The Khotties of Kchat Jjigae

I bet all you hardcore fans thought this would be a BTS themed post but nope, it’s not. As you are reading this, I will be wandering through the streets of Brussels, waffle in one hand, frites in the other. While my travel will happen with a lot less fanfare (and hopefully less interesting fashion choices) it seemed like a good rationale to see idols and actors in transit. And if you can recognize your bias at the airport you should be able to recognize them anywhere…#klife in the wild.

When I asked SaraG to send me her favorite photo of Lee Jung Shin at the airport, I woke up the next morning to a large number of photos and the comment of “well, sh*t, I feel down a hole of looking at LJS at airports. I love them all. shoot me”. 

Can’t ignore all the effort SaraG put in. 

E’Dawn and Hui, always the cutest couple…and Pentagon’s newest comeback is solid!

Bambam seriously looked amazing in every airport photo. And this summer you might catch him at an airport near you…if you’re lucky enough to live in a kpop popular US city. 

What’s up Taecyeon!

Thanks to his new drama Radio Romance, I’m just slightly obsessed with Yoon Doo Joon. 

Jimin is almost always one of the best dressed when traveling…#savejimin

Younghwa…might not be best dressed but I’ll take it.

The best part of a themed post is being able to feature younger idols…like The8. 

Never enough opportunities to look at Monsta X members…hi Wonho!

My favorite…Hyungwon.

And because he looks so good…Minhyuk.

Meet Mark from NCT (and some others). 

And of course, we can’t forget the picture that launched the career of many a BTS fanfic writer…

Don’t worry T.O.P., I’d be happy to go back to Europe when you’re done with the military. 

Hi, this is LizC tagging in for my first post at KChat Jjigae. As a long-time reader and fan, I’m very excited to add a small contribution to the Khottie canon.

Now, I know that there has been a long standing rule about only featuring age-appropriate* Khotties, but I am nothing if not a rule-breaker. Let’s take a peek at this young, up-and-coming idol.

Look up at those alluring eyes. Who could it be?

This recently-debuted** youngster is drawing attention with his composition and production skills and sweet smiles. But this young cutie is already known for his willingness to show off his abs,

And his defined back:  

This innocent baby is probably more comfortable showing off just a hint of skin.

Or, maybe not.

Just a few weeks*** into his career, this debutant is already the king of concepts.

(Can you guess which is his “good side”?)

He’s already conquered the US airwaves by collaborating with the hottest teen sensations on the other side of the Pacific.

(Take that, BTS!)

Please welcome this new Khottie, who I am sure is going to jump the top of everyone’s bias list!

Bonus! Here’s a sneak preview of the upcoming KHotties for April, 2018****!

    *nobody said anything about an upper age limit

**1994

***288 weeks, but who’s counting

Do you ever have those groups where you really want to love them, where you enjoy their music, follow them on social media but have never connected on another level? For me, Got7 has always been one of those groups. I always enjoy their music, I was excited to see them at KCON last summer and SaraG can attest that for one 48 hour period I thought JB might be the one (following a marathon of Dream Knight). But for me, it’s never moved beyond that point.

Got7 had a comeback early March and will be kicking off a world tour in May with stops in the US. Thanks to the Khottie calendar I was informed that this week is Jackson’s 24th birthday and it felt like a good time to highlight a member of a group that I’ll never fully appreciate.

Meet Jackson.   

He was born in Hong Kong and is fluent in multiple languages. 

He was offered a scholarship to Stanford for fencing but turned it down to be an idol. 

He’s well known for working out and is not afraid to forget a shirt on occasion. 

Quite often actually. 

I’m sure some of us wonder if he has an allergy to shirts.

Even with a shirt not much is left to the imagination. 

I would like to be clear that I am not complaining. 

With or without a shirt this boy knows what he’s doing. 

But I also discovered that he’s just plain cute too. 

With a love for animals (honestly not sure who is cuter). 

Animals of any kind.

All levels of cute. 

Happy Birthday, Jackson!! 

Maybe it’s the feelings of spring but this past week I decided to get all my Khottie notes organized, populate the Khottie calendar and make an attempt to get ahead of the weekly post. And yes, there really is a Khottie calendar so we can track who turns 24 when…serious business here at Kchat Jjigae. When I had first started writing Khottie I had thrown together a list of possible ideas, turns out I hadn’t reviewed that list since I wrote it months ago…and there were some good ideas.

Meet Choi Woo Shik. 

For me, he will always be the baseball player from Train To Busan who I cheered hard for.

But he was also in Rooftop Prince (cute drama which you should watch if you haven’t). 

He’s also cute. 

And even though he always looks so young he will be 28 on March 26th. 

He lived in Canada for 10 years in his teens…means we can communicate!

I do love fake freckles.

He played a not so nice character in Fight My Way.

Has anyone watched Hogu’s Love…it has an intriguing description. 

There were even rumors that he and Park Seo Joon were in a relationship. 

I saw my first robin while walking the dog yesterday which has always been one of the signs that spring is on the way (we’re going to ignore that Lucy tried hard to chase the robin…she must still want winter). While the comebacks never stop in the world of Kpop to me there is something slightly more special about a comeback in the spring months…and thankfully there are lots to be had. Today’s khottie is a suggestion from SaraG and Winner just put out their first comeback teaser…perfect timing if you ask me.

Lee Seung Hoon, stage name Hoony, is singer/rapper. 

SaraG would like you to notice that he has a nose piercing. 

YG might not be my favorite agency but they do give their idols a certain level of freedom…tattoos and piercings.

And I’d like to point out he has a really cute smile. 

He does the sexy well. 

Did someone say sexy?

Apparently, he choreographed a flash mob performance for G-Dragon. 

He has an Italian Greyhound. 

He wants to learn how to play tennis. 

And has been an impressive model. 

He’s known for his freestyle dancing. 

Apparently, post birthday is the time for trying new things. In the past week or so I’ve had homemade Japanese curry (made by a native), tried a new exercise class (which has left my legs in a state of jellied shock), and played tennis (which isn’t new but given I haven’t touched my racquet since September it might as well be). As part of this spate of newness I also watched my first Japanese drama. At some point over the last year, I’d watched a Japanese movie based on a manga with SaraG but that was the extent of my knowledge or interest…

I stumbled across Last Cinderella on someone’s MyDramaList article titled Top 10 “So bad, but So Good” Dramas. What intrigued me was that the reviewer called out the fact it was a ‘mature’ drama (which you never see in kdrama) and the main female lead was in her late 30s (which you rarely see in kdrama). I watched the show in less than a week and loved it…for the fact it went places that you hardly see in kdrama and for this male lead (if you read the drama description you’ll realize there are two male leads, the other was good but not as good).

Miura Haruma  is a Japanese actor who made his debut in the Jpop group Brash Brats.

I tried to find a Brash Brats video but no luck…they appear to have been on hiatus since they debuted. 

He’s 27.

And mainly known for his acting. 

According to Wikipedia, he’s been single since November.

He has had the most amazing assortment of hairstyles.

All of which have looked good.

Like really good.

Not sure anything would look bad on him.

And they sure tried.

But seriously nothing. 

He has done few lighthearted dramas.

And if you know where to find them please share.

My first exposure to LizC was the story of how she met Stephanie and Cherry at KCON LA, they all went to see Big Bang Made and Stephanie gave LizC the Seungri posters she had picked up. I remember LizC saying that the poster was going over her bed and thinking “wow, here’s someone who is loud and proud of her love of #klife…how awesome!” Two years in, I’m slowly getting there and much of that is due to being able to call LizC friend and her #klife awesome rubbing off (LizC you’ll be pleased to know I’m writing this post listening to N.Flying).

Lee Seung Hyun, much better known by his stage name Seungri, is the maknae of Big Bang and resident playboy. As my UB happens to be in Big Bang I’ve never paid much attention to him but it’s been fun to see other sides of him through this post (and we might have watched the Big Bang episode of Running Man on Friday night). GD and Taeyang enter the military in the next couple of weeks and because I’ve been listening to Big Bang non-stop most of the past week it felt fitting to honor them (and LizC) in this week’s post.

Meet Seungri.

He actually is cute.

Silly cute. 

Boyfriend cute.

And he has a really nice smile (I’ll be honest, it took me longer than it should have to recognize him). 

Then there’s that other side…little less cute, little more sexy. 

This is the Seungri I’m more familiar with. 

And this side of him. 

He does sexy very well…

Or when you read about some of his escapades…

He might drive the rest of the group crazy but they love their maknae.

Birthdays not only remind you that you are a year older (and hopefully a year wiser) but more importantly that it’s the people you have in your life that matter most. This year I was reminded over and over how many amazing people there are in my life and how lucky I am to call them friend and family. So as a thank you to all those amazing people I put together this small present.

You might be wondering why I would choose someone like Hyungwon as a present. And I would tell you that there are so many reasons as to why I would make that choice. He’s like the perfect present, somewhat vague and non-descript on the surface but the more you unwrap the more in love you fall. Monsta X was a group that I was always somewhat aware of but because I was obsessed with BigBang and BTS for quite a long time I never paid much attention (except to Hero, I could watch that video over and over and over). From the beginning, Shownu was the only MX member I could identify quickly and as a result, he defaulted to bais. I was happy with that status until a few months ago when I discovered the awesome that is the sexy beanpole.

Meet Hyungwon.

He’s beautiful, but to me always seemed lacking emotion (or anything) in his expressions. SaraG says it comes from his days of modeling.

I admired him as a member of Monsta X.

But then I met H.ONE. It’s his DJing stage name and with it comes a whole different persona (or maybe I just was ready to see what he’d been trying to show all along). This is not the best video but it’s a great glimpse of H.ONE in action.

After meeting H.ONE I was intrigued and desperate to know more.

Turns out he is a goofy idiot.

Who has the most amazing lips.

And is the tallest member of Monsta X. 

Totally a sexy beanpole. 

Who happens to be absolutely amazing with children (DO NOT watch this show if you don’t want to fall in love). 

Did I say sexy beanpole? (HIs comment after this show was “I didn’t mean to show my underwear.”)

Who has a beautiful smile and is full of expressive emotions. 

Part of me wants to keep him all to myself but that wouldn’t be fair to all the amazing people in my life. 

Or to him, because everyone should know. 

If you are a stickler for rules and regulations you’ll know that I’m technically featuring this idol eight days ahead of his 24th birthday. BUT it’s SaraG’s birthday and sometimes you have to break the rules…especially for your Kbestie! Besides, I know the Kchat Jjigae head honcho is soft for this guy (and SaraG) so my guess is that she’ll let it slide.

From the very beginning, Hoseok (aka JHope) was SaraG’s BTS bias. He was chosen for her by a Soompi quiz and to this day she has remained faithful to that fateful choice. For me, Hoseok was one of the first BTS members that I could easily identify but, maybe cause I’ve always known he and SaraG were meant to be together, I’ve never fully appreciated all he brings to BTS and #klife.

In case you really do have no clue who he is…but seriously how can you not know? 

His ‘role’ in the group is often as the sunshine…with such a bright smile it’s not hard to see why.

He’s not afraid to be silly.

He’s not afraid to show his love.

Especially his love for Jimin…#savejimin.

He’s not afraid to be sexy.

Or sexy and silly.

The perfect combo of sexy and silly.

SaraG might need help breathing sexy.

Rapper sexy and cool.

He’s not considered one of the visuals of the group but damn he sure is pretty to look at.

So pretty.

The caption for this photo online was “lucky pole”. SaraG, just imagine it’s you.

You can follow Hoseok, along with the rest of BTS, on Twitter at @bts_bighit.

I wish I could say it’s been cold enough in Denver to warrant this post but we’ve had an almost tropical winter so far. There’s been barely any snow in the city, which makes me sad but then I remember I have to shovel my sidewalks and I become a little less sad. Instead, this post is the result of moaning to Stephanie late one night about not having any ideas for khottie and her saying “you should do idols in sweaters.” And when your blog writing boss says do idols in sweaters you do idols in sweaters.

Because I’m just a tiny bit obsessed with iKON these days it only seems fair to start with Jinhwan. 

Or my obsession within an obsession…his solo rap One and Only…sighs

A well-worn sweater shows collarbones…

And when your blog boss says idols in sweaters you make sure to include at least one of her favorites.

A sweater edition wouldn’t be complete without the original creator of sweater paws…#savejimin.

Nothing says winter like sweaters in bed.

Yes yes Sehun, we know you wear a sweater just as well as anyone else.

It was nice to see that you are doing well in the military…the turtleneck sweater just leaves so much to the imagination.

Can’t you just imagine being wrapped up in this sweater with Eunhyuk.

This one is for KpopontheDL as she’s been killing us with the NCT photos/videos…meet WinWin…in a sweater.

Because I love KpopontheDL and she loves Zico.

And because SaraG will get all cranky if I forget her or Lee Jung Shin.

Why are you hiding your beautiful face in that beautiful sweater Nam Joo Hyuk?

Do you ever think about the secrets in your closet, the things that might be scandal worthy if they were ever to see the light of day? Occasionally when walking the dog, I think about running for political office and what the skeletons might be that would force me to resign…would Khottie be enough to force my resignation. 

Jay Park is an idol with many scandals in his past. He was a former member of 2PM (I’d apologize for my current fixation with them but I’m really not sorry) and now has his own label, H1GHR Music, which features mostly hip-hop artists. To be honest he doesn’t really do it for me but I’ve learned over my years in #klife that you can appreciate them without being their soulmate.

It was hard to find a picture of him fully clothed.

Usually, he’s like this…

Or like this…

Or like this…

Or like this…

I honestly didn’t think I was going to find many if any, pictures of him not shirtless.

But then I found this…look at those cute ears!

Turns out he can be just plain cute.

Like really cute.

Boy next door cute.

Suave and sophisticated cute.

He really is cute.

But let’s be honest, this is how we usually think of him.

Or like this.

I’m on a supernatural/ghost focused drama kick at the moment. First, it was The Masters Sun (per my goal to watch everything Seo In Guk) and this week it’s been Let’s Fight, Ghost. The show is awesome and surprisingly unnerving. Every night after watching an episode, I convinced the dog that she should sleep on the bed so I would be protected from anything creeping up. I know for a fact that I would not survive as a ghostbuster but with the right partner anything might be possible…and this week I think I might have found that right partner.

Ok Taec Yeon, better known as Taecyeon, is the rapper for the JYP group 2PM. 2PM were big well before my intro into Kpop but I seem to be coming across them a lot these days…to be clear I’m not complaining. He’s done a lot of acting in the past couple of years and I’ve enjoyed the few dramas of his that I’ve seen.

If you were a fan of 2PM this might be the Taecyeon you remember.

If you, like me, found him later in his career…

SaraG is usually the one to go all crazy over the stick-out ears, but I’m quickly becoming a fan.

He enlisted in September, happy to see the military hasn’t changed his ears.

Or his subtle smile.

Or his not so subtle smile.

He doesn’t smile a lot in Let’s Fight, Ghost but when he does you really don’t care about ghosts anymore.

Ears and a smile, what more could a girl want…

Lucky for us he’s not shy.

Just as comfortable with ghosts as he is shirtless.

I would fight a lot of ghosts to see him coming towards me.

He seems to be comfortable anywhere.

Really anywhere.

If you’ve listened to the podcast this week, you know I’ve started watching the 2017 drama Mad Dog and am loving it. Like really loving it. Sometimes giving the old heart a break from all of the romance is a necessary move in order to keep it intact and this drama is certainly not heavy on the lovey-dovey. But I think what I’m really enjoying about it is the caliber of the acting. Everyone in it is fantastic. Seriously, everyone.

But for me, the stand out has been actor Woo Do-Hwan, largely because he was a relatively unknown entity in my drama career. I’ve apparently seen him in six episodes of DramaWorld but I can’t say that I paid close attention to that one. His filmography says that he was in Shut Up Flower Boy Band but I’m going with Sung Jun was too distracting for me to have noticed. I saw some pics of him around a year ago and had sent them to KpopontheDL as someone we should keep an eye on and then promptly forgot him. But after only six episodes of Mad Dog, I want to devour everything he’s in. Everything. And this is the reason that Alix offered up the opportunity to switch posts this week…She gave me Khottie and I gave her Musical Monday.

Standby, she assures me it’s gonna be good.

As I mentioned Woo Do-Hwan is a brilliant actor. In just these few episodes, I’ve seen him play everything from nerdy to chaebal and I’ve been impressed with all of them.

That body does not say nerd to me, but his acting was spot on.

His talent is what captivated me, but it is not what drove me to the internet to find and keep looking at pictures of him. I give credit for that to the beauty mark on his nose. I have a thing for beauty marks. I just…love them. There are no other words. Ok, I just lust them. That’s the other word. Lust. 

There is the requisite shower scene in the drama that sees our boy watching some secretly recorded footage on his phone while hiding away in the bathroom. Naked. I cannot find a single good pic or gif of it, so I’m using that as bait to get you to watch the drama. However, I assure you that this fella has a slammin’ body.

Completely unrelated to the drama, he seems to have a bit of a softer, sillier side as reflected in some of his photo shoots. I, for one, would have very much enjoyed being the one to put the feathers on him for this particular shoot. Just the chance to tell him to sit still while I decorated him with these soft, white ticklers would have made my year.

Soft doesn’t always mean silly, though, sometimes it means sweaters.

As he is relatively new to celebrity, Woo Do-Hwan doesn’t seem to have a lot of variety in his formal photoshoots, they are still mostly on stools in stark rooms focusing on his handsome face. There aren’t that many candid shots of him yet either. I am very much looking forward to those coming out in the years to come. He has a drama already slated to be released in 2018 and I’m going to have to do a bit of investigation to determine if I’ll be adding it to my list, but I likely will, just to be a supportive noona.

To find more about my newest love, you can find him on Instagram @wdohwan. My heart stopped when I noticed that not only does Lee Jung Shin follow him, he routinely likes his photos. My heart stopped. I love when I find people I favor interacting in the real world and I can watch it happen. It makes me tingle.

I have no idea what to write for this week. My brain is fried after four days of post-holiday work followed by two very fun but very late nights out (which may or may not have involved libations…one too many of them). It’s a relief that a picture is worth a thousand words.

Lee Jun Ho, better known as Junho, is a member of 2PM and the lead of the new drama Just Between Lovers. I’m not that familiar with 2PM as they are ‘before my time’ but for some reason watching him in Just Between Lovers is exactly what I needed this week…turns out being left-handed and using chopsticks is a thing for me.

If you’ve been a fan of 2PM you might remember him.

Or remember this.

It’s okay if you don’t because he’s only gotten better with age.

Additional proof if you’re doubting my judgment.

He has a beautiful profile.

Look closer all you doubters.

He’s all sexy and roughed up most of the time in his new drama…I’m not complaining.

He likes to read.

He pouts.

Offers you a beer.

Blows kisses.

Plays the guitar.

I don’t love his solo stuff but it’s enjoyable.

  How can it not be enjoyable when he appears on the beach.

Can we talk about his smile.

I love this tiny smile, a smile you want to see across the breakfast table every morning.

If we’re being completely honest this is the look I think we would all like to see every morning.

Why is this not a Khottie post? First off, this is Monday. Khotties are a weekend post. Therefore, if I waited for Monday to post this post, then it is obviously not a Khottie. Secondly, Khotties are written by Alix. I’m Stephanie. So, if this post is written by Stephanie while Alix is away on vacation, then it can, again, not be a Khottie post. Lastly. We here at Kchat Jjigae have a strict 24 age restriction for our Khottie choices. As this person here not 24, then, this not be a Khottie post. Because that would be cheating. And I am not a cheater.

Ahem.

So. If this is absolutely positively not a Khottie post, then what is this post then? It is simply a post documenting my newly born admiration of a talented young artist who goes by the name of Woozi. 

Woozi is a member of the group Seventeen. SVT for those in the know.

He is the leader of the vocal line.

You know, because Seventeen has enough members to have multiple lines and multiple leaders.

I’m not usually one for the high toned singers, usually more of a fan of the rapper, but Woozi and his amazing voice would not be denied.

Not to mention?

Take a look at the last album. Woozi’s name is listed as one of the writers for almost every single track.

So pretty and talented?

I mean. Not pretty. Nooooo…. he’s not pretty at all. Well. He is. But that’s not what this post is about because, as we clearly stated, NOT A KHOTTIE.

So. Talented.

My love of Woozi is embarassingly new. As in, I’ve seen him perform two times with his group before I realized not only just how much I like Seventeen, but how much I adore Woozi.

I know. I’m embarassed for myself.

There was even a time where it was thought that my bias in the group was Wonwoo. Oh, silly I was!

What made me change my mind? Well it certainly wasn’t a series of fanfics I read… Noo…. give me more credit than that!

Seventeen started to poke at me at Kcon this year after there I got to really like the song Don’t Wanna Cry.

But it was the song done for by the three leaders Change Up that made me realize just how far I’d sunk with Woozi.

When a video comes on and the pint sized hero makes you literally squeee in delight?

Again and again and again?

You know he has to have something.

He’s perfect.

I mean. Not like Khottie perfect, so beautiful it makes my stomach tingle whenever I see him. Noooo…. because this is not that sort of post.

I love his size.

I love his crankiness. 

I love his talent.

LizC sent us this gif this weekend.

And I legit could not stop looking at it. He may be small but he DOMINATES. You can’t help but look at him.

So I do. For his talent. Ahem.

I love gift giving and I hate gift giving. When you find the perfect gift for someone it feels all warm and fuzzy and when you struggle to come up with something meaningful and not just to check a box it’s frustrating. Last year SaraG and I had no trouble coming up with the perfect idea for each other…this year…not so much.

While we did end up figuring something out, I decided I’d use this week’s Khottie to feature Minhyuk from Monsta X. He’s her current favorite from a group that is my current favorite…so it’s a gift for both of us.

Meet Lee Min Hyuk, better known as Minhyuk.

He, if you haven’t noticed, is beautiful.

Almost elfin in his beauty.

He’s fond of many different hair colors, all of which look good.

Maybe he’d like to think he’s tough.

But he’s really known as the sunshine of the group.

That little smile is just for you SaraG.

He’s the lead goofball in a group of adorable goofballs.

And did you notice that he looks good in glasses.

What about glasses and a stethoscope…wanna play doctor anyone.

Unlike others in Monsta X, glimpses of his abs are a rare sight.

He’s not one to shy away from affection with his fellow members…just watch their recent LieV on VLive.

The stylists rarely go wrong when dressing him or any of the others.

If you don’t believe me here’s some Christmas themed proof.

One last one before I return to wrapping real, non #klife gifts.

After a weekend where nothing really goes how you planned it’s nice to have an already thought out Khottie post. I still had to write it but at least I didn’t have to come up with an idea. A few weeks ago Lori sent me a picture of a cute guy and asked if I would consider covering him for Khottie as he was almost 24 and utterly deserving of the title. Sadly I did not recognize him immediately but after this post he’ll never slip my mind!

Kang Young Hyun, better known by his stage name Young K (sometimes Brian), is the rapper and bassist for Day6. They were amazing at KCON NY last summer and I’ve enjoyed their year-long monthly releases, appropriately timed for the 6th day of each month. Young K went to high school in Canada so speaks English well and as you’ll see below handles that bass quite well.

I love how there are always pictures of them with their instrument cases, as if you’d ever forget he can really play.

He doesn’t shy away from hair color…(and I can’t tell you how much I LOVE this color)

Wouldn’t be a good post without pictures of him playing…tongue anyone?

Apparently, that’s a thing he does…I’m not complaining.

It was hard to pick just one gif of him in action.

So I didn’t.

Whoops, I’d say I’m sorry but I’m not.

He has a softer side that’s oh so appealing.

And that smile…

And funny side…or a real love for sheep.

Look Lori, he has flowers for you!

He does the selfie well too…I controlled myself so you’ll have to enjoy just one of them.

It’s his birthday on December 19th…Happy Birthday Young K!!