23:45 | 
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srafi
The concert would be held at the Olympic Hall (where YG Family con was held last year), and would also feature INFINITE, Busker Busker, and other artists, aside from SHINee and 2NE1.
Japanese fans can join in and they can get the chance to watch the concert when they buy 5000 yen worth of Etude Products, it will serve as their entry to the raffle to see the concert. ^^
Credits:
Source: EtudeJapan Twitter
Rough Translations and Re-uploaded by: BlackjackBelle and Nao@OhDara/ SlaveTranslator@WeLoveDara
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Check out the MR removed clip of Wonder Girls' performance on Music Bank yesterday.
The girls made their comeback with Like This on the show yesterday,impressed with their live singing ability?
June 10, 2010 was a momentous day for Korean pop music. A large-scale live concert of K-pop stars like Girls' Generation, Super Junior, SHINee and f(x) was staged in Paris, and some had high hopes that this would mean the Korean Wave had splashed beyond Asia into the wider world.
There have since been some 260 K-pop concerts in the West, from New York via Barcelona and Berlin to Santiago de Chile, according to Korea Creative Contents Agency. But is K-pop really moving in the right direction?
Some industry sources believe the focus on manufactured bands is losing its luster. Singer Kim Chang-wan said, "Those who are leading the Korean Wave are professionally trained bands manufactured by mega management agencies. Most them sing the same way in similar productions and tend to launch their careers abroad. Their goals are far too commercial."
Another problem is there are no notable newcomers to succeed Girls' Generation, Wonder Girls, Kara, and 2NE1, who have been leading the K-pop's sweep abroad. Music critic Kim Zakka said, "Many groups and singers like Lee Seung-gi and IU launched their career in Japan, but the result was underwhelming. If there are no charismatic newcomers, K-pop could regress into a niche market."
Fans cheer wildly at a concert by JYJ in Barcelona, Spain in October last year. /Courtesy of C-Jes Entertainment
Others say the K-pop PR machine has failed to introduce the variety of Korean pop music to the wider world. Roh Jun-seok at Korea Creative Contents Agency points out that manufactured bands account for just 10 percent of the U.S. pop market, but some 90 percent of Korean musicians who have launched their career overseas are manufactured bands. "It's not surprising that K-pop is losing its appeal after 10 years of that," he added.
Core Contents Media CEO Kim Kwang-soo, who manages T-ara, said, "In Japan, where K-pop has been very popular, we're now seeing bands who resemble Korean ones with their pretty looks and good singing skills. Only K-pop singers who can distinguish themselves from foreign groups of similar style will be able to survive the competition."
Nam Tae-jeong, a former head of MBC's Music Center, said, "Although nobody intended it, there is now a strong impression that K-pop equals manufactured bands. We should be showcasing a greater variety of music, more individual character and greater sincerity."
Some believe that Korean musicians can only succeed abroad if they play not only in big, meticulously planned concerts but also smaller, more informal gigs.
Kim Chang-wan said, "The K-pop scene has been excessively dominated by manufactured bands. We need to create an environment where musicians with individual character and music can flourish, like Lady Gaga."
And Kim Zakka points out that there is governmental organization in Japan which makes sure that Japanese indie musicians are heard in various parts of the U.S. "That's what we need in Korea as well."
Source: Chosun Ilbo
T-ara's official poster for their upcoming first fan meeting and first solo concert in Korea has been revealed. Girl group T-ara will be having their first fan meeting for their fan club "Queens" this coming July 14 at Kyunghee University auditorium and they have been receiving memberships last May 8 to 28 and since fans were still requesting even after the dates, T-ara's agency decided to extend it to May 29 to June 7.
This is not it as T-ara will be having their first solo concert in Korea this August 11 at the Seoul Jamsil Stadium. They already had their first concert in Thailand last 3rd of June with over 7,800 fans present. This is T-ara's first fan meeting and solo concert since their debut and the girls are excited to spend good memories with their fans.
Source: Newsen
Written by: blueprincess824 @ dkpopnews.net
Actor and singer Jang Keun-suk has added another achievement to his ever growing portfolio, this time as a chef extraordinaire.
Jang will release a cookbook entitled “Jang Keun Suk Love Recipe,” which will go on sale from Sunday in Japan.
In the book are 20 recipes of Jang’s favorite meals to cook for friends, family members and even that special someone.
Each dish is said to have a personal touch added by the Hallyu prince himself. Jang’s favorite meals to eat such as kimchi jjigae (soup), seasoned raw crab and gujeolpan (platter of nine delicacies) are included.
The book is sold with a DVD that captures moments from behind the scenes where Jang personally took to preparing the dishes himself.
In addition to cooking up a storm, Jang has been busy of late dominating the Oricon chart in Japan.
On May 30, he released his first solo debut album, which reached the No. 1 spot on the Oricon Daily Singles Chart.
By Carla Sunwoo @ koreajoongangdaily
Park Yu-chun, star of the SBS drama “Rooftop Prince,” rose to fame with the K-pop group TVXQ before splitting off with two other members to form JYJ. By Kwon Hyuk-jae
K-pop stars come and go, with only a handful staying on the scene in the long run. Park Yu-chun, also known as Micky Yoochun, is among the rare few who emerged almost a decade ago and still cause traffic jams every time an appearance is announced.
The 26-year-old member of JYJ has made it in both the K-pop and K-drama markets and proved he is still among the hottest stars with the success of the recent SBS drama “Rooftop Prince.” He won his second straight Most Popular Actor in a TV Drama award at the 48th Baeksang Arts Awards earlier this year.
In the hit drama, Park plays a crown prince of the Joseon Dynasty, Lee Gak, who travels into the future to modern-day Seoul where he falls in love with Park Ha (Han Ji-min). Prince Lee, the only character who speaks in the Joseon-era style, is lost in and overwhelmed by the contemporary capital, yet his love for Park is unwavering. The JYJ star said acting in such a farfetched storyline was a challenge, but nonfictional aspects made the task a bit easier.
“While acting in this drama I was able to grasp how much Lee Hee-myung, the writer of the show, misses his wife after their split six years ago,” Park said. “This made it easier to comprehend the character and act more naturally.
“I felt really sorry and sad for Park Ha when I had to leave her behind to go back to the Joseon Dynasty. The story itself was more genuine and affectionate than modern-day love stories.”
The actor said that “Rooftop Prince” has a special place in his heart as well, as his father passed away in March while it was in production. If he ever gets an opportunity to travel in time, Park said he would go back to when he lived in America with his father.
Due to financial difficulties, Park and his family left for the United States when he was in sixth grade, where he helped his father work construction jobs.
“It was a tiring job,” Park said. “I looked for ways to get away with it at the time. But looking back, I think it was one of the good memories I have had with my father. If I knew it then, I could have made it a better memory for him too.”
He moved back to Seoul and joined SM Entertainment, the agency that backed his debut with TVXQ in 2003. It was with this K-pop group that Park rose to fame, touring across Asia and releasing single after single in Korea and Japan.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. In 2009, Park, Kim Jun-su and Kim Jae-joong of TVXQ filed lawsuits against SM Entertainment over contract disputes. The three split and formed their own band, JYJ.
Despite the drama surrounding his nine-year singing career, or perhaps because of it, Park’s fans have remained devoted and the star is still one of the most talked about idols in Korea.
His foray into television started with the KBS2 drama “Seonggyungwan Scandal” in 2010 and then followed up with MBC’s “Miss Ripley” in 2011. His starring in “Rooftop Prince” led to its phenomenal viewer ratings - the highest among all competing dramas.
“I try to forget about the pressure of acting well,” Park said. “I did not have to force myself to cry in ‘Rooftop Prince.’ Putting myself in the character’s situation naturally made me cry. I have a scratch on my face that I try to cover up with makeup when I act. But I quit doing that. Nothing should be hidden.”
By Kim Hyo-eun [estyle@joongang.co.kr]
Park Yu-chun, star of the SBS drama “Rooftop Prince,” rose to fame with the K-pop group TVXQ before splitting off with two other members to form JYJ. By Kwon Hyuk-jae
K-pop stars come and go, with only a handful staying on the scene in the long run. Park Yu-chun, also known as Micky Yoochun, is among the rare few who emerged almost a decade ago and still cause traffic jams every time an appearance is announced.
The 26-year-old member of JYJ has made it in both the K-pop and K-drama markets and proved he is still among the hottest stars with the success of the recent SBS drama “Rooftop Prince.” He won his second straight Most Popular Actor in a TV Drama award at the 48th Baeksang Arts Awards earlier this year.
In the hit drama, Park plays a crown prince of the Joseon Dynasty, Lee Gak, who travels into the future to modern-day Seoul where he falls in love with Park Ha (Han Ji-min). Prince Lee, the only character who speaks in the Joseon-era style, is lost in and overwhelmed by the contemporary capital, yet his love for Park is unwavering. The JYJ star said acting in such a farfetched storyline was a challenge, but nonfictional aspects made the task a bit easier.
“While acting in this drama I was able to grasp how much Lee Hee-myung, the writer of the show, misses his wife after their split six years ago,” Park said. “This made it easier to comprehend the character and act more naturally.
“I felt really sorry and sad for Park Ha when I had to leave her behind to go back to the Joseon Dynasty. The story itself was more genuine and affectionate than modern-day love stories.”
The actor said that “Rooftop Prince” has a special place in his heart as well, as his father passed away in March while it was in production. If he ever gets an opportunity to travel in time, Park said he would go back to when he lived in America with his father.
Due to financial difficulties, Park and his family left for the United States when he was in sixth grade, where he helped his father work construction jobs.
“It was a tiring job,” Park said. “I looked for ways to get away with it at the time. But looking back, I think it was one of the good memories I have had with my father. If I knew it then, I could have made it a better memory for him too.”
He moved back to Seoul and joined SM Entertainment, the agency that backed his debut with TVXQ in 2003. It was with this K-pop group that Park rose to fame, touring across Asia and releasing single after single in Korea and Japan.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. In 2009, Park, Kim Jun-su and Kim Jae-joong of TVXQ filed lawsuits against SM Entertainment over contract disputes. The three split and formed their own band, JYJ.
Despite the drama surrounding his nine-year singing career, or perhaps because of it, Park’s fans have remained devoted and the star is still one of the most talked about idols in Korea.
His foray into television started with the KBS2 drama “Seonggyungwan Scandal” in 2010 and then followed up with MBC’s “Miss Ripley” in 2011. His starring in “Rooftop Prince” led to its phenomenal viewer ratings - the highest among all competing dramas.
“I try to forget about the pressure of acting well,” Park said. “I did not have to force myself to cry in ‘Rooftop Prince.’ Putting myself in the character’s situation naturally made me cry. I have a scratch on my face that I try to cover up with makeup when I act. But I quit doing that. Nothing should be hidden.”
By Kim Hyo-eun [estyle@joongang.co.kr]
After releasing the individual teaser images and full tracklist, f(x) has just unveiled a highlight medley from the tracks on their comeback mini album, ‘Electric Shock’.
‘Electric Shock’ contains a total of six tracks including the title track “Electric Shock”, “Jet”, “Zig Zag”, “Beautiful Stranger”, “Love Hate”, and “Let’s Try”. The album will become available online through iTunes and other music distribution websites on June 10 and in stores on June 13.
Check out the medley below!
After a short promotions for 6th mini-album “DORA DORA”, the boys of U-Kiss are back to bring in summer with new special mini album “The Special to KissMe”!
“The Special to KissMe” contains a total of six songs including U-KISS’ new title song “Believe” which was composed by member AJ himself as well as pre-released dance track “Te Amo”.
On June 8th, U-KISS kicked off a special comeback stage on KBS ‘Music Bank’. Check out their performance of “Believe” and “Man Man Ha Ni” below!
Earlier this week, U-Kiss released a special mini album titled ‘The Special to KissMe’ The new album contains a total of six songs including U-KISS’ new title song “Believe” which was composed by member AJ himself as well as pre-released dance track “Te Amo”.
On June 8th, U-Kiss unveiled the full music video for title track “Believe”. The new upbeat, exciting track displays the members’ unique musical styles as well as their growth.
Check out the MV below!
Rookie solo singer Juniel confessed to feeling pressured of being addressed as “the next IU”.
On June 7, singer Juniel held a showcase to celebrate the release of her Korean debut album “My First June” and said that she is happy to be called the next IU but she doesn’t deserve the praise.
The rookie singer said, “IU is loved as the ‘Nation’s little sister’. I was happy when I was called the next IU, but I think I don’t deserve to be called that. Rather than be the next IU, I want to show myself being Juniel.”
When asked about her strengths, Juniel replied, “I think my strong point is that I have a unique vocal tone so I can sing various songs in many different ways.”
During the showcase, Juniel performed “Ready Go!”, “Illa Illa” and “Fool” while playing her guitar with her labelmate, CNBLUE’s Jung Yonghwa.
Source: Star News
4minute's Jihyun and Super Junior's Donghae have shown their friendship.
To be broadcast on June 7th at 11PM KST, Mnet's "Beatles Code 2" features the two, with Donghae being shocked by his partner when she called and asked him for money.
During the broadcast, Jihyun said, "After doing our drama, Donghae and I became friends." She was told by MC Shindong to perform a candid camera and ask Donghae for money, and she called him and said, "I need to borrow some money." He then replied, "How much do you need? If it's urgent you don't have to explain why. It doesn't matter if you return it or not," showing their strong sense of friendship.
Source: Kstarnews
Cr: its_matteo & kkwonsso. @ 4-minute.com
Despite the fact that he’ll launch his special edition album “Old & New” in mid-July, Bobby Kim will release six tracks on June 15 as a preview.
The tracks selected for early release are all remakes of existing songs such as “Meeting in Memory” by Cho Yong-pil and “Reminiscence” by Sanwoolim among others.
The new album has been recorded and produced in the United States and fans are expecting big things from the album. Kim left for the United States in late April to work on his new album.
Early last month, Kim used his Twitter account to gush about his upcoming album. On May 9, Kim alerted fans that he was working on jacket design of his “Special album” as well as working on a music video in the United States.
He also let fans in on a little secret — namely, that he was not so tech-savvy. “I have no idea how to use the Internet properly but I just want to talk to you all,” said Kim on Twitter.
By Carla Sunwoo
Source: JoongAng Daily
Big Bang, who recently returned with new mini album ‘Still Alive’, is set to take their “Big Bang Alive Tour 2012” to Asia, North and South America, and Europe, performing in 25 cities in 16 countries.
After revealing the list of tour locations in Asia and United States, Big Bang has now confirmed their tour stops in South America. According to Big Bang’s official Facebook page, they will be bringing “Big Bang Alive Tour 2012” to Peru and Brazil. However, concert details are still being discussed and will be posted on a later date.
In "May Queen" with Han Ji-hye
Kim Jae-won who had a time out due to his shoulder injury is coming back.
He is in the process of finalizing appearance in the MBC weekend drama "May Queen". He has been on a time out for about 10 months since his accident while filming the MBC drama "Me Too, Flower!" in October last year.
Kim Jae-won has been taking care of himself since then, postponing fan meetings and everything else. He had been offered various roles but he waited until his injury was well.
"May Queen" is about the youths who dream in the spacious seas. The main outline is about the love and passion, betrayal and revenge of a man and a woman who were born when the shipping industry was in the middle of development.
Han Ji-hye has confirmed her role and the drama will start shooting in July once the casting is complete.
source: hancinema, sports.donga.com
Actress Kim Ha Neul’s photos from the early days of her career gain interest amongst netizens.
Several photos of the actress were recently posted through an online community board with the title, “Looking at Kim Ha Neul during her rookie days.”
In the photos, Kim Ha Neul is flaunting her signature natural long hair and looking charming in her youthful face. The beautiful actress also gained attention, possessing an amazing skin.
More surprisingly, Kim Ha Neul’s appearance looks almost the same as she does today on SBS drama “A Gentleman’s Dignity”. She looks slightly younger, but have no any major differences.
Netizens commented, “Who knew the pure and innocent Kim Ha Neul would become a rom-com Queen”, “I really hope she does another romance film”, “She is pretty before and after her rookie days” and more.
Hyundai Card and YG, Korea’s leading entertainment management company, collaborated on the brand design book, “Branding BIGBANG,” a present to the BIGBANG fans worldwide.
The new brand design book visually expresses BIGBANG’s many identities. They are musicians. They are artists. The five members, who make an awesome group, are also individual icons. We hope to see BIGBANG’s name and brand image evolve in creative and exciting ways through this guidebook for the BIGBANG fans around the world.
We anticipate this project to open a new beginning for the brand of BIGBANG and their fans.
Source: Hyundai Design Guide
Two leading trendsetting companies in Korea - Hyundai Card and YG Entertainment - unveiled the result of their brand management and marketing collaboration yesterday.
Under the deal, Hyundai is helping YG Entertainment spiff up its brand by providing its expertise in brand building and design. In return, YG is teaching the card company how to understand consumers in their teens and 20s.
Hyundai Card, an affiliate of Hyundai Motor Group, said in a release yesterday, the two companies had collaborated on an album cover and music video.
Hyundai has caused sensations in Korea by hosting high-profile pop concerts by artists such as Lady Gaga and Beyonce. Its innovative marketing campaigns, including TV commercials and advertising designs, elevated the company to the second tier of the country’s credit card market in a short period of time.
YG Entertainment, a leading management company for artists of the Hallyu, or Korean wave, has artists including Big Bang and 2NE1 in its stable. It is one of Korea’s top three pop artist management companies along with SM Entertainment and JYP Entertainment.
“An entertainment company and a credit card company have different approaches in terms of brand management and we wanted to help each other by sharing know-how,” a Hyundai spokesman said. “By learning how to understand consumers in their teens and 20s, we can expand our future customer bases.”
In their first collaboration, Hyundai Card designed Big Bang’s new album cover and produced a music video for the popular boy band’s album. The video, for a song entitled “Monster,” features fonts used by Hyundai Card in its marketing materials.
The song “Monster” recorded by lesser-known musicians will also be available for downloading at Hyundai Card Music, a music Web site. The card company will help the musicians build their reputations, it said.
“We are going to do more than share our expertise and will come up with valuable cultural content,” the spokesman said.
Source: JoongAng Daily
Actress Ha Ji Won attended a special screening of the movie “As One” in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
Ha Ji Won was greeted by a throng of Korean-Americans and other fans who attended the event to catch a glimpse of the Hallyu actress.
Ahead of the Los Angeles release yesterday in the United States, the movie began showing in New York, Chicago and Philadelphia as well as in Vancouver and Toronto from June 1.
The film is based on a true story about a friendship that emerged between table tennis players from the North and the South back in 1991 when the two Koreas joined forces to compete as one nation at the World Table Tennis Championships, subsequently winning a gold medal in the process.
When the film hit the one million mark in terms of viewers, Ha Ji Won, along with co-star Bae Doo Na, served lucky fans at a pub in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul, back on May 15. Fans applied on the movie’s official Web site for the chance to meet the stars at the special promotional event.
By Carla Sunwoo
Source: JoongAng Daily
Upon returning from Cannes Film Festival, Kwon Sang Woo paid a visit to say goodbye to his late fan who passed away while Kwon was in France.
Sportsworld reported that as soon as he landed back in Korea, Kwon went to the funeral parlor to pay respect to his fan who had passed from stomach cancer. The two had met back in April when the fan had written to Kwon and the actor responded by paying a visit at the hospital.
“He must have been tired from being abroad, but as soon as he landed, he went to the funeral without even telling his manager where he was going,” said a spokesperson from Kwon’s agency.
The Hallyu actor is thought to be in mourning for his deceased fan to whom he had spoken words of encouragement during their last encounter.
Meanwhile, Kwon has been busy promoting his movie “Chinese Zodiac” starring Jackie Chan.
By Carla Sunwoo
Source: JoongAng Daily
Earlier today, After School’s JuYeon updated her twitter account with a photo of herself accompanied by hand-drawn photos of a few After School members. The caption preceding the pictures was “I think I can draw…kekekeke” which showed JuYeon’s fun nature.
JuYeon drew caricatures of Jung Ah, Nana and E-Young. These pictures showed each members face which were recognizable by individual hairstyles, expressions and facial features like distinctive lips.
These drawings received attention from netizens who were amused and impressed by JuYeon’s art. After the photos were uploaded to online communities netizens left comments like “Nana’s the best it looks a lot alike” among other reactions.
Source: Chosun
Quote - PledisASTrans + Article trans: AfterSchoolDaze
CL raises her doubts over Sandara Park and Lee Minho‘s kissing scenes!
On the broadcast of SBS “Midnight Entertainment TV” on the 6th, CL and Lee Dongwook were interviewed on the set of their new advertisement shoot for a liquor brand. Before they advertised this liquor beverage product, 2NE1′s Sandara Park and Lee Minho were the advertisement models.
At that time, Sandara Park and Lee Minho took more than 100 times to film their kissing scenes. When asked about it, CL replied, “I went to the place where they were shooting to show my support. I really don’t know why they took so long to do the scenes. Maybe it took no time at all, and they just dragged it,” she joked, drawing laughter with her response. When asked whether CL and Lee Dongwook would be having similar scenes, Lee Dongwook replied, “Our fingertips don’t even touch,” he said regretfully.
Source: Nate
Translated by: BlackjackBelle@OhDara/ SlaveTranslator@WeLoveDara
Singer Jay Park has successfully wrapped up a United States tour as part of the Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month 2012 celebrations.
Starting on May 18, Park performed in Washington, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The tour was sponsored by Verizon and all shows, which were headlined by Park, were sold out in advance.
Jay Park performed songs from his new album “Fresh Air: Breathe It,” and showed off his moves by taking the stage with breakdance group AOM.
“It was my first U.S. tour so I did have a lot of expectations, but truly this show went well beyond what I anticipated. I’ll keep on striving to become a better performer for the fans and I am so grateful for all of their support,” said Park.
On May 16 as he was preparing to embark on the U.S. tour, Park made headlines for releasing never-before-heard tracks available through a Web site. The “Fresh Air: Breathe It” mixtape, written by himself, was made available for free.
By Carla Sunwoo
Source: JoongAng Daily
Hallyu star Lee Min Ho proved his global influence, setting a record of having the largest number of friends on SNS.
Starhaus Entertainment stated on June 8, “On June 6, Lee Min Ho has over 5.45 million Facebook followers, 4.03 million Weibo followers, 660,000 Twitter followers, and 230,000 me2day friends, which is more than 10 million total SNS friends.”
“Among all Korean celebrities, athletes, politicians and entrepreneurs, Lee Min Ho has the largest number of friends on SNS.”
It especially draws many people’s attention that 40% of Lee Min Ho’s friends are from Weibo, which is called the Chinese version of Twitter.
“Weibo is China’s most popular online communication channel. Lee Min Ho’s popularity recently hit China and his number of followers are quickly increasing as well,” his agency said.
Lee Min Ho expressed, The fan messages from SNS channels give me a lot of strength. I’ll pay back for your love through SBS TV’s new drama series ‘Faith’, scheduled to air in August. I’ll make sure to portray the character as best as I can.”
Source: Star News
Actor Gong Yoo has signed up for the second time to promote Maxim brand’s ‘KANU’ line of instant coffee.
“Coffee conjures up images of Gong Yoo’s face. He embodies the sensitivity that lines up perfectly with the beverage and his appeal as an actor to people from all demographic groups is what led us to choose him again as Kanu’s model,” said a spokesperson for Maxim.
The spokesperson added that the 32-year-old actor was instrumental in enhancing the product’s image as a sophisticated coffee mix.
Gong Yoo has made headlines of late for returning to drama genre in “Big” on KBS. The new show also stars actress Lee Min Jung and Suzy from miss A and is based on a wacky plot that involves an 18-year-old boy and a successful man in his 30s switching bodies.
The drama is Gong Yoo’s first in more than five years. He last starred in the 2007 hit drama “Coffee Prince.”
Last year he was acclaimed for his role in “Dogani” (“The Crucible”), a history-making film about sexual abuse of disabled children.
By Carla Sunwoo
Source: JoongAng Daily
After spending the last year caught up in a court case and scandal of assault and blackmail, rapper Crown J is set to make a comeback.
On June 9, the singer will hold a comeback show at the club Phantom located in Nonhyun-dong, southern Seoul. At the event, he will sing new songs to be released soon.
“He’s spent a long time on the album and it’s going to be a success. He will take his time meeting the fans who have supported him throughout the ordeal [he has gone through],” said a spokesperson for Crown J.
Meanwhile, back in March, Crown J was sued by his former manager on charges of blackmail and assault. Crown J was sentenced to six months’ probation.
This was in reference to an alleged scuffle that broke out between the two back in 2010 where the singer blackmailed his former manager to sign a contract that would allow Crown J to take over ownership of a yacht worth 100 million won ($ 85,358) as well as some money.
By Carla Sunwoo
Source: JoongAng Daily
The sudden confession by Ji Hyun Woo in public that he really likes Yoo In Na was making all people including Yoo In Na on the scene panic-stricken.
On the evening of June 7th, 2012, the tvN drama “Queen In-Hyun’s Man” grand final fans meet was held at Yeongdeungpo CGV theater in Seoul. At the scene, Ji Hyun Woo sudden confessed, “Want to confess before the fans of our drama, I really like Yoo In Na. Hope you will support us,” surprising everyone present.
The original schedule of the activity was to watch the final episode of “Queen In-Hyun’s Man” with the fans, followed by cake-cutting ceremony and interaction with fans. But because of the sudden action by Ji Hyun Woo, after watching the final episode with fans, everyone left the scene, all schedules was cancelled.
The management agency of Ji Hyun Woo said, “The actual atmosphere at that time was not the same with rumor. Ji Hyun Woo is completely immersed into his role, so this many be action he personally took unwittingly. Now Ji Hyun Woo has returned home, we need to first listen to the thought of Ji Hyun Woo, then could only announce our position on the morning of 8th.”
Yoo In Na’s management agency said, “About this matter we have nothing to say, need to understand the actual situation through our assistant at the scene, then only announce our position in tomorrow afternoon.”
Besides, Ji Hyun Woo and Yoo In Na who are starring in “Queen In-Hyun’s Man” began to have rumor circulating not long after the drama began airing, and was once suspected as false thing becomes true.
Source: dramahaven
Awesome. Such a kickass exploration of the consequences of messing with time and fate. So you defeat the baddies and win your freedom and your love. What else is there to fear? As it turns out, a pissed-off mystical talisman is a helluva lot more scary than mere mortals, and more dangerous, especially when it wants its pound of flesh. It’s enough to make you go fetal, biting your nails helplessly. Gulp. Hold me.
I know the finale has aired, but be warned: If you spoil the ending for me, I will hex you.
SONG OF THE DAY
Yozoh – “동경소녀” (Longing girl) [ Download ]
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EPISODE 15 RECAP
That night, after Boong-do joins Hee-jin for good in the present day, Hee-jin lays in bed awash in giddiness. Unable to sleep, she takes out a keepsake box and looks at the talisman Boong-do gave her earlier, telling her, “I have no need of it now. Keep it for me.” Aw, in Boong-do-speak, that’s about as concrete a promise to stay with you as a person could give.
Hee-jin tucks it away in the box, then wonders if she should put it in a secure vault for safekeeping. She’ll take it to the bank tomorrow.
Boong-do calls from his own apartment to ask her a question: “On a clock, does the long hand have to hit the 9 for it to be 45 minutes past the hour?” She confirms, and he rattles off a whole slew of calculations to confirm more clock-related questions, saying that he’d guessed how to read a clock before, “But I should know for sure now.”
Then it’s on to things like “What is Christmas?” Hee-jin: “It’s the day Jesus was born.” Boong-do: “Who’s Jesus?”
I love that Hee-jin squirms at his questions, which are all very simple things that everybody knows, but which are annoyingly difficult to explain from absolute zero. Like his question about why people changed the direction of writing books from right-to-left to left-to-right.
She complains, “Why are you so curious about so many things?” but you can hardly stay upset when he reasons that he should get used to this world quickly so he won’t embarrass her by acting the fool. She’s adorably frustrated as he zooms along on his quest for knowledge: “This thing called a necktie. It seemed as though most working people wear them. What is the reason? They look uncomfortable.”
She thinks of an answer and chirps that there IS a reason for the neckties, and says she’ll go over in person ’cause it’s hard to explain. Are you going to grab him for a kiss? Hee. Either that, or throttle him.
Hee-jin runs across the neighborhood to his place, though he’s all, I wasn’t THAT curious. She picks a tie and explains that wives used to tie these for their husbands in the morning, and demonstrates. Then she pulls him in and gives him a kiss, HA! I knew it.
Hee-jin’s so proud of herself that she dissolves into giggles, crowing that this is the necktie’s purpose. But Boong-do raises not so much as a single eyebrow, and tells her, “When I listen to you, it seems as though the reason for everything in this world is to enable kisses. What kind of lustful world is this?” Hahaha.
She answers, “I didn’t realize, but you’re right. Why, do you dislike it?” He says in his awesome deadpan, “Why would I? It is lustful, and I like it very much.”
Giggling, she looks around for something else to “explain” and leads him away. He smiles, “I am curious for yet another absurd kissing explanation.”
It’s 3 am when Soo-kyung wakes up and finds Hee-jin gone, grumbling in annoyance. Hee-jin’s snoozing on Boong-do’s arm as he reads in bed, and mumbles sleepily, “Just twenty more minutes.” After all, her place is only five minutes away—a thought that makes her marvel, since it wasn’t long ago that he had to travel 300 years each time to be with her.
As she falls asleep, she arranges a date for tomorrow, telling him he can study in the morning, but after that it’s time to play. The next afternoon she leaves the drama set in high spirits, with Soo-kyung sending her off with warnings to be careful while they’re in public.
Hee-jin finds Boong-do waiting for her at a restaurant and notes his knotted tie. He tells her that his teacher taught him all the wrong things, so he had to resort to figuring it out himself. She promises to order him something tasty, but he says he already ordered: mushroom cream fettuccine. He has no idea what it is, “But surely it won’t kill me.”
Cut to: Boong-do, struggling to choke down his rich pasta. Hee-jin points out cheekily that he ought to have taken her recommendation, ’cause he probably feels like he’s dying right now. Boong-do manages a twisted smile and says it’s good; if his expression looks funny, it’s because he’s agog over its deliciousness.
Cutely, she keeps poking fun (“You’re done eating already? But you said it’s delicious”) and he refuses to admit he chose badly (“It’s so delicious, I am trying to savor it”).
She offers him her tomato-based spaghetti, but he keeps refusing it, determined to see his meal through. Then she feeds him a bite, he registers the difference, and immediately swaps plates. A-dor-a-ble.
They sit there with feet interlocked, sharing a plate, re-creating the Lady & Tramp noodle-kiss. Boong-do notes, “I should eat this every day.”
They’ve had a running conversation throughout the show about going to visit Florence, and now that he’s settling here, Hee-jin wants to take the trip. Say next month, after her drama wraps. As they walk through the park after eating, she notes that their big problem will be the passport—that might get complicated.
Boong-do assures her he’ll take care of it, because he’s doing some reading on how to create an identity. Ha. She says he’s turning into a criminal, and he says there’s no other way.
He wonders at the street cart selling cotton candy, and Hee-jin tells him it’s super-spicy. He knows she’s messing with him again and points out that everyone’s eating it happily, and she returns that it’s ’cause they’re “agog” at the taste.
He gets up to buy one (she requests three), and they send googly eyes at each other, perfectly content. I’m starting to feel uneasy because this much happiness can’t last… and then Boong-do disappears. ACK!
He literally just poofs away. Hee-jin looks away for a second and turns back to find him vanished. Whaaaa?
Boong-do reappears in the forest, registering the change with confusion. Then a piece of yellow paper flutters down from the sky and lands at his feet: his talisman? How’d it get here from Hee-jin’s keepsake chest? A chill just went down my spine.
Hee-jin missed the moment of disappearance and looks around for any sign of him. Her call doesn’t go through, and she starts to feel uneasy. Boong-do tries his phone as well, but gets nothing.
He sees a pair of travelers walking nearby, dressed in Joseon garb, and looks down at the talisman. Just as a dark shadow creeps over it, turning the yellow black. Oh holy hell. That shiver I felt a moment ago? That’s nothing compared to the one I feel now.
Hee-jin calls Soo-kyung and asks her to check her box for her, and confirms that the talisman isn’t there.
Boong-do thinks back to caveats that came attached with the talisman: that it wouldn’t necessarily “obey” his will just because it belonged to him, or Yoon-wol’s will because she requested it, or the monk’s because he wrote it.
He heads to the gisaeng establishment in search of Yoon-wol, dressed in black and hiding his face under a large hat. She’s currently entertaining at a party, though the other gisaengs note that she stepped aside to restring her gayageum and has been away a while.
With that tip, Boong-do heads for a back room, and finds not Yoon-wol but an enormous muthafuckin’ smear of blood on the floor. Oh crap. On the bloodstained step outside, he finds a hairpin. He follows the trail of blood and spots another pin and a red sash on the ground.
Boong-do quickens his steps and continues, until he sees something that makes him drop those clues altogether: Yoon-wol’s body, slumped over, her neck ravaged and bloody. Boong-do registers her death and breaks down in tears.
In flashback, we see what happened: Ja-soo attends one of the parties and is in a foul mood as he drinks alone outside. He spots Yoon-wol walking across the courtyard, carrying her gayageum, and follows her to the back room. He accuses her of feeling complacent now that Minister Min is dead, furiously cutting her down with his sword. Then he drags her body out, leaving her where she now lies.
Boong-do cries as he places the fallen pin back into Yoon-wol’s hair, then gets up with furious purpose. He finds a gisaeng, asking where the guest with the sword is. He bursts into that room with eyes burning, gripping his sword, and removes the hat to reveal his face.
Ja-soo is, naturally, shocked, since Boong-do is supposed to be dead. But he’s not too concerned with the particulars of how this is possible, because at least now he gets to kill him. He charges Boong-do, and the other partygoers run screaming as the two men engage in a knock-down drag-out fight.
Ja-soo’s the first to score an injury, slicing Boong-do across the arm. Boong-do is fueled by wrath and fights back hard, but he sustains a second injury, across the leg.
Their blades lock in a clash, with Boong-do on the defensive… and then Boong-do does something shocking. He lets his blade slide away, so that Ja-soo’s sword is cutting down directly onto his shoulder, and he grabs the blade directly with his bare hand. Ack! What can he mean to do?
Boong-do musters the strength to throw Ja-soo’s sword off with his bare hand, then hurls his sword at him like a javelin. (Ah, he was freeing his blade so he could launch it.) He misses and his sword embeds in the wood paneling instead, but Boong-do is so enraged that Ja-soo is spooked.
Boong-do is unarmed, but charges anyway right at Ja-soo, never mind the fact that Ja-soo’s holding up his sword and shoves it into his side. WHAT. ARE. YOU. DOING. What happened to, I want to live? Boong-do’s charge literally impales himself upon Ja-soo’s sword, but amazingly, he continues his mission: Kill Ja-soo, no matter what.
With the sword still stuck in his side, Boong-do grabs his own from the wall and surprises Ja-soo with a slice across the throat, sending him slumping to the ground. Dead. Well, thank the lord for that, but what about YOU?
Hee-jin paces in the now-empty park, loath to leave it, while Boong-do travels to the temple to see the monk, who is relieved to see him alive after all. Boong-do tells him that Yoon-wol, however, is dead. He was unable to bring her body for fear of being caught, but he feels she would have wanted to be brought here and asks the monk to see to it.
In the morning, the gibang is a crime scene, with Ja-soo and a number of his minions lying dead. The police try to make sense of the bloodbath, and why the killer asked after Yoon-wol, who also lies dead.
The monk warns Boong-do that the authorities are looking for him and urges him to hasten his departure. Boong-do agrees that he should leave, lest the reappearance of a dead man breed new chaos, but wonders if that is no longer a possibility. Taking out the talisman, he shows it to the monk—it has turned completely black.
Boong-do says it changed the moment Yoon-wol died. Ah, so he sensed something of that sort when the talisman transformed in his hand. The monk seems to think Yoon-wol was what called him back, while Boong-do wonders whether the principle of the talisman will still hold, saving him at the moment of death.
Hee-jin is still in the park in the morning, telling herself that he’ll come back while brushing away tears.
Boong-do makes his way to his secret spot in the forest where he makes his time-leaps, finding his modern clothing. He changes, then takes the blackened talisman to test whether it works. Eeeek. It’s not a face of confidence he wears, and he must be bracing for possible death, but what choice has he?
He holds the blade to his throat, which must be how he has been making his leaps all along. (One quick slash triggers the jump.) He closes his eyes and starts to draw the blade… and poof. Oh thank god.
Boong-do reappears in the park to sounds of modern life, and now his phone turns on. Hee-jin answers in tears, and he apologizes for worrying her.
He’s surprised that she’s still in the park and spots her off in the distance, sitting where he left her. He makes his way toward her and says that there was some trouble with the talisman, then asks if she’d stayed the entire night. She cries, “Of course, where else could I wait when this is where you disappeared?”
She sees him now, approaching her, and he speeds up his pace to run the last distance toward her… and then he disappears. NO!
She looks around frantically. He sees his Joseon clothing on the ground, marking his return, and his eyes well with tears like he’s realized he’s in some sort of Time-enforced prison. Resistance is futile—how can you beat a mystical power greater than yourself?
He falls to his knees and cries. So does she.
That night, Boong-do says goodbye to the monk, saying that the head monk is his last hope. He’s making the long journey to find him.
Soo-kyung stews all day waiting for Hee-jin, then storms off to Boong-do’s apartment to confront her, only to find Hee-jin slumped alone in the empty house. Soo-kyung wonders what’s the cause of all her mood swings, then curses “that rotten bastard” for doing this to her, determined to fight this one out. Where is he? When’s he coming home?
Hee-jin says brokenly, “What do I do? I might not be able to see him again. I think that was the end.” She clings to Soo-kyung sobbing, “How can that be the end? How could this be?”
Boong-do rides all day, and the next. And then, we cut to one month later.
Hee-jin goes through the motions of daily life in a daze, while Boong-do rides on, nearly falling off his horse in exhaustion. Finally he arrives at his destination, clinging to his one hope. But it’s only bad news that awaits him: The head monk died last month.
Boong-do falls into despair, thinking of Hee-jin crying for him. He contemplates the talisman; he’d explained to the monk that when it ripped, the other world reset, as though he’d never been there. Uh-oh, are you thinking what I’m afraid you’re thinking?
He’d asked the monk if the same would happen again, and if Hee-jin would also forget him this time. He’d blinked back tears as he explained that there would be someone worrying herself sick waiting for him, “But I have no way of getting there. If it takes a year, or ten, if only I could go there I would. But I can’t go. If she were to wait for me in sadness, would it not be better for her to forget me entirely?”
Now he wonders if burning the talisman would erase all those memories.
Boong-do sits at a desk, putting ink to paper. He writes that this is a letter for both her and for himself, as he doesn’t know whether he’ll even remember that he wrote it.
“When I first came into possession of this talisman, I wanted to know what its cause and effect were. At first, I thought it was the realization of my frustrated dream. Then, I thought that its effect may have been meeting you. After that, I thought that effect could be to start anew in a different world. But now, belatedly I realize that its cause and effect is that for saving my life, I would lose everything. My future, my name, my values, my people. And you too. To gain life, one must pay a price and lose something else—that is obvious logic. That I believed I could keep one of those things was my own foolishness. How much more will I have to lose to satisfy that price? Not being able to meet you again—that such a thing is a luxury is something I have now realized.”
Both are crying now, in their respective times. Boong-do as he writes, and Hee-jin as she sits in the rain, back in the park. He continues:
“Memories. Our memories… Losing them is the final price. I do not know what happens now. Will we forget each other? Or will we live unable to forget, forever tormented?”
Hee-jin comes home soaked from rain.
“If I have a last wish, I want to remember you. In an aimless life, to not even have those memories would be hell. And you… and you… if you should happen to read this letter far into the future, I pray you will not realize for whom this letter is meant.”
Boong-do finishes writing, folds up the letter, and takes out his talisman. It is entirely black, with no traces of writing still visible. He burns it.
COMMENTS
Glug… glug… glug… Drowning in tears, here.
I figured talisman issues would be the final stretch for this drama, now that Boong-do has seemingly vanquished all other foes and has only to live out his happily ever after to make the story complete. Or so we think. But I hadn’t expected things to turn so dire. It’s both terrible (for our hearts) and wonderful (narratively). The bigger the ditch you dig for your characters, the more gratifying when they find their way out. Some dramas get overambitious and can’t quite pull off that latter part, but I have faith in Queen In-hyun’s Man.
If the drama had ended with Episode 14, I would’ve been perfectly happy with the resolution, ’cause I would have gotten 14 episodes of taut storytelling and a satisfying romantic conclusion. It may have occurred to me, somewhere in the far reaches of my mind, that the talisman issue hadn’t been entirely explained, and I would have possibly wondered how Boong-do’s faked death would have been enough to satisfy the talisman’s demands, per Yoon-wol’s warnings of calamity. But I would have been, by and large, content to let those slide.
Thus it’s to the show’s credit that it doesn’t rest upon that complacency and pushes further, driving our characters completely off that cliff instead of teasing us with a fall and then pulling them back at the last moment. I’m impressed with how seriously it takes the issue of the talisman’s retribution, and a chill went down my spine during Boong-do’s letter when he outlined the cost required to put things to rest, because it made a damn lot of sense that he would have to give up everything, even as my stomach sank with the realization.
I’m tempted to blame Yoon-wol for short-sightedly giving him the talisman in the first place, only then he’d have died earlier. I don’t feel that his life would have been better without her giving it to him, but the cost is just painful enough to make you wonder. In that sense, it really is an equal exchange; you get away with some stolen time and a wonderful series of experiences, but you can’t have your cake and eat it too. Boong-do may continue on harboring a lifetime of grief, but he wouldn’t exchange what the talisman gave him for blissful ignorance, and for that I respect him and the depth of his feeling.
I love how the drama takes us to the darker side of the fallout of cheating death, in a way that so doesn’t gloss it over in rosier hues. Other stories do that because logic gets in the way of romance, and those that don’t tend to be horror stories (Final Destination and its ilk). I appreciate that this show doesn’t let its characters off the hook in search of that happy ending; yes it tends to put a damper on things, but when you can satisfy both cold logic and emotional gratification is when you really nail the question at the heart of time-travel conundrums. Otherwise they’re not really conundrums, just convenient plot devices.
When the show turned Boong-do’s (comedic) momentary panic over possibly liaising with Queen In-hyun into a bigger plot point, I mentioned being impressed with its thoughtful preparation of such a storyline. It managed not to give away the setup for the future slander by working the issue into the moment, so that when it came back later it was an unforeseen turn, but not one that came as a shock.
We have another of those moments in Episode 15, when Boong-do makes his last trip back to the present/future. I’ve wondered at the exact mechanism of Boong-do’s time-leaping in past episodes, but I’d assumed the drama was sparing us needless repetition and chose to cut those moments out. It wasn’t too hard to figure that he was somehow endangering himself, in the way that he once forced Han-dong to shoot him with an arrow.
But it turns out this was a calculated omission, because only now do we see what the actual act of leaping requires, and it makes this instance incredibly harrowing because we don’t know whether it will work. It’s a nerve-wracking scene, and purposefully so. Great choice by the writer/director to withhold that, because it almost gave me a heart attack in this episode. It’s human nature to want to use our tools right away rather than patiently saving them for delayed gratification, but it’s worth the effect.
A side note: Apparently the drama had completed eight scripts prior to the start of filming. It shows. This practice isn’t always a surefire thing (Thousand Day Promise, for instance, also had about that many scripts in the can ahead of time and that drama meandered painfully), but really, this should be standard procedure. If you must insist on operating within the frantic last-minute live-shoot system to satisfy fan demands, then so be it—revise on the fly. But write beforehand. At the very least, it gives your cast some idea of where they’re going; it’s a lot easier to put your faith in a show when it’s excellent for eight scripts than when you’ve just got an interesting synopsis.
Finally, I have to say I’m super excited that the talisman was burnt. Before this episode, I was generally fine believing Boong-do and Hee-jin could have their blissful ending, but felt uneasy at the idea that they’d have to live their lives fearing for the talisman’s safety. Now that it’s gone, if—when—they reunite, I’ll finally feel that they’ve cleared all obstacles. I have no idea HOW, of course, but I have no doubt they’ll get there.