The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 350

I suppose it is rather obvious that I have been having deep (and perhaps emotional) longing to travel back in time to the spring of 2014 when everything seemed to be wonderfully in place for both G.O in his independent pursuits on the musical stage, as well as with MBLAQ as they settled into promoting their 6th (and truly brilliant) mini album, Broken. I left Seoul in mid-April of that year after a lengthy stay, and therefore missed the impromptu meet & greet G.O held in the lobby of the Universal Arts Theater on 5 May 2014. I was momentarily disappointed when I learned of that meet & greet, but that dissipated quickly as I reminded myself how fortunate I was in any event to have experienced not only G.O’s amazing fan service, but his incredible performance in 서편제 [Seopyeonje]. It is Day 350 and seems like a great day to celebrate G.O’s Fabled Fan Service as he met with fans back on that sunny day in early May.

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 344

There were many intense scenes played out on the musical stage during 서편제 [Seopyeonje]. The combative battle between stepfather and son during the argumentative 철없는 혈기 [Immature Passion] was particularly explosive. Imagine living day to day under the suffocating control of an abusive father, devastated by the loss of an adoring mother, and longing for the freedom to pursue a happier life. Watching G.O interpret the pain, confusion, and desperation of the tormented Dong Ho was simultaneously harrowing and magnificent; particularly so in the violent argument with an equally angered and volatile Yoo Bong.

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 343

I cannot seem to let go. I cannot move the memory of G.O’s tender and brilliant performance of Prince Ho Dong in the musical 바람의나라 [The Kingdom of the Winds] during those wonderful warm days of May 2014 from my heart or mind. A little bit of a musical-inspired few days here for this Countdown series. Even as another year is set to begin (the Lunar New Year, that is) and we continue to move further and further from those amazing performances, I am unable to forget and am compelled to also have you remember. The early rehearsal moments captured of G.O effortlessly falling into the fragile psyche of Kingdom’s child prince were exciting and breathtaking. And yes, it may have only been his third musical over a three year span, it was nevertheless clear that a musical theater star was gently but with great passion, being born.

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 342

Perhaps one of the reasons why Gwanghwamun Sonata and G.O were such a perfect fit on the musical stage was because the story of the musical was built around ballads. I think it was brilliant of composer Lee Young Hoon to choose songs from his songbook and create a musical around them. Using the songs, the beautiful ballads he wrote, to tell a story. Along with the title song of the musical, 해바라기 [Sunflower] is one of my favorite numbers from the show. As always, G.O’s voice captures the heartfelt sorrow and regret of a man whose choices leave him alone reflecting on a love lost.

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 327

Although hours, days, months and years may pass and the spring of 2014 become more and more of a memory, the one constant that will always bring me back to those amazing days will be G.O’s voice. Yes, the voice that captured my heart and imprinted itself upon my soul. Because the first time I was introduced to G.O’s voice live upon any stage was through Seopyeonje, I find myself revisiting the music and the moments of the musical over and over. Today, the sweet and achingly beautiful 연가 [Sonata].

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 305

Maybe the holidays are making me a bit more sensitive and sentimental but lately I have been thinking a lot about Prince Ho Dong, his story and more importantly, how wonderfully G.O portrayed the young tender prince in the 2014 production of 바람의나라 [The Kingdom of the Winds]. The One Shot today is a delightful capture (and memory) from rehearsals.

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 297

When G.O was cast as one of three actors to portray the tragic and emotionally fragile Dong Ho in 서편제 [Seopyeonje], I was still clearing my own path towards him so I missed all of the excitement of hearing the news of his involvement in the musical. I can only imagine what it must have felt like when news of G.O returning to the musical stage broke. As I have mentioned before, Seopyeonje was my introduction to G.O so it holds special importance for me personally, but it was also a game-changer for him as a musical actor (whether he wants to believe that or not)! For today then, something simple. A look back at the moment when he introduced himself as one of the musical actors cast in the show.

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 270

I have often written here repeatedly that I firmly believe that when G.O chooses a song to cover, it will be a song that resonates with him or holds special meaning. I myself have pondered often as to what it was in a song that captures him. Is it the melody? Is it the lyrics? A little of both? On his birthday this past 6 November, he opened a chatroom in MBLAQ’s Daum Cafe and answered that question.

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 250

I cannot even begin to imagine the number of times G.O has graced the many radio studios across Seoul over the course of his career. In those visits, he often had the opportunity to sing live. I think my favorites have always been those impromptu moments where he was asked to sing a song, or a clip of a song just off the cuff, no preparation. On March 15, 2014, G.O and Cha Ji Yeon (his co-star in the musical 서편제 [Seopyeonje]), dropped by Super Junior’s Kiss The Radio at the KBS Cool FM studios. It was there and then the humble musical actor gave the audience a little preview of what to expect when he would grace the Korean musical theater stage the following week playing the troubled Dong Ho in Seopyeonje. 

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 232

Our charming main vocal would like to call your attention to the fact that he now has UNDER 500 DAYS LEFT OF HIS SERVICE!! Yes, it is true. As G.O completes his 232nd day of service today, he officially has 499 remaining. Frankly, I see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it is growing brighter and brighter each day. For today, I just want to celebrate G.O as seen through my own camera. These are not new and this is not the full collection of what I have been fortunate to capture. Nor are they perfect as I seem to have lots of trouble keeping my camera steady when I point it at him.  So it goes . . .

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