You Gun, “"While in the army, my views on dating and life all changed.” [Interview (2)]

(톱스타뉴스 Hannah Kang 기자) The two years You Gun spent in the military have become a big part of his memory. He explained that his confusion and conflicting thoughts that occurred as he was emotionally exhausted naturally disappeared after enlisting in the army. He reminisced, "Personally, I think it was a good thing I served in the army." He enlisted into the army in March of 2011 and was discharged in December of 2012. He served as a soldier for a year and became a public relations officer afterward.

"At first, my job was to cut grass. Because all I did was cut grass every day, I was free from all ideas and thoughts. If I spent all day cutting the grass, the next morning, I would wake up and find that it grew all over again. They didn't let me rest at all. (laughter) When I became a public relations officer, I met a lot of seniors and juniors in the same industry as me. The best predecessor was actor Lee Jun Ki, while under him were Lee Dong Gun, Park Hyo Shin, comedian Yang Se Chan, and under them were various people such as Rain (Jung Ji Hoon), Kim Jae Wook, and Lim Joo Hwan.

▲ You Gun / Seoul, Top Star News Choi Kyu Suk journalist

You Gun said, "Because they were actors, singers, and comedians, everyone was unique" and "The army has to have the cooperation of all the soldiers, but because such different people were gathered in one place, everyone did things on their own. False names were confused with real names and because there was an age difference, it was difficult to talk to them at first, but we all adjusted. As we talked to each other, we ended up learning new things about one another." He added, "While in the army, we talked about our colleagues and took care of our conflicting thoughts one by one. Truthfully, I think I needed conversation."

While he was in the army, You Gun's ideas about love changed as well. Before enlisting, love was the most important thing in his life. Love was life's goal and took up a large portion of life, but after breaking up with a long-time girlfriend while serving in the military, he changed his mind about love.

"If I wasn't in the army, I would have tried to meet up with my friends and have drinks with them in order to get past the pain of a breakup. In the military, there were no other options except to listen to the radio or read a book after training. Although my heart ached, I guess cutting the grass during the day made me tired enough to sleep well at night. Normally it takes a long time for me to fall asleep because I have a lot going on in my mind, but in the army, once I closed my eyes, the sun was up the next time I opened them."

He shared, "Before enlisting in the army, everything about my life revolved around my girlfriend. Because I lived on my own for a while, I think I desired something like family. Now that I think about it, it was selfish and a heavy burden for her. I didn't know it back then. After enlisting in the army and before our breakup, all I did was think about my girlfriend. When I was told let's break up, my heart felt empty. I returned back to my pattern as I invested more time to myself."

▲ You Gun / Seoul, Top Star News Choi Kyu Suk journalist

As You Gun thought back to the changes brought about by life in the military, he agreed with that statement that "the army is really special' for him. From his views about dating to his views on life, he completely changed.

You Gun confessed, "When I was in the army I even contacted my parents, with whom I have not lived with for many years. My father is in America and my mother is in Daegu, so I had not contacted them for a long time. For first time, I because to rethink my thoughts about family. I remember I called my parents and cried before hanging up. I came to think that I can't live by doing just anything I wanted."

As he talked about his family, he mentioned a piece of advice that his aunt, vocalist Jo Sumi, that hit him hard. He laughed, “She told me that if I’m not going to put my all into it, I should quit, but if I’m going to put everything I have into it, then it’s important that I work hard. If I do that, it’s inevitable that I will be thinking only about my desires and so people may end up calling me selfish, but if there is a woman who can understand that aspect of me, she’s a gift from the heavens, so I shouldn’t let her go. I’m not sure if heaven will send me a gift like that.”

▲ You Gun / Seoul, Top Star News Choi Kyu Suk journalist

After debuting in 2006 through the drama ‘Hello, God’, You Gun has consistently appeared in dramas. And after being discharged from the army, he is awaiting the release of his movie ‘Where should we go?’ and will be appearing in the KBS 1TV daily drama ‘Moving Heaven’ as ‘Han Jae Jung’, a producer at a broadcasting station.

“People have told me that I look like a kind person. I want to try out the role of a swindler or psychopath after losing or gaining weight. A role that puts people in a daze using words. Since ‘Wolf Boy’ has already been produced, a vampire or Dracula like in ‘Twilight’ might be fun. After talking today, a melodrama that hits the heart hard might be okay too.”

Previously, he acted with the flow, but now his goal has changed. As clear as his goals have become, the roles he wants to take on were specific as well. More than anything, he said that he has gained more desires as an actor. His ultimate dream is not to be an actor who is lenient on himself, but an actor who is like an actor. Like how he returned like a rookie after being discharge from military service, his passion for acting became more intense and he discovered the real reason why he chose this as a career. It will be interesting to see where this enlightenment will take him.