#i mean... just look at Lee Jae Wook

[my-drama-heart2406]

JunYoung is all of us when it comes to Lee Jae Wook.

+Bonus:

Yes, Jae Wook-sshi. Yes you do...

[mystarmyangel]

[HOT-THEQOO] TOP 5 best female acting idols selected by 31 industry experts

StarNews conducted a survey with 31 industry experts, including representatives of entertainment management companies and production companies (each expert to select 2 male and female), to select the acting idol with the most active performance this year and whose performance are most anticipated in the future.

5th place: Kim Sejeong (5 votes) (Latest works: The Uncanny Counter 2/Today’s Webtoon/Business Proposal) 4th place: Nana (7 votes) (Latest works: Mask Girl/Confession/Glitch) 3rd place: Suzy (9 votes) (Latest works: Anna/Start-Up/Ashfall) 2nd place: IU (11 votes) (Latest works: Dream/Broker/Hotel Del Luna) 1st place: YoonA (13 votes) (Latest works: King The Land/Big Mouth/Confidential Assignment 2)

■List of survey participants (in alphabetical order)

Kwon Jae Young, CEO of A9 Media ● Kim Nam Hyung, CEO of GF Entertainment ● Kim Yong Seop, Managing Director of FNC Entertainment ● Kim Jong Do, CEO of Namoo Actors ● Kim Jiwon, CRO of SM Entertainment ● Kim Hyeong Gon, Director of P Nation ● Noh Hyun Tae, CEO of iNKODE ● Park Hee Young, Vice President of MLD Entertainment ● Bang Jae Hyuk, Director of KQ Entertainment ● Bae Ki Hwan, Director of Tango Music ● Baek Chang Joo, CEO of C-JeS Studios ●  Seong Hyun Soo, CEO of Noon ● Yang Hyun Seung, CEO of UL Entertainment ● Yeon Han Jun, Director of THINK Entertainment ● Oh Jong Heon, Production Division 2 Head of IST Entertainment ● Yoo Hyeong Seok, CEO of Yooborn Company ● Lee Sang Cheol, CEO of In Next Trend ● Lee In Gyu, Head of Division of Antenna ● Lee Jin Sung, CEO of King Kong by. Starship ● Lee Hae Jong, Director of DSP Media ● Lee Hoon Hee, CEO of Starship Entertainment ● Lim Seung Chae, Vice President of WM Entertainment ● Jang Doo Bong, CEO of Story J Company ● Jeong Deok Gyun, CEO of J Wide Company ● Jeong Wook, CEO of JYP Entertainment ● Cho Dae Kwon, CEO of Alien Company ● Jin Jeong Kyun, Director of GLG ● Tak Young Jun, COO of SM Entertainment ● Han Jeong Soo, CEO of Mystic Story ● Heo Seong Moon, Director of Media Lab SISO ● Heo Jae Ok, Head of Division of Cube Entertainment.

At time of posting 14 Sep 6pm KST: 47K views, 271 comments (Will only translate comments relating to YoonA)

2. Look at YoonA’s latest projects line-up, everything is going well for her ㅋㅋㅋ 7. All are doing really wellㅋㅋ 8. I thought YoonA wasn’t good at acting when she was Saebyuk (in her first lead drama ‘You Are My Destiny’) but these days her acting is really good. Not just as an acting idol, but she's just good at it (acting). ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I thought IU was good since the drama ‘Pretty Man’ that starred Jang Geunsuk, and for Suzy, Anna, is the best... 9. I watched YoonA well in ‘King The Land’ ㅋㅋ ​​She was a perfect fit ㅋㅋ 11. What? These are all the people I like!!!!! Everyone is pretty and their acting is great. By the way, Yoona's recent works are crazy, they're all successful ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 12. YoonA was so cute in ‘King The Land’ and her acting is so good ㅋㅋㅋㅋ 13. I watched all three of YoonA's latest projects. They were all good. So good. ㅋㅋㅋㅋShe is soaring especially in ‘King The Land’. 15. YoonA is also good at acting and is building up her filmography well. 16. Wow, just look at YoonA’s recent works ㅋㅋ 17. YoonA is really good at comical acting

19. YoonA, you acted so well, so natural ㅋㅋㅋ I'm looking forward to your next work. 20. I’m convinced (I agree) ㅋㅋㅋㅋEveryone's acting is good, and YoonA's batting score (percentage of her success rate) is especially good lately. 22. Wow, it looks like there aren't any (i)dols to remove (meaning OP agrees with all on the list). But it is surprising that Jung Eunji and Sooyoung aren't here.. I guess it's because there are a lot of female idols who are good at acting. 26. YoonA acted so well in ‘King the Land’ㅋㅋㅋ 27. Wow, 1st place for both men and women are ‘King The Land’ male and female leads ㅋㅋㅋ 28. It's freaking that both YoonA’s dramas and movies did well. The line-up of her recent works is insane ㅋㅋㅋ 30. YoonA’s latest works line-up are insaneㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 31. Yoona’s career is insaneㅋㅋ 32. It’s the same with male idol rankings, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places are the ones that always come up when acting idols are mentioned ㅇㅇ 33. YoonA's works line-up is insane 34. I really enjoyed watching Yoong’s ‘King The Land’, it’s my life drama ㅠ 35. Only the people who should have been chosen were chosen. 36. Nodding (in approval) ㅋㅋ 39. Oh, there are all these people who I thought they were good ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 40. They all act well... 41. Agreed 42. They are all good at acting and pretty 44. Her latest work ‘King The Land’, ‘Big Mouth’, ‘Confidential Assignment’ shivering (because of the awesome line-up) 45. YoonA's acting was really good in ‘King The Land’. She was just like Cheon Sarang herself👍 47. It feels like the differences in acting skills among the actresses aren't that big. The 5 people seem to be famous enough to be in the top 5 in terms of influence and reputation. 48. Do well, everyone 49. YoonA is really good 50. I acknowledged 51. They are all well-known faces. 52. I saw YoonA for the first time through ‘King The Land’ and she was really good. 57. YoonA was really good in ‘King The Land’. 63. I clicked in the article shouting ‘YoonA’ 65. Lim Yoona's latest work is insane...;; 68. These are all people I like 69. The votes are more evenly distributed here, so the difference in votes is not that big... The male idols were overwhelming. 71. I came in thinking YoonA would be here, but she ended up in first place ㅋㅋㅋ. 72. (Comment deleted at time of translation) 74. YoonA's acting in ‘The K2’, IU’s in ‘My Mister’, and Suzy's in ‘Anna’ were really, really good. I'm curious about the acting of this three people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. 76. But this was released yesterday morning and suddenly both articles (male and female) came out as ‘hot’ topics. 79. To be honest, I was sad because I thought YoonA's (drama) filmography was bad, but these days, everything is really good.. ㅜㅜ And the movie filmography is good too. 80. I acknowledge everyone in this article, but it's a shame that Jung Eunji, Han Sunhwa and Sooyoung weren’t included. I really enjoyed Sooyoung's ‘Not Others’. 85. YoonA seems to choose her works well. 88. (Comment deleted at time of translation)

90. Lim Yoona’s form is crazy!!!!!!! 92. (replied to 69th comment) Oh, it looks like they got votes from all over. Female acting idols are also good at acting. 94. Oh, they are all good actors ㅋㅋㅋI also liked Jung Eunji, Sooyoung and Sojin ㅋㅋ 100. YoonA, IU and Suzy's singing and acting careers are all top notch 101. I acknowledged all of them 105. I thought about Bona, but the acting idols in the article are all very good 106. I also thought about YoonA's ‘EXIT’, but it is not her most recent work. 107. I enjoyed everything YoonA has released recently. 108. I came in the article thinking of YoonA. 109. YoonA❤️ I like her very much 112. King-jeong (t/l note: It is a slang to of 킹 (king)+ 인정 (agreed), to describe being full agreement of something) 113. I approved 115. YoonA’s recent career seems really good 117. Approved approved. 119. YoonA and IU, king-jeong. I want to watch Suzy’s drama, why isn’t it coming out yet? 120. We selected the acting idols who showed the greatest success this year and who we are looking forward to in the future. ----------------------- This is the survey topic. 121. I think YoonA’s career is so good 122. I heard about ‘King The Land’ being a huge hit on Netflix and ‘Big Mouth’ also did well, hence it is a back-to-back hit. 125. I acknowledged it 127. (replied to 120th comment) It is in the text ㅋㅋ 128. As expected, YoonA! 129. Ah, YoonA’s acting is good. 130. I acknowledge all of them 131. Approved 132. Ah, I approved of everyone listed here 133. YoonA is good 134. YoonA seems to be in good form these days. Personally, I think Suzy’s ‘Anna’ was the best ever, so I hope Suzy do another such genreㅠㅠ 135. Good 136. Approved 137. I acknowledged everyone listed here, there are people who I am disappointed that they are not on the list, but there is also no one in the list that I objected too. 138. YoonA’s filmography is good. All her works are very good, and she acts very well too. 140. Everyone's form is good, but the acting skills of the female idols are ambiguous. 141. I like YoonA so much 143. (Replied to 140th comment) What?;; As expected, all the malicious commenters are like sh*t. All the 5 females here have a besting acting of their life for at least once, so what are you talking about? 144. Yes 147. IU and Nana are good. No, all the 5 people listed here are goodㅋㅋㅋ 148. For the female acting idols, the votes are considered more evenly distributed. 149. (Replied to 140th comment) ? 152. I’m looking forward to YoonA’s movies and dramas doing well. I’m also curious about the ‘2 O’clock Date’! 153. I agreed with all listed in the article, Nana’s acting is really good. 156. I like Lim YoonA to the point of dying ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ 157. King-jeong 158. YoonA is good. I thought her acting was good after watching her works recently 160. YoonA is so likeable these days. I've seen all of her recent works. Now, she is a ‘trust and treasure’ actress.

161. Wow, all of them are K-pop talent. 163.The 1st place for both male and female are Junho and YoonA, ‘King The Land’ couple is really good ㅠㅠ I hope they both do better. The chemistry was good, and their acting was good in ‘King The Land’ 167. King-jeong to all on the list

168. Wow, 1st place is YoonA, congrats congrats!! 169. The movies and dramas YoonA starred in, all received great success, so amazing 171. I clicked in the article shouting YoonA ㅋㅋㅋㅋI hope things go smoothly~ 175. YoonA deserves the 1st place. Her drama and movie careers are all good. 176. Regardless of her career, Yoona really showed off her acting chops with her ‘Confidential Assignment’ and ‘EXIT’, and she did well in King the Land as well. Nana and Kim Sejeong are rather unexpected, and I think Han Sunhwa or Jung Eunji are better. 178. All of them have improved a lot in their acting so it’s even better 180. I feel like all the idols mentioned in the original text and Sooyoung and Eunji are good at acting. 185. YoonA 189. YoonA has a good way of choosing projects ㅋㅋㅋㅋ 191. These are the actors who were active 'this year', but it seems like it includes only those who can be included... YoonA did well in ‘King The Land, and IU and Suzy are the queens of immense popularity who respond right away in surveys like this even if they didn't have any hit films or activities this year. (Just like stars who are ranked even if they are inactive that year when Gallup selects the best OO of the year...) Nana becomes popular because of ‘Mask Girl’ recently. 193. YoonA! 194. Even though Nana is really good, I recognize all 5 people there. 196. (Comment deleted at time of translation) 197. YoonA was such a perfect fit for ‘King The Land’ this time, so pretty 198. I'm waiting for YoonA's next work 200. YoonA! 201. Acknowledged acknowledged 204. I agreed with all the line-up here 205. Waiting for YoonA's next work 208. Line-up approved... 209. No, initially I thought how could Sejeong be in 5th place only, but as I scrolled lower (to reveal the top 4), the more I understood. 212. I only saw YoonA's works for a few seconds in passing, so I had the prejudice that I couldn't get into the character because I heard YoonA's voice that I used to hear.. I recently watched Exit belatedly and was so surprised that it turns out okay. I finally understand why her movies are so successful and how she gets casted so consistently. 214. YoonA is good! Han Sunhwa too!! 215. YoonA is really good 216. Even though I’m not a fan of all five of them, I acknowledged. 217. Oh.. everyone who are good are gathered here 218. Soshi is YoonA, but I was also surprised that Sooyoung was better at acting than I thoughtㅋㅋ 219. ‘King The Land’ influence is huge. Both sides (male and female) came in first place 220. YoonA is really good ㅋㅋㅋㅋ I watched ‘Big Mouth’ and ‘King The Land’ recently, and she did well in both dramas. YoonA would be a perfect match for a little bit of ‘Big Mouth’ – ‘King the Land’ – ‘EXIT’, a bright, cheerful, confident and u undaunted not in a villain way character 221. The experts voted but there are people here trying to start a fight so ridiculousㅋ What is it? ㅋㅋㅋ 224. They are all good 225. YoonA’s latest line-up projects are really awesome ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

226, Everyone are gathered here, they are all good 227. Oh, YoonA approved 229. Really, YoonA is really good. I think she has star quality, good screen control, and acting skills. 231. If its YoonA, its king-jeong. 232. YoonA is building up her filmography for movies and dramas well. Her acting in ‘Confidential Assignment’, ‘Big Mouth’, ‘King the Land’ were really good. I admit her acting in ‘Miracle’ was also really good. 233. (Replied to 232nd comment) All same as you and ‘EXIT’ too!! 235. Oh my, YoonA's acting was really good. 236. YoonA, approved 238. Agreed 239. YoonA, approved approved 240. YoonA, approved 241. YoonA, I really enjoyed ‘King The Land’. So lovely ㅠ 243. Hehehe YoonA>< 244. All are good 245. Acknowledged 246. YoonA, approved 248. YoonA, approved 249. Oh, they are all good. And popular too. 258. Even if there are people who should be added in, but there aren’t people that should be removed. I went ‘King-jeong King-jeong’ while scrolling down the list. 259. I watched every project of YoonA that comes out after ‘EXIT’. Really, she is good at acting in both movies and dramas. 260. Agreed 261. It's a shame that YoonA keeps getting underestimated because of the disgusting keyboard warriors. 263. I clicked in thinking of YoonA. 264. Didn’t YoonA filmed a drama in the early days of her debut, she did really well in that too. 265. Agreed, YoonA and Suzy are good at acting 266. YoonA and Suzy are both good at acting 267. Agreed 268. YoonA did really well 269. Agreed for all 270. When will YoonA's next work come out ㅠㅠ I want to see it soon 271. YoonA has become someone that can be trust and treasure (to watch). I am waiting for her next work.

Source: TheQoo Trans: mystarmyangel

[rd0265667]

Just wondering, what’s your thoughts on the whole Karina news

I mean, this might come off as kind of a rant(you guys can just click off now if you don’t wanna read this), but like, honestly, how the world reacted to the news about Karina is what makes me kinda hesitant to say I’m a K-pop fan sometimes. Like, I get it, you guys like the idol, that’s your right, and the news of her being taken might sting since it dampens the fantasy of one day being able to meet and get together with her. That’s part of the parasocial relationships we have with Idols, and honestly, normal. But I think it goes a little too far when these fans start attacking the idols for being happy? Like, huh? She’s sorry because she’s trying to spend time with someone who she might spend her life with? Make it make sense.

And a little bit of a tangent, the thing about fans telling idols not to date ugly guys. A) In what world is Lee Jae Wook ugly. B)Let’s say he is ugly. So what? If an ugly guy can make her happy, then fuck it, she’s happy, who’s suffering? I say this as a guy who looks like his face was run over by a truck, I wish to find love one day. But I guess because I look like a blind guy shat on a canvas, I’m not deserving of finding someone to love who loves me back? Yeah, sure.

Anyways, this has been my ted talk, stay well my friends.

[venussaidso]

Uhmm I told y'all Lee Jae Wook and Go Youn Jung have undeniable chemistry, I mean just look at their BTS for episode 21&22 they're sooo comfortable and goofy around each other, it literally swells my heart seeing them like this with each other omfg like just get married the both of you (issa joke before someone murders me 💀 ... but actually im lowkey serious).

[texaxwib]

KOREAN DRAMA TV SERIES: ALCHEMY OF SOULS (2022) Currently watching this Korean drama fantasy TV series on Netflix.  It's very interesting.  It's all about soul shifters.  "Soul shifting" is called "hwanhonsool", which means the soul of the dead return to the living. The two main characters in this mystical mythical tale are: (1)  Naksu, a powerful sorceress and a skilled assassin.  She was was being chased by others who wanted to kill her because ... after all she was a skill assassin and she was taking out quite a few people.  She was wounded and had to look for another body so she shifted her soul into the body of sickly blind girl named Mu-deok. OK!   Rule 1 about soul shifting:  You should probably pick somebody with a strong healthy body who can see!  Otherwise, you might be able to do all of those things fantastic amazing things you used to be able to do when you were you! Naksu/Mu-deok is played by Jung So-min. (2) Jang Uk, the son of a ... ???   The question marks are because he does not know who his father is.  All of his life, the man he believed was his father, turned out not to be his father.  I immediately feel very sorry for an innocent who is born into this world through an act of malice or something sinister and have to suffer while growing up, not knowing or understanding why people treat them "a certain way".  He has to learn the secret, i.e. what is his true identity? Jang Uk is played by Lee Jae-wook. Jang Uk and Mu-deok crossed paths because she is sent to work at a Gisaeng establishment.  (NOTE:  Per Wikipediaa "Gisaeng (Hangul: 기생, Hanja: 妓生, RR: Gisaeng), also called ginyeo (Hangul: 기녀, Hanja: 妓女), were women from outcast or slave families who were trained to be courtesans, providing artistic entertainment and conversation to men of upper class.") Of course she does not want to work there so she immediately tries to escape and runs into a room where Jang Uk has come to have dinner.  He recognizes instantly that she is no common ordinary blind girl because there is something about her eyes.  He wants to strike up with a relationship with her but all she wants to do is get away from him and everybody else.  You see in the process of shifting souls she not only lost her powers as a sorceress, but she lost her sword that she used as an assassin. Long story short, Jang Uk promises to help Naksu/Mu-deok get her sword back if she will become his master and teach him spells.  He had already been a student of several masters and none of them would teach him because that was the specific instruction given by the man whom he thought was his father.  That man, Jang Kang, who was the only father Jang Uk knew, was a man of influence and power.  He was a mage and in the fictional   country called Daeho, a mage is a master and what he says COUNTS!  So nobody would go against him, even if he wasn't there to see to it that his order was enforced.  Of course, Naksu/Mu-deok, since it was her mission to kill all of the mages and their descendants, because she blamed them for the death of her family, could care less about that instructions.  She also didn't really care what happened to Jang Uk.   She just agreed to the master/pupil relationship so she could get her sword and her powers back! That's how their relationship began.  He was trusting and naive, and believed she would act according to their agreement and they would be loyal to each other. She, on the other hand, has other plans and Jang Uk was just going to get in the way of her accomplishing her main goal.  So!  She says "Yes!" but what she really meant "Yeah!  Whatever!" The combination of the special effects and the cinematography create magical and memorable scenes. All of the other supporting characters in "Alchemy of Souls" do a mighty fine acting job .   ~ There are the mages, the heads of families, four of them who have the power to harness the lake's energy and to help maintain the balance of their world.  The mages have to master various levels or power and control of the elemenst and these stages are known as Jipsu, Ryusu, Chisu, and Hwansu.  They must be able to properly perform their duties because if they don't maintain order, the soul-shifters who run wild can cause chaos, damage and destruction.  They know this because it already happened once and they are determined to no let it happen again. ~ Then there are the "Four Seasons" who are the children of the mages.   They have special powers too!  After all, they have to carry on in the footsteps of their parents.  Jang Uk is one of the Four Seasons. ~ There is also a king, queen, and a crown prince, plus a bastard son of one of the mages who is greedy and ambitious and has wicked people who work for him. ~ Finally, there is Master Lee who drinks chaste tea; and that's all I'm going to say about him. The sub-stories of all of these characters are intricately woven around the main storyline which develops the relationship and growth of Naksu/Mu-deok and Jang Uk. ** What will be their fate?

[psalm40speakstome]

Search: WWW. Episode Seven.

Bahahahaha she interrupted her favorite drama’s shooting.....

The way she put his arm back though

[paper-and-snow]

Alchemy of Souls ep 12

shit, that was intense

Jang Wook hugging Mudeok even though he just witnessed her sucking the soul of another person is just AHHHHHHH!!!!!! Yes, I was expecting that he would do something like this even before but actually seeing that scene is glorious. I mean he already told Yul that they could protect monsters too but AAHHHHH!! He's terrified... for her. I doubt it if he's actually thinking about his own safety. It's always about her, the way he just continue to moved forward even though she told him to go, the way he tried to comfort her, saying it's okay, she's fine OH GOD.

Kudos to both Jung So Min and Lee Jae Wook for that scene, that was some hella acting.

That hug tho, I was squeeing and clawing at my face.

I don't want to think of inevitable... that Mudeok may actually run wild. I mean there's a difference between her and other soul shifters. When they suck the soul/energy of another person, the color is black. Hers is blue (just like the blue jade egg, ehem, I noticed that Hong Sisters) and the way the stars bloomed around them when she touched the water in that pensieve like basin... so there's hope that she would not run wild and be petrified right?? BTW, that scene when she's sucking the energy of that eunuch is so badass. She looks small and cute and the blue aura around her is so pretty but the look on her face is just so badass.

Anyway, there's less bickering for this episode and more Jang Wook taking care of Mudeok. I thought their fight would last long but it only took for Mudeok to dip her toes in that dirty water and Jang Wook became soft, like wiping her shoes and telling her to change it so that she won't freeze. And then when Jang Wook heard about her past, about how Jin Mu used her and the first thing he does is to hug her and carry the bucket for her. And then he took her inside Chonbwugan (how do I even spell this?) because he heard that her father was a mage there. I mean Mudeok was about to go there because of the errand but Jang Wook used his status and playful wit to get inside. It's just sad that some wild soul shifter ruined their date.

One of my favorite scenes here is when Crown Prince and Jang Wook meet at the bridge, the bgm and the dialogues are just chef kiss. But then I saw the preview and my liking for Crown Prince suddenly plummet. What do you mean, you're going to use the duel to get her? Fuck it CP, I like you but don't be like this. Can we just stop this hexagonal ships and just make them friends forever? It's more fun when they're bickering and helping each other cheat.

[mindmeltonabun-blog]

Alchemy of Souls: Theories and Analyses for Eps 5-6

I'm usually highly accurate at predicting what will happen next based off clues or evidence, but in this week’s episodes, some of my theories were proven wrong. I guess in the past I was able to accurately predict things because most or nearly all of the info was given in the first 4 episodes. However, I’d forgotten that those were 16 eps drama and not 20 eps drama like AOS. This means the time frame in which a sufficient information is given can be longer and span across more than just 4 episodes. Regardless, I will try to provide you all with the most precise theories! Now let’s get started! 

The Queen/Seo Yul’s Aunt

In the latest eps of AOS, there were a few more surprises including the one that completely shocked me which was the relationship between Jin Mu and the Queen who is also Seo Yul's aunt.

This leads to me question whether the Queen is the real puppet master behind everything? At first I'd thought that maybe Jin Mu had shifted the soul of one of his minions into the Queen, but then when he said he had to serve her, it made me think otherwise. I am very curious to see what's inside the chest. My best guess is that it's an elixir or something which must be taken monthly. Maybe it's like the polyjuice potion from Harry Potter which must be taken regularly to maintain the physical appearance of another person. What if the Queen is not really the Queen, but is actually Jin Mu's boss who uses the elixir to look like the Queen. Since she is in a high position, she can't risk her identity by siphoning the life force out of people which might raise suspicion.

Master Lee's Age

Yo he is old af. 100 years old?! WTF! Guess my previous theory of Jang Gang's inhabiting's Master Lee's body just went out the window. Anyways I was so surprised that he was so old!! What is his anti aging secret?! The chaste/anti Viagra tea??? Or maybe was it because he was so focused on developing his mage skills, he was able to developed a philosophers stone like the one in Harry Potter?

So many questions!! Is he immortal? In Taoism, one is able to attain immorality through channeling all of one's energy to reach harmony with the Tao, but who the hell knows if that was the case with Master Lee. All I got to say is Jang Uk was a fool for not being Master Lee's pupil. I'm not even a guy, but if I were I would totally remain celibate just to be able to learn from Master Lee. An opportunity like this does not come by every day! Just think of all the knowledge this guy holds!! He's like Yoda or something. If there's one person to help Naksu regain her powers I feel like its going to be Master Lee rather than Jang Uk.

Naksu and Mu Deok

The "Sleepwalking" Incident

In the most recent episodes, new evidence was introduced to the theory that Mu Deok's soul is currently dormant in her body. In Ep 5, we see Naksu having a dream in which she sees Mu Deok. Subsequently, Naksu became unaware of the fight that had ensued between Master Lee and Jang Uk.

It would seem that she did not sleepwalk, but had temporarily lost control of her body to Mu Deok's soul. Yes.. yes... I know some are like hooray this must mean it's true that Mu Deok soul still exists in her own body. Well it is a possibility, but it is still not definitive. Again, there are a lot of mysteries surrounding Naksu and Mu Deok.

Something else that was strange during this scene was what Master Lee had said which was "her soul has no malice". Was he was referring to Mu Deok's or Naksu's soul? It could be either. However, I believe he was referring to Naksu's soul because he also said, "a great soul has shifted into this body". I can't remember which interview it was from, but there was one when Lee Jae Wook had said, "she has a pure heart", when asked what he thought of Naksu's character. So maybe Master Lee was referring to Naksu's soul after all.

The Night Naksu's Father Was Murdered

In the beginning of Ep 5, we were shown more of the night in which Naksu's father was killed. There was something very odd about what Naksu's maid had told her.

Naksu's Maid: If you see your father, run away. Do not let him catch you.

This was odd because if Naksu's father had really been the kind father she had so fondly remembered then why would she need to run away from him? There's probably more to this story than meets the eye! Plus it was interesting to see Naksu crying over her maid's dead body instead of her father's. Why was she crying over her maid's body. Could it be that his body was taken back to Songrim for examination?

Previously, I'd mentioned how I thought that Naksu's father was not her father, but her kidnapper. My thoughts were that he was working for Jin Mu. Given Jin Mu's habit of shifting souls of his minions into the bodies of astronomers at Cheonbugwan, this theory could be possible. Maybe on the night the four families had killed Naksu's dad, it wasn't because he saw the king star prophecy but because he was a soul swifter that had ran wild. Maybe this is the reason Naksu's maid had told her to stay away from her "dad" and to not let him catch her. Furthermore, during the conversion between Heo Yeom, Park Jin, and Seo Yul, it was implied that the four families only killed her father and not everyone else that day. This was confirmed when Seo Yul said something like, "So our families were involved in her father's death". If the four families had killed her entire father including the servants, Seo Yul would've said something like, "So our families were involved in the deaths of her entire family and servants". The big question is what made Naksu's dad go ballistic and crazy? One possibility is that he ran wild, but there could be others.

Naksu's Constellation

Something else I’m dying to know is Naksu’s prophecy. Her father had told her that the astronomers at Cheonbugwan kept records of constellation readings for any particular day including her birthday. I am thinking that Naksu’s constellation is Aquarius since it is the only one that represents falling water like her namesake. According to Chinese astronomy, the stars within the Aquarius constellation has several meanings such as: girl, maidservant, emptiness, desolation and depression (relating to funerals and mourning, and axe (relating to executions). Describes her perfectly right?!

Side note, the AOS stone tablets which contain the constellation readings/prophecies reminded me of the prophecy orbs in Harry Potter.

Timeline of Bu Yeon's Disappearance

In Ep 6, we were given some new information about the lost daughter of the Jin family, Bu Yeon. Specifically, it was revealed she disappeared over a decade ago. What does that even mean?? Are we talking about 15, 20, 24, years ago or what?? I need specifics to accurately predict if Naksu or Mu Deok is the lost daughter of the Jin family! For example, if Bu Yeon was a baby when she was taken then it could fit the Naksu is the lost daughter of the Jin family narrative. I am estimating that Naksu is currently 25 years old because she was around 5 years old when she witnessed her father being killed which occurred 20 years ago. If Bu Yeon was taken when she was much older then it could mean that it is Mu Deok who is the lost daughter of Jin family.

Naksu's New Found Ability: Seeing Through Objects

Near the end of Ep 6, it was shown that Naksu had gained ability: the power to see through objects. Naksu became disoriented after touching the box that housed the Yin and Yang jade. Following this, she was able to see through the box that the jade had been broken. So was this new ability a result of Naksu’s soul swapping or was it a result of an ability that Mu Deok’s body previously had? I’m still unsure. 

Naksu became disoriented again after she stepped onto the Jin family residence. One could say that this was a result of Mu Deok’s body reacting to her family’s heirloom as well as her former home, but the same argument could be made for Naksu’s soul. It could be that Naksu had not experienced this sensation before because she had never visited the Jin residence until now. When she arrived at the Jin residence, Mama Jin’s birds went crazy and well you know how Naksu feels about birds….she’s crazy about them. It could also be that Mu Deok loved birds too. Again, there's not enough information about both Naksu and Mu Deok's past.

Magic Mirror On The Wall, Who's The Fairest One of All?

During Cho Yeon's time in Jinwoyon, a creepy mirror was seen. Later, Naksu was in there when the mirror started talking to her. It said, "It has been a long time" as if it had recognized a Jin family member. My first thoughts were was the mirror referring to Naksu's soul or Mu Deok's body? This is something I think should be given ASAP! We know the doors of Jinwoyon only open for Jin family members, but what does that even mean? Is the enchantment that is place on Jinwoyon's doors able to differentiate between the body and soul? The same goes for the magical objects within Jinwoyon. In Harry Potter, the members of each house are given a password to enter their rooms. What is the "password" for entering Jinwoyon? One's soul or body? That is the question I have.

Another part of me thinks that the reason Naksu was able to get into Jinwoyon was because Cho Yeon opened it. Given Cho Yeon's jealousy of Naksu, she probably told Naksu to take the Yin and Yang jade down there and then decided framed Naksu for "theft" by shutting her in there or something.

Okay now back to the mirror. Does this mirror remind anyone of the Mirror of Erised from Harry Potter (yes yes another Harry Potter reference)? The mirror in Harry Potter was a magical object that showed what one's heart had desperately desire. I think the mirror in Jinwoyon works the same way. In next week's preview, we see Naksu and Seo Yul being romantic, but I think it's all fake. What's really happening is that when Seo Yul enters the mirror, he sees what his heart truly desires which is the girl he loved from Danhyaggok aka Naksu. After escaping from there and learning the mirror only shows what one's heart desires, Seo Yul will put two and two together and realize that the girl he once loved and Naksu in Mu Deok's body are one and the same. Hence why he says, "So Mu Deok was Naksu" in Ep 7 preview. I also wouldn't be surprised if the Prince and Gang Uk also see fake Naksu when they enter the mirror world. For Naksu, what she desires could be one of two things. It's either successfully killing the people who murdered her father or it could be regaining her powers.

Revisiting Why Naksu/Mu Deok's Body Did Not Run Wild

It would seem that Naksu was even more powerful than Jang Gang because she was able to cast the Alchemy of Souls spell without running wild because she had mastered Hwansu. As you recalled in Ep 1, Jang Gang was lamenting to Jin Mu about not casting the Alchemy of Souls spell anymore because his subjects kept running wild which meant that he had not mastered Hwansu.

Something worth noting is the color difference between Jang Gang and Naksu's casting of the spell. When Jang Gang casted the spell the color was red/orange like fire while Naksu's was blue like water. I believe that if the spell was casted correctly the color would've been blue, indicating that one had successfully mastered Hwansu which is the conversion of water to fire and vice versa. In Jang Gang's case, his was only red/orange which meant he was only able to convert water to fire, but not the other way around.

Other Important Things

The Danhyaggot Tree/Mt Seongheungsan Love Tree

The tree in AOS (known as the Mt Seongheungsan Love Tree) was also featured in another Hong Sister drama, Hotel Del Luna. In that drama, the tree's significance was that it was where Yeon Woo had promised to build Manwol a house before he tragically died. For the most part that tree had held happy memories for Jang Manwol. The same could be said for Naksu. It was where she had finally mastered Chisu and was able to climb high enough to see the moon.

Unlike Yeon Woo who was unable to fulfill his promise to Manwol, I hope Jang Uk will be able to fulfill his promise to Naksu. If there’s some sort of scene where Jang Uk takes Naksu to the top, but she’s like nearly dead or whatever, I’m going to be so mad! That tree seems to be symbolize both happy and sad times in Hotel Del Luna, but I hope that tree will only represent happy times in AOS!

Yin and Yang

Now let’s discuss some common themes present in AOS. I had previously mentioned that it would be a good idea to conduct some research about Chinese Alchemy and Taoism. Anyways, in this week’s episodes, several of concepts stemming from Chinese Alchemy and Taoism were briefly touched upon. In particular the idea of Yin and Yang.

Yin and Yang is a philosophical concept that states opposite or contrary forces are complementary, interconnected, and interdependent. It’s all about duality! Evil vs good, dark vs light, fire vs water, night vs day, winter vs summer, cold vs hot. You get my drift. It is believed that within each of us, there are both Yin and Yang. Usually Yin and Yang are represented by the colors black and white respectively.

Even though I had said this on my Twitter, I felt it would be beneficial to you all that I talk about the importance of the character profile pictures. Most characters have a light and dark side picture with a few exceptions. Jin Mu, Mama Jin, and Heo Yeom are the only ones that have just one picture which symbolizes they are predominately ruled by only one side. The half siblings, Jin Mu and Mama Jin, only have dark side pictures while Heo Yeom’s picture is only in white. Jin Mu's picture is completely black because he is an evil person. There's no yang or goodness in him. However, Mama Jin's picture may be black because she is a depressed person. After all, her daughter has been missing all these years which has basically left a dark hole in her heart. She has no source of happiness in her life. With Heo Yeom's white picture, it's a given. He's like the happiest person alive!

Neidan: Internal Alchemy

Let’s discuss some concepts that are important in the world of AOS. Part of Chinese Alchemy is Neidan or internal alchemy. Central to Neidan is the idea of “The Three Treasures” or essential energies that are important for human life. They are as follows:

Jing: Nutritive essence, essence, sperm, seed

Example: What the chaste/anti viagra tea is used to prevent from being lost; if you have sex, you lose jing

Subcategories of Jing : Prenatal and Postnatal

Prenatal Jing is acquired at birth from parents and postnatal Jing is acquired after birth through food, water, oxygen, and the environment

2. Qi (pronounced as Chi): Vitality, life force, vigor

Example: Called core energy or energy in AOS; Naksu has none; Jang Uk’s has too much in his right hand; "The Force" in Star Wars

Linked to the flow of energy around and through the body

In Tradional Chinese Medicine (TCM), it is believed that symptoms from illnesses are a byproduct of Qi being blocked, disrupted, or unbalanced

There are different types of Qi; Qi (gained through one's life), Primordial Qi (inherited from parents), Grain Qi (gained through foods)

3. Shen: Soul, spirit

Example: Naksu’s soul

When the "Three Treasures" are properly maintained along with balance of Yin and Yang, one can achieve a healthy body and a prolonged life which are the goals of Neidan.

Given all of this, I want us to take a closer look at Naksu/Mu Deok's Qi. Master Lee had said he was not able to detect any Qi or energy in her. Why? It could be one of two things. The first being that Mu Deok's had her core energy sealed much like Jang Uk's. As I mentioned in my other post, I do not know who could've sealed Mu Deok's core energy. If we go with the whole Mu Deok is the daughter of the Jin daughter then one could say it was Jin Mu who sealed it (remember that Jin Mu is vengeful against the family who kicked him out). Another possibility is that maybe Naksu had inadvertently sealed it when she swapped her soul into Mu Deok's body. If Mu Deok's core energy was indeed sealed, it could explain why her body was so weak and unhealthy. Furthermore, maybe Mu Deok became blind because she could not handle sunlight. When Jang Uk had his core energy sealed, he was incredibly weak. He could not withstand cold or hot temperatures.

The second reason for why Mu Deok's body may not have any energy could be linked to her mood. It is believed that when one is depressed or sad, it can deplete one's Qi. I'd mentioned how Mu Deok's life seemed pretty bleak and depressing.

Misc.

That moment between Master Lee, Heo Yeom, and Park Jin was absolutely hilarious!! He dissed Heo Yeom, but praised Park Jin.

Love the budding romance between Dang Gu and Cho Yeon!!

All the moments between Seo Yul and Naksu just made my heart ache!!! The lines Seo Yul said in front of the tree where him and Naksu spent time simply destroyed me ("The moment she sliced my sincerity in half, I could no longer cherish our memories together. It was a secret that I had to bury in my heart."). I was a Jang Uk and Naksu shipper, but I'm beginning to be a Seo Yul and Naksu shipper...ekkk! I blame the Hong Sisters for giving us so many lovey dovey scenes between Seo Yul and Naksu!!

All of the bird references!! I especially loved Maidservant Kim saying how she would give Jang Uk's love interest a silk pouch filled with money so that this girl could flap away...HAHA! Then there was also Jang Uk's saying how he was like the Mama bird who was sitting on the egg...I can't even!!!

Under the character information section on the TvN website, it shows two characters which we have not seen yet. The first character is a girl named Soy. Her character picture shows her wearing some sort of blindfold similar to the one Mu Deok had. The only information given about her is that she had helped Mu Deok in Sari village and has now been recruited by Jin Mu to run a scheme. The second character that has yet to appear is Cho Yeon's dad, Jin Woo Tak. Again there's not a lot of information given about him other than he been out and about searching for Bu Yeon.

[wheres-everyone-going-bingo]

Could I request first date with sweet home, would they planned to go out or would it be a home date.

First Dates With Them

(Pyeon Sang-Wook, Jung Jae-Heon, Lee Eun-Hyuk, Yoon Ji-Su)

Pyeon Sang-Wook

- I feel like Sang-Wook would plan to the very last detail

-He doesn’t have a lot of people in his life so he makes everything special for you

-Afterall he’s so scared of losing you

-Would take you to the Green Home Apartments rooftop, a little picnic laid out for you two

-The food is store bought cause this man can’t cook so it’s for the best

-Would give you his jacket, wrapping his arm around you and holding you close

-Honestly might even play some music in the background, eventually y’all start dancing to it

-He’s planned this for so so long and he’s so happy you like it

-He’s not good with verbal or physical affection so doing stuff like this is how he shows how much he loves you

-Please tell him he did a good job

-Expect very loving and soft touches, things like tucking hair behind your ear, caressing your cheeks, ect

-He’s never rough with you (unless you ask) because he’s been told what a monster he is all his life, so he’ll do anything to avoid you thinking that too

Jung Jae-Heon

- He’d be the classic dinner date kinda guy

-Not as much planning as Sang-Wook, but would book in advance

-Would buy you flowers

-He wears a suit to the date and everything, his hair all neat

-The restaurant isn’t the top of the top as he’s only a teacher after all, but he does the best with what he can afford

-When y’all get home he’ll read you a book, both of you falling asleep on the couch in your clothes

-This man has so many compliments and they are ALL for you

-Is quite poetic with his declarations of love

-Would open the car door for you, pull out your chair, ect, he’s a gentleman at heart

-Listens to you talk about your day over dinner, head in his palm, and hearts in his eyes

-This man just loves to listen to you, doesn’t matter what you’re talking about, he loves your voice

Lee Eun-Hyuk

-He would love to plan every detail but he doesn’t have a forgiving schedule

-Expect Eun-Hyuk to just walk up to you and ask if you’d like a date

-He’s never sure how long studying will take, if work will ask for a shift, ect, so it’s very spur of the moment

-He wishes he could plan a perfect date, one that he believes you deserve

-However you love the dates anyways, I mean it’s time with him

-It’s mostly things like going for late night walks, or going to the shops just to look around, pointing out all the things you’d buy if you could

-He’d have his hands in his pockets, your arms wrapped around one of his

-Despite it being a city, there are really pretty places if you know where to look

-He’ll take you to the park, arm around your shoulder, your head resting on his chest

-You’d talk about whatever came to mind

-The highlight of the date is when he laughs, the way his face brightens, as he looks at you, completely in love

Yoon Ji-Su

-Plans? Don’t know her

-Doesn’t even ask, just shows up and tells you that you’re going on a date

-Would be the kind to go to carnivals, her face scrunching up in determination as she NEEDS to get you one of those prizes

-Eventually she’ll give up, yelling at the employee about how their game is rigged anyways

-If there’s no carnival, she’d do karaoke dates

-Lots and lots of meme songs

-Expect to be yelling the lyrics to “dont mine at night” alongside her, both of you dramatically reenacting the lyrics

-She WILL serenade you, you don’t get a choice

-Y’all’d get take out too

-You’d tell her how cute she is when she sings and she’d get all embarrassed, telling you to shut up

-Then you’d kiss her, her stern face melting away to a pure beam of sunshine

-You two would fall asleep on the couch together, too tired to go to the bedroom

[kdramaxoxo]

hi, weird question but do you have any recommendations for k-dramas involving characters that are slightly older? like 'something in the rain' or 'hometown cha cha cha'? i found a few lists online but i feel like a lot of them just compile a list without taking knowing if the dramas are actually any good and i really trust your opinion. thanks for your help 💜

This is not a weird question at all!

Who doesn't love a good workplace or slice of life romance?!

Great Slice-of-Life K-dramas with Adult Main Characters

(inspired by Something In The Rain and Hometown Cha Cha Cha)

Run On: I loved this slice of life drama about an athlete, a translator, a painter and a CEO so much that I have already rewatched it. This drama has so much to offer: Interesting and strong characters, a painter I’d die for and unique friendships. Did I mention there’s a legit ACE character? I mean... AMAZING.

One Spring Night: I don’t normally think of this drama as a slice-of-life because it’s focused on one romance. But it takes place in a pretty realistic setting so I think it counts. A romance between a single dad and a girl who comes into his pharmacy. It’s one of those more realistic toned dramas and has a very specific slower moving pace. (if you liked pretty noona it’s by the same people)

Be Melodramatic / Melo Is My Nature: I know this drama makes all of my lists but I can’t help it! Found family, strong and complex characters, friendship squad goals, I laughed, I cried. It isn’t all about healing because it features separate plot lines, but there is one that is all about getting over a loss and another about forgiveness and comfort.

Into The Ring: Seo Gong Myung is a hard nosed civil servant who ends up working with Goo Se Ra, one of my favorite ladies in a K-drama ever. She’s passionately ethical and into civil ordinance complaints (you read that right) which drives Gong Myung crazy, but like, in a “I’m definitely going to fall for you” type of way. This is a hilarious and heartfelt slice of life and I loved it.

Your House Helper: It’s lovely and I really enjoyed the female focused and supportive friendships. It’s about healing and had a bunch of great story lines as well as more than one romance.  It’s a quieter pace that I quite liked and I wish more people had given it a chance.

A Piece Of Your Mind: A bit more on the melo side, this kdrama really captured my heart. Using an AI software to capture the personality of someone, a group of people are pushed together by a person they care about who is no longer alive. It’s an unusual premise, but the AI takes a back seat to the romance, friendship, and drama that happens between 5 people and the music studio they work at. The drama had 4 episodes cut so I was worried I would notice but I think it helped the drama keep it’s lovely pacing and tone. Soft Couple Alert (the girl is just the most amazing character!) PS. some people hated the AI element but I didn’t mind it.

The Package: This show’s unique setting of Paris features a bunch of different pairs of Korean tourists as part of a group. You get to learn about each pair and the complexities of their relationships. The male romance lead had a sweet and open personality and I just honestly loved that about him. When the couple argued they actually used their communication skills! If you’re looking for a quiet slice-of-life drama that’s a little different, check it out.

When the Weather Is Fine: A girl returns to her quaint hometown to live with her estranged aunt. She is reacquainted with a class mate and gets a job at his book store. The highlights of this drama are the soft romance scenes, and the side characters. The sister and friend (played by Lee Jae Wook) are so much fun to watch and I’ve never seen characters with their specific personalities. It’s a bit angsty and frustrating in the communication department if I’m honest (her and her whole family are just the worst with talking to one another when they could just move forward, so that portion of the story was a bit hard to watch), but the rest was really good.

When the Camellia Blooms: It’s love at first site for Hwang Yong Shik when he encounters a single mom and her son. Dong Baek considers herself unlucky and is being stalked by a murder and has all sorts of problems falling in her lap, but Yong Shik is super protective and totally heart eyes for her no matter what.

Hospital Playlist: This  slice-of-life drama featuring five college friends who all work at the  same hospital came to my mind first. Chae Song-Hwa is one of the most  interesting characters I’ve ever seen in a drama and I love the depth  and care the drama gives to every single person featured. There is some  romance but it’s the hospital and friendship dynamics that make this  show a must see. I don’t like medical stuff so I mostly fast forwarded that but I’m a trash human so that’s why.

Enjoy!

[gwenchana-gwenchana]

A list of things I will never be over in no particular order

part: 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1.Ji Chang Wook-- just like the concept of him in general. His face. Those muscle shirts he sports in the K2. His face. The hotness he exudes. His adorable self in Healer. His face.

7. The King of Betrayal: Lee Kwang Soo. Every episode with him is hilarious and I’m going to miss him so much now that he’s left Running Man. But 11 years is so long and its got to be so hard on all of them. I can’t believe Big Nose is still doing it.

47. Kong Shim's scream-y voice in Dear Fair Lady Kong Shim. I love her voice when she is yelling and crying.

HA.) That scene in Another Miss Oh where she runs and jumps at him and her breast enhancement padding flies out. Killed me. Literally so fucking funny. I cried laughing.

4. Lee Min Ho’s hair in Boys Over Flowers. I mean— who let him out like that?? I loathed it when it aired but ignored it ‘cause I liked the drama buttt come on. It was atrocious and the only thing I can actually remember about that drama— except for the fact that his character was an utter bastard.

Number One. Moon Jae Shin-- literally any scene he appeared in. The second lead syndrome in Sungkyunkwan Scandal was real for me.

Mmm.) Woo Dan Ho in whatever he does. Look at his face. Look at his acting. Look at the thing he does when people point him out or accuse him of something. Me? It’s adorable and I love his face.

12. The music they played for the cute bodygaurd/driver from What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim. He was adorable and his music was perfect and hilarious. And where are all the gifs for this man?

AAA.) Kim Seul-gi. She was my favorite in Flower Boy Next Door and everything else she is in and is always a scene stealer whenever she is on screen. I need more of her being the lead actress. Splash Splash Love was not enough to do this woman justice.

B. Me? I'm Hyun Tae Woon. And then promptly punches the guy right in the face. I love a good character introduction and a good punch in the face.

87. How everyone is in love with Song Joong-Ki in every drama that he is in. Like-- every single one. Who can blame them though. Look at his face.

[barbarasecretfiles]

VINCENZO(2021)

VINCENZO Song Joong Ki as Vincenzo Cassano / Consigliere/ Corn Salad Jeon Yeo Been as Hong Cha Young Ok Taecyeon as Jang Jun woo / Jang Hanseok Kwak Dong-Yeon as Jang Hanseo Kim Yeo Jin as Choi Myung Hee Jo Han Chul as Han Seung Hyuk Im Chulsoo as Ahn Gi Seok Yoon Byung Hee as Nam Joo-sung Choi Young Joon as Cho Young woon Kim Yoon Hye as Seo Mi ri Yang Kyung Won as Lee Chul wook Jae Myeong Yoo as Hong Yoo Chan Seo Ye Hwa as Jang Yeon Jin Yeon Bok In as Oh Gyeong Ja Choi Deok Moon as Tak Hong Shik Hang Na Lee as Kwak Hee Soo Hyung Mook Kim as Toto

Vincenzo officially ends last May 2, 2021. To be honest, I find it difficult to put in words what I felt while watching this series. It was too much but it was also too good. I was amazed on how they write the story as the beginning parallels the end. If you look deep in the story, you'll find some cultural references that have made the story deeper than it actually looks. At first, some are disappointed because when Vincenzo went to Korea, the show was full of comedies rather than actions. But I think some of the comedy parts are made to hide the dark meaning behind it. I want to commend whoever did the casting. The whole Geumga family and Babel Group casts was amazing. The director and writer maximized the use of all characters. No one was left behind. And even though it was Vincenzo-centered, hence the title, the other leads did well, too. Jeon Yeo Been and Ok Taecyeon steals the spotlight. Definitely a gamechanger. Jeon Yeo Been's character was constant throughout the whole series. Unlike any other strong female characters who became weak when they fell in love and eventually became reliant to their male partner, Hong Cha Young remains independent and fierce. Hong Cha Young is what the patriarchal society hates. She's loud, outspoken, strong, and consistent. She have shown her weakness and frustrations, making her character real. But it doesn't stop her on achieving her goals. Even if she's in danger, she's brave and can stand on her own. Jeon Yeo Been portrays her very well. As for Taecyeon, he did great, too. Jang Jun Woo is such a cutie and I'll miss his curly hair. But Jang Han Seok brought something different. His character was stressful and I was amazed on how Taecyeon portrays him. Taecyeon can differentiate Jun Woo to Hanseok. Actually, Taecyeon broke the stereotype of idols who can't act. Taecyeon CAN and he was amazing. This character is very different on what he usually plays. Hope he will have another project with Yeo Been because their chemistry was great. I just don't ship them together because he was a villain. When Hanseok said he loves Chayoung, it felt dry. They actually hinted that Hanseok loves Chayoung at first few episodes(when he got angry to Hanseo because he tried to harm Chayoung) but they removed it in the later episodes. I thought that they finally dismissed that idea because it will contradict on Hanseok's heartless character. Furthermore, if you are someone who wants to watch or expecting a lovestory, this might frustrates you. Because the love of the two leads was slow but this power couple won't disappoint you. I also want to praised the other villains in the story. Its great to see that they can keep up with Vincenzo.  AND GEUMGA FAMILY THE BEST!!!!!

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT Some says that the ending was brutal. But for me, they executed it just right. Remember, Vincenzo is a mafia. The villains can bend the law and kills whoever is in their way. No justice system can punish them for what they did. And can we talk about how they die? Attorney Han was stabbed because he was a backstabber. Myunghee died in fire while a Zumba song was playing. If you remember, she was dancing while Lawyer Hong Yoo Chan was announced dead in the television. And Hanseok? He died with no one knows where he is, the thing he was most afraid of. Plus, that spear of atonement, it pierced his heart eventhough he didn't have one. In the end, his flesh was eaten by a vulture. I am confused if that part was intentionally did by Vincenzo, hence, the he have the book on how to befriend or not. To be honest, these villains was actually a coward when they don't have a gun with them. Or when you remove their power. They are no match with Vincenzo who calculates everything and 100 steps ahead. The dumbest thing they did was to kill Vincenzo's mom. They just removed his weakness and provoke him. They deserved their death. The death of Hanseo was the most undeserved of all deaths that have happened (eventhough it was already foreseen). He deserved better. His character development must be commended. Although, I don't think Hanseok plan to kill him. He was just provoked on what Hanseo said (not deserved to be born) because it is what his father is always implying into him. And to Chayoung, too. I don't think he plan to kill Chayoung. The bullet was actually for Vincenzo. Lastly, Vincenzo did also received a punishment for all he did. It was difficult for him to go back to Korea, where his love one was. It was actually a torture for him because his love interest was away from him. Love how in the end, the writer and director didn't sugarcoat his character. He was still evil. An antihero. And I love him for that.

LASTLY, I want to thank all the fans and viewers of Vincenzo. All of you who made the theories left and right. When the 2 weeks drought came, a lot of you filled the gap. It was such nice to see a very great fandom! Will miss this weekend drama with all of you!!!

I'll give this drama a 1 million over ten!!! Recommended!!!!

[hoodlessmads]

Extra-Ordinary You Thoughts

Okay, this is going to be a really harsh review. For those who loved this show, please don’t take it personally.

As I write this, I still have the last episode playing in the background, because it’s so boring that I figured I’d just start writing my final thoughts in advance.

I was really looking forward to this show. The first couple episodes were so promising. Eun Dan Oh was spunky and likable, Student 13 was mysterious and I was greatly anticipating getting to know and fall in love with him, and the premise was really interesting. After Haru was officially introduced, the show started to go downhill for the next 10 or so episodes. Then, I almost literally snored my way through the whole second half of the series. How did such a great premise go so wrong?

First, a romance drama is made or broken on the quality of its main couple, and for me, Dan Oh/Haru was just not it, chief. I wanted to like this couple so bad. I tried so hard. Please believe me. But I just could not connect with their relationship for the life of me. Part of the problem is Haru, who is so heartbreakingly beautiful and yet so boring. This show made me fall in love with Rowoon, who has the most amazing soulful gaze, and I will undoubtedly be stanning SF9 after this. But while I fell in love with the actor, I couldn’t fall in love with his character. I was fine with him having no personality at the beginning because that was his character set-up, but then he just…never developed one. I mean he sort of has one, but Haru’s whole character is limited to being in love with Eun Dan Oh. All he does is smile at her, say romantic things, and freak out when she’s in danger. That’s his personality. Their entire relationship is just them being good looking and smiling at each other and saying cheesy lines. I don’t feel like I got to see them organically falling in love. They just were. Because of the past manhwa I guess? And in the past manhwa, we didn’t get to see how they fell in love with each other either. After Eun Dan Oh falls for Haru, everything I liked about her character sort of evaporates and she basically turns into exactly what she disliked about Yeo Joo Dah’s setup from the beginning. Ironically, Dan Oh/Haru is the worst of cliche lead high school romances.

Second, the pacing was abysmal. The second half of the show consists of the same events basically happening over and over and over with no development. Dan Oh and Haru love each other, but they’re sad because the author keeps putting her with Baek Kyung, who is sad and pissed off that Dan Oh doesn’t really like him in the shadow, and Dan Oh is dying from heart disease. These three characters literally have the exact same conversations about this over and over again ad nauseum for like ten episodes. In between are sugary sickly sweet scenes between two leads (Dan Oh and Haru) that I physically could not bring myself to care about. I was bored to tears.

Now that the episode has finally ended, I’ll mention the very few positives. Baek Kyung was a compelling character whose growth was one of the only good things in this show. I know Baek Kyung is a very extreme example considering he’s such a toxic bastard, and I’m not saying I think Haru should have been an asshole, but Baek Kyung is likable and interesting because he has flaws and he grows as a person. Haru has no flaws and therefore doesn’t change or grow as a person throughout the show, which is part of why I couldn’t connect with him.

Anyway, without getting too deep into a character analysis or anything, I am madly in love with Baek Kyung. Not only because he is extremely hot, but because he’s such a bastard. I mean, he’s so mean! He’s such an asshole! I love him. Baek Kyung is basically Korean Logan Echols from Veronica Mars. I couldn’t not love him. I should look up a fanfic or something where he gets a happy ending, but I honestly don’t think I care enough about this show to do even that. I’d rather just go watch Lee Jae Wook in something better.

The other best character in the show was Yeo Joo Da. I loved her so much. Seeing her develop self-awareness and become snarky was one of the most entertaining parts of the show. Ironically, I looked forward to scenes with her and her love triangle much more than I did to the actual female lead and the actual main love triangle. Lee Do Hwa was also a joy.

For me, this show was a complete failure at what it set out to do. It wanted me to find the main leads and love triangle in “Secret” boring and cliche, while finding the “extra” characters and their love story compelling. I felt the opposite. Yeo Joo Da was more likable than Eun Dan Oh and Joo Da’s love triangle was more interesting. The show wanted me to root for the “second male lead,” Haru, who became the first male lead of EY, but instead I was rooting for the “first male lead,” Baek Kyung, who became the second male lead of EY.

I’ve only seen five kdramas so far, but this is my least favorite by a lot. Are all high school kdrama romances this boring, and if so, should I stick to the adult ones? Or was it just the romance in EY?

[captainjoongki]

Any upcoming dramas you’re anticipating/excited for? Anything at the end of this year or in 2022

i had to open MDL for this but i do have a good amount marked! i usually am excited by casts/writer/plot in that order before a visual is out.......issue is that i very easily get bored of dramas these days and drop them quickly lol but i hope these turn out good:

1. bad and crazy - 12/21; lee dong wook, wi ha jun. looks very fun, the trailer just dropped. police/crime/craziness in general.

2. big mouth - 2022; yoona and lee jong suk. lawyer corruption revenge plot but the cast looks incredible and i missed lee jong suk sooo much in dramas......also they play a married couple so!!! love that.

3. crazy love - 2022; krystal and kim jae wook. plot seems very strange but it has romance in it and kim jae wook has been MIA for like 800 years so i will have to watch it. i feel like they'll have good chemistry.

4. here - 2022; this cast is fucking insane like han ji min, kim woo bin, shin min ah, lee byung hun, etc. in one drama written by THE queen herself noh hee kyung. it's like a miniseries episodic thing but im ready to cry

5. island - 2022; kim nam gil, eunwoo, lee da hee. mysterious thriller involving spirits. love the cast.

6. our beloved summer - 12/21; kim da mi and choi woo shik in a ex-lovers reunited romcom i mean come on it looks so cute

7. snowdrop - 12/21; jung hae in and jisoo. i'm a big blackpink fan so i'm very excited to see jisoo act and i love hae in in melodramas......im getting youth of may vibes from it but in winter so let's see what it brings to the tragedy table

8. the silent sea - 12/21; GONG YOO IS BACK. WITH BAE DOONA. that's it. mandatory viewing. idc if it's total trash i will be watching.

9. the youngest son of a chaebol family - 2022; loml song joong ki with our gyeoul-ie shin hyun been in a revenge plot. very hyped for this!

10. thirty-nine - 2022; female lead drama headlined by son ye jin and jeon mi do. this is a dream come true i hope the writing is good

11. twenty-five, twenty-one - 2022; miss legend kim tae ri is back and with our best boy nam joo hyuk......love them both a lot so i'm happy and excited for it

12. suriname - 2022; ha jung woo, hwang jung min, yoo yeon seok, park hae soo........it's something to do with drugs but that cast is just....wow wow wow.

13. project k - 2022; park seo joon, han so hee, wi ha jun. i think that says enough lmao 

[koreanfilmjottings]

sweet home (2020)

i was first drawn to this drama because of its ensemble cast - and before i begin i should probably caveat that i did not read the webtoon and am reviewing the 10 episode-long drama as is. i was familiar with the big names (i liked Lee Jin-wook from the Voice series, i watched Lee Si-young in The Guardians) and i kept a fond eye on the young actors (Lee Do-hyun and Song Kang from variety shows, Go Min-si from The Light in Your Eyes, Go Youn-jung as a novice actress), so even though i was not a fan of the premise - with chuck loads of CGI monsters - i was definitely going to watch it because of the cast.

and from the outset, it is obvious that the cast and the acting are without a doubt the strongest element of the drama. i was pleasantly surprised to see young actors get the meatier characters and heavier scenes of the drama - but the flipside of that, i suppose, is that strong actors like Lee Jin-wook felt underused (compared to Kim Nam-hee, who was a luxury to watch). i had never seen Song Kang in a drama before (dramas like Love Alarm are unfortunately just not my thing), and i always thought he was just a pretty face, but this drama proved me wrong. Song Kang carried in Hyun-soo a delicate balance of steel and vulnerability, as he teeters between giving up on the world and trying to protect those who were kind to him - and what it means to protect humanity by giving himself up. i much appreciated Song Kang’s sincere acting over Lee Do-hyun’s version of Eun-hyuk, who i felt had too much restraint that i didn’t understand why.

which brings me to my main gripe - i liked that we got a view into Hyun-soo’s backstory, which was frankly quite difficult to watch as the Netflix drama did not shy away from scenes of mutilation & senseless bullying, unlike other mainstream network dramas. but we only briefly delved into Eun-hyuk & Eun-yoo’s family background, never really understood Jae-hun’s alcoholism and religious nature, and only skimmed across Ji-soo’s trauma. perhaps this is where Season 2 is needed, but the character development felt undeveloped. at times, the side characters (e.g. the abused grocery mart wife, the single mother who lost her child in an accident) had more developed characters than the main cast (e.g. Mr Ahn’s caretaker has asthma and is scared of killing people - but so?). there were just too many side characters - i could lose some of them, including the kids..

plot-wise, Sweet Home was anchored on the conflict between human and monsters, and what lay between them. it does well to consider how humans can birth monsters, how monsters can even protect humans, how humans will kill each other if they are put at risk. most importantly, how faltering & precious our common vision of humanity is within Green Mansion - and even more challenging to defend outside, as we see Yi-kyung herself going rogue. what i didn’t quite like was the overwhelming military authoritarianism, which, in some countries, is not too far from reality. i thought it was used as a convenient tool to explain how this monstrous disease came about (military experiment to build a strong army, or national cover-up of experiments to infect other countries). i detested it when the female general appeared - she looked weaker than Yi-kyung and if you wanted to be the villain, at least be a convincing one. i also detested the one-episode cameo of the mob - what was the point? in the last few episodes, the show also coupled off some of the residents, which was unnecessary and undeveloped (e.g. dog lady and resident bum, Sang-wook and caretaker).

given the generally popular critical and viewer response to the drama, i think we will be seeing us soon... and till then, i’ll be looking forward to a good binge. addictive & thoughtful, but not as thought-provoking or memorable as i think it wish it were. -- 7/10

[jxxvvxxkcrack]

Lee Jae Wook Vlive 21 June 2021

Stats

Total vlive viewers: 35675 Total likes: 2072339 Length: 1 hr 01 minute T-shirt: Unlock your life by Pars Co. https://www.parspars.com/product/unlock-your-life-rainbow-white-short-t-shirt/

He's on a diet now.

He threatened to turn off the Vlive a few times because of all the people who said they were not studying for their exams to watch it :P

He's growing out his hair now for the next project.

He had to ban requests for him to say fans' names in the middle since too many requests were pouring in for him to say their name. Don’t blame them lol.

Talking with fans

What is your next project? You should see articles about it soon Will you do more vlogs? It's difficult to do vlogs in the pandemic period since you need to wear a mask everywhere. What do you do in your free time? I eat a lot, sleep a lot, and exercise a lot. Can you donate your Jordan shoes to me? No I can't, and then launched into some anecdote about something about high school, which is unsubbed. When will you hold a fan meeting? Probably after the pandemic. "You're watching me at hagwon (cram school)? I will scold you!" And he did lol it was so cute. What do you do when you first wake up? A hot water shower, and then..? [unsubbed] Do you like overseas fans? Of course I do, I love my overseas fans. I'll come for you after the pandemic is over. Current favourite song: Recently, ‘Lost’ by Maroon 5 was released. It's the best. Will you do an online fan-sign event? That would be interesting! What's your MBTI? I haven't done it yet! Please do the MBTI! OK I will definitely do it! Can you do a bear heart? What's a bear heart? There's so much I don't know. Teleport vs being able to tell the future? This is an interesting question. I would choose to teleport. I live in the Gangnam area, and the traffic there is so bad! So I would choose 'Teleport'. (I didn't know he lived in Gangnam). Do you have a driver's license? Of course I do. Shoe size: 285mm Can you speak English? No, I can barely speak Korean well :P

-but in the middle he did say "Say hi to global fan" LOL-

Your favourite late night snack? Fried chicken, jokbal, and bossam. I spend a lot of money on food :P Would you date someone 7 years younger? 7 years younger? It's not a bad idea. I’m thankful (that someone 7 years younger likes me.) Would you date someone 7 years older? (laughs) It's a funny question. Why haven't you been seen anywhere in public? I don't go to many places, only to the gym and back to my home. Favourite snack: Goguma (sweet potato). It's sad, right? (Implying he's on a diet.) And then he randomly said he's tall but doesn't have good proportions (possibly someone asking why he exercises so much :P)

Do you like cats and dogs? I love them. I have a friend who has a shiba-inu called Chadol. It was so cute I went to his house every day to see his dog. You should eat more: You may not like me then! D: I'm studying Korean, study with me? I'm also trying to get better at Korean. Shall we do it together? (so flirty) Did you remove the mole on your neck? No, I didn't remove it. I won't remove it. What's your handphone wallpaper? It's a white wall with an orange stripe, somewhat Rothko-esque. He said he took it at his house's parking lot, and "It's pretty, isn't it?" Which celebrity friends do you have? (Playfully) 비밀 Do you like mint chocolate? I love mint chocolate. My friend told me not to declare this, and said that saying that I like it is a matter of life or death :P People say it tastes like toothpaste but it tastes nice to me! What colors do you like? Blue. Blue and dark colors. Isn't long hair uncomfortable? It is, but I will cut it one day. Your long hair looks cool: (Teasingly) I'm going to cut it soon~ Do you get along well with your elder sister?  Yes, I really like my relationship with her. Which of your characters is most like you? Lee Jang Woo from When The Weather Is Fine. (Is he that good in his studies? Lol. And then he said something about a unicorn, which I do recall seeing in the drama, I think he used "___ unicorn" to brag about himself to his younger sister :P) Jjajangmyeon vs bibimbap? This is really hard. Do I get to have soup with bibimbap? Favourite perfume: Can I say the brand? I guess it doesn't matter. Slow Dance by Byredo. It's my favourite perfume. Today's TMI: I woke up early and went to the gym. Do you ride your bike often? About 3 times a week? Oppa because of you I'm going to Chung Ang University: So you'll be my junior huh. (laughs) Oppa, can you close your left eye and point to your right cheek? (he obediently follows the prompt.. he’s really an actor lol) "You!! I almost fell for it! Gosh, my mum will pass out if she sees this." He revealed a two string bracelet on his left hand while adjusting the camera. Favourite dessert: Croffle? Croffle. I really like croffle. Current body wash: I'm using a body wash by Lush (only he says it as Lush-ee, which is just adorable.) Can you speak Japanese? I love animes but Japanese is so hard. I will study hard! When will you do a rap? I may try it one day. (I wonder if he knows about that old rap video floating around lol.) Dimples vs. Eyes: Eyes? I think he might be talking about his forehead wrinkles instead of eyes actually, so the translation is wrong. What animes do you like? He didn't answer, but said there are many animes on Netflix that he watches. Eating chimaek while watching the world cup? Eating chicken and beer sounds good but, my agency probably wouldn't like it. Can you say a line of Baek Kyung since it's been a long time? (playfully) I won't do it~ Iced americano vs. hot coffee: Iced americano. He said 'eoljuga', which roughly means 'I’ll drink iced Americano even if I freeze to death'. :P What app do you use most often? Naver? I have many things I need to look up :P Which of your parents do you resemble? Sometimes my mum, but sometimes my dad. Do you like kalguksu (knife cut noodle soup)? Yes, I love kalguksu and sujebi. Favourite ice cream flavour: Mint chocolate. (Bursts into laughter) Who do you like better - your mum or your dad: Omma. You thought I wouldn't answer, didn't you. (He has thanked only his sister and his mum in an award ceremony before lol. Poor Jaewookie appa) Oppa I'll date you: I'll reject your offer. (bursts into laughter again). Are you at the agency now? Nope. Please name the fanclub: This is hard. It (the fanclub) should go on forever, shouldn't it? Send an email to the agency. 5 year old Jaewookie vs 5 copies of Jaewook?: Of course 5 copies of Jaewook. One to exercise, one to work, one to stay at home and eat.. Do you dip or pour sauce for tangsuyuk? But, why would you pour water on fried food? I'll say dip. Jjajang vs. jjampong: That's hard! When working, jjajang. When resting, jjambong. *Nods sagely to himself* (Although he instinctively said 'jjampong' first). When moving house, jjajang. What message from fans cheered you up the most? It was this letter I got. It said "you make us happy when you're working hard, but don't work too hard." It cheered me up a lot. Soju vs. beer: Soju Cider (Sprite/lemonade) vs cola: Cola Do you eat pineapple on pizza? I think it tastes nice! Hawaiian pizzas. I also really like pineapple. Fall or spring? Fall. I really like spring too, but there are too many bugs. Small but definite happiness? (He understood the abbreviation immediately, which is sooo different from when the Running Man cast are introduced to any new lingo lol) When I bike, I don't drink any water. I have a routine; after biking, I run for about 6km, then I drink water. That water at the midpoint mark is so delicious. Oppa I like you, please scold me: Why would I scold you. I would compliment you :P Good job. Favourite boy group: BTS. They're so cool (safe answer!) Ramen vs. kimbap? Don't you eat them together? How tall are you? 187cm tall. Which variety show would you like to appear on he most? "I have never been on a variety show yet. Have you seen Kokkomu? When I watched Kokkomu I cried a lot. My tears came out like diamonds." lol. In reference to an earlier question. No idea what Kokkomu is. https://newsbeezer.com/koreaeng/kokkomu-which-was-just-popular-is-controversial-due-to-the-copying-of-the-youtube-channel/ Possibly this? Beef or pork? Pork How long have you been tall? I've always been tall. Then he gives a cheeky wink! Oppa can you go on on Knowing Bros? I'll have a hard time talking in banmal in front of all the sunbaenim. I'll do more Vlive in the future. *compromise* lol. Oppa kajimayo: If I don't leave, the staff can't leave work either :P Can you fill an hour (of Vlive?): Shall we fill an hour? Do you want to be in a play or musical? Of course I do. Plays require the best form of acting. What's the first thing you want to do when the pandemic is over? I want to go to a pork belly bbq place and eat comfortably without a mask. What's the worst part about acting? Every moment is hard. It's not an easy job. Why do you always wear 2 T-shirts? I like T-shirts but, but my sweat changes their color. I don't like that, so. Favourite overseas country? Filming Alhambra was my first time overseas. I didn't even take many photos. I want to send you T-shirts: Don't, don't! while vigorously shaking his head. (worried that his fans will spend money) What is your life movie? I really love Robin Williams. It's not my life movie, but I love the Dead Poets' Society. Did you really go to Alhambra? Back then, my role was really small, so I didn't really know what was going on, but (I did go to the palace? is what it sounds like.) Would you rather be 3m tall or have a 400mm shoe size? Wouldn't it be better to be tall? (what’s the point of having big feet?) Oppa don't go to the army: I have to go someday.. I still have a lot of time, and will work hard When will be our wedding? Am I getting married? (laughs) Pepsi or Coca cola: I like any cola. I'll go to the army for you: Andwae it will be hard! Although apparently it's not as hard as it used to be. Are your family members all as tall as you? Yes my family members are all tall too. What do you do on your free days? I'm a freelancer so I don't have free days.  How do you keep your skin looking so young? Lancome (he's now promoting Lancome). I came here right after a Lancome event. I really like Lancome. Tell me about your bracelet: I'll ask my stylist later :P When you come to Pohang I'll guide you!: I love gwamegi! (half-dried Pacific saury) Do you like to cook? I really like to cook. I love it so much even when people tell me not to cook, I will still cook. Oppa come to my school!: Which school is that? Tell me. Although I probably won't be able to read it. (cheeky smile). I'm really mean now, aren’t I. Favourite side dish? I like them all. Mokpo: Dodosolsollalasol was filmed in Mokpo. I ate aehobak jjigae (zucchini stew) there and it was amazing. Do Vlive at home? I'll figure out how to do it! I'll learn everything today. You use black and white hearts a lot on IG, what does it mean? It's the color of my tee. Just kidding, I just choose a color of heart that goes best with the photo. How much can you drink? Should I bluff? If I'm bluffing, when I drink alone at home, about 3 bottles? Just kidding, I get drunk after about 1.5 bottles (of soju). Favourite sports: Skiing, swimming, bowling. Was it hard to use a dialect in the Battle of Jangsari? Using a dialect was really hard. Can you do an IG live? I'm scared to do live - you can't make a mistake when all of you are watching. I have to be careful. Why aren't you seen in public? I answered that earlier, you are late. LOL. Your best dish? Western food? Something like risotto? Plans to film a movie? I want to but I should get offered first. Joking. Lol. I was told off for being late (the commenter above): Haha sorry.

Best fan questions/comments:

Live as a hamster or a ham forever?

Your pimples are so cute (mistranslation, she meant 'dimples'): "I have 4 dimples."

Don't smile, you'll give me a heart attack: I'm also having a heart attack seeing so many fans. I like it (that there are many fans on the vlive) but it's also scary. So cute.

Are you a microwave? You melted my heart: You're all so witty, jjinjjaru..

I'll make money. You just cook: You're so funny..