Colby Miyose and Erika Engstrom
Men as Best Friends to Women
Another part of Korean hegemonic masculinity is a strong belief
in traditional Confucian teachings regarding gender inequality and the
inappropriateness of male-female friendships. This idea is debunked through
Ji Hoo’s narrative, as he becomes transformed from a person who holds strong
friendships with his fellow male members of F4 exclusively to a person who
has a close friendship with a female. His platonic friendship with Jan Di shows
that men can have close relationships with women. In Episode 1, when Jan Di
is the victim of a mean prank by a group of students and covered in eggs and
her lungs, Ji Hoo comes out and tells her that she needs to be quiet because
she woke him up from his nap. Noticing Jan Di is in distress, he wipes off the
mess with his handkerchief. This scene introduces the viewer to Ji Hoo’s calm
and passionate personality. In Episode 2, as Jan Di comes out of Shinhwa
High School’s swimming pool, a group of men were about to harm her when
Ji Hoo walks in, telling them to stop. As Jan Di thanks Ji Hoo, he tells her, “I
wasn't helping you, this kind of stuff just annoys me.” Though he rescues her
from harm, he still does not respect her, but just helps her out of pity.
Ji Hoo and Jan Di’s relationship grows closer as the series progresses.
In Episode 9, Jan Di was avoiding Jun Pyo because she felt uncomfortable that
her if he could give her some advice about Jun Pyo. Ji Hoo the