This scene is swoon-worthier than the shoe scene.
Don’t get me wrong. It was sweet of him to give her a pair of plum blossom shoes. He even staged an “event” which is a hallmark of all kdramas.
Frankly speaking, there’s something about “events” that I find theatrical and overblown. However, I’ve come to accept that it’s one of those cultural oddities of courtship in kdramas. The guy is always expected to organize a special occasion, not only for those big days like anniversaries and Valentine’s Day, but also for those ordinary days and non-events.
Like, buying her new throw pillows? Well, the guy should plan a candlelit dinner at a five-star hotel and present her the pillows for dessert.
She stubbed her toe? The guy could her comfort food and arrange the pickled radish in a heart on the plate. Then he he could bring her out to the patio for a firework display.
Bought her new shampoo? He should surprise her with a bubble bath, complete with those annoying rose petals that stick to the butt.
She’s crying again? Well then he could solve her problems by buying her a special window seat in a cafe for her personal use. Side-eyeing the hero MaSung in “Devilish Joy.”
And that’s the point I’m going to make here: why WonDeuk’s action was swoon-worthy and MaSung’s action was not. Both these shows had a scene where the guy had to step in when the heroine was crying.
In “Devilish Joy,” the girl GgiBbeum was upset because of jealousy. She thought he went out to see his first love so she was grouchy.
When he silently appeared at her side, he covered her ears with a headset. He then proceeded to rile her in order to get her out of her bad humor. He remained standing beside her, observing her return to normal spirits. Now and then, he smiled at her at her cuteness.
Finally, he hunched over her and wrapped his hands around her neck to get her full attention. He pretended to make a medical assessment. He deadpanned, “Wait. Let me get a proper look at you. Your face is back to its natural color and your eyes are responsive. But is your heart rate going crazy?”
Irritated, she slapped his hands away. She was annoyed that he was again messing with her.
This scene demonstrated that MaSung was evading the issue which caused her unhappiness. He ignored her feelings. Perhaps deliberately, perhaps unintentionally. He was distracted by the pretty picture she made with her aegyo.
His body language was quite telling. Throughout this encounter, he remained standing, hovering over her. He didn’t sit down on the chair across from her. He showed showed tender amusement at her sulky face. But what exasperated here was that he didn’t bother address the REASON for her sulky face.
In contrast, let’s look at WonDeuk.
He quietly observed HongShim’s tearful outburst. She ripped into her dear friends for their prank.
She said, “What do you think you’re doing? How could you fool us like that? Do you think this is funny? Do you think startling people is funny? I thought MaChil really died. I though WonDeuk was really going to get in big trouble for it. How could you joke around something like that? His can you laugh after what you’ve done to me?”
Side note: I previously thought the actress playing HongShim looked exceedingly ordinary and her face was moon-shaped. But I can see her prettiness now. Plus, she’s the only actress I’ve seen who can retain watery, tearful eyes like that for a long time.
After reproaching them, HongShim left. WonDeuk asked to be untied then followed her to the kitchen.
She was sitting on her haunches in a corner, and he immediately squatted down beside her.
WD: Were you that startled? Why? Were you afraid to become a widow if something bad happened to me?
HS: Can you joke at a time like this?
WD: Are you getting mad at me? It’s my birthday today. I’ll stay by your side forever, so don’t worry. I won’t go anywhere without you. Because I’m your husband.
Standing up, he offered his hand and told her, “Let’s go. Let’s go out and eat noodles.”
Do you see what I mean that this is a swoon-worthy moment? He did it right. He stopped her tears in the right way.
First, he went down to her level, and waiting for her to look at him.
Although he was teasing her too, he controlled his smile and looked at her seriously.
And he said in earnest what she needed to hear from him. Do you hear that, MaSung? Why didn’t you tell her that the girl wasn’t your first love?
Then, instead of grabbing her by the neck (hahaha. I know MaSung sounds ridiculous when I describe his action like that), he held out his hand.
Unlike MaSung whose constant babying of GgiBbeum I find maddening, I approve of WonDeuk’s style. He comforted her like a proper husband should.
This drama is my first encounter of KyungSoo’s acting and frankly I am very impressed. His character is sanctimonious and insufferable…yet I cannot bring myself to loathe him. I find myself willing him to redeem himself with the good people of the Shire (Hobbiton) before returning to Mordor to battle the wizards and orcs. He isn’t particularly large in stature…diminutive by male lead standards which already puts him at a distinct disadvantage. Yet there is a certain gravitas and intensity about him that is gripping and I fall for him straight away. Every scene that he is in I hang on his every word (that lovely timbre of his voice) and facial expression (even if it is rather deadpan because of his character). This actress is a veteran and whilst I have never really warmed to her facial features (there’s something about her teeth/mouth that I find unnatural for some reason), she can act and I can’t begrudge her there as she brings her role of HS to life with sufficient nuance to warrant my continued viewing. Kudos to KyungSoo though for swoon worthy moments. The intensity of his gaze leaves me weak kneed.
I haven’t watched the other drama that you have referenced here so I can’t comment.
Hi there, nrllee. Sorry I didn’t get to see your post and retrieve it from my SPAMbox sooner. I was 😴 sleeping.
That’s a good image you brought up: Lord of the Rings. The village people do resemble the hobbits of The Shire with their simple living.
I don’t mind KyungSoo’s height disadvantage. I’ll only mind it if he tries to cover it up by wearing “lifts” or heels. 😂 I wrote about how distracted I was with Lee Seunggi’s character in Hwayugi because he wore shoes with 2in heels to make him appear taller. Apparently, his male actor co-lead was way taller than LSG so LSG looked like a shrimp.
KyungSoo fits the image of WonDeuk and the CP very well. I still can’t forget WD’s entrance at HongShim’s public flogging. He must have been concussed but he was staring back at onlookers as if THEY were the oddities, and not him.
The actress playing HongShim is alright now. I’ve gotten used to her face I guess. She’s got a round jaw when I’m used to Korean actresses with a V-shaped jaw.
But there are times when I find her VOICE jarring. When she spoke to her brother, for example, her voice soften and became higher-pitched like she was channeling a little lost girl.
But I also blame her acting for confusing the viewers about whether she knew WonDeul was real or imaginary. Remember that scene by the cherry blossom tree when she reminisced about her encounter with the young Lee Yul?? She didn’t sufficiently EMOTE her dreamy-ness (or her longing for that boy) so it appeared as if she was actually talking to WonDeuk.
To KS’s credit his portrayal of CP was riveting enough for me NOT notice the height disadvantage as much as I would normally. He nailed the CP’s role and every time he dismissed his ‘subjects’ with a sniding ‘O Ho!!’ I was in stitches.
I have never really felt totally enthused with this actress (I know she’s a darling in the Korean entertainment industry). It was the same in Suspicious Partner. I adored JCW there but her not so much. I don’t loathe her though so I can continue to watch 100DMP… I do loathe Jin Se Yeon. She ruined Grand Prince for me. She’s like a black hole, sucks up all the emotions in a scene and gives nothing back. It was the first and most definitely LAST time I will tune in to any of her dramas. I sat through GP for YSY’s sake and it was excruciating…I vow never again to put myself through that, no matter how much I like the male lead. 😠
Currently also watching Terius Behind Me which has been fun. Hwayugi I watched but never finished for some reason. I liked the leads and their chemistry was good. Zombie girl was my fav though…and when she departed I did too.
And as an aside I am also tuning in to Where Stars Land and I feel the same as you about the female character…and I am only watching future episodes out of curiosity as to why the male lead has superhuman strength and why he has no feeling in his right arm… I am thinking “alien”? Bionic man? 🤔
Oh yes. That actress in Grand Prince was such a — ?? What’s that character again from Harry Potter? A dementor? She looked like she could suck the life out of an emotional scene. I wished they had another actress to match YSY.
(edited to add this) Did you see YSY in “Mirror of the Witch?” That actress was a bit too young for him, but I like that kind of effervescence to balance YSY’s gravity.
As for WonDeuk’s “o- ho!” — I think a fan should collect them all and put them in one long gif. It could be trademarked. I think that expression was funnier than “I’m uncomfortable.”
There’s was also one scene in Episode 8 that would have looked nice as a gif. It’s the one when Gudol was poking him with a finger and he tried to evade it with an elbow. He was flapping his arm. I thought that was cute because it was totally un-princely.
Yes, I loved the zombie girl in Hwayugi, too. Bu-jja!! I liked her better than the lead female, to be honest, although I started watching the show for Oh YeonSeo.
I like actresses who sparkle in their role. Scene stealers. Kinda like the actress who played the shaman/medical officer in The Ghost Detective. They’re more interesting and unique as second leads. When they become main leads, they have to fit the stereotype of a kdrama heroine: strong only in the onset, then turning helpless whenever the guy is around.
Yes, re. Where Stars Land, I was thinking bionic arm, too, although that wouldn’t explain his desire for anonymity. He wanted to be faceless, be part of the multitude. So he must have some quality about him that makes him unique and stand out, and he finds it a burden. So alien is a good bet. Maybe he’s somebody from the “stars” like Do MinJoon in “My Love from the Stars.”
“Oh yes. That actress in Grand Prince was such a — ?? What’s that character again from Harry Potter? A dementor? She looked like she could suck the life out of an emotional scene. I wished they had another actress to match YSY.
(edited to add this) Did you see YSY in “Mirror of the Witch?” That actress was a bit too young for him, but I like that kind of effervescence to balance YSY’s gravity.”
Haha…I love that rather apt description of her as a dementor 😂
Yes MOTW was my first foray into KDrama and I fell madly in love with YSY…that actress Kim SaeRon hit the right spots for me too and they sizzled…although the plot kinda took a weird spin toward the end which didn’t make much sense, it was still enough to keep me watching right to the end. I didn’t realize their age difference till after binge watching it on Netflix and reading articles after.
I am a relative noob (only 1-yr young) in the KDrama world. It was my disillusionment with all the drivel that Hollywood was churning out that pushed me into the bubble that was KDrama. I found myself unwittingly enchanted, never to return.