LEE JOON GI
AND
PARK MIN YOUNG
CRAFTERS
OF
TVN’S
GROUNDBREAKING
2017
CANDY IN MY EAR
REALITY DRAMA
CANDY IN MY EAR
REALITY DRAMA
LEE JOON GI
AND
PARK MIN YOUNG
CRAFTERS
OF
TVN’S
GROUNDBREAKING
2017 CANDY IN MY EAR
REALITY DRAMA
Remember TVN’s 2017 Candy In My Ear show featuring none
other than Lee Joon Gi (Red Ginseng) and Park Min Young (Bunny Bunny)? The magic and chemistry of the two actors unfold in the creative and ground-breaking reality drama, a romantic-comedy which is an amalgam of reality and imagination. The four-segment (4th – 7th) show diverges
drastically from the preceding segments of Candy In My Ear. The performance of the two thespians is so awesome
that the audience are reduced to tears at the end of the show. The
overwhelming impact of the show in 2017 increased media coverage and drew even more attention to
the actors.
RED GINSENG
BUNNY BUNNY
Unsurprisingly, their segments were such a whopping success
that the show clinched the No 1 and 2 spots for the most viewed videos on
Naver.com. TVN has been riding high on its ‘Golden Age of Creativity’ wave with
many spectacular achievements by both since then.
Some members of the audience, who have over-imaginative minds, expressed their ‘sneaking suspicions’ that Lee Joon Gi and Park Min Young have a thing for each other. To their disappointment, they discovered at the end of the unique and ground-breaking reality drama that the exciting romance
that is conjured up in their minds is just an illusion that does not exist in reality.
The show invites the viewers to explore a range of issues concerning reality, imagination and romantic fantasy. It presents a pertinent question, ‘What is reality and what is imagination?’ It is true that some viewers of Kshows cannot distinguish 'Between Reality and Fantasy' nor understand the difference 'Between Fact and Fiction'. They are unwitting victims of their own fantasies and wild imagination and they unquestioningly accept the appearances that are presented on the screen. The Lee Joon Gi-Park Min Young reality drama is probably the right show to bring that truth to light.
As it turned out, many brains were actually messed up. Some viewers had
erroneously thought that a romance was brewing.
A Reign of Error began. To say the least, some delusional viewers spent a considerable part of their time trapped in their own imagination. They should be hauled over the coals for mistaking virtual appearances for reality. There were also malicious comments from anti-fans but such internet comments could have been motivated by jealousy and rivalry. REALITY AND IMAGINATION
It is undeniable that scripts, however minimal, are prerequisites of TV shows. Scriptwriters craft the plot lines and shape the story. Clever
editing produces a different feel and effect. Some viewers of the Lee Joon Gi-Park Min Young show are convinced that the show is scripted. The two actors play themselves in their own romantic comedy. If ‘Reality’ exists side by
side with ‘Fantasy’, would viewers be able to distinguish between them?
The Lee Joon Gi-Park Min Young show starts with the REALITY part
in Segment 4 for Lee Joon Gi and Segment 5 for Park Min Young.
REALITY
A. The Interview: Lee Joon Gi and the Production Director
B. The hilarious interaction between Lee Joon Gi and an unknown caller
C. News about Lee Joon Gi’s Fan Concert in Taiwan and Hong Kong
D. A peek into the homes of Lee Joon Gi and Park Min Young
E. Conversations with the production crew
THE
INTERVIEW
In the February 2017 pre-travel interview, Lee Joon Gi is given
a booklet which looks like a travel guide for Italy but many believe it contains
a script for the show as it is often seen in his hands or is placed next to him in the
show.
Script or booklet with guidelines
on the table
Lee Joon Gi reads his booklet
 
When Lee Joon Gi is questioned about his personal life, he divulges
that he often feels very lonely.
It isn’t surprising that famous
and popular celebrities with many fans and admirers can feel lonely or have
bouts of loneliness. They are lonely even though they have friends and are
involved in various activities. Loneliness is different from solitude. One
can feel lonely in a crowd of people or in the presence of a partner whom one
feels no connection with.
Celebrities can feel lonely if
they have to refrain from having an open and meaningful relationship with their beloved. They
find it difficult to have romantic relationships for fear of repercussions. It
may be overwhelming for them to think about venturing out freely with friends, including those of the opposite sex or even people not from the industry. Plagued by
feelings of isolation and disconnection from life itself, loneliness descends on them. It is fundamentally that sense of loneliness that they have to
deal with.
HILARIOUS
INTERACTION WITH AN UNKNOWN CALLER
Lee is given a mobile phone to converse with his Candy but his first caller, whom many suspect to be Choi Ji Woo, asks him a series of trivial questions. Lee is also requested to sing a song. 
He is informed that he would be travelling to Florence, the
setting of the 2001 romantic Japanese movie, ‘BETWEEN CALM AND PASSION’. One of the production staff tells him
that the theme of the show is REUNION and his inspiration would be from the
movie.
The enigmatic message to Lee is: ‘Someone you miss will be
there - someone you love the most’.
The Japanese movie speaks of a couple who have lost contact with each other but are happily reunited after a lapse of 10 years. The imagination of the audience runs wild when they realise that Lee Joon Gi and Park Min Young had worked together 10 years ago. It does seem so tantalisingly romantic for those who know about their past connection. But, Lee is not told that the deliciously beautiful Park Min Young would be his secret Candy.  
Is it outrageous to suggest that the intelligent and experienced Lee Joon Gi is not able to guess
that his Candy is Park Min Young, his friend and SPRIS advertisement
collaborator in 2007? Lee Joon Gi and Park Min Young were in the flush of
youth then and had probably made a great impression on each other.
LEE
JOON GI’S FAN CONCERTS IN TAIPEI AND HONG KONG
Between 2016 and 2017 Lee Joon Gi held several fan concerts in Asia but
the ones which are mentioned in the show are his 8 January 2017 fan concert
in Taipei and 22 January 2017 fan concert in Hong Kong.
Lee Joon Gi at Incheon International Airport
Departure 7 January 2017
Lee Joon Gi at Taoyuan International Airport
Arrival 7 January 2017
TAIPEI FAN CONCERT
8 January 2017
Lee Joon Gi at Taoyuan International Airport
Departure 9 January 2017
Lee Joon Gi at Hong Kong International Airport
Arrival 21 January 2017
Hong Kong Fan Concert
22 January 2017
A
PEEK INTO HIS HOME
The two superstars allow the viewers a quick peek into their homes, travel bags and their interaction with their pets.
Having been born in the year of the dog, Lee Joon Gi seems to
have an affinity with dogs. His love and affection for his well-disciplined
and adorable pet dogs, Joon (white) and Gabi (black), is unmistakable.
Viewers also learn that Lee is neat, tidy and meticulous. It is
not surprising that he loves spicy food but it is indeed interesting that he cannot
do without his special chilli powder and has packed some in his luggage.
Segment 4
A
PEEK INTO HER HOME
 Segment 5
Park Min Young, like Lee Joon Gi, is energetic and lively and
is a dog lover. It seems pretty amusing that she calls herself ‘Mommy’ and treats
her pet dog, named Leon, like her child. She ends the reality part of the
show rather cheekily, ‘Red Ginseng, I’m
coming!’
Ahhhh…How does she know that Lee Joon Gi’s moniker is Red
Ginseng so early in the show?
CONVERSATIONS
WITH THE PRODUCTION CREW
Lee Joon Gi talks with production
crew
It has been observed that both thespians regularly interact with
the production crew throughout the shooting of the show.
 
LEE
JOON GI
AND PARK MIN YOUNG
CRAFTERS
OF THE CANDY IN MY EAR REALITY DRAMA 
With regular verbal cues and prompting from the PD and the
scriptwriters, Lee Joon Gi and Park Min Young, the two imaginative and
ingenious actors, have crafted a romantic comedy in a reality drama.
At one point when Lee is in the Duomo, the Production Director
says, ‘Think about what happened in the
movie.’
 The show is ground-breaking in that it provides fresh perspectives on how certain variety shows could be crafted into ‘romantic comedy-reality dramas'.
The romantic comedy is about the friendship between a man and a woman who are reunited after 10 years. Even
without the heavy editing of the reality drama by the production staff, the powerful
chemistry between Lee Joon Gi and Park Min Young is very much evident.
According to Park Min Young, the segments of their show have been
edited to give the appearance of a whiff of romance between Red Ginseng and Bunny Bunny.
“Of
course, there are some parts that I wish had gone better, but my heart
fluttered while watching the program myself. Though the show’s concept is
friendship between females and males, the way the episodes were edited made
it seem romantic. My actions were more interesting and immersive to the
viewer so I enjoyed watching it.”
ROMANTIC COMEDY
REALITY DRAMA
THE
PREMISE
What is the premise for the show? Two friends, whose identity
is kept in the dark from each other, interact, exchange confidences and get
to know each other through their mobile phone. In their long-distance
relationship, Lee Joon Gi
uses the moniker, Red Ginseng, to mask his identity from Park Min Young
whereas the latter uses the sobriquet, Bunny Bunny.
THE
THEME
REUNION 
Lee Joon Gi was informed right from the start that the theme of
the Candy In My Ear show is ‘REUNION’, with particular reference to the
romantic Japanese movie, ‘BETWEEN CALM AND PASSION’.
Lee would reunite with someone from his past. The unknown person is Park Min Young, a friend who had collaborated with him in a few projects 10 years ago. Both would create a romantic comedy based on their past experiences, while keeping in mind the story of Junsei and Aoi.
  
Yutaka Takenouchi (Junsei Agata)
and Kelly Chen (Aoi) starred in the 2001 movie.
Aoi, a student from Hong Kong
and Junsei, a Japanese student were former lovers when they studied in a
Japanese university. However, they parted ways due to a misunderstanding.
Junsei was in Florence, Italy
when he learnt that Aoi, his former girlfriend, was living with a wealthy
businessman in Milan, Italy.
Junsei remembered the promise
they had made about meeting on top of the Duomo Cathedral in Florence on her
30th birthday. He wanted to find out whether they were fated to be
together.
A Promise Kept: on the Terrcotta-Red roofed
Duomo
The Duomo in Florence is a place for lovers to declare eternal love for each other. Junsei and Aoi are finally reunited in the Duomo after a lapse of ten (10) years.
To get into the romantic mood, Red Ginseng re-enacts a scene from the movie. He follows the
footsteps of Junsei by cycling through the streets of Florence right up to
the Piazza del Duomo.
  
The PD could be heard prompting Red Ginseng. ‘The theme is Between Calm and Passion,
isn’t it? Think about what happened in the movie.’
 
THE
SETTING
The settings for the conversation of the hilarious duo are
Florence (Red Ginseng) and Venice (Bunny Bunny), two of the most romantic cities of the world. Florence
is known as the Renaissance City while Venice is known as the Floating
City.
Red Ginseng also travels to San Gimignano in Tuscany, a city 'frozen in time'. Is their relationship also frozen in a time warp and needs to be thawed? It is spring 2017. It is symbolic that the snow has thawed.
San Gimignano in Tuscany
San Gimignano in Tuscany
Bunny Bunny (Park Min Young) finds herself in the midst of the
magical Carnival of Venice which is world famous for the parade of people
wearing elaborate masks and sumptuous costumes.
In 2017, the carnival was celebrated between 11 February and 28
February.
Venetian masks
Bunny Bunny gives clues to Red Ginseng about her whereabouts in
Italy. Throughout their conversation, Red Ginseng maintains that he has no
knowledge of Venice and the mask festival.
Fans know that Lee Joon Gi had already been to Italy. His
Chinese movie, ‘Never Said Goodbye’
was shot in southern Italy in 2016. He knows about the Mask
Carnival because he has a Venetian mask in his display cabinet. Red Ginseng is
just joking with his unsuspecting Candy.
Lee Joon Gi in Italy 2016
Middle bottom image: Top left corner
- a Venetian mask
 
There are many entertaining moments in the show. Imagine Red
Ginseng preparing the spaghetti dish by breaking the pasta sticks instead of steeping
them in boiling water. The audience must have found the whole situation
hilariously funny.
Don’t be fooled - Lee is familiar with the art of cooking
spaghetti. In an interview conducted a long time ago, Lee Joon Gi confided
that he loves cooking spaghetti, one of his favourite dishes, at home.
Slipping easily into the roles of Red Ginseng and Bunny Bunny,
Lee Joon Gi and Park Min Young play their romantic characters to the hilt. They flirt and enjoy bantering with each
other. The audience are beside themselves with excitement; they are completely smitten and entertained by the cheeky and
naughty pair.
There is a scene when Bunny Bunny turns away from the camera. Is
she trying to hide her laughter when Red Ginseng laughingly calls out, ‘I’m
waiting for you!’
Is Red Ginseng pulling our legs when he chuckles merrily, ‘Don’t
know why my heart beats so fast!’ Naughty. Naughty. Naughty.
When the audience is told that Bunny Bunny is touched by Red
Ginseng’s words, many must have sat up and taken notice. ‘Is Bunny Bunny’s
heart racing furiously?’
Does Red Ginseng have any difficulty in making the audience
laugh? None to speak of.
Watch Red Ginseng’s uproarious antics on his bed in Florence
the next morning.
 
There is a scene when Bunny Bunny ventures into forbidden territory.
Are you scandalised when she declares in a tantalising tone in segment 6, ‘We were once so close that I could feel your
body heat!’ Is she implying that
his body temperature rose due to their close physical contact?
 
It certainly makes a good talking
point and Red Ginseng’s curiosity is aroused. Their subsequent interaction
reveals that Red Ginseng has the gift of the gab.
Bunny Bunny also adds an interesting detail. They met each
other not too long ago. Red Ginseng could probably figure out that he had encountered
her during the 28th KBS Drama Awards in 2014. In fact, Bunny Bunny briefly interviewed Red Ginseng
during the presentation of the KBS Couple Award in 2014.
  
Lee Joon Gi won the Excellence Award as well as the Best Couple
Award (with Nam Sang Mi) for Gunman In Joseon at the show. He received his second Best Actor Award at the Seoul International Drama Awards for Gunman In Joseon in 2015.
RED GINSENG BEING INTERVIEWED BY BUNNY
BUNNY
RED GINSENG
WAS STANDING RIGHT BEHIND HIS CANDY
In segment 7, Red Ginseng travels by the high-speed train, Italo, from Florence to Venice to meet
up with Bunny Bunny, his friend from the past.
 
The camera captures many beautiful moments of the two friends. Before
they meet and talk face to face, Red Ginseng sits on the steps of the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute
where he has his last phone conversation with Bunny Bunny. It is one the most
touching scenes in the show. Red Ginseng plays havoc with the audience’s
emotions when he affectionately tells Bunny Bunny, ‘Min Young, please be
happy.’ He also wishes her happiness.
   
Their eventual meeting, a very emotional one, is in Punta Della
Dogana on the left bank of the Grand Canal in Venice. It is another beautiful
moment in time and the audience are lucky to witness it.
  
Punta Della Dogana lies at the entrance to the Grand Canal and
is located next to the Basilica di
Santa Maria della Salute. The choice of the location for their meeting is perfect.
The burning question is: ‘Is Red Ginseng in love with Bunny
Bunny?’ The excited audience must have been living in hopes that the
ending would turn out well.
The two friends have gone on a journey to reconnect with each
other. They stand in the Dogana da Mar which has a distinctive tower topped
with a large bronze sphere and a statute of Fortuna, the Goddess of Fortune.
When they gaze at each other, a mood of melancholy descends on the viewers.
Red Ginseng advises Bunny Bunny to be happy and confides that
he misses her. His whole bearing, kindly manner and steady gaze suggest that she
is merely a friend and nothing more. The show’s unexpected ending tugs at the
heartstrings of the viewers who fall to pieces.
Fortuna, the Goddess of Fortune, acts as both a weather-vane and as a symbol of the unpredictability of fate. So, where do the winds of romance blow in this heart-breaking scene? Is romantic love out of the question? One can make an educated guess.
 The viewers are reminded of the song that he had played to her the night before, ‘I’m Not The Only One’ by Sam Smith.  
Don’t viewers love to dream and live in an imaginary world? One
wouldn’t be surprised to know that they love to imagine the secret romantic
lives of the superstars whom they admire and weave romantic fantasies about
them.
To the analytical thinkers, the reality drama appears to be an ‘elaborate deception’ to stimulate thinking among viewers. The audience have to re-watch the 4 segments to understand the unique show and to find the truth for themselves. In the end, a show is just, well, a show for entertainment.
 
It is a masterstroke for the production crew to have teamed Lee
Joon Gi with Park Min Young for the show. Together, the charming and gorgeous
pair have crafted, in essence, an innovative romantic comedy, which is
drenched in 'reality and fantasy'. A paradox. Their collective imagination and
creativity, delicious chemistry plus their amazing performance have not only
electrified the viewers but also moved them to tears. The reality drama, which is in a
league of its own, has blazed a trail in the field of entertainment and provided a shot in the arm that Kshows so badly need.
Now that the viewers realise that the Lee Joon Gi-Park Min Young Candy In My Ear show
is a romantic comedy-reality drama, they
want some answers. TVN should now release the special segment of the show that has been shelved. The long wait is more than
the viewers had bargained for.
Perhaps, Lee Joon Gi should have a spin-off series of
his own in which he travels to other interesting countries such as Turkey,
Argentina, China etc. and have deep conversations with his other friends including older ones about issues
like health, food, love, social problems, beauty routines, gems of wisdom and so on.
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