The thread is now open for reminiscences of our first boyfriends.
How lucky is JK that her first boyfriend is Suho?
gifs from tytrack’s tumblr
And it’s a two-way street. How lucky is Suho that his first girlfriend is JoKyung?
I don’t know about you, but for me, an actress is doing a good job when she can play her role convincingly. She makes me suspend my disbelief. She makes an obviously fake situation look real, and a fantasy romance look utterly plausible.
That’s why I like Moon GaYoung.
Furthermore, she doesn’t offend my senses like that “Run On” “actress” Shin Se Kyung. Sigh. I again forced myself watch “Run On” on my flight home but I still couldn’t get past the first episode. Her acting grates on my nerves and, as a result, I can’t feel any sympathy for her character.
Im Siwan is hands-down a much better actor than Cha Eunwoo, but in my eyes, CEW is getting reflected glory from Moon GaYoung. CEW looks mightily improved and comfortable in his role because of her. Honestly, this is the first time that I’m not cringing at CEW’s performance.
Moon GaYoung >>> Shin SeKyung (lol, she was his costar in “Rookie Historian”)
gifs from httpdrama’s tumblr:
I like how she angled her neck before entering. We do that when we’re trying to peek through the window to see who’s inside the room.
Her stunned expression was on point. Big eyes, open mouth, flared nose.
Her awkwardness was also on point. Tense neck. Forced smile. Focused eyes. Stiffly waving her hands.
Loved her facial expression here. She was restraining herself and trying to hide a grimace.
She was trying to be bitchy understanding. I don’t have to guess what she’s running in her mind.
She skedaddled out of there.
Enjoy the show!
Yay! Thanks @pkml3 for putting this up just on time. I could have watched the raw episode, but didn’t. This is the angsty episode and I prefer to watch with subs to know more details of what’s going on. I’ll be back!!
Thank you, @packmule3. It was one of many great scenes. I guess I’m watching TB for Moon Ga-young and Run On for Im Siwan. It makes for a very difficult Wednesday evening choice.
It’s not possible, but while he can still play teenagers, visually I could have imagined Hwang In-yeop playing the son of Lee Joon-ki. The latter would have to play someone older than himself. They both have fascinating eyes.
@Fern – you’re right! They look similar, I call their eyes as “feline eyes”. They can be brothers though.
@Fern I feel you, doing the same as you cos I’m also loving ImSiwan’s acting. Today’s episode made me cry cos he did. ShinSeKyung’s part from last week couldn’t. Meanwhile I have to wait for subs for TB so will come back tomorrow. Also, I absolutely love MoonGaYoung’s acting, she does all the expressions so well.
Btw, have you seen the creator of the webtoon TB? She looked like she drew herself in there, the webtoon JK looked so much like her, sharp chin, sharp nose & large eyes. Though well…GaYoung and the Yaongyi don’t look that similar. 😛
@packmule3, I am watching both dramas and like both female leads. I think the difference for me is that the roles require one to act as an adult and the other to act as a teen and that the teen role builds in sympathy to the character but the adult role is far more ambivalent. Our Run On character has been given a role requiring the suppression of emotion and lots of second guessing. So I can see how it would be a turn off to some. I also find that in Run On more than True Beauty, the social stratification of the characters informs the way they are presented. Our rich characters, except for Assemblyman Bad Dad are given a lot of sympathy leeway.
But in True Beauty, our lead actress whomis an adult convinces us that she’s a teen, going throughnall of the angst beautifully. And gosh, don’t they do a great job with her acne!
And to be truly superficial, all of the men are wonderful to gaze at. But, hands down, Im Siwan is just so good. He has to do so much physical acting (running scenes) while simultaneously emoting -just not easy.
@Old American Lady, the two rich Run On fathers are really pieces of work, aren’t they? The assemblyman Dad had better change his ways or he’ll end up in jail rather than on a K-drama redemption arc. Dan-Ah’s father is too mysoginistic and doesn’t understand quality. Or at least that’s how it seems at this point. But I’ve gone onto a Run On tangent…@packmule, I rather wish I could send you a pic from today of Im Siwan in a pink sweater, just for research.
To me, in True Beauty all of the rich adults, except perhaps for SuHo’s sainted mother, have been shown in a negative light. Actually, almost all of the adults have been shown with faults. It’s a show partly aimed at teens and young people who (if my daughters are an example) think that anyone >30 is out of touch and potential enemies.
@Fern, I was screaming at the tv when JK’s mom took her to the plastic surgeon. Was so glad when she came to her senses toward the end of the consultation. it was one of the funnier moments. Now let her come to accept JK’s choice of careers and enjoy the fact that she’s following in her footsteps…..
Ep13 – Can we just end True Beauty here? This is such a good closure episode.
After the school finds out about JK’s secret (bare face and BF), the mom got to know she was bullied (finally!) as well as her sister and dad. The mom really loves JK and actually thinks she is beautiful (the plastic surgeon scene turned out fine, yay!). I also assume mom finally supports JK’s interest in makeup school.
Big thanks to the teacher!!! I’m also happy the teacher made the situation a teachable moment on empathy for his class. Kudos to this awesome adult! Kinda sad he had to break up with unnie but it just showed his integrity.
JK really has a good heart because even if she got outed and that hurt her, she actually felt worse for Suho who is being rebuked for dating her and the worst by being betrayed by a friend and getting it confirmed in person.
A strong person that she is, she finally got the confidence and guts to go back to school, be bare faced and confirm to everyone about her relationship status. Great support by BF Suho (loving the forehead kisses!). And also support from SJ though in the background.
And Suho finally talking to his dad (him deciding to be strong like JK). Isn’t everything tied up in a nice bow?
I dread to watch the succeeding ep. Breakup again?!!!
Loved Ep13. Fine acting all round. But I have to agree about @packmule3’s assessment of CEW. He is easing into his role because of MGY. She’s giving him all the cues so he just has to go along with her lead. Just like Kim HyeYoon nailed her role in Extraordinary You and Rowoon just played along with her. That’s acting in its finest. When you can take a caricatured character (who potentially can appear overly sugary) to make him/her palatable for the audience. I didn’t shed any tears during SuHo’s pained moments but I did with JK’s. But how good is SuHo as a first bf here. Sigh…played his cards right every time. Gentle and tender. Thoughtful with the worry doll gift. JK is rubbing off on him. 😂
There’s a parting for HK and The Teacher too. I laughed when he hid behind the “Move entertainment” poster and “moved” with it. 😂.
And that epilogue? That’s true beauty. Even after being rebuffed by snooty violin playing girls, little JK finds it in her kind heart to comfort SuHo in the comic store (I get the feeling that was after he found out about his dad’s indiscretion). And SuHo returns in kind…with the song and the warm hug. Full circle.
I agree with @Janey. If they ended it here I would be satisfied. But there’s a break up in store for us? SeoJun is going to confess his feelings? And SuHo is on a plane? 😬
O…I asked my daughter what JuBal means. She’s studying Korean. She tells me it sounds like “Pig Trotters” (JokBal). So I guess it’s not terribly flattering to be referred to as pig’s feet?
Also in Ep11, CEW lifted his game in the scene with his dad at the hospital. When he confronted his dad about SeYeon. I rewatched that scene. I think he had multiple takes for that scene. Because his eyes were already red (from crying) when that scene (that made the cut) started. Which would ordinarily NOT be the case in real life. Unless you were already thinking about your friend and crying when dad appeared.
I always have a hard time with angsty episodes. I need to FFD to get over the bumps. It looks like the next episode or 2 will still be tough viewing.
The nice surprise was that JK’s brother is a little more considerate and caring of his sister than was previously evident. I shook my head when he first wanted to get SH’s shoes in exchange for doing a little favour. Mercenary little imp! I’m glad he thought better of it and grew into a better version of himself.
It was also very heartening to see that Go Woon actively defended JK. LOL that she broke her own rule about never using violence.
As for Soo Ah. What does friendship entail? Is Soo Ah entitled to know all the ups and downs and secrets in her friend’s life. I don’t think so. I don’t feel that it’s justified that she behaves as if she’s the victim. If anything, she should be ashamed of herself for not at least finding out the truth from her friend, before condemning her. Of course, Soo Ah is also just another immature teen, who’s looking out more for herself than for anyone else, and who has the mistaken impression that she’s a great friend.
I was heartily amused that the big girl bullies who talked trash behind SH’s back were thoroughly taken aback by JK’s defence of him and how one of them ‘fainted’ when SH kissed JK in the hallway.
I feel this is a great show to knock some sense into both adults and kids, about how destructive it is to tie success, regard and self-worth to the superficial and ephemeral value of appearances.
Thinking about Teacher Han … he says to Hee Kyung that if he’d known she was JK’s sister, he’d never have dated her. It’s a tough decision. No matter that Teacher Han and JK do nothing wrong, once it’s known that Teacher Han has personal connections with a student, it will hurt both parties. I’m interested to see how Hee Kyung handles this bump in her relationship.
I thought it was a surprising flash of insight, that bull-headed mother admits that she’s caused JK to lose self-esteem, and that’s why she couldn’t even tell her mother that she had been bullied. In an interesting way of interpreting matters, and in the usual way of self-blame, mum says that: “JK received no love at home, so she got no love elsewhere. It’s my fault for not raising her nicely or treating her like she was precious. Whom else could I blame.”
I seem to hear this ‘almost superstition’, from time to time, as if being treated well at home, could determine how well one is treated outside the home. What it might be a short form for is: that being treated well at home, would give a person more confidence to tackle bad treatment elsewhere, and in fact, just having confidence may even deflect bad treatment.
I hope that JK’s decision to stand up and speak out will stand her in good stead to keep building her self-esteem and self-confidence.
The first part of episode 13 where Soo-A confronted her about how she really looked got me seeing True Beauty the way Soo-A is seeing.
Soo-A is was really upset and the 2 things that got her really upset is :
1. That her friend hid her true self from her.
2. That her friend is not a true beauty and have to cover up so much to make herself look like someone else. This is the point where I wonder if this is how some people see it that the transformation from make up or even plastic surgery is not real beauty. And the true beauty they seek is the natural beauty (physical one) that one has been born with. So if you do not have that natural beauty, you may be looked down on. It is really superficial but could this be why they look down on korean celebrities who did plastic surgery to make themselves look better?
@grace I don’t understand SooAh. How can anyone NOT know that someone is wearing makeup? 🙄 What’s the big deal if they do? And if they do look a million times better with make up (who doesn’t?) and accepts all the popularity that brings, so what? Did she (SooAh) feel cheated because JK didn’t show her “true face” because they were supposed to be friends? The bigger question for her (SooAh) is if JK did show up with her “true face” right from the beginning, would she have befriended her? Neither she nor SooJin showed any inclination to befriend the other “ugly” transfer student? SJ befriended her in the guise of outing JK. Did SooAh feel horribly cheated because SJ seemed to know and she didn’t?
Another note – I liked how JK confronted SJ about the issue. She didn’t jump to conclusions or “hate on her” (yes SooAh Imma lookin at you 🙄). She needed to hear it from SJ’s point of view. It takes guts to hear someone out. Especially someone whom you suspect has betrayed you. SooAh should take a leaf out of JK’s book. 🙄. Communication is key. Even if you don’t want to hear it. JK gave SJ the benefit of the doubt. She gave SJ a chance to explain herself. That took enormous courage on her part. It’s easier to just walk away in a huff and not even give her a chance to redeem herself at all. JK’s already been hurt enough. Unfortunately for SJ, she failed to see the grace in JK’s act of kindness. JK was extending an olive branch and SJ threw it back in her face.
@GB I loved how JK finally stood up for herself (and SuHo) in front of the bullies. Forehead kisses are the best 🥰
As an aside, that very melodramatic scene in the pedestrian crossing where Teacher Han and HK broke up over the phone with that chasm (the crossing) between them? That screams meta to me. 😂 Does anyone know if it is from some other drama?
@grace and @nrllee
Yes, about plastic surgery, more than makeup I think … there’s a stigma that the face after plastic surgery is not the ‘true’ face. This is from the Plot Synopsis on ID: Gangnam Beauty from Asian Wiki. (https://asianwiki.com/ID:_Gangnam_Beauty). It sounds a bit similar, doesn’t it … and the ML is none other than our CEW again.
“Kang Mi-Rae had a timid personality due to her ugly appearance. She was teased by people and even bullied when she attended school. Now, Kang Mi-Rae is beautiful after undergoing plastic surgery, but she still has her timid personality. Kang Mi-Rae starts her first year at a university. People are still mean to her and call her “Gangnam Beauty” in a derogatory manner.” – to be a Gangnam Beauty means one has undergone plastic surgery to ‘become’ beautiful. That show had her looking at faces and automatically grading them by whether they had natural or ‘artificial’ beauty.
She even hid the fact that she had plastic surgery from her own father. He never saw anything wrong with her face and didn’t understand her need to go under the knife.
Anyway, it’s true that some people get looked down on when it’s known that they had plastic surgery. First time I’m hearing it about makeup, though, which is so commonly used.
I really like what SH said to JK … whether she has makeup on or not, it’s still JK. Liked how her brother reacted to SH kissing JK in school. 🙂
@Old American Lady, the plastic surgery didn’t make any sense to me. 😲 Going to see a dermatologist, yes. So glad the mom saw sense in the end.
@packmule asked rhetorically ‘How lucky is JK that SuHo is her first boyfriend.’ I would say extra lucky. And he sets the bar very high. I’m not sure I’d ever get completely over someone like him.
I was laughing at the owner of Prince Comics, who asked the Tarot cards about marriage and picked the guardian card just as SuHo (guardian) enters. Many good moments in this episode – almost a story in itself. Perhaps he’ll find a woman whose name means guardian or similar.
Later, when SuHo picks the couple card upside down, I think foreshadows Ep. 14.
I agree that Eun Woo is acting better as the show goes on. I would praise his co-stars and director for directly or indirectly helping.
Episode 14 was a pretty good episode with some resolutions.
We see girl power and have the satisfaction to know that they didn’t need to be rescued by the boys.
The Soo Jin saga continues to be upsetting and another hurdle will take us in Ep 15. The test of JK’s resilience will play out best when she can continue to stand on her own, as I guess we may get to see next week.
@nrllee, you have a point there that if JK came with her un-makeup face, SooA would not have been so drawn to her. It shows a certain level of being superficial and how first impressions play a part somehow in attracting people. It takes less effort to get people to pay attention to you when you are pretty than when you are not.
I loved how JK shines and grows. She has such a beautiful personality and character. Her only shortcoming was running away and struggling to find that courage to stand up against the bullies. It is a really difficult thing to do and it is so satisfying to see how Suho’s encouragement, her mum’s affirmation of her make up skills (that makes her look like an angel and better than plastic surgery) that gave her enough courage to stand up against the school bullies. Also, she was defending Suho…that was the extra courage she needed too.
@GB, interesting how CEW is chose two rather similar dramas. I didn’t watch ID:Gangnam beauty though and wonder how different it is to True Beauty. Almost similar name!
@fern, I agree that CEW’s acting is improving. The part when he kissed her forehead and hugged her at the school hallway. Felt like I saw that joy and pride in her in his eyes.
@Growing Beautifully,I’m with you oninitially thinking that Mom didn’t take JK to a dermatologist. But I had an aha moment after your comment. I think the whole point of thisscene was that in the end after the pladtic surgeon did the computer reveal,Mom realized that JK did the verysame thing without surgety by artfully using make-up. Not only did this appeal to Mom’s frugal self but as a person making a living from make up(eye brow tattoos/shaping) she showed a new appreciation for her daughter’s skill. I think the writer did this deliberately. But in all honesty, had they gone to a drrmatologist, it would have been a golden opportunity for product placement-medicinal skin creams, cleansers, moisturizers, face masks,etc. The whole shebang touting the big bucks Korean beauty industry…Oh well…
@Old American Lady, So true. I was also reflecting on that almost out-of-place visit to the plastic surgeon. On the one hand I felt it was a parody of those wanting a big change in their looks … the surgeon was deliberately overacted and going overboard with drastic measures, to demonstrate how ridiculous and unnecessary it is to want a total makeover. It is a message (to young people?) to realise that they need not take drastic measures and that often a ‘face change’ is not ever necessary. And also it was advice that so-called experts who suggested changes might be far from good advisors. What that surgeon was laughably suggesting was total reconstructive surgery just for acne!!! LOL.
I agree with you that, this scene was also meant to bring home to mum and open her biased eyes to see that JK had achieved everything the surgeon claimed to be able to do, without any surgery at all. What takes the cake in this show, is that mum is herself in the business of enhancing looks, but she has no clue how to use makeup to help her own child. (She’s another professional that has question marks floating around her.)
I was also surprised that show did not mention the correct management for acne, let alone give us PPL for anti-acne products. Anyway, I trust that mum has finally learnt to appreciate her middle child and to respect her more. I like that this was manifested by her gifting her with the makeup kit bag, and loved how JK in her generosity has forgiven her mum entirely in that big back hug and kisses.
@nrllee I was also impressed with CEW’s scene with his dad in the hospital. I felt the emotion in that one. I think the dad also did a good job there. You could tell he really cares about Suho even though he made mistakes in the past.
Although CEW is getting better in his role, sometimes I feel a disconnect with his blank expression in scenes such as when he suddenly woke up from the dream about JK riding away on Seojun’s motorcycle and when he was about to get hit by the car. Even Seojun had a startled look on his face then. MGY is definitely great as Jukyung. With CEW it sometimes feels obvious that he’s acting but MGY embodies her character.
In ep 13 I was wondering why Soo Ah had such a strong reaction to JK’s reveal. I’m glad it just turned out she was upset that JK had not trusted her as a friend.
True to her character, JK still wanted to believe that Soojin had some remorse and that their friendship could be salvaged. I don’t know if Soojin’s words really express her true feelings at this point. She is being very hurtful to JK but is she just acting out because of her pain from the abuse at home? She obviously had been hit from the bruise on her lip. Waiting to see how her story is resolved. Not sure how it’ll work out with the time jump – what has she been doing during those 2 years, does she finally get help and relief from her dad’s abuse, and make amends with JK and Soo Ah?
Also keep noticing things that remind me of Start-Up – piggy back ride, visit to the seaside, the line about hair growing if you laugh right after you cry, and the elevator scene from one of the earlier episodes. Wonder if they’re intentional or not…
@royangi that’s why I think SooJin’s behavior is self destructive. She loathes herself and the situation she’s in. She has no self worth. She was not enough for her dad. Not enough for SuHo. So she thinks she may as well prove everyone right by hitting the self destruct button. It’s actually very sad. I hope she gets pulled out of that self destructive spiral. I find it odd that the writer got her to that state and then gave us the 2 year time jump with no resolution for her character. 🤔.
@royangi re CEW’s acting, I feel you. He’s better but it’s still patchy. There are times where it looks like he zoned out and doesn’t know how to react in a particular situation so he comes across as stiff and unnatural. Unless the PD actually instructs him, he doesn’t seem to be able to conjure up the “right” emotions. Like you mentioned that time where he woke up from the dream. Because it’s just him acting (nobody else around), he just can’t seem to generate enough momentum on his own to breathe life into the scene. He needs someone to generate that momentum and he just hops on board. Like the scene with his dad at the hospital or scenes with JK (MGY). If you look at MGY, she has lots of scenes where she’s “thinking” or “imagining” scenarios in her head. And when you watch her, you can see that she’s doing exactly that. She has little gestures, silly grins, and that faraway look in her eyes. CEW can’t seem to give us the same. So I just stare at his beautiful face and wonder what it is he is actually thinking about when he’s acting in that scene 😂.
@Royangi> piggy back ride, beach scene, etc. are classical for Kdramas! It’s more like if you don’t have one of them, it’s weird.
I think CEW is bad at doing the bad boy showing a cold side, because he’s far from that in the real life, he’s just stiff, so for the scenes he has to be nice, caring etc. he’s better.
I prefer Rowoon who is super swoony in She Would Never Know.
Gosh, nrllee. I may be old enough to have a clutch of grandkids (if only my sons would get on with their love lives. Grrrr), but I’ll have to agree with you about CEW’s face.
I think it’s his eye-smiles. He smiles with his eyes and his smiles squeal for reciprocity. Or at least, his smile requires a smile-back, and it’s my fangirl soul that’s squealing like a piglet.
https://youtu.be/Nmm4KegVbLI
Which reminds me, Sayaris. I have to open a thread for Rowoon.
Even if I’m not watching that drama…(I think).
@packmule3 😂 you and me both – re CEW. As for Rowoon…I have been reading comments about his current drama. So I have read fan girls saying he’s “carrying the show” and the plot is “paper thin”. I don’t know if these comments are unbiased or just Rowoon fan girls extolling his virtues. I like Won JinAh as an actress. She was fantastic in Just Between Lovers. So for them to say Rowoon is “carrying the show” seems to imply they think she’s not doing her part well. Which is totally possible if the script is just bad – like Melting Me Softly…that was Killing me softly…err…slowly. It almost compels me to watch some of Rowoon’s drama to see if there’s any truth in what they are saying 😂.
@nrllee That analysis of Soojin’s situation makes sense. Don’t know how long they’ll spend on filling us in with details of what happened during the time gap but there has to be some resolution.
Agree about MGY. I think she also does well in comic scenes. One of the funniest scenes for me was when she jumped out of the broken elevator to run to the bathroom. 🙂
@Sayaris Haha I’m new to Kdramas so didn’t realize that!
On Eun-woo you’re absolutely right, he’s so adorable when he smiles, I watch him in All the Butler, TB’s bts and also in his youtube channel, he’s a real sweetie and has one of those genuinely sweet smile that makes you smile with him.
@royangi> Welcome in the Kdramas World! (or hole :p)
Ep. 14 thought-K Drama didn’t get Suho on the plane because he broke up with JK, but two years later he’s not in the picture…am now curious to see how they fill in the blanks. And in K Drama fashion they have to spoil our lovers’good time with tragedy and conflict near the end (Do Do La La Sol…anyone, where controvery ensued). I just hope they don’tvruin the end. Please, please….
As for first boyfriends, just let me say I kissed a lot of frogs until I met my prince-so theblast boyfriend turned out to be the best (36 years of marriage and 41 years together). Lesson learned-we were friends before we clicked. And somebody up there liked us. My mother-in-law was my mother’s friend in childhood(and my mom died when I was two-this connection always gives me a chill).
And @packmule3, my wish is for a grandchild to wpoil rotten, but am waiting for my son to find a good person to marry. He’s had some girlfriends but the relationships all ended. Idon’t care about her religion or ethnicity-just hope that she’s kind and caring. My family is pretty diverse thanks to intermarriage-just gives us more holiday celebrations to enjoy. And our potlucks are delicious!
@Old American Lady, neither I nor my brothers have grandchildren, despite 9 adult or nearly adult children. It makes me wonder if the marriage/partnership statistics are changing in America as elsewhere?
@Fern, I think you have something there. I have friends who married earlier than I did, who had children and now have many grandchildren. But many who married around the time I did, are in the same boat as we are. And I just read that Korea had a negative populartion growth. Anecdotally, in Western and developed countries, I think that women who work outside the home may be too preoccupied for relationships and marriage and children. And the men may have similar issues. But who knows-there are just so many variables out there. My bottom line is I hope that grandma is a word describing me before infirmity/senility sets in…Gives me a goid reason to take care of myself….
@Old American Lady, I went to a University in a largely rural state. I had friends who were married with children in or before going to College. Then there was me at the other end of the scale. I will be a veritable antique by the time I have grandchildren, if ever. I’m not so bothered by being related –I just have to hold a baby every now and then to get my baby ‘fix’. The top of their heads smell good and they fit just right on the hip or in the crook of your arm, right? 😊
I’ m feeling very maternal towards Eun-Woo. Every time he shows a facial expression, I want to pat him on the head and say, “ You did well.”
@Fern, I hear you on the baby fix. It is a privilege to be entrusted to hold somebody’s child. And there is so much joy in seeing how these new little people experience the world that is new to them. I hope the pandemic ends soon so you can get to hold some babies without the fear of infection.
Thank you, @Old American Lady. I was thinking the same.
@Dlia, I know what you mean. Cheering him on, nearly maternally, in my case, as if he were a friend of my daughter’s. You want him to do well, right?
I’ve finally managed to watch at 1.2X speed Episode 14. At least they had a good date before SH left.
I believe this show is a little better than some others with a with a few years’ time jump, where with all the modern communications technology, a couple does not contact each other at all (I vaguely recall Oh My Venus, Doctor John and Coffee Prince being frustrating because of this). At least in TB we know SH did contact JK to break up. If he was going to be stuck overseas for goodness knows how long, it was the wise thing to do. They could still have maintained contact though, but most couples won’t after a breakup.
@all of you… It’s such fun to read you all. I’m glad I hopped on the true beauty bus (calling it TB reminds me of Tuberculosis – but that’s just me and my pessimist ways)… Anyway, couple of things apart from grinning my way through the thread
MGY is amazing. I’m so glad she’s getting a chance to demonstrate her range with multiple projects. CEW probably not that amazing as an actor? But he’s grown on me. I’m glad @pm3 finds him cute… That way I feel some validation of my opinions 😛 maybe I have a thing for “improving” actors? Because similiar thing happened to me with LMH.
However, it does get me thinking. In regular jobs, people get trainings (I don’t mean academic training – I mean on the job – once you’ve been officially employed and are paid), probation periods, you get put under experienced people first so that you can learn. In real life jobs, no one really expects you to be awesome from day one. Quick learner, good basics, analytical or solving skills – sure, but you aren’t expected to start heading a department or be responsible for company profits on day 2. In research, it takes an awfully long time to become independent (sometimes upwards of 10 years) because not only do you need the expertise but you also need to demonstrate consistent reliability.
So why not acting? Sure, they’re paid well. But money doesn’t bring skill or experience along. Nor does it magically expedite learning. I feel even in performance arts, improvement deserves equal celebration. Maybe more so because you weren’t born with it, it doesn’t come “naturally” to you. You probably did 16 takes to cry right. 😊
Go growth mindset GO !
Hi @Arihsi, so good to see you here!
Yes, I’m all for letting actor newbies learn on the job. That may be why CEW got or accepted a similar role too, he may be trying to improve on something he’s done before.
The ones whom I have difficulty being patient with, are the ones who get headlining roles, but after years, and several shows, have not improved. I feel that acting is maybe not for them, but still they get the roles.
@GB huge warm hug ! Also because it’s strangely cold in my part of the world 🙄 I know what you mean. My own country has a rather prolific movie/television drama industry but we really don’t produce with standards of Korea. Sure, well made pieces come every now and then but when you talk of headlining actors with truly horrible acting skills, I would be able to give you a long homegrown list. I can’t stand those individuals on screen. What’s more ? They sourly lack the type of humility korean actors show to their fans.
About CEW accepting roles of a similar kind, perfecting the part of a lonely, rich, traumatized, cold on the outside softie on the inside boy/man would take him a long way in kdrama industry, isn’t it ? 😏 He’d then be eligible for every second drama ever produced in Korea.
LOL @Arihsi sharp-tongued comment but true. If he gets this persona right, he can star in many kdramas indeed!
It’s been pretty cold here too, by our standards. I’m getting a chilly wind blowing in most of the time. Good thing about it, is that it helps me save on the electricity.
o(〃＾▽＾〃)o
♡✧( ु•⌄• )
I think both MLs are doing well here. I was worried that CEW would be overshadowed by Hwang Im-yeop and that we’d be facing a fan war again. I have to say that as much as I like looking at CEW, I find HIY more charismatic. The direction and editing for HIY is a bit different than for the ML in Start-Up, so although he’s charismatic, he is less in focus.
I liked that Suho made him sing in public and I loved, loved, loved the beach date. It looked like a genuine great time. What a good start to the day for them. The mother in me made me wonder why they weren’t splattered with sand and water after running in the shallows and I’m hearing my voice asking, why did you wear white trousers to the beach, Ju-Kyung?
I liked that there was so much attempted/achieved mending of friendships: Ju Kyung gave Soo Jin such a generous opportunity and also Soo-ah with both Ju Kyung and the new girl. (What is a 3rd generation Gelatine? Is it a real fan group?) SuHo was also generous with Seo Jun, allowing him to tell JuKyung his feelings. I think he was a combination of confident, wanting his friend to have closure and just plain kind. Of course, he couldn’t have known how the day at the beach was fated to turn out.
@GB I hope I didn’t sound too rude! That wasn’t the intention.
@Arihsi, @Fern,@Growing Beautifully, @packmule3 and everyone else commenting on CEW and Hwang Im-yeop’s acting skills, here are some observations from watching and reading about K dramas. I find it interesting that the Korean entertainment industry spends a majority of time training idols but doesn’t seem to do the same for actors. I wonder if the agencies that seem to control all aspects of the industry just outsource actor training to the universities as it seems many of the actors go to university simultaneously to when they actually work(and who pays for it). some go to university first and some don’t but may have gone to arts high schools. And then we have the idol model turned actor. And how are the decisions made by the agencies to allow these people to debut as actors. This generally seems to pertain to actors in lead roles or main roles. But to me, the best of the lot really are the character actors who add so much depth and color to these dramas and films. The character actors also seem to be more prolific and can be seen in multiple dramas, in multiple genres in any given year. They gain experience through variety, and I would believe that they are not cosseted as are the keads. And I think there’s a somewhat different standard for actresses. With actors you have the flower boys and the more masculine looking men. But for the women, the leads have to be beautiful by Korean standards. And to me, theater acting and musical theater acting take on an entirely different level. To me, the ensemble cast of Hospital Playlist (both primary and secondary players) have theater backgrounds that require enhanced levels of skills. And to me, that explains why that particular drama was just so good. You don’t get multiple takes in theater and are far more dependent on your scene partners. Look at how Jeon Mi-do, a veteran musical theater actress was so beloved playint, ironically, someone who cannot sing.
And there is the idea that some have more raw talent than others. I think CEW has stage presence because of his idol experience(that required
but requires far more experience to even be on the level of Hwang Im-yeop, who is older, more experienced and probably had more raw talent to begin with. (Hwang is now showing his musical ability).
One other thing that the Korean drama industry does is that they workshop certain types of scenes-like fight scene choreography and even intimate scenes. That’s on the job training.
My bottom line is that actor training seems more inconsistent in Korea. And like sports, it’s good for players at a lower level to train with better athletes. Actors worth their salt, like to stretch and apart from financial gain, don’t like type casting. They also need to be able to age in order to have longevity in the field.
Please pardon the rant.
I think a lot of actors became actors without any training before. After it depend each person, some have a raw talent and are good immediately, some work as support roles to learn the job and then can be a lead, some work a lot but won’t never be really good.
For example, the young actors, they learn the job with their parents and by doing little roles, then the most talented become great actors as adult. I really find interesting that Nam Ji Hyun chose psychology as major in college and not acting.
For idols, they usually have acting lessons during their trainee years.
It’s true that theather actors are really good but in the same time, we didn’t watch them at their debut like we can see every job of TV/movie actor.
@Old American Lady, from what little I can find on the internet, Hwang In-Yeop is older, but relatively inexperienced, having started acting only in 2018 in a web drama. This is his biggest role yet. He did his military and modelling before that time(probably continued with the modelling to present).
@Fern, Thanks for the information. Given his limited experience, he’s doing a great job. He hascreal stage presence. When he’s on screen, it’s difficult to take one’s eyes off himand not just for his looks.
@Arihsi, no you were not rude. I meant sharp and somewhat cynical, but correct. I am often cynical. 😉
@Arihsi, come to think of it … I meant sharp-witted, not sharp-tongued LOL. Oh dear. No wonder you thought I was saying you were rude. No… not at all. My apologies!
I know the show diverted from the webtoon a few episodes ago but wonder if this breakup is from the source material. I remember people saying JK and HSJ dated 🤔
The biggest thing I struggle with when it comes to CEW’s acting is that I’ve seen him in a few variety shows where he is himself and he appears quiet but still expressive- it’s the eyes and the smile- so to see him be so stiff and expressionless I KNOW he is acting. It’s why I kept dipping in and out of this drama and wasn’t so sure I’d complete it but he really has gotten better as the episodes have come along.
It’s funny reading about your lamentations about your children and your want for grandchildren. As a young lady of marriageable age, I’ll say that although the world is dating much more than we ever have, the marriage pool has never been so small it’s practically non existent. Many people don’t want to get married, for whatever reason: being too career focused, not seeing the importance of marriage. I sometimes find myself wishing I was born even just 5-10 years earlier where it seems you met someone, liked each other, dated and marriage was the next logical step.
Nowadays it seems so many people have commitment phobia. I can’t say our parent’s generation were any better because many got married without dealing with their issues in and out of marriage resulting in children who are broken adults with a lot of trauma. Honestly it’s hard out in these streets and I sometimes wonder if navigating love should be this complicated? And it’s sometimes very lacklustre. Dramas have ruined my expectations 😂 And don’t get me started on the complications covid brings into things, how can I meet someone when I’m home 24/7 and if I go to the shops I have a mask on my face 🤔
I recently told my mum that I’d love to get married but I’ll also accept it if it never happens. Lol she wasn’t happy to hear it. My culture is quite big on “don’t even think about dating whilst you’re in school but after graduating and working for a few years we expect you to bring a husband home.” I told her I refuse to settle with anyone just because of social pressure and this silly “time is ticking, when will you get married” thing we love to tell women. Gone are the days where a woman’s worth is measured by whether or not she’s a “Mrs”. I’d rather be content as a Miss than be a miserable Mrs.
So I’d say speak to your children and see how your life and marriage may have impacted their views on marriage. Also pray for your children however you can, we need it 💕
@Old American Lady, yes and I’m looking forward to his future career.
@Esst3, hearing a young person’s point of view is so interesting. Especially now when meeting people during lockdown becomes nigh impossible. Like you, I always said to myself that I would never ‘settle’ for someone who is merely adequate husband material. It may take a while. You have probably figured out that life and marriage is best with someone who is a true friend. Kdrama perfection rarely exists, but there are still many diamonds in the rough buried out there. For every thoughtful girl like you, there should be a male equivalent. 😊 I’ll add my prayers. 🙏
Thanks @Fern!
@Fern, but especially @Esst3, @Fern gives great advice. Please don’t give up. When this pandemic ends and/or when it is safe to socialize, get involved in groups where you have an interest l, hobby, desire to learn.You may find people who have affinity to you and young men who may start out as friends and turn into more. From my point of view and I’m prejudiced, it is wonderful when friendship turns into love. And sometimes you find it in unlikely places. I married late for my generation. My family didn’t know what to make of me.At family catered events seating was always strange for me from sitting with the kids to the elders to the friends if friends. Lots of awkwardness But I met someone who was right under my nose; my husband was an original lunch buddy who I’d never think of romantically and he was my friend. Please don’t hide yourself away. You sound like a wonderful young woman who is deserving of someone who as they say in K Dramas, will be and stay hevyour side and who they say in American police dramas,will always have to our back. And in romances, who will love you just the way you are.
Thanks so much @Old American Lady and @Fern 🤗
Lol about seating arrangements, that must have been awkward indeed. Families can be very awful in their dealings with the “spinster” of the family. Glad to hear about your happy ending. And yes I understand I have to put myself out there. I’d like to believe there’s someone out there for me, “a ride or die” like we’d call it today and we will meet at the appointed time. I definitely haven’t given up hope😊
Hi @Esst3,Family spinster is so true. To that generation I was supposed to get an Mrs. when I got my B.A. I was considered a failure. I also had a fairly large wardrobe if ugly bridesmaid’s dresses that reminded me of said “failure”. In retrospect, I find it all funny. But at the time I was mortified.
But, please don’t feel you HAVE TO put yourself out there. The idea is to find things you enjoy doing without thinking that you must meet someone there. It’s the serendipity. Covid doesn’t help this.
I guess, what I’m trying to say is please don’t put pressure on yourself. Please try to live a life that brings you happiness. And when it comes to meeting someone who is right for you, I truly believe you’ll find that person who will be very lucky to have you.
Hi @pkml3 It’s about time to open a new thread for Ep 15 and 16, I believe. It should be on tonight!!
Oh yes! Thanks for the reminder. Give me an hour; I’ll be home then. 🙂
Thank you, my dear @pkml3. Have a safe journey home! ♡✧( ु•⌄• )