A Stalker's guide to Kim Hyun Joong

The first Korean drama I’ve seen in my life was Playful Kiss in 2013, so it’s not a coincidence that my first bias was also the main actor of that drama, Kim Hyun Joong. I fell in love with his character (and 1000 watt smile) after the very first episode, and when I finished the drama, my friend told me, "You know he is a singer, right?" So I watched the MV Lucky Guy and listened to all of his song and started to like his singing too... in a nutshell: I found my first and only "hubby” in this world. (This was also the beginning of the road to hell of watching dramas 24h daily without sleep…lol) 

I would like to ask you in advance: please leave hateful comments out of this article. I don’t write this to start a comment war. I would like to introduce an actor’s life work and not his scandals.

Kim Hyun Joong’s (I will abbreviate his name as KHJ) career was started in 2005, when he debuted as a member of the newly formed group SS501. After their success in Korea they became significant representatives of Hallyu in Japan, and KHJ accepted smaller cameos and guest roles in some dramas. His first big role was Yoon Ji-hoo’s character in Boys Over Flowers in 2009.

Boys Over Flowers

2009
Romantic comedy 

Plot: Geum Jan Di (Go Hye Sun) accidentally got a scholarship and became a student of the elite Shinhwa High School, but she is bullied by her classmates due to her low-class origin. She gets in big trouble when she stands up to infamous group of the most handsome and elite boys of the school, the F4.

Yoon Ji-hoo is one of the most well-known examples of so-called Second Lead Syndrome. Every viewer felt in love with his warm, lovely, sympathetic, and sophisticated character who was the exact opposite of the main character Gu Jun Pyo’s (Lee Min Ho). He is like every girl’s dream prince: the handsome boy who is always in the right place at the right time, understands your deepest feelings, saves you from the claws of the bullies and makes you question your feelings. The flower-boy 24-years-old KHJ gained most of his popularity and recent fan base due to this role, in spite of the fact his acting skills were more than imperfect. Even I think that this time his acting was awful (and his long blondish hair was the worst he ever had XD), but the drama was novel and defined his era, so no one cared about that. I think the choice of KHJ wasn’t accidental. This drama is a manga adaptation (Hana Yori Dango), and Korea was the third country to adapt it after the 3 Japanese (movie and season 1&2) and 2 Taiwanese productions, which means it has an inseparable bond with Japan. KHJ had been very popular in Japan already, and it was just incidental that his quiet and shy real-life character was perfect for the role.
Anyway, sorry babe but:

Playful Kiss

2010
Romantic comedy
Plot: Oh Ha Ni (Jung So Min) has been in one-sided love with her classmate Baek Seung Jo, the diligent and handsome student, for a very long time. When Ha Ni is forced to live with the boy and his family due to an accident, their love starts to bloom. 

KHJ’s second role was Baek Seung Jo. It was yet another manga adaptation of Itazura Na Kiss (It Started With a Kiss). The very intelligent but cold, unkind, and emotionless high school boy, Seung Jo, is your typical boyfriend material whom every girl loves in spite of his character, because subconsciously they hope he can be changed by their love into a devoted soul mate. KHJ acting skills got better in this drama. He was finally the male lead, and in spite of being 1 year younger in Boys Over Flowers in this he looks younger, fresher, and more handsome. (The brown hair is the cutest on him, it doesn’t matter if curly or straight :3 ) I’m still able to watch and love this drama even after 2 years of watching similar high school themed love-coms because its storyline is so light, lovely, and (as I always call: rabu-rabu pinku) simple. There is no heavy fate behind the characters, no real powerful rivals, only rivals-to-be, and the characters' love blooms early. We don’t have to wait until the last episode where we see a 5-minute scene about the future; we can see the slow development of their love. Nevertheless, I'd say the character wasn't a big challenge this time.

The SS501’s contract with DSP Media expired in 2010 after the promotion of their hit song Love Ya (which won the Music Bank at that time). The members started to move apart from each other after they signed with different companies and although they never officially disbanded (and still are very good friends), they haven’t released any songs since then. KHJ has started a solo career with the famous Hallyu company, Keyeast, and published his first album Break Down in 2011, which instantly became a hit. Personal comment: The SS501 fans (Triple S) make a fuss every year about some rumours of a comeback, but I think SS501 will hardly make any comeback in the future. Maybe they will reunite for concerts several years later, but KHJ doesn’t like his old, flower-boy idol image. Most of the members, sadly, weren’t able to make a big solo career and had better times with the band. That’s why, I think, they don’t want to give it up. But no one knows the future. Maybe, after everyone finish their military service, they will use a new image (and not the flower-boy one after their 30’s XD) and become something like the new Shinwa.

That hot new style was like:

City Conquest

Never aired
Action-melodrama

In 2010, they announced KHJ’s new drama, The City Conquest, which was promoted a lot in Japan with some cut scenes along with his first Japanese full album, Unlimited. Unfortunately KBS cancelled it due to violent content. HJ would have portrayed the main character of Baek Mir who wants revenge upon the evils of society.

We Got Married

2008 May-December
Variety

Although everyone knows him from the role of Ji-Hoo, KHJ first screen debut was in the show We Got Married in 2008, after his first success as a singer but before his first drama. He and the noona singer Hwangbo started their “married life” as the lettuce couple (SSangchu) after KHJ spelled the word lettuce wrong and made everyone laugh. This variety showed the world the real personality of KHJ: naive, shy, bumbling and introvert. Watching how he opened to his on-screen wife in spite of his early frightened and unsocial behaviour was really funny and touching at the same time. At the end of the show we realized how affectionate and romantic he can he be after the long time of nervousness. I think this couple was more like a mother-son and sometimes a father-daughter (when it comes to dressing up) than a real married one :D

Other variety shows worth mentioning: One of my favourite Running Man episodes is the one where he was a secret guest. He was cute and hilarious in Barefooted Friends as well.

Inspiring Generation

2014
Action, Melodrama, Historical
Plot: It's a story about a life of a man in 1930’s Korea. It's an era of street combats, lies, revenge, fraud, and friction between Japan, Korea and China, but love also somehow finds its way.

KHJ plays the main lead, Shin Jung Tae, in this drama. His acting and his appearance are both mature, and finally we can see a man instead of a flower-boy. His fighting scenes are realistic, and he somehow finally learned how to cry! (not with a violin, with no expression, in a forest… see: Boys Over Flowers) Also it’s quite impressive what a perfect young actor they found for his flashbacks (Kwak Dong Yun). Sometimes I thought he really is a younger KHJ. Hyun Joong also toned up his muscles for this drama and he is not shy to show it off; his dark-toned skin was quite sexy and wild. It was his first not romantic but serious melodrama, and looking back at his previous roles, he came a long way! And I’m especially happy that he was able to shed the image of a flower-boy he hated so much.

Unfortunately KHJ hasn't made his big screen debut yet, although he gave his voice to the animation Shark Bait / Pi's Story. Seeing how great of an actor he became, and how capable of developing his acting he is, I think we won’t be disappointed in the future, when he will finally appear in a movie.

We saw him growing up on the screen ^^:

KHJ has to fulfill his military service soon, but due to his personal problems he had to ask for postponement. I’m sure that after he comes back, we will be able to see him in blockbuster dramas again. I will not speak about his scandals, or what I think about it, if you don’t know what I’m speaking about: be happy, or search for it on this site. I think he is an impressive singer, exemplary actor, great man and adorable person. I hope the article was interesting for his fans and the laymen equally. Thank you ^^

If there is an actor or an actress that is worthy of a Stalker's Guide in your opinion, and you have watched enough dramas of his/hers to prove it, please contact Elisabetta about it.

The opinion reflected in this article does not represent MyDramaList.com in any capacity. It is solely the opinion of the writer.