It’s Gong Yoo’s birthday today, everyone!! And man, do I have the perfect present for him!

But first, some context.

Today’s post is actually inspired by resident sweetheart on the blog Evez. Yesterday, over in our Gong Yoo Squee Fest group on Facebook, Evez came up with the idea that we could each prepare a little something to post in the group today, in honor of Gong Yoo’s birthday. I thought it was a great idea and did a quick bit of photo-editing to prepare my little something to share with the group (I’ll tell you about that later).

And then, just an hour or so later, in another Facebook conversation, Evez happened to mention that she felt my posts have come a long way since I first started the blog, meaning, they’re now more robust than the shorter posts I used to do. (Aw. ❤ Didn’t I say Evez is a sweetheart?)

Well, that comment really got me thinking.

To be honest, I’d always felt a bit bad coz my k-love post for Gong Yoo is shorter and skimpier than my more recent k-love posts. And it’s not even coz I love him less, or think he’s any less awesome. I just posted about him first, simply coz he was my favorite. What injustice is this, right, that one of my favorites would end up with the skimpiest post? It just didn’t feel right. And it’s been niggling at me for quite a while now.

So then my brain put two and two together (or in this case, one and one, heh), and I hit on the idea of doing a proper, full-on post for Gong Yoo, in honor of his birthday. Wheee~!

Are you ready for your present, Gong Yoo-sshi? Coz I’m ready to make it allll up to ya.

이적 – 그땐 미처 알지 못했지

THE QUICK RECORD

Let the record show that despite my big Woobie love & my new-found Park Seo Joon fascination, that I still enjoy Gong Yoo very, very much.

It’s just that he’s so private that he’s almost a recluse. Which means his appearances at k-ent events are few and far between. Plus, he seems to be concentrating on making movies more than dramas, which means that we get to see him a lot less too. Boo.

I hafta say, though, that when I finally watched him in The Suspect (I liked it!), I was very impressed with his performance. (Read Lady G’s guest review of the movie here.)

And I’m pretty convinced that whenever he chooses to appear on my screen, in whatever role that moves his fancy, that I will be suitably blown away. Coz he’s just fabulous that way.

THE SUPERPOWER

Not too long ago, in a blog comment, blog regular Asotss pointed out that I seem to have a talent for digging up photos on the web. Other blog readers and blogging friends have also agreed that I seem to have a knack for finding photographic gems. And that’s how the Pure Pretty series on the blog was born. I decided that it was time to put that talent to work.

I affectionately refer to this talent as my superpower, heh. And yesterday, for the first time, I decided to put that superpower to work, with Gong Yoo as the focus.

So no, I didn’t just dig around in my existing stash of Gong Yoo photos. These are fresh off Google, and I’m happy to report that I found a number of gems that I’d never seen before. And that’s despite already having a rather hefty stash of photos in my Gong Yoo folder. Yes, it was a good day indeed. 😉

THE RESULTS OF THE RESEARCH

As I extracted photo after lovely photo from Google, I realized that Gong Yoo has so~ many facets to him. When I tried to categorize everything, I found myself repeatedly having to create new categories, in order to do him justice.

Here, I present the results of my research. I’ve included a nice number of photos from some of Gong Yoo’s recent photospreads, but I’ve opted to exclude some of the recent ones too, in favor of photos that seem rarer and therefore “fresher.” Only the best for you guys, y’know.

This is a serious whopper of a post, so I thought listing the categories ahead of time would be helpful. Y’know, so that you can gather your fangirl or fanboy fortitude together and pace yourself 😉

Categories

• Boy Next Door
• Cheeky
• Close-up
• Sweet
• Cozy
• Sweet & Adorable
• Dashing Barista
• Eat Drink Sexy Wholesome
• Musical
• Quirky
• Preppy
• Gritty
• Masculine Smolder
• Rugged Sexy
• Scruffy
• Tousled
• Thoughtful & Pensive
• Sporty
• Shirtless
• The Sharp Suit
• Varying Degrees of Vintage
• That Smile
• The Soft Gaze
• Candid

That’s a lot of categories, I know. So you’re going to need some time if you want to properly gaze.

If you’re a fangirl or fanboy collector, you might like to know that a good many of the photos are wallpaper-worthy. And I’m not talking about your mobile phone either. A number of these babies are large, high-def, beautiful, and very worthy of your desktop.

You’re welcome 😉

Boy Next Door:

I love these pix of Gong Yoo, all casual and relaxed. Whether he’s clean cut or a touch scruffy, he looks like he could totally be your friendly, handsome next door neighbor. Who happens to love dogs. (Eeee! I love dogs too! Might we have something in common?)

My favorite is the last pic. He looks so relaxed and so delicious. Like he’s just sittin’ there, waiting for you to show up for your casual, cozy date. Where he’ll take you for rides on that scooter while you backhug him riding pillion. Swoon.

Cheeky:

Gong Yoo’s got a distinct cheeky side, and these pix totally show it off.

Whether he’s scrunching up his face playfully, or has just a hint of mischief in his eyes, the cheeky is all there. Adorable.

My favorite is the second to last pic, where he’s pointing a finger gun at the camera. How does he manage to look tender and playful at the same time?? So swoony.

Close-up:

Whether it’s in profile or full face shots, these close-ups of Gong Yoo show off his very handsome features.

I love the second pic, he has such a cozy look about him. Mmm.

Sweet:

It’s funny that all the pix I shortlisted for this section feature Gong Yoo carrying various bouquets of flowers, ha. I’m so sure that he doesn’t only look sweet when bearing flowers, but I can’t deny that he looks extra sweet with ’em. Makes me feel like he’s giving me flowers.

Like in that second to last pic. He totally looks like he’s my boyfriend, here to pick me up for a date. Love.

Cozy:

One of my favorite kinds of Gong Yoo pix is where he looks all cozy. Whether he’s literally lounging in bed (oh yum) or just looks perfectly comfortable to snuggle up to, it brings a goofy smile to my face.

I totally wanna be that teddy bear in that last pic. That, or I’d like to be hiding in some of these covers that he’s lounging in, heh.

Cute & Adorable:

Gong Yoo the Cute is perhaps one of the most lovable things on the planet. He looks like he’s having so much fun too, which I love. I’ve always thought he’s a fun kinda guy.

My faves here are the pix where he’s goofing around in the grocery story. How does he manage to look so nerdy, so cute, and yet so sexy all at once??

Dashing Barista:

Thanks to Coffee Prince, I think Gong Yoo may never run out of coffee endorsements, heh.

But you won’t see me complaining, coz he’s possibly the most handsome barista I’ve ever seen. I keep telling the ladies on Facebook that if I had Gong Yoo serving coffee near me, I would totally start drinking coffee! Y’know, if I could stop swooning long enough to coherently place an order.

Eat Drink Sexy Wholesome:

I know, that title doesn’t actually read grammatically in any way, but those were totally the words that came to mind when I looked at all these pix of Gong Yoo eating and drinking. He manages to do it all while looking completely wholesome yet super sexy at the same time. Now – doesn’t that title make perfect sense now?? 😉

My fave is that last shot of him eating pizza. He looks so playful and so pleased with himself. And delicious. Let’s not forget delicious. 😉

Musical:

Gong Yoo really enjoys music, so it’s no surprise that there are a number of photos out there featuring him doing musical things. I love the shots of him singing.. He’s not a terribly gifted singer, but he puts so much heart into his singing that I end up feeling moved anyway.

Quirky:

I love these couple of quirky shots of Gong Yoo. I can’t decide whether my favorite is of him in these geeky glasses in the first shot, or of him doing an air-borne pirouette.

Preppy:

Gong Yoo rocks the preppy look, and thanks to his Mindbridge endorsement, we have no lack of photos featuring him in preppy styles. These are my favorite ones.

I love that shot of him doing the wide stride. It shows off his lovely long legs. (Psst. That happens to be one of the wallpaper worthy pix. Just so you know)

Gritty:

On a very different note, these shots of Gong Yoo run a lot more gritty. Just goes to show how versatile he is, doesn’t it?

Masculine Smolder:

When Gong Yoo turns on the smolder, there is a very distinct manly man sort of vibe about him which I dig very much.

My favorite of this lot is the 5th pic, the Marie Claire one where he’s lounging off-handedly in what appears to be the back of a car. He looks so carelessly, effortlessly smoldery. Swoon~.

Rugged Sexy:

Gong Yoo looks so ruggedly, carelessly sexy in these pix where he looks like he’s just rolling around, lounging wherever. Makes me wanna go roll around right next to him, heh.

My favorite, though, has to be that last pic where he’s standing on the bed with his hand on the ceiling. Oof. There’s just something so sexy about that shot.

Scruffy:

A bit of scruffy Gong Yoo can be super sexy, and here’s the evidence. I just love that pic of him lounging around in bed hugging a pillow and wearing red socks and a tux and sporting touch-me-now bed hair. Umph.

Tousled:

You might ask, what’s the difference between the Scruffy pix and the Tousled ones? Well, the tousled ones are just a little less scruffy, is all. I needed a way to split up the pix, there were so many good ones.

My fave is the last shot, which is him on the latest(?) cover of Monster. So~ sexy!

Thoughtful & Pensive:

I find thoughtful and pensive Gong Yoo very alluring. He looks so contemplative, like he’s musing on something really close to his heart. And that reminds me of how he seems to be a pretty contemplative, reflective sort of person too.

I really like the 3rd pic. He looks so manly even as he ponders.

Sporty:

Sporty Gong Yoo is very sexy indeed. Just look at those toned, taut arms and legs. He looks so strong and healthy!

I particularly love the Discovery pic where he’s wearing a short-sleeved tee and shorts, and kneeling for the camera. Yummy arms and legs. 😉

Shirtless:

Shirtless Gong Yoo is.. simply breathtaking. I don’t know what else to say, except, gaze with care.

I’ve shared a number of these pix before, but it didn’t feel right leaving them out, so here they are again. Also, you might like to know that the 4th pic, the full body gritty shirtless pic ala The Suspect, is gloriously wallpaper worthy.

I’m also super chuffed about unearthing the very last shirtless pic. It looks to be a still from the Monster Season 2 DVD, and is eye-poppingly, delectably delicious. Pity it doesn’t show his face.

Right?? What did I say about this pic? So hawt my screen might melt, seriously.

The Sharp Suit:

Gong Yoo in a sharp suit is one of my favorite things, and these are the loveliest pix of him in a suit that I could find. He looks so, so very handsome. From every angle, he looks Dashing with a capital D. Love the one where he’s looking back at the camera over his shoulder. ❤

Varying Degrees of Vintage:

As I did my research, I came across photos of Gong Yoo in varying degrees of vintage. Some are really from quite a while ago and he’s adorably fresh-faced. Some are slightly more recent. And all of them are such fun to look at! I just love that one of him brushing his teeth – he looks so young and so cute!

That Smile:

One of my favorite things about Gong Yoo is his smile. Whether it’s a gentle smile or a scrunchy-crinkly guffaw, it always looks so genuine. And he always looks like he’s having such a good time. Looking at him smile makes me smile.

I love this first pic – he’s smiling so sweetly, isn’t he?? ❤

The Soft Gaze:

If you read my recent post on Park Seo Joon, you’ll know that I find some similar vibes between him and Gong Yoo. And you’ll also know that the soft gaze is one of the things that I find similar between them.

I just love the soft gaze on Gong Yoo. His eyes here have such a soft, tender, gentle feel to them. Love. I just can’t pick a favorite, seriously.

Candid:

My favorite thing about Gong Yoo is his personality. When I attended the fanmeet in Tokyo (read all about that adventure here), the best thing about the whole thing, was getting to experience his personality. And here, in these candid shots, I feel like we’re getting a closer peek at his real person. I dig that a lot.

I just love that pic of him kicking water out of the pool. Doesn’t he look like he’s having a fabulous ol’ time?

BONUS VISUAL TREAT

As a bonus, I thought I’d share this recent, very lovely CF that Gong Yoo did for iloom. I recently shared this on the blog’s Facebook page, but it’s so good that I thought I’d share it here too. It’s the stuff of fangirl fantasies, honestly. I mean, Gong Yoo designing a house for the two of you to share, all while stealing loving glances at you, and then topped with a romantic proposal?? Melt~ ❤

Here’s my translation of his voiceover:

As he sketches: “What kind of space would you like?”

Sketching the sofa: “Seems like you’ll really like this sofa..”

Sketching the dining table: “At this dining table, if we have meals together every day..”

Final voiceover: “From a certain point in time, your thoughts became my thoughts. Thinking your thoughts. iloom.”

FOR THE FACEBOOK CURIOUS

For those of you who are curious about what I prepared to share with the Facebook group, I basically took this photo, which I’ve always felt was way too dark:

And I played around with it to make Gong Yoo more visible. Doesn’t he look way better here?

And dya like the tagline I added? He really is becoming more awesome over time, isn’t he? Definitely like fine wine ❤

THE FINAL WORD:

Whew~

This has been quite a monster of a post, hasn’t it? How fitting, though, for the man fondly known as Monster to his fans, heh.

Gong Yoo-sshi, I hope you liked this birthday present. Here’s wishing you joy, health and much, much more awesome to come.

Keep on being your unique, charming, wonderful self. You know I love ya ❤