Han Hyo Joo 한효주 - [FIN: Happiness (2021) || NEXT: ThePirates: Goblin Flag (Jan 2022)]

[frozentundra]

Ah, ep 4 isn't up on Viki yet! Dang. I know, there are tons of complaints on how long it takes to sub. But usually they at least release the raw version as soon as it's done airing in Korea, for those who can follow along. I've got to avoid social media or be spoiled, lol. 

 

After thinking about it for some time, I feel like Sae Bom's impulsiveness has both a good and bad side. The good side is that she is quick to jump in when she feels there is injustice. She is quick to take action instead of wringing her hands and waiting for someone else to rush in and solve the problem. It makes it fun to watch her, for sure. But sometimes her impulsiveness disregards the well being of others in situations where she should know better. And I think that sometimes, her impulsiveness sort of covers up some insecurities she has based on her difficult childhood. She's quick to save other people, but maybe doesn't want to admit that like anyone else, she needs people, too. So I don't mind if Yi Hyun has a moment where he gets to save her sometimes, too. To me it doesn't make her any less capable; it just points out that she is human. We all need to save others and sometimes also be saved ourselves, because no one person can do everything, and we're all connected. (And connection over individuality is sort of a Korean concept.) I still don't understand the plot mechanics of the bathroom scene in ep 3

Spoiler

(if the door was never locked, why didn't the lady just walk outside on her own? Not just the bathroom door but the house door as well? The husband wasn't always home, he went out sometimes. And at the same time, shouldn't SB have taken some precautions to contain her? But maybe she was just--impulsively--thinking of how to escape in the moment, who knows.) 

 

Hoping they get ep 4 up soon! I'm continuing to see positive comments on the drama. People wondering why it wasn't on Netflix in the first place. Well...maybe TVN wanted to grow their own streaming service, but I think they could have done more promotion in the first place. I guess they are pleasantly surprised at the interest because they are in serious promo mode now finally. 

[adamag]

I’m not even going to talk about Ep3 Saebom for obvious reasons. The character was just annoying lol and I feel like the reason she isn’t getting as much hate or criticism is because she’s being played by Hyo. In Ep 4, Saebom was better but she still has this moral high ground that’s a tad annoying but I’m hoping with time, we’ll see some changes.

 

Happiness is doing well for a genre. Its rating are quite stable (3%) given all its competitors. The ratings go down a lil bit on Saturdays cause two other dramas join the fight and air at almost the exact same time (as if the others weren’t enough). Word of mouth is good too and it was first place in TvIng not too long ago. The show also has numerous hit tweets on S.Korea’s twitter. Also the ending of Ep4 was quite good (the best!!) so I hope word of mouth increases too

 

TVN didn’t care about this drama until recently lol. They just started promoting it and giving it reruns. They are obviously hoping to get more TVing subscribers which also explains the uncensored version but it’s all good. I’m personally just enjoying the drama and having hyo on my screen. It’s also refreshing to see her all over my twitter timeline lol

[bimini]

Yeah, episode 3 is by far my least favorite episode so far lol. I've rewatched all the other episodes and avoid all discussions for ep 3 like the plague lmao. I really wish the writer had written that episode a little better and with more forethought. Episode 4 is a lot better and I personally didn't think her self-righteousness was as prominent here. The only scene where I went "Girl, why are you so dumb?!" was when she sniffed the blood. Like what did you think it was going to be? T-T lmao. 

 

We all know YSB is reckless and insanely fearless and it's all to a fault. Like homegirl is 100% a Gryffindor lol but I do appreciate that she's quite fleshed out as a character. We are seeing early on that her being so reckless has certain consequences. She comes off strong and unbothered but also has vulnerable moments. I'm hoping there'll be some nice growth for her and she learns to be less "act now think later" and I really want her to have a one-on-one with Ji-soo to apologize or even acknowledge she crossed the line and was too judgmental with her. Please, writer, please let there be some good character development! 

 

I think a lot of people find HTS to be the most rational and relatable person. I do too but I think he has his own flaws and hypocrisies and can also be self-serving, it's just he comes off more sympathetic to viewers cuz we know he has a family at risk. Honestly, so far JYH is the least complex character to me, cuz all he really does is exist to serve YSB haha. Which I find refreshing honestly, cuz it's usually the other way around with MLs and FLs so it's nice that it's the FL driving the plot with her actions, while the ML just goes along with the ride and unconditionally has her back. I do hope his character is more fleshed out eventually though. His mom kept saying he gets emotional at times but he's been super chill so far so we'll see. 

 

I am obsessed with this drama though, and waiting every week for new episodes is torture. Really wish it goes on Netflix within reasonable time after its airing because I really think it's got international appeal. It's already trending on overseas OTT (Viki, iQiyi, Viu).

 

But tvN realizing how popular the show is getting and are now barely trying to promote it better all of a sudden is hilarious to me. There are so many views on the Happiness videos on their Youtube channel now. Like y'all should've promoted it better from the beginning and had faith in the work lol but w/e I'm just happy it's getting rave reviews, word of mouth continues to spread, and ratings at the very least stay stable.

 

I, too, am so excited and happy to see her and the show all over social media! Also, OMG you're back on here @adamag! It's been so long LOL 

 

----

 

Also, @frozentundra,

Spoiler

I don't think the infected are capable of opening doors. I think this is a common trope in zombie works too. In the first episode, YSB closed the door on Lee Jong-tae and all he knew to do was smash his head at it. In the third episode, YSB lets out the neighbor from the bathroom, husband opens the front door and his wife runs out right after him, and then husband opens the emergency fire exit door to floor 5 and if you watch in the background, the door is slow to shut and you see Min-ji come out of it. The issue is what happens when there are a ton of infected and they're all bashing/shoving through glass doors... hmmmm lol

 

[frozentundra]

@bimini Ah, I don't watch a lot of zombie shows so I did not know about the doors. It makes more sense now!

[adamag]

2 hours ago, bimini said:

Yeah, episode 3 is by far my least favorite episode so far lol. I've rewatched all the other episodes and avoid all discussions for ep 3 like the plague lmao. I really wish the writer had written that episode a little better and with more forethought. Episode 4 is a lot better and I personally didn't think her self-righteousness was as prominent here. The only scene where I went "Girl, why are you so dumb?!" was when she sniffed the blood. Like what did you think it was going to be? T-T lmao. 

 

We all know YSB is reckless and insanely fearless and it's all to a fault. Like homegirl is 100% a Gryffindor lol but I do appreciate that she's quite fleshed out as a character. We are seeing early on that her being so reckless has certain consequences. She comes off strong and unbothered but also has vulnerable moments. I'm hoping there'll be some nice growth for her and she learns to be less "act now think later" and I really want her to have a one-on-one with Ji-soo to apologize or even acknowledge she crossed the line and was too judgmental with her. Please, writer, please let there be some good character development! 

 

I think a lot of people find HTS to be the most rational and relatable person. I do too but I think he has his own flaws and hypocrisies and can also be self-serving, it's just he comes off more sympathetic to viewers cuz we know he has a family at risk. Honestly, so far JYH is the least complex character to me, cuz all he really does is exist to serve YSB haha. Which I find refreshing honestly, cuz it's usually the other way around with MLs and FLs so it's nice that it's the FL driving the plot with her actions, while the ML just goes along with the ride and unconditionally has her back. I do hope his character is more fleshed out eventually though. His mom kept saying he gets emotional at times but he's been super chill so far so we'll see. 

 

I am obsessed with this drama though, and waiting every week for new episodes is torture. Really wish it goes on Netflix within reasonable time after its airing because I really think it's got international appeal. It's already trending on overseas OTT (Viki, iQiyi, Viu).

 

But tvN realizing how popular the show is getting and are now barely trying to promote it better all of a sudden is hilarious to me. There are so many views on the Happiness videos on their Youtube channel now. Like y'all should've promoted it better from the beginning and had faith in the work lol but w/e I'm just happy it's getting rave reviews, word of mouth continues to spread, and ratings at the very least stay stable.

 

I, too, am so excited and happy to see her and the show all over social media! Also, OMG you're back on here @adamag! It's been so long LOL 

 

----

 

Also, @frozentundra,

  Reveal hidden contents

I don't think the infected are capable of opening doors. I think this is a common trope in zombie works too. In the first episode, YSB closed the door on Lee Jong-tae and all he knew to do was smash his head at it. In the third episode, YSB lets out the neighbor from the bathroom, husband opens the front door and his wife runs out right after him, and then husband opens the emergency fire exit door to floor 5 and if you watch in the background, the door is slow to shut and you see Min-ji come out of it. The issue is what happens when there are a ton of infected and they're all bashing/shoving through glass doors... hmmmm lol

 

@bimini It has been a long time!! Happy that Happiness has brought us back here LMAO. I just realized that after this week, we'll have made it halfway and that just makes me sad lol. Regardless, I'm content with the 12 episodes if that means tighter writing for us!

 

People are hoping for a happy ending while I'm out here wishing the ending is sad and apocalyptic as hell. 

 

Here are a few of my favorite tweets

 

 

 

Anyway, there's more but I'll stop now. I just wanna say the osts so far have been BOPs especially the one at the end!  A lot of people dig lee hyun/sae bom dynamic as a couple/fake couple and even when they are annoying, at least they are annoying together lmao. I also like that the ML is just there to be the FL's puppy. It's a nice change from what we're usually used to. I'm guessing we'll see yi yhun's emotional side when Saebom gets in real danger?

 

Also, Happiness managed to stay at No 5 even though 4 new (better promoted) dramas debuted last week. Yay to small wins!

 

 

I just wanna say that most of the people in saebom's apartment unit are annoying lol but I'm curious to see who makes it out both alive and infected.

[adeleyam]

Hi hi guys~~ I think Soompi was having some bugs so I couldn’t login and stuff but it’s good to be back! 

I’m actually quite surprised to see positive reviews from knetz either in DC or twitter with most saying Hyo’s acting as Saebom is refreshing to see.. love it that Hyo doesn’t need to act much in this because she is indeed Saebom. Have to admit, Saebom is by far one of the best character (at least to me) Hyo has in recent years.

 

Spoiler

Soompi is still having bugs cuz I’m kinda banned(?) from anything..

K-drama Happiness: Han Hyo-joo makes formidable return to TV in focused zombie series

By Peirce Conran | SCMP

• Happiness is a relatively easy-going story with doses of drama and comedy in its first four episodes, while Han exudes grace and grit in the lead role
• Gore hounds after a zombie fix will have to adjust their expectations – the series concentrates more on establishing social dynamics than shocking scenes

High concepts come with high expectations and as each drama series strives to be the next big thing, storytellers in South Korea try to give us something we’ve never seen before. Occasionally this results in something truly fresh and exciting, but more often than not it leads to something big and brash that tries too hard to please.

 

Happiness, a new 12-part horror-thriller series marking the return of actress Han Hyo-joo, is neither of these things.

 

Instead, this zombie show set in an apartment block judiciously picks the right elements from recent shows and films and crafts them into an easy-to-digest and fun-to-watch series that seems more concerned with doing the simple things right than wowing us with big and aggressive swings.

 

Ever since Train to Busan five years ago, zombies, or creatures closely modelled after them, have run rampant across Korean media. They run, twitch and squirm in unusual ways, but they’ve seldom been particularly frightening.

 

Instead, the stories – many of them social parables – they find themselves in, and the characters within them they try to attack, are the things that have drawn our interest.

 

The biggest issue facing Koreans today is skyrocketing apartment prices, which are widening an already major chasm between social classes in the country. Recent Korean zombie or monster titles have notably featured apartment block backdrops, such as #Alive or Sweet Home, both on Netflix.

 

But whereas those stories were more concerned with genre thrills, Happinessplaces a stronger emphasis on Korea’s complex high-rise ecosystem and the things that people will do to get into it, or keep others out.

 

Han, in her first drama since W five years ago – though she recently appeared in the US series Treadstone – plays Yoon Sae-beom, a fearless member of a special anti-terror police squad. Also in the police force is Sae-beom’s high school friend Jung Yi-hyun (ZE:A’s Park Hyung-sik).
 

The show begins with the pair back in high school, with Yi-hyun contemplating suicide when an injury torpedoes his promising baseball career.

 

Han (left) and Park Hyung-sik in a still from Happiness.
 

The police arrive and try to talk him down. Sae-beom dashes up to the roof, breezes past the police, jumps onto the ledge and trots up to Yi-hyun. After successfully talking him down, she pushes him off the roof anyway, into the police’s giant inflatable cushion down below.

 

After this faintly ludicrous opening, featuring the 34-year-old Han as a spunky teenager, the show gets down to business. Both Sae-beom and Yi-hyun come into contact with individuals who display extremely aggressive behaviour, albeit temporarily, after ingesting special drugs.
 

Enter Han Tae-seok (Jo Woo-jin), the leader of a hush-hush government task force trying to control the situation.

 

Spoiler

Jo Woo-jin is the leader of a hush-hush government task force in Happiness.
 

Sae-beom is brought in for testing after begin scratched by her attacker and, after helping Tae-seok, she gets her ultimate reward – extra points on a performance evaluation to qualify her for special government housing. She still needs a couple more points, and she scores them when she convinces Yi-hyun to get married for show.
 

The story then moves to Le Ciel, a fancy new apartment complex, but Sae-beom discovers that all its sparkling facilities aren’t available to her and other public housing beneficiaries living below the sixth floor of their building.

 

Unlike most shows on TV, Happiness takes place in a world that has experienced Covid-19. Lunch cafeterias feature plastic dividers on tables and people still wear masks, but far less strictly than is actually the case in South Korea.

 

Spoiler

Park in a still from Happiness.
 

As more outbreaks of the drug-induced zombie disease pop up over the city, citizens begin to experience pandemic déjà vu when these cases need to be contained.
 

When a case appears on the sixth floor of Sae-beom’s building, Le Ciel also goes into lockdown, with Tae-seok’s armed forces erecting a barricade around the complex and mandating a seven-day quarantine.

 

Factions begin to form among the frustrated residents as tensions rise during the dull quarantine, largely along social class lines, but before long a ferocious zombie outbreak sweeps through the complex.

 

Spoiler

Zombies go on the rampage in K-drama Happiness.
 

Over its first four episodes Happinessconcentrates a lot more on establishing social dynamics and presenting a relatively easy-going story with doses of drama and comedy, so gore hounds chasing their next zombie fix would do well to adjust their expectations.
 

New apartments in Korea are allocated through a complicated points system in a vastly oversubscribed apartment lottery, giving local viewers plenty of relatable material to fume over, not unlike the real estate-themed Sell Your Haunted House earlier this year.

 

Owners of the higher units are largely preoccupied with maintaining high apartment prices, but once the zombies come hurtling through their halls, their baser instincts are likely to prevail.

 

Han in a still from Happiness.

 

Memories of Alhambra director Ahn Gil-ho brings an unhurried pace to the show, while Han Sang-woon, who wrote the hugely underrated horror romcom My Ordinary Love Story, has penned a story with clear and easy-to-root-for characters.
 

Leading the protagonists is the strong and relatable Sae-beom, played with grace and grit by a formidable Han in what proves to a very welcome return to small screens.

 

Edited November 18, 2021 by gm4queen
Please use spoiler tags when you upload more than 3 images in one post! Thanks!

[frozentundra]

Glad you were able to make it back in, @adeleyam! I don't know why Soompi does that every so often, it's annoying. 

 

That article made me smile. "Leading the protagonists is the strong and relatable Sae-beom, played with grace and grit by a formidable Han in what proves to a very welcome return to small screens." 

 

And yes, Korean  audiences seem quite excited about it. Have been reading along in DC (not particularly HJ's gallery, which would be full of fans, but searching for comments on the drama) and seeing just a lot of people loving it and urging others to watch. It's a GREAT comeback for her!

[bimini]

Awww Happiness really bringing all us OG fans back to Soompi ! love that haha So happy to see you all again!

 

I agree with y'all that YSB is my favorite character of hers in a long while. I did watch Treadstone when it aired and did enjoy her character in that too but I was no where near as invested in that show than I am with Happiness. Though it was a lot easier for me to catch it live on my time than Happiness and also... no need for English subtitles haha. But it's been so great seeing people acknowledge her portrayal of YSB so far, especially the critics reviews. Glad the show's getting rave reviews all around the world. 

 

I've seen some criticism of the show and people finding issue that the show presents YSB as the good moral compass, which is confusing to me because she literally pushes someone off the rooftop in the first episode because of selfish reasons aka she wanted to go home lol. She isn't exactly a paragon of virtue, and she never really was. 

 

Anyway, can't believe we're almost halfway into the series T-T I'm curious of the show's pacing from here on out because we still have 6 episodes left after this weekend and I wonder how the show intends to end. 

 

After Moving, I do hope Hyojoo's next drama is something mellow and slice-of-life, just for the nice scenery change lol. I really want her to be in something that's more character-focused. Feel like we haven't seen that from her in a while. 

 

Also, are we really going to get that Elle photoshoot halfway into the series?! What is this promotion?

[adamag]

22 hours ago, bimini said:

Awww Happiness really bringing all us OG fans back to Soompi ! love that haha So happy to see you all again!

 

I agree with y'all that YSB is my favorite character of hers in a long while. I did watch Treadstone when it aired and did enjoy her character in that too but I was no where near as invested in that show than I am with Happiness. Though it was a lot easier for me to catch it live on my time than Happiness and also... no need for English subtitles haha. But it's been so great seeing people acknowledge her portrayal of YSB so far, especially the critics reviews. Glad the show's getting rave reviews all around the world. 

 

I've seen some criticism of the show and people finding issue that the show presents YSB as the good moral compass, which is confusing to me because she literally pushes someone off the rooftop in the first episode because of selfish reasons aka she wanted to go home lol. She isn't exactly a paragon of virtue, and she never really was. 

 

Anyway, can't believe we're almost halfway into the series T-T I'm curious of the show's pacing from here on out because we still have 6 episodes left after this weekend and I wonder how the show intends to end. 

 

After Moving, I do hope Hyojoo's next drama is something mellow and slice-of-life, just for the nice scenery change lol. I really want her to be in something that's more character-focused. Feel like we haven't seen that from her in a while. 

 

Also, are we really going to get that Elle photoshoot halfway into the series?! What is this promotion?

 
 

I’m tired of waiting for that photoshoot! Like give it to us !!!

 

I think the stuff with YSB’s moral compass were mostly more evident in ep 3 & 4. The scenes where she scolds Lt Ji Soo or even her conversations with HTS lol. Like yeah she’s free spirited enough to push someone off the roof but when there’s a chaotic zombish outbreak, she’s kinda expecting people to not freak out or make less ideal decisions which is kinda ridiculous. I think part of that is related to how compared to others who have actually seen the effect the disease has on people firsthand, she and JYH seem to be less bothered.

 

Phrases like : “I’m losing faith in humanity everyday” after they were locked in by the other apartment members definitely has a moral undertone to it too. 

 

I however think that all this is gonna change a bit in this week’s episodes but we’ll see.

 

Like the plot description says, the drama is gonna reflect changing values as danger gets closer.

 

AND PLEASE YES TO A MELO OR SLICE OF LIFE. I know hyo doesn’t want to do melo anymore but I genuinely think her melos are the best

 

 

[Selin Eroğlu]

 I criticized the series and Saeboom, but I wouldn't have watched the series if it wasn't for the lead actors. They are play their roles so well. PHS and HHJ saves the series from its pessimistic mood. Normally, zombie drama seem very boring and negative to me. The brave side of Saebom's character definitely gives a very positive atmosphere to this pessimistic series sometimes. For example, I was very happy in the scene where she kicked the doctor character. If it were me, I would kick or curse too. But sometimes she doesn't act wisely, giving in to her feelings too much. For example, she could have been more cunning in the last scene of this episode. But  she isn't perfect character she has flaws that's why she's more realistic. I think she was very good in this scene.

 

and this my favorite

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[keisha15]

Hello fellow hyolics, i don't know if you still remember me, it's been a while since i log-in here in soompi but i keep on checking all your convo here. Nice to see you all here again. I'm so happy our girl finally get a back to back drama again (although Moving is a bit far for broadcast yet), this is my one wish for her and i'm so thankful that she finally blessed us her beauty and dorkiness in dramaland. I love Happiness, i binge watched the 6eps last weekend (since i've been in hiding when it was broadcasted)  and it frustrates me to wait for another week for the next episodes. The drama is exciting and hilarious, it keeps me on the edge of my seat and literally invaded my dreams, can't wait for the next episodes. I just hope Yihyun and Saebom will have a bit of romance at the later part of the series. It also sadden me that the drama is already half-way done. It's been a while since  i watched a kseries that makes me want to finish in one go (no bias meant, i gave others a try but it is just no kseries appeals to me this past few years). 
I love Saebom character, HHJ is so natural here just like in Love 911. I also wish for her to take a melodrama one more/last time. 

Happy waiting for Happiness, have a good day guys. 

[Sleepy Owl]

 

It's December already!  

Welcome to our Soompi Advent Calendar Event where we together count down to Christmas.

Do join us for some fun while we wait for Christmas! 

 

Your Event Organizers,

@partyon @Sleepy Owl @agenth @confusedheart

[frozentundra]

Just want to come back and say what a great job Hyo Joo did in Happiness. She played a gutsy, impulsive character who was still a well rounded person, with people she cared about (and was willing to risk for) and a lot of well-aimed kicks at a certain horrible character lol. (Even in that last episode, they still managed to fit one more in. Ahhh...that was satisfying.) Plenty of action (and she shines in action!) and also some trademark Hyo Joo moments that pull at your heart. It was a GREAT comeback project for her! Well written, well cast, well acted. Loved her character Sae Bom! 

[frozentundra]

So the covid situation has shot up again in Korea and the film Pirates was supposed to come out alongside has been yanked. Yesterday Lotte said they were keeping an eye on the situation but hadn't decided to postpone at that time. Just watching. But just now, they posted these character posters, so I think it's a go! (Covid: please GO AWAY and never come back.) 

 

Anyway, Haerang looks cool. I've always been impressed at how small changes can give HJ such a completely different vibe and character. 

 

 

 

 

[Selin Eroğlu]

HHJ IG Update

 

 

[frozentundra]

Pirates coming January 26!

 

 

New Year's greeting at the Seoul City bell ringing ceremony (pre-recorded; I think she's filming Moving overnight):

 

 

And Happiness commentary from TVN. Unfortunately they decided not to make a Bluray after all  but at least there is this. 

 

 

 

Next up to look forward to: Pirates from January 26 (hopefully after a successful run in Korean theaters it will be available worldwide), and the Moving later in the year. Oh! And some question about a possible cameo in 20th Century Girl (the lead girl is young Dong Yi and there have been some hints of this). 

 

Anyway, 새해 복 많이 받으세요, 여러분! Happy New Year, everyone!

[partyon]

Soompi Forums Awards: The best k-dramas of 2021? Please vote!

 

Now is your chance to show your love for your favorite dramas of 2021. In the Soompi Forums Awards poll you can vote for the dramas you liked the most last year.

Which dramas will be the winners?

 

Your Event Organizers,

@partyon @confusedheart @agenth @Sleepy Owl

[Sleepy Owl]

Quick Poll: Top K-pop Artists and Variety shows of 2021

 

Please vote!

 

Now you can also vote for:

• Top K-pop Artists of 2021 
• Top Variety Shows of 2021

 

 

 

Your Event Organizers,

@partyon, @agenth, @confusedheart, @Sleepy Owl

[frozentundra]

I'm loving reading all the viewer reactions that come up as I follow the #해적_도께비깃발 hashtag (Pirates: Goblin Flag). I haven't really looked into professional reviews, but you know...for this kind of film, the ones that count are the ones that get people into the theaters. An overwhelmingly positive response. Tons of people are thrilled to get back to the theater and to be welcomed back with such a warm and funny film. I'm so glad. It seems from articles I have read on Naver that a lot is riding on this film, not just for the people who made it, but also a bit for the Korean film industry as a whole. There are still over 100 Korean films waiting to air, and if not enough people go back to the theater, then some companies may have trouble staying in business. But if this pulls people out of their houses and into the theaters and does well, then it will open the floodgates for many of these other projects that are waiting. So, Pirates fighting! Go save the world! (Or at least the Korean film industry, lol.) 

 

Pirate Haerang Danju

 

 

For this and more pictures from BH Entertainment, see here: https://m.post.naver.com/viewer/postView.naver?volumeNo=33139413&memberNo=21724264

[Scientia Ac Labore]

Hello everyone,

 

I'm looking for pictures of HHJ from 13 April 2016, when she was at the stage greeting of Haeeohwa and was voting before this too.
I'm interested in up close quality pictures of HHJ. There's plenty of pictures from that day but few are of good quality. Is there a link where I can find all of them in good quality, such as the following ones: