Phoebe the Divine: Let us assume that the 1st take shown to us is indeed the very first kiss between them. I have mentioned the circular thumb motion and that the first thing I actually noticed in the clip was the lack of his trademark move. I was expecting both of them to be nervous, more so her due to lack of experience. I expected him to shoulder most of the kiss.
What I didn’t expect was for him to be the first to freeze. The moment his lips touch hers, his hands freeze on her cheek, and then we get the infamous ear-fold in the later shot. He didn’t make any sudden movements either, something he maintains throughout the DCut. He’s always so reluctant to break apart from her. For every time they break away from a kiss, hug or a hand-hold, some other part of them needs to sustain the contact. God, it was beautiful! When Hyunnie invades his personal space, he rarely moves… like he’s scared the vision in front of him will disappear. Lol! You don’t really freeze up or tense up unless it’s out of fear. That was one of the first signs where I knew Wook was a goner. It was only the first kiss, but maybe the first time someone has affected him so much that it probably scared the living daylights out of him. At one point, I swear, even their eyelashes kissed!
Nia: Wow, whoa… (Long, thankful, awed pause) You’re not done.
Phoebe the Divine: I am, for now.
Nia: No, you’re not.
Phoebe the Divine: I am not?
Nia: Nope. (Shares a kiss clip. Phoebe comes over. Phoebe sees. Phoebe gone)
Phoebe the Divine: Ok, maybe I had something more to share. A hyperactive Wook is when he’s hiding something- tiredness, frustration, embarrassment, anger, boredom, lust, etc. A still, motionless Wook is an open book. It was in those quiet moments that I got to see how much Hyunnie meant to him. He was so lost and dazed that he couldn’t even bring himself to hide what he was feeling- why are you laughing- tears!-why are crying, Nia?
Nia: My heart is so full!!! Bwahahahahahaha! I love you! Kiss me!
Phoebe the Divine: How about we just talk some more?
Nia: Bwahahahaha! Are you gonna say something more about how beautifully and tenderly he takes care of Hyunnie- Eeeeehehe bwahahahahaha!!!!
Phoebe the Divine: Alright! Let’s take a break, go byeontae!
Nia: (Sniffles pitifully) Yeah, byeontae is good.
(Pause while Phoebe lets Nia get a hold upon herself. Sniffle, sniffle, sniffle)
Nia: Yeah, so we all know how he kissed her. A warrior bearing down upon the Gates of Glory. So hot, crazy and deep it fried my brain cells. They are professionals, they are friends. Why do you think Wook hazarded that going a la Mariana Trench with his popos was not gonna end up badly?
Phoebe the Divine: Ummm, was there thinking involved? When you are drowning, do you contemplate what you should do? No, desperation throws out any rule book and even shreds of sanity. Ha Neul was Hyunnie’s first reel and real kiss, right? That itself is pretty remarkable. Not sure if Wook was aware of this fact, but like I said before, he does not give a damn about etiquette, especially when it involves Hyunnie. Wook has said that he is impulsive, but that does not mean he’s reckless… until he met Hyunnie.
There was no way in hell that he was gonna allow her to categorize the way he kissed her with the way Ha Neul kissed her. Ha Neul, by default, may have been her ‘first’ experience, and what better way to ensure that Wook would be the ‘first’ and, hopefully, the last person to ever kiss her like how a man desires to kiss a woman? I’m pretty sure Hyunnie has never been kissed so mindlessly before and Wook was on a one-man mission to be the only person in the universe that would ever kiss her like that. I’d say he succeeded in single-handedly replacing her sweet first experience. When she grows old and is on her death bed, which memory is she gonna remember?
When he kisses her or even touches her, it is all-consuming. Were his flared nostrils, sighs, and dazed heaves a good idea professionally? I don’t think so. Even his hugs are ferociously possessive. When he has to let go of her, he always shown signs of reluctance. Articles of clothing become the ONLY barriers that stand in the way of him doing what he really wants to do when he touches or kisses her. The way he kissed her was the only way to consummate her on screen and in front of the world.
Nia: …….
Phoebe the Divine: Nia? You there?
Nia: Sure I am. I am also caroling in the neighborhood parish and a lot of innocent tunes are getting sacrificed on the altar of adult love. Someone suggested ‘Jesus come, Jesus come’, but that has an intro of 14 ‘Come’s in different keys and not even the adolescents want to attempt it.
Phoebe the Divine: Alright, I’ll let you get to it and-
Nia: (Ugly crying) Don’t leave me! Talk to me about love some more! Talk about Hyunnie now!
Phoebe the Divine: Alright! Alright!!
(Pause for more sniffles)
Nia: We can already see how much Wook adores her, and the adoration is evidently shown to her in those knee-melting kisses, the kind strictly reserved for grown-ups. But how could he possibly know she would take it well, wouldn’t pull away, push him away or close off? Or was he gonna gamble on the chance and see where it took them?
Phoebe the Divine: Hmm, the question bears thoughtful response, because I seldom recall my own transition from a girl to a woman. How much harder is it for Hyunnie who has to do all that in front of a camera and not lose a part of herself to the demands of her chosen career?
As I was reading her past IVs, Hyunnie was trying to depict another side to her and I feel like NO ONE was really listening. She describes herself as someone who can’t do aegyo, someone who doesn’t prim and pose for pictures and someone who prefers he quirky rather than the norm… a person with a mischievous streak. She co-starred with some hot young studs her age and she became just ‘one of the guys’. They adored her and with good reasons. How can they not? If this was the real world, Hyunnie would be the girl everyone flocks to for good advice or emotional support. At a party, she would be the person who introduces herself to the awkward person in the corner, making sure they are having a great time. That’s just who she is and she does not mind playing the supporting role. What Hyunnie is not… is someone who needs the attention or spotlight to be on her.
Her professional resume is filled with lead roles yet in her personal life resume, she automatically gravitates to being the second female lead… and all that comes to end in 2017 with SP and Ji Chang Wook.
Out of all her co-stars, he appears to match the least with her on paper- in personality, physicality, behavior, popularity, background, experience, and maybe even generational (given their age gap). Having said all that, here comes this guy who physically LOOKS like he can break hearts… all hearts, any hearts, at the snap of a finger. For someone who has always been a background fixture in a social setting, the idea of this man ever looking at her desirably most likely never crossed Hyunnie’s mind, but here comes this guy who…
1. At Seoul Music Awards, treats her like a goddess and makes sure she doesn’t trip over the pedestal he put her on when he walks off-stage when SP wasn’t even in the picture.
2. Yells out how pretty she is like he’s suffering from Tourette’s syndrome.
3. Publicly blushes because she’s so sexy.
4. Gets his math and history mixed up when asked why he never took on a rom-com before SP.
5. Makes sure she looks her very best with not a single hair out of place and no missing jewelry.
6. Makes sure to catch every drop of fake rain for her so that she doesn’t get soaked or falls sick.
7. Stands quietly in the background in bemused admiration when she’s attempting action scenes.
8. Can’t just stand by while her hair gets pulled and yanked that he was inspired to adlib what he would do in a real-life situation.
9. Gushes on national TV when he talks about her.
10. Mentions her name when no question required the specific answer.
11. Strategically uses his hands, arms, blankets to cover her during her first adult bed scene.
12. Asks and pleads her to trek to the borders of North Korea just to visit him with food.
13. Worries about covering her up before she sits on the floor in short shorts.
14. Is unable to leave her side when she is just wearing makeup for a patient and not actually sick.
15. Is unable to leave her when she is struggling with a scene.
16. Is more upset about a fake rejection scene after sharing a night of passion.
17. Is so upset at having to reject her character in the ‘Do not like me scene’, that he picks it as a favorite scene just so he can fully explain why he ‘rejects’ her.
18. Ends up tearing before she has to for a scene.
19. Allows her full access to any part of him at any given moment when she’s nervous or tired.
20. When in a room of mostly male, might as well be the shadow that follows her to protect her from the scrutiny of testosterone and sexual innuendos.
21. Suggests to continue hugging her because his character is beaming with that much pride.
22. Makes sure a part of him is always touching a part of her skin.
23. Begs the script writer and PD to reunite the sundered characters.
24. Makes sue that she gets a daily dose of neck massages to ease the strains of filming long hours.
25. Makes sure she can walk up the stairs to make it to her scene on time. Lol!
26. Gives her chin a little nudge every once in a while because she’s just that darn cute.
27. Chooses to broadcast an unedited, raw, kiss clip- of what to me is his most vulnerable moment –in an auditorium filled with crazed, possessive fans.
28. Seems to find peace and solace to fall asleep even in a noisy room as long as he has her in his arms.
29. Gets so worked up when her attention is divided that he doesn’t even mind throwing temper tantrums and having all of it documented on video.
30. Chooses to remember all his scenes with Hyunnie when asked 2 years later after completing a brand new project.
31. When asked about favourite scenes, chooses all SP kiss scenes without reservations.
32. Invites her to the military musical.
33. Asks for her opinion on sensitive matters that can affect everything he has ever worked for.
Point 1-5 is my answer to your question. He knew she wasn’t going to push him away because he was already willing to pull out all stops for her, way before SP even has its first script printed.
Here is a guy who did all of the above and he did it all for her or because of her, so tell me Nia… would you surrender to him?
Nia: (Dead)…..
The End
Once the conversation was done andI finally regained my senses, I had only two things to say.
Thank you, Phoebe.
Bravo doesn’t even begin to cover it.
![[OFFICIAL] Ji Chang Wook and Nam Ji Hyun Couple (JiBong/JiJi Couple) (2024)](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mP8/h8AAvMB+NzmkbcAAAAASUVORK5CYII=)