Reading
I bought 요츠바랑! 1 | L11 for the upcoming Absolute Beginner Book Club - Get your book & choose your schedule read, and realised that I had quite a lot of Ridicash left in my account (a nice present from past me! 
) so I ended up getting a whole bunch of translated manga. For some reason I had this idea that I should only read native Korean media in Korean, but I decided that that was a silly rule and I should read whatever I want! 
Along those lines, rather than pushing myself to read more difficult things, I’m just reading whatever interests me. No doubt I’ll get back to a place where I want to improve and do some studying, but for now I’m happy just reading manga and other things at a comfortable level in Korean. Something I’ve noticed is that reading in another language seems to make a story more engaging - perhaps it’s due to reading at a slower pace and having to concentrate more, so I feel more invested, even when I’ve already read the work in English.
Having not read in Korean for a few months (or longer…? I’m scared to scroll back up and see when the last time was 
) it’s nice to be able to read relatively easy stuff without looking up vocab all the time. It has also allowed me to reflect on my progress: I remember struggling to read my first sentence in Korean, how difficult it was trying to remember all the meanings of the words and the various bits of grammar and how everything fit together. It felt like my little brain was running at full capacity! 
So it’s satisfying to realise how far I’ve come, and I’m reading books and comics (up to a certain level) fairly easily now.
Anyway, here’s what I’ve read/started reading recently:
The first volume was free, and I didn’t realise it would pull me into the story the way it did… So I’ll be continuing series. 
Adorable!!! I’ll definitely be reading the rest of the series. 
I really enjoyed this! I love BL where the MCs have kids, so I made a list of the manga I know of that fit into this category:
When webtoon support is implemented, I’ll be able to make a Korean version of the list! 
I’m a bit late joining the book club, but this is another precious BL family story. I’ve almost finished, but I don’t want it to end… 
I decided to pick this up because it’s incredibly popular and not too difficult (although the current level is definitely lower than it should be). Also the first volume is free on Ridi.
(Webtoon) A war photographer wakes up from a 5-year coma after being hurt on the job. He was cared for in a foreign country, and when he returns home, he discovers that everyone he knew thought he was dead, including his lover, who has moved on. Angst. I love it. 
An appropriate choice for spooky month! 
(It’s part of those “publisher series”, so the blurb isn’t right - as you can see, the main characters are not vegetables 
- I’ve req’d it be split) Declining birthrates mean 로라’s school is going to be shut down, but as the Halloween party approaches, rumour has it that zombies are going to save the school…? The current level is too low, but it’s still a relatively easy read so far.
I just stumbled across this (
so not on Natively), and it sounds exactly my style: a parody magical boy LN! 
I shall be starting this posthaste.
Gotta watch this magical boy anime, too!
Watching
I haven’t been watching as much since I started reading again, but still have some updates!
A cute and funny dog anime that’s 90% JOYFUL SCREAMING!!! 
Based on a real dog and owner (who is indeed a glassblower)! The manga is great, too. 
This, and the next anime, are adapted from manga series (added to my TBR!), and although I don’t really like watching things that are currently releasing, especially when they’re shorts (I love binge-watching 
), these stories seem too cute and hilarious to pass up!!!
UJ 보고서
@eefara I had a little look for info on this series, and here’s what I found:
- UJ 보고서 (UJ Report) - also published in print under the title 피스 브레이커 (Peace Breaker) in the early 00s - is written by 강소영 (Kang So-Yeoung).
- The author started posting it on a message board in 1999, and it’s still being published(!!!), although there have been
hiatusiihiatuses (I’m guessing it’s the “longest-running” as in the period of time it has been released, rather than the longest by word count, but I can’t be sure). - It’s an “urban fantasy BL”, although the fact that it’s BL isn’t obvious at first - apparently male readers of the two 피스 브레이커 books were shocked when the continuation under the new name turned out to be a BL!
- The series is split into two parts: part one consists of 12 ebook volumes, while part two (UJ 보고서: 불과 피 날, UJ Report: Day(s) of Fire and Blood) is currently being published weekly.
- You can read both parts on Ridibooks, but you need age verification as it’s 18+ (Korea has a much lower threshold for labeling something as ‘adult’ than Japan or the west; apparently this story doesn’t really warrant it).
- The entirety of Part 1 may be available… elsewhere.
- It seems that there are at least a few “main” characters, and that different parts of the story are told from the viewpoint of different narrators.
- It’s described as an American police comedy set in an East/West fantasy mash-up. Make of that what you will.
Plot (Ridibooks)
Shining streets, imposing castles made of steel and glass, confident and beautiful people; and not far away, an alleyway full of shabby people weary of life, a place you can weave through the crowds at a brisk pace without bumping into anyone… A place where ordinary people and very strange people occasionally cross paths: Kugan City!
One day Yu Je-i, an ordinary detective protecting the city, hears the news that the serial killer he had fallen in love with has escaped prison… At the same time, incomprehensible incidents begin to occur in Kugan City…
That seems to be the intro to part 1, so hopefully it’s not spoilery. I guess the UJ in the title refers to the MC.
Characters
- 유제이 (Yu Jay, Yu Je-i, Yu Je-yi… I’m guessing this is in Korean name order of family name first) - A detective in the violent crimes unit, father is East Asian (presumably Korean), mother is Romani (“gypsy”). Handsome and cute, he’s attracted to every man he meets.
- 니콜라스 헤슬렘 (Nicholas Haslem) - A millionaire businessman and serial killer, also Jay’s ex-boyfriend.
- 루크 첸 (Luke Chen) - Leader of the Chinese mafia, pursuing Jay romantically.
These seem like the main ones, but of course there’s a lot of other characters.
Ngl, this little bit of research made me really interested in reading the series… 
Bonus Muco!!!
