So I’m trying something new today, you guys (yay..?).

Now that I’ve finally finished watching The Red Sleeve, and have written an appropriately  hearts-in-eyes monstrous review for it, I am finally in a position to watch the various spoilery specials that are out there, in its honor.

I mean, I’ve seen lots of snippets floating about, to be sure (you just can’t avoid them completely, can you?), but it just makes me happy that I’m now able to watch the special in full.

And I thought, why not make a post out of it – just because I can? 😁

What’s a Reaction Post?

To be clear, this isn’t meant to be a recap.

You guys know I don’t do recaps, right? I’m just too intimidated by the idea of writing recaps, because they are way too labor-intensive for my taste. That’s why my episode notes are just that – episode notes – with my thoughts on the episodes themselves, rather than a blow-by-blow account of the episode in question.

My idea of a reaction post, is basically a collection of reactionary thoughts from me, as I watch the episode, so that you guys know which moments stood out to me the most, and what I think or feel about those moments in particular.

If you guys like this, I’m happy to keep doing these, as a casual, fun addition to the other types of posts that I already have going on, for the blog.

Let me know what you think!

Personal Highlights

Lee Deok Hwa’s sharing

I love the detail, that Lee Deok Hwa had improvised King Youngjo’s now rather iconic line, about having a headache.

How fun, that he’d included it as an ad-lib without telling PD-nim, because he’d been so convinced that with all of King Youngjo’s back-and-forth, not only in his moods, but in his movements, that he’d surely have some kind of physical response as well.

I also love the part where Lee Deok Hwa talks about being able to feel the sincerity in both Junho and Lee Se Young, while acting with them.

That tidbit about him being able to thoroughly feel Junho’s body heat during King Youngjo’s death scene, did make me giggle a little bit, because Junho’s talked about being the sort of person who gets hot easily.

As someone who fully identifies with what it’s like to get hot easily, I’m rather amused at how this involuntary body heat thing ends up presenting itself as an indicator of how immersed in the scene Junho is. Also, isn’t it rather cute, that Junho is hot – literally? 😁

I love it, in case that wasn’t clear. 🤩

All the talk about the bath scene

I did love the detail, where Junho says that in studying the role, he looked for similarities between himself and San, in order to help him get into character, and landed on the fact that San is hard on himself, and always tries to be at his best.

That’s pretty darn spot-on, from what I can tell, honestly.

I’ve been diligent in my Junho research, and that is definitely one thing that I’ve noticed. He really does push himself hard, and always works to be the best that he can achieve.

Can’t lie, though, I did get a thrill from them bringing up the bath scene – and then serving up all the related shirtless bits to us, all over again. 😁

So gloriously lean, defined and sculpted. Dazzle. 🤩

All the hard work Junho put into creating that definition definitely paid off.

I am most tickled by the part where the hosts ask Lee Se Young about having a front row seat to Junho’s abs, and Lee Se Young answers that she avoided looking at him directly, to avoid embarrassment – and then proceeds to describe Junho’s abs in detail. 😂😂

She is completely right, though, that his abs are symmetrical. Tee hee hee.

It’s so funny, how Junho tries not to laugh too much, even as Lee Se Young talks at length about the symmetry of his abs. And then, it’s hysterical, how he bows and says that he’s grateful that she likes them.

PWAHAHA! Too funny! 😂😂

The dedication of our leads

Ooh, the detail that Junho chose to stay on a strict diet, even after the episode 6 bath scene, in order to maintain the edginess and snappiness of San as a character. I like that dedication!

Also! Lee Se Young started the drama 3-4 kg heavier, but lost 10 kg in the process of filming? Gosh. That really says a lot about how hard she worked, to have the weight just fall off like that, without her actually being on a diet to lose it.

I do love the detail, that Junho kept telling her all his cravings, so that she could eat them for him, and hopefully gain some weight in the process. Cute, cute!

Ad-libs 

I thought the section where the actors talk about ad-libs was pretty interesting and illuminating.

Like how Kang Hoon had been too nervous about his role, to roll with Oh Dae Hwan’s ad-libs.

Given how oily I’d found Deok Ro as a character, I’m quite pleasantly surprised by how wide-eyed and innocent Kang Hoon comes across, when he’s not in character. Maybe I don’t hate him after all. 😁

I also liked the bit about how Junho had wanted to do ad-libs, but had felt constrained by San’s serious nature.

I love the footage of everyone cracking up at Junho’s ad-lib during the drunken scene, heh. It’s so cute how they basically collapse from laughing so hard.

Later in the episode, they also talk about Junho’s ad-lib, where San cries when telling Deok Im, “I’m fine.”

Ahh. That scene was perfect in its vulnerability.

To think that San wasn’t supposed to cry, but Junho just.. found himself crying, with all of the pent-up emotion that he felt, as San. Junho really was so immersed in the role. 🤩

Yoon Hyo Sik’s touching story

I found the story of Yoon Hyo Sik, who plays San’s eunuch, really touching.

In his words:

“..last year was the 20th anniversary of my debut as an actor. I usually played a lot of minor roles, but for the first time, my character’s name was listed on a web search of the drama. Many people liked my role.

What I liked the most after the drama aired… is that my mom was so thrilled. She was very happy… and she became healthier.

She used to answer my calls like “Hello, son.” But after the drama, her tone was so much higher. So that is what… I liked the most.”

The fact that he tears up while talking about this, really shows how much this drama experience means to him. So poignant, and so sweet. I’m so glad that his mom’s so happy that she’s become healthier. And, it must mean so much to him too, to make Mom proud, after 20 years in the industry.

You’ve worked hard, Yoon Hyo Sik-sshi. May you have even better and brighter days ahead of you, as an actor. ❤️

Everyone tearing up

Awww. Junho and Lee Se Young tear up while rewatching the sad scenes. But actually, oh wow, make that everyone else tearing up as well, and needing tissues.

Gosh, that really goes to show how deeply all of them feel, about the drama and its central characters, doesn’t it?

Junho and Lee Se Young talk about how sad they felt for San and Deok Im, as they read their story, and I can’t help but feel quite struck by how.. empathetic they are, to be able to feel so deeply, for this pair of characters.

Lee Se Young even says that she doesn’t think she will ever not cry, while watching this drama. Aw. 😭❤️

Lee Deok Hwa being cheeky

Tee hee, at Lee Deok Hwa suddenly pointing at Junho and Lee Se Young, to say,

“Two people can act as the same lovers. But they can’t act like them if they’re not into each other.” … “They must’ve clicked well.”

How random! 😂 And Lee Se Young in particular looks kind of embarrassed, in response.

Is he trying to fan this ship?? Coz he’s doing a great job of it, and looking mighty pleased with himself for it, too. 😁

The role swap game

Hahaha. The role swap game is cute.

Kang Hoon taking the role of San, with Lee Min Ji, who plays Bok Yeon, opposite him is excellent.

In particular, I love the ad-lib, where she falls into a faint, which is so iconic of her character, in reaction to Deok Ro. Tee hee.

Oh Dae Hwan and Jang Hye Jin doing the scene together, are very funny as well.

The way Oh Dae Hwan does the air-touch thing with the wrong hand, and the way Jang Hye Jin  then corrects him with an ad-lib, is so smooth.

And then, the way he tries to practically hypnotize her with air-touches using both hands, is hilarious.

The violent hug at the end, after which she complains that her jaw hurts, made me laugh out loud. HA. These two.

Also, how remarkable, that they all know the lines so well, even though these aren’t their lines to begin with. Shows how professional they are, and also, how iconic the scene is, even among the actors themselves.

Lee Deok Hwa fishing in his dragon robe

I do love how Lee Deok Hwa’s a good sport about things.

When the hosts remind him of his promise to go fishing in his red dragon robe, if the show’s ratings hit 15%, he playfully says that the show only hit 15% ratings, after his character died.

The compromise, of him fake fishing during the special, with an inflatable fish, is so ridiculous. And I love how he hams it up, and makes it work, even though the whole thing is kind of silly.

His exhilarated expression, as he victoriously holds up that fake fish, is just so funny. 😂

Jung Ji In PD-nim

I’m so glad they brought Jung Ji In PD-nim to join the show!

Aw. I love the fact that PD-nim is known for her infectious laughter. I like her already. And the way the cast members are so happy to see her, says a lot.

Junho and Lee Se Young getting up to hug her is really nice to see, but I’m kind of blown away by the fact that Jang Hye Jin actually starts tearing up, because she’s so surprised to see Jung Ji In PD-nim.

I love hearing about how happy everyone was, to work together, and how PD-nim laughs so easily, and how the cast themselves had such a good time, that it just naturally made PD-nim laugh.

Also, what a cute little anecdote, that PD-nim had been so pleased with how Junho looked with the beard, that she’d clapped and jumped happily, at the sight. Tee hee. And how cute, the way Junho re-enacts the scene for us. 😁

There’s a lot of genuine affection here, and I think I need to look up more of this PD’s works.

Shouting in Silence Game

The first couple of rounds are fun, with Junho pairing up with Oh Dae Hwan, and court ladies Ha Yul Ri and Lee Eun Saem pairing up. But hands-down, the funnest bit, was to see Junho paired up with Lee Se Young.

The way they tear down the previous teams’ records, managing to quickly get through 9 correct answers in just 3 minutes, is very impressive. 🤩

Of course, there’s also the thing where I’ve noticed that Junho is particularly good at the guessing part of this game, since I’ve seen him play this with his 2PM members as well. But, a good chunk of it definitely is because of the chemistry that he shares with Lee Se Young.

Overall thoughts

I actually had a really nice time, watching this talk show special. There’s really a little bit of everything, for everyone.

We get to see key scenes in the drama all over again, and we get to hear from the actors themselves, about these scenes. We get to hear about how they felt, while acting out those scenes, their thought processes in digesting the scenes, and we also get to know little tidbits of what it was like, on set.

On top of that, we also get to enjoy the chemistry and camaraderie among the cast, and honestly, it’s just really quite lovely to see how well they all get along. It really does feel like these people have become a family to one another, after working together on the drama, for 7 months. I love that. 🥰

ANDDD.. It was honestly a great bonus, to get to have Junho on my screen, for an hour and 20 minutes. 😍 Heh. You guys knew that was coming, yes? I mean.. it is what it is – I’m still very much smitten with Junho – and I just wanted to be honest with you guys. 😁

Where to watch:

You can watch this special episode on Viu here.

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