There are several large Korean drama fan clubs in Hawai'i: Hallyu Friends, the Hawaii K-Drama Fan Club, as well as individual celebrity fan clubs such as The Gentle Song Il Gook fan club.

But many smaller groups of K-drama fans also get together to share their opinions, exchange drama DVDs and recommend to newbie fans what series they should to watch. One such group includes Hawai'i's famous chef Russell Siu and his friends. Their informal club started just a few months ago with four people, then it grew to eight the next month and this past week's meeting had 16 fans.

Everyone got together at a Korean restaurant for a taste of Korean culture but also to bond with new friends. I was fortunate to be invited to this informal meeting and was quite surprised at how much K-drama knowledge they had, as well as their familiarity with the Korean language.

I did my best to answer the many drama-related questions. Everyone was local and genuinely interested in Korean culture, sharing stories of how they get so hooked on a series that they attempt to watch the entire series at once, staying up all night and developing rings around their eyes from fatigue. Several of the men had admitted to tearing while watching the Korean dramas because the storylines often get very emotional and intense.

But what is it about Korean drama that locals are drawn to? The common answer would be that Korean dramas focus on family values and the dynamic family relationships are what many fans can relate to. This new club has yet to have a name, but they meet once a month at a selected Korean restaurant and the next outing is expected to double to 32 fans.

THIS WEEK'S K-DRAMA SYNOPSES

'THE FAMILY OF HONOR'

Episodes 21 and 22

Tonight at 7:45 p.m.; Gang-suk carries Dan-ah down the mountain. Chairman Ha agrees to shoot a documentary about a main family. Soo-young punches Jin-ah's ex-boyfriend out of anger. Jin-ah confesses her love for Soo-young. Dan-ah finds her old picture on Gang-suk's desk.

Tomorrow at 7:45 p.m.; Tae-young explains to Mal-soon why his nickname is "mutt." Dan-ah finds out Gang-suk is bad at singing himself. Hye-joo declares she'll get married, unless Gang-suk breaks up with Dan-ah. Gang-suk opens up his heart to Dan-ah and kisses her.

'GLASS CASTLE'

Episodes 20 and 21

Sunday at 6:45 p.m.: Joon-song and Min-joo get married. Joon-song leaves for China right away. Min-joo tries to adjust to her new life. Joon-hee tells Suk-jin she's getting a divorce and wants him back. There's tension between Joon-hee and Yu-ran.

Sunday at 7:45 p.m.: Min-joo's still trying to adjust to her new life while Joon-song's away. Yu-ran finds out about her husband's infidelity after doing a DNA test and talking to her ex. Joon-hee goes to Suk-jin's house and meets his daughter.

'TERROIR'

Episodes 7 and 8

Monday at 7:45 p.m.: Mr. Yang brings the food and wine critic back to Terroir for another review and demands that Woo-ju act as their sommelier. After the critic's visit, Woo-ju begs Tae-min to teach her more about wine. Meanwhile, Tae-min's grandfather offers his company's furniture design contract to Ji-sun under the condition that she gives up on Tae-min.

Tuesday at 7:45 p.m.: Tae-min finally starts teaching Woo-ju about wine, and she starts learning with much enthusiasm. Chairman Kang keeps up his pressure to get Ji-sun to give up on his grandson.

'CELEBRITY LOVER'

Episodes 5 and 6

Wednesday at 7:45 p.m.: Mari comes to Chul-su, asking him to live with her for a month as her live-in coach. She asks him to prep her to be on a talk show to discuss literature. Chul-su's friend, Byong-joon, finds out that Chul-su lived with Mari in Japan.

Thursday at 7:45 p.m.: Mari ends up spending a night at Chul-su's to prepare for her talk show appearance. Chul-su agrees to be Mari's live-in coach.