Uhm Tae-woong shows Lee Jun-hyuk some love on Equator Man
by javabeans
javabeans: I swear, 1N2D has turned Uhm Tae-woong all handsy. He was NOT that affectionate at the start, was he?
girlfriday: Dude. That is totally all Kang Ho-dong’s doing. He opened some kind of bromancey floodgate there.
javabeans: Now all I ever see is him with his arms wrapped around another dude.
girlfriday: Yeah now on 1N2D he’s just always the guy in the back, just hugging someone else. That or giving birthday kisses.
javabeans: Doesn’t it make you think of a young kid learning a new word, and then just using it all the time?
girlfriday: Yes! It’s like he learned the new emotion that is bromance, and is just bromancing all over town now, wherever he goes.
javabeans: You can’t stop him. He’s the unstoppable bromance machine.
girlfriday: Uhmforce now has a new meaning.
javabeans: I suppose that’s a good thing for this drama, which is all about the love-hate between him and his BFF/nemesis Lee Jun-hyuk.
girlfriday: I’m pretty sure all the love goes one way (Tae-woong to Jun-hyuk) and the hate goes the other way.
javabeans: Clearly. It IS Lee Jun-hyuk who betrays Tae-woong, after all. Maybe he got eternal youth thrown into the package deal when he sold his soul to the devil. ‘Cause he still looks just a few years older than Young Counterpart, while Tae-woong looks like he’s traveled a lifetime of misery and back.
girlfriday: Well thankfully I think his character actually backs that up (the lifetime of harshness) so I guess it’s not completely unbelievable. I just love the super-serious-melo version of the shot, followed by the hugging.
javabeans: It’s like he’s saying, “I’m fierce, I’m in character, but I’m-just-acting-I-swear-I-still-love-youuuuu!” You know, like what other guys would express via: “Yo brah, we cool?” “We cool.” “Cool.”
girlfriday: Hugs are so much cuter than fist bumps anyway.
Via Chosun
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Tags: conversation post, Equator Man, Lee Jun-hyuk, Uhm Tae-woong
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1 blokkoms
March 27, 2012 at 10:32 AM
Awwww, I would so watch a drama full of Tae-woong's handsy bromance.
Wait, that sounds wrong.
But still, those stills are too cute. ^^
Btw, anyone watching Equator Man? Is it any good?
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jomo143
March 27, 2012 at 11:41 AM
I am.
I like it so far in the first two eps.
Definitely a love / love bromance more than a love / hate with the youth cast of Lee Hyun Woo and Siwan.
I know imma cry buckets by the time this thing ends, but I am a complete sucker for stories of best friends with opposing interests.
They have a fantastic cast filling in all the supporting characters - the usual suspects.
One thing I wish for - and edgier soundtrack for the present story. Right in the first 5 minutes, I'm watching and feeling all kinds of Spanish guitar, or electric guitar - like something in a Robert Rodriguez film. You know - jagged. Sparse. Nervous.
BUT BUT instead we get full orchestra and strings, hotel lounge piano, cymbals to punctuate. Hate it! This is NOT a 1970's action show!
Luckily when we flash back to the past, we get what I had hoped for with Clapton's "Layla." Hey Music director - less strings in the present more guitar!
The only question I have for anyone -watching or not - do you buy that these two guys are the same age?
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Mystisith
March 27, 2012 at 11:51 AM
I totally suck at evaluating people's age, but if i give it a try without cheating i would say LJH 31 and UTW 36. On the first pic, their facial structure is so different....
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Nesha
March 27, 2012 at 12:57 PM
Me too! I guess no more than 33 for LJH and 36 or 37 for UTW. I dont know their real ages either, but I don't see that they look that far apart age-wise (although in the last pick UTW does look a bit older than the age I guessed). Also siwan looks the same age as Hyun Woo.
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jomo143
March 27, 2012 at 1:04 PM
Siwan, who I belive IRL is actually an angel, is ageless!
charlie
March 27, 2012 at 12:17 PM
Their younger counterparts look the same age but UTW and LJH definitely did not. It's all I could think about during the first scene of the first episode. I totally got the hyung-dongsaeng vibe so I'm just going to go with that mentally while watching the rest of the episodes lol
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jomo143
March 27, 2012 at 1:03 PM
Exactly.
Lee Hyun Woo plays his character as more worldly than Siwan, more mature - so maybe I can allow Uhm to look older later.
Plus, I believe they are letting us know that UTW's character gets put through the wringer, while Lee Jun-hyuk gets into adulthood less scathed by time.
I have to hang on to something to block the obvious NINE year difference between characters that are supposed to be the same age. :)
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charlie
March 27, 2012 at 5:55 PM
For me, another reason that shows detracts me from thinking that they're the same age is UTW's hair. Trivial? Maaaaybe. But it just seems so obvious that the hairstylists/make-up folks gave his this shorter, younger looking cut but it's not working for me.
houstontwin
March 27, 2012 at 12:31 PM
I like your musical critique. The right music can make such a big difference!
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Linda165
March 27, 2012 at 12:45 PM
I still haven't start it yet. I have my plate a bit full right now. But EM is the first one on my to watch list. As soon as some of my schedule clears up. Soon. I hope.
I have the same feelings you have, Ms. Jomo. This kind of story line always gets me. Friends betraying friends get to me more than sobbing impossible love stories. That's why I was so affected by WBDS, KOB Kim Tak Goo, The Princess' Man and even The Scales of Providence. I'm a sucker for that torture bad boy making bad decisions character. Strangely enough, if it was played between two girls, I don't feel anything. I just think one is a back stabbing bitch. Weird, huh?
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~Feather~
March 27, 2012 at 9:02 PM
true, there is a different feeling when its two girls. Maybe its because we're used to girls being backstabbers out of jealousy or something while guys usually have a misunderstanding.
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jomo143
March 27, 2012 at 9:09 PM
Feast of the Gods has two generations of women in dueling kitchens.
I like the way the mother generation interacts in that.
You can feel the strength from both.
The girls are good rivals, too. I can't say either of them is bitchy - one is troubled, very - but you can understand why she feels like she does.
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Mama J
March 27, 2012 at 3:49 PM
I am so frustrated! Internet is wonky at home and switching providers this weekend because we have had ENOUGH ALREADY....it took me ALL WEEKEND to watch two episodes of K2H and I JUST was able to see RTP during lunch time. I can't even approach anything else and I'm missing out on so much! Wah! (At work now, leaving in a sec to go home to wireless-less house.)
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jomo143
March 27, 2012 at 7:43 PM
Oooh! I hope you find your answer soon.
If momma aint' got her internet, ain't nobody happy at my house.
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pipit
March 27, 2012 at 10:04 PM
Not to mention us who would be missing you Jomo!
Aya
March 27, 2012 at 6:09 PM
word
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cocoonedsoul
March 28, 2012 at 7:03 AM
hyunwoo, the younger looking one, grows into taewoong, the older looking one.
i can't quite wrap my mind around that. i can't believe hyunwoo being a badassery type of guy (would you seriously be intimidated by a face like that. really.) as it is.
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momosan
March 27, 2012 at 12:44 PM
The drama is good but the musical director needs to be thrown under a bus. Seriously some of the worst and most distracting drama music in a long time.
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jomo143
March 27, 2012 at 12:55 PM
I am so glad I am not the only one who thought so.
Seriously, the music hurt my stomach.
It was HORRIBLE!
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trixicopper
March 27, 2012 at 2:21 PM
If not under the bus, at the very least drop kicked across the parking lot! It really was that bad. Worst .use. of. "Layla". ever. And I love that song. :)
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whimsyful
March 27, 2012 at 7:56 PM
YES. Or at least tranquilized. Seriously, I usually love heavy orchestral instrumentals for soundtracks but even I found it wayy overboard.
On the bright side, the cinematography is really pretty.
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MissMantin
March 27, 2012 at 1:53 PM
I watched the first episode, and while the story is interesting, I gotta say that the music and directing style is a turn-off. Others have commented on the music, so I won't say anything more about it, but I do think the directing is a problem.
With a show like this, it's all the little moments that make it or break it, and I don't like that the director seems to be trying to make everything big and grand. If the tone were just a little grittier - less polished and grand, I think I'd be fully onboard because the characters and situations are interesting.
I'm going to try another episode because I like most of the actors and the things I don't like could get better, but my hopes aren't high right now.
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Birdie
March 27, 2012 at 3:41 PM
I agree with everything you said. I had watched the second episode and it had not changed. I am hanging on for another week, and if it still does not touch the heart, I am going to discard it.
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jomo143
March 27, 2012 at 6:34 PM
Yes! Grittier!
You have UTW here. He is unpredictable, off-kilter, a little scary. Don't make me feel like we are all on Prozac.
I want to feel nervous.
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Nida
March 27, 2012 at 7:05 PM
I actually love the directing. Especially the way he has directed the cameraman to include the landscape shots behind the characters. Gives it a slice-of-life appearance, as if it's a movie.
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MissMantin
March 27, 2012 at 8:00 PM
When I gripe about the directing, I don't necessarily mean the camerawork - for the most part, I think it's fine. It's a beautiful drama to look at, you'll get no argument from me on that point.
But the thing is, I feel like all the sweeping camera angles and the dramatic music just distract me from the characters. I'm not saying that looking good is a bad thing, but the director should know how to reign it all in and keep the focus on the characters. No matter what kind of drama I'm watching, I should be reacting to the characters, and, ideally, I should be drawn into the scene. With Equator Man, I feel detached and very aware of the fact that these are fictional characters that I'm watching on a screen. Instead of feeling the emotion of the scene, I'm thinking about the music or admiring the scenery and the camerawork.
And it's not a problem with the acting because I really like Lee Hyun-Woo. I think he's doing a great job, but because I feel like the direction is keeping me at arm's length, I have trouble connecting. Take for instance, the scene in ep. 1 when the boys are goofing around in the classroom. It's a fleeting moment of happiness for our boys, but I had no emotional reaction. It felt like the director was telling me "This is the calm before the storm. This friendship will be tragic." I should be feeling the sadness of that fleeting moment for myself, not just sitting back dispassionately thinking, "Well, obviously this isn't gonna last."
So while my mind is intrigued by the characters and the writing, the way it's all presented keeps my heart from getting involved. Does that make sense?
Anyway, this is a very long comment, and I'm sorry if I bored you. I just wanted to clarify a bit why I reacted that way to the first episode. If you react well to this style of directing, I think that's great. Personally, it just doesn't do it for me.
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Lisa-Loo-Loo
March 27, 2012 at 2:26 PM
Yeah it is pretty good so far... looks like it going to be traumatic, though.
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observantzani
March 27, 2012 at 7:27 PM
I loved it! It was the best from the three network dramas that premiered last Wed. The directing and cinematography were amazing. I especially loved the umbrella scene. I was surprised with what Siwan was actually capable of. Plus it had the most solid opening. It wasn't boring and there were traces of a good mystery forming along.
I thought Jang II (Lee Jang Hyuk) would be the bad guy, but if you remember the opening scene. He was about to shoot someone who made his hands "dirty". Later we see how evil of a man that person is. Killing others so he could have power. I don't think this story is as simple as the marketed plot is.
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2 dania
March 27, 2012 at 10:36 AM
can't wait this drama airing kbsworld.. love with Lee Jun-hyuk and uhm tae woong
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3 kurakura
March 27, 2012 at 10:37 AM
i'm watching equator man at the moment and it is so good. at first i'm just watching it for lee hyun woo, but the story keeps me going. it's full of betrayals, revenge and secrets, just my cup of tea. i hope dramabeans recaps the equator man next.
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Nida
March 27, 2012 at 11:32 AM
I'm gonna start watching it as well. After watching SUFBB and currently watching FBRS, I've got a flower-boy overdose right now. It's become to the point that I'm actually dragging myself to watch FBRS; maybe b/c SUFBB was so good that's making me find faults with its predecessor. Don't get me wrong it's funny, but I think it's about time that I watch something a little heavier in terms of plot.
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4 Arhazivory
March 27, 2012 at 10:37 AM
lol. UTW~!! He's really just a big, cute kid.
I'm gonna start on Equator Man today or tomorrow. I hear its good, so I'm looking forward to watching it. :D
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5 Noelle
March 27, 2012 at 10:47 AM
I think we could all use a healthy dose of Uhmforce.
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6 Mystisith
March 27, 2012 at 10:50 AM
Bromance all the way baby! May it be in dramas or in real life. I just love to look at BTS material where you can see that people are having fun, working in a good atmosphere.
Ps: I love that hospital shirt!
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7 DMKO
March 27, 2012 at 10:55 AM
UTW love forever! I am so thankful that JB and gf introduced us to 1N2D, so we could see the goofy sweet side of my UTW!
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8 Koreandramasrock
March 27, 2012 at 11:10 AM
BAHAHA!
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9 momogi
March 27, 2012 at 11:12 AM
wow, uhm tae-woong jawbone in the first pic,, so manly..
I like bromance, but I want some sister romance too which is lacking in kdramaworld I think..
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Christopher
March 27, 2012 at 6:30 PM
Agreed. There doesn't seem to be as many cute stories between the girls, however, if you're interested in that sort of thing, I'd recommend Protect the Boss. I actually thought the two girls were lesbians at first because they were so close and there were no boys in sight.
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momogi
March 28, 2012 at 9:56 AM
thanks, i'll check that out for sure
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10 Linda165
March 27, 2012 at 11:29 AM
I see it, I ship it!
Now I know which couple I'll be routing for.
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11 Ace
March 27, 2012 at 11:43 AM
The Uhmforce needs a girlfriend to release all his pent-up affections...;)
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titi
March 28, 2012 at 1:31 AM
I volunteered myself then ;)
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12 jubilantia
March 27, 2012 at 12:02 PM
I love how Jun-hyuk's kind of like "Whoa dude" in the last picture. He's laughing in the one before, and then when Tae-woong actually hugs him he's like "UM didn't sign up for this!"
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13 faraz3500
March 27, 2012 at 1:21 PM
oh My Equator Man :(
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14 bora
March 27, 2012 at 1:32 PM
no recap for this series?
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weekwand
March 27, 2012 at 9:26 PM
HeadsNo2 did.
I'm reading the first episode recap right now.
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15 Cruelsummer
March 27, 2012 at 1:49 PM
Gosh he's cute. I have no time in my life for melo-dramas. Can he please make a romantic drama so that I can watch one of his dramas all the way through?
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16 -K
March 27, 2012 at 1:55 PM
Totally unrelated cause that's how I roll, love the new header "Dramabeans now with puppies!" It's like you were missing that final piece and have finally found it.... sigh, puppies.
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17 Kaleido
March 27, 2012 at 1:56 PM
I watched the first 2 ep and really enjoyed it... the acting from the cast is pretty solid.. the younger counter part did an excellent job... the first 2 ep already set up a lot of conflict between the 2 friends.. i am expecting it would be pretty dramatic later on... love both the lead so i am looking forward to it...
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18 Keylye
March 27, 2012 at 2:08 PM
I love UTW doing this type of drama, but I might have to wait until it's over to watch it...
That said, SO CUTE!
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19 crazedlu
March 27, 2012 at 2:46 PM
hee. these still shots are more hilarious than they should be.
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20 kbap
March 27, 2012 at 3:23 PM
Awwww, so cute. Wish I had time to check out Equator Man ;)
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21 Daisy
March 27, 2012 at 5:37 PM
This drama is my favorite new Wed-Thurs drama, couldn't get into King 2Hearts & Rooftop Prince at all.
Yeah the music is too much at times but I could live with it. Besides, I missed seeing UTW in this type of drama. Also I love the female leads. Can't wait until they make their debut :-)
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Nida
March 27, 2012 at 6:59 PM
I'm having a little trouble with King 2 hearts as well. I'll watch the 3rd episode as the deciding episode of whether I'm gonna keep watching it or not.
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22 pipit
March 27, 2012 at 5:54 PM
I love the first picture so much! It's soooooo cute!
And I love your conversations. Hilarious!
Sadly, I don't think I'll have time to watch this one. Might try to squeeze sometime between The Roof Top Prince and King 2 Hearts when I hear more about it. Don't want to be pulling my hair or sceaming with frustration after.
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jomo143
March 27, 2012 at 9:05 PM
He's a beauty!
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23 Aya
March 27, 2012 at 6:12 PM
why's nobody considering Lee Min-ho's feelingz about this though?
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24 djeedjes
March 27, 2012 at 7:49 PM
I thought he was already like this before 1N2D tough?
I remember watching an episode of Happy Together with Cyrano's cast, and his sweet and cute personality surprised me. I thought he was more a cold guy type!
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25 Lisa L.
March 27, 2012 at 8:00 PM
yet he complains that he wants to get married but never have a chance...with all the hugging and kissing, do you think women will take you seriously. i'm beginning to think that you are shifting yer attention to men. must be all the 1N2D's doing...all men show with no women *sigh*.shy down a bit tae woong ah! btw, love his hair style!
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Mama J
March 28, 2012 at 5:44 PM
I dunno...if I'm gonna have a husband who's huggy and kissy, I want him huggy and kissy with either just me, or with absolutely everyone. If he's just huggy and kissy with women...yeah, I'm thinking he's gonna be handsy, too. Which would soon lead to him missing OTHER parts.
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26 nell123
March 28, 2012 at 3:59 AM
Why, can't he hug me instead?! :-/
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27 comeonblondie!jump!
March 28, 2012 at 4:11 AM
I have 2 problems with Taewoong (in his roles) ....he hugs men too many times and he ALWAYS wear too much clothes. He should fire his agent.
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28 Ariel
March 28, 2012 at 5:21 AM
Just watched My Love 2007 movie with Uhm Taewoong and his character Jin-man is a free-hug activist who returns to korea to meet his old flame. How perfect is that he carries a sign that says Free Hugs and hugs people. He looks like a hippie with long hair and manly beard. The scene where he wakes up in the park and takes off his sleeping bag and shows off his killer body ohhhhhhh makes me want to crawl inside the sleeping bag with him.
Maybe it all started with this movie and Hodong just triggered it. The movie also has Jung Il-woo, well actually the movie is pretty star studded, it's a light watch.
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