Before I Transform into a Beast, Saying Goodbye to “Gu Family Book”

The phrase, “Biting off more than you can chew,” applies here. Days before “Gu Family Book” began, I sat down with Softy and she encouraged me to recap again because my puppy Lee Seung Gi would be back on the small screen. I knew it might not be a good idea because I just started a new job and moved into a new home, but she was very convincing, saying things like, “As a Lee Seung Gi fan, you have to do this because it’s his first sageuk after he didn’t get ‘Iljmae,’ and you have neglected your blog for too long. Also, you weren’t sure at the beginning but remember how good and fun recapping ‘Faith’ turned out to be.” When all that had not fully sold me she finally added, ” Just think about Sung Joon’s main of glory.”

Weeks later, she is singing a different tune and saying my health should come first. After regular visits to the doctor, my conclusion is that Korea is trying to kill me. My body is physically reacting to the environmental changes and it’s affecting my health and state of mind. My immune system is down and I can’t fight off the foreign germs and stressors in Korea. After Monday and Tuesday, I spend all week trying to catch up on sleep and can’t get anything else done.  I just can’t foresee going through this another 14 episodes. So it is with a heavy and shameful heart that I announce I am no longer able to recap “Gu Family Book.”

Softy and I discussed the possibility of her taking over my recaps but during episode 10, I had to help her with Lee Soon Shin’s lines because his military talk was too difficult for her to handle on her own. On each recap night, I need to get a reasonable amount of rest, but if I stay up to help her past midnight with certain lines, that would defeat the purpose of stopping these recaps to get more sleep to function the next day. This drama will only get more complicated with Gwan Woong’s plans to work with the Japanese so Softy doesn’t have the confidence to continue solo.

We bandied around legitimate reasons why I should stop and also why I should continue and the only conclusion my body can handle at this point is to drop the recaps. Just like I held out hope that Sung Joon’s main of glory would improve over time but it continues to be an embarrassment, I am going to have to face facts and realize my situation won’t get any better. What I need is time to learn my way around Korea so I can stop stressing out and getting sick. I need time to build a healthy routine so I can handle Korea better. The upside to all this is that by the time “Heirs” rolls around, I will be in better physical shape to tackle it. I will also have time to watch other dramas and write more about them, as well as about Korea.

Forgive me readers and fans of “Gu Family Book.” Even up to this moment of posting this announcement, I was thinking, “Just one more week,” but I have to be rational and honest to myself. I am sorry to disappoint the many fans of the drama but please know that in spirit, I am with you in my love for the darling little thing. I hope by the end both Kang Chi and I will be fully human.