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

[kireeti2]

Kim Hee-sun nominated joo won to take part in  challenge for "Thanking the health workers", for their efforts in fighting covid-19. But it was started by BOA, I hope he participate in this challenge and thanks the health workers for their efforts against the fight in covid-19 pandemic. This will show his gratitude and maturity at the same time, and we'll also know that if he had moved on or not . It is also strange that BOA started this challenge after joo won made a video dedicated for thanking health workers in curbing covid-19, and also joined Tik Tok after Joo won joined, I know that I am peddling conspiracy theories, but it would be great if they get back together(A fan can only dream). Conspiracy theories aside, it is heartwarming to know that they both think in similar way.

 

[kittyna]

4 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

But it was started by BOA, I hope he participate in this challenge and thanks the health workers for their efforts against the fight in covid-19 pandemic. This will show his gratitude and maturity at the same time, and we'll also know that if he had moved on or not

 

If you think about it that way, it's not so much that participating would show JW's maturity, but that not participating would be a sign of immaturity. Like, if he's going to let a past relationship get in the way of making a gesture to thank healthcare workers...he's got issues.

 

So I don't think there's any real need to worry about JW in that respect. The only reason I could think of for turning down Kim Hee Sun's challenge would be that he's already done it once - but even that's a bit of a stretch given what we've seen of JW's character so far.

 

22 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

I can only imagine, what kind of senior he would be, Like the one who is never late for an appointment, first to come to the set and last to leave, nurturing and strict at the same time.

 

We already know JW is that sort of sunbae, because UEE revealed really early on (during promotions/interviews for Ojakgyo Brothers) that he was like that in university.   She also said that JW was the sort of person who would reprimand his hoobaes in really formal language: like, many people get increasingly informal whenever they're upset (think of all those dramas where team leaders start screaming and cursing), but he did the uber-formal "I'm very disappointed" approach.

 

So JW's hoobaes - and, eventually, even his sunbaes - could never get away with slacking off, since he was that good of an example of diligence and perseverance on set.

 

22 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

I heard in one of his interview or in an article that he wanted  Shim Eun-kyung  to take the role for Nae-Il role. We was not wrong about her acting skills; she went to win best actress award in Japanese film academy for her role in the movie "The journalist"(First Korean actress to receive it), I pretty sure joo won would have been proud of her hearing this.

 

I know that JW wanted Eun Kyung for Nae Il's Cantabile, and he also wanted Choi Kang Hee for Level 7 Civil Servant. I'm not sure what that says about his track record for choosing co-stars, to be honest, because both casting decisions wound up rather controversial. I do think JW knew what he visualized in the female leads and he had his ideas on who would do a good job portraying them, but I know that SEK wound up being heavily criticized for her performance and CKH for the age gap.

 

Mind you, Nae Il is, in my opinion, a really tough role to play, and SEK didn't have things easy: it was her first real acting role as an adult, and transitioning from being a child star to an adult actor is rough under any circumstances. Add that to the general "you can't please everyone" vibe of a drama remake or adaptation (i.e. you either alienate original fans of the Japanese version by changing things, or you put off potential new audiences by adhering to a Japanese comedic style - which is very different from the Korean one), and it was hard to strike a balance at all. Whether Nae Il's Cantabile succeeded as a general whole is not for me to judge: I haven't watched the Japanese version, so I have nothing to compare it to. But what I did observe is how the director and actors changed styles while filming, making some of Nae Il's quirkier moments feel really unnatural and over-the-top in contrast. Cha Yoo Jin (i.e. JW) definitely got the easier end of the deal here.

 

Finally, just because I can, here are a couple more little snippets from the fic I'm working on. Since we already know what this is going to be about now, I won't hide the names like I did earlier:

 

Spoiler

Eomeonim freezes, her switch caught mid-air, when I throw open the doors to her room and step inside. Pointedly ignoring her, I look over at my son.

 

“Come here, Ma Jun-ah; it’s alright.”

 

He doesn’t need to be told twice, bursting into tears as he runs into my arms as quickly as his smarting trembling legs would allow. “Eo-eomma,” he sobs, “Halmeoni, she….”

 

“Hush now,” I whisper soothingly, patting him gently on the head. “I understand. Go to your room, and forget everything that’s happened here; I’ll be with you in a moment.”

 

Only after Ma Jun has run out of the room, one hand roughly brushing away his tears, do I turn around to face my mother-in-law.

 

“Oho,” she harrumphs, a strange sound from a different time. “Is this how it’s going to be from now on? You think you can simply barge in here and do whatever you want now?”

 

“And what’s wrong with that?” I retort. “When it comes to the business, or how this house is run, I won’t interfere. But I’m Ma Jun’s mother: it’s my right to decide how to bring him up.”

 

“That’s the problem with you and your generation: stubborn, ungrateful, no respect for your elders whatsoever.” She glowers up at me. “You’re lucky I raised my son better than that. I raised him to value diligence and to appreciate the hard work of others.”

 

I sneer. “And to seek out a mistress when his wife had two daughters in a row.”

 

Her jaw drops. “Mwo?! How dare you–”

 

“Enough, Eomeonim!” I snap, my voice finally rising into the shrill shriek that annoys her the most. “I did what you asked! I gave you a grandson! And if you only knew what I went through–”

 

I stop myself mid-sentence, cursing mentally at how close I’d come to blurting out my secret.

 

~~~

 

“Ya, Maknae-yah – cut that out, you’re making a mess. Look at how neat your brother is.”

 

Tae Pil freezes, his starch-covered hands just inches apart. Lips pressed together sheepishly, he glances cautiously at me, then at Tae Hui beside him, who’s still busy carefully spreading a thin layer of starch on the table. For a second, it looks like he’s actually going to obey, but then, as always, he lets loose again, clapping his hands repeatedly. “But Eomma!” he says, crowing with laughter, “It’s snowing!”

 

The sudden cloud of starch in the air startles Tae Hui. He turns towards Tae Pil with a visible jolt, staring wide-eyed as the white powder lands in a light covering over both of them. As Tae Pil giggles, ignoring my orders for him to stop, Tae Hui looks carefully between his younger brother and the starch in front of him. Then, to my astonishment, he carefully presses both hands down on the table and gives a single resounding clap.

 

Tae Pil’s giggles turn into a shriek of laughter as I gape at the new troublemaker. “Ya, Hwang Tae Hui,” I gasp. “Not you, too – what will your Halmeoni say?”

 

“Gwenchana, Tae Sik’s mother,” my mother-in-law replies, still stirring the rapidly thickening glutinous rice mixture without even skipping a beat. “What young boys don’t enjoy making a mess every now and again?” She looks pointedly at them. “As long as they’re willing to clean up after themselves, let the little monkeys have their fun.”

 

Tae Hui nods in silent agreement, but Tae Pil pipes up. “Silly Halmeoni, we’re not monkeys. Hyung’s born in the year of the dog, and I’m a piggy.” Like most five-year-olds, he immediately starts oinking to prove his point.

 

His older brother looks him over, pouting slightly with how deeply he’s thinking. “But you can’t be a pig, Tae Pil-ah – you’re not fat.”

 

“I can be,” he chirps back, spreading his arms wide, “if I eat all this food.”

 

So if you're counting, that means I've got five down, with three more to go  

[kireeti2]

3 hours ago, kittyna said:

So if you're counting, that means I've got five down, with three more to go  

Are you making mash-up of all the series of Joo won?

 

3 hours ago, kittyna said:

JW was the sort of person who would reprimand his hoobaes in really formal language: like, many people get increasingly informal whenever they're upset (think of all those dramas where team leaders start screaming and cursing), but he did the uber-formal "I'm very disappointed" approach.

It shows that joo won can be trusted with giving him power/authority. When Yoo Hae-jin said that joo won was very upright person and never compromises on his values, I thought it was just for show, but the more I get to know him, the more I have started respect him not only for his acting but also for his principle and always staying the way he was, I mean retaining his down-to-earth nature, not many

people can handle fame that they get from film/drama industry(if you know what I mean), I guess his handling of fame can also be attributed to his family.

3 hours ago, kittyna said:

So JW's hoobaes - and, eventually, even his sunbaes - could never get away with slacking off, since he was that good of an example of diligence and perseverance on set.

This is my personal opinion, but I like how he keeps his relationship with his hoobaes strictly professional, especially with female actors. In some cases seniors would start relationship with their juniors, which I find it a bit hard to digest/accept(only in cases of huge age gap like 10 years or more)

[kireeti2]

4 hours ago, kittyna said:

So I don't think there's any real need to worry about JW in that respect. The only reason I could think of for turning down Kim Hee Sun's challenge would be that he's already done it once - but even that's a bit of a stretch given what we've seen of JW's character so far.

I really hope joo won will  participate in challenge. It's gesture for thanking health workers for their fight in curbing covid-19 virus. But I think joo won's  video is different from challenge, it is more like a spreading awareness to wash your hands for 20 secs, wear mask when your sick and practice physical distancing.

[kittyna]

2 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

Are you making mash-up of all the series of Joo won?

 

Bingo!  Which is why this probably won't be done in time for Mother's Day on Sunday - kinda hard to come up with eight mini-fics in a short time frame, especially since it's a first time for me with some of these dramas. Still, it's been fun so far, and at least it's not an actual crossover (i.e. characters from multiple shows interacting with each other in the same space). That would get really confusing!

 

Also, I will have something else fun ready in time for Mother's Day itself despite this delay - so stay tuned for that later this weekend! 

 

2 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

It shows that joo won can be trusted with giving him power/authority. When Yoo Hae-jin said that joo won was very upright person and never compromises on his values, I thought it was just for show, but the more I get to know him, the more I have started respect him not only for his acting but also for his principle and always staying the way he was, I mean retaining his down-to-earth nature, not many

people can handle fame that they get from film/drama industry(if you know what I mean), I guess his handling of fame can also be attributed to his family.

 

If nothing else, he knows why he wanted to go into acting in the first place, and that hasn't changed regardless of how famous (or not) he is.

 

Granted, there have been plenty of times where JW's characters/roles have done things that would most probably go against his own personal morals (Sweet Sixteen - the Chinese film - is the most notable example, but I think a number of others apply here as well), but the thing I appreciate about JW as an actor is that he can clearly distinguish between his character and himself. It was, I'll admit, the exact opposite of what I expected an overtly Christian actor would do (since I grew up with the whole "What Would Jesus Do?" movement and that could entail turning down roles that were morally sketchy), but seeing the contrast between dark/immoral characters and JW being the real-life marshmallow that he is has helped a lot  

 

And I don't say "real-life marshmallow" lightly - it's been said that he's pretty much Park Si On minus the autism  So, good-natured, idealistic, innocent in his motives when dealing with others, but still with a clear personal sense of right/wrong.

 

2 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

This is my personal opinion, but I like how he keeps his relationship with his hoobaes strictly professional, especially with female actors. In some cases seniors would start relationship with their juniors, which I find it a bit hard to digest/accept(only in cases of huge age gap like 10 years or more)

 

lol - I like that JW tends to aim for friendship with his co-stars first. Whether any feelings develop after that point is his business; I don't think it's impossible, but whether or not he does is, again, his life and his choice.

 

Mind you, people will talk and try to ship actors/actresses anyway. And that annoys me to no end because I perceive that as a huge violation of the actors' privacy and a lack of respect for them as actual human beings.

 

2 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

I really hope joo won will  participate in challenge. It's gesture for thanking health workers for their fight in curbing covid-19 virus. But I think joo won's  video is different from challenge, it is more like a spreading awareness to wash your hands for 20 secs, wear mask when your sick and practice physical distancing.

 

I see. In that case, I'd like that, too - but even more than that, I want it to be genuine. The thing about challenges like this is that there's so much pressure to conform (because people fear others would think of them as bad or uncaring if they don't participate), and when it's celebrities involved, that effect just gets magnified. So, from that standpoint, if JW wants to do it, then I'm all for that; but if he doesn't, then I won't question his decision either.

[kireeti2]

5 hours ago, kittyna said:

Granted, there have been plenty of times where JW's characters/roles have done things that would most probably go against his own personal morals (Sweet Sixteen - the Chinese film - is the most notable example, but I think a number of others apply here as well), but the thing I appreciate about JW as an actor is that he can clearly distinguish between his character and himself. It was, I'll admit, the exact opposite of what I expected an overtly Christian actor would do (since I grew up with the whole "What Would Jesus Do?" movement and that could entail turning down roles that were morally sketchy), but seeing the contrast between dark/immoral characters and JW being the real-life marshmallow that he is has helped a lot  

 

And I don't say "real-life marshmallow" lightly - it's been said that he's pretty much Park Si On minus the autism  So, good-natured, idealistic, innocent in his motives when dealing with others, but still with a clear personal sense of right/wrong.

In my personal opinion, joo won would be an excellent antagonist, In sweet sixteen movie he just blew my mind, seeing him do such role made me appreciate more for his acting skills, but like you said his real-life marshmallow character of his was holding him back to give his 100%, that's what I felt about his role as an antagonist. Nevertheless, he can total own any character given to him.

 

5 hours ago, kittyna said:

Mind you, people will talk and try to ship actors/actresses anyway

Yeah, that shipping business is okay as long as it stay with their roles, but people take it a bit further by shipping them in real life. If an actor falls in love with every co-actor he acts with then we would rendered useless. But in joo won's its like open book, he would said he had developed feelings for his co-actor, but it is only to bring his character to life, and also with UEE he said he wouldn't had mind dating her, but they remained as only friends.

5 hours ago, kittyna said:

I see. In that case, I'd like that, too - but even more than that, I want it to be genuine. The thing about challenges like this is that there's so much pressure to conform (because people fear others would think of them as bad or uncaring if they don't participate), and when it's celebrities involved, that effect just gets magnified. So, from that standpoint, if JW wants to do it, then I'm all for that; but if he doesn't, then I won't question his decision either.

I think joo won is too nice of a guy to reject his senior's request , I will also support him no matter what is decides to do.

 

5 hours ago, kittyna said:

it's been said that he's pretty much Park Si On minus the autism  So, good-natured, idealistic, innocent in his motives when dealing with others, but still with a clear personal sense of right/wrong.

I think in an date interview of KBS, he did said he is close to Si-on's character. I too agree with him, we can also see his similarities in 2Days 1night program, but I do think now he might have changed a lot, I meant in terms of maturity.

[kireeti2]

This off topic: For what its woth, I am glad Joo won doesn't have toxic fans like other stars, and glad he is not a Korean-wave stars. In the name of Korean-wave star, fans are just attacking everyone for the failure of TKEM, no one is talking about his acting, like all he did was just stand,sit,smile and walk,that's it, no change in his facial expression, on top of that, they are blaming female lead for the failure, saying things like: She is annoying,no chemistry,not pretty enough. For god sake, she learnt to do Taekwondo for this series, and her acting is far superior than male leads. By looking at the comment section and the way his fans are blaming everyone except the male lead's performance, shows the amount of ignorance and lack of sensibility.

https://www.soompi.com/article/1399166wpp/the-world-of-the-married-remains-no-1-as-the-king-eternal-monarch-falls-to-its-lowest-ratings-yet

 

[kittyna]

9 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

In my personal opinion, joo won would be an excellent antagonist, In sweet sixteen movie he just blew my mind, seeing him do such role made me appreciate more for his acting skills, but like you said his real-life marshmallow character of his was holding him back to give his 100%, that's what I felt about his role as an antagonist. Nevertheless, he can total own any character given to him.

 

Considering that his first K-drama role was as an antagonist, I don't think anybody can dispute that  I don't know how much credit should go to the screenwriter, the director, or JW himself, but together, they managed to make Gu Ma Jun a really three-dimensional character, as far as villains went. Yes, there were times when Ma Jun's actions or reactions were exaggerated (like, he's clearly overreacting to what's happening in those moments or he's clearly trying too hard to push Kim Tak Gu down), but everyone involved managed to pull it off in such a way that you can't help but feel some sort of sympathy for Ma Jun. Or, at least in my case, you want to see him repent rather than get punished.

 

As for other antagonistic roles, I think the closest JW's come to that would be Sweet Sixteen, but Gaksital (at least the beginning) would be a close second. I haven't watched Sweet Sixteen, but from what I heard, the script originally had JW's character be more three-dimensional as well (or, at least, he was able to imply that in this interview - I timed it to start at the moment I wanted, but the whole thing's worth watching)...but then, a lot of his scenes didn't make it into the final cut of the film, so you really just end up with him as the bad guy. I'm...not sure that's what he signed up for, to be honest, but I guess that's life.

 

9 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

Yeah, that shipping business is okay as long as it stay with their roles, but people take it a bit further by shipping them in real life. If an actor falls in love with every co-actor he acts with then we would rendered useless. But in joo won's its like open book, he would said he had developed feelings for his co-actor, but it is only to bring his character to life, and also with UEE he said he wouldn't had mind dating her, but they remained as only friends.

 

He's said numerous times that developing feelings while shooting is natural/normal for him, but that the real test of those feelings would be how long they last afterwards. I do think it's possible he went from feelings as an actor to an actual crush/being in love in some instances, but what - if anything - comes out of that depends on so many other factors, too: schedules, contractual obligations (e.g. I remember UEE saying in reference to dating JW that she's an "idol star", so maybe there were restrictions on whether she could date publicly), the actress's feelings (e.g. Choi Kang Hee saying that she's not interested in dating a fellow celebrity at all,;Moon Chae Won saying it won't happen because she and JW have the same surname and therefore might be related; Kim Tae Hee already being happily with Rain), etc.

 

9 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

I think in an date interview of KBS, he did said he is close to Si-on's character. I too agree with him, we can also see his similarities in 2Days 1night program, but I do think now he might have changed a lot, I meant in terms of maturity.

 

If all a person saw of JW's real life persona was 1N2D, then they would end up getting really confused by, say, his performance during his enlistment.  People are allowed to grow and evolve over time - actually, they should. So why shouldn't that hold true for someone like JW as well?

 

That's one thing I like about JW's publicity, actually: he doesn't do as many interviews/variety shows as your typical Hallyu star, but what he does are spaced out really nicely, so you can see how he's grown as a person. The cute maknae from 1N2D (2012-2013) and Win Win (2012) is very different from the self-assured and confident young man you see in Healing Camp (2015). And he's let fans in on that whole process.  

 

7 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

This off topic: For what its woth, I am glad Joo won doesn't have toxic fans like other stars, and glad he is not a Korean-wave stars.

 

JW made it clear really early in his career that he wouldn't tolerate toxicity or rivalries among his fans. He encourages his fans to be kind to each other, but also (and this can be the real challenge in Korea) to other celebrities and their fans.

 

The Hallyu fandom culture (whether at-home or international) expects extreme loyalty from fans: like, your bias can do no wrong, and anyone (even a fan) who says so is a hater who's trying to take them down. That even extends to situations where, really, things can go wrong without anyone being at fault, like low ratings: that's not anyone doing anything wrong, but people get really worked up about it anyway and want to blame something or someone for their bias's drama not doing as well as anticipated. To be fair, I can't rule out the possibility that that same fandom culture was a factor behind comments about, say, Shim Eun Kyung's acting when Nae Il's Cantabile didn't do well.

 

As for me personally, I actually go the other way: if I choose to like someone as a person, it's only because that person's character has managed to earn my respect. As a result, I tend to view my biases more critically than I do anyone else: like, I really don't care if other celebrities commit crimes or get into scandals, but I do expect someone like JW not to (and if he ever does, my caring for him would be the same that you see with Kim Tae Hyun: I'd withdraw from the fandom until he's earned my respect back again).

 

Incidentally, one of the unexpected results of JW's wishes for his fans has been his relative underdog status as a Hallyu star. We see from the size of his fandom that, really, he could be up there if he wants to be. But what's happened is that his fans are generally more quiet online in things like popularity polls/surveys, chat forums, etc. And so the news media, merchandise manufacturers/retailers, etc. tend not to notice him.

 

Finally, I want to end off with this funny moment from the Alice set:

 

 

I don't know what his team was up to...but what???

[kireeti2]

2 hours ago, kittyna said:

Shim Eun Kyung's acting when Nae Il's Cantabile didn't do well

This was exactly on my mind when  was writing about the topic, she got blamed fro not reason. Her depiction of Nae-il was flawless. It was sloppy editing and writers issues. I have seen the Japanese version also, both were similar except the ending part and in Japanese version Nae-il family got more screen time, perhaps doing the same thing in Korean version would have been a hit. Fun fact: Naeil in Japanese version played as cha yoon-seo of Japanese version good doctor.

It also amazes me that Joo won has Japan fan base also, we can say he is more popular in Japan than in south Korea, thanks to his Good Doctor drama. This despite starring in an anti-Japan drama, speaks volumes of his PR management.

2 hours ago, kittyna said:

anyone else: like, I really don't care if other celebrities commit crimes or get into scandals

Are you pointing at "Burning scandal"? I was really baffled that people were supporting them despite knowing that they have committed a crime, Sharing pictures of women online serious crime(because you cannot delete them once it goes online, it is forever online as long as internet exist), regardless of the profession of those women. I don't even want to take those criminals name, The language which he used in chatting room was just like a sexual predator, and people were upset, not because of scandal, but the shows in which those criminals were participating got cancelled, this was the first thing they can think about, not the safety of the young girls/women who'll be joining in film/drama industry

 

2 hours ago, kittyna said:

Incidentally, one of the unexpected results of JW's wishes for his fans has been his relative underdog status as a Hallyu star. We see from the size of his fandom that, really, he could be up there if he wants to be. But what's happened is that his fans are generally more quiet online in things like popularity polls/surveys, chat forums, etc. And so the news media, merchandise manufacturers/retailers, etc. tend not to notice him

I think that underdog status is blessing in disguise, because the more fans base he has the more possibility of toxic fans. Even his break-up was smooth in media is because of less fan base, nevertheless, I do want his dramas to succeed and win lot of awards.

 

2 hours ago, kittyna said:

JW made it clear really early in his career that he wouldn't tolerate toxicity or rivalries among his fans. He encourages his fans to be kind to each other, but also (and this can be the real challenge in Korea) to other celebrities and their fans.

I didn't know that, I am recent fan of Joo won, like I was introduced into Kdrama world last October courtesy Good Doctor. But I am glad joo won made it clear.

 

2 hours ago, kittyna said:

I don't know what his team was up to...but what???

I think they were trying to cool him down, joo won is really sensitive to heat, you can see it in "Fatal Intuition" movie BTS. His team really adores him and he also loves them very much, because those are only people with which he spends his time a lot. But I do wish he would find his soulmate or at least partner with which he can stay for rest of his, and want to see him in "The return of superman" variety show with his kids(I am rooting for him to have daughters)

[kittyna]

7 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

This was exactly on my mind when  was writing about the topic, she got blamed fro not reason. Her depiction of Nae-il was flawless. It was sloppy editing and writers issues. I have seen the Japanese version also, both were similar except the ending part and in Japanese version Nae-il family got more screen time, perhaps doing the same thing in Korean version would have been a hit.

 

Yeah, adding more about Nae Il's family would have been fun - even if just showing phone conversations or things like that. From what little we see, her mom sounds like just as much of a fun character as Yoo Jin's mom is, and their way of messing with Yoo Jin during that brief visit was hilarious.  (Yes, Yoo Jin is my favourite out of all of JW's characters to tease, which you might have figured out from my fics already - sorry not sorry )

 

As for Shim Eun Kyung's acting, I think she did fine with what she was given. Any flaws in her portrayal, I took to be flaws in Nae Il's character - but that's also what was fun about it. Nae Il isn't perfect: she is that "extra" and over-the-top and she is the sort of character who means well, but ends up unintentionally selfish as a result (i.e. she focuses so much on what she wants in a friendship or a romantic relationship that she's slow to sense what other people might actually want or need). So I can see why some viewers were put off by Nae Il as a character - but pinning that solely on Shim Eun Kyung as an actress isn't entirely fair.

 

7 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

It also amazes me that Joo won has Japan fan base also, we can say he is more popular in Japan than in south Korea, thanks to his Good Doctor drama. This despite starring in an anti-Japan drama, speaks volumes of his PR management.

 

Actually, JW has a huge fan base in Korea, too. I don't know exact numbers or anything, but that's at least partially reflected in his "Prince of Ratings" reputation: since ratings are compiled by observing Korean audiences, it's telling that he tends to do really well there. For example, back in 2015, there was this article listing JW as one of the top Korean actors in his peer group - not for international/Hallyu popularity, but for how well-received he was back home. (The comments section of that article is a riot, though - you'll want to take it with a grain of salt, even the ones praising JW)

 

Which is why, say, finding information about JW in English-language Hallyu news sites or finding JW-themed merchandise in Seoul (trust me: I tried) is tough. Those are things that appeal to international fans, and JW's always been a bit of the underdog there - but what he has instead is a very loyal domestic/Korean following, among guys and girls alike (even more so now with how well he did during his enlistment).

 

In regards to Japan more specifically, with the exception of Gaksital (which does, interestingly enough, still have its Japanese fans, too - they like his acting range), most of JW's dramas have really taken off. It started with King of Baking, Kim Tak Gu (such that when it was released in Japan, JW and Yoon Si Yoon did a whole promo trip there), and continued with Level 7 Civil Servant (for which he hosted a fanmeeting in Tokyo), Good Doctor, and so on.

 

7 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

Are you pointing at "Burning scandal"? I was really baffled that people were supporting them despite knowing that they have committed a crime,

 

Not just Burning Sun, but others as well. I've been watching K-dramas since 2015, so I've seen my fair share of these scandals, court cases, etc. centred around drug offenses, sexual harassment/assault, prostitution, people just being general jerks online...you get the idea. I don't like it - I started off with Hallyu in hopes that I could get away from all that stuff, since it's so prevalent in Western entertainment industry circles - but, well, Korean celebrities are still human, with all the vices that could bring.

 

7 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

people were upset, not because of scandal, but the shows in which those criminals were participating got cancelled, this was the first thing they can think about, not the safety of the young girls/women who'll be joining in film/drama industry

 

To be fair, I can understand the frustration about show cancellations to some extent, because cancelling a show doesn't just penalize the cast/crew member who committed the offense, but everybody else who was involved with it as well. So, say, 1N2D was one of the casualties of the Burning Sun scandal specifically - and while you could say that's fair consequences for the cast member who did wrong, what about those who were innocent? So as far as that's concerned, I can understand.

 

K-entertainment scandals can get really crazy really fast, and it's happened before that fans and anti-fans alike get really vindictive and start pointing fingers everywhere. Celebrities who do wrong are implicated, of course, but so are their friends and associates - e.g. again with Burning Sun, before the full list of the celebrities involved was released, netizens were speculating about a whole ton of other celebrities (who turned out to be innocent) simply because they were friends with one person in that group. It was nuts, and comment sections of articles got really toxic (like, people tried to cover things up by using initials rather than names, but imagine, hypothetically, someone saying, "So-and-so took those pictures and shared them with his friend - and you know who hangs out with him a lot? JW.")

 

Not that anyone implicated JW in this process; I'm just using his initials as an example of what it'd feel like to read comments like this before anything's been confirmed by law enforcement  

 

So on top of being offended - and rightfully so - at those who do wrong, we also need to be careful not to punish either the victims (whose names also apparently got leaked online - like, ew) and innocents who just happened to know the perpetrators. And I will admit to feeling genuinely anxious if someone who has some connection with JW gets into a scandal - because this sort of thing really does happen.

 

7 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

I think they were trying to cool him down, joo won is really sensitive to heat, you can see it in "Fatal Intuition" movie BTS.

 

I see - thanks for the heads-up. I didn't know that  

 

7 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

But I do wish he would find his soulmate or at least partner with which he can stay for rest of his, and want to see him in "The return of superman" variety show with his kids(I am rooting for him to have daughters)

 

Aw...that'd be cute. Sometimes I hope that JW could appear on a show like Return of Superman as a one-time guest, but it hasn't happened yet.

[kittyna]

So I said that I would put together an interactive for Mother's Day this weekend (since the fic's not finished yet). Well, I hope you guys aren't sick of this format yet, because it's another round of Scattergories.

 

Spoiler

For those who prefer the tournament-style polls instead, don't worry - there will be one coming in the future. It's just not the sort of thing I can run with just a couple of days' notice  

 

Since this is in celebration of Mother's Day, the questions are all going to be somewhat related to that theme:

 

Spoiler

Scattergories - Mother's Day Edition

 

Quick rundown of the rules:

• Read the prompts carefully: questions might be about the JW drama girl (i.e. the female lead), the JW drama mom (i.e. the mother of JW's character), or both! (I'll put those words in bold to make it easier)
• Don't overthink this - just go with your gut response
• You are allowed to repeat or leave out any characters of your choice
• You are invited to provide reasons or further explanation for any of these, but just the names or a description (e.g. "so-and-so's mom" - since not all of them are actually named) is fine

So here goes - enjoy!

 

1. My favourite JW drama mom

2. My least favourite JW drama mom

3. My favourite mother-son relationship in a JW drama

4. The JW drama mom nobody should mess with

5. The JW drama girl who I'd most want to see as a mom

6. The JW drama mom(s) who's the most like mine

7. The JW drama mom who I'd want to become friends with (note: just friends - you don't have to want to be her kid)

8. My favourite "mother-in-law"/"daughter-in-law" relationship (i.e. your favourite relationship between a JW drama girl AND a JW drama mom)

 

That's it for now - enjoy and Happy Mother's Day!

[kireeti2]

8 hours ago, kittyna said:

To be fair, I can understand the frustration about show cancellations to some extent, because cancelling a show doesn't just penalize the cast/crew member who committed the offense, but everybody else who was involved with it as well. So, say, 1N2D was one of the casualties of the Burning Sun scandal specifically - and while you could say that's fair consequences for the cast member who did wrong, what about those who were innocent? So as far as that's concerned, I can understand.

 

K-entertainment scandals can get really crazy really fast, and it's happened before that fans and anti-fans alike get really vindictive and start pointing fingers everywhere. Celebrities who do wrong are implicated, of course, but so are their friends and associates - e.g. again with Burning Sun, before the full list of the celebrities involved was released, netizens were speculating about a whole ton of other celebrities (who turned out to be innocent) simply because they were friends with one person in that group. It was nuts, and comment sections of articles got really toxic (like, people tried to cover things up by using initials rather than names, but imagine, hypothetically, someone saying, "So-and-so took those pictures and shared them with his friend - and you know who hangs out with him a lot? JW.")

 

Not that anyone implicated JW in this process; I'm just using his initials as an example of what it'd feel like to read comments like this before anything's been confirmed by law enforcement  

 

So on top of being offended - and rightfully so - at those who do wrong, we also need to be careful not to punish either the victims (whose names also apparently got leaked online - like, ew) and innocents who just happened to know the perpetrators. And I will admit to feeling genuinely anxious if someone who has some connection with JW gets into a scandal - because this sort of thing really does happen.

I totally agree with you, that cancellation of show would be unfair to crew and members who had nothing do with the scandal. But the the management is prepared to handle such kind of unforeseen disaster, and scandal is no less than disaster. Cancellation of as show is pretty common in Korean entertainment industry, especially in variety show. They were instances in which show was cancelled because of low ratings, so, I strongly, believe 1D2N show cancellation did not affect the crew members, as they are used to it. I would also like to point that, during the scandal investigation, it was found that other 2 show members were involved in illegal gamble, that was the also an reason for show cancellation

 

I would also agree to your point, where celebrities are crucified just for being acquaintance with an accused(Ex: Moon Chae-won account was hacked just for liking the Jung joon-young photo on instagram). I know that I am being biased by making this claim, but I strongly believe that there is zero chances of JW getting to a scandal, especially in cases like DUI or sexual harassment cases. Because if we go by what JW said in talk shows, he really cannot drink and kind of has a conservative mind set

8 hours ago, kittyna said:

So on top of being offended - and rightfully so - at those who do wrong, we also need to be careful not to punish either the victims (whose names also apparently got leaked online - like, ew) and innocents who just happened to know the perpetrators

It almost felt like I was reading a supreme court judgement

 

 

[kireeti2]

3 hours ago, kittyna said:

1. My favourite JW drama mom

I had a hard time choosing between Seo In-sook and Park Bok-ja, and I finally chose  Park Bk-ja, although both love is unconditional, but Seo In-sook love is kind of obsession, in other words toxic.

3 hours ago, kittyna said:

2. My least favourite JW drama mom

None for me, they all are my favourite

3 hours ago, kittyna said:

3. My favourite mother-son relationship in a JW drama

Yang sun Young and Cha Yoo-jin

3 hours ago, kittyna said:

4. The JW drama mom nobody should mess with

Seo In-sook, like you have to ask

3 hours ago, kittyna said:

5. The JW drama girl who I'd most want to see as a mom

Cha Yoo-seon

3 hours ago, kittyna said:

6. The JW drama mom(s) who's the most like mine

They all have some similarities with my mom, but the closest one is Yang Sun-young

4 hours ago, kittyna said:

7. The JW drama mom who I'd want to become friends with (

Park Bok-ja, since I am also interested in farming too

4 hours ago, kittyna said:

8. My favourite "mother-in-law"/"daughter-in-law" relationship

Park Bok-ja and Baek Ja-eun

[kireeti2]

15 hours ago, kittyna said:

For example, back in 2015, there was this article listing JW as one of the top Korean actors in his peer group - not for international/Hallyu popularity,

Lol!!!!! Comment was  hilarious to read, but most them agree that JW acting is better than those 3 actors. Others got edge due to the looks and the looks will fade away with time but acting is only going to improve with time

[kittyna]

8 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

Cancellation of as show is pretty common in Korean entertainment industry, especially in variety show. They were instances in which show was cancelled because of low ratings, so, I strongly, believe 1D2N show cancellation did not affect the crew members, as they are used to it. I would also like to point that, during the scandal investigation, it was found that other 2 show members were involved in illegal gamble, that was the also an reason for show cancellation

 

I know - but that's 3 out of 6 cast members, so I think a lot of the disappointment and frustration from fans was on behalf of the other three. You're right that cancellations happen for less catastrophic reasons as well, but what I'm saying is that as a fan or viewer, it's natural to be upset at first; I saw a lot of frustrated comments directed at the cast members who did commit crimes, where fans complained about them ruining it for everyone else.

 

However, from your original comment, it sounds like you also saw people who were upset because they still loyally clung to the ones who did wrong and were upset at the consequences they faced. And that does surprise me.

 

8 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

It almost felt like I was reading a supreme court judgement

 

lol - That's what happens when I'm trying to speak in generalities without saying any names   Mentally, I'm trying to cover as many different sides and bases as possible, and that's what comes out.

 

1 hour ago, kireeti2 said:

Lol!!!!! Comment was  hilarious to read, but most them agree that JW acting is better than those 3 actors. Others got edge due to the looks and the looks will fade away with time but acting is only going to improve with time

 

Having watched stuff from all four actors mentioned (for those who didn't read the article: JW, Lee Min Ho, Kim Soo Hyun, and Lee Jong Suk), I will say that I personally enjoy watching JW, Kim Soo Hyun and Lee Jong Suk a good deal.  In terms of acting ability, they each have their distinct strengths and weaknesses, such that I can't imagine, say, JW playing Do Min Joon or Lee Jong Suk playing Park Si On, or anything else like that. They're all perfectly cast for their roles, from what I've seen so far.

 

That said, while I can't speak for the others, I do think some of the critiques people gave about JW's acting are fair. The biggest one seems to be a tendency to over-act or exaggerate, and I agree with those who think this might be due to the fact that JW started in theatre. Stage actors are highly desired by TV and film casting directors due to their range, full-body acting, etc., but the trade-off is that they will tend to act "big" in emotive scenes. People talked about JW's crying scenes here, but I also think you can see it in his comedy, how he uses his voice, etc.

 

As for the one comment about him "looking clueless", I kinda feel like they only watched Good Doctor, but I'm not sure.  It's like what I'd said before about how people who only watched JW on 1N2D and not his other interviews/variety show appearances would have a hard time visualizing him as a mature adult (since he's so much the cute maknae there that he doesn't really show his other sides).

 

And since I personally have a rather packed Mother's Day, I'll just do my Scattergories response here as well:

 

1. My favourite JW drama mom - Park Bok Ja (i.e. Tae Hui's mom)

 

I just love how she's always there for her kids and for her family as a whole - her biggest flaw is that she's strongly biased towards her own to the point where it clouds her moral judgment. But knowing that her heart is in the right place, more or less, I think it's really sweet watching her with each of her sons.

 

2. My least favourite JW drama mom - Gyun Woo's mom (don't know her name)

 

While she is a fun character to watch - and some of her portrayal is deliberated exaggerated for the laughs - what I didn't like was how much she and her husband were on different wavelengths throughout much of the show. To put it simply: Gyun Woo's father wants to discipline him, while his mom wants to spoil him. That leads to them giving conflicting messages to their kids (e.g. Gyun Woo's dad telling him not to drink/party while his mother encourages him to get out there and socialize), and you can see clearly how the kids have to pick and choose whose instructions to follow when - and I think a lot of the familial conflict you see in the show could have been avoided if the parents came to some sort of common ground first.

 

3. My favourite mother-son relationship in a JW drama - Park Bok Ja and Hwang Tae Hui

 

She really cares for him a great deal (even if his grandmother is more overt about it), and one of the scenes in the drama that makes me cry every single time is the one where she reassures and comforts him after the death of his biological mother. She's always wanted to take him into her heart, but he's the one who's been holding back all this time. 

 

4. The JW drama mom nobody should mess with - Seo In Sook

 

She's, like, your perfect Mama Bear: in her eyes, nothing matters more than her son, so you'd better not get on Ma Jun's bad side.  To be honest, on a personal level, she's not capable of doing much beyond verbal abuse (most of the shadier stuff is from Ma Jun's father), but even those tongue-lashings would be really hard to withstand if you were on their receiving end. I think only people as stubborn as Shin Yu Kyung or Ma Jun himself could do that.

 

5. The JW drama girl who I'd most want to see as a mom - Han Yeo Jin OR Princess Hye Myung

 

I think both of these girls are the ones who look like they won't be good with kids, but will actually be great at it. Yeo Jin saves her warmer or softer side for when she's at home, and I think that she'd be a firm but loving mom. However, as a caveat, I personally think that with all her medical issues, she would have a hard time actually having kids - conceiving and carrying a pregnancy to term. That said, though, if she were to succeed (or if she and Kim Tae Hyun were to adopt kids instead), I think she'd be a great mom.

 

As for Hye Myung, we already see how she is with her little brother, so I think that already says a lot. I think she'd be a very capable hands-on sort of mother, and both she and Gyun Woo would work together to make sure all their kids turn out to be good people.

 

6. The JW drama mom(s) who's the most like mine - Lee Kang To's mom

 

For me here, it's the fact that she's trying so hard to bring her son back on the right path but still loves him unconditionally regardless of his choices. I think it's worth noting that it's overhearing her praying for him that starts making Kang To's heart waver - more so than the way she scolds him. As for my own mom, she won't hold back when I've done something wrong - but in her heart, she's just waiting for me to repent.

 

7. The JW drama mom who I'd want to become friends with (note: just friends - you don't have to want to be her kid) - Yang Sun Young

 

She's just a riot  I think it'd be fun to get to know her as a peer or an equal, but I can also see how Yoo Jin isn't always sure just what to make of her.  She's the sort of mom who wants to be her kid's best friend, and I think that confuses Yoo Jin sometimes.

 

8. My favourite "mother-in-law"/"daughter-in-law" relationship (i.e. your favourite relationship between a JW drama girl AND a JW drama mom) - Cha Yoon Seo and Park Si On's mom

 

To be fair, this was hard to choose - I really liked a number of these relationships. But I'm going with this one because I love how Cha Yoon Seo was able to act as the go-between while Park Si On was still wrestling with his feelings towards his mom: her patience with him and her unconditional concern for his mom was what helped them reconcile with each other  

[kireeti2]

1 hour ago, kittyna said:

she's not capable of doing much beyond verbal abuse

What do you mean no capable beyond verbal abuse? She could win a slapping contest for Gu Ma jun, if there was one. I think she must have slapped little kim ta goo/Shin Yoo-kyung/Kim Mi-sun like 10-15 times on screen.

 

Finally!! Joo won accepted the challenge, I was relieved and delighted at same.

[kittyna]

55 minutes ago, kireeti2 said:

What do you mean no capable beyond verbal abuse? She could win a slapping contest for Gu Ma jun, if there was one. I think she must have slapped little kim ta goo/Shin Yoo-kyung/Kim Mi-sun like 10-15 times on screen.

 

Oh, right...I guess my memory is fuzzy  I think that somehow, in my head, I took the comments she'd make in addition to the slaps as being worse than the slaps themselves (hence by "beyond verbal abuse" I was thinking of those elaborate life/career-ruining schemes) but you got me there.

 

But now I'm genuinely curious: how did Seo In Sook end up one of your favourites? She's actually one of my least (mostly because I see her love for Ma Jun as a selfish love), but...yeah. Just wondering.  

[kireeti2]

1 hour ago, kittyna said:

Seo In Sook end up one of your favourites?

Maybe its because of the actress (Jeo In-hwa), she is total different person off-screen, I mean she like nice to her juniors and fun senior to hang-out with. On top of that in the series  it was not her fault that she has turned into a nasty person, there were several variables in play, like the affair of her husband,her pressure to have a male heir(which is not in her control and biologically it depends on men to produce a male child)

 

[kittyna]

11 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

On top of that in the series  it was not her fault that she has turned into a nasty person, there were several variables in play, like the affair of her husband,her pressure to have a male heir(which is not in her control and biologically it depends on men to produce a male child)

 

Yeah, I can't say I understand that, either. Given the cultural context, I can see why the Gu family would prefer sons over daughters, but I really don't get why everyone used to pin all the responsibility for a baby's gender on the mother. Like, even if they didn't have the scientific knowledge to know otherwise...shouldn't that be more realistically attributed to chance? Or the will of the gods? Or something?

 

So I do see how Seo In Sook's actions are driven more by desperation than anything else - and since she resorted to unscrupulous means to have a son, she's going to fight to the death to make sure he actually gets to inherit. The one thing she hadn't banked on was that her son would turn out to be just as much of a rebel as she was  

 

11 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

Maybe its because of the actress (Jeo In-hwa), she is total different person off-screen, I mean she like nice to her juniors and fun senior to hang-out with.

 

Oh, yeah - Jeon In Hwa is great as an actress. I've only watched her twice, to be honest (in King of Baking, Kim Tak Gu and Feast of the Gods) and both times, she was awesome in her portrayal of the drama mom  Her character in Feast of the Gods is a way better mom, though, in my opinion  

 

And I've also watched some of the interviews she did for Kim Tak Gu, so I am aware of how well she gets along with her hoobaes - especially since she and JW really took a strong liking to each other.   

 

By the way, looking back at your Scattergories responses, @kireeti2, I noticed that you'd like to see Cha Yoon Seo as a mother - may I ask what you think she'd be like with her kid(s)?

[kireeti2]

1 hour ago, kittyna said:

The one thing she hadn't banked on was that her son would turn out to be just as much of a rebel as she was  

True that, and also scientifically babies inherit 51% of genes from their moms.

1 hour ago, kittyna said:

Oh, yeah - Jeon In Hwa is great as an actress

And also youthful forever, I can't believe she 54 yrs old, she looks very young for her age

1 hour ago, kittyna said:

By the way, looking back at your Scattergories responses, @kireeti2, I noticed that you'd like to see Cha Yoon Seo as a mother - may I ask what you think she'd be like with her kid(s)?

In the series you can notice that she struggles to draw a line with her patients, and sometimes losses objectivity. It is not only because she is a passionate doctor but also her unconditional love for children. In the article I read that her character wanted to become an kindergarten teacher but ended up becoming a pediatrician because of her mom's pressure. Nevertheless, she even showed more unconditional love towards her patients than most of the moms in the series. Especially, the way she handled si-on with lot of patience and understanding. So, from above observations I think she would make excellent mom, not only the who'll be caring, but also fun type and also reprimands when her child commits a mistake. I personally feel her kids would enjoy their time with her and also she'll in position to explain si-on conditions to her kids if ever they feel like their father doesn't look normal when they compare him with others