K-Drama, Hit Goblin(도깨비 2016)

The mega hit Korea-Drama Goblin <Guardian: The Lonely and Great God> (2016)

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Source: tvN Goblin Official Site

K-drama Goblin (‘Guardian: The Lonely and Great God’ for the official English title; ‘도깨비 – 쓸쓸하고 찬란하神’ for the Korean equivalent) is definitely one of the most-watched dramas of recent years in Korea. You can tell it from the fact that its final episode got the highest average viewership (20.5%) among every cable drama so far. It even recorded a peak at 22.1% which was a remarkable figure for cable dramas! Personally, this is the only K-drama of which I’ve watched the whole episodes repeatedly. Everything was spot on, including characters, actors and actresses, their acting, soundtracks, and the story line…. I can list on and on! (okay, maybe except too many product placements across the episodes…) Never did I feel this strong about K-dramas before Goblin (Guardian), I really wanted to follow the traces of the Shin-Tak couples.

The must-visit spot from Goblin (Guardian): Jumunjin Breakwater

While the drama Goblin (Guardian) left a lot of atmospheric filming locations, many of them were not ideal to visit in winter. I managed to pick one though, which I would claim is the most representative of the drama.

Here, Eun-tak and Kim Shin (Goblin/Guardian) met each other for the very first time as she accidentally summoned him. This epic scene was shot in Jumunjin, Gangwon-do Province.

When the drama Guardian had its hottest moment to the public, an endless number of people came to Jumunjin Breakwater (or Sand Protection Dam technically). It was so many that someone with a business mindset appeared, renting out Eun-tak’s red scarf and Goblin’s artificial flowers to these visitors! (How smart…) Despite over a year since the end of the drama, rain, and the cold weather, a fair number of people were still around and queued for photography when I visited this time (Dec. 2017). I didn’t see the guy lending the items there, but it might have been due to the weather or the season. I’ll update if I find any new information whether he’s still around.

Your Take of Eun-tak and Kim Shin

Because everyone’s purpose of the visit was the same, we didn’t need to worry about how to take the photos. Visitors snapped photos for those before them, and when their turn came the next group photographed them. Taking several photos for a couple in front of us, I looked forward to my turn even more because the frame through the camera looked just perfect! It was so romantic I could imagine what kind of emotion Eun-tak and Kim Shin from Goblin (Guardian) would have had here.

When our turn finally came I took off a long padded winter coat, as I had prepared to look like Eun-tak as much as I could. People in the queue were impressed by my passion and input in this in the middle of winter. (hahaha) I was a little bit embarrassed, but knew this moment wouldn’t come back and I couldn’t miss it! As I let myself enjoy the whole experience, it was even more fun.

Tip 1) Have a think about Eun-tak look before you go

I didn’t buy new outfits or accessories just for this but managed to mimic her look, since I happened to have these items: a grey hoodie; a school uniform-style skirt; a red scarf; above-knee socks; and Converses. Having hoped to rent the flowers for more precise reenactment, the weather and the guy’s absence didn’t help. Still, we improvised to create the general mood using our umbrella! I guess the photos ended up a mix of two different scenes from Guardian.

What was amusing was everyone there was super, super helpful! Particularly, the father of a family of 4~5 volunteered to hold my coat and the rucksack to prevent them from getting damp on the wet ground. We were bit resistant at first, since we felt sorry for them holding strangers’ items. We also thought they’d be fine on a ground for a short time, but everyone else seemed to disagree with us… Sounding surprised and concerned as we put the items down, they offered their hands for help at which point we gave in. With their sweet and kind help, our mission was completed successfully and romantically.