Joo Won 주원 [Current Drama 2024 - The Midnight Studio/ 야한(夜限) 사진관]

[kireeti2]

1 hour ago, kittyna said:

Some more behind-the-scenes pics from Alice filming:

These behind-the- scenes are like assurance that the filming is still going on despite the ongoing pandemic but I hope all the crew members will be safe during the shoot including Joo won(if something goes wrong it might bring bad press, not that I am only concerned about it they health is also important). Anyway, it pains me that we have to wait for another 2-4 months for the release, I hope they will stream it also on Netflix  apart from SBS network. But, the plot makes it worth the wait and on top of that Alice has some excellent cast members ranging from Doctor prison's cast to Sky castle's,  and also it has some 3 writers, who are like veterans in writing action movies/dramas, I hope that it is packed with lot of action scenes like Yong-pal and Bridal Mask. But Joo won has some tough competition for awards like only in SBS he has to compete with Dr.Romantic 2, Stove League and The king: Eternal Monarch(In the climax, the two leads will have a heat-breaking departure ). And need to compete with Crash Landing on you(Unpopular opinion: Which was the predictable plot high on melodrama and cringey moments), Itaewon class(Which has good side story, like breaking stereotypes but climax was butchered) in K-drama awards. I think only way Joo won can beat them is by getting at least 30% avg ratings, difficult but not impossible

[kittyna]

17 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

I totally agree with you on this one, Nae II childish behaviour sometimes smokes her kindheartedness.

 

Actually, speaking of Yoo Jin and Nae Il, what do you guys think of this post I stumbled across on Instagram?

 

Spoiler

 

Yeah, I think that says it all  

 

18 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

Kang To is a vigilant, so we will know how to help others by maintaining physical distance with them(kind of Korean version Batman)

 

That's a good point, too. I do remember that Kang To felt really awkward about all the attention/fan worship Gaksital got - that was one of the unexpected outcomes of living in his brother's shadow, I think.

 

17 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

Anyway, it pains me that we have to wait for another 2-4 months for the release, I hope they will stream it also on Netflix  apart from SBS network. But, the plot makes it worth the wait and on top of that Alice has some excellent cast members ranging from Doctor prison's cast to Sky castle's,  and also it has some 3 writers, who are like veterans in writing action movies/dramas, I hope that it is packed with lot of action scenes like Yong-pal and Bridal Mask.

 

I didn't know about the veteran writers, but that's definitely reassuring. Another thing that sound really promising about Alice is that it's a drama JW himself wanted to do.

 

There's a rather complex set of negotiations involved whenever an actor takes on a drama or film: not just between the agency and the producers, but between the agency and the actor as well. So we know there have been instances where JW and his agency had different opinions about which drama out of several offers he should take. Sometimes, in that series of negotiations, his choice wins (e.g. Gaksital or Good Doctor); and sometimes, his agency's choice wins (e.g. Catch Me - the film - and I seem to recall either Level 7 Civil Servant or Nae Il's Cantabile, but I'm not 100% sure). Generally speaking, the dramas that JW backs himself end up more successful. Like, it's not that his agency does a bad job choosing dramas (I have seen comments like that, but I disagree), but that the agency and JW himself seem to have different ideas about how he should progress as an actor. My own personal observation (i.e. I can be wrong) is that JW likes to challenge himself with more complex roles, while his agency - initially, at least - wanted to make him into the typical Hallyu star with a massive teenage female following gained via doing rom-coms.

 

17 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

But Joo won has some tough competition for awards like only in SBS he has to compete with Dr.Romantic 2, Stove League and The king: Eternal Monarch(In the climax, the two leads will have a heat-breaking departure ). And need to compete with Crash Landing on you(Unpopular opinion: Which was the predictable plot high on melodrama and cringey moments), Itaewon class(Which has good side story, like breaking stereotypes but climax was butchered) in K-drama awards. I think only way Joo won can beat them is by getting at least 30% avg ratings, difficult but not impossible

 

I haven't watched any of the others, but I do think there will be stiff competition from Crash Landing on You because of its uber-high ratings (that tends to be a huge factor in determining who gets awards). As for just general popularity or publicity, I can also see The King: Eternal Monarch being a major contender, if for no other reason than that Lee Min Ho plays the male lead (in terms of Hallyu star factor, he still beats JW).

 

30% ratings are really tough now, with increasing competition for ratings across television networks. A KBS/SBS/MBC drama that passes 20% is already considered super-amazing, while most tend to hover around 10%; while the more exclusive cable networks (tvN, JTBC, OCN, etc.) tend to have smaller numbers, with double digits at all being really successful.

 

Finally, another behind-the-scenes update: a snack truck from fans.

 

 

[kireeti2]

46 minutes ago, kittyna said:

I didn't know about the veteran writers, but that's definitely reassuring. Another thing that sound really promising about Alice is that it's a drama JW himself wanted to do.

 

There's a rather complex set of negotiations involved whenever an actor takes on a drama or film: not just between the agency and the producers, but between the agency and the actor as well. So we know there have been instances where JW and his agency had different opinions about which drama out of several offers he should take. Sometimes, in that series of negotiations, his choice wins (e.g. Gaksital or Good Doctor); and sometimes, his agency's choice wins (e.g. Catch Me - the film - and I seem to recall either Level 7 Civil Servant or Nae Il's Cantabile, but I'm not 100% sure). Generally speaking, the dramas that JW backs himself end up more successful. Like, it's not that his agency does a bad job choosing dramas (I have seen comments like that, but I disagree), but that the agency and JW himself seem to have different ideas about how he should progress as an actor. My own personal observation (i.e. I can be wrong) is that JW likes to challenge himself with more complex roles, while his agency - initially, at least - wanted to make him into the typical Hallyu star with a massive teenage female following gained via doing rom-coms.

You are right about "Catch me", his agency was the producer of this movie, JW was at his peaks at that time with the success of  "Good doctor". So, they probably made him do it. I don't think JW wants to be a Hallyu star, he is more like a guy who wants to improve his acting for every drama/movie he acts. You can clearly see it the way he chooses his dramas/movies. He wants be an actor whom people will remember for long time, not a star who'll be forgotten after a short period.

 

1 hour ago, kittyna said:

30% ratings are really tough now

I know, but it's not completely based on my emotional judgement, if you factor in the cast, Alice has some amazing actors like Kim Hee Seon(Also famous in China), Yeon Woo(Famous ex-K-pop), Lee Da in, Choi Won-young( From Sky castle), Kwak Si-Yang and list is goes on. It is good enough to get at least 10% rating for the first episode, then everything depends on the Plot, Direction and of course twist and turns. I am confident about the acting department will give their 100%, the only thing plot development should be good from beginning to the end, they might just pull it off(I am also keeping my hopes in check and just looking forward to watch JW's acting, the ratings are just by-products of his acting)

[kireeti2]

On 4/5/2020 at 5:00 PM, kittyna said:

in terms of Hallyu star factor, he still beats JW

I think this Hallyu star tag comes because of the looks and not due to acting or performance. I know this is very unpopular opinion, but our Joo won  kind of have avg looks(not in terms of acting, he surpasses them all in terms of acting) when we compare to other stars of  his age; like Lee mi- ho, Ji chang- wook, Lee Jong- suk and Kim Soo- Hyun(Again I think he is most adorable person of them all, but other might not think so). Anyway, when I have seen Joo won's dramas it was not his looks which draw me to him, but his performance and diverse roles which he has chosen to play. In spite of this he was able to win Chinese netizen popularity award. To be Hallyu star you need to satisfy parameter like taking  cliché  roles and not push their boundaries, Joo won would never like to limit his acting options for sake of a tag and he always mentions this in his interview that he likes to take roles which are challenging, and not comfortable roles.

[kittyna]

I know some folks still have some catching up to do re: reading posts on this forum, so I'll hold off on longer replies, fic-related updates, etc. for the time being.

 

In the meantime, though, a few new Instagram posts:

 

 

 

 

[kireeti2]

If anyone is interested they can watch whole season of Yong-pal with subs

[kittyna]

10 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

If anyone is interested they can watch whole season of Yong-pal with subs

 

Not to mention My Sassy Girl as well.

[kireeti2]

3 hours ago, kittyna said:

Not to mention My Sassy Girl as well.

Yeah, it gets better every time you re-watch it,but the story should have sticked with ROM-COM, instead of political, it made the drama very boring and predictable.

[kittyna]

First of all: @yukinen, I understand that you're probably busy and I know I'm leaving you a ton to catch up on. But I hope to hear from you soon, especially for Round Two of my poll. 

 

On 4/5/2020 at 9:14 AM, kireeti2 said:

You are right about "Catch me", his agency was the producer of this movie, JW was at his peaks at that time with the success of  "Good doctor". So, they probably made him do it. I don't think JW wants to be a Hallyu star, he is more like a guy who wants to improve his acting for every drama/movie he acts. You can clearly see it the way he chooses his dramas/movies. He wants be an actor whom people will remember for long time, not a star who'll be forgotten after a short period.

 

On 4/7/2020 at 3:33 AM, kireeti2 said:

To be Hallyu star you need to satisfy parameter like taking  cliché  roles and not push their boundaries, Joo won would never like to limit his acting options for sake of a tag and he always mentions this in his interview that he likes to take roles which are challenging, and not comfortable roles.

 

I know JW is the sort of actor who's in it simply because he loves it. He's been acting for years (if you include his school experiences) before he was ever scouted by his agency, and that's something I take a lot of pride in.

 

On 4/7/2020 at 3:33 AM, kireeti2 said:

I think this Hallyu star tag comes because of the looks and not due to acting or performance. I know this is very unpopular opinion, but our Joo won  kind of have avg looks(not in terms of acting, he surpasses them all in terms of acting) when we compare to other stars of  his age; like Lee mi- ho, Ji chang- wook, Lee Jong- suk and Kim Soo- Hyun(Again I think he is most adorable person of them all, but other might not think so).

 

lol - Don't worry about what I think, then, because I'm the same.  I always describe JW's looks as being more striking than handsome - he may not be absolutely 100% drop-dead gorgeous all the time (nor, from what I've seen, does he try to be), but there is something about his appearance that just makes you unable to look away either...? I don't really know how to put it, so I hope you get what I mean.

 

14 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

Yeah, it gets better every time you re-watch it,but the story should have sticked with ROM-COM, instead of political, it made the drama very boring and predictable.

 

And...this is where I actually think the opposite  Maybe it's because rom-com doesn't really do it for me as a genre. *shrugs* So when I see one, I find myself needing something more in order to stay interested in the story and the characters. It's true that all the court intrigue in My Sassy Girl is really cliché, but I did like the whole bit about Gyun Woo and Hye Myung's pasts because, for me, that really highlighted the drama's critique of mass media, celebrity culture, netizen culture, etc. (Like, I know it's a period drama, but the role rumours and gossip played in it was very, very modern.)

 

Speaking of rom-coms, maybe that's why I really liked Nae Il's Cantabile as well - I liked it mostly as a coming-of-age story.  

 

Finally, a quick fic-writing update: I'm working towards posting a preview sometime this Easter weekend, but until it actually happens, I also can't promise anything. Still, I do want to let you all know that I am working on it - so stay tuned!

[kireeti2]

 Joo won is  gentle when he speaks to his fans and also cheerful

[kireeti2]

Too cute!!!!!! Saying thank you in different languages, even though fan were little aggressive and demanding(because of excitement), Joo won was more than happy to oblige, such a down to earth guy.

[kireeti2]

Awww, and here joo won asking how to say 'Hi' in Spanish for a Spanish fan

[kittyna]

Thanks for the clips, @kireeti2! However, I do want to make a quick tech-related suggestion: going from the time you posted, my guess is that you were working through this fan's Instagram account and kept stumbling across goodies you wanted to share  And that's fine.

 

But remember the 1-hour rule.   Instead of posting three times just a few minutes apart, it's better to click "Edit" on your first post and keep adding things in that way.

 

That being said, here I am with Preview 4 of my upcoming installment of Seolleim in Salzburg - which also doubles as my Easter Special for this year.

 

(I know I don't normally post this many previews for any one fic, but we are not under normal circumstances - I want to do what I can to keep all those of you who are stuck at home entertained  That's also why this preview is also longer than most: a whole scene rather than an excerpt of one.)

 

Spoiler

As soon as I step into the foyer, I’m met with a brisk chill emanating out from the living room. Shivering and crossing my arms in front of my chest, I head inside to investigate, only to find the sliding door thrown wide open, Nae Il just barely visible behind a large bunch of greenery.

 

“Ya, Seollebal,” I call out, quickly crossing over to join her. “What on earth are you doing?”

 

She peers behind the foliage and offers me a grateful smile. “Ever since our neighbours gave us this Easter palm last week, I’ve wanted to put it outside today,” she explains, passing the large decoration – a bunch of evergreen branches lashed to a pole and festooned with colourful ribbons – to me. “But I didn’t think Easter would turn out this cold.”

 

As Nae Il hurriedly closes the door behind her, I prop the palm back against its original spot by the wall. “At least you had the sense to hold off until the rain started to let up. It wouldn’t do for you to get soaked right now.”

 

“Gwenchana,” she quips back, coming up beside me. “If anything happens, I have you to take care of me.”

 

I dart her a skeptical sideways glance. “Are we seriously going to have this conversation again?” I let out a short laugh. “You never win this one.”

 

“Says the guy who is probably already planning to make a warm comforting soup for dinner tonight.”

 

When my jaw drops open in surprise, she simply smiles up at me with her best mock-innocent expression. We stare at each other like this for a long moment before I finally relent, turning away with my hands thrown up in defeat. “Alright then, Seollebal – you’ve won this one once.”

 

Nae Il trails after me as I head for the kitchen. “More than that.”

 

“Twice.”

 

“More.”

 

I shake my head as I grab a rag from the cupboard under the sink. “Three times?”

 

“Ani,” she chirps, still following me as I return to the living room and crouch down to wipe up the rainwater that’s dripped from the palm onto the hardwood floor. “How about every single time?”

 

I gape up at her, incredulous; but when Nae Il only bursts into giggles in response, I stand back up with a huff. “Fine. If that’s how you want to do it….”

 

This time, she doesn’t chase after me when I go back to the kitchen to return the towel. Instead, after washing my hands, I come back to find her snapping photos of the palm with her phone. She takes a good number of them: trying to capture the palm from multiple angles, including some closeup shots….

 

Chuckling softly at her antics, I sidle up beside her, crouching down so my head hovers just over her shoulder. “Is it really that fascinating?”

 

“Mm.” She nods, then opens her picture gallery to show me what she’s taken so far. “It’s not something we see back in Korea, so I want to show the others.”

 

When I stare wordlessly at her, her mouth drops open in incredulous surprise. “You really are clueless, Orabang. Don’t you remember that Elise said we’d have to be in charge of our own publicity online? So of course we have to post an Easter greeting!”

 

“Oh,” I answer softly, looking on as Nae Il swipes through her photos a second time. She asks for my opinion on which two shots are the best, deleting all the rest before making a beeline for our dining table.

 

“I gotta get the eggs as well.”

 

Like the palm, these also came courtesy of our neighbours from across the hall. Neither Nae Il nor I are religious; but they, like many Austrians, are practicing Catholics. And while we’d never join them for Mass – they do ask, but I always decline with an explanation that attending without any actual belief would only give the congregants false hope – they include us in their Easter celebrations every single year.

 

This year, it had started last Sunday with the palm; the two young daughters of the family had made one to be blessed by a priest and then decided to include a second one for us. Yesterday, though, on the day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, they took it a step further: asking us to come across the hall to join them in a mass egg-decorating session. Nae Il took to the task immediately; but despite my initial reluctance, I soon found myself roped in as well when the little girls, one holding each of my hands, dragged me over to their kitchen table.

 

It’s our handiwork, then, that’s displayed on our dining table today: nestled together in our fruit basket, which Nae Il has lined with scraps of the green, pink-flowered fabric she’d used for her dirndl last year. Looking over the eggs now, it’s immediately noticeable which ones are Nae Il’s and which ones are mine: hers decorated with intricately detailed flowers and scroll-work while mine stick to simple multicoloured patterns.

 

Nae Il takes some pictures of the eggs in their basket, humming contentedly to herself as she logs onto Instagram to post them. Although I can’t see her screen from where I am, I can see the moment when, once the app has opened, she goes completely still and her smile dims and fades away.

 

“Gwenchana?”

 

She looks up, startled at my question. “N-ne.” Her eyes drift back down to the phone. “I just forgot that it’s today.”

 

My brow furrows. “What’s today?”

 

Rather than answer me directly, however, Nae Il hurriedly excuses herself, slipping past me out of the room, her phone held tightly to her chest. Confused, I follow after her, but she waves for me to stay outside as she ducks into her room and shuts the door.

 

I wait patiently for her at first, but after thirty seconds or so, I knock softly on the door. “Ya, Seol Nae Il – gwenchana? Is something the matter?”

 

“Just a minute, Orabang,” she calls back, the brighter tone of her voice flooding me with a rush of relief. “I’ll be out soon.”

 

Through the door, I hear her rummaging through her drawers. “Do you need help with anything?”

 

“Ani.” A pause. “Actually, Orabang…if you have something else you need to do, maybe you should go and work on that now.”

 

Clearly, Seol Nae Il has yet to learn about reverse psychology. Rather than driving me away, her comment makes me even more determined to stay where I am, curious about what is happening inside. Thus it is that I am greeted, a moment later, by the sight of Nae Il standing in her open doorway, both rabbit dolls tucked under one arm. Nothing unusual in and of itself, it’s what she’s pinned to their chests that makes me slowly tense up in dread:

 

Two identical loops of yellow ribbon.

 

Nae Il blinks in surprise at the sight of me still in the hallway, but her lips soon press together into a determined line.

 

“See, Orabang? What’d I tell you?”

 

She steps resolutely past me, bunnies in tow, towards the foyer. Meanwhile, as my pulse starts to pound loudly in my ears, I make a hasty retreat into our music room. Grabbing my score for Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony on my desk, I flip rapidly through the pages – attempting to get some work done but really registering nothing – until, at last, I hear Nae Il’s call for me to return to the living room.

 

The dolls are conspicuously missing when I step back inside, and Nae Il, who was waiting for me just inside of the doorway, now holds out her hand, palm facing up.

 

“You know the drill, Orabang.”

 

Smiling, I pull out my phone and place it firmly down in her hand. She takes it back to the dining table; as I claim my usual seat across from her, she copies the photos from her phone onto it before logging onto my Instagram account. Nae Il shows me each picture as she uploads it to the slideshow she’s creating – identical, I presume, to the one on her own account – including the last one featuring our basket of eggs with the rabbit dolls on either side, ears drooping down to affect a somber expression. Then, once I have nodded my approval, she moves on to the text box.

 

“I already wrote up something for my own post,” she says, “but you tell me what you want to say.”

 

Slowly, giving her time to catch every word, I dictate my message: a simple one wishing everyone a safe and happy Easter with their friends and families. If Nae Il notices that I omit any discussion of the rabbits and their yellow ribbons, she doesn’t comment on it, electing to just focus on typing. I relay the message twice, once in Korean and once in German; then, after looking over Nae Il’s draft to ensure there aren’t any typos, I nod for her to post it.

 

Once the post is complete, Nae Il moves back to my home page, scrolling casually through the feed. For the most part, she simply looks, turning the screen towards me to show the occasional particularly appealing post; but every so often, she consults with me about any “likes” or comments I might want to give.

 

When she finishes, Nae Il closes the app, then re-locks my phone before returning it to me. As I shove it back into my pocket, I flash her a grateful smile. “Komawo, Nae Il-ah. This is the third year in a row that you’ve done this for me, and I’ve never even had to say anything.”

 

She accepts my thanks with a casual shrug. “It’s only right for our friends to take part in the Yellow Ribbon campaign – and you and I both care, so we should join in, too – but I can also imagine how it’d make you uncomfortable.” She trails off into silence for a moment, then looks warily into my eyes.

 

“Actually, Orabang – I hate to ask this, but….”

 

Seeing her hesitate, nervously chewing her bottom lip, I offer her an encouraging nod. “Go on.”

 

“What was it like for you three years ago, when the Sewol sinking happened?” She makes a face. “I can’t imagine it would have been good.”

 

It wasn’t. In fact, even calling it “bad” would be an understatement. When the Sewol, a ferry filled with high school students, sank en route to Jeju-do from Incheon, it was the only thing anyone at Haneum could talk about. And rightfully so: many of my classmates were incensed at the captain’s cowardice and the government’s mismanagement of the disaster; some of them even lost younger siblings, cousins, or family friends.

 

It was the perfect cause for good-hearted and passionate university students to rally around…but it was pure excruciating torture for me.

 

Thirteen years after my own accident, I was finally starting to make some progress, fueled by a burning desire to overcome my trauma in time to pursue graduate studies in Europe. Under Dr. Kim’s guidance, I was finally transitioning from talk therapy into meditation and hypnotherapy: things that would supposedly keep me grounded even if I should suffer an attack on my own.

 

But then the Sewol sank, throwing me headlong into the worst relapse I’d suffered in years.

 

I couldn’t eat. I drank far more than I should. Every night, I would try to get some rest, hoping that sleep would drive the dark thoughts away, only to jolt awake from horrific nightmares instead of my childhood self lost and trapped on that sinking ship.

 

I tried to fix it the best I could. I avoided the news. I stopped checking my phone, terrified of the social media posts I would find. I threw myself into my work, staying up at the piano for as long as I dared. But it was all to no avail. Even if I didn’t watch the news, all my friends and classmates did – and they’d talk about it. Day and night, their lurid imaginings – gleaned from news reports and eyewitness accounts – of what it would be like to drown or freeze to death shoved their way into my own thoughts. It eventually got to the point where even music, my one and only refuge, began to fail me: the hushed words and comments seeping into my mind even as I practiced.

 

Then one day, whether from the intrusive thoughts or from hunger after days of no appetite, I collapsed. Only after I came to sprawled on my living room floor did I realize just how close I had come to striking my head against the side of the piano on my way down. Just a few inches, just a little bit more to the side, and I could have been seriously injured or even killed, with no-one among my family or friends the wiser.

 

Slowly, painfully, in the weeks following the disaster, I crawled my way back out again, helped in no small part by life and school and work simply continuing on, drawing Haneum’s attention to other things. But what little progress I had gained with Dr. Kim was now irrevocably lost. Never after that point was I able to enter a meditative or hypnotic trance, nor could I even think about studying abroad without triggering another attack.

 

That’s how it was until I met Nae Il. And it’s only with her help that I’m where I am now.

 

Of course, as Nae Il looks expectantly at me across the table, I don’t say any of this. What happened three years ago is all in the past; there’s no need to give her all the graphic details. So, instead, I answer simply, my lips curling up into a tiny ghost of a smile:

 

“It was rough.”

 

[kireeti2]

Joo won is considering to star in a movie with title "FIREFIGHTERS", I hope he accepts it. Last movie of joo won was Fatal intuition which was 5 years back, can't wait to watch him on big screen.

[kittyna]

Some more behind-the-scenes pics from Alice:

 

 

And a recent promo video for SBS - including some shots from Alice in the montage:

 

 

7 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

Joo won is considering to star in a movie with title "FIREFIGHTERS", I hope he accepts it. Last movie of joo won was Fatal intuition which was 5 years back, can't wait to watch him on big screen.

 

I personally don't follow Korea's film/movie scene all that much (lol - probably one of a tiny handful of people who hasn't watched Parasite by now ) but if he ends up taking it, I think playing a firefighter would be interesting. He would have run the complete gamut of first responders by then: police officer, doctor, and firefighter  

[kireeti2]

59 minutes ago, kittyna said:

And a recent promo video for SBS - including some shots from Alice in the montage:

I guess SBS is saving best drama for last.

 

 

[kireeti2]

It's official Joo won's drama "Alice" is going to air in AUGUST. I know it is coincidence, but joo won's every hit drama of past aired in AUGUST month, like "Yong pal, Good Doctor, Ojakgyo Family".

[kittyna]

So, I had originally wanted to hold off on moving to the Final Round of my JW-drama-character-isolation-poll, but I think if I do, it's just gonna die 

 

Therefore, although I know it's not entirely fair to just base this off two votes, I'm gonna proceed with giving my own responses - since, this time, it's actually unanimous.

 

Spoiler

Round Two

 

1. Who do you think will do best in self-isolation?

a - Lee Kang To

b - Hwang Tae Hui

 

To be fair, both Kang To (in his Sato Hiroshi persona, assuming that that's still ongoing) and Tae Hui are cops, so they'd likely still be out and about on the job, even in the midst of a lockdown situation. And both of them are loose cannons - which means someone's going to end up taking the brunt of the inevitable stress-induced outbursts these two would go through. However, generally speaking, I think Tae Hui would still manage better. If nothing else, he's got a more stable support network, and he has more people to care about, which I hope will keep him more on track. But Tae Hui would handle the at-home aspect of self-isolation a bit better. In fact, I just got the mental image just now of Tae Hui taking on the role as the essential errands-runner for his family - I mean, he's always been the responsible one out of the four brothers, and if he's gotta be out anyway, he might as well be the one to go and pick up groceries and whatnot.

 

2. Who do you think will do best in self-isolation?

a - Gu Ma Jun

b - Cha Yoo Jin

 

Again, as @kireeti2 has already pointed out, Yoo Jin would not only do better at this than Ma Jun, but he'd also take on that same caregiver role that I've just visualized for Tae Hui. Yes, I know that conflicts with a number of the points I'd made about Yoo Jin so far (e.g. his tendency to get cautious/careful to the point of being just a tad obsessive or neurotic); but at the same time, if it comes down to him or Nae Il going out for food...he's doing it - and then dousing all the supplies in disinfectant and running into the shower while throwing all his clothes in the washing machine. But more than that, I honestly think Yoo Jin's temperament suits a quiet stay-at-home lifestyle far more than Ma Jun's - even though Ma Jun is an introvert, I do think he craves social company (even though his own insecurities prevent him from taking part, he still likes being invited).

 

In short, here are the two winners from Round Two!

 

Spoiler

1. Hwang Tae Hui

2. Cha Yoo Jin

 

Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Yep, this FINAL ROUND is a "battle of the introverts"!

 

Spoiler

Who will do best in self-isolation? You decide!

 

Rules/Parameters for self-isolation (since everyone's context is different, this needs a standard):

1. The character can either live alone, OR with family, a partner, or roommate(s) - use your own drama knowledge and imagination.

2.  The character is only allowed to go outside for essential purposes (e.g. getting supplies, going to work if you deem his profession to be an "essential service", etc.). If he does go out, he does so ALONE.

3. Any other communication/socialization with people outside of the character's residence (e.g. with friends, colleagues, etc.) can only be done remotely (e.g. via telephone, online, letter-writing, etc.)

4. There is limitless access to in-home recreation and entertainment (e.g. books, TV, streaming movies or music, crafts/hobbies, musical instruments, etc.), but assume ALL public recreational facilities (e.g. malls, restaurants, entertainment venues, sports facilities, etc.) are CLOSED.

 

FINAL ROUND

 

1. Who do you think will do best in self-isolation?

a - Hwang Tae Hui

b - Cha Yoo Jin

 

Again, feel free to cast your vote in a public response or a DM to me. Also, even if you haven't joined in before, or missed any of the previous rounds, please feel free to jump in! It's more fun to have more people's takes on these characters.

[kireeti2]

3 hours ago, kittyna said:

FINAL ROUND

 

1. Who do you think will do best in self-isolation?

a - Hwang Tae Hui

b - Cha Yoo Jin

I think I'll go wit  Yoo jin, although Tae Hui has family to support him in coping with isolation, but he is kind of guy who'll delivery the groceries to his family and leave as soon as possible to his duty as a detective. But there are two scenarios in case of Tae Hui, the one where he marries Ja-eun and goes to USA for further studies and scenario where he thinks he doesn't fit in the family and tries to avoid them as much as possible, if I consider the latter part then he'll have hard time in isolation with his family because he has some kind of guilty feeling towards his family. If he is in USA with Ja-un then he might happily enjoy isolation with her. But in case of Yoo Jin before Nae-il he was living an isolated life so he'll do fine. Even living with Nae-il he won't be facing issues like Tae Hui does because all he has to do is feed Nae-il and put her to sleep or he will practice music with her, in either case Yoo jin will do better in self-isolation

[kittyna]

12 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

But there are two scenarios in case of Tae Hui, the one where he marries Ja-eun and goes to USA for further studies and scenario where he thinks he doesn't fit in the family and tries to avoid them as much as possible, if I consider the latter part then he'll have hard time in isolation with his family because he has some kind of guilty feeling towards his family. If he is in USA with Ja-un then he might happily enjoy isolation with her.

 

I personally see Tae Hui in Korea - things are so much of a mess right now in the US that I'd rather not think about that  

 

But, yes, Tae Hui would need to grapple with his own complicated feelings towards his family and his place in it. Realistically, I know they'll always be there to support him, but now it's up to him to accept that help.

 

12 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

But in case of Yoo Jin before Nae-il he was living an isolated life so he'll do fine. Even living with Nae-il he won't be facing issues like Tae Hui does because all he has to do is feed Nae-il and put her to sleep or he will practice music with her, in either case Yoo jin will do better in self-isolation

 

lol - You make Nae Il sound like a pet puppy! Which, actually, might not be too far from the mark