How to meet a perfect neighbor

CELEBRATING THE 16th ANNIVERSARY OF PARK SIHOO-SSI’S “HOW TO MEET A PERFECT NEIGHBOR”! 

庆祝施厚君的“遇见完美邻居的方法”第16周年！

Yesterday, we celebrated the 16th anniversary of Park Sihoo-ssi’s “How to Meet a Perfect Neighbor”. This was the drama that saw the table turn on the lead actor and he lost his leading lady to this relatively unknown rookie!

We shared Part One of a news feature that ran on the drama.  Today, we continue with the second part.

Part Two: News feature on “How to Meet a Perfect Neighbor”, 25 September 2007, Courtesy Translation by ParkSihooSsi.com

…Continued from Part One

Why a melo needed a mystery

The reason why this drama did not get stuck in the boredom of a typical melodrama material was because while it was the same material it was used differently. The drama used these materials to explore the minute details of human relationships. The drama introduced a new element of mystery as a side story to the lively atmosphere among neighbors.

The drama exposed the extreme situation of murder at one end of a relationship and looked into the reverse side of the neighbors’ relationships through the detectives investigating the case. It revealed the secrets of people you think you know, and raised the question “Do you really know these people?”

From the time the element of mystery was introduced, this drama which had been packaged as a romance started to increase its tension. When someone you know became a completely different person or reacted differently, viewers who watched the drama will be surprised by the betrayal and get a perspective of what the drama wanted to present. The problem would be when the melo plot is overemphasized. When Joonseok made a “mistress proposal” to Yoori with tears in his eyes, the audience’s opinions were mixed, because they were more attracted by the love between melo and reality.

Have you met your perfect neighbor?

If Joonseok and Yoori’s love story were good, the audience should be satisfied. But if you only watch that part, you will only be watching half of this drama. As the writer revealed in the drama presentation at the launch, Baek Soochan is the most important character as he was the perfect neighbor. Compared to the love line of Joonseok and Yoori, what was more important was the “human touch” as presented by the character Baek Soochan.  Although he was a “swallow” in the beginning, Soochan, who had the advantage of a swallow (being able to guess what was on the other person’s mind), was the perfect neighbor in the second half who understood every move of his neighbors.

That was because he met a woman called Jung Yoori but gave up his love for this woman. Instead, he made a more humane choice to be a friend and neighbor to her. This was also the message that the writer wanted to convey to the audience. Although it was a difficult choice made by Soochan, at least the audience resonated that this drama went beyond a romantic drama. The love that the characters showed in the last episode as non-possessive (not only Soochan but also Joonseok) was enough to gain sympathy.

Did you meet the perfect neighbor through this drama? The drama wasn’t  about “the perfect way to meet a man or woman,” but “the perfect way to meet a neighbor.” From the point of view of choosing neighbors instead of love, the drama transcended the love between men and women, and presented the greater human love.

That is, it depicted love and reality at the same time. This romantic drama seemed more like a social drama for this reason. Whether the experiment in this romantic drama will be successful was still in doubt. But regardless of whether it is successful or not, there was no doubt that the attempt itself was meaningful.

Instagram Reel Video – Park Sihoo: Perfect Neighbor: 16 Years of Love and reality (2), 26 July 2023

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CELEBRATING THE 16th ANNIVERSARY OF PARK SIHOO-SSI’S “HOW TO MEET A PERFECT NEIGHBOR”! 

庆祝施厚君的“遇见完美邻居的方法”第16周年！

Back on 25 July 2027, SBS released a new drama “How to Meet a Perfect Neighbor”.  Park Sihoo-ssi was then a rookie actor who had a secondary role in the drama. However, this drama saw the table turn on the lead actor and he lost his leading lady to this relatively unknown rookie!

And today, we celebrate the 16th anniversary of “How to Meet a Perfect Neighbor”. It saw the emergence of our Oppa Park Sihoo from being a rookie to take on some of the shine of the drama.

Happy 16th anniversary, Park Sihoo-ssi, your character Yoo Joonseok and the cast and crew of “How to Meet a Perfect Neighbor”!

And on this anniversary, we share a news feature on the drama from a long time ago. As it was a long interview, we will do it in two parts. Sorry, no time for Chinese translation, so please use the translator located on the right column of the page.

Part One: News feature on “How to Meet a Perfect Neighbor”, 25 September 2007, Courtesy Translation by ParkSihooSsi.com

On the surface, “How to Meet a Perfect Neighbor” is a typical melodrama. It centred around Baek Soochan (played by Kim Seungwoo; Nance: This is the husband of Kim Namjoo, the female lead in “Queen of Reversals”), Jung Yoori (played by Bae Doona), Yoo Joonseok (played by Park Sihoo) and Ko Emi (played by Min Jihye) in a typical four-corner love.

The love story of a second generation chaebol Yoo Joonseok and his ordinary secretary Jung Yoori. Their love was hindered by Ko Emi, who was blinded by desire and jealousy. There were also secrets of extramarital affairs and births that were often familiar in romantic melodramas.

However, strangely enough, why was it that a melodrama with such a typical framework rated as “fresh”? It was like even with the same ingredients, depending on the mixing method, the taste could be completely different. Writer Jung Jiwoo’s seasoning added flavor for a different romantic melodrama. Unlike its synopsis, this drama was not just a love story, but expanded to a level closer to human love dramas.

Transcended  boundaries through love

The melo line was not buried in the typical melodrama frame because of the character Baek Soochan. In the typical melo line, Baek Soochan built a unique name for friendship. When he puts love coolly into friendship, the competition disappears. Jun-seok said, “Hyung.”

The reason why this four-cornered love line was not buried in the framework of a typical romantic drama was because of the Baek Soochan character. In a typical love story, Baek Soochan created a unique name under the headline of “friendship”. When he put love aside coolly and turn this into friendship, competition disappeared. Baek Soochan really cherished Jung Yoori as a friend that even Joonseok was moved. Joonseok said, “There will be a place for elder brother (“hyung”). It would be great if there were such an elder brother (‘hyung”).”

Although it was a typical love storyline between second generation chaebol Yoo Joonseok and his secretary Jung Yoori , it also brought out the unusual “mistress proposal” in the drama. This proposal was not sudden. The fact that the Chairman’s mistress Young Sooyeon was killed showed that the “mistress proposal” was set from the early stage of the drama. That the mistress’ son Joonseok also raised a “mistress proposal” was ironical.

Extramarital affairs were used only to show the situation rather than to make them seem exciting, so this is different from the typical development of other melodramas. The secret of Ko Emi’s birth was different from other dramas. Ko Emi was actually the child of the Chairman and his mistress Young Sooyoung. She got something through her secret birth, and the person involved with  her didn’t even know the secret.

…to be continued.

Instagram Reel Video – Park Sihoo: Perfect Neighbor: 16 Years of Love and reality (1), 25 July 2023

Credits – Many thanks! SBS “How to Meet a Perfect Neighbor”, Pinterest, ParkSihooSsi.com, ParkSihooHongKong.com

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CELEBRATING THE 15th ANNIVERSARY OF PARK SIHOO-SSI’S “HOW TO MEET A PERFECT NEIGHBOR”! 

庆祝施厚君的“遇见完美邻居的方法”第15周年！

A final note on the 15th year of “How To Meet A Perfect Neighbor”…

Today, I share another interesting interview of our Oppa Park Sihoo-ssi during the time when he just had a breakthrough in his acting career.  His break was with the drama “How To Meet A Perfect Neighbor”. He did a reversal when he overturned the male lead and took on the leading role and in the process, won the leading lady too!

This interview which talked about Gamjatang 감자탕 or pork bone and potato soup gave some interesting perspective of our young Oppa then. Enjoy!

Interview with Park Sihoo, 27 August 2007; Courtesy Translation by ParkSihooSsi.com

“Actually, I really like Gamjatang 감자탕. I don’t really have any likes or dislikes.” Park Sihoo, who played a prince with a “thorn-like” (Nance: prickly) character in SBS’ popular TV drama “How To Meet A Perfect Neighbor”, put forward the “Gamjatang Advocacy”.

In fact, he was serious, but he was not harsh as he had appeared in the drama. There was a reason for saying this while deliberately making a metaphor using Gamjatang.

Recently, Park Sihoo is receiving a lot of love for his character Yoo Joonseok in “How To Meet A Perfect Neighbor.” Joonseok is simply a “prince with a thorn at his side” He is as sharp as a razor and has never eaten Gamjatang, a typical dish for ordinary Korean people. He is often led by the nose by Yoon Yoori (played by Bae Doona), a busy body. With a bowl of Gamjatang in front of them, she asked him, “Would you like to eat something like this”

Still, the reporter said he can’t hate him because Joonseok had turned his back on the world and closed his heart because he was deeply hurt by someone he loved. He gradually opened up his heart to a warm person named Yoon Yoori. His love story with Yoon Yoori has just begun to go in full swing and viewers are cheering in delight.

The reporter met Park Sihoo during the filming of the drama at the SBS Ilsan production center on 24 August 2007. Park Sihoo shared, “Joonseok is a cold but cute and humane person. As the story progresses, he will gradually change. He will show this change bit by bit. He looked grim at first, but will gradually become a cute, and finally humane character. When the cold phase has passed, his cute charm will be presented to the audience.”

The symbol of coldness is a small, signature mustache. “I tried growing a stubble to emphasize the coldness. The director told me it was not bad, and I grew it like a trademark, but it was hard to maintain the same length all the time.”

The other is the way Park Sihoo’s character talked in the drama, ending his sentences with “Yes” or “~?” “Charisma was the most important way for a young CEO and successor to a chaebol to lead a big organization, and should show his leadership style. Nothing emphasized this more than the way he spoke. Every time when I meet my seniors, they would joked and say, “Hey, what was that about? You have become cheeky.” At times like that, I  would reply, ‘Senior, please be patient for a few weeks. When Joonseok experiences true love, the way he speaks will definitely change.””

Park Sihoo’s cuteness is created and emphasized intentionally. For example, Jeonseok’s cuteness was based on the theme of “the awkwardness when a prince mixes with a commoner in the court”. Park Sihoo said, “The script is only handed to me on the spot. It is a method of inducing an unprompted performance on the spot. It was not easy to act awkward on purpose. “

Park Sihoo, who has been busy filming every day, quickly returned to the set, saying, “Through this drama, the number of my Ajumma fans has increased, and surprisingly, the number of middle and high school students has also increased. I will try to be a perfect neighbor to them.”

Instagram Reel Video – Park Sihoo: HTMAPN: Gamjatang – Pork bone & potato soup, 28 July 2022

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A post shared by Park Sihoo-ssi: Korean actor (@parksihoossi)

Credits – Many thanks! SBS “How to meet a perfect neighbor”, Pinterest, ParkSihooSsi.com, ParkSihooHongKong.com

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CELEBRATING THE 15th ANNIVERSARY OF PARK SIHOO-SSI’S “HOW TO MEET A PERFECT NEIGHBOR”! 

庆祝施厚君的“遇见完美邻居的方法”第15周年！

Park Sihoo-ssi did an interview after he finished filming the drama “How To Meet A Perfect Neighbor”. This drama was a breakthrough for him turning him from an unknown to a better known.

Read what he had to say during this interview.

Interview with Sports Chosun, 6 October 2007; Courtesy Translation by ParkSihooSsi.com

After 10 years of waiting, the buds have begun to bloom. Park Sihoo came to Seoul from the countryside in 1997 and has already been in the entertainment industry for 10 years. He also went through the ordeal of the production of films he was supposed to appear in being suspended. In all, he had only a few insignificant dramas, ridiculously few, to show on his biography.

However, Park Sihoo recently appeared in SBS drama “How to Meet A Perfect Neighbor” and underwent a 180-degree change in his life, receiving explosive responses from people around him.

“The restaurant lady’s side dish service has changed. As expected, good things that will happen when your face becomes known.”

He smiled shyly and shared the words like a cheerful boy. In addition, Park Sihoo is loved by many female fans in their 20s and 30s through the drama. His nickname is “Charming Man” among his fans. It was not just “Charming Man”, but also various variations such as “a petty charming man,” “a feisty charming man,” and “a muscular charming man.” All of these came about because of Yoo Joonseok in the SBS drama “How To Meet A Perfect Neighbor.”

The narrow-minided “Yoo Joonseok” was lucky for me.

For about 4 months, as he lived the role of the heir of a construction company, Yoo Joonseok, he wore a constant smile on his face. “Although I have played many roles before, none was clearer than this one. time. I have always longed for strong acting skills and the role of Yoo Joonseok was a lucky one.”

When Park Sihoo received the drama script from the writer, his special instruction was nothing more than to “show a sharp leadership style.” For this, Park Sihoo shed off 6kg from his normal weight of 72kg and built a slim body. In addition, he also decided to present the image of Yoo Joonseok as a young man who was neither annoying nor rude.

“As I usually work out for more than two hours a day, losing weight was not difficult. However, I think it took a while to adjust to Yoon Joonseok’s harsh personality in the drama. And as I focused on immersing myself in the role, I couldn’t help but speak rather rudely and was chastised by my seniors many times.” (Laugh) 

Another attraction that drew fans to  Park Sihoo was his “picture perfect swimsuit body”. For a while, photos of him in a swimsuit were being circulated online, making the hearts of female fans go aflutter.

In response, Park Sihoo smiled shyly, saying, “I have never thought I had a great body. However, I will study the various characters and enjoy exercising by stretching and toning my body. It doesn’t hurt to think I am cool.” 

It was a long-awaited role, but I had regrets

Walking the path of an actor, one will have the desire to be called  a “good actor”. Park Sihoo also wanted to be called a “skillful actor”.

“Frankly, I felt like my acting was mediocre in my previous work, and I have a lot of regrets. So I worked hard on studying the character in this drama. Maybe that is why at the beginning of the drama, people around me complimented me a lot about my acting. But there were also a lot of criticisms about my acting towards the end of the drama. There was a scene when I tried to hold on to Bae Doona’s heart, weeping as I held her ankles to prevent her from leaving and many viewers thought my acting was awkward.”

“To be honest, acting out love is like a difficult homework assignment for me, as I have been single for a long time. It is a lack of experience. There are things I feel every time I finish a piece of work, but this time, I feel a lot of regrets.”

Actually, I want to act the part of a psycho

What kind of role does Park Sihoo really want to do? He has a desire to play a two-faced character.

“Isn’t the role of the psycho played by Christian Bale in the Hollywood movie “American Psycho” thrilling? A villain who suddenly changed and led a normal life is very attractive. In fact, it really doesn’t match my shy  personality. That is why I said it is acting.” (Laugh)

I will go on a short backpacking trip 

As he had successfully completed this drama, Park Sihoo smiled brilliantly. He shared his acting philosophy of “never taking on multiple works”.

At the end of the 2006 drama “Let’s Get Married”, I took on the drama “Which Star Are You from?” I thought it wouldn’t be difficult acting (Nance: juggling two roles) so I went ahead with it. However, it was difficult to concentrate on the characters because of the overlapping appearances.  After that, I have kept to the philosophy and avoided overlapping works.

Now that I have finished filming the drama, I am going to take a long trip. I want to enjoy a relaxing backpack vacation and get some fresh air. The next piece of work? Well, I should not rest too long. Maybe the coming winter? I want to do a movie, but I think I will meet my fans in another drama before that.

Instagram Reel Video – Park Sihoo: HTMAPN: Ten years to breakthrough, 26 July 2022

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A post shared by Park Sihoo-ssi: Korean actor (@parksihoossi)

Credits – Many thanks! SBS “How to meet a perfect neighbor”, Sports Chosun, Pinterest, ParkSihooSsi.com, ParkSihooHongKong.com

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CELEBRATING THE 15th ANNIVERSARY OF PARK SIHOO-SSI’S “HOW TO MEET A PERFECT NEIGHBOR”! 

庆祝施厚君的“遇见完美邻居的方法”第15周年！

Back in 2007, the leading man in the Korean drama “How to Meet a Perfect Neighbor” found his thunder stolen by a young, still relatively unknown actor. Park Sihoo-ssi was that young actor and he not only stole the thunder from the male lead, he also swept the leading lady off her feet!

That was years ago when the drama premiered in Korea. Today, marks the fifteenth anniversary of “How to Meet a Perfect Neighbor”.

His Yoo Joonseok hooked many an ajumma and young ladies and students alike. They loved watching the change in this heir to a chaebol as he was transformed by love from the harsh and proud man to one who was more caring. And don’t you just love our Oppa Park Sihoo-ssi spotting his little moustache? Kekeke! 😄

Happy fifteenth anniversary Park Sihoo-ssi, Yoo Joonseok and the perfect neighbor. We are so glad your stolen thunder hat trick then resulted in us having years of good dramas!

完美的抢风头

早在 2007 年，在韩剧“遇见完美的邻居的方法”中的男主就发现自己的风头被一位年轻但相对不为人知的演员抢走了。 施厚君就是那位年轻演员，不仅抢了男主的风头，还把女主也给扫入怀抱！

那是好多年前，该剧在韩国首播的时候。 今天，是“遇见完美的邻居的方法”的第十五周年纪日。

他的尹俊锡吸引了许多阿朱玛和年轻女士和学生。 她们喜欢观看这位财阀继承人因为爱而转变，从苛刻和骄傲的男人，变成了一位有爱心的男人。 而且大家是否喜欢偶吧Oppa 施厚君的小胡子？ 哈哈哈！ 😄

施厚君、尹俊锡和“遇见完美的邻居的方法”，第十五周年快乐。 很高兴你抢了风头，让我们可以欣赏多年的好剧！

Instagram Reel Video – Park Sihoo: Perfect Neighbor: Stolen thunder, 25 July 2022

Credits – Many thanks! SBS “How to meet a perfect neighbor”, Pinterest, ParkSihooSsi.com, ParkSihooHongKong.com

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CELEBRATING THE 14th ANNIVERSARY OF PARK SIHOO-SSI’S “HOW TO MEET A PERFECT NEIGHBOR”! 

庆祝施厚君的“遇见完美邻居的方法”第14周年！

Fourteen years ago, on 25 July 2007, we were greeted on Korean SBS TV by a cold man in this new drama “How to meet a perfect neighbor”.

The cold man Yoo Joonseok was from a rich chaebol family. He had locked up all his emotions because he was hurt by love in the past and had never known fatherly affection. 

But with his father collapsing and in coma, he had to return from abroad to take the helm of their family business. A cold, astute and ruthless business man was how he presented himself. And he had a head-on conflict with his quirky secretary, who was a warm and simple person, sometimes perceived as an airhead.

But love chipped away at his defense and opened up his heart, eventually turning him into a man hot on the heels of love.

Just like the storyline, the drama and Park Sihoo-ssi’s character started out slow and cold, but with each episode, they turned warmer and warmer and ended red hot. It won Park Sihoo-ssi the SBS Drama New Star Award in 2007, recognizing the potential in this up and coming Hallyu star.

Today marks the 14th anniversary of “How to meet a perfect neighbor” and a life changing piece of work for Park Sihoo-ssi! 

Like his Yoo Joonseok’s little beard?  Even after fourteen years, I still think our Oppa looks cute with it! Kekeke! 😄

Happy Anniversary, hot neighbor!

冷漠转火热的邻居

十四年前，在2007年7月25日，在韩国SBS电视台播出一部新电视剧“遇见完美邻居的方法”中，我们面对了一位冷漠的男人。

冷漠的尹俊锡出身于财阀世家。他把所有的感情都锁了起来，因为过去被爱伤害过，也从来没有体会过父爱。

但随着父亲身体虚弱而昏迷不醒，他不得不从国外回来掌家族企业。他显示冷漠、精明、无情的商人的面貌面对他人，和他古怪，但热情而简单，甚至有些人认为有点脑残的秘书有着正面的冲突。

但爱打破了他的防线，打开了他的心扉，最终把他变成了一位紧跟爱火的男人。

就像故事情节一样，这部电视剧和施厚君的角色开始缓慢而有点冷淡，但每集都变得越来越暖和，最后变得火热。这部剧让施厚君在 2007 年获得了SBS 电视剧新星奖，认可了这位崭露头角的韩流明星的潜力。

今天是“遇见完美邻居的方法”首播的第14周年，也是施厚君改变人生的一部作品！

姐妹们可否喜欢他的尹俊锡的小胡子？即使过了十四年，我仍然觉得偶吧Oppa看起来太可爱了！哈哈哈！😄

周年快乐，火热的邻居！

Credits – Many thanks! SBS “How to meet a perfect neighbor”, 조이뉴스24, My Daily, Newsen, ParkSihooSsi.com, ParkSihooHongKong.com

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