The Five movie trailer was finally out the other day! Yey!
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‘The Five’ Teaser Poster Released
Once again, actress Kim Sun Ah had an extreme image make-over.
The Five (Directed by Jeong Yeon Shik) is scheduled to be released on November* and today, September 22, the movie teaser poster showing a different image of Kim Sun Ah was released.
The Five is a story of five people gathered together to see the end of a perfect revenge plot. It will be Kim Sun Ah’s first ever thriller movie. The poster released today shows her intense image transformation that makes one look forward to her character Eun Ah.
Wrecked look. Hidden anger and despair. Glimpse of courage. Concealed pain.
I will rip my own heart if that’s what it takes to get him killed. A revenge story of a woman whose family was brutally murdered right in front of her.
SOURCE: Osen
* According to the producer’s twitter 박성근 The Five will be released on November 14, 2013.
고백할 게 있는데…
오늘 내가 기다리고 기다리던 ‘더 파이브’란 영화 티저 포스터가 공개되었다. 예전에 이런 소식을 들었으면 너무 기뻐서 분명히 날뛰었을 것이다. 원래 뭘 하고 있었든지 어머니께 큰 소리로 자랑스럽게 “엄마! 엄마! 봐 봐! 빨리! 대박! 그치?”라고 말했을 거다. 근데 오늘 이 소식을 이렇게 들었어도 이상하게 관심 하나도 없는 것 같고 아무 느낌도 안 났다. 그냥 선아언니 얼굴 쳐다보고 이 포스터랑 눈 싸움 하고 있었다. 이제 기쁨 대신 슬픔만 느껴졌다. 혹시 그 사람 때문이 아닐까? 뭐 어쨌든 선아언니에 관한 소식을 들으면 그 사람을 생각하고 기억하겠지. 게다가 나한테 이 영화로 각색되었던 만화를 준 사람은 바로 그 사람이였다. 그 동안 이 영화를 개봉할 때 그 사람이랑 같이 볼거라면 좋겠다고 생각했다. 드디어 이 영화가 개봉할거다. 근데 그 사람이랑 같이 보는 것은 이제 불가능하다.
이렇게 되면… 혹시 나도 김슷하 안티가 됐을까? 안돼겠다! 이 자리… 이 팬자리도 지켜야 한다. 선아언니… 미안해. 어떡해야지? ㅠㅠ– 2013.09.22 –
Finally! A little update on “The Five”!
Finally! Since the filming of The Five started, the director and the stars have only posted teaser photos on their respective SNS (twitter and me2day). Finally today a clearer photo of Kim Sun Ah and Ma Dong Suk came out!
Was initially thinking of translating the article but after reading, there’s nothing worth translating. XD. It only describes the cuteness of the photo, the netizen’s comments and some basic stuff about the movie that we all already know about. 🙂
I ♥ Ma Dong Suk from the 2007 MBC Drama, H.I.T. (which, coincidentally is also about serial killings)
SOURCE: Osen
Revisiting When It’s At Night
Recently, one of the Kdrama blogs I follow, The Fangirl Verdict, posted something about re-watching Kdramas (read it here: What Makes Drama Crack Stay Fresh / Turn Stale). Coincidentally it was also when I was in the middle of my When It’s At Night re-watch.
I’ve been wanting to re-watch this old Kim Sun Ah drama for ages. I’ve seen it live and I have paused-rewind-play-rewind-pause-played it hundred of times while we were subbing it. And probably have watched it once with my mom. God knows how many times I’ve attempted a good re-watch for the past few years but was only able to manage to watch until Episode 2 or 3 the most. Could be lack of time or lack of motivation. Or both.
If I were to rank all of Kim Sun Ah’s post-My Name Kim Sam Soon dramas, When It’s At Night would fall on the last spot. Although some Kim Sun Ah fans (and non Kim Sun Ah fans as well) would think otherwise, most of her fans would share the same opinion as mine.
I used to think that this drama lacks on many things. It is not as engaging as many other K-dramas. The chemistry was awesome but it lacks the over-the-top romance. The main topic of cultural properties is quite boring. The beginning was promising but it wasn’t able to sustain its charm. Cho Hee was not as feisty as I thought she’ll be. Etc, etc, etc.
Those things may still hold true even if I rewatch it 10, 20, a hundred times more. But for some reasons, my feelings towards it have changed.
I’m thinking maybe I had very high expectations for this drama before. It was, after all, Kim Sun Ah’s comeback from a 3-year hiatus. It was her comeback project after her phenomenal My Name Is Kim Sam Soon. It was a struggle for her (and the staff too, perhaps) to sustain THE Kim Sam Soon’s charm and at the same time veer away from it. It was also a struggle for me not to compare it with Kim Sam Soon and not to expect it to be something as awesome as Kim Sam Soon. So when When It’s At Night didn’t reach the phenomenal level that Kim Sam Soon reached, I was disappointed. I also think that the marketing strategy didn’t match what the drama is really all about. I was on the look out at every news and whatever bits of information that came out that time because I was so excited to finally see Kim Sun Ah active on television once again. It was marketed as something sexy and feisty at the beginning so I was waiting for something sexy and feisty. When it didn’t come, surely I was disappointed. And now that there are no more marketing hype clouding my head, I was able to take a look at, and appreciate When It’s At Night’s beauty as it is and was able to see something precious about it.
I used to dislike Cho Hee. Again, with the image of Kim Sam Soon overshadowing her, I was looking for a feisty character. But I get to appreciate Cho Hee more this time. She is not meant to be as funny as Kim Sam Soon, nor as cute as Shin Mi Rae (City Hall), nor as powerful as Hwang Ji Ahn (I Do I Do). She is meant to be her. A hurt daughter hoping to find her father while raising a younger brother. A dedicated worker. A woman falling in love and being loved in return. That’s her. She is not meant to be somebody’s hero. And I now appreciate her character.
Of course I love Kim Bum Sang and Chief Kang. And Gyoon! These three characters, I think, are the drama’s strength.
I also find the love story satisfactory this time. I used to complain the lack of romantic moments between the leads after reading the final episode’s original script. But I guess what was shown in the drama is good enough. I’m actually glad the director didn’t push it too much because it may not match the ‘feel’ of the drama anymore. Romance was not the focus of the drama after all. But I still find it heart-fluttering-worthy many times. I like the mature approach on romance. And I love the sensible attack on one-sided love and love-triangle – a far cry from the cringe-worthy approach of Gentleman’s Dignity.
Also, I am more interested now in Korean cultural properties than I was 5 years ago. Before, everything were just babbles of different kinds of celadon vases, incense burners, old painting and ancient books that doesn’t mean anything to me. Knowing a little bit more about Korean history and culture and having visited a number of museums in Korea myself, it’s now more engaging for me to watch a drama dealing with issues concerning cultural properties than, let’s say, uhm… stilettos (*ehem*).
Well, yes, to be honest this drama may still find itself at the bottom of my Kim Sun Ah’s drama list. But it is no longer because I don’t like it. But simply because I like her other drama’s a little bit more.When Is At Night is no longer my “obligatory” Kim Sun Ah drama. I used to say “When It’s At Night is not THAT bad” but now I can confidently say “When It’s At Night is NOT bad. In fact it is good.” Yes, yes. There are many loopholes. It has many shortcomings. But it is a simple heart-warming drama I can enjoy. I’m glad I did a re-watch and was able to find something precious about it. I’m looking forward to more re-watch in the years to come. 🙂
NEWS: “The Five” Movie adaptation Director Jang Yeon Shik talks about Go Eun and her attempt to seek revenge
This is not a new article. This was actually published in Movieweek last year (March 19, 2012). I just found this on the Facebook news feed of a friend. But I got curious about it and I also just want to try some reading and translations today so I’m reading it. Might as well time myself because I usually take my entire day when doing translations. 😦 And as always, please take my translations with a grain of salt. And also note that I got really lazy translating the second half. 🙂
——-
The fact that the movie will be directed by the creator of the original webtoon is exciting. However, more than adhering to the original web toon, Director Jang Yeong Shik intends to come up with a version of The Five that fits the new medium – film.
Q: On what stage is the movie production now?
A: The screenplay is almost finished.
Q: The webtoon’s popularity was skyhigh so most probably you have received lots of calls from different movie production company. Why did you chose to work with Cinema Service?
A: I received calls from 14 different production companies. More than the money and contract terms I consider the production’s stability. At the same time I have my outmost trust to Producer Kang Oh Seok.
Q: While doing the dramatization, which points or parts did you give emphasis on?
A: Comics and movies are two different mediums. I think that when a comics is to be adapted into a movie, the former should be altered to match the later. With that being said, the movie’s ending will be different from the comics (alodia: 헉!!! ㅠㅠ Noooo!!!! I sooooo love the ending of the comics!!! I hope when he said ending, he doesn’t necessarily mean the-final-scene-ending. Anyway, I trust him and I believe that, more than anyone else, he is the first person who wouldn’t want to mess his precious work up. If he’ll change the ending I’m sure it will be as awesome, if not more awesome!) Just like the comics it will have a touching ending but there will be something more heartwarming along with that (alodia: 앗싸! I told you Dia! 걱정마!). When I wrote the draft 3 years ago, I came up with many different versions for the ending. The ending of the comics is just one of those many different versions. If you adhere so much to the original when adapting it to a movie, the movie will not be able to have a life of its own. I believe that a movie in itself is a totally different medium. With that, all I am bringing from the comics is the framework. Comics and movies are very different. We often hear that adaptations can’t sustain the charm of the original work. Luckily I will be the one directing this (laughs).
Q: The character/s in the comics is an/are excellent one/s. How’s the casting?
A: Right now it’s almost finalized. I just can’t reveal it yet but you’ll be surprised! (alodia: ^_^)
Q: Will we be surprised because it’s going to be some big star? Or because it will be someone unexpected?
A: Both! (alodia: ^_^ I’m loving Director Jang more and more. Go on please! 🙂)
Q: While casting for the main character, Go Eun Ah, what was it that you looked for?
A: “After this movie, I will never have any CF offers anymore!” First and foremost I wanted to avoid those kind of actresses with this kind of thinking. Luckily our actress is someone who doesn’t care about those kind of stuff. (alodia: If I had read this article/this part before it was revealed that it’s going to be Kim Sun Ah, I would’ve known right away that it’s her! One of the very few actresses who doesn’t care about sacrificing her appearance/image as long as she can bring life to a character! ^_^)
Q: Who on earth could it be? (laughs)
A: A popular actress who is excellent in acting (alodia: One more word Director Jang and I’m setting up a fans club for you and you alone! ^_^ It’s more fun and lovely when someone talks good things about someone unnamed.)
Q: Before Eun Ah turned ruthless, she was just an ordinary housewife, right?
A: Yes, that’s why we wanted an actress who doesn’t only has a bright and cheerful image but can also completely change and do a 360 degree reversal of that image.
Q: Eun Ah is a very cinematic and charming character. But towards the end of the original comics, she grew weaker.
A: During the adaptation, Eun Ah’s character will be stronger. Overall the story and the 4 other characters will be enhanced in the movie. The villain, no matter how evil he is, will be seen as someone charming by the audience too.
Q: Is that character a psychopath?
A: Exactly. A “natural” evil. He’ll be a bit more realistic than the original comics version.
Q: What kind of feeling/texture are you planning on the film’s cinematography?
A: This time I’ll be working with Director (cinematographer?) Kim Hyeong Gu and it seems like our taste are quite similar. More than shortening the images in a flashy manner, we are planning to focus on the story. Our goal is for the image not to interfere with the story. The strength of The Five, to begin with, is its story.
Q: The Five’s plot is driven by tension, isn’t it?
A: And so as not to loose it, we are working thoroughly to maintain it. This is the most difficult thing for the director. The Five’s plot is originally meant for a comics. Since then I’ve been working on the screenplay for about 3 years. So even if I’m a rookie director, the fact that the preparation time is quite long, it has helped me a lot.
Q: Director Kang Woo Seok had an experience in adapting a manhwa to movie. Did he give you any advice?
A: Surprising as it is, Director Kang Woo Seok is not the type who will utter a single word of advice, rather he will observe silently. Until now he has never been involved directly to the project.
Q: The Five is a project with a message that gives a new perspective on how one views the world. What kind of message will the movie have?
A: Eun Ah is an orphan who had difficulties in getting married (alodia: her in-laws doesn’t approve of her). She is just starting to live a happy life when it was snatched from her and was once again left alone. On top of that, she became handicapped. And I still think that _____. That’s why this movie is a story of a character marginalized by society. It would be wonderful if the movie will be worth the sympathy of the female audiences as well.
Q: If you can describe this movie in one word, what would it be?
A: It’s not a movie full of surprises, it’s a movie filled with suspense.
Q: When will this movie premiere?
A: The filming will begin the first part of May and we are planning to premiere on theaters before the year ends. We are currently squeezing the schedule of the second half of the remaining work that needs to be done (alodia: Please note this article was published last year. They started filming a few days ago and are aiming for a fall or winter premiere).
Q: Are you going to use a lot of computer graphics?
A: Yes. Among my desires now are __________ (laughs). So I am in the process of appealing to the staff (?). The schedule was very tight when the comics was being published so I had to let go of some visuals. If we can reinforce graphics too, we can provide a great cinematic attraction for the viewers. That’s also the reason why domino was chosen. It is not only for the sake of the story. It’s something to look forward to. (alodia: Yeah, I almost forgot about the domino. As what the director keeps saying on this interview, the story is really the strongest suit of this project. So strong I almost forgot about the domino and the possible wonderful cinematic execution of it when turned into a film. I AM looking forward to it!)
A revenge story of an ordinary woman who was deprived of happiness. Fast pace and flashy storytelling. Frightening and brutal images of crime and revenge alongside values of family, friendship and humanity. A heart-warming story that will make your heart tremble at one moment and will make you burst into tears the next.
Source: MOVIEWEEK [웹툰 원작 영화⑤] ‘더 파이브’ 정연식 감독 “처절한 복수극 행할 은아는?”
“The Five, High Five!” First Filming Day and some updates!
Yesterday, February 14th, The Five had it’s first filming day. According to tweets of the webtoon writer and movie director Jung Yeon Shik the first filming day went well.
^He said the first filming ended well. He said today’s a day wherein he realized what an actor is in the truest sense of the word. And lastly he said that all the actors that they have in The Five are the best!
Hearing this from the movie director gives me goosebumps! Now my imagination is running wild thinking how the scenes from the manhwa I loved so much are being transformed to live action. And hearing him say all the actors are great makes me so happy coz I’m pretty sure Kim Sun Ah‘s present today! Yes Director Jung, our Kim Sun Ah’s the best! 🙂
Earlier yesterday, Director Jung also tweeted this photo:
^ He said they’ve been preparing since dawn yesterday (for the first filming day). I wonder what scene they filmed today. 진짜 되게 궁금해요!
^ He also said they now have a chant for The Five. “The Five! High Five!” When someone yells “The Five” please yell “High Five” back! Because now everyone is like a family to him/them.
I checked his previous tweets and found out that the script reading was done last February 8th. And he said 3 actors cried. Who are those 3 actors??? I’m sure Kim Sun Ah’s one of them… who could be the other 2. 되게 궁금해요 ㅠㅠ
And! Tada! I also found another photo from the 고사 (2013.01.29) from the twitter of another staff (producer?) Park Seong Geun.
https://twitter.com/sk6715 (posted on 2013.02.10)
Follow them on Twitter:
Director Jung: https://twitter.com/action286
Producer(?) Park: https://twitter.com/sk6715
Actress Lee Chung Ah: https://twitter.com/EWIIWE & http://me2day.net/ewiiwe
Kim Sun Ah doesn’t have twitter so follow her on Me2Day and Facebook instead for updates about the movie:
Me2Day: http://me2day.net/kimsuna1001
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OfficialKimSunA
[Audio Blog] 더 파이브
Desperately trying to improve my speaking skills, I tried doing some recordings. I still can’t do an impromptu recording in Korean, so I just read what I have written in Sunaforever a few days/weeks ago.
I’m quite proud with what I have written. I actually don’t know how I was able to write this well. I’m not saying this is something good but in my writing level it’s one of the best ones I’ve written so far. Usually when I have strong feelings over something and I wrote about it in Korean (right away) I do better than how I usually write. I wrote this just after reading the webtoon while still teary-eyed and all. The other time, I opened my heart and talked about my 짝사랑 to an 언니 and I was able to write a 5,000-character email in one sitting! And I also did well when I wrote about the snack event we prepared for Kim Sun Ah because I was so happy after meeting her again.
Anyway, this is already the corrected version. There were some corrections made by people from lang-8. My pronunciation is still really bad and I made some mistakes. Urgh! I’m just reading it and I still make mistakes! Too lazy to do it again so just enjoy picking up the mistakes. Feel free to leave comments, suggestions and corrections. I’ll appreciate them! 🙂
발음… 발음아… 우리 앞으로 잘해보자!
더 파이브 잘 읽었어요!
한국어를 잘 못하는 저는 만화를 전부 읽어본적이 없어요.
뭐… 틈틈이 시간 나는 대로 한국어 연습을 위해 어떤 유치한 만화 1, 2 장을 대충 읽은적은 있어요.
근데 당연히 저는 더 파이브에 관심이 많고 너무 궁금해서 읽을 기회 나타나자마자 곧바로 읽기 시작했어요!
자신 없는 저는 그 만화를 이해 할 수 있는지 없는지 모르겠지만 끝까지 읽어보고싶었어요.
너무 궁금해서 그래요.
생각보다 너무 어렵지는 않았어요.
물론 읽으면서 네이버 한영과 국어사전 많이 쓰는데요 ㅋㅋ
100% 이해못했지만 (특히 사전에 찾을 수 없는 사투리과 욕도) 아마 80~90% 이해했어요.
저한테는 그만큼도 너무 소중해요.
그리고 읽으면서 한국어도 많이 배웠어요.
뭐… ‘젠장’ 같은 것? ㅋㅋㅋ
ㅋㅋ 농담이에요.
욕말고 좋은 단어과 문법도 많이 배웠어요.
믿어주세요~ ㅋㅋ
밤마다 12시까지 알바를 해야 돼요.
알바끝나자마자 새벽 4시까지 읽었어요.
3일 동안 그렇게 열심히, 천천히 읽어봤어요.
처음엔 너무 슬프고 불쌍하다는 것을 느껬어요.
읽을수록 더 궁금하고 더 떨리고 떨리고 떨렸어요.
어떤 공포나 스릴러 영화를 볼때마다 아무리 무서워도 손으로 눈을 가리기까지 해본 적이 없는데
결국에 이 만화를 읽으면서 두 번 손으로 두 눈을 가렸어요! 비명이 나오는 것도 참았어요! 떨렸어요. 진짜 떨렸어요.
그리고 고은아씨를 끝까지 응원하고 싶은 마음이 들었어요.
결말을 바로 알고 싶어서 빨리 읽으면 좋겠다고 생각했어요.
그런데 10장 남았을 때 부터 계속 읽고 싶지 않았어요 ㅠㅠ
고은아씨에게 좋지 않는 일이 생기면 마음이 견딜 수 없을까봐…
그리고 빨리 읽으면 다 끝을거예요.
드라마 보는 것처럼 격한 감정이나 느낌 있어서 그리울까봐 계속 읽고 싶지 않았어요 ㅠㅠ
당연히 너무 궁금해서 못 참았어요 ㅋㅋ
마지막 회를 읽고 에필로그동영상을 볼때 눈물을 흘렸어요.
또한 동영상을 끝나고 10, 15분 지나도 눈물이 계속 흘렸어요.
이게 뭐야?!!!
원래 제 생각에는 복수에 대한 스릴러이라면 미국 스릴러 영화랑 비슷하지 않아요?
스릴러가 다 그래요.
연쇄살인범 1명 있다. 주인공은 그 미친 놈을 잡아야 된다. 물론 그건 쉽지 않다. 아무리 힘들어도 결국에 그 놈을 죽여버린다. 축하한다! 끝!
근데 이 만화를 읽은 다음에 보통 만화… 보통 스릴러아니란 걸 깨달았어요.
눈물 흐르고 너무 놀라고… 소름(이)끼치는 느낌부터 감동 까지 느꼈어요!
물론 이 만화는 2010년에 한국콘텐츠진흥원에서 우수상을 받고 대한민국에서 유명한 만화이래요.
그걸 알지만 생각보다 더 훌륭해요
읽으면서 만화 읽기아니란 걸 느꼈어요.완전 영화 같아요!
영화이라는 말이라면….
이 만화가 영화로 볼 수 있는 것 더 좋죠!
그렇게 좋을지… 아니… 더 좋을거라고 믿어요.
읽으면서 머릿속에 선아언니를 상상했는데…
현실에서 우리 김배우님이 보여줄 연기가 더 좋은것이죠!
얼마나 기다려야 돼요? ㅠㅠ
저 같은 외국사람은 누구보다 더 많이 기다려야 돼요 ㅠㅠ
영화권에 가서 볼 기회도 없고 DVD 나오기 전 까지 많이 기다려야 돼요 ㅠㅠ
뭐… 한국에 가지 않는다면….. ^^;;
제 처음 읽는 만화는 다 파이브가 돼서 좋죠!
만화중에서 명품인 것 같아요.
아직도 못 읽어본 사람들, 이 만화를 사서 읽어 보세요.
끝까지 다 못 읽어본 사람들도 빨리 읽어 보세요.
후회 안될거예요!
[만화] The Five Review
WARNING: May contain spoilers! But I will try to minimize, if not avoid, them.
The Five is a Daum webtoon written and drawn by 정연식. It won the 2010 Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) content contest and was uploaded as a paid webtoon the following year via Daum Comics. It was later on printed into a 5-volume comicbook. And will be adapted into a movie soon.
I haven’t read a complete 만화 or webtoon. I do read a couple of webtoons once in a while if I have some free time. But I usually just scan through them and look at the pictures. I read all the text, yes, but I never bother checking the words that I do not know (unless I am really really curious). But ever since it was announced that my dear Kim Sun Ah will star in the movie adaptation of the famous The Five webtoon, I can’t help but be curious about it. So the moment I got my hands on this webtoon, I started reading it right away.
Wanting to understand it well, I arranged my browser windows this way:
So whenever I came across a word that I do not know, I look for it on Naver dictionary. And I read it that way for 3 straight dawns (since I have a part-time until midnight I can only read it at dawn, until I can no longer open my eyes at 4am).
It was not as difficult as I thought it’s going to be. Of course reading was not a breeze. But with the help of Naver dictionary, I was able to understand the webtoon. Not 100% of course. There were many words that can’t be found on both the English and the 국어 Naver dictionary. There’s a character who uses 사투리 and I never understand a word he said. There were also some slangs and 욕 here and there. I googled some words/expressions. Or when I really can’t find it and is extremely curious I asked The Crush who, luckily, is very good in explaining. In the end I was able to understand maybe 80~90% of all the text. I understood the story completely but I may have missed a point or two along the way.
Prior to reading the webtoon, I’ve read summaries about it here and there the moment it was announced that it’ll be adapted into a movie. They said it’s a revenge story. Eun Ah (Kim Sun Ah) survived a brutal massacre by a psychotic serial killer. Her beloved husband and daughter died. Half-paralyzed and on a wheelchair, she plotted her revenge. She gathered 4 people to join her and help her with her revenge. In exchange, she’ll give her organs to them.
Of course, as a Kim Sun Ah fan I was excited. Well, I guess even if the news says Kim Sun Ah will star as a tree with no speaking lines in a new movie I’ll get excited XD. But on a serious note, the reason I’m really excited is because Kim Sun Ah mentioned before that she wanted to do a thriller/suspense/horror. So I’m happy that she gets to do what she wants. And of course, me too would like to see her on a dark movie. I don’t think a lot of people outside the Kim Sun Ah fandom knows that her follow-up project after My Name Is Kim Sam Soon is supposed to be a thriller movie Thursday’s Child that, unfortunately, had lots of productions issues. She ended up not finishing the movie (and had to face a lawsuit resulting to her untimely hiatus after a big hit ㅠㅠ). The movie pushed through with a new director, new cast and a new title – Seven Days.
Initially, frankly speaking, aside from the fact of 1) Seeing Kim Sun Ah again on the big screen and 2.) Seeing Kim Sun Ah on a thriller I don’t have much expectations about the movie. A revenge thriller? I’ve seen this on a hundred American thrillers (and the corresponding Filipino copycats). There’s one serial killer. The main character’s goal is to catch the killer. It will not be easy. But no matter how difficult it is he/she gets to kill the serial killer at the end. Congratulations! The end! Of course there are twists here and there, but basically that will be about it.
But The Five is different. I’m not saying it doesn’t come with the usual thriller cliches here and there, but the thing is there’s more to The Five than what a usual thriller has to offer.
The thriller part is really good in itself. The way it was executed was simply awesome. Whenever I watch a horror movie or thriller, I don’t go to the extent of covering my eyes no matter how scary the movie is. But I had to cover my eyes once or twice as I read the webtoon. The good thing is I can intentionally stop scrolling down when I can’t handle it anymore (unlike in a movie when I can’t). The cliffhangers were awesome too that’s why I stayed up until 4am because I can’t stop reading it. I wanted to finish reading it as soon as possible because I got really curios on how this will all going to end. However the nearer I am to the ending, the slower I want to read it for two reasons. 1.) I was so scared to find out what’s going to happen to the end and 2.) I’ve grown to love the characters, especially Eun Ah that I don’t want to “part” with her. Yeah, tell me about withdrawal syndromes on a webtoon!
Eun Ah and the rest of the characters were all well-written. Most of them started as heartless characters but as you get to know each one of them, you can’t help but feel for them (except for the serial killer of course). And one more thing I like is that it’s all about Eun Ah (the way My Name Is Kim Sam Soon is all about Sam Soon). I actually dislike stories with so many characters overlapping each other especially when the story is really just all about one.
Eun Ah is a really cool heroine! We can see her transform from a really feminine mother and wife to someone who’s trying to be strong, yet still scared and hurting, for the sake of revenge. And the transformation is not something that is too abrupt. You can see her pain all throughout the story and one can’t help but sympathize and empathize with her.
There were also a few funny parts. It worked on the webtoon and I hope it’ll also work on the movie.
And I’m most happy with the ending. I believe that endings can make or break a good plot. The ending was not something I was expecting and it was indeed very touching. <<< SPOILER ALERT >>> I know right from the start that Eun Ah is meant to die. Once the revenge is successful she needs to donate her kidney, an eye, her liver AND her heart. I was able to witness how the recipients worked so hard and even put their lives on the line for Eun Ah not just so they can get the promised organs for themselves/loved ones, but they also started caring for her. It would just be heartbreaking if they can’t get the organs they’ve worked hard for. Especially when they did nothing wrong. But the entire webtoon let us get to know Eun Ah and made us love her. Of course I don’t want her to die. BUT I think that was a selfish wish of mine. For how can Eun Ah continue living after everything she had to go through. Her only family was murdered and she practically had no one. No friends. No other family. And not only that, a lot of people also suffered because of her along the way. How can someone like her continue living. So at the end of the day, I don’t really want her to live anymore. I wish she’ll just go on a 좋은 데 and just be at peace. BUT I don’t have the heart to see and accept the fact that she’ll die. So yeah, that kind of dilemma was ironed really well.
I felt so many emotions while reading the webtoons. Not only did I cover my eyes on scary parts. I had goosebumps every now and then. I started rooting not just for Eun Ah but for everyone. I’ve cried a lot too. Serious crying. I am easily moved by movies or dramas and I easily get teary-eyed. But the only time I brawl as much and as long as I did after reading this webtoon was while watching My Name Is Kim Sam Soon and Rooftop Prince. After the final chapter, there is an epilogue which is not really an epilogue but a music video – a photo show of all the important points of the webtoon played along the official webtoon OST. So while watching that “epilogue” I was brawling. And even after the music ended, I can’t stop my tears.
And just for the record, this is not just about Kim Sun Ah. Of course it makes a difference knowing Kim Sun Ah will be the main character. And I admit I imagine her as Eun Ah from the start. But I can honestly say that if even if it’s not Kim Sun Ah. Even if this drama is not going to be adapted into a movie. I would still love it as much.
Reading the webtoon actually feels like watching a movie already. And it’s just not me. I’ve read comments of other readers and they felt the same way. The more I can’t wait for the movie now. And usually I’m worried about adaptations. But since the writer and creator of the webtoon will be the movie director too, I have nothing to fear. I just can’t help but be a tiny bit worried because it’s his first time directing a movie – which could actually be a good thing to in the first place, right? I just wish that there will be no problems at all during the entire production. From the first filming day until the day it will be exhibited on theaters.
And speaking of exhibition… I would love to see The Five ON CINEMA! I’m already agitated as early as now. We have to wait a few more months before it will be shown on theaters. And I have to wait some more months on top of that before it gets released on DVD! And watching it on DVD is no fun!!! A movie like this one must be seen on theater! ON THEATER! Unfortunately Korean movies are not exhibited in our local theaters. There were selected exhibitions during Korean Film Festivals but 1) there’s no guarantee that this movie will be selected and 2.) most of them were played from a video copy projected on screen – not on a film roll! I’ve always wanted to watch a Korean movie on a theater IN Korea. It’s not a bad idea to have The Five as my first movie in Korea. When I told my mom I definitely must see this movie on cinema – IN Korea, she told me I’ve gone nuts! XD
I strongly recommend this webtoon! If you have a chance to buy the online webtoon or the comic book, do so. You won’t regret it. The online webtoon’s price is not that expensive but I know it’s difficult for us foreigners living outside Korea to buy a copy. 😦
[소설 Translation] My Name Is Kim Sam Soon Prologue
DISCLAIMER: I’m still not good in Korean. Please take my translations with a grain of salt (might as well take the whole salt shaker with you). I am just translating directly with no proof-reading. If you found errors in the translations (in case you have a copy of the novel) and/or my English I’d appreciate if you can give corrections by leaving a comment below. I’m just doing this for fangirling purposes and I find reading and attempting to translate the novel as another opportunity for me to learn Korean in a fun way. Also blogging the translations might push me to finally finish reading the novel within the year.
——-
The life of a Korean old maid
It’s easier to get hit by an atomic bomb than to find a man at the age of 30.
[Fanny Fink*]
“Mom! This is my lifelong wish! I definitely certainly absolutely MUST do this within the year!”
“Hmph! Fat chance! Just drop it, you brat!”
That was Sam Soon’s mom initial reaction as she heard, yet again, her youngest daughter’s objective for the year.
“And why EXACTLY can’t I?” asked Sam Soon with furrowed brows to her mother who had, once again, ruthlessly got in the way of her rosy dream.
“This is the thousandth time I’m telling you this, you brat! Do I have to remind you who gave you your name? Your grandfather did! So how can you change it as you please?”
“This is also the thousandth time I’m telling you this, Mom! You too should actually take responsibility. Was I born as your third daughter just because I wanted to? Why am I the only one given such a tacky and old-fashioned name?! Kim Sam Soon? What on earth is Kim Sam Soon?!!!”
“You… you..! Watch your mouth!”
Of all days, Sam Soon is showing quite a strong attitude today. Her mother glared at her and raised the rice spatula she has been holding – looking all ready to hit her as soon as she blurt out just one more wrong word. Usually Sam Soon would back-off with that kind of threat. But today was different. Of course, just to be on the safe side, she sees to it to take a step back for every step her mother made towards her. But she kept her head high and continued saying what she wanted to say.
“Is that so, Mom? If I was named Sam Soon then my sisters should’ve been named Il Soon and Yi Soon too, right? But why is it that eldest sister is named Il Yeon, second sister is Yi Young yet me, the youngest… ( – deleted sentence -) Why am I the only one named Sam Soon?”
Her mother was a bit startled with Sam Soon’s latest and incontestable argument. Seeing her mother soften a bit, Sam Soon gained more courage and spoke in a slightly higher tone.
“Right, Mom? Hurry up and get married within the year, you said? Huh! What to do? Every man I met struggles not to burst out laughing upon hearing my name. Why are you being like this to me and me alone? Am I adopted? Is that so? Is that so?!”
For 29 years, she carried the name Kim Sam Soon and suffered all the burden that comes along with it. Every time she introduces herself and says, “My name is Kim Sam Soon,” for sure 6 out of 10 people will burst out laughing. The other 4? Well, they were able to successfully suppress it.
Since she’s been suffering for almost 30 years now, Sam Soon just let it pass for the most part of the year. However there will be at least a month in every year where she hated her name the most. And it happens to be that month right now. She has a haunting feeling that the root cause of all the misfortunes and difficulties she’s been going through is none other than her unlucky and hideous name.
Suddenly, Sam Soon remembered the last phone call she received just last Christmas from a guy she used to love. The beginning of the string of misfortunes.
[Merry Christmas. Let’s break up.]
For someone who bakes cakes, Christmas is the busiest season of the year. Sam Soon was only able to endure the heavy works on her shoulders that season with the thoughts of seeing her boyfriend again the soonest. That call was something she least expected. At first Sam Soon wanted to believe that she’s just having hallucinations from exhaustion. Or, if not, maybe he’s just joking.
“Is that some kind of a joke?”
Yes, must be a joke. But still does he really have to ask this kind of strange things at Christmas? She was in the middle of this train of thought when she heard a heavy sigh on the other line. The guy on the other line continued talking.
(I have never been more serious as I am now.)
And that was how her 28th Christmas became her worst Christmas ever. ( – deleted sentece – )And that’s how, up to this date, she is a lonely 29-year-old single. She thought, “To hell with this corny name!” If only her name is at least along the likes of, say, Kim Hee Jin, then these ill-fated things wouldn’t have happen, she thought.
While in the middle of her mutterings, Sam Soon entered the room she is sharing with her second eldest sister. Her sister was watching a foreign movie and there on the screen was a really gloomy-looking woman. The woman said, “It’s easier to get hit by an atomic bomb than to find a man at the age of 30.”
At that exact moment, that unknown woman’s words pierced Sam Soon’s heart. And she also felt a pang of panic. Of course, no one can really tell, but the chances will be slimmer when she turns thirty.
So on that night, she made an oath in front of her sister.
“Sis, I made a oath in the name of heaven.”
“And what is it?”
“I solemnly swear that within the year I will definitely apply and have a successful name change and I will meet and date a guy a million times more fabulous than that jerk who cheated on me!”
Her sister giggled upon hearing her oath.
“Ah? Reeaaally now, my dear little sister?” her sister said in a sarcastic tone.
“And also, if I end up dating a good-for-nothing-jerk again, I’m a Dutchman,” Sam Soon said in a determined voice. “Got it, sis? You stand as my witness, okay?” she continues. “So, the moment you see signs that I’m about to get tricked again by a good-for-nothing guy you must whack my head and bring me back to my senses, okay?”
“You are you saying that this time you’ll never fall for just looks and will date a really fine guy?”
Sam Soon nodded without batting an eyelid.
“Of course!”
♡ ♥ ♡ ♥
To escape the cursed singlehood, Sam Soon went to a matchmaking agency. The agent was reading Sam Soon’s bio-data and creased his forehead when he reached the section about body measurements.
Name: Kim Sam Soon
Birth date: July 25, 1975.
Zodiac Sign: Leo.
Blood Type: B
Family:
Father: Kim Bok Man. Self-employed
Mother: Park Bong Sook
2 older sisters
Occupation: Patissier (pastry chef)
Specialty: Making delicious cakes
Hobby: Eating those delicious cakes
Body measurements: ……
“Height 159cm. Weight 63kg. Hmm… hmm… this is a bit… …. No properties… savings is somehow…. Father is self-employed.”
Her body measurements has always been like a top secret and it has never been exposed like this to any guy. Now this agent mercilessly analyzed it just like how a butcher sorts out rotten from fresh meat. He looked up and Sam Soon met his eyes wiith furrowed brows.
After they exchanged piercing stares with each other, the agent eventually surrendered and looked again at Sam Soon’s documents and in a casual tone asked, “If you were born in 1975, how old are you then?”
Does he have to ask something so obvious and can easily be calculated? Nonetheless it leaves Sam Soon no other choice but to answered right away.
“Well, 29,” she said in a low tone.
“Hmm, age 29, occupation patissier, annual income… okay, body measurements…. uhm, uhm… ehem, ehem.”
The agent keeps coughing as he scanned through Sam Soon’s personal details – age, height, weight and finances – making Sam Soon all the more uncomfortable.
“As you know it, in this not go great economic situation, female university students who can’t get jobs are flooding the marriage market. For every 100 female members, there are barely 60 male members. It’s highly competitive than college admissions.”
“So, is he saying that if those spring chicks can’t get married easily, it would be way more difficult for me?” Sam Soon muttered to herself.
“Fortunately you have a secured job and that’s a strong point. However, frankly speaking, your age, educational background, body frame, etc, etc puts off your chances in meeting a pair. That’s why…”
“That’s why what?’ Sam Soon thought. “Although I gained 12kgs while nursing a broken heart for 2 months, I’m not that ugly looking, and, as you’ve said, I have a stable job. So, what’s the problem?” Sam Soon continued her trail of thought.
But what the agent said next felt like a bucket of cold water poured over her strong self-confidence.
“How about being a special member until we find you a pair?”
The agent’s voice was one notch politer. He suddenly gives off an aura of a salesman who is hard-selling his products. She is 29 years old. And she haven’t heard of anything “special” that doesn’t come with a “special” price tag. But as was told by the agent earlier, she’s not that bad anyway. Sam Soon, also in a more polite tone, asked.
“If it’s a ‘special membership’, how much will the membership fee then?”
Well, even if the fee will be expensive, if this is the way for her to meet a nice guy then Sam Soon thought she shall take this challenge. But that thought only lasted until the middle-aged agent’s next words.
“It will be 7,900,000 won.”
“What did you say?”
Sam Soon’s eyes grew even wider and her mouth fell open. It’s as if the agent said that tomorrow’s the end of the world. The agent casually repeated what he just said.
“7,900,000 won.”
“7,900,000 won? Not 790,000 won? If meeting one guys is at 10,000 won… it’s 790 times more? Are you perhaps gonna introduce me to Bae Yong Joon, Jang Dong Gun and Won Bin?” Sam Soon shivered.
The agent gave Sam Soon a lousy smile and said, “Although we don’t handle celebrities here, in this time of adversity and the stiff competition to the altar…….”
Sam Soon suddenly stood up even before the agent finished talking. As she started walking towards the exit, she suddenly turned around, sat down, and snatched away her bio data from the agent’s desk. All the information about a woman named Kim Sam Soon is written on that information sheet. That place is not to be trusted with that kind of document.
Sam Soon tear the document apart and shoved it inside her bag. And in a chilly tone, she angrily snapped at the agent.
“Even if I starve to death I will never have that kind of money! Even if you ask anyone out on the streets they’ll say there are no deadlines in marriage. And 7,900,000 won can already cover the entire cost of a wedding ceremony!”
With no intentions of yielding, the agent snapped back at her.
“What you said may be true but, Ms. Kim Sam Soon, with your age, your body, and your face, baiting a guy off the streets will not be an easy feat either. Ah, not to mention that rustic name of yours! Ah, have you seen that German movie “Fanny Fink?”
Oh, how much she wants to strangle this ahjussi who keeps mocking her. But she shut her mouth and waited for what he was about to say about the movie that he suddenly brought up. After a few beats, the agent said, “It’s easier for women in their 30s to get hit by an atomic bomb than to date a guy. The honestly of that line was very impressive for someone like me who works in the marriage industry (?).”
It feels like the agent stabbed her chest with a kitchen knife. She imagined herself force-feeding him with a cake peppered with poison. Realizing it was impossible to do so, Sam Soon left the marriage agency office and banged the door shut. She’s just 29. Still single. Still a promising age. She can’t commit murder.
——–
Footnotes:
*Fanny Fink the main character in a 1994 German Movie Keiner liebt mich (Nobody Loves Me)
Korean Learner Comments:
Three days. It took me three days to translate 15 pages. Well, not 3 full days. If translated into hours maybe 15 hours? It’s a good start. I hope to improve my speed in reading and translation soon. It was very difficult, yes. But I enjoyed it so much! It’s the first time I read something and understood it almost 100%. Almost. There were a couple of sentences that I just can’t understand no matter what I do. I used the dictionary a lot as I read and translate. I’ve highlighted new words and marked confusing sentences. I input new words to my new anki deck.
The drama watcher me is more comfortable with conversational Korean. Thus the sentences in the books inside quotation marks were the easiest parts for me. The rest of the narration and descriptions are still very difficult. It’s also difficult to translate. Even if I understood a sentence already, sometimes it just doesn’t translate well to English. That, plus the fact that I’m not an expert in English either. There were many times I can easily translate some sentences into my native language, but not in English.
I enjoyed reading because I am not finally exposed to the “written Korean”. The style, most especially the unending embedding of modifiers, is still new to me and it takes time before I can fully absorb a sentence. After 15 pages, I can feel getting used to it YET I don’t think I can ever produce something like that if I’ll write. I hope now that I am starting to read more, I’ll be able to go out of my “conversational writing style” someday.
Words. Too many new words. And a number of them were pair words (uhm, how do you call them?) – words that can’t stand alone and can/must only be used with another word. I’ve used the 국어 dictionary a lot because there were many words that are not in the Eng-Korean dictionary. There were even words that are not in the 국어 dictionary that I have to google. Some were even have to be explained to me by The Korean Crush.
NOTES:
어림 반 푼 어치 없는 소리! – Not a chance!
인정사정없다 – ruthless, without mercy
모친 – mother
부친 – father
마른하늘의 날벼락
부들거리다 – 자꾸 몸이 부르르 떨리다. 또는 자꾸 몸을 크게 부르르 떨다
한이 없다
멋지구리하게 – 멋지게
나만 어디서 주워왔어?
Fangirl Comments:
Ekkk!!! Finally! Finally finally finally! After sitting in my bookshelf for 6 years, finally I get to read AND understand one section (one out of 22)! These scenes were not in the drama as they were. Her arguments with her mom about how tacky her name was were scattered on many “dinner scenes” in the drama. The scene in the marriage agency was just Sam Soon’s dream (well, was it?) in the drama. And as what novelist Ji Soo Hyeon said, Sam Soon seems more feisty in the drama. But both are lovable. In the drama her annual income is zero because she got fired after skipping work on Christmas because she had to stalk her cheating boyfriend – which was used as a strong opening scene of the drama. I love the funny tone of the novel. And I must comment writer Kim Do Wo and Director Kim Yoon Chul for carrying it all the way to the drama. Can’t wait to read the next chapter, but it may take time… loads of time.
“The Five” Prayer Ceremony
Today, Cinema Service confirmed the cast of upcoming movie The Five. Yesterday, January 29, they held it’s 고사 or a prayer ceremony. The photo above are the confirmed cast. On the photo we have Jung In Ki (Cheongdamdong Alice) as Cheol Min, Park Hyo Joo as Hye Jin, Ma Dong Seok (H.I.T.) as Dae Ho, of course my dear Kim Sun Ah as Eun Ah, Oh Joo Wan as Jae Wook and Lee Chung Ah (Flowerboy Ramyun Shop) as Jung Ha. Another confirmed cast is Shin Jung Geun (City Hall, Scent of A Woman – Seriously, he’s always with Suna Unnie!) as Nam Cheol.
Filming will start in the first half of February and expected to premiere on the second half of the year!
I’m e.x.c.i.t.e.d!!!!
Read more HERE.
And do check out The Five’s page on Daum Movie Listing.
*고사 – shamanistic ritual in which food is offered to the spirits
in order to avoid misfortune and bring good luck (naver)
My Korean Corner 