The Korean Drama Drinking Game

In my younger days, I used to regularly partake in various drinking games -- all of which must have been successful (or unsuccessful, depending upon how you look at it), because I can't for the life of me remember any of them. Save one. The Century Club. For the uninitiated, this is a male rite of passage where one must drink one shot of beer, every minute, for 100 minutes. Believe me, it sounds easier than it is. Out of the half dozen or so of us who took up the noble challenge, only 2 of us made it to the 100th shot. I'm proud to say that I was part of that elite pair. No mean feat for me, considering that I'm six-feet tall and weigh a meagre 66 kilograms (about 146 pounds, or 65 999 999 999.999 99 micrograms for the eggheads out there). Sadly, those days are passed, but if you're young, bored, live in Korea, and like to make up flimsy excuses for drinking copious amounts of beer and/or spirits, I have the game for you. The only caveat being that you have to watch a Korean drama -- but that in itself isn't too bad, really: you get to see some of the funniest, unintentionally bad acting this fine planet has to offer, and Korean dramas are always fun to watch for the cute young actresses. If you have HD, you can check out their cosmetic surgery scars!

So, here's the game. Any time the following occurs, everyone must take either a shot of hard liquor, or down a beer (unless noted otherwise). This list is far from extensive, admittedly, so readers are encouraged to submit their own additions to the list.

Drink a shot/beer every time each of the following occurs:

- A scene takes place inside a cafe. 2 shots/beers if the cafe is playing a Beatles song, instrumental, or cover.

- A "mosaic" tries to blur out an obvious corporate logo. 2 shots/beers if the logo is manually covered, instead of digitally.

- You recognize the area/location in which a scene was filmed.

- A lone male or female character stands outside in the driving rain. 3 shots/beers if this is the episode's final scene.

- A scene inside a nightclub. 2 shots/beers if you know the lyrics to the song being played.

- A female character slaps a man. 3 shots/beers (followed by a disapproving grimace) if a male character slaps a woman.

- A scene takes place on a bench outside a hospital.

- A female character blinks, causing fake tears to fall.

- Any time an older female character speaks and sounds like Mommy Fortuna from The Last Unicorn. Drink 2 shots/beers right now if you understand exactly what I mean.

- A cell phone rings. 2 shots/beers if it's on vibrate. 3 shots/beers if you mistakenly think your own cell phone is ringing.

- A character is diagnosed with cancer.

- This guy makes an appearance:



- A breakfast/lunch/dinner table scene. 2 shots/beers if a female character leaves the table abruptly in a fuss.

- A character is drunk/drinking.

(as a side note, when a male character in a drama gets shitfaced, it's because he's "conflicted" or "emotionally torn," and such an act is given positive connotation. When a guy does so in real life? It's likely because he's a drunken loser. Probably an unemployed drunken loser who smokes a pack of This a day and who is addicted to Starcraft. Oh, and his chances of pulling someone like Song Hye-Gyo are about as realistic as my chances of winning the Nobel Prize for Things That Smell Like Cum [sic])

- A male superior unfairly dresses down a female subordinate in an office situation.

- Ample cleavage is shown (5 shots/beers).

- A recently-employed female character's first day on the job reminds you of the lyrics "you're going to make it after all!" 2 shots/beers if the scene involves a fashion show.

- A passionate kiss (3 shots/beers). 10 if a tongue and/or groping is involved.


That's the list so far. Again, feel free to submit your own additions. And remember to drink responsibly.

*Hic!*