Buddhist Agnostics Don't Pray, But I'll Pray for You
Working-Class Mr. Ahn's Unscheduled Visits to Dr. Yeon's Clinic continues...
Missed Part 1? Start here → PART 1
Warning: this post deals with some heavier psychological topics and dark fictional elements. Everything here is totally fictional.
Jen in Bed
J: Down with a terrible cold, been in bed all day struggling to breathe. Your email helped. Recovering soon!
Yours, Jen in bed.
Asuka: Oh dear me. I wish you warmth and wellness. May you be back on your feet soon, happy and healthy for a nice Chuseok. Take care please.
Hanbang
J: Hi Asuka, thanks to your concern, my cold has gotten much better! You know hanbang (Korean herbal medicine)? I go to the herbal clinic often and the medicine really works wonders. I took it and sweated everything out. Finally able to sit up now.
Good news first! That fan artist gave me permission to translate their art and post it on my Twitter. And I've started posting Korean translations of your soup dishes. I know weekends are busy for you, but I hope my email brought you some happiness, even briefly.
Your bricklayer Jen.
Asuka: I'm very glad to know you are getting better! Do sweat it out some more hahaha but remember to take plenty of water.
I see you have been working very hard as a translator! Thanks for making the drawings so clear now. I saw in one of them that Si-eun wears Suho's pants by mistake because they have the same pattern. That's completely believable — I also wrote that they have matching grey sweats haha (they may even have matching stains hurhur…)
You've also done me the great honor of presenting so much of my soup to your Korean guests. Thank you for this, sincerely.
Buddhist agnostics don't pray, but I'll pray for you. I hope you are restored to full health soon.
Yours, Asuka, blessing your hanbang.
Matching Grey Sweats
J: Hi Asuka, wherever you are right now, please be careful with colds. I've been coughing for over a week. If this bastard cold had stolen my precious holiday, I'd have held a grudge against it forever.
That fan artist gladly gave permission to translate and quote their work. They have a strong take on Si-eun "doting on" Suho. Since in our deluluverse it's not just one-sided affection toward Si-eun either, similar imaginings seem inevitable.
These two wearing matching gray pajama pants (probably Nike sweatpants since Suho loves Nike) and drooping around together every morning — they must be crazy about each other. In a way, I the bricklayer and you the architect are building a proper honeymoon somewhere in that poetic Anguk neighborhood near Gyeongbokgung. Can't believe we wrote nearly a book's worth in under a month.
That fan artist's tweets are sharp, too — artists notice what I miss. Like Suho's thin ankles, and how his uniform pants fit perfectly instead of hanging loose, highlighting those delicate ankles. White socks, white Nikes. Really hits their sweet spot. Women, I tell you.
The attached photos each contain one of my fetishes. Our deluluverse features so much fabric. That white dress shirt from the photoshoot (can look Mormon if done wrong), the jeans shot is what Suho wore visiting Yeon Clinic at around 5 PM on a Friday, worried about the doctor's recent absences (body improved so the tee fits snug now).
If a Mormon Missionary Shows Up at My Door
Asuka: Thanks for the photos, they have quickened my blood on this slow paced Monday. Sigh…Suho's just so cute isn't he? If a Mormon missionary shows up at my door looking all hot and bothered like that, I'd pull him in and make him narrate his entire holy book over several jugs of iced tea. I'm not sure if my sin will increase or decrease. He does look rather like young Yoo Ah-in, but with sharper eyes and a brightness all his own. Yoo Ah-in carries a kind of effortless melancholia. There's something brooding and autumnal about him that I appreciate. I first saw Mr Yoo in Sungkyungkwan Scandal, not exactly my favorite thing, and I last saw him opposite Mr Squid Game Lee Byeong Heon in The Match. I watched that with my mum. I thought it was a very nice film, though my mum entered deep meditation within thirty minutes.
And I know that clip from Twinkling Watermelon! Hahaha he's such a playful elf. Ryeoun is crying his eyes out and there he is doing a thumbs up. I hope he preserves this spark forever.
His friend, the enigmatic Park Jihoon, can wear anything he wants, and I'd still stuff my phone with his screenshots. He can also wear a lot less, I wouldn't mind. I'd watch him as a saint, a villain, a soldier (coming soon), a king (also coming soon), a tortured pauper (he's done this), everyone's favorite tortured student, and more. I'd also clear my schedule if he ever decides to do a nuanced water polo series, preferably alongside young master Choi. I'll be sure to appreciate the talent on display.
To Si-eun, Suho, Baku, Gotak, Juntae, Beomseok, and all the boys I love, including the hot bastards, stay the hell away from drugs! The world has lost too many artistes from such crap.
Zhou Xun and Tang Wei
Asuka: Ah you know the venerated Zhou Xun! I thought her star series was the 80 episode Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace. Rife with infuriating (and entertaining) court politics, it goes by much quicker than expected. The Chinese, when they do it right, can really nail their sageuks. (And when they don't, the drama length will make your hair fall out faster than instant ramen.)
I didn't know Tang Wei is so beloved in Korea! Wow. She's wonderful. I first saw her in a not-widely known martial arts film called Wu Xia with Donnie Yen and Takeshi Kaneshiro. I last saw her speaking quite a chunk of Korean in the disturbing Decision to Leave by the great master Park Chan Wook. I love so much of his work: The Vengeance Trilogy, The Handmaiden, and his classic Joint Security Area, beloved by Tarantino.
Of course Bong Joon Ho has also cemented his name in film history (totally deserved) with Parasite. The first film of his I watched was The Host. Really loved it. I also loved Snowpiercer (better than the Netflix series of the same concept). I am glad these two titans of the Korean film scene reject escort culture, though I am skeptical of the scene ever becoming less toxic…
Asuka, updating mental software with teen toons now.
Who is Jennie? Bricklayer. Local correspondent for the Yeon Clinic deluluverse. A sous chef who checks whether the soup actually tastes like Seoul. A specialist who designs this kitchen to hold more than Suho's coma — philosophy, history, society, culture, stacked one recipe at a time.
Who is Asuka? Head nurse and main chef of the Yeon Clinic. A Scheherazade who sings the Song of Achilles she found shelved next to a book on Zen Buddhist masters. Fluent in several languages, conversant in single malts and the precise emotional damage of Weak Hero Class 1. Signs off as ASL. (Always starch linen.)
This free ebook will ruin you. In the best way. A character analysis of Si-eun, Su-ho and Beom-seok that goes beyond what subtitles can carry. Take it — it's free → DOWNLOAD HERE
This post was originally published on Jennie's blog in the autumn of 2025. The original blog has since moved to Blogger due to hosting changes — welcome to the new home.
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