era but wakes up and found herself in the body of a Shin Seo-Ri, a woman in the modern world. The main lead Cha Se-gye was an arrogant business man who is ruthless in the complex world of Korean chaebol, yet found himself stuck with this woman through a series of encounters. The bad guys of the stories now found themselves the main leads of their own drama.

So far, three episodes, it has been hilarious and a fun watch. There were some childish sword fights wielded with roses. There were tropes where the guy was convinced he isn’t into the main female lead, but of course he’s already smitten. A lot of netizens complained that Heo Namjun is not handsome enough to be a main lead, but I find his puppy-dog eye expressions, especially when being bullied by the female lead, very endearing and charming. His deep voice is nice to listen to as well (yes, I watch kdrama mostly for the male leads).

The part where Se-gye questions his sanity while he was driving — the MeloMance song from Business Proposal blasted me back to the spring of 2022. Ahh, it’s going to be a good spring again!

I was feeling kind of under the weather today but wrapped up in a blanket with some fish sauce coated fried chicken from my favorite Vietnamese takeout place, I’m feeling quite better with the remedy of a good show and laugh out loud moments.

Anyway, this marks the beginning of another corner of my world — my obsession with Korean content whether it’s K-drama, K-pop, K-variety, even K-food shows on Youtube.

Are you watching The Royal Nemesis? Let me know what you think so far!