Gu Jun Pyo vs. Ji-Hoo

Okay, so unless you are an avid (obssessed) fan of BBF (Boys Before Flowers) then you have no idea who Jun Pyo and Ji-Hoo are so for all you non-F4 folk out there I will attempt to provide a brief synopsis of each character and their significance to the protagonist Geum Jan Di.

Ji-Hoo: Super rich, a member of the F4, the most powerful clique of boys at Shinwa School. The F4 run the school and Ji-Hoo is the most level headed one of them all. His family was all killed in a car accident when he was very young and he retreated in to a deep depression until Seo Min Hyun brought him out of the dark. Needless to say that, in true soap opera form, Seo Min, is Ji-Hoo's first love who he ends up following to Paris. Ji-Hoo comes back from Paris realizing that he loves Jan Di, but it is too late as she is already falling for Jun Pyo--the man who was once her sworn enemy. Anyhow, Ji-Hoo is Jan Di's constant and continually provides her a shoulder to cry on and sees her through all that life throws at her, including, most recently, the broken heart she received at the hands of Gu Jun Pyo--her true love.

Gu Jun Pyo--The leader of the F4, and the heir to the richest corporation in Korea. He red carded Jan Di at the begining of the show but as she stood up to him he began to fall for her. He truly loves Jan Di--he's laid his life on the line quite a few times already, but he broke her heart and told her that she was a "stain he wanted to erase" in order to protect her and her family from his domineering and horrible mother who threatened Jan Di if Jun Pyo didn't break up with her.

Now, I know that I probably have had way too much time on my hands this week, but I was thinking about it and anyone with any brains would run screaming from Jun Pyo and stay with an awesome guy like Ji-Hoo. Then I put myself in Jan Di's place and wondered what I would do, and I knew instantly--Gu Jun Pyo all the way. What is it about the bad boys that break our hearts? Why are some women and men (myself included) so damn attracted to men that we know are just not in our best interests? Is it the passion? The excitement? The pride in knowing that only you could tame the man who could never be tamed? I don't get it.

I am 30 years old--I don't need or want any drama in a relationship. I want a guy like Ji-Hoo. The nice, caring guy who always tries to make you happy--at least that's what I tell myself. What if picking the nice guy means a life that is destined to be boring and banterless? What if you pick the nice guy only to wish you had waited for the bad boy that you could banter with and tame? What if picking the nice guy means no more adventure, no more passion? I'm not saying I want to have a relationship that is a series of constant arguments, but banter is always fun.

I know BBF is not real--well aware, but it always makes me think about my bad boy complex. I know at the end of the soap opera Jan Di will have fully tamed Jun Pyo and they will ride off in to the sunset leaving Ji-Hoo far behind. I also know that it only happens on soap operas and that in real life bad boys usually ride off in to the sunset without you, leaving you to pick up the pieces of a broken heart. Why then am I so fascinated by them? Why can't I resist the possibility of one? Why do I want Spike and not Angel? Why Jun Pyo and not Ji-Hoo? Why Big and not Aidan? Why can't I get it in to my head that nice guys are the way to go???

Ah well, off to bed, undoubtedly dreaming of bad boys and of all the havoc they wreak with a smile on my face.