A Stalker's Guide to Yoo Ah In

I am very pleased to be able to introduce you to this great actor but if you already know him than I hope you will find some new films/dramas to get exited about. This is my first Stalker's guide, so I hope you will enjoy it!

Let me introduce you to Yoo Ah In, (easily remembered name because it sounds like ‘You are in’). He is a South Korean actor born in 1986 (which makes him 28 years old) his real name is Uhm Hong Shik; he stated in an interview that there was no particular reason behind the name Yoo Ah In, just that, it’s ‘pretty’. Yoo Ah In has a very attractive low toned voice, distinctive face and the ability to pull-off a convincing, young high school student and a charismatic adult easily. He has played many different roles throughout his career; including a boxer, a piano prodigy, a Joseon dynasty rebel and even a king.

Dramas:

SungKyungKwan Scandal

I fell for him for the first time in this drama. In SungKyungKwan Scandal Yoo Ah In plays Moon Jae Shin, the roommate of the main character. Moon Jae Shin is the rebellious son of an important official, he drinks, gambles and let's his hair down (literally; men in the Joseon dynasty permanently kept their hair in a high bun above their heads; loose hair was a sign of being rough and unsophisticated).

He is the stereotypical second male lead; he has a very kind heart underneath his rebellious looks and saves the heroine numerous times just to be heartbroken, however, he does have one of the best bromances with co-star Song Joong Ki which they even won an award for: 2010 KBS Drama Awards: Best Couple Award Yoo Ah In and Song Joong-Ki.

Trailer:

I love this mysterious dark yet loving side to Yoo Ah In; he played it really well and melted my heart. I also find it pretty amazing when a young guy like him can pull-off a moustache, most of the time it just looks stupid but on him it’s even sexy. I just couldn't get enough of him in this role.

Secret Love Affair

Secret Love Affair is about a boy (Lee Sun Jae) who is a piano prodigy. Lee Sun Jae is taught by a woman called Oh Hye-Won (Kim Hee Ae) and they fall in love; however this woman is both married and over 10 years older than him. This drama is quite controversial. However, the music and intensity is so amazing that it really pulls you in. It starts quite slowly but once the love affair and piano playing starts you get glued till the end.

It is very well done and the actors' chemistry is no joke.

Trailer:

This drama is about forbidden love and people’s relationships; I don’t only mean love relationships but also that of friends, rivals, growing up, music, and with life in general.

Secret Love Affair has not been getting much credit, but I really believe it is an amazing drama.

Jang Ok Jung, Live in Love

In Jang Ok Jung, Yoo Ah In plays the crowns prince who eventually becomes the King of Joseon and his love affair with Jang Ok Jung (Kim Tae Hee); this drama is based on historical events and even though it is mainly fictional, a lot of it is historically correct, I actually really enjoyed reading on wiki about what really happened and comparing it to the drama.

Even though I usually find it very hard to finish historical dramas this one wasn't half bad, and even though the main female character annoyed me a bit I thoroughly enjoyed Yoo Ah In as the king: he was tough, loving, and majestic. The love story was also very beautiful, and even though the actress who plays Jang Ok Jung is a lot older than him he played it very confidently and made it very convincing.

Trailer:

However, I will say that the ending was a bit disappointing for me; I expected more after going through 24 episodes…

Films

Antique Bakery

This film is about a guy called Kim Jin Hyeok (Joo Ji Hoon) who opens a bakery in order to find a serial kidnapper who likes cakes. He employs a gay baker (Kim Jae Wook) who is scared of women and an ex-boxer (Yoo Ah In). This Film is one of my favourites; it’s funny, with a good plot, an amazing cast, hints of mystery, tons of cakes and hot guys. What else could you ask for?

Trailer:

In this film, Yoo Ah In plays a young boxing champion, who finds out he will go blind if he doesn't stop competing, so he drowns his sorrows in cake (I wish I could eat as many cakes as him with out becoming fat…) He then gets a job at the antique bakery where he starts to learn how to bake.

Punch

This is my favorite. This film is based off a best-selling novel called Won Deuk Yi, It’s about a boy called Do Wan-Deuk, who is a young boy in high school, living with his hunchback father and a man who somehow became his uncle. Wan-deuk never knew his mother and has become a rebellious and troubled student but never loses in fights. Yoo Ah In plays the lead role and does the slightly depressed, discontented, and desperate but cool Do Wan Deuk superbly.

Now it’s a bit hard to describe this film so I recommend you watch the trailer,

Trailer:

Punch is a brilliant film. It has a well-balanced variety of hilarious and touching moments which make this film come together so well that you can never tier of watching it. It pulls at your heart strings at some moments and makes you smile at others. The characters are well developed, perfectly directed, and fascinatingly life-like. It’s also a very good film if you want to learn a few Korean swear words, the ajusshi really doesn't hold back (haha). But seriously, just watch it and thank me later.

Other films and dramas:

Tough as Iron: was an alright film and Yoo Ah In was great as usual but I was a tiny bit disappointed with the plot.

Sky and Ocean: is a very cute movie about mental illness and friendship. 

Elegant Lies: nice film but a bit too sad for me, I kind of felt like Yoo Ah In’s character was the only one that kept it from becoming totally depressing, but they didn’t really develop his character enough in my mind. (Watch it for his hair)

Fashion King: Never watched it because I have heard it is very bad and I don’t see why I should waste my time on it.

(SPOILER)

When I was told it was awful, I decided to go find out more and read a recap of the end: Yoo Ah In’s character dies and doesn't even get the girl… I wonder if the writer thought they were being clever…. -.-‘

(SPOILER END)

Boys of Tomorrow: Looks like a nice indie film, but I haven't watched it yet. If you've seen it, is it good?

Doctor Frankenstein: Maybe? This drama is still in the starting stages however, if it does start airing it will be written by the same person who wrote Sungkyungkwan Scandal, it looks promising. I will look forward to it.

Sharp 1: This is Yoo Ah In’s debut drama. It’s hard to find, but it’s well worth it just for him (he comes up in ep 8 I think…). He plays the main character's boyfriend, and he’s super charismatic and funny (I would have been head-over-heels if it were me!)

BOA - ONLY ONE

Yoo Ah In has also played a main role in South Korean pop singer BOA’s Music video for ‘Only One’. The first time I saw this MV I didn’t recognize him at all, I found out he was in it and had to watch it again to make sure.

It’s actually a really pretty MV and I like this quirky side to him.

Now I will end on a few CF’s

Song Joong Ki and Yoo Ah In's Instax instant cameras. This is just basically the best CF ever.

Romantic or Chick?

And the BTS’s from the Hana SK card CF were Yoo Ah In dances! He’s really cute in this, like melting me cute, and the dance is really funny!

I hope you will now love Yoo Ah In as much as me or a least give him a chance to show you his talents!

So that's it for me, Bye Bye!

If there is an actor or an actress that is worthy of a Stalker's Guide in your opinion, and you have watched enough dramas of his/hers to prove it, please contact Elisabetta about it.