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

[kittyna]

I'm going to hold off on replies for now @moonstrike, because I can see that you still have some catching up to do - including the "Good Doctor" fic, which you will now have to backtrack for.

 

So I'm just going to post this week's Throwback Thursday pics for now.

 

Spoiler

I swear, the picture on the bottom left of this collage of photos from "King of Baking, Kim Tak Gu" is like the gift that keeps on giving. Every single time I come across it, a pic I haven't seen before is added to it - this time, the new one (for me anyway) is the one on top.

 

 

Looking back on JW as Hwang Tae Hee in "Ojakgyo Brothers" - Looks like the whole parkour-type action I've been associating with "Yong Pal" went way, way back!

 

 

I'm not sure exactly when this pic is from, but it looks to be an old one

 

 

Looking back on the 2012 KBS Drama Awards. I loved the grey suit JW wore to this particular event: it's a bit outside of the box without getting too wild and crazy.

 

 

Bunny smile Lee Kang To? What??? (From this Instagram slideshow: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bfw9B3HH-L9/)

 

 

 

1N2D Bromance: JW with his "Tae Woong-ie Hyung"

 

 

 

EDIT

 

lol - @moonstrike Looks like you caught up while I was posting this stuff!  I'll get to replies after the One Hour Rule, then  

[kittyna]

Okay, I'd said that I'd come back with replies, so here goes!

 

6 hours ago, moonstrike said:

I heard there is not many celebrity try to communicate with the staff. So I'm amazed and happy that Joo won still try to communicate with the staff even though they have different language. It doesn't stop him . The staff amazed that he still try to communicate with the chinese crews with his limited chinese vocabulary. Sometimes he comunicated with english. I'm proud and happy that people call him a kind and humble man.

 

I've seen several times how hard JW works to communicate with people - and I also think he's one of those who believes communication is possible even with a language barrier. I recall that he'd said once in a fanmeeting (I think it was in Japan) that that was why he usually turns his fanmeetings into concerts: because music can communicate feelings even if the words are not understood. 

 

I know that JW has worked really hard to learn some Chinese - and he likes to practice it in his interviews (including some rather cheesy pick-up lines ) - and I've heard him speaking some English on 1N2D and Japanese on "Life Log". I also know he made a point to learn some Thai greetings for his activities in Thailand. In instances like this, it's sincerity that counts more than actual success; even if he messes it up, fans can see that he's trying, and it's adorable.

 

Actually, speaking of learning Chinese, I remember from "Life Log" that his teacher said JW tried to use all the words he knew in chatting with her, but he wound up using the Chinese equivalent of banmal (there's a difference in how to say "you" in Mandarin for formal and informal contexts, so my guess is that that was where he was messing up). But she told him it was okay, because she knew that that's all he knew of the language, so being too casual was better than not trying at all.

 

And, again with "Life Log", there was also JW's attempt at German (albeit for "Nae Il's Cantabile" filming rather than to address fans or staff). He was so adorably confused there, but I think he did fine for someone who didn't know the language at all, and for whom some of the consonants would have just been really hard to pronounce. Basically, the two ways you pronounce "ch" in German is a challenge for new speakers - and none of the "Nae Il's Cantabile" cast got it right, most notably in the "Milch Holstein" scene  I only know how to say it myself because I studied vocal music for a few years growing up: part of learning vocal music is learning what's called Diction - i.e. how to pronounce different languages - and I had to learn some German diction for a piece I was assigned by my teacher.

 

6 hours ago, moonstrike said:

Hahaha... we know that joo won is reaaallly like chicken especially the fried one. Remember there are photos of joo won fanart where all joo won chibi character is holding a fried chicken. Joo won wad asked what kind of food will you eat if that is the last time you can eat it. And like we expect his answer is chicken. His fans know it so when they give support by sending food truck, chicken will be one of the menu. 

 

lol - Yes, JW and fried chicken is totally a thing.  Again, I don't know if other celebrities are as well known for their favourite food, but JW...it's so obvious, because he's, like, obsessed with it! I remember all the times on "Life Log" when he'd suggest going to a fried chicken place with his staff after a photoshoot, or that time on Jeju Island when, right after he'd already had lunch, he was like, "Can we have chicken now?" and his staff were just like, "We just ate - wait a while first!", and then JW responds, "Well, that was just seafood, so it doesn't count." 

 

Come on, the guy's 30 years old, and he's still such a kid about his favourite food! I mean, I think it's cute, but that's probably because I'm not the one who's in charge of his health either  

 

(But then again, I'm just as big a chocoholic as he is, so I guess I can relate at least to some extent....)

 

4 hours ago, moonstrike said:

I also will be so excited but also very nervous. Because its like a chance to feeling his grab and also his killer stare. But after that, my leg will become weak so suddenly like the first girl. That is exactly what i wll look like if joo won did that to me..

 

I see so many of his fans are unable to maintain eye contact with him for long, and I imagine I'd be the same. Like, there's got to be something so thrilling about just looking into the eyes of someone like that.

 

4 hours ago, moonstrike said:

Thank you! Its so great. It makes me miss park shi on so much. The story also very cute. I can't get enough of it. Fyi, I rewatch Good doctor after i read your fanfic. Its nice imagining the after story about this couple. I'm waiting for another cute romantic love story from your fanfic.

 

I still imagine Park Si On and Cha Yoon Seo to be cute in that shy and awkward way - especially on Si On's part.  So I'm glad you like it!

 

And speaking of fics and romance and all that...by some strange alignment of events, I've had a bit more free time on my hands than usual lately, so I've already started work on my next planned fic. It's another one for the "Seolleim in Salzburg" series, and here's Preview #1:

 

Spoiler

“Just as I’d thought,” I say when she is done. “That’s the ‘Romantic’ style right there. When you play, your music sounds smooth, lyrical and expressive. Cantabile. And while that certainly sounds lovely, that’s not what we’re looking for here.”

 

“It – it’s not?” Nae Il looks slowly back and forth between my face and the music in front of her. She glances down at her hands, which are now resting idly in her lap. “But that’s how I was taught.”

 

“And that’s perfectly fine,” I retort with a nod. “But if you want to play ‘Baroque style’....”

 

I take a moment to think of the right words to express what I want to say. But this is Nae Il I’m trying to help, and I know that she learns best by ear, so….

 

“Scoot over,” I tell her, sitting down beside her on the piano bench when she obeys. “I could tell you what I’m referring to, but I think it’ll be better if I show you.

 

“What we mean by playing ‘Baroque style’, Nae Il-ah, is trying to imitate the sound of a harpsichord on a piano. The thing about a harpsichord is that it cannot sustain notes for as long as a piano can: once you let go of a key, the sound stops. Also, we don’t get the same sort of dynamic range between piano or forte: a harpsichord will, for the most part, play at the same volume no matter how much pressure you put on the keys.

 

“So what you are looking for is something that sounds like this.”

 

I only play the treble part of the piece for now, paying close attention to the sound of every single note. In my mind, I can still remember what Abeoji had taught me all those years ago: every note detached, crisp and even, with no difference in pressure between them despite playing them with different fingers.

 

Nae Il’s eyes widen and her jaw drops in amazement. “How – how did you do that?”

 

“Did you notice how my hand looked?”

 

She shakes her head.

 

“Well, you’ll have to, because that’s the secret to where the sound is coming from.” I glance over at Nae Il’s right hand, which is still in her lap. “May I?”

 

I have learned from experience what happens if I try to touch or mould Nae Il’s hand without her consent. Even though she knows by now that I mean her no harm, she still has bad memories of her childhood teacher grabbing and yanking her closer to the piano in this way.

 

So now I only take her hand into my own when she has nodded her assent. Slowly, gently, I bend her fingers so that they look almost like hooked claws before placing her hand onto the keyboard. It is now in a similar position to the one I had adopted when playing the piece myself.

 

“You see this part?” I ask, running one finger along the back of her palm where her knuckles have dipped down slightly. “The secret to making the sound I just did on the piano – the secret to playing ‘Baroque style’ – is to keep that part down lower than the knuckles on your fingers. When you play Classical or Romantic, this part tends to come up to be on the same level as your fingers, right?” When she nods, I continue, “But in Baroque, you have to move your fingers while keeping this part still.

 

“So try playing the piece now, keeping your knuckles down like that.”

 

The technique sounds straightforward, but I know from experience that it is actually easier said than done. This is a method that requires complete control and concentration, which is why Abeoji had made it the first technique he taught me when I was little: he had said that if I could play this, then techniques for later styles of music that did not require the same level of tight precision would come more easily.

 

Nae Il, however, is learning backwards: taking hands that have become accustomed to moving freely and trying to restrain them. All things considered, she does quite well for herself on her first attempt, but keeping my instruction in mind requires her to slow down considerably, and she even ends up sticking her tongue out a little in concentration as she plays.

 

I am unable to hold back a laugh when, finally finished her first run through Le Coucou, Nae Il makes a face and flings her hands to loosen them back up. When I was younger, I had done the same.

 

“Harder than it looks, isn’t it,” I prompt.

 

“You’re telling me, Orabang,” Nae Il replies with a pout.

 

Back when I was little, Abeoji had been a very serious teacher. If I had looked at him or reacted the same way Nae Il does now, he would have just told me sternly to keep on trying until I got used to it.

 

But I am not Abeoji. I used to try to teach Nae Il in his way, and it hadn’t worked. So I will need a different tactic now.

“How about this: let’s try to make a game out of it.”

 

Nae Il looks at me in surprise, but I just gesture for her to stay put as I go to her desk and find an eraser. It is one of her favourites: brightly coloured with a cute cartoon face on it. Stepping back to the piano, I gesture for her to get into position again, and then gently place the eraser down on the back of her right hand.

 

“Whatever you do, don’t let it fall,” I tell her, wagging my finger at the eraser with a mock-stern expression on my face. “Now, try playing it again.”

 

I leave her to her practice as I go back to the work on my desk, but I make sure to glance back from time to time.

 

Adding the eraser actually helps, if for no other reason than because Nae Il, instead of getting frustrated when she forgets to hold the right position, giggles and murmurs encouragement to herself whenever it rolls off her hand onto the floor. Her reactions grow increasingly comical, until I find myself bursting out laughing when, after a series of such failed attempts, Nae Il scolds the eraser, wagging her left index finger at it like it is a misbehaving puppy.

 

“Ya, Seollebal – it can’t hear you, you know!”

 

Yeah, I know I picked an excerpt that's a bit heavier on the music-nerdiness. But don't worry - that's not all there is to this fic! I've already got a good sense of where I want to go with it, and it should be interesting: a bit of romance, a good deal of friendship, and even some jealousy and conflict  

[moonstrike]

On ‎15‎/‎03‎/‎2018 at 1:39 AM, kittyna said:

First of all, we have a new JW video!

yeah! I'm so happy when I knew it. it was our first time seeing him in work as an assistant instructor. in that video he was so serious. joo won is always serious when it comes to work. in the video, the girls said that he was so handsome. we know that he doesn't wear make up at all and maybe just wearing a sunblock and moisturizer for protecting his skin (means its not really a make up) but the girl still saying he is handsome. so this is naturally handsome!!!

 

by the way, joo won is very outstanding even in that group of soldier we can still feel his greatness. I found a same video but this one have a  translation of the video. so we can understand what is the girl and the narrator saying. the translation is in the comment. the comments is so interesting to read. this is it:

 

(I can't get enough of this video. I need more video like this. I miss him.)

 

20 hours ago, kittyna said:

I swear, the picture on the bottom left of this collage of photos from "King of Baking, Kim Tak Gu" is like the gift that keeps on giving. Every single time I come across it, a pic I haven't seen before is added to it - this time, the new one (for me anyway) is the one on top.

 

the photo on the top is not like Gu Ma Jun at all. Its like Moon Joon Won wearing a baker costume and making a bread. He smile brightly and Gu Majun is never doing this often. lovely... I remember Joo won said he always making bread even though he doesn't need to. he always make the dough and bake it himself a after the bread is done, he will share it with the staffs. And as you expected, his bread is delicious. More delicious than Tak Gu's (yoon shi yoon) bread. even other actor said that it must be joo won be the baker king because he is really can make bread rather than shi yoon. So in that photo, we can see his behind the scene appearance when he making a bread. 

 

20 hours ago, kittyna said:

I'm not sure exactly when this pic is from, but it looks to be an old one

 

that photo is taken in the Ojakgyo Brothers wrap up party. he looks cute, by the way.

 

On ‎15‎/‎03‎/‎2018 at 1:39 AM, kittyna said:

...And the not-grumpy-at-all Moon Jun Won

aww... I love all photos you share. especially the smiley Moon Joon  Won. I never see Joo won being grumpy beside when he act. his angry appearance is just pouting then silence. Like in the 1N2D. its so cute. 

 

15 hours ago, kittyna said:

I've seen several times how hard JW works to communicate with people - and I also think he's one of those who believes communication is possible even with a language barrier. I recall that he'd said once in a fanmeeting (I think it was in Japan) that that was why he usually turns his fanmeetings into concerts: because music can communicate feelings even if the words are not understood. 

yeah... he works hard to communicate with other people especially his fans. remember that in japan fanmeeting, besides songs, he also try to communicate with Japanese even though he ended up looking at his hand (he wrote the word on his hand so if he forget the word he can look at his hand) its so funny and cute. the fans is always laugh everytime joo won look at his hand because it means he forget the words. its sweet... I love that he tried to communicate in Japanese even though I know he is so busy and tired. he said that he is preparing for the fanmeet as soon as he come to japan.

 

16 hours ago, kittyna said:

In instances like this, it's sincerity that counts more than actual success; even if he messes it up, fans can see that he's trying, and it's adorable.

 

yeah, its so adorable and sweet. I respect that he is trying rather than not trying at all. he always do that in every fanmeeting he did. in china, thailand, japan, and also indonesia. oh yeah, don't forget singapore as well. I can feel his sincerity. by the way, the fans from that country also have said that joo won's pronunciation is great for someone that doesn't talk in that language. remember that joo won was singing a Thailand song in thailand fanmeet? the fans said his pronunciation is so good. its impressive that he still can get the words right when he sing it. 

 

 

[kittyna]

I was busy all day - didn't even have a chance to check for updates on my phone(!) - so apologies for being late on my own post for today.

 

3 hours ago, moonstrike said:

yeah! I'm so happy when I knew it. it was our first time seeing him in work as an assistant instructor. in that video he was so serious. joo won is always serious when it comes to work. in the video, the girls said that he was so handsome. we know that he doesn't wear make up at all and maybe just wearing a sunblock and moisturizer for protecting his skin (means its not really a make up) but the girl still saying he is handsome. so this is naturally handsome!!!

 

I think that some people do refer to sunblock and moisturizer as "makeup", especially guys, but of course, for actors, there's always the actual film/stage makeup as well. So going without makeup might just mean not having that stuff.

 

lol - And now you're making me think of that scene from "Descendants of the Sun" when the soldiers all did a sheet mask routine together in preparation for going back home to Korea  

 

3 hours ago, moonstrike said:

the photo on the top is not like Gu Ma Jun at all. Its like Moon Joon Won wearing a baker costume and making a bread. He smile brightly and Gu Majun is never doing this often.

 

Okay - none of those three pictures are Gu Ma Jun  They're all JW just being himself, and they're adorable!

 

3 hours ago, moonstrike said:

I remember Joo won said he always making bread even though he doesn't need to. he always make the dough and bake it himself a after the bread is done, he will share it with the staffs. And as you expected, his bread is delicious. More delicious than Tak Gu's (yoon shi yoon) bread. even other actor said that it must be joo won be the baker king because he is really can make bread rather than shi yoon. So in that photo, we can see his behind the scene appearance when he making a bread. 

 

Yeah, I remember that being the running joke among the "King of Baking" cast - that, in actuality, "Gu Ma Jun" should be the king rather than "Kim Tak Gu"  

 

It makes me wonder if JW's ever cooked anything for fans before - would anyone happen to know? If he has, then they're so lucky, since we know he's actually pretty decent at cooking, baking, etc.

 

3 hours ago, moonstrike said:

aww... I love all photos you share. especially the smiley Moon Joon  Won. I never see Joo won being grumpy beside when he act. his angry appearance is just pouting then silence. Like in the 1N2D. its so cute. 

 

The real JW's grumpy face is the one that looks like a pouty puppy  But then he can look really scary when he's mad in his dramas, especially once you add his shouting voice.

 

3 hours ago, moonstrike said:

remember that in japan fanmeeting, besides songs, he also try to communicate with Japanese even though he ended up looking at his hand (he wrote the word on his hand so if he forget the word he can look at his hand) its so funny and cute. the fans is always laugh everytime joo won look at his hand because it means he forget the words. its sweet... I love that he tried to communicate in Japanese even though I know he is so busy and tired. he said that he is preparing for the fanmeet as soon as he come to japan.

 

Yeah, I remember that moment. It was so sweet of him to try, I think. JW wanted to communicate with fans directly without an interpreter, and there was definitely a more spontaneous and intimate quality to that segment of the fanmeeting (as opposed to when there was an emcee and interpreter on hand in the first half). It better fits JW's style, in my opinion, even if it is a bit more challenging for him because of the language barrier.

 

3 hours ago, moonstrike said:

by the way, the fans from that country also have said that joo won's pronunciation is great for someone that doesn't talk in that language. remember that joo won was singing a Thailand song in thailand fanmeet? the fans said his pronunciation is so good. its impressive that he still can get the words right when he sing it. 

 

Speaking from experience, it can be easier to sing in a language than to speak it. Because with music, you can learn it as just sounds and feelings, even without knowing what all the words mean. So you imitate the sounds from the original (if you're doing a cover), and that can help a lot. Remember what I'd said yesterday about music students learning diction (i.e. how to pronounce different languages accurately)? That's what I was referring to. Learning how to pronounce a song's lyrics is a combination of learning a little bit of the phonics of that language (e.g. what different written letters sound like), and learning how those sounds are carried over musically. So, learning a song in a foreign language isn't all that hard if you think of it more as sounds than as words.  

 

And now for pics!

 

Spoiler

The same shot in black and white and in colour

 

 

Someone put together a collage of pictures where JW's opening something with his teeth - I remember that moment from "Life Log" on the bottom right, when he was trying to open a package of bacon that way, then wound up having to cut it instead (that was some really thick/stiff plastic)

 

 

More cuite Park Si On pics!

 

 

 

Hm...I wonder what he's thinking about here.

 

 

Candid shot from the "Good Doctor" press conference - Thanks to Moon Chae Won's fans for this pic, by the way!  

 

 

The Rival Conductors of "Nae Il's Cantabile" - It won't happen right away, but I will get to doing something involving these two for the "Seolleim in Salzburg" series  

 

 

By the way, FINALLY, I know where this picture's from! I'd seen it showing up on my Pinterest feed or JW fan boards on Pinterest a lot, and I think someone used it for their storywriting inspiration/dream-cast board or something, since I usually saw it labeled as "Joo Won as the Real Frankenstein's Monster". I still don't know the story behind that caption, but at least now I recognize the shot as being one from "Yong Pal"

 

 

[kittyna]

Looks like today's another quiet one, so I'll just add a few more pics.

 

Spoiler

Love this shot from JW's appearance on the KBS show "A Song for You"

 

 

I think this photo was just gorgeously staged

 

 

This one from the same set is also fun

 

 

JW's stage performances

 

 

 

 

The behind-the-scenes stuff is also great - these photos are from rehearsals for "Ghost"

 

 

I really like this jacket on him.

 

 

 

[kittyna]

Just popping by with some more pics for today.

 

Spoiler

Since I'm currently working on the next installment of my "Seolleim in Salzburg" series....

 

(And because this first pic is just absolutely gorgeous!)

 

 

 

 

lol - He looks almost like he's guarding the coffee here

 

 

A really cool and charismatic collage (All three versions are nice, but the second one has some pretty wild filter action )

 

 

Relaxing in bed - but not yet sleepy

 

 

I second the person who wrote that caption. Like, dang! Good thing we don't often see him looking at people like that in real life.

 

 

 

[moonstrike]

On 3/17/2018 at 5:51 AM, kittyna said:

I think that some people do refer to sunblock and moisturizer as "makeup", especially guys, but of course, for actors, there's always the actual film/stage makeup as well. So going without makeup might just mean not having that stuff.

 

Yeah... that is what I mean. Basic make up for celebrities. This kind of make up is not making the skin covered (usually make up is for cover acne scars and something like that) but more like protecting the skin. And the girls said he still looks handsome like that. Remember his last update? His skin is so good. We know that he didn't use make up there (just sunblock and moisturizer maybe) but he still looks so gorgeous. Imagine seeing this face in real life, and you must be saying the same thing, he is handsome.

 

And by the way, we have update, guys! But this one is not from joo won but from his troop. This troop said this "저희중대는아니라서 직접 교육은받은적없는데 식당일할때 조교님이 옆에와서 설거지하고 가셔요 식판 뽀드득뽀드득 꼼꼼히 잘 닦으셔용ㅋㅋㅋ 비율개쩔고 동기들과도 잘지내는거같아요 조교모자에 조교님 소대원들 이름 세겨놓고다니더라구요"

The link : http://m.dcinside.com/view.php?id=joowon&no=318558&page=1

 

Translate : "because our division is not the same, I never seen him giving our division an education myself. When working at the restaurant, assistant instructure (Joo won) was coming beside me and cleaning the dishes. He cleans the plates very cleanly. He is handsome and looks like he is close with all the troops. His name is writen on the cap." 

 

I was smiling while while I read this. Joo won is cleaning dishes. It makes me remember the moment of him cleaning the dishes after he eat in the first episode of 1N2D. But this time he is wearing a uniform. This words "The troop said that he cleans the plate very cleanly" is making me smile too. He is working hard and sincerely. 

 

On 3/17/2018 at 5:51 AM, kittyna said:

lol - And now you're making me think of that scene from "Descendants of the Sun" when the soldiers all did a sheet mask routine together in preparation for going back home to Korea  

Hahaha... he might be do this when he will be discharge from the army. But its also kinda hard because they can't bring this stuff to army camp.

 

But Imagine the troops including him doing this skin treatment to make their skin looks good after harsh army activities in the last day of their military service is making me smile.

On 3/17/2018 at 5:51 AM, kittyna said:

Yeah, I remember that being the running joke among the "King of Baking" cast - that, in actuality, "Gu Ma Jun" should be the king rather than "Kim Tak Gu"  

 

It makes me wonder if JW's ever cooked anything for fans before - would anyone happen to know? If he has, then they're so lucky, since we know he's actually pretty decent at cooking, baking, etc.

I don't know exactly. But he has been cooking for his staffs in the lifelog. And they are indeed lucky. His cooking skill is great. Not many guys can cook like that actually. Especially in my environment. Just cracking eggs and make ramen is what they can do.

 

His staff also said that his food is delicious.

 

On 3/17/2018 at 5:51 AM, kittyna said:

 

The real JW's grumpy face is the one that looks like a pouty puppy  But then he can look really scary when he's mad in his dramas, especially once you add his shouting voice.

 

He is scary when he angry especially when he shout. The voice and expression is amazing. Makes me goosebumps. But he can't do it in real life. His angry style is not like that. Just silent and makes an okay expression is his style. In my opinion, this kind of angry is so mature. Not explosive and stay stable. And he will tell the problem calmly at the right moment. But most of the time he will just keep it for himself. So it will not make any commotion at all. 

 

On 3/17/2018 at 5:51 AM, kittyna said:

Yeah, I remember that moment. It was so sweet of him to try, I think. JW wanted to communicate with fans directly without an interpreter, and there was definitely a more spontaneous and intimate quality to that segment of the fanmeeting (as opposed to when there was an emcee and interpreter on hand in the first half). It better fits JW's style, in my opinion, even if it is a bit more challenging for him because of the language barrier.

So sweet, indeed. That he wants to communicate with the fans even though they have different language. Makes the atmosphere warm.

 

On 3/17/2018 at 5:51 AM, kittyna said:

Speaking from experience, it can be easier to sing in a language than to speak it. Because with music, you can learn it as just sounds and feelings, even without knowing what all the words mean. So you imitate the sounds from the original (if you're doing a cover), and that can help a lot.

Wow, didn't know that. But its still good hearing that joo won is great when singing songs from other country. 

 

On 3/17/2018 at 5:51 AM, kittyna said:

Someone put together a collage of pictures where JW's opening something with his teeth - I remember that moment from "Life Log" on the bottom right, when he was trying to open a package of bacon that way, then wound up having to cut it instead (that was some really thick/stiff plastic)

I remember that. That is so funny that he ended up using scissor because the plastic is very thick and he can't open it. I've seen this photo before and the caption is so funny. Its said "metal teeth".

 

Now for my pics!!!

 

Spoiler

This is so nice and good. The song also very suit to joo won, Fight song.

 

This is so true.

 

 

This first kiss is legend. Never forget this scene.

 

Hot manly sexy guy.

 

 

That is why I love him. We love him. His kind heart. Remembering the fans to eat. And opened his mask everytime he greets his fans so they can see his face.

The comments:

• fisof1@zu.won_moon.jun.won 
• pooipekWow, so man, tall and friendly 
• pawonjp handsome
• mercemontalvoOohhhh...How cute, to greet his fans! 
• kaeko1811( 〃▽〃)
• ezlove_junwon0931Awow oppaya  sooo awesome 
• aglyn_lamWow...wow. He is skinnier now but fit. Great. One more yr to go....
• yunie_okWawww... so kind and friendly. Greet his fans with warm smile and wave. oh! And i love his clothes, all black. Tall and gorgeous
• jayjhingrasid@yunie_ok hes always been kind to his fu thats why we love him so much.

[kittyna]

2 hours ago, moonstrike said:

And by the way, we have update, guys! But this one is not from joo won but from his troop. This troop said this "저희중대는아니라서 직접 교육은받은적없는데 식당일할때 조교님이 옆에와서 설거지하고 가셔요 식판 뽀드득뽀드득 꼼꼼히 잘 닦으셔용ㅋㅋㅋ 비율개쩔고 동기들과도 잘지내는거같아요 조교모자에 조교님 소대원들 이름 세겨놓고다니더라구요"

The link : http://m.dcinside.com/view.php?id=joowon&no=318558&page=1

 

Translate : "because our division is not the same, I never seen him giving our division an education myself. When working at the restaurant, assistant instructure (Joo won) was coming beside me and cleaning the dishes. He cleans the plates very cleanly. He is handsome and looks like he is close with all the troops. His name is writen on the cap." 

 

I was smiling while while I read this. Joo won is cleaning dishes. It makes me remember the moment of him cleaning the dishes after he eat in the first episode of 1N2D. But this time he is wearing a uniform. This words "The troop said that he cleans the plate very cleanly" is making me smile too. He is working hard and sincerely. 

 

 

Thanks for the update! It's awesome hearing about how JW has been helping out at the base  

 

And we all know that JW is not only good at helping with chores like doing the dishes, but that he likes to be neat and tidy in general (messy room notwithstanding ). So it doesn't surprise me that he would try to do a good job at it.

 

2 hours ago, moonstrike said:

Hahaha... he might be do this when he will be discharge from the army. But its also kinda hard because they can't bring this stuff to army camp.

 

But Imagine the troops including him doing this skin treatment to make their skin looks good after harsh army activities in the last day of their military service is making me smile.

 

Maybe there's an extra provision for celebrities? I don't know how it works, but I imagine that they start getting in touch with their staff and agencies before the actual discharge date. How else do we get news about comeback projects so quickly? Unless those are just top-down projects set by the agencies, I imagine that the enlisted actors probably have at least some sense of what scripts are being offered prior to their actual discharge dates.

 

Not to mention just how much of a media and fan presence there is at these discharge ceremonies. I wouldn't be surprised if celebrities who are being discharged did do a little something to make themselves look better.

 

But again, I don't know the facts. I don't know how any of this actual works - these are just my estimates.

 

2 hours ago, moonstrike said:

He is scary when he angry especially when he shout. The voice and expression is amazing. Makes me goosebumps. But he can do it in real life. His angry style is not like that. Just silent and makes an okay expression is his style. In my opinion, this kind of angry is so mature. Not explosive and stay stable. And he will tell the problem calmly at the right moment. But most of the time he will just keep it for himself. So it will not make any commotion at all. 

 

Granted, the anger that we usually see on shows like 1N2D would probably be more annoyance than full-on anger. So there's still room for JW to be pretty scary if he's really, really mad about something.

 

But I like to imagine that, even in such scenarios, he'd look more like the calmer characters he's played - those like Cha Yoo Jin or Kim Tae Hyun (I'm far along now with "Yong Pal" that I can actually make references!). Those are characters who, even if they get a bit snappish, for the most part, stay calm and just tell people in a firm voice what they want. And I like that  

 

2 hours ago, moonstrike said:

This first kiss is legend. Never forget this scene.

 

Oh, yeah - that scene is always fun. I love seeing how Park Si On pouts at Cha Yoon Seo before moving in to kiss her, almost like he's thinking, "I've wanted to for a long time, but I've never had the chance!"

 

And then his actual kissing style is so adorable, even if it's a little bit clueless. lol - Si On-ie still has so much to learn....  

 

2 hours ago, moonstrike said:

This is so nice and good. The song also very suit to joo won, Fight song.

 

Same here. I keep thinking that "Fight Song" works well for JW's story and personality.

 

Spoiler

 

"Fight Song"
 

Like a small boat
On the ocean
Sending big waves
Into motion
Like how a single word
Can make a heart open
I might only have one match
But I can make an explosion

And all those things I didn't say
Wrecking balls inside my brain
I will scream them loud tonight
Can you hear my voice this time?

This is my fight song
Take back my life song
Prove I'm alright song
My power's turned on
Starting right now I'll be strong
I'll play my fight song
And I don't really care if nobody else believes
'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me

Losing friends and I'm chasing sleep
Everybody's worried about me
In too deep
Say I'm in too deep (in too deep)
And it's been two years
I miss my home
But there's a fire burning in my bones
Still believe
Yeah, I still believe

And all those things I didn't say
Wrecking balls inside my brain
I will scream them loud tonight
Can you hear my voice this time?

This is my fight song
Take back my life song
Prove I'm alright song
My power's turned on
Starting right now I'll be strong
I'll play my fight song
And I don't really care if nobody else believes
'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me

A lot of fight left in me

Like a small boat
On the ocean
Sending big waves
Into motion
Like how a single word
Can make a heart open
I might only have one match
But I can make an explosion

This is my fight song (Hey!)
Take back my life song (Hey!)
Prove I'm alright song (Hey!)
My power's turned on
Starting right now I'll be strong (I'll be strong)
I'll play my fight song
And I don't really care if nobody else believes
'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me

No I've still got a lot of fight left in me

 

It's kind of weird, actually, because "Fight Song" is one of those that I think can be interpreted in a very self-centred manner - all in-your-face and "I'll do what I want" - but when I say that it reminds me of JW, that's not what I'm thinking of.

 

I just think back to that one sassy moment he had on "Healing Camp" - "I'll just keep acting until the day I die - let's see how many of us are left then!" Like "Fight Song", that's a statement that can easily be taken in a selfish way. But I don't think he actually meant anything malicious in that statement - although, with all the scandals that have broken out in recent years, I wonder if JW knew something that we didn't about the inner workings of the industry, something that told him that a number of Hallyu stars wouldn't last with their reputations intact - but I do see his determination to not let anything sabotage his own path.

 

And in that way, even something small can be explosive in its impact - either for good or for bad. So I see this as JW's way of saying that he'll make his explosion a good one.

 

By the way, in regards to JW, I can attest to that line, "Like how a single word / Can make a heart open". It really was a single word - or, to be more accurate, a single sentence - that made me fall for him beyond just liking him as an actor or a singer: "I'm more innocent"  

 

Now, I've already done one round of pics for today, so instead, the goody this time around will be Preview #2 of the fic I'm currently working on:

 

Spoiler

The bus lets us off in a rather ordinary-looking suburban neighbourhood. Getting off onto the sidewalk, Nae Il turns in a circle, looking curiously around her.

 

“Is this it?”

 

I shake my head. “Ani. We’ve still got about a ten-minute walk.”

 

Taking her by the hand, I lead Nae Il along one of the house-lined side streets branching off from the main road. We follow it along for several minutes before the houses give way to a large open park.

 

The weather today may be mild, but we are still in the first half of March, and the early spring breeze picks up now that we are out in the open with no buildings to block it. Quickly, I untie the belt keeping my long outer coat closed, opening up one side to drape it around Nae Il’s shoulders with one arm.

 

“Komapsumnida,” she murmurs as she burrows in, snuggling up close to my side.

 

I tsk softly at her in response. “I’d told you: you should have brought a warmer coat.”

 

“But when the trade-off is that I get to stick to you like this,” she replies, shifting to place one arm around my waist and pulling me in closer, “I think I need to be careless a bit more often.”

 

I am tempted for just a moment to rescind my offer, to pull back away from her and let her deal with the cold herself. But I don’t. Instead, I point straight ahead with my free hand.

 

“You see those red-roofed buildings over there? That’s where we’re going, so let’s hurry.”

 

Together, I still sheltering her from the wind, we jog towards the buildings. I guide her past the first one we come to, making a right towards a tree-lined road just up ahead.

 

By this time, we can get a good view of our final destination: an estate surrounded by yellow walls. But it is still hard to peer over them at the building inside, and even if we did, I know that we will not see the part that Nae Il is familiar with. However, just short of stepping out onto the main pathway, I come to a stop, causing Nae Il to stumble to a halt beside me.

 

It is only at this point that I step back away from her, retying my coat in the process. Coming around to stand in front of her, I ask her to close her eyes.

 

“Wae?”

 

“Just trust me,” I answer, taking one of her hands in mine once she has obeyed. “You’ll like this; I promise.”

 

Silently, I lead Nae Il around the corner of the walled complex and along the tree-lined road until, finally, we stop at the wrought iron gate flanked by two grey stone columns. On one side of the surrounding wall, there is a large metal plaque: “Schloss Frohnburg Universität Mozarteum.”

 

I let go of Nae Il’s hand just long enough to step behind her and place both hands on her shoulders. Then, bending down so my head is just next to hers, I whisper, “We’re here, Nae Il-ah. Open your eyes.”

 

I can’t hold back a grin when I hear Nae Il gasp audibly beside me. “Or- Orabang, this – this is…”

 

“Geu rae. It’s exactly what you think it is.” Reaching out past her to push the gate open, I continue, “This is the Schloss Frohnburg, the outside of which was used for the Von Trapp villa in The Sound of Music.”

 

Unlike the young Maria in the film, who had carried a guitar case in one hand and her luggage in the other, Nae Il is empty-handed when she runs through the gate into the front yard. However, just like her predecessor, her arms are also spread wide in excitement as she dashes along the circular driveway up to the main entrance. I follow along at a slower pace, and reach the door just in time for her to turn around and look at me, eyes wide and hands clasped in front of her in rapture.

 

“So, what do you think?” I ask, reaching out with one hand to lightly stroke the back of her head.

 

Immediately, she lunges forward and wraps her arms around me in a fierce hug. “Komapsumnida, Orabang!”

 

Quickly, my hand moves down to the small of her back, holding her in place before she could try to jump up and give me a kiss. “All right, Seollebal – keep it together for me for a second. I didn’t just bring you here because you’re a big fan of the movie. I’ve actually got something I want to ask you.”

 

“Jinjja?” she asks in response, following me as I open the door and guide her through into the main foyer. It is a simple but brightly lit space, painted a sunny yellow with a warm brown and white checkered floor.

 

I let go of Nae Il so that she can continue into the room herself. As she turns to look around her in wonder, seemingly indifferent to how the interior differs vastly from the set used in the film, I wait for the right moment to pose my question:

 

“What do you think about performing here someday?”

 

[moonstrike]

19 hours ago, kittyna said:

Thanks for the update! It's awesome hearing about how JW has been helping out at the base  

 

And we all know that JW is not only good at helping with chores like doing the dishes, but that he likes to be neat and tidy in general (messy room notwithstanding ). So it doesn't surprise me that he would try to do a good job at it.

Your welcome! I also very happy hearing news about him in military. I often hear this kind of story from Joo won DC Gallery. The fans and the troops often share their stories about joo won here. This is the compilation of almost all story that people share about him in military.

군대 후기 업뎃-[주원갤러리]
http://m.dcinside.com/view.php?id=joowon&no=318560&page=1

 

I think I never share this story here. I forgot. This story is the second picture in that link. 

비록 건강상의 이유로 퇴소했지만 암튼 우리는 4생활관 분대장님이 주원이라 나 매일봄ㅋㅋㅋ 아침에 기상!!이라고 식당에서 마주쳤는데 내어깨에 손올리고 툭툭쳐줌. 키 진짜크고 잘생김. 그리고 진지한표정 할때가많은데 잘생김. 또 아는형하고 같이 퇴소했는데 주원이 그형보고 졸라 다정하게 "왜 퇴소하는지 물어봐도될까?"라고 하셨다.

 

Translate : "Although I was discharged because of health reason (He said this because he discharge early. It's not even have connection with what he wants to tell). Anyway, our squad leader (team/troops leader) is Joo won. I see him everyday ㅋㅋㅋ. In the morning, when I met him in the canteen (restaurant in the army), he put his hand on my shoulder and also pat-pat my shoulder. He is so tall and handsome. And also there are many times when he make a serious expression. He looks handsome everytime he make that serious face. And there was a hyung that discharged together with me, Joo won looked at the hyung and with affection asked him "Can I ask you why you discharge?".

 

 

He said Joo won is handsome so many times. And I love that Joo won take care his troops with affection. This troop said that Joo won pat his shoulder when they met at restaurant. Makes me smile so big. And there was also a hyung that discharge early so he asked that hyung with affection why he leave. So sweet and considerate. 

 

20 hours ago, kittyna said:

Maybe there's an extra provision for celebrities? I don't know how it works, but I imagine that they start getting in touch with their staff and agencies before the actual discharge date. How else do we get news about comeback projects so quickly? Unless those are just top-down projects set by the agencies, I imagine that the enlisted actors probably have at least some sense of what scripts are being offered prior to their actual discharge dates.

I think they don't give any extra provision for celebrities. They might just give the celebrity a letter or something like that to inform them about job they get or what kind of project you want to choose among this project we have. And before the celebrity discharge, they just living their usual life of military plus preparing to pack their stuff.

 

20 hours ago, kittyna said:

Granted, the anger that we usually see on shows like 1N2D would probably be more annoyance than full-on anger. So there's still room for JW to be pretty scary if he's really, really mad about something.

Ooohhh... We never see him like that. But it must be really scary since he is tall so that will make the person feel small. Seems like a giant? Hahaha...

 

20 hours ago, kittyna said:

But I like to imagine that, even in such scenarios, he'd look more like the calmer characters he's played - those like Cha Yoo Jin or Kim Tae Hyun (I'm far along now with "Yong Pal" that I can actually make references!). Those are characters who, even if they get a bit snappish, for the most part, stay calm and just tell people in a firm voice what they want. And I like that  

But looking at his personality and all his interview, his angry style might be like you said and what i said earlier. Just silent and makes an okay expression. Because he doesn't want to make a commotion. Holding it by himself. 

 

20 hours ago, kittyna said:

And then his actual kissing style is so adorable, even if it's a little bit clueless. lol - Si On-ie still has so much to learn....

Hahah.. he is such an adorable kid. Hey, by the way I found a fanfic! Its not about Joo won's character but its about Joo won himself. But its not english. So I will translate it in the next post if I have time. Its so adorable imagining Joo won himself has a story in my head. 

 

20 hours ago, kittyna said:

 

It's kind of weird, actually, because "Fight Song" is one of those that I think can be interpreted in a very self-centred manner - all in-your-face and "I'll do what I want" - but when I say that it reminds me of JW, that's not what I'm thinking of.

 

I just think back to that one sassy moment he had on "Healing Camp" - "I'll just keep acting until the day I die - let's see how many of us are left then!" Like "Fight Song", that's a statement that can easily be taken in a selfish way. But I don't think he actually meant anything malicious in that statement - although, with all the scandals that have broken out in recent years, I wonder if JW knew something that we didn't about the inner workings of the industry, something that told him that a number of Hallyu stars wouldn't last with their reputations intact - but I do see his determination to not let anything sabotage his own path.

Yeah... Your words is like what I want to say. I love that he said he will keep acting in long time. He already embedded that in his heart.

 

20 hours ago, kittyna said:

Now, I've already done one round of pics for today, so instead, the goody this time around will be Preview #2 of the fic I'm currently working on:

I'm waiting again for cute adorable and sassy momments of this couple. Wondering what will happen to this two love bird.

 

And now for pics!

 

Spoiler

Nothing I can say but Handsome ❤

 

I love this picture.

 

 

Pretty boy I miss you! This song is suit with my heart now. Handsome!

 

For you who watching yongpal. This scene is so sad. 

 

I miss this eye smile so much.

 

My weakness is same. Can't handle it when he wear black or white shirt or t-shirt. Looks sexy.

 

 

[kittyna]

18 minutes ago, moonstrike said:

I think I never share this story here. I forgot. This story is the second picture in that link. 

비록 건강상의 이유로 퇴소했지만 암튼 우리는 4생활관 분대장님이 주원이라 나 매일봄ㅋㅋㅋ 아침에 기상!!이라고 식당에서 마주쳤는데 내어깨에 손올리고 툭툭쳐줌. 키 진짜크고 잘생김. 그리고 진지한표정 할때가많은데 잘생김. 또 아는형하고 같이 퇴소했는데 주원이 그형보고 졸라 다정하게 "왜 퇴소하는지 물어봐도될까?"라고 하셨다.

 

Translate : "Although I was discharged because of health reason (He said this because he discharge early. It's not even have connection with what he wants to tell). Anyway, our squad leader (team/troops leader) is Joo won. I see him everyday ㅋㅋㅋ. In the morning, when I met him in the canteen (restaurant in the army), he put his hand on my shoulder and also pat-pat my shoulder. He is so tall and handsome. And also there are many times when he make a serious expression. He looks handsome everytime he make that serious face. And there was a hyung that discharged together with me, Joo won looked at the hyung and with affection asked him "Can I ask you why you discharge?".

 

Thanks for sharing that! Keep it up with these stories, because I might not get them otherwise  

 

It's funny and really, really sweet seeing JW taking on the same role with his juniors that his own hyungs have done for him in the past; I'm recognizing some of these behaviours from his hyungs on 1N2D, for instance. That's one of the things I actually like about the age-based hierarchy in Korea: you have to become that leader as you grow older, and you naturally end up passing on the things you liked about how your elders treated you.

 

21 minutes ago, moonstrike said:

I think they don't give any extra provision for celebrities. They might just give the celebrity a letter or something like that to inform them about job they get or what kind of project you want to choose among this project we have. And before the celebrity discharge, they just living their usual life of military plus preparing to pack their stuff.

 

 

Okay, that makes sense - just communicate by the regular mailing system that's used  

 

By the way, I remember reading somewhere that when he first enlisted, G-Dragon got so swarmed with letters from fans that it completely overwhelmed the system and the base actually had to ask them to stop. It makes me wonder if something similar happened to JW before.

 

23 minutes ago, moonstrike said:

Ooohhh... We never see him like that. But it must be really scary since he is tall so that will make the person feel small. Seems like a giant? Hahaha...

 

It's crazy, because I'm short (somewhere between 5'2" and 5'3"), and I remember that those actresses JW's worked with who are similar to be in height (e.g. Eugene and Kim Tae Hee) are, like, tiny next to him.

 

(lol - It's funny, because my mom and I were literally talking about that the other day since we're watching "Yong Pal" together: about the scene where they kiss on the hill with all the windmills in Episode 9, my mom was like, "That must have been tough for Kim Tae Hee - JW's so much taller than her, and they still had to have her stand downhill from him!")

 

But, yes, I can imagine that JW could end up looking really intimidating if he wants to.

 

28 minutes ago, moonstrike said:

Hahah.. he is such an adorable kid. Hey, by the way I found a fanfic! Its not about Joo won's character but its about Joo won himself. But its not english. So I will translate it in the next post if I have time. Its so adorable imagining Joo won himself has a story in my head. 

 

Cool! Yes, please share if you get the chance!  

 

I usually don't like writing stories that involve the real-life people (e.g. writing stories about JW himself), but that doesn't mean I have issues with other writers doing so. If the story's good and stays respectful (so no smut, please!), and I think it's still true to character (or what we know of JW's character), then I'm open to reading them.

 

30 minutes ago, moonstrike said:

I'm waiting again for cute adorable and sassy momments of this couple. Wondering what will happen to this two love bird.

 

Well, I'll just say this much for now: things get...pretty crazy between Cha Yoo Jin and Seol Nae Il in this next fic, and both of them end up saying and doing things they probably shouldn't to each other. So it's not all going to be just cute adorableness - but I can at least promise that they'll end up stronger and closer for it in the long run  

 

And now for pics!

 

Spoiler

JW for Mountia

 

 

This scene from "Yong Pal" was just...gah! 

 

 

Love how this shot turned out!

 

 

JW and his big, black floppy hat - I've heard somewhere that he really liked this hat, but that the fans didn't? I don't know; I actually like it on him.

 

 

Puffy cheeks!

 

 

 

This shot from "Catch Me" is so cool! Now I kinda want to see JW playing a university professor someday (think someone like Do Min Joon from "You Who Came from the Stars" )

 

 

 

[moonstrike]

21 hours ago, kittyna said:

Thanks for sharing that! Keep it up with these stories, because I might not get them otherwise  

 

It's funny and really, really sweet seeing JW taking on the same role with his juniors that his own hyungs have done for him in the past; I'm recognizing some of these behaviours from his hyungs on 1N2D, for instance. That's one of the things I actually like about the age-based hierarchy in Korea: you have to become that leader as you grow older, and you naturally end up passing on the things you liked about how your elders treated you.

Your welcome again. All good things he received and learned from his hyung he applied and did to his junior. guiding them and teaching them with great diligence. He became a hyung for them. A close hyung that can be a place to tell your problem. A hyung that will give you a warm advise and lead you with his heart. 

 

21 hours ago, kittyna said:

By the way, I remember reading somewhere that when he first enlisted, G-Dragon got so swarmed with letters from fans that it completely overwhelmed the system and the base actually had to ask them to stop. It makes me wonder if something similar happened to JW before.

I think it happens to all celebrities that enlisted including joo won. But because G-dragon fans is more noticing this news more than others, so it seems like it just happen to him.

 

21 hours ago, kittyna said:

It's crazy, because I'm short (somewhere between 5'2" and 5'3"), and I remember that those actresses JW's worked with who are similar to be in height (e.g. Eugene and Kim Tae Hee) are, like, tiny next to him.

Yeah... I've seen all his female lead and all of them is like his shoulder height, sometimes more because they use a high heells but if they take that of, you will notice the difference. It makes me remember that joo won have to spread his legs if he has an emotional scene that needs two people (where they facing each other). Eugene said this in Baker King special episode. Poor him, because he has to spread his legs so it must be hard and also hurt if they do it for a long time, and his costar because they have to hold their laugh when seeing Joo won's legs condition. They also have to look up to see his face everytime they have conversations. 

 

Yoon shi yoon said that everyone seeing him as a dwarf now because of Joo won ... In this video he said he looks short on tv because of joo won.

Start at 10.58

 

In this episode of happy together, yoon shi yoon again protest about people view of his height. Its so funny!

Start at 04.05

 

And there is also park ki woong 

Start at 03.16

 

And many more....

 

 

21 hours ago, kittyna said:

lol - It's funny, because my mom and I were literally talking about that the other day since we're watching "Yong Pal" together: about the scene where they kiss on the hill with all the windmills in Episode 9, my mom was like, "That must have been tough for Kim Tae Hee - JW's so much taller than her, and they still had to have her stand downhill from him!")

It must be hard for her because she has to tiptoe-ing when she kissed him. And also there is also camera angle and NG so they have to repeat that again and again. 

 

21 hours ago, kittyna said:

But, yes, I can imagine that JW could end up looking really intimidating if he wants to.

If we take example from movie, he just have to look straight to the person's eyes with sharp look and make yourself look big by looking down when you are near them. Just like lee su geun and sung shi kyung.

 

21 hours ago, kittyna said:

 

Cool! Yes, please share if you get the chance!  

 

I usually don't like writing stories that involve the real-life people (e.g. writing stories about JW himself), but that doesn't mean I have issues with other writers doing so. If the story's good and stays respectful (so no smut, please!), and I think it's still true to character (or what we know of JW's character), then I'm open to reading them.

So here it is! Enjoy!

 

● YOUR HAND (JOO WON MOON CHAE WON FANFIC) 

 

Do you know why God created the sidelines between your fingers?

Because God knows. One day there will be someone who holds your hand tightly through the fingers. Distribute the love, affection and also the warmth you need.

.

.

.

Of all the body parts of Joo Won, which Chae Won likes is his hand. His hands is always warm despite of the cold weather. His hands is large, sturdy and strong. The color is also brownish, typical of men. Its contrast to her own small, pale white hands.

 

Chae Won also does not understand, since when he started to like one of this man's body. Maybe since Joo Won grabs her hand?

 

She remembered, when there was a filming break. Joo Won who is basically shy -Chae Won herself just found out about it when getting to know more about Joo Won- coming to her who was resting her body on the couch. Funny enough, this man was coming to her to ask her permission about the hand-holding scene. It was the next scene that day. She still remember that time she laughed really hard leaving Joo Won with his confused face.

 

"Nuna-ya, why are you laughing?" Joo Won still put on a puzzled look. It looks exactly like his character in this drama, Park Shi On.

 

"You're so funny Joo Won-ah. Why you have to ask my permission for that scene? "

 

"Of course I have to ask your permission. I'm afraid you'll get angry, "

 

"Wae? Why should I be angry? "

 

Joo Won looks at the girl that one year older than him with annoyed face. This girl does not understand what is on his mind. He was asking permission to this girl because he just felt bad. It is also a habit if there is a scene that involves skinship such as hand grip or kiss scene he always ask permission to his opponent. Usually his opponent just nodded yes and responded casually. Unlike the girl next to him now, Moon Chae Won.

 

"So allowed or not?" Joo Won insisted.

 

"No," Chae Won said firmly.

 

"Mwo?"

 

"Can not not allow of course ~" Chae Won laugh as she pinched Joo Won's cheek hardly. Makes him groan in pain "Appo nuna!!!"

.

.

.

Yeah... that is the holding hands scene that happened while filming now even continue to real life. The proof, Joo Won is now holding her hand tightly. Sometimes, Joo won stroked Chae Won's hand carefully, like stroking a fragile porcelain.

 

While the girl resting her head on Joo Won's shoulder. Feeling the extraordinary comfort when leaning on his body.

 

"Joo Won-ah?"

 

"Hm?"

 

"Do not you feel something?" Chae Won asks in a mysterious tone. Joo Won frowns.

 

"Feel what?"

 

"Our hands. Our hands are so fitting. "Chae Won raises her hand that is closely tied to the his hand. Shows their hand grip.

 

"Do you know? God created the sidelines on our fingers so that someday someone will fill them, grasp them and keep them. I think the person God meant is you." Chae Won said innocently.

 

"Really? So nuna hope that person is me?" Tease Joo Won. Chae Won smiles shyly then agrees with a nod of her head. Joo Won then stroke her shoulder-length hair with affection. He stared at her beautiful eyes.

 

"I also hope that person is you. The girl that I'm gonna keep and hold her hand. "

 

"You're not gonna let it go, right? Promise?"

Joo Won smiles a little and quickly hugs his girl's body tightly. "Promise. I will not let go, even until we get married later. "

 

Chae Won smile and replies Joo Won's hug very tightly. They are thinking about their future lives. Their married life. Joo Won then releases their hug and looks into Chae Won's beautiful eyes. their face draw closer and closer, he kissed her very gently, like not wanting to hurt her at all. His hand is at the nape of her neck and the other is around chae won's waist. His lips feel so soft and warm. Chae won's leg feel so week but fortunately Joo won hold her so she is safe. After that lovely kiss, they smile while looking to each others eyes. They know their life will full of happiness in the future.

 

END

 

 

That is the end! Hope you like it. Actually, I want the writer to make another chapter. This is so lovely... the story is so beautiful. ❤❤❤

 

Now pics!

 

Spoiler

He looks like an angel. So gorgeous!

 

But he can change so quickly. Like this picture. Looks like a devil. Handsome devil.

 

A performance of a great actor is never disappointing.

 

Suddenly missing hwang tae hee. This adorable police officer.

 

 

Maybe I will suddenly be healthy just after seeing his handsome face or maybe I will act in pain so he can treat me longer.

 

 

Still handsome even with that bruise on his nose. Is it because of filming 7 grade civil servant or because he got hit in the nose when he play chicken fight in one episode of 1N2D (with Joji "friendship special")?

 

 

[kittyna]

50 minutes ago, moonstrike said:

I think it happens to all celebrities that enlisted including joo won. But because G-dragon fans is more noticing this news more than others, so it seems like it just happen to him.

 

I'm not surprised. My impression all along has been that K-pop idols have the biggest fandoms/get the most attention overall. Actually, I think it was really cute of GD's fans that, when the news got out about his mail overwhelming the messaging system, they started asking each other to stop, because they didn't want him to feel bad or embarrassed about it. Like, it had gotten to the point where other recruits' mail was delayed getting to them, so things could have become awkward if left unchanged.

 

But anyway, back to JW. 

 

54 minutes ago, moonstrike said:

Yeah... I've seen all his female lead and all of them is like his shoulder height, sometimes more because they use a high heells but if they take that of, you will notice the difference. It makes me remember that joo won have to spread his legs if he has an emotional scene that needs two people (where they facing each other). Eugene said this in Baker King special episode. Poor him, because he has to spread his legs so it must be hard and also hurt if they do it for a long time, and his costar because they have to hold their laugh when seeing Joo won's legs condition. They also have to look up to see his face everytime they have conversations. 

 

I think some of his co-stars have been a bit taller (e.g. UEE, Moon Chae Won and Oh Yeon Seo are all in the 5'6"-5'7" range), but there's no denying that JW has been noticeably taller than all of them. He did say, though, that when filming "Good Doctor", it was Kim Young Kwang who had to do the manner legs rather than him - since KYK was taller than him, but also because Park Si On slouched a little bit, which made JW look shorter than usual.

 

But yes, my first exposure to manner legs of any sort was from "King of Baking, Kim Tak Gu", and I remember thinking it was so cute and funny that JW did that. It was only afterwards that I learned how much of a norm it was in the Korean entertainment industry  

 

58 minutes ago, moonstrike said:

Yoon shi yoon said that everyone seeing him as a dwarf now because of Joo won ... In this video he said he looks short on tv because of joo won.

 

Thanks for the videos! Those were funny

 

I have to say, though, that Yoon Si Yoon's right: he is actually slightly taller than the average height in Korea. Like, 178 cm is about 5'10" - which is close to the average white guy's height in North America. So, yep, definitely not short  

 

But I think he is right at the average in the entertainment industry...? I don't have any statistics, but since agencies tend to look for taller guys to work as models, actors, idols, etc., that the "typical" height among celebrities would be a bit taller than in the general population. So, if YSY is 178 cm, that would put him at the same height as someone like Song Joong Ki or Ji Sung - people who are not short in any objective sense of the term, but who probably don't look as tall as they actually are since they're considered medium-height within the industry.

 

So, yes, JW's just extraordinarily tall for a Korean - by both general and entertainment industry standards  

 

(By the way, you can find more height average statistics here: List of average human height worldwide - I used "United States - Non-Hispanic Whites for the one I just listed)

 

1 hour ago, moonstrike said:

So here it is! Enjoy!

 

● YOUR HAND (JOO WON MOON CHAE WON FANFIC) 

 

Thanks for the translation!  

 

I think the story's really sweet, even though, rationally, I know it's not happening - Moon Chae Won had established really early on that she didn't want to go further than a friendship with JW, mostly because they're part of the same clan, which would have made a real-life romance like dating your own cousin or sibling. It's why, personally, although I know most fans call them the "Moon-Moon" pairing, I call them "Moon Cousins"  

 

But I do like the idea of JW asking for permission from his co-stars before acting out skinship or romantic scenes with them - I don't know if he does that for real, but the thought is definitely adorable  With all this talk now about consent or the lack thereof in the entertainment industry, I really hope he's one of those who takes the need for consent seriously.

 

1 hour ago, moonstrike said:

Maybe I will suddenly be healthy just after seeing his handsome face or maybe I will act in pain so he can treat me longer.

 

And you're not really sure which one would be better, either  

 

That reminds me of the moment in "Good Doctor" when In Hae wanted to talk to Park Si On after he was (temporarily) kicked out from the hospital, and so she faked being sick in order to get him to pick up the phone  He wasn't happy about the lie at first, but he did like having a friend to talk to in the long run  

 

1 hour ago, moonstrike said:

Still handsome even with that bruise on his nose. Is it because of filming 7 grade civil servant or because he got hit in the nose when he play chicken fight in one episode of 1N2D (with Joji "friendship special")?

 

Those two incidents would have happened in pretty close proximity with each other, I think, so it's kind of hard to say which one it was.

 

And now for pics!

 

Spoiler

More Park Si On and Cha Yoon Seo (or JW and Moon Chae Won, if that's what you prefer) cuteness

 

 

I really like this picture here. The caption is an excerpt from an interview he did about "Ghost", and while I do have several more in my queue, I'm releasing them bit by bit on Pinterest based on the photos.

 

 

Sweet and shy smiles - and look at the dimples on that top pic!

 

 

Another mask pic

 

 

Dark and broody JW

 

 

Question: Do you think this is Cha Yoo Jin or Moon Jun Won we're looking at?

 

(I'm serious - I'm having a hard time telling right now.)

 

 

I love this shot from behind

 

 

Looking charismatic and cool - and just a bit intimidating - as Lee Ho Tae in "Catch Me"

 

 

 

Finally, a quick update on the fic I'm working on: it's coming along faster than I thought it would, so I hope it'll be done within a few days. I can't give a good preview this time without going into spoilers, so I thought I'd just say that.  

[moonstrike]

22 hours ago, kittyna said:

 

I think some of his co-stars have been a bit taller (e.g. UEE, Moon Chae Won and Oh Yeon Seo are all in the 5'6"-5'7" range), but there's no denying that JW has been noticeably taller than all of them. He did say, though, that when filming "Good Doctor", it was Kim Young Kwang who had to do the manner legs rather than him - since KYK was taller than him, but also because Park Si On slouched a little bit, which made JW look shorter than usual.

Because Kim Tae Hee is petite everytime she stand beside joo won, their kiss scene on the hill is kinda hard for her, like you said. By the way, I found this yong pal kiss scene bts. Its so funny and cute. You can see that joo won is doing his legend manner legs there. And Kim Tae Hee is tiptoe-ing and its like she is holding on joo won's neck. 

 

 

Partner who has a great height distance from joo won is shim eun kyung. their high differences are so many. Looks like eun kyung's height is under the shoulders of joo won. She can be his armrest if he wants to. Haha..

 

 

22 hours ago, kittyna said:

 

I have to say, though, that Yoon Si Yoon's right: he is actually slightly taller than the average height in Korea. Like, 178 cm is about 5'10" - which is close to the average white guy's height in North America. So, yep, definitely not short  

 

There was a funny momments when baker king cast was being interviewed. Joo won was asked what advantage he has over yoon shi yoon. And his answer was "height" and the host ask yoon shi yoon what he has and he said " sitting height (he means height he has when he sit)" 

 

It starts at 03.19

https://youtu.be/tywvZDS-Kik

(If I have time, I will translate the video)

22 hours ago, kittyna said:

 

I think the story's really sweet, even though, rationally, I know it's not happening - Moon Chae Won had established really early on that she didn't want to go further than a friendship with JW, mostly because they're part of the same clan, which would have made a real-life romance like dating your own cousin or sibling. It's why, personally, although I know most fans call them the "Moon-Moon" pairing, I call them "Moon Cousins"  

Yeah, its just a sweet imagination of fans. I have a great time reading and translating this fanfic. Because I can have the story playing in my head. Its so sweet. Joo won and moon chae might be cannot be a couple but they can be a great sibling in entertainment industry. I hope they can reunite in drama or movie again. It would be really great. 

 

22 hours ago, kittyna said:

 

But I do like the idea of JW asking for permission from his co-stars before acting out skinship or romantic scenes with them - I don't know if he does that for real, but the thought is definitely adorable  With all this talk now about consent or the lack thereof in the entertainment industry, I really hope he's one of those who takes the need for consent seriously.

I think he does that to in real life, seeing from his personality. He might asking the costar permission. Joo won said that in interview that he was asking Choi Kang Hee's permission when they do kiss scene. Its so sweet that he do that in real life too. Such a cute man.

 

Pics!!!

 

Spoiler

The caption is saying what I want to say right now. Wonderful.

 

Have I say this? I want that magazine so much!

 

 

I found this cute collage on instagram. Never know who is that boy.

 

Great man is definitely will be a great dad. 

 

I love that shirt! Every colour is suits him. Especially pink!

 

The pose, clothes, and also hairstyle is same! Both of them is really cute tho.

 

 

[kittyna]

23 minutes ago, moonstrike said:

Because Kim Tae Hee is petite everytime she stand beside joo won, their kiss scene on the hill is kinda hard for her, like you said. By the way, I found this yong pal kiss scene bts. Its so funny and cute. You can see that joo won is doing his legend manner legs there. And Kim Tae Hee is tiptoe-ing and its like she is holding on joo won's neck. 

 

lol - My mom literally described it the same way: that Kim Tae Hee looked like she was hanging off JW's neck  

 

24 minutes ago, moonstrike said:

Partner who has a great height distance from joo won is shim eun kyung. their high differences are so many. Looks like eun kyung's height is under the shoulders of joo won. She can be his armrest if he wants to. Haha..

 

I actually think she's either right at his shoulder, or just a teeny bit over. Like, if I visualize a straight line going from the top of her head, I think she'd come up to about where JW's neck and shoulders meet, height-wise. But, because of things like the characters' posture and how they carry themselves (Nae Il has a bit of a habit of bending her knees slightly so she could look up at Yoo Jin, like in this shot you shared), Shim Eun Kyung comes across as being a bit shorter when she's in character.

 

So I don't know if she's quite at a good armrest height for JW - but I have noticed that she's at a good height for him to, say, pat on her on the head (which JW does a lot - not so much Cha Yoo Jin, though). Or, if JW has to pull her closer, her shoulders are at the perfect height for his arm  

 

By the way, I found the scene in "Nae Il's Cantabile" where Cha Yoo Jin tries to guess how tall Nae Il is - it's funny, because he starts off at his shoulder (which would be about right), then his hand goes almost halfway down his chest, and I'm just laughing, like, "No - she's short, but not THAT short!"

 

 

Actually, the characters' heights was one of my favourite sight gags in "Nae Il's Cantabile", period. I'm used to seeing JW's character be noticeably taller than the others, but not in this drama: all the main younger guys (Cha Yoo Jin, Yoo Il Rak, Ma Su Min and Lee Yoon Hoo) seem to be around the same height (Yoon Hoo's the shortest, but not by much - Park Bo Gum is 182 cm in real life), and then the girls like Seol Nae Il and Choi Min Hee are just tiny  

 

34 minutes ago, moonstrike said:

There was a funny momments when baker king cast was being interviewed. Joo won was asked what advantage he has over yoon shi yoon. And his answer was "height" and the host ask yoon shi yoon what he has and he said " sitting height (he means height he has when he sit)" 

 

Hm...I wonder if Yoon Si Yoon meant that he had an advantage while sitting because the height difference between him and JW is cancelled out, or because he's actually taller when sitting. Both, after all, are possible  Sitting height just negates how long someone's legs are, so someone who's got shorter legs but a longer torso can be taller seated than someone who's normally taller because they've got long legs.

 

36 minutes ago, moonstrike said:

Yeah, its just a sweet imagination of fans. I have a great time reading and translating this fanfic. Because I can have the story playing in my head. Its so sweet. Joo won and moon chae might be cannot be a couple but they can be a great sibling in entertainment industry. I hope they can reunite in drama or movie again. It would be really great. 

 

I've mentioned before that I'd like to see them collaborate again - even if it's not as a couple but as friends or siblings or whatever. Point is: seeing both of them interacting with each other on screen again

 

Or make it a big Moon family reunion by adding, say, Moon Geun Young to the mix  

 

(Mind you: reading the credits of a drama like that would be hilarious, but it's still fun to imagine)

 

38 minutes ago, moonstrike said:

I think he does that to in real life, seeing from his personality. He might asking the costar permission. Joo won said that in interview that he was asking Choi Kang Hee's permission when they do kiss scene. Its so sweet that he do that in real life too. Such a cute man.

 

Aw...okay, that is sweet! Thanks for clarifying  

 

38 minutes ago, moonstrike said:

The pose, clothes, and also hairstyle is same! Both of them is really cute tho.

 

Oh my goodness, that little figurine is so cute! And while I know it's not meant to be an image of JW, it does match that photo from "Love Express" really well.  All the way down to the super-aegyo-style grin!

 

And now for pics!

 

Spoiler

Another cute shot from "Nae Il's Cantabile", since we were already on the subject

 

 

I don't know if he's cuter or the plushie is cuter

 

 

JW advertising bingsu - It's still really cold where I am, but still, this is too sweet not to share

 

 

JW as Han Gil Ro in "Level 7 Civil Servant" - He has a pretty nice coat collection

 

 

This shot from "Fashion King" just cracks me up - it's so obvious here that the film was based off a comic

 

 

This just looks so cool

 

 

 

Finally, here's Preview #3 of the fic I'm working on! Sorry for not sharing this earlier, but I had to write past where some of the big spoilers were first, and I still wound up having to cut some stuff out from the excerpt used for this preview  

 

Spoiler

Vaguely, it crosses my mind that this was how I had first met Nae Il: opening my eyes to find myself in an unknown person’s apartment.

 

But this can’t be Nae Il’s apartment. Because that would be my apartment as well – and I’m fairly certain that I can recognize my own house when I see it.

 

Just where the hell am I?

 

Slowly, I open my eyes to get my bearings, but find myself wincing and squeezing them shut again. The morning light, although usually a pleasant sight, is jabbing painfully into my brain, adding to the incessant pounding inside my head.

 

I try again, this time forcing myself to push through the pain and keep my eyes open as I slowly sit up. I seem to be on someone’s couch somewhere, just across the table from a bed along the opposite wall. Slowly lowering my feet down to the floor, I prop my elbows on my knees and, leaning down, press the heels of my hands against my eyes.

 

Anything to stop me from feeling like I’m about to pass out again.

 

“Ah! You’re up already – good morning!”

 

Growling in irritation at the interruption, I glance up once again, turning my head towards the voice. It is coming from the kitchenette along the wall on my right.

 

Or, more specifically, the person standing at the stove right now.

 

Muhammed.

 

“What…what happened?” I ask blearily. “Where am I?”

 

“My place – where did you think?”

 

I blink several times at him, still not making sense of what he’s saying. “What?”

 

“Do you remember anything of what happened last night?”

 

It takes me a moment, but eventually I do.

 

All of it.

 

[...]

 

“Here. You can use this.”

 

Belatedly, I realize that at some point, Muhammed had moved away from the kitchenette. He is now crouched down in front of me, holding out a glass of some bright red liquid.

 

“Don’t worry,” he says when I glance skeptically at it. “It’s just tomato juice with a little bit of hot sauce. I can’t promise it will cure you right away, but it should help wake you up, at least.”

 

Taking hold of the glass with both hands – I don’t trust myself enough to be able to grab anything steadily otherwise – I raise it to my lips, allowing myself to take a small sip. At first, the sensation of anything going into my throat makes me want to gag, but I eventually manage. The juice’s sour taste is refreshing as it goes down, and the slight spiciness from the hot sauce Muhammed has mixed in helps to dispel the dry cotton-ball feeling from inside my mouth.

 

“There,” he says, a note of satisfaction in his voice as I pass the drained glass back to him. “Feeling better?”

 

“Give it some time!” I snap. “Like you’d said: it’s not a miracle cure.”

 

“Well, you’re actually talking now, so clearly it’s working,” he retorts, rocking back proudly on his heels. He points over his shoulder towards the doorway leading to the foyer. “The bathroom’s over there.”

 

I don’t need to be told twice. For one, I’m sure that I must look as much as a mess as I feel, and have belatedly realized that today is a weekday so I still need to get ready to go to class. And secondly, I am starting to note that there is a difference between getting something down and keeping it down.

 

It takes me a good while before it finally feels safe for me to make my way back to the main room of the apartment. By this point, Muhammed is already sitting on the bed across from the couch, two identical plates of food on the coffee table.

 

He glances up at me as I sink down into my spot. “Feeling better now?”

 

“What?”

 

“My mother used to tell me: ‘If you’re feeling nauseous, just let it out. Don’t try to fight it, because it’s your body’s way of getting rid of whatever’s making you sick.’”

 

I shoot him an irritated look. “Is your mother a doctor?”

 

“No. But she is a mother – and sometimes, I wonder if that’s even better.”

 

So...just what the heck did happen to Yoo Jin "last night"? You'll have to wait until the final fic to see.

[kittyna]

Just popping by to share this really awesome analysis of the relationship between Lee Kang To and Kimura Shunji in "Gaksital" - once again courtesy of Dramabeans's "Theme of the Month" concept.

 

This month, the theme was "Best Friends Forever", which I think should give you a good sense where this is going  

 

[Best Friends Forever] I will go down with this (friend)ship

 

Honestly, I couldn't have said it better myself - and my writing is one of the things I really pride myself on, so that's saying something!

[airplanegirl]

Since we were in different units, he wasn’t my trainer. Often, Joo Won would help us out by washing the dishes. He has a very clean and handsome look, and is also very close to everyone who is in the same department as him. 

 

He is someone who embodies the characterics of a good assistant, the hat which he is currently wearing matches well with his personality. 

 

Since he is the leader of his unit, I got to meet with him every single day. He often greeted me by touching my shoulders gently, and ever since I told him that my discharge date was nearing, he would make a solemn face and whine to me “why do you have to leave?” He still looked handsome. 

 

 

Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bgn638tAQfK/

[moonstrike]

21 hours ago, kittyna said:

lol - My mom literally described it the same way: that Kim Tae Hee looked like she was hanging off JW's neck  

Its hard for her . 

 

21 hours ago, kittyna said:

 

I actually think she's either right at his shoulder, or just a teeny bit over. Like, if I visualize a straight line going from the top of her head, I think she'd come up to about where JW's neck and shoulders meet, height-wise. But, because of things like the characters' posture and how they carry themselves (Nae Il has a bit of a habit of bending her knees slightly so she could look up at Yoo Jin, like in this shot you shared), Shim Eun Kyung comes across as being a bit shorter when she's in character.

It still cute tho  that their height different looks so many when you watch them on screen. She looks petite while joo won seems like a tower for her. It must be tiring for her that she has to look up everytime she wants to speak with him. 

 

21 hours ago, kittyna said:

By the way, I found the scene in "Nae Il's Cantabile" where Cha Yoo Jin tries to guess how tall Nae Il is - it's funny, because he starts off at his shoulder (which would be about right), then his hand goes almost halfway down his chest, and I'm just laughing, like, "No - she's short, but not THAT short!"

Yeah its so funny. I was giggling when I first watch this scene. Its funny that Yoo Jin try to guess how big and tall nae il is. 

 

21 hours ago, kittyna said:

Hm...I wonder if Yoon Si Yoon meant that he had an advantage while sitting because the height difference between him and JW is cancelled out, or because he's actually taller when sitting. Both, after all, are possible  Sitting height just negates how long someone's legs are, so someone who's got shorter legs but a longer torso can be taller seated than someone who's normally taller because they've got long legs.

Yeah that is what he means. Actually after he said that he has advantage about sitting height, he wants to sit on the table and ask joo won to sit beside him. But they (Joo won, Lee yeong ah, and the host) is just laughing because of his joke. So we never have chance to check the real truth.

 

21 hours ago, kittyna said:

I've mentioned before that I'd like to see them collaborate again - even if it's not as a couple but as friends or siblings or whatever. Point is: seeing both of them interacting with each other on screen again

 

Or make it a big Moon family reunion by adding, say, Moon Geun Young to the mix  

 

(Mind you: reading the credits of a drama like that would be hilarious, but it's still fun to imagine)

We always want it. All of them is a really great actor. It would be really nice if we can have chance to see them in one drama. He can be sibling, working partner, or lover. Every role is suit them. But the first thing to do is waiting for joo won's comeback. 

 

21 hours ago, kittyna said:

Aw...okay, that is sweet! Thanks for clarifying

Yeah its reallly sweet. Its nice that he always ask permission to his costar because he afraid that he might being rude if he don't do it. Such a nice guy. 

 

By the way, I have new story that I found on instagram.  This troop is telling a story that his sunbae told him. 

 

21 hours ago, kittyna said:

JW advertising bingsu - It's still really cold where I am, but still, this is too sweet not to share

I prefer the model more than the bingsu. He looks sweeter than the bingsu itself.

 

Now pics!

 

Spoiler

Hello my dear. We miss you!

 

Why do I'm following such a nice person?!! It fell so nice. 

 

 

They both looks cute and handsome. Its funny that the hyung looks smaller than his younger brother in this photo.

 

 

• yunie_okHe sing the song with his whole heart. And that makes the song more meaningful. We can feel the emotion. That is the power of Joo won! 
• pooipekThis song is very difficult to sing. Have to repeat many time the dragging part with high tone. If you watch 2013 Japan fanmeet. He sang and dance very well. Later now, he's too busy to train his stamina like very young last time that he swam 20 laps non-stop and ran don't know how many rounds around the football field.
• pooipekI correct my statement: Not about his stamina but actually his health condition was not at his best since Yong Pal when having this fanmeet. He was exausted too. Pity him. Feel like giving him tons of love ❤
• yunie_okActually, he had a cold when he sang this song. So his throat is not in good condition. But he still can sing the song very well. He said this in the fanmeet that he has a cold but he still want to sing because he doesn't want to make his fans disappointed. He really do his best. I was so touched by this. It makes me love him even more.
• joowon.fansAmazing !

 

Do you recognize this face? Its cute!

 

 

His habit when he sleep is so cute. Sleep in peace. Like a baby.

 

Last, awesome photo of Cha yoo jin. The sparkling effect makes it more awesome.

 

 

[kittyna]

1 hour ago, moonstrike said:

It still cute tho  that their height different looks so many when you watch them on screen. She looks petite while joo won seems like a tower for her. It must be tiring for her that she has to look up everytime she wants to speak with him. 

 

lol - Still cute to watch, though.

 

By the way, here are some behind-the-scenes moments I've come across recently that you might like.

 

It's funny how, because Cha Yoo Jin's the conductor, JW ends up looking even taller when he's up on the podium; and then he has to spread his legs out so much that if he were to go any farther, he'd fall off (you can see when the camera zooms out at the end how his foot is just half on the stand when he does it)

 

 

And just another cute NG moment between JW and Shim Eun Kyung: he'd gotten a bit too much into character and smacked her harder than he was supposed to. It's actually not a hard hit at all, but he was so cutely embarrassed and apologetic about it, even while Shim Eun Kyung's laughing it off. Also, by the way: a number of fans have noted that JW likes holding Eun Kyung on her arms the way he does at the end of this clip.

 

 

1 hour ago, moonstrike said:

Yeah its so funny. I was giggling when I first watch this scene. Its funny that Yoo Jin try to guess how big and tall nae il is. 

 

And then I burst out laughing a second time whenever I watch how Lee Yoon Hoo catches him in the act (rewatching the clip, I notice now that Yoon Hoo gives him this confused, "Dude, what the hell?" look before he starts speaking), and then it takes Yoo Jin so long before he even realizes who he's talking to. Add the bickering in the store afterwards, and you just have comic gold.  

 

1 hour ago, moonstrike said:

By the way, I have new story that I found on instagram.  This troop is telling a story that his sunbae told him. 

 

Thanks for sharing!

 

JW and doing dishes...that's something he just does, doesn't he? Like, I remember that first episode of 1N2D when he did that, and, just yesterday, I saw him do it in "Yong Pal", too.

 

Yes, I'm finally at the point where Kim Tae Hyun marries Han Yeo Jin - but methinks the honeymoon's not gonna last, because there's some really scary "Iron Lady" stuff happening at the end of that episode. I've also noticed that the mansion, at least its exterior, is the same one that's used in "Nae Il's Cantabile", and the breakfast scene...that's just got to be fanservice (I mean: Kim Tae Hyun mukbang AND a close-up of his butt when he kisses Yeo Jin? Yep. Total fanservice).

 

Spoiler

By the way, you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but @moonstrike, is yunie_ok actually your Instagram account? I'm asking since I've noticed that you and yunie_ok on Instagram have the same manner of "speaking" (similar words, phrases) as well as opinions.

 

1 hour ago, moonstrike said:

• yunie_okHe sing the song with his whole heart. And that makes the song more meaningful. We can feel the emotion. That is the power of Joo won! 
• pooipekThis song is very difficult to sing. Have to repeat many time the dragging part with high tone. If you watch 2013 Japan fanmeet. He sang and dance very well. Later now, he's too busy to train his stamina like very young last time that he swam 20 laps non-stop and ran don't know how many rounds around the football field.
• pooipekI correct my statement: Not about his stamina but actually his health condition was not at his best since Yong Pal when having this fanmeet. He was exausted too. Pity him. Feel like giving him tons of love ❤
• yunie_okActually, he had a cold when he sang this song. So his throat is not in good condition. But he still can sing the song very well. He said this in the fanmeet that he has a cold but he still want to sing because he doesn't want to make his fans disappointed. He really do his best. I was so touched by this. It makes me love him even more.
• joowon.fansAmazing !

 

Yeah, I noticed in his promotional events from the end of 2015 that JW's health really wasn't that good, and the insane shooting schedule for "Yong Pal" is probably the most likely cause. I guess that's the trade-off we as fans have to deal with: we want to see/hear more from our biases, but that's also giving them more work to do and making them busier and more tired.  

 

Okay, I'm almost - almost! - done with the fic, so I should shift gears to that. But in the meantime, here are today's pics! And it's Thursday, so you know it's Throwback Thursday time!

 

Spoiler

JW in the music video for "Missing You" by SM the Ballad - I love the story that was told here, about an ordinary guy who falls in love with an angel. Make sure you click to see all the photos.  

 

 

Love the close-up in this image of Hwang Tae Hee - such an intense look in his eye!

 

 

And then there's the cuter, more dorky Hwang Tae Hee  

 

 

Question: is it just me, or does he actually have a five-o'clock-shadow here? Like, I almost never see JW with even a trace of facial hair (fake mustaches/beards for 1N2D games aside) - ever!

 

 

Rare smiling picture of Lee Kang To - I say rare, because from the slightly sad and wistful look in his eyes, this looks like it's actually an in-character shot as Lee Kang To, not JW being himself behind-the-scenes

 

 

Checkers AND stripes? Okay....

 

 

A few shots from JW's old fanclub, Act 1 Scene 1

 

 

 

 

And one last one, where I'm not really sure where/when it's from, but it's clearly from a while ago.

 

 

 

So, once again, hope to have the fic ready soon - see you all then!

[kittyna]

Here we are: the next installment of my "Seolleim in Salzburg" series is ready!

 

Spoiler

Title: A Little Baroque, A Little Romantic

Drama: "Nae Il's Cantabile"

Characters: Cha Yoo Jin, Seol Nae Il

Premise: If Cha Yoo Jin and Seol Nae Il can be described as styles of music, then he is Baroque and she is Romantic: he follows the rules and traditions; she breaks them in order to follow her heart. But Nae Il must learn when to rein herself in, and Yoo Jin must learn when to listen to her heart as well as his own. And no-one said the journey was going to be easy.

Warnings: Discussion and depictions of drinking/drunkenness and sexual harassment whilst intoxicated

 

Note about Warnings: Some of the stuff in this fic, especially since the issue of sexual harassment does come up - from the victim's perspective, not the perpetrator's - can be triggering. So while I do try to keep things short and as respectful as possible, please take whatever steps you need for your own emotional and mental health before reading this fic, or skip it altogether if it might be painful for you. Thanks!

 

Note: this story is part of the set of sequel stories I've written for "Nae Il's Cantabile", which I am calling "Seolleim in Salzburg". Thus, in order to fully understand this story, I strongly advise you to read its predecessors first:

 

"The Sound of Christmas"

"Angel of Music, Come Down from Above"

"In Mozart's Name"

"Seollal, Seollebal, Seolleim"

 

Note on language: The way I see it, and the way I have done it in other stories in this series, is like this: when it's just Cha Yoo Jin and Seol Nae Il speaking with each other, it's in Korean; when they're speaking with anyone else, it's in German.

 

I had also mentioned once before that there are several dialects of German: "official" versions of German that are spoken in Germany and Austria, respectively, as well as a bunch of local dialects. However, in this fic, all the German words/phrases I use here are consistent across multiple dialects.

 

Ja - Yes

Nein - No

Bitte - Please

Danke - Thank-you

Hallo - Hello (informal)

Was? - What?

 

And now that that's said and done, on with the story!

 

Once again, please do not re-post any content from this story on any other website without my permission. You are welcome to share this story, but only by sharing the URL. Thanks!

 

Spoiler

A Little Baroque, A Little Romantic

 

“Orabang….”

 

I glance over my shoulder to find Nae Il slouched over at her desk, absently tapping her pencil on the open page of her music history textbook. Both of us are in our music room, working on different assignments at our desks. Besides our practical courses geared towards our specializations, there are a number of general courses that all music students must take: courses in music theory, music history or composition.

 

“Ne?”

 

“What does it mean if someone says to play something in a ‘Baroque style’? Or, more specifically, if they say not to play in a ‘Romantic style’?”

 

“Oh?” Tilting my head slightly in thought, I turn all the way around in my seat so I am facing her. “Is that what your assignment’s about?”

 

“Aniyo – I’m talking about the recital.”

 

Ah. I see now.

 

Just as I had predicted, upon resuming our classes earlier this week, the first week of March, Nae Il’s professor had put forward to her the idea of putting together a solo concert recital later this term. It would be her first time performing publicly on her own outside of a competition setting, and to be honest, I am in agreement with him: Nae Il is more than ready to step out onto the stage on her own.

 

“Let me guess: this is about your programme.”

 

She answers me with a nod. “My professor suggested that I pick two pieces of an entirely different style.”

 

I nod in understanding. “That’s good. Especially when we’re talking about a solo debut: you want people to see what you are capable of right off the bat.”

 

“Well, I knew right away that I wanted to do a Liszt –”

 

I let out a chuckle. “You would.” I have been getting the sense that Liszt is her favourite composer to play, given her love for pieces like his Liebestraum or La Campanella.

 

Nae Il gives me a small knowing smile. “So we’ve decided on his Rhapsodie Espagnole – I’ll need you to help me out with finding a recording for reference later, by the way.”

 

“Arasseo.”

 

“But it’s the second piece I’m still not sure about. The professor wants me to pick something that’s more Baroque-sounding –”

 

“That would make a good contrast to Liszt.”

 

“Let me finish!” Nae Il cuts in with a laugh. She wags her pencil warningly at me. “You always cut me off like that, Orabang!”

 

“Mianhae,” I say quietly, waving my hand to gesture for her to go on.

 

She waits a moment longer before continuing. “I don’t know much about Baroque music, so we’ve decided on Busoni’s transcription of Bach’s Chaconne in D Minor. That way, I’m at least working on something that’s more in the middle: ‘A Romantic interpretation of a Baroque piece’, the professor said.”

 

True. The Bach-Busoni Chaconne is a good choice, if it’s a compromise that Nae Il’s looking for.  Busoni was a pianist from about a hundred years ago who had taken a number of Bach’s pieces composed for other instruments and transcribed them for piano. The Chaconne in question, I know, is originally a solo piece for violin, from Bach’s Partita for Violin No. 2, and as far as Baroque pieces go, it is a very soulful and emotive piece. Perfect for Nae Il’s musical preferences.

 

Speaking of which….

 

“But here’s the thing, Orabang: that piece aside, my professor says that I need to learn how to play in a ‘Baroque style’ more generally. He says that what I have right now from the rest of my repertoire is ‘too Romantic’. But what does he mean?”

 

I nod in understanding, and then gesture towards the open book on Nae Il’s desk. “Is that why you were looking through your music history book?”

 

“Ne. But I’m not getting anything. Like, I could read some of the characteristics of Romantic music or Baroque music right off the page.” She flips through the book to find an example. “Things like how Baroque is ‘characterized by regular rhythms and continuous musical expansion’, or –” she flips some more pages, “– Romantic music is ‘marked by a lyricism that gave it an immediate appeal’ or ‘emotionally charged and highly expressive’. But that doesn’t tell me anything about how to play a piece in either a Baroque or Romantic style, though.”

 

Nae Il is actually asking a really good question, one that I have never thought consciously about.

 

Of course, both of us know which pieces or composers count as Baroque, Classical, or Romantic, even if just by their position on a timeline. Bach and Handel, for instance, are Baroque; Haydn and Mozart are Classical; and Liszt – Nae Il’s favourite – is Romantic.

 

But the fact that Nae Il is asking so openly about the concept now is also a bit troubling. After all, the expectation that our teachers have is that by playing pieces by different composers from different periods, students like us should pick up at least something of what makes them different from each other. By rights, we should be able to learn these things organically without being told about them.

 

So just what was Nae Il missing?

 

Slowly, a possible root cause comes to mind.

 

“Tell me something: have you ever seriously learned any Baroque repertoire? Not just playing for fun, but actually learning from a teacher or for a performance?”

 

I watch Nae Il closely as she thinks on it. She doesn’t realize it, but the little movements she makes when she is deep in thought are really fascinating. Her lips purse into a little pout and, tapping one finger against her chin, she tilts her head from side to side.

 

“Not really,” she says finally, shaking her head. “I did do a few pieces, but it was a long time ago – the teacher I had switched me over to more showy pieces really quickly.”

 

I don’t ask what she means by “more showy”, but I can guess.

 

“Well, then,” I say, getting up from my seat, “we’re going to start now.” I gesture towards the upright piano in the corner of the room. “Go over there and wait for me; I’ll be right back.”

 

Nae Il shoots me a confused look, but I can see her getting up to move over to the piano as I make my way out of the music room towards my own bedroom. There, I go to my wardrobe and take out a cardboard box that I keep on the top shelf inside. Setting it down on my bed, I open the lid and take out a thin, paper-bound book.

 

This was my first real music book, filled with pieces that Abeoji, who had been my first piano teacher, had written out for me. And I know that it will be of use to Nae Il now.

 

I head back to the music room and find that Nae Il has already set up the piano. She looks up expectantly at me as I open the book to the piece I am looking for and set it down on the music rack.

 

“Does this piece ring a bell for you, Nae Il-ah?”

 

She turns to look at the music, and immediately, recognition flashes in her eyes. “Daquin’s Le Coucou. Of course I know this one, Orabang – who doesn’t?”

 

Who doesn’t, indeed.

 

I step back from her, crossing my arms as I give her a nod. “Play it for me, then.”

 

Furrowing her brow slightly at the serious tone in my voice, Nae Il nods and then turns to start playing the piece. It is a very simple piece, without any elaborate chords or octaves: easily accessible for a child’s small hands. Many young pianists have learned this piece before; many boast about just how young they were when they mastered it.

 

Except that few actually have mastered it. Not according to the standard by which I was taught, anyway.

 

And sure enough, I can see it and hear it in Nae Il’s performance. She flows breezily through the piece, playing it at a very quick tempo, creating a smooth and singing melodic line in the treble while the bass, which mostly plays in short two-note clusters, imitates the cuckoo’s call.

 

“Just as I’d thought,” I say when she is done. “That’s the ‘Romantic’ style right there. When you play, your music sounds smooth, lyrical and expressive. Cantabile. And while that certainly sounds lovely, that’s not what we’re looking for here.”

 

“It – it’s not?” Nae Il looks slowly back and forth between my face and the music in front of her. She glances down at her hands, which are now resting idly in her lap. “But that’s how I was taught.”

 

“And that’s perfectly fine,” I retort with a nod. “But if you want to play ‘Baroque style’....”

 

I take a moment to think of the right words to express what I want to say. But this is Nae Il I’m trying to help, and I know that she learns best by ear, so….

 

“Scoot over,” I tell her, sitting down beside her on the piano bench when she obeys. “I could tell you what I’m referring to, but I think it’ll be better if I show you.

 

“What we mean by playing piano ‘Baroque style’, Nae Il-ah, is trying to imitate the sound of a harpsichord on a piano.” I pause and glance over at her. “You’ve seen me playing a harpsichord before for the Baroque ensemble, right?”

 

She nods.

 

“Well, then,” I continue, “the thing about a harpsichord is that it cannot sustain notes for as long as a piano can: once you let go of a key, the sound stops. Also, we don’t get the same sort of dynamic range between piano and forte: a harpsichord will, for the most part, play at the same volume no matter how much pressure you put on the keys.

 

“So what you are looking for is something that sounds like this.”

 

I only play the treble part of the piece for now, paying close attention to the sound of every single note. In my mind, I can still remember what Abeoji had taught me all those years ago: every note detached, crisp and even, with no difference in pressure between them despite playing them with different fingers.

 

Nae Il’s eyes widen and her jaw drops in amazement. “How – how did you do that?”

 

Every pianist who has played Baroque style before has their own method. This is the one I learned.

 

“Did you notice how my hand looked?”

 

She shakes her head.

 

“Well, you’ll have to, because that’s the secret to where the sound is coming from.” I glance over at Nae Il’s right hand, which is still in her lap. “May I?”

 

I have learned from experience what happens if I try to touch or mould Nae Il’s hand without her consent. Even though she knows by now that I mean her no harm, she still has bad memories of her childhood teacher grabbing and yanking her closer to the piano in this way. So now, I only take her hand into my own when she has nodded her assent.

 

Slowly, gently, I bend her fingers so that they look almost like hooked claws before placing her hand onto the keyboard. It is now in a similar position to the one I had adopted when playing the piece myself.

 

“You see this part?” I ask, running one finger along the back of her hand where her knuckles have dipped down slightly to make the surface entirely flat. “The secret to making the sound I just did on the piano – the secret to playing ‘Baroque style’ – is to keep that part down lower than the knuckles on your fingers. When you play Classical or Romantic, this part tends to come up to be on the same level as your fingers or even higher, right?” When she nods, I continue, “But in Baroque, you have to move your fingers while keeping this part still.

 

“So try playing the piece now, keeping your knuckles down like that.”

 

The technique sounds straightforward, but I know from experience that it is actually easier said than done. This is a method that requires complete control and concentration, which is why Abeoji had made it the first technique he taught me when I was little: he had said that if I could play this, then techniques for later styles of music that did not require the same level of tight precision would come more easily.

 

Nae Il, however, is learning backwards: taking hands that have become accustomed to moving freely and trying to restrain them. All things considered, she does quite well for herself on her first attempt, but keeping my instruction in mind requires her to slow down considerably, and she even ends up sticking her tongue out a little in concentration as she plays.

 

I am unable to hold back a laugh when, finally finished her first run through Le Coucou, Nae Il makes a face and flings her hands to loosen them back up. When I was younger, I had done the same.

 

“Harder than it looks, isn’t it,” I prompt.

 

“You’re telling me, Orabang,” Nae Il replies with a pout.

 

Back when I was little, Abeoji had been a very serious teacher. If I had looked at him or reacted the same way Nae Il does now, he would have just sternly told me to keep on trying until I got used to it.

 

But I am not Abeoji. I used to try to teach Nae Il in his way, and it hadn’t worked. So I will need a different tactic now.

 

“How about this: let’s try to make a game out of it.”

 

Nae Il looks at me in surprise, but I just gesture for her to stay put as I go to her desk and find an eraser. It is one of her favourites: brightly coloured with a cute cartoon face on it. Stepping back to the piano, I gesture for her to get into position again, and then gently place the eraser down on the back of her right hand.

 

“Whatever you do, don’t let it fall,” I tell her, wagging my finger at the eraser with a mock-stern expression on my face. “Now, try playing it again.”

 

I leave her to her practice as I go back to the work on my desk, but I make sure to glance back from time to time.

 

Adding the eraser actually helps, if for no other reason than because Nae Il, instead of getting frustrated when she fails to hold the right position, giggles and murmurs encouragement to herself whenever it rolls off her hand onto the floor as a result. Her reactions grow increasingly comical, until I find myself bursting out laughing when, after a series of such failed attempts, Nae Il scolds the eraser, wagging her left index finger at it like it is a misbehaving puppy.

 

“Ya, Seollebal – it can’t hear you, you know!”

 

~~~~~

 

“Where’s Nae Il? I thought you said she’d be coming.”

 

“I’d thought she would come, too,” I say as I pull out the chair and take the seat across from our friends, Muhammed and Lana. “But she said she wanted some more time to practice today. And more’s the pity,” I add, scanning my eyes around the room, “because she loves this place.”

 

The three of us have decided to meet up at the Café Classic, a coffeehouse just a few minutes’ walk away from the Mozarteum. It is also in the same building as the Mozart Wohnhaus, a museum that now occupies the rooms that the Mozart family had lived in centuries ago. I have many fond memories of this place: both the Wohnhaus itself and this café. My parents had brought me here when I was little, and I had done the same with Nae Il during a free day when we came to Salzburg for her piano competition.

 

As we wait for our drinks to arrive, it is the latter story that comes to my mind, and I tell the others about it:

 

“I thought it was really strange, you know, that Nae Il was actually getting bored while we were in the museum. I had thought that she would like it, but the only thing that seemed to interest her was my promise to take her to Fürst afterwards for chocolate!” Smiling fondly at the memory now, I go on, “I called her out on that, actually, and would you believe what she said? She told me that she had actually been upset that the keyboard instruments in the museum had been cordoned off: ‘Food that can’t be eaten and pianos that can’t be played – those are the two worst things in the world,’ she said.”

 

Lana lets out a short laugh. “Ja, Nae Il would say that.”

 

At some point in my recounting of that first visit with Nae Il, a waitress had brought us our coffees. We had each ordered one of the café’s signature drinks, the Mozartmelange: coffee with milk topped with whipped cream and chopped pistachios, served with a Mozartkugel on the side. As Muhammed and Lana start sipping their drinks right away, my eye travels down to the foil-wrapped Mozartkugel on my plate. Immediately, I pick it up and tuck it into the pocket inside my blazer.

 

Lana leans forward in her seat, her own eyes trailing to that pocket.

 

“Is that for Nae Il?”

 

When I just nod in response, she takes her own chocolate and passes it across the table to me. “Here; she can have mine, too.”

 

Seeing where this is going, Muhammed also hands me his. “Lucky Nae Il,” he says with a chuckle as I pocket it. “She missed our coffee date, but somehow manages to get three Mozartkugeln out of it.”

 

One corner of my mouth twitches up into a smile, but I don’t say anything in response. Instead, I simply pick up my cup and take a sip.

 

“But enough on that,” Muhammed says finally, setting his cup back down. “We’re not just here to chat, after all.”

 

“Right,” I reply, putting my own drink back down to give the others my full attention. “So, you’d told me, Muhammed, that you have an idea for Whitsun?”

 

Muhammed is the concertmaster of the Baroque ensemble I have been working with these past few months. We had already ended the fall term with a successful performance: a dinner concert of Mozart’s music in January. But now that the spring term has begun, we need to start thinking ahead. And while there will be plenty of opportunities for small-scale musicales and recitals along the way, our main target is the Whitsun Festival in May, a celebration of Baroque music that traditionally kicks off Salzburg’s summer season. Although the main performers and programme for the festival have already been set, we are allowed as music students at the Mozarteum to host our own informal performances as well.

 

“Here’s what I’m thinking we could do,” Muhammed begins. “A daytime concert at the Schloss Frohnburg.”

 

“The Schloss Frohnburg?” I echo. “Nae Il will love that.”

 

“Have you two ever been there?”

 

“Nein,” I reply, shaking my head. “But I do know of it.”

 

The Schloss Frohnburg, located in the countryside just south of Salzburg, was built in the 17^th century for a prince, but is now owned by the Mozarteum, which has since converted it into both a student dormitory and a concert venue. Besides classical music enthusiasts, however, it does attract a steady stream of tourists, as the exterior façade and grounds were also used in The Sound of Music.

 

“It’s strange, actually, since we did go – or, I should say, she dragged me with her –  to the Schloss Hellbrunn before, which is even further out, but somehow we never stopped by the Frohnburg.”

 

“Let’s do it, then,” Muhammed pronounces with a nod. “As for the programme….” He gestures in Lana’s direction. “Something involving a flute solo would be good, since Lana will be graduating from her Master’s this term.”

 

“She – you will?” I reach across the table to shake her hand. “Congratulations.”

 

“Congratulations may be a bit premature, Yoo Jin,” she laughs. “I’m finishing, not finished. So let’s just focus on going out with a bang for now.”

 

“Right. So, is there anything – theme, composer, what-have-you – that you guys want to focus on?”

 

“Well, we already did an entire Mozart performance,” Muhammed muses, “and with Whitsun, we should go full-on Baroque if we could –”

 

“How about Bach?” Lana cuts in. “If we go with one of his Brandenburg Concertos, we could even have multiple soloists, and not just one.”

 

“What about the fifth, then?” I prompt after the three of us have thought her idea over for a moment. “That one has solo parts for both flute and violin.”

 

“Are you sure you aren’t actually thinking of how the harpsichord – a.k.a. the conductor – gets one as well?” Muhammed asks with a teasing wink.

 

“Nein, I wasn’t.”

 

“Oh, come on – no need to be modest about it. Whitsun will be your farewell as well, after all, since you’ll probably be placed elsewhere for your practicum next year. So it’s perfectly normal to want a solo right now.”

 

“I wasn’t thinking that, I swear!”

 

“Speaking of harpsichords,” Lana says, jumping in before Muhammed could continue with his jest, “what about Nae Il? We should include something for her.”

 

“A solo piece?” I ask. When she nods in response, I add, “I’ll have to run it by her first. After all, she has enough going on as it is preparing for her debut recital.”

 

“When is that, by the way?” Muhammed cuts in.

 

“We haven’t set a date yet, but I imagine it would be sometime near the end of April.”

 

The others nod in understanding at that, and conversation shifts towards the rest of the programme. If Nae Il does agree to this, we will only need one more major piece to make it an hour-long performance, and by the time we part ways, the three of us have decided to go with a strings piece.

 

As I head back towards the Mozarteum, where I had promised to meet Nae Il so we could walk home together, I think back on the others’ suggestion that she have a solo piece at Whitsun.

 

I hope she accepts.

 

Nae Il, after all, is more than ready to step out on her own now. Spread out her wings and fly.

 

~~~~~

 

“Where are we going, Orabang?”

 

“It’s a surprise; you’ll see when we get there.”

 

Nae Il shoots me a strange look for that, but then settles back down in her seat on the bus. She has, as is usual for her, taken a spot by the window, while I, sitting beside her, also peer over her head to get a look outside.

 

To be fair, there is not much on this bus route that indicates what our final destination would be. But that is how I want it.

 

Knowing Nae Il, the longer it takes for her to realize where we are going, the greater the payoff will be once we arrive.

 

Just yesterday, on Friday night, I had gotten a text from Muhammed confirming that our proposed Whitsun performance at the Schloss Frohnburg has been cleared with the university. He had also told me that, after consulting with the other strings instrumentalists in the ensemble, they had decided to add Bach’s Violin Concerto in E Major, with him, naturally, as the soloist.

 

It is thus time for me to put forward our suggestion to Nae Il that she add a solo piece to our programme. Under any other circumstances, I know that she will readily accept; in fact, she has often joked with me that I should just become her manager and make any such decisions for her. But that won’t do for someone who really should be thinking ahead to creating a solo career; experience from Haneum has taught me that it is best for her to make such choices on her own terms. However, that doesn’t mean that I’m unaware of what factors Nae Il may take into her decision, and that is why we are on the bus right now on this mild Saturday afternoon.

 

She does not know it yet, but I am taking her to the Schloss Frohnburg itself.

 

The bus lets us off in a rather ordinary-looking suburban neighbourhood. Getting off onto the sidewalk, Nae Il turns in a circle, looking curiously around her.

 

“Is this it?”

 

I shake my head. “Ani. We’ve still got about a ten-minute walk.”

 

Taking her by the hand, I lead Nae Il along one of the house-lined side streets branching off from the main road. We follow it along for several minutes before the houses give way to a large open park.

 

The weather today may be mild, but we are still in the first half of March, and the early spring breeze picks up now that we are out in the open with no buildings to block it. Quickly, I untie the belt keeping my long outer coat closed, opening up one side to drape it around Nae Il with one arm.

 

“Komapsumnida,” she murmurs as she burrows in, snuggling up close to my side.

 

I tsk softly at her in response. “I’d told you: you should have brought a warmer coat.”

 

“But when the trade-off is that I get to stick to you like this,” she replies, shifting to place one arm around my waist and pulling me in closer, “I think I need to be careless a bit more often.”

 

I am tempted for just a moment to rescind my offer, to pull back away from her and let her deal with the cold herself. But I don’t. Instead, I point straight ahead with my free hand.

 

“You see those red-roofed buildings over there? That’s where we’re going, so let’s hurry.”

 

Together, I still sheltering her from the wind, we jog towards the buildings. I guide her past the first one we come to, making a right towards a tree-lined road just up ahead.

 

By this time, we can get a good view of our final destination: an estate surrounded by yellow walls. But it is still hard to peer over them at the building inside, and even if we did, I know that we will not see the part that Nae Il is familiar with. However, just short of stepping out onto the main pathway, I come to a stop, causing Nae Il to stumble to a halt beside me.

 

It is only at this point that I step back away from her, retying my coat in the process. Coming around to stand in front of her, I ask her to close her eyes.

 

“Wae?”

 

“Just trust me,” I answer, taking one of her hands in mine once she has obeyed. “You’ll like this; I promise.”

 

Silently, I lead Nae Il around the corner of the walled complex and along the tree-lined road until, finally, we stop at the wrought iron gate flanked by two grey stone columns. On one side of the surrounding wall, there is a large metal plaque: “Schloss Frohnburg Universität Mozarteum.”

 

I let go of Nae Il’s hand just long enough to step behind her and place both hands on her shoulders. Then, bending down so my head is just next to hers, I whisper, “We’re here, Nae Il-ah. Open your eyes.”

 

I can’t hold back a grin when I hear Nae Il gasp audibly beside me. “Or- Orabang, this – this is…”

 

“Geu rae. It’s exactly what you think it is.” Reaching out past her to push the gate open, I continue, “This is the Schloss Frohnburg, the outside of which was used for the Von Trapp villa in The Sound of Music.”

 

Unlike the young Maria in the film, who had carried a guitar case in one hand and her luggage in the other, Nae Il is empty-handed when she runs through the gate into the front yard. However, just like her predecessor, her arms are also spread wide in excitement as she dashes along the circular driveway up to the main entrance. I follow along at a slower pace, and reach the door just in time for her to turn around and look at me, eyes wide and hands clasped in front of her in rapture.

“So, what do you think?” I ask, reaching out with one hand to lightly stroke the back of her head.

 

Immediately, she lunges forward and wraps her arms around me in a fierce hug. “Komapsumnida, Orabang!”

 

Quickly, my hand moves down to the small of her back, holding her in place before she could try to jump up and give me a kiss. “All right, Seollebal – keep it together for me for a second. I didn’t just bring you here because you’re a big fan of the movie. I’ve actually got something I want to ask you.”

 

“Jinjja?” she asks in response, following me as I open the door and guide her through into the main foyer. It is a simple but brightly lit space, painted a sunny yellow with a warm brown and white checkered floor.

 

I let go of Nae Il so that she can continue into the room herself. As she turns to look around her in wonder, seemingly indifferent to how the interior differs vastly from the set used in the film, I wait for the right moment to pose my question:

 

“What do you think about performing here someday?”

 

It takes a moment for my offer to sink in, but once it does, Nae Il’s eyes dance once more in delight. “Omo – can we?”

 

“Can you, actually,” I retort, crossing my arms in front of my chest. “I just heard back from Muhammed last night; this is where our ensemble will be performing during the Whitsun Festival this May.

 

“But what I’m asking is whether you could play something for that concert. Not a duet with me or an ensemble piece with the others. A solo piece, just for you – Seol Nae Il.”

 

~~~~~

 

To my surprise, Nae Il did not agree right away, asking instead for me to let her think about it overnight first. So I was relieved when, the next morning, she told me over breakfast that she would go ahead with the offer. She even told me that, in light of the rest of the programme being pieces by Bach, she had done the same with her own selection: his Partita No. 2.

 

“So, let me get this straight,” Muhammed asks me now, as we wait for the others to arrive for our first rehearsal a few days later. “For Whitsun, Nae Il wants to play Bach’s Partita No. 2 – the one he composed for harpsichord –”

 

“Ja.”

 

“But the Busoni transcription of the Chaconne from Bach’s Partita No. 2 – for violin this time – at her debut recital.”

 

“That’s correct,” I say with a nod.

 

He makes a face. “Well, that’s just damned confusing!”

 

I let out a small laugh at his response, glad that I’m not the only one to think so. “But as long as she knows which is which,” I say, laying out the music for our concerto on the harpsichord’s music rack, “then it’s all good.”

 

Unlike our performance from Mozart Week, none of the pieces we have chosen for our programme this time around call for brass instruments and Lana, with the flute solo, is the only wind instrumentalist as well. So it is a decidedly smaller group that is gathering here in one of the Mozarteum’s rehearsal rooms today, made up mostly of the core body of strings.

 

For this practice, my focus is on the main accompaniment parts for the two concertos, so while Muhammed and Lana withdraw to other parts of the room to practice their own solos, I beckon the others towards me. This time, given our smaller number and the fact that the first rehearsal is usually a bit more informal, there is no real formation. Everyone simply clusters around me with their instruments.

 

To go over the accompaniment parts, which I, too, will be playing alongside them as the conductor, I use the top keyboard of the harpsichord’s two; this one, when used on its own, produces a slightly thinner and quieter sound than the bottom keyboard. My plan is to switch to the louder bottom set of keys during my own solo part of the Brandenburg, but that is not what we are rehearsing today.

 

Practice goes on like this for some time until, finally, I glance up to find that Nae Il has arrived. Finishing the passage we had been working on, I call for the others to disperse to practice by themselves before getting up from the bench and making my way towards her.

 

Taking her bag, I push Nae Il gently towards the instrument. “You’ve seen me play this harpsichord before, but I don’t think you’ve ever tried it yet, have you.”

 

“Aniyo,” she murmurs quietly as she sits down. I look on as she glances in curiosity over the harpsichord, taking in its two sets of keys, the knobs and pins sticking out from the front.

 

“I’ll let you experiment with all that in a bit,” I begin, “but let me show you quickly how everything works.”

 

Leaning in close behind her, placing my left hand on her shoulder for balance, I reach past her to show her the difference in tone between the two keyboards with my right hand: lighter and more metallic on top, fuller and richer on the bottom, even as the same pitch is actually being played both times. Pulling out one of the knobs, called stops, on the side, I then show Nae Il how that engages an additional set of strings set an octave higher. Finally, reversing that knob and pushing the upper keyboard back slightly so that it clicks into place, I show her how doing that allows me to create the loudest sound of all.

 

“Orabang,” she laughs as I demonstrate, “the top keyboard’s moving by itself – like magic!”

 

“That’s because pushing it inwards like that locks both sets – or manuals – together. That way, even though I’m just pressing on the lower one, I’m actually playing both simultaneously.”

 

“Ah, I see…” Nae Il nods slowly as the answer dawns on her. Then, she leans forward to point to one more stop in the middle. “What does that one do?”

 

“Try it for yourself.”

 

When she does, we are rewarded with a notably softer and warmer sound, more akin to the fortepiano that we had played together during our performance in January.

 

“This,” I say when she glances up over her shoulder at me, “is the lute stop. You can use that if you don’t want something that’s quite as metallic-sounding as the harpsichord can usually get. But use it sparingly; it’s meant to serve as a contrast, not to act as the main sound.

 

“Finally, there is one more stop,” I tell her as I reach out to engage it, “that produces an even more muted sound.”

 

I can see by this point that Nae Il is just trying hard to take it all in. No surprise, there – compared to a modern piano, where many of these effects can be achieved through the use of pedals or just by the pianist varying his or her touch, everything on the harpsichord has to be done mechanically.

 

“But you can hear, can you, the difference between how this sounds and how a piano sounds, right?”

 

Nae Il nods. “Ne. Is this what you meant about playing the piano ‘Baroque style’ earlier?”

 

“More or less. Obviously, a harpsichord and a piano sound different, and always will. But I think you should be able to hear how the notes are shorter and crisper here. And that –” I run one finger along the back of her hand as I had done the first time “– is why you want to keep your movements small when trying to get that same sound on a piano.

 

“Now,” I finish, taking a step back away from her, “I need to go and check on the others. Feel free to play around with the different functions, either with Le Coucou or the Partita. Get a sense of what sorts of sounds you want to create – because when the time comes, it will be entirely up to you. You can play the Partita anyway you want: top manual, bottom manual, different combinations of manuals and stops…the possibilities are endless.”

 

I leave her to that, noting as I turn to go that Nae Il has chosen to begin with a run-through of Le Coucou. I should have known better than to leave her alone so soon, however, since she then pulls the stop that transposes the music up an octave mid-phrase.

 

In an instant, the cuckoo in the piece turns into a squeaky overexcited chipmunk.

 

Staggering and nearly falling over as I burst out laughing at the sound, I round on her, waving for her to stop even as everyone else pauses in their playing to stare at us.

 

“Ya, Seollebal! Quit fooling around!”

 

She stops playing and turns to peer over her shoulder at me, shooting me her most innocent-looking expression. “Mianhae, Orabang. But you’d told me that I could play around as I liked.”

 

Touché.

 

“Well, not like that – you still have to at least play the actual notes that are written on the score, arasseo?

 

“Now, I really do have to get going. Can I trust you to stay out of trouble for the rest of the rehearsal?”

 

Nae Il places one hand over her heart and bobs down in a slight bow. “Ne,” she says meekly before turning back to her work, this time starting up the Partita and practicing for real.

 

“Komawo.”

 

By this time, realizing through the fact that we were speaking in Korean that this was a private matter, the other ensemble members had already gone back to what they had been doing before our interruption. As for me, I go around the room to each person in turn: checking on their progress, fielding any questions they might have about my intended interpretations of particular passages or phrases.

 

Lana, as it turns out, is the one exception.

 

“What was that all about?” she asks as I step up behind her.

 

“Nothing. Just Nae Il being Nae Il.”

 

Although she assures me that everything is going fine when I ask, Lana is still one of the soloists for our upcoming performance, so I insist on a run-through anyway. She plays through what she has of her part, and I can tell right away that as a soloist and a conductor, we are a good pair. The flute she is using, made of wood unlike its modern-day counterpart, has a warm and rich tone, and Lana is brilliant at drawing that out. Instinctively, I find my hands moving along in time with her phrases, as they usually do when I am completely absorbed and consumed by music.

 

There are, however, still some places where I think she could lean into the sound a bit more, make the tone deeper and round it out. So, holding onto the back of her chair with my left hand for balance, I lean forwards to point them out on her score with my right.

 

It is not intentional on my part; I only realize that my arm has brushed against hers when I feel Lana tense up beside me. Of course, I don’t mean anything by it, nor would she think I do. But that sudden realization of just how close I am standing to her – close enough that I could probably make out what shampoo she uses on her waist-length blonde hair if I tried – renders me entirely frozen in surprise.

 

Fortunately, Lana does not respond in any way. She doesn’t make any comment on my nervousness, and simply continues to look at the music until, seconds later, I, too, have regained my composure. Then, focusing pointedly straight ahead as well, the words I had lost finally coming back to me, I pick up where I had left off as though nothing had happened.

 

We are not yet professional musicians, but we plan to be. And we are both very much aware that we are no more than colleagues or friends.

 

The rest of this one-on-one session passes without incident, and it is only when I finally straighten back up, looking out beyond Lana’s music stand, that I see that Nae Il has stopped playing. Instead, her hands still resting silently on the keyboard, she has turned her head to look at Lana and me with an unreadable expression; and from how still and quiet she is, I can tell that she has been like this for quite some time.

 

For a moment, our eyes meet. Nae Il is the first to look away as, abruptly, she turns to start packing up her sheet music, dropping several pages in her haste.

 

Immediately, I make my way towards her, just managing to reach out and grab onto her elbow as she gets up from the bench.

“Where are you going? You’re done already?”

 

“Ne.”

 

Nae Il gives me a small smile, but I note with alarm that it doesn’t go up to her eyes.

 

“What is it? Is something wrong?”

 

She shakes her head. “It’s nothing.” But while her smile does widen slightly, there is still something off about it.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Ne.”

 

Finally, I concede defeat, letting go of her with a sigh. “Arasseo. If you say everything’s fine, then it’s fine. But Nae Il-ah – if something is bothering you, remember that you can always come to me about it.”

 

“Ne. Komapsumnida,” she replies, slinging her signature canvas tote over her shoulder in one fluid motion as she runs out of the room.

 

Something is wrong. I know there is. Because usually, Nae Il would turn back and glance at me if she has to leave first, but she doesn’t this time.

 

For a fleeting moment, I wonder if Nae Il is upset at what had transpired between Lana and I. But just as quickly, I push that idea out of my mind, shaking my head to drive it away.

 

After all, it’s not like the three of us are not already clear on our relationship with each other.

 

I know that my conscience is clear.

 

Besides, I tell myself as I turn back to continue making my round of the other musicians, there is enough to do right now without dwelling on the impossible. What’s going on in Nae Il’s mind can be dealt with once I get home.

 

~~~~~

 

Perhaps there really isn’t anything wrong, and I was simply reading too much into it.

 

Nae Il did not comment on her strange behaviour from yesterday’s rehearsal the entire evening after I got home. And by this morning, she was back to her usual happy-go-lucky self: all sweet smiles and eagerness as she grabbed a quick breakfast before heading off to her first class of the day.

 

Still, just to make sure, I prepare Nae Il’s favourite pasta dish for tonight’s dinner. She has clearly had a busy time of it today, as she just eats it silently rather than resorting to her usual chatter. Yet when, once again, I ask if she wants to talk about it, she turns me down.

 

It is only as I am doing the dishes that she tells me what has been on her mind:

 

“Orabang, for my debut recital…my professor suggested that we add a four-handed piece to the programme. He was thinking of using Schubert’s Fantasie in F Minor, the same one we play sometimes.”

 

“Oh?” I ask, still focused on my own task. “With him or with another student?”

 

“With him.”

 

“That’s good.” Although my back is still turned to her, I feel a fond smile come to my face. “You’re lucky to have a professor like that, Nae Il-ah. Not all of them like to show off their pupils like this and –”

 

“I told him no.”

 

That stops me up short. Immediately, I shut off the faucet and glance incredulously at her over my shoulder.

 

“Mwo?”

 

“I said: I told him no.”

 

“I got that,” I retort, my voice coming out shorter as the situation starts to sink in. “But why?”

 

“I don’t want to.”

 

I turn around completely this time, peeling off my gloves as I lean back against the counter. Nae Il is standing there, staring at me with wide eyes, her lips set into a stubborn pout.

 

She can’t be serious.

 

“You turned your professor down simply because you ‘don’t want to’?” I echo. “Ya, Seollebal – what sort of excuse is that?”

 

“It’s not an excuse!” she snaps. “I mean it – I just don’t want to play a duet with him.”

 

“But why?”

 

“Because that’s ours! Those four-handed pieces, they’re our music – yours and mine!”

 

“Ya! Seollebal!”

 

Nae Il startles back, eyes widening in fright, at the harsh tone in my voice. Realizing my mistake, I close my eyes and lean down to pinch the bridge of my nose with an exasperated sigh.

 

I shouldn’t lose control now. I have always been the calm one out of the two of us.

 

“Look, Seol Nae Il,” I say as I feel myself regaining my composure. “I’m not mad at you; you know that. But there’s something here that you’re just not getting right now.

 

“First of all, there’s no such thing as any piece of music being ‘ours’. Even though we play them together, those pieces are not ours – they never were to begin with.”

 

“But –”

 

“Secondly,” I cut her off, raising a finger to warn her to stay silent, “even if you want to think of those duets as something that’s special between us, you have to learn to let go of that idea. Other people – your professor, other students, other pianists in the future – they have the right to ask you to play those pieces with them. And while you also have the right to refuse, you can’t do so without even at least considering the option.”

 

Nae Il now takes a step towards me, her arms crossed stubbornly in front of her.

 

“Thirdly, you can’t just pass up a good opportunity just because you don’t feel like it.” When she opens her mouth to speak, I, too, take a step closer to her, rushing on before she can cut me off. “You’re an adult now, Seol Nae Il – and that means doing the things an adult would do. You can’t just make decisions based on what you want anymore; sometimes, you will need to do the things you need to do, even if they’re not what you want in that moment.”

 

“Enough!”

 

This time, it’s my turn to be startled by her outburst.

 

“Are you even listening to me?” she blurts out. “Don’t you understand? I’d thought you would take my side!”

 

“And why should I take your side on this?” I scoff incredulously. “Especially when you’re being so childishly ridiculous right now.”

 

“I’m not!”

 

“You are, Seol Nae Il – you are! All this talk of what you want or don’t want, that’s not how the world works. Remember what happened to the S Orchestra. You think I wanted to give it up then? Of course not! But just because you want to stick with something doesn’t mean that’s always the best option.”

 

“I just want to keep this something special between us, Orabang – what’s wrong with that?”

 

“There is something wrong with that when you let it get in the way of your own progress.”

 

Her jaw drops, as though she could not believe what I had just said.

 

“Who said I’d wanted that? You always fall back on that: progress, opportunities…. What if I don’t want any of that? What if I just want to be with you and make music with you?”

 

“And what about what I want?” I snap, taking another sudden stride forward as I am finally unable to hold back my frustration at her stubbornness. “What if I don’t want you sticking around me all the time? Have you ever thought about that?”

 

In a flash, Nae Il recoils away from me as though I had just slapped her.

 

Too late, I realize the line I have just crossed.

 

I had only meant what I’d said in reference to the piano. I had only meant to say that I should not be Nae Il’s sole musical partner. I had only meant that someday, in the future, I wanted her to have the freedom to choose to continue on her own if she wanted to.

 

But I know exactly what I had just sounded like.

 

Who’s the childish one now?

 

Still shaking from my own outburst, I take a staggering step forward, raising up one hand in what I hope is a placating gesture.

 

“Nae Il-ah….”

 

But she doesn’t hear me. She doesn’t respond. Instead, angry tears flashing in her eyes, her hands curling up into fists at her sides, Nae Il turns and marches briskly out of the kitchen, down the hall to her room.

 

I want to follow after her when I hear the door slam shut.

 

I want to tell her what I had really meant to say.

 

But my feet are rooted to the floor, and I am unable to move until, finally, I see her bedroom door open a crack. Quickly, I stumble towards it, but I am not fast enough. Instead, I can only look on helplessly as she throws the male of her two stuffed rabbit dolls at me with all her strength. It flies past my head into the foyer as, shooting me one last glare, Nae Il once again slams the door.

 

I reach it a second later and start knocking on it desperately with the side of my fist.

 

“Look, Seollebal – mianhae. I didn’t mean it like that.”

 

There is no response.

 

I pound harder and faster. “Seol Nae Il!”

 

Still nothing.

 

“Nae Il-ah!”

 

Silence.

 

I pound on the door one last time before collapsing forward into it with a sigh, resting my forehead against my fist as my other hand drops limply by my side.

 

Now what do I do?

 

In the past, when I’ve messed up like this, all Nae Il needed was for me to apologize.

 

But I’ve already done that, and still, nothing’s happening.

 

Where else can I go from here?

 

Finally, after a long moment, I push myself back away from the door, turning to glance over at the rabbit doll lying face-down in the foyer. In a sudden flash of anger, I march over towards it, bending down to grab it by the throat, grasping it so tightly with rage that my knuckles turn white. Standing up, I pull my arm back to hurl it down the hallway, but I stop myself just in time.

 

What am I doing?

 

This isn’t the time to lose my temper.

 

Instead, I slowly make my way back towards Nae Il’s bedroom door. I crouch down onto the ground and place the doll there, patting it once gently on the stomach before getting back up again.

 

Nae Il will see it when she finally decides to open the door. I hope she will understand it as the apology I mean it to be.

 

But until then, there is no point in my staying here. At this rate, the silence from the other side will just drive me crazy.

 

So I go into my own room and retrieve my coat from the wardrobe. Throwing it on over my shoulders, I make my way to the foyer and then, with one last look back, I open the main door and step outside.

 

Only distance can help us now.

 

~~~~~

 

Perhaps it is because I am an introvert, but I like to imagine that everyone has that special secret hideaway: that place they go to when they want to be by themselves, either truly alone or just ignored even when surrounded by others.

 

For me, Fridrich is one of those places.

 

I had first discovered this spot, a tiny wine bar tucked away on a side street five minutes’ walk from the Mozarteum, not too long after moving back to Salzburg for good. I had had a free evening to myself then, and had practically stumbled upon it by accident: unlike the other bars and clubs around it, I had heard the soft sound of jazz music floating out through the door, and, peering through the window, I had noted how few people there were inside. A quick peek inside had revealed that Fridrich was exactly the sort of place I was looking for: small and dimly lit, run by a friendly elderly gentleman with a love for playing old vinyl records for his guests, with a core clientele of locals that was easily ten years my elder or more. Simple. Understated. Sophisticated in a naturally unpretentious way.

 

It has become one of my favourite private hangouts ever since. A safe place away from it all.

 

Shortly after I step inside the cellar-like main room, the air filled with the sound of mellow music and the slight smell of cigarette smoke that, after some thirty years’ worth of patrons, can never quite be washed away, I am greeted by the waitress who is on duty for the night. Inclining my head slightly in acknowledgement, I make my way toward the bar at the back even as she turns to call out over her shoulder in that direction:

 

“Bernd – it’s the kid again!”

 

I can’t remember exactly how the nickname started – who first said it or when – but I do know why it stuck. Not many people my age come by here, which was one of the things that drew me to Fridrich in the first place. So, as far as the staff and other patrons are concerned, I am a kid, no matter how much I prefer to think otherwise.

 

Bernd, the bar’s owner and main host, gives me a nod in greeting as I approach a secluded seat at the corner of the bar. Taking off my coat in one fluid motion as I sit, I fold it in half and drape it across my lap. There are hooks for hanging coats and bags by the entrance, but I seldom use them; I am wary of being separated from my belongings in a public place like this, and prefer to keep everything close at hand.

 

As I brush aside the ashtray set in front of me – I don’t smoke, so let someone else have it – Bernd approaches me on his side of the bar.

 

“So, what will it be this time?”

 

Usually, I am more than happy to let Bernd decide for me; he carries an extensive selection of Austrian wines, and I have come often enough in the past year to know that he has a clear sense of my preferences.

 

But not this time. This time, given the circumstances under which I’ve come here, I want something different.

 

“Give me a vodka,” I say, my voice coming out more clipped and curt than usual. “The strongest one you’ve got.”

 

From the way Bernd’s eyebrow quirks up, I can tell that I have caught him off guard by my request. But he is a seasoned professional; after running Fridrich for thirty years, he’s seen it all. So, to my relief, he does not betray his surprise any more overtly than that, instead heading to the shelves lining the back wall of the bar to get me my drink.

 

Within moments, he is back, setting down the shot glass in front of me.

 

“If I may ask, which is it: work trouble, or girl trouble?”

 

I pause momentarily in the act of reaching out for the glass at his question, but rather than answering, I simply take it and, turning my head to the side as is done in Korea, down the entire shot in one go.

 

“Ah. Girl trouble, then.”

 

I shoot Bernd a suspicious look as I turn back around to face him, setting the glass down hard on the counter. “How did you know?”

 

“It may sound strange coming from some old coot like me, but I was your age once. And when a young man who’s not the partying sort suddenly asks for the hard stuff….” He trails off with a knowing shrug.

 

“Well, then, you’ll know exactly what I’m going to ask for next.” Holding the shot glass by the rim, I lift it up and wave it slightly: the universal gesture for a refill. “Another one, bitte.”

 

He takes his time getting me my second drink: stepping over to have a quick word with the waitress, he then goes to the corner where the record player is. Moments later, I hear the languid tones of a saxophone drifting out into the room. The music is smooth, easy; despite the turmoil in my head, I feel myself start to relax as it creeps into me. The waitress now appears and takes the seat next to mine, setting down a small plate of thinly sliced ham and cheese on the counter.

 

I glance down questioningly at the food. “I didn’t order this.”

 

“I know you didn’t,” the waitress replies. I can see now that she must be about Eomma’s age; there is a certain familiar warmth in the way she reaches over to pat me on the shoulder. “It’s on the house. Don’t drink on an empty stomach, kid; you’ll make yourself sick doing that.”

 

She doesn’t leave me to attend to the other patrons scattered throughout the bar until after she has seen me eat something. Then, and only then, does Bernd hand me my second shot of vodka, which I down just as abruptly as I had the first before asking for one more.

 

I know from the knowing look that Bernd shoots me that he thinks that this isn’t wise. In the back of my mind, I think so, too. I didn’t come here with any sort of plan; I guess part of me wanted to just make things up as I went along.

 

But now that I can feel the alcohol’s burn down my throat, the spreading warmth as it rushes through my veins, I know there is nothing I want more than that cleansing fire.

 

Burn. Burn the past away. Wipe clean the slate. Forget what I have done.

 

~~~~~

 

How long has it been? How many shots have I had?

 

Five? Six? More?

 

I know that it can’t be that hard to check: each one had come to me in a new glass, and none of them had been cleared away. All I have to do is count them.

 

But now, when I open my eyes and look over them, I’m no longer sure. When I try to focus on one, the image waves and bobs; I don’t know if I’m looking at just one glass or two.

 

No, I can’t see what is in front of my eyes anymore.

 

The only clear picture I have is in my head – and it is that image that I’m trying to wipe out.

 

What about what I want? What if I don’t want you sticking around me all the time? Have you ever thought about that?

 

Folding my arms down on the counter, I place my head down on top of them, unable to hold back a growl of frustration.

 

How damned hard can this be?

 

The sound of a glass being placed down beside me. The touch of a hand rubbing me on the back between the shoulder blades.

 

“Hey – are you all right?”

 

Blearily, I open my eyes. Without lifting my head up from where it is resting on my arms, I turn my face towards the voice.

 

A blonde woman – I’m not sure how old she is, definitely more than me, though – is there beside me, her glass of white wine in the space between my spot and hers.

 

How long as she been here, silently watching me? I don’t know.

 

Slowly, I sit back up, rolling my shoulders back in attempts to at least regain some semblance of dignity.

 

“I’m fine, danke.”

 

I don’t know what she was expecting, but I know for sure that I wasn’t expecting the woman to laugh. She picks up her glass, swirling the wine inside before angling it towards me.

 

“Really? Well, then, what’s a good-looking specimen like yourself doing in a place like this?”

 

Some people get chatty or start to flirt when they drink. It’s clear this woman, who, from her attitude, appears to already have had more than a few, is one of them.

 

But I’m not. I have no interest in conversation. Instead, what I crave is silence. Stillness. Not having to talk about anything with anyone.

 

“You’re not from around here, aren’t you. Your German’s really good.”

 

Unbelievable. How would she know? I’ve only spoken all of three words so far.

 

“Where are you from? China? Japan?”

 

I turn my face away from her to look in the other direction. I keep my answer short and curt in hopes she’d get the message that I’m not interested in chitchat:

 

“Korea.”

 

Big mistake.

 

I hear her gasp audibly beside me. I feel her arm snaking around the back of my neck, turning me around and pushing me closer to her so that our faces are only inches apart.

 

“Korean?” the woman croons.

 

She leans in even closer: close enough that even in my unclear state of mind, I can see how her eyes dance flirtatiously. And as though that were not enough, I note with alarm that she has backed me into the corner of the bar, her free hand now touching my thigh.

 

“I should have guessed; that’s where all the hot ones are from.”

 

I may have had enough drinks that my mind feels like a blank fog right now, but I am certainly not so far gone that I don’t realize just what is going on. But even as I know I am tensing up on the inside, frantically trying to think of some means of escape, I’m not sure if that is actually translating over to the rest of my body.

 

I think I’m backing away from her, but I don’t know if I am.

 

I try to glare at her, but my tired, half-lidded eyes must look more brooding and seductive than warning and cold.

 

I try to open my mouth to protest – I’m not interested, I have a girlfriend – but for a long moment, nothing comes out.

 

“Ma- Madam,” I finally manage to say, “I’m – I’m not – A- actually, I – I already –”

 

“Hey! You over there – leave the boy alone!”

 

The shout from the bar makes both of us jump. In all the times I’ve been to Fridrich, I’ve never heard Bernd raise his voice like that.

 

But am I ever glad he did, because he startles the woman enough that she finally releases her hold on me.

 

“What?” she drawls at him. “I was just having a bit of fun!”

 

I don’t hear the rest of what she says, nor what Bernd snaps at her in response. Instead, scrambling as quickly as my hands, now clumsy with drink, would allow, I grab a wad of bills from my wallet, place it down on the counter as payment, and make my escape.

 

Or I would have, if, in my haste, I had not stood up too quickly.

 

Immediately, I feel a wave of dizziness crash over me. The room bends and sways around me. The music playing is a senseless cacophony of noise ringing in my ears, joining my pounding pulse in ripping its way through my head.

 

I only manage a few steps before my legs give out, the floor rushing up towards me.

 

“Whoa! Easy there, Yoo Jin!”

 

A set of hands grab me from behind, grasping my arms just underneath my shoulders, helping me back upright.

 

I glance out of the corner of my eye at the man beside me. It takes me a few seconds of standing there, blinking in confusion, before it finally dawns on me why his face looks familiar.

 

“Muhammed?”

 

He gives me a wry grin. “The one and only.” He then turns his head to look back behind me at the woman. “Begging your pardon, Madam, but you see, my friend here’s already got a girlfriend.” His voice hardens warningly. “And I think he was about to tell you that if you would have just let him.”

 

Without waiting for a reply, Muhammed guides me to a spot closer to the bar’s entrance, not letting go until I have settled down on one of the chairs, once again resting my head down on the table and closing my eyes with a groan. I open them a crack a moment later, just in time to see him scurry to retrieve my coat from where I had dropped it on the ground before coming back to take the seat across from me. When the waitress approaches us, Muhammed orders a soda, and then waves her away.

 

“What are you doing here?” I finally manage to ask. “I thought – I thought Muslims like you didn’t drink.”

 

“You’re right; I don’t. I’m just here to rescue those who have been let down by the system.”

 

I glance up at him, my brow furrowing in confusion. “Was?”

 

“You don’t know that line? From Dirty Pretty Things? It’s a good film; you should check it out someday. A bit morbid, but an interesting look at what life in Europe is like for people of colour like us.

 

“But, to answer your question: Nae Il sent me.”

 

 “Nae – Nae Il?”

 

“Ja.” By this point, Muhammed’s soda has arrived, so he takes a slow sip, his head turning this way and that to take in the entire bar.

 

“You’re so damned predictable, Yoo Jin – you just have to do things differently from everyone else.”

 

“What – what do you mean?”

 

“I mean this place. All Nae Il told me was that you two had fought and that you had then run off by yourself. She didn’t know where to, though, just that, knowing you, it’d probably be to a bar. So I had to guess which one. And what do you know? Right on the very first shot!

 

“But what does surprise me, though,” he goes on, “is that even you, of all people, could wind up in the doghouse in the first place.”

 

“Shut up,” I growl at him.

 

He raises his hands up in surrender. “Hey, whatever quarrel you two had, it’s up to you two to sort that out. I’m not about to intrude on that. But if it makes any difference, it does sound like she’s cooled off by now, seeing as she was so worried about you that she’d call me for help.

 

“Speaking of which…”

 

Muhammed then takes out his phone and makes a call. “Hallo, Nae Il – it’s me.” His eyes flicker in my direction. “Ja, I found him, all right.”

 

I don’t know what Nae Il says in response to that, but she must have been pretty agitated, because I then hear Muhammed trying to reassure her.

 

“Don’t worry; he’s fine. No bumps, no bruises, still got his wallet on him – fine. But I don’t think you’d want to see him just yet – he’s totally wasted right now.”

 

I shoot him a glare and even try to take a swing at him for that last statement. But my arm feels far heavier than it should, and my blow is not only hopelessly weak but misses him entirely.

 

Whatever Nae Il says in reply seems to have caught Muhammed off guard, though, as his eyes widen and he stares at me in surprise.

 

“Well, that might be so, but seriously: trust me on this one.” After yet another pause, he adds, “Don’t worry; I’ll return him to you tomorrow. Promise.”

 

If their conversation goes on past this point, I don’t hear it. Because the realization that Nae Il had actually been trying to find me is finally sinking into my addled brain, taking a giant load off my shoulders.

 

Finally, for the first time since this entire mess started, I let myself sink down into the depths, surrendering myself to the darkness that envelopes me: no longer frightening, but a comforting embrace.

 

~~~~~

 

Vaguely, it crosses my mind that this was how I had first met Nae Il: opening my eyes after drinking myself into oblivion to find myself in an unknown person’s apartment.

 

But this can’t be Nae Il’s apartment. Because that would be my apartment as well – and I’m fairly certain that I can recognize my own house when I see it.

 

Just where the hell am I?

 

Slowly, I open my eyes to get my bearings, but find myself wincing and squeezing them shut again. The morning light, although usually a pleasant sight, is jabbing painfully into my brain, adding to the incessant pounding inside my head.

 

I try again, this time forcing myself to push through the pain and keep my eyes open as I slowly sit up. I seem to be on someone’s couch somewhere, just across the table from a bed along the opposite wall. Slowly lowering my feet down to the floor, I prop my elbows on my knees and, leaning down, press the heels of my hands against my eyes.

 

Anything to stop me from feeling like I’m about to pass out again.

 

“Ah! You’re up already – good morning!”

 

Growling in irritation at the interruption, I glance up once again, turning my head towards the voice. It is coming from the kitchenette along the wall on my right.

 

Or, more specifically, the person standing at the stove right now.

 

Muhammed.

 

“What…what happened?” I ask blearily. “Where am I?”

 

“My place – where did you think?”

 

I blink several times at him, still not making sense of what he’s saying. “Was?”

 

“Do you remember anything of what happened last night?”

 

It takes me a moment, but eventually I do.

 

All of it.

 

My argument with Nae Il. Saying the wrong things to her. Going to the bar. Choosing the hardest drink they had, something far stronger than my usual. Drinking too fast. Losing track of how much I’d had….

 

All of it.

 

Even the bits that I’d rather forget.

 

A sultry voice. A groping hand….

 

Instinctively, I shake my head, trying to clear that last picture from my mind. But that just makes it hurt even worse and I let in a sharp hissing breath in agony.

 

“Here. You can use this.”

 

Belatedly, I realize that at some point, Muhammed had moved away from the kitchenette. He is now crouched down in front of me, holding out a glass of some bright red liquid.

 

“Don’t worry,” he says when I glance skeptically at it. “It’s just tomato juice with a little bit of hot sauce. I can’t promise it will cure you right away, but it should help wake you up, at least.”

 

Taking hold of the glass with both hands – I don’t trust myself enough to be able to grab anything steadily otherwise – I raise it to my lips, allowing myself to take a small sip. At first, the sensation of anything going into my throat makes me want to gag, but I eventually manage. The juice’s sour taste is refreshing as it goes down, and the slight spiciness from the hot sauce Muhammed has mixed in helps to dispel the dry cotton-ball feeling from inside my mouth.

 

“There,” he says, a note of satisfaction in his voice when I pass the drained glass back to him. “Feeling better?”

 

“Give it some time!” I snap. “Like you’d said: it’s not a miracle cure.”

 

“Well, you’re actually talking now, so clearly it’s doing something,” he retorts, rocking back proudly on his heels. He points over his shoulder towards the doorway leading to the foyer. “The bathroom’s over there.”

 

I don’t need to be told twice. For one, I’m sure that I must look as much as a mess as I feel, and have belatedly realized that today is a weekday so I still need to get ready to go to class. And secondly, I am starting to note that there is a difference between getting something down and keeping it down.

 

It takes me a good while before it finally feels safe for me to make my way back to the main room of the apartment. By this point, Muhammed is already sitting on the bed across from the couch, two identical plates of food on the coffee table.

 

He glances up at me as I sink down into my spot. “Feeling better now?”

 

“Was?”

 

“My mother used to tell me: ‘If you’re feeling nauseous, just let it out. Don’t try to fight it, because it’s your body’s way of getting rid of whatever’s making you sick.’”

 

I shoot him an irritated look. “Is your mother a doctor?”

 

“Nein. But she is a mother – and sometimes, I wonder if that’s even better.”

 

I don’t have anything good to say to that, so instead, I turn my attention to breakfast: toast, a fried egg, and some sort of spicy sausage that Muhammed tells me he got from a halal butcher. There is also coffee, but he doesn’t let me have it until after I have downed another glass of the same tomato juice concoction he had given me earlier. At least this time I’m feeling well enough after throwing up earlier that it actually stays there.

 

“By the way, Yoo Jin: Nae Il called me earlier, while you were still….”

 

I give him a nod, but don’t look up from my plate. “Go on.”

 

“She said to let you know that she’s already called in sick today for the both of you.”

 

“Wait. For both of us?”

 

Muhammed nods. “I thought that was strange, too. I mean, calling in for you, I understand – I don’t know if not showing up to class or showing up hungover is more humiliating, but my guess is that neither option’s fun – but I didn’t think she would do the same for herself.”

 

Noting the alarmed expression on my face, he adds, “Don’t worry; I don’t think she’s actually sick. I think she’s just eager for you to get home.”

 

He pauses for a moment, an amused look coming over his features. “You know, you and Nae Il are quite a strange couple.”

 

“How so?”

 

“See, last night, when I told her just how badly drunk you were, she actually suggested I take you back home anyway. She said that you two first met under similar circumstances, so she’d already seen it all.”

 

That surprises me enough that I actually fumble with my fork and drop it onto the table. As I reach over to pick it up, he continues:

 

“Honestly, though, I don’t know how you did it. How the hell did you get so drunk that you couldn’t even make it home: passing out drunk in front of her place when yours was literally two steps away?”

 

Of course I know how and why that happened. But I have no intention of bringing up Chae Do Kyung at this point, so I decide not to say anything at all.

 

“You know,” Muhammed goes on after a moment, “it’s seeing people like you that makes me glad I’m not allowed to drink.”

 

I shoot him a warning glare. “Shut up. If you’re not allowed to, then you don’t know what it’s like.”

 

“Hey, don’t forget: I’m the one who bailed you out last night. I think that at least gives me the right to say whatever I want. What do you think would have happened if I hadn’t been there? Last I checked, you were being accosted by some random woman with yellow fever. I suppose that’s better than walking in on you trying to pick someone else up, but still! You’re lucky that Nae Il still doesn’t know about this yet.”

 

I feel myself tense up. “Are you blackmailing me?”

 

“Nein. I don’t want that story to get out, either. I’m just saying: don’t do something like that again. You’re not the first friend I’ve helped out before, and you certainly won’t be the last. But timing…that’s not something I can make any promises about.”

 

It’s not pleasant advice to hear, but his words are simply echoing things I have already thought to myself. So, as reluctant as I am to admit it, I nod, offering him a quick word of thanks.

 

“No problem,” Muhammed says, getting up to clear away the dishes now that we are both finished. From the kitchenette, he calls back to me, “It’s just the right thing to do, you being our ensemble’s maknae and all.”

 

Wait, what?

 

I round on him, wincing when my sudden movement is punished by yet another spike of pain in my head. “What did you say? Was – was that Korean?”

 

He gives me a grin that looks far too satisfied for my liking, as though he’s been waiting the entire time to spring that surprise on me. “You can blame my youngest sister, Fatima. She’s in high school right now, and is obsessed with K-pop, Korean dramas, the whole package. So when I went home to Frankfurt this past February, I asked her to teach me a few things.”

 

Setting everything down in the sink, he comes back, fishing his phone out of his pocket. He unlocks it, then, after pressing a few more buttons, turns it to show me a photo of a pretty brown-skinned girl with a headscarf. I note that she’s adopted an aegyo pose for the camera.

 

“That’s her, in case you’re wondering.”

 

As I look closely at the photograph, Muhammed suddenly lets out a snort of laughter.

 

“What?”

 

“I just remembered. You probably won’t appreciate the humour in this, but Fatima…Fatima’s the sort of girl who seems to have a different – what was it? – oppa every single time I see her. And the guy she was into this last time, well, she said he looked a lot like you. She told me his name once, but I can’t seem to remember: Joo…Joo-something, can’t remember what.”

 

He gives me a questioning look. “You wouldn’t happen to know who I’m talking about, right?”

 

I let out a scoff. “Why should I know? You know I don’t follow that stuff!”

 

“Just asking.”

 

~~~~~

 

I’m not surprised when I see Nae Il standing in the foyer waiting for me when, finally, I manage to unlock the door of our apartment and stumble inside.

 

I’m also not surprised when the first thing she does is come up to me and give me a sharp kick in the shin. That, at least, I know I deserve.

 

What does surprise me, though, is that she immediately follows that with a fierce bear hug: burying her face in my chest and wrapping her arms so tightly around my waist that I can’t breathe.

 

Cautiously, unsure whether she would respond well to me, I reach out with one hand to pat her on the back of the head.

 

“N- Nae Il-ah….”

 

Eventually, she pulls back from the hug, stepping back to look me over.

 

Suddenly, she lunges forward, grabbing firmly onto my free hand. “Come,” she says in a voice that would broker no argument, turning around and pulling me along behind her into the living room. “We need to talk.”

 

She drags me, stumbling, all the way to the couch before shifting to grab me by the shoulders and shoving me down onto it. Then, bending at the waist, she leans in closer, looming over me so that I am forced to look up at her.

 

My eyes widen in alarm. “Ya, Seollebal, what are you –”

 

“I should be asking you that, Orabang: what were you thinking, going off on your own like that?” She is so agitated that, still holding onto my shoulders, she starts shaking me a bit. “Do you have any idea how worried I was?”

 

“Look, Nae Il-ah, I was perfectly fine –”

 

“Liar. How could you have been fine? I heard you out in the hallway last night. I heard how upset you were. And then – then I heard you leave.”

 

She turns her face away, biting her lip to stop the tears pooling in her eyes from spilling out.

 

“I thought you were just going out to get some air,” she continues in a haunted voice. “So I waited for you to come back. I waited for an hour and you still weren’t home, nor had you sent me any sort of message. So I tried calling you to find out what was going on, but then you’d left your phone at home.”

 

“I – I did?”

 

Jaw dropping in surprise, I frantically pat myself over, checking each of my pockets in turn.

 

She’s right. My phone isn’t in any of them.

 

Damn.

 

“So that’s why you called Muhammed.”

 

She nods frantically, closing her eyes as she finally starts to cry. “I knew I was being stupid. I knew that there was no way you’d actually go and not come back, despite anything you might have said. But then I also started worrying that something bad had happened to you. And I – and I – I don’t know which was worse, Orabang: worrying that you couldn’t come home or that you wouldn’t.”

 

Slowly, the reality of what Nae Il is telling me sinks in.

 

Gently, I place my hands over hers, getting in with my fingers to loosen her hold on my shoulders. Then, bringing them together in front, I pull her towards me. To my relief, she does not resist and even seems to welcome my touch as I guide her to sit in my lap. I let go of her hands, choosing instead to place my arms around her waist in a backhug.

 

Slowly, I lower my head until my chin is resting on her shoulder. I squeeze her tighter, hoping desperately that she will not turn me away.

 

“Be- before I say anything else…” I let out quietly. “Mianhae. I shouldn’t have yelled at you or said the things I did last night, nor should I have gone out without telling you anything first. I frightened you, and I shouldn’t have. Mianhae.”

 

Sitting together like this, Nae Il and I are so close that I can feel how her cheeks are still wet with tears as she nods, wordlessly accepting my apology. Then, I feel her start to move and I pull back just enough for her to twist around and wrap her arms around me in turn. She buries her face in my shoulder, still crying softly.

 

With her turned around like this, I rub her on the back with one hand, not stopping until, eventually, she goes still, having cried herself out.

 

“There. Are you feeling better now?” I ask when she pulls back. She gives me a nod, followed by a small smile when, using the same hand with which I had been comforting her, I cup her cheek in my palm and wipe the tears away with my thumb. Then, with one last pat on her cheek, I suggest that she take a moment to freshen up.

 

“After that, we can keep talking if you want to.”

 

While Nae Il is in the bathroom – washing her face, redoing her makeup – I take advantage of those few minutes to change into a fresh set of clothes. Muhammed had had an extra toothbrush, and he had insisted that I at least take a shower before coming home, but I had still only had what I was wearing yesterday on hand, and there is nothing more that I want than to get out of them now.

 

It feels cleansing somehow, as though I am becoming someone new. As though I am erasing the alcohol I drank last night, peeling away the skin that still feels burned by that woman’s touch.

 

Once we are both ready, Nae Il and I, we reconvene in the living room. This time, we both sit on the floor, each of us nursing a cup of tea that she had brewed while I was still getting dressed.

 

To my surprise, she speaks up first.

 

“I called my professor this morning. Besides asking to be excused from class today, I also told him that I’d changed my mind about the duet and that I’d do it after all.”

 

I turn to look at her in astonishment. “You – you have?”

 

“Ne.” She pauses for a moment, looking down into her steaming cup, before continuing, “You were right, Orabang: I was being very childish yesterday. I’d forgotten that, in spite of everything, you’re still more experienced in this world of classical music than me. You did competitions when you were little; you’ve already had your debut; and, if nothing else, you’ve seen Abeonim and Eomeonim go through it all.

 

“So you wouldn’t have told me to agree to the duet if it wasn’t good for me.”

 

“Were you scared?” I ask. “Is that why you said you didn’t want to do it?”

 

She shakes her head. “Aniyo – I wasn’t scared.”

 

“So, what was it?” When she looks at me in confusion, I move to clarify. “I know that you’d said that you really wanted to save these four-handed pieces for the two of us. But you’ve been fine with playing with others before.

 

“Be honest with me, Nae Il-ah. You told me once yourself: how am I supposed to know something’s bothering you if you don’t say so?”

 

She looks away once again. “It’s nothing. I – I was just being silly, that’s all.”

 

I reach out and place one hand firmly on her shoulder. “If it’s eating you up on the inside, then it’s not silly anymore.” I give her a light reassuring squeeze. “Trust me: I know from experience. The problems that you think aren’t worth talking about are the ones most likely to kill a relationship, because instead of being healed or shared, they’ll just fester until they burst.”

 

“Like the Rising Star Orchestra?” she asks, turning back around to face me.

 

“Mm. Like the Rising Star Orchestra.”

 

“Ne, arasseyo.”

 

She looks down at her hands, clearly trying to get her thoughts together, before finally saying, “I…I was jealous.”

 

Startled at her admission, I let go of her shoulder.

 

“Jealous? Of whom?”

 

And then it occurs to me.

 

“Of Lana?”

 

“Not like that. I know there isn’t anything like that between you. But…but when I saw...when I saw….”

 

I give her a nod of encouragement. “Go on. Whatever it is you want to say, I won’t get upset. I promise.”

 

“I – I wanted to play something with you, Orabang. At Whitsun.”

 

The words come rushing out of her now that she has started.

 

“I thought that when you met with Muhammed and Lana to discuss it that that’s what you would come back and tell me about. And then we went to the Schloss Frohnburg, and you asked me if I wanted to perform there. And I was happy. So happy. It’s such a beautiful place, and you knew I loved it, and – and nothing would have been more perfect than finding out that we were performing together there.

 

“But then you told me that that’s not what’s happening. That you were asking if I could play something alone. I understood why – and I also appreciated that you asked me for permission first before promising anything to the others – but…but I was still disappointed.

 

“By the time we started rehearsals, I thought I’d gotten over it. I really did. But then when I saw you and Lana going over her music together, I…I felt….”

 

“You felt that that should have been your spot instead,” I finish for her.

 

She nods. “It’s silly, isn’t it. That I would feel that way.”

 

“Ani,” I say, shaking my head. “It’s not silly at all.”

 

I mean it, too.

 

“Everyone who plays music – everyone who loves music, I mean, not just those who play it for resume padding – has been there before.” I explain. “Even I have.

 

“Music has heart. It has life. And the people who play that music…well, it’s not hard to see how they start making connections between each other, too. And then you start wanting to protect those connections; you don’t want anything to come along and threaten them.”

 

“But you said I was being childish,” Nae Il protests with a pout.

 

“I did. I’ll admit to that. But, Nae Il-ah, it’s not feeling protective that’s childish; it’s what you decide to do with it. When you see anything that comes from outside as a threat, everyone around you as a rival, that’s being childish. But if you think of these changes as a chance to build new connections…that’s how you grow as a musician.

 

“Trust me, Seol Nae Il: if you can learn this, then you’re already more mature than many musicians I know – even some who are far older than us,” I finish, punctuating the last bit with a wink so she knows exactly whom I’m referring to.

 

This is, after all, what makes me different from Abeoji; I like to think that I have made the wiser choice because of it.

 

After yet another moment’s thought, Nae Il nods, showing me that she understands. Then, placing her mug back down onto the coffee table, she scoots closer to me. Guessing her intention, I set my own cup down so I could meet her and return in kind when she places her arms around me in a hug.

 

“But you know what?” I say quietly into her ear. “There’s still a chance for us to perform together soon.”

 

I feel her tense up, not in apprehension but in anticipation, before she pulls back from the hug to look me square in the eye.

 

“The programmes are already set for your debut recital and for Whitsun,” I note, “but remember: there’s also the concert that Professor Stresemann invited us to. The one with the Rising Star Orchestra.”

 

Slowly, as my words sink in, I can see a light coming on in Nae Il’s eyes.

 

I chuckle despite myself. “You like that, don’t you?” I ask, reaching out to tap her on the end of the nose with one finger.

 

She gives me a small smile, and then nods.

 

“Then it’s settled,” I say firmly. “I’m sure the professor has gotten in touch with the others about that by this point, so this Saturday, during our video chat, I’ll bring it up with Lee Yoon Hoo.” I grab her hands with mine, giving them a little squeeze. “Whatever else he wants to do with the orchestra is his business, but when it comes to your concerto – and it will be a concerto, if you want to be up on stage with me as my soloist – I will be the one in charge of that.”

 

“Komapsumnida, Orabang,” she says with a smile.

 

Then, suddenly, it twitches up into a mischievous smirk.

 

The devilish look on her face makes me laugh. “What?”

 

“I just remembered: I do still owe Lee Yoon Hoo a shared performance….”

 

I stare at her, gobsmacked. “Ya, Seollebal!”

 

“Oh, so it’s fine when it’s my professor, but not when it’s Yoon Hoo?” she asks coyly. Giggling, she starts poking me hard in the shoulder, sending me scooting backwards around the coffee table to get away. “Who’s the childish one now, huh?”

 

Realizing that she’s trapped me with her logic, I raise my hands in surrender. “All right, all right – you win!” I gasp out. “So what do you want, then? Who would you rather perform with: Lee Yoon Hoo or me?”

 

She rocks back on her heels, tilting her head from side to side and tapping her chin with one finger. But this time, I know she’s just messing with me; I know she already has a response in mind.

 

But that doesn’t make waiting any easier.

 

“Come on, Seollebal, this is torture. Just tell me already!”

 

Finally, she does.

 

“You. I choose you, Orabang. But you’ve got to do better than just holding my hands if you want to seal the deal.”

 

I know what she wants.

 

It’s really no surprise.

 

This is Seol Nae Il, after all.

 

I concede defeat with a sigh. “All right, Seollebal. I’ll give you what you want.” Then, crawling back so that I am on hands and knees in front of her, I brush her hair back with one hand and lean forward to give her a kiss on the forehead.

 

“There. Is that good enough?” I ask once I’ve pulled back.

 

She shakes her head. “Lower.”

 

I kiss her on the cheek next. “How about now?”

 

“Lower.”

 

I raise an eyebrow. “You just want me to go all the way, don’t you.”

 

Nae Il nods. “Consider it payment, Orabang, for the scare you gave me yesterday.”

 

“All right, then. You asked for it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

 

Placing one hand on the back of her head to keep her in place, I swoop in to kiss her on the lips.

 

Author's Notes (In Hidden Contents because of Spoilers)

 

Spoiler

Okay, as far as the "Seolleim in Salzburg" series is concerned, this is the darkest I've ever gone, and it's also the darkest I'll ever go. The next few installments will be of the more cute, fluffy music-centred variety that you're probably already familiar with.

 

So why did I go there with the darker stuff, especially that bar scene? I'll explain in a bit, but let's get the lighter behind the scenes stuff taken care of first.  

 

1. The music - Baroque vs. Romantic

 

I mention the distinction between "Baroque" and "Romantic" styles of music a number of times in this fic, so I do want to provide a bit more context here. 

 

Generally speaking, the terms Baroque and Romantic refer to different points in the history of classical music (note: it's oftentimes put as "classical" with a lower-case C when referring to the genre more generally, and "Classical" with an upper-case C when referring to the time period  - but I digress). The word Baroque refers to most of the 1600s up to around 1750, and the word Romantic refers to most of the 1800s; by process of elmination, the Classical period, then, goes from 1750 to 1800.

 

The music that was created at these different points in history was significantly different. People oftentimes think of Baroque as being stiff and formal, and Romantic as free and expressive. However, Baroque and Romantic do not actually exist on a binary: they're not opposites. Instead, if you listen to both Baroque and Romantic music, you'll find that both styles of music are highly emotionally charged. So what's the difference? How those emotions are expressed. In Baroque music, pieces often stayed fairly consistently in one mood throughout - happy, sad, angry, grand/majestic, etc. - and a lot of the "rules" that we have in classical music composition today (e.g. what different chords consist of, how chords should progress from one to another, what sounds good together and what doesn't) stem from this period as well. Baroque music is often very thickly layered: different instruments or voices playing around with the same theme superimposed on top of each other, and a lot of the richness of sound comes from this technique.

 

Romantic music, on the other hand, is less about creating the rules or even testing how far you could take them. It really is based a lot on personal artistic expression: so, not so much about the rules as how they could be safely - or not so safely - broken. So we see new forms, new instruments, a bigger orchestra like the sort we know today, etc. We also see music that is composed to tell a story (not the same as opera, which existed long before this point, but instrumental pieces meant to evoke certain images - like La Campanella by Liszt, for instance), or music that ranges widely between different emotional states: sometimes loud, sometimes quiet, sometimes joyous, sometimes sad, sometimes dramatic, etc.

 

Playing Baroque style, though, as discussed in the fic, is something different. What you see in this fic about how Cha Yoo Jin explains it to Seol Nae Il - both the definition (i.e. playing the piano to imitate a harpsichord) and the technique (ie. bent fingers, a lowered palm that must stay level, etc.) are things that my mother taught me. And like what I did with Yoo Jin in this case, it was also this technique that I learned first - and actually, as a general whole, I did better with Baroque than Romantic music in my own piano playing. (By the way, the eraser challenge that Yoo Jin uses here is also how my mom taught this technique to me - I guess it makes for fun for kids and kids at heart like Nae Il.)

 

So, let's use the piece I had Yoo Jin and Nae Il experiment with: Le Coucou by the French Baroque composer Louis-Claude Daquin.

 

Here's what it would sound like played on a harpsichord:

 

 

Here's a piano version that I would consider "Romantic" style (Note how the pianist is using the pedal to make notes blend together and last longer, which would be impossible on a harpsichord, and also how he plays around with the tempo)

 

 

And here's a piano version that I would describe as "Baroque" style, played the way Cha Yoo Jin (and I!) learned it

 

 

And, finally, for anyone who is curious, here is the real-life harpsichord demo that I drew off of to write Yoo Jin's. I set the video to start when the description of the double-manual (i.e. two-keyboard) harpsichord begins, but you can always watch from the beginning to learn some of the basic mechanics, too.

 

 

Finally, to conclude today's music lesson: the stuff Nae Il reads out from her textbook is taken from a real music history textbook I found online  

 

2. Locations

 

Most of the descriptions of the Salzburg locations I feature in theis story are already there, so I'll just do pictures for the most part.

 

The Café Classic

 

 

And here's a shot of the Mozartmelange more specifically (Yes, Austrian cafés serve water with their coffees - I don't know why)

 

The Schloss Frohnburg

 

 

 

Gastlokal Fridrich (which I just call "Fridrich" in the story)

 

 

By the way, the owner of Fridrich really is an older gentleman named Bernd - but what you see here in the story as to his personality is mostly my own creation, stemming from what little I gleaned from reviews of the bar from travel websites

 

 

 3. "Me Too", Yellow Fever and Hallyu (a.k.a. What the hell is up with that bar scene?)

 

First of all, full disclosure: I thought a really long time about whether to include the incident of sexual harassment in the bar scene. Like, the bar scene (with Yoo Jin getting drunk and Nae Il sending Muhammed out after him) was going to happen anyway, but the question was whether to include the bit between Yoo Jin and the woman sitting beside him.

 

I know it's not the sort of thing that should be taken lightly, and maybe, that's enough reason not to include it. BUT, it is actually because sexual harassment shouldn't be taken likely that I ultimately decided to include it anyway. Because it's a topic that's being discussed a lot in the news and general public lately, with things like the "Me too" movement, but there are some aspects of the debate that are still not being given enough credit, in my opinion.

 

Point is: while we oftentimes think of sexual harassment and sexual assault as something that men do to women, in reality, any combination is possible, whether we are talking about men approaching women, women approaching men, men or women approaching each other, etc. And while, to the best of my knowledge, the majority of offenses are committed by men against women, it can also happen the other way around.

 

Yet somehow, in the media, and in popular culture, depictions of men being harassed by women are somehow okay, like it's all some sort of a joke, or like he actually did want it all along (because, apparently, how can a man not want some sort of sexual contact). And, as far as I'm concerned, that's just not right.

 

So, taking it from that perspective, I also wanted to address something that is probably not all that prevalent in Asia itself, but is an actual issue where I am in North America and, I imagine, might be a problem in Europe as well: Yellow Fever. At it's most basic, Yellow Fever is when one person lusts after another solely because the other person is East Asian (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc.). It's based on stereotypes like "Asian girls are quiet and polite" or "Asian guys are gentle and not vioent", etc. The thing is, considering a particular look or culture to be attractive isn't necessarily a bad thing: it's fine to be, say, more attracted to "Asian" features, or to have an interest in Asian cultures (like, what are we all doing here?). But where it's not fine is when someone just stops at that level of lust without seriously thinking of the person they're flirting with as a person, instead just viewing them as an exotic and attractive object.

 

And the thing is, with the rise of Hallyu here in North America, I'm starting to see that. Like, I'll see jokes like, "I like my men Korean" or the whole "sexy oppa" trope. I've even had one instance where someone said to me as a joke, "Oh, you like Korean drams? You should get yourself a Korean guy, then." And while I didn't say anything in protest at the time, since I did know it was meant as a joke, quite frankly ,in hindsight, I was disgusted. Not because I think Korean guys are bad (again, why would I be here if I did?), but because the idea of trying to date a guy solely because he's Korean...really isn't fair to him as a person. And I imagine that it must really suck for someone to flirt with you or ask you out and then for you to find out it's only because of your cultural background and not because of, well, who you are.

 

So, yes, the bar scene is disturbing. And it's supposed to be. Because, sometimes, the reality actually is that messed up .

 

4. Miscellaneous Trivia

 

First of all: did anyone spot the Easter Egg this time around? It's the mention of Fatima's (i.e. Muhammed's sister's) Oppa crush  

 

Secondly, giving credit where credit's due: the idea of Nae Il,s professor wanting to perform a four-handed piece with her at her debut stems from a similar performance that's shown in "Secret Love Affair". In that drama, the scene features two supporting characters (played not by actors but real-life concert pianists), and, yes, it also uses Schubert's Fantasie in F Minor, which you may also recognize from the first fic in my "Seolleim in Salzburg" series, "The Sound of Christmas".

 

So here are the video clips, if anyone wants to see them - first, from the rehearsal/practice, and then from the actual concert.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once again, if anyone wants to read my other K-drama fanfics or other Hallyu-related writings, a master list can be found under the "About Me" tab on my profile page. Thanks for reading!

[moonstrike]

On 3/23/2018 at 1:17 AM, kittyna said:

It's funny how, because Cha Yoo Jin's the conductor, JW ends up looking even taller when he's up on the podium; and then he has to spread his legs out so much that if he were to go any farther, he'd fall off (you can see when the camera zooms out at the end how his foot is just half on the stand when he does it)

Hahaha... this is really funny. His manner leg is the best!

 

On 3/23/2018 at 1:17 AM, kittyna said:

And just another cute NG moment between JW and Shim Eun Kyung: he'd gotten a bit too much into character and smacked her harder than he was supposed to. It's actually not a hard hit at all, but he was so cutely embarrassed and apologetic about it, even while Shim Eun Kyung's laughing it off. Also, by the way: a number of fans have noted that JW likes holding Eun Kyung on her arms the way he does at the end of this clip.

I've seen this. Joo won was slapping eun kyung a bit hard. After he realized that, he immediately stoppped and hugged eun kyung. He also say sorry to her. Should I add more video like this? Here it is 

 

On 3/23/2018 at 1:17 AM, kittyna said:

JW and doing dishes...that's something he just does, doesn't he? Like, I remember that first episode of 1N2D when he did that, and, just yesterday, I saw him do it in "Yong Pal", too.

Do you mean "is joo won usually do that (washing dishes)?" If its true then, yeah. He said that he help his mother at home, one of it is washing dishes. But after he debut and become so busy, he didn't do that often like he use to be before.

 

On 3/23/2018 at 1:17 AM, kittyna said:

By the way, you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but @moonstrike, is yunie_ok actually your Instagram account? I'm asking since I've noticed that you and yunie_ok on Instagram have the same manner of "speaking" (similar words, phrases) as well as opinions

Hehehe, actually that is my mom's account but because she didn't use instagram now, I ask her can I use that account. I take that account about one week ago.

 

14 hours ago, kittyna said:

Title: A Little Baroque, A Little Romantic

Drama: "Nae Il's Cantabile"

Characters: Cha Yoo Jin, Seol Nae Il

Premise: If Cha Yoo Jin and Seol Nae Il can be described as styles of music, then he is Baroque and she is Romantic: he follows the rules and traditions; she breaks them in order to follow her heart. But Nae Il must learn when to rein herself in, and Yoo Jin must learn when to listen to her heart as well as his own. And no-one said the journey was going to be easy.

As always, your fanfic is really great. Thank you for sharing this here. I always get curious how the story will end everytime I read your fanfic. 

 

Now pics!

 

Spoiler

Since you already knew my account...  by the way, I found this photo not long ago. I was so happy when I saw this photo. From this photo we know that Joo won's subject is First Aid. He looks handsome in that pic.

 

Another new update from him! Today is the recruitment day for the new troops that have finish their basic training. He still look awesome as ever.

 

This pic is so awesome.

 

Joo won spending happy time with his fans in fansign mountia 

 

and last but not least