That Winter, the Wind Blows Episode 1-3

Zo In Sung as Oh Soo and Song Hye Kyo as Oh Young

I am completely hooked on That Winter, the Wind Blows. It has everything that I value in a Korean drama: hot Korean guys, layered plot lines, a romantic coupling that seems impossible at first, crazy rich people, and a very dramatic OST. So far, I am feeling a strong connection between this drama and last fall's Nice Guy (Innocent Man). The first similarity that stood out to me right away is the music. The opening theme music which is used often throughout Nice Guy is almost identical to the music that plays during dramatic moments in That Winter. Other similarities I noticed: the fragile yet strong leading lady, Oh Soo is a man doing bad things because he was wronged by a woman (his mother who abandoned him and ex-girlfriend who sent him to prison) like Kang Ma Roo (Jae Hee, the girl he loved, caused him to spend years in jail), and the muted but vibrant coloring. Maybe I am stretching to compare the two, but that's what I've noticed so far.

Zo In Sung and Song Hye Kyo

In the first 3 episodes that have aired so far Oh Soo was falsely accused of embezzling millions of dollars by a psychotic girlfriend (played by the queen of crazy-eyed girls Seo Hyo Rim), spends a year in prison, is stabbed and beaten over the money, and takes on the identity of his recently-dead friend of the same name. By a twist of fate, his dead friend is Oh Young's long-lost oppa which leaves him an opening to get the money he needs to stay alive. Oh Young is the blind daughter of a dead billionaire. So, from that summary it is easy to see how complicated the relationship between Oh Soo and Oh Young will become.

Song Hye Kyo is so perfect at portraying the beautiful sad girl (see Autumn in My Heart and Full House) that I feel like the role of Oh Young was written for her. Whereas Moon Chae Won as Seo Eun Gi in Nice Guy had a bitchy bite to her that made her soft-hearted love for Ma Roo slightly hard to believe at times, the sadness in Hye Kyo's eyes makes it seem like the lonely Young will be open to trusting her fake oppa.

Zo In Sung, on the other hand, makes up for the bitchy bite that Hye Kyo is lacking. Though I love Song Joong Ki as Ma Roo, his extreme self-sacrificing pissed me off sometimes. The whole reason Ma Roo got himself into the intial mess of being accused of murder was because he took the fall for Jae Hee. I don't see that personality trait in Oh Soo at all. He appears to be much less of a "nice guy" than Ma Roo, and his aim to entangle himself in Oh Young's family problems is not for revenge, but because he needs the money to save himself. It's too early to predict how he will evolve throughout the course of the story, but I hope that he doesn't become unbelievably selfless for Oh Young's sake. Loving her is one thing, but taking it the extreme kills the sincerity.

Jung Eun Ji as Moon Hee Sun

Kim Bum as Park Jin Sung

The lighter side of That Winter is brought to you by Jung Eun Ji (Reply 1997) and Kim Bum (Boys Over Flowers). They act as Oh Soo's side-kicks that are aware of his true identity. Kim Bum is adorable and silly and he looks like a cute little elf when standing next to the over-six-feet-tall Zo In Sung. Eun Ji portrays a spunky florist who has been keeping tabs on Oh Soo ever since he dumped her older sister who subsequently died in a motorcycle accident. At this point in the drama they are helping Oh Soo in pretending to be the deceased Oh Soo. I doubt they will contribute much to the overall plot, but only time will tell.

Watch That Winter, the Wind Blows with English subtitles DramaFever,com

The Best Kdrama Couples

In honor of Valentine's day, since I have nothing better going on of course, I present you with my list of the best couples from the Korean dramas that I have watched. I am focusing on the main couples involving the lead characters for now, but I plan on making a list later of the best side-character couples because they can't be quite good as well (for example: Lee Jae Shin played by Lee Yoon Ji with Ein Shi Kyung played by Jo Jung Suk in The King 2 Hearts).

1. Mi Ho and Cha Dae Woong

Shin Min Ah and Lee Seung Gi are perfect together in My Girlfriend is a Gumiho. I have watched it 3 times, and I just bought the DVD set on Amazon. Needless to say, this is my all- time favorite drama. The video to left features my favorite scene from the show (ignore the subtitles unless you read whatever language that is) when Dae Woong gives Mi Ho a recharge by telling her that he really really really really really likes her. Tears well up in my eyes a bit just from watching that little clip. DramaFever.com.





2. Kim Na Na and Lee Yoon Seong

Out of all of the dramas that Lee Min Ho has starred in, I think his coupling with Park Min Young in City Hunter makes the most sense. They are a very attractive couple, and I don't think I would have liked the drama as much if it were two different people. Na Na and Yoon Seong hardly had a chance to love each other in a normal way, but the rare intimate moments that they shared were made sweet by the adorable actors filling those roles. Watch it on DramaFever.com.






3. Go Nam Soon and Park Heung Soo

Lee Jong Suk and Kim Woo Bin are the "it" couple in the Korean drama world right now, so I can't fail to include them in my list. Their touching friendship in  School 2013 fueled the main emotional vein of the drama. In the interview that I have included here they basically sum it up by stating that they had great acting chemistry together and that they have known each other since they were young. Their love story is beyond the typical cheesy romance because watching them as Nam Soon and Heung Soo is like experiencing the ups and downs of a real friendship. Watch it on DramaFever.com.




4. Choi Hee Jin and Kim Bong Do

I say "fighting!" to this couple because they are still dating in real life. Yoo In Na and Ji Hyun Woo are so genuine and adorable in this Queen In-Hyun's Man, that it's hard not to get sucked in and ignore the nonsensical time travel aspects of it. The video I have included has some cute moments with Lee Seung Gi's "Losing My Mind" playing in the background which reminds me of My Girlfriend is a Gumiho and makes me smile. Watch it on DramaFever.com.






5. Seo Eun Gi and Kang Ma Roo

I would like to categorize Moon Chae Won and Song Joong Ki in Innocent Man (Nice Guy) as the best "worst" couple. The two of them were a pair of fucked up kooks that put each other through hell, but I couldn't help rooting for them. Chae Won and Joong Ki look so good together even when they are beating the physical and mental shit out of each other and themselves that it makes the story more romantic than it actually should be. Watch Innocent Man DramaFever.com.






BONUS COUPLE: You + Lee Min Ho! Let's all take a moment (or twenty) and pretend that we are celebrating a romantic V-day in Seoul with Lee Min Ho, shall we?

Lee Min Ho in Faith

Flower Boy Next Door episodes 11 & 12

Yoon Shi Yoon as Enrique Geum is the prettiest crier

I like Flower Boy Next Door more and more with every episode. There are a variety of great characters that bring different personalities into play. Even though this show is far from realistic, the "spice of life" residents of the apartment building reflect the experience of living in a community in which the tenants share walls, halls, and other spaces. They have formed their own type of family, and they like to stick their noses into each other's business. Of course, for Go Dok Mi (Park Shin Hye) this poses a problem because she tries to separate her life from other people to avoid pain. Fortunately, Enrique has been chipping away at Dok Mi's brick wall and seems to have at least let a ray of sunlight into Dok Mi's cave.

Yoon Shi Yoon and Park Shin Hye KISSEU!!!

After experiencing the anger of a mother whose son became addicted to his games, Enrique was sad for a little while (I really mean a LITTLE while, he didn't stay gloomy for long). I found the scenario of the mother hating a video game creative director enough to stalk him and try to kill him a bit strange, but since it was only a point of entry for more understanding between Enrique and Dok Mi, I will let it slide. Because of his sudden personality change, Dok Mi feels guilty and admits that she likes him this leads to a much-awaited, for me anyway, Yoon Shi Yoon kiss scene. The kiss and confession perk Enrique up right away and sets him off into planning their future together and gives him the ability to read her thoughts again. In the upcoming episodes we will see if Dok Mi moves out of the apartment building and how things unfold between her and Enrique. I don't have any major predictions yet for the end, but I would like to see Dok Mi go to Spain with Enrique. Normally the thought of the woman having to uproot her life to follow her boyfriend would annoy me, but in this case I think it would be a great thing for Dok Mi and a romantic ending.

The apartment building's F4: Mizuta Kouki, Yoon Shi Yoon, Kim Ji Hoon, and Go Kyung Pyo

In these episodes it is also made apparent to Oh Jae Won/ Jin Rak (Kim Ji Hoon) that Dok Mi really likes Enrique. Generally, I don't feel too bad for the "other guy" in Korea dramas that the girl doesn't choose because the guy is usually weird, annoying, or too desperate, but I feel sorry for Jae Won. He said something very devastating after getting rejected by Dok Mi that reveals a lot about his personality. He said that whenever he was given a big present or when something good happened to him as a child, there was always a negative incident that followed. In many ways he is similar to Dok Mi. Jae Won also hides within a shell of protection and even though he demands transparency of others, he doesn't reveal much about himself. Because of this personality trait, I think Enrique is a better and more healthy match for Dok Mi. Enrique can help her open up and enjoy life again while Jae Won just wants to keep her locked away with him.

Another note from these past episodes: I have realized that I am a huge Kim Seul Gi fan. She is hilarious as the tired and moody manager of the webtoon company that Jae Won and Yoo Dong Hoon (Go Kyung Pyo) work for. I think that I can relate more to her life of working all the time and watching love stories that she's never a part of as opposed to Dok Mi as a quiet and beautiful princess locked away in a tower. I hope to see her in more dramas, maybe a starring role?

Kim Seul Gi

Kim Seul Gi

Watch Flower Boy Next Door with English subtitles DramaFever.com

Yoon Shi Yoon, Will You Be My Valentine?

Yoon Shi Yoon

Name: 윤시윤 / Yoon Shi Yoon (Yun Si Yun) born as Yoon Dong Goo
Birthdate: 1986-Sep-26
Birthplace: Incheon, South Korea
Height: 178cm

TV Shows

Flower Boy Next Door (tvN, 2013)
High Kick 3: The Revenge of the Short Legged (MBC, 2012) cameo
Me Too, Flower! (MBC, 2011)
Once Upon a Time in Saengchori (tvN, 2010) cameo
King of Baking, Kim Tak Goo (KBS2, 2010)
High Kick Through the Roof (MBC, 2009)

Movies

One Hundred Percent (2011)
Gosa / Death Bell 2 (2010)

I first fell in love with Yoon Shi Yoon while watching King of Baking Kim Tak Gu in which he played the male lead Tak Gu. What I noticed about him right away is his ability to brighten up the screen. Even when the drama he is in takes a turn for the depressing, he still beams sparkles and sunshine, and I appreciate that. In Me Too, Flower, his starring role after Tak Gu, Shi Yoon is even better. I can see the story of the character Seo Jae Hee just by looking into his eyes. His ability to emote happiness, sadness, and angry through facial expression is quite superb, in my opinion. And, of course, he is beyond adorable in his role as Enrique Geum in the currently airing Flower Boy Next Door. Even though Enrique as a character is over-the-top and predominantly childish, Shi Yoon brings him down to earth with his soulfulness and ability to portray genuine emotion.

Yoon Shi Yoon as Seo Jae Hee in Me Too, Flower

After careful consideration, I have come to the conclusion that Yoon Shi Yon should be my valentine this year. So, just to be clear, I am totes calling dibs!

Information source: http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Me_Too,_Flower!