Hearts that had cried over the same K-dramas, laughed at the same K-pop memes, and found comfort in the same scenes of fictional healing unpacked their feelings on April 28, 2025, at Cava in Cebu City. At the center of it all was Jeanie Y. Chang, licensed therapist, former business reporter and unapologetic K-drama fangirl.
Her session, “Transforming Lives Through K-Pop & K-Drama,” was a safe space nestled within a two-day visit to the country, one day earlier in Makati, and then in Cebu. Wrapped in Hangeul stickers and warm conversations, Filipino fans shared their favorite tear-jerking K-drama moments and found surprising parallels with their own lives.
“I cried my way to business school,” Jeanie confessed, recalling her pivot from journalism to corporate America. She had been chasing the “right path” — journalism, business school, corporate job — but something was missing. “I used to ask bold questions as a reporter,” she said. “But unlike therapy, I didn’t help people figure out their story.”
That realization — along with years of self-discovery and embracing her Korean-American identity — eventually led her to create Noona’s Noonchi, a mental health platform inspired by K-dramas and the nuanced emotional intelligence in Korean culture.
Cebuano fans leaned in as Jeanie introduced the word woori, which means “we” or “our” in Korean. “It’s the most beautiful word,” she said. “It captures togetherness. And that’s why we love K-dramas.”
In the room, a Cebuano K-drama fan brought up “Reply 1988” and the quiet love of dads who never say “I love you” but stay up late to fix your broken lamp. Another fan cried a little while recalling “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” which explored mental illness with striking tenderness. Jeanie nodded knowingly. “That’s self-care,” she said. “Watching something and going back to your life, hopefully a little lighter.”
She also explained noonchi, the Korean concept of social awareness and emotional attunement, and jeong, the deep-rooted affection that binds people, sometimes even strangers. “Filipino families know this too well,” she added. “There’s so much pressure tied to filial piety. And while it’s beautiful, it can also be overwhelming.”
The room grew quiet when she talked about intergenerational trauma, how pain is passed down silently from one generation to the next. “You’ve never heard it said out loud before, but you can change things. Even if it’s awkward,” she assured. “You don’t need a therapist to start healing. You just need awareness, intention, and a little bit of courage.”
By the end of the evening, no one wanted it to stop. It felt like one of those K-drama endings where the characters finally talk it out after 15 episodes of miscommunication. Only this time, it was real life and everyone walked out with a little more woori in their hearts. S