Korean Media News

A tremendous explosion started the expansion of the universe and the explosion is known as the Big Bang. Stepping into their seventh year of debut, Big Bang has now created a distinguishable territory in the K-pop scene. The group has differentiated its music from any other K-pop and pop idols' by quickly reacting to the global music trend without losing their unique color. To announce their songs -- which bloomed in the middle of all the hardships they've been going through -- to the world, the boys performed three songs in just one show, each performing with a different concept. They also made the live show available online in high-definition. The boys' ensuing step that avoids being conventional and abiding by the rules were shocking from time to time, but the shock has always left something new after that 'explosion.' Interviewing the team's leader G-Dragon provided 10Asia a chance to discover what leads the team to create that shock and excitement in the global music landscape. The musician, who says that he devoted all his time to planning and preparing for coming albums while leaving everything up to his fans' expectations, does not get excited by immediate gains and success. For that reason, it is exciting enough to picture what he has in mind for the next Big Bang.

"'ALIVE' has provided us to enjoy the new Golden Age of Big Bang."

As a leader and producer in the team, you must have a special attachment to the latest release. How do you feel about wrapping up the album's local promotion?
G-Dragon: It was short but deep. Before thinking about what others have to say about this album, I want to call this the new Golden Age of Big Bang.

When working as the sub-unit GD&T.O.P, you said in an interview that there's one more blow waiting to wow everyone. I felt like "ALIVE" is what you meant by the 'single blow'(laugh)
G-Dragon: I'm extremely satisfied with this album. Though the time we had to promote the release was pretty short, I think we've showed enough without any regret. Since we have the members' solo albums coming up this year, I think we could keep up this spirit.

This year has been a juncture for Big Bang to get rid of the image you guys had from performing "Lies." This also means that you guys must have gone through a certain level of adventure to create something new.
G-Dragon: I started talking about this with Teddy and other staffs at my company when I released GD&T.O.P. Rather than catching up on trends, we came to agree that we should always go a few steps ahead of others. Also, we were certain that whatever we do was right. Apart from gaining success in fashion and music, it was important for us to put out what we love. If we had confidence and assurance of what we do, we knew that people will be with us at some point. It worked afterall, but I call it a successful 'adventure.'

Songs like "BAD BOY" and "BLUE" were totally different from other K-pop idols' music. It didn't have group chorus or exactly divide the members' parts to sing.
G-Dragon: Our company's C.E.O was not able to call these two songs as our title tracks till the last moment. Rap songs with a slow tempo like "BAD BOY" is not so popular with people and "BLUE" was more like an extended version of "Love Song" from last year's special edition album. But we made these two great tracks because we thought it was about time to show the real Big Bang music. And for some reason, it just kind of matched with our situation. If we released the record before going through a lot of troubles last year, or far after the incidents, I don't think we would've been able to put ourselves in the music.

I'm guessing that your agency officials' favorite track is "FANTASTIC BABY."
G-Dragon: What our C.E.O wanted from us more than anything else, was to make a dance number since we didn't have any dance tunes after "Last Farewell" from the second mini-album. While working with Teddy to make a fast beat song, we decided to come up with a beat that most people are unfamiliar with. We gave a little twist to the song by doing things like speeding up the tempo unexpectedly. While a slew of K-pop artists are doing electronica music these days, I made the song to start with just my voice singing in order to distinguish it from other electronica music being produced in the country. We needed to show what's real. It had to sound like a unique arrangement and unforgettable for anyone who listens so we just mixed our talents.

The overall album is a good combination of each member's talents.
G-Dragon: Before releasing "ALIVE," our C.E.O asked us a question half in jest, saying, 'Big Bang has a huge name value. But do you think the inner qualities are as good as the group's image?" I was pressured to receive that question and had to partly agree to his thought that we had to try harder. We're trendy and we have musical talents but something was always missing, which was Big Bang's image and color. When dropping the album, I wanted to lead people's emotion rather than to receive favorable reviews from critics. We wanted people to have exclamation marks instead of question marks when listening to our music.



"I wanted Big Bang to get credits from older K-pop groups and artists."

So the unexpected reaction towards "BLUE" was more encouraging, huh? The song's tempo descends at the latter part of the song but it has enthralled people.
G-Dragon: I think the pains I had were expressed well through the track. I was literally 'blue' when working on "BLUE" so I had extra concern in writing the lyrics. For a while we've been exhausted trying to keep up the group's sweeping upturn. So we always had to consider the general public's style of music when producing albums. In this album, however, we didn't set a specific goal and talked about our own stories; the stories that could easily gain people's empathy. The only method we had to talk about our situation was music and we wrote these tracks as if we were writing a journal.

What you just said was shown in the album's tracks. While you carefully planned everything in performances and albums in the past, now it has change to a freestyle music.
G-Dragon: I think you call that a 'development.' Calculating every detail to make and sing a song doesn't work anymore. I used to like strong and bold music but now I prefer songs that are calm and you don't get fed up with.

Slow or mid-tempo music can make people easily get tired of listening to them. But you guys didn't have that problem with various vocal sounds.
G-Dragon: Even if we don't set that specific goal and practice, the members' voice tones are so different that it makes enough differences with a voice only. Plus, everyone's interpretation of a song varies, so it gives off different atmospheres.

You once compared Big Bang members to 'weapons.' Have you mastered using those weapons now? (laugh)
G-Dragon: I spend every single day with them and I'd be fool not to know how to control them. (laugh) All members have unconsciously matured when working on the album and that was shown in the tracks. When preparing our previous albums, we held meetings from time to time while concurrently pursuing solo activities. This time, we all took a break from our job and worked together. The five members' energy was well reflected in the album. I myself reminded myself of the moment when we first began as a group, and directed the members' vocal training one by one. Seungri, for example, used nasal tones and breathing sounds when singing "FANTASTIC BABY" that he didn't do a lot before. I personally like this part a lot.

There were moments when I felt that other members' have found new ways to use their voice in singing.
G-Dragon: All the members wanted a detailed directing during the recording. Sometimes, I had to write separate notes to tell them to pronounce specific words in certain ways. Adding to those detailed directing, the guys' interpretation of each song has really established unique tones and styles. I'm not trying to denigrate anyone, but people began to get tired of idol-style tunes ever since a majority of artists roll out patterned music.

So that made you decide to be different?
G-Dragon: I had to be unconventional and twist the songs to be unique. I wanted Big Bang to get credits from older K-pop groups and artists.



"My life is centered around the word 'Gangster.'"

You worked with mixed thoughts in your mind. But I reckon that you've become more true to your instinct.
G-Dragon: After producing so many albums, I realized that how much effort you put in your work doesn't guarantee its result. In "Heartbreaker," everything about my voice and singing techniques were planned and when I try to sing the song in a karaoke, I can't sing the same. Since this album, I began pursuing something more natural and that led me to put the first file of recordings to our final record. The members trusted me making those decisions and practiced a lot to show their genuine feelings.

Then were the creative ideas in your music videos planned or are they ad-libs? I had never imagined that you would use chinese lions in a music video. (laugh)
G-Dragon: We draw overall pictures of music videos when making music. For example, the first line of "FANTASTIC BABY" reminded me of an electricity buzzing. I write rest of the lyrics based on that feeling, imagine the music video's concept and our stage outfits. I go on thinking about arranging the members' voices too. So basically, the most important task for me after doing some work with Teddy is to organize my ideas. I used to receive songs first and write lyrics following the melody but I decided not to do that anymore. These two elements harmonize well when I associate the lyrics and melody at the same time.

If you use all your inspiration at once like that, how do you do to fill up the inspirations and energy again?
G-Dragon: I just look at what's happening around the world. From watching variety shows to foreign TV series, and to news, I get inspired by what's happening in the society, what people wear these days and how they live. My agency give us a lot of support in broadening our perspectives and we were able to meet big name celebrities recently: Meeting and talking with our favorite artists -- Quincy Jones, Diplo, Boysnoize, Under Dogs and William -- made me think to become successful like them. Things like this have led me to become a better person.


In other words, does that mean you started making music that is targeted towards the world?
G-Dragon: This might sound funny but the reactions we've been receiving from overseas fans recently were pretty much expected. Studying pop music that me and Teddy grew up listening, we've been comparing our tunes with other pop songs. And what we have now is just the result of everything we had planned. We're confident about YG's music because this was carefully planned.
We've been planning for this moment for so long so I'm not overwhelmingly surprised by it.

Then the direction of your future music style and goal will likely change. What are your plans as a musician?
G-Dragon: People might tell me that I'm arrogant but naming me a 'hit composer' doesn't mean anything to me. What I'm doing right now is just a practice of my next album. What's more crucial than rankings and popularity is making music that will consistently be loved even when after decades. I truly hope that our music could inspire other talented musicians and contribute to the development of K-pop music. That's my vision and goal.

So are you expecting a certain era or a world to arrive than to achieve personal goals?
G-Dragon: I don't have entrepreneurial skills like our C.E.O Yang Hyun-suk does so it's probably not a good idea for me to jump into the entertainment business as an entrepreneur. What I've discussing a lot with 2NE1's CL lately is ideas about culture and space. I hope there's a place for many talented people to gather and inspire each other, even if they're not celebrities. By creating a space like that, I wish I could support their skills and talents. I was lucky to have a chance to grow while interacting with my favorite artists. I wanted to provide that chance to them too, so I'm working on that right now.

Following your dreams like that, doing Big Bang activities and preparing solo albums all at once sounds tough.
G-Dragon: Of course, I always lack time but I try to do things when I can. I'm not sure if I'll still have the ability to produce cutting-edge music when I'm old. My motto is to keep the youthfulness I have right now even if I get old. In order to do that, I need to keep my characteristic. Aside from Big Bang activities, my life is centered around the word 'Gangster' and without it, my characteristic is incomplete. Whether it's fashion, lyrics or a singing style, it needs to have the feeling of a gangster to show my true color. It's like having a rock stars' attitude. I've titled my next solo album's concept a 'Melancholy,' but I think I'll still have that gangster's aura in the album, like I've always done.

What do you feel when you think about yourself in the early days of Big Bang? If you were the owner of the cultural space you mentioned, would you cast G-Dragon from seven years ago and support him? (laugh)
G-Dragon: If I have the insight I would, but I'm not so sure. I was the same person back then but gave off a different vibe. I know so much about what's going around(in this field) now and I'm calculating by knowing what emotions to show at certain points. Sometimes it just goes beyond imagination and I feel like I've become a whiz. (laugh)

Just like the lyrics in your song, you came 'sailing through the cloud.'
G-Dragon: I know so much, and I'm also aware that people know that. (laugh) So while trying to avoid being cliche and calculative, it's inevitable for me to show who I really am.

Then what were you like six years ago, when you didn't know the things you do now?
G-Dragon: I didn't know anything back then. Whether it's a sadness or happiness I see, I accepted everything. I was being simple-minded and naive but because I think too much now, I know how to connect with people through music. That's the biggest strength I have at the age of 24.

Then for 24-year-old G-Dragon, what does group Big Bang mean?
G-Dragon: We don't change. Like I have always said, the members are my weapon, my family and my armor. I guess I'm comparing them to those three because I recently watched action film "The Avengers."

Editor in Chief : Kang Myeong-Seok.
Reporter : Yoon Hee-Seong.
Photographer : Chae ki-won.
Editor : Monica Suk.
Source : http://goo.gl/Nyswt

There's a part of the interview that wasn't included in the official translation. Please see whatasky's comment below.

”K-POP Star” finalist Park Ji Min recently appeared on SBS’ Strong Heart and revealed that dieting actually caused her ”severe stress” since she’s not quite thin like the usual image Korea has.

Park Ji Min also talked about her idol ”2NE1′s Park Bom” which she met on K-Pop Star and revealed that after she met the star, she started her diet to loose some weight.

While talking about it she sighed dramatically as she thought carefully about it. She talked about how much of a stress it actually is after appearing on K-Pop Star.

Park Ji Min received lots of support from 2NE1′s Bom. After meeting her Ji Min was amazed at how pretty and thin Bom actually was and said that everytime she’d see herself perform, she’d think she actually looked quite big/fat next to others or even on solo stages.

**irrelevant parts ommitted

Source: Nate

Translated By Yasmine@WeLoveBom

Soshified Malaysia has just recently scored an exclusive interview with Brandon Fraley and Jamelle Fraley, who are the composers and producers for the title track “Twinkle” in Girls’ Generation-TTS’s first album. “Twinkle” has broken the record for the highest Korean album on the Billboard 200 chart by coming in at the 126th place, and has also topped many music charts in Korea.

Check out the interview below.

First off, I am administrator “Dookong” from Girls’ Generation’s fanclub in a South East Asian country, Malaysia, that is Soshified Malaysia, a branch of the international fanclub, Soshified. Thank you once again for granting us this interview on such a short notice. It’s really nice to be here to have an interview with the two of you. Everyone is really excited for “Twinkle”.

We are very excited about the initial response from the fans. Everyone seems to really like “Twinkle” so far!

We are definitely loving it! What was your initial response when you heard that you will be working with Girls’ Generation’s sub-unit, TaeTiSeo?

We were completely blown away! We were already huge fans of Girls’ Generation, so when we first heard that they were considering recording “Twinkle” for their new sub-unit, we were SO excited!!! We just could not believe it!

That’s awesome! I’m surprised that you knew about Girls’ Generation in the first place!

Brandon: I have been writing K-Pop songs for Jam Factory for the last few years. I have written songs for Super Junior, SHINee, Misia and more. When Girls’ Generation came out, I always hoped to write a song for them. I liked many of their songs including “Mr. Taxi” and “The Boys”.

Wow! That’s incredible. I have to agree with you, “The Boys” is awesome. So, how was the songwriting and recording process for “Twinkle”?

Well, we wrote the song “Twinkle” here in the United States. After they heard the song, they hired more musicians to finish the song. We were not there when they recorded the vocals but we are SO happy with how the final song sounds! The songwriting process was fun. We just wanted to write a really fun, upbeat song that was fun to sing, fun to listen to, and hopefully fun to dance to!

Brandon: My wife and I wrote the song with our friend, Javier Solis, who is an incredible drummer!

The three of you are amazing! “Twinkle” is such an amazing song! A lot of us have been repeating the song since it was released earlier. So, what inspired the song “Twinkle”?

We just thought that “Twinkle” was a cool name for a song. It sounded like a song that should have a lot of energy and power to it! We knew that the singers in TaeTiSeo had AMAZING voices, so we knew that they would sing the song really well and we were right! They sound FANTASTIC singing that song! We are just SO happy that TaeTiSeo recorded Twinkle.

Brandon: I can’t imagine anyone else singing that song better than them! Over the past few years, I have been so lucky to have so many great artists record my songs. Super Junior recorded two of my songs, “Sunflower” and “My Only Girl”. SHINee recorded my songs, “Your Name” and “Honesty”. Misia recorded my song, “Tonight” and Jang Ri In recorded a song I wrote called, “Y”. Also, I just have to say that none of those songs would have ever been recorded had it not been for my AMAZING publishing company Jam Factory! They are the best! They are also the reason that TaeTiSeo found my song “Twinkle”!

Wow! That’s really amazing. So, how long was the songwriting and recording process for “Twinkle”?

Brandon: We wrote the song in about two days. The recording process took about a week, if I remember correctly. After they heard our original recording, they spent some more time finishing it up for TaeTiSeo’s version.

“Twinkle” is absolutely amazing. I was in love with the song when it was released as a teaser. Even if it was just 17 seconds. The three teasers have been receiving so much love from everyone since the very beginning, and “Twinkle” is climbing the iTunes charts all over the world as we speak and that’s before the physical album is even released! Did you expect the mini album to do that well?

No! We always hoped that “Twinkle” would do well, but we never thought that it would take off like it has. I looked at YouTube earlier today, and when you add up all 3 teaser video’s, there have been almost 9 MILLION views! We are just speechless! We hope everyone likes the music video as much as they like the song! We know that Girls’ Generation has always put out GREAT music! We were just hoping that the fans would think that “Twinkle” was as good as some of their other great songs! So far so good! :)

It is a great song already, to be honest! We will definitely love the music video as much as we love the song. Having to work with so many great artists before, what are your thoughts about Taeyeon, Tiffany and Seohyun of Girls’ Generation?

I think they are so incredible. Their voices are just absolutely amazing! I honestly can’t think of anyone else singing that song now that I’ve heard them sing it! We are planning to make a trip to one of their concerts sometime this year so we can meet them and thank them in person for recording our song!

I had to quote them for this. Taeyeon said, “When we were recording and dancing, we always had fun. Even if the music video shooting went on for an entire day, I never got tired of the song.”While Tiffany said, “The more I listen to Twinkle, the more addicting it gets.” It seems that they really love the song just as much as we do.

Wow! Thank you for showing us that! I’m SO glad they liked the song so much!

My pleasure. Are you looking forward to working with them again in the future?

Brandon: ABSOLUTELY! I am already writing new songs to send them for their next recording! I would be so honored if they would record more of my songs!

We’ll be crossing our fingers for it to happen. Any last words for the fans?

Brandon: From myself, my wife Jamelle and Javier Solis, we just have to say once again thank you SO MUCH to TaeTiSeo for recording our song. It is such an honor. Also, a MASSIVE THANK YOU to the fans! All of the success that “Twinkle” is having is all because of YOU! We also want to thank Jam Factory for everything they’ve done for us as songwriters. Feel free to follow us on twitter as we would love to hear any feedback you have. We also will try to answer any questions any of the fans have about the song. You can follow us at @bfraley @jamelle210 and @javsjoint.

Definitely! And that’s a wrap! Thanks so much to you two. I had a lovely time and it was a pleasure doing this with you two! I wish you all the best in your future works. Thanks again for spending your time with us!

Thanks for spending time and talking with us! We look forward to speaking with you again sometime in the future!

Source: SSFMY Facebook
Edited by: LetsGo@soshified, SeraphKY@soshified, letaengbutt@soshified

KPop diva G.Na will be making her comeback next week with new song 2Hot.

She tweeted some new photos taken at the MV filming set of 2Hot.

She is seen showing off her new hairstyle in the photos above,are you a fan of her new hairstyle?

Celebrating Jung Suk Won’s birthday, a photo of him and his SBS drama “Rooftop Prince” co-stars was revealed.

On the afternoon of 16 May, Jung Suk Won tweeted, “Thank you so much everyone, showing me such care on my birthday” and uploaded a picture as well. “I’m the most thankful to my parents for giving birth to me, Let’s have a great night!” he added.

In the photo, Jung Suk Won stands between “Rooftop Prince” co-stars Yoochun, Choi Woo Shik and Lee Minho , holding a birthday cake and smiling. The close image of these 4 people have captured much attention. Netizens who saw this said, “Happy Birthday!” “I’ll watch ‘Rooftop Prince’ tonight” and various other reactions.

(Irrelevant Portions Omitted)

Source : [K Star News]

Translated & Shared by : dongbangdata.net

Gina has made a shocking transformation with doll-like, two-tone pink hair.

Her title track ‘2Hot’ is to be revealed later today and still cuts from the set of Gina’s music video has been creating a buzz.

In the photo revealed today, Gina boasted a more mature sexiness with her new hairstyle.

Especially with her extravagant style and outfit, people are getting more and more curious about what she is going to show.

Title track ‘2Hot’ was mentioned to be a retro and flamboyant melody, and her choreography will be something straight out of a musical sequence. It will elevate not only Gina’s femininity, but all her sexy points as well. With this, she plans on grabbing everyone’s attention.

On another point, an enormous banner has been put up at the Cube café in Cheongdamdong with the QR codes of Gina’s album jacket photos. With those codes, a new picture will be revealed everyday, causing an increase in anticipation for her comeback.

CREDITS: NATE (SOURCE); hyunnypoo@ROYALGNA (TRANS)

Secret has been chosen as the models of California Beach Water Park recently.

The members of Secret were spotted filming for a new CF for the Water Park recently.

Fans praised Hyosung's glamorous body and wondered who is standing besides Hyosung,is she Sun Hwa or Ji Eun?

こんばんわ星
今日はTBGの収録のヘアメイクに行って来ましたぺこ

Good evening
Today I did Hair and makeup for ‘Tokyo Brand New Girls’



AFTER SCHOOLのナナちゃんあひる
いつもヘアメイクを担当させて頂いてますぺこ
じゅんじゅん最近韓国語を少しずつ覚えてきましたニコニコ
今日もナナちゃんに韓国語を教えてもらいましたよ目
っで、今日は他の出演者の方と写真撮るタイミングが無かったので
ナナちゃんと沢山撮りましたよーおんぷ
ナナちゃんいつも一緒に写真撮ってくれてコッマスミダニコニコ

Nana of After School
I am always in charge of hair and makeup
Recently I have been able to remember Korean words little by little
I was taught a bit of Korean by Nana-Chan today
Today there was no time to take pictures with the other cast members
I took plenty with Nana-chan
Thanks for snapping pictures together Nana-chan




ペゴパ(笑)
毎週日曜日２４：３５分からはテレビ東京TOKYO BRAND NEW GIRLS上げ上げ
今日も１日お疲れさまでしたにこ
じゅんじゅん叫び

Laughs
Every Sunday watch TOKYO BRAND NEW GIRLS
Cheers for a good days work

Jun Jun
Credit: http://ameblo.jp/jun-2-blog/entry-11254190389.html#main – Trans: ASD

This is one of the greatest episodes of television I’ve ever seen, hands down. Intensity has always been the name of the game in Equator Man, but this was blow-your-mind, commit-this-to-memory, I-want-my-mommy kind of intense. My heart was in my throat by the opening sequence, and it all but jumped out of my chest in the final minutes. Simply put, this episode was a masterpiece. A deeply disturbing, incredibly thrilling masterpiece.

As for ratings, Equator Man has kept its first place lead so far (no surprise there, we won’t be getting an upset this late in the game) and rose to 15.1% this episode from 14.6% last week.

 
EPISODE 17 RECAP

A twist from the Sun-woo/Jang-il partnership is revealed, in that Sun-woo never hung up the phone from calling Prosecutor Joon-ho, allowing him to secretly listen in on Jang-il’s “your father was killed by Jin No-sik” speech. Nice.

It’s back to the Law Firm Live show, where Sun-woo almost outed Jang-il. We find the two sitting in the empty audience after the show, with Jang-il asking what sort of game Sun-woo just tried to pull. “Oh that…” Sun-woo says with a smile, “It was just a warning for you, so that you don’t stab me in the back again.” Ha.

The two go back and forth on their shared past, with Sun-woo surmising correctly that Jang-il didn’t try to kill him for his father, but for his own future. Sun-woo shows mercy in that he doesn’t want Jang-il to become a murderer’s son (so he’ll keep their little secret)… But strangely enough, when Jang-il turns back to talk to Sun-woo, he’s gone. Were we in a dream or a flashback? Did Sun-woo turn superhuman?

Chairman Jin finally confronts Yong-bae about Kyung-pil being alive before he hanged him. For the first time Yong-bae fights back – if Chairman Jin is trying to peg this whole thing on him, he won’t go down alone. It turns into a contest of Who’s More Morally Bankrupt, with Yong-bae answering Jin’s taunts by exclaiming: “You’re the devil. Aren’t you even afraid of divine retribution?”

Short answer: Nope. Yong-bae is forced to flee the room once his wife and stepdaughter enter.

Not Dad Tae-joo finds his Not Son Sun-woo practicing kendo, and questions his motives in wanting the statute of limitations to expire so he could take matters into his own hands. Sun-woo plans to keep putting pressure on Jang-il until he loses it, because there will be no forgiveness for him, Chairman Jin, Soo-mi, or her father.

The question of parentage finally comes up, though Tae-joo avoids answering directly on whether he’s Sun-woo’s biological father or not. He admits that he loved Sun-woo’s mother, only she already had a fiancée – Chairman Jin. They don’t really reach a consensus, though Tae-joo offers to take a paternity test if it will ease Sun-woo’s mind. The question remains: Will it?

Soo-mi calls Jang-il in a panic to ask if he took the Wall of Crazy paintings… because they’re gone. At first he thinks she’s trying to trick him, but soon seems just as worried that they might have been taken. Good, you two need to stew a bit.

Joon-ho wonders if the caller for Law Firm Live was the Kim Sun-woo that they know, which prompts Jang-il to lie and say that it was just some crazy person. Chairman Jin is set to come for questioning later, even with the statute expired, and Jang-il tells his colleague that they need to talk about a certain Lee Yong-bae first…

So the betrayal of Chairman Jin begins, since he’s mighty surprised that Jang-il has called him to the prosecutor’s office only to have Joon-ho do the questioning. Things heat up fast as Joon-ho produces paper evidence of Jin’s under-the-table dealings. Starting to sweat, Chairman Jin asks for another prosecutor (I’m sure he means Jang-il, who he thinks he can manipulate).

He insists, much to Joon-ho’s dismay, and Jang-il finally takes over. Chairman Jin thinks that manipulating the law is that easy – that he can leave just because Jang-il has taken over. That couldn’t be much further from the truth as Jang-il produces the picture of Jin, Tae-joo, and Kyung-pil together.

Oh man. Jang-il mentions that Kyung-pil was at Chairman Jin’s house the day before he was found hanging, and asks if Chairman Jin killed him. Just like that? Wow.

With a smile, Chairman Jin asks, “Why would I?” Jang-il presents the evidence: the chief detective’s testimony that Jin tried to get the police chief to drop the case, the picture, and a witness that heard the two of them arguing – Lee Yong-bae. At the mention of the name, Chairman Jin’s self-assured smile swiftly disappears.

No time is wasted and Yong-bae is brought into the same interrogation room for cross-examination while Chairman Jin is still there. Though Chairman Jin is being investigated for fraud and the statute of limitations for Sun-woo’s case has passed, Jang-il is using the murder investigation under the umbrella of it being related to Jin’s corruption in order to make it relevant. He can’t be punished even if he’s convicted, just like Sun-woo said, but the public won’t be as forgiving.

Jang-il interrogates his father on why he’s only choosing to tell the truth now, which he claims is a result of Chairman Jin trying to peg the murder on him. Chairman Jin: “Why are you lying? You said that you would kill that person for your son’s scholarship. You watched me argue with him, and you killed him for that.”

But he’s very aware of what’s going on – that both father and son have turned against him, and says as much when he gets home. He tells Secretary Cha that there will be a “change of plans.” Uh oh.

As Sun-woo gets ready for the gallery opening (of the Wall of Crazy paintings), Ji-won looks more and more ill at ease. She knows better than anyone what Sun-woo had to go through when he was blind, but she doesn’t want him to go any further than this. She doesn’t want him to get blood on his hands, or for him to get hurt.

Sun-woo: “You’re the one who broke Jin’s windshield. What made you so weak now?” Thank you. It’s nice that someone noticed.

So she comes clean with him on why she wants him to let it go: “I may become the bigger devil than you if I were to take matters into my own hands.” I hear much thunder but I see no rain, Ji-won.

Meanwhile, Chairman Jin calls Sun-woo to ask about the person who sent the letter (Kwang-choon). Sun-woo claims he hasn’t heard from him in days, but will call when he does.

As for Soo-mi, she finds out where her paintings are when the gallery opens, introduced by Chairman Jin’s wife and stepdaughter, Yoon-joo. Soo-mi comes storming in, causing a scene when she grabs Yoon-joo by the arm.

The two girls have it out with Yoon-joo refusing to take down the paintings and Soo-mi in near-hysterics. But it’s Sun-woo who intervenes by saying that he wants to buy the paintings, and Soo-mi immediately quiets down. You can see the thought running through her head: Does he know?

Sun-woo’s blasé attitude has Soo-mi on edge as he tells her that even if she sues him, the paintings must stay up. “If you take the paintings down, I will tell the reporters what the paintings truly mean,” he threatens. She tries to grab him and plead for him to listen, but he takes her wrist and pushes her against the wall. “What’s your excuse?” he asks, as she ineffectually tries to stutter out that it was all for his own good. He uses the hold on her wrist to pull her, hard. Whoa. This is getting intense.

Sun-woo: “If you say one more word, I will snap this wrist. You won’t ever hold a brush again. I will dig out your eyes too, so that you can’t paint ever. All you have is painting. You watched me getting beaten like that, and you didn’t do anything? Your father watched my father die, and didn’t do anything. You watched me dying and didn’t do anything. Why? Was it for Jang-il? But does he even look at you now?”

Whoa. Sun-woo has turned the Intense-o-Meter up about ten notches, because he is genuinely frightening. His whole body exudes menace as he throws her to the floor the second she tries to free herself from his grasp. Yikes.

He kneels in front of her, at eye level now. He wants to know what made her come take care of him every day that he was blind. Was it a sense of guilt? Was it fun?

“I don’t care about anything other than you destroying Jang-il,” Soo-mi manages to eke out. He sneers, “You think you can have him if he’s destroyed? Even if Jang-il gets to the bottom, he won’t see you. You kept Jang-il’s secret. Was it fun for the last thirteen years? Were you happy to see me come back alive? ‘Should I sell the secret to you, or to Jang-il?’”

She tells him it’s true, that’s what she thought. “Choi Soo-mi,” Sun-woo tells her. “You’re out of your mind.”

And from that violent scene Sun-woo emerges smiling into the cameras of the press swarming the gallery, explaining that he was one of the models in the paintings. Chairman Jin’s wife fills in that the other model is none other than Seoul’s favorite prosecutor, Lee Jang-il.

He tells the press that he, Jang-il, and Soo-mi made an oath then the paintings were created that they’d all achieve their dreams and see each other fifteen years later to paint the same thing again… Only with the story changed to where Sun-woo is hitting Jang-il. He says all of this with a smile, like it’s all pretend, but it sends shivers down my spine. He even invites the press to see the scene this weekend. Good gracious.

We cut to a tense dinner between Kwang-choon and Sun-woo, with the older man apologizing for his inability to keep his word. He volunteers to go to the prosecution again, but Sun-woo tells him it’s of no use – the statute of limitations has expired. Kwang-choon seems faintly relieved.

He gets a very unwelcome surprise in the form of Chairman Jin, who’s shown up at Sun-woo’s behest to hear what Kwang-choon saw on that night. Oh. Damn. I see what Sun-woo is doing here – but by outing Kwang-choon to Chairman Jin, isn’t that as good as leaving him for dead?

And Kwang-choon has the nerve to ask Sun-woo why he’s doing this to him. (Really, Kwang-choon? Really.) Sun-woo makes up an excuse to leave the two of them alone, which is just like leaving the fox to guard the henhouse. Sun-woo smiles to himself once he’s outside – he knows what he’s doing.

Kwang-choon, to his credit, tells Chairman Jin everything he saw on the night of the murder. But when Jin asks him if he blackmailed Yong-bae (which means he’s the one who blackmailed him), Kwang-choon goes quiet. Caught.

In another corner of the restaurant, Sun-woo sits with Yong-bae and asks for the truth about that fateful night. “Was my father alive back then? Did you kill someone that could have been saved?”

Yong-bae’s eyes go wide as he stutters out that it’s all a lie. In his version of the story, Chairman Jin killed Kyung-pil and he just hung him on the mountain at Jin’s request. He denies to the end that Kyung-pil was alive when he did it, and when Sun-woo brings up Jang-il’s scholarship as a result, Yong-bae jumps to his son’s defense.

But Sun-woo reminds him that, just like Jang-il is to him, he was once a precious son to Kim Kyung-pil. Yong-bae lowers his head: “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Sun-woo.”

So Sun-woo acts like he believes Yong-bae and is taking his side – he’s a victim too, after all. Only that means they’ll have to find a way to shut Chairman Jin up… Ahh, and there’s our angle. Sun-woo is planting the seed to pit Yong-bae up against Chairman Jin, using Yong-bae’s cockroach-like tendency to do anything to survive.

And Sun-woo, the smart avenger that he is, has recorded the entire conversation.

While Chairman Jin reads headlines connecting his name with murder, Jang-il finds his dad staring at a TV screen with Jin’s face on it… Oh jeez, did Sun-woo send him the recording of Kwang-choon telling the story with Kyung-pil being alive?

Turns out he also gave him the poster for the Wall of Crazy art exhibit, and it’s the first time Yong-bae has seen the paintings. Jang-il fills him in that Kwang-choon is Soo-mi’s father, which sets Yong-bae into a panic, saying that he should have killed Sun-woo when he could.

Jang-il can’t think his way out of this one, and urges his father to be quiet. “How far are you going to take me down? Why are you doing this to me?!”

But Yong-bae seems to be on the edge of his sanity as he explains that he only wanted to raise Jang-il well – he had a smart son, but no money. Anyone who has raised a child would understand. Jang-il tells his father that they could have done without the money.

Jang-il: “Father, you destroyed my life.”

Yong-bae tearily asks his son if he wants him to kill himself in repentance and leave a will that absolves Jang-il of any involvement. Jang-il: “Go ahead.” Christ.

Jang-il goes to the gallery to get to the bottom of the paintings. He asks Soo-mi if she’s happy now that he’s cornered, though she wants him to acknowledge her efforts in evading the statute of limitations.

Jang-il: “If you want me that badly, I guess I can force myself to spend a night with you.” Okay, Jang-il. I know she’s terrible and you’re terrible, but you are one cruel bastard. He reminds Soo-mi that his father knows everything now – and that they’ll never work together. Ever.

Meanwhile, Sun-woo & Co. Discuss a mining opportunity they know Jin won’t pass up, while Joon-ho confronts Jang-il about his number showing up in Chairman Jin’s phone record. He’s alerted their superior, and the jig seems to be up. Jang-il knows it too, since he takes his nameplate and looks at it with tears in his eyes.

Chairman Jin arranges a meeting with Ji-won to dangle her father’s company in front of her if she’ll only stop Sun-woo. She’s nonplussed – she won’t be victim to the same trickery he used on her father. She gets up to leave, which prompts Chairman Jin to ask derisively whether a man is more important to her than honoring her family.

And Ji-won throws a glass of water in his face. She warns him, “Don’t you ever talk down on my family or my man, Jin No-sik.” (Dayum! Respect.) It sends her spinning down memory lane, and to the school for the visually impaired that Sun-woo is also at.

Sun-woo laments what’s happened to him and Jang-il. To him, Jang-il “had a friend’s eyes. He hit me because he was cold and lonely.” Ji-won: “Not everyone does that to his friend just because he’s cold and lonely.” True story.

She thinks to herself that she wants Sun-woo to achieve all that he wants, because she loves him. But she wonders if she should go down that same dark path and fight for him.

Sun-woo listens to all the recordings he has of those around him (Jang-il, Soo-mi, Kwang-choon, Yong-bae, etc.) simultaneously lying and listing their crimes. It’s overwhelming.

It’s time for the shoot Sun-woo all but planned for Soo-mi, where he and Jang-il are to act as models for the Murder 2.0 scene. This time they’ve attracted a small crowd of press and Soo-mi directs them while holding the camera… Is this really happening? This is a frickin’ circus.

Only this time, she directs Jang-il to show his back to Sun-woo, with the tree branch put between them. Sun-woo grins darkly – he looks as though he really wants to hit Jang-il.

Chairman Jin’s wife asks Ji-won why she didn’t go see the show, and Ji-won plants the seed of doubt in her that what’s in the paintings may not just be Soo-mi’s imagination.

Back to the photoshoot/show/circus. Sun-woo acts the part of Jang-il, even kneeling down to plead the same way Jang-il once did. Then he takes the branch and stalks up behind Jang-il and raises it as if to truly hit him…

And Soo-mi’s voice cuts in right in time to stop them. Yoon-joo arrives on scene to tell Soo-mi that the rooftop is over capacity and they’ll have to call it a wrap here. (How much do you want to bet that this was Sun-woo’s doing?) When everyone but Sun-woo and Jang-il leaves the rooftop, Sun-woo locks the door to keep anyone else from coming.

He reenacts the scene again, kneeling and parroting what Jang-il once said, pleading with him not to go to the police. “What was after that?” he wonders, and Jang-il seems too bored to care and turns his back.

Then Sun-woo remembers what came after, and stalks up behind Jang-il with the club…and hits him on the back, hard. Whoooaaa okay.

The blow is enough to send Jang-il to his knees. But we know, just as Sun-woo knows, that one hit wasn’t all it took. Breathing heavily, Sun-woo goes through the same motions Jang-il did so many years ago. “And the next was…” he practically says it like an announcement, before he hits Jang-il again.

Good. Gracious.

And then he grabs Jang-il by the collar and runs with him to the edge of the rooftop in a mirror of the cliff scene, with Sun-woo holding Jang-il over the edge. What happened next, he asks his old friend. He’ll drop him from here, and then Jang-il will have to go blind and come to him. Sun-woo: “You want me to push you? Or are you going to jump?”

Jang-il is trembling and frightened. His eyes are wide. “Sun-woo…” he starts. Is he finally going to apologize? Is this it?! “I should have hit you harder, and killed you back then.”

Oh. My. God.

Sun-woo, enraged, hauls Jang-il up to hold him over the railing so that his grasp is the only thing keeping Jang-il from falling to his death below. Jang-il’s face breaks into a strained smile as Sun-woo grapples with his conscience, trying to let Jang-il go… But is seemingly unable to.

 
COMMENTS

I’ve said it in the opening but it’s worth repeating: This is one of the greatest episodes of television I’ve ever seen. I’ve never cried because something was just so intense before, and I’m admitting it because I’m still floored. I’m in complete awe of what was accomplished here. (I’m in a glass case of emotion!)

It’s interesting because this is the Sun-woo I always hoped for – the dark, vengeful Sun-woo – and I was beginning to think we’d never get it. The show just wasn’t building him that way, and his vengeance seemed like it would be a quieter, more legal affair. Do I think there’s a slight disconnect with the Sun-woo of previous episodes and the Sun-woo of this one? Yes. Do I care? Not really. His change into this darker version of himself wasn’t mapped out as well as it could have been, but it’s not like it doesn’t make sense. And it was executed so well that I can’t bring myself to dislike it.

Equator Man hasn’t always been the most even of shows, and suffered its own lulls and lags in storytelling (I wonder what harm the four episode extension would have done), but it’s always been very assured. And when it wanted to be, suspenseful and nail-biting. I’ve been loving that undercurrent all throughout the series, where conversations could have such weight and leave me on the edge of my seat because of the million other things not being said. But an episode like this is a masterpiece, a culmination of all that came before it, with a director who knows how to compose shots for maximum effect. He created the first iconic scene of Jang-il and Sun-woo at the cliff, and because it was so iconic he could recreate it here and flip it so that the power was in Sun-woo’s hands. I was watching the whole rooftop scene through my fingers, it was THAT good.

I also find it a bit of a cosmic joke that what I once said was the worst thing about this series – the music – became one of the best. I don’t know what happened, or who was fired or hired since that first episode blunder, but the orchestral score here managed to elevate scenes that were already teeming with such dark and violent energy into something poetic and amazing.

With such a fantastic climactic scene, I’m concerned as to whether the show can top it as we head into the final stretch. If it does, I’ll try to keep my raving to a minimum. No promises, though.