#park sang young

[waitmyturtles]

Love In The Big City: Reflections on the Novel, and Episodes 1 and 2 of the Television Series

(Writing this with big ups to the LITBC Book Club, led by @lurkingshan and @bengiyo -- I only wish my mom life allowed me to have participated in real time in that project! I am taking the LITBC club's lead and watching two episodes a week of this series. SPOILERS from the novel that may make their way into the series are below -- read at your peril if you're pacing yourself on the series.)

In the midst of my reading the novel version of Love In The Big City over the last two weeks, I've been posting news updates (here, here, and here) about South Korean conservatives, many of them (maybe all of them) Christian, trying to censor and prevent the airing of the subsequent drama series, which dropped this week on TVING and Viki.

I want to note how important and ironic it is, macro-systemically, to note that Christianity has such a looming presence outside of the story itself, with "protestors" (bigots) leveraging "Christian values" as a means of trying to keep this already-brilliant show from being aired.

And if you're pacing on the series like I am, and you *haven't* read the novel, then you've only gotten a little taste for how Christian zealotry, among other issues, has and will affect Go Young throughout this story.

But I'm getting ahead of myself: when I picked up the novel, I was more familiar with the noise and drama associated with the television series than I was with the story itself. I'm going to talk a little about my reactions to the novel, and then offer thoughts on the first two episodes.

I read Proust's In Search of Lost Time (yep, all of it) in my freshman year of college, and Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises two years after. I felt the power of both of these stories strongly in Park Sang-young's novel, from the impact that memories and depression can have on a young man, to the permanence of medical conditions that can drive a young man's life towards otherwise unexplored cliffs of grief and pain.

Even reading a synopsis of In Search of Lost Time is a monumental feat, so let me just say that I felt Proust's madeleine-driven devices of memory, within the novel, from Young's frozen blueberries to the chill of the Marlboro Reds in the freezer. The impact of Young being really, really alone, as connected to the empty freezer and the dwindling blueberries after Jaehee's (Mi-ae in the series) wedding, caught me in a hole of loneliness that I felt for Young -- well before I knew enough of his backstory to be truly devastated.

I'm jumping ahead of myself vis à vis the series, but I also felt Proust even more heavily as I was reading about Philosopher Hipster Doofus Hyung, and I threw back to @lurkingshan as I was reading the book, "goddamn it, we are in yet another circle of hipster doom, huh," well before I learned about the medical turning point this story hinges on. Young's incessant attraction to that POS had me thinking about Proust's narrator's simultaneous incessant attraction and disdain for his companion, Albertine, who is a lesbian in early 20th-century France. While the story between the narrator and Albertine is ultimately a devastating one, Proust's narrator winds through the devastation with an equally devastating arm's-length distance, continually avoiding the true depth of pain that his obsessions would have otherwise rendered.

For me, it's such an apropos comparison to think about as we see Young, time and time again, rationalize the avoidance he has to commitment, all while throwing his energy into the relationships he's able to find himself in, ones that he essentially stumbled upon and never instigated.

The pain of his loneliness only grows as he grows into adulthood, and that, paired with his medical reveal, left me with a boulder in my stomach by the time I finished the novel.

Because I'm me (intergenerational trauma auntie), as soon as I finished the book, I couldn't help but think about Young's own boulders that he silently shouldered -- the thought that Young's medical Kylie would rear its head as a means of aiding Young in rationalizing his own assumptions about wanting vs. deserving long-lasting love, and his habit of taking commitment too lightly, even in the context of an already-established relationship with Gyu-ho.

But I also consider the lifelong trauma he suffered vis à vis his mother as an equally heavy boulder: the fact that Young absolutely internalized his mother's disdain for him as a gay man, his mother trying to "correct" his sexuality through conversion therapy, and then seemingly seeing past her son's reality, horrifically ignoring the emotional development of her son. Besides physical abuse, you couldn't do better than Young's mother in permanently psychologically traumatizing a young man who will already face obstacles as a queer individual in a highly conservative society.

All of this combined rendered me unsurprised -- but, of course, still equally devastated -- by Young's eventually pinball-style life, jumping from menial job to increasingly flippant flings.

What we are treated to in the novel are the thoughts that Young can put together as he steps back and assesses his life, especially at the crushing end of the novel. On the surface, someone on the street could absolutely write off Young as another aloof and aging hipster, disconnected with the world; but we know that that's not the case as Young assesses his dashed hopes for the kind of permanent love that he had once pooh-poohed.

Both Proust's narrator, and Hemingway's Jake Barnes in The Sun Also Rises, could join Young in that aloofness, and our own misreads of these men, to an extent. Not only is Barnes held back in life by a previous wartime injury (to me, this is screaming of inspiration to Park Sang Young's novel and the timing of Young's medical condition, but I'll never know if Park was directly inspired by Hemingway's book), but Barnes and Proust's narrator are also both young men growing into their adulthood, within circles of friends in impactful societies that seem to be full of intelligence and engagement, but are ultimately larded with loneliness and the pain of static ambition and conformity.

The last takeaway from the novel that I'll think about for now, one that I think is already leading beautifully into the television series, is the fallacy that we all have or had as young adults: that our youth would last forever. Young says, at the end of episode two,

"As I looked down at those blueberries, I realized that a time I had thought would last forever had come to an end."

Young has to reckon with the fact that his life, as it stands still in his early 30s, hasn't moved forward. It's only gone backwards, into deep habits of disconnection, despair, and loss. That youth itself could serve as a modality of movement for a young person to hopefully grow into a person with more potential is both heartening and brutal to consider -- especially as Young clearly could not take time in his life to take care of himself, as busy with his mother as he ends up being.

There's a lot more I'll likely say about the novel as the series unwinds, but I'm honestly still internally processing it. I'm also amazed to think that both In Search of Lost Time and The Sun Also Rises have significant connections to queer sexuality in both novels, and I just couldn't help going down this comparative literature brainrot cycle for a few minutes.

As to the first episodes of the series: what can I say? No one does it like South Korea. The acting, the cinematography, what Nam Yoon-su is bringing by way of his mere presence, let alone how he bodily channels Young's sexuality and personality. We're in prestige drama territory -- and already by episode 2, we've been taking into multiple facets of Young's internal strife, and his soon-to-be-revealed lifelong aloofness to commitment, while he still yearns for infinite love.

God, those internal contradictions, huh? In our real life, with our friends who are like that -- those friends drive us INSANE, RIGHT? Proust's narrator is SO THIS. A guy who sits in a chair and whines about what he wants, and complains even more when he HAS what he wants, because it's not perfect? He HAS Albertine at so many times, but he can't make her fully love him, because guess what, she's a lesbian, womp womp? Pick a battle, homey.

And yet. We're still devastated by Proust's narrator. Because one of his ultimate flaws is that he'll never remain still, he'll never be truly satisfied, and that conflict DOES keep him from being able to attain permanent happiness. At least we get to see him age, while we're left to wonder with Young and Jake Barnes.

I'm just too excited to see how Nam Yoon-su renders Young's own conflicts, as they simply grow, throughout his life in the series.

*****

I want to make one quick, totally unrelated note, about the airing of this series. At least to me, maybe only to me, the opening animated title cards of LITBC are really close to the imagery and symbolism of the title cards of Netflix Japan's The Boyfriend, a recent dating reality show featuring gay men in Japan trying to find permanent love. The ultimate pairing of DaiShun has been HUGE in Asia this year, with DaiShun doing fan meets across Asia, including in South Korea.

As @lurkingshan and others have emphasized: Love in the Big City is NOT a BL, it is NOT a romance. It is a deep exploration of the life of a gay man in the city of Seoul.

Inspired in part by Sex And The City? Probably. But LITBC is not nearly as flippant as SATC regarding social obstacles that its main characters face. LITBC delves painfully into the various obstacles that queer men face in Seoul, from social to medical discrimination.

The Boyfriend actually touched a lot on these obstacles as well. Some of the participants were out, but not all of them; one participant, Tae-heon, used the show itself as a means of coming out to his parents.

While some of us have seen the majority of queer content in Thailand turn very primarily towards BL romances, I still believe that Thailand can and will produce high-caliber media about queer life aside from romance, as it did in 2022's The Miracle of Teddy Bear (which I just finished this week, I'm fine, thanks for asking, devastated actually) and in other cinematic pieces. But I also want to note how incredibly refreshing it is to see Japan and South Korea also pick up this thread through The Boyfriend and LITBC, respectfully, producing content out of the usual romance loops that we've come to expect from BL media.

Anyway. If there's a connection between LITBC and The Boyfriend, with both entities talking MUCH more about holistic queer life in society, then I celebrate it, and I want more, more, more of it.

[moutheyes]

[translation] Allure Korea - Love in the Big City Interviews

Hello, for fun/practice I decided to translate the Allure Korea interviews with Nam Yoon-su, Kwon Hyuk, Na Hyun-woo, and Jin Ho-eun, who are starring in the upcoming TV adaptation of Love in the Big City. I saw bits and pieces floating around social media but hadn't seen a full translation anywhere. I've been learning Korean for a long time but still honing my translation skills, so any awkward parts or mistakes are mine. If there's anything egregiously wrong, please let me know and I'll fix it with a note!

LOVE NEVER SLEEPS / Love in the Big City: Nam Yoon-su & Kwon Hyuk, Na Hyun-woo & Jin Ho-eun

In Love in the Big City, Nam Yoon-su, Kwon Hyuk, Na Hyun-woo, and Jin Ho-eun fall in and out of love intensely, just like everyone else in the world. In Seoul, a city that never sleeps, love never disappears.

Park Sang-young’s Love in the Big City, a queer literary bestseller, will find new audiences in two separate adaptations this year. One of them is a currently airing movie, and the other is a drama about to premiere. The movie focuses on a character named Jae-hee from the original novel, while the drama depicts the first half of the novel, and Park Sang-young himself participated in writing the script. 

“I tried to keep the emotions of the original story as they were,” he said. “I also put a lot of effort into reproducing the rawness of queer life in a big city, and aimed to bring out various detailed feelings in order to let viewers connect emotionally with each chapter.” As he explained, the protagonist Go Young is “a person whose natural brightness masks the sadness in his life. He is a scientist who studies everything about love, embraces the inexperience of life, and eventually turns it into something beautiful.”

This role is played by Nam Yoon-su, and the drama will be a total of eight episodes, with two each directed by renowned directors who have appeared in various film festivals: Hur Jin-ho, Hong Ji-young, Son Tae-gyeom, and Kim Se-in. The actors (T/N: except for Nam Yoon-su) all said that they met for the first time at the photoshoot. There’s never been a drama like this before in Korea, but it’s a drama that must exist. Borrowing them for a time, Allure Korea met the four actors who loved each other passionately.

NAM YOON-SU

I have to ask how you’re doing. As soon as filming ended on the drama, you donated a kidney to a family member and became an ambassador for the Life-Sharing Campaign. No one knew about this?

I lost some weight but I’ve been healthy. I really didn’t know it would receive that much attention.

Seeing as how the episodes were filmed two at a time, aside from Yoon-su, the other actors are all meeting for the first time here?

Correct. That’s why the atmosphere is a little awkward? (laughs) Everyone’s introducing themselves and asking each other’s ages. Kwon Hyuk and Na Hyun-woo hyungs, I dated for a month each, and I dated Ho-eun for around three months?

Haha, so that’s how all of Nam Yoon-su’s men met. Or should I say, Go Young’s men?

“Nam Yoon-su’s men” works. (laughs) That’s accurate. I’ve done everything with them.

How did you get involved with Love in the Big City?

For me, it wasn’t a difficult decision, nor was it a difficult show. I’ve had queer friends since I was young, so I’ve always been open-minded. I could do everything the script and the director demanded of me. I thought of Go Young as a very ordinary person. He eats, sleeps, and loves like anyone else. The fascinating thing was, I received a ton of DMs after the casting was announced. They were thanking me. It was really amazing.

Haha, these are DMs you wouldn’t have received for any other dramas up until now.

People from different countries thanked me for taking part in this drama. Of course I also received hate, but there were way more thankful messages. They were even fighting in the comments. I just stayed out of it.

Park Sang-woo said, “Nam Yoon-su was destined for the role. I had a strong premonition that this person would become Go Young.”

Is that true? Thank you. (laughs)

It was a comment prepared especially for today. (laughs) But hearing that, I think the drama will remain faithful to the novel. It seems like Go Young experienced a lot of love in a compressed amount of time.

It’s because he was looking for love, isn’t it? I read the novel and thought it would make for a fun drama. I really thought hard about how I could express the story.

Didn’t the main character go through some changes? In the novel Young is described as a “fat cat,” so his nickname is “Fatty Catty” (뚱고).

Hehe, that’s correct. You have a good memory. Compared to the character in the book, I’m taller and skinnier, so in the drama “Fatty Catty” becomes a “chubby kitty.”

You’re the only one who worked with all four directors. How different were their directing styles?

Not just their filming techniques, but the crew and staff were also completely different. It felt like a fresh start every time. Directors Hur Jin-ho and Kim Se-in love to do long takes, but even those were different. Director Hong Ji-young said from the beginning, “I only film one or two takes, but there are a lot of cuts.” And director Son Tae-gyeom likes to film dialogue in a natural way. He kept only saying that it was good, so I got confused. Their styles are naturally different, so I’m also curious how the final product will turn out. I haven’t seen the final cut yet. Can I see it already?

Continuously switching between directors, what was that experience like as an actor?

I was able to learn a lot, actually. I would get used to one director’s methods, and then switching to another one would be a challenge. I would be in the middle of a scene, then get flustered and stop. It felt like a sudden change in the environment and atmosphere. We actually only had about a month to get to know each other. But as soon as we got close, it was already time to part ways, so that was sad. I think the audience will feel those directorial changes as well. That’s how different it is.

Everyone’s curious about this drama. Love in the City is described as “the story of a very ordinary queer person.” The emotion of love doesn’t change according to sexual orientation, but it can still be seen as unconventional.

It’s the same old love story. We live our lives, and the only difference is sexual orientation. I hope people see it for what it is. It’s not a surprise or a special realization that Go Young is gay, this is just his daily life. But the fact that the show is only available on streaming platforms means Korean society still thinks of it that way. I don’t know what the final cut will be like, but there are some spicy scenes, so it’s probably difficult for non-cable TV.

Korea has never seen a drama like this before?

Up until now, Korea has not had a drama like this. People ask me if doing this show will have a negative impact on me, but that’s the way I am. I’ve never thought about it, and I won’t in the future. I don’t want to act while only considering my image. I think that’s what being an actor is about.

So what is your mindset when acting?

It’s about what I want to do, and what I want is to make good shows and movies.

Just going where your heart leads? That’s simple and good.

That’s how I’ve lived my life, both as a model and when I went into acting. I just accept everything and consider whether I like or dislike it. I have a simple approach to work. I want it to be like that in the future as well. This drama, too, I just had fun while filming it.

What are you really like in a relationship?

Nothing special. Like Go Young, I just meet up and have a meal with them. I don’t date that often? (laughs) When I’m working, it’s hard to stay in contact. My relationships don’t tend to last that long. I’m quick to warm but also quick to cool. Honestly, that’s my dating style.

So you’re a bad boy, then.

I’m nice at heart. (laughs) I do everything I can for the other person. But I don’t think I’m good at dating. Hyun-woo hyung just asked me when I’m going to read his KakaoTalk messages... (laughs)

Seoul itself is another main character in Love in the Big City. Did you get to go around the city a lot?

Actually, we filmed in a lot of places. We also went to the club from the novel and filmed there. It’s a real gay club, and I heard it was the first time they allowed any filming there. They said the director went to get special permission. We put out a casting call for extras for the club scenes, and they also came and helped out.

Is there a neighborhood that represents Seoul to you?

I’m from Namyangju, and the first time I lived alone was in Wangsimni. Cheonggyecheon. I’ll never live in Apgujeong. There are a lot of bars there, which I don’t really like. After Cheonggyecheon, I lived in Dowon-dong, then Yongsan, and also Mapo-gu. I’ve lived in a lot of places, so I’ll go somewhere else next.

What kind of neighborhood do you have to live in?

Pyeongchang-dong. I’ll move there next. A place with monthly rent.

Do you enjoy living in a big city like Seoul?

There are so many people in Seoul. In some ways, there’s too many. It’s too crowded. I don’t like that part.*

If there’s no one you love among all those people, then being an urbanite can be lonely.

That’s right. So I don’t go out. Even now, I just go to the mountains. I go with my camping chair on my shoulder, eat a lunchbox by myself, and then I go back down the mountain.

You get that same kind of feeling from the drama poster—being alone in a sea of people.

That’s a real scene from the drama. There was one scene in a club in Thailand, and another one where I’m waiting for Ho-eun.

What kind of love did you experience with the three men gathered here today?

In the first two episodes, Nam-gyu and I were dating when we were students. I liked him for a while, and when I didn’t like him anymore we broke up, something like that. As for Young-su in episodes 3 and 4, when you’re young, you like older people, right? Even though you regret it later. And in episodes 5 and 6, I’m dating Gyu-ho, who’s like a friend.

Why do you think these men loved Go Young?

I came on strong. (laughs) I was the one who kissed them first and I was also the one who approached them first. How do I seduce this person? That’s what I’m thinking about.

In episode 8, do you regret getting with Habibi? As in, you should have stayed with Gyu-ho.

I do regret it. I was heartsick but didn’t show it. I had no choice but to let him go.

Even though you were acting, were there any moments when you got carried away by the emotions? In today’s interview, everyone slipped into their characters while answering. It’s interesting.

That’s how I do everything, every time. I really do get emotional in crying scenes. The other hyungs and Ho-eun are also like that. We feel everything.

It was nice to see you today, after a long time. And all the men you used to love.

That suddenly reminds me. (laughs) I did it this way and I did it that way.

How will this drama be remembered?

I don’t know if I can say this, but I don’t think there will ever be another drama like this in Korea. There wasn’t before, and there won’t be after. So I hope everyone watches it.

*T/N: this was a little hard to translate directly so I went with the general tone, but his wording was interesting to me. The word he used in the first sentence was 사람, which is a neutral word for “person/people.” In the next sentence he used 인간, which means people in a greater humanity sense. The word he used for “crowded” was 몰리다, which can also be translated as “driven,” as in herding or steering, which to me further emphasized the dehumanizing aspect of Seoul being a big city swamped with people.

KWON HYUK

Love in the Big City starts with Nam-gyu’s story, but he’s hardly mentioned in the novel. He’s the closest thing to an original character in the drama. What kind of person is he?

Nam-gyu is shrouded in mystery. (laughs) On the outside he looks well-behaved and could even be considered rigid, so he could be frustrating. On the inside he’s a person who carries a fiery sort of love. When he dates someone like Go Young, he’s incapable of hiding his true self and conveys his feelings.

If that’s the case, why did they break up?

He’s super frustrating and inflexible. When acting as Nam-gyu, I felt that Go Young’s vibe was from the current generation, like someone who’s an MZ. But although Nam-gyu works as a photographer, he really has an ahjussi’s tastes. Go Young goes to clubs and is the carefree type, but this guy drives at 60km per hour (T/N: 37 mph). I think Go Young would have found him frustrating.

We asked Park Sang-young about each character, and he said this about Nam-gyu: He’s a guy who is inexperienced in love and can’t differentiate between love and obsession.

If there are experienced and inexperienced sides to dating, he’s definitely on the inexperienced side. I think everyone has gone through an immature phase when they were obsessed with someone, and even though they should have seen and accepted that person for who they are, they kept forcing themselves to see only the good things. I could have been like that once, too.

How did you get involved with Love in the Big City?

Director Son Tae-gyeom, who filmed the first two episodes, contacted me. I liked his film Baby and Me (2017), but we didn’t know each other personally so it was a little surprising.

So a director you admired suddenly contacted you one day?

That’s right. He said he wanted to suggest the character of Nam-gyu to me. He said he’s seen almost all of my work and could already picture me as Nam-gyu. He laid everything out very clearly. It’s this kind of drama, and the production will go in this direction. He spoke with so much conviction, I thought I should trust him and give it a try.

Is that how you got your hands on the script?

It’s really fun, and there are kissing scenes, but I don’t find that difficult or burdensome. Can I play this role well? That was the assignment. Nam-gyu and I are really different. I wanted to know what the director saw in me that made him think I could portray this character well.

You’ve never been directly asked like this before?

I think so. No one’s ever asked me about that. (laughs) It’s so different, will the viewers be able to enjoy watching my character? I thought about that a lot. I also talked a lot with the director. This was a very indistinct character in the novel, so there were a lot of blanks we had to fill in. The director accepted my interpretation of the character. Nam-gyu has a unique way of speaking. He uses unusual words. Things like “that was splendid.”** Usually you’d say something was good or great, but he uses “splendid.” People don’t say that often.

What kind of director is Son Tae-gyeom?

He’s a really warm person. I had so much fun and was so happy on set. He let the actors try out a lot of stuff they wanted to do, and from the standpoint of trying to inhabit a character, I was really grateful for that.

What kind of opinions did you give?

Something that comes to mind right now is, normally if you’re introducing yourself, you’d say, “Hello, my name is Kim Nam-gyu,” right? But the Nam-gyu in my head would say, “I’m Kim. Nam-gyu.”

So that’s how you became Nam-gyu. Why was he attracted to Go Young?

I think, as with all love, It has to begin with attraction. Wasn’t I attracted to him because he was so different from me and had something I didn’t have? I thought about that while acting, but Yoon-su and I are very different as well. (laughs) I think he really is a lot like Young.

If you had to defend Nam-gyu?

I think it’s love. At first the viewers might think, “Why is this person like this?,” but if you consider Nam-gyu’s point of view from start to finish, you’ll feel sympathy for him. “Oh, of course that’s possible. It could be like that if you really like someone.” If you like someone a lot, it’s possible to act like you’re somewhere in between love and obsession.

Speaking of Go Young, he said he seduced Nam-gyu, Young-su, and Gyu-ho.

Is that what he said? He was young then so he didn’t know anything. (laughs)

Then did Nam-gyu seduce him?

Of course. Nam-gyu takes photos, and he met Go Young for the first time at a clothing photoshoot. Although it was his first time doing it, there was something in his eyes. There was a certain energy about his photos, and that’s how it started.

After breaking up with Go Young, does Nam-gyu think about him?

I think he was too into him. Because Go Young made him frustrated with himself, he went too fast. He tried to change himself, so doesn’t that mean he still likes Go Young a lot?

How was your chemistry with Yoon-su?

I felt that Yoon-su is a lot like Go Young, both on and off set. I wondered if he was always like that or if he was just acting like Go Young in his daily life for the sake of the drama, but he was always like that. (laughs) So I enjoyed it and it was always fun.

Seoul itself is another main character in Love in the Big City. Did you get to go around the city a lot?

We shot a lot in Itaewon and went around to various other places. We also went to Namsan and Jongno, and filmed while going around Seoul.

Is there a neighborhood that represents Seoul to you?

I’ve always liked Namsan Tower. Whenever I see it, I want to go up and look out at the city. So I went there a lot, and earlier this year I moved to a place where I could see Namsan Tower. I also like Yongsan. It’s the very center of Seoul.

Love is something all these characters yearn and work for. Is there a line that expresses Nam-gyu’s love?

I can think of two. One of them is in the narration, I think. “If obsession isn’t a form of love, then I’ve never been in love before.” The other one is, “Eat this, it’s really delicious,” and it’s when he gives Go Young something he really likes, but Go Young said he doesn’t like it. I think these two lines represent Nam-gyu really well.

What are you really like in a relationship?

I never touch the other person. I’m the kind of person who lets things be and tries to like them for who they are, without trying to change them. It’s my dream to get married someday.

What does it take to live romantically in this big city?

Love, of course. You have to live while loving someone to your heart’s content. We only have one life, so I think it would be nice to love someone sincerely.

How will this drama be remembered?

You’ll have to watch it to find out. For starters, we were really cold, since we filmed in December.

I guess Nam-gyu’s love was cold.

When we filmed at the top of Namsan Tower, it was so cold that I thought, “This is really how you lose weight.” It was 20 degrees (Celsius) below freezing. I couldn’t move my face, but I still made a lot of fun and happy memories. I don’t know how the world will remember this drama but I think it’ll be a really happy memory in my life. Also, infinite thanks to everyone who was determined and supported this drama... wasn’t it a challenge for everyone? An awesome challenge.

**T/N: The Korean word he uses here is 훌륭하다, which can also be translated as superb, marvelous, grand, etc. You get the idea. I’m curious how the subtitlers will handle Nam-gyu’s word choices!

NA HYUN-WOO

You play Young-su in episodes 3 and 4, which are directed by Hur Jin-ho.

That’s right. I’m that Young-su.

It must have been a difficult role. He’s hard to like in the novel.

Every time we filmed that kind of scene, the director, director of photography, and lighting director would all say, “what a bastard.” But it would have been impossible to play Young-su if I thought of him as unpleasant, so I tried my best to understand the role.

Park Sang-young describes Young-su as “someone who can’t accept himself, and even makes the people who love him feel lonely.” How did you approach the role?

I only thought about wanting to play him well. He has a lot of self-loathing. Of course he’s going to find love someday. Wouldn’t he be a better person due to his relationship with Go Young? I hope so. I think there must have also been moments when Go Young was clearly Young-su-like. And I also wonder whether Young-su will date another Young-su at some point.

You’re saying it’s a universal thing that can happen to people who are in love?

I think everyone inevitably has their Go Young moments as well as their Young-su moments. If that’s the case, wouldn’t Young-su also one day become Go Young-like?

How did you end up working on this drama?

I previously worked with director Hur Jin-ho on the show Lost (2021). We don’t keep in touch, but he suddenly contacted me and gave me the script. First of all, the fact that he called me himself was a big reason, and secondly, I was waiting for a drama like this. When I saw the script I knew I really wanted to do it. At the time, it was hard to see Young-su’s bad side. I just really wanted to do it, and thought I could play Young-su well, so I appealed really hard to the PD and ended up joining the cast.

What was the hardest part about playing Young-su?

In the novel he’s 38, and in the show he’s 35. That’s a little older than I am. Young-su was part of a student activist group at a prestigious university, but my generation doesn’t have that experience, so I had to do a lot of research. I’ve never met the author, but there was something about this character that was so hard to understand that I really wanted to meet him.

What part was the hardest to understand?

Why did he go back on his decision like that? What’s wrong with him? I wanted to find the author and ask him, but because I never got the chance, I just thought a lot about it and tried to figure out the reason. It must have been because he couldn’t accept himself. So no matter how unlikable Young-su is, I still feel sympathy for him. Dating Go Young was the most cowardly thing he did, and I think it was also the most painful for himself.

How was your chemistry with Yoon-su?

There wasn’t a lot of time before we started filming, but we did spend two weeks preparing for it. We became really close during that time. I’d never done such deep table reading on a drama before.

Go Young bragged that he came onto Young-su first.

He came onto Young-su? Wasn’t it more like fifty-fifty? Young-su already liked Go Young subconsciously. And wasn’t he like that because Go Young also reciprocated? Among ourselves, we described Young-su as “a man who is only nice at home.” Wouldn’t he have always made this choice?

Did you film at Olympic Park, where a certain incident between Go Young and Young-su took place?

We did. That was the first thing we filmed. It wasn’t easy. We’d just met and had to film a scene where I got mad at Go Young. And that evening there was another important scene to film as well.

Is there a neighborhood that represents Seoul to you?

We have the most fun during our college years, right? I graduated from Sejong University, so the entrance of Konkuk University and Hwayang-dong feel like Seoul to me.

What are you really like in a relationship?

When I was young, love was really romantic. Back then, I didn’t know myself, and aside from the other person I didn’t look at or date anyone else. Now that I’m older, I think it’s okay not to date. That’s the reality.

What was it like working with director Hur Jin-ho on Young-su’s episodes?

He likes suddenly coming up with ideas. He’ll abruptly remove or add new dialogue, or introduce scenes that weren’t originally in the script. You know that really long street in Itaewon? He suddenly wanted Go Young and Young-su to run down that street, even though there were so many people around. But he kept the camera hidden and filmed me and Yoon-su running down the street while screaming. A few people recognized me and called out my name. (laughs) There were no restraints, he just thought about filming realistically. I guess I was truly filming Love in the Big City!

Wrapping up that kind of shoot in a month, was it a bummer?

A total bummer. It’s like, I was so wrapped up in this character and suddenly it was over. This drama was my first one with such intense melodrama, and my first kiss scene...

You did all of that with Yoon-su.

Yoon-su took really good care of me. He quietly brought me mouthwash and said, “Hyung, use this.” That’s how he is with me. If we meet for dinner after he has a kiss scene during the day, he’ll tell me, “Hyung, I kissed so-and-so before coming here.” For some reason, I would feel weirdly jealous. It’s ridiculous. (laughs)

Haha, sounds like you got really immersed in the role.

When I was trying to get truly immersed during filming, I only saw Nam Yoon-su. I really researched only Nam Yoon-su, I looked up what kind of person Nam Yoon-su was, I only thought about Nam Yoon-su, to the point where he would appear in my dreams. Seriously, I was also shocked. I was that desperate to play this role well.

You became a Nam Yoon-su expert for a while. Did you get to know him that well?

I mean, I don’t know everything. That guy is really similar to Go Young! He went months without responding to my KakaoTalk messages.

He was really worried before. The three of you were sitting there after meeting each other for the first time, and he said it was awkward.

It’s true. Everyone here only looks for Yoon-su. So I’ll look for him a little less.

There might be someone out there who suits you better than Yoon-su.

I guess I haven’t totally escaped yet. There’s no one else but Yoon-su. (laughs)

JIN HO-EUN

How did you get involved with Love in the Big City?

I wanted to be in a queer drama. I heard this was being made, and as you know, the original novel was really well-loved. They said that four directors would be filming it, so I auditioned. I was really greedy for the role of Gyu-ho. I kept reading the novel while preparing for the audition, but I didn’t know if it would turn out well.

So you got both the project and the role that you wanted.

I filmed a video for the first round of auditions, and I’ve been saying I wanted to play Gyu-ho since then. But director Hong Ji-young really liked that. At the time, I didn’t know which part or which director would suit me, and all four of them were at the audition, as well as Park Sang-young.

Gyu-ho is an important character. He appears a lot in the novel, and on the poster, the “I don’t care, because it’s you” tagline also comes from him.

I was really glad to get this role. He has a huge presence in the story, and because of that I wanted to do a good job. I also really liked director Hong Ji-young’s previous work. I watched all of her movies and also bought the novel to read.

What did you like so much about Gyu-ho?

He’s someone who always moves forward without wavering. He and Go Young are similar in some ways, and different in others, so they are able to see each other deeply.

According to the book description, Gyu-ho looks a bit mean, but he’s actually a sincere person.

I was the least confident about his appearance, so I asked Park Sang-young about it a lot before we filmed. Not only about his physical appearance, but also his inner self—should he closely resemble the Gyu-ho from the book or should he be different? The author wanted me to do it my own way. The first time I met him, we were waiting for another meeting to finish and spent a very awkward hour together in a room. But I asked him a lot of questions and we got closer.

What was it like working with director Hong Ji-young on Gyu-ho’s episodes?

She’s really lovely. She’s really detailed, and for every little thing she tries to maintain the author’s style while also boldly including her own touches. So while Go Young and Gyu-ho’s story is a poignant melodrama, at the same time it’s also very charming. Their story felt like a youth drama to me.

Go Young and Gyu-ho had the most romantic relationship in the story. In the end, isn’t Gyu-ho the one man Young can’t forget?

I think so. The script is really sad. I felt sad the day we shot the scene in the poster. Although a lot of time has passed, I still tear up when I look at the script or any related videos.

You haven’t gotten over it yet?

It’s not that, but the memories still remain. Maybe because we spent almost three months together? I appear in seven or eight episodes.

It must have been a bummer when it ended. How was your chemistry with Yoon-su?

I was really sad when filming ended. I was glad that Nam-su hyung had the role of Go Young. Although we had to make some adjustments during filming, we were a good fit from the start. When he was filming the first four episodes, it reflected what he felt. Hyung really took care of me.

Today the men who loved Go Young have gathered, but I believe this isn’t everyone? From what I heard, Yoon-su kissed a lot of people.

That’s right. Who did he say was the best? Did you not talk about that? He told me he kissed around 15 people, and I was impressed all over again. Not 15 kisses with one person in a single drama, but one kiss with 15 people...

So that’s why they call him “Devil Go Young.” He said that he was the one who seduced Nam-gyu, Young-su, and Gyu-ho.

He said that? But Gyu-ho absolutely isn’t someone who falls for that kind of thing. (laughs) Gyu-ho liked Go Young. He must have been satisfied with that.

Park Sang-young said Gyu-ho was “a pure person who can’t help but fall in love.” Honestly, isn’t Gyu-ho someone who can have a good relationship, even if it’s not with Go Young?

Yeah, that’s Gyu-ho’s appeal. Still, he’ll get hurt again, grow, and heal the other person. I think he can emit a certain kind of influence over everyone he chooses to be with; he had a good influence on Go Young when they were dating, and it’ll be the same when he dates someone else.

So he’s not worried about the future. How do you think Gyu-ho will do?

I also think about Gyu-ho’s future. From his actions in episodes 7 and 8, I realized he’s a constructive and practical person. That’s so like Gyu-ho.

Did Gyu-ho want Young to hold onto him?

I think it was fifty-fifty for Gyu-ho. I think it was more that Young wanted Gyu-ho to hold onto him. That made it even sadder because Gyu-ho really understood where Go Young was coming from. That’s how I approached it while filming.

What are you really like in a relationship?

I try to do my best all the time. Actually I’m not really sure, but Gyu-ho made me think that way. (laughs)

What was the most difficult part of playing Gyu-ho?

The line “I don’t care, because it’s you” was really hard. That line is from the novel, right? But having to deliver it on camera was a challenge. Also, “You don’t care if it’s not me?” I wanted to do a good job, so I discussed different versions with the director and we filmed a lot of takes. Please check it out when the drama comes out.

What kind of drama will Love in the Big City be?

I think this is a much-needed drama for our generation. It’s a story that showcases different perspectives, so even if it doesn’t happen immediately, I think people will continue to talk about it. When the casting news came out, I received a lot of supportive DMs. They said the world needs this type of show, and also thanked me. Of course, I also got a lot of jeering or disgusted emojis. Yoon-su hyung received a lot more of those, honestly.

How will you remember this drama?

I hope this drama becomes a representative work for my 20s. I filmed it when I was 25, at the crossroads of my mid-20s, and I think we told a really good story together. Can you watch it the day it premieres? I want to achieve the top ranking on Tving. I hope a lot of people watch it. Truly, seriously, please watch it.

[averagekpoppermideko87]

I finished watching the queer KDrama "Love In The Big City'. I must say the drama was excellent. The drama was full of emotions. The cinematography was fantastic. The acting was also fantastic. I love the drama. I recommend the drama. It's a must-watch drama.

[gillianthecat]

Books Tag Game

Thank you for the tag @littleragondin! I've actually been reading books again these past few weeks so I have answers now lol

hardcover or *paperback* (i am but a weak little woman and those hardcovers are heavy) // bookstore or *library* (probably I would usually say bookstore but I was going to many different libraries to study at towards the end of the semester) // standalone or *series* (really depends on my mood, but the most recent books were a series) // nonfiction or *fiction* (fiction is an indulgence, and while I'm interested in a lot of non-fiction, reading it usually feels more like work) // thriller or *fantasy* (I've never been into scary stuff) // under 300 pages or *over 300 pages* (otherwise it goes by too quickly!) // children's or *ya* (i have not connected with the YA I've read in recent years but at times I have devoured it) // friends to lovers or *enemies to lovers* (there are some amazing friends-to-lovers I adore, but I'm compelled by even mediocre enemies-to-lovers) // *read in bed* or read on the couch (either but recently it's been all in bed) // *read at night* or read in the morning (through the night and into the next morning) // *keep pristine* or markup (I don't try to actually keep books pristine, but I also never bother to mark up anything but textbooks) // *cracked spine* or dog ear (historically I read most books on one sitting, but if not I'd just search for the page again/use a random receipt as a bookmark)

Currently Reading:

I'm not in the middle of anything, but I've read more in recent weeks than I have in a long time. (Well, technically I'm in the middle of Solomon's Ransom by Corey Kerr, because I read the sample and now am waiting for the book to be released in a few weeks.)

Several months ago I got from the (physical!) library a (physical!) copy of She Who Became the Sun by Shelly Parker-Chan, and I finally finished after the semester ended, and then found an ebook of the sequel, He Who Drowned the World. (Compelling, though I think the ambitiousness of the project inevitably meant that parts of it didn't quite work.)

Then I read a bunch of romance ebooks, and even found a m/f one that I liked! Jodi McAlister's Not Here To Make Friends. (It was also the reality dating show romance I had been low-key hoping would exist.)

I also read RF Kuang's Babel: An Arcane History (which I appreciated and was provoked by, but didn't exactly love), and then read that she was inspired by/responding to Donna Tartt's The Secret History, so I reread that. (When I read it years ago my reaction was, I'm too old for this. It felt like a book you need to read in your teens or early twenties to get swept up into. My thoughts this go around were pretty much the same.) Then Kuang's Yellowface, which was also compelling.

Speaking of enemies to lovers, quite enjoyed The Sorcerer's Omega, also by Corey Kerr, which is why I'm awaiting her latest release. (The other two books in that world are also good, just not catnip for my tastes in the same way.)

And your post reminded me—I too read Love in the Big City, which was good and also unsettling in that way of most autobiographical novels about the authors fucked up twenties. Now I can go and unblock the tag and see all the fascinating discussions y'all had in your book club.

I have no idea how they'll manage to turn it into a BL (which is what I think I read is happening?). Although it's about relationships it's very much not a romance. Are they just pulling out some random plot points and building a whole new story around them? I hope they don't try to smush it into BL shape at all, and just tell the narrator's melancholy story as written.

(Oh, technically I'm in the middle of Mari Kondo's The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, but I'm not sure if I'll read any more. Other people's advice can be counterproductive at times.)

(Most most recently was a bunch of Untamed and Drarry fanfic, but I'm not counting that.)

I'm not sure who's done this already, but I'll tag @lelephantsnail, @petrichoraline and @tungtung-thanawat.

[fictionalbond]

Love In the Big City (2024) - EP. 3 & 4 PART TWO - A BITE OF ROCKFISH, TASTE THE UNIVERSE

[kdram-chjh]

Kdrama: The Judge from Hell (2024)

When Demons live with humans 😅 | Drama: The Judge from Hell | kdrama edit #shorts #funny

Watch this video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wWRg44OSsaU

[reuels]

The Glory Episode. 9 (2023) dir. Ahn Gil-ho

[allarica]

In the end, I left just two syllables on the lantern. Gyu-ho. My only wish.

disclaimer: i drew this after i read the book and before i started the show

Commissions are open! || Support me on Patreon

Prints on RedBubble || Follow me on Instagram!

[smittenskitten]

Prince Mu Ahn who recently became a teen dad, also known for his skill of being able to read his mother's mind from the movements of her eyebrows alone

[moutheyes]

[translation] Park Sang Young tweets about LITBC trailers being removed

@ novelistpark: The drama for Love in the Big City was targeted by certain groups and bombarded with civilian complaints, so as a result all the trailers were taken down. It's ridiculous, not being able to advertise the show at all 9 days before it premieres, and I was so angry I didn't sleep a wink last night. I thought I was used to it after being a writer for 8 years, but even after experiencing the naked truth of hate, I can't get used to it. I'm looking for a way to resume advertising. No matter what, the show will premiere on October 21. Please enjoy it, everyone! We will win in the end!

[averagekpoppermideko87]

To LGBTQ+ allies and supporters and open-minded people who don't have any ill intent toward homosexuals. Please support the KDrama, "Love In The Big City." The series will be released on Oct 21. So make sure to watch the series. I'm going to watch the series.

[bl-bam-beyond]

Mandatory Military Service Completed. PARK SEO HAM is back in circulation.

In honor of that a Semantic Error APPRECIATION POST

The First Official Meeting of Jae Young & Sang Woo

Semantic Error (2022, SOUTH KOREA)

Chu Sang Woo (PARK JAE CHAN) is an emotionless take no prisoners college student forced to do the work of a group project all alone. The other group members in his phone as FREELOADERS.

One of those freeloaders is Jang Jae Young (PARK SEO HAM) labeled as FREELOADER # 3 and because Sang Woo removing the names of the members of the group project Jae Young has been denied graduation and he wants revenge. Sang Woo avoids him successfully until Sang Woo sets himself up to meet Freeloader # 3 as a designer for his game.

@pose4photoml @lutawolf @kingofthereblog-boysloveed

[fictionalbond]

Love In The Big City (2024) - EP. 3

Part 2 - A BITE OF ROCKFISH, TASTE THE UNIVERSE

[xbethelight]

[neo-zone]

Alright, I finally got my hands on this full ... presscon? cast reaction? Whatever.

I already shared some screenshots from this before (by some people on Twitter) and after finally watching the full version, I fell like I need to share the rest of the season 2 world building and character lores mentioned and discussed to you guys in here (and also major spoilers for season 3)

P.S. I could be wrong on some of the points here (either misinterpreting or not paying enough attention), so please correct me if I do in the reply section

Season 2

I'm still confused af on this line : "he killed his original body as well as his personality, eventually turning into the twisted monster that he is now". Like so, does it refer to Sang-won killing his original body in season 2 or is it about monster Sang-won killing the real Sang-won?

I still don't get this line too, so interpret it however you want : "The child covered in black?" "This is where what's remaining of Sang-won disappears, uncovering the child."

Chan-young was a baseball player. Ye-seul was one of the cheerleaders

Oh, apparently monsterization does still happened inside the stadium. That's why there's a regular daily checking. Anyone showing symptoms will be out in the isolation place (yeah that place where they put the sick mom in). Some lived, some died inside the isolation => might be why Chief Ji keeping her monster son secluded somewhere deep inside the stadium

Hyun-su cut Yi-kyung's daughter hair the same style as him, hence how they're being similar appearance wise

The live action crew is adapting Shotgun Boy into Netflix Sweet Home

Yi-kyung blames herself for how her child turned out to be with her monster-turning power

Yi-kyung's inability to give affection or even touched her child stems from the fact that monsters are created from human desires, so she didn't want her child to have desire (awfully familiar with a particular old man *side glance*)

Yep, you guessed it. These three (Hyun-su, Eun-yu, and Chan-young) are dense as fuck about their own feelings to each other (minus Hyun-su to Chan-young and vice versa ofc)

Yi-kyung's daughter views Hyun-su as her own family even more than her biological mother. Because they're similar and he's the only person she could hold hands with without her power reacting

Hyun-su uses red ribbons to mark the safe area for Eun-yu because color red stands out among the greenery of Seoul post time skip

The monster cocoons are shaped like a heart because monsterization manifests from human desires

The "real Jung Wui-myeong" is one of the scientists. Sang-won (or monster Sang-won depending how you interpret the earlier points) took his identity and used it as his own, probably to separate himself from his old human self

Lmao, not them calling Sang-won's family as family of evil and there's no good apple in it. That's so fucking foul

Sang-wook is still there somewhere (I already shared this one before)

Sang-won's original abilities include the Medusa touch he did to Hyun-su in episode 3

Oh wait, Yi-kyung survived?! I thought she died after her fight with Hyun-su (uh oh *nervous glance to every instance of me mentioning "her death" in replies*)

Monster Hyun-su act according to what Hyun-su thinks and desires (I had shared this one before)

Monster Hyun-su is more proactive and extrovert (is the extrovert part really necessary?")

Season 3 rough summary

Family drama : Nam Sang-won starts a bunch of trouble (this bitch) in order to create a world he dreams of. There are family reunions and conflicts between spouses. He also meets his child (uh oh). They fight for her custody. This custody case didn't need a court (fuck, oh come on 😂). Yi-kyung wouldn't just talk it out. She'd fight until one is dead

Sibling drama : Eun-yu will meet Eun-hyeok again, but I'm not sure it'll make her happy

Second male lead struggle : Chan-yeong faces even more hardships as the story progresses. But even then, he gives up a lot just to protect Eun-yu. He starts to understand the monsters more. There's a lot on his mind as the story goes on.

More monster Hyun-su : Hyun-su lets go of himself and lets out the monster. But the monster doesn't just do its thing. He reads Hyun-su's mind and acts as he wants.

Another Hyun-su and Yi-kyung interaction : And later on, he interacts with Yi-kyung as well. The emotion it brings also felt huge. In the narration, he tells Eun-yu how much pain Yi-kyung is in and that he has to stop it all himself. So I'm sure Hyun-su sparked a change in Yi-kyung's heart. That'll continue in Season 3.

[imsailorpluto]

So I've finally finished Bloodhounds (+ ahjussi collection)

...and I have no idea where to start and what to say and how to feel.

No, wait, please hear me out.

It was b l o o d y and at parts a very difficult watch, as it has lots of explicit fighting scenes, which look extremely realistic and cruel. So cruel that I had to close my eyes and not watch, I even skipped many & i'm not sorry. However, there are also parts so heartwarming that it makes you forget about all the crimes and gore for a moment. So, it's up to you to decide if it's worth the struggle. Since the violence could be a bit too much for many, let's just say I do and don't recommend this one at the same time. Personally, one of things I greatly enjoyed is the subtle comic tone of Gun-woo's and Woo-jin's interactions with each other and their characters which represent people doing sports professionally so well, the purity of their hearts and lack of malice in everything they do, since they truly do live for the sports. Then there are two absolutely powerful and skillful young women, Hyeong-ju and Da-min, playing such important roles in the entire series, each of them individually contributing so much to the entire plan of bringing the bad guys down and saving what could still be saved. And also, one of the most enjoyable parts were definitely the bonds that came out of these newly formed friendships. Younger acting crew did an amazing job. In comparison to the older and experienced ahjussi crew (I'll get to them in a bit), they've got some serious talent. It must have been a huge undertake for both Woo Do-hwan and Lee Sang-yi to live up to the expectations of the entire team behind this drama. And they did it. They absolutelly slayed.

If you still haven't watched this drama, trust me when I say these two cinnamon rolls will instantly win your heart right at the beginning of the first episode. They're like the most perfect two besties you'd want to be besties with too. And yeah, you'll suffer thru all the horrors just to see them win the biggest battle of their lives. Gosh, every time I tried typing something coherent about them it just ended up being lots of crying shaking throwing up. They're the best, ok? And this is best I can do. ╥﹏╥

And while our marine boys scratched so many itches around this platform, I have to mention the absolute gentlemen that starred in this series and swept me off my feet *deepest sigh ever*

So many great actors took part in Bloodhounds, it's hard to believe my own eyes at times. Whoever was in charge of the casting did a killer job. I couldn't even take the bad guys seriously because they're freakishly handsome. Well, at least not until Kim Myung-gil brutally ended my favourite ahjussi trio damn you ep 6

What started as an obsession over two young marine guys and their bromance ended up as a hole in my heart over downfall of three middle aged criminals men and a will to trade all the money and gold bars for their lives. And more importantly, a huge appreciation for Korean actors over the age of 40.

No, let's be real. They're handsome and talented and great at their job and deserve all the love and support. With that in mind... here's a tiny screenshot dump because it would be a shame not to post it:

And I want to be normal about them and move on in peace but *internal screams* I've already mentioned Lee Hae-young in one of my earlier posts, addressing my obsession with the character he portrays, the sushi restaurant owner Hwang Yang-jung. And I know many people are obsessed with him too. But no one is speaking up. Which is silly. And tbh I really thought there would be more gifs of him and other men but...there's close to none? Can we talk about how fine this man is? How fine this whole ahjussi crew is? Can we... can we just acknowledge they sliced us all in tiniest pieces possible and burned us all till we turned into charcoal? Can we make a mess of kdrama side of tumblr by excessively posting about them? Pretty please?

It's true, I came for the boys, but stayed for these men. I'm not even joking when I say kdrama has me in a chokehold again, but this time for a whole new reason. Dropping everything just to watch series and movies these guys took part in sounds like the best idea at the moment. I even forgot about the new releases I started watching, which makes me laugh at myself, but... it is what it is. At some point, a girl just has to obsess over her favourite ahjussi, and that's okay.