It's almost Christmas and I thought of giving myself a gift. I've amassed a number of oppas this year and it might be a good idea to create a list for my easy reference. :D
I'm not listing them down based on how much I love them. Rather, the list below is in the order that they came into my life. I'm curious to know if there's someone out there who loves exactly the same oppas in my list. :)
1. Park Hyung Sik
Hyung Sik was on military service when I discovered him so there were no new materials to look forward to. To appease my longing for him, I went on to watch almost all of his dramas.
I watched him in the Korean version of Suits where he looked so dapper.
And although I didn't really enjoy High Society that much, I stuck with it because of Park Hyung Sik.
And because I really loved him, I also watched his 50-episode drama, What Happens to My Family.
I even watched his movie Juror 8 where he played the role of a brave juror during South Korea's first jury trial.
It's a great thing that I found Park Hyung Sik through a drama and not through his K Pop group, ZE:A. I might not have liked him that much if I saw him first during his K Pop days. In any case, I'm glad that he's been discharged from the military although he will still be officially discharged in January 2021. I can't wait to watch his new shows and to see if military service was good for him. :)
2. Hyun Bin
While Park Hyung Sik was the first, Hyun Bin will always be special because he was the one who really sucked me into the world of K dramas. How can you say no to those sparkling eyes and irresistible dimples? :D
After watching Crash Landing on You, I was confused if I was in love with Hyun Bin or Capt. Ri. But a few days later, it became clear that I fell for Hyun Bin. I loved him so much that I had to break my "no-rewatching-of-dramas-because-it's-a-waste-of-time" rule when I rewatched CLOY.
I was hell-bent on watching all of his dramas and movies that I listed all of them in chronological order in my to watch list. I started with Ireland, which I had to endure despite the very confused plot just to prove how much I loved Hyun Bin.
Next came his movie Spin Kick where I enjoyed watching a youthful and badass Hyun Bin.
Then I watched the drama that probably made Hyun Bin extremely popular, My Lovely Sam Soon. Although his character, hairstyle, and fashion style were not that great, I still enjoyed watching it because I got to see lots of him.
After watching Hyun Bin all by myself, Oppa finally joined me in watching The Snow Queen. I feel bad for Oppa though because he had to endure watching this show, which I would have probably dropped had it not been for Hyun Bin.
Next on my list was the movie A Millionaire's First Love, which I might have appreciated more if the storyline were not so similar to The Snow Queen.
The last Hyun Bin drama that I watched so far was Worlds Within, where Oppa discovered Song Hye Kyo.
I loved him so much that I downloaded his photos and saved them in my laptop (which already had a limited space at that time) so I can use them as my screensaver.
My Hyun Bin to watch list is currently on hold because Oppa now weighs in on the dramas we will watch and let's face it, there are just too many dramas to watch. I know there's still a lot more Hyun Bin material for me to explore, especially his more recent dramas. And looking at all of his photos right now made me realize that even if I've added a lot more oppas to my list, I still love and miss this oppa whom I last watched in May. I would probably need to negotiate with Oppa to allow me to insert another Hyun Bin drama in our line up. Time for me to fulfill my dream of coming up with a dissertation on Hyun Bin's dramas and movies that would earn me a master's degree in K drama major in Hyun Bin. :D
3. Jung Hae In
Ahhh, Jung Hae In. This oppa is probably my most favorite of all. He has this boyish charm but he can also appear very manly and scary. What I love most about him is that he does not only have a pretty face, he acts really, really well too.
I discovered him by accident in Something in the Rain, that Oppa was watching because of Son Ye Jin. Whenever I remember his character Joon Hee, I can't help but melt, swoon, and fall in love.
I also watched him on Tune in for Love, where I wanted to be the one to fix this oppa.
And who can forget his scary but eventually endearing character in Prison Playbook. This drama probably catapulted Jung Hae In as number one in my list because he showed so much versatility. How can one be so good looking and talented at the same time? I definitely need to watch more of him.
4. Song Joong Ki
Everyone knows Song Joong Ki as the other half of the Song Song couple (with Song Hye Kyo). I didn't really actively seek him out. I discovered him through Oppa again, this time through the drama Descendants of the Sun, which Oppa watched because of SHK.
I totally loved Song Joong Ki's cool and badass Big Boss character in DOTS. He made me want to marry a soldier despite the dangers that come with it.
Song Joong Ki seems to be not that active after the divorce. I hope to see new material from him in the future.
5. Park Bo Gum
I admit that I initially dismissed Park Bo Gum as just another pretty face. I also felt that he was too young for me to stalk.
It didn't help that the first Park Bo Gum drama I watched was Encounter, which I didn't enjoy that much.
But things changed when I watched him on Reply 1988. Absentee Taek was easy to overlook during the initial episodes of the show. But we were all in for a surprise when he turned out to be the dark horse. This drama proved to me that Park Bo Gum is a great and versatile actor.
I liked Park Bo Gum so much that his drama Record of Youth was the first on-air drama that I watched. I'm usually impatient when it comes to shows so I prefer watching them when all the episodes have been released. But I made an exception because it was Park Bo Gum.
Park Bo Gum's on military service right now and we'll definitely miss him in the next year and a half. But I'm excited to see how the military will transform him. :)
6. Jung Kyung Ho
I was totally clueless about Jung Kyung Ho prior to watching Prison Playbook. And while he was not the main character in that show, I've grown to love him. He exuded this cool but very protective vibe.
Although I have yet to watch another Jung Kyung Ho drama, he will always have a spot in my list of oppas. It helps that I always read about how sweet he is to his long-time girlfriend.
(February 13, 2021) I finally watched another Kyung Ho Drama. I super loved him as Jun Wan on Hospital Playlist - the guitar playing cardio thoracic surgeon who was strict but actually soft inside and was a very loyal boyfriend to his girl.
7. Lee Sun Kyun
Lee Sun Kyun was another actor who was unknown to me.
I first saw him on Parasite, where he played the role of the dad in the rich family. I was curious about him at that point but not enough for him to make it to my list.
Then I saw him on the Coffee Prince, where he played the role of this cool composer. I read that he even composed and sang one of the songs in the show. That definitely got him a spot on my list of oppas.
Updating this (February 13, 2021) to say that Sun Kyun just sealed his spot in this list with his very moving portrayal of Park Dong Hoon in My Mister.
8. Gong Yoo
I know a lot of people love Gong Yoo. When I was not too hooked on K dramas yet, I didn't really understand what the fuss was all about.
It was not love at first sight for me when I first watched him on Train to Busan. It didn't help that his character started out self-absorbed.
But after watching him on Coffee Prince, there was no turning back for me. I fell in love with Gong Yoo and I now get why a lot of people go crazy over him. Among the oppas on my list, he is probably the best actor too. And he seems like a genuinely good person judging from how he was during the Coffee Prince reunion special.
I look forward to Gong Yoo and Park Bo Gum's movie showing this month.
9. Park Seo Joon
And I guessed right. Ever since I watched him on She Was Pretty, I've vowed to watch more of Park Seo Joon. Never mind that his character was not immediately likable. My friend even says all his other dramas are much better than this one. But I already liked him here. I can't imagine how much harder I will fall after I watch his other shows. I look forward to seeing more of those signature Park Seo Joon kissing scenes. :D I expect a tight competition between him and Jung Hae In as my favorite actor.
10. Lee Jae Wook
I mentioned that I've always been curious about Lee Jae Wook ever since I saw him sign up with Hyun Bin's agency. He looked mysterious and appealing.
When I finally watched him on Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol, I knew I was right to be curious about him. I especially love it when he smirks. And while the show left so much to be desired, I was able to get through it, thanks to Lee Jae Wook.
11. Kim Seon Ho
And the newest member in my list is Kim Seon Ho. Again, this was another unknown for me.
However, just after watching the first episode of Start-Up, I knew straight away that Kim Seon Ho with his cute dimples would make it to my list. There's just something so charming about him. Thus, it's not surprising that a lot of people chose to be on Team Good Boy even if Kim Seon Ho was just the second lead in the show.
12. Kim Soo Hyun
February 13, 2021: Allow me to welcome a new member to my list, Kim Soo Hyun. I know he's popular (he's first in the Oppa calendar I bought) but I have not watched any of his shows yet so I had no excuse to add him to my list.
After watching him on The Producers, I finally have a valid reason to include him here. He impressed me so much that he does not even need to go through the Honorable Mentions list. I don't need a second show to prove that Soo Hyun is an oppa and a good actor.
Honorable Mentions
I'm making an honorable mentions list to include other actors who I'm fond of but are not necessarily on the same level as the ones in my main list of oppas.
1. Ji Soo
I'm including Ji Soo because it was him that led me to Park Hyung Sik. He made me curious when I first saw him on Angry Mom. And when I was looking for other shows to watch, his show Strong Girl Bong Soon came up. He was a second lead there and that curiosity led me to the first oppa on my list.
2. Jin Goo
I loved Jin Goo on Descendants of the Sun. And while our love affair was short-lived after I saw his photos outside DOTS, I will always be fond of Wolf with his cute bromance with Big Boss and how he sacrificed so much for Myung Ju.
3. Ryu Jun Yeol
4. Lee Seung Gi
I had mixed feelings about Vagabond. It was okay until that very disappointing ending. Naturally, I did not have fond memories of Lee Seung Gi. However, after watching him in Hometown Flex, I would have to say that I've grown to like him. He's genuinely funny and he seems like a nice person. He sings really well too. I loved his version of I Believe from the movie My Sassy Girl, which can be viewed here.
5. Rain
I admit that I didn't like Rain initially. It didn't help that his character in Full House was quite annoying. But I've read a lot of things about him like his struggles when he was starting out and how successful he's become. He seems really hardworking. And he's married to a pretty, smart, and rich actress, Kim Tae Hee. So while he did not win me over right away, I've grown to love Rain.
6. Jung Woo
When it comes to oppas, you might notice that I don't necessarily pick the best looking ones. I would have to say that the same holds true for Jung Woo. He's not as good looking as my other oppas but he played the role of Trash really well in Reply 1994 that earned him a spot in my list.
7. Yoo Yeon Seok
Another oppa from Reply 1994 is Yoo Yeon Seok. This was another confusing thing for me. I was not sure if I only liked him out of pity. But now that I'm watching him in Warm and Cozy, I can confirm that I am genuinely fond of Yoo Yeon Seok because he's making me stick to the show even if the story's not that great.
(February 13, 2021) I super loved Yoo Yeon Seok as Jeong Won in Hospital Playlist. He was a very adorable drummer/pediatric surgeon who doted on his patients. I'm seriously thinking about promoting him to my main list. :)
8. Woo Shik
I have yet to watch a Choi Woo Shik drama. I only saw him on Parasite and in the variety show Summer Vacation. Despite my limited exposure to Woo Shik, I would have to say that I already like him and I know I'll like him even more.
9. Choi Si Won
I'm not usually into K Pop group guys. But I had to make an exception for Choi Si Won of Super Junior. I had mixed feelings about his character in She Was Pretty. But I've grown to love him as the show progressed and he deserves a spot in my list.
I know this list is already long as it is. But I still look forward to adding more oppas as I watch more K dramas and movies. :)
10. Seo In Guk
(February 13, 2021) Seo In Guk is not your typical oppa. But there's something very appealing/intriguing about him.
I really enjoyed watching him as Yoon Jae on Reply 1997. His devotion to Shi Won was just amazing.