Loveholic (and Goong and other dramas)
Jan. 29th, 2007 12:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dangermousieOh.
Gosh, I love this drama.
If gorgeous angst was currency, these people would be richer than Bill Gates.
It's interesting how Kang Wook and Yool Joo can't function without each other. They try, but Good Lord, they are dysfunctional. Very much in the manner of the protagonists of A Love to Kill who were also driven almost crazy by the differing pulls of duty and love. I was especially thinking of ALtK in light of KW's reaction to things. When he has to go meet YJ again and pretend he's over her, he doesn't care, after that meeting, he wanders straight into a boxing hall to be someone's practice partner, just so someone would beat him up into unconsciousness (and he does that not once, but twice. The second time YJ finds out, of course). And YJ toys with suicide a la the heroine of ALtK.
Korean dramas do that, don't they? Love with an edge of madness, loss of control? Not just 'serious' dramas like A Love to Kill or Loveholic or Snow Queen or whatnot. 'Light' dramas like My Girl (just see Gong Chan's reaction when Yu Rin comes back, two years later) or even Goong (hello, Shin saying to Chae-Gyung that he misses her, misses her even when he is with her? Whoa).
But yes, the two of them have to work together and they both keep denying the feelings: because they believe the other person gave up and don't want to be hurt but also because life broke them pretty badly (Kang Wook doesn't believe he can offer her anything, ex-convict and all). Some of those scenes are just...guuuuuh. The level of intensity! I am thinking especially of the scene where she drives with him and she wants him to work in her restaurant (because she knows he is unemployable) so she lies she is over him and the ride back is hellish. He asks her why she still has the keychain he gave her and she should get rid of it. To which she retorts he is cruel and says she has it because he still has the watch she gave him. He replies it's just a watch to which she points out it's broken. So he opens the window and throws it out *yeah, there is something in my eyes. I am freaking sobbing, actually*
And so she starts backing up the car to run it over and the scene goes from there (her driving away and his walking away, both saying, in tears 'don't look back, don't look back' and his almost shouting 'she said it means nothing.' EEEEK) Or when he tells her she should leave Korea forever (and it's because the not!HarryPotter knows the truth about the murder and threatened to tell YJ and KW is freaking out) and that whole scene is so full of pain.
But despite the fact that they should, they can't stop feeling for each other. She has a fiance (with whom she went as far as trying on dresses) and who is a good man who loves her. He ends up with Ja Kyung because she wants him and he likes her as a friend. I have to point out the drama is very adult about the relationships. Not only does it indicate that JK and KW are totally not platonic in bed, but it makes me care and like about both Ja Jyung and Tae Hyun (YJ's fiance). They are good people, trapped in this love story that won't stop. (Once again, the same theme of uncontrollable love. YJ telling her Mom who discovered her photographs of KW that she can't help herself, can't stop).
And of course, as is inevitable, the truth about their feelings for each other comes out. On a trip from hell to Jeju Island, where not!HarryPotter brings YJ, KW and Ja Kyung for nefarious purposes (short summary: he wants Ja Kyung), even though JK/KW are the 'couple' you can see how he is instantly attuned to YJ. And not!HarryPotter keeps pushing, asking him about his feelings for YJ and threatening to tell the truth about the murder to her. And there is this amazing scene where KW confronts not!HarryPotter and neither of them see YJ come up.
And he is almost shouting at not!HarryPotter, that he doesn't know what love is. And he continues that in love, you give everything. It's OK he spent five years of his life for YJ. He'd spend 50. So if he hurts YJ, he will kill him. He pushes her away because he knew he couldn't be away with her for her own good. And he continues that he loves her, and being with her, even from a distance makes him completely happy and makes his heart ache blah blah *insert awesome speech here*
And then there is YJ/KW scene where she is asking him "why did you ___" and he is trying desperately pretend he has no idea what she is talking about but it's not fooling anyone.
And later we get this awesome parallel scene. She sees his shoe is untied and she kneels to tie it down for him (like he did in the rain, years ago). And leaves him a note in his room that she is sorry she didn't wait and tries to walk into the ocean and he runs (KW runs a lot. Or showers. Or wanders in a daze across intersections. YUM). And he finds her and there is crying and mutual begging of forgiveness and more awesome romantic things said and he pulls her into a hug and stroking her hair and I am dead.
They try to continue on with their set lives, he with Ja Kyung, she with her fiance (she goes as far as to try on dresses. OMG, the look KW gives her when he hears it). But it's not working. It all culminates at a dinner where she is with her fiance's family and he is with Ja Kyung. Poor darlings keep sneaking looks at each other (the amount of eye frelling in this drama is insane!) and then when they are left outside waiting for their dates to pick them up in cars. They are standing closer and closer and closer and then...he stretches out his hand and grabs hers and they are holding on for dear life, their fingers interlaced. And then the fiance shows up and knocks KW down and takes YJ away. And KW leaves Ja Kyung.
And they are talking on their phones that night (both literally ran away from home) and the conversation is about how she should marry her fiance who is supportive and a good man. And they totally agree. And then, phone call finished, they walk out and realize they've been in the same building (where they work). And there is a beat as they look at each other, and then he is next to her, and he grabs her hand, and they look at each other, and they run hand-in-hand.
They've given up being 'good.' I love the scenes that follow, as they run, breathless, grinning, for the first time in years. They wander the streets. They go to a Church to pray. And he tells her he can guess what she prayed for but he is wrong. She didn't pray for forgiveness (from her fiance etc), she prayed for being able to never leave his side, even if she is never forgiven. And he tells her that if there is any punishment or unhappiness because of this, he prays it will all fall on him. And there is hugging and adorable bus scene (his falling asleep on her shoulder and muttering she smells like cotton candy). And they are so happy. And I love when he is by himself and he is talking to his dead parents asking them to look out for YJ and, once again, if anyone should be punished, let it be him.
GUUUUUH.
I know something horrible is coming (after all we have seven more episodes) but I stopped it for the night. It's a happy place to stop on.
P.S. The scene where she unties his apron? And it's the first time she's touched him in years? HOT.
And because I've been thinking about Goong lately (unlike a lot of dramas which I love when I watch but then fade, I love it more and more as time passes), and the link I posted before has expired, here is a MV to my favorite ever Goong MV (youtube has hundreds). Actually it's probably my favorite drama MV period (there is a Mars one that might compete). Well, actually to be more correct, it's a Shin/Chae-Gyung mv (and the shippy scenes not the funny ones) as I don't think you could tell from it there are other people in the drama. But when there is Shin/CG I don't really notice other characters either.
In other drama news, I am amused to note that I got my DVD of Smiling Pasta (Chinese/Malay/English subs. The subs are a bit pidgin but understandable. I'll see whether my dislike for watching on the computer is stronger than my liking for perfect subs) and they included some postcards of the F4 as well as a Jerry Yan postcard and a Vanness postcard. Yay :D
Gosh, I love this drama.
If gorgeous angst was currency, these people would be richer than Bill Gates.
It's interesting how Kang Wook and Yool Joo can't function without each other. They try, but Good Lord, they are dysfunctional. Very much in the manner of the protagonists of A Love to Kill who were also driven almost crazy by the differing pulls of duty and love. I was especially thinking of ALtK in light of KW's reaction to things. When he has to go meet YJ again and pretend he's over her, he doesn't care, after that meeting, he wanders straight into a boxing hall to be someone's practice partner, just so someone would beat him up into unconsciousness (and he does that not once, but twice. The second time YJ finds out, of course). And YJ toys with suicide a la the heroine of ALtK.
Korean dramas do that, don't they? Love with an edge of madness, loss of control? Not just 'serious' dramas like A Love to Kill or Loveholic or Snow Queen or whatnot. 'Light' dramas like My Girl (just see Gong Chan's reaction when Yu Rin comes back, two years later) or even Goong (hello, Shin saying to Chae-Gyung that he misses her, misses her even when he is with her? Whoa).
But yes, the two of them have to work together and they both keep denying the feelings: because they believe the other person gave up and don't want to be hurt but also because life broke them pretty badly (Kang Wook doesn't believe he can offer her anything, ex-convict and all). Some of those scenes are just...guuuuuh. The level of intensity! I am thinking especially of the scene where she drives with him and she wants him to work in her restaurant (because she knows he is unemployable) so she lies she is over him and the ride back is hellish. He asks her why she still has the keychain he gave her and she should get rid of it. To which she retorts he is cruel and says she has it because he still has the watch she gave him. He replies it's just a watch to which she points out it's broken. So he opens the window and throws it out *yeah, there is something in my eyes. I am freaking sobbing, actually*
And so she starts backing up the car to run it over and the scene goes from there (her driving away and his walking away, both saying, in tears 'don't look back, don't look back' and his almost shouting 'she said it means nothing.' EEEEK) Or when he tells her she should leave Korea forever (and it's because the not!HarryPotter knows the truth about the murder and threatened to tell YJ and KW is freaking out) and that whole scene is so full of pain.
But despite the fact that they should, they can't stop feeling for each other. She has a fiance (with whom she went as far as trying on dresses) and who is a good man who loves her. He ends up with Ja Kyung because she wants him and he likes her as a friend. I have to point out the drama is very adult about the relationships. Not only does it indicate that JK and KW are totally not platonic in bed, but it makes me care and like about both Ja Jyung and Tae Hyun (YJ's fiance). They are good people, trapped in this love story that won't stop. (Once again, the same theme of uncontrollable love. YJ telling her Mom who discovered her photographs of KW that she can't help herself, can't stop).
And of course, as is inevitable, the truth about their feelings for each other comes out. On a trip from hell to Jeju Island, where not!HarryPotter brings YJ, KW and Ja Kyung for nefarious purposes (short summary: he wants Ja Kyung), even though JK/KW are the 'couple' you can see how he is instantly attuned to YJ. And not!HarryPotter keeps pushing, asking him about his feelings for YJ and threatening to tell the truth about the murder to her. And there is this amazing scene where KW confronts not!HarryPotter and neither of them see YJ come up.
And he is almost shouting at not!HarryPotter, that he doesn't know what love is. And he continues that in love, you give everything. It's OK he spent five years of his life for YJ. He'd spend 50. So if he hurts YJ, he will kill him. He pushes her away because he knew he couldn't be away with her for her own good. And he continues that he loves her, and being with her, even from a distance makes him completely happy and makes his heart ache blah blah *insert awesome speech here*
And then there is YJ/KW scene where she is asking him "why did you ___" and he is trying desperately pretend he has no idea what she is talking about but it's not fooling anyone.
And later we get this awesome parallel scene. She sees his shoe is untied and she kneels to tie it down for him (like he did in the rain, years ago). And leaves him a note in his room that she is sorry she didn't wait and tries to walk into the ocean and he runs (KW runs a lot. Or showers. Or wanders in a daze across intersections. YUM). And he finds her and there is crying and mutual begging of forgiveness and more awesome romantic things said and he pulls her into a hug and stroking her hair and I am dead.
They try to continue on with their set lives, he with Ja Kyung, she with her fiance (she goes as far as to try on dresses. OMG, the look KW gives her when he hears it). But it's not working. It all culminates at a dinner where she is with her fiance's family and he is with Ja Kyung. Poor darlings keep sneaking looks at each other (the amount of eye frelling in this drama is insane!) and then when they are left outside waiting for their dates to pick them up in cars. They are standing closer and closer and closer and then...he stretches out his hand and grabs hers and they are holding on for dear life, their fingers interlaced. And then the fiance shows up and knocks KW down and takes YJ away. And KW leaves Ja Kyung.
And they are talking on their phones that night (both literally ran away from home) and the conversation is about how she should marry her fiance who is supportive and a good man. And they totally agree. And then, phone call finished, they walk out and realize they've been in the same building (where they work). And there is a beat as they look at each other, and then he is next to her, and he grabs her hand, and they look at each other, and they run hand-in-hand.
They've given up being 'good.' I love the scenes that follow, as they run, breathless, grinning, for the first time in years. They wander the streets. They go to a Church to pray. And he tells her he can guess what she prayed for but he is wrong. She didn't pray for forgiveness (from her fiance etc), she prayed for being able to never leave his side, even if she is never forgiven. And he tells her that if there is any punishment or unhappiness because of this, he prays it will all fall on him. And there is hugging and adorable bus scene (his falling asleep on her shoulder and muttering she smells like cotton candy). And they are so happy. And I love when he is by himself and he is talking to his dead parents asking them to look out for YJ and, once again, if anyone should be punished, let it be him.
GUUUUUH.
I know something horrible is coming (after all we have seven more episodes) but I stopped it for the night. It's a happy place to stop on.
P.S. The scene where she unties his apron? And it's the first time she's touched him in years? HOT.
And because I've been thinking about Goong lately (unlike a lot of dramas which I love when I watch but then fade, I love it more and more as time passes), and the link I posted before has expired, here is a MV to my favorite ever Goong MV (youtube has hundreds). Actually it's probably my favorite drama MV period (there is a Mars one that might compete). Well, actually to be more correct, it's a Shin/Chae-Gyung mv (and the shippy scenes not the funny ones) as I don't think you could tell from it there are other people in the drama. But when there is Shin/CG I don't really notice other characters either.
In other drama news, I am amused to note that I got my DVD of Smiling Pasta (Chinese/Malay/English subs. The subs are a bit pidgin but understandable. I'll see whether my dislike for watching on the computer is stronger than my liking for perfect subs) and they included some postcards of the F4 as well as a Jerry Yan postcard and a Vanness postcard. Yay :D
