#gray current

[khaoray]

Hey. We're strangers anyway. All I said was he's dead and you asked me to come. You did. So what if I lied? What does his death have to do with you? Fine, I was confused. What about you? Why did you come then? You could've just dismissed me as an idiot and not come... Because I don't wanna say goodbye.

[kolaicendionysos]

Gray Shelter Episode 1 ''Wear my shoes. - Crappy shoes'' ''Hey. I'm wearing your shoes. - Didn't you say they are crappy? Mine are too. Happy?''

[chicademartinica]

Gray shelter / Gray current

Let me tell you something, the stepbrothers trope this year ?!!!? Korea said let me show you what I can do. This show came at me with a baseball bat. I love it. Baby boy from Choco Milkshake did NOT come to play.

[heretherebedork]

This was such a needed hug and so soft and so aching and still just... so painful. So painful because they both want and need so much more than this but they're also both achingly lonely and hurt and broken because of the life they've lead and this is what they can do, just for a moment.

[blmpff]

NEW KBL to watch out for in April: Gray Current starring Lee Jae Bin (Choco from Choco Milk Shake) and Yang Woo Young.

There's not much info yet, second chance romance and forced proximity. There also is something about them almost becoming family, but the translation doesn't make much sense to me (daddy issues that's for sure).

Yang Woo Young // Lee Jae Bin

official IG

source 1 and 2

[dropthedemiurge]

Some language comments for Gray Shelter [Episode 5], just like I promised!

"Do whatever/however you want to. (literally: 'Do it the way your heart desires') You do things how you want to anyway."

"I'm sorry" - the translation is correct, it's just it's funny how Yoondae's level of apology to his friend he just lashed out at last time + he wants to ask him for HELP, and all he says is: 미안 (mian). The most informal and short way of apologizing possible. He's so teenager-minded still.

Even when he asks "Can I leave my stuff in your dad's warehouse?" it comes out grammatically more of a demand, like 'Let me do that'. Yoondae is talking like someone who has a lot of walls and doesn't reach out to people, he doesn't talk kindly but he's honest and straightforward and he cries easily but he's very angry about it.

I especially love his facial expression, even when he's at his most miserable, he'll make it everyone else's problem, as if being pitiful is the worst thing that could happen to him. "I have no one else I could ask for help but you >:(("

Fun fact about Korean's sentence structure, when you quote someone or express your thoughts, you put your sentence this way: "quoted phrase" and then + "that's what they said/what i thought/etc". So oftentimes, I see Kdramas use that trick when characters say a phrase... and then take it back with "that's someone else's thoughts" or "that's what you thought I'd say, right? LMAO". It's funny how the translators' way of transferring this was using the word "Sike!" xD

"It wasn't a mistake to me." "If it wasn't a mistake, then [what]? Since you started talking [about it], let me ask you. So what if it wasn't a mistake? What do you want to achieve with me?" "Can I do anything about it? In the past or now, you're the one who runs away and avoids me. I asked you, can I make a decision (do I have any choices)?" "You made the move but you want me to decide? Fine, then. Let sleep together once and end it once and for all. Go wash up first. I don't have time, I only left office for a short time."

The way they both care about each other but their dialogues and words are very sharp and bitter almost all the time, especially here, aaaah. That's the contrast that hooked me for all these 5 episodes. Soohyuk doesn't swear but he's talking to Yoondae very harshly and emotionless here, and for Yoondae harsh talk is the default, it's like Soohyuk is lowering his manners to talk on his level, to provoke him (or maybe that's also how he distances himself from the discovery that Yoondae has feelings for him).

And Yoondae is holding back his frustration and tears, but he understands the way such words were aimed to hurt him, so instead of lashing out back at Soohyuk, as he probably wants him to, he swallows and unusually calmly, almost softly says: "Let's talk when you can be honest. Because I will shut up and wait for you."

And it makes Soohyuk stand there in shock and contemplate.

I'll add next scenes in READ MORE since this post is getting long!

Here's the moment when the boss asks their youngest employee to write something more 'trendy' for their marketing text xD It's very true that trends in Korea come and go very quickly, they also love to invent new terms and phrases all the time. Like "MZ slang", there are many phrases, and the one trendy phrase the boss uses as the example is 킹받네 (king-pad-nae) which literally written as 'receive the king' but means "I got angry" - but with a teasing/playful subtext, like friends could say each other 'ah you're so cute, it makes me angry'.

If I'm not wrong, this phrase was widely used like 1-2 years ago and not really in its trendy peak as well right now but kudos to boss to even learning it xD And it's funny how translator chose to (I assume) use "[living in my head] rent-free" phrase as a substitute. Another fun fact, they ended up using some trendy lingo in their ad that translator gave us as "no cap!" but that part of phone msg was so blurry, I couldn't see which exact Korean phrase they ended up using x)

"Hyung, if you have any ask for help, say so. For you, 2 million... No, I'll try to give you until 3 million won in any way."

Can I just say that we had this character for one moment and I'm so not ready to let him go, I want Jeongwan to have his own storyline and everything and he's too sweet and also caring for strangers/his colleagues, and so he stole the spotlight for me xD

Yoondae said there's no food at home. But also, as you can see, there is: beer, water, rice that you can cook in the microwave, kimchi for a side dish and some other microwaved food. According to my Korean friends, typical Korean person (poor like student) can survive if they have rice, kimchi and also ramyeon. That's their the most basic food. Just a fun fact. xD

Also he was on his third can of beer, and he already made a drunken longing call on the verge of tears to Soohyuk, lying about being hurt and bringing trouble just so he'd return home. "Is that okay with you?" - just shoot me, please. :')

"I called [the cleaning service/you] to tell you to stop it [sleeping outside of home]" "Let's have that dinner [that I promised you] today. Wait for me."

After days, Yoondae was ready to give up, he "tricked" Soohyuk to return home just so he could tell him he'll move out and stop pushing any talk. And then, Soohyuk brought up the dinner (the feelings) that he kept avoiding. No wonder Yoondae looked so struck and confused. It just gave him his hopes back (and viewers too, but we probably should've known better with this kind of series haha)

Interesting cultural context: they are getting samgyeopsal - grilled meat, chosen by Soohyuk because Yoongdae said there wasn't anything he wanted to eat. And usually, the youngest one has to set the cutlery and grill meat, out of respect for the seniors. And here we see that Soohyuk is the one choosing the place, menu and even grilling the meat and pouring soju for Yoondae.

Once again, it shows that despite Yoondae's emotions and pleads, he is not mature enough, he is not ready to focus on other people. We know he can't plan his own future, he doesn't know what to do, and we see where their relationship stands now - Yoondae is still more of a burden than an equal partner to Soohyuk, and Soohyuk is more of a parent.

Even when they drink soju (in Korean drinking etiquette usually you don't drink alone, you toast together and drink together), notice how they don't even clink their glasses together, then Soohyuk is the only one drinking and Yoondae wants to follow him but puts the glass back. He's taking a shot later, when Soohyuk grills the meat again. They are totally unsynchronized at this point of their lives, and it's painful to watch.

"I said he [my father] was dead because that's the truth/reality for me. There was no other [hidden] meaning. I didn't plan to lie to you."

"I moved out completely. If I don't organize my life starting from doing this, then I don't think I'll be able to live like all the other [normal] people."

The fact that Yoondae started thinking about improving his life (the word 'organizing'), immediately made Soohyuk stop in surprise. So he started asking what does the normal life like others mean to him, hopeful to find that equal adult footing from Yoondae... but Yoondae's thoughts stopped there. And Soohyuk offered his own goal and life meaning: "to have a place to go back to, that's enough for me".

Here's when Yoondae thoughtfully agreed with him: "It's important to have a home", and took the meat tongs from Soohyuk, saying how high-maintenance he is. Yoondae embraced that realization, he took the responsibility (even a small cultural gesture) and even though Yoondae nagged him, Soohyuk smirked. Because it wasn't a completely hopeless situation. And Yoondae proved it, by saying how eating like this and going home together is his normal life as well. (and yet they were still unsynchronized until the very end! we can't have happy ending yet)

AND HERE IS WHERE I HAVE TO MAKE A SECOND POST! Because tumblr only allows 30 images in one, and I can't stop screenshotting the last conversation so I'm going to make another post that you can find in 'gray shelter comments' or 'dropthemeta' tags (upd. or here's the link to the post!)^^

[flowerytale]

Alasdair Gray, from Poor Things

[psykopaths]

[woah-uhuh-uhuh-uhuh]

rich dump

[inklessletter]

He knew he would have to apologize to his own body every day for the rest of his life if he kept using it as a prison for all the love he had stored for Steve. All those brand new, unused kisses, rotting in his lips. All those unspoken words, with no air in his lungs to be shared. All those itching caresses, locked in his skin, with nowhere to go. Eddie was a cursed temple. A graveyard of love. Unfit for the living. God, he needed to tell him.

❄️❄️❄️

In the process we trust.

Um, that snippet over there? Yeah, that's from one of my own fics. First time to draw something based on my words.

[hotdamnitsmoony]

rip sirius black, you would’ve loved conan gray

[andro-dino]

I don’t know how they did it but they gave a troll tguy swag,,,, godbless

+ closeup of just the human version bc I like how he came out a lot <3

[kolaicendionysos]

Can We Count 'Gray Shelter' As A Real-Real ''Step Brother'' Genre?

I watched both episodes of Gray Shelter last night when I saw Lee Jae Bin in first minute.

Later, I will write about what I liked about the series. Maybe I'll make it into a gif.

But I want to talk about something.

I've seen comments in many platforms about its genre. Some people didnt get it their situtation in first place, some people say 'its stepbrother its gross'. I know 'stepbrother' genre in BL's (yeah the famous Taiwan productions) looks weird in SOME situtations. I'm okay with that thoughts.

But can we consider 'Gray Shelter' as a real ''real'' stepbrother genre? From here, It looks like they only lived together for a few months. Yoondae was 17-18, and Soohyuk looks like 20ish or 25 something in those times.

When they lived together, they were more like companions. Yoondae was a lonely child. He had a father who abused him physically and mentally. Even his best friend was not in a position to understand him. (Naturally) A world where no one understands you. It must be very hard.

When he met Soohyuk, he was always prejudiced against him. But he found comfort in Soohyuk's understanding attitude. Soohyuk immediately became Yoondae's safe person.

When he lost his safe person, he stood up again. He was proud. But broken. He's just a kid who hasn't had real, loving relationships with people. He hasn't learned to love. So is his relationship with his future girlfriend. Because he couldn't learn in the first place.

Soohyuk chose to be Yoondae's safe person. He wanted to try it. Because there was no one to protect him. Maybe he saw himself in Yoondae.But he realized that he could not fix another child, that he could not be successful, while he was a broken child. Then ran away.

And It seems like her mother wasn't married to Yoondae's father for long. She still thinks Soohyuk's father.

I made it too long when I said I wouldn't comment. I hope I was able to explain what I wanted to say. Maybe I might even be thinking wrong. I'm open to comments.

[divineandmajesticinone]

GRAY SHELTER (2024) I 1.04 "Because I don't wanna say goodbye."

[heretherebedork]

These two are the most aching, damaged and hurting young men who are trying so desperately to be themselves and one is trying to be a good son by a man ruining his life and the other is trying desperately to escape an abusive father and they found each other years ago and hurt each other and now they're mostly just hurting themselves trying to live.

They care about each other so much but they're both hurt and damaged and broken and it makes it so impossible for them to care about themselves or see the other person caring. And that aches. They're both so hurt and so broken by their fathers that they have come to believe in a world that will not take care of them, a world that will not care about them at all, and it does not matter if they love or care because nothing is ever given back to them.

I cannot describe how fucked up this relationship is. Like, Dad is constantly living past his means to impress the rest of the world and making his son clean up and pay for him and he calls that one mistake and then he gets upset that his son, in a society of filial piety, in a society where he felt so desperate that he had to impress everyone around, did not simply tell him he was tired? Expecting that makes no sense. I am proud of the boy for calling the police, though. That took so much work to do it.

This poor boy. He's doing so much and working so hard and he gets nothing in return, nothing but blame and anger and an abusive father using him and blaming him for literally being used by him. He deserves to be rescued.

They rescue each other, no matter how much they're hurting and that's beautiful even if they're exhausted and aching and always lashing out.

This poor man. He's trying so hard and he's been trying so hard for so long and it's never helped, it's never done anything for him, it's left him alone and cold and exhausted and with nothing but emptiness inside.

The choice. This is the choice. Be tried. Or fake it. You can't try to do both, you can't accept your exhaustion but also expect people to act like you're okay when you say things or show your exhaustion to them. But they also can't help you if you only act like you're okay.

What a note to end the episode on. Nothing is fixed, nothing is done but at least something has been said.

[blmpff]

GRAY CURRENT aka GRAY SHELTER official trailer 1 // 2

starring: Lee Jae Bin and Yang Woo Young, premiere: 11.04.24

06.04.24