It’s Awkward But It’s Ok Returns (NCT YouTube channel)
Yee Siyeon: NCT’s YouTube series It’s Awkward But It’s Ok—“The world’s first! For the first time as an idol band! The content only NCT can do!”—is back with a brand-new season. The group is made up of 25 members across four subgroups, each of which is utterly unique, including the year they debuted, and thanks to this particular makeup, they’ve discovered among their ranks some “Awkward relationshipz”—“relationship” being “sai” in Korean, it’s also shortened down to “Awsaz”—that have become a part of the signature formula NCT applies to their variety shows. When it first aired in 2020, It’s Awkward But It’s Ok focused on future friendship pairings of one older and one younger member who, though they’d exchanged phone numbers, were still awkward around one another. This new season, It’s Awkward But It’s Ok Returns, kicks off with a less expected pairing: two members, both born in 2002, who’ve had little interaction before. The season opener sees NCT WISH member SION struggling to shake off his shyness but still managing to tackle the awkwardness head-on, guided by witty instructions from hosts DOYOUNG and RYO offscreen. On the other hand, NCT DREAM member JISUNG, who holds the record for the most appearances on the series, shows how much he’s grown. Unlike his earlier days, when he became flustered following his hosts’ directives, now he doesn’t even bat an eye when the hosts instruct him to make a somewhat mischievously flirty comment. After segments like the “Guess me! Re-balance game” where they have to guess each other’s personal preferences, or the “Not staring contest” designed to overcome awkwardness—all while using nicknames cooked up by the hosts—the two participants eventually swap phone numbers of their own accord. Instead of receiving a certificate of completion as used to be the format, Returns episodes now conclude with a suspenseful twist: a phone call that settles where their feelings for one another have ultimately arrived. The climax plays on those tense decision-making moments on reality dating shows, when SION, wanting to express a desire to grow closer to JISUNG, calls him up—the latter’s deep deliberation leaving the audience on the edge of their seats as the nail-biting pulse of a ringing phone goes on for what feels like forever.

Even after an episode of Awkward ends, the story of each budding friendship carries on beyond the screen. DOYOUNG, who appeared as a friend-to-be during the first season, attests to the show’s influence, saying, “I got close to RENJUN after filming this too!” Similarly, SION says he was able to “get closer” with JISUNG “as I was forced to get rid of this shyness” through their shared love of gaming. It’s Awkward But It’s Ok goes beyond merely acknowledging the awkwardness the group members experience upfront due to all the subgroups and the complex debut timeline under the NCT umbrella, and instead embraces the “Awsaz” that makes them shy about getting to know one another better. It’s the perfect opportunity to take an awkward situation and turn it into an entertaining look at their blossoming chemistry. By addressing the awkwardness directly rather than sweeping it under the rug, the show lets viewers witness the commitment of the friends-to-be to forming even stronger bonds, and marks a welcome return to “Neo,” the underlying newness behind the group’s name and their approach. As DOYOUNG aptly puts it, this Neo friendship project will continue “until the day all of NCT get close.”

“Find Your New Favorite Song From 2024” (The New York Times)
Seo Seongdeok (music critic): Lots of media outlets wrap up each year by releasing end-of-year lists. In the music world, for example, breakdowns like albums of the year and songs of the year not only highlight artistic achievements but also reflect each outlet’s leanings and show their support. In reflecting on 2024, The New York Times took a step beyond the traditional approach by giving it a somewhat more innovative, tech-savvy twist: Let me introduce you to the paper’s special feature, “Find Your New Favorite Song From 2024.”

The tool stands out even among The New York Times’ hallmark interactive web articles for its vivid design and the sheer amount of content. Curated by music critics Jon Pareles and Lindsay Zoladz, it highlights 455 songs from over the past year, complete with cover art, reviews, and 10-second previews. They even provide links to Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube so you can listen to the full tracks there. If you’d like to quickly narrow things down to your specific tastes, you can filter the list by genres such as pop, indie, rock, or hip hop. Then click “save” on the songs you’re into, and you’ll have your very own custom end-of-year playlist. You can even share a personalized link to send your list to friends.

In case you find it overwhelming jumping off when there’s so many songs, try selecting the Times’ “BEST OF 2024” option instead, where they’ve narrowed the expansive 455 songs down to a more manageable 63. There you’ll find some well-loved music like Sabrina Carpenter’s three runaway hits and other familiar tracks. Still, there’s likely to be an equal number of lesser-known names and titles you haven’t heard of it. The principle behind algorithms or making recommendations for what you might like isn’t all that complex—the more overlap there is, the better the chance the results will hit the mark. If they can uncover a hidden gem you failed to notice before, even if giving you recommendations is what they do for a living, it makes it all worthwhile for them. To put it another way, empathy isn’t rooted in intersections but in exceptions—so let’s seek out those differences.

Smoke & Pickles by Edward Lee
Kim Boksung (writer): While the cover of Smoke & Pickles makes it look like a cookbook, pure and simple, the subtitle tells the whole story: Recipes and Stories from a New Southern Kitchen. Edward Lee was raised in New York by Korean immigrant parents, and while they were working hard to give their family a better life, a young Lee was sneaking off to get his first tastes of the wider world—both its cuisines and the people who inhabit it. Lee may be an award-winning chef today, but his book is a heartwarming, and at times humorous, memoir from a literature major of how he found kindred spirits in the American South. His love of storytelling shines through as he recalls spending his grandma’s final days together, his time volunteering at a juvenile detention center, and the time he competed on Top Chef—basically the American forerunner to Culinary Class Wars. This is a book to read from cover to cover and it paints a portrait of someone who comes across as a humble, outgoing friend first and a chef second. His interest in sustainability and cruelty-free farms, and his clear dedication to family old and new, make this mini-autobiography a must-read. By all means, bookmark interesting recipes along the way, but pick up Smoke & Pickles for the personal journey.