Ha Ji-won revisits Damo for Secret Garden
by javabeans
Ha Ji-won finds herself back in Joseon-era costume for the upcoming episode of her current rom-com series Secret Garden, which airs this weekend. Ha is pictured above holding a script titled “Are You In Pain? So Am I,” which I presume is the new movie production that Ra-im, her stuntwoman character, finds herself working on.
The show has been delighting fans not just for its humor and the crackling chemistry between Ha and co-star Hyun Bin, but also the little pop-culture references sprinkled throughout the episodes, which include this brief transformation: Ha played a Joseon-era policewoman in the much-loved 2003 drama Damo, which was one of her most memorable early performances.
In fact, a production source explains that her character in this movie-within-the-drama actually IS Damo’s Chae-ok, not just a character who happens to look the same.
Ha Ji-won in 2003’s Damo
It’s been seven years since she won viewers over as Damo’s Chae-ok, but the costuming’s pretty spot-on, no?
Ha Ji-won said, “Re-encountering Chae-ok after such a long time is both a thrilling and happy thing. Because Damo was a drama that was very important in bringing me to this point, Chae-ok is especially dear to me. To be able to act as Chae-ok through Secret Garden brings back old memories.”
Secret Garden has been enjoying 20% ratings and will feature this scene in its 10th episode, which airs on Sunday.
Via TV Report
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Tags: Damo, Ha Ji-won, Secret Garden
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1 greyfl
December 10, 2010 at 12:21 PM
She is so pretty.
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Beng
December 10, 2010 at 7:44 PM
still pretty even after 7 years. i think she discovered the secret fountain of youth =)
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PickmePICKME
December 10, 2010 at 11:06 PM
You can say that again. Gosh, shes one of my faves. She leaves a great lasting impression. Ah she's so pretty
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saraha
December 10, 2010 at 8:27 PM
It's as if she hasn't aged...
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marypeg
December 15, 2010 at 11:11 PM
I know... I looked through these pictures real quick w/o reading so I could watch the episode first. Looking back I didn't even notice that the picture from 7 years ago was different. She looks exactly the same. I hope I look the same in 7 years... lol
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ilikehim
December 11, 2010 at 12:44 AM
And she has such a cute voice....in real life.
...its kind of low in secret garden.
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2 lala
December 10, 2010 at 12:22 PM
That would be hilarious!
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3 snow
December 10, 2010 at 12:34 PM
awesome! and ha ji won hasn't aged over the years, she still looks as youthful and beautiful as ever!
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gala
December 10, 2010 at 4:08 PM
she should star with Won Bin about immortals!
on a wee bit of serious note, i'd love for her to star in a RomCom with WonBin [something the dude should kinda try to experiment! dude can do comedy cause he was HIGH-larious in Guns & Talk]
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December 10, 2010 at 7:30 PM
ditto...they would be great....
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Beng
December 10, 2010 at 7:45 PM
Wow, i just thought about this yesterday. i also want a Won-bin and Ha ji-won pairing. go go go
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moomincandylalala
December 10, 2010 at 8:25 PM
agree. these two never seem to age... she looks exactly like she was in her mid early twenties. Won Bin was where everything Korean entertainment started for me. Back in the day when he was in the short series "Friends." Wish Won Bin will come back with a drama... Would Ha ji won with one Bin after the other be wishful thinking?
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frumbie
December 10, 2010 at 9:24 PM
since i LOVE both won bin and ha ji won a lot, i'll be ecstatic if they pair up for a TV project. i miss seeing won bin in the small screen :(
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snow
December 11, 2010 at 11:54 AM
i'm neutral about won bin, but i want to see her and lee jung jae together - comedy, melodrama, doesn't matter so long as it's got both of them!
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4 izzie
December 10, 2010 at 12:35 PM
she looks pretty with her hair pulled back! btw, will it be Ra-Im or Joo-Wonda doing Chae-ok?
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izzie
December 10, 2010 at 12:36 PM
btw (again)
“Are You In Pain? So Am I”
I can't help but LOL at that. Is that a message to Joo-Won? :D
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ida
December 10, 2010 at 12:48 PM
it's a fairly famous quote from the drama (Da-mo) itself. my sister and i watched this reality TV show in the summer where it was showing all these famous kmovie/drama quotes and i remember this one only! but only because i've watched the drama!!
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izzie
December 10, 2010 at 1:06 PM
oh, i see... thanks for the info. :)
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halfmoon
December 10, 2010 at 1:22 PM
I've never watched Damo... What was the context for the quote “Are You In Pain? So Am I”, or what made it unforgetable?
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marissa
December 10, 2010 at 1:49 PM
If I remember correctly, in that particular scene in Damo, Ha Ji Won's character Chae-Ok is injured. Her love interest, the half-noble officer, played by Lee Seo-jin tends to her wounds and that's when he utters that quote. That particular scene gets me everytime because Chae-Ok is a slave and there's a social gap between her and the officer, yet they care deeply for each other. One feels the other's pain.
izzie
December 10, 2010 at 1:59 PM
ooo... and who will play the noble officer? hmm... Jong-Soo? :)
momosan
December 10, 2010 at 2:13 PM
Oh dear lord. What makes it so memorable?!?
It's in the first episode of Damo. Naeuri is bandaging a wound that she got on her arm (in a self sacrificing move that was both awesome and frightening). He says "Does it hurt?" She says "Yes" He says "It hurts me too." And a bit more, while standing under flowering plum trees (I assume plums...looks like plums) I can almost do the whole dialogue by heart, actually. It truly is one of the most memorable sequences in k-drama.
Those of us who are Damo fans probably all flashed back to this when Ji Won looked at her shoulder in SG. I thought that was all the Damo we were going to get, but no. If Naeuri or Rebel Leader show up, I will have kittens.
Naeuri!!!!
ockoala
December 10, 2010 at 2:17 PM
Here is the scene if anyone is interested (the MV starts off with that very scene in discussion).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiVJy9DxdME
It was everything that was said and not said in that moment that was so meaningful.
halfmoon
December 10, 2010 at 2:43 PM
thank you for all the explanation and link to the video!
zonk
December 10, 2010 at 3:17 PM
thanks for the link!
cool! her scar in Damo looked similar to her scar in SG. :)
Sukispop
December 10, 2010 at 4:00 PM
I was so impressed by Ha Ji-won in the first couple of episodes of Secret Garden, that I went online to see what else she'd been in. I ran into "Damo", read some of the many positive reviews, and then watched a couple of episodes on mysoju.
I was sooo hooked by both Ha Ji-won and the drama itself, that I bought the dvd set(didn't hurt that it was well discounted on sale). The video stream sites do not show just how gorgeous "Damo" is. And the drama is phenomenal. Easily one of the best dramas I've ever seen.
momosan and ockoala- very well said. The scenes with Chae-ok and her superior, Yoon, are touching and amazing. And, ockoala? I just finished reading your Damo review on TP. Your review in one word(just as you wrote about HJW's performance)- magnificent. Thank you for such a wonderful read.
nycgrl
December 10, 2010 at 4:19 PM
아프냐? 나도 아프다 breaks my heart every time & more heartbreaking the way he says it in Korean.
ockoala
December 10, 2010 at 4:35 PM
Thank you, Sukispop.
I own the official MBC Damo set, and it's one of my three most precious official box sets. Sometimes I even sleep it with next to my pillow. :-P
@nycgirl
Agreed. Hwangbo Yoon's dialogue delivery in that scene was exquisitely restrained. In fact, part of why Naeuri wins in the end was because Lee Seo Jin really brung it in terms of really capturing the inner struggle of Yoon with his fierce sense of integrity, coupled with his love for his Ohk-ah.
Naeuri-ahhhh *collapses into a heap of tears again*
Dang, where'd dem Team Rebel Leader 4ever folks?
amg01
December 10, 2010 at 4:36 PM
I just finished watching "Damo's" first episode and all I can say is that I have fallen in love with "Ha Ji-won" she totally rock's as Chae-Ok!!!!
I have put off watching this drama before but I think now is the right time!!!!! : O }
Dory
December 10, 2010 at 6:49 PM
@ ockoala
I was just reading your Damo review a few days ago too and it was great! Thanks for your work.
I still feel so sad for the commander but speaking of Team Rebel Leader 4ever, yes we are still here lol. The cave scene and ending get me every time :(
5 Ani
December 10, 2010 at 12:37 PM
I love how she's taking pictures. XD When I first saw this post I thought it was going to be a tie-in to the past. You know, like a reincarnation. And than I figured my reasoning didn't make sense at all considering it's"Dad" who's pulling the strings around here. X)
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6 Ace
December 10, 2010 at 12:37 PM
Love the weekends more than ever for SG!
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7 JD
December 10, 2010 at 12:39 PM
I was rewatching the wedding singing/dancing clip in Love, So Divine starring Ha Ji Won and Kwon Sang Woo. I LOVE that she's so versatile in her looks. Proves a girl can be kickass AND girly!
LOVE HA JI WON!!!
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Katey B
December 10, 2010 at 5:48 PM
Haven't seen Love, So Devine but I agree with what you say.
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8 tetsi
December 10, 2010 at 1:02 PM
I fell in love with her precisely because of DAMO!!!!
still bawled my eyes out everytime I rewatch that last episode...
now, if only Kim Min Joon makes a cameo in this episode, the whole drama will be perfect for me.
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Jomo
December 10, 2010 at 5:14 PM
That is such a great idea! They could make it work in the script so easily! Someone start a petition.
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Dory
December 10, 2010 at 6:34 PM
AGREE! He should! Kim Min Joon as the rebel was haunting for me :(
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9 Cam
December 10, 2010 at 1:08 PM
Gosh, I really like Ha Ji Won when I reallllly ENJOY watching her in "Secret Garden" with Hyun Bin, ofc!
(yupz yupz, she seems very pretty, mm!) ^________^
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10 belleza
December 10, 2010 at 1:28 PM
Still her signature K-drama role, though I'm sure the male audience really want her to reprise her Sex is Zero character, which is what established her OPW legend . . .
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djeedjes
December 11, 2010 at 12:19 AM
Heh.
I watched Sex is Zero twice because I didn't remember that was Ha Ji Won as the female lead.
I have a special memory of that movie, because, well, it was my first experience that K-movies could be so open with sexual contents.
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Sukispop
December 11, 2010 at 11:40 AM
Hi belleza,
Sorry for my ignorance...but what is "OPW legend"?
Thanks!
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birdscout
December 11, 2010 at 9:06 PM
Hi Sukispop,
OPW is the "oppa-pout-wiggle" that girls do to act cute and girly so that the oppa will do whatever the girl wants. I think this term was coined by samsooki, along with the "noona-pout-wiggle" corollary. javabeans also wrote about it in the Glossary: oppa post.
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Sukispop
December 11, 2010 at 10:21 PM
Hi birdscout,
Thanks!
So, from what belleza wrote, did HJW get some special status by using it in "Sex is Zero"? I have not seen this movie.
Thanks again! :)
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birdscout
December 12, 2010 at 8:31 AM
I have only seen Ha Ji-won in "What Happened in Bali" and "Secret Garden", but "Sex is Zero" is now on my to-watch list. The title itself is intriguing:)
11 all4movies
December 10, 2010 at 1:33 PM
Wow, I just happen to be re-watching Damo right now and am really enjoying it. It's like visiting an old friend.
Can't wait to see Ha Ji-won playing Ha-rim doing Chae-ok.
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Dory
December 10, 2010 at 6:26 PM
Same! Was just watching it again while waiting for secret garden. It's still sooo good!
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12 Auntiemame
December 10, 2010 at 1:41 PM
So, could it possibly be that through the pseudo Chae-Ok role, the Ra Im character becomes a super movie star?
Then, the 'gap' between them is lessen.
And, if she becomes a star in Hollywood, that may make her even with him????
Actually, I thought the body-switch was going to last longer and they would finally understand what life is like in the other person's shoes. Oh, well. We'll just have to wait and see.
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belleza
December 10, 2010 at 1:46 PM
I think they're due for another switch. Though I'd rather have Oska and Joo Won switch, or Oska and Ga-rim switch.
I was thinking about how they'll give us some Sam Shik love, but really his character is already the super douche-bag version of his Sam Soon chaebol. Plus tracksuit.
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izzie
December 10, 2010 at 3:18 PM
i want Oska and Tae Sun to switch. :D
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belleza
December 10, 2010 at 8:30 PM
It would be awesome if they just spun off this show into an Oska sequel. Binnie/Ha Ji Won are good in this show, but the show really comes alive when The Great Oska arrives!!
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crazyunnie
December 11, 2010 at 2:32 PM
oska + tae sun = the cutest bickering couple eva!
...(besides the main leads. lol)
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13 seri
December 10, 2010 at 1:52 PM
Who else thinks Ha Ji Won adn Hyun Bin look a like?
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belleza
December 10, 2010 at 1:56 PM
That's why they belong together!! ;)
Probably in the cheeks. Ha Ji Won's known for her cheekbones. Binnie's lost so much weight that his cheekbones are jutting out. He looks a little like a Korean Ian Brown.
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Rong
December 10, 2010 at 3:46 PM
me!!! :) very much alike.
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Khin Nwe Aye
December 10, 2010 at 2:20 PM
They really do! When I look at the photoshopped pix of IR in four various forms, but with JW's faces, first I thought they are photos of RI. Those two really look alike if you take a casual glance. No wonder there's so much chemistry between them. Must be the two faces of the same coin.
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wut?!
December 10, 2010 at 2:26 PM
ian brown? are ya kiddinnnn me? no....
hyun bin is way too cute =)
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belleza
December 10, 2010 at 8:16 PM
"hyun bin is way too cute "
Girlie Binnie, sure. But he's look so thin nowadays.
"ian brown? are ya kiddinnnn me? no…."
Dial back 20 years, Binnie's totally looking like King Monkey! :D
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gailT
December 10, 2010 at 7:40 PM
me too! but i feel apologetic to song hye kyo... cause you know what they say about people who look alike... No, I don't mean that they're related. They're Meant To Be!
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14 Emma
December 10, 2010 at 1:56 PM
That woman doesn't age at all. Sighhh.... still love her dearly.
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15 keke
December 10, 2010 at 2:25 PM
One of my favorite korean drama lines EVER
lee se jin is so musheesuh when he says it. HAHA :)
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16 reydio
December 10, 2010 at 2:41 PM
She's so awesome!! Love her to death!! More power to her!!
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17 y.
December 10, 2010 at 2:50 PM
Ha Ji Won doesn't age at all omg.
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18 jo
December 10, 2010 at 3:11 PM
DAMO.
ONE.OF.THE.BEST.KDRAMAS. E.V.E.R.
If you can't get enough of HJW, WATCH IT.
If you need something to kill time while waiting for SG, WATCH IT.
EITHER WAY, WATCH IT.
It's THAT good.
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twylah
December 11, 2010 at 6:25 AM
i guess this settles it for me. i'm bound to hunt for DAMO now.
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John
December 11, 2010 at 11:24 PM
second this comment.
What's WHiB?
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D
December 12, 2010 at 5:19 PM
What Happened In Bali - Ha Ji Won, Jo In Sung (swooon) & So Ji Sub
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wilhelmina
May 5, 2011 at 7:33 AM
very AGREE...D)
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19 ar
December 10, 2010 at 3:11 PM
Another plus for Secret Garden! I haven't watched Damo besides a few clips. I really want to watch it, but it's so sad.
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all4movies
December 10, 2010 at 5:32 PM
Yes, but it's a good sad.
It's all about the different types of love that you can have and how much you're willing to sacrifice for that love.
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20 crzycpl
December 10, 2010 at 3:47 PM
DAMO IS DA BOMB!
I LOVED Ha Ji Won is this kdrama. She was everything and so much more. It was so tragic this story. Brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.
Secret Garden rocks for bringing in Damo into the drama. Loving Secret Garden. Loving Ha Ji Won and Hyun Bin. Love love love.*
*note: am a little tipsy from dinner :P
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21 Biscuit
December 10, 2010 at 4:06 PM
While I may not be the biggest fan of Damo, I did appreciate it so this is a nice surprise.
I hope this is Ra-im inside... Ra-im. As much as it'd be hiliarious to have Joo-won inside Ra-im, I think the people behind the drama have come to realize that the drama was quite addicting pre-body switching... and there was more charisma of Hyun-Bin acting like Joo-won. On the other hand, it it wasn't for the switch, there would have been no Joo-won singing to Ra-im's phone ringer. So. Cute.
Actually, HJW looks pretty nice with her hair up. Although I miss her long hair in WHIB and sorta wish we'd have another melodrama like that... and HJW in it.
Honestly, has there been any recent melodrama that was able to create any famous scene/dialogue?
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cheerios
December 10, 2010 at 8:18 PM
I like her with long hair, but without bangs. i thought her look in WHIB was...say...horrendous with the straight bangs. but that look fits the poor-girl character though, lol
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belleza
December 10, 2010 at 8:40 PM
I haven't really invested a lot of characterization for either Ra Im or Joo Won. To me, they're always been Kim Eun Sook's meta-commentaries on Ha Ji Won's and Hyun Bin's iconic roles. The more you've watched of both stars, the more the body switch is just a pleasurable wink-wink exercise at both of their personas, rather than either actually playing gender-switched roles. It works, of course.
"Honestly, has there been any recent melodrama that was able to create any famous scene/dialogue?"
Probably the Baker King, whenever the lead character eats bread. :D
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22 Christy
December 10, 2010 at 4:17 PM
So talented and beautiful. I lover her!
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23
December 10, 2010 at 4:18 PM
Damo - one of the best korean dramas!. now i feel like rewatching and re-living her pain again.
i can't wait to see Chae-ok again, in SG this time.
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24 grasya
December 10, 2010 at 4:41 PM
my sister lent me her Damo dvd many years ago. i never bothered to watch it. hearing all of your good words on the drama, i might go and ransack my things to look for it.
yey, weekend! i don't want another Ra Im - Joo Won swap. I'd rather have Joo Won - Oska switch next time. hahaha, Joo Won's gonna love it when Ra Im acts the way she does to Oska and he's in his body. it will be hilarious!
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iris
December 10, 2010 at 9:45 PM
I LOVE this idea! that'll be so cuteeee!
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25 zero2303
December 10, 2010 at 5:17 PM
Damo & WHIB are epic to me.
HJW is so awesome in both of these dramas which is so memorable to me.
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26 Jomo
December 10, 2010 at 5:20 PM
I'm relatively new to dramas, but I haven't found many actresses like HJW in any of them.
I can't imagine anyone else playing Key Lime.
She's really one of a kind, isn't she?
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27 eun suk fan
December 10, 2010 at 6:37 PM
After having HJW with a Damo reference, could it be a hope for HB with MNKSS thingy?
Hoping for a Kim Sun Ah cameo :D
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28 Anonymous
December 10, 2010 at 6:42 PM
Now I have the urge to re-watch my Damo DVD. I like it when I first watched it but it was kind of tragic. HJW, however, was awesome in that role. I loved all the sword-fighting scenes, the scenes when they ware investigating and of course all the love scenes.
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29 shirley
December 10, 2010 at 7:04 PM
for those who want to know where that line " are you hurt ? i hurt too ? " from ^^ the classic scene in DAMO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2ERMuVwwfc
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30 Beng
December 10, 2010 at 7:48 PM
will definitely watch again damo
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31 Ladymoonstone143
December 10, 2010 at 8:03 PM
After watching 2 episodes of Secret Garden, I had a girly crush on Ha Ji Won that I had a Damo marathon, finished it in less than 2 days, forsaking sleep...and wham, I was crying bucket of tears at the end. But gosh, the action scenes are awesome and I am already a big Ha Ji Won fan.
The 2003 pic reminds me of Insoo...they really look alike. Good genes...
Looking forward to tomorrow and Sunday...and everyone knows what it means...lol
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32 Kuging
December 10, 2010 at 8:06 PM
awesome!!! btw, i just check out her some clips of sex is zero movie i thought it was Hilarious! ahahaha. one of this days gonna watch it
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belleza
December 10, 2010 at 8:27 PM
Damo gave Ha Ji Won the critical credibility and long-standing connection with the her female audience . . . but it's really Sex is Zero that crossed Ha Ji Won over from being a scream queen to a up-and-coming star.
I'm sure Jang Geun Suk probably discovered puberty through Sex is Zero. ;)
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NimiWehy
December 10, 2010 at 11:23 PM
@belleza, Was scavenging interwebs for any decent writing on WHIB ,which I finished last weekend and chanced upon your review at d-addicts written two years back ! It’s a fucking masterpiece :D. The words written ,bespoke a nuanced understanding of the drama that went beyond a casual perceptiveness ,still making it a powerful read after 2 years .What is freaky is that my reactions almost mirrored yours , like you had written this (unknowingly )for me to read 2 years down the line : -) (*sigh* ugly narcissism rears its head *).Would you believe reading it actually made me brood more and I was more than happy to give in to it .Between you ,ockoala and thundie ,I have made my small peace with the drama ,....for now .
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ockoala
December 11, 2010 at 12:07 AM
Never, ever, make peace with WHIB. Ever.
If you made peace with WHIB, then clearly you haven't had a chance to re-watch it. Which you haven't, since you just finish it last weekend.
I watched WHIB twice, in two weeks straight. The first watch, I thought Soo Jung loved Jae Min, no if buts or whats. That other dude, I thought he was just a side character.
The second watch, I thought Soo Jung and In Wook were soulmates, totally meant for each other until that douchebag Jae Min showed up and screwed with them.
I'm serious, two watched, two different observations, reactions, and interpretations.
Need to watch it the third time to see what I sense, because I feel that will be my ultimate decision on the ending and what it all meant.
The darkness, it eats you up. I still owe you a response at my review, and promise to get to it soon. :-)
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NimiWehy
December 11, 2010 at 1:56 AM
@ockoala, I am caught.I lied .It was self-deception ,just to get by .It was all I could do to stop myself from smashing my head against the proverbial wall.But truth is ....because "Into this wilde Abyss the warie fiend ,Stood on the brink of Hell and look'd a while".... he turned and looked at me and I followed ,nary a look aback ...
Hell was copyrighted well before WHIB ,with only visiting rights :)
belleza
December 11, 2010 at 4:07 AM
@NimiWehy,
Yeah, you'll notice that Team MOB (Mookie/Ockoala/Me) ends up talking about WHiB every 3 months or so. :D
WHiB is significant on two levels. First, for a lot of us, it's the equivalent to "Streetcar Named Desire" in how it pushes our hothouse buttons in a primal sense that literal displays (i.e. American TV) of sex and power doesn't. That it does is also a happy accident of the show's casting. Had the show stuck to casting a much older actor to play Jae Min, the melolust geometry here would have seemed MUCH more conventional. The plot outline is very simple. Rich man is obsessed with poor girl and can't emulsify his attraction with his class prejudice and wealthy, empty soul. It is not really love, but sweet, mumbly guilt; it is not really hate, but a kind of violent compassion. That describes the core relationship of Secret Garden as well as Boys Over Flowers. And as I've often said, WHiB and Hana Yori Dango/BOF come from the same allegorical ballet, except the swan has turned full black in WHiB.
Second -- and more importantly -- WHiB gave us a Faulty Cinderella. Almost every reading of WHiB is really a rationalization for Soo-jung's indecisiveness and moreover it is really a projection for our expectations as watchers of these dramas. What makes us like these men? What makes us choose the lead over the "Unfortunate 2nd character"? The question of "Who does she really love?" is really "Who can make her love ACCEPTABLE?" She MUST be made acceptable to us, or we cannot resolve our own guilty feeling over choosing between these two men, as all K-drama romances are vicarious experiences.
WHiB was specifically written to make the viewers evaluate THEMSELVES over why they root for leads in K-dramas, how they judge and project through the female character in order to connect with the romance, and from a more straight textual, how Cinderella dramas are less about a realistic assessment of love, but more about ego satiation. It goes back to how we rationalize "X wins her hand" (or rather "I want X's hand") in our reading of WHiB. We think about Soo-jung's past. We point specific bits of body language unique to Soo-jung and Jae-min. We think we see a "changed" Jae-min and Soo-jung crying as sincere attempts to reciprocate. We dissect the words. In other words, we do our usual detective heuristic in order to piece together a case for "Cinderella", while not realizing that all those details are in fact "gotcha!" red herrings that WHiB's writer throw backs at us. We're indulging in details for the sake of details in order to return our Faulty Cinderella into a domesticated "plan of love." And WHiB knows this and forces us to realize, the more we rationalize Cinderella, the more dissonant the love triangle gets.
Or put it another way, most viewers can't accept that she may just love the lead JUST because he's rich. She is too "tragic" (i.e. Cinderella) He is too "tortured" (Chaebol made good.) It can't be that way!
But why can't it? Because, per the convenant of watching K-drama, we already accepted that, for this hour of a given episode, she is "us" and he is "the one we want", and that we don't want to be reminded that the realization of their love is in fact a realization that they're both monsters or blood suckers in their own way.
The chemistry between Binnie and Ha Ji Won is good in Secret Garden, but for the most part, it's conventional movie-star chemistry replete with meta-awareness of each person's defining work (the latter providing all the comic succor during body switch.) Glamorous, glamorous screwball. However . . .
The sexual chemistry between Ha Ji Won and Jo In Sung may have no peer in the last 10 years of K-drama (also why they were put in quite a few commercials afterwards.) Their pairing -- she the queen of OPW and he the greatest Noona Killer of all (Yo Seung Ho may indeed be the Lebron of NPW, but let's wait until JIS returned from the military) -- is the perfect storm. Or put it another way, JIS's performance was so crazy as to suggest he wanted to not only make love to Soo-Jung, but that he wanted to be reborn from her womb and made a "whole" human being again. It's an amniotic longing supported by Jae Min's empty, empty material life, the plaintive wail of an adolescent begging his noona to make him okay again. And it's also how HJW's performance, even admidst all her character's disgust at Jae Min, can't help but register and pout and pull closer. Again and again. It's like, from a primal reactive sense, she MUST reciprocate to his disgusting, disturbing, completely compelling desire for her. Ha Ji Won's one consistent habit as a romantic lead is to close the distance between her and her male lead, whether her character is supposed to or not, whether her character likes him or not. To the viewer, it makes her character's every hurt seem intimate and personal. Here, with the male actor performing as to have her soul, and she performing as if she wants to become one with him, well there you go!! :D
(Though wanted to mention . . . Jo In Sung and Jeon Do Yeon's chemistry in Shooting for the Star is really special. There's a story that JDY mentored JIS on acting during their shoot, and you can see that aspect in their dynamic.)
At some point, I'll talk about In-wook in the story. But, I can't help but see So Ji Sup's "silent guy" performance here as a rehearsal for Moo Hyuk in MiSa.
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NimiWehy
December 12, 2010 at 5:10 AM
@belleza ,Moral Nihilism and Cultural hegemony are the last themes that I expected to be explored in a Korean drama,so this is an unexpected pleasure.While we enjoy the occasional strays into illegal and immoral ,we like to think of inviolability of our conscience ,generally not wanting to inflict self-dissection and if we do ,only in small reversible doses .We think and act in that narrow context of our class, education ,status and money because any digression is punishable .If we do , years and years of simulated reality will crumble and we assume we aren’t complex or ....deranged enough to handle it. Analysing WHiB is the equivalent of taking the red pill :) Shows that risk –takers are well and alive and can sneak in their anarchistic ideology in the guise of a drama.
It is interesting to see you point out anti-mimesis in dramas ,as if roles beget the actors and not the other way round .At some point,the lines blur.
As for Team MOB not wanting to move on;may be ,Rehabilitation is for suckers ? :) Let’s keep MiSa for another day .
belleza
December 12, 2010 at 3:03 PM
"Moral Nihilism and Cultural hegemony are the last themes that I expected to be explored in a Korean drama,so this is an unexpected pleasure."
Which is where the In-wook character (aka "The Joker" of this drama) comes into play. WHiB is a satire, so even the working class characters (Soo-Jung's uncle, In-Wook's dad) very much share the same class/status dreams (delusions?) as the aristocracy. Only In-wook sees the deck for what it is and precisely who they are, though his moral outrage isn't immediately apparent because he says so little. And so on and so on . . .
This stuff works especially well in a K-drama because we're also watching very much a noona love dynamic onscreen.
An American version of WHiB would be something like a Bret Eaton Ellis novel. I've often imagined Jae-min (offscreen) as a cokehead, where he always does a line before he meets up with Soo-jung.
33 eatnsnooze
December 10, 2010 at 9:03 PM
Actually, I always thought Ra-Im's character was a bit similar to Chae-ok. They are both strong girls who can kick butt, a bit "tomboy-ish" due to having to work with mostly men, have a tendency to fight against injustice for other but surprisingly docile when she herself is treated unfairly by either her boss or her superiors.
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Anonymous
December 10, 2010 at 9:06 PM
Similar, but I think Chao-ok is much more repressed compared to Ra-Im. More stoic and quiet too.
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34 bd
December 10, 2010 at 9:18 PM
Prior to SG, I've only seen HJW in "100 Days w/ Mr. Arrogant", "Love, So Divine" and "Daddy Long-Legs" which was unfortunate b/c all 3 films were pretty bad, and it was only her appearance on Family Outing (as well as a couple of CFs) where I got to see her appeal.
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D
December 12, 2010 at 5:24 PM
back then when I only watch K-movies, I truly loveeee her in 100 Days w Mr Arrogant (hehhh) but not so much in Daddy Long-Legs - Hyun Bin was in that movie as well, right?
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35 dramalover2012
December 10, 2010 at 9:44 PM
wow....she is really pretty! i thought she was a 20 something year old until i looked her up....:P
i really enjoy SG...her chemistry with hyun bin is amazing.....i hope they get #1 for ratings and break some records!!! :)
love,
SG fan! :)
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36 am
December 10, 2010 at 10:32 PM
Sort of "reprising" an old character is so cool! it hardly ever happens! She must've been so nostalgic and happy about it.
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37 punch
December 10, 2010 at 11:07 PM
well she looks like Mulan. love it!
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38 Lenita
December 11, 2010 at 12:41 AM
can i say that part of why i love visiting here are the comments! you are all so generous sharing your knowledge, without which i'd be soo lost in this site.
thank you! now i will go and try find some damo dvds.
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39 meme
December 11, 2010 at 5:18 AM
Waaahhhhhhh!!! I love Ha Ji Won sooooo much... She's very pretty and looks very young.. Am a fan of her since Memories in Bali drama.. and she's very cool here in SG.. Hope she'll get an award for her performance..
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40 krnkimbap
December 11, 2010 at 7:44 AM
Wow, I watched Damo when it first came out which means I would have been 14?! And yet I still remember that beautiful scene, and all those flower petals floating in the wind around them. Of course, the ensuing parodies in the korean media did change the scene from heartbreaking to hilarious...
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nozomi
December 11, 2010 at 9:17 PM
i love that scene as well. it was so beautiful
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41 Diana Hansen
December 11, 2010 at 8:44 AM
its a great idea to put a sub story into a drama and i can't wait to watch episode 10!
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42 Katherine
December 11, 2010 at 6:54 PM
I wonder if through this scene something important between RI & JW will happen ?!!. I'm going to check out DAMO after Secret Garden just for the fact that everyone loves it.
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43 ck1Oz
December 11, 2010 at 8:27 PM
There were so many references to her previous works.So I am planning to watch Damo based on the total love.Although you guys made it sound as if it has a sad ending?
Sex is Zero...is it that good?I only watch rom com and the trailer for the movie..it looks a bit direct.
So which of her dramas do you guys recommend?I already watched the 21 ep Director's cut for Tamra based on the Camp B...what's his name.However WHIB....yes or no?I am curious now just to watch the chemistry.
Thanks.
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belleza
December 12, 2010 at 12:20 AM
"Sex is Zero…is it that good?"
It's . . . well, it's Korean American Pie. :D
Ha Ji Won's done a lot of TV, but she's really a film actress (she's in the highest payscale for actresses known for her versatility. She was one of the first Korean actors/actresses to cross over from B-movie genre filmmaking (i.e. scream queen), and in that sense she's also a "career path" as well as a star. Last year, she did a well-regarded movie opposite Kim Myung Min, "Love By My Side"
Damo's the one to start. It's considered the first true "fusion drama" (think CSI with wuxia), one of the first mania dramas, and it's only 14 episodes.
She and Jo In Sung won Baeksang Acting Awards for What Happened in Bali.
She won the top KBS acting award for her performance in Hwang Ji Ni.
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44 Hipployta
December 11, 2010 at 8:39 PM
I made the mistake of watching What Happened in Bali all the way through...from there I needed something else for HJW...I loved Damo...but another ending like that for her and I'd snap...so then there was Duelist....and I was much happier
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45 nozomi
December 11, 2010 at 9:15 PM
i watched DAMO before I watched What Happened in Bali. All I can say is that DAMO is one of the main reasons that I started watching k-dramas because of so many things about that series, example
One, it had a killer sound track. The songs kinda thugs at my heartstrings every time I hear them, even until now
Two, the cinematography is simply beautiful. The shots were so pretty that I use one of the screenshots as my pc wallpaper.
Three, the chemistry between Lee Seo Jin and Ha Ji Won was awesome.
Four, the acting was good from all the other casts members as well.
I can go on and on but I just can't write everything I liked about it.
For those who've watched it would understand what I meant, for those who haven't,you better watch it and see if you like it as well.
Ha Ji Won and Hyun Bin in Secret Garden is so much fun that I can't wait for the subs, that I watch the Raw files and pause and then read Javabeans and Girlfridays recaps then play and then pause again.
:)
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46 c
December 12, 2010 at 4:57 PM
hi..random question..what's key lime???
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birdscout
December 12, 2010 at 7:20 PM
Ha Ji-won's character in Secret Garden is named Gil Ra-im. When said quickly, her Korean name sounds like "Key Lime" to English speakers:)
I noticed in episode 8, the subtitles have the room-mate friend nicknaming Ra-im the Korean word for "lime". (I think it's "Taeng")
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47 c
December 13, 2010 at 2:25 AM
Thanks! :)
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48 wilhelmina
May 5, 2011 at 7:52 AM
i love HJW n kim min jun in The legendary police woman.i wish they're as couple coz they've both same charm n charisma...
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49 winy
October 3, 2011 at 10:10 PM
you very beautiful if short hair...
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50 RanDom
October 20, 2011 at 10:18 AM
Can anyone tell me is it really ji-won body in the movie 'sex is zero' ? (Actually i hope anyone here can answer no to my question)
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nancy
January 25, 2014 at 3:37 PM
she is the only actress in 'Sex is Zero' who did not do any nude scenes. Even in the bed scene, nothing was shown. her character's name is Eun-Hyo, the pretty long hair girl that the male lead admires.
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