Welcome to SolGeumi's blog! I'm a foodie with a love for K-Pop and K-Dramas and I'll be filling this blog up with my personal takes on these things and more. Comments and feedback are welcome. (No profanity please) Check back often!
FT Island Comes Back with New Album and New Reality TV Show
My K-Pop/Rock group will always be first and foremost, FT Island. The five member group comprised of lead singer Lee Hong Ki, leader and lead guitarist Choi Jong Hun, vocals and bass guitarist Lee Jae Jin, vocals and guitarist Song Seung Hyun and drummer Choi Min Hwan are just about the goofiest and adorable band I have ever seen.
Watching them grow over the years, you see them handle different issues. From the day to day annoyances a group faces as they start out together, to creative differences in establishing their own voice in their industry, to figuring out if they are going to have a future together. (This last one really scared me, let me tell you.)
Now, almost a decade later, they've come back not only with their newest Korean album "I Will", and also a new reality TV show called, "Coming Out! FT Island".
This review of the first couple of episodes is a little late. I am having a hard time finding episodes online and the most current episodes haven't been posted to Daily Motion, yet, so I apologize.
The reality show is nothing out of the ordinary. It follows the everyday lives of this group. What's interesting about this is that it's the first one the group has agreed to do in years. (Although, I must note that they were featured pretty prominently in 2014's Cheongdamdong 111 which showcased the artists of FNC Entertainment.)
As Korean groups go, they can choose to stay in a dorm room together, or branch out to live on their own. In the first episode, it shows the different homes of each of the five members. All of them, with the exception of Seung Hyun, are living on their own. Seung Hyun seems to still be at home with his parent(s) as they show him being woken up for work by his mom.
It really delves into the background lives of each of the members. Hong Ki shows off his wardrobe and his outings with friends where he finds comfort in having a few drinks with them and have a sense of normalcy. Jong Hun shows off his guitars and his love of the outdoors. Jae Jin...hmmm, not sure what he does that one. Except that he takes a long time to get ready just to go out and eat. Seung Hyun is busy with activities, but is still living at home. And Min Hwan is a full-time gamer who finds time to make ramyun.
It seems that FT Island really had taken a vacation from their promotions after they came back from Japan. And now that they have a new album, it seems difficult to wrangle them together to practice.
Jong Hun, as the leader, has the difficult task of trying to call everyone together for a rehearsal. (He does it by text of all things! Why not just use the cell to call?) One by one, each respond and accept the practice date at time....except for Hong Ki who is out drinking with his friends. He doesn't respond until everyone is at practice and kind of blows them off. Understandably, he wants to have fun. But at the same time, I worry that he really isn't upholding his role in the group. It looks like his activities have really put a strain on everyone, especially the young maknaes.
Each of the members speak about how it's been hard to keep visible since their Japan activities. Express frustration about how it really depends on how Hong Ki is doing and feeling. They really haven't been able to do much without him. (He is their lead singer, after all.) They all voice the concerns about whether they want to stay together as a group and that it's been difficult being all different places.
To fix the problem, or maybe start the healing process, the company approached the group with the opportunity to dorm together for a few days.
The dorm they are placed in is really a two bedroom condo. And quite large from what I could see. They all jockey for a sleeping spot. Hong Ki and Jong Hun, being the elders, take over the largest room for themselves. Jae Jin and Min Hwan end up in the other room, with Seung Hyun taking up the floor in Hong Ki and Jong Hun's room. Poor maknae.
In honor of their first mean, Hong Ki volunteers to cook. Eh? Really? Anyone remember his stew he served to his wife on We Got Married? It wasn't very....elaborate...just saying.
Hong Ki and Min Hwan go out grocery shopping for the necessary ingredients and it's hilarious how Min Hwan kept trying to put other things in the cart and Hong Ki puts it back. Yet when it came to alcohol, there was no debate or argument and Hong Ki put it into the cart.
Hong Ki cooks up a meal of sauteed meat and veggies which he actually really looked at ease putting together. In comparison to his bumblings in the kitchen when he made a spicy stew for his onscreen wife, he was put together this time around. He served it up to his members and they enjoy it together.
At first, the camaraderie seems to be back to normal. But annoyances surface again when everyone leaves for their activities, except for the two youngins. And Jong Hun comes home to cook seafood stew only to find that they have already eaten. Yea...you can tell he was mad. And you don't want to make your leader man. Especially when he had just bought all expensive seafood ingredients to put into his special stew. They pretty much ate without the rest of the group. Something called "consideration" wasn't there.
And that's where my video ended, with tensions arising once again in the group. I like that this show is censored, yet it still shows the more mature side of the guys. Hence, the 19+ rating.
It's nice to see what they really are thinking. It's a little unnerving that there seems to be so much tension. They don't seem to be as tight of a group as before. And they are definitely more opinionated now. (Btw, you really should check out Jae Jin's waxing ritual that he takes Min Hwan on.)
Sigh, I will need to find more english subbed versions. If anyone has a good site, let me know!
FT Island's front man, lead vocalist Lee Hong Ki, will be stretching his acting chops again. This time, he'll be tackling on the role of the most infamous and debonair monster of all time, Count Dracula.
Many people know of Count Dracula as the one time Romanian Prince Vlad "the Impaler", known for impaling unlucky victims on stakes, hence the nickname. As well as the lead character in Bram Stoker's, "Dracula". Pop culture has talked about him being suave, dashing but a horrifying blood sucker who quenched his thirst by entrancing lovely ladies to come to him so he could indulge in a little snack.
Super Junior's Sung Min, INFINITE's Sung Gyu and FT Island's Hong Ki will rotate in the role of "Count Dracula"
I am not familiar with the musical. The characters are all different from any version we've seen here in the U.S. Their version has characters named, "Adriana", "Pierre", "Lorraine". I have no idea who those are, unless they're supposed to correspond to the English counterparts, "Mina", "Van Helsing" and "Lucy". It's all a mystery to me. But it will be interesting to see how much will differ from the book and movies that have come out so far.
I'm especially interested to see how Hong Ki will bring his off-beat, endearing and sometimes comedic style into such a serious role. I had a taste of that in his last TV series, "Bride of the Century", where he played a plutocratic heir to a big named shopping mall. I felt he really pulled off the high brow brattiness in that role. However, I must say that sometimes I felt the depth of hurt and despair he experienced didn't reach down far enough to be really believable. And when he tried to be sexy, I didn't get the feeling that there was enough for the scene. I mean the girl didn't even look tempted! I actually didn't care for her, but anyways. (Sorry Hong Ki, I love you, I really do! Mianhae!)
If you take a look at the teaser, he looks very promising as the Count. I think even more so that the other two idols that will be rotating the role with him: Sung Min's Super Junior, Sung Gyu's INFINITE. Of the three, I think Hong Ki really gives off more charisma. Will be looking forward to the reviews!
It was announced though their official Facebook site that the handsome K-PopRock group, FT Island, will be releasing their 6th and newest Korean mini album titled, "Thanks To"!
As a sort of tribute to their fans, the five have embarked on a tour specially for the fans who have given them so much support called, "FTHX" or FT Thanks. It seems that they've translated this to their new anniversary album as well.
They will be doing a Q and A on their Facebook site from September 9th through 13th. Fans will be able to post a question and the members will select questions to answer personally. The answers will be posted when the album releases on September 23rd.
Post post post!
So excited to see what the questions and answers will be. (Btw, please be thoughtful and respectful in your questioning.)
FNC Artists CNBlue (Top) and FT Island (Bottom) circa 2012
FNC is promoting both of their top artists once again! K-PopRock groups CNBlue and FT Island have been selected as the South Korean representatives and will be performing at the Summer Sonic concert in Japan on August 10th and August 11th.
These two have basically made FNC popular in the K-Pop mainsteam with their more edgier rock type of tunes and soulful voices. Not to mention both groups have men full of youthful energy and charisma.
They will be performing with a lineup of superstars such as Muse (FT Island's Leader Choi Jong Hun likes to listen to them a lot!), Linkin Park (one of my personal faves) and Metallica!
Summer Sonic tickets for the July 11th show are already sold out. Get them while they're still available if you can!
Source: Soompi.com, photo credits to their rightful owners.
I am seriously behind on this series. And I really don't like that I am this far behind because whenever I really like something, I want to let everyone know about it. As of this date, Episode 11 is already out. Wah! Got to catch up. I can do this...I can do this...
SO! The couples have already settled in and are making their first meals together as "husband and wife". From the previous episode, we know that Taecyeon is the "bomb" in the kitchen and Gui Gui's cooking skills are much to be desired. And Hong Ki didn't exactly impress Mina with his Korean spaghetti/ramyun concoction. =P Mina shows Hong Ki what she has prepared.
Hong Ki and Mina
Gwiyomi time! Hong Ki and Mina's segment started off with the two preparing dinner. As they donned their aprons, they remark how cute they look. Mina then mentions that Korea is known for their cuteness or "aegyo". Hong Ki isn't very comfortable with aegyo (as his fans know) so he immediately dismisses it saying that it isn't true and he wonders where she learns this stuff.
Mina showed him that she could do cute by performing the "Gwiyomi" song. (Trust me, you are going to want to YouTube this cause some idols can do it really well. It's a cute song, but can get irritating quickly.) She wanted Hong Ki to do it as well, and after a few moments, he agrees, but only if she did it with him. Hahaha. What followed was a very awkward rendition of "Kiyomi". Watch one of the popular "Kiyomi" videos and then watch their clip and you will see the difference! I nearly passed out from laughing cause Hong Ki looked so uncomfortable!
On to dinner! Mina has brought some goodies to make onigiri (おにぎり, rice balls) from Japan. These onigiri aren't just regular rice formed into little balls, they are seasoned with different seasonings. Mina showed Hong Ki natto (なっと, fermented soybeans, the sticky slimy, yet yummy stuff) and furikake (ふりかけ, seasoned seaweed flakes with sesame seeds). But wait, Mina also brought her favorite, umeboshi (うめぼし, pickled plum), to put into the onigiri. Once Hong Ki sees this, he immediately snatches it up and tells her that they can't use it. Unknown to Mina, Hong Ki had a bad experience eating umeboshi. He absolutely can not eat it. Every time he tries to, he feels like he has to throw up. (I remember hearing him say this on a show once, and I felt really bad...Umeboshi isn't that bad once you get used to it. Frankly, I think natto is a lot worse!) But instead of explaining this to Mina, he quickly puts it aside and begins to make his kim chee tuna stew.
This was an interesting episode in finding out what the other person likes because you have Hong Ki who will not eat umeboshi, and you have Mina who can't handle food that is too spicy.
As Hong Ki is making his stew, he throws in Cheonyang spicy green peppers. These are the same peppers that you see alongside cooked pigs feet and they pack quite some heat. Oh Hong Ki, why do you want to do that to your wife? He even tried a pepper, and it was too spicy for him. Yet, he still left it in!
Soon, their dinner was ready. Spread on the table was a lobster that they had cooked together, Hong Ki's tuna stew and Mina's onigiri.
As they sat down to eat, Hong Ki began to handle the lobster by trying to crack it with a mallet. He is unsuccessful in cracking it, so Mina takes a shot. (A couple of really good whacks, actually.) She finally cracks open a claw and she gives a piece to Hong Ki. He says it's "delicious" and he hands a huge piece to her. I think he liked making her squirm trying to stuff that whole piece of lobster in her month. LOL!
After they clear away the lobster, they try Hong Ki's special tuna stew. Hong Ki tried it first and admits to her that it's a little spicy. Mina tried it and you can tell she's trying to be polite when she says it's good and a little spicy but still delicious. Her mouth is mostly closed and she's trying not to laugh, but you can tell she doesn't like that it's spicy.
Mina gives Hong Ki her special onigiri that she has made for him saying the one she was holding, in particular, was full of her love. She tells him to eat it quickly! After a few wary moments, Hong Ki accepts the special onigiri and puts it into his mouth. Hong Ki paused in bite and asked her if she put wasabi into the rice (わさび, green horseradish, spicy!) to which she admits she put a little bit of everything, wasabi, natto, and...umeboshi! LOL! Take that Hong Ki! Hong Ki sickly tells her that it's delicious. But you can tell from the look on his face that he's already not feeling too well. He tells her that her love is "sour, delicious and greasy!". To which she replied, "my love has those charms. It has that deep taste." =P
Hong Ki tries Mina's special onigiri and can barely hold it in.
After dinner, they decide to drink wine, but there's no corkscrew to be found. So Hong Ki improvises by using a type of screwdriver and a mallet. Mina jokes that there's always the sound of construction at the house. As they desperately try anything to pull the cork out, the screwdriver comes loose and wine squirted out onto Mina. Whoops! After more struggling they are finally able to pull out the cork and enjoy their glasses of wine.
Tap tap tap, thump thump thump.
As they sat talking, Mina brings up that she still has a wish from her postcard left. (The puzzle card that Hong Ki asked her to put together when they first met, the message on the back said that she could have one wish.) She wishes that Hong Ki would sing to her. Loose from the wine, Hong Ki gets up to sing "Hong Ki's Live House Version" of "Love Love Love"/"사랑사랑사랑".As he sings, Mina begins to cry with emotion which surprises Hong Ki. He is so touched, he tells her that he will sing for her whenever she wants him too. In return, he asked that she sing for him one day.
"Annyeong nae sarang sarang sarang..."
After dinner, they decide to play with some fireworks outside for a little while. Now mind you, it's still winter, so they go outside with their coats on to keep warm against the cold brisk air. Mina suggests a game. (These two are forever playing games and competing against each other!) They would each light a sparkler, and the one whose light goes out first doesn't have as much love as the other person. (I think this is a test to see which one loved the other more, supposedly.)
Hong Ki lights Mina's first and chuckles that he would be the one benefiting from that move in the end. As Hong Ki plays with his sparkler, Mina holds hers steady. In the end, Hong Ki's sparkler, much to his disbelief, goes out first. LOL, hello Hong Ki, you fanned the fire with more oxygen as you twirled the sparkler around! They continue to play with little aerials.
In their confessions, Hong Ki vows to lift Mina (support) and let go of his reservations a little. While Mina confesses that Hong Ki seems to be becoming more and more of a man instead of a brother to her. Aww....
Taecyeon and Gui Gui
It looks like it's been some time since these two have met each other last. And it looks like it's still quite cold because Gui Gui immediately asks Taecyeon for his coat once they start filming. (Honestly, I think she acts like a kid sometimes just to see how much she can get away with. Oh, us sly little females.) Being the gentleman that he is, Taecyeon drapes his coat around Gui Gui's shoulders.
They cautiously head down the street since it's very slippery. I couldn't help but notice that she was wearing the silver shoes he bought her. As they move along, they are given their next mission card. Today is their wedding shoot, so they have to come up a with a theme and take wedding photos! To me this is kind of weird because in America, you don't take pictures till the day of the wedding, with all your family and friends and bridal party. Very interesting that Koreans do a whole photo shoot prior to the wedding day.
Mission card time!
Off they head to the bridal shop and begin to pick out themes and clothing. (@Primavera Luxury Wedding Shop) They are greeted by the wedding planner and she takes them back to a room that is lined with beautiful wedding gowns of all types. They have picked one out for Gui Gui, a sleeveless lace with tulle bottom with roses, based on her tastes. Gui Gui picked out another, a floral halter type of dress with lace. The planner suggests another type of dress with a different type of look, sort of like a mermaid. Gui Gui doesn't seem to understand the planner, so Taecyeon takes it upon himself to show her what type of dress it is. He started by outlining the shape of the dress, when that didn't work, he laid down on his side and moved his legs together as if it were the tail part of a fish. "Mermaid, you know mermaid?" he asked her. Quite hilarious and you can see that the planner is trying hard to be polite and not laugh. Finally, Gui Gui understands. She isn't feeling like a mermaid dress, but seemed to like a mini dress that Taecyeon had picked out.
What's a 'mermaid' dress? Taecyeon will show you!
Taecyeon goes to pick up a tuxedo and immediately pulls out a white tux with a long tailcoat and stitching accents on the lapels. Quite princely and dashing. Although, Gui Gui makes fun that it's like a penguin. (does the motion) They both head back to their respective dressing rooms to try the clothing on.
Gui Gui gets dressed first, so Taecyeon waited for her in the waiting room, of course. After waiting twenty minutes, the curtain is revealed to show an enchanting Gui Gui in the dress the shop had picked out for her. Taecyeon has a huge smile on his face and claps in approval. Gui Gui likes the dress, and Taecyeon snaps a photo so they can compare later.
Enchanting Gui Gui
As Gui Gui puts hers second dress on, Taecyeon decides to call around for groomsmen. His first call goes to ZE:A's Kwang Hee (To The Beautiful You) and he invites him to the shoot the next day. Kwang Hee asks if there will be anyone attending from the bride's side and I don't think Taecyeon thought about that, but he assumed there would be. Then scolds Kwang Hee saying that he's a married man, too. (At the time of filming, Kwang Hee was also in the all Korean version of We Got Married) Kwang Hee tells him he wants to look at the bridesmaids, not date them. Taecyeon tells him to look charming and handsome. And Kwang Hee says he will and that he will need to put extra cushions in his shoes because Taecyeon is so tall. Taecyeon jokes that he will need five of those cushions! Lol.
Taecyeon's second call goes to 2AM's Jung Jinwoo, who coaches him on how surprised and happy he should look when the curtain opens. Because, he reasoned, women look at how men react when they see them in the dress. He doesn't get to ask him to come to the wedding though because Gui Gui is ready in her next dress.
And Gui Gui appears in a vision of chiffon and floral lace and appliques. As coached by Jinwoo, Taecyeon over reacts to the dress by clapping and smiling exuberantly. Umm...you could already tell it was fake. And Gui Gui had immediately caught on. She tell him that maybe they should close and open the curtain again. Haha. Taecyeon you dummy...
Taecyeon goes ahead and snaps a photo of Gui Gui and while he is fiddling with the settings, she asks him a question, "Tomorrow, Nichkhun will come?" I couldn't believe she asked that! Taecyeon's response was of surprise and questioned why she was asking. She replies that "Nichkhun is your team, so it's very yes..." (I think she meant he's a member of the group so why wouldn't he come?) But Taecyeon was already annoyed. He said "Wae, wae, wae? Why are you asking about Nichkhun? Nichkhun is not your husband!" LOL. She says that she hopes that he will come and asks Taecyeon if he was angry. Taecyeon, polite as always, sighs and says "no" and take a picture.
In his interview, Taecyeon stated that he WAS going to ask his members to come, but after that, Nichkhun will never come there. If he did, he was going to send him back immediately! Oo, jealous! It's so cute when guys get jealous!
Gui Gui tries on another dress, and emerges in the mini dress with tulle (?) skirt. It's actually the cutest of the three, but not very suitable for a wedding if you ask me. Taecyeon seems to be happy and he snapped another photo.
It's Taecyeon's turn to try on his clothing and he appears very princely in the white "penguin" suit. After parading a little around the pedestal in front of the mirrors, they both agreed they liked the suit. He was quite dashing, if I may say so myself! So handsome!
Dashing Taecyeon
His next suit looked more like an event suit. It's a dark blue suit with plaid lapels and plaid pants. Umm...no. Wedding Taecyeon! Wed-ding!
They sit down to make their selections and once that's set, they are off to their wedding shoot. Gui Gui is reluctant to go, but Taecyeon encouraged her with exclamations of "Yeppuda"! "Happy!" (Yeppuda means "pretty".)
Through the magic of television, we skipped to the next day where Taecyeon meet up at the studio where their wedding photo shoot will occur. Taecyeon tells Gui Gui that he's heard that wedding photo shoots are a lot more tiring for the bride, so being the considerate guy he is, he gives her a signal to let him know when she needs a break. If she scratches his shoulder, he will lean over and offer his shoulder to lean on for a bit. And then once she is rested, they will charge back in.
The studio they've arrived at looks more like a beautiful two story home than a studio. They head down the winding staircase with the photographer to a garden area where they will begin.
Cut to the garden where Taecyeon is waiting for Gui Gui. He is dressed in a very formal black tux with white shirt and black tie. (When I saw this, I could only think thank God he ditched the plaid!) Still as dashing as ever! He looks up to see Gui Gui coming down the stairs and immediately goes up to gently guide her down the stairs. (She's dressed in the first dress, by the way.)
Their first set-up is with Gui Gui on the boat and Taecyeon helping out by blowing fog around her so she looks like she's traveling in a mist. Taecyeon tried his best to blow the fog, but unfortunately stronger winds were blowing the fog away from Gui Gui. This frustrated both Taecyeon and the photographer especially who was trying to get the perfect shot.
Right out of a fairytale
Next, the photographer asks Gui Gui to sit down and look far off into the distance with an expression on her face like she's thinking of her love. The photographer mistakenly calls Taecyeon Nichkhun which illicits an outburst of "Nichkhun? Oh Nichkhun!" Whoo boy, if you looks could maim, the look Taecyeon had was just like that. Later, Gui Gui confesses that she liked to see Taecyeon jealous. She thinks that if a lover gets jealous, it means he loves her. Oh the tricks women play!
"Nichkhun? Oh Nichkhun!" Uh oh...hehe, he's giving me the evil eye!
Finally, Taecyeon and Gui Gui are asked to stand face to face and look at each other. This seems to be too close for comfort for Gui Gui because she can't make eye contact and keeps laughing. She explains that it's "hot". Yeah, I would be too girl, I would be too...
After relaxing a bit, Gui Gui is finally able to settle down and do the final shots outdoors.
My thoughts:
Can I just say that I absolutely love wedding shoots now? How special to have a photo shoot before the actual wedding? You get more time the day of the wedding to prepare, you're not that stressed out, and I'm thinking, a shoot is one way of getting what you actually wanted done before the real thing! Genius! In America, we do engagement photo shoots to announce the upcoming nuptials. You can get pretty creative with those, but you don't really get dressed up for it. I think that's what I like about these shoots in Korea, you can get dressed up twice!
This episode was eye opening to me for both couples. Mina got a taste of what Hong Ki likes to eat, or rather can eat. And Hong Ki found out the hard way that Mina isn't as sweet as she looks. LOL, umeboshi!
I loved when Hong Ki began singing to her. His voice is so unique, you can tell it's him just by listening to him once. And even though it wasn't an actual performance, he still sounded great. I could seriously listen to his singing for hours. Oh wait, I already do! =P
And Taecyeon and Gui Gui's photo shoot was just so enchanting. If you search for their photos online, you will see what I mean. That photographer knows what he's doing. It was literally breathtaking. Makes me want to have that! And what girl wouldn't want to have photos like those, especially when you have to look into a handsome idol's face? Sigh...
One of my favorite episodes yet!
Sources: We Got Married Global Facebook and YouTube Channel
I haven't been posting a lot in the past couple of months since I've been busy at work, so I apologize. I'm slowly starting to get back into trying to post at least a couple per week. And of course, in order to do that, I have to keep up with the news.
Well, as I was browsing through the internet, I came across a news article about FT Island. (I have to confess, I pretty much only look at K-pop and Asian culture news when I'm trying to relax.)
Seems that they will be again lending their musical talents to another anime (this time a movie) called "Toriko". They will be singing the ending song to the movie. The anime is by Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro and will feature this character, Toriko, on his adventures all around the world.
FT Island will also be featured in the movie as themselves. They have really handsome likenesses to each member! Some anime don't stay true to the real people, but I really like the way the artists drew them. (see photo)
I believe this will be the first time they will be featured in a movie of this sort. The last time they had a hand in an anime was when they had done the song, "Neverland" for the opening theme song to the anime series, "Ozuma" in early 2012.
All right, they've met their husbands/wives, they've kind of gotten to know each other a little better, they've moved into their new homes, what's next?
It seems you can't just move into a place without some sort of rules or guidelines. And they've got to eat at some point, too, right? Having that infamous "first meal" as a married couple is special. It tells you a bit of what the person likes/dislikes, their types of taste, etc. It looks like episode 3 begins moving in that direction. (Pardon me if I miss any details. I am trying to give an overview. And I watched this almost two months ago, so my apologies.)
Hong Ki and Mina
To start off their period of wedded bliss, Hong Ki has listed a few things that he thought Mina should know about him. He called it the "How to Handle Hong Ki Manual". In it he asked that she would "love him more than he loves himself", he welcomed "skin ship" from her first (meaning touching. Not groping! But holding hands and hugging, all the G rated stuff.) and to not be too surprised when she sees how hairy he is. (Hong Ki is extremely shy about his hairy legs and doesn't like to show them very often.)
When it is Mina's turn, she tells him she prefers the hairless male, especially with no facial hair and that she hopes he will be the first to initiate skin to skin contact. Whoops! Sorry HK! She went on to say that she likes "plain" things (I think she meant simple, as in with no adornment. Non-flashy.). This pretty interesting because Hong Ki is known for his flamboyant attire. Mina loves to read so she also suggested that he read an entire book at least once a week. (Hmm..this sounds familiar. YongSeo couple ring any bells??)
Later they attempt to have their first meal together. Since Hong Ki lost a game earlier, he got to make dinner. As he is prepping to make Korean style spaghetti, Mina pointed out that she still needs to tell him her wish. Hong Ki let her have anything she wished so she requested that he sing a song for her. A special song. To this, Hong Ki agreed and points out that he is a very good at singing. (Hmm...someone bragging again?)
When the "spaghetti" is done, Mina comments that it isn't spaghetti, but ramyun. LOL. Much to Hong Ki's chagrin. He re-collects a little bit of his cool by showing Mina how to fold the lid of the ramyun cup into a little bowl that you can eat ramyun noodles from. Mina jokingly says that they are really a newlywed couple now, and it feels like they're poor. Again, much to Hong Ki's embarassment.
Mina wishes that they would be comfortable enough to call each other by nicknames and they decided to make up nicknames for each other. Hong Ki suggested "ramji", the 2nd part of the Korean name for squirrel (daramji). Umm..no, Hong Ki, she wasn't having it. I mean really, would you want your husband to call you a squirrel?? She suggested a romantic one, something like "yeobo". Hong Ki didn't seem to like that one. Guys, so picky when it comes to endearments! Since they are in a younger man-older woman relationship, he remarks that he should be calling her "nuna" and Mina seemed accepting to that. Especially if he says it "winningly". However, Hong Ki isn't the type to call older women that, but he still tried it out. Eventually they settled on "Hongchan" for Hong Ki and "Nuna" for Mina.
As Mina is unpacking the suitcases, Hong Ki decorates their room. Once it is ready, he asks Mina to change and he brings her into the room with his hand held against her eyes so she wouldn't be able to see. At the unveiling, she gasps out loud, in front of her is a fairytale like campsite with two billowy tents, bedrolls and stuffed animals all in white. They fall asleep across each other under the "stars".
Cut to the next day and they are at the market. Here, they are shopping for all of their essentials for the house. Hong Ki has Mina trying different types of food like "duck". As they shopped around, they proclaim to everyone that could hear that they are "married". This was a little like bragging since they seemed to like each other so much. Hong Ki confessed it was nice to hear people say to him that they thought "his nuna" was pretty.
They look around some more and Hong Ki found....a squirrel! Of all things, a squirrel in a market?? Hong Ki leaves Mina for a little bit to "use the restroom". Ha! He in fact circles back around and buys the squirrel for Mina as a little present. I couldn't read Mina's expression here. She looked happy, but she also looked like she didn't want it? Maybe it was the personal reference??
Regardless of how she felt, she accepts Hong Ki's present and they shop around for a TV. The come across the Samsung Smart TV, which to me, looks like a humongous Wii. They fool around on it a little while and Hong Ki ends up purchasing the TV. But as he is paying, he asks if he can split up the bill into monthly payments. LOL, it looks like even idols have to be mindful of how much things are!
Taecyeon and Gui Gui
While Hong Ki and Mina are enjoying their new home, Taecyeon and Gui Gui are settling into theirs. They pull out their individual Ten Commandments and share them with each other.
They go through their commandments and almost instantly hit a snag. Gui Gui is a morning person and wanted Taecyeon to have breakfast with her. However, Taecyeon isn't having it. He'd much rather sleep in than eat breakfast, especially if he has a busy schedule. (I'm totally with him on that one!) Despite Gui Gui's pleading, he didn't budge and they agree to not agree.
After a fiasco with Taecyeon's robot models, Taecyeon shares a pair of couple mugs with Gui Gui. The mugs are supposed to help the couple share their feelings with each other. They have a pair of mugs for different expressions: happy, sad, mad. Taecyeon, I must admit, did a pretty good job with his. I think he must have watched a lot of anime when he was younger and must be pretty artistic because he drew pretty well. I couldn't tell what the heck Gui Gui was drawing. It was a pretty far stretch.
Later that evening, they unveil their ingredients for their first dinner together and Gui Gui unveils her...chicken! (She waved it very happily in front of Taecyeon.) She would be making chicken soup. And despite the fact that she bought the chicken, she didn't seem to know how to make it. She had trouble cutting the chicken so Taecyeon kindly stepped in to butcher it. When they are done, Taecyeon reveals a nicely presented platter of kim chee fried rice complete with a fried egg on top. Gui Gui, on the other hand, is still cooking and had asked Taecyeon to taste her food. And this is how bad it must be, he instantly made a face and walked away saying that she wasn't "good at cooking". He adds a bit of seasoning to her soup, and finally they are ready to partake in their first meal as newlyweds together.
I can't even describe the hilarity when they start to eat each other's food. You will have to search for the We Got Married Global channel and see part 2 of this episode. Poor Taecyeon! It's like he's being tortured! He changes between the feeling mugs so quickly as Gui Gui tries to poison him, I mean feed him. LOL!
After dinner, they both bring out presents for each other that they brought to the house. Taecyeon unveiled his present....the shoes that Gui Gui wanted from the Shoe Cafe! And she called him a "scrooge". She was extremely happy! So happy, she calls him "yeobo". LOLOL! You don't call a guy that unless you are extremely comfortable with them or they are actually yours. Taecyeon was caught off guard! He exclaims, "where does she learn this??" Umm...Korean dramas dear...
She gives him her present and it is pajamas of her favorite character from Toy Story. Don't ask me to remember what it was called. But I have never seen adult pajamas like those before. =P Poor Taecyeon, whose so used to being so masculine, watches as his masculinity is stripped away as she donned the pajamas on him. They took a photo to capture the moment. LOL! End!
Oh yea... My thoughts: I loved this episode. I think there could be a whole discussion on skin ship in different cultures. Whether it would be as accepted if it were the girl who wouldn't mind being the first one to make contact.
I really feel bad for Taecyeon. I feel he's gotten the short end of the stick. Gui Gui is gradually stripping any amount of masculinity away with each of her antics. But he's such a nice guy, he lets her. It's almost like a parent trying to entertain a child at times. It will be interesting to see how long he will last.
After a short week away from each other, the global couples meet up to check out their new homes where they will be living together while they are "married". (Note that they haven't gone through a ceremony yet, so they aren't "married" yet.)
At Home- Hongki and Mina
Taecyeon and Gui Gui fool around on the piano playing "Heart and Soul".
Their home is a two story condo equipped with a stage, skull designed
accessories and a unicycle that Mina demonstrated to Hong Ki. Not to be
upstaged (because he's so competitive), Hong Ki shows that he can be good at
something too, like spinning a tray. Mina countered with a toy (not sure what
it's called exactly) where you try to catch a ball on a string into a little
cup.
The stage was to represent a neutral zone where one would be able to talk
freely to the other person and let out any grievances.
Their bedroom is a cute size, but it was empty. Hong Ki explained that he
wanted to decorate it together, but Mina was clearly expecting it to be
furnished.
They later take out little albums they have brought along of themselves. It
is cute to see how little Mina had changed over the years. Hong Ki likened her
face to that of a chipmunk. Hong Ki shared family photos and a photo of himself
when he had done Taekwando. They each shared little things they have brought to help warm up the house.
Mina brought her little dolls she had handcrafted herself. Hong Ki had brought
all the important trophies he and FT Island have won over the years along with
a suitcase full of shoes, and clothing that looked more appropriate for
appearances than everyday wear. He also brought his favorite energy drink so
Mina could try it, but it didn't seem she took it very well.
At Home- Taecyeon and Gui Gui Taecyeon and Gui Gui arrived at their home full of expectation. Gui Gui
asked Taecyeon to carry her like they do in the dramas to the bedroom.
(Awkward!) There she asked Taecyeon to join her on the bed. And after a lot of
hesitation, he did. Both went through a photo shoot of sorts to fulfill popular
romantic scenes from dramas.
They continued their photo shoot downstairs and even managed to get outside
to play in the snow. Without any protective layering. Yes, I know. Crazy.
Once back inside, they opened up their suitcases and began to share what
each brought to warm up their home.
Gui Gui brought some goodies/snacks from Taiwan for Taecyeon to try. (He
politely refused since he wasn't that hungry yet.) She also brought couple
aprons, which was very cute. One was a Wonder Woman design and the other
Superman. She asked that Taecyeon use the Wonder Woman one, but he wasn't
having any of it, so they switched. And finally, she brought out her pajamas of
her favorite character from Toy Story. (I still do not know who it is, but it's
the blue and green alien one.) And she made them wear the pajamas. LOL, this
was a must see!
Taecyeon shared his toys that he turns to when he gets super stressed. These
aren't actually toys, but they're collectible models that you put together.
They were models of robotic planes from Gundam (at least that's what it looked
like to me). And no, I didn't mean Gangnam. As Gui Gui had been marveling at
these models, she accidentally broke a limb off of one, twice. Oh the look of
horror on Taecyeon's face when he saw that! He looked like he was going to have
a meltdown! Eventually though, he did calm down and managed to put the models
on the side. But not before he told the crew to keep an eye on them. =)
Thoughts: It was interesting to see the difference in layouts for the two homes. Hong Ki and Mina's were two stories, with the bedroom and kitchen right next to each other. Whereas Taecyeon and Gui Gui's home, although also two stories, the bedroom was upstairs. That's a lot of carrying to do!
Hong Ki and Mina's home feels more like ahome fitting a bachelor like Hong Ki. It was very entertainment centered. I didn't get any girly touches at all in there, which I for one would have liked if I were Mina. You could tell that she was disappointed that the room was empty.
I absolutely love the piano in Taecyeon and Gui Gui's home. I always dreamed of having a keyboard as big as that. It looks so much fun to play! And the living room was right next to the yard where they could see the falling snow. I wouldn't have wanted to play out there in the cold, but oh well.
Hong Ki and Mina's photos from their school days are so cute. Mina really does look the same, whereas Hong Ki...well...he did look a little chubbier back then. But he looked more normal back then. Less like the "fashionista" he is now.
Taecyeon and his models. Wow. I never would have thought. I was surprised, yet found it endearing, despite my first thought of "isn't he too old to be doing models?". And Gui Gui and her alien pajamas! OMG! The fact that they even sell pajamas in a size for adults is absolutely hilarious. Poor Taecyeon! After the shoes, the hot chocolate, the igloo, the bridal carry and "oppa's", I can already see that he is in for a rough time. My heart goes out to him.
Aliens? Really?
Next up: Married life rules/requests and their first meal together!
(I do not own any of the images. All credit goes to their rightful owners.)
Ok, I've seen people searching for Lee Hong Ki and his marital status on Google. And I must say that there are lot of you interested in him. (Myself included.) And, yes folks, he is "married". On a reality show called "We Got Married Global Edition" that is.
He is part of a pair of celebrity couples that are filmed in dating and married life situations. The series originally started with just Korean couples, but now they have branched out even further to Japan and Taiwan. You may recognize this show as a lot idols have participated in it. CNBlue's Jung Yong Hwa paired up with Girls Generation's Seohyun as the "Goguma Couple" or "YongSeo Couple". And 2PM's Nichkhun had paired up with f(x)'s Victoria as the "Khuntoria" Couple.
Global Pair #1: Ok Taecyeon (K-Pop Group 2PM) and Wu Ying Xie aka Emma aka "Gui Gui" (Taiwanese Actress/Singer)
Global Pair #2: Lee Hong Ki (K-PopRock Band FT Island) and Fujii Mina (Japanese Actress)
Their First Impressions
Of Mina- she had sent photos of different parts of her face and legs to Hong Ki's cell phone as a way of giving him hints about how she looked like. Hong Ki was very intrigued and thought she had a very nice smile. And her eyes turned down exactly the way he liked in a woman.
Of Hong Ki- for some reason, Mina already knew her who her husband was going to be. She's a fan of FT Island. While she was at the salon getting her hair done, she even sang a bit of FT Island's song, "Love Love Love" (Sarang Sarang Sarang) to the stylist helping her get ready for their first meeting.
Of Gui Gui- it was a first time for everything for Gui Gui. It was her first time to Korea and her first time getting "married". She was dressed in all white for her first meeting and showed up with a very bright expression. She doesn't really understand Korean, but her English is not bad, so she was able to converse somewhat with Taecyeon (He understands English since he was raised in Boston, Massachusetts for about 7 years.)
Of Taecyeon- Taec was very nervous meeting Gui Gui and he hoped that they would like each other. Gui Gui found him handsome, but misunderstood him a little bit at their first meeting.
First Meeting
The Bookstore- Hong Ki and Mina
Hong Ki arrived at the bookstore earlier than Mina and explored a bit. After buying a drink, he sat down to write a note to his soon-to-be-wife.
When Mina arrived, she tiptoed gently towards him so she wouldn't startle him. When they realized who the other was, they both hid their faces in embarrassment as they greeted each other.
Hong Ki was very surprised to find out that Mina could converse in Korean since she is Japanese. He was also very surprised to know that Mina knew of him (even though he didn't know her) and that she was a fan of FT Island. Mina surprised him with a little off-key rendition of "Love Love Love" (Sarang Sarang Sarang) and he was touched that she knew the words. He thought that she could've easily just said the lyrics, but instead, she sang it to him. (Side note: Some artists are particular about their songs and don't like people singing it to them. I'm glad that Hong Ki wasn't like them.)
Hong Ki had challenged Mina to a game of skills by presenting her with a postcard puzzle. He told her that if she put together the puzzle, he would grant her one wish. Mina blazed through the task and put it together in no time. Plus, she read the warm message he had written on the back. Her wish? To have him sing to her, which Hong Ki politely declined at the time since they were in a bookstore.
They found that they had many interest together and that Hong Ki could have had a special "sense" about her tastes. (He ordered her a caramel macchiato, which happened to be a favorite of Mina's. It also happens to be a favorite of Hong Ki's.) Overall their first meeting was very nerve wracking, but very pleasant.
The Shoe Cafe (Chougabi Shoe Cafe)- Taecyeon and Gui Gui
An intrigued Taecyeon arrived at a shop that sold shoes and coffee?? Eh? I guess anything goes in Korea. When Gui Gui arrived, it is apparent that there would be a language barrier. Although Gui Gui can speak English, she can't speak it very well. Not to mention, most of her knowledge of the Korean language and culture came from watching Korean dramas. For example, as they sat at a table getting to know each other, Taecyeon ordered a warm drink for the both of them. Gui Gui was puzzled as the hot chocolate was placed before them. She thought that it was strange for Korean's to be drinking a drink so large at that time of the day. She thought that the mug of hot chocolate was to be drunk in the same way one would take shots of liquor. She kept on saying "one shot" to Taecyeon and proceeded to down the whole drink. She encouraged Taecyeon to do the same. And a befuddled Taecyeon, who didn't want to be impolite, downed his hot chocolate. Later, Taecyeon explained that it wasn't supposed to be downed, but rather sipped at your leisure.
Another example was when they had moved to the shoe room floor. Taecyeon had asked Gui Gui to "window shop". Not understanding what "window shopping" was, Gui Gui's eyes fell on a pair of silver flats that she loved instantly and immediately asked Taecyeon to buy it for her. Taecyeon had to disappoint her by explaining that "window shopping" meant you could only look, not buy. And a disappointed Gui Gui felt he was being tight with his money. Overall, it was a very hilarious episode of Taecyeon trying to explain to Gui Gui in English so she could understand, and Gui Gui trying to get used to the Korean way of things.
After the kerfuffle regarding the shoes, they hit the slopes for some fun in the snow.
The couples had a short hiatus away from each other and return a bit later to find their new homes.
Thoughts: I have to say that these couples are so cute! Gui Gui can be a little annoying with her "oppa" name calling, but she is still adorable. And it's interesting to see how Taecyeon and Gui Gui communicate with each other. I'm glad that Taecyeon is so patient with her. He really breaks down English so she can understand better.
As for Hong Ki and Mina...isn't this kind of cheating? I'm sorry, when I think of Global couples, I think of couples that don't know the same language. Where's the fun in actually being able to converse in the same language? I'm just kidding. I'm not upset, but just surprised. There will be cultural differences that I'm sure will come out down the road. Although I must say...as a FT Island fan, my heart is breaking. Mina is one of the lucky girls that will actually get to know Hong Ki personally. *Sigh* Ok, I'm over it. I am thoroughly enjoying the series so far and can't wait to see it through to the end.
More to come! Hwaiting!
(Images are not owned by me. Credit goes to their rightful owners.)
Or, at least watch stars live a "married life". I'm especially keen on watching how it goes with FT Island's Lee Hong Ki and Japanese actress Fujii Mina.
The first episode of the global edition of "We Got Married" premiers today. Although, I don't think you can call this global since it's only a couple of stars from Asia. But since this is the first time they're pairing up couples from outside of Korea, I guess it makes sense? Hey, these are the same guys that consider a world tour all of Asia and some of Europe.
To help promote more interest in the show, Lee Hong Ki tweeted a cute little picture (see below) of himself, Mina and a Primadonna (FT Island's official name for their fans in their fan club) wearing a yellow FT Island hoodie. (Yellow is the official color of their fan club.) He's stuck right in the middle of a tug of war, I mean pose, between the other two. Perhaps to suggest he's not only married to his fans, but now to Mina?
Anyone up for guessing what their couple name will be? We've had Brangelina (Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt) and YongSeo (Jung Yong Hwa and Seohyun). How about "HongMin"??
For fans in Asia, this will come as no big news since promotions have already begun. But for the rest of the world, FT Island's bassist and rapper, Song Seung Hyun, has been cast in another musical called "Summer Snow". He will be playing a lovable character named "Jin Ha". Bright, easy going, funny and quick witted. This will be the Korean re-enactment of the 2000 Japanese drama of the same name which had starred one of my favorite Japanese actors, Oguri Shun. =)
Oguri Shun
If you keep up with FT Island or Korean entertainment, you'll remember that Seung Hyun had just wrapped up performances and promotions for his first musical, Jack the Ripper, earlier this year. With performances for FT Island's Asia concert tour currently underway, Seung Hyun starting the musical in April and lead vocalist Lee Hong Ki participating in the international version of "We Got Married" also starting in April, it looks like plans for another FT Island comeback won't happen until late 2013. For now, fans like myself, will have to keep checking their Twitter accounts for any new updates!
FT Island's Lee Hong Ki and Japanese Actress Fujii Mina
That's the latest news folks! Don't worry, the nuptials aren't real. FT Island's lead vocalist will be getting hitched on the popular Korean show, "We Got Married". He will be part of the International version of the show as the husband to Japanese actress Fujii Mina (25 years old).
Hong Ki has once said that he doesn't care about how old a woman is, as long as she is innocent looking and "voluptuous". Oh really? Geez, he doesn't sound like a boy anymore, sounds like he's a grown man now.
The first episode kicks off the first week of April, but they will have a live press conference promoting the event on YouTube on March 28th, so be on the lookout for that.
Let's see who is better at a relationship. After watching Choi Jong Hun on the second season of the Romantic and the Idol, one could tell his dating style was earnest. (Yeah, I think that's a good word for it, so I'll leave it at that.) Even though I have watched both Lee Hong Ki and Choi Jong Hun on Mnet Scandal (a dating show where the stars were paired up with pretty "normal" women for one week), this will be the first time that one of them will be in a "relationship" for more than a few days.
If you've ever seen Hong Ki on Mnet Scandal, you would have seen that he loves to eat hot pot and to feed his women (probably cause he was always hungry, lol). He was romantic on his dates, but when he was with friends, he tended to relax and forget that he had someone by his side. (Pool games are a total distraction for him.)
Rumours have circulated, well, more said by the band members themselves, that Hong Ki is ace at dating girls. Their company is always trying to keep things hush hush about his personal life. Let's see if his sweet demeanor extends to another culture. And let's hope that she teaches him some forms of honorifics (Japanese polite speak) because fans know that Hong Ki is very casual when he speaks. (And I don't mean he's rude, just that he's Hong Ki and he happens to speak that way.) It will be very interesting!
Fans in South Korea, China, Japan, Taiwan, India and Australia will be able to catch the international version on TV. The rest of the world will have to find alternate means of viewing. If I find one, I will let you all know.
NOTE: Check out my reviews on the episodes! I'll be updating this blog throughout the series!
Source: Korea.com
Here I go again, FT Islanding up my blog! For fans and Pri's, the next musical chapter in these 5 treasures' career is coming up very soon. They will be releasing a new Japanese single called, "You Are My Life".
It's soft rock ballad that starts off with leader Choi Jong Hun on the piano and moving throughout. Mixed with Seung Hyun's rock chords on guitar, Jae Jin's back-up harmonies and Hong Ki's vocals carrying the simple melodic line, it's certainly touching and sentimental. "Listen to my heart...Even till this day, even when you are far away from me...You are my life..." (Sorry, my Japanese is a little rusty. I still have a hard time gathering gists of songs in Japanese, especially slow songs because they break up the syllables. And it's been years since I tried to speak semi-fluently. I'll try to post the English subs when they're available.)
I, for one, love this song. Not just because it's FT Island and Lee Hong Ki, but I like the types of songs that you can listen to and know the theme of the song just by listening to the music. Even though it's in a different language, it touches your soul.
Here's the video released by Warner Music Japan. All right's to them and FT Island. I wish they sold the music on iTunes in the States, but this will have to do.
