When your social medias still shows FoF content after months cuz you’re still stuck in the dream.https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOFzfdEEsmS/?igsh=MWUyY295bXBycW94aA==This…
It really hurts to see that only ZYZ smile in both frames. 😭😭💔
When your social medias still shows FoF content after months cuz you’re still stuck in the dream.https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOFzfdEEsmS/?igsh=MWUyY295bXBycW94aA==This…
I suppose, you didn't see constant comments about Rui's favoritism over HMH and CDL from regular users here )
You don’t have to. It doesn’t require an answer anyway. I explained in detail the reasons behind my opinions. If you’re not interested, feel free to skip it. I won’t hold it against you.
I suppose, you didn't see constant comments about Rui's favoritism over HMH and CDL from regular users here )
I don’t think that with peaceful/positive/welcoming section they mean one that aligns with their preferences, but rather one where people manage not to fight even when they disagree.
Anyway, you are probably talking about me, since I share this exact opinion, so I’ll explain why I feel this way and where these thoughts come from.
GJM’s personality is 💩. I really don’t know how many complaints I’ve read about how he treated actors, not just in this drama, but across his projects in general. Still, focusing on this drama specifically, there are several things that really stood out. For example, GJM reportedly forced some actors to follow very strict diets during filming. HMH was one of them, and he was even sick at the time. Then there’s the case where he apparently shouted at an acress just because she went to retouch her makeup, and he scolded her in front of the whole crew. That’s not professional behavior but just humiliation.
And when it comes to HMH specifically, I could make a whole list of how GJM mistreated him. Some claims are rumors, others are backed by actual evidence, but even if we consider only the verified facts, the picture is pretty clear. • After one month of filming, GJM deleted HMH’s Weibo post featuring an image of ZYZ, and replaced it with a comment like, “Your brother is the most handsome,” clearly referring to another actor. Later that night, HMH had to post a long message defending GJM publicly. • GJM would regularly ignore HMH’s comments under his posts, even while responding to others. One time, HMH left a simple comment inviting him to join in on the “Little Poem” dance, and he got badly bullied online for it, so much that it trended in the top 6 on Weibo. • HMH is a former SM trainee so a capable dancer. Yet during the filming of the “Little Poem” scene, GJM singled him out for “dancing differently from the others.” Now, that might not sound like a big deal, but when a director points something like that out during the first viewing of a scene, the criticism is pretty clear. (I remember watching that video before I knew anything about the bts situation, and I found it odd. In almost every dance I can recall, other actors stood out to me, as the weaker dancers. Still, they looked so happy and energetic that it didn’t matter, that joy was contagious. But for this reason, seeing HMH, who actually danced well being the one criticized felt off. Even without knowing the context, something didn’t sit right.) • Reuters showed that many of ZYZ’s scenes were cut or abruptly edited. According to fans, there’s enough deleted footage of HMH to fill six more episodes in a 34-episode drama. And those scenes showed how much more range he had, so much potential, completely wasted. • HMH was reportedly filming 18–26 hours a day with almost no rest. Often, he had just one short scene, yet was kept on set for 12+ hours in full costume and makeup, while other scenes were prioritized. . GJM could have simply called him in later, but chose not to. • According to some extras on set, HMH would regularly wait for hours, even in cold weather. After the drama wrapped, some of them shared posts commending his effort and perseverance. Here’s a letter written by someone on set confirming some of this: https://weibo.com/3844938586/O1kYpyERJ It describes HMH waiting for hours, being forgotten, mocked by crew members because of how GJM treated him, his busy schedule that not even one assistent could deal with but 2 were needed and so on.
Now, I’m not denying that GJM is good at what he does. The production quality overall was high, and GJM deserves credit for that. Maybe he even gave his actors direction, guidance, and feedback as any director should. But honestly, in HMH’s case, I’m not even sure that happened. I can only hope it did.
For better or worse, HMH still managed to approach and develop a character who was incredibly complex and full of potential, though much of it ended up underutilized. And after everything I’ve read and seen, I believe the success of that character is mostly, if not entirely, thanks to HMH himself. It was his talent, his dedication, and his performance that brought ZYZ to life. Even GJM himself admitted that.
So yes, the drama helped to elevate HMH’s popularity but the benefit was mutual. HMH’s portrayal of ZYZ boosted the drama’s success. I’ve seen plenty of criticism about the show, but even among those with complaints, HMH’s performance is consistently praised.
As for the claim that GJM opened up new roles for HMH...he has always played the “ancient boy” type. This drama is no different, it's exactly in line with his usual role style. So GJM didn’t reinvent his career or push him into new territory. At most, he gave HMH the space to refine and elevate his acting skills under a different kind of direction. If anything, it was his role as Wang Ye in I Am Nobody that marked a real turning point. That role showed a different side of HMH and brought in a new audience. And he got that role through his own efforts, he auditioned and landed it on merit alone.
All this to say: 1. GJM’s personality is awful. 2. GJM mistreated HMH. 3. GJM didn’t help HMH much, if anything, he made things harder. 4. GJM showed strong preference toward others over the main lead.
To come to my conclusion, I considered everything above plus the following FACTS: • GJM was both the director and the original writer. He had full creative control over the story and its direction. • GJM and the second male lead are from the same agency. • In productions of this scale, it’s standard practice to cast a main lead with experience and a strong fanbase to attract investment. That’s understandable. • And here’s another fact: many viewers, myself included, who had no idea about the bts issues still noticed something off. The second male lead was clearly given more focus and importance than the actual main character.
Just as one example: I came across an official drama site filled with photos of the second male lead, but almost none of the main lead. If I didn’t already know who the main character was, I never would have guessed it was ZYZ, not ZYC.
I wasn’t even a fan of HMH before this drama. I liked him in BFTB, but he was just one of many actors I enjoyed. So I came into this show neutral. Even then, I noticed things that felt strange, but it was only after digging deeper in bts that everything began to make sense "on screen". And the more I found, the clearer the full picture became.
That’s why I can confidently say that preferential treatment did happen. Not just because it makes sense here, but even because I’ve seen the same pattern in other dramas too. This isn’t unique. It’s a repeated, accepted practice, to promote certain actors, entire storylines get altered, often at the expense of the the drama itself. So when I talk about favoritism, I’m not hating on the actor who was favored. I'm criticizing the system because it's deeply flawed, and in this case, GJM as well, since his preferences didn’t seem uneven just on a technical or professional level. He didn’t just undermined HMH’s authority as the lead, many of his actions came off as unnecessary and clearly disrespectful, as if aimed at diminishing HMH not just as an actor, but as a person. That’s why I hold such a low opinion of him.
Of course, I’m not claiming to have the full truth, I’m simply encouraging others to read what I have read and decide for themselves.
I'm sorry but whenever I am watching Suifeng (I have a really love-hate relationship with him), I keep missing…
Can't deny that I like seeing him smile more. I'm happy I saw him first in FOF, where he showed a great deal of expression. He's good here too, but given the role, he's much more controlled, so there's less to see even though still enjoying it.
To play such a complex and layered character is a real challenge for any actor.He must still carry ZYZ within…
Every great actor puts a piece of himself into his roles. No wonder he still feels emotional about a character into which he poured his heart and soul, and Zyz must’ve been tough to play, on and off screen.😭💔💗
1
Hmh didn't even spare himself after FOF! 🤣😘
I did mention he was sick, but, as harsh as it sounds, it wasn’t necessary to make my point.
And I was worried I might be exaggerating if I added more.😘
Happy you are still here 🧡
I explained in detail the reasons behind my opinions. If you’re not interested, feel free to skip it.
I won’t hold it against you.
Anyway, you are probably talking about me, since I share this exact opinion, so I’ll explain why I feel this way and where these thoughts come from.
GJM’s personality is 💩.
I really don’t know how many complaints I’ve read about how he treated actors, not just in this drama, but across his projects in general. Still, focusing on this drama specifically, there are several things that really stood out.
For example, GJM reportedly forced some actors to follow very strict diets during filming. HMH was one of them, and he was even sick at the time.
Then there’s the case where he apparently shouted at an acress just because she went to retouch her makeup, and he scolded her in front of the whole crew.
That’s not professional behavior but just humiliation.
And when it comes to HMH specifically, I could make a whole list of how GJM mistreated him. Some claims are rumors, others are backed by actual evidence, but even if we consider only the verified facts, the picture is pretty clear.
• After one month of filming, GJM deleted HMH’s Weibo post featuring an image of ZYZ, and replaced it with a comment like, “Your brother is the most handsome,” clearly referring to another actor. Later that night, HMH had to post a long message defending GJM publicly.
• GJM would regularly ignore HMH’s comments under his posts, even while responding to others. One time, HMH left a simple comment inviting him to join in on the “Little Poem” dance, and he got badly bullied online for it, so much that it trended in the top 6 on Weibo.
• HMH is a former SM trainee so a capable dancer. Yet during the filming of the “Little Poem” scene, GJM singled him out for “dancing differently from the others.”
Now, that might not sound like a big deal, but when a director points something like that out during the first viewing of a scene, the criticism is pretty clear.
(I remember watching that video before I knew anything about the bts situation, and I found it odd.
In almost every dance I can recall, other actors stood out to me, as the weaker dancers. Still, they looked so happy and energetic that it didn’t matter, that joy was contagious.
But for this reason, seeing HMH, who actually danced well being the one criticized felt off. Even without knowing the context, something didn’t sit right.)
• Reuters showed that many of ZYZ’s scenes were cut or abruptly edited. According to fans, there’s enough deleted footage of HMH to fill six more episodes in a 34-episode drama. And those scenes showed how much more range he had, so much potential, completely wasted.
• HMH was reportedly filming 18–26 hours a day with almost no rest. Often, he had just one short scene, yet was kept on set for 12+ hours in full costume and makeup, while other scenes were prioritized. . GJM could have simply called him in later, but chose not to.
• According to some extras on set, HMH would regularly wait for hours, even in cold weather. After the drama wrapped, some of them shared posts commending his effort and perseverance.
Here’s a letter written by someone on set confirming some of this:
https://weibo.com/3844938586/O1kYpyERJ
It describes HMH waiting for hours, being forgotten, mocked by crew members because of how GJM treated him, his busy schedule that not even one assistent could deal with but 2 were needed and so on.
Now, I’m not denying that GJM is good at what he does.
The production quality overall was high, and GJM deserves credit for that.
Maybe he even gave his actors direction, guidance, and feedback as any director should.
But honestly, in HMH’s case, I’m not even sure that happened. I can only hope it did.
For better or worse, HMH still managed to approach and develop a character who was incredibly complex and full of potential, though much of it ended up underutilized.
And after everything I’ve read and seen, I believe the success of that character is mostly, if not entirely, thanks to HMH himself.
It was his talent, his dedication, and his performance that brought ZYZ to life.
Even GJM himself admitted that.
So yes, the drama helped to elevate HMH’s popularity but the benefit was mutual.
HMH’s portrayal of ZYZ boosted the drama’s success.
I’ve seen plenty of criticism about the show, but even among those with complaints, HMH’s performance is consistently praised.
As for the claim that GJM opened up new roles for HMH...he has always played the “ancient boy” type. This drama is no different, it's exactly in line with his usual role style. So GJM didn’t reinvent his career or push him into new territory. At most, he gave HMH the space to refine and elevate his acting skills under a different kind of direction.
If anything, it was his role as Wang Ye in I Am Nobody that marked a real turning point.
That role showed a different side of HMH and brought in a new audience. And he got that role through his own efforts, he auditioned and landed it on merit alone.
All this to say:
1. GJM’s personality is awful.
2. GJM mistreated HMH.
3. GJM didn’t help HMH much, if anything, he made things harder.
4. GJM showed strong preference toward others over the main lead.
To come to my conclusion, I considered everything above plus the following FACTS:
• GJM was both the director and the original writer. He had full creative control over the story and its direction.
• GJM and the second male lead are from the same agency.
• In productions of this scale, it’s standard practice to cast a main lead with experience and a strong fanbase to attract investment. That’s understandable.
• And here’s another fact: many viewers, myself included, who had no idea about the bts issues still noticed something off.
The second male lead was clearly given more focus and importance than the actual main character.
Just as one example: I came across an official drama site filled with photos of the second male lead, but almost none of the main lead. If I didn’t already know who the main character was, I never would have guessed it was ZYZ, not ZYC.
I wasn’t even a fan of HMH before this drama. I liked him in BFTB, but he was just one of many actors I enjoyed. So I came into this show neutral.
Even then, I noticed things that felt strange, but it was only after digging deeper in bts that everything began to make sense "on screen". And the more I found, the clearer the full picture became.
That’s why I can confidently say that preferential treatment did happen.
Not just because it makes sense here, but even because I’ve seen the same pattern in other dramas too. This isn’t unique.
It’s a repeated, accepted practice, to promote certain actors, entire storylines get altered, often at the expense of the the drama itself.
So when I talk about favoritism, I’m not hating on the actor who was favored.
I'm criticizing the system because it's deeply flawed, and in this case, GJM as well, since his preferences didn’t seem uneven just on a technical or professional level. He didn’t just undermined HMH’s authority as the lead, many of his actions came off as unnecessary and clearly disrespectful, as if aimed at diminishing HMH not just as an actor, but as a person. That’s why I hold such a low opinion of him.
Of course, I’m not claiming to have the full truth, I’m simply encouraging others to read what I have read and decide for themselves.
https://kisskh.at/discussions/the-story-of-mystics/133864-what-to-watch-after-fangs-of-fortune
Or check GJM's (the producer's) page for similar works, which may even vary greatly from one another.
https://kisskh.at/761731-the-resurrection-painted-skin
For the relese date you may try ask there.
But I know she’s doing well, she had a successful female-centered drama, and Xzx (YL) work in a drama with Cy. :)