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


flutterby06

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Once again, here I am with today's pics!

 

Spoiler

Kudos to the fan who posted this tribute to one of my favourite scenes from "Nae Il's Cantabile" on Instagram :) I remember getting serious "Phantom of the Opera" vibes watching this - and since that's one of my favourite musicals of all time, that meant double the fangirling :wink: 

 

(On a random side note, my heart wants JW to be cast in a Korean production of "Phantom" someday, even though my head tells me that his voice is a tad too contemporary-sounding for it)

 

 

The many faces of JW as the maknae on 1N2D

 

 

I know a lot of fans like seeing JW in his real-life nerdy glasses - so here we go!

 

 

This shot is just so cute :)

 

 

Impeccably dressed, but still casually cool

 

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I think this shot is from a magazine or a newspaper of some sort - it's really overtly stylized, but I like how it turned out

 

 

Finally, to end it off for today - a shot from the script-reading for "Yong Pal"

 

 

 

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Here I am with today's pics!

 

Spoiler

Cute collage of images from the cooking segment on "Life Log"

 

 

I've always liked this quote from his appearance on "Healing Camp"

 

 

Looking cool in the moto jacket

 

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JW with his BFF, Lee Se Wook - This shot is from "Life Log"

 

 

A behind-the-scenes shot from "Yong Pal"

 

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And some more from "Nae Il's Cantabile" - Cute matching poses, again :) 

 

 

JW and his mini-me in "My Sassy Girl"

 

 

 

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Quickly visiting here to say hi before camping in front of TV for the World Cup... thank you @kittyna for your daily pictures and captions, and special thanks for answering my questions so well! I know my questions can be a little silly sometimes but it’s like when you fall in love with something; you want to know every little detail about the subject (or the person) :D

 

On 6/11/2018 at 10:10 PM, kittyna said:

the topknots that you see in period dramas are done by taking a shoulder-length hairpiece and styling that after it's already been put onto the actor's head. There's a full explanation here - it's in Korean, but I think the photos should be pretty self-explanatory.

 

Thank you for sharing this piece of information, I love how detailed you are ^_^

 

On 6/12/2018 at 9:45 PM, kittyna said:

Loving how he looks in casual clothes like this - T-shirts, jeans, hoodies...you get the idea

 

I agree, Joowon looks really good in casual clothing. Baseball caps are my weakness.

 

On 6/13/2018 at 10:32 PM, kittyna said:

Since @green_cardigan mentioned liking this look on him...

 

I like it very much... :wub: I hope that when JW’s been discharged from the military he will grow his hair out again. Of course it depends on what kind of role he’ll do next and what the character is meant to look like.

 

On 6/13/2018 at 10:32 PM, kittyna said:

Bedhead and shirtless (albeit wrapped in a throw blanket)?!?! In hindsight, it looks like "Nae Il's Cantabile" just decided to throw us right into the deep end as far as eye-candy is concerned :tongue: 

 

The first episode of Naeil’s Cantabile had almost too much eye-candy to handle at once. I think I threw my iPad off my hands a couple of times because I had to calm myself down. But it was the story that instantly drew me in, I fell in love with Yoojin and Naeil right from the start.

 

Okay, the match started... just a couple of things; is this Joowon’s real eye color? I noticed that in many pictures his eyes are this beautiful brown color, but it’s possible the color is from contant lenses. While I was searching for information about his eye color I found this post. Thank you mrdimples, I had a lot of fun reading it ^_^ I wanted to read the other parts too but this was the only one that still existed.

 

Spoiler

 

It looks like JW had contact lenses here but could they be colorless..? Nvm the color, his eyes are beyond beautiful anyway...

 

PYH2012091713230001300_P2_59_20120917190

 

PYH2012091713260001300_P2_59_20120917190

 

Sorry for keeping it short this time, I try to return here sooner than later.

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2 hours ago, green_cardigan said:

Quickly visiting here to say hi before camping in front of TV for the World Cup...

 

Camping out for the Germany-Mexico match? Are you a fan of either of those, by any chance?

 

(Sorry - I know it's not all that JW-relevant, but I'm just wondering, since I've got a soft spot for Germany myself. Not a huge die-hard know-all-the-details fan, but I definitely like seeing them doing well :))

 

2 hours ago, green_cardigan said:

The first episode of Naeil’s Cantabile had almost too much eye-candy to handle at once. I think I threw my iPad off my hands a couple of times because I had to calm myself down. But it was the story that instantly drew me in, I fell in love with Yoojin and Naeil right from the start.

 

Cha Yoo Jin appealed to me immediately as a character, but Seol Nae Il did have to grow on me for a while first. Her quirky side was really funny, but it took me some time before I could really take her seriously as a character :tongue: But I really like both of them now, and think they're a really sweet pair in their own understated way.

 

2 hours ago, green_cardigan said:

Okay, the match started... just a couple of things; is this Joowon’s real eye color? I noticed that in many pictures his eyes are this beautiful brown color, but it’s possible the color is from contant lenses. 

 

2 hours ago, green_cardigan said:

It looks like JW had contact lenses here but could they be colorless..? Nvm the color, his eyes are beyond beautiful anyway...

 

I know that JW wears contact lenses in real life (as in, he actually needs them), although I sometimes worry for just how healthy that is in relation to his schedule. In other words, I know that you're supposed to limit how long you wear the contacts and you're not supposed to wear them to bed, because that could end up drying out your eyes and decreasing the amount of oxygen they get, but when JW's got a schedule that sometimes even entails him going without sleep for hours on end, let alone changing into his eyeglasses...yeah. It is a bit worrisome. :unsure: I guess that's part of the price of being an actor in Korea, but still...that can't be good, like, ten or twenty years from now, right?

 

But anyway, I digress.

 

I personally don't think those are coloured contacts, but more a trick of the lighting. The thing about "black" hair and "black" eyes - which is oftentimes how East Asian features are described - is that, well, they're not really black. It's usually some deep shade of brown that, under bright lights, can end up looking surprisingly light. So, for instance, if I took my hair - which would almost universally be called "black" and hold it up to the sunlight, it shows up as almost a mahogany sort of colour. The same can happen with eyes, too. You can see that there's some really strong/bright frontal lighting in these shots, and that's being reflected back in his eyes.

 

2 hours ago, green_cardigan said:

While I was searching for information about his eye color I found this post. Thank you mrdimples, I had a lot of fun reading it ^_^ I wanted to read the other parts too but this was the only one that still existed.

 

Thanks for sharing this article! I've never actually seen it or read it before, but now it's giving me plenty of fodder for responding/feedback. So here goes - my replies to the points brought up by mrdimples :) 

 

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The shape is oval and yet has all the right angularity to make him look manly instead of feminine. Perhaps this is the reason why people will not quickly label him as a “Flower Boy”.   He looks very good whether it is face on, at an angle or side. I have a fondness for his side profile. Here, you can see the perfect lines, the slight slope of a forehead, the nice masculine brow bridge, the straight nose and the perfect mouth and chin.

 

I definitely think that JW doesn't have the "pretty boy" or "flower boy" sort of features - which I associate with a really prominently pointed chin/jawline, a thin high-bridged nose, big eyes, etc. However, that being said...he pulls off drag surprisingly well under the circumstances :tongue: 

 

 

It's also this combination that leads me to think that he is completely or almost completely natural - because the "flower boy" look is the one that's usually associated with cosmetic surgery, anyone who doesn't conform to that makes me wonder if their features are real, in a "If he could have gotten plastic surgery, he wouldn't go for this sort of look, would he?" kind of sense. However, I don't actually have a clear or definitive answer to that question.

 

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He has one of the most beautiful eyes I have seen. In Dramabeans Review of Ojagkyo Brothers, girlfriday described Joo Won thus “as he has maybe the prettiest eyes of any human being ever.”  To top it all, they are the liveliest when he is acting. For a Korean man, his eyes are bigger than the norm and he has double eyelids too. My personal preference is actually men with smaller eyes and single eyelids, don’t ask me why. But I cannot escape the pull of Joo Won’s stare. His eyes can emote so much that people describe him as “acting with his eyes” With that pair of beautiful, thick lash framed eyes, he is able to convey both happiness and bitterness, love and loath, realization and bewilderment, stoicism and vulnerability and the whole gamut of emotions.

 

lol - I'm with mrdimples here: JW's eyes are among my favourite features of his, too :) 

 

I think what stands out to me more than anything is the shape of his eyes. So, when I look at them, I notice right away that there's a really pleasant curve on the bottom eyelid coupled with a slightly straighter line on top: these give his eyes a slightly slanted look that immediately commands my attention. Personally, I think JW's got the elusive "phoenix eye": the eye shape that is considered classically beautiful in Chinese culture, which is characterized by an inner corner that dips slightly downwards, a gently upward curve (more long than round) across, then a more noticeable upward curve on the outer corner.

 

As for the eyelids, that's the one feature that I'm not 100% sure is natural - mostly because I've heard just how good Korean cosmetic surgeons are at creating a natural-looking artificial double eyelid. Personally, my guess is that JW's eyelids are natural, but, again, that's the one feature that I have some reservations on. Mind you - I think they're beautiful either way, so their origin isn't that big a deal for me.

 

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As beautiful as Joo Won looks with his big and expressive eyes, he is also drop dead gorgeous with his eyes closed. It is hard to explain but just look at these snapshots and you will probably agree.

 

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks this! I just think his eyes, when closed, have this really captivating soft curve to them :) 

 

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Another of Joo Won’s outstanding features is his prominent high cheekbones. They make him stand out and coupled with a pair of killer dimples, his smile is just simply gorgeous. Whenever I see Joo Won smiling on screen or even in a still photo, my heart just burst with joy, the sun shines brighter, the birds sing sweeter and the air just tingles. He truly has one of the best smiles I have seen. . In Baker King, Ma Jun didn’t smile much and when he did, it was those cynical or ‘evil’ smiles. Still, I could not help noticing the dimples. . This guy has insanely huge dimples, not the tiny type. They lend such sweetness and make him totally adorable. They are what make his smile so unique and devastatingly awesome.

 

I think the cheekbones/dimples are one of those "either you love them or you hate them" sort of features. I definitely think this is one of those features where the lighting, camera angle, etc. really matter: sometimes, on JW, they look really beautiful and add a lot of character to his face; but other times, there is something almost off or disproportionate about how they look, or they might make his face look oddly sunken at times.

 

Definitely a useful trait for character acting, though :wink: 

 

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I read somewhere of comments that Joo Won has thin lips, I beg to differ. He has one of the nicest lips I have seen on a man’s mouth. Actually, excuse my bias. I think it is the best.

 

lol - I am one of those who think JW's lips are on the thinner side, but that's actually what I like about them. I think they really suit the rest of his face, and are also very much a guy's lips :) 

 

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Joo Won got a beautiful nose as well. Straight, not aquiline, no hook or curve. Slim, not fleshy or small. No flair in the nostrils, only when he is angry but that makes him look even hotter and more exciting. It tips very slightly downwards when he is scowling or eating but as one fan said, it just makes him cuter that way. But mostly, it is nothing short of perfect.

 

Okay, mrdimples put it better than I ever could! JW's nose is the one feature I have a hard time describing, but that's because it's so...his. It looks so straight and high from the side - almost to the point where I start to wonder if it's fake - but then I can tell from a frontal shot that the actual bridge (the part between his eyes) is not all that prominent, but is actually broad enough and flat enough to feel "Eastern" and convince me all over again that it's real.

 

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I cannot miss out the fact that he has got a terrific jawline as well. I never knew how important an actor’s jawline is until I start noticing screenshots and stills of drama kiss scenes. Actors will tell you that in filming a kiss scene, it’s not just the kiss which has to look good, the angle of the shot is also very important. And to make it perfect, it’s a must that the man’s jawline look well-defined, strong and masculine. Joo Won’s jawline does the job all too beautifully.

 

I didn't notice this feature until I watched "Nae Il's Cantabile". Then Cha Yoo Jin and his high-necked turtlenecks completely did me in :wub:

 

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Now, his ears, you can best appreciate it in the type of haircut that has been featured in a couple of photos above. I really do not know how to describe the anatomy of an ear but do I even need to? Just one word, yes, you guess it. Perfect.

 

So mrdimples ran into difficulties here, and I don't blame them :wink: But one thing I personally have noticed about JW's ears, especially when you view them from the front, is that the inner ridge/fold is actually quite prominent, and even juts out slightly more than the actual crest (i.e. the top/outer curve). That sometimes makes his ears look almost pointed when viewed from the front - like an elf :tongue: 

 

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Taking a break from perfection, shall we look at the so called blemishes on Joo Won’s face? It is rather scary at times how sharp devoted fans’ eyes can be. They scrutinized every inch and millimeter of their idol’s body, celebrating in new discoveries no matter how tiny or *gasp*, even in imperfections. For the record, Joo Won has 3 moles on each side of his face and 3 more on his neck and collarbone. I am sure he has more but sorry to disappoint you, that’s strictly out of boundary. For now, the mole fetish fans have been staring so hard at his moles that they are seeing stars. They call the ones on his face the Dipper. 

 

lol - Never thought about that before! But I like small "imperfections" (which I don't actually think are imperfections, by the way, but I digress) like this, because, again, they lend character to his face, and he needs that as an actor. I don't think actors should have perfectly beautiful/handsome faces, because those feel less versatile and emotive.

 

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The thing about Joo Won is that each and every feature of his face is so beautiful. The more you look, the more you realize how perfect each is and you cannot help but marvel at how perfectly they all come together. In addition to this, the other amazing thing about Joo Won is not just how handsome he looks but how versatile he can look. One moment you see an innocent and cute young man, next, you see a man whose intense looks and masculinity just oozes sex appeal.

 

I think this one comment sums it up for me: it's not that I think JW looks perfect (because I don't think a "perfect" face exists outside of the eye of the beholder), but I do think that every single one of his features works for him and feels perfectly in place, which contributes towards the film/stage presence that we all love. So, rather than describe him as "handsome", I would say that he's "striking" :) 

 

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Standing at 1.85 metres tall, Joo Won’s height is ideal for leading man roles. Coupled with that, he has a very good musculoskeletal frame of a body. He is sporty but definitely not the type who pumps iron in the gym. Hence, he is not overtly muscular nor does he have the 6 packs for abs. However he far compensates by having a very nice set of broad shoulders, long torso and long limbs. 

 

lol - Maybe I'm used to seeing a lot of Korean actors and celebrities with super-broad shoulders, but I actually don't register JW's as being particularly broad. :tongue: In fact, I sometimes think they're a bit narrow, and I have definitely noticed that they slope a bit (in other words, there isn't that strong 90-degree angle where his neck and shoulders meet, but more of a gentle slant). However, I do like guys with a more lean/wiry build, so that makes JW's look right up my alley in this department :wink: 

 

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For someone who does not work out, we can still see that he has got the Mesomorph type of body. He has long arms and his deltoid and biceps are huge though not the best defined out there due to lack of workout. In Bridal Mask however, he seemed to have improved in beefing up his arms. You can see them most prominently when he is only wearing the Gaksital inner vest.

 

If I think JW doesn't have the most masculine-looking shoulders, I do think his limbs more than make up for it. Most of the bulk he develops from working out (those who have watched "Life Log" will notice this) seem to be on his arms and legs - and he definitely is a mesomorph in the sense that even a small amount of movement in a given moment will give him noticeably larger muscles (even if just temporarily :tongue:)

 

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His thighs are also surprisingly muscular and nicely shaped. One fan commented that his is quite unusual because many Korean guys have ‘chicken legs’

 

JW has commented himself on this - that he's got a small waist by a man's standards, but has thicker thighs. It comes from some of his favourite sports: running, soccer/football, etc. :) 

 

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Joo Won seems to be very shy or conservative about showing his body. I can count easily with one hand the number of times he went shirtless and it was not even a frontal view. Most of which lasted a mere second. I am not sure if it is a lack of confidence or just being conscious about such things. 

 

My guess is that JW is a bit conservative about these things. So he's mentioned before that, when filming shirtless scenes, he prefers to be shown from the back than the front, or that he liked to tape the gaps between the buttons on his shirts so his chest isn't exposed inadvertently.

 

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Softy at Cadence nicknamed it “Bubble Butt”. Contrary to popular belief, I am no expert when it comes to this part of the human anatomy. Curious as to the meaning, I googled these words and found them on online dictionary “Urban Dictionary” where the most popular definition describes it as not so much of big as it is rounded, tight and firm, usually complementing a slender body.

 

lol - I didn't notice this at first until I started seeing fans pointing it out, and now this is one feature that I can no longer un-see, if you know what I mean :tongue: 

 

Whew...after all of that, time for pics on my front!

 

Spoiler

Just looking casually cool, as usual

 

 

Since today's discussion has been about his features, this shot sums up some of the more notable ones

 

 

One thing mrdimples didn't mention, but that I love on JW - his chubby cheeks :tongue: They just make you want to squish them, in a very mothering sense (and, yes, in both of these shots, it's his drama mom doing it :wink:)

 

 

A really gorgeous profile shot from "Sweet Sixteen"

 

 

Really liking this shot of JW as Han Gil Ro in "Level 7 Civil Servant"

 

 

Happy and jumpy JW

 

 

 

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Wow, you all stirred up the intensity.  I can’t wait to jump in :wub:.   First thing first :ph34r: His expressive eyes.

 

Spoiler

I see a loving eye in Tae Hee, with curiosity to figure out more from the girl standing besides him.  While I see a tough determining eye in Tae Hyun, with strong willpower to fight for anything for his loved ones.

 

 

An eagle's sharp piercing gaze vs a puppy's frightened, unsettling eyes

 

 

Quirky Gilro vs fluke Gyeon Woo

 

 

Let me introduce you to 8 striking men, but sorry there ain’t no Joo Won here.

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, soomoi said:

Wow, you all stirred up the intensity.  I can’t wait to jump in :wub:.   First thing first :ph34r: His expressive eyes.

 

Awesome - thanks for jumping in! Your captions were really funny, by the way; I loved them :D

 

2 hours ago, soomoi said:

An eagle's sharp piercing gaze vs a puppy's frightened, unsettling eyes

 

Omo, yes! I think comparing shots from "Yong Pal" and "Good Doctor" together can be a lot of fun, mostly because we get to see the different nuances JW brings to both Kim Tae Hyun and Park Si On :) 

 

2 hours ago, soomoi said:

Let me introduce you to 8 striking men, but sorry there ain’t no Joo Won here.

 

I do think there are shades of the real JW in Han Gil Ro and Park Si On at least - possibly in Hwang Tae Hee as well (but I haven't actually seriously sat down and watched "Ojakgyo Brothers" yet, so I'm reserving my judgment on that). But yes, he does try to inhabit each of his characters a bit differently - which is doubly fun for us fans, because he'll remember/retain enough afterwards to be able to morph back into those characters upon request. For example, all the times he's asked to say something in Park Si On's or Lee Kang To's voice during interviews, fan meetings, etc.

 

And since I'm already here for the second time today (I do check periodically for replies, but was definitely pleasantly surprised to see one so soon :)), I'll give you all a second goody: a preview of the "Yong Pal" fanfic I'm currently working on!

 

It's definitely a very different style/vibe from my last one - whereas that one had been really angsty and dark, this one is just meant to be a cute, fluffy "slice of life" sort of thing. And, yes, it does qualify as a sequel (which I know @moonstrike has been asking me for for a long time now)

 

Spoiler

It catches me by surprise. For just a split second, I find myself pulling away from her like some love-struck schoolboy – a move that prompts yet another laugh from her. But then, shaking my head at my own embarrassment, I let myself relax, leaning back into her touch.

 

Which only lasts for a short moment before I am tensing up and shifting away from her again, this time turning to look at her over my shoulder.

 

“Ya, Han Yeo Jin – just what do you think you’re doing?”

 

She tilts her head slightly to one side, humming for a moment in thought, before shrugging and squeezing my shoulders firmly a second time.

 

“Giving you a massage.” After a moment’s pause, she adds, “Wae? Is there a problem with that?”

 

I shake my head. “Ani. Just don’t go overboard; you’re still a patient.”

 

Yeo Jin tsks softly in response. “And you were the one who said I needed physiotherapy – remember? So why are you complaining about it now?”

 

She’s right. Once again, Han Yeo Jin has bested me with her sense of logic.

 

“Aish….”

 

Although my choice of words is meant to show my frustration at being beaten, it comes out as a sigh as, finally, I concede defeat, moving back closer so that Yeo Jin could pick up from where she had left off.

 

To be fair, when it’s coming from her, it’s more the thought than the action that counts. Although she is far stronger coming out of this surgery than the three-year-long coma from before, she still has a ways to go before reaching what I would call a fully normal level of stamina. So, if I had actually been feeling tired or sore, Yeo Jin’s attempts at a massage wouldn’t have done much of anything – but as a simple act of affection, it does plenty, and I find myself closing my eyes in content.

 

Eventually, Yeo Jin’s movements slow and then come to a complete stop. Opening my eyes a crack, I peer over at her.

 

“Gwenchana?”

 

“Ne.” She gets up from her seat and steps around the platform to sit down again beside me. “I’d just rather be here like this,” she says, shifting to lean against me, her head coming down to rest on my shoulder.

 

We stay like this in easy silence for a few minutes, but are soon interrupted by the sound of the door leading back into the apartment creaking on its hinges as it swings open.

 

“I thought I’d find you two here.”

 

Moving in unison, the two of us drift apart and turn to look at So Hyun, who is just now stepping out onto the terrace carrying a tray bearing a plate of cut-up fruit as well as four forks. Behind her, holding the door open so she could pass through, is Sang Chul; in his free hand, he’s got a plastic bag that I recognize to be from the convenience store down the street, and he also has a throw blanket draped over that same arm.

 

“Are those the drinks?” I ask him, nodding towards the bag in his hand as So Hyun sets down the tray and takes a spot opposite Yeo Jin and I on the platform.

 

“Ne.”

 

Smiling in thanks, I hold out my hands towards him as he steps out all the way, the door swinging shut behind him.

 

“Toss me a beer, then, why don’t you.”

 

This had started off as a bit of a game between us. Curious one day about just how good his skills and reflexes were, I had challenged him to toss me a can of beer from one end of the terrace to the other. And while it had taken some coaxing on my part, he had eventually agreed – and promptly completely blown my mind with his accuracy. In the months since, he has yet to fumble a shot, and I don’t expect any different tonight.

 

This time around, though, rather than reaching into the bag right away, Sang Chul just stays where he is. Shifting his weight from one foot to the other and back again, his eyes dart nervously between Yeo Jin and I.

 

I follow his gaze.

 

“Ah…” I give him a knowing nod. “Don’t want to do it while ‘the Chairwoman’ is around?”

 

“Well…not exactly,” he answers, scratching the back of his head sheepishly with his free hand, “but –”

 

“Gwenchana; just do what you normally do,” Yeo Jin calls out, shooting Sang Chul her most disarming smile. “Never mind that I sign your paycheck – we’re all family here.”

 

Even with that reassurance, though, it still takes him a moment before he actually works up the nerve to follow through, reaching into the bag to retrieve a beer and tossing it lightly towards me. I catch it mid-air, clapping onto it with both hands, a move which Yeo Jin meets with a short burst of applause.

 

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Okay, so it turns out I actually had enough free time last night to finish the fic I'd just offered a preview for, so here goes!

 

Spoiler

Title: One Summer Night

Drama: "Yong Pal"

Characters: Kim Tae Hyun, Han Yeo Jin, Kim So Hyun, Lee Sang Chul

Premise: When Kim Tae Hyun moved to a small town in Gangwon-do and set up the First Floor Clinic, he had meant it to be a place of safety and refuge for anyone who came. And Han Yeo Jin is the one person who benefits the most from that.

Warnings: Some Korean profanity

 

Note on language: I did say in the warnings that there'd be swearing in here - mostly because I noticed that Tae Hyun cusses up a storm in "Yong Pal" to begin with, so that's something I'd need to incorporate into his dialogue to make his "voice" work. :tongue: However, since Soompi automatically censors most English profanities - and rightly so, I might add - I've had to work around that by putting as many of the stronger terms in the original Korean as possible. However, that also means that I can't provide a glossary here (unless you want everything to translate as "Richard Simmons", but I doubt that :D), so instead, I'll just say that all the terms I used were found on this Wikipedia page.

 

One last Note: While this story can stand on its own, it does also allude to events in one of my earlier "Yong Pal" fanfics, "All of God's Children". So if you haven't read that yet, I do recommend you do so.

 

Once again, please do not re-post anything from this fic without my permission! If you want to share this, just share the URL link on the website of your choice. Thanks!

 

Spoiler

One Summer Night

 

Once again, there is not a single star in the sky.

 

Closing my eyes, I let myself fall slowly backwards until I am lying on my back on the large platform on the terrace outside the apartment, my head resting on my hands. Slowly, I take in a deep breath and let it out in a sigh, trying to release the feeling of disappointment that had risen up inside of me.

 

“Saekki-ya…” I mutter to myself, “just what the hell did you expect?”

 

“Still no luck, Tae Hyun-ah?”

 

Startled, my eyes fly back open, and I find myself staring straight up at Yeo Jin. She is leaning down over me, having taken the spot on the platform right above the top of my head when I wasn’t looking. There is a mischievous look in her eyes, and one corner of her mouth twitches up into a knowing smile.

 

She scoots over out of the way as I sit back up, turning around slightly to face her.

 

“I swear: one of these days, it’s gonna work.” I glance back up at the sky with a firm nod. “One of these days, you’re going to come here at a time when we can actually see the stars, and I can show you all the stuff you missed out on that first time.”

 

I hear her shift closer to me.

 

“You know, if you want to show me the stars so badly, we could just go to an observatory someday.”

 

I scoff. “Where’s the fun in that?! It’s the spontaneity, that moment of surprise when you just go, ‘Ah…there they are!’ that makes stargazing fun.”

 

“Well,” Yeo Jin answers skeptically, “that’s going to be hard to do around here, or in any town or city, for that matter.” She turns her head to take in the streetlights and lit-up buildings spread out beneath us, and I find myself following along. “There’s just too much light pollution here; even if the sky is clear at night, their light would drown out the stars anyway.”

 

“I’ve seen them, though!” Wincing at how my voice had just cracked into a high-pitched whine, I force myself to take another deep breath before adding more calmly, “It’s just never been the right conditions when you happen to be here.”

 

Han Yeo Jin, after all, is still the Chairwoman of Hanshin – and a recovering patient to boot. Even though she has tried to come here to this small town in Gangwon-do every Saturday she can since Chief Lee and I have finally deemed her strong enough after her transplant surgery to travel, her visits have still been few and far between: maybe once or twice a month.

 

She laughs softly, then leans in even closer to place her hands on my shoulders.

 

“Arasseo,” she says, lowering her head so that her lips are hovering just beside my ear. “I’ll try to come by more often, then, if that’s what you want,” she whispers, punctuating that statement with a light playful kiss on my cheek.

 

It catches me by surprise. For just a split second, I find myself pulling away from her like some love-struck schoolboy – a move that prompts yet another laugh from her. But then, shaking my head at my own embarrassment, I let myself relax, leaning back into her touch.

 

Which only lasts for a short moment before I am tensing up and shifting away from her again, this time turning to look at her over my shoulder.

 

“Ya, Han Yeo Jin – just what do you think you’re doing?”

 

She tilts her head slightly to one side, humming for a moment in thought, before shrugging and squeezing my shoulders firmly a second time.

 

“Giving you a massage.” After a moment’s pause, she adds, “Wae? Is there a problem with that?”

 

I shake my head. “Ani. Just don’t go overboard; you’re still a patient.”

 

Yeo Jin tsks softly in response. “And you were the one who said I needed physiotherapy – remember? So why are you complaining about it now?”

 

She’s right. Once again, Han Yeo Jin has bested me with her sense of logic.

 

“Aish….”

 

Although my choice of words is meant to show my frustration at being beaten, it comes out as a sigh as, finally, I concede defeat, moving back closer so that Yeo Jin could pick up from where she had left off.

 

To be fair, when it’s coming from her, it’s more the thought than the action that counts. Although she is far stronger coming out of this surgery than the three-year-long coma from before, she still has a ways to go before reaching what I would call a fully normal level of stamina. So, if I had actually been feeling tired or sore, Yeo Jin’s attempts at a massage wouldn’t have done much of anything – but as a simple act of affection, it does plenty, and I find myself closing my eyes in contentment.

 

Eventually, Yeo Jin’s movements slow and then come to a complete stop. Opening my eyes a crack, I peer over at her.

 

“Gwenchana?”

 

“Ne.” She gets up from her seat and steps around the platform to sit down again beside me. “I’d just rather be here like this,” she says, shifting to lean against me, her head coming down to rest on my shoulder.

 

Laughing softly at her antics, I reach out and put one arm around her waist, pulling her in closer as she relaxes beside me. We stay like this in easy silence for a few minutes, but are soon interrupted by the sound of the door leading back into the apartment creaking on its hinges as it swings open.

 

“I thought I’d find you two here.”

 

Moving in unison, the two of us drift apart and turn to look at So Hyun, who is just now stepping out onto the terrace carrying a tray bearing a plate of cut-up fruit as well as four forks. Behind her, holding the door open so she could pass through, is Sang Chul; in his free hand, he’s got a plastic bag that I recognize to be from the convenience store down the street, and he also has a throw blanket draped over that same arm.

 

“Are those the drinks?” I ask him, nodding towards the bag in his hand as So Hyun sets down the tray and takes a spot opposite Yeo Jin and I on the platform.

 

“Ne.”

 

Smiling in thanks, I hold out my hands towards him as he steps out all the way, the door swinging shut behind him.

 

“Toss me a beer, then, why don’t you.”

 

This had started off as a bit of a game between us. Curious one day about just how good his skills and reflexes were, I had challenged him to toss me a can of beer from one end of the terrace to the other. And while it had taken some coaxing on my part, he had eventually agreed – and promptly completely blown my mind with his accuracy. In the months since, he has yet to fumble a shot, and I don’t expect any different tonight.

 

This time around, though, rather than reaching into the bag right away, Sang Chul just stays where he is. Shifting his weight from one foot to the other and back again, his eyes dart nervously between Yeo Jin and I.

 

I follow his gaze.

 

“Ah…” I give him a knowing nod. “Don’t want to do it while ‘the Chairwoman’ is around?”

 

“Well…not exactly,” he answers, scratching the back of his head sheepishly with his free hand, “but –”

 

“Gwenchana; just do what you normally do,” Yeo Jin calls out, shooting Sang Chul her most disarming smile. “Never mind that I sign your paycheck – we’re all family here.”

 

Even with that reassurance, though, it still takes him a moment before he actually works up the nerve to follow through, reaching into the bag to retrieve a beer and tossing it lightly towards me. I catch it mid-air, clapping onto it with both hands, a move which Yeo Jin meets with a short burst of applause.

 

Sang Chul now joins us in taking the empty spot beside So Hyun on the platform, holding out his arm so that I could take the throw blanket from him. Then, as I unfurl it and drape it gently over Yeo Jin’s shoulders, he reaches into the bag again and retrieves a can of soda, which he offers to So Hyun.

 

Immediately, she rounds on me with an exaggerated pout. “Oppa….”

 

I know what this is about; it’s like this every single time Sang Chul and I have a drink together.

 

“Andwae,” I say to her firmly, shaking my head to emphasize my point. “You know the rules, Kim So Hyun.”

 

“Ara, ara!” she blurts out, tossing her head in impatience. “‘It’s taken us this long for you to have a successful transplant, Kim So Hyun, and I’m not about to let you ruin it by drinking.’ I get it, Oppa – I’m not a little kid anymore.”

 

She parrots me in a sing-song tone of voice, sounding more like a petulant teenager than a young woman in her early twenties. And something in that tone, combined with her pouting expression, makes me laugh despite myself.

 

I know I shouldn’t. I know that, since we have moved here, I’ve had to really take charge as head of the household and her main guardian. But I also can’t help it.

 

This is the Kim So Hyun I’ve wanted to see ever since we were little – and now, beating the odds, here she is right in front of me.

 

Still, although I do feel myself softening just a bit, I hold fast.

 

“Well, if you’re so grateful, then stick to it,” I retort. And, finally, after one last sidelong look at me, So Hyun takes the soda from Sang Chul with a quick word of thanks.

 

As for Yeo Jin, she accepts her own soda with a gracious nod, followed by a conspiratorial wink at my sister. I can’t control what she does when she’s in Seoul, but the two of us have long since come to the agreement that she would abstain from alcohol while she’s here – as an example for So Hyun, if nothing else.

 

The tab on my beer opens with a satisfying crack, and as I take that first long sip, I can’t help but feel like I am living in utter bliss. I had been convinced that I was happier here in Gangwon-do than I had ever been in Seoul – and now, with Yeo Jin joining us, even if just every so often, I think I am really finally at my happiest….

 

“Ai, ssibal!”

 

Startled right out of my reverie, I round on the source of the shouted curse.

 

“Ya, Kim So Hyun – language!”

 

To her credit, she is gracious enough to glance sheepishly at each of the rest of us in turn, murmuring a quiet apology as she gestures helplessly at the soda in her hand. It seems that the can had gotten shaken up at some point in transit, causing the drink to gush out and over her hand when she opened it; but that’s still no excuse for language like that.

 

Of course, my sister being who she is, any reprimand from me only has a short-term effect. After ducking quickly back inside to wash her hands , she returns with a comeback already prepared.

 

“Honestly, though, Oppa, you’ve done worse.”

 

My jaw drops.

 

“Ya, I don’t –”

 

“You do, Hyung,” Sang Chul adds. For someone who’s supposed to be my roommate, he’s surprisingly quick to take So Hyun’s side on things – further proof in my mind that he’s got a massive crush on her.

 

Helplessly, I glance over at Yeo Jin, trying to tell her with my eyes to give me a hand.

 

No dice, though.

 

“I’m with them on this one, Tae Hyun-ah,” she says with a shrug. “After all, you used to shut yourself in the restricted area and vent about all the stuff that you’d seen on the twelfth floor, and you’d get far more heated than So Hyun did just now. I know you only did it because you thought I couldn’t hear you, but I did.”

 

At her sudden revelation, I feel the blood rush up to my face. “You – you did?”

 

Yeo Jin smiles and nods at me. “Mm. Every. Single. Word.”

 

I open my mouth to try to give some sort of witty retort, but when the only sound that emerges is yet another muttered curse, I know I’ve dug myself into an even bigger hole, if the others’ laughter has anything to say on the matter.

 

Finally, now possibly feeling bad for starting this whole mess, So Hyun intervenes. She reaches out and places one hand on my knee, patting it softly.

 

“Gwenchana, Oppa,” she says. “I don’t think any of us would have you any other way. I mean…how did Eomma use to describe it back then?”

 

I know where this is going, and I can’t resist giving So Hyun a fond smile as I respond.

 

“She used to say that she would have said I talked like a sailor – except that I’d never actually been to sea.”

 

My sister chuckles at the memory. “Exactly.”

 

“Well, in my defence, I learned it from the best.” So Hyun laughs again at that, her eyes twinkling at the image that I know that had conjured in her mind. But I note that Sang Chul and Yeo Jin are now staring at me in confusion and curiosity respectively, so I move to explain. “My mother used to sometimes call me ‘michin nom’ – as an endearment. You two can figure out the rest.”

 

“Ah,” Yeo Jin murmurs in understanding, Sang Chul following suit with a silent nod of his own.

 

“That’s our mother for you,” So Hyun adds, pulling her feet up onto the platform and hugging her knees to her chest. “She always used to encourage Oppa and me to just say whatever was on our minds, even if it might come out sounding rude.”

 

Hearing my little sister bring this up, I feel myself tense up involuntarily, as though a hand has reached inside my chest and grabbed hold of my heart. The truth is that for a household that always seemed to favour frank honesty, more often than not, we used to lie to each other. Maybe not outright with our words – although that happened too – but through omissions: things left unsaid, the unsavoury facts of life hidden and covered up.

 

Eomma used to do that to So Hyun and I, and once I got old enough to know the truth, I had become her accomplice in shielding my sister as well. Perhaps that is why, on those few occasions when I still see her in my dreams at night, it is the two of us alone as I confide to her my deepest and darkest secrets.

 

“Oppa, is something wrong?”

 

Snapping out of my thoughts with a jolt, I hurriedly try to cover my own tracks by chugging the rest of my beer, then performing a party trick of my own: twisting and crushing the empty can between my hands.

 

So Hyun’s not exactly impressed – she has seen this a million times – and neither is Sang Chul – he is easily far stronger than me. But Yeo Jin watches in wide-eyed curiosity, oohing and aahing in appreciation, and that’s more than enough for me.

 

The tension broken, we ease back into a normal conversation about miscellaneous nothings. At some point, it comes up that So Hyun has signed up for the town’s upcoming talent show.

 

“Are you interested in becoming a singer?” Yeo Jin asks her.

 

She shrugs. “I’m not sure; haven’t thought that far yet. All I know is that I’ve liked music for as long as I could remember; and since we couldn’t afford, say, piano lessons or whatever growing up, this was how I did it.”

 

Yeo Jin glances at me. “Has she done anything like this before?”

 

“A contest, you mean?” So Hyun and I exchange glances. “Ani.”

 

“It’s not something I could have done when I was so sick before,” my sister explains. “But since I’m feeling so much stronger now…I want to give it a shot.”

 

“But she should have a good chance now,” I cut in, “since she composed her own entry. She’s been teaching herself to play the guitar since moving here, and this came out of that.”

 

“Geu rae?” Yeo Jin leans forward in interest, peering past me at my sister. “Let’s hear it.”

 

I stare at her. “Ya, Yeo Jin-ah, are you sure that’s a good idea?”

 

From experience, after all, I know that So Hyun is still shy in front of an audience: singing to herself or just in earshot of Sang Chul and me is one thing, but she still hasn’t gotten used to doing it for anyone else yet.

 

To my surprise, though, So Hyun puts a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

 

“I can do it, Oppa – after all, I’ll have to do it during the real thing, so I might as well get some practice now.”

 

I shake her hand off with a shrug, but then turn to give her a smile. “Well, then, if you say so.”

 

Still, to make things easier, all three of us turn our faces away while So Hyun gathers herself together, focusing our attentions on the numerous potted plants scattered around the terrace. Then, first softly and then growing stronger, appearing almost out of nowhere, her voice rings out with the song’s chorus:

 

Even if I live for just one day, I’m happy because of you

Don’t be sad, don’t say anything

Just stay by my side so I can see your face

Today and tomorrow, only remember me

 

As she finishes, the final notes left hanging in the air around us, the rest of us are left sitting in stunned silence. Then, after a moment’s pause, Yeo Jin breaks into a wide grin.

 

“That was really, really good, So Hyun-ah,” she says. “With a voice like that, you might even be able to make it in Seoul.”

 

My sister responds with a bright smile and a deep nod. “Komawoyo.”

 

~~~~~

 

“Are you sure you’re alright, Tae Hyun-ah?”

 

Chuckling softly, I turn to glance down at Yeo Jin.

 

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

 

The two of us have finally retreated back into my room – as is usual for her visits, the plan is for her to borrow it while I take the couch outside – and she has just settled down underneath the blankets we have laid out on the floor. As for me, I am seated beside her, leaning back against the wall.

 

She shoots me a penetrating glance. “I saw the look on your face earlier, when So Hyun was singing.” Raising an eyebrow at me, she adds, “It got to you; I know it did.”

 

For a long moment, I just stare right back into her eyes, trying to keep as innocent an expression on my face as possible. But eventually, I can’t hold it any longer. Closing my eyes, I throw my head back against the wall with a groan.

 

“Aish….I’d told myself not to get sentimental.”

 

I hear fabric rustling beside me – next thing I know, I feel Yeo Jin nudging me in the shoulder.

 

“It’d be unfortunate if you stopped, though, because that’s exactly what I like about you.”

 

Slowly, I open my eyes and look at her out of the corner of my eye.

 

“Anyone else listening would have thought that So Hyun was singing about a boyfriend, but we know better. I really envy you two for that, you know; I would have loved having an Oppa like you. Instead –” she chuckles drily, almost sardonically, “– I wound up with one who only cared for me insofar as he could control Hanshin, and who would have been just as happy to see me dead otherwise.”

 

I reach out and grab hold of one of her hands. “Yeo Jin-ah….”

 

Smiling softly in thanks, she pulls out of my grip and brushes that same hand on my cheek in a caress. “But at least I’ve got you now.”

 

Turning slightly to face her head-on, I take hold of her hand once again, this time bringing it up to my lips to kiss her palm. Then, once I am done there, I lean in closer and give Yeo Jin a second kiss on the forehead, followed – finally – by a third on her lips.

 

We both know not to go too far; the walls in this apartment are quite thin, after all, and neither of us would hear the end of it if either of the others were to overhear. So we keep this kiss and the ones after soft and gentle, pulling back while lingering on the same shared breath before closing in again and again.

 

I lose count as to just how many kisses we share this way, but eventually, we drift apart for good. Then, as Yeo Jin burrows herself back under the blanket, I make to get up.

 

“You should get some sleep. Remember we have to be up early tomorrow morning if you want to make it to the church in time for mass.”

 

Just then, though, I feel her hand grip firmly onto mine, holding me in place.

 

“Kajima, Tae Hyun-ah.”

 

A laugh bursts out from me as I take in the pout on her face.

 

“Ya…what’s all this?”

 

“Could you stay with me? Just for tonight?”

 

I take in a sharp breath through my teeth as I think it over. To be fair, I am strongly tempted to take Yeo Jin up on her offer, but there’s one thing I need to clear up first:

 

“Weren’t you the one who said that you didn’t want to share a bed yet?”

 

“Honestly, I don’t mind – so long as we’re literally just sleeping and you don’t try anything.”

 

Well, then, I don’t need to be told twice. Laughing despite myself, I get up just long enough to grab a cushion from the living room couch. Then, after coming back inside, I turn out the lights and join her underneath the blanket as she wriggles over to one side.

 

“Ara, ara,” I pronounce in a mock-dignified tone of voice as I settle down beside her. “Han Yeo Jin – or, should I say, Sophia Han – is a good Catholic girl who’s not even gonna have sex with her husband until a priest says it’s okay.”

 

“Ya!”

 

She gives me a scandalized kick in the shin for that, but I could also see from the way her eyes sparkle in the little bit of moonlight that makes it through the window blinds and the way that she presses both hands to her mouth that she is actually holding in a laugh.

 

And although she then turns her back on me, she doesn’t resist when I scoot closer, placing one arm around her waist before stretching myself forward just enough to kiss her softly on the outer edge of her ear. With my hand resting on her stomach, I feel Yeo Jin take in a deep, shuddering breath in response before she then shifts back closer, fully resting against me.

 

Of course, with both of us lying on the floor, neither of us could comfortably stay on our sides for long. Eventually, we both roll apart, turning onto our backs, but we make up for the separation by holding hands underneath the blanket. Then, Yeo Jin snuggles in even closer, taking shelter under my arm and laying her head down on my chest instead of her pillow.

 

She falls asleep sooner than I do; it’s only right since she is still tired from her long illness and recovery. As I watch over her, noting the peaceful expression on her face and the steady rise and fall of her chest with each deep, soothing breath, I find myself thinking ahead to tomorrow morning, when I will – as per usual – drive her to the church for mass and then, after that, on back to Seoul.

 

If there is one thing God wants, it is for people to repent from their sins and return to Him. Most brothers and sisters, they only see themselves as the recipients of God’s grace: the ones whom God waited for and Christ died for. But you, Seonsaengnim…you’re on the other side.

 

The old priest, whose words I had initially scoffed at, had been right all along: I did know what it was like to wait for someone to return to me, that feeling of longing and heartbreak that is eventually shattered by a joyful reunion.

 

I still can’t say I believe in God, although I do know I am more open to the idea now than when I had first started.

 

So in recent weeks, a sense of conviction has been slowly but steadily growing up inside of me.

 

Han Yeo Jin has waited long enough for the wedding and the marriage of her dreams. And if I need to bring myself around to this whole idea of religion in order to make it happen…I am now more than happy to do so.

 

Author's Note (in "Hidden Contents" because of Spoilers)

 

Spoiler

There's not really a whole ton of major behind-the-scenes research here, but I do want to give a quick shout-out to the Easter Egg that I worked into this fic.

 

For those new folks out there: I like to work in small details about the actual actors whenever possible, because it's a fun and easy way to flesh out the drama characters where those points don't end up contradicting what we see on screen :wink: 

 

In this case, though, the main Easter Egg isn't about JW, but about Park Hye Su, who plays So Hyun in "Yong Pal": prior to her drama debut, she had been a contestant on the fourth season of K-pop Star. Although she didn't make it into the group of top ten finalists, I wanted to have a little nod to this in So Hyun's character, which I did with referencing a love of music and a possible dream of becoming a singer.

 

In addition, the song that I have So Hyun singing is an actual one from "Yong Pal" OST - and, yes, Park Hye Su did sing it herself :) It's titled "Only Remember Me" - clicking that link will take you to the English translation of the lyrics I used, and the video below should be enough of a refresher for what it sounds like:

 

 

And just one more miscellaneous piece of trivia: the title for this fic was inspired by a song that, while originally composed in the 1970s, I came across in a cover version in the drama "Temptation", titled "One Summer Night". Why use this as inspiration? Because the song's lyrics made me think of Tae Hyun and Yeo Jin :wink:

 

 

 

 

If you would like to see a master list of all my fanfics, as well as other Hallyu-related writings, you can find that under the "About Me" tab on my profile page. Thanks, and enjoy reading!

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Although I already posted a fic earlier today, I still want to do some pictures as well. So here goes!

 

Spoiler

A pic from the Memorial Day event that I haven't seen before

 

91c3c58e85fe0f623c93a9faf9803efb.jpg

 

A bunch of goofy faces

 

 

He looks like a dork here :tongue: A cute adorable dork, but still a dork

 

 

A collage of pics from one of his V Live broadcasts - I think this one was from the "My Sassy Girl" auditions, going by the caption

 

 

Casual summer get-up :glasses:

 

Joo Won for EDWIN Summer 2014 | moonjun world | Flickr

 

Who wouldn't love a present from this guy?

 

78de56ad4b706de4221356c0ac2ab148.jpg

 

Liking these shots from a Mountia event

 

 

 

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Stopping by with some pics for today :) 

 

Spoiler

I'm liking this simple look on him

 

 

JW in a crowd

 

 

His infectious smile :D

 

b45b27b8b10ad89c4789006a7c1bf2b5.jpg

 

An older shot of JW at Morning Calm Village

 

 

This is just too cute :tongue:

 

 

"Nae Il's Cantabile" Behind the Scenes - I love all the goofy poses and expressions they adopt here

 

 

 

 

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Here I am with today's goodies :D

 

I say "goodies", because this time, it's not just pics. Instead, I'm going to start with this video I found earlier today, which compares scenes from "Good Doctor" and "Yong Pal" (which is translated here as "The Gang Doctor" - which, I'll admit, is pretty freaking cool :wink:)

 

 

From the moments they picked, here's my preference:

 

Tears - "Good Doctor" (okay, that scene just gets me every single time)

Action - "Yong Pal" (I don't think I need to explain my preference here. However, that being said, the one from "Good Doctor" breaks my heart, because I know it's not an exaggeration; there was an incident near my city where three men just beat up a man with autism at a bus station for no reason :()

Drinking - "Good Doctor" (Tae Hyun looks cooler by far, but Si On's just so adorkably cute!)

Kiss - "Yong Pal" (the kiss from "Good Doctor"'s cute, too, but this one wins for romance)

 

lol - I guess I just love both shows without a clear favourite? :tongue: 

 

And now for pics!

 

Spoiler

Speaking of "Yong Pal", this fan-edit turned out really cool

 

5edb4c2b26207b267f31f3cb32902a89.jpg

 

A behind-the-scenes pic from "Nae Il's Cantabile"

 

 

And another from "Gaksital" - this time featuring JW and Park Ki Woong as the real-life goofballs they are :D 

 

 

This was done via Photoshop, but it's still cute: JW with Shim Eun Kyung

 

 

I'm really liking how this shot turned out

 

a139b7d112c02abb95ab7678a2f9a442.jpg

 

Nerdy glasses time!

 

 

lol - I want that drink; it looks so yummy, and he's clearly enjoying it so much :) 

 

 

 

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22 hours ago, kittyna said:

 

This is just too cute :tongue:

 

His hands omo…  To me this pair of hands seemed to have been crafted from hard work and hard work only.  Not from a spoiled kid.  I can imagine warmth, strength and security holding them.  If I were to draw hands I would like to have this kind of hands as model.

 

On 2018/6/18 at 1:52 AM, kittyna said:

 

Quote

Softy at Cadence nicknamed it “Bubble Butt”. Contrary to popular belief, I am no expert when it comes to this part of the human anatomy. Curious as to the meaning, I googled these words and found them on online dictionary “Urban Dictionary” where the most popular definition describes it as not so much of big as it is rounded, tight and firm, usually complementing a slender body.

 

lol - I didn't notice this at first until I started seeing fans pointing it out, and now this is one feature that I can no longer un-see, if you know what I mean :tongue: 

 

Bubbly 101 hahaha  - understand? :blink:

 

JW had said in an interview that he might want to be in cosmetic ads.  I think he has nice skin and facial features well qualified for one, but somehow he was not able to come up to any in the recent years.  But back in 2012/13 when he had the climax of popularity, he was once appeared in lipstick and men’s lab ads .

A bonus - the rightmost model was Lee Jang Woo, the buddy of JW in the last October’s Military Festival who had a very nice voice. 

 

The making of JW’s mask.  Though it was tailor-made, JW expressed that his nose hurt when wearing it for a long time and doing all sorts of actions scenes.  Moreover, the eye-openings was quite narrow which limited his sight and posed difficulty and even dangerous while fighting.  I’m so relieved that he stayed safe and completed this fantastic drama perfectly. 

 

 

Our JW with baby-fat ...looked as if his facial features were not developed fully as we can see today.

 

 

 

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On 6/20/2018 at 2:04 PM, soomoi said:

His hands omo…  To me this pair of hands seemed to have been crafted from hard work and hard work only.  Not from a spoiled kid.  I can imagine warmth, strength and security holding them.  If I were to draw hands I would like to have this kind of hands as model.

 

Well, JW's actually pretty handy in real life - he's said before that during his high school and university days, when he was studying drama, he'd help out a lot with the backstage stuff (e.g. building sets, making props, etc.) as well as with the acting. So no surprise that his hands show that, especially if that started while he was still growing :) 

 

And let's not forget the extent to which he helped out around the house when he was younger, too :wink: 

 

On 6/20/2018 at 2:04 PM, soomoi said:

Bubbly 101 hahaha  - understand? :blink:

 

lol - Thanks for sharing that!

 

I think my favourite pic there is the one on the bottom right, where he's hanging off of the wall and someone (the director, perhaps?) is just going, "Joo Won-ah...." I don't know what was actually happening there - just that it's from "Gaksital" filming - but taken without context, it looks almost like JW's this naughty kid who just got caught trying to sneak out or something :tongue: 

 

On 6/20/2018 at 2:04 PM, soomoi said:

JW had said in an interview that he might want to be in cosmetic ads.  I think he has nice skin and facial features well qualified for one, but somehow he was not able to come up to any in the recent years.  But back in 2012/13 when he had the climax of popularity, he was once appeared in lipstick and men’s lab ads .

 

He finally got that chance in 2014, where he had a photoshoot with InStyle that also doubled as an ad for a men's skincare line - it was just a one-off thing rather than a long-term endorsement, but still something. And the pics and video that came out of that? Dang!

 

(Chances are, you've seen this already, since it is a classic - but just in case you need a refresher, here's the video)

 

 

On 6/20/2018 at 2:04 PM, soomoi said:

The making of JW’s mask.  Though it was tailor-made, JW expressed that his nose hurt when wearing it for a long time and doing all sorts of actions scenes.  Moreover, the eye-openings was quite narrow which limited his sight and posed difficulty and even dangerous while fighting.  I’m so relieved that he stayed safe and completed this fantastic drama perfectly.

 

This is also really cool :) 

 

I remember, when my mom and I were watching "Gaksital" (her first time and my second) that she'd commented that the eye-holes on the mask made it look like JW had "fox eyes". And I was just like, "Um...his eyes slant up like that to begin with :D" - but, yes, that mask really did emphasize that detail :wink: 

 

Interesting to hear about JW's experience acting with the mask on, though. Seems like it's harder than he made it look, so kudos to him there.

 

On 6/20/2018 at 2:04 PM, soomoi said:

Our JW with baby-fat ...looked as if his facial features were not developed fully as we can see today.

 

Okay, one more story about me and my mom here (what? we watch JW dramas - and many others - together, okay?)

 

When we were watching "Yong Pal" (this time, her second time and my first), we had this running joke going on that whereas a lot of other actors debuted with chubbier faces that got leaner or more angular over time (e.g. we mentioned that about Park Hae Jin in reference to one of his super-early dramas - can't remember which), JW seems to have gone in the opposite direction from "Kim Tak Gu" until "Yong Pal". :tongue: But then again, I had seen even earlier shots like this one, so I knew that JW's face was naturally a bit chubby to begin with.

 

Speaking of looking back, today's Throwback Thursday again! :D 

 

Spoiler

A bunch of shots (three pages of collages after that first shot) from JW's appearance in the music video for "Miss You" by S.M. the Ballad

 

 

A few shots from when he was on 1N2D

 

(Loving the streetwear style on him here with the backwards baseball cap - as for the outfit, all the guys had matching pajamas in this episode)

 

 

(He's chatting with Choi Kang Hee on the phone here - she was the guest on that trip, and his phone call was her cue to come out from hiding)

 

 

Cute and shy smile as Hwang Tae Hee

 

 

Contrast that with this bad-boy style (complete with guyliner!)

 

 

Finally, a few shots from his Gu Ma Jun days - the first one's just a picture of JW himself (i.e. not in character), the second seems to have been cropped from a screenshot, and the third is a behind-the-scenes pic

 

 

 

 

 

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Just popping by with some pics for today :) 

 

Spoiler

First of all, apparently, several new(-ish) photos of JW have been released recently. I say "new-ish" because, well, they clearly pre-date his enlistment, which was over a year ago (:P), but are new to the fandom right now.

 

 

 

 

This picture from the filming of "Nae Il's Cantabile" is a classic, but what is new here for me is how the fan who shared it on Instagram edited it to have this slightly grainy vintage feel

 

 

I think this shot looks pretty cool :glasses:

 

 

Cutie Park Si On

 

 

Bunny smiles and cute waves :)  - From this Instagram slideshow: https://www.instagram.com/p/BebPXLFgOWC/

 

 

4e2252d300c5178a954950a0360c73d8.jpg

 

This meme isn't JW-related, like, at all, but I still wanted to share it, because of all the references I've seen on Instagram to JW being the "moon" (get it?)

 

Spoiler

 

3e8d7f9e8d5505696331ff636fd1c4c1.jpg

 

By the way: JW aside, who of this bunch would you pick? Just curious.

 

(Me, it'd be Park Bo Gum: he's got the same good-kid personality that first drew me to JW in the first place, after all, and that goes a long way in terms of getting brownie points from me. ;))

 

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Just popping by quickly a second time to offer yet another goody - because I have already started work on my next fic! :D 

 

This is the next installment of my "Seolleim in Salzburg" series, although I will admit right now that it actually takes place in Seoul ;) Why? Because it's summer vacation time for Cha Yoo Jin and Seol Nae Il, and that includes friends and family and all that jazz.

 

So, just because I am rather giddy and excited about it already, here's Preview #1, taken from what I've done so far for the beginning:

 

Spoiler

“Well – thank goodness that’s over.”

 

Nae Il flashes me a reassuring smile, taking hold with both hands of the handle of the suitcase I have just lugged off the conveyor belt in Incheon International Airport’s baggage claim.

 

“Oh, come on, Orabang,” she says, setting the suitcase down onto the floor, “the flight wasn’t that bad.”

 

“It wasn’t that good either,” I grumble back. In my mind, the only redeeming quality of the past twelve-hour flight was that it had been overnight, so, fortunately, I had been able to sleep through most of it.

 

Nae Il’s mouth opens and, for a moment, it looks like she wants to say something in response. But just then, I spot the second of our two suitcases coming towards us on the conveyor, so, holding up one finger to signal for her to wait, I dash over to retrieve it.

 

When I get back, and as we start to make our way through the terminal to the exit, she goes on with what she had had to say.

 

“The way I see it, Orabang, you’ve already gotten a lot better at this than you had before.” Using her free hand, she starts counting out on her fingers all the times I had been on a plane before: the flights to and from Jeju-do when I had gone there to find her, the flights to and from Salzburg for her competition, the one we had taken when we moved there to start our studies in earnest and, finally, this one.

 

“Six,” she says triumphantly when she is done. “Six times on a plane in the past two years – and that’s from someone who would have thought it entirely impossible not too long ago.

 

“Not to mention the fact that by the time this summer is over, we’ll have done three more: two when we go to visit my parents, and one last one to get back to Austria -”

 

“All right, I get it!” I bark out. My voice rings out just a bit too loudly in my agitation, making several of the people around us in the crowded terminal turn and stare at us in surprise. “You don’t have to remind me, Seollebal.”

 

Because right now, I would much prefer to just deal with those when we get there rather than dwell on them now.

 

My obvious irritation doesn’t faze Nae Il for long, though. Instead of getting riled up, she gives me a knowing sympathetic look. Then, once we have passed through the sliding doors that take us to the main arrivals hall in the terminal, she fishes out her phone and makes a call.

 

“Rak-kun? Where are you right now?” After a brief pause, she nods. “Ne. We’re ready when you are: just tell us which door you manage to find a spot by, and we’ll come out.”

 

The two of us had had no shortage of people willing to come and pick us up at the airport, but ultimately, that battle had fallen between Eomma and Yoo Il Rak – and, somehow, he had been the one to win out, using the fact that we would be staying at his house during the summer as his main reasoning.

 

[...]

 

Just as expected, Yoo Il Rak scrambles out of his car as soon as he spots Nae Il and me coming out of the terminal. Racing towards us with a wide grin, he takes Nae Il’s suitcase from her and gestures for her to go on ahead. Then, once the two of us are alone, he reaches out with one hand and claps it on my shoulder.

 

“So, Yoo Jin-ah – how’ve you been?”

 

Knowing that he isn’t aware of how I am on planes – that’s something that Nae Il and I have decided to keep a secret from our friends – I just answer with something vague and polite: a response that, mercifully, Il Rak just attributes to my being tired from the long journey.

 

“Gwenchana,” he says breezily, leading the way to the trunk of his car, I following a few steps behind. “Trust me: by the time Abeoji’s done with you, you’ll be right as rain again.”

 

I give him an appreciative smile in response as, now that he’s already loaded Nae Il’s suitcase into the car, I push mine towards him.

 

The next thing I know, I find myself lurching forward, a sudden weight pressing on my back.

 

“Ya!” I yelp in surprise, just in time to hear a familiar singsong voice ringing in my ear:

 

“Cha-neunim! Just how long has it been?!”

 

As Il Rak, finally unable to hold it in any longer, lets out a snort and then bursts out laughing, I straighten myself back up as much as I can, rolling my shoulders back to nudge Ma Su Min off of me. Fortunately, noticing my predicament, he lets go just enough for me to free myself – and, as I round on him, ready to ask him exactly what the hell is going on, I also spot Choi Min Hee stepping out from behind him.

 

“Mianhaeyo, sunbae,” she says in response to my questioning look. “When Su Min-sunbae found out when your flight was coming in, he just had to come along.”

 

I raise an eyebrow. “And what about you?”

 

Realizing she’s been caught, Min Hee’s eyes shift this way and that nervously for a second, but then she pulls her thoughts together and stares directly right back at me.

 

“I’m here for Nae Il, of course.”

 

By this time, even Nae Il has shown up, having quietly slipped out of the car to stand beside the others.

 

I shoot her a penetrating look. “Is this what the surprise was?”

 

Her sheepish expression is answer enough.

 

“All right, then,” Il Rak finally cuts in, closing the car’s trunk shut with a bang before gesturing toward the main compartment with a flourish. “Let’s continue the chit-chat inside so we’re not hogging up the lane.”

 

Still, it takes my seconding his idea for the three others to actually listen, trickling into the backseat while Il Rak and I get in the front. The first thing he does, after making a quick phone call home to notify his father of our whereabouts, is to then hook it up to the car’s stereo system and turn on his music player.

 

Immediately, the car is filled with the sound of violin music – an arrangement of Paganini’s famous Caprice No. 24 – but one that doesn’t sound like any interpretation I know. This one has just ever so slight of an edge to it, and immediately, the player’s name comes to my mind:

 

“That’s David Garrett, isn’t it.”

 

Although he doesn’t dare take his eyes off the road, Il Rak answers with his characteristic wide grin. “How’d you guess?”

 

I shrug. “He’s the only violinist I know of who’s been able to successfully combine classical and rock, musicality and showmanship, in a way that I could actually stand.”

 

“Exactly!” Taking his right hand off the steering wheel for just a second, he flashes me that rock gesture of his. “Paganini in the past and Garrett in the present – finally someone gets it, and, of course, it just had to be my best buddy in the whole wide world.”

 

If the references to people like Paganini and Garrett are confusing you right now, don't worry - they'll make more sense once the fic's done and I include the full classical music nerdery that I usually do in my Author's Notes ;) But for now, just know that they're the main two violinists I'm going to be using for inspiration for Yoo Il Rak's playing style - like in this video here.

 

 

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Just bringing this up because it is a Hallyu forum here after all: I was watching the South Korea vs. Mexico World Cup game this morning, and Korea lost. Which makes two lost games out of three during the group stage, so I think that means they're out for good now? But anyway, I don't begrudge Mexico the win, because from my super-not-knowledgeable-about-sports layman's perspective, they did play really well: well-coordinated and tight throughout, with a formidable goalie.

 

For any fans of the Korean football team, though, I will say this: the one goal they did get in this game was a thing of beauty :love:

 

Okay, enough on sports and back to JW.

 

Here I am with today's pics!

 

Spoiler

Same magazine (Céci), but two completely different takes on romance:

 

1. 2013 - the shy and cute boy next door who hangs out around your house to ask you on a date

 

 

2. 2015 - the flirtatious, sexy and worldly-wise party animal who totally knows what you're thinking seeing him like this ;) 

 

 

I don't know what's cuter: that owl print travel pillow, or the guy wearing it 

 

 

Some pics from one of the two sports days featured on "Life Log" - I still remember how cute JW's "Nice!" sounded (it came out like "Nai-su" because of his accent)

 

 

A behind-the-scenes pic from "My Sassy Girl"

 

 

I can't remember if I shared this recently - if I have, my apologies for the repeat. But still, I like this fan-edited shot from "Nae Il's Cantabile". And, yes, I will be having some Cha Yoo Jin vs.(?) Lee Yoon Hoo action in the new fic I'm working on (because their frienemies "everyone thinks we're friends except for the two of us" relationship is too fun to pass up)

 

 

 

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It's been so long, I came here.

 

hope all of you're fine.

 

DfKZSfuUEAEpqtY.jpg:large

 

Source: https://twitter.com/SPO_KanDra/status/1005034211890384896

 

I remember searching for many behind the scene of Tomorrow Cantabile not only because Joo Won looked too handsome here but also because how most of the casts were cute and I was in love with how pretty the scenery of the drama. So I searched a lot for bts pictures. 

 

But I'm seeing this picture for the first time.. Am I the only one who's seeing it for the first time??

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9 hours ago, flutterby06 said:

I remember searching for many behind the scene of Tomorrow Cantabile not only because Joo Won looked too handsome here but also because how most of the casts were cute and I was in love with how pretty the scenery of the drama. So I searched a lot for bts pictures. 

 

But I'm seeing this picture for the first time.. Am I the only one who's seeing it for the first time??

 

I don't know off the top of my head if this is my first time seeing this pic, but it's really cute, so thanks for sharing! :D

 

Personally, I love seeing behind-the-scenes stuff from any of JW's dramas, but "Nae Il's Cantabile" stands out for having been a really fun drama to shoot. Maybe it's because the vast majority of the cast are all in the same age group, more or less (JW was one of the oldest, but we're still talking about a bunch of 20-somethings here), so they just seemed to click together in a particular way that just...worked, for lack of a better way to put it.

 

And here are the pics I've chosen to share for today!

 

Spoiler

JW done "pop art" style - This is pretty fun

 

 

Two shots he did for Mountia at different times

 

 

A few shots from a rehearsal for his fanmeeting/concert in Tokyo 2013 - or, at least, I think they are (the first one is identified as such in the comments, and the second one...I'm going by the fact he's wearing the same outfit)

 

 

 

This shot just turned out really cool

 

 

Finally, I really like this fan-edit of JW as Cha Yoo Jin

 

 

 

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On 6/17/2018 at 8:52 PM, kittyna said:

Camping out for the Germany-Mexico match? Are you a fan of either of those, by any chance?

 

(Sorry - I know it's not all that JW-relevant, but I'm just wondering, since I've got a soft spot for Germany myself. Not a huge die-hard know-all-the-details fan, but I definitely like seeing them doing well :))

 

@kittyna I’ve been super busy lately, working and watching the World Cup :P Germany is one of my favorite teams, but I live and breathe for Italy... sadly they didn’t make it this year. I played some soccer as a teenager and had a crush on an Italian soccer player, his name shall remain a secret :D I usually watch only World Cup and European Championship games, I’m not a fan of any particular soccer team. I’m fine with this arrangement since it means every other year I’m spending the beautiful summer days and nights watching TV... not that I’m complaining; I have many great memories where and with whom I saw that game and this game.

 

On 6/17/2018 at 8:52 PM, kittyna said:

I know that JW wears contact lenses in real life (as in, he actually needs them), although I sometimes worry for just how healthy that is in relation to his schedule. In other words, I know that you're supposed to limit how long you wear the contacts and you're not supposed to wear them to bed, because that could end up drying out your eyes and decreasing the amount of oxygen they get, but when JW's got a schedule that sometimes even entails him going without sleep for hours on end, let alone changing into his eyeglasses.

 

On 6/17/2018 at 8:52 PM, kittyna said:

I personally don't think those are coloured contacts, but more a trick of the lighting. The thing about "black" hair and "black" eyes - which is oftentimes how East Asian features are described - is that, well, they're not really black. It's usually some deep shade of brown that, under bright lights, can end up looking surprisingly light.

 

I wonder why JW doesn’t get his vision corrected in that case. Isn’t it something that most celebrities do? My eyesight is bad enough so I need glasses in my everyday life, but I also wear contacts most of the time. I try to reduce the wearing time to 8 hours but after 4 - 5 hours my eyes are already dry :tears:

 

Joowon’s eyes are really beautiful shade of brown. There are a lot of brown eyed people in Finland too but the shades are usually lighter, from honey brown to medium brown.

 

Back to the topic! I’m skipping a lot of quotes and comments about the article but I can say that I loved it, and saw that you loved it too ;) I hope someone writes an updated version one day. If possible, the whole series! :w00t:

 

On 6/20/2018 at 9:04 PM, soomoi said:

JW had said in an interview that he might want to be in cosmetic ads.  I think he has nice skin and facial features well qualified for one, but somehow he was not able to come up to any in the recent years.  But back in 2012/13 when he had the climax of popularity, he was once appeared in lipstick and men’s lab ads .

A bonus - the rightmost model was Lee Jang Woo, the buddy of JW in the last October’s Military Festival who had a very nice voice. 

 

Thank you for sharing this video! Joowon was very handsome...

 

On 6/20/2018 at 9:04 PM, soomoi said:

The making of JW’s mask.  Though it was tailor-made, JW expressed that his nose hurt when wearing it for a long time and doing all sorts of actions scenes.  Moreover, the eye-openings was quite narrow which limited his sight and posed difficulty and even dangerous while fighting.  I’m so relieved that he stayed safe and completed this fantastic drama perfectly. 

 

Another detail I didn’t know...  JW didn’t show for a second that he was struggling with the mask. True professionalism... All action scenes on Gaksital were work of art. Some of Joowon’s roles are quite physical ones, and he can use his body in acting very well.

 

On 6/21/2018 at 9:47 PM, kittyna said:

Finally, a few shots from his Gu Ma Jun days - the first one's just a picture of JW himself (i.e. not in character), the second seems to have been cropped from a screenshot, and the third is a behind-the-scenes pic

 

I finally started watching King of Baking. Ma Jun appeared not many episodes ago but he already left quite an impression. I can’t believe this drama was JW’s first TV work! He was on whole another level already when he started... born actor, you could say :wub:

 

Btw, have you guys noticed that some pictures and captions don’t match? Or is it just me/my app? I haven’t seen that happen before, but I haven’t been here for long. I enjoy the content the same but sometimes need to figure out which caption belongs to which picture.

 

I don’t have any pictures to share today but here’s something that took my breath away and warmed my heart this morning:

 

Spoiler

 

Just wow. Triple wow, actually. And not only the picture of Moon Jun Won in his military uniform, but I also love his fans’ captions. Although they’re not directed to me but somehow I get strength reading them. I like this kind of sharing of positivity and good vibes! Thank you! :heart:

 

 

 

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34 minutes ago, green_cardigan said:

Btw, have you guys noticed that some pictures and captions don’t match? Or is it just me/my app? I haven’t seen that happen before, but I haven’t been here for long. I enjoy the content the same but sometimes need to figure out which caption belongs to which picture.

 

I don’t have any pictures to share today but here’s something that took my breath away and warmed my heart this morning:

 

Dealing with this first since it's a tech-related question: that does happen sometimes on Soompi, and it's just a glitch. Next time you see that, try refreshing the page and see if it helps. Also, another thing that can help is to be patient and really wait for the page to fully finish loading before trying to scroll; when things get scrambled like that for me, it's usually because I started scrolling too soon so pics aren't loading properly.

 

(That's also, to the best of my knowledge, why we're supposed to put pictures under the Spoiler tag if we're sharing any more than three - otherwise, this site gets very slow and glitchy when it's loading :crazy: Sometimes it still does even when we follow the rules, but this does help somewhat.)

 

34 minutes ago, green_cardigan said:

@kittyna I’ve been super busy lately, working and watching the World Cup :P Germany is one of my favorite teams, but I live and breathe for Italy... sadly they didn’t make it this year. I played some soccer as a teenager and had a crush on an Italian soccer player, his name shall remain a secret :D I usually watch only World Cup and European Championship games, I’m not a fan of any particular soccer team. I’m fine with this arrangement since it means every other year I’m spending the beautiful summer days and nights watching TV... not that I’m complaining; I have many great memories where and with whom I saw that game and this game.

 

Well, here in Canada, the men's national soccer team (football for you Europeans - it's confusing, I know) doesn't really get very far. I honestly can't remember a time when they qualified for the FIFA World Cup :P But there is a plus to that: it means that people here really are free to cheer for whichever team they want - or none at all - without being seen as (un)patriotic.

 

lol - When I choose a team to root for, it's usually not because of their soccer/football team at all, but more because I like that country, its culture, etc. That's what made me start rooting for Germany...I think I started with the 2010 World Cup? I actually didn't even know they were any good then - I just had a very limited knowledge of Germany and German culture, and something about it made me think the team would be worth my support (probably the stereotypes surrounding following the rules, discipline, fair play and all that). And then the habit just stuck. So it does mean that I'm not, say, heavily invested in rooting for Germany; I just do because of a rather complex set of associations in my mind.

 

That's also why I did keep an eye on the Korean team this time around, too - that being a new thing, since I wasn't into Hallyu yet during the last World Cup ;) 

 

34 minutes ago, green_cardigan said:

I wonder why JW doesn’t get his vision corrected in that case. Isn’t it something that most celebrities do? My eyesight is bad enough so I need glasses in my everyday life, but I also wear contacts most of the time. I try to reduce the wearing time to 8 hours but after 4 - 5 hours my eyes are already dry :tears:

 

To be honest, at first, I thought he might actually have - but then I saw his Instagram photos where he's wearing glasses, and that clued me in otherwise.

 

Me, you could probably see from my profile pic that I do, in fact, wear glasses B) 

 

34 minutes ago, green_cardigan said:

Joowon’s eyes are really beautiful shade of brown. There are a lot of brown eyed people in Finland too but the shades are usually lighter, from honey brown to medium brown.

 

I have seen a handful of East Asians, including Korean celebrities, who naturally have lighter brown eyes - Go Ara is one who comes to my mind right off the top of my head. But yeah, most would have that super-dark, almost-black shade I was talking about.

 

Personally - okay, I might be biased here, being Chinese myself, but hear me out - I think that East Asian colouring in general is really striking: light(ish) skin, with dark hair and eyes. Yes, there's a lot of variation, so people are darker or lighter than others, and that applies to skin, hair and eye colour, but for the most part, it's that combination.

 

What I do find interesting about JW, though, is that he shows a good deal of variation himself. What I mean by this is that while a number of other Korean actors seem to have a particular skin tone or complexion that they just stick with all the time, JW changes it up for the character he's playing. So, for instance, compare how he looks as Lee Kang To in "Gaksital", where JW just let himself tan as he naturally would during the summer (since Kang To's a very action-oriented character who'd spend a lot of time outdoors) with how he looks as Cha Yoo Jin in "Nae Il's Cantabile", where if you've seen "Life Log", you'll know the extent to which JW didn't let himself get tanned (since Yoo Jin's supposed to be more the indoors kind of person, and also rather modest to boot, so he'd cover himself up even in summer).

 

44 minutes ago, green_cardigan said:

I finally started watching King of Baking. Ma Jun appeared not many episodes ago but he already left quite an impression. I can’t believe this drama was JW’s first TV work! He was on whole another level already when he started... born actor, you could say :wub:

 

Oh, "Ma Jun-ie" is a total scene-stealer in this show! There were a number of viewers who found themselves more intrigued by and invested in Ma Jun as a character than Tak Gu. Me, personally, I'd put it this way: Tak Gu is the character I rooted for, but Ma Jun is the character I sympathized with.

 

But yes - although "King of Baking" was JW's first drama, he already had several years of professional acting experience under his belt from the years he was in musical theatre. So he's not necessarily coming off as green or a rookie here. However, I have seen some criticism that he overacts some parts here, and I can understand why: acting on stage and acting on screen are very different, and transitioning from one to the other is a challenge. You have to emote big (i.e. dramatic expressions, loud voices, etc.) on stage, but that doesn't always carry over well on screen - and JW is one of those actors who's been criticized for overdoing it in some moments (e.g. if you ever watch his dramas with earphones on, make sure you turn the volume down as soon as you see him getting agitated, or you will be blasted once he starts yelling :P). But at the same time, having stage experience has its perks, because it cultivates the full-body acting that, say, made Park Si On such a convincing character (since when you're on stage, you can't pick and choose what parts of your body the audience sees, so all of you needs to be in character at all times).

 

And now for my pics!

 

Spoiler

Some cutie smiles to make your day!

 

 

 

 

Although I did find the show rather graphically violent (not unrealistically so, but still graphic), I will say that "Gaksital" had some amazing cinematography and camerawork. And the shot on the left here was one of my absolute favourites:

 

 

 

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Just popping by with today's pics!

 

Spoiler

This shot looks cute; it's almost like he's playing "peek a boo"

 

 

A few autograph cards(?)

 

 

A behind the scenes shot from "Fatal Intuition" (a.k.a. "It's Him" or "That Guy" - yeah, this one film has at least three different English titles :P)

 

 

 

Someone spliced these shots of JW and Shim Eun Kyung together into a cute collage :) 

 

 

 

That's...a really specific colour for multiple people to end up wearing, isn't it?

 

 

 

And just one more quick fic-related update before I go. It's not a preview this time, but more of an announcement. Point is, in this upcoming fic, I'm going to be trying something that I've never done before: a crossover. I've done small references before (e.g. making a reference to characters from "Good Doctor" going to watch "Ghost"), but not a full-scale "bring in characters/elements from one show into another" crossover. But I'm trying to do it this time around, so here's hoping it works out!

 

(Note: because I still try not to have, say, multiple JW characters show up at the same time - no matter how hilarious that would be - this is going to be a crossover between a JW drama and one without him)

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