Jang Hyuk: The Craziest Intro to an Actor Ever

 A few new things have happened on the studying side. I've picked up the pace of learning, now that I'm feeling a little better. I've spoken to two Korean guys on the phone, and it's clear that I can't understand or speak Korean well. So I'm learning some more conversational stuff... like I did when I first started.

But that is NOT why we're here.

Jang Hyuk Is a Big Deal

I have obviously heard of Jang Hyuk and seen some pictures around. He pops up frequently. I've never actually seen one of his dramas though. 

I was sure that he would be good, but he didn't look like a super attractive type of male lead... so I assumed he would be a really good actor with decent comedic timing. I hadn't been in the mood for exactly what he's in.

However, I'd heard great things about Fated to Love You (2014). Like, it's supposed to be an all-time classic type of drama. Since I wanted a sure thing (because I'm tired tonight), I gave it a go.

I Was NOT Ready

What in the actual fuck was this opening scene? I mean, look at that... it's crazy! He literally walked onto set, handed someone his glasses, tossed someone his jacket, and just started doing this.

This is the first time I've ever seen Jang Hyuk, a legend from what I can tell... and this is what we're doing? This! There are no words. I alternated between smiles and literal jaw dropping. Who the hell IS this dude?

Oh, and I might add... still photography doesn't do this guy justice at all. He was around my age in this, and look at him. So much energy and charm. And he clearly doesn't miss a workout. But his face transforms from shot to shot. It's wild.

That's It

So, I haven't watched beyond this scene. I literally took this screen shot and was like, "Screw it... I need to write this down". If I wasn't already exhausted from work, I'd have been exhausted by the end of that scene. Damn. Clearly Jang Hyuk is a legend for a reason. And that is one hell of a way to open a drama! 

Back to it! Hopefully it won't be a let down after that intro. 

파이팅!

Sweet Stranger and Me (2016) Review & Woo Do-Hwan

One day of blogging and another lost day. I was highly motivated for one day. Sad state of affairs, but to be honest, I'm not surprised. I have been so lethargic for so long, after all. This illness is dragging on and on.

Sweet Stranger and Me (2016)

I finished this drama. It became super clear to me that I really like Lee Soo-Hyuk. I mostly watched it for Kim Young-Kwang, but seriously... Lee Soo-Hyuk is incredibly likeable.

The drama itself was okay. The characters were all fairly likeable except for the slutty "hoobae" who ended up with a very happy ending. I found her grating... not because of the gold-digging character (which isn't my favorite) but because the actress was so chirpy and fake and vapid.

She was supposed to be incredibly manipulative, but the actress wasn't good enough to make it even remotely believable that grown adults would buy what she was selling. Not a fan. She also didn't come across as intelligent at all, which usually helps for a manipulative character.

I wasn't wild about the little girl stalker either. The actress did an excellent job with the character, but I felt that it slowed down the story unnecessarily, and there was not enough relationship/character building with her brother (Lee Soo-Hyuk) to make the character worthwhile.

I could have used more of the relationship between Go Nan Gil (Kim Young-Kwang) and the gangster ex-adopted brother played by Woo Do-Hwan. It seemed like an interesting love-hate relationship... unique. The adopted gang in general was the most interesting aspect of the drama. I would have loved to see more than that. 

As for the romance, I wasn't convinced about the back-and-forth, we-can-we-can't just was not well written enough for me. The chemistry wasn't super on-point either. For me, it was mostly carried by Kim Young-Kwang being endearingly awkward with no experience with women on the one hand... while being super slick on the other. Despite the occasional goofiness:

In short, I watched this for the gangster story, which held my interest... and the male cast who, to be honest, were shockingly good at their roles. Oh, I would have liked more backstory on the kitchen staff members who he met in prison too. It was a casual mention, but it could have been so much more.

Discovering Woo Do-Hwan

This was also my first time seeing Woo Do-Hwan. I have come across his pictures here and there while looking up other things. His face is striking, and he looks enough like Seo Kang-Joon that his pictures often get mixed into searches for him. It's weird, since they don't look much alike at all... but they are both handsome and unique looking.

Obviously, Seo Kang-Joon is amazing and my #1 favorite Korean actor for both his talent and look. I never understood my husband's expression... that someone is "painfully hot" until I watched Seo Kang-Joon. I get it now. It's almost physically uncomfortable to watch sometimes.

But anyway... I digress. Woo Do-Hwan has been on my to-watch list for a very long time. I didn't realize he was in Sweet Stranger and Me until halfway through the drama when I was like, "Okay, who the hell is this guy?"

He is striking to look at, but he did a very convincing job as a bad guy. Color me shocked at how sweet he seemed at the end when he was free and smiling. I'm looking forward to more from him. 

First Historical Kdrama?

Thus far, I have Tempted (2018) on my list (and have since like, day one of looking through kdramas). I also added Mad Dog (2017). On the more immediate agenda though is My Country: The New Age (2019)... which I am 100% ready to watch.

First, I've never seen a historical kdrama at this point. Second, I think Yang Se-Jong is an amazingly talented actor. I only saw him in Still 17 (2018) but was captivated by his portrayal of a mentally ill and thoroughly traumatized guy who gradually opens back up. He did a great job in a pretty silly drama. I was impressed.

Now that I know it stars both Yang Se-Jong and Woo Do-Hwan, I think it is time to get into my first historical kdrama. Maybe I will catch a real vibe on it and decide I love them. Who knows?

Studying

Yesterday, I did study quite a bit. I practiced Lesson 9, which went well. I feel like I have it down pretty much, so I will move on soon. Though when practicing it with guys on Tandem, it became clear the there were some discrepancies between the proper way, the lesson's spelling of the casual way people actually use it, and the spelling people use in reality? I will figure that out.

Today's plan... go through vocab for Lesson 10 so that I can move on when I'm ready.

I also downloaded KakaoTalk at the request of one the the people I talk to most on Tandem. I like it enough that I defaulted it for SMS too. We will see how it goes, but so far so good.

파이팅!

Sickly & Studying and Kim Young-Kwang & Lee Soo-Hyuk

 It has been over 2 weeks since I blogged. For good reason: I have been very sick. I mentioned that one of my employees got Covid-19... well, while in quarantine, I got sick too. I had all the same symptoms in the same order.

I tested negative, but it may have been a false negative. Regardless, I was in pain. My body ached and my head hurt if I moved it at all for over a week. The lethargy and fatigue were crazy. The cough made all of that worse.

I have been back at work for about a week now, but it took all the energy I had. There was none left for blogging or studying Korean. I tried to study several times, but my head just hurt too much, even with meds and extra Ibuprofen added to it.

What I Did During the Sickness

I watched kdramas. Pretty much all I did was lie in bed, try not to move at all, and watch kdramas. Needless to say, I will have a whole lot of fodder for blog posts! I don't even know how many I watched, but it was a whole lot. 

Currently, I'm almost finished with Sweet Stranger and Me (2016). And why? That's super simple... Kim Young-Kwang.

I think he's a good actor... very endearing... he nails the soft/tough guy roles like this and D-Day. And let's face it... he's a model. The dude is good looking. 

What really tipped me toward watching this drama though was Lee Soo-Hyuk, which I just saw in a drama for the first time a few days ago (King of High School Savvy).

He played a bad guy who was incredibly likeable and endearing. Sort of a damaged and abused guy with anxiety who looks like an ultra cool model. I was impressed with his acting.

He has a quality that makes you want to take care of him. It's odd that he can look aloof and arrogant while also seeming fragile and cute. In Sweet Stranger and Me, they have already mentioned several times how "sickly" he appears. The deep voice with the baby face is also fun somehow. I enjoy watching him.

Actually Studying Again

2 days ago, I started studying again... doing more than just glancing over past lessons or a little vocab, which is all I had had time for. First, I wrote up some sentences to practice negating.

I actually sent a picture of it to a language partner on Tandem. I commented that I hoped it wasn't too messy to read, and he told me that it looked like 뭇글씨, which is essentially Korean calligraphy or something of that nature. 

This was just me writing fast and sloppy with a thicker gen pen than I prefer. I didn't intend to share it... I just felt like I this was too many ways to say the same thing (and turns out one is wrong... and one is in the wrong tense). 

I have also shared some audio files with the same Tandem partner. Apparently, my pronunciation isn't terrible. Good to know.

Today

I finally added my Korean keyboard stickers & layout. 대박! It's so much easier to write in Korean now. A couple hot keys and BAM! I've mostly been using my phone to this point. 

• Went over some vocabulary
• Went over Lesson 8
• Did the Unit 1, Lesson 1-8 test
• Did Lesson 9 (on conjugating 이다)
• Wrote to a few language partners on Tandem

Making progress! I've also been learning a fair bit from some of the guys on Tandem. So far, the men have been more helpful... and more likely to contact me. Funny how that works. Oh, and one of them... Jay... is obsessed with all kinds of music and has shared tons of cool stuff.

I have a whole lot to blog about now that I'm back on my feet! Wow. I dunno when I'll catch up on it all! 

파이팅!