Viewers of the drama "Kill Me, Heal Me" may have noticed that make-up matters when deciding whether a male character is good or bad. When a male k-drama character wears eyeliner, he's meant to be a bad character or at the very least dangerous enough to avoid. In "Kill Me, Heal Me" Ji Sung plays a man with several personalities. His personalities range from meek to malevolent. His most dangerous personality, the one that's occasionally violent and takes daredevil risks, is the one that wears lots of guyliner.
He is not the only k-drama character to signify his bad boy ways with a little eye make-up.
In "God's Gift - 14 Days" the likely kidnapping suspect for a few episodes was the reclusive rocker played by No Min Woo. That character also sported guyliner. He did not turn out to be guilty of the crime but he did turn out to be a tormented lonely soul.
But then guyliner can also indicate a character that is tormented and unhappy. Think Lee Min Ki in "Shut Up Flower Boy Band." For his character Byung Hee, guyliner was a means of creative self-expression but Byung Hee was one lonely and self-destructive rocker. He's not the only character in the drama-or the Flower Boy Band-to wear guyliner but his application is the thickest. And he is the least practical member. The darker and thicker the guyliner, the more dramatic the effect, and the more dramatic the character may turn out to be.
K-drama characters that layer on the guyliner do not usually play well with others. A good example is Jang Geun Suk's character, bandleader Hwang Tae Kyung, in the comedy "You're Beautiful." Hwang Tae Kyung is spoiled. He's self-absorbed and he wears more make-up than Park Shin Hye, who is the only girl in the group. But that's because she is pretending to be a boy. The guyliner makes his critical and condescending looks even meaner.
Big Bang's T.O.P. followed this makeup tip to create Vick, his sociopathic killer character in "Iris." The guyliner exaggerated T.O.P.'s already intense stare and gave it a frightening edge. A k-drama villain stalking someone with an assault rife is scary enough but when they are wearing guyliner, it can be downright terrifying.
What do you think about guyliner on k-drama actors? Are you a fan? Let us know.
