[Staff Spotlight] Meet Alathe: Get to Know Our Team Member

Explain your username (and/or avatar if you wish).
Ah, this is a fun one! Alathe is a character from Fletcher and Shirley’s 1640 play, The Night-Walker. She spends most of her time onstage disguised as a boy and a good chunk of the rest pretending to be a ghost — then, at the end of it all, marries the villain. Wild stuff! Long ago, I tried to write a novel whose protagonist was named Alathe. She embodied the sort of terrible character archetype I not-so-secretly adore: spoiled, sardonic, and bitter, but redeemable despite it all – not so much a villain as the rival who bullies the hero at school. The novel was never completed, but the character is pretty emblematic of my approach to fiction: I often feel quite a fierce love for the characters we’re not even really meant to like!
 
What is the first drama that you watched (or the first drama that made an impression)?
I got into K-drama roughly four or five years ago, when I watched Oh My Ghost on my mother’s recommendation. I absolutely fell in love! It was such a fun premise: an outgoing young ghost possesses a meek aspiring cook and helps her get together with the head chef of her dreams. What I adored about Oh My Ghost was its creative flexibility: it could turn on a dime and shift genre again and again. It was part ghost story, party mystery, part romance… and, naturally, part cooking show!
 
Name a job or two that you’ve had in the past.
I became a high school English teacher straight out of university. It was super intense, especially for a fresh-faced 22-year-old with about zero idea of how to control a rowdy class of teenagers, but I loved it. I kept it up for years!
 
Have you ever lived a moment that you thought belonged in a drama?
Hmm… I once went on a date so disastrous that when I accidentally locked myself in a coffee shop bathroom, it was practically an ice-breaker. She hardly spoke to me! I kept having to just — monologue as entertainingly as I could! I was so flustered I ended up buying a box of six (six) pastel de nata at a fancy bakery, which, to cap it all, she didn’t even like. So, at the end of the day, I had no second date, five (admittedly delicious) pastries, and a lifelong fear of Cafe Nero toilets. I feel as if this could have made a fine comedy segment in a drama — especially if it had been Subway instead, and the kind barista who saved me from the sticky bathroom door had ended up being the romantic lead. A girl can dream!
 
What drama genres do you especially like?
I go absolutely wild for sageuks — Six Flying Dragons is my favorite historical drama ever. (Although, it’s not actually my favorite depiction of King Taejong, which has to go to the deadly, fan-wielding Yi Bang-won from My Country). There’s something about the historical politics of kingship that just really appeals to me — all the sound and fury and intricate scheming. Any flavor of fantasy is also exceedingly my jam… hence why Alchemy of Souls pretty much owns my soul. That said, give me a strong romance plot with likable leads, and I’ll gladly watch just about anything.
 
What drama genres do you especially dislike?
Dramas where the main characters are cops are generally a pass from me. High school dramas, too — I’ve spent too much time working in actual high school for there to be much of an appeal. (I’ll make an exception for brilliantly-conceived shows like All of Us Are Dead.)
 
Is there a drama character you’ve ever strongly identified with, and why?
Okay, so, this one doesn’t necessarily reflect well on me. But. I imprinted heavily on the villain from My Fellow Citizens: Park Hoo-ja, played by Kim Min-jung. She was so effortlessly dramatic in everything she did! I relate to that. Now, to be clear, I did not identify with her because she was a notorious loan shark who attempted to bribe her way into the National Assembly. Still, there was something about her flair and independence that was unbelievably compelling to me. She did her best to be calculating and untouchable, but she also wore her heart on her sleeve! I thought she was terrific.
 
What drama character would you want to be?
Ooh — can I be Chae Song-hwa from Hospital Playlist? Neurosurgery is a fascinating field that I’d love to automatically become an expert in! Besides that, she’s smart, charismatic, rocks glasses, and has the steadfast love and admiration of all her colleagues. Plus, great hair. I could totally live with that.
 
What was your major in school?
English! Later, I specialized in Victorian literature. The main takeaway from this interview should be that I’m a massive nerd.
 
What’s a random skill you have?
I possess the uncanny ability to remember the tune and lyrics of any song I heard as a small child, however obscure. Thankfully, I’m also a good singer… so, I guess that’s the only area in which I beat Song-hwa! (Alas, I’m nowhere near actual Jeon Mi-do levels of talent.)
 
Favorite non-Korean movie and/or TV show?
One of my favorite TV shows ever is The Great: it’s a sharply-written, tongue-in-cheek depiction of a young Catherine the Great’s rise to power. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some launch a coup via plotting to assassinate their incompetent husband!
 
Which Hallyu celebrity would you actually want to meet and spend an hour with?
Sohn Ye-jin, without a doubt. She’s so incredibly talented — and magnetically charming. I’d happily spend the entire hour just watching her talk about anything. Plus, I bet her skincare tips are out of this world.
 
Which of the 7 deadly sins would be your undoing? (Pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, or sloth.)
As unglamorous as it is, I’m going to have to say sloth. If left unchecked, I am a terrible creature of procrastination.
 
Your favorite drama has an unholy alliance with your most hated drama and produces a mutant baby drama. Describe the plot.
Tricksy detective-mage Jang Wook uncovers evidence of a secret conspiracy that goes all the way to the top of the Assistant Gwanju’s office. Before he can inform the King, he is killed by famed assassin Naksu in an epic showdown atop the roof of a… erm, historical fantasy-style office block. However, instead of dying, he is thrown several years back in time, back to when he knew no magic. As his past self, he must scheme to overthrow the evil Jin Mu before it’s too late. This is complicated by the fact that a younger Naksu has already taken an interest in him… and, despite his better instincts, he finds himself falling in love with his future killer.

Reviews are mixed, but the soundtrack rocks.