Men Who Make Me Watch Dramas Against My Will: Ahjussi Edition

It's been a while and I've realized that I need revisit this topic of actors who I love so much I watch pretty much anything for them.  I realized that I need to pay homage to the Ahjussi in my life, because as I grow older, the oppas I like are pretty much all really ahjussi.  Am I really that close in age to 40?  Eek!

Yeah, that's the definition I'm going to use for Ahjussi- 40 and up.  Omo, do I love the ahjussi these days.  I find myself way more attracted to them, and able to connect to them, then say, those puppies in the high school dramas.  Yeah, when I do watch the high school dramas I am checking out the teacher actors, like in School 2013 or Sassy Go Go, who have some of the oppas (or donggaps) that I love.  So here is a list of "Ahjussi" actors (some of who are just barely 40) who I would watch anything for, or have watched complete nonsense for, or would just love to see in everything.  Can't they just be in everything so the quality of everything goes up?

226. Shopping King Louis 쇼핑왕 루이 (2016) Korean

Seo In Guk, Nam Ji Hyun, Yoon Sang Hyun, Im Se Mi

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A

Cute!  Cute, cute, cute, cute!!!!  I've never seen a cuter couple!  They were the best OTP!  Here is why: they were super honest about their feelings 95% of the time.  They weren't afraid to just say how they feel, treat each other kindly, be touched by their thoughtfulness, and actively admit they miss each other or are jealous.  None of this playing dumb for forever, they were like extra cute real people!  I loved innocent little "hot house" Louis being super naive about money and work, but being super teachable!  He learned how to be frugal and work hard and it was amazing.  Then there was Go Bok Sil, the mountain girl, who was super naive about the modern consumer world and how to use smartphones, etc. and she was also really teachable!  It was amazing to see them support each other and learn from each other.  But they weren't the only adorable ones.  Everyone in this show was likable and learned things.  Even the crazy other girl and the reluctant villain uncle.  I loved the bromance between Louis and Jo In Seong.  That was adorable.  Especially since they were both in Squad 38 together, and not necessarily as friends.  I loved the ahjumma club and how it kept growing and thriving.  Oska did an amazing job being the "straight man" who was also comedic.  His little grunt groan was a favorite, and the scene with "The Winner Takes It All" was just pure gold.  the pacing was kind of weird, because they didn't take forever dragging things out only to rush it later.  They actually resolved things really quickly and in a way that they normally would be.  The 5% time where they tried to be noble idiots for various reasons was so brief, and they didn't believe the lies, but they understood why it was happening and respected that (even though it's a stupid trope, it was the best uses of that stupid trope).  Then they managed to give proper closure for every character- I mean EVERY character.  We loved all the characters, so that was good, but it wasn't typical.  It made the ending a little slow because all the big resolutions were taken care of, and that just left all the little resolutions.  It was very sweet and teary and adorable.  I loved it.

Just a Moment of Cuteness with Louie-ya

So maybe I just needed to make this post so I could post these gifs that I made to be more shareable for Lizabreff's birthday, but since Louie is going to be mopey soon, or at least more dramatic, I wanted to relive some of the cuteness for a bit, because Louie.

This show is so delightful, so I just wanted to show some love before it might make me change my mind.  Hopefully not.

227. I Can Hear Your Voice 너의 목소리가 들려 (2013) Korean

Lee Bo Young, Lee Jong Suk, Yoon Sang Hyun, Lee Da Hee, Jung Woong In

Drama Rating: 9/10     Neck Score: A

I fell in love with every single character, except the few who had no redeemable qualities, such as Judge Seo, but even the horrible bad guy, Min Joon Gook had his sympathetic moments.  But every character was well rounded and likable.  I have never had second lead syndrome quite like this.  I have also never been this attracted to Oska (Yoon Sang Hyun).  I was a little shocked there, but he was so adorable and such a good person!  I also loved how much growth all the main characters had, from traumatic experiences, to developing better relationships, to becoming a better lawyer/prosecutor, to just growing up and being adult... or even realizing that being a murderer was totally the wrong thing to do, no matter how crappy your life was at that moment.  Our female lead, Kim Hye Sung (Lee Bo Young) was super flawed, a self-centered super snarky girl who you couldn't help but love and appreciate.  Park Soo Ah (Lee Jong Suk) was both super childish and mature beyond his years, and so very complex.  He was both a puppy and a namja.  Then you have the cop turned lawyer, Cha Gwan Yoo (Yoon Sang Hyun) who is too idealistic and nice, but super good at his job.  Prosecutor Seo Do Yeon (Lee Da Hee) is Hye Sung's childhood frenemy, who has to deal with perfectionism and a black and white upbringing.  The relationships between all the characters made them all grow and become better, as did the traumatic ordeals they had to go through, constantly almost dying and having their worlds turned over.  I also loved the minor characters, such as the Judge, who was just the best.  I really can't believe I didn't watch this when it came out, because it is amazing.  I've never enjoyed a law drama quite this much.  I felt like they were a little better at making those court scene a little more realistic and less over dramatic.  Obviously not perfect, this is still a drama with some fantasy, but you could tell they put a bit of work in, and it paid off.  It was just a really solid, enjoyable, intense drama.  One where the love triangle actually fills you with feels and you are actually torn instead of just annoyed, and you have feels for all the characters instead of just the OTP.  Standing ovation.

201. Ms. Temper and Nam Jung Gi 욱씨남정기 (2016) Korean

Lee Yo Won, Yoon Sang Hyun, Chansung, Lim Ha Ryong, Son Jong Hak

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A

I found my woman crush character.  I absolutely love Ok Da Jung (Lee Yo Won).  She was hard and snarky on the outside and gooey on the inside.  This show was basically the ultimate underdog show.  Even Da Jung represented an underdog, as a woman in business.  She was not content with that, and so became a powerful confident woman, but that didn't stop those rumors from being around her constantly.  But this show was about the underdogs not standing from the crap that is thrown at them because that is the way that it always is, but too fight for fairness and for themselves.  But in doing so, breaking from the cultural norm of the cosmetics industry, they would have to swim through a sea of crap.  I got seriously angry several times, and some episodes made me so angry and depressed I wanted to cry.  But there were also times that were outright awkward and others outright hilarious.  I hardly could remember that Jung Gi was Oska (Yoon Sang Hyun), because he was so completely different.  Loved Chansung. Bong Gi was the lazy, but bold and brilliant bum to Jung Gi's hard working and brilliant, but super timid office worker.  I loved Nam boys.  From Grandpa to Grandson they were all super cute and funny.  I absolutely loved the relationship between the kid and Da Jung.  It was adorable and hilarious.  It was like the real love story of the show, since our main couple's was so slow, which was perfect for this show.  I loved how naturally the love story progressed.  It would have been weird to see it any other way.  It was perfect.  Especially since all the "second male leads" of the main love triangle were her three ex-husbands.  We also had the awkward young love triangle which was awkward yet amazing.  It also took on some hard topics like sexual harassment like a champ.  The ensemble was good.  I just liked this show, even when it made me mad and so on.

Still More Men Who Make Me Watch Dramas Against My Will: Sultry Voice Edition

Do I watch dramas just for the sultry voice of one of the male leads?  Why yes, yes I do.  Some men just have buttery, husky, velvety, and/or soothing voices that just make me what to listen to them while I watch whatever bad drama they are in.  Seriously, they need to stop seducing us (and by that I mean mostly me) with their sexy voices.  Dude.

Sometimes it's only their voice I find attractive *cough cough Lee Sun Gyun cough cough* but really isn't that enough.  I mean... that sexy voice.

29. My Fair Lady 아가씨를 부탁해 (2009) Korean

Yoon Eun Hye, Yoon Sang Hyun, Jung Il Woo, Moon Chae Won

Drama Rating: 5/10      Neck Score: B+

Probably the role that I liked Yoon Eun Hye best in, because she wasn't a "Spazcakes."  But I watched this one for Oska (Yoon Sang Hyun) who will forever be Oska to me.  This is also an interesting mix up from the traditional format as it's the girl who is the rich jerky chaebol and the dude who is poor.  That gives a totally different set of problems since it is a way bigger deal when it comes to a relationship.  Oska is Eun Hye's personal butler, since he is in deep debt and needs a job to keep the loan sharks off his tail.  He used to be a gigolo too, as he needed to pay his mother's hospital bills.  So he manages to get the butler job and keep it for way longer than anyone else, since Eun Hye's character is a jerk.  Moon Chae Won is the little sister type character (not related) who has a crush on her oppa.  I love her, she's one of my favorite actresses.  The part that worked for me least in this show what why Jung Il Woo's character ever liked Eun Hye's character.  I guess it was just a case of liking her against his better judgement, because he's a rich boy who cast off all to be a righteous lawyer and she represents everything he hates.  Oh well.  It is refreshingly different, especially with the role reversals, and pretty funny.  Oska's neck isn't as good in this one as in Secret Garden, but still good.  Also there are a bunch of random other butlers in their lovely butler suits to add to the nice neck count.

19. Secret Garden 시크릿 가든 (2010) Korean

Hyun Bin, Ha Ji Won, Yoon Sang Hyun, Kim Sa Rang

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A

I know I probably had heard about the body switching plot before I watched it, but that was so long before I watched it that I totes forgot and so when they finally switched bodies (like episode 5 or 6) I was like: What?  But it's so good.  I've seriously watched this one so many times and each time it just keeps getting better.  I don't bother skipping anything when I rewatch it, which is how I usually rewatch shows unless I am showing them to people.  Even though it has almost every plot device ever, from evil moms to butt headed chaebols becoming sweet loves to amnesia/coma type deals, they make it work so well.  It's well written, well balanced, full of characters we love despite the flaws, and one of the best OSTs ever.  I might own that.  I'm only sad I didn't watch this sooner, I could have rewatched it a couple more times already.
Also, after you have watched this fully, you need to watch the Big Bang Parody of it... Smell!