S’porean adult, 25, tries to escape sad & boring life with spicy new K-drama. You can, too.

There are a lot of things that keep me up at night.

I think about my job, the rising costs of inflation, the inevitability of death, but mainly, what the heck happens next in this K-drama I’ve been watching.

Despite my friends telling me to stop getting hooked on new shows and “get a life”, I ignored all their advice and recently got started on this new K-drama called “Blood Free”.

I’m two episodes into the show and so far, I have no regrets sacrificing some of my shut-eye for this.

The series centres around a former soldier with a haunted past, who begins working as a bodyguard for the CEO of a controversial lab-grown meat company.

It pulls you into a world of combat, mystery, and suspense.

Here’s why that’s better than real life.

The future is here

The first episode opens with a shot of roaming cattle, running free in a vast field.

The camera then pulls back to show that the scene is actually being played on screen in front of a room full of important-looking people in suits.

The animals become holograms that run out of the screen and into the crowd.

This sets the stage for a futuristic world in which the events of “Blood Free” take place.

My first thought is that this is a better world.

Thanks to the biotech company Blood Free (BF) which cultures food in a lab, animals are not slaughtered for the dining table, and the environment isn’t sacrificed in our pursuit of good food.

Sounds like utopia, even to a non-vegan like me.

At least that was what I thought at first. You’ll have to watch to find out.

Very attractive people exist

Let’s face it, it’s near impossible to find the type of faces you see in K-dramas strolling along Orchard Road. The same thing goes for the very attractive characters in “Blood Free”.

Yun Ja Yu, the CEO helming this whole operation, is played by Han Hyo Joo from the award-winning Disney+ K-drama “Moving”.

In an interview, Han mentioned that it was an “interesting challenge” for her to convey the subtle nuances of Yun’s emotions, as the character barely reveals her feelings as a CEO.

Sure enough, there are moments where Yun’s composure fractures, hinting that her facade might be a front she puts up to be feared and respected in the cut throat industry.

Starring alongside Han is Ju Ji Hoon from “Kingdom”, who plays Woo Chae Woon, a hardened war veteran.

He shared that he invested a lot of time reflecting on the character’s backstory and worked hard to stay fit for the action scenes.

And it shows.

Woo is indeed a force to be reckoned with, keeping me guessing what his ultimate mission is.

What are you hiding, mister? (Also, what’s your skincare routine?)

The very attractive people are doing cool things

From slurping ramen to fighting mafia bosses, fictional characters always do things cooler than people in real life do.

I find myself drawn to not just the actors, but the larger-than-life characters they become.

Yun embodies a strong, complex female figure navigating an industry commonly thought to be male-dominated. And she does it well.

Yun is exactly the type of intimidating boss I expect to be running such a wealthy corporation — the ice queen who sits stoic in a car while protestors pound on the windowpane and hurl insults at her.

Her demeanour leads us to question where she stands. Is she really heartless, or is her humanity not all lost?

I’m also invested in Woo — man of few words and many mysteries.

There’s this one scene where Yun is being chauffeured somewhere in a car, and a body comes crashing down on the vehicle, injuring her.

In the midst of the chaos and panic, Woo weaves confidently through the traffic and walks up to the body to check its pulse.

And of course, it’s raining while he does all this. In true K-drama fashion.

The drama hurts so good

My world has been pretty stale lately.

Ordinary life is a far cry from that in “Blood Free”, because as far as plots go, I’ve yet to find myself embroiled in any conspiracy theories or war flashbacks, unlike Woo.

Woe is Woo, who bears the scars from a terrorist attack that killed his former colleagues.

His “retirement” from the army doesn’t mean he’s free of its politics, and there’s never a dull moment as he searches for the truth behind what happened that fateful day.

Meanwhile, the man also has his hands full fending off Yun’s long list of enemies, including drug cartels, terrorists, hackers, and extremists.

Things grow more complicated when Woo discovers that Yun might have a part to play in his comrades’ deaths.

And that’s as far as this article will take you, because we don’t do spoilers here.

If you want more feels

The first six episodes of “Blood Free” are available now to watch exclusively on Disney+, with two new episodes being released every Wednesday.

Alternatively, binge-watchers can catch all 10 episodes in one sitting on May 8.

If an intense action-drama isn’t quite up your alley, you can keep an eye out for other ways to satisfy your emotional cravings.

Disney+ offers a host of Korean shows catered for everyone, from romantics to thrill seekers.

Here are some up and coming releases to look out for:

• Uncle Samsik
• Unmasked
• The Tyrant
• Gangnam B-Side
• The Zone: Survival Mission S3
• Light Shop

If you still don’t have Disney+, what are you waiting for? It’s already 2024.

This sponsored article by Disney+ helped this writer escape her sad and boring life.

Top images from Disney+