Part 2 Blog Series: Balancing Life and K-Drama Addiction
In part one of this series, I talked about how balancing my K-drama addiction with life responsibilities was a constant struggle. But as much as I loved K-dramas, life eventually caught up with me, and my once-unstoppable binge-watching sessions slowly tapered off. It wasn’t a sudden break; rather, it was a gradual process that led me to where I am now—someone who has all but quit K-dramas.
The Beginning of My K-Drama Journey
To give you some context, my K-drama journey began in secondary school, around the time Boys Over Flowers first aired. We’re talking about 2009, a time when I was introduced to the world of K-dramas through a friend’s vivid storytelling. From that moment on, I was hooked.
I devoured everything I could get my hands on, from the classic Playful Kiss, starring Kim Hyun-joong and Jung So-min, to the intense Blade Man, featuring Lee Dong-wook. I even watched the globally popular Descendants of the Sun and the hauntingly beautiful Goblin—both of which, for me, marked the end of an era.
The Gradual Descent
My love for K-dramas was all-consuming, but as I mentioned in the first part of this series, I had started to take precautions. I was aware of how dopamine-filled and addicting these dramas could be, so I began setting boundaries and prioritizing my life outside of K-dramas. The cultural uniqueness of Korean dramas—everything from the breathtaking sceneries to the nuanced portrayal of love and relationships—had captivated me for years. But as I grew older, life naturally became busier, and those boundaries I set began to work in ways I hadn’t anticipated.
At some point, I realized that my enthusiasm for K-dramas was waning. I had pretty much watched every genre imaginable—thrillers, comedies, love triangles, high school dramas, fantasies, romances, and action-packed series. The Korean drama industry, while still vibrant, was no longer producing the kind of creative and groundbreaking content that had once held my interest. The storytelling had become predictable, relying on old formulas that I had seen countless times before. I found myself unable to get past the first episode of new dramas because they felt so familiar, almost as if I’d already seen them.
RELATED BLOG: HOW I BALANCE MY K-DRAMA OBSESSION
The Busy Life and the Fade-Out
As life got busier for me—whether it was work, social commitments, or simply the responsibilities of adulthood—K-dramas naturally took a backseat. It wasn’t a conscious decision to quit; it was more like a fading interest that aligned with my changing priorities. The thrill of discovering a new K-drama that would keep me glued to my screen for days on end was gone. I had reached a point where the excitement just wasn’t there anymore.
It wasn’t just Korean dramas that lost their appeal—I found myself drifting away from movies altogether, both Western and Korean. Perhaps it was a sign of my changing tastes or simply a desire to spend my time differently, but the fact remains that my once unbreakable bond with K-dramas had loosened considerably.
Did I Really Quit?
If I’m being honest, I can’t definitively say that I quit K-dramas entirely. It’s more like I took a step back, allowing life to take over while my passion for K-dramas slowly faded. I may not be glued to my screen the way I used to be, but I still have a deep appreciation for the dramas that shaped so many years of my life. Who knows, maybe one day a new drama will reignite that old spark, and I’ll find myself back in the world I once loved so much.
But for now, I’m content with where I am. Life has a way of evolving, and sometimes that means letting go of things that once meant everything. And that’s okay. After all, what’s life without a little change to keep things interesting?
