Han Ji Pyeong or Nam Do San?

_{Image copied from Kim Seon Ho’s official Instagram account @seonho__kim and Nam Joo Hyuk’s official Instagram account @skawngur.}

“This post contains a little spoiler of the drama Start-Up. Read at your own risk.”

Who’s team are you on: Team Han Ji Pyeong or Team Nam Do San? This has got to be the hottest debate these past few weeks. Start-Up has been one of the most, if not the most, popular Korean dramas right now. Maybe because, as Kim Seon Ho said on 1 Night 2 Days, the two main leads are Hallyu stars. Maybe because it’s about start-up companies, a term mentioned a lot on internet these days. Or maybe… maybe because a lot of people caught the “second lead syndrome” in the character of Han Ji Pyeong.

_{Start-Up on Netflix}

Start-Up. First, let’s talk about Start-Up real quick. The drama sets around Seo Dal Mi (Bae Suzy), a young beautiful girl whose dream is to start her own company; Won In Jae (Kang Han Na), Seo Dal Mi’s older sister who chose to left her and their father to go abroad with their mom and step father in pursue of better and more comfortable life as a rich kid; Nam Do San, a genius in coding but helpless in pretty much everything else; Han Ji Pyeong, a successful man and an orphan who owed his life to Seo Dal Mi’s grandmother. Their story began when In Jae left and the grandmother decided to ask Ji Pyeong to be a fictional pen pal for Dal Mi using the name Nam Do San that they saw in the newspaper as the youngest Math Olympic winner. Things went well for them for quite a while, until Dal Mi’s dad passed away unexpectedly and Ji Pyeong went away to study in Seol, cutting all ties with grandmother. Years passed and the stroke of faith reunited all of them. ALL OF THEM. And then the drama revolves around love triangle between Dal Mi – Do San – Ji Pyeong, competition between Dal Mi – In Jae and Do San – Ji Pyeong.

Han Ji Pyeong. Now, let’s focus on our beloved second lead. Han Ji Pyeong was an orphan. He got kicked out of the orphanage at seventeen years old without anything but a bag of money. He didn’t have any relatives nor people he knew, a place to go, and without any knowledge of the outside world whatsoever. He was quite a talent in investments, though, winning an online investment competition at such a young age. He was rude, proud, and downright arrogant. But all of that was just an armor protecting the scared and fragile little boy inside of him. His words may be harsh, but he had a heart of gold. His letters to Dal Mi started out as something to pay Dal Mi’s grandmother back, but ended up as one of the two things that got him through his most difficult moment in life. Ji Pyeong grew up to be a fine man, successful, smart, wise, no-nonsense, and straightforward. His habit of never sugar-coating anything got him into conflict with the SamSan Tech employees, though it turned out that he was only just showing tough love. Ji Pyeong’s vulnerable heart plus his rarely shown cute and awkward self is, I’m pretty sure, what had captured the heart of many viewers (Including me? Yeah, kind of.)

What’s the difference between Han Ji Pyeong and Nam Do San? Like heaven and earth! They both are good looking, for sure. But Nam Do San is nerd to the extreme. He’s not really good at social relationship. Even his relationship with his parents were awkward. As he once said to Dal Mi, his language is coding. So, in my opinion, Nam Do San is pretty clueless and helpless about anything other than tech stuff. He can be so stubborn even though he himself wasn’t sure about anything. This cute nerd character may attract younger viewers. They may find his handsome face, tall physique, and awkward interactions adorable. Han Ji Pyeong is a very kind and well-respected man, however he’s often misunderstood because he doesn’t know how to express his heart in the best possible way. Ji Pyeong’s stern expression, harsh words, blunt personality might be a major turn-off. Older viewers may dislike everything about Nam Do San. In their eyes, Nam Do San is childish, stubborn, lacking so much, and a cry-baby. They would prefer the more mature and reliable Ji Pyeong. In my humble opinion, Do San is all that. But he later find out what he wanted and went for it. What about Ji Pyeong? His weakness is relationship. He knows every right thing to do in a relationship but he never know how to act upon it. He thinks too much. That’s why Do San managed to snatch Dal Mi right in front of his nose! Three years, Ji Pyeong. How on earth can you not gain even a millimetre of progress for three years?!

Whose team am I? The last two episodes are coming up, but it’s still difficult to choose. I like Han Ji Pyeong, though I don’t like the fact that he’s the second lead and that I know how his story is going to end. Nam Do San is okay in the end, but his crying scenes were a little too much for me. It’s way too much so it was more annoying than emotional (Don’t sue me, it’s just my personal opinion, okay?). I’m not happy with Dal Mi ended up being with Do San if he’s still the same Do San three years prior, because she could’ve done better, and I don’t just mean she’s better with Ji Pyeong. But I’m not going to ship Ji Pyeong and In Jae either like a lot of people do on the internet. They would make a good visual couple but their personality would clash big time (I am shipping Cheol San and Sa Ha wholeheartedly, though. They’d make a super cute couple for sure). Well, I guess I’m team Kim Seon Ho. He’s a great actor, a great entertainer, and a great personality to watch. He successfully bring the stern Ji Pyeong to life and softened it with cute and awkwardness now and then. I enjoy his various characters in dramas and I enjoy his goofy side in 1 Night 2 Days even more. His fame sky-rocketed since Start-Up and he deserves all the credit. Let’s just hope that a happy ending, a satisfactory ending is in store for all of them. And, fingers crossed, that Han Ji Pyeong’s story will not end too miserably.

_{Kim Seon Ho on 1 Night 2 Days (image copied from @seonho__kim)}

1 Night 2 Days Season 4: My First Impression

They are back! After around eight months of hiatus and layer after layer of controversy regarding some of the former members, my beloved variety show is finally starting its fourth season.

Image copied from Kocowa blog

When I first saw the list of the new members, I was like: (1) Thank God Kim Jong Min is still one of them! (2) Yeon Jung Hoon? Isn’t he the actor who starred in serious non-comedy dramas? (3) Moon Se Yoon? That Tasty Guys member? (4) A variety rookie Kim Seon Ho? (5) Ravi? Who is that? (Sorry, not to offend Vixx’s fans, but I literally didn’t know who he was prior to this.), and (5) Yay for DinDin!!!!

I didn’t really get my hopes up when the first episode’s airing. BUT, with such an odd selection of members, I find they are actually pretty charming and cute. Yeon Jung Hoon isn’t actually new to variety shows, because I think I’ve seen him as a guest of something, but he claimed to be a 1 Night 2 Days fan and his reaction to his first experience was right of the bat super cute. Kim Seon Ho is truly a rookie, clueless, wide-eyed, a bit helpless. While the other two new members, the so-called Tom and Jerry of the show, have some experience and just entertaining to watch. I actually have been a fan of DinDin in variety programs, so I was pretty excited to see him as one of the members.

First episode was very promising. All of them tried hard in everything, didn’t shy from anything. And what startled me the most was, they clicked right away. No one was too timid when they were introduced to each other, though they were pretty awkward at first but it was awkward-cute. That first bok-bul-bok with the ganari-cano! I laughed so much when they actually drink that horrible stuff. But it goes to show how determined they are in doing the show.

And one huge thing about this season is that the new members actually consider Kim Jong Min is the most genius out of them all. No offence, but this is the first time he is seen that way. He’s always the foolish one, but apparently the table has turned now :D. I kinda like this, to be honest. It’s nice to see all of them look up to him as their senior on the show, and as someone who knows the name of a lot of capital cities (hahaha!).

Image copied from mydramalist.com

My hope for this season is to reach the same, if not, better popularity and ratings than its three previous seasons. To, once again, be the number one Sunday variety program. To have people stop talking about the past scandals and enjoy this show for what it is, a new show, a new clean sheet. I will definitely be enjoying this season very much.

Best Things About 1 Night 2 Days

My beloved show is recently caught in a turmoil. A member fired and in jail, two got caught in a controversy and resigned, and now the show is threatened to be cancelled. This is a sad moment for 1 Night 2 Days fans, me included. However, I’m not here to talk about controversies or uncertainties. I’m just going to remember what the show is to me.

1 Night 2 Days Season 3 Members

I first get a glimpse of 1 Night 2 Days in 2012, the episode where Cha Tae Hyun and Sung Si Kyung went to a cheese factory of some sort. Me, as someone who never interested in Korean variety show, let alone like it, were skeptical at first. I said “I don’t understand many Korean words, listening to them talking so fast always makes me dizzy.” BUT, I fell in love at first sight. There something about this show that just picked my interest, left me wanting more. And, on top of that, I got to know an entertainer called Kim Jong Min and became a fan of him ever since. So today, I have a sudden urge to list what are the best things I think this show has that made me an avid fan I am today.

Travelling Around Korea

I haven’t been to Korea, and maybe will not be able to go there in the near future, but I really love the fact that I could travel around Korea through this show. In a way, this show is promoting Korean tourism to international audience. I love the fact that they actually promoting the tourist sites and not just come to visit, play games, eat, and go home. They showed me where to go, what to look for, what to expect from visiting places in Korea. They even managed to go overseas at some point, tracking Korean legacy and descendants, and became the first variety show to ever get a glimpse of life at the South-North Korean border, a nerve-wrecking and intense episode I will always remember.

The Famous Bokbulbok Games

I love 1 Night 2 Days’ bokbulbok games. Bokbulbok means luck or lucky game… This may not be a hundred percent accurate, but bokbulbok definitely relates to luck. This means nobody is superior, everyone has the same chance of winning. Yes, there might be some episodes where one member gets all the luck. For example: Defconn, when they played back-to-back strength game. But this is not always the case. Sometimes even the strong slipped. During the latter part of season 3, I especially love the bokbulbok games, because no one had the same luck each and every week, making the competition fierce and unsuspected members could win everything. Not only that, they sometimes incorporate traditional games, such as yut, wrestling, jegichagi, and more. They also made the members compose a song in Korean traditional style and music. Every week, there are something new to offer, and I am thankful for the staff for working hard to always make bokbulbok interesting.

The Chemistry of the Members

Forget about the recent scandal, focus on how there were before all came tumbling down. I love how they really are like brothers. They bickered, they teased each other, they competed fiercely against each other, but at the end of the day they showed love towards each other. The family bond got even stronger with the Cha Cha Cha siblings involved, three adorable children of Cha Tae Hyun. I love how the members once visited Tae Hyun’s house, ask for food shamelessly, and interact with the kids. I love how they actually met outside of the show, even worked together in other projects. And I love how this season 3 members always treated the former member, our beloved Gutaeng Hyung or Kim Joo Hyuk, as one of their own even before his tragic passing (may his soul rest in peace), that cemented his position as forever 1 Night 2 Days member.

Best Episodes

To me, one of the best episodes is when they went to Harbin, tracing the footsteps of An Jung Geun, one of Korean heroes that was arrested, jailed, executed, and buried there, on his last few days as a free man. The episode gave me goosebumps. The scene where they visited the jail and read the last letter An Jung Geun’s mother sent for him, and the scene where Tae Hyun cried when he found out that An Jung Geun’s supposed burial place were then no more than an empty field with unattended grass, rubble or garbage scattered everywhere. I actually got choked up watching it. And another one was the episode on the anniversary of Gutaeng Hyung’s death. Watching them, even Ryu PD, in tears and listening to Gutaeng Hyung’s last message to them, recorded prior to his death was too much.

1 Night 2 Days is more than just these points to me. The show has always been something to ease my mind after a days work every week, the means to see Korea before I get the chance to actually go there myself, and a way to forget about whatever was bothering my mind before watching it. I know it may be wishful thinking, but I really do hope the show survived. It has survived for 12 solid years. It has survived three different seasons and plenty of change in members. It has survived criticism and doubt. It got an award for the best variety show in KBS three times, earning high ratings every single week. But if this is the end of the road, then I can only thank the members, former members and staff for every laughter and happiness they gave me all these years. And for Kim Jong Min, Cha Tae Hyun, Defconn, Kim Joon Ho, Yoon Dong Gu, I wish you all success in everything that you do in the future. I will always root for you. And, as Kim Joon Ho proudly said everytime, 이멤버 리멤버 forever – REMEMBER EACH MEMBER FOREVER.