Eye Candy Friday is something that I’ve been doing since I first started my personal blog way back in 2003. That first personal blog is long gone but I’ve never really grown out of the eye candy phase. I’m always up for some eye candy. Whether it’s a character from a book (male or female, I don’t discriminate), a character from a movie or TV Show, if I loved them and want to gush about how much I loved them, you’ll find them here. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
This week, I’m featuring Park Seo Jun (haha, yes…again!) as Sung Joon from the Korean drama, She was Pretty. This was another fantastic character for Park Seo Jun. I’m convinced that he can’t play a bad character as far as I’m concerned. I’m biased, I know but since this is my blog, I do what I want. LOL.
In She was Pretty, Park Seo Jun plays a young professional who reunites with his childhood best friend, only things are a lot different. When he moved away when they were teenagers, Sung Joon was a chubby boy that didn’t get any girls while his best friend, Kim Hye Jin was gorgeous but a little nerdy and liked him anyway. Over the years, they lost touch but when Sung Joon comes back to Korea, he looks Hye Jin up and wants to meet up. Sung Joon is gorgeous now while Hye Jin has frizzy hair and acne, thanks to her father’s genes. Shenanigans happen but seeing Sung Joon struggle to find the best friend he adored back in the day made for a great viewing adventure. I loved seeing him grow into his feelings for the Hye Jin as she is now and I loved that when he finally realizes his best friend was right under his nose the entire time, I loved seeing him rejoice in her. That’s why he’s this week’s Eye Candy Friday. *swoon*
Male Lead: So Ji Sub Female Lead: Son Ye Jin Also Starring: Park Seo Jun, Go Chang Suk, Lee Yoo Jin Year Released: 2018 Genre: Contemporary, Fantasy, Romance, Family Country: Korea Where I Watched It: Viki Watched It For: Park Seo Jun
On her deathbed, Soo Ah (Son Ye Jin) makes a promise to her husband, Woo Jin (So Ji Sub), and her son, Ji Ho (Kim Ji Hwan), that she will return to them a year after her passing. Wishing, rather than believing she would keep her word, Woo Jin and Ji Ho say their final farewells. With broken hearts, they do their best to pick up the pieces of their old life and try to move on.
A year later, the unbelievable happens. True to her word, Soo Ah returns home, the problem is, she has no recollection of her past life. With no idea of who she was or what Woo Jin and Ji Ho meant to her, Soo Ah does her best to find a place in their lives once again. Eventually settling into this new life, Soo Ah and her family experience happiness in ways they never dreamed would be possible again. But their happiness is short-lived.
Only able to stay with Woo Jin and Ji Ho for a short while, Soo Ah soon realizes that her time at home is quickly coming to an end. With hearts breaking all over again, Soo Ah must say goodbye to her family, only this time it’s forever.
Adapted from Takuji Ichikawa’s novel of the same name, “Be With You” is a 2018 romantic fantasy drama film directed by Lee Jang Hoon.
I’ve been meaning to check out something with So Ji Sub in it because my friend B Nice is a huge fan of his so when I came across this movie with you guessed it…Park Seo Jun, you know your girl had to watch it. This is another one of those movies where Park Seo Jun is in a very small part of the movie but it was still an enjoyable movie. It was sad and it was hopeful and in the end, it was warmed my heart to see how far both father and son have come.
So this movie is about a young boy and his father who are both grieving over the loss of their mother and wife. The boy, Ji Ho, misses his Mom a great deal but is hopeful that she will keep her deathbed promise to him about returning to him after a year has passed. His father, Woo Jin, doesn’t believe it and though he’s having trouble moving on, he’s doing the best that he can. When the year mark comes up, the unthinkable happens. Soo Ah, the mom, and wife that Ji Ho and Woo Jin have been missing shows up just as she promised, the story really picks up. A huge bulk of the story takes place during the time that Soo Ah returns to her family. She’s only there for a short period of time and part of that time is spent trying to catch up. When Soo Ah returns, she doesn’t remember Woo Jin or Ji Ho or her life with them so she does her best to get to know them again and rebuild what they had before.
This was a very emotional story and I connected with every single family member. They’re all trying their best to keep the memories alive and I really enjoyed seeing them bond as a family while Soo Ah was back. I loved the connection between Soo Ah and Ji Ho. I loved seeing how happy he was for her return, how hard he worked to make her return more comfortable for her, and I really, really loved seeing how happy he was when she showed up for his performance. The same for Woo Jin. I really loved seeing him fall in love with his wife all over again. I loved seeing the two of them get to know each other all over again and seeing their relationship told from his pov since she didn’t remember much of it was just great. There was enough romance in this movie to warm my romance-loving heart.
There was a lot going on in this movie and the emotions, the warmth, it all got to me. I really connected with this story and seeing Woo Jin and Ji Ho being able to move on with a heavy heart but hopeful for the future made me so happy that I watched this movie. It’s another good one and even though we only got to see Park Seo Jun, who played an older Ji Ho, for like five minutes, I was happy to see him when he finally enters the picture. Goodness, that guy is bomb. Anyway, if you’re in the mood to cry and want an enjoyable but emotional movie, this is the one for you. I definitely recommend it.
This drama is about the youth who is not qualified for what the heartless society demands. Without backgrounds such as high education and certificates, the world tells them to focus on playing supporting roles in life. However, they all have their advantages and deserve to be the main character in their own lives. This is a story about four individuals, Dong Man, Ae Ra, Joo Man, and Sul Hee, and the dreams they are pursuing. Dong Man used to be a top athlete in taekwondo. However, his dreams of becoming a national athlete is shredded into pieces when he helplessly loses against authority and money. Choi Ae Ra has always dreamed of becoming an announcer. Although for now, she works at a department store, she continuously goes to job interviews and fights for her way. When the world turns its back on one of them, the other rushes to comfort them.
On my journey through all of Park Seo Jun’s work, I came across this show. I was pretty excited to finally get around to watching it because I haven’t seen Park Seo Jun as a not so serious dork yet. In the shows that I’ve watched, he’s played the serious, no-nonsense kind of guy so Ko Dong Man was way different from what I was used to and boy did I absolutely love Park Seo Jun as Ko Dong Man. After seeing him in Itaewon Class and What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim, seeing him in Fight for My Way was like a breath of fresh air. He plays the goofy man super well.
Fight for My Way is a best friends to lovers trope and it was such a fun show that I was so sad when I finished it. Ae Ra and Dong Man were such a delightful pair that I laughed at their bickering, I swooned with delight over how they protected each other and I fell head over heels with the two of them together. When we first meet them, they’re in school and Dong Man is at the top of his game as a taekwondo fighter. He wins his fight and is so goofy about it that he gets a slap on the back of his head from his coach. You also see a young Ae Ra and Seol Hee and that was a super fun introduction to our heroine of the show. Fast forward ten years and the gang is almost 30 years old and things are a lot different than they all thought it’d be.
Ae Ra is working at a department store and not at all happy with where her life is. Dong Man is working in a dead-end job and like Ae Ra, not happy with where his life is. After an incident from his past, he walked away from fighting and is still trying to find himself. With their 30th birthday looming, Dong Man decides to shed his fear of the past and live a life of passion. Ae Ra is inspired and decides that she too is going to go after what she really wants as well.
The secondary romance in this show follows Ae Ra and Dong Man’s friends, Seol Hee and Joo Man who are in a relationship but it’s not an ideal one. They work together so they hide their relationship from their coworkers and Joo Man’s family aren’t the biggest fans of Seol Hee so there are some simmering issues there but there’s also a female coworker that is very interested in Joo Man and that’s yet another issue that is simmering between them.
I liked that the main couple’s issues were them trying to figure out their lives while falling in love with each other. Their feelings for each other aren’t the main issue between them though it sure did take Dong Man quite a while to realize what was right in front of him for so long. I really adored the two of them coming together. They were such huge supporters of the other and seeing them hype each other up and step up for each other really got me in the feels. They were great on their own but together, they were just that much better. I adored the two of them and I was cheering for them from the jump. I loved jealous Ae Ra and I hella loved jealous Dong Man. Their fights were epic and so funny that I laughed and laughed and laughed. You can’t be cute with your boyfriend when you grew up with him and he knows everything about you. So when he knows you get gas after eating certain things, you better believe that he’s going to call you on it and seeing them learn how to be with each other, after knowing almost too much about the other was just a lot of fun.
The secondary storyline focused on the relationship between Seol Hee and Joo Man. They’re in a long term relationship and going through some growing pains together. Seol Hee is trying to do what she can to hold them together but Joo Man is distracted and not much help so Seol Hee is pretty much on her own but once she gets tired of trying to hold things down on her own, seeing Joo Man mess up and then try to make things right with her was an interesting addition to this show. I thought their problems balanced my enjoyment of the show overall because I was anxious and mad and then forgiving and hopeful for the two of them. They were great characters and fantastic friends to both Dong Man and Ae Ra.
Overall, this was a fabulously fun show with great characters and a cast of actors that really know how to deliver entertainment. I was glad to have watched this and I enjoyed everyone’s acting so much that I looked up everyone’s backlist and added all of their shows to my To Be Watched list. I can’t wait to dig into their stuff too. I definitely recommend this show if you’re looking for something fun and super cute. Trust me, you’ll want to know Dong Man for yourself. 🙂
The DNF Round Up is a round-up of the books, movies, and k dramas that I did not finish in the last little while. Sometimes it’ll be a list of all books, all movies, or all k dramas and sometimes it’ll be a mix of the three but if I didn’t finish it, it’ll be featured here. I need the reminder because I be forgetting a whole lot of shit and I’ll start dramas or books that I quit without even knowing. This is my effort in fixing that.
18-year-old Kang Gyung-Joon’s spirit suddenly finds itself in the body of 30-year-old Seo Yoon Jae. Seo-Yon-Jae is a successful doctor and engaged to high school teacher Gil Da-Ran. Gil Da-Ran just so happens to be the teacher of 18-year old Kang Gyung-Joon. More problems ensue when 30-year-old Seo Yoon Jae falls in love with another woman.
I should have read a blurb about what this drama was about. I only started watching it because it stars Gong Yoo (because, *swoon*) but ugh, I hate student/teacher romances and this one plays with that trope. I didn’t enjoy it, at all. So our main character is Gil Da Ran and she’s a teacher. She’s engaged to a doctor that has gone cold on her. She’s trying not to think about what that means but he keeps blowing her off so one day, while she’s out for a ride with one of her students (yeah, seriously), she gets a call from her fiance, who wants to meet with her so bad that he’ll come to wherever she is. She tells him where she is and he makes his way to her. While she waits for her fiance, the student leaves and the student and the fiance get into a car accident together and their souls swap. Haha, it sounds ridiculous but I was hooked by this part. So, one of them dies but their souls are still trapped in the other body. So the fiance’ is in a coma in the student’s body and the student is alive and well in the fiance’s body and Gil Da Ran helps the student navigate his life as a 30-year-old doctor even though he’s a 17-year-old high school student. I forget what exact age he is but he’s around that age.
Once they started developing feelings for each other (the student and the teacher), and Gong Yoo’s adult character started turning into a complete douche, I tapped out of this one. I’m not on board this teacher and student love crap and I wasn’t on board with Gong Yoo’s fine ass being a dickface. Haha, yeah that’s why I’m not going to finish this one. Nope, not me.
Kwon Shi-Hyun bets his life on a dangerous game to seduce Eun Tae-Hee. His target is 20-years-old and believes people that are swayed by love are pathetic. After Eun Tae-Hee meets Kwon Shi-Hyun, her view on love changes.
I started this show because of Woo Do Hwan. I had just finished Save Me and adored him in that show so I wanted to keep the Woo Do Hwan party going. Unfortunately, the immature shenanigans that he gets into with his high school friends pissed me off pretty early on so I stopped watching it. I just wasn’t in the mood for teenagers being little shits and ruining people’s lives though I know that Woo Do Hwan’s character grows into a decent chap in the end. That’s why I stopped this one but I’m really interested in seeing Do Hwan in a main lead role so I’ll definitely be back for this one…I’m sure of it.
Year Released: 2016 Number of Episodes: 20 Number of Episodes Watched: 2 Genre: Historical, Romance Country: Korea Where I Watched It: Viki Recommended By: Park Seo Jun Who I Watched It For: Park Seo Jun
An elite group of young men called Hwarang discover their passions, love and friendship in the turmoil of the Silla Kingdom.
Can you believe that I DNF’d a Park Seo Jun drama? Yeah, I can’t believe it either. But, I did. I wasn’t in the mood for a historical drama and the first couple of episodes of this one were low key boring. All Seo Jun’s character did in the episodes that I watched were yell and fight. When I watched this though, I didn’t know Park Hyung Sik so I didn’t even appreciate him in this. AND V from BTS is in this show too and I didn’t even meet him yet so I know that I’ll be going back to finish this one, I just don’t know when. There’s a great cast for this show so how could I not go back and finish?
The DNF Round Up is a round-up of the books, movies, and k dramas that I did not finish in the last little while. Sometimes it’ll be a list of all books, all movies, or all k dramas and sometimes it’ll be a mix of the three but if I didn’t finish it, it’ll be featured here. I need the reminder because I be forgetting a whole lot of shit and I’ll start dramas or books that I quit without even knowing. This is my effort in fixing that.
A gifted writer who’s the youngest editor-in-chief ever at his publishing company becomes enmeshed in the life of a former copywriter desperate for a job.
I came across this show while browsing Netflix. I was interested in it because so many people love them some Lee Jong Suk. I haven’t watched anything with him starring so I wasn’t sure what it was about him that made everyone fall so head over heels in love with him so I started this one, hoping that I’d figure it out.
After two episodes, nothing caught me and Lee Jong Suk’s character was annoying me, I wasn’t a fan of how the heroine kept getting kicked around (reminded me of a Susan Elizabeth Phillips book) so I quit it. I think it was more of a mood thing than anything else and I accidentally started watching Love Alarm at the same time so I actually finished that one and this one got left behind. I’m almost 90% sure that I’ll eventually work my way back to this one to finish it but…not right now. I will say that I was mighty intrigued by Lee Jung Suk and I understood his appeal after the episodes of this show that I watched, and that’s saying something since I was annoyed with his character the whole time I watched this show. LOL.
Cha Do-hyun, a businessman with dissociative identity disorder, tries to regain control over his life with the help of Oh Ri-jin, a first-year psychiatric resident who treats him in secret.
I went into this show hoping for some more Park Seo Jun. I love me some him and was all prepared to love him as a secondary character. But, the actual story being told here just didn’t interest me and there wasn’t enough Park Seo Jun in the show for me to continue. After about 6 episodes with not a whole lot of Park Seo Jun and still not being captured by the story, I called it quits. There are too many other shows that I’m interested in and this one didn’t do anything for me. So like Mya, I’ll be moving on…
A clumsy high-school girl – Oh Ha-ni – is at the bottom of her class, and she has had a crush on a popular genius, Baek Seung-Jo, ever since she first laid eyes on him.
This was one of my niece Meghan’s favorite shows when she was in high school so she urged me to watch it. I tried telling her that I’m not much of a fan of the older stuff, I’d much prefer to watch shows that have come out in the last couple of years, not in the last decade but she still wanted me to give it a go so I did…and I hated it. The male lead was a dick head, the female lead was a complete klutz for no reason and their whole dynamic left much to be desired. I’m too old to be watching immature kids being mean to each other when they really like each other. Miss me with those kinds of shenanigans. Poor Meghan, she was really hoping that I would share her love for this show and…that didn’t happen. I noped out of this show real quick. Sorry, Meg.
Will I Go Back and Finish It?
Nope
Have you DNF’d anything lately? Share your recent DNF’s in the comments so I know what to stay away from!
