#Daun x Siwon

[bl-bracket]

Round 1: Sky and Prapai Final Kiss (Love in the Air) vs Siwon and Daun Dream Kiss (Blueming)

[Submitted Reasons Under Cut]

Sky and Prapai Final Kiss: "After everything they been through together it’s kinda shows nothing can break them up"

Siwon and Daun Dream Kiss: "There's a lot of dead fish eye, closed mouth kisses in the market (esp k dramas) and there's a lot of really hot wet messy kisses in the market (esp thailand. i'm looking at you ZNN) so you don't get to see like, soft kissing. Blueming is maybe the ONLY show i've seen where they're doing actual kissing, and not just the crazy horny kissing but the soft sweet kissing, and i love it"

[cheap-pack-of-cigarettes]

my top 10 bl drama’s of 2022 🥳

1. KinnPorsche The Series (I mean, what can I say?she’s in a league of her own like.. she’s really that bitch!! Everything about this series is just.. incredible!! all of it!! I can even count how many times i’ve rewatched tbh highly highly highly recommend you watch it!!)

2. Bad Buddy (yes ik this technically came out in 2021, but!!! it didn’t end till 2022 so it still counts!!! I will not shut up about them especially now knowing my patpran are coming back! tyvm!)

3. Cutie Pie The Series (ngl I did not think watching ep1 that i’d love this series as much as I did but I throughly enjoyed every ep and fell in love with all the characters too.. & we’re getting more?! we love it)

4. Love In The Air (I like to pretend this show isn’t from the likes of m*me but.. what really pulled me in was the immense chemistry between the four leads like.. you can’t make that up!! I enjoyed both storylines too but the raw chemistry really sold it so well)

5. Between Us (waited so long for this series and for my winteam to come home and its giving me everything I ever wanted! I’m so in love with this series and getting a deeper look into win and team individually & together also all the uwma references?? amazing)

6. Blueming (wow wow wow!! this series!! its so beautiful and touching and just feels so grounded & real if that makes sense? Idk I think it’ll make sense if you do yourself a favor and watch this incredible series, I really can’t recommend it enough)

7. Semantic Error (this has to be one of the best kbl’s I’ve ever seen no joke. I can’t even put it into the right words to express how good this series is, you just have to experience it.. if you haven’t yet, watch it rn!!)

8. To My Star 2 (tho i’m not a huge fan of miscommunication being the central problem of a story, I really think it was executed beautifully here while staying true & in character to the two leads)

9. Not Me Series (ik you’re probably wondering why this isn’t higher on the list and it has nothing to do with the actual series bc I honestly loved it but more to do with the fandom. I won’t get into it detail but the experiences I’ve had and things I’ve seen said really put a bad taste in my mouth.. so much so that this is the only series on the list I haven’t rewatched.)

10. Kissable Lips (we are in desperate need of more vampire bl’s and they really delivered what they needed to & you know what? I ate this one up so so much)

[respectthepetty]

I know you have. I’m sure you have.

But I’ve just finished watching kbl Blueming and I KNOOOOOOOOOOOW you would have had a lot to say about it.

Colours, frames, shadow, lighting.

Hit me with it please xx

Anon, I love that you are the first person to finally ask me, a color fundi, about Blueming because the show with a color in its name has to have color-coded boys in love, no? And one of them has to be a Blue Boy, no? So since you finished watching it, let me summarize the colors.

The Blue in Blueming

Siwon is the Blue Boy. BUT he is the negatives of his color: distant, sad, and impersonal.

And the reason he is this way is because he doesn't want to be a Blue Boy. When he was younger, he was bullied, so now, he tries to be a blank slate and hides his color under whiteness.

However, he can't hide his true color. His backdrops tend to be blue.

He is lit by blue lighting.

Or blue finds its way on him, like when he bumps into the blue painting.

And it's all because Daun, a mysterious and sophisticated Black Brooder, sees past Siwon's illusion which startles Siwon. The first time they meet, Siwon lies to Daun and tells him he has lunch plans with someone else. Siwon really doesn't, and Daun catches him in his blue and black striped sweater.

Siwon tries to hide his color, but it's already too late. Siwon's blue is starting to show over the white instead of hidden underneath it.

Siwon wants to prove he is better than Daun and attempts to keep an icy distance from Daun, but Daun is not competition, and his neutral color shows that.

But Siwon MUST prove he is superior and ends up getting drunk in his dark blue with light blue striped shirt with a black cardigan haphazardly tied around him when out at a bar with Daun near.

Daun takes a passed out Siwon back to his cold and lonely house, gives Siwon his black jacket to rest on, and takes off his blue socks with a bit of warmth coming from Siwon's direction. But interestingly enough, Daun is already gone for Siwon and framed in the muted blue next to him. And this is where we realize that Blueming is a story about Daun falling in love with a Blue Boy, which causes that Blue Boy to embrace his color.

The next few days, Siwon, who is embarrassed, ties to avoid Daun, but Daun has a gift for Siwon in a blue bag. It's the blue socks Daun took off of Siwon when he was passed out on his bed.

Siwon bumps into the blue painting trying to run away from Daun, which leads us to that beautiful bathroom scene where Daun helps remove the paint from Siwon's ear (and Siwon's sister flirts with his friend). Daun gives Siwon a drink afterward, and Siwon is officially shook-eth. The boy who normally looks at himself every chance he gets can't bring himself to look at his reflection and hasn't since the moment in the bathroom. So he sits in his blue "the pinnacle of life" shirt.

Daun calls him to wish him sweet dreams and requests they work on their assignment the following day. They spend all day together, riding around in the blue.

Daun ends up spending the night at Siwon's under the "GOOD GUY" sign hanging above Siwon's blue bed in the warm light compared to his cold house, but Siwon tries to be anything but blue while laying in the red.

Even with the space Siwon is still imposing, Daun shares that it is his birthday and Siwon tells him the man he ran away from earlier was his father. Siwon focuses on Daun spending his birthday with him feeling bad for not getting Daun anything, but Daun tells him he just wants to spend more time with him. And Siwon has fallen.

He gives Daun coupons to his house. He starts wearing Daun's black. But the blue secret he has been hiding gets exposed, when after finding out who Daun's parents are, his classmate from hell pieces together that Siwon's film is based on his childhood, and the blue starts leaking out.

Siwon and Daun argue, but Daun returns Siwon's blue bike to his house, which makes Siwon realize he can't keep repressing his true color. In the warm light, he questions why this handsome, charming, and sophisticated Black Brooder likes him, a guy who likes Mean Girls rather than new age French films, much to the surprise of Daun because he didn't think he was being obvious about his crush (boo boo, we ALL knew). They make up, and Daun, with a coupon in one hand and a packed bag in his other, spends the night at Siwon's, being the good guy he is.

The next day, Siwon is the bluest boy in his "This is never that" sweater, while Daun, who is a bit lighter in his grey cardigan, grabs Siwon's hand.

The classmate from hell doesn't magical fall off a curb, so he pops up bringing trouble with him, but Siwon has a film to focus on, so Daun decides to help by taking his Blue Boy to the beach.

They kiss in the warmest light.

And the blue blooming Blueming is complete with the boys' black silhouettes bathed in the blue light.

That's where the series ends. Daun gets his warmth from Siwon, and the boys are fully immersed in the blue. Done! Finished! It was great! Except Siwon still has an assignment to film. He wears Daun's black while talking to his child actor who is portraying him in the blue with the blue bike.

He finishes his film, and after the screening, he meets his boyfriend's mother while sharing green and neutrals with him, but he overhears that Daun used his position to sway his mom to pick Siwon's film, and Siwon is pissed.

Siwon doubted himself his entire life. He hid is color because he never thought he was good enough as he was. Daun asking his mother to select Siwon's film brings all those fears back to Siwon about not being enough, yet he doesn't hide his blue. His love for Daun is still there in the black, but Siwon's blue is just as present as he stands in front of his friend and his sister in her "Life is not a game" sweater.

Even though he is upset and feeling the aftermath of this revelation, his blue is still present

Daun tries to apologize while wearing blue, but Siwon is still very upset at the doubts Daun's actions have caused to rise within Siwon.

And Daun is forced to return back to his cold home, only to be alone with sprinkles of Siwon's blue and left to dream of his warmth.

Daun tries again to apologize, this time wearing a darker blue, with Siwon in his grey (or is that the lightest blue?!) Volcom cardigan with the mouth of the smiley face over his heart being taped up. BUT IT WORKS!

Siwon accepts Daun's sincere apology, and the boys return to the blue blooming on the beach. Daun kisses Siwon in his black-striped shirt that looks blue when the warm sunlight shines on it, and they walk along the shore feeling hopeful about their future, together, now that both have blossomed with the love they have been given.

Because in the end, love is what makes colors bloom and puts the blue in Blueming.

[talkingbl]

The Good and Bad of Blueming

SPOILER WARNING. TW: eating disorders

The Good

The capturing of the Cha family dynamic. I want to start off by saying that the way Siwon's parents treated both him and his sister was shitty by any measure. That said, Blueming showcased an artfully crafted exploration of the interfamilial toxicity. Particularly revealing was the film-within-a-film. Those scenes where Siwon shot and exhibited his scenario were really the penultimate expression of Siwon's feeling's toward his mother. 2 things really got me: Siwon's stylistic choices with the film, and his mother's subsequent reaction to the film. Those two plot points demonstrated the power of subtlety in media. Siwon's feelings about his mother were deep and complicated yet felt simple to him. Siwon didn't hate his mother, he resented her. He didn't fear her, he wanted to be perfect for her. One scene in particular that stood out was the scene where his younger version is smiling as his mother forced him to drink the protein shake. It seems like, because of the divorce, he felt so sorry for her that he didn't mind when she began projecting all her insecurities onto him. All that mattered to Siwon, it seems, was that his mother was happy, even at his expense. And that feeling of wanting to see someone you love happy at all costs is extremely relatable.

Siwon's backstory. First off, we actually get a backstory that's not merely told to us but shown to us, like the adults we are. It's raw and compelling and shows us the uglier sides of humanity. But more than that, it gives us a look into Korean society that we never see--showcasing the blemishes on the veneer of perfection we see portrayed in Korean media. Another thing I loved about his backstory outside of the metacommentary it provided on individual choices was the fact that it had long-lasting and direct effects on Siwon's life. Siwon struggled with self esteem and feeling loved due to his abandonment issues and his mother's treatment of him post-divorce. This manifested itself whenever he'd jump to the worst possible interpretation of Daun's actions rather than assuming that Daun was approaching in good faith. That's a very real characteristic of people who struggle with low self-esteem. It also manifested itself as hyper-competitiveness with those he perceived as 'too good' for him or 'better' than him. Again, just a great way to communicate his lack of self-worth and fear of abandonment.

Daun as a concept. The best thing about Daun is how open he is with his feelings for Siwon. There's never a moment in the story where I'm left feeling confused about what he is thinking, which, IMO, is key to building a strong lead character. Plus, he's quite proactive and each of his actions have direct and measurable consequences that move the story forward. He is the living embodiment of this gif:

The mise en scene of Episode 9's intimate scene. Everything from the framing (the silhouettes), to the color grading (washed out moody blues), to the setting (beach house), to the tone (sleepy and playful) combined to create one of the most freeing scenes I've seen in a BL, ever. It wasn't just pretty to look at either--it took me to a completely different place outside of the show. It felt like that time around sunset when everything moves a beat slower, the wind is a perfect breeze, and soft background noise hums through the air. Truly gave the same vibes as 'the night feeling' (google it).

Daun's Episode 4 covered kiss. This was the moment I fell for Daun. I came into this show so skeptical and ready to be bored, but that moment changed me completely. And it wasn't the kiss itself that did it. It was the look on Daun's face as he did it, the words he'd muttered to himself up until that point, and the dumbfoundedness of Siwon. There was a childlike crush that had been growing on Daun's end and it just rose to a head. Such a beautiful moment, indeed.

The Bad

Siwon is a weak lead. Yes, I said it. He is so incredibly reactive that it actually hinders the plot. Any good writer knows that key to writing a good character is to make them do stuff rather than merely having stuff done to them. Even if the character is meant to be indecisive, they should do things that, you know, cause the the plot to happen. But here, Siwon barely moves the story forward. In fact, it's always someone else doing it for him. Whether it was his sister submitting his scenario or Daun progressing their relationship, siwon hardly did anything to give him a personality outside of his body image issues and general low self esteem. In other words, all his character development is in the past and doesn't particularly lend itself to moving the present story along..

What happened to Daun's villain arc? The moment Daun broke ole boy's phone, I thought we were in for a Ok Taecyeon Vincenzo-esque heel turn from Daun. Like the bad guy who'd do anything for his one true love. Sadly, I was wrong and we never explored that side of Daun again.

We still don't clearly know why Daun fell for Siwon in the beginning. Seemed a little too much like happenstance.

What exactly happened in the last 1-2 episodes? Girl, when I tell you I had no clue who was avoiding whom and for why in those last two episodes, I mean it. When I realized it was Daun who was avoiding Siwon, I was legitimately confused. Like, wtf? What did Siwon do to deserve this? Why was Daun doing this to himself? I honestly even feel like they should've cut the entire 11th hour betrayal plot out of there because we all saw that coming a mile away. It would've been more refreshing if Daun never went behind Siwon's back in the first place and they had some other conflict instead. But what do I know? I write blog posts not teleplays.

[loveisactivated]

BLUEMING

[jimmysea]

There are many people who are struggling more than me. I shoulnd't wine over small stuff. That's nonsense. Something that doesn't bother me could be someone else's huge burden. About pain..It's an absolute thing for a person. It's not something you can compare. If I feel pain, then it is pain. Nobody can judge you. BLUEMING (2022) dir. Hwang Da Seul

[liyazaki]

desire in profile 💙

kinnporsche | blueming | uwma | golden blood

[shenzhiheng]

“Keep stroking my hair. I have a hard time falling asleep in an unfamiliar place.”

Blueming 블루밍 (2022)

[paisky]

WATCHED IN 2022:

BLUEMING, dir. Hwang Da Seul

[gunsatthaphan]

👥 ❤️

[longinglook]

BLUEMING (2022)

[bl-bracket]

Round 1: Siwon and Daun First Kiss (Blueming) vs Phupha and Tian Forehead Kiss (A Tale of a Thousand Stars)

[Submitted Reasons Under Cut]

Siwon and Daun First Kiss: "This kiss has my heart. Siwon says something so kind, shows such understanding, that Daun can't not reach out and kiss him. And it's probably Siwon's first ever kiss; he's eager and clumsy, and Daun pulls away and laughs and slows him down. It's not a huge dramatic kiss, but it is so true to the characters and their relationship at this point. Siwon still a little unsure, Daun wanting him so much but being so gentle about it. And of course, it is beautifully shot against the sunset and the ocean waves."

Phupha and Tian Forehead Kiss: "I just remember seeing this moment for the first time and being so emotionally overwhelmed. And how it honestly still sticks with me to this day when I think about romantic and emotional moments in bl. Like to see someone as emotionally tight lipped as the chief finally open up and tell Tian how he really felt and to be unashamed to show how he feels to everyone? Touched me so much."

[kaydrama]

DAUN: There's one thing I realized while shooting. I think I like shooting people I like. SIWON: What do you mean? DAUN: I'm saying, I prefer people over stories.

BLUEMING (2022)

dir. Hwang Da Seul

[loveisactivated]

[jimmysea]

"Something that doesn’t bother me could be someone else’s huge burden. About pain..It’s an absolute thing for a person. It’s not something you can compare. If I feel pain, then it is pain."

BLUEMING (2022) dir. Hwang Da Seul

[liyazaki]

hope is a waking dream. -aristotle

blueming (2022) | episode 11