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hi everyone! i just wanted to let ya'll know that i'm still alive (thankfully) and will continue to be inactive until my finals finish next week :(( i am working on the prompt fics as much as i can whilst simultaneously trying to study (and failing very badly at it). hopefully ya'll can wait a little longer! and those of you who live in the states, stay safe and take care of yourselves!! <3

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Hwanghan

Prompt - Home stopped being a place when you entered my life

Hello! Thanks for the request! Here’s the link to ao3  if you wanna check it out over there! I really hope you like it anon! ;-;

(fic under the cut)

“Home stopped being a place when you entered my life.” 

Han Yeojin pauses in the middle of stacking the dry plates in the cabinet and turns around to stare at him. “What did you say?” she asks slowly, dragging out her words. He stares back as he leans against the counter, head tilting curiously at the faint blush creeping up her cheeks.  

Yeojin is the first one to break the stare, blinking in rapid succession. He watches as she brings up a hand to her face and starts fanning, her voice shaky as she lets out a small chuckle. “Have you been watching rom-coms behind my back? I know you’re on leave, but I didn’t think you’d be that bored.”   

Simok is quiet as he looks at the floor, thinking back to when he had gone out to meet someone for lunch earlier in the day. Lifting his head again to look at her, he replies, “Someone told me to tell you that…” Frowning, he glances elsewhere and avoids her gaze. “Please forget I said anything.”  

From the corner of his eye, he sees Yeojin taking a step towards him, and another, until she is standing directly in front of him. He observes her closely, wondering what she will do next, only to be completely taken by surprise when she loops her arms around his torso and rests her head on his shoulder. He sighs and relaxes in her embrace, the tension in his body seeping away as he wraps his arms around her, pulling her closer.  

“It makes me really happy to hear you say that, Simok-ah. I’m glad you think highly enough of me to say that,” she murmurs close to his ear. He smiles, relieved that he had not somehow upset their relationship in any way. After a moment, she leans back and looks him in the eye. “But… who exactly told you to say that?” 

Earlier  

Simok arrives at the restaurant he was asked to come to. He bows politely at the waitress as he enters, and immediately finds the person he is supposed to meet seated in the middle of the venue, the man’s tall figure and neat suit making him stand out amongst the other patrons. As he approaches the table the man is seated at, the person pauses in the middle of his meal and looks up, smiling when he sees Simok.  

“Prosecutor Hwang! You’re here!” exclaims the man. Simok bows to his senior. 

“Prosecutor Seo.” 

Seo Dongjae lets out a laugh, though what he finds so amusing Simok does not know. “Yah, look at you! You actually look happy!”  

He stares at Prosecutor Seo blankly and nods, unsure of how to respond, as he seats himself across the table. “Yes.”  

“I guess that’s what being in love does to someone, huh? Even our Prosecutor Hwang is not immune to the effects of love!”  

Alright, Simok really does not know what the man is saying. “Why did you ask to see me?” he asks quickly, putting a stop to the speech that he senses Prosecutor Seo is about to go on. When a waitress comes by to take his order, he asks for the same meal the other prosecutor ordered.  

“Aish, we’re co-workers, aren’t we? Or former co-workers, I guess,” says Seo Dongjae, frowning a little. “Anyway, I just feel like catching up with you. What have you been up to, besides getting yourself a girl?”  

His eye twitches almost imperceptibly, because Han Yeojin is most definitely not just a girl, but he chooses to let that comment slide. Instead, he feels slightly uncomfortable at the fact that he is in the middle of Seoul having lunch with just Seo Dongjae and nobody else, for the purpose of something that is not work-related. A heavy feeling sits at his chest, which he determines to be regret, based on what Yeojin had told him once a while ago. He regrets coming here.  

“Work in Wonju has been busy,” explains Simok briefly. After a moment of neither one saying anything, Prosecutor Seo sighs. 

“Really? That’s it? What about Senior Inspector Han then? What do you guys usually do together? Come on Hwang Simok, I want details!”  

“I don’t think it’s any of your business,” says Simok quietly, though one look at his fellow prosecutor shows that the man really does not care. After all, would it be Seo Dongjae if he is actually concerned about butting into other people’s business?  

“You know, I never imagined I’d live to see the day you date –“ 

“We go to the park on Saturdays.”  

“Oh,” responds Prosecutor Seo eloquently. He waves a hand at Simok, gesturing for him to continue. “Alright, go on.” 

Simok ponders on what else to say. Yet again he finds himself regretting coming here. “We discuss cases. Sometimes Senior Inspector Han makes us cook together…”  

“Okay, stop right there,” says Prosecutor Seo exasperatedly. “Take it from someone who’s been through it, alright? You want to woo them with declarations of love and romantic words! Honestly, from the way you’re speaking, it’s like you’re not even interested.” 

“That’s not true,” insists Simok firmly, his face hardening almost immediately, finding himself disturbed by what Seo Dongjae said, if the churning in his stomach is any indication. At this point, Simok wonders if he should just stop entertaining his colleague and leave the restaurant entirely.  

“Okay, okay. Well, that’s obviously not true, right?” The man laughs awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. “But still, you’re gonna want to woo her, Prosecutor Hwang. Maybe she’s used to, well, you, but you need to go above and beyond if you want this to keep.”  

Deciding to humor him one last time, Simok asks, “What should I do, then?”  

Seo Dongjae leans forward, the corners of his lips pulling to form a wide smile, almost Cheshire cat-like. “Okay, so you should be telling her things like ‘you look really beautiful today’, but that’s pretty basic, right? No, I think you should say ‘now that we’re together, I cannot imagine my life any other way’. I bet you if you say that, you’ll get married within the week.” 

Simok blinks. Then blinks again. He wonders if his ears have somehow stopped functioning the way they are supposed to, because he does not think that he heard the man right.  

“Oh, I have another good one. Tell her, ‘home stopped being a place when you entered my life.’ That will work, I guarantee –“ 

“No.” It is already the last straw for Simok. If he has to hear one more cheesy pick-up line, he will throw something. Preferably, Seo Dongjae. Taking out his wallet from the pocket of his jacket, he pulls out ten thousand won and places the banknote on the table. “Thank you for the lunch, Prosecutor Seo, but I have to go back to the office now.” With that, he simply gets up from his chair and bows slightly to the man before turning around to leave. 

“I – Wha - Wait, Hwang Simok, you can’t just leave! I’m not finished!” 

He nods serenely at the same waitress from earlier as he leaves, steadily ignoring the indignant yells directed at him. Stepping outside, he lets out a sigh of relief, feeling like a weight had just been lifted off of his shoulders. Making his way back to his car, a smile slowly forms, unbidden, on his face, the thought of spending time in the company of one Han Yeojin filling him with a warm, pleasant feeling that he has come to associate with her. The smile disappears, however, when his stomach grumbles, displeased that he left before his food had even arrived. 

In the restaurant, Seo Dongjae narrows his eyes at the ten thousand won laid neatly across the table that was left to him by his junior. He feels the first signs of a headache forming on his head and proceeds to massage the middle of his forehead, sighing out loud. “That prick is still as insufferable as ever. I don’t know why I even bothered. And what was that about going to the office? He’s wearing a sweater and jeans! Did he forget how to lie or what?”  

Just then, a thought occurs to him. “Wait, what if… no, there’s absolutely no way that he’ll actually say some of the crap I told him to, right?” 

Now  

“You’re telling me you took dating advice from Seo Dongjae?” questions Yeojin incredulously. 

“Yes.” 

“I… I don’t know what to say. Tell me you didn’t even want to say it. Please.” 

“Not initially, no,” confirms Simok. He meets her eyes, the look in his own eyes unreadable. “But I thought about it, and I don’t think it is a false statement. Perhaps Prosecutor Seo should be given some credit. Home truly did stop being a place when you entered my life.”  

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thank you to everyone who sent in requests! i got wayyy more than i expected to omg. tbh i did not choose a very good time to do this but i done did it anyway :) i'm gonna try to get all of them done as soon as possible, but if not, expect at least 1 prompt fic each day! if i fail FEEL FREE TO YELL AT ME

i hereby declare that i am no longer accepting requests

(at least for the time being lol)

sooo umm i’m probably going to regret this soon enough but i’ve seen others accepting prompt requests and i’ve come to the conclusion that this is a necessary evil that i must do as well in order to regain what writing skill i have lost. so please flood my inbox with requests so that i can be the very best like no one ever was

prompt list

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Hiii! My prompt choice for your short hwanghans is "42. I’m going to save you from the terrible date you’re having" because I can imagine either one swooping in to save the other from a blind date gone wrong. Looking forward to the next installment of By Your Side!!

Oooh I love this prompt! Thank you so much for asking it! I hope you enjoy it! It can also be found on Ao3!!!

~

Inspector Han Yeo-Jin tapped out a pattern on the table as she tried to stop herself from rolling her eyes for the fourth time that evening.

Her mother had called her last week randomly as she was leaving work and had told her that she had arranged a blind date with the son of one of her friends. Yeo-Jin was reluctant as she told her mother yes. She was too busy to date, and besides, there were not a lot of men who were interested in dating female police officers.

“...And my company had been developing a new algorithm for analyzing both macro and microeconomics to come up with a...” explained her date as he droned on and on about something she couldn’t even remember ten seconds later.

From the few seconds that she had actually paid attention to the man, she had learned that he was a businessman, apparently someone VERY high up in the corporate world. It seemed like he was used to getting his way with the world. Men like him annoyed her. She had met plenty of them when she interrogated them for fraud, theft, and murder.

His appearance added to her overall dislike of the man. Sure he was attractive by societal standards, but it just didn’t appeal to her. His hair was short and slicked back. The large watch on his wrist and his Italian leather shoes screamed “look at me I have money.” It all reminded her of someone. Everyone’s favorite weasel, Seo Dong Jae.

She had been trying to find a way to get out of the dinner without making a scene. If it was a more casual restaurant, she would have simply stood up and left, but if she did that there, in such a nice restaurant, it would just draw attention.

As she tugged the hem of her black dress down for the fiftieth time that evening, she leaned back in her chair. She thought of any way that she could get out of this situation. Was there anyone who could help her?

Jang Geon mentioned that he was going camping with his family, there wasn’t really anyone she was close to at work, and while she was on better terms with Choi Bit, they weren’t on good enough terms for her to help Yeo-Jin.

It was just then that it struck her. Prosecutor Hwang. It was a stretch, but she remembered from their last text messages a couple of weeks ago that he was going to be in Seoul for some sort of gala for the prosecution. He said he didn’t want to attend, but some of his superiors wanted to send him as a representative for the Wonju firm.

The question was, would he help her? She knew that he didn’t like to get involved in social situations, but she thought he might do it for her. Plus, they hadn’t seen each other since they separated at the restaurant a couple of months ago.

Discreetly pulling out her phone from her purse and setting it in her lap where she could type under the table without her date noticing, she sent a quick text.

Hi Prosecutor Hwang! I know you’re super busy with the gala tonight, but is there any way that you could come to the restaurant that I am at? My mother set me up with a blind date and I feel like I am two seconds away from punching him. How do you feel about preventing me from harming a civilian?

She quickly sent the text and was about to turn her phone off when she pulled her messages back up and sent him an emoji of a cartoon cat winking.

Turning her screen off, Yeo-Jin once again brought her attention back to her date, trying to feign even a small of interest. She really needed Hwang Si-Mok to help her out. It was almost as if that thought had summoned him, the phone in her lap letting out a soft buzz. Glancing at her phone, she saw a single short text.

On my way.

~~~

It had been fifteen minutes and thirty-six seconds since she had received Si-Mok’s reply, and yes she was counting the seconds.

Fortunately, they had only just finished their appetizers and had not ordered the next course. She didn’t want to pay for an overpriced, extremely small portion of food if she was going to leave soon.

However, much to her dismay, the waiter set down two small menus in front of them. She was so close to not having to pay.

Grabbing the menu, Yeo-Jin saw that only four entrees were listed in the front. Flipping to the other side, she noticed that the back was blank. The prices were not even listed on the menu.

Mentally rolling her eyes at the insanity of such a menu, Yeo-Jin fingered the edge, planning to make sure that choosing one of those four entrees was going to be the hardest and longest task she had ever done.

It was then when she noticed a few women at the table beside them start whispering as they looked off in the direction behind Yeo-Jin’s chair. Their slightly wide eyes and opened mouths made it seem as if they had just spotted their favorite idol or drama star. Happy to have a distraction from her date, Yeo-Jin turned in her seat to look to where the women’s gazes were directed. Her eyes slightly widened, almost matching the looks that were on the other women’s faces.

None other than Prosecutor Hwang Si-Mom had entered the building and was walking her way. It was clear that the prosecutor had just come from somewhere fancy.

He had traded out his usual dark suit for a tailored back tux, the craftsmanship emphasizing the broadness of his shoulders. She was shocked to see that he wore a black bow tie. She had always seen him in a tie.

His eyes met hers from across the restaurant, a look of recognition appearing in his eyes as he took a step in her direction. It had to have only taken him a minute to walk over to where she sat, but it felt like much longer as she watched him move in almost slow motion. His steps were confident as he walked over, almost sauntering as he crossed the room. She watched as he brought a hand up to his hair, ruffling it a little, only heightening the greatness of his messy hair. As he approached the table, Yeo-Jin watched as he fiddled with his cufflinks, his eyes never leaving hers. The female inspector felt her heart skip a beat.

Aigoo, is this a runway?

“Inspector Han Yeo-Jin,” Prosecutor Hwang greeted as he gave a quick bow of his head in her direction, not bothering to even look at her date, “I need your assistance on a case immediately.”

Yeo-Jin slightly shook her head, desperate to shake her Si-Mok-filled thoughts from her head. Setting the menu down in front of her on the table, the female inspector stood up from her chair, grabbing her purse and standing beside Si-Mok.

Turning to her date she gave a simple apology for having to leave. When her date offered for them to continue their date, she politely declined and motioned at Si-Mok that she was ready to go.

Noticing that the prosecutor had motioned for her to go first, she stepped in front of him, the click of her heels on the floor confident and unwavering. At least it was until she felt a large hand on the small of her back, the warmth seeping through her dress. She looked to the side, bringing her eyes to his as the prosecutor ushered her out of the restaurant and into the cold night, his hand still not leaving her back.

As they neared his car, she turned to him, a warm smile on her face as she said, “Thank you for saving me.”

She watched as a warm smile appeared on his face in response as he responded, “Of course.”

She tried to hold back her smile as he opened the door for her to get into his car, his hand against the top of the doorframe as if to protect her from hitting her head. A quick glance into his side mirror proved she failed to hide it.

As he hopped in the car and turned it on, Yeo-Jin realized they didn’t have a destination to go to, the case Si-Mok had mentioned clearly simply an excuse. She was desperate to spend more time with him, to simply stay by his side. It had been so long.

“Would you...” Han Yeo-Jin began as his warm voice also spoke up.

“Do you want...”

Yeo-Jin motioned at him to speak first, a warm smile on her face.

“Do you what to get ramen or udon?” The prosecutor asked with an almost apprehensive look on his face, “The gala had horrible food and I have not had the chance to eat much today.”

Yeo-Jin smiled broadly at him as she lightly punched him on the arm, “Aigoo, we must have telepathy. I was just about to ask you that.”

Si-Mok responded with a small smile and she was once again struck by his beauty. Sitting beside him in his car was peaceful, the outside world a blur of neon lights and people talking.

It looked as if he had almost wanted to say something but Si-Mok turned his attention away from her as he pulled out of the parking spot and onto the road.

Yeo-Jin really wanted to know what he was about to say, but she knew he would tell her eventually. He always did.

Looking over at Si-Mok, she felt her lips quirk up into yet another smile since he had saved her from her horrible date.

“So, how was the gala?” Yeo-Jin asked as she leaned back in her seat, “Oh, and how’s Wonju? You’ll have to tell me all about it....”

It was a pleasant drive to the pop-up bar, their conversations as connected and friendly as always, and if Si-Mok had taken the longer route to get there, no one had commented on it.

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sooo umm i’m probably going to regret this soon enough but i’ve seen others accepting prompt requests and i’ve come to the conclusion that this is a necessary evil that i must do as well in order to regain what writing skill i have lost. so please flood my inbox with requests so that i can be the very best like no one ever was

prompt list

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I don’t know who needs to know this but there’s apparently a whole section of Secret Forest-themed ASMR videos on Youtube???? 

Like the titles are all “In Hwang Shi-mok’s office, working late at night” or “Working next to Hwang Shi-mok” or “Working with the Special Investigations Team” and it’s HILARIOUS but also GREAT

There’s even one for Seo Dong-jae’s office and the comments are so funny, because they’re saying that the louder computer sounds are more in-character for Dong-jae’s office while Shi-mok’s office is quieter and relies more on pen and paper because he’s an old fashioned character. 

If you want to listen to some paper rustling/ambient office sounds while you’re studying/working, check out the videos below! 

Shimok’s Office

Special Investigation Team

Seo Dong-jae’s Office

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What are you fav kdramas? (Apart from secret forest)

hello! thanks for the ask (i really wasn’t expecting one skdshdhs)! brief explanation: i only started to actively watch kdramas when my country went into lockdown in march, i’m fairly picky when it comes to choosing what to watch and most of the dramas i’ve watched are ones where the lead happens to be an actor i stan. so my fav kdramas are quite frankly an odd bunch lmao. please bear with me here it’s gonna be a bit lengthy huhu

(in no particular order)

signal (2016 | procedural crime, thriller, fantasy) - everyone’s favourite it seems lol. usually before a class i would try to revise back what i learnt in the previous one but this show made me forego that routine entirely (yes i know i’m a goodie two shoes shhh). i love lee jae han. lee jae han best boi. 

kingdom (2019 - | historical, political, horror) - my best friends wouldn’t stop talking about it, so this was the first show i took up during lockdown. watched it a second time with my mom. lived in my mind rent free for a good long while. 

mr sunshine (2018 | historical, romance, melo) - the only drama that has managed to make me ugly cry. had to pause in the middle of that scene to go to the kitchen(?) and let it out. came back only to repeat the crying. also the drama that made me fall in love with historical kdramas! 

jeong do jeon (2014 | historical, political) - the drama where i think even the protagonist could be the antagonist lol. if i’m not mistaken, they tried to keep the drama as historically accurate as possible! also the show that really strengthens my refusal to even think about joining politics because good lord.

horse doctor/king’s doctor (2012 - 2013 | historical, medical) - the first 50-episode kdrama i watched and also the first medical drama i could stomach (barely, i still got really squeamish). cho seung woo’s in it (basically the reason why i wanted to watch it in the first place)! the wholesomeness of the drama despite all the evil political stuff going on was what made me fall in love with it. really want to do a rewatch soon but i’m too busy to do that right now :(

dong yi (2010 | historical, romance) - the same director and writer also worked on horse doctor! so umm basically the way the plot is written is almost exactly the same as horse doctor? i even drew up a table comparing the two haha. basically it’s horse doctor but make it royalty and wayyy more political. the main gang is way smarter than me. the jung jin young + ji jin hee team up was everything i could ever ask for. also han hyo joo!! (ok but ji jin hee as king sukjong? mhmmmm)

honorable mentions: 

life (2018 | medical) - this drama is really a hit or miss. it actually took me a long time to get past the 3rd episode because i thought it was too serious for me and i found that all the medical/hospital stuff were a bit hard to follow initially. if nothing else, watch it for cho seung woo. (gu seung hyo? a Meanie AND a Hottie) 

hyena (2020 | legal) - went in for ju ji hoon, came out with the decision to completely change what i wanna do in life lmao 

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WAIT I FORGOT LEE KYU HYUNG AND LEE DONG WOOK WERE IN LIFE TOGETHER AND PLAYED BROTHERS!!! 

an alternate universe where yoon se won is a badass joseon magistrate and holds his ground against a gumiho?? yes please

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welcome to secret forest, the show that insists on starving its male lead! 

so i just started watching secret forest/ stranger and I can’t help but wonder as to why people always seem to call si-mok just before he even takes a bite from his food. like, let the man breathe, eat, relax, recharge for a change then proceed tormenting him with shit. 

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Korea’s Colonial History in Secret Forest

Writing my current multichapter AU (Shi-mok and Yeo-jin as independence fighters!) is causing all of my secondhand rage about Korea’s colonial period to resurface, so let’s resolve that by exploring how this rage simmers in Secret Forest/Forest of Secrets/Stranger, and maybe to provide some extra context since Netflix subtitles can only capture so much. 

For those of you who don’t know, Korea was colonized by Japan (like much of Asia) from 1910 to 1945. That was an incredibly dark period in our history, since Koreans were forced to endure immense violence, oppression, and cultural destruction at the hands of the Japanese empire, with little hope of independence. Among the many atrocities include millions of Koreans forcibly extradited abroad to Japan and Manchuria to provide labor in mines and industrial factories, which they endured in incredibly harsh conditions. Koreans were forced to serve in Japanese armies and were mostly sent to the frontlines to die for a country that was not their own. Perhaps the most horrifying practice was the 100,000+ women taken from Korea to become comfort women, or sexual slaves, servicing Japanese soldiers at base camps across Asia. Korean scholars have estimated that 75 percent of these women died after being murdered by soldiers or succumbing to their injuries and diseases that proliferated the camps. Most of these women were children, between the ages of 13 and 17. Only some of those who survived returned to Korea, and most of these survivors were shunned by their families and villages. 

The Japanese government is still denying the practice of taking and forcing Korean women in sexual slavery during the occupation period, among many of the other atrocities they committed as an empire. Most of Japan’s war crimes are not taught in Japanese schools or even written in textbooks; Japanese historians and scholars have frequently downplayed the extent of the atrocities.There is a protest every Wednesday in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul, where the last few surviving comfort women come to demand acknowledgement and reparations for the crimes. 

So the rage continues, even with all of South Korea’s advancement. 

(That’s not to talk about Korea’s turbulent history post WWII. Korea was basically ripped apart in an externally forced civil war right after the colonial period, and South Korea was reoccupied by the United States. South Korea remained a war-torn country until the late 1970s; we only became a true democracy in the 90s, after decades of dictatorships and student activism movements that resulted in immense police brutality against college students and activists of that period.)

So what does this have to do with Secret Forest, which is about corruption in Korea’s own prosecution system?

I think the most pointed example is in S1, when Lee Yun-beom engages in a military scam by recruiting the Minister of Defense, the Bahn Group chairman, the National Director of Weaponry, and the Matsumaya weapons company. In essence, by having Matsumaya pose as a weapons company from Ukraine, Hanjo would have price-jacked the radar system they were planning to sell to South Korea. The Korean government would have bought the system without any knowledge that it came from Japan, not Ukraine, and Hanjo would have pocketed the profit. 

Animosity between Korea and Japan still exists to such a degree that it’s impossible to believe that a radar system coming from Japan would innocently serve its purpose and do nothing else. In essence, Hanjo committing this fraud means it had no consideration of Korea’s security as a country or for its citizens, or even for the history of Korean oppression at the hands of the Japanese. 

For a Korean viewer, this would cement Lee Yun-beom as a complete and true antagonist. I remember the revulsion I felt when he kept saying “Subarashi,” which means “Amazing,” in Japanese. The colonial period sentiments remain. There were a number of Koreans during the colonial period who became fully complicit with the Japanese regime, who became active substitutes of the oppressor against their own countrymen. A number of these Koreans idolized Japanese culture and Japanese identities as a result of their own desire to remove themselves from an oppressed group; these Koreans willingly adopted Japanese identities and ingratiated themselves into Japanese society. When Korea achieved independence in 1945, a number of these pro-Japanese individuals were tried for their own war crimes; there is still a roster updated by the Korean government of everyone who remained pro-Japanese and their descendants. Lee Yun-beom’s enthusiastic use of a word like “subarashi” serves as a visceral reminder of these traitors who sold out their nation for their own self-interests.

I’m obviously not advocating for any kind of national hatred; Korea has its own issues, and I firmly abide by the statement that the entire country has generational trauma that it needs to recover from. But I hope this provides context as to why Hanjo transcends a regular corrupt chaebol group of most K-dramas, because the writer indirectly connects them to a kind of a national betrayal that is still fresh in the country’s memory. 

It’s why, in S2, when Woo Tae-ha compares himself to the independence fighters against the Japanese, he gets written off as completely irredeemable, at least for the rest of the season’s run. His inability to see how his self-serving attitude lands him closer to pro-Japanese sympathizers than to independence fighters indicates just how flawed his world view is, especially in the perspective of a Korean. His analogy shows how clearly corrupt he is, because he is so intent on justifying his actions that he would compare himself to some of the most revered historical figures of Korea. Shi-mok and Sa-hyun both noticeably rear back when he says this; both of them know the line he’s crossed. 

One of the questions at the core of Secret Forest is the role of a public servant. How far can a public servant act in their own self-interest before they are openly abusing their position of power? Put another way, how much selflessness can we demand from a public servant? What is the true moral responsibility of someone who claims to serve their country?

This question exists not just because of recent events; it exists because people like my grandparents remember how we lost our country when enough people decided that their own self-interests were worth more than the lives of their countrymen. The themes in Secret Forest are universal, but when you explore the context in which its stories are written, we can see how it is also a uniquely Korean story, about Korean people. 

[taesulies]

What’s the issue? I need the best pacemaker, and you have to become the best pacemaker. To me, the best marathoner only needs to focus on running. This money is for that, you jerk! You don’t know anything. Not everyone who runs does it to come first place! I run for you.

[taesulies]

Hwang Si-mok in casual clothes —     S1 | S2       —requested by anonymous

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hwang si mok!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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reasons why u should watch ‘secret forest 2′

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an alternate universe where yoon se won is a badass joseon magistrate and holds his ground against a gumiho?? yes please

[taesulies]

A note on Shi-mok’s lines in the script vs. in broadcast

Actors definitely change their lines all the time, to either be more colloquial or so that they can say it more smoothly, but Jo Seung-woo’s work in Forest of Secrets/Stranger was definitely on another level. 

Some of his more basic changes included condensing lines or swapping out difficult words for easier phrasing, which also helped make his character more approachable and less robotic. I’m fairly sure some of this was for his own convenience (the actors have complained A LOT about the amount of dialogue in these scripts, like they are overwhelmed lolol), but it also really helps make Shi-mok much more human. In some scenes, Jo Seung-woo would also swap the arrangement of the line, so that the beginning would become the concluding statement and create more impact.

But maybe most importantly, Jo Seung-woo sometimes changed the style of speech itself, which is a really big change to make in Korean. As many viewers are probably aware, Korean is an extremely hierarchical language, which means there are significant degrees of formality that can completely change a person’s dynamic with another person, even if the technical meaning behind the words remain the same. In the script, Shi-mok retains a highly, highly formalized style of speaking with everyone he meets, which would only usually be found in workplaces with a high level of formality (The prosecution service is definitely one of them, the military would be another. A lot of the speech patterns in historical dramas are at this level of formality as well, which is why it can sound antiquated when used in modern day). 

This level of formality renders the speech so that it sounds almost like statements, as if you’re talking AT someone, rather than to them. It creates a high degree of emotional distance, which is why Jo Seung-woo definitely retains the style in a number of scenes, sometimes with his superiors (particularly Lee Chang-joon and Woo Tae-ha), but also in his interrogation scenes. 

So in the script, because the formality implies distance, Shi-mok ends up coming across as almost robotic, since he maintains a high degree of formality even with Yeo-jin, and even after their relationship develops. But in the actual show, a Korean viewer would hear his speech gradually downgrade from extreme formality to a more casual (but still very polite!) form of speech, which is a specific acting choice Jo Seung-woo made.

A significant example of this is in the river scene in S1, Ep. 7, where Yeo-jin and Gun are looking for a cellphone when Shi-mok shows up. (2:05-2:27)

When Yeo-jin slaps him on the back, he’s shocked/outraged, which shows on his face. When she asks him, “Are you mad?”, he just stares away pettily before saying, “No.”

This “No” can be said in so many different ways, my friends.

Here’s the original script in Korean, with my translations:

여진 : 어? 화났다, 화낸 거 맞죠 지금? Yeo-Jin: Huh? You’re mad, you got mad just now, right?

시목 : 아닙니다. Shi-mok: No, I am not.

여잔 : 화났는데? 났는데? 이랬는데? (메모용 수첩 꺼내 뚝딱뚝딱 그린다) Yeo-jin: Aren’t you mad? You’re definitely mad. You were like this! 시목 : 화 안 났습니다. (먼저 일어나 물로 간다) Shi-mok: I am not mad. (Walks away first to the river)

And the dialogue in the actual episode:

여진 : 어? 화났어요? 화났는데? 화났어요? Yeo-jin: Huh? Are you mad? He’s mad, right? Are you mad?

시목 : …아닌데요. Shi-mok: …..no.

여진 : 에? 에이 화났는데~ 화났는데 지금 얼굴 표정이 완전 그랬는데? 화났어요~ 봐봐봐 이렇게 했다구 (메모용 수첩 꺼내 뚝딱뚝딱 그린다) 우와, 이렇게 해가지구, (매모를 보여준다) 이거 봐, 이랬다구! (웃는다) 똑같죠? (종이를 찢어 준다) 선물, 선물! Yeo-jin: Yeah? Yeah, you were definitely mad! You were mad, your face was just like this! You got mad! Look, look, look, you went like this (draws on the memo pad) Wow, yeah, you went like this. (Shows him the memo). Look at it, you were like this! (Laughs) Doesn’t it look the same? (Rips the paper out, hands it to him) Present, it’s a present!

시목 : … (먼저 일어나 물로 간다) Shi-mok: …(Walks away first to the river) Both scenes are about the same action (Yeo-jin slaps Shi-mok on the back, he gets annoyed and shows significant emotion for the first time with her), but the nuance is completely changed by the way Jo Seung-woo changes his single line of “No.” In the script, “아닙니다” is how you would say “No” in the most formal tone. As a general rule, “–입/닙니다” or “–im-mi-da” is the most formal way to say a conjugated form of “it is.” So in this case, he said, “No, I am not,” in the most formal register. 

In the actual dialogue, Jo Seung-woo says, “아닌데요.” Ending with “요,” or “–yo,” as opposed to “im-mi-da” is a step down from the most formal tone, to one that implies politeness but also a sense of equality. You would use this tone for a colleague or peer, a stranger you meet for the first time in everyday circumstances, or someone older/higher up who is somewhat closer/friendlier with you. 

Aside from that, the actual word “아닌데요” implicates something slightly different from “아닙니다.” The word ending with “–yo” would implicate something slightly accusatory, like “you’re wrong, that’s not it,” whereas the word ending with “–im-mi-da” would have a more a corrective tone. 

So when reading the script, one would find that Shi-mok’s tone is not only formal, but slightly distant and maybe even properly angry. I tried to imagine the lines with Jo Seung-woo’s voice, but I think even he wouldn’t be able to make the formal tone sound much friendlier. It would, at best, sound genuinely annoyed, and at worst, like Yeo-jin had crossed a significant boundary. 

But by changing the line, the dialogue immediately sounds a lot friendlier, and there’s a dose of petty annoyance that isn’t quite covered by the formalized tone of the original script. Add in the particular voice and mannerisms that Jo Seung-woo uses while saying it, with the pause and his refusal to look Yeo-jin in the eyes, and it becomes a pretty funny and significant moment in their relationship, which Bae Doo-na took and ran with in her own drawn-out improv of her line. 

(Also, just in a purely auditory level, the way Jo Seung-woo says lines that end in “–데요” or “–dae-yo” is delightfully petulant, like he’s adding a little bit of his own cheekiness into this robotic character.)

Side note: I don’t think this is a JSW improvisation, but in every scene where he yells (mostly in S1, but also in the interrogation scene of S2), he switches from the extremely formal tone to the complete other end of the spectrum. Regular K-drama viewers are probably familiar with the concept of “ban-mal,” which literally translates to “half speech.” It’s the most informal tone that one would adopt with friends who are the same age (yes, friends who are older would require a more formal tone! unless otherwise explicitly stated), immediate family members, and people who are younger/lower status than you (lower status meaning an employer/employee, a senior and junior in a school or company setting, etc.). As much as it denotes casualness and intimacy, it is also astonishingly rude and highly offensive when adopted in the wrong context. It’s the quickest way to shock someone and to channel your rage, because you’re basically implying that the person you’re speaking with does not deserve even a modicum of the most basic respect. 

Shi-mok, by all accounts, is a respectful character, even if he isn’t obliging or appealing to authority figures. So when he yells in “ban-mal” at a witness or suspect after having asked questions in the highest formal tone, the degree in tonal difference provides an extra shock factor, since he’s implying that his emotions have grown strong enough that he’s doing away with any pretense of politeness or formality, and all that remains is the sheer contempt he has for them. The only exception was at Eun-soo’s funeral, where he yells at her father — there, he still maintains a formal tone, because Shi-mok is not insane and would never drop that tone with his professor, no matter how angry he gets, because his respect for his professor is real. 

Anyways, there are a lot more similar examples of Jo Seung-woo making tonal changes to Shi-mok’s lines, but then we would be here all night. I definitely feel like we owe at least half of Shi-mok’s characterization to all of his excellent acting choices; where would we be without his expressions of unexpected pettiness?

[taesulies]

omg yes that scene when si mok and dong jae were just chilling eating their bread together, ljh did improvise some of his lines and the behind the scenes were hilarious 😂 (it starts at 2:54 in the video here!) 

i am here to let the whole of the secret forest community here know that:

1) si mok hesitating between waking yeo jin up or letting her sleep in s1 was improvised

2) si mok patting yeo jin’s arm in that interrogation scene in s2 was also improvised 

3) i am currently drowning in a pool of my own tears