Big’s Little Kyung-joon, Shin
by girlfriday
This kid’s got it made for his first big network project, playing Kang Kyung-joon in the latest Hong sisters drama Big: he gets to lie in a coma while Gong Yoo plays his character. Jackpot! The 21-year old model-turned-actor-turned-idol Shin (whole name: Shin Won-ho) is just getting started in the biz, but already he’s got buzz. The things a coma can do for a career. Here he is in a fashion spread for CéCi, practicing his smoldering stare.
If you ask me, I think the coma’s actually a gaping flaw in the show. I love watching Gong Yoo play Kyung-joon, but the lack of screentime for Shin means we have a very tenuous connection to the original Kyung-joon, who is by all accounts the hero of the story. Not to mention it’s confusing. Lately we’re getting more flashbacks of Past Kyung-joon with Mari, so hopefully those will continue and grow meatier as the series goes on.
Even though Gong-Yoo-as-Kyung-joon is the best thing about the show, I hope for my brain’s sake that they switch back earlier than the eleventh hour. Because I want to root for Shin-as-Kyung-joon too. Whether that change can be done seamlessly is the big question mark, but I’ll be optimistic.
Body swap confusion. Brain melty. Big airs Mondays-Tuesdays on KBS.
Via Osen
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1 JaeDe
June 19, 2012 at 1:12 PM
I agree, please let the switch happen soon, it's getting boring watching him lay there, especially after watching how great he was in the first episode
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j27844
June 20, 2012 at 2:01 AM
so agree with you, i actually found myself looking for the same facial expressions that he has when the switch with yoon-jae came. i missed it. really hope the switch comes soon.
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2 hipployta
June 19, 2012 at 1:15 PM
Wait...is this the Cross Gene kid? They are acting in Korea and Japan...that group is definately trying to make an impact with their debut.
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shukmeister
June 19, 2012 at 1:50 PM
Yes, he was in the pink suit in the "La Di Da Di" video.
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Rovi
June 19, 2012 at 5:44 PM
Oh really? Oh fuzz~...! DX
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3 lilly
June 19, 2012 at 1:20 PM
his voice is like birds singing want to hear his voice
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4 ladida
June 19, 2012 at 1:21 PM
I really want to wear his clothes...with some more space for my boobs, of course. The entire first outfit and the shirt in the third one, yum!
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malta
June 19, 2012 at 6:21 PM
Agreed!
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5 Cynthia
June 19, 2012 at 1:29 PM
Coma gold. Way to get a paycheck just snoozing away in bed! Just watched the latest ep and for the first time really felt the impatience of our cutie pie just vegging away in bed - I'd like to see him up and finding out that his soul is in the wrong body - ala Freaky Friday.
C'mon, Hong Sisters. Time to include our 6Pack alumnus in this drama!
:)
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YY
June 19, 2012 at 10:46 PM
I thought he had escaped the Curse that strikes aspiring young actors but it seems I'm wrong. He has become - literally - a Scenestiller.
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6 panshel
June 19, 2012 at 1:35 PM
Love him. I even watched Cross Gene's debut MV out of my love for him. (Catchy, but forgettable.) His Engrish is frustrating (Gong Yoo's is better), but I hope he wakes from his coma eventually. I ship Da Ran and Kyung Joon.
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babyfat
June 19, 2012 at 4:28 PM
i love this boy - it weird to see his great chemistry w/ da Ran didn't expect that , and his english is better than Gong yoo
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bd
June 19, 2012 at 5:26 PM
Huh?
He has little chemistry w/ Da ran, unlike Gong Yoo's version of his character.
Also, his English is just horribly bad; Gong Yoo's is a good bit better altho hardly anything like someone who spent a lot of time in the States.
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houstontwin
June 19, 2012 at 6:14 PM
I thought his interactions with Da Ran before the switch were sweet and I would have been happy to see more. There wasn't man/woman chemistry but there was definitely big sister/little brother chemistry. I liked it.
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bd
June 19, 2012 at 8:59 PM
Sweet as in not that exciting or entertaining sweet (when he wasn't being an arse to Da ran).
Gong Yoo's version of Kyung-joon is a lot more lively and entertaining; pretty much like a different persona.
momosa
June 19, 2012 at 5:28 PM
I think his English is ok except that words were spoken without correlation (like lack of vocabulary....)
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bd
June 19, 2012 at 6:06 PM
His English pronunciation was simply awful; Gong Yoo's is a good bit better.
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Kiara
June 20, 2012 at 7:43 AM
Lol he totally sounds like my gay fried when he says Uh Oh and stupid.
Kiara
June 20, 2012 at 8:03 AM
err friend
7 bd
June 19, 2012 at 1:37 PM
Shin Won-ho as Kyung-joon was kinda boring.
Gong Yoo as Kyung-joon is much more entertaining as an 18 year old (actually acts more like an 18 yr old; all Shin did was sneer and give condescending looks).
Plus, I think Suzy can beat Shin up.
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Cynthia
June 19, 2012 at 6:55 PM
Heh. Suzy can probably throw down with Gong Yoo!
And win.
:)
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elsie
June 19, 2012 at 8:53 PM
Actually, Shin does a better portrayal of an 18 year old. I don't know any 18 year old boy that acts as childish as Gong Yoo. At that age, they do sneer and give that attitude like they know it all.
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toritorisan
June 20, 2012 at 1:33 AM
I have to agree with you there. At least in America, that's how they act. I think both Shin and GY are pretty good in this drama, but I do think when KJ went into YJ's body, KJ's personality exaggeratedly more immature when done by GY. Not that it is bad because it adds comedy to the storyline, but it also makes his portrayal less realistic of an 18 year old.
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niKai
June 20, 2012 at 3:35 AM
I always thot Gong Yoo makes the character KJ seems childish when I didn't see any of that coming from Shin as KJ before the swap. KJ seems rather calm and collected, much like YJ, but in a much boyish and devil-may-care manner . So I just thot Gong Yoo exaggerated a bit. But then, we didn't get to see much of KJ before the swap, so the spectrum of behavior he displayed maybe only within the context of that limited circumstances before swap. He's probably actually that much more fun and spontaneous (as per GY's portrayal), just that the situation isn't there when he was in his original body for him to display such behavior.
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bd
June 23, 2012 at 12:36 AM
1st off this is a romcom (in particular a Hong sisters romcom), so certain things are taken to the extreme, but even so, 17-18 yr old guys can act very childish among their close friends.
Heck, grown men whether they be in military or in some business get-together can also act quite childish (and I'm talking about in the US).
And really, how "childish" is GY's version really?
Sure, he falls back on the child excuse to get his way w/ Da-ran (since she's so easy to manipulate/guilt trip), but he acts mature when he has to (meeting Da-ran's parents, dealing w/ the bank, etc. in order to buy the house, saving Da-ran from confronting Se-young).
Was Shin's version not "childish" when he rode his motorbike so that he would spray Da-ran w/ (filthy) rain water?
And while yes, there is a bit of a disconnect btwn the 2 versions (the blame there goes to the writing), we really didn't have a chance to see Shin's version really relate to anybody close (it's easy to maintain a facade w/ people you don't know).
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nana
June 19, 2012 at 11:22 PM
...gee, I wonder if you think Gong Yoo is better than Shin in every way. 'Cause you haven't mentioned it ten times in the first few comments or anything.
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8 Mystisith
June 19, 2012 at 1:40 PM
So promising that kid. At least as an actor. I agree: I want him more on the screen before the end of the drama. It's the price to pay when you have in fact 2 male leads with all kind of combinations possible.
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9 alua
June 19, 2012 at 1:46 PM
Agree with every word you say girlfriday!
It's a loss we don't get anything (or barely anything) of Shin in the drama with his comatose state.
...even if Gong-Yo-as-Kyung-joon is indeed the best thing about big!
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shukmeister
June 19, 2012 at 1:56 PM
I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that Shin will get more air time. The stuff eventually has to hit the fan, and the Hong sisters don't normally do that in the last episode.
Sooner than later, though, please!
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Nheony
June 19, 2012 at 3:53 PM
Preferably in episode 6 or 7... before our brains melt.
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10 Lena S.
June 19, 2012 at 2:13 PM
why i always like these youngish boys? D:
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Lena S.
June 19, 2012 at 2:14 PM
omg my comment sounded so creepy lol i'm not that old (in my 20's).
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Nheony
June 19, 2012 at 3:54 PM
Hahaha! It didn't sound creepy until you pointed it out.
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JD
June 19, 2012 at 4:42 PM
looool i found your comment more adorable than creepy.
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cheekbones
June 19, 2012 at 10:00 PM
Not creepy at all, don't worry. :D My new crushes are getting younger and younger. Considering my age that should sound creepier.
He's got my attention just from dramabeans screencaps (haven't watched the drama).
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Gabby
June 20, 2012 at 2:52 PM
Um? Considering Shin is also in his twenties by now it's not creepy at all. Can you imagine a twentysomething male expressing guilt for liking a twenty-one-year-old female? Of course not - so why should you?
[Tangent time!] I don't know why some women are so afraid to admit to liking a man that's younger; I remember Yoon Eun Hye saying in a recent interview that she couldn't choose Kim Soo Hyun as her ideal (that's what they were asking about) because: "he is so much younger than me~ that would almost be a crime, a crime."
He's 24. She's 27. If the genders were reversed and HE was the one who was three/four years older, the idea of him saying something similar would be preposterous.
Now, if you're over thirty and having lots of feels for the teenage EXO maknaes or something, that's another matter, lol.
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POGA
June 21, 2012 at 5:13 PM
Haha so true! Recently I've been looking at the teenage EXO maknaes (...and I'm only 19) and calling them "babies" and saying how I have a completely different set of feels for them than for people like Ji Hyun Woo or Par Shi-Yoo. ...until I realize even the youngest EXO member is still only a year or two younger then me and the oldest is older than me (...and I still call the older ones "babies")! Somehow even if the actors or whatever are 1 or 2 years younger (only) then us girls...immediately we feel like "pedo-noonas" LOL. But 25-year old guys looking at 20-year old girls never have that issue.
...I can't wait until I get over 25 and the younger actors/idols come out. I'm gonna feel so guilty then.
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11 tessieroo
June 19, 2012 at 2:27 PM
LOL @lenrasoon
I agree, he needs to wake up soon. It will certainly change things (which may be why they're not doing it)
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12 Maya
June 19, 2012 at 2:47 PM
I'd like to see him wake up asap too! It's fun seeing gong yo portraying an 18 yo. So it would be interesting to see Shin's portrayal of 30 something male trapped in a wrong body
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momosa
June 19, 2012 at 5:46 PM
'...Shin’s portrayal of 30 something'
Hoping for that to happen. Can Shin pull that off?
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mary
June 19, 2012 at 8:13 PM
If he's acting as Yoon Jae, then all he has to do is sit tight and look conflicted while everyone else runs around him, misinterpreting his actions. :P
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momosa
June 19, 2012 at 9:20 PM
Ok, that would require minimal facial/body expression. keke, think he would pass that with good results...
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LadyRi
June 19, 2012 at 10:53 PM
Lol, so true
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Maya
June 20, 2012 at 7:14 PM
Lol! And... he could always use the amnesia excuse too! :D
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13 jubilantia
June 19, 2012 at 2:53 PM
I agree. Comas automatically push things into overblown soap opera territory, and in the most annoying way possible, since you HAVE to feel bad for whoever's in the coma, but not because of their character. Among other things.
It's long been a writerly copout that needs to end, ASAP. Also that kid was pretty awesome as an actor in the few minutes we saw him, so I want more now. Plus I think the hijink potential for the Freaky-Friday scenario is off-the-charts. Plus having the Big Problem being having the plug pulled on Kyung-joon's body is too 49 Days. It's early days, so here's hoping things shape up.
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14 canxi
June 19, 2012 at 2:58 PM
I am hoping for some Kyung Joon-as-Yeon Jae time before the switch back. I don't understand why you would miss the chance to have two sides of the body-swap spectrum. Double fun people!
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15 SoyJade
June 19, 2012 at 3:29 PM
That's one of the questions I have of the drama. If she falls in love with Kyung Joon IN Yeon Jae's body, will she love him still in his own real body? What will happen to the Doc who owns half of what she loves or will love (the body)?.
Yeah, confusing. "Brainy melty".
P.S.1) I love this kid's voice.
2) Some parts I thought Goon Yoo was over acting, bc this kid never acted like he was 18. Well, in the ONE episode we got to see him.
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16 Nheony
June 19, 2012 at 3:50 PM
Is it weird that I see him as a girl with a boy haircut on that last photo? I am hoping against hope that they won't copy Rooftop Prince and use the coma as a laamee plot device and actually wake up Kyung-Joon so we get to see him participate(not wake him up at the end of the series). Because if they do that I'll just die from depression and disappointment. I have faith that the Hong sisters will not do that to me. They won't right? right.
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fluff
June 19, 2012 at 4:30 PM
"I am hoping against hope that they won’t copy Rooftop Prince "
IKR?!? I'm still annoyed by that ending - it didn't match all the yummy goodness of the first half of the show. Can't stop thinking about poor Yi Gak writing his one lonely letter and putting it in his little hidey hole. :(
I have faith the Hong sisters can come up with something more satisfying and creative. Or I shall be seriously displeased.
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17 crazykel
June 19, 2012 at 4:15 PM
Please wake up soon. I love Gong Yoo as Kyung Joon, but I'd like to see more of Shin. I found him adorable in ep. 1
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18 Kim Yoonmi
June 19, 2012 at 6:03 PM
I saw him in a shot sleeping in episode 6. (You can see him in REM... don't think that's acting there...) (Not a spoiler--look for it.)
He does get scenes, so I think it'll increase.
But Kyung Joon and Yoon Jae are still a bit of a mystery in the show. I'm looking forward to the servings the Hong Sisters will give us.
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19 21
June 19, 2012 at 6:03 PM
I hope he wakes up soon he needs to act instead of sleeping the whole time.
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20 diana
June 19, 2012 at 6:13 PM
Hi,
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21 diana
June 19, 2012 at 6:13 PM
Hi,
You can download here
http://koreandramaengsub.blogspot.com/
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22 malta
June 19, 2012 at 6:20 PM
omg, he's a child...this. is. a. problem.
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23 Musings
June 19, 2012 at 6:30 PM
He's 21!?! YAY!! He looks younger. I can now safely ogle him.
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24 koko
June 19, 2012 at 6:33 PM
This guy is so hot!
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25 girlatsea
June 19, 2012 at 6:44 PM
After the first episode, it was LOVE. As much as I love Lee Ming-jung and Gong Yoo, this guy is essentially the reason I got hooked on this drama so quickly. He's so damn likable.
I hope Cross Gene's debut goes well~ ^^
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26 polinonae
June 19, 2012 at 7:03 PM
Shin!! So cute!! Unfortunately for me, I have given up watching Big, "still keeping up with recaps". Am going to keep an eye on Cross Gene, eventhough am not liking their engrish!
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27 sugarpunch
June 19, 2012 at 7:56 PM
I've always found body swap stories a little unsatisfactory. Because in this case, kyung joon is better for daran, character-wise, but yet he's too young. On the other hand, yong jae is a spineless ass. I wonder how it will all play out in the end....
Oh and I've never heard of cross gene... Is it a new group??
Sofar, who are you is a drama which turned out quite satisfactorily for me. Haven't seen another good one like that.
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28 Viki
June 19, 2012 at 8:01 PM
Omo, he's so fine. I am so into Cross Gene right now:)
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29 Arhazivory
June 19, 2012 at 8:13 PM
I really fell in love with him from episode 1 and I'd also love for him to wake up and play a 30 yr old. Really feels wasted just lying in bed.
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30 nonski ⭐️A forever JIN who crash landed on Hyun Bins heart❤️!
June 19, 2012 at 8:19 PM
agree with you on all accounts! we need this kid back. yes, we all love yoo but pleaaaaaaaaaase, how boring it could get seeing this wonderful wonder just laying there and not strutting his stuff for us to see, huh? the moment he is on screen, he lights it up. it just keeps us all wondering who really is yoon jae and how would he be able to get Teacher Gil if he is just on yoon's bod.
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31 jiya
June 19, 2012 at 9:45 PM
Yes, please, let us watch Shin Won-ho as the real KJ soon. I've been charmed by this good looking young man since Bachelor's vegie shop. I wanted to see more of him since then, I got disappointed when he has to be in a coma since the car accident. Watching him perform in action as the real cute KJ willl add ++++ to my enjoyment in Big.
His performance is so good & convincing & the chemistry he oozes...!
Wanting to know more about him, I read that he's been in musicals before acting on screen.
Shin Won-ho is my new-found Kdrama actor since Bachelor vegie store. I want to see more of him in Big. So wake him up soon!
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32 SuziQ
June 19, 2012 at 10:28 PM
Shin was starting off good in BIG until his character, KJ goes into a coma. When is Sleeping Beauty going to wake up? Maybe Da Ran needs to give him a magic kiss. He has to wake up soon, because the drama is going nowhere.
Shin looks great in his outfits. Maybe when he wakes up from the coma he can wear some nice suits too as the 30 year old version.
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33 dee
June 20, 2012 at 8:31 AM
he is so cool... love to she more of his scene in big...
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34 luvyluna
June 22, 2012 at 1:27 AM
Hope when the kiss scene come, both Gong Yoo and Shin Wo can appear to do it!! Since when I saw the soul exchange I mostly imagine Shin Wo did all act even Gong Yoo in front of my glass.. ;)
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35 mia
June 22, 2012 at 3:03 PM
It's so funny because after watching the first ep, I was worried that I was going to miss the real Kyung Joon immensely once Yoon Jae got possessed by him. Thank goodness Gong Yoo is the man as usual because I was seriously starting to ship Kyung Joon and Da Ran after just one episode and was wondering if Gong Yoo could fill that void. I came into the show watching for the comeback of Gong Yoo and was surprised to find that in one episode I was more fascinated with the rookie actor that is Shin Won-ho and his chemistry with Lee Min Jung. I too hope there's not an "eleventh hour" return of the real Kyung Joon. In fact I hope (even though it would be straight out of Secret Garden) that at a certain point, something happens that lets Kyung Joon temporarily wake up in his own body and truly have a moment with Da Ran without being in Yoon Jae's shell.
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