Ahh, Ji-Sung. I’ve wanted to make this list for a while now–since about halfway through Defendant, to be exact–but I held off since I knew he’d be making a lot more awesome expressions throughout the show. Let’s go!
Projects I’ve Seen: Protect the Boss (1/2 of it), Kill Me Heal Me, Entertainer, Defendant, The Vampire Lives Next Door
Ji-Sung. The man of many characters. I can hardly believe the actor I really did not connect with in Protect the Boss (was that really by I Remember You‘s writer?!) is the same man who successfully convinced me he was a teenage girl later in his career.
I won’t spend very long on Kill Me Heal Me though, not because it’s not worth mentioning, but because it’s the role that shot him to massive internet face (where I roam, at least), so… I’m figuring we all already know the roles.
I do want to take just a minute and pay tribute to my favorites, however: Perry Park and Yo-Na. They were my favorite to watch, and oddly enough may have been the most ad-libbed, according to one translated interview. Does that make anyone else shake their head in wonder? Can he get any more talented?
Ahn Yo-Na, who took the internet hearts by storm, and mine as well.
Perry Park, who seems the least like the others to me. It’s amazing what Ji-Sung can do with his eyes: a different smile, a change in the glance and center part and he’s a new man.
It’s Cha Do-Hyun, I want to spent most of time on. Because really, I’m incredibly impressed with Ji-Sung’s work here. Not only did he have to craft a blank slate character, one that felt like a demure background at the beginning–he then slowly had to build that character, incorporating traits from all the others even without letting any one character take over. And he did it. I could see it, as I watched KMHM a second time–here a look from Perry Park, there Yo-Na’s smile, most noticeably Shin Se-Gi’s confidence. And through it all, he was undeniably Cha Do-Hyun, the polite, gentle, caring man who dealt with his illness for years. And while he might wake up in Yo-Na’s clothes, you can tell it’s not her.
~ ~ ~
But there’s so much more to Ji-Sung than Kill Me Heal Me. He also has an amazing emotional range, evident in different characters but really highlighted in his recent drama Defendant (so good. I will do a review, I promise).
From sad (such different kinds of sadness: heart rending, mixed with love, panic, and the dull ache of a long held hurt.)
to at his wits end, barely holding on–whether that’s out of his mind with rage, a feeling of being kicked in the stomach, or determined to bear a weight so great it would have killed anybody else.
to anger and disgust (I can just see his eyes saying ‘I hate you’)
to determined: you will tell me or I will find out or you will suffer.
to loving
and, oh yeah, playful!
This is just one show, and I stopped when I got tired (sorry, I’m working on an online photodump area!) For an entirely different range of emotion, less intense but no less varied, I definitely suggest Entertainer. It’s a less recognized gem, my favorite musical drama to date (including my current recap project Liar and His Lover).
I also ran into a short film of his, which. It’s Ji-Sung. As a vampire. Here’s the first half, it’s pretty fantastic. ^^
Ji-Sung in recent years has married, to an actress I’m also a fan of: Lee Bo Young (she’s in I Hear Your Voice). They’re seriously so cute, and I am such a fan of this couple. She had their first child in the summer of 2015 and has just returned to acting in Whisper, which funnily enough took over for her husband’s hit drama Defendant on SBS. Look at this cute couple!
They are so in love. #goals
And since he is a very attractive man and this is still basically my fangirl’s tribute to him, I’ll end with a few of my favorite photos:
Do you have a favorite Ji-Sung, let me know! Until next time!
~Cozybooks
Cozybooks 
Entertainer got lots of bad reviews. But I plan on trying at anyways cuz ji-sung. But it’s good to know there are people who really like it.
I know it got lots of bad reviews, and I’ve gone back and forth on whether or not to acknowledge that in a post (I want to defend one of my favorites, after all!) but more than that I want to give a more objective view, one that’s not based really on reacting to someone else’s dislike–so with this and most things I just decide to share my love for it without fussing over opposing views, it helps me sleep philosophically well at night. ^^
Lol that was a total tangent, but the moral of the story is: yes! Try it! It’s a wonderful show, and I loved it. Especially the OST, I listen to it constantly now. :)
I also really loved Entertainer! It was one of my fav dramas last year. Of course, like any drama, it depends on what things bother you as to whether you will like it. The common complaints I saw were that Ji Sung was underutilized and that he and Hyeri were a complete mismatch.
But I would defend the drama by saying that the romance is not the main focus, it’s the relationships between the band and their manager. So I don’t think a romantic subplot should ruin the drama. And I personally thought they were cute enough.
And as far as Ji Sung’s performance, it’s really fantastic. Sure, it’s not Kill Me Heal Me or Defendant level, but not everything needs to be. It’s a lighter drama overall, and Ji Sung still performs wonderfully. So yeah, I would definitely say give it a go. There are plenty of reasons to love it :)
Wonderful highlight post of Ji Sung! Of course, Kill Me Heal Me is my fav, but I also really love Entertainer. He was also super great and so intense in Secret, and Defendant was just as good. I really liked Ji Sung in Protect the Boss too, but the second half of the drama really petered out for me. Nothing to do with him though :)