[Jang Hyuk 장혁]

@Biology Lesson Maybe he feels emotional inside, but his face wont show it. I think he is complex but not unlike most humans are (?) I think I can relate to most of what you are describing. Im also terrible at comforting people. Not for a lack of desire to do it but because I feel awkward and deep down I feel somewhat incapable or like “It wont really help”. Basically I think he is still very introverted even though he has overcome a lot of it thanks to acting. 

[Jang Hyuk 장혁]

@Biology Lesson Im so glad you watched and loved Move to heaven! Its such a tight show right? I felt no moment was wasted or filler. Woohoo! And now…I have nothing else to recommend 

[Jang Hyuk 장혁]

@Biology Lesson Sounds nice, but I wonder where its available? I cant find it on Viki or Netflix so is it on the usual “sites”? 
 

I just read that TVING is a streaming service. Perhaps thats why it included a graphic scene (?) Kind of strange if it wasn’t necessary though. 
 

 

[Jang Hyuk 장혁]

@Biology Lesson Im most impressed that JH actually watched that drama and observed Kang Hoon’s role etc. I love that he watches all kinds of things (although it could also be he watched some of it prior to meeting him in this show) 

 

And yes thats the classic kdrama stiff kiss. I thought this “style” was no longer a thing but I see it still happens. 
 

Im also baffled as to what happened in Family and how it’s so hard for him to get an actual romantic role 

[Jang Hyuk 장혁]

I watched all of Beyond Evil and…

 

Spoiler

SHK’s character was not the bad guy. He was a little unhinged but a victim of prejudice after all. The drama is about that in a way and the bonding between the two cops is what people loved about it 

Having said that, I did find that the drama didnt move as fast as I wished. I enjoyed the two main actors but wouldn’t rewatch. Now that you mentioned Daegil I can see the point you made because similarly, I was more drawn by the single character than the drama as a whole. 
 

And here’s hoping you enjoy Move to heaven! More likable characters in that one for sure. 
 

Hyukie is nuts! Cant wait to watch the show! 

[Jang Hyuk 장혁]

I can’t wait to watch. Im cracking up just imagining Jang Hyuk being hyper and hilarious 

[Jang Hyuk 장혁]

And why do I know that song he is singing? Did he sing that before? 

 

Awww the show looks cute. Im getting excited. 

[Jang Hyuk 장혁]

Awww I love the comments from the PD. I hope this show does great. Korea needs to meet and fall in love with the real Jang Hyuk. The adorkable guy we love. 

[Jang Hyuk 장혁]

@Biology Lesson @YouwinJH Did you guys at least try to watch Move to heaven? Listen to me! Its good!!! 
 

At this point I just want Jang Hyuk to start working steadily and consistently again even if I dont like the projects. He loves acting and I find it hard to believe that this long hiatus is his choice. I hope he is happy thats all. Im no longer obsessed with seeing him myself but still wish him the best. 
 

I wish my job was actually to watch the shows. Thats another department’s job but they consult me sometimes. 
 

@YouwinJH I felt the same about Good Omens

[Jang Hyuk 장혁]

@YouwinJH Since JH is not very active, most of us are in a sort of hibernation, I think. Or at least, moving on with our lives (?) if that makes any sense (its not like we didnt have a life before haha) Well, at least for me, these days Im feeling like, I still love JH but Im no longer “obsessed” (but I know my enthusiasm can always get reignited if either he comes back or I feel the urge to rewatch something I loved) 

 

Ill check out the Mongolia show and hope its very fun but to me reality shows were always just a way to enjoy him while waiting for his “real” projects. His variety show appearances don’t fulfill my craving for his acting, which is why I follow him. Still hoping for a miracle that he gets a good project in any country at this point. 

 

Im also very lost about what is new in kdrama land. I actually have to research a bit (for work, because Im feeling detached since I never truly became a true fan of the genre) but at least I kept up to date while following JH. But I stopped going to ex twitter now X, and I got even more lost from the kdrama community. So, I suppose that screenshot you posted is from the JNR show? Is it getting buzz?. I would lie if I say I care too much (Im definitely feeling detached, yikes) 

 

Last awesome series I watched was The Last of Us, totally recommend

 

@Biology Lesson The Northman sounds interesting but is it too violent? I assume because, vikings

 

 

[Jang Hyuk 장혁]

@Prettysup The Killer’s community managers usually post pics and sort of random comments just to keep the accounts active. Anything is possible but I doubt this post was about an actual project. 

[Jang Hyuk 장혁]

Hi, everyone. Wonder if he’ll take the role of the fisherman. What he is doing now would be good research for that role. 
 

I recently watched “The Last of Us” and loved it. The male lead was great in a role that was badass but also extremely vulnerable. Reminded me of Jang Hyuk’s abilities as an actor. And it also reminded me about the conversation we were having about american movies. I still can’t think of american creators I’d love JH to work with in movies, but something with the creators of this series would be great. It had a lot of heart, along with a good plot and suspense. 

[Jang Hyuk 장혁]

@azureblue7 I didn't know that director but I checked his wikipedia entry and he doesn’t sound like someone I’d like Hyuk to work with. 

[Jang Hyuk 장혁]

@azureblue7 Oh yeah I know this fan! So glad she got a picture with him 

 

But now its my turn to say, I don't like this hair. Its way too short. 
 

Also, it looks like he is bulking up and his arms look very strong 

[Jang Hyuk 장혁]

@Biology Lesson Since the twitter user mentioned a stage, does he or she mean Hong Kyun In perhaps? 

[Jang Hyuk 장혁]

@Biology Lesson Maybe filtered (ongals teaching him his bad habits lol) or the weird light making him look purple? I cant trash JH too much for his bad selfie game though. You should see mine! 

 

Andddd isnt this suprising and cool? Tomb of the River the Number 1 movie in Korea’s Netflix! 
https://www.instagram.com/p/CtetLIXp2tX/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

 

[Jang Hyuk 장혁]

@Biology Lesson My take is this: I think Its settled that he knows what sexy is, what is sexy about him and how to turn it on. Like I said, I don't think any of this was actual improv. This was very likely all basically planned. But he is naturally, still an introvert and still shy, however, if prepared, he can “play” almost everything. Hence, he did all of this performance perfectly (but was still sweating and getting red) The hesitation may have been a combination of his own (real) nervousness and a bit of acting to then have the performance be more impactful (when he actually pulled off the sexy acting perfectly). 

[Jang Hyuk 장혁]

@azureblue7 @Biology Lesson I just posted Gumi’s impression above. She said the gun demonstration was great and the fans loved it. 
 

This event is all prepared, all the bits are predetermined. Its a show! They probably leave some things open but most things are “acted” as spontaneous but are actually planned. I suppose like any live variety show or a concert. He must’ve known what the segments would be about and prepared accordingly. 

[Jang Hyuk 장혁]

@Prettysup My friend prefers to be cautious with anything related to fan meetings. I believe she may have witnessed bad experiences before and I want to respect her choice. But I already mentioned the title of the script once others spoke about it. 

 

Gumi told me a bit of her take on the fan meeting:

 

She said Jang Hyuk was so handsome. She thinks this is probably the most handsome she has ever seen him and she has seen him in person, many times. She was also very impressed by his confidence and by his willingness to give fan service. This was one of the most fun fan meetings of his she has seen. Perhaps it was because it was the first after a three year hiatus? (she speculates) 

 

When they pulled questions from a box his answers were quick, cute and fan servicy which impressed Gumi, because she said he was never too good at those. One of the questions was "What is the place you want to visit when you come to Japan this time", his answer "Here, today"

 

"And to the question: Tell us your favorite Japanese word, he thought a little and said "Tadaima" and the fans squealed. It means "I'm back home/back to where I belong". This guy saying "I'm back" as his favorite word in a fan meeting? Gosh I was so proud and surprised" (I don't exactly understand why Gumi is that impressed by this but I guess it has to do with the connotation and probably the tone he used)

 

"During the "Whats in my bag session", thats when he showed the script of "Azure Spring". And then a book, and a pair of sunglasses, and then he takes out those sunglasses, puts them on, fans squeal and he acts as this suave guy, jokingly overacting as a hot guy, putting on sexy expression. I was like wahhh, who is this guy? he is not shy anymore??"

 

The gun he used for the demonstration was a plastic model. It was a rifle. At first he went on his usual nerd talk talk mode and explained in much details how to hold the gun etc, but he was trying to do it while still holding his mic which made the moment dorky and funny, until the MC took his mic. Then, he changed his tune and started posing with the rifle, and in Gumi's exact words: "He starts to pose, and he is suddenly sexy. He kneels and poses again. And then he lies on the floor and poses...in a sniper pose...and fans gasp...cuz that was actually truly sexy. Him flat on the floor, his back muscles kinda showing through the shirt, aiming towards the audience. I was like woahhh this guy knows how to perform. Who are you? where is my shy Hyukie?" but then she says she noticed his red sweaty neck and said "Ah, there's my Hyukie" (she thinks he was actually a bit nervous, but still performed amazing)"

 

Gumi said the acting session was the best. The MC requested impromptu (I guess improv) acting

1.- Natural version of "I love you"

2.- Sexy version

3.- Comical version

4.- Tsundere version (the clip he posted)

 

"Hyukie's face went all red first and he kept sighing. But then they played music and he started acting. He burst in laughter, which was adorable, and then started again. 

 

And his eyessssss!!! his eyes started dripping honey. And he walks around the stage looking here and there with his eyes and drops "I love you" and we aplaud

 

But the MC keeps torturing him with the next request, with sexy music on, and he goes "sexy? How...sigh, sexy? Ha...

 

And then...he turns on his sexy eyes and Gumi says "I was actually shocked that it is not funny, it is actually sexy! Jeez this guy can be sexy at any moment he wishes to" So he just glares here and there with his sexy eyes and whispers "I love you" (half of Japan is pregnant by this point)

 

And then the comic one was like Gunnie. He started laughing that laugh and yelled "I luv u!!! and fans applause was the largest (Gumi thinks most of the present fans became his fans through FTLY) 

 

And then the tsundere one was omg! I was most concerned about that one. How do you show tsundere without any script, without any story? This is hard! What character will it be like, maybe like Min Kiseo? And then he looked decided and started acting and I swear I saw Lee Young Oh on stage. The way he walks around in adorable grumpy face and suddenly bombards the audience with his finger hearts omg..."

 

Gumi also said "he is using those finger hearts very naturally now. During the "What's in my bag" session, after the script, newspaper and sunglasses he said, "Oh, there is something more" and puts his hand in and pulls a finger heart. He is an idol!"

 

From his talk about his works over 4 years, she remembers he said he chose to do "Bloody Heart" because he wanted to act the last words of PGW, when he said he wants to rest. He said PGW did all the work he did and pushed himself hard and pushed others hard but none of those actions fit his natural personality. He just pushed thought it because he thought he had to do it. He did all out of obligation not his personal ambition. When Gumi was telling me this I thought she meant Hyuk was talking about himself lololol. She then clarified: "He actually said the exact opposite of that. He said that "We should always remember our first mind. That we all started doing this because we enjoy this. That it is easy to feel pressured and be pushed by all others requests and opinions but when you think back to why you started this work, it is all about doing what you wish to do and enjoying the process. He said he is trying to keep that first mind and wishes you all would be able to do that too and enjoy every day healthy"

 

She also said, he talked a lot as usual! he was his usual "too much talker" nerd dork and I gather that in her opinion its a good thing they have the different dynamics and games because, otherwise the poor translator would collapse from all the talking and the fans would also maybe faint and not from swooning (like they did during the acting sessions, etc) but from trying to follow his train of thought. JH does take twice as much to answer each question and Gumi said he was unleashed this time and no one was stopping him! lol! She wanted to turn into the Dragon Brothers and tell him to stop!!! or at least take pauses. The MC and translator were heroes lol

 

Again she emphasized how pretty he looked. His eyes were sparkling throughout, nose chiseled, skin glowing, etc.

 

And then, Gumi got on her plane so she stopped texting lol! if she shares more Ill let you know. 

 

[Jang Hyuk 장혁]

@Biology Lesson lol why did I imagine him actually using an actual gun lol! I figured they gave the fans a choice between “a love scene” or “show how to use a sword” etc cause in past fan meetings they did similar games where they’d get someone from the audience and then choose an activity (among pre determined choices), rather than answering open questions. But yeah I have no idea how it worked so I my imagination went wild. 

[Jang Hyuk 장혁]

@Biology Lesson Right! I think challenging that fear of his may even part of the appeal of that script for him. He does seem to like doing that. Im also inclined to like that kind of slice of life story. With a good writer, director and cast it could turn out amazing. 
 

I wonder if those segments on his fan meeting were not pre determined? Did they really have a gun ready for the demonstration? I would think it would be really unsafe to just start handling a random gun. I think those were probably already meant to be part of the show. They probably gave a few choices to fans. 
 

If he wasn’t trying to be sexy then what was he trying? I think he does know “tsundere” or “bad boy” types are considered sexy and he was doing that. There is a difference between that type of acting and simply being a grumpy/angry man (which is what he did in Voice for example) Now I have another fear about the new potential drama. Obviously the relationship between him and the female lead is merely platonic. With her seeing him in a way that may potentially be construed as “in love” but its more about her admiring the guy, or being inspired by him. Him being a sort of mentor for her or both being catalysts to each other (It makes me think of the My Mister dynamic) In different ways JH has played that sort of dynamic with actresses before like in “Tell me what you saw” and even in “Beautiful Mind” (though it turned into a romance it would've still been compelling if it had stayed as a friendship, imo) I even feel that kind of dynamic between PGW and Lady Park in Bloody Heart. I love it and there is always a special chemistry with those actresses/characters that may not be strongly “sexual” but its still something satisfying to watch. And he has remained so sexy and attractive in those roles (and in that case Id agree, he is not even trying to be sexy per se)

 

However, sometimes, like in Voice, JH goes too “ahjussi” for me and less “ahjuicy”. He sometimes tones down the sexiness unnecessarily and plays his character more like a grumpy grandpa. Im afraid that if there is a huge age gap and the relationship is platonic, especially one sided from her, he will “act” too angry or too “old”. I hope he realizes that even if the character is middle aged and jaded he does not need to tone down his attractiveness. On the contrary, it would help to make it more obvious why the female lead would be fascinated by him. That little scene showed me that he knows how to do that, its just that he doesn’t always choose to keep the “sexy” in. And he should. There’s plenty of unsexy character actors out there. Don’t waste your sexy Mr Hyuk! Lol
 

 

[Jang Hyuk 장혁]

@Biology Lesson The script in his bag is what my friend mentioned. I shared with @azureblue7 and we investigated a bit.

 

 I’ll just go ahead and say the title because I suppose there was no intention to conceal it if he showed it to thousands of fans. The title of the script he had in his bag is “Azure Spring” which is a webtoon. Here is a link that describes its synopsis. (Its in korean but google translate worked well) 

 

https://zdnet.co.kr/view/?no=20181115174617

Summary: A work that depicts the process of a wandering youth and a regretful middle-aged man overcoming their own wounds and growing up.

 

The webtoon is about a girl (prob in 20s) who wants to become haenyeo (literally sea women). Those who dive into sea and pick up clams seaweed etc for living) And an ahjussi who already is a haenyeo, a job traditionally done by women (hence there is no equivalent to the word for men). Why does he do that job? The reason is explained in the article which is spoilery btw. 

 

I think, knowing what we know about JH, is easy to picture what attracts him to the premise. 
 

And back to his sexy/cute scene during the fan meeting, what I meant by “cold outside/warm inside” character was precisely the tsundere type of character which is so beloved in manga and kdrama. @azureblue7 also mentioned it. Its not JH himself who associates them with sexiness or romantic leads,  its a trope that already exists. Im sure he is well aware of the trope. Additionally I’d argue that he does know how to portray and exude sexiness with those type of characters precisely by adding some warmth and the precise touch of palpable vulnerability and humanity (?) whereas others may play those characters very stiff and expressionless and come off simply as cold, mean aliens (as you mentioned before) 
 

In the picture to me his facial expression is actually soft. To me he looks sweet and approachable, not like he is trying to be “sexy” in it. But yes this soft expression is part of the package that in the end makes him alluring to me. He works best in motion, for sure. 

[Jang Hyuk 장혁]

10 hours ago, Biology Lesson said:

 

I never read a comment saying that LG was too perfect, and even if I had, I don't agree with it

 

 

Your debate is very interesting and I find myself agreeing with both of you even when its contradictory haha! I guess I see how its possible to read the character in various ways and I think he is everything at once, there's a sexy aspect to LG (intentional or not?) a romantic aspect, in this case I think very intentional, not only how he behaves, literally a knight in shining armor on episode 2, I mean he rescues Mi Young a number of times and looks, acts and sounds pretty prince like and dashing while at it, with that lower register in his voice, which he kinda started using then. I did see comments, especially on twitter at the time, of how "gentrified" JH looked, as opposed to the characters they mostly associated him with (Chuno, basically) They even compared him to Mr Darcy. His hair is comical but beautiful so it has a romantic flare, like a character in an anime / manga. And of course there is a lot of excentric and comical in him. I do think the idea was for him to be liked but it is true that the reactions were very strong, especially within the international audience. I don't remember much of the message board here but I trust you Biology, and what you describe reminds me of the reactions on Viki. During the first eps, if you watch the drama with comments on, people were pretty harsh at first, criticizing LG's look, JHs acting, his laugh, his hair and saying he looked "old".  About korean audience, Gumi did cry about the reaction to him on messaging boards for ep 1 but people in Korea started converting faster, starting from the end of ep 2 (I recall).

 

I think I understand what @Kate Llama meant by "LG was too perfect" and it made the second lead kind of pointless. I think its because people expected LG to be like the character in the taiwanese version. I have not watched that but from what I heard, that other character was more of the stereotypical inmature tsundere male lead of rom com dramas and mangas. And Im not sure but I get the impression he wasn't ever nice to the female lead? until the second half (please correct me if Im wrong) which makes it inexplicable to me, why she fell in love with him. And, I heard that the second lead was favored by the fans because of how nasty the first lead was.

 

LG, otoh, is definitely mature, he is paranoid, exccentric a little kookoo, but not immature, not irresponsible with someone else's feelings, not dismissive of Mi Young, quite the contrary. He does get mad later and tries to push her and treat her badly, but quickly changes his tune again, so there's that famous push and pull. I mean, he is frustrating in his own way like most kdrama leads, but more original and emotional than the typical "chaebol". He is actually a warm guy and a decent person. A friend of mine told me she wasn't planning on watching the korean version because she liked the taiwanese version so much, and she couldn't fathom JH playing the male lead, who was supposed to be young and immature. According to her, it was essential for him to be that way. Later she got curious because of the positive comments and liked the changes that were made, because Lee Gun kept the "push and pull" but the character made sense for his age, he was hesitant and "frustrating" and confusing to the female lead, but not due to his immaturity but due to his justified lack of trust in others, paranoia, his illness, etc other motivations which worked too (and imo, worked better, because he gave us a new unique endearing character rather than the usual aloof rich cruel self centered chaebol that I personally always fail to fall for). 

 

1 hour ago, Biology Lesson said:

 

Why does he look so cool and sexy here?!  You see?! This the sexy I wanted JH to do! OH MY GOD!!!! It's like TJ, back from the dead 

 

 

Isn't this evidence that he "knows" how to be "intentionally sexy"? I think its what he is demonstrating there. I may be wrong but he seems to be interpreting the "cold on the outside, romantic inside" classic male lead there.  He managed to be sexy while cute and comical all within seconds! 

 

 

 

[Jang Hyuk 장혁]

Ajincome is posting! This is so adorable!!!! That little head motion and smile! I melted! 
 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CtRqyOAp7sy/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

 

 

@Biology Lesson

 They always sing in fan meetings. They sing and play games to make it more dynamic because they can’t fill the entire time with just talking. But they say he did talk a lot too about his characters played since his last visit to Japan. I hope more fans share what he said. 

 

My friend said that there were more than 1000 fans present. 

[Jang Hyuk 장혁]

@azureblue7 Oh I was mistaken, thats not the title he mentioned.