With all the reviews and Pure Pretty that’s been flooding the blog lately, I realize it’s been a while (gasp! More than 3 months!) since my last k-love confession post (Mmmm.. Kim Soo Hyun!).
And since I did promise that this year I’d be introducing y’all to more of my, uh.. smaller? lesser? medium-sized? milder? (argh. I can’t decide which word works best. You guys know what I mean, right?) k-loves, I thought it fitting that I introduce you guys to Lee Jong Suk, whom I’ve got a big soft spot for.
My affection for Lee Jong Suk is slightly more dongsaeng-esque than all of my other featured k-loves so far, but I do sincerely think he’s pretty special, and special deserves a little bit of the loving spotlight, dontcha think?
Come appreciate this boy-man with me, y’all.
이바디 (Ibadi) – Hello Hollow (헬로할로)
Technical Beginnings
I’m gonna hafta admit that the first two times that Lee Jong Suk actually graced my screen, I paid him practically no attention whatsoever. Oopsie.
Prosecutor Princess
The first time that happened was in early 2010.
I was completely smitten with Park Shi Hoo at the time and watched Prosecutor Princess solely for him. Twice. This, despite the fact that I didn’t think it was that great a drama, and that I found the OST much too in-yo-face and quite grating on the ears. Yessir, I had some major Park Shi Hoo fangirl love goin’ on.
Which is why I did a double take when I belatedly realized that Lee Jong Suk had been in this show. I was all, What? Really? Where??
The evidence speaks for itself, however, and I cannot deny that Lee Jong Suk was indeed in Prosecutor Princess, and that despite the fact that I had seen the show twice in its entirety, I hadn’t taken notice of him. At all. Eep.
I plead Temporary Park Shi Hoo Insanity. Plus, Han Jung Soo was cute too.
Secret Garden
The second time I basically ignored Lee Jong Suk on my screen was in late 2010.
I was watching Secret Garden, and the whole Hyun-Bin-is-hawt effect had me completely and effectively unable to pay proper attention to anything and anyone else on my screen. That I managed to register that Yoon Sang Hyun was hilarious as Oska was a feat unto itself, really.
But, again, the evidence speaks for itself. Lee Jong Suk was indeed, in fact, in Secret Garden.
In my defense, it was a pretty minor supporting role. I do concede, though, that he was suitably angsty and totally looked the part of a broody, talented muso.
See? I actually noticed Jong Suk this time. Sorta.
Attention, Grabbed: School 2013
Ahhh.. School 2013. This is where Lee Jong Suk got my attention good and proper. I loved his portrayal of Go Nam Soon, so much.
Just looking at him here gives me the feels, all over again:
Lee Jong Suk played Nam Soon with such quiet sensitivity, managing to convey so much, even when his character said so little.
Jong Suk made Nam Soon the everyman’s hero, doing his best to live well, while working hard to make up for regrets tied to the past; putting himself out there to protect others; willing to throw everything away for what mattered most to him. All while looking like he was just quietly trying to shuffle through life while blending into the background.
How could I not like such an earnest, quiet boy-hero??
Of course, I was most blown away by the bromance between Nam Soon and Heung Soo (played pretty much to perfection by Kim Woo Bin).
I was completely invested in the bromantic arc of the show, and was thoroughly addicted to their story. I just couldn’t get enough of these two together.
How cute are they as a pair, right??!?
After the show’s final credits rolled, I was in unexpectedly serious Heung-Soon withdrawal, and went on to explore interviews and BTS clips of these 2 adorable boys together.
I was tickled pink by the knowledge that these 2 had become besties while filming School 2013, and I just loved watching them banter with each other in joint interviews. I eagerly lapped up all the bromantic goodness I could lay my hands on; interviews, variety appearances, BTS clips – I inhaled every tidbit that crossed my path.
As many of you know, that resulted in me walking away with an unplanned, humongous fangirl obse-, er, love for Kim Woo Bin, heh. Which put me firmly in Woobie-biased territory.
I did come away from all this with a big soft spot for Jong Suk, though. Coz of how wonderfully he portrayed Nam Soon. And coz, well, how could I not love Woobie’s bestie, right??
Swooned Out: I Hear Your Voice
With my soft spot for Jong Suk firmly in place, I just couldn’t not watch I Hear Your Voice when it came out later that year.
I was still very much in like with Nam Soon, and welcomed another chance to have Lee Jong Suk on my screen. Happily for me, I Hear Your Voice turned out to be a pretty cracky watch.
Another happy discovery? The fact that when Lee Jong Suk’s Soo Ha smiled, I felt like my screen was literally exploding with rainbows and unicorns.
Eeee! How cute is he, right? I just wanted to ruffle his hair and squish him and put him in my pocket. If my pocket could fit all 6’1 (1.86m) of him, that is.
I loved how Jong Suk played Soo Ha. With all-in intensity and vulnerability, wearing his heart on his sleeve.
I was very impressed with Lee Jong Suk and the way he handled difficult scenes. He was fully immersed in his character, and it showed.
Even more than that, I loved – like, really, really LOVED – Lee Jong Suk’s smitten faces.
Eeeeeee!!! And! Swoooonn.
I have a thing for smitten faces, and my top pick for Most Melty Smitten Face is Gong Yoo in Coffee Prince. Seriously, though, while watching Soo Ha going all melty over Hye Sung (Lee Bo Young), I squee-ed out loud and I felt like Soo Ha was giving Choi Han Gyul a serious run for his money. Which, for me, is a pretty huge deal.
Besides going melty over Soo Ha’s lovely smitten faces, I also happily discovered Lee Jong Suk’s sexy side.
I mean, when he delivered this kiss, I swooned. And of course, pressed replay about 5 or 12 times:
Rawr.
Nuthin’ boyish about that kiss; that was all man.
At the same time, my eyes happily discovered Lee Jong Suk’s shoulders, which looked very strong and manly all of a sudden:
Mmmm. Yum.
Suddenly, with just this one drama, Lee Jong Suk firmly graduated in my mind, from sweet school-boy to swoony man-boy. A very significant transition indeed.
Thank you, Show.
Discovering Awesome: Interviews & Variety
I hafta admit, at first, I wasn’t really all that interested or motivated to check out Lee Jong Suk’s interviews and variety appearances. I mean, I enjoyed all the joint stuff I’d seen him do with Woobie, but with my Woobie passion – and hunger! – burning strong, I just didn’t have the bandwidth to check out more of Jong Suk’s stuff. After all, a fangirl with limited time has to prioritize, y’know 😉
But an intriguing comment by blog reader Asmi changed all that.
Here’s an excerpt of what Asmi said:
“I think I might actually legitimately have fallen in love with LJS. His real life personality doesn’t help either. Awkward, dorky, surprisingly candid, and often saying the “wrong” thing (as opposed to pulling from the set of “right” answers your PR manager hands you) and making interviewers uncomfortable, he’s just such a lovable piece of shit. But my favorite thing about him is definitely his passion for acting. Have you read any of his interviews? It’s both so beautiful and tragic when he talks about what acting means to him. Ahhh, this boy, he makes my heart hurt.”
My interest was piqued. Beautiful and tragic? Whatever did that mean?
I promptly delved into some Lee Jong Suk interviews, and I really liked what I found.
I really love when an actor can speak candidly in interviews and be interesting, instead of dishing out pre-manufactured politically correct textbook answers. And Lee Jong Suk does just that. He’s candidly thoughtful and interesting, and that’s rather similar to bestie Kim Woo Bin. Except Lee Jong Suk is a lot less measured, and has a propensity for stream-of-consciousness type answers, which basically results in him awkwardly and adorably putting his foot in his mouth. On a regular basis. GOLD.
While I can totally imagine Jong Suk’s management facepalming and headdesking their way through any of his interviews because of his tendency to say politically incorrect things, I feel that it is precisely this quality about him that endears him to his fans.
With Jong Suk, you never feel like you’re getting a polished-up, edited version of the truth. Instead, you always feel like he’s telling it like it is. Unfiltered and unadulterated. Just pure Jong Suk; unpolished, raw, transparent. And that’s pretty great.
I love that in Jong Suk’s stream of consciousness answers and musings, you never see an ounce of self-pride in his words. He’s always humble, giving others credit instead of basking in his own. And he’s always striving to do better, consistently looking at how he could’ve done better, rather than basking in what he did right. Such a purist, and so dedicated to his craft. Which is a quality that I really respect. I believe that it’s this very hunger to do better that will propel him to great heights.
Interviews:
Here are a couple of interviews that I enjoyed reading.
1. High Cut, August 2013: here
2. Ceci, October 2013: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3
3. Yes! Magazine, April 2014: here
4. kdramastars.com, April 2014, where he talks about looks, dating and his new drama Doctor Stranger: here
Here’re a couple of snippets from the kdramastars interview:
About Park Hae Jin, his co-star in Doctor Stranger: “I was awed by his good looks and taste in fashion… Watching the recordings for each scene made me realize that Park Hae Jin was way too good looking. It made me feel inferior.”
About his ideal woman: “I am attracted to women I can learn from… I want a woman I will lose to and who moves my heart.” Thud. So, so sweet! ❤
And he’s such a purist, losing weight for his role in Doctor Stranger because he felt it made sense for someone who grew up in North Korea. Respect.
Variety:
Aside from the Running Man episode where Jong Suk appeared with Woobie (episode 138), I hadn’t actually seen him in any other variety show.
Thanks to Asmi clueing me in, I decided to check out Lee Jong Suk’s Hwasin appearance with his I Hear Your Voice co-stars.
Despite the fact that he didn’t enjoy as much screentime as his co-stars, Jong Suk was completely endearing whenever we did get to see him, adorably sweating buckets whenever the focus was turned on him.
Jong Suk was super cute and so, so likable in his unique, slightly awkward, slightly gawky, completely honest and completely forthright way.
Like how he talked about not wanting to dress up or act cute while co-hosting with IU, yet couldn’t stop the gig coz “they” had decided amongst themselves. OMG, so politically incorrect, yet you can’t help but love him for being so upfront and honest. Gotta love how he bucks trends and rules left, right and center, without actually even trying to be a rebel!
I hafta say, even though the bits with Lee Bo Young and Yoon Sang Hyun were amusing too, I wanted more of Lee Jong Suk. More adorable, slightly clueless, blushing-like-crazy, sweaty-like-crazy Lee Jong Suk, with that super fresh, I-don’t-quite-know-whether-what-I’m-saying-is-gonna-get-me-in-trouble-but-oops-too-late-I-already-said-it quality about him.
A-dor-able. Seriously. ❤
To watch the Hwasin episode, you can check out this page.
Movie Moment: No Breathing
About a month or so ago, I watched No Breathing, mostly for Lee Jong Suk and Seo In Guk (of whom I am also pretty fond), and I thought they were both excellent in it.
It’s not a very complicated movie at all, but I just loved the heartwarming simplicity of it. And unlike so many k-movies that feel like a let-down at the end, this one ended on a great note, with enough closure to make me happy, and enough open-endedness to make one hopeful. I loved it.
As a bonus, we got lots and lots of shirtless eye candy, and Lee Jong Suk participated with gusto.
Not bad at all, particularly for someone so lean and lanky, right?
The Lee Jong Suk Paradox
Through all of this, I’ve come to a realization about Lee Jong Suk. He has extremely different facets to him, which can be like night and day. And yet, it’s all him.
Like, on the one hand, he is quirky and cute, like a little boy next door who just happens to be all gawky limbs and adorkable smiles.
You just wanna scrunch him when he’s like that.
And then on the other hand, he’s got this amazingly sensuous side to him that is downright uber sexy.
Rawr.
You can’t help but gulp a little and swoon at this version of him, right?
Can’t get enough? Here’s a little more Sensuous Jong Suk for ya, from his shoot for W Korea:
Faint. He can be so hawt.
I think that’s a really special quality about Jong Suk, that he’s got such diverse aspects to himself. He’s not pretending to be quirky cute. Nor is he pretending to be sensuously sexy. He’s, quite simply, both. And I dig that.
Visual Treats of the Lee Jong Suk Variety
..And I use the word variety on purpose.
Maybe it’s coz he started out as a model. And maybe it’s also coz he’s got such diversity to his personality. Lee Jong Suk’s quite the chameleon when it comes to photoshoots, as we see in this section.
Boyish Cute:
Since that was my first impression of Lee Jong Suk, I thought we’d start here. With the boyish charm that just radiates from him and makes me look at him like he’s my cute little brother.
Broody:
On a very different note, Jong Suk does pensive and broody very well too. So very different from his cute boyish side, right? It’s like he’s got an internal switch, almost. Boyish, off. Broody, on.
Cheeky:
Quite different from the broody, and also distinct from the boyish, here’s Cheeky Jong Suk. You can totally see the glint of naughty in his eyes.
Ethereal:
Again on a completely different note, here’s Ethereal Jong Suk. When he’s in this space, he’s often shown as rather delicate, quite androgynous, and very, very pretty. He almost looks unreal.
Geeky Cute:
I love these nerdy glasses on Jong Suk. He totally looks the part of the adorable geek. And it’s totally in character too, since one of his favorite things to do when he’s not working is to stay at home, watch TV, and see if he can act along with what he sees on his screen.
So cute. So dedicated. So nerdy. Love.
Quirky:
Perhaps because Jong Suk does come across as rather quirky in interviews, he has a good number of photoshoots where the main concept is of the unconventional and offbeat variety. Here’s a small sampling of Quirky Jong Suk.
Smoldery:
How is Smoldery Jong Suk different from Broody Jong Suk? He’s fiercer, is what.
I really love the intensity in Jong Suk’s eyes in this section. Such a strong, piercing gaze. Spellbinding.
Sensuous:
Whether it’s a full-body shot or just a close-up of his face, Jong Suk is able to communicate a highly sensuous vibe.
I think it’s his eyes and lips. So luscious, so seductive and so alluring.
Shirtless:
When Jong Suk combines his sensuousness with shirtlessness, you get a dreamy kind of sexy that feels almost unreal. Sure, he’s not as built or as ripped as a lot of the other k-men gracing our screens, but that sensuous quality makes up for a lot.
Plus, Jong Suk recently unveiled new abs that really look quite delicious.
And that back. Umph. I don’t quite know why, but I find that shot of his bare back very alluring indeed.
Candid:
With such a chameleon behind it all, it’s no wonder that the candid shots of Jong Suk are eclectic and varied as well. He’s alternately thoughtful and cheerful; sleepy and bright; childlike and cool. So many different facets to just one person.
With Woobie:
I just love that Jong Suk’s besties with Woobie, seriously.
They’re both thoughtfully candid, and full of substance, so I can totally imagine them hanging out and having deep philosophical conversations with each other, amid the kidding and horsing around.
I remember Woobie was asked if he felt jealous of Jong Suk when IHYV was on and sweeping the ratings, while he didn’t have a project on the air. Woobie answered that no, he didn’t feel jealous at all, and in fact, he is happy when Jong Suk’s projects do well. AW!!! How sweet is that?? ❤ I LOVE that about their friendship, that they cheer each other on, and are happy for each other when the other is doing well.
There’s a distinct purity in their affection for each other, untainted by jealousy, envy or a need to compete. It also shows a sense of self-assuredness in both of them. They both know that they each have a unique place in the collective consciousness of the k-ent industry, and there’s really no need to try to outshine each other.
I love, love, love seeing them hang out together, at work and at play. ❤
Snuggly Cuddly:
Amid all the different facets of Jong Suk that we get to see, I think the one that comes first and foremost to my mind, is Jong Suk all snuggly cuddly. He’s got a lovely soft quality about him that makes me think he’d be lovely and warm to cozy up to. Y’know, just for his stream-of-consciousness sharing and bashful chuckles.
All in all, Lee Jong Suk’s a pretty special kinda guy, isn’t he?
I love that he’s interesting, and talented, and different. I love that raw, transparent quality about him. I love how dedicated he is to his craft. And that’s why I’ve got such a soft spot for him.
Keep on being awesome, Jong Suk-sshi. You don’t have to be like everyone else. You’re pretty awesome just the way you are.
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Best. Post. Ever. ❤️I have been irrevocably in love with Lee Jong Suk ever since I saw him in W-Two Worlds Apart! He was so good as Kang Chul! He brought Chul alive! Literally. And now I am almost afraid to see his other shows. It may change the way that I view him. Make me fall even more in love with him! Also, he’s away on his military duty right now. I miss him! It’s weird to actually miss him when I have seen only one show and I still have his other shows to keep me busy. I also started following him on Instagram. Kudos to you for all these beautiful pictures and links to videos starring him! 💯 💖 Could you also mention that one video where he dances!!! He got moves! Some people criticize his manner of dancing but I was FLOORED! And I read that he danced for his fans!! How sweet is that? 💝 I also discovered his friendship with Kim Woo-bin just yesterday! They definitely seem like goals!
Thanks for enjoying this post, anu! 😀 I personally preferred the first part of W to the later episodes.. to that end, I actually have preferred some of LJS’s other roles to Kang Chul. So I hope that you’ll find those other shows a nice way to keep enjoying LJS while he’s in the military. The ones I loved are: Romance is a Bonus Book, Pinocchio, I Hear Your Voice and School 2013. His chemistry with KWB in School 2013 is so fantastic that it’s better than some romantic OTPs! 😀
I did begin watching “Romance is a bonus book” and he is as always flawless in it! I will share my feedback with you! I am looking forward to watching ‘School 2013’ as I have heard a lot about it and it has LSJ AND KIM WOO BIN 😍😍 WHAT’S NOT TO LIKE??
YAY that you’re loving Bonus Book! 😀 I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I loved that one. <3 And oh my, I do think you're going to enjoy School 2013; Lee Jong Suk and Kim Woo Bin have FANTASTIC chemistry, and together, they get a lot of excellent screen time. They had my whole heart, seriously. <3
School 2013 is on my list! I will definitely let you know when I finish it!! Currently, I am struggling to finish ‘Hwarang’!
Oh dear, all the best with Hwarang – I could not get myself to the finish line, with that one! 😝
I am struggling myself and have taken a break.
Lol! Can’t say I blame ya! 😆
I am going to finish though, as I have only 4 episodes left and I have made this long journey. The “When” part is a little unclear. 🙈
😆😆 I guess the last 4 episodes have made it onto your “Someday” list!
Oh yaaaaaaaaaaaa 🙈🙈🙈🙈
I looooved your post!!!!!!!!! Its been years since you posted this but I am currently watching “Romance is a bonus book” and stumbled onto this gem of a post!! I like the show so far and LJS never disappoints but I am having serious LJS withdrawals. He is officially leaving for the military in a few days and I can’t imagine 2 years without an LJS drama or movie :(((( thank youuuu for this wonderful post and the video made me *squeal* out loud!!
Aw, thanks for enjoying this post, NK! 😀 I’m currently watching Romance is a Bonus Book as well, and enjoying it a lot! I didn’t love LJS’s previous projects W or While You Were Sleeping, so this has been a lovely surprise. <3 As for him going to the military.. I guess we will cope with rewatches – SO glad that we have that option! 😉
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I know you published this ages ago but AHH. Like you, I really didn’t pay much attention to him. In the past I had only seen him in supporting roles and I didn’t really find him particularly attractive? I think at the time I felt like his face was too perfect in all the strangest ways so I never paid too much attention to him–but the more I looked at him the handsomer he got HAHA.
AND I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU. Lee Jong Suk is one of the few people I’ve seen that has a smile that just brightens up the entire room.
Also all of those pictures you added in this post, man you’re really trying to shoot down all the LJS fans!
Yay that you enjoyed this post, Christine! 😀 I giggled at how your journey of Lee Jong Suk was so similar to mine! How funny, that you started out basically ignoring him too! 😂 But YES, his smile does so light up the screen. <3 As for the pictures in the post.. I hope you were happily shot down, heh. 😆😍
Reblogged this on mamabatesmotel.
First off, I’m a new Kdrama convert. I’ve only just started watching about a month ago and I am hopelessly, helplessly, irretrievably hooked. I watched Seven First Kisses (mostly because of Lee Joon Gi) and got intrigued by Lee Jong Suk that I decided to watch Pinocchio.
My god. Love at first (or should I say second sight). So I googled him and that’s how I got here. I know this page is a few years old already, but who cares??? I thought I’ve seen a lot of LJS already but absolutely nothing has prepared me for that video for W magazine. What is that?! No seriously. What. The. Hell. Is. that. I really shouldn’t say this as I am happily married but Jesus. That arched back (that makes me wish I was underneath him, running my nails across it mmmmm), the way he closed his eyes while on that chair with soju in his hand. Yummmyyyy. And I dont even smoke but the way those lips just freakin cradled the cigarette makes me want to to kiss him and suck all the smoke out and blow it out for myself.
Heaven help me!!!
Awesome write up!!!!
Omg Mia I know what u mean and I can’t help replying to ur comment. I’m fairly new to kdramas as well but not as new as u and I never really liked ljs. But due to a friend’s constant prodding for me to watch I hear ur voice, I gave in and found myself liking ljs a lot.so much that I also watched ponocchio and w.both were good and I liked ljs even more. That’s how I ended up here..I liked his cute and sometimes sexy face and I keep replaying his kiss scenes because he’s just so melty..but boy!!nothing prepared me for that w video! I was like what the f?!! I just burst out in a puddle of sweat dizzy with heat lost all my senses (well not all if u know what I mean hehee) and woke up to find myself drowning in my own drool! And my first coherent thought was I’m saving that video! Thank u so much kfangirl for this video..I’m totally ljs sold!
Tee hee! Glad you ladies like the video – I’m always pleased to point towards swoon, heh. 😉
Tee hee. Your comment made me giggle, Mia! Lee Jong Suk really is quite special, isn’t he? He can be so cutely innocent, and yet so sensuous, all at the same time. If you haven’t seen I Hear Your Voice, I do think you’d like it! Lee Jong Suk is the determined swoony half of a noona romance, and even gets to deliver quite the delicious kiss too. 😉
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Thanks so muchhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh for this post <3
I don't usually like any actor or actress, very very few until now (even Woo Bin can't make me feel like this).
So far, never read any fan pages and comment ever!!!!
I hardly like k-actors' looks, but his acting has started everything in me…
I fell for LJS in IHYV – then re-watch this drama and his other dramas many times.
Still can't believe it now that I'm writing a comment about an actor…
Apparently he's the only one actor that I ever left a comment for…
I think I must like him a lot that I can even re-watch Doctor Stranger hahaha (it's really bad, and I even love the second lead more, but I still love to see him again and again).
Sometimes I hate myself for liking an actor this much, I'm not like this…
Again, thank you for this post 🙂 and all the comments too 🙂
Glad you enjoyed this post, Joey! And I must say, I’m very impressed that you watched all of Doctor Stranger twice, for the love of Lee Jong Suk! That IS dedication indeed! 😂 I dipped my toes into that show, but didn’t make it past E1, I must admit! This proves that you are a much more dedicated and passionate LJS fan than I am! 😉 I’m sure you’re looking forward to his new drama this year – I hope it’s good, for his sake and ours!
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I just wanted to share that you write such fun tributes to people! I just recently became an LJS fan last year after watching School 2013 (I’m new to kdramas!). After his fantastic performance (and the bromance! The bromance!), I went through all of his dramas in quick succession. Even Doctor Stranger… which was immensely frustrating in the second half for plot reasons, and immensely frustrating in the first half for I-didn’t-know-you-were-sexy-too-how-dare-you-with-your-face reasons.
This is a really lovely tribute to him. I feel like you’re squeeing right alongside me as I read. ^_^
Are you watching W? I just started watching it (live-watching for the first time! Aaah!), and I’m so impressed with how much he’s grown since Pinocchio. He’s always been a good actor, but the subtlety and complexity he brings to Kang Chul is miles beyond even the best stuff he was giving us as Dal Po/Ha Myeong (who broke my heart twelve million times). I’m amazed.
What really breaks my heart about him is his relationship with his father. It surprised me that he’s publicly acknowledged how afraid he is of his dad — but of course he has, because he’s so bluntly honest in his interviews.
Knowing that puts everything in a new light for me. Sometimes I read him talking about his insecurities, how disillusioned he is with his own looks, talent, and successes, and I wonder if how much of that criticism is on repeat in his head, in his father’s voice.
I wonder if that’s why he’s subconsciously drawn to playing orphan characters, or characters with contestuous relationship with their dads (based off the movies he’s done).
…BUT ALSO HE’S REALLY PRETTY. Let’s not forget the important stuff, here. 😉
Aw, thanks Sun!! I’m so pleased that you enjoyed this post – I myself couldn’t help squeeing as I put this one together, hee! 😂
To answer your question, yes, I’m watching W and enjoying it very well so far! I feel like Lee Jong Suk is delivering a solid performance as Kang Chul, though I’m not sure that I see the same growth that you see. 😛 Lemme keep my eyes peeled as I watch this week’s eps (I haven’t gotten caught up yet), and hopefully I’ll see the light! That said, I am thoroughly enjoying him in this, and I feel like he was perfectly cast.
I definitely agree that reading & watching his interviews gives a much richer context to understanding who he is and what he’s about. I love his honesty and forthrightness in interviews, even if it probably makes his manager want to tear his hair out! 😂 You make an intriguing point; it’s very possible that he’s this hard on himself because his dad was that hard on him too. Aw. Poor baby. Makes me want to hug him and tell him it’ll be ok. (The fact that he’s so pretty is totally bonus, of course! 😅)
Haha, it may just be a matter of personal preference regarding his acting in W. I’m a huge fan of acting that feels so natural it feels like I’m intruding on a real person, which is difficult to find sometimes within the heightened world of kdramas. (Ji Chang Wook in Healer was SO my jam in this department.) So I’m getting a huge kick out of Kang Chul. 😀
What I’ve been impressed with so far is that the script doesn’t really tell us too much about KC’s internal feelings, or his relationship with the world around him (Does he feel anything for SoHee? What does he think about Yeon Joo? How close is he to Broadcasting Ajusshi? HOW was he traumatized?). It gives us hints, but it never outright tells us — it’s all subtext. And that subtext owes a lot to Jongsuk’s performance.
I love that I can tell how lonely he is and how difficult it is for him to trust others, without the script having to tell me outright. I love that I can tell the difference between Kang Chul the Manwha Character, and Kang Chul the Real Person. There’s a difference between when his charm is an act meant deflect others/get what he wants, and when it’s just a natural extension of his personality. And there’s a calculated devilishness underlying his broad grins, but something meloncholy about his sincere smiles (or bitter about his rueful ones). Also, I love that he internalizes his reactions so much, because it makes me believe he’s actually a genius who’s constantly processing the world around him.
I like that I can understand all that without one of the other characters telling me “It’s difficult to get to know the real Kang Chul. He went through a lot.” I know he’s been through a lot — that his experiences shaped him into the man he is today, that that man has learned to put up a mask to keep others from getting too close to him — and that’s all due to Jongsuk’s performance.
Episode Four is where he blew me away, though: I thought he played that existential crisis so well. I fully believed him. It felt voyeuristic watching him in that episode. It was intensely personal. 🙂
…..Aaaaand I’m going to stop talking, because that was a longer reply than I meant to write. XD 😅 Heh… whoops. I’m glad you’re enjoying W! (I’m waiting to pass judgement until I’ve seen the full thing, but there’ve been a few elements in the show that I thought were mishandled — I still enjoy it immensely, but the past few episodes haven’t grabbed me the first four eps did. Although the end of last episode got me excited.)
Thanks dear Sun – your detailed and enthusiastic sharing really did help to provide some insight and perspective on Lee Jong Suk’s performance in W. You’re very right that he provides all the subtext needed, without needing an exposition fairy to spell it out for us. I am currently behind on W eps, but am still watching. I still like the characters, but the twisty is, ironically, starting to bore me. 😛 I find myself not engaging as much in each narrative arc, because I feel like it won’t matter much coz Show’s going to turn everything on its head soon anyway. But, let’s see how it pans out as Show works towards its close. 😊
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oh my, where did you get all those cute, squee-compelling pictures in here? and to let you know, i wore my silliest, goofy grin even before reading this page. because just look at the title!
i really like him, really, as in.
thank you for sharing your wonderful thoughts to people like us who can totally relate.
Aw, YAY that this post brought on the goofy grins for ya – that’s definitely an indication of happiness AND satisfaction! ^^ I’m so pleased that you enjoyed this post, and the pictures. To answer your question, I got all of the pix off Google. Google is my friend. 😉
I have read this ages ago actually and so many times at that, but only though to comment now. I usually come back here to read your lovely description of him, since I like to to be reminded why I like the kid so much. Like you, it’s more of a dongsaeng love (but oh I drool at his manly pics haha). Its his acting in School 2013 that had me watching out for his upcoming dramas. He keeps on improving, . To say that he is a delight to watch is an understatement.
He is still slightly clueless, totally dorky and quirky and sexy at the same time. Though in recent interviews, I think he slightly, just slightly managed to become guarded and think through before giving his answers.
Anyway, thank you for posting this. I usually recommend this page to new Jong Suk fans. It’s a great read for those who’d like to know the man. 🙂
Aw, thanks for loving this post, and thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, Shine! 😀 It’s great to know that you enjoy the post so much, and that it’s helping to spread the Jong Suk love. Boy deserves the love, and it’s great to see him honing his craft from project to project! I thought he did great in Pinocchio, which I totally plan to review! 😛 I’m so behind with reviews, but I’ll get there, I promise! ^^
I, by some miracle, stumbled upon the drama Pinocchio a few days back. This is my first experience with Korean drama. I decided to do a little bit of research on my favorite actor from the show, leading me here. You, my friend, are a fantastic writer who had me cracking up and falling in love even more. Thank you!!
Oh! Welcome to the wonderful world of kdrama, Emily!! 😀
Also, thanks so much for your kind comments! I’m so pleased that you enjoyed this post for Lee Jong Suk – he really is pretty special. 🙂 If you’re anything like me, you’d probably be keen to check out his other projects. If that’s what you’re looking to do, may I suggest that you watch School 2013 before I Hear Your Voice.. It’s coz I Hear Your Voice is by the same writer as Pinocchio, and there is a similar sort of vibe to both shows. Plus, Lee Jong Suk is styled somewhat similarly in both shows, and therefore, it might end up feeling kind of confusing. He’s wonderful in School 2013, and that show has a different sort of vibe, which should make for a nice buffer between Pinocchio and I Hear Your Voice. 🙂
I was, actually, quite interested in other projects he was in. So much so, in fact, that by the time I saw this comment, I was on episode 17 of I Hear Your Voice. I think I may be a bit of a binge watcher. Oopsie? I think I will be able to keep them straight, though. XD I’ll just have to watch School 2013 later lol. Thank you
Wow, Emily, you move fast!! Kudos for making that much progress on IHYV, and so fast too! I loved that show, and thought Lee Jong Suk was wonderful in it. How are you enjoying it so far? And yes, do keep School 2013 on your list! I loved him in that too. He was endearing and heartbreaking all at once. And his scenes with Kim Woo Bin were amazing. Would love to hear your reaction to both shows when you’re done! 🙂
I loved I Hear Your Voice. I like how the shows I’ve seen so far have a lot of moral lessons in them. I decided to start Doctor Stranger yesterday, and I made the mistake of watching too many episodes at once. That show is very good, but it’s so dark I couldn’t take how sad it was for like six episodes in a row. I love how Jong Suk can play characters while still being himself and not completely someone else. 🙂 Have you seen Doctor Stranger?
I dipped my toes into Doctor Stranger only very briefly.. I think I watched just E1, but didn’t have the mood to continue. I’ve heard that it starts out pretty strong, but then goes a little crazy with the writing in the later episodes. Which is one of the reasons it’s not very high on my watch list, despite my affection for Lee Jong Suk. I might give it another shot sometime. Given how fast you moved with IHYV, I’m almost sure that you’ve finished Doctor Stranger by now! XD If you have, what’s your final verdict? And, are you moving on to School 2013? Coz I love that one! ^^
Sorry, I would have replied sooner, but the email notification got lost in all my incompetency with technology 😛 I finished Doctor Stranger a while ago by now. Like, a looong time ago. It’s really good once it gets started. In the beginning, it was so serious because of the setting, but I pushed through too see Lee Jong Suk. But once you get to the bulk of the story, in my opinion, it was so good! Jong Suk’s Park Hoon is so sassy with all this hidden angst and I love it. Not to mention, there are few men who can wear Harry Potter-esque glasses and have a perm and still look hot, but our LJS is certainly one of them. Back to the story of Doctor Stranger, the whole arc is intense due to the nature of the plotline, and while the ending was good, I felt that there was something missing from it. If you ever watch, you may know what I’m talking about. I would definitely recommend watching it, and I plan on watching again it in the future. It is a show that reveals a completely different person in Jong Suk, in my opinion.
The last show I finished watching was School 2013, which I really did like. I was really focused on the relationship between teachers Kang and Jung, though. I can’t be the only one frustrated that they didn’t get just a little bit of romance, right??? But the relationship between Woo Bin and Jong Suk was great. Before School 2013, I watched Heirs, half for Park Shin Hye and half because I was curious about why some people (cough cough you cough) were so in love with Woobie. So now I have a place in my heart for Lee Min Ho, too. And for both Min Ho’s and Woo Bin’s magical hair. I swear, these Korean boys are like angels.
OK. Sorry, I’ll try to stop fangirling.
The point is, I love all of these shows. So much better than things the US creates. If I gave my honest opinion, I liked Doctor Stranger more than School 2013 and would like for you to try it again. I’m planning on starting Personal Taste as my next endeavor, because Lee Min Ho’s part in the earlier episodes of this drama interests me. I also have no idea what else to watch. If you could help me with that, that would be great.
Sorry for practically writing you a book, but I can’t deny the need to get the feels out to people who don’t think I’m insane. I’m gonna go read your post on your definitely-not-an-obsession with Kim Woo Bin. I hope you reply quicker than I did, because you are basically my kdrama guide now. Thanks!
Aw, I’m glad you enjoyed Doctor Stranger so much, Emily! 🙂 I don’t know if I’d go back to it.. I wasn’t feeling it the one time I tried it, and on top of that, many of my dramaland friends were disappointed by it. Plus, there are so many other dramas on my list that I’m curious to check out, and dramaland just keeps churning out more! Still, I won’t say never. I recently went back to Jang Ok Jung, which I’d dropped early, and I zoomed through it, only focusing on the OTP arc, and ended up loving it. ^^
Actually, in S2013, the teachers were originally supposed to have a loveline. The writers dropped the idea about 3 eps into the show’s run. When I heard this news, I’d felt disappointed even though I hadn’t started watching the show. Upon watching the show, though, I felt it was a good decision. I felt like the show had themes that they wanted to focus on that were ultimately bigger than romance. The relationship between the teachers was a mutually healing one, and I felt like including romance on the plate would’ve muddied it. On hindsight, I actually prefer the show as it is, without the romance. But, I do think that in an imagined sequel, both teachers would’ve worked through their issues enough and gotten close enough for a loveline to credibly develop 🙂 At least, that’s how I think about it.
Personal Taste was just ok for me.. I didn’t love nor hate it, and LMH looked very handsome in it, AND delivered quite a memorable kiss. So I guess if you like LMH, and don’t have any issues with Sohn Yeh Jin, you should, at worst, find it quite harmless. 🙂 If you’d like to see LMH in something, you might want to consider City Hunter. That was one that I really did like, and I thought he delivered some difficult scenes very well.
As for what else to check out, wow. There are so many goodies you could check out, being a relatively new viewer. Have you tried You From Another Star? That was the Event Drama of 2014, and swept many of us off our feet. I’m also currently loving Healer, which is closing in on the end of its run in Korea.
For something light and fun, you might want to consider Marriage Not Dating &/or Witch’s Romance. For more romance and a touch more intensity, Queen In-hyun’s Man, The King 2 Hearts and Arang and the Magistrate are great. Sungkyunkwan Scandal is wonderfully fun as an easy entry to sageuk (period shows). A fantastic classic is Coffee Prince, and another slightly older drama that I really like is My Girlfriend is a Gumiho. I’m mostly listing dramas centering around romance. There are others that I love, but which lean less romantic. Let me know if you’d like recommendations along those lines too!
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Unni… I enjoyed this very much. Thanksss
Glad you enjoyed this post, Nia! Lee Jong Suk is pretty special, isn’t he? 🙂
Okay. I’m not into Korean Drama for such a long time to judge but I heard there are years with and years without. 2013 was definitely a without one for me since there are only two dramas I found engaging that year : ” Two weeks” and “I hear your voice”. So of course I couldn’t but notice Lee Jong Suk. But even if that year were full of great dramas, I would not have forgotten him because this guy is the epitome of weird. Physically I mean and, don’t throw stones at me, not in a good way. His face basically screams “unnatural !” , those knife-cut eyes, narrow nose, vampire-like complexion and huge lips of him… Brrrr. Plus he is way too skinny for my taste. When I read he lost weight for his new drama I wonder which bones exactly he took off because, I mean, the guy is fat-free. But from skinny he did become scrawny and that’s so unfair for all of us girls who are taking 5kg only looking at a cookie….
So words like “sexy”, “handsome” or “hot” are the last ones coming to my mind to describe him BUT I do find him extremely endearing nonetheless. The quality of IHYV has certainly a lot to do with that. And he is a good kisser. Those huge lips moving around his partner’s in” Doctor Stranger” are also something to see. Just normal kisses happen to be so scarce in KDrama so when you encounter a great kisser who never fail how can you not dig him/her ????
Oh, asotss, you really made me giggle with your comment! Especially your remark about his lips and being a good kisser! XD
Most of the time, Jong Suk falls into endearing territory for me too. But when he turns on the romantic vibes like he did in IHYV, I hafta admit that I do swoon a little. And those shoulders, they’ve become so strong and broad and quite delicious. I may be busy swooning a lot more over Woobie (& now Park Seo Joon too!), but I do still have room in my fangirl heart to cast an approving eye on Lee Jong Suk 😉
I am speechless (which is a state I am not in very often) with how thorough this post is. I mean I was blown away by your reviews but figured this would just be a couple of photos of eye candy and some pithy observations and it is anything but that. I laughed my ass off at the beginning of this post because I had NO idea that he was in Prosecutor Princess which I had watched because of my love of Kim So-Yeon but fell for Park Si-hoo. I too watched it twice (even though it is not a great drama) but I loved it and I NEVER put it together that he was in that until the photo above. But I DID notice him in Secret Garden and felt he had something. I loved that is character was gay and I loved his relationship with Oskar. I did not see School 2013. Which is strange because I love Daniel Choi. I think it has to do with my dislike of how horrific school life is portrayed in Korean Dramas in general. I just can’t stomach them. Although I am close to watching it because I love both him and Woo Bin and I always like a good bromance. But this boy (and yes! he is a boy to me – a yummy off limits boy) won my heart so completely in ICHYV that I will always love him but i guess not enough to sit through yet another medical drama – sigh!
Tee hee. What an honor, that I managed to render you speechless for a bit! XD The k-love posts tend to be more robust. I recently started a new series called Pure Pretty, where it’s more about the photos and I have less to say. You can check those posts out here if you’re in the mood for light fangirling that doesn’t require much brain engagement! XD
Omo. Amy, I know you don’t really love high school dramas, but I really recommend School 2013! I watched it twice, and on my 2nd watch, I was pleasantly surprised by how well-written the show is. I realized that quite a bit of thought had gone into character arcs and how they intersected. Very nice. Of course, THE big draw of School 2013 is the Jong Suk-Woobie bromance, and OMG, it’s SO GOOD. More engaging and cracky than many a romantic loveline, seriously. I could watch a hundred episodes of those boys together, seriously.
And yes, I LOVED, LOVED Jong Suk in I Hear Your Voice! He was pretty amazing as Soo Ha, and I was mesmerized. Not only by his swoony scenes and his very nice shoulders, but also his intense, full-on delivery. He just became Soo Ha for me, basically. ❤
Ah, Doctor Stranger. I’m not fond of medical dramas myself, but depending on what I hear about it, I might still give it a chance. After it’s done airing and proven that it didn’t tank too badly. XD
Doctor Stranger was good! I really love him as Park Hoon 🙂 He showed maturity in his acting and he really improves a lot compared to “I hear your voice” hehehe so you can try watching it! It’s been long since I’m here haha do you remember me? 😛
Of course I remember you! ^^ I’ve been hearing mixed reactions to Doctor Stranger, with many people being frustrated with the writing around the plot. Is that your experience too? It’s great to hear that Jong Suk is doing a good job tho – I already thought he was pretty excellent in IHYV, so to hear that he’s improved a lot in Doctor Stranger is good news indeed! 🙂
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Jong Sukkie oppa is so adorable! In everything I’ve watched him in, I love the sincerity that he brings to his roles. I’m so glad that you suggested I watch School 2013 earlier in the year! The cuteness from him and Woobie was well received from this girl. 🙂
I’m positive that I’ll enjoy seeing LJS grow into an even more established and accomplished actor.
You’ve totally hit the nail on the head, Muffin! Yes, Jong Suk does bring a great deal of sincerity to his roles. In each role that I’ve seen him in so far, he’s got this way of drawing you in to his character, and holding you there, as he bares his heart. SO GOOD. ❤
Yay that you enjoyed School 2013! It’s literally one of my favorite dramas of all time, largely because of Woobie and Jong Suk, but also coz it’s well written. Have you seen I Hear Your Voice, Muffin? Jong Suk is so swoony in there, I’m sure you’d enjoy watching him in that! And definitely yes, I do believe that Jong Suk is going to go far as an actor; he demands so much of himself and applies himself so intently on interpreting his characters. Love that quality about him ^^
I have seen IHYV and I really enjoyed it. I had a goofy grin throughout the entire drama. Park Soo Ha was such a nurturing person and Jong Suk gave life to that quality.
And I am certainly planning to marathon Doctor Stranger when it finishes.
IHYV is a pretty great watch, isn’t it?? Jong Suk as Soo Ha was just GOLD. I LUFFED him! ❤ He really has this great full-on vulnerability to his delivery which just grabs me.
I’m still on the fence about Doctor Stranger, thanks to all the mixed reactions I’m seeing. Kaiaraia mentioned rainbows and unicorns tho, in relation to Jong Suk. That might force me to check out this show, in the end 😉
I got under his spell not long ago – like two months and but I’m over the hill with him now. But I’ve seen him in Secret Garden long ago and noticed him. But nothing really more. Then after years I kept seeing his name in the news and knew that he is doing well. And after wathing some other dramas two months ago I remembered him and wanted to see something with him and I wathed – I heare your voice. Oh, my, I was totally sold. Then I frantically started to seach for every little piece where he was into. So then goes School 2013 – he touched me so many times there. When I was the prettiest – he acted so bold there. High Kick – I’m still not finished with it – only on ep.83 because I didn’t find subs for further eps. Procecutor Princess, I didn’t know that he would be there literally 10 minutes in total but oh well. The Face Reader, even though he was only playing minor role I liked the plot a lot. No Breathing was really not a great movie, generic, if not for LJS I wouldn’t even watch it in the first place. Return to Base – completely wasted my time – such a boring movie, don’t like Rain at all so it didn’t help also. As One – the plot was moving, LJS was good as expected. And the best I’m saving for the end – Hot Young Bloods – I absolutely love this movie – he was totally great playing village casanova – I recommended it to all people I know and everyone liked it! Shows – I watched his both appearences in Strong heart – loved this girls’ dance:) Unfortunately couldn’t find subbed Happy Together with him. Saw both appearences in Running Man – one with Woo Bin (sorry I don’t like him at all – School and White Christmas didn’t help) and without him the most recent one – while promoting Hot Young Blood. Saw him in Hwasin and read I guess majority of interviews as well as videos on runways.
So yep, I was waiting so bad for his new drama Doctor Stranger and should I say the obvious? I totally fell for the new character – Park Hoon – I’m enjoying every moment of the drama, especially with LJS ones.
Wow Ager, you do have major Lee Jong Suk love, seeing how you’ve seen all his stuff! 🙂 I loved IHYV and School 2013, and thought that he was amazing in both shows. I recently watched Hot Young Bloods too, and really liked it as well. I don’t generally do movie reviews, but I really had so many thoughts after watching Hot Young Bloods that I decided to write it a quick review. You can check it out here if you like ^^
In order to manage my drama time more effectively, I mostly check out dramas after they’re done. I definitely have Doctor Stranger on my watch list, and it’s great to know that you’re enjoying it! Fingers crossed that it stays good all the way to the end! Even if the story goes downhill, I’m confident that Jong Suk will put in a great performance, but I’m hopeful that the story will hold up too. 😉
..your blog site is raining men!….allelujah!!!..so this is where your dreamboy Woobie’s pal landed!….the boyish, flower boy looking Lee Jong Suk is your current k-love post….oh, oh and ohhhhhhhlalalalalala….awesomeness overload…i love all the high-def. photos of him plus extra special bonus are the photos of him with his bestie Woobie<3 i am sure all your visitors and that includes me are going to go crazy over your lovable and yummy post over the photos you posted they are all LOVELY!!..i love it so much….i have fun on the video too i have also a favorite video of him from Ceci…you have them on your still photos but i'd love to share the vid here it is…
Ooh, thanks for the vid, evez! 😀 That sensuous quality in Jong Suk totally comes out in this vid, where we get to see him in motion. Verryyy nice indeed 😉
Tee hee. I do love how happy you are that the blog’s raining men, my dear. Yay that you’re enjoying the posts! Also, I’m so tickled by the fact that while I try to keep the blog from being overly fangirly by not posting these Pure Pretty / k-love posts too often, that you ladies actually look forward to these posts and get excited when I do post them! Maybe I should just throw caution to the wind and let these posts loose whenever I feel like it? 😉 Lol.
I know exactly how you feel. This man-child is not just gorgeous, he’s also uber talented and comes off as such an awesomely candid character. I luff him. The bromance with Woo-bin is just cherry on top of an already glorious sundae.
Hee. He really is a man-child isn’t he? Even when I was all swooned-out watching him in IHYV, I still very much saw that sheen of innocent child about his swoony leading man. I do wonder how he will continue to evolve as he grows older and more mature.. because that man-child quality is so much of a part of him right now, it’s rather difficult to imagine him without it.
I do love how talented and dedicated he is, and I do genuinely enjoy watching him on my screen. And oh, that bromance with Woob! It’s one of my fangirl wishes, to see them reunite onscreen again, preferably still playing besties. Ahhhh, that would be so awesome!
I think I like in a similar way you do. I wouldn’t put him in my list of hotties tho, I can’t lust over someone I see as a little (well not so little) brother, but I think I would’ve a few years ago. I do like something about him. While he is not physically my type he does have this charm. And more importantly he is one of my favorite young actors. You mentioned his passion for acting. Oh there is nothing sexier than that to me and this passion of his shows. He has been choosing roles that appeal to me as well, like the one in I Hear your voice and now with only two eps of Dr Stranger I’m in love again. That drama started soooo good! Great post as usual kfangurl 🙂
Aw, thanks DF, I’m glad you enjoyed the post! 😀 Yes, he’s very dedicated and serious about his acting, and I do love that about him. I totally get what you mean when you say he’s physically not your type. He’s not my usual type either, but he’s definitely grown on me. He’s just got this way of putting himself in a role to the extent that his character just draws you in and then grips you by the heart. And when that is channeled into romantic arcs like the one he had in IHYV.. Thud. That, plus he’s beefing up in degrees, and I like where it’s going 😉 Those shoulders have gotten so broad and so strong. And those abs have been getting so.. chocolatey 😉 And that sensuous, sensuous vibe. YUM.
I don’t even know when I say “not my type” cause I don’t even have a type lol! My pattern is, I start liking a guy for “reasons” and then he turns into “my type”. LJS is certainly sexy. I just, you know? I think its the age thing mostly. But I do see why others would drool over him.
Oh, I know how that works, DF! 😀 I never thought Woobie was my type either. Until he snuck up on me and stole my heart, and now, he’s TOTALLY my type, Lol! XD
Ah what are you doing to my poor fangirl heart?!
Secret Garden was the first korean drama I ever watched, and Lee Jong Suk really stuck out to me. In fact, he was the first Korean actor whose name I learned.
I quite recently finished watching School 2013 and now I’m madly in love with both Lee Jong Suk and Kim Woo Bin (I started becoming very KWB biased during Heirs though). He’s just such a cutie! But he’s also sexy. And deep. And clever. And funny. Ah, he’s just the whole package! He and Woo Bin are both definitely among my absolute favorite k-actors.
Tee hee. I had no idea I was overwhelming your fangirl heart, Admin A! XD
I am totally Woobie-biased, of course. But I totally see the Lee Jong Suk appeal. He’s a complete cutie, and so very unique! I LUFF those boys together, and I wish they’d reunite on our screens sometime soon! I know, it’s not terribly likely to happen anytime soon, but a fangirl can dream, right? 😉
Thank you kfangurl! I just officially fell in love with LJS last week from watching Doctor Stranger so your post is making my heart flutter! Haha. Like you said, I love how he blushes, and his ears got all red during a sweet scene with his love interest, and it was so darn cute. He looks good in a suit too. Rawr! I think he’s my #2 after gong yoo now of course. 🙂
Hee, what great timing then! 😀 I haven’t checked out Doctor Stranger, but have heard generally positive buzz. I can totally imagine what you described though – Jong Suk blushing and being cute. And looking good in a suit! Those are things that he does do extremely well, lol 😉 Also! #2 after GY?? That’s a pretty big deal! ^^
I totally missed him in Prosecutor Princess as well but then I ff’d through most of it so I’m not surprised, LOL! I did notice him in Secret Garden though, his character’s crush on Oska was rather cute. 🙂 Yeah, like with everyone and their dog, it was School 2013 where I really took note. But then, I liked the whole young cast a lot and he was just one of them, albeit a bit more front and center.
I’m not as taken with the boy as many of his fans, he’s made pretty good progress since his debut as an actor but there’s ways go yet. Besides, as much as I like to oggle The Pretty Young Things, I’m much more partial to the ‘older’ actors. What they have going for them is something that only life lived and experience can give. Though there are exceptions, the young ‘uns rarely have that particular ‘aura’, which I find hella appealing btw. XD
Lol. I am totally not surprised by your take, Timescout! XD I know what you mean about the more mature actors.. The experience in their eyes is undeniably sexy. I like ’em too. I guess I just have wide-ranging taste..? XD
I can only imagine how these younger actors will improve as they get older and get more life experience under their belts. I already think some of them are pretty awesome, so having that leveled up just makes me excited ^^
Love it. LJS is another newly discovered k-entity for me. Like you a lightbulb flashed in my head recently – along the lines of “Ahhhh, THAT was Lee Jong Suk in Secret Garden?” Followed quickly by “You’re kidding.”
You’ve put into words that elusive quality he has. I would only add that despite the boyishness there is a streak of ambition a mile wide in that child. It comes out as being assured but also as being cocky sometimes, only because he is young. Give him 5 more years and this Ahjuhmma will be claiming Noona status on the LJS love train. 😀
Also, you do realize that you are doing besties in your love/pure pretty posts? SJS and SSH. Woobin and LJS. Which bromance next? Lee Seung Gi and Cha Seung Won? My k-ent knowledge doesn’t pull any other pair to mind, but I am sure you know of more!
Tee hee! I can just imagine that lightbulb moment for you! Coz mine was really similar with his appearance in Prosecutor Princess! XD
I hafta say, I haven’t yet come across the cocky moments with LJS.. Maybe I just happened to check out the interviews where that didn’t show up so much. But I can imagine how he might come across all wrong trying to express something, and inadvertently sound cocky. The vibe I get mostly, though, is that he’s pretty hard on himself, especially when it comes to acting. He was particularly regretful about his performance in Face Reader; he felt that he hadn’t done justice to the role. I do love that he sets high standards for himself and strives to do better 🙂
Oh, I totally hadn’t realized that I was creating a bestie pattern here! XD With Woobie and Jong Suk, I was aware. But both the SJS and SSH posts were a result of requests and informal voting. XD I don’t have any firm plans to cover more bestie pairs, though Lee Seung Gi and Cha Seung Won are definite contenders ^^ Maybe I should also cover Jo In Sung, since I’ve already got bestie Gong Yoo all over the blog 😉
Thank you is not enough to express how grateful I am with this post… 😉
Aw! You’re welcome ‘Eun! I’m glad you enjoyed the post! 😀 I take this to mean you really, really love Lee Jong Suk ^^
Lee Jong Suk, the Prince of Shoulder Porn. Love this guy.
HAHA! Prince of Shoulder Porn?!?? You really DO have a way with words! XD But I have to agree, those shoulders are extremely delicious. So broad, and so strong. YUM.
Yessssssss! Squeeeeeeeee!! Thank you hehe… Beautiful….
Gasp, thud. Most of these pics I have seen or pinned, but a few I hadn’t heeeee! He’s just really natural and expressive, and mostly unfiltered. Just a rare purity… Love flower boy-men, it’s totally my type. Been into kpop more recently, haven’t ogled him in months… Thanks for the well-written, organized happy post 😉
Aw, glad you enjoyed the post, lyricalpeach! 😀 I do remember that you’ve got a big soft spot for Jong Suk too! He really is very expressive, isn’t he?? He’s got the ability to make you feel like he’s got every emotion written on his face. Which is a pretty cool thing, for an actor 🙂 Plus, he is so pretty!
Needed a swoon-fest and popped by after finishing my comment on your Cunning Single Lady review 😉 teehee! I’ll vote again for you to put Doctor Stranger on your start-and-see-if-I-will-drop-later list – even now I’m thinking I could re-watch some of those focused-look surgery scenes (does that pique your interest?)
Ah I forgot medical dramas aren’t your thing… although the surgery scenes drag a bit there are some swoony moments among them and more before and after. Hm. First couple episodes should be OK although it takes quite some time for the connections to appear. Maybe just taste it. I think it loses flavor here and there, to be honest, but overlook those and it has a good bit of swoony. and a bit of cuteness thrown in here and there. Ok I’m going to look for something to watch LOL.
Lol. I love how you’re pushing Doctor Stranger at me, with multiple caveats thrown in at all times, lyricalpeach! XD That’s just hilarious! I wasn’t going to check it out at all, but I think now I will at least poke at the first couple of episodes just to see the unicorns and rainbows that people have been telling me about. The moment it gets weird, I’m planning to drop it like a hot potato, of course. My sanity and mental well-being is important to me, heh. 😉
Congrats on the 2! Thinking about Pure Pretty, I had to revisit my fave… Did you ever check out Doctor Stranger? I’m enjoying Pinocchio, it takes patience to watch live! Get past the premise and it is interesting… Are you waiting for it to finish first?
Hey there lyricalpeach! Thanks, 2 years is a milestone that crept up on me much faster than I expected! Do pop on by to the blogoversary post to enter the giveaway – we’ve already featured LJS, but I’m sure you can find some other lovely that you wouldn’t mind putting your name behind! 😉
I checked out only E1 of Dr. Stranger, and didn’t continue. On the upside, I’ve started on Pinocchio and I’m liking it a lot! It gives me IHYV vibes, which shouldn’t be surprising, given that it’s by the same writer. I’m also liking PSH a lot more than I expected to, so I’m generally feeling good about this one! ^^
Came back to revisit my fave Pure Pretty post, LOL 🙂 If you ever find you need more space and you have to remove this PP post please let me know so I can remember to download, I don’t think I have saved them all 😀 Plus you have them organized so neatly… I should just do a save whole page 🙂 if I have disk space. His official website has a music video from various photo shoots, in case you’re in the mood to ogle a bit 🙂 LOL! I was trying to find out if he’s filming anything new but haven’t found anything after Pinocchio except CFs and some fanmeetings.
Tee hee! I’m so pleased that you enjoy this post, lyricalpeach!! 😀 Don’t worry, I have no plans to take down this post, so you can safely ogle away! ^^
I haven’t seen any news of LJS taking on new projects, but I did see some breaking news today, of LJS allegedly dating Park Shin Hye. PSH’s agency came right out to deny it, but who knows, it could still be true. In which case, that might account for their excellent onscreen chemistry in Pinocchio 😉
Jong Sukie!!! *tries to squee silently as it’s the middle of the night*
I love how you have a gradation for your love! It totally makes sense, though. More than us with “Hubby, Not Quite Hubby but Still Mine, If He Asks Me Out I Won’t Say No” 😛
I haven’t seen Prosecutor Princess, so Secret Garden was the first time I’ve ever seen him. I *did* notice him but umm… I wasn’t really impressed. But like you, School 2013 came and my opinion completely changed. I still luff Nam Soon so so so much! I still remember one of the early moments in the drama, when he was reciting a poem to the kid who was being bullied…I think I cried buckets! And similarly to you, I was a goner after Voice *happy sigh*
I’ve meant to check out No Breathing, but it just somehow slipped out of my mind. Will look for it soon! I was looking forward that movie because of the cast, but also that it came from the team who did As One/Korea (Jong Suk is in it too!), and i loved that movie.
Thanks for the VIP reminder, unni! <3
HAHA. Yes I do have gradation for my love, even if I can’t find the right word to categorize it! XD
Oh my, YESSS. That scene where he read the poem had me blubbering in tears! He made Nam Soon so wonderfully vulnerable, yet so quietly heroic. LOVE. And then IHYV – I never expected to swoon over Jong Suk, especially since he was very much Nam Soon in my mind, but man. Soo Ha had me in a big melty puddle, almost all the way through the show! ❤
I haven’t seen As One – and I didn’t realize Jong Suk is in that too! I will have to look for that. But yes, definitely check out No Breathing! It’s a very good watch, even if you don’t count the Lee Jong Suk and Seo In Guk awesome ^^
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