The 2004 KBS drama More Beautiful Than a Flower was on my must-watch list because of misterX’s review, and because I love Noh Hee-kyung’s writing. Little did I know that I would strike gold there in the form of one actor. Can you pick him out from the collage below?
If you recognized Kim Myung-min in that collage, good for you! If you aren’t familiar with him, then quickly make a beeline for one of his works because this actor is GOLD. The real thing. Possibly the best Korean actor in the 30s age group today.
But it wasn’t “love at first sight” for me when I saw Kim Myung-min in More Beautiful Than a Flower (MBTAF). His character, Jang In-chul, was cold and snobbish, had hair the color of badly burnished wood, and gave off “I’m a womanizer, so hate me… I don’t give a damn” vibes.
I don’t remember the moment when I started to like him or his character. It was a gradual process, very much like how he and Han Go-eun’s character fell in love. MBTAF is the sort of drama where the characters just grow on you very slowly, kinda like peeling an onion layer by layer. Before you know it, you’ve come to love the characters and to root fiercely for them.
I do remember, though, that I loved Kim Myung-min’s voice the moment I heard it in MBTAF, and I continue to love it to this day. His sad scenes in the drama, where he was crying and his voice was breaking, were immensely moving. I had goosebumps watching him. There was something about his acting that was very appealing and attractive – restrained, understated…
Much as I loved listening to his voice in MBTAF, I loved his non-speaking scenes, too. He could express so much without speaking; his eyes were like pools… My own eyes lit up every time he appeared.
As the drama progressed and I fell more and more for this actor, I racked my brain for a reason why I found him so appealing. Finally it occurred to me: There was just something very sincere about Kim Myung-min and his acting. I tried to think of another character that I had seen in a kdrama that was similar to his Jang In-chul character in MBTAF and I couldn’t think of any. He was calm, sweet, dependable, sensible, classy, cool, confident, fun-loving… He listened, he had a wonderful smile that was not overly bright, a twinkle in his eyes… Sigh, he was perfect. And his acting was awesome.
Kim Myung-min. He didn’t strike me immediately in MBTAF but grew on me with each episode. By the end of the drama, I was a goner; I couldn’t get enough of him. I don’t think I ever will.
