Pink Lady (manhwa)

Infobox manhwa
name = Pink Lady


imagesize=200
caption = Cover, "Pink Lady" volume 1 (Joongang edition)
ko_hangul = 핑크레이디
romanized =
genre = Education, Romance
Romance = y
author = Yeon Woo
publisher = flagicon|South Korea Joongang
publisher_en =
publisher_other =
demographic =
magazine =
first = 2007
last = ongoing
volumes = 3
ko=y

"Pink Lady" (ko-hhrm|hangul=핑크레이디) is a manhwa by Yeon Woo (연우) and a web toon on Naver. It describes a love life of two artists who share a past memory of childhood love.

Being a web toon, it is in color, on contrary to normal manhwa or manga. Its popularity caused it to be adapted to published comics by Joongang (중앙).

The author, Yeon Woo, is a college student affiliated to Hongik University, the most famous art university in South Korea, and in fact the one that the protagonists go to. The comic often gives information on real-life artists, their drawings, methods of drawings and other real information.

The manhwa often states the author's belief that the best drawing that can be produced by an artist is one that the artist drew with his/her heart; out of the desire of the heart and with the true love for the subject.

At various points, parodies of famous paintings are seen in the manhwa. For example, the scene in which Gyeo-Wul relishes the thought of earning money from Bo-Gyeong is a parody of Michaelangelo's "God creates Adam".

It is unknown whether there are plans to animate the manhwa after its completion.

easons

Season 1 (02/05/2007~30/07/2007): Describes Gyeo-Wul's life till the graduation and reveals the past relationship of Gyeo-Wul and Hyeon-Seok.

Season 2 (20/08/2007~10/12/2007): Describes Gyeo-Wul's efforts to get employed and Hyeon-Seok slowly warming up to her, and their relationship being closer and closer. The season culminates in Gyeo-Wul finally realizing that Hyeon-Seok deeply loves her, despite how he expresses his emotions.

Season 3 (07/01/2008~07/04/2008): Describes Hyeon-Seok and Gyeo-Wul's new school life and focuses on the four intertwined lovers. Also throws light on the historical artist couples all ending up tragically, and hints that Gyeo-Wul and Hyeon-Seok might end up the same way.

Season 4 (05/05/2008~04/08/2008): Describes the relationship between Gyeo-Wul and Hyeon-Seok becoming more ominous and uneasy, hinting possible tragedy.

Seasom 5 (01/09/2008~present)

After the completion of each season, the author is (very infamously) known to rest for nearly a month, very much to the annoyance to the fans who enter the site, anticipating the next chapter, and find an epilogue instead.

Characters

Han Gyeo-Wul (한겨울)

A 23-year-old girl who has freshly graduated from a renowned art college. Her first name Gyeo-Wul means 'winter' (and is not a homophone, as there is no Chinese character that is pronounced as 'gyeo' in Korean) and combined with her last name, her name means 'the middle of the winter'. She is exceptionally short for her age (about 150cm) and looks younger than she is, although close observation will make her look like she has to. The title Pink Lady is named after her; most likely to be a reference to her usually wearing pink clothing.

About five to seven years ago, she discovered a boy at a playground while playing truant from her art institution. This boy is Hyeon-Seok (see below) who was drawing on the sand. She lent him her drawing book and the materials, and ever since, the two met at the playground every day. She used to be very violent to him, beating him up on every occasion she became irritated because of him. Even so, she was kind enough to him, enough that he began feeling a childish love for her. On the last day they met, Gyeo-Wul invited him to her house to draw as winter was approaching, and was kissed on the cheek without warning. She punched him on the nose without intention (causing a comically severe nosebleed) and ran away to her house, embarrassed and shocked. Unfortunately for both of them, it was the last day they spent together, and Hyeon-Seok did not manage to say goodbye to her. When Gyeo-Wul did not find Hyeon-Seok the next day, she stood at the playground waiting for him, even when it started raining heavily, crying alone.

She studied art desperately, in hopes that she could "meet him again while drawing". But even though she worked hard to draw for almost twenty years, she is a bad artist compared to most others. However, recently it is revealed that her abilities are becoming better exponentially, due to the bond between her and Hyeon-Seok. She has freshly graduated from the college at the end of Season 1 and is now working for a clothing shop with Young-Bo. Before this happened, there was a running gag mainly in Season 2 that showed a translucent hat resembling a red mushroom indicating her unemployment, which is visible only to the reader. This hat is seen flying away with white wings when Gyeo-Wul is employed, and appearing and flying towards her whenever she loses her job. It was not seen throughout Season 4, except at the very end where Gyeo-Wul walks away with a resolution to start all over again by herself, indicating that she resigned from the cloth shop and stopped going to the college.

Hyeon-Seok irritating her (most of the time unintentionally) and Gyeo-Wul beating him up much as she did in her childhood is another running gag of the comic. She is demonstrably capable of punching a fit young adult like Hyeon-Seok hard enough to lift him from the ground and cause a breathing problem and giving him a low kick that raises him from the floor and literally smashes him into the ceiling. Also, she is skilled enough at martial arts that she can deliver a flying kick precisely on Hyeon-Seok's face while anchoring herself with only one hand.

She recently revealed her ambition: to go on a world tour and draw. She revealed her desire to see the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty for herself and meet many people worldwide, feel many things, experience various worlds and, most importantly, "draw this and that stuff." She specifically adds, in a similar fashion as Hyeon-Seok's (see below), that she would like to do it with Hyeon-Seok obviously.

Although she has seen apparently careless and bright again, she is revealed to be still troubled by the artist couples leading a miserable life due to each other. She also finds Hyeon-Seok's recent painting very troubling, observing that it looks as if she is getting further and further away. (See below for the description of the painting.)

Yun Hyeon-Seok (윤현석)

A 23-year-old boy who is studying in the college again after graduation. He works for a pub named EVA after his school periods.

He became friends with Gyeo-Wul nearly twenty years ago. Although she beat him up very often, "he began to think wrongly that 'she is a bully like her name, but maybe she is really warm in her heart'". He was taken to another country by his father, who is an artist also, without managing to say goodbye to Gyeo-Wul but leaving only a kiss on her cheek. He returned to South Korea before the start of the series 'to draw the person he wanted to', which is obviously Gyeo-Wul.

He is a polite and handsome young man. His height is around 185cm (observed by Gyeo-Wul, although this can be her exaggeration) and he usually shows a smile on his face. However, he can be extremely offending if he means it, often combined with his polite smile to produce a somewhat comical effect. For example, in the first episode, he right out says that Gyeo-Wul draws "really badly" after taking her Croquis book by mistake. Although this could have been an attempt to just tease her slightly, Gyeo-Wul took his advices as offensive and slapped him on the face.

He rarely frowns, and if he does it usually means that he hates the current situation heartily. He is always seen glaring at Seon-Il, and showed his irritation when he was kicked out of a class with Gyeo-Wul and Seon-Il due to the latter's interference to the class (see below). He also glared at Jae-Bong's (see below) back once. However, this is a very rare occurrence and he almost always features a slight smile. When he does not, his face bears a thoughtful expression that usually has to do with anxiety. He is almost never seen truly angry, and the only incident he actually did showed him asking Gyeo-Wul "Who was that bastard yesterday?" referring to Seon-Il who barged into his class, talked loudly about his remaining crush on Gyeo-Wul, and resulted in his banishment from the class.

He is caring for others, especially Gyeo-Wul; when he noticed oil paint seeping into Gyeo-Wul's fresh wounds his face hardened very noticeably. He almost has a soft spot for Gyeo-Wul, evident from the fact that he is never seen complaining or even grumbling about Gyeo-Wul always beating him up at random.

He forms a sort of a rivalry with Seon-Il for Gyeo-Wul's love, though it is clearly him that she favors. Although he is seen heartily despising Seon-Il's existence, this rivalry is usually used for comical effects. For example, he is seen comically burning in anger when Seon-Il reveals himself to still have a crush, and asks Gyeo-Wul "What's this?" with a bright smile with malevolence. Although at this point the relationship is nothing more than comical, it is evident that their rivalry will lead to some serious problems.

He reveals his ambition as running a small café in which he can display his drawings, serving customers and drawing paintings when idle. He specifically adds that he wants to do it with Gyeo-Wul obviously.

He is extremely bad at cycling, which was revealed recently. He rode a dual cycle with Gyeo-Wul in a park (apparently the Han river), in which he fell twice and received several blows from Gyeo-Wul.

He was visited by a friend of his father's, a curator of an art museum, named Gwak Jae Bong(곽재봉). The curator saw Gyeo-Wul's portrait of Hyeon-Seok and mistook it for Hyeon-Seok's self portrait. He offered Hyeon-Seok to draw some more self portrait to sell in his museum. However, when told that the portrait was not his own, the curator curtly refused Hyeon-Seok's offer to meet Gyeo-Wul instead, stating that he wanted the love for the subject of the portrait and narcissism in the painting. He added that he would return soon to receive a new portrait of himself by himself, saying that he expects an excellent new painting. This expectation caused Hyeon-Seok to fall into a severe depression. He notes that he cannot draw anything properly anymore, and is seen shedding tears as he crosses out what he drew.

In the most recent visit made by Jae Bong, he showed the curator his drawing showing a dark, cloudy area with a smooth, reflecting ground surface and featuring the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower, and Gyeo-Wul running towards the two monuments and away from the viewer. This drawing was appreciated by Gyeo-Wul as "Really cool" and that it is probably the best drawing Hyeon-Seok ever drew. (It was speculated that it was actually Gyeo-Wul's work, but it turned out as Hyeon-Seok's.) However, although the painting was likely to have been to highlight Gyeo-Wul's ambition, Gyeo-Wul observes it as troubling in her mind, stating that it looks as if she is "getting away alone."

Although he never complains about Gyeo-Wul's violence (as stated above), when Gyeo-Wul slaps him on both cheeks (so hard that she feels pain on her own hands) "so that (he) can get a grip", he actually swears for the first time (although no one know what he actually tried to say, for it was highly garbled due to pain, and thus may not be a swear) and complains. It was, by far, the first time he ever showed true defiance at Gyeo-Wul's violence.

Carnille Claudel / Bo-Gyeong (보경)

A cousin of Hyeon-Seok (evidenced by her referring to Hyeon-Seok's father as her uncle) and another very good artist. She has brownish-golden hair and seems to be a daughter of two people from different nations, one of which is obviously South Korea and the other likely to be European. Her business card reveals her official name as Carnille Claudel, a foreign name to Koreans (proving that her mother is Korean and her father from another nation), and the name Bo-Gyeong is her Korean name and the one that Hyeon-Seok and her all other Korean relatives call her.

:She is usually seen with a white cigarette in her mouth and wearing dark formal clothing, although she is seen wearing casual clothing sometimes, such as in the wallpainting job. She has a playful character, although she still shows dignity, apparently learned from her European parent. She, being Hyeon-Seok's cousin, has a very similar drawing style as Hyeon-Seok; a fact noticed by Gyeo-Wul. She has traveled to many countries such as India and China, revealed by the drawings in her croquis book and confirmed by herself. She followed Hyeon-Seok when he returned to South Korea and have been with him ever since, although she keeps in touch with her family, including Hyeon-Seok's father.

She is seen first at the beginning of Season 2, identifying Gyeo-Wul in EVA. She later refers to Gyeo-Wul as 'really cute' to Hyeon-Seok and asks him whether he likes her so much. As of Volume 4, her importance in the manhwa seems to have decreased somewhat.

eon-Il (선일)

A 19-year-old boy who has a long crush on Gyeo-Wul. He was a student of Gyeo-Wul three years prior to the beginning of the series at which time he was noticeably fatter than now. Now he is a handsome slim boy with a messy hair and a habit of smoking. His surname is not mentioned, but it is likely to be either Lee(이) or Lim(임); a photograph of him bearing his name is seen, but only the upper half of his name can be seen, leaving his correct surname in doubt.

He was a bad artist as Gyeo-Wul's student, but paid no attention to her remarks, including very important ones, and was intent on having her as his girlfriend. He was, instead, drawing manga characters and collecting small statues of various manga characters such as Haruhi Suzumiya and many manga posters. Both he and his parents believed that he was good enough to go to a good college, and were confident. On the last day of her employment, she finally informed him that he had no hopes of passing, but left a few advices; and told him not to give up. Seon-Il, trusting the last advise, never gave up, although he did fail in all exams. He, having failed and feeling miserable for the first time in his life, decided to just lie in his bed and eat nothing, miserably wondering whether it would take his weight and make him handsome. However, he became even fatter and looked almost as if he had "become most suitable for rolling around." He decided to have a walk outside, but fell and (comically) bounced along the street, until he painfully came to a halt in front of a building. At that moment, he saw Gyeo-Wul among the crowd and tried to call her, but decided against it, for his reflection on the glass doors of the building looked seriously miserable. He wished he could die there, but he was awakened by a girl calling him. He looked above and saw a pretty girl in white cloths and for a moment thought he was seeing his angel, but found (to his dismay) that it was just a girl who had come to the art institution (the building Seon-Il had landed on) to apply for it. This girl was Young-Bo (see below) who would later become his good friend and harbor a crush on him.

His artistic skill apparently improved vastly; as he was able to join the same college that Gyeo-Wul was studying in.

He is shown to be extremely careless and incomprehensive of his surroundings; he was shameless enough to barge in into the class Gyeo-Wul was in after seeing her and to talk loudly in the class. He has a rivalry with Hyeon-Seok for Gyeo-Wul, although it is clearly Hyeon-Seok that she favors.

His turning into a stone and cracking in shock whenever it is hinted that Gyeo-Wul favors Hyeon-Seok is a running gag in the series.

He first appeared at the end of Season 2, and made a proper appearance from Season 3. As of Season 4, his appearances and importance decreased somewhat, although it is obvious that he is going to take an important part in the series later.

On the first episode of Season 5, he was seen trying to kiss Gyeo-Wul who was so lost in thought that she did not even notice him around, only to be smashed into the ceiling in a fashion similar to how Hyeon-Seok was treated some time ago. At the end of the episode, a single cut was added showing him comically discovered by the campus guard in the dead of the night, still stuck on the ceiling.

im Young-Bo (심영보)

A 19-year-old girl and a friend of Seon-Il. She has a crush on him that is neither returned nor even noticed. She is also a good artist that managed to join the renowned school that Gyeo-Wul, Hyeon-Seok and Seon-Il go to.

She had migrated to Seoul three years before the start of the series, and met Seon-Il lying flat in front of the door of the institution she had chosen to attend. (See above.) This institution was either one that Seon-Il was already a student of, or he had also decided to attend, for he was seen with Young-Bo later in the class.

She stumbled across a stray dog on a rainy day and for a moment almost took it with her, but decided against it, stating that she neither had money nor had her own house in Seoul, for she was sharing a house with a friend. However, upon learning that her friend had also tried to bring the dog but decided not to in case Young-Bo might not like it, she returned to the site where the dog was, only to find that it was gone. She states here that the money, the friend or the exams were in no way the reason, and that the sole reason was that she was not confident of herself to be able to raise the dog. However, while returning to her house, she comes across Seon-Il's house and finds that Seon-Il had taken the dog. But Seon-Il was seen being kicked out of the house along with the dog, for his mother was furious that he failed in the exams. (See above.) Young-Bo remained standing next to him as he wept, until she began stating that she was going to take the dog (and named it "Happy" on the spot), and invited him to have a walk for reducing his weight together with the dog. Later, as Seon-Il began to lose weight and became slim and handsome, she started to have a crush on him.

However, her crush is neither noticed nor returned by Seon-Il. She was seen comically (although seriously) wondering if she should grow her hair, wear pink colored clothing and (somehow) reduce her height, becoming more similar in appearance to Gyeo-Wul. This is obviously because she wants more of Seon-Il's attention, but she is fully aware that Seon-Il is obsessed only with Gyeo-Wul. However, she does not consider Gyeo-Wul as he rival and instead is a good friend of hers, but it is possible that she is going to have serious problems with her later in the series for Seon-Il's love. Gyeo-Wul has noticed her crush on Seon-Il and started helping her.

She first appeared at the end of Season 2, and made a proper appearance from Season 3. As of Season 4, her appearances and importance has decreased somewhat.

Reaction

Due to its exceptionally high quality compared to other web toons and even most of published comics and its colorful drawing, it immediately brought about an explosive wave of attention and praise. It was "accessed at least a million times by netizens", according to the newspaper and the cover of its comic counterpart. (That is, each episode was read by at least million netizens.) The toon became so popular that it was adapted into a published comic, featuring better artwork for the first few chapters (which have a noticeably poorer art than the later chapters) and short stories added by the author. It now has a trademark on various items such as notebooks, timetables and sketch books, reflecting the focus of the comic as art.

Music Video

Two music videos of the comic were created and is free to be accessed in the links below. Each contains the story of one of the two seasons completed to date.

The first one, dubbed "You, You At Least (그대는 그대만은)" by To Romance (투로맨스) describes the story of the first season and the story of the childhood age of Gyeo-Wul and Hyeon-Seok, and has a music of the same name as its background music.

The second video, titled "Spring After Winter (겨울 지나 봄)" by Soo Jung (수정), was released on 10th of March, 2008, and also gained an immediate attention. It features the music of same title and show the story of the last part of Season 2. It showed a scene that the original toon did not: a scene in which Hyeon-Seok bends and kisses Gyeo-Wul.

External links

* [http://comicmall.naver.com/webtoon.nhn?m=list&contentId=22896&page=1 The list of all Pink Lady toons.] ko icon
* [http://video.naver.com/2007102204371824461 The first Music Video of Pink Lady.]
* [http://video.naver.com/2008031009563185992 The second Music Video of Pink Lady.]