Flower of Evil: The Epithet For Baek Hee Sung, The Psychopath

‘FLOWER OF EVIL’

THE EPITHET

FOR

BAEK HEE SUNG

THE PSYCHOPATH

Arang and The Magistrate (2012). Gunman in Joseon (2014). The Scholar Who Walks The Night (2015). Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016). Lawless Lawyer (2018). These are the dramas in which Lee Joon Gi plays the eponymous character. None can forget the titular magistrate, gunman, scholar, the 'Moon' and lawyer, all of which are refreshingly different. In his upcoming drama, Lee plays Baek Hee Sung, the psychopath. The question that is gnawing at our minds is, ‘Isn’t Lee playing the title character of ‘Flower of Evil’?’ The title of the drama, quite a puzzle, has been the subject of much speculation. To put the pieces of puzzle together, the 'Flower of Evil' has to be properly scrutinized. The argument is ‘Flower of Evil’ refers to Baek Hee Sung and no one else, as drama titles often highlight the chief character of the drama. Moreover, we can winnow out other characters as it is highly improbable that anyone else is as evil as a psychopath. One might be wrong. What is perplexing is: Can a man be considered to be ‘a flower’? Flowers, normally, symbolise women. Cha Ji Won, the wife of Baek Hee Sung, to begin with, is oblivious of the  psychopath in her home. An enemy within. The homicide detectives, likewise, have no inkling of the identity of the elusive psychopath. If one may hazard a guess, Baek Hee Sung could have left behind ‘a flower’ as his signature after every heinous murder – just to fulfil himself. The behavioural hallmark should earn the mysterious psychopath the epithet, Flower of Evil.  One may dismiss this as pure speculation but it sounds pretty convincing. Otherwise, how else can you explain it? The original title of the drama, ‘The Flower of Evil’ (T.F.O.E.) was replaced by ‘Flower of Evil (F.O.E.) much to the initial misgivings of some fans. The definite article, ‘The’ had been dropped to pave way for the shortened title, ‘Flower of Evil’.  Why remove ‘The’ from the title of the drama?’ The writer and the producers must have given much thought to the matter. There is no question in one’s mind that the new title, Flower of Evil and its initials, F.O.E., pack quite a punch. Without a doubt, Baek Hee Sung, the embattled psychopath is everyone’s FOE in the drama. In the original title, The FLOWER of EVIL, ‘The’ refers to someone who is specific. The word, ‘Flower’ in ‘The Flower of Evil, is a common noun. The definite article ‘The’ indicates that the flower is a specific, the one and only flower or the one and only man who is evil. In the new title, ‘FLOWER of EVIL’, the definite article ‘The’ has been dropped. Without ‘The’, ‘FLOWER’ becomes a proper noun. ‘FLOWER’ becomes the name of a person who is evil.  To make the explanation clearer, we can compare the previous name of the fairy tale, ‘The Beauty and the Beast’ to the Disney title, ‘Beauty and the Beast’. In the older title, the word ‘Beauty’ in ‘The Beauty’ is a common noun and refers to that specific, one and only beauty. ‘Beauty’ in the new title is a proper noun, another name for Belle.  ‘Flower of Evil’ is a poetic epithet, in the tradition of Homer. Epithets, which are names, abound in literature and elsewhere.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer#/media/File:Homer_British_Museum.jpg Homer The following Homeric epithets refer to certain characters in Homer’s works. Ghoul of the Cliffs Singers of death Curse of Men Raider of Cities Lord of the Clouds King of Men Pride of Greece Slayer of Men  Another interesting epithet is a well-known religious epithet. Prince of Peace. The name refers to Jesus. Now, we arrive at the conclusion. Flower of Evil is the epithet for Baek Hee Sung. One grins at one’s own cleverness. Lee has always played the hero and protagonist in his dramas. In this new drama, he is playing a villain for the first time. A psychopath. Although Lee’s fans can’t imagine him being the antagonist, they are waiting for him to show his antagonist chops. Some hopeful fans think that he might play two characters: The Good Twin and The Evil Twin. Wearing two different hats would mean that he would straddle the complex roles of the protagonist and the antagonist. Fans may not have the drama plot figured out yet but they are convinced that Lee Joon Gi will freak the audience out with his portrayal of the psychopath. It has been widely predicted that Flower of Evil will premiere on 1 July 2020. The 16-episode Wednesday-Thursday drama is written by Yoo Jung Hee, directed by Kim Cheol Gyu, and produced by Studio Dragon and MonsterUnion.

Lee Joon Gi: First IGTV Video 20.04.2020

LEE JOON GI

FIRST IGTV VIDEO

20.04.2020

LEE JOON GI FIRST IGTV VIDEO 20.04.2020 On 20.04.2020, a few days after his 39th birthday, Lee Joon Gi uploaded his first video to IGTV on Instagram. For some of Lee's global fans, his age is something of a puzzle. According to the international age system, Lee should be 38 years old on 17 April 2020. But, the unusual South Korean age-calculation system determines that South Korean babies are 1 year old on the day of their birth and on 1st January, they become a year older. THE FIRST VIDEO https://www.instagram.com/actor_jg/ https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17854372603900272/ It is hard not to laugh at Lee Joon Gi’s first video on IGTV. The content is from the 'behind-the-scenes' interaction between Lee Joon Gi and some cast members of SBS’s Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, a historical fiction drama masterpiece. Lee’s humorous video is a joyous acknowledgement or response to his global fans’ birthday greetings as well as their various 2020 projects that are carried out in his name. https://www.facebook.com/Kdramalink/videos/3022834564440566/UzpfSTE2ODcwMjk1NDE1MjcwNDE6MjY5MDM5OTM4NDUyMzM4MA/ What is interesting about the short video is, it demonstrates that Lee Joon Gi’s playful nature helps to transform the work atmosphere into an enjoyable and entertaining experience. Lee’s ability to entertain and amuse the various members of the cast of Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, as well as his global Instagram audience, is a God-given gift. The video, while not new, is a welcome relief and spirit booster. Watching such dynamic videos is more satisfying than poring over static images. Lee's fans fully understand his desire to use both videos and photographs to stay fully connected with them. The born entertainer and actor, who has a sparkling reputation, has been uploading interesting and unique stories on Instagram for many years. The amusing content of his posts is loved wholly by his global audience. One must draw attention to the fact that the hilarious video brings back fond and beautiful memories of Lee’s sterling and unforgettable performance in the 2016 drama. The importance of the drama does not diminish with the passage of time. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo is approaching its fourth anniversary. Since 2016, the global audience, including his legions of international fans, have been raving over his remarkable acting as well as the drama masterpiece. They, too, have been ranting about the heart-rending ending. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo viewers are, generally, struck by Lee Joon Gi’s charisma and dynamic screen presence. His brilliant performance has won critical acclaim;  Lee’s solid reputation as a great actor and his popularity have skyroketed not only in Asia but also, the rest of the world.   What strikes the global audience is that Lee Joon Gi stands apart from many of the superstars in Asia. The salient fact is that Lee has the genuine and passionate support of his multitude of international fans. One astounding example is that they are willing to make huge efforts to ensure that his every birthday is memorable. What they do probably stems from their sincere love for him. It is the perfect picture that gives a clue to the secret of what makes a great superstar like him GREAT.  So, how did Lee’s global fans celebrate his birthday this year? His global fan community, in groups and individually, designed beautiful virtual birthday cards with heart-warming 'Happy Birthday' wishes for him. He was also showered with Insta Birthday love and well-wishes. In fact, he received Instagram notifications in the thousands. A significant birthday gift was the 20-second digital billboard clip which highlighted all of Lee’s dramas. The high visibility ‘birthday campaign’ ran from 17 to 19 April in Myeongdong (Seoul), one of the most expensive shopping districts in the world. In addition, his global fans, as a community, and as individual fan clubs specifically from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and South Korea carry out charitable, health, conservation, educational and other environmental projects in his name. It is impressive that his fans still remember to do good deeds despite the difficult times. Their generosity of spirit and unflagging efforts are inspiring; they make the lives of others immeasurably brighter and the world better. All these speak volumes. This is a picture of a great superstar who exerts a positive influence on his global fans. Lee Joon Gi is truly humbled and deeply touched; his new video post on Instagram entitled, ‘For Us  –  Cause of You Guys’, says it all. It speaks of his gratitude towards his fans. Lee's rendering of his 2018 song, ‘For Us’, from his Delight album, is truly superb. FOR US CAUSE OF YOU GUYS https://www.instagram.com/p/B_L9sMdF2Kk/ https://www.instagram.com/actor_jg/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/p/B_L9sMdF2Kk/ Lee Joon Gi’s ginormous influence in the world of Kdrama and Kpop fandom marks him as a superstar who stands in the very first rank of great actors and entertainers in the Asian showbusiness industry.