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

[kittyna]

3 hours ago, Calli said:

What I kept wondering about while watching the final two episodes again - and this might be really stupid but please bear with me - is what exactly had happened in the previous cycles for the younger PJG to turn into the old, bitter future PJG. I mean, I know what happens is that the younger PJG sees his mother murdered and grows bitter, chooses to become the Lord of Time - convinced that he's bound by The Prophecy - and goes on to kill countless people to keep time travel going. Or something along those lines. But in those previous cycles, doesn't the younger PJG end up killing his older self, too?

 

Ah - I think that I can answer this bit at least, based on my understanding of the final two episodes.

 

Short answer: No, no previous version of Park Jin Gyeom has succeeded in killing the Teacher.  

 

Long answer: The clue here is in what the Teacher says to Jin Gyeom when they meet face-to-face at the end of Episode 15. He says that he once asked an old man (presumably the Teacher from when he was a young man) the same questions that Jin Gyeom's asking now, and that he tried to kill that old man, but wound up becoming him instead.

 

So I think that means that in each previous cycle that happened prior to the events of the drama, some version of Jin Gyeom confronted some version of the Teacher, but was somehow unable to finish the job by killing him - after which point the Teacher presumably dies from some natural cause while whichever version of Jin Gyeom we're dealing with ends up slowly growing and aging into the next Teacher. There are a few exceptions to this rule, it seems, which are hinted at in the other parallel universes (Episode 8 and Episode 13) we see. Yet even in those cases, the same core point holds true, which is that Jin Gyeom fails to kill the Teacher for some reason or another: in Episode 8, the Teacher (through some version of Go Hyung Seok) kills him first; in Episode 13, we see a Jin Gyeom who was so susceptible to his "Teacher's" influence that he ends up being the one to kill his mother himself; etc. 

 

What about the version of the Teacher that we see in Episodes 15/16, then? I think he actually came really close to succeeding - hence why he could have a memory of confronting the "Teacher" he met as a young man in whichever version of Alice was around then - but he seemed to have fallen into the temptation of being able to control time. Note that he uses that same rhetoric when he speaks to Jin Gyeom (i.e. "You won't believe me now, but I just saved your chance to become a lord of time by killing the professor/our mother."), so my guess is that that's what he was told in the past and that's what made him hesitate and ultimately fail. However, the Jin Gyeom we see, due perhaps to becoming aware of the prophecy sooner than his counterpart, has the determination not to allow the same thing to happen to himself - which is why, even after Park Sun Young's suicide in Episode 16, he doesn't hesitate to kill the Teacher despite knowing that doing so won't actually save his mother in that timeline (since she's already dead).

 

So, long story short, we seem to have a continuous loop where the same events play out over and over again, but with slight variations each time. And each of those variations brings about a different result, with our version of Jin Gyeom having that "perfect combination" to actually succeed in his quest. lol - I'm making this sound like a video game now, but perhaps that's the best way of explaining it.

[Calli]

1 hour ago, kittyna said:

 

Ah - I think that I can answer this bit at least, based on my understanding of the final two episodes.

 

Short answer: No, no previous version of Park Jin Gyeom has succeeded in killing the Teacher.  

 

@kittynathank you so much for answering my question. That really helped loads. Somehow, in my mind, the only logical thing for past versions of young PJG to do after confronting the Teacher / witnessing the Teacher kill his mother was to kill him, too. But that was clearly over simplifying things; there are so many more variables to consider, like you pointed out so well. Plus, just because our PJG was so determined to stop this cycle and had the inner strength to say no to that much power (and recognize the misery it came with), doesn't mean every version of PJG was. And our PJG's strongest motivation always was protecting his loved ones, particularly his mother. He was willing to sacrifice himself for her - maybe not every PJG who confronted the Teacher had that much selfless love inside of him... 

 

Either way, thank you so much for answering this question for me. My list of unanswered Alice questions got a little shorter^^ 

[Calli]

Hey everyone, I just read news that Kim Hee Sun might be back in drama land with a webtoon-based fantasy drama (expected to air in the first half of 2022) and my first reaction was "yaaay" and then right after my heart sank because it reminded me that we still haven't gotten any drama news about Joo Won 

The thought of 2021 going by without seeing Joo Won in a drama is just too sad... 

[kittyna]

17 hours ago, Calli said:

Plus, just because our PJG was so determined to stop this cycle and had the inner strength to say no to that much power (and recognize the misery it came with), doesn't mean every version of PJG was. And our PJG's strongest motivation always was protecting his loved ones, particularly his mother. He was willing to sacrifice himself for her - maybe not every PJG who confronted the Teacher had that much selfless love inside of him... 

 

I think another thing that our Jin Gyeom had that some of his other versions didn't was lots of love from the people around him. Of course, he had to get the ball rolling first - no-one beyond his mother was going to love him if he actually did turn into a psychopath (like the Episode 13 version) - but our version of Jin Gyeom wound up having people like Go Hyung Seok and his wife, Kim Do Yeon, etc. helping him after his mother died. And, like Yoon Tae Yi says in Episode 15, I like to think that those were the people who kept him on the right track when he was most susceptible to turning dark.

 

At least the presence of that love might explain why the Teacher in our version failed. And as for the version of Park Jin Gyeom that was killed off in Episode 8...he might have had that, too (given that Tae Yi cares for him, at least), and just wound up with epically bad luck  

 

7 hours ago, Calli said:

and then right after my heart sank because it reminded me that we still haven't gotten any drama news about Joo Won 

The thought of 2021 going by without seeing Joo Won in a drama is just too sad... 

 

By the way, I'm just curious: is there any particular sort of role you'd like to see JW playing in the future? Like, a bucket list of archetypes/character types?

[Calli]

1 hour ago, kittyna said:

At least the presence of that love might explain why the Teacher in our version failed. And as for the version of Park Jin Gyeom that was killed off in Episode 8...he might have had that, too (given that Tae Yi cares for him, at least), and just wound up with epically bad luck  

 

By the way, I'm just curious: is there any particular sort of role you'd like to see JW playing in the future? Like, a bucket list of archetypes/character types?

For sure. I personally believe that unless you're shown love and are thereby taught how to love, you can't properly feel and show love yourself... so I wanna believe that Park Sun Young loved her son dearly in all universes, but the people who loved him after his mom's death played a pivotal role in making PJG "our" PJG for sure. 

See, that's so interesting. I never really considered that PJG really died in episode 8... I thought that Taeyi's flashback to that dreadful moment was only a possible scenario that she managed to undo - along with PJG himself who chose to show complete trust in Go Hyeon Seok. But "possible scenario" is exactly what a parallel universe is, so I guess in that universe someone who was a lot like our PJG might have actually died. What a heartbreaking thought 

 

As far as a bucket list of character types I'd like to see Joo Won portray, I fear I'll disappoint you @kittyna. No such list on my mind... my appreciation for certain actors is always built on their acting abilities but also on the choices they've made concerning the characters they play. So once I appreciate an actor (and I don't think I've ever appreciated an actor as much as I do Joo Won), said appreciation (& love in Joo Won's case) comes with a big portion of trust. And the wish that the actor in question can follow his own heart & mind in choosing their next character and project. So with Joo Won I inherently trust that he will make the best possible choice and hopefully one that is on his bucket list, if he has one^^ What about you? Sounds like you have such a bucket list? I remember you mentioning Sherlock Holmes?

 

Right now, personally, I'd just be so thrilled reading Joo Won upcoming drama casting news, I'd probably not even read the project/character description properly  (I'm only half-kidding)

I really wonder though what kind of character he'd like to play and what kind of story he'd like to be part of. Watching Yong Pal at the moment, it makes me think of how at the time when he chose that project he felt like he needed to change himself instead of remaining who he was - thankfully in his deasang speech at the SBS drama awards that year he pointed out that getting this award was a sign for him that it was okay to remain true to himself. It must have been quite a journey for him back then... of hardship and personal growth.

Based on what I've learned about Joo Won so far, I honestly don't think he could ever be anything but true to himself but I just hope he'll keep making choices that will strengthen his faith in himself and that will allow him to be true to himself, while growing too. 

Edited April 6, 2021 by Calli

[partyon]

Annyeong chingus!

 

Hope everyone is well. Just visiting the thread, to check out if there are any casting news regarding Joo Won. But seems it's awfully quiet on that front, huh?

 

Would love to see him in a new drama soon.

[Calli]

20 minutes ago, partyon said:

Would love to see him in a new drama soon.

 

Same, same, same @partyon. So, soooo badly!! *fingerscrossed*

 

By the way, I have been meaning to ask you guys, does Joo Won have an official fancafe / fanclub? And is there a way to officially send him fan mail? 

[kittyna]

7 hours ago, Calli said:

By the way, I have been meaning to ask you guys, does Joo Won have an official fancafe / fanclub? And is there a way to officially send him fan mail? 

 

I think there used to be a Daum fancafe at one point, but I don't know if it's still active. Maybe someone who's been here longer than me( @flutterby06, @airplanegirl, etc.) would know more than me on that.

 

As for on sites like Instagram, there are a few localized fanclubs (e.g. ones for his Japanese fans, Thai fans, etc.), but I don't think there's an official English-language fanclub per se.

 

The closest thing I could think of off the top of my head is zu.won_supporters: the Korea-based group that organizes most of the merch, gifts, etc. So, for example, this is the group that does what's become an annual tradition for JW's birthday: painting a mural somewhere in Korea with cartoon versions of his drama characters (obviously, 2020 was the exception due to COVID-19, but you get the idea). Announcements they make tend to then spread to the regional fanclubs via Instagram, but it's usually up to individual Instagram users for those to be translated into English.

 

8 hours ago, partyon said:

Hope everyone is well. Just visiting the thread, to check out if there are any casting news regarding Joo Won. But seems it's awfully quiet on that front, huh?

 

There's Carter, as far as recent news goes, but that's about it. It's too early in the game for any behind-the-scenes goodies from that (like, has anyone else been cast for it yet, even?), but I'm definitely looking forward to those updates once they start.

 

12 hours ago, Calli said:

See, that's so interesting. I never really considered that PJG really died in episode 8... I thought that Taeyi's flashback to that dreadful moment was only a possible scenario that she managed to undo - along with PJG himself who chose to show complete trust in Go Hyeon Seok. But "possible scenario" is exactly what a parallel universe is, so I guess in that universe someone who was a lot like our PJG might have actually died. What a heartbreaking thought 

 

Honestly, that possibility (that a version of Jin Gyeom actually died in Episode 8) only occurred to me recently. For a long while, I thought of it like you did: that Tae Yi had somehow gone into "our" future and seen what happened and thus tried to prevent it. But if we consider the good Seok Oh Won's theory about all possible outcomes being their own separate parallel universes, then either interpretation is possible.

 

12 hours ago, Calli said:

Watching Yong Pal at the moment, it makes me think of how at the time when he chose that project he felt like he needed to change himself instead of remaining who he was - thankfully in his deasang speech at the SBS drama awards that year he pointed out that getting this award was a sign for him that it was okay to remain true to himself. It must have been quite a journey for him back then... of hardship and personal growth.

 

If I recall correctly from that Daesang speech and his similar comments on Healing Camp, I think the main thing JW was struggling with wasn't so much his image as an actor or the projects he chose, but his behaviour on set: whether it's really okay to just power through any challenges that come his way without complaint. That seems to be what his innate personality is like, but he was starting to question whether that made him a pushover (or, at least, that's the impression I got from Healing Camp), so I think that's where his determination "not to change" came from once he won the Daesang: JW realized that he was fine as he was, no matter how unique or unconventional his personality might be for a millennial like him.

 

That Daesang speech and the Healing Camp episode that preceded it seemed to be an ending to a tough journey that he'd been going through since his time on 1N2D. I don't know how far you've gotten on that show yet, but by the time you get to the second half - where the PD wound up including more of his introspective moments - you'll see that JW was struggling to meet the audience's expectations for him as a variety show maknae because that image clashed so much with what he was actually like. It's genuinely heartwrenching watching him second-guess himself in those moments (saying things like he wasn't funny enough, he was letting people down, etc. - and he revealed after leaving the show that he did get trolled by haters online in that way), so it's great that he wound up gaining that confidence at the end of it all 

[Calli]

8 hours ago, kittyna said:

If I recall correctly from that Daesang speech and his similar comments on Healing Camp, I think the main thing JW was struggling with wasn't so much his image as an actor or the projects he chose, but his behaviour on set: whether it's really okay to just power through any challenges that come his way without complaint. That seems to be what his innate personality is like, but he was starting to question whether that made him a pushover (or, at least, that's the impression I got from Healing Camp), so I think that's where his determination "not to change" came from once he won the Daesang: JW realized that he was fine as he was, no matter how unique or unconventional his personality might be for a millennial like him.

 

That Daesang speech and the Healing Camp episode that preceded it seemed to be an ending to a tough journey that he'd been going through since his time on 1N2D. I don't know how far you've gotten on that show yet, but by the time you get to the second half - where the PD wound up including more of his introspective moments - you'll see that JW was struggling to meet the audience's expectations for him as a variety show maknae because that image clashed so much with what he was actually like. It's genuinely heartwrenching watching him second-guess himself in those moments (saying things like he wasn't funny enough, he was letting people down, etc. - and he revealed after leaving the show that he did get trolled by haters online in that way), so it's great that he wound up gaining that confidence at the end of it all 

 

Dear @kittyna, thank you so much for all the information regarding Joo Won's fansites. I should check his agency's site regarding fanmail but my guess is everything will be only in Korean~

I keep repeating myself but it's really too bad Joo Won Cutie isn't an active fansite anymore :'( 

 

I really enjoyed reading the part of your post regarding Joo Won's journey from ca 2012 to 2015 and his inner struggle at the time, coming to terms with his perceived need to change and coming more firmly into himself by the end of 2015.

You know, because it's been a little while now since I watched Healing Camp and a few other 2015 interviews, I remember taking away that general thought that he was grappling with the notion of change at the time - and even before that in his appearance on Win Win in 2012 this whole idea of change was very prevalent in him: him trying very hard not to change and hold on to his mindset, especially in terms of how he viewed love; he wanted to resist ever becoming calculating or cynical in matters of love and I remember how moved I was and how much I appreciated his feelings. He was 25 at the time (by European reckoning) and the fact that he hated the idea of experience and the passing of years changing his outlook on love told me so much about the man he was/is. 

 

Anyway, getting more into the year of 2015, as I already mentioned, I came across that thought of change repeatedly - in the Yong Pal press conference and in several interviews and of course his daesang acceptance speech (I really need to rewatch Healing Camp again, I think I'll take away more from it now than I did when I first watched it). And to be honest, I was a little fuzzy on what exactly he was referring to when he talked of change; because sometimes it seemed he was talking about changing as an actor, like he did in the Yong Pal press conference where he said: "For me, it was the time I wanted to make a change (in my acting)". Or in the special interview for Yongpal where he said: "Actually, when I first started Yongpal, I also told the Director this, 'For me, it's about time where change is required.' So I told him 'I want to change'. Thus, I had a different mindset participating in Yongpal. " Of course even here, he might have been talking about change in a broader sense. And at other times, like in his Daesang acceptance speech, it seems rather clear that he spoke of him changing who he was, not as an actor, but as Joo Won the person  - and I'm so so glad he drew the conclusion that he didn't :')

 

I agree very much with your assessment on the impact 1N2D had on him - I'm not very far along yet but I had already researched why he left the show and had stumbled on the soompi article you shared, so I was already a little aware of his worries about his image, not being funny enough - not being fun enough or even interesting enough - and then he explicitly talked about this in Healing Camp too of course. I think the fact that, even though he had major successes to his name already very early on, basically from the beginning of his drama career in 2010, and despite of that he didn't get as much media coverage as other actors his age with possibly less successful CVs did, and just not as much of a hype, might have made him question whether it was okay to be who he was. Like you said so perfectly - "a unique and unconventional" character for a celebrity. And his experience with some of the responses he got while on 1N2D must have added to his worries a lot. So I'm really really glad that he had the inner strength and confidence to stay true to himself. Beyond his acting and singing abilities, he's just such a wonderful, sincere human being. He's really one-of-a-kind imo, in the best way possible. 

 

I often think about how he took up drama classes in middle school because, as a kid, he was introverted and reserved, and how he discovered his calling and his passion that way. The fact that even back then he didn't allow his reservedness to become an obstacle in finding ways to express himself already speaks of so much strength, and of his need to connect. And he connects with so so many people - both within the audience and the people who have the good fortune of working with him - both through his acting & singing and through his personality 

 

(sorry for the long, disorganized rambling. I'm multitasking at the moment and I really suck at that) 

 

 

 

Edited April 7, 2021 by Calli

[Calli]

So sorry to be posting back to back but Joo Won posted on his insta story and I just had to share the happiness^^

https://instagram.com/stories/zu.won_moon.jun.won/2546551231401411877?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igshid=1k756h0f9ebbp

 

You guys can probably decipher the image much better than me but might JW be endorsing some kind of clothing brand? 

I'd love a close-up or at least a clearer picture of him in glasses so much - I have such a weak spot for handsome men wearing glasses

[kireeti2]

2 hours ago, Calli said:

You guys can probably decipher the image much better than me but might JW be endorsing some kind of clothing brand? 

I'd love a close-up or at least a clearer picture of him in glasses so much - I have such a weak spot for handsome men wearing glasses

Wow! You really have sharp eyes, I did not realized that Joo won was wearing glasses. I too think he looks nice with glasses, but I wonder why doesn't he act with glasses on, it sort of enhances his looks.

[Calli]

40 minutes ago, kireeti2 said:

I too think he looks nice with glasses, but I wonder why doesn't he act with glasses on, it sort of enhances his looks.

Agree so much @kireeti2, I also love him without glasses on of course but I'm officially putting that on my so far empty bucket list in re Joo Won's next roles: one where he'll be wearing glasses sometimes^^ Like when he's pouring over a book or report or maybe teaching a class? He'd be brilliant at portraying a young professor (linguistics or history maybe?) who teaches by day and catches (or helps catching) bad guys by night. Lol. The glasses turned out to be quite inspirational in terms of my empty JW bucket list^^ 

[kireeti2]

38 minutes ago, Calli said:

I also love him without glasses on of course but I'm officially putting that on my so far empty bucket list in re Joo Won's next roles: one where he'll be wearing glasses sometimes^^ Like when he's pouring over a book or report or maybe teaching a class? He'd be brilliant at portraying a young professor (linguistics or history maybe?) who teaches by day and catches (or helps catching) bad guys by night. Lol. The glasses turned out to be quite inspirational in terms of my empty JW bucket list^^ 

Come to think of it, is there a stigma around actor wearing glasses in Korea? Doesn't it not meet the beauty standards? It looks like Joo won needs Glasses, so, he much be wearing contact lens instead glasses while acting.

[Calli]

35 minutes ago, kireeti2 said:

Come to think of it, is there a stigma around actor wearing glasses in Korea? Doesn't it not meet the beauty standards? It looks like Joo won needs Glasses, so, he much be wearing contact lens instead glasses while acting.

A stigma? Really? I can't say that I've noticed that... I remember Ji Chang Wook wearing glasses quite a few times on Suspicious Partner where he played a prosecutor or Jeon Mido on Hospital Playlist just off the top of my head...

 

I mean, mostly in movies and dramas I've watched - be they American, German, Greek, Turkish or Korean - lead actors rarely wear glasses; mostly only sometimes and when the role seems to require it. It might also just be for practical reasons and also involve the actors' preference. I'm not sure that has anything to do with "stigma". Only speaking about the culture I'm from, glasses can be associated with a geeky or nerdy look and are sometimes the "before part" of a "makeover" storyline - like in Joo Won's movie Fasion King where he did indeed wear glasses for the role - but often they're also used to make a character look more intelligent or even sexy. Like in Jealousy Incarnate (Korean drama) where Gong Hyojin's character insists Jo Jung Suk's character only put on his glasses when he's with her because he looks way too good/sexy with them and she doesn't want other women to see him like that^^ 

 

Either way, no doubt on my mind Joo Won would look incredibly good in glasses for a role that required that sort of "intelligent" look. 

Edited April 7, 2021 by Calli

[kittyna]

A bit late to the "JW in glasses" conversation, but I do want to point out that he addresses it himself here:

 

 

So, if we were to take JW at his word, it sounds like he was encouraged to wear contact lenses while acting in order to draw attention to his eyes - and I don't blame him, because they really are one of his most distinctive features. However, I've seen from plenty of social media posts that he does wear glasses quite often in real life  

 

3 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

I too think he looks nice with glasses, but I wonder why doesn't he act with glasses on, it sort of enhances his looks

 

2 hours ago, Calli said:

I also love him without glasses on of course but I'm officially putting that on my so far empty bucket list in re Joo Won's next roles: one where he'll be wearing glasses sometimes^^ Like when he's pouring over a book or report or maybe teaching a class? He'd be brilliant at portraying a young professor (linguistics or history maybe?) who teaches by day and catches (or helps catching) bad guys by night. Lol. The glasses turned out to be quite inspirational in terms of my empty JW bucket list^^ 

 

1 hour ago, Calli said:

I mean, mostly in movies and dramas I've watched - be they American, German, Greek, Turkish or Korean - lead actors rarely wear glasses; mostly only sometimes and when the role seems to require it. It might also just be for practical reasons and also involve the actors' preference. I'm not sure that has anything to do with "stigma".

 

I think I'm with @Calli on this one: maybe JW just hasn't had a role where his stylists or the directors felt that the character needed glasses yet.

 

He does get a brief moment in My Sassy Girl, though, so there is that aspect of "glasses = intelligence" there.

 

 

One other thing to consider, though, is that JW's played a number of characters (e.g. police officers) where glasses might actually be a liability for safety reasons. For example, I had an acquaintance once who got Lasik surgery in order to apply for the police academy (don't remember if he got in, though, so don't ask), and I imagine the choice came down to either getting the surgery or wearing contacts - as the possibility of his glasses getting broken on the job would be a potential safety hazard. While You Were Sleeping actually did a pretty good job of presenting this trope, because it was eventually revealed that Jung Hae In's character (he was a patrol officer/beat cop) had been hiding the fact that he was colour-blind from his colleagues because he knew he'd be asked to resign if he got found out.

 

That doesn't account for some of his other, more bookish characters (like, honestly, seeing Cha Yoo Jin with glasses would have been adorable - at least Lee Yoon Hoo gets them), but that accounts for the cops at least, and maybe for characters like Kim Tae Hyun as well.

 

8 hours ago, Calli said:

and even before that in his appearance on Win Win in 2012 this whole idea of change was very prevalent in him: him trying very hard not to change and hold on to his mindset, especially in terms of how he viewed love; he wanted to resist ever becoming calculating or cynical in matters of love and I remember how moved I was and how much I appreciated his feelings. He was 25 at the time (by European reckoning) and the fact that he hated the idea of experience and the passing of years changing his outlook on love told me so much about the man he was/is. 

 

I just think it's interesting how his real-life journey in this respect paralleled Park Si On's so strongly in Good Doctor. Like how Director Choi explained to Cha Yoon Seo that Si On's childishness was as much due to a conscious effort to maintain his childlike innocence (and sense of morality) as his autism, JW seems to have struggled with the fact that people do end up automatically becoming more calculating with age and that being more cautious with who he trusts or opens up to as an adult didn't mean he was losing part of himself.

[kireeti2]

24 minutes ago, kittyna said:

(don't remember if he got in, though, so don't ask)

Why do I feel like this is directed towards me.  I am a curious person but not that curious 

25 minutes ago, kittyna said:

but that accounts for the cops at least, and maybe for characters like Kim Tae Hyun as well.

Kim tae hyun is street smart, I don't think pulled all nighter to pass medicine entrance exam. 

27 minutes ago, kittyna said:

, if we were to take JW at his word, it sounds like he was encouraged to wear contact lenses while acting in order to draw attention to his eyes - and I don't blame him, because they really are one of his most distinctive features. However, I've seen from plenty of social media posts that he does wear glasses quite often in real life

Maybe in 2013 it was like that, but now there are lots glass that can enhance his looks as well as his eyes. Also, there is potential for him to land a gig as model for promoting eye glasses brand. So, the way I see it his glasses can be asset both monetary and beauty aspects. 

Well at least in movie Carter I hope he gets to wear a glass , since spies usually use glasses to scan and send information. 

 

 

[kittyna]

11 hours ago, Calli said:

but I'm officially putting that on my so far empty bucket list in re Joo Won's next roles: one where he'll be wearing glasses sometimes^^ Like when he's pouring over a book or report or maybe teaching a class? He'd be brilliant at portraying a young professor (linguistics or history maybe?) who teaches by day and catches (or helps catching) bad guys by night. Lol. The glasses turned out to be quite inspirational in terms of my empty JW bucket list^^ 

 

Now that I think about it, there are a few possible roles out there that tend to feature characters with glasses. So, things like anyone in academia (even if just as a pair of reading glasses, like you see with Yoon Tae Yi in Alice), people in the legal profession (lawyers, prosecutors, judges, etc.), or your average office worker or salaryman. So, if JW wound up with a role along one of these lines, then it may be possible  

[Calli]

@kittynathanks so much for sharing that guerilla date video with us - I had actually already seen it and remembered the cute picture of him in glasses but I somehow didn't connect the teacher who suggested he wear contacts with his acting; i.e. that that suggestion came from one of his teachers when he was already at Kaywon High School of Arts. I somehow assumed that had happened earlier to his admission to Kaywon, maybe because of the photo that was shown while he was sharing that story. He looked like he was at elementary school or early middle school at the time. 

Whatever the case though, I completely agree that his eyes are amongst his most distinctive features - theyre absolutely beautiful. (Truth be told I find all his features very distinctive ) But like @kireeti2 said there are so many attractive glasses now that can actually accentuate one's features (like a pair of lovely eyes) so no worries at all there when it comes to Joo Won^^ 

 

Like you said, @kittyna, I think practical considerations play a big role in whether a character will wear glasses or not. Like said character's profession. 

I would have loved(!) to see Cha Yoo Jin wearing glasses. I was even kinda expecting it but sadly it never happened~ I'm sure at some point we will see Joo Won spotting a pair of glasses in one of his roles. I'll celebrate that moment a little when it comes^^ Thanks so much for sharing that My Sassy Girl pic btw, I loved it!! I haven't watched MSG yet so this is something I'll def look forward to.

 

16 hours ago, kittyna said:

I just think it's interesting how his real-life journey in this respect paralleled Park Si On's so strongly in Good Doctor. Like how Director Choi explained to Cha Yoon Seo that Si On's childishness was as much due to a conscious effort to maintain his childlike innocence (and sense of morality) as his autism, JW seems to have struggled with the fact that people do end up automatically becoming more calculating with age and that being more cautious with who he trusts or opens up to as an adult didn't mean he was losing part of himself.

I loved this observation so much! Thank you for drawing that insightful parallel. 

 

I'll share one pic of lovely Joo Won as Kim Tae Hyun before I go (whom I'm growing to love more and more with each passing episode)  He's a really well written, amazing character and Joo Won did him so much justice. I'm so glad he got the Daesang for portraying him. Though I think he definitely deserved the Deasang for Park Shi On too. 

Edited April 8, 2021 by Calli

[kittyna]

2 hours ago, Calli said:

Like you said, @kittyna, I think practical considerations play a big role in whether a character will wear glasses or not. Like said character's profession. 

I would have loved(!) to see Cha Yoo Jin wearing glasses. I was even kinda expecting it but sadly it never happened~ I'm sure at some point we will see Joo Won spotting a pair of glasses in one of his roles. I'll celebrate that moment a little when it comes^^ Thanks so much for sharing that My Sassy Girl pic btw, I loved it!! I haven't watched MSG yet so this is something I'll def look forward to.

 

Gyun Woo (JW's character in My Sassy Girl) only wears glasses in that one scene, but he did look adorably bookish and nerdy in that moment, so I'll take it  

 

As for Cha Yoo Jin...I think, when I was watching the drama, I was flipping back and forth between deciding whether he was a character who wore contact lenses or was one of the minority who didn't need glasses at all  I think that if he did wear contacts, though, it would have been nice to see him wearing glasses at least once during his epic all-nighters analyzing and preparing the score for rehearsals. Yes, I like to imagine little random character details like this - don't mind me, it's my way of fleshing them out  

 

2 hours ago, Calli said:

Whatever the case though, I completely agree that his eyes are amongst his most distinctive features - theyre absolutely beautiful. (Truth be told I find all his features very distinctive ) But like @kireeti2 said there are so many attractive glasses now that can actually accentuate one's features (like a pair of lovely eyes) so no worries at all there when it comes to Joo Won^^ 

 

18 hours ago, kireeti2 said:

Maybe in 2013 it was like that, but now there are lots glass that can enhance his looks as well as his eyes. Also, there is potential for him to land a gig as model for promoting eye glasses brand. So, the way I see it his glasses can be asset both monetary and beauty aspects. 

 

Okay, now you guys are reminding me (tangent here) of the time when I was in Seoul and saw a glasses shop literally do something like that. It was in the middle of the whole Descendants of the Sun phase (so, basically, Song Joong Ki everything ), and so this one store I passed by happened to have the same brand of sunglasses that Song Joong Ki was shown wearing in the drama. Cue them displaying that actual pair of sunglasses by sticking them onto a screenshot of his face 

 

But enough of that tangent - back to JW!

 

I think he's got a number of really distinctive features, actually. The eyes are definitely one, mostly due to their shape, but others include his cheekbones (which make his face more heart-shaped than rectangular or V-shaped, in my opinion) and his overall musculoskeletal build (a proportionately narrow torso for someone his height, leading to just average width in the shoulders but a tiny waist - which you'll have observed in both Nae Il's Cantabile and Yong Pal by this point).

 

2 hours ago, Calli said:

I'll share one pic of lovely Joo Won as Kim Tae Hyun before I go (whom I'm growing to love more and more with each passing episode)  He's a really well written, amazing character and Joo Won did him so much justice. I'm so glad he got the Daesang for portraying him. Though I think he definitely deserved the Deasang for Park Shi On too. 

 

Yeah, Kim Tae Hyun is definitely one of my favourite JW characters so far. I love how even though he's from an environment that could have made him a really messed-up person, he's still got this goodness inside of him that shines through.  And I love that, unlike Park Si On, it's not necessarily innate, but a conscious choice to hold on to a particular set of values - I don't know where in Yong Pal you are right now, you'll see that more in the second half  

[Calli]

2 hours ago, kittyna said:

I think he's got a number of really distinctive features, actually. The eyes are definitely one, mostly due to their shape, but others include his cheekbones (which make his face more heart-shaped than rectangular or V-shaped, in my opinion) and his overall musculoskeletal build (a proportionately narrow torso for someone his height, leading to just average width in the shoulders but a tiny waist - which you'll have observed in both Nae Il's Cantabile and Yong Pal by this point).

 

I'm very much prone to agree since, like I said in my previous post, I really do find all his features very distinctive~ I remember thinking while watching Good Doctor, that he looks very unique and unusual, in a very interesting and pleasing way that made me feel like I wouldn't tire looking at his face, ever (an impression that was very much reinforced during Alice). It's the shape of his eyes, his cheekbones (like you described so well @kittyna) but particularly his nose, too^^ I have a thing for noses and when I look at someone my eyes tend to focus into the center of their face. So unless I've known someone forever, I mostly can't tell what color their eyes are but I can always tell about the shape of their nose. So, Joo Won's nose was one of his distinctive features that I noticed even before I noticed the unusual and lovely shape of his eyes. His nose is really lovely... very unique too and just perfect for his face. There's not a thing I'd change about it (or him in general). And then there are his dimples of course. That I'm also very weak for  His smile is just pure, warm sunlight. 

 

What I've noticed body wise is his posture. It obviously suffered quite a bit while he was filming Good Doctor (he always comits so completely to his roles, body and soul) but I feel his posture pre and post-military is quite different. Not that that's a very astute observation, since his body went through quite the transformation in that period but in Alice he just feels so much more... I don't want to say "manly" because he was looking "manly" before as well, but I guess more "mature"? Not in the sense that he looks older cause he doesn't imo, but definitely in the sense that it's harder for him to pull off a high schooler now because he's so much bigger than them^^ He added quite a few centimeters to his shoulder width as far as I can tell and his posture is always perfect now, not just in Alice but in all his post-military appearances I've seen so far. His ears always line up perfectly above his shoulders now^^

He always used to be athletic so I guess his body responded really well to training with weights. And I'm glad he worked so hard on building his body up because it comes with so many health benefits and improved stamina. Which I'm sure helped him a lot, both during Alice and Ghost. And I feel it also strengthened his appeal for playing action heroes? 

 

2 hours ago, kittyna said:

Yeah, Kim Tae Hyun is definitely one of my favourite JW characters so far. I love how even though he's from an environment that could have made him a really messed-up person, he's still got this goodness inside of him that shines through.  And I love that, unlike Park Si On, it's not necessarily innate, but a conscious choice to hold on to a particular set of values - I don't know where in Yong Pal you are right now, you'll see that more in the second half  

 

I've gotten quite far already and for me too Kim Taehyun is not only one of my favorite Joo Won characters (though I've only watched 4 dramas of his so far) but one of my favorite drama characters overall. At first I was really impressed by how he didn't need other's approval and didn't mind being misunderstood, but with each passing episode more of his selflessness, his capacity to love and his strong sense for right and wrong comes through and that makes him such a lovable and admirable character to me. Especially because, like you said @kittyna, with the hardships he suffered since childhood he could have chosen to see himself as a victim, blame others and go the easy route but instead he chose to be a fighter, take responsibility (esp for his little sister) and is even willing to sacrifice himself if that means saving or helping someone else. Especially his loved ones. And he's a real doctor - through and through - even if some people throw the opposite in his face in the early episodes. 

I really appreciate the way the writers built and wrote his character. It makes it so satisfying to watch every next episode and discover more of his wonderful qualities. And Joo Won just brings him to life like no one else could have... 

Edited April 8, 2021 by Calli