Korean Drama - The Manipulated

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안녕하세요

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは

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The Manipulated is a 2025 South Korean action thriller drama, written by Oh Sang Ho and directed by Park Shin Woo and Kim Chang Ju.

The series aired on Disney+ November 5 - December 3, 2025, it has 12 episodes.

Main Cast:

Ji Chang Wook as Park Jae Jung

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Doh Kyung Soo as An Yo Han

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Kim Jong Soo as No Yong Sik

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Jo Yoon Su as No Eun Bi

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Lee Kwang Soo as Baek Do Kyoung

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Supporting Cast:

Yang Dong Geun as Yeo Deok Su

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Kim Jae Chul as Yang Chul Hwan

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Eum Moon Suk as Do Gang Jae

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Lee Jae Kyoon as Koo Ji Yong

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Lee Seo Hwan as Park Han Hee

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Lee Sung Woo as Hwang Il Guk

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Ahn Ji Ho as Park Tae Jin

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Kwon Da Ham as Woo Jung

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Kim Jung Heon as Jung Soo

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Lee Suk Hyeong as Dae Hoon

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Pyo Ye Jin as Song Su Ji

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Kim Joong Hee as Kim Sang Rak

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Jeong In Ji as Nanny

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Bae Na Ra as Woo Min Hyung

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Lee Hyun Jin as Chung Ri

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Han Ji Hyo as Lee Sun Ah

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Do Yun Jin as Han Byeol

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The series is based on the film Fabricate City, which Oh Sang Ho co-wrote and starred Ji Chang Wook.

Tae Joong is an ordinary man living an ordinary type of life. But, his life changes.

One day, he unjustly gets involved in a heinous crime and he is sent to prison.

Tae Joong discovers that everything was planned by Yohan and he carries out revenge on Yohan.

Disney+ Singapore

I decided to watch this on a whim because I was familiar with a few of the cast members and I was blown away by a few of them as I wasn't used to them acting as the characters they were playing.

The show itself was really good, it didn't take me long to finish watching it as I was hooked. I will admit that I did nearly stop watching during the first few episodes, as they were really difficult to watch, but I'm glad I pushed through and continued because it did really have me on the edge of my seat and wanting to continue at the end of each episode.

I absolutely loved Ji Chang Wook as Park Jae Jung, I know he's known for his roles, especially when it comes to action, but for me, he was on another level in this drama. From the first to last episode, I felt all his emotions, but watching him in those first few episodes, while difficult and traumatising to watch, he really did an amazing job.

I thought Doh Kyung Soo was amazing as An Yo Han, I joked that I now know why the rest of EXO are scared of him, because he plays crazy extremely well. He even scared and creeped me out.

I really liked Kim Jong Soo as No Yong Sik, I really loved the friendship between Jae Jung and Yong Sik, and there were times I was scared what would happen to him and how it would affect Jae Jung.

I thought Jo Yoon Su did a really great job as No Eun Bi. I initially didn't like her as she seemed to push the people closest to her away, but the more we got to know her, we knew why she acted the way she did.

Lee Kwang Soo was amazing as Baek Do Kyoung, he's the typical character that comes from money and power, which means he believes he can do anything and get away with it, even committing murder. Even as he loses power, he still believes he can get away with his crimes.

I thought Yang Dong Geun was amazing as Yeo Deok Su, I didn't even realise that he played the son in season 2 of Squid Game. It really shows how he can pull off any role and character.

I really liked Kim Jae Chul as Yang Chul Hwan, for me, he was the character that gave me hope for Jae Jung throughout the show. It was sometime hit or miss on whether he would believe Jae Jung, but he also seemed to lean on trusting what he said.

I was surprised to see Bae Na Ra as Woo Min Hyung as I'd not long finished Would You Marry Me, in which he also appears in. While the characters I've seen him play have been of similar roles. Woo Min Hyung is definitely the best I've seen so far as like Yo Han, he's on the crazy side and seems to revel in cleaning up messes and being a hitman for hire.

I highly recommend this drama, I'll just say to be prepared for the first few episodes and push through them. Once you get past that initial trauma, you'll be on the edge of your seat even more.

The casting is amazing as is the story, even if it seems a little far-fetched at times. It's also scary to think there are probably people like this in real life.

Have you watched The Manipulated?

Were you a fan of the cast?

Did you enjoy the plot?

Let me know in the comments below.

See you soon!

안녕

(Annyeong)

さようなら

(Sayonara)

再见

(ZaiJian)

Bye

D.O. - Empathy

Hello

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(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

D.O. is the 6th member of EXO to make his solo debut, Empathy is his solo debut mini album.

On the 30th of June 2021, SM Entertainment announced that D.O. would be making his solo debut.

On the 15th of July 2021, the Mood Sampler Ver.1 was released.

Owned by SM Entertainment

EXO

On the 16th of July 2021, the Teaser Images #1 were released.

On the 19th of July 2021, the Teaser Images #2 were released.

On the 20th of July 2021, the Mood Sampler Ver. 2 was released.

Owned by SM Entertainment

EXO

On the 21st of July 2021, the Teaser Images #3 were released.

On the 22nd of July 2021, the Mood Sampler Ver. 3 and the Teaser Images #4 were released.

Owned by SM Entertainment

EXO

On the 23rd of July 2021, the M/V Teaser for title track Rose was released, as well as the Empathy Highlight Medley.

Owned by SM Entertainment

SMTOWN

Owned by SM Entertainment

EXO

On the 26th of July 2021, the M/V was released for title track Rose, as well as the physical and digital release of D.O.'s solo debut mini album Empathy.

Owned by SM Entertainment

SMTOWN

Rose won D.O. 1 music show trophy, winning 1st place on Music Bank.

D.O. co-wrote on the lyrics for I'm Fine, he also wrote the Korean lyrics for his title track Rose.

Empathy peaked at No.1 on the Gaon Albums Chart and No.4 on the Oricon Albums Chart.

Gaon Sales = 378,715+

Oricon Sales = 26,590+

Chinese Sales = 81,030+

Giving the album a total of 486,335+ in sales so far.

*YouTube views correct at time of writing post*

The M/V for Rose has so far gained 19,503,008 million views, with the views continuing to increase on a daily basis.

Empathy was released in 3 versions: a photo book version and 2 digipack versions.

The photo book version is set out as glossy paperback book style case and comes with the Cd, photo book, dust jacket, random folded poster and a random photo card.

The digipack versions are set out in a folded card case and come with the Cd, photo book, random folded poster and a random photo card. The digipack versions come in either a gray or blue version.

Track List:

Rose

I'm Gonna Love You (Feat. Wonstein)

My Love

다시, 사랑이야 (It's Love)

나의 아버지 (Dad)

I'm Fine

Rose (English Ver.)

Si Fueras Mia

I love how simple the layout for this album is, it makes the album look really pretty, even the photo book is breathtaking with it's simple concepts, I think it makes the album a little more personal and relatable.

The songs on the album are amazing, I don't think there is a single track that doesn't pull you in to sing along. Each track is different, telling a different story and really showcases D.O.'s vocal ability, this album allows us to hear a more stripped back D.O. instead of the long, high, belting notes and adlibs that we're used to.

I love the simple guitar melody for Rose, I think it makes D.O.'s vocals stand out so much more, I absolutely love this track, I think people would think it was too mellow for a title track to stand out, but for me I think it's just stripped back allowing D.O. to really showcase himself.

Rose

Jaeguchi

I love that I'm Gonna Love You, keeps with the acoustic feel, I was in love with this track from the first listen, I could listen to this track all day every day. It's one of those songs that you can't help but sing along with, especially in the chorus because it's so addictive and catchy. I also love the abrupt ending to the track.

I'm Gonna Love You (Feat. Wonstein)

Hansa Creative

It's time to slow it down with My Love, the way D.O.'s vocals just melt and mould with the melody is stunning. It's because of tracks like this one we can really listen to D.O. sing, it's like we're getting a stripped back version of his vocals.

My Love

Hansa Creative

I love how D.O.'s sounds with the melody of 다시, 사랑이야 (It's Love), it's giving us another stripped back vocals with a simple acoustic melody. I love how calming and soothing his voice is in this track. This track also gives me Autumn/Winter vibes, just sitting in a warm house while it's all cold and frosty outside.

다시, 사랑이야 (It's Love)

Hansa Creative

나의 아버지 (Dad), is one of my favourite tracks on this album, even though the lyrics aren't written by D.O. himself, you can hear and sense the emotion in his voice, letting you know he believes and feels everything he's singing. You just know this is one of those tracks that will be stunning when performed live. For me this track never fails to pull at the heartstrings and tear up a little.

나의 아버지 (Dad)

Jaeonkki

I absolutely love the opening to I'm Fine, you just know from the very first note that this is going to be a stunning track. I love how well D.O.'s voice blends with the melody.

I'm Fine

Hansa Creative

You obviously know how good Rose is and how much I love and enjoying listening, but I think Rose (English Ver.) adds something extra special, I always seem to complain about the fact all K-pop groups/artists seem to do English versions of their tracks, which I know for them is an added bonus for their fans, but I know it's also to try and get them more airplay in other countries. I can honestly say I rarely hear K-pop here in the UK, especially on radio stations but I have heard K-pop songs that are mainly sung in English get airplay. This track though is perfect from start to finish and I'm always singing along when it comes on, I also love how fluent he sounds, if I heard this track on the radio, I would assume he's a native English speaker.

Rose (English Ver.)

Zaty Farhani

While I love 다시, 사랑이야 (It's Love), I have to say that Si Fueras Mía, is just as stunning, it's actually my favourite of the two. So not only do we get to hear D.O. singing in English, we also get to hear him singing in Spanish, and again to someone who doesn't speak Spanish, he sounds fluent and like it's a language that comes naturally to him.

Si Fueras Mía

Zaty Farhani

This album is definitely one of my contenders for my top 10 (possibly 15) K-pop albums from 2021, from start to finish this album is stunning, I'm not normally one for an album full of ballads, I like a mixture, but this album just pulls you in and by the time it's ended you're wanting to hit that play button all over again. This album is so calming and soothing, I could listen to it all day everyday without getting fed up of the songs.

I'm so glad we finally got a solo album from D.O. as he has such a stunning voice, there are times I can't quite believe the difference in his voice when he sings compared to when he's talking.

Were you a fan of Empathy?

Do you have a physical copy?

Which version(s) did you get?

What were your thoughts on Rose as the title track?

Do you have a favourite track from the album?

Let me know in the comments below.

See you soon!

안녕

(Annyeong)

さようなら

(Sayonara)

再见

(ZaiJian)

Bye