Jo Hyun Jae

(Guess what my first love is.)

I’ve read that some fans don’t like “First Love” very much because of its plot. The Jo Hyun-Jae character, Han Young Woo, is a young man who falls in love with a girl, Oh Hee Soo, who grows up with him. The girl, however, loves their professor, Shin Sung Woo,  who has married a woman he does not love.  Han Young Woo is not a winner in love, though the end of the drama hints that they might be together again, which I find hardly persuasive. The heroine is too blind to see such a good love beside her, and her choice is so incomprehensible. But let’s forget the disappointing plot and appreciate our JHJ’s brilliant performance in “First Love”.

The beginning of the drama is also the first appearance of  the JHJ character Han Young Woo who has just come back from abroad and run into his first love Oh Hee Soo in the subway. The close-up shot of Han Young Woois breathtakingly handsome. The gently wavy hair, fair-skinned face, straight nose, big and deep eyes, and gracefully curved mouth make him like a prince who has just walked out from some European fairy tale. When he accidentally sees his long-lost-contact first love rushing into the subway, his eyes flash with surprise, doubt, and joy. Then, immediately, he jumps into the subway too. Seeing Oh Hee Soo sitting there, Young Woo hesitates for a second, and then decides to go to her. When he reaches her, he does not know how to say hello to her. Fortunately, when the passenger sitting next to Hee Soo stands up to disembark, she looks up and sees Young Woo.

She cries out “Young Woo!” “Yeah!” the young man answers happily. Then they start to chat. It seems to me that Hee Soo does all the talking and Young Woo only answers “yeah” while looking at her all the time with a heart full of love and joy.

Then there is a flashback. Holding a camera in his hands, Young Woo is waiting for Hee Soo on campus. Set against the blurred green background,  what appears on the screen is a handsome boy full of hope for love. This long-distance shot is the favorite of many fans. The beauty of Young Woo is different from that of Andrea in “Love Letter”.  Andrea is like an angel, holy and pure. Young Woo is like spring breeze, fresh and vigorous. Who wouldn’t love to see such a delicate beauty? Then during their conversation, Hee Soo says she has met a handsome man in the classroom. Young Woo blurts out: “Can he be handsomer than me?!” So cute the way he expresses his jealousy!

Though Hee Soo falls in love with someone else, Young Woo’s love affair is not all that miserable. In fact there are a lot of sweet scenes which I enjoy watching very much. Take a few  examples. When Young Woo accompanies Hee Soo back to the dorm, on the way they talk and laugh as if they were sweet lovers. Hee Soo even leans against Young Woo’s shoulder while laughing.  Young Woo’s face looks so joyful, as if he is on top of the world.

In another scene on a sunny day, Hee Soo is sitting on the grass and Young Woo is lying on the grass with his head resting Hee Soo’s thigh. That’s definitely a position only lovers would indulge in. Young Woo seems contented and the two look very harmonious. Who wouldn’t be jealous of their carefree love?

Also I remember the scene when it is raining hard and Young Woo cannot see Hee Soo in the classroom. He looks around, much worried. Then the girl appears. All of a sudden, a radiant smile breaks out on his face, like a flower blossoming. Familiar, isn’t it? Yeah, JHJ’s signature smile. I love it. Very enchanting!

This is something  that our JHJ makes “First Love” special. The loser in love does not seem miserable. On the contrary, he brings pleasure to the audience and makes them recall memories of sweet young love.

Though tacit most of the time, Young Woo’s love is by no means timid. Waiting for Hee Soo at her dorm, Young Hee sees their professor drive Hee Soo home, and is shocked to witness Hee Soo hugging the professor before getting off the car! (Yes, she takes the initiative, not the professor.)  Pain, puzzlement, disappointment, and anger pour out of Young Woo’s eyes. He has to flee to avoid losing control of himself in front of Hee Soo, after answering her question of what he is doing there. ( What a fool she is!  Is Young Woo standing there watching the stars? Of course he is there waiting for HER!) Yet, when Young Woo meets the professor at the traffic light, he purposely refuses to say hello to him and rides his bicycle quickly past him. Without a single word, Young Woo expresses his attitude and position from the beginning. The meanings in those big beautiful eyes are powerful enough to make the man feel guilty. Ever since then, whenever he faces the professor, challenge and dissatisfaction show through his eyes which announce his love and firm will to defend his love.

Here comes one of my favorite scenes. The two young people share a room in a B&B. Gazing at Hee Soo who is asleep, Young Woo’s handsome face gets closer and closer to his lover’s face. Suddenly, she awakes and opens her eyes. After momentarily at a loss, he gives her a quick kiss on the lips. I didn’t expect that! I thought he would stand up and pretend nothing has happened. But he kisses her even though he is caught in the act! Isn’t that brave?

Another thing in “First Love” that impresses me is JHJ or Han Young Woo demonstrating a mischievous and childish side. He would deliberately pretend to be an awkward bicycle rider when he finds that passersby are laughing at him because of  the sign on his bicycle which reads “New driver. Be careful!”  which is actually made for Hee Soo who has only learnt to ride recently. He would also do meaningless things like breaking the professor’s works into pieces and damaging his car by scratching the surface with a knife in order to vent his anger and pain. These make Han Yonug Woo a far cry from  Andrea. However, Young Woo is as attractive as Andrea, just in different ways. JHJ has made both of them convincing and attractive. He has made the No.2 male character the No. 1 glamorous role in the whole drama. No wonder he won the 2003 SBS BEST NEW ACTOR award for his performance in “First Love”.