Adventures in JHJ country (2)

wulijohyunjae | May 4, 2009 | 7:00 am
The church in “Love Letter”

Interior of church

Yonsei University

The bend

Today (5/3/09) is Sunday, so we went to church in the morning. Please note I wrote: “we went to church”, not “we went to mass”, even though we are both Catholics. Our plan this morning was to go to Junglin-dong Yakhyun Catholic Church, you know, the church in “Love Letter” where Andrea is ordained as a priest in the very first scene of the drama. By the time we arrived at 10:30 a.m., I guess mass was over. We saw a layman leaving with the prayer books. The church was empty except for a single worshipper. We went in and said a prayer (for our families and JHJ.) We admired the stained glass windows and (secretly) took a couple of photos.
Then we went out and walked around the grounds. I was last here in August 2008 (after seeing JHJ off to join the army), and everything was as beautiful and serene as I remember them. This very elegant church, built with bricks, is just 32m. long, 12m. wide and has a 22m. high bell tower. It has no complicated ornamentation but it evokes a feeling of solemnity, and has become the model for Korean church construction. Some information on Junglin-dong Yakhyun Catholic Church: Designation: Historic site no. 252. Period: Joseon Dynasty 1892. This is the first western-style cathedral to be built in Korea. “Yakhyun” is the name of the hill between Malli-dong and Seoul Railroad Station. Long ago the area was covered with fields of medicinal herbs, “yakhyun” meaning “full of medicinal herb fields”, hence the name of the church.
Next we went to Yonsei University where the Korea Fan Meeting was held on July 19, 2008. Yonsei is one of the top three universities in Korea, known as SKY, the other two being Seoul University and Korea University. Yonsei was established in 1885 and is currently celebrating its 124th anniversary. The slogan “the first and the best” is everywhere on campus. Yonsei University is the setting for that part of “Love Letter” when the three lead characters are enrolled at university. We walked for more then an hour on the big and beautiful campus, very green and red/pink (trees and flowers.) We recalled those scenes between Andrea and Eun Ha, and between Andrea and Woo Jing, and especially that heart-rending scene when Andrea was going to give Eun Ha a bouquet of flowers, only to see she’s already holding the flowers that Woo Jing had given her, and they’re going to a concert together. This happened on that now famous road with a bend (Photo 4) which looked prettier than in the TV series because of the trees and flowers in bloom. It’s a minor miracle that I who have no sense of direction managed to locate that place to show M.
In the afternoon we went to Myeong Dong again. M had been trying to get the OST of “Love Letter”, “Forbidden Love” and “Sunshine”. We went into every CD/DVD shop we could find, without any luck until we hit upon this little shop on the way to the metro station. The very knowledgeable shop assistant dug out “Forbidden Love”. One look at the price and M screamed: “80,000 KW???!!!” (around US$65) The average CD is less than 15,000 KW. The man said “Very rare!” (in English.) I could read the conflict in M’s mind — “To buy or not to buy?” 80,000 KW is an exorbitant price, but of course everything is supply and demand. The “Forbidden Love” OST is not available anywhere, and this could be the last copy in circulation. “Very rare!” the man reiterated, and M capitulated. She knew she would regret it if she didn’t get it. At least now it’s her pocketbook that’s hurting and not her heart.
After doing a little work at the hotel, we went out for dinner — to Cheongdam-dong, the most upmarket entertainment area South of the Han River. The restaurant Queen’s Park was recommended by a friend of mine who’s working in Seoul. It’s one of his favourite restaurants that serves casual Western food. As soon as I sat down, a pretty waitress brought a footstool and set it beside me. “For your handbag.” Interesting! The food was excellent — it was supposed to be a 4-course dinner but we were served 5 courses because they made a little mistake about the entree and gave us an extra salad as compensation. M was so pleased with the food that she wanted to see the chef. I reminded her she’s not Han Yi Joon, so instead we just paid our compliments to the chef whom we discovered was Korean. We suddenly came up with a brilliant idea — wouldn’t it be great if we could hold a private birthday party for Hyun-Jae here? The restaurant is not too big, and it has a warm and cozy ambience. Dream on…..After we left the restaurant, we could not get a taxi. We saw the road was lined with Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar, Porsche, Audi, etc. — all expensive European cars. Nobody came in a taxi except us. We had to walk all the way back to the main road before we could flag down a taxi. We were very surprised that the taxi fare back to the hotel was one-third less than the fare to the restaurant. We checked with the Concierge and found out those black taxis parked in front of hotels cost more than the silver-grey ones on the streets. Well, it’s fitting that when you go to an expensive restaurant, you take an expensive taxi, right?
We’ll try to retire early tonight, that is, before 12. We attempted too much last night and ended up with panda eyes today. Good thing we are mirror images of one another so we can’t tease one another about it.
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Adventures in JHJ country (1)

wulijohyunjae | May 3, 2009 | 12:30 am
The traditional Korean house
The JHJ umbrella

We arrived in Seoul last evening (5/1/09) and checked into our hotel a little after 9 p.m. Would you believe that most eating places (including the hotel coffee shop) closed at 10 p.m?

This morning (5/2/09) we set out on a mission right after breakfast. In all our quest for JHJ souvenirs, we’ve never come across the umbrella you see above. Our “spy” told us it was only available in Bao Yong Joon territory. So we took a long trip north to Choongang High School. As we were crossing the Han River on the Seoul Metro, we suddenly remembered what JHJ said on “Night Heart” (YSMM) that his girlfriends were all over Seoul, from South of the Han River to North of the Han River and we had a good laugh. As we were emerging from Anguk Station, we heard the Platters’ “Only You” blaring from a magazine/newspaper shop. We knew we’d come to the right place.

It took about twenty minutes to walk from the metro station to the high school. On the way we saw a Tourist Information Centre, so we thought we’d make sure we’re on the right track. Guess what? The lady in charge sent two of her girls to guide us to our destination. We pretended we’re going to the school which was not open on Saturday. We took a picture in front of the Choongang High School anyway. This high school became famous as the setting for the early part of Bae Yong Joon’s “Winter Sonata”.

As soon as the girls left, we descended on the shop right in front of the school. And it did have the umbrella! We were so thrilled! We checked out the other umbrellas featuring Bae and 4 or 5 other Korean actors and decided JHJ’s was the most elegant. Bae’s had some trimmings but it looked too cluttered.

It was fine when we left the hotel but it was raining quite heavily by the time we got to the high school. The shopkeeper said: “You have your umbrella, so your purchase is most timely.” On no! We couldn’t use that! We had to buy another ordinary umbrella for the day’s use.

On the way back to the metro station, we went up a slope and looked around the outside of some traditional Korean houses (see photo 1) — the kind that Andrea and Eun Ha live in when they first attend university. The souvenir shop owner told us that the one used in “Love Letter” had been torn down. Do you remember Andrea sitting in front of their house and crying? There were so many buckets and potted plants in front of these that there was no place for Andrea to sit here!

After lunch we went to Myeong Dong to buy other JHJ souvenirs. Our old friend “Myeong Dong Jo Hyun Jae” was very happy see us, and like last time we almost cleaned out his shop! He did the usual routine when he escorted us out, shouting “Jo Jyun Jae! Jo Hyun Jae!” M was most amused, since this was her first encounter with Myeong Dong JHJ.
By this time the rain had stopped, so we shopped some more in Myeong Dong for JHJ CDs (OST) and other stuff. By the time we sat down for tea, we were weighed down with our purchases. We managed to secure this splendid table for two in front of the glass facade which gave us an unobstructed view of the busy thoroughfare. And we sat there for an hour sipping Caffe Latte and eating Tiramisu and watching the world go by. Seoul has a lot of beautiful young people, but of course no one could hold a candle to JHJ.
We noticed quite a few young soldiers walking with their girlfriends. We also saw four on the metro. We were wondering how come so many soldiers were on leave, along with our JHJ. Oops! The cat is out of the bag! Hush! Hush! Later! These soldiers were all wearing their camouflage uniforms (the green and brown one that JHJ was wearing in that photo with his mates.) These soldiers were quite tall and broad and not bad looking either. They all looked so happy, especially those who were with their girlfriends. What is JHJ doing? How is he spending his leave? With his family and friends? Will he leave us a message? We wish!
For dinner we of course went to Baekje Samgyetang (ginseng and chicken soup). We were very surprised it was already three-quarters full at 6:30 pm. Apparently it has gained in reputation in the last eight months. We can report its ginseng and chicken soup is as good as ever.
We haven’t had any fruit for nearly two days, so after dinner we went to Lotte Department Store. They had such mouth-watering fruits but all so expensive. We finally brought four honey tangerines and six bananas which cost as much as a JHJ CD!
When we got back to our hotel, we still had to do our homework. First we had to take a photo of the umbrella. We tried doing it in the room and in the bathroom (for optimum lighting.) Can you guess where the above photo was taken? We had to snap the photo from the underbelly of the umbrella because it has two layers (the top layer is black.) So it’s an umbrella you can actually use (you’re not walking around advertising for JHJ.) And then we had to write this report. Yawn! Yawn! So sorry, very tired. Good night! Till tomorrow……………
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Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned

wulijohyunjae | May 2, 2009 | 7:00 am

There is a character in “Seo Dong Yo” that I took an instant dislike to the first time I watched the drama. Every time since when I re-watch SDY, my dislike deepens. And that’s Mo Jin.
Mo Jin first appears with her daughter Eun Jin when the Taehaksa gang is fleeing Baekjae. She soon emerges as the deputy leader of the exiled group. She seems to be the mother-figure to Moraksu’s father-figure. But if that is the intention of the director/scriptwriter, I wonder if they realize they’ve created a prototype of the mother who gives her children complexes. I know someone who for years has been consulting a shrink (psychiatrist) whose diagnosis is his mother is the root cause of his neurosis. Of course shrinks have their own agendas and not all mothers are monsters.
Mo Jin’s daughter Eun Jin is one of my favourite characters in SDY. I have often wondered how she could have grown up emotionally and psychologically sound, with a mother who is so stern and uptight all the time. Every time Mo Jin appears, her lips are pursed and there is a frown on her forehead. Her eyes are like daggers and there is hardly ever a kind look in her eyes.
This is the way she looks at Seo Dong all the time — always with suspicion. She never cuts him any slack. She is prejudiced against him from the start. And you know why? Because of his mother. Or more precisely, because his mother is the woman with whom the man Mo Jin is in love with is in love with. What you just read is not a typographical error. That’s the complicated relationship among Mo Jin, Moraksu, and Yun Gamo. As a matter of fact, it’s very simple. Moraksu and Yun Gamo were a couple, and Mo Jin was never in the picture. It turns out she has always had a crush on Moraksu (who has never stopped loving Yun Gamo even after she disappeared.) This unrequited love may have caused all the passion to be pent up inside Mo Jin.
I have no problem with any of this. These eternal triangles are a fact of life — some people always want what they can’t have. What I detest about Mo Jin is the way she takes it out on Seo Dong, especially the boy Seo Dong. I can understand her mistrust of strangers, even though this is a stranger who has saved their lives. But to regard the child as an enemy agent is carrying things to extreme. Mo Jin has never quite accepted Seo Dong as one of them. She is very critical of, and even harsh to, him. You would have thought her maternal instincts would be aroused by the orphan whose mother is killed in front of him (and in front of all of them.) But no, she vents all her frustration on the child. I suspect she would have liked to get rid of him if she could.
What appalls me the most in the whole of “Seo Dong Yo” is not what Giroo and Buyusun do later, but something that occurs in the early episodes. A valued member of Taehaksa, Bum Saeng, is killed and the Baekjae exiles blame it all on Seo Dong (although he is only the cause of Bum Saeng’s arrest and it is Bum Saeng’s choice to die.) So they cast him out! They leave him behind; they refuse to let him retreat with them. How could they do this to a 13-yer-old? It’s child abuse! Granted, they’re not related in any way and they have no obligation to take care of Seo Dong. But he has lived and worked among them, and human beings have a moral duty to one another. In this incident I blame Moraksu more than Mo Jin. He is the one in charge and his word carries weight. Deep in his psyche he has never gotten over being jilted by Seo Dong’s mother, and if I were to psychoanalyse him here, I’d say subconsciously he’s taking it out on the son too. That’s why I have never been a Moraksu fan, even though he redeems himself later.
Mo Jin redeems herself too, much later. She is told later than most of Seo Dong’s real identity. Before that she keeps up her campaign of exclusion against him. The young Seo Dong is a survivor. Cast out, he manages to fend for himself living on the outskirts of the Baekjae exiles’ camp. His resilience and persistence are remarkable, as are his survival skills. He even manages to teach himself the classics (bits and pieces anyway) and to write. When he passes that qualifying exam to be a trainee technician. Mo Jin accuses him of cheating. Instead of trying to find out how he accomplishes that, she jumps to conclusion, influenced by her heart, not her head. Every time something happens, Mo Jin never gives Seo Dong the benefit of the doubt; instead, she always thinks the worst of him. She never sees him as Jang (Seo Dong’s real name), but as his mother’s son, and this clouds her judgement.
You would have thought that such a woman, prim and proper, would always do her duty, right? Wrong! Remember that time when King Hye (Buyusun’s father) is dying? Moraksu is summoned and Mo Jin intercepts the message and more or less kidnaps him (to try to save him.) The duty of a loyal subject is to serve the king, and Mo Jin here is not only guilty of dereliction of duty, she prevents Moraksu from doing his duty too which could have serious consequences. Here she is again following the dictates of her heart and not her head.
Mo Jin is a hard person. She is supposed to be so in love with Moraksu, but when she turns her back to him, she could shut him out completely. Mo Jin and Moraksu have a falling out over the role of Takhaksa in Baekjae court politics, and in protest she relinguishes her regular duties and becomes a kindergarten teacher at Taehaksa. When Moraksu and Seo Dong are being interrogated and tortured by Buyusun, the other members of Taehaksa tell Mo Jin that Moraksu is in grave danger, but she refuses to go to see him. She says she has washed her hands of him. She has a heart of stone!
When Mo Jin is finally let into the secret of Seo Dong’s real identity, to be fair, she devotes herself to helping him ascend the throne. But (and maybe I’m prejudiced) I’ve always felt she sees him then as her rightful king and not as Jang, the boy and man she used to know.
I would prefer Mo Jin keep her feelings to herself. That part of the drama that shows Mo Jin declaring her love for Moraksu always makes me wince. And in that scene when they finally come together, Moraksu looks awkward and embarrassed. I doubt if Moraksu feels for Mo Jin what he feels for Yun Gamo. Affection? Yes. Love? I’m not so sure.
One thing, though, I have to say about Mo Jin, and that is — she is consistent. She is the same uptight, rigid, sombre, strict, pent-up, opinionated, unyielding, unsmiling woman throughout the drama.
Nothing wrong with that, I suppose. I just don’t like her.
P.S. There’s something that has always intrigued me. Mo Jin has a daughter, so presumably she had a husband (who is never mentioned.) What happened to him? Did he die? Or did he leave her? He probably needed some fresh air.
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Labour of love

wulijohyunjae | May 1, 2009 | 6:00 am

May 1 is International Labour Day, a public holiday in many countries.

Labour Day is an annual holiday celebrated all over the world that resulted from the labour union movement — to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. Most countries celebrate Labour Day on May 1, and it is popularly known as May Day and International Workers’ Day.

The celebration of Labour Day has its origins in the eight-hour day movement, which advocates 8 hours for work, 8 hours for recreation, and 8 hours for rest.

Today is a public holiday where we are, so we’re off on vacation (a working vacation)! Right now we’re on a flight to Seoul — Jo Hyun-Jae country! Sorry, nothing to read today. But feast your eyes on the two gorgeous photos above.

(Labour Day information from Wikipedia)

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