I had just finished watching the first episode of Wedding Impossible before going to bed. It was Monday, February 26, 2023 and, for whatever reason, I decided to check my Kafenook Facebook one last time. I don’t usually look at Facebook before bedtime because it’s typically the same news that pops up in the morning. But I immediately realized that something was wrong with my feed. I scrolled down, arrested in perplexed stupor as the posts came up. Had a virus taken over? Had aliens invaded Facebook? EVERY POST WAS THE SAME. Lee Jae-wook is dating?
Lately, my feeds have included tidbits about upcoming dramas like Wonderful World or stills from Queen of Tears. Also, sad – so many sad – scenes from Captivating the King. Or wrap ups of shows such as Marry My Husband and Love Song for Illusion. I will see the usual artful poses by Rowoon and happy thoughts from Cha Eun-woo posing pages, Ji Chang-wook Fan Club news, helpful lessons on Korean, and funny memes from some of my favorite Kdrama sites. But that world was gone – replaced by an alternate reality where only Lee Jae-wook’s dating life existed.
Lee Jae-wook is a good actor. I first saw him in Extraordinary You, a show I enjoyed a lot. He also played one of my favorite iterations of Choi Yi-jae in Death’s Game. (Alchemy Souls, I have yet to watch. It sits at twelve on my older Kdrama watchlist.) Based on previous news about him, he is popular with the Netizens. But holy cow.
The person he is purported to be dating is Karina of the girl group aespa, neither of which I have heard of. I had to look her up. She is pretty (obviously) and young – born in 2000. According to Karina (aespa, Girls On Top) Profile (Updated!) – Kpop Profiles (kprofiles.com), she wants to visit Croatia. A lovely country. I can’t blame her. She has a talent for catching stuff with her feet? That can come in handy. She relieves stress through eating good food and shopping. I like her already.
Still – Lee Jae-wook dating news. Is that enough reason to take over my feed? It’s not like Timothee Chalamet / Kylie Jenner worthy news is it? Wait? Are they still a thing? I can’t keep up. Maybe this is on par with Taylor and Travis? (For anyone living under a rock or who missed the Super Bowl this year that would be Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.) I have no idea. Fortunately, by Tuesday morning, things on Facebook appeared a bit more normal. Lee Jae-wook popped up but primarily for his new Kdrama, The Impossible Heir, vs his dating news.
I would find it hard to get excited for any dating news concerning a Kdrama star. I like to know what upcoming Kdrama or movie they will star in. But I will never say never. There is the off chance of another Crash Landing on You miracle. Something along the lines of, oh, I don’t know — a year from now, news that Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won, the heartthrob couple the world fell in love with from Queen of Tears, also fell in love with each other during the shoot and started dating. Now that might, just might be news worthy of taking over my feed.
