Diary | JiSub OPPA!

I wanna touch So JiSub, too...  
Judging by this SBS interview here (sorry no Eng subs, if anyone has subbed links, please share!) I’ve come to realize that Gong HyoJin and So JiSub are their characters in real life! She’s all wild and free spirited and flirty and he’s all cutely flabbergasted, “Woman, you are weird!”  The sum of this couple is this: Poke, poke, tease, tease, and lots of giggling!

Haha. They are utterly adorable together. I smell love in the air. It could just be my allergies, but my nose tingles with the scent of hearts and flowers and butterflies.

For example, when the interviewer asks after JiSub’s rep for being reserved, HyoJin chirps that yes, he’s very reserved, which is why she’ll always be the one to go over and make him talk to her! To which JiSub quickly agrees that he was quite surprised by her open manner and how easily HyoJin just chatted him up. He compliments that there’s something very comfortable about her. (Which is true, that is exactly her acting style. She doesn’t have the broadest range, but she’s always pretty lovable. And her charms have never been as well displayed as it is in this show.) The host does ask if this is their first project together, which they confirm. HyoJin tosses out with a mischievous grin that she’s been waiting. JiSub volleys back that he’s been waiting too. And they go on this way for the whole interview! Trying to outdo each other on the flattery and complimenting, if you can imagine the cute overload!

When JiSub comments on how cute and lovable her acting is, she rebuts by revealing to the world his extreme chivalry, that he actually bought her a fan because it was hot. The host cooes that he’s such a mannerly man, which embarrasses him so JiSub says it was because he was hot. She wittily quips at his deflection, “A one plus one event?” This causes him to explode in laughter.

More fangirling over JiSub and HyoJin after the jump, and Master’s Sun (Episode 5 and 6) will be the only drama I yap about and spoil. It was the only one I managed to watch this week.

But without a doubt, the highlight is in minute 2:45 when they talk about the drama and HyoJin says it’s a romantic comedy with horror. JiSub interjects that even though one might think it’s scary, there’s nothing scary about it at all. He starts describing Master’s Sun as a show that is sweet and fun, and only slightly startling. HyoJin stares at him as he’s talking then interrupts in the most cute questioning tone, “It’s not scary, OPPA?” 

He cracks up at that, shoving her shoulder playfully. Then they both giggle like kids. HyoJin informs him it’s because he doesn’t see them, but she’s chased constantly by ghosts and they’re scary! They even chase her in her dreams! He acknowledges that his character doesn’t see them.

These two really are the grabby and silly couple! The way she casually drops the oppa on him on air so naturally is too ridiculously adorable…and the way he pushes and pulls on her arm, as if saying, silly you. The way the two were constantly reaching over and tapping at each other spoke volumes of their genuine camaraderie. I love it! We can see where their onscreen chemistry is stemming from…their real life chemistry!

In a different interview here on the promotional circuit, JiSub is yet again complimenting HyoJin on being cute and lovable in real life just like her character when the interviewer encourages HyoJin to return a compliment. HyoJin slyly remarks, “His legs are long. I was totally shocked when I first met him. How can his legs be so long?” JiSub quips, “I wear my pants a little high.” Heh, what a jokster.

Later, JiSub talks about how much effort HyoJin has put into on being more natural by giving up the usual actress crutches, such as fancy clothes to hair to makeup. HyoJin adds that she gets much scolding about not washing her hair, to which the host laughs that for a second he thought she was talking about real life and not her character. JiSub pipes up, all matter of fact, “It might be in real life, too.” 

Hearing him imply that she doesn’t wash her hair in real life, HyoJin leans in to pout at him, “Who me, oppa?” Then they both start giggling. I mean can these two be any cuter? The two are, of course, teasingly playing up their onscreen characters, but real life flirt can’t be hidden from my sharp eyes! I won’t dictate the whole thing, don’t worry, but the actress literally giggles throughout the entire interview, sometimes to herself, to JiSub’s amused surprise. If she is channeling her character, she is doing a damn good impression of a gal in love!

Interesting to note, JiSub says the reason why he agreed to this project was to work with HyoJin. The rest of the cast, InGuk and YooRi, also say they’re happy to be working with her. When the interviewer comments on all these nice words for HyoJin, JiSub cracks, “She’s treating later.”

Ha, he’s a hoot. Who knew he was such the wise-cracking imp?

Master’s Sun
Episode 5 & 6
Oh, look at that, our girl just fell in love right there when he grabbed her hand! And you know what, so did I.

I have to tell y’all, I just can’t get over how much I’m feeling her leading man’s charms in this one. I have never been So JiSub’s biggest fan, but I want to jump his bones bad now. But in my defense, I’d only seen him serious, never so adorkable. I want to grab at him, too, and I don’t even need his skill as a human exorcist.

Episode 5 goes into far more creepier territory than the previous four episodes, which spent more time setting up character profiles. But then again, trying to arrange a marriage between dead people is pretty top-of-the-list creepy. Add dolls to that, and it makes everyone’s hair curl even without any humidity involved. To make it worse, we get dead children too. And everyone knows, dead children is the definition of a natural hair fizzer.

So JiSub—aka President Joo, aka Joo-goon, aka Ghost Repellent Hottie—kicks off the episode being nice to Gong HyoJin—aka Tae GongShil, Tae BangShil (or that’s what JiSub’s aunt calls her), Tae-yang, aka Luckiest Girl in the World—and giving her permission to hug him, hold his hand, caress his arm. When she seems too eager to continue her petting, he tells her he will be invoicing her later for all the body part touching, and it is not at discount prices. She pouts at that, but does step away from him.

In a pointedly painted comparison, when So InGuk comes under the impression that HyoJin is being stalked by bad people (he doesn’t get told they are of the dead variety yet), he offers to be her personal bodyguard. It is no coincidence that his protection is offered completely free of charge with a heart-stopping grin whereas JiSub’s is barely affordable with a side of scowl. Sigh. Poor InGuk, his gesture is ridiculously romantic, but of course, we all know girls like the expensive things.

Gossip has been spreading in the Kingdom that HyoJin is possibly dating both the lord and the knight security guard. While JiSub’s aunt is pleased he’s not pining after a dead girlfriend, she doesn’t like his particular pedestrian choice in female. So she runs to Kingdom’s model and spokesperson Kim YooRi and blabs that it was HyoJin’s fault that her wedding to famous soccer star fell apart.

Predictable YooRi vows revenge on her high school classmate…in the most perfect (for us) way: she’s going to steal HyoJin’s man! Her revenging gets to good start when she strikes a deal with InGuk to help her steal JiSub away from HyoJin. Oh, right, he whacks her head against a wall first. Hilarious. For a brief sec, he mistakes her as HyoJin’s stalker when he catches her snooping around their apartment complex. What kind of scary stalker wears a hot pink hoodie? Anyway, the boy gets points for effort if not discernment.

I’ve heard of matchmaking pets, but matchmaking dead people is definitely a novel concept for me. And with this episode, I really got a sense of what concept this drama was going for. Less scary but more spine-tingling Gothic fairytale vibe, which I like, because it means that it’s less horror and more dark romance. And while the other ghost stories so far had been poignant, they had also been more the already-traveled type. This episode’s story was a little more unique in the delivery. It was about a sick boy who died without telling the girl he liked his true feelings, but his grieving grandmother thinks she can find an afterlife bride for him so he can find love in death, if not in life.

The story’s bittersweet sadness snuck up on me and smacked me with sentimentality. It made me actually well up in tears. When HyoJin solves his problem and brings his first love (still living) to look at his special green roses the spirit had been supernaturally preserving for his first love to see, I had to pull out my box of Kleenex! I was a disgusting glob of blubbering.

Anyway, on the romance front, it seems we’ve got emotional undercurrents from all the characters now. JiSub is getting attached to his ghost whisperer against his will and showing obvious signs of jealousy and possessiveness. InGuk has been going around telling everyone he likes HyoJin while assuring himself he doesn’t really like her…that is until he realizes he does really like her! Duh

But the most confused out of the three about their heart is HyoJin who is swooning openly at InGuk’s handsome attention (can’t blame her) while floating on cloud nine after doing things like rubbing JiSub’s palm all over her face. I know that sounds gross, but it’s more like a cat that tries to sneak its face under your hand for some affection. It’s cute. She wonders why it feels so good and why she keeps instinctively reaching for him. She doesn’t connect her desire for his skinship to her heart’s desire as yet. (Although watching her manhandle JiSub definitely makes me all jealous!)

Ah, but the most significant plot development in this episode is the foreshadowing of the supernatural problem we will be facing pretty soon.

When HyoJin goes toe-to-toe with her sunbaenim/senior in the ghost convo bizness, she gets a chilling warning. Not all ghosts are pure of heart, content only to settle their affairs with the living.

There are some, she informs, who are waiting for the opportunity to body snatch someone bright and pure, and the really morbid looking elder says HyoJin has just that kind of appealing shine. And we the audience realize there is exactly that kind of a ghost indeed lurking in the shadows: JiSub’s dead ex-girlfriend.

*

I liked less the central ghost mystery in Ep6 which followed an army dog trainer who deserts after his German Shepherd is put to death. The twist is that the ghost in this one is the doggie. The plot allows some more romantic movement, though. JiSub and HyoJin spend the day together in search of the missing soldier and she ends up learning why he has trouble reading. It, of course, relates to his kidnapping trauma. When she hears his story, she tells him it would be nice if he could need her like she needs him. Maybe if he touches her, he would be able to read? The episode leaves us wondering if she is a special talisman for him too, as JiSub secretly does give it a go.

Well, Lord JiSub continues to be hilarious, dropping on us hilarious sarcastic gems like: “Is a ghost-seeing person actually looking down on and calling someone crazy because they see aliens?” Ha! “No, no, this isn’t right. I’m talking seriously about things obviously ridiculous and I feel like I’m becoming the idiot here.” Ha-ha! “I wasn’t listening because I wanted to, but because I have holes in my ears.” Ha-ha-ha!  And this was three zingers in one scene!

JiSub does try to play a bit of a matchmaker by giving her tips on how to keep InGuk. His suggestion? Quite simple: don’t tell him about the ghosts! However, he definitely gets a little contemplative about the possibility that once she starts clinging onto Kang-Candy, as he calls InGuk, she’ll probably stop needing him.

InGuk, on the other hand, has decided he does like HyoJin and is fully committed to being a gallant suitor. Unfortunately, he hates even the idea of ghosts and people who say they can see ghosts. This puts a cramp in HyoJin’s hope of ever revealing her secret to him. But she’s not willing to let go of the handsome young man, so she instead decides she will try to be more normal. She’s been given a taste of the normal life thanks to JiSub’s ghost chasing sexiness skinship, and she wants more!

But she does briefly consider telling him about her ghost friends and has a hilarious fantasy where ghosts are cheering for her romance. What makes it hilarious is InGuk’s expression as he grabs her for a passionate hug, proclaiming his love for her whether she sees aliens or ghosts!

This is a pretty fair show, in terms of giving each guy a fighting chance, and so both men are pretty competitive contenders for my, er, um, her heart. JiSub and HyoJin spent the second half of the episode together, but the first half was given to InGuk, who had some of the cutest scenes with her, most especially candy sharing. She’s all sad that the sweet gift from him has broken in half but he assures her that candies are meant to be cracked open, and then shared (like hearts). This show is all about symbolic gestures.

While HyoJin flirted with InGuk, JiSub spent time with YooRi. Our vain gal is on her quest to woo JiSub away from HyoJin, and finds that dangling her rich family in front of him appears to be suitable carrot. She deduces he’s not so attached to HyoJin. Which is something everyone else who cares about JiSub’s sex life is also thinking. JiSub’s uncle is under the impression that JiSub has “opened his body but not his wallet” to HyoJin. Har. To close the quadrangle, YooRi, in her revenging games and now close proximity to her new ally InGuk, also seems to be accidentally falling for the good-natured guard, who dismisses her every chance he gets. But she does gain some good intel: InGuk is in town doing some shifty spying on JiSub for reasons yet undisclosed.

I’m constantly surprised by how engaging this show is despite its quirky exaggerations. And even more surprised that the lonely stories about the dead spirits just tug on my heartstrings. But I guess, who says the human need for connection and love ends at death’s entryway?

Either way, with the introduction of JiSub and InGuk into our girl’s life, she herself has become a brighter and happier person, and in turn she appears to be more positive and fearlessly motivated in her efforts when helping lonely spirits. Since, you know, she fears them less with two men watching out for her welfare.

The next episodes will take on things I hate: creepy ass dolls. Look at this thing. Shudder. I hate it!

I only had time to watch Master’s Sun this week. When one is forced to prioritize, I guess it becomes obvious which dramas are loved, and which ones are just fillers. To conclude, here is my requisite Jung KyungHo picture. I have been rewatching the show while clipping pics for my review and falling in love all over again. My adoration for this actor keeps growing on its own, feeding itself, growing to an unhealthy size.

I do believe I’m in trouble. I’ve fallen in deep. Oh, and speaking of hot men who have some coup d’état mischief in the works, meeeeorrrrr: