Jo Hyun Jae

Everybody knows China is a big market for any foreign actor, but does anyone realize how big?

Ever since Jo Hyun-Jae’s souvenirs went on sale last year, starting with the photo album “Memories” at the Japan Fan Meetings, there has been a phenomenal demand for them in China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan.)

When the 2009 wall and desk calendars were announced in late 2008, orders started flooding into JoHyunJaeChina which was (happily) overwhelmed. Many fans who never surfaced before suddenly came out into the open.

When the CD was released in early 2009, the ordering mania reached fever pitch. JoHyunJaeChina had to refill its bulk orders three times. Every fan wanted a piece of JHJ — be it the photo album, wall or desk calendars, CD, or JHJChina’s own JHJ notebook/calendar, and, more often than not, all of the above. And some even bought multiple copies.

These JHJ souvenirs, though reasonably priced (all very high quality), are not cheap by Chinese standards. Either all these women (and there are a few young men) have collectively gone out of their minds or they all want to support their idol in the most practical way.

Jo Hyun-Jae is lucky to have fans like these and we are of course lucky to have JHJ. A certain kind of actor inspires a certain kind of fans. “There are two ways of spreading light — to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”

The second of Jo Hyun-Jae’s Fan Meeting was in Tokyo’s Sun Plaza which could hold 2100 people. Before the scheduled time of 3 p.m., many fans were already gathered in the lobby, but they were asked to wait outside and not allowed in till 2 p.m. The Tokyo fans were more aggressive than the Osaka fans. As soon as they got in, they rushed upstairs to grab the JHJ souvenirs. I am not exaggerating — they did not queue up (not at first) and just pushed and shoved to get to the souvenirs. And I’m ashamed to say I did the same. I had to (to save my skin), and even then I was trampled on (my poor feet got trod on several times.) I had to buy more photo albums for my friends in China and some make-up mirrors (with two JHJ photos) which I did not see yesterday, more cell phone straps, and a JHJ florescent stick (to wave when he was singing.) When I finally made my way out of the mad crowd, it was like emerging from a war zone. These elegant women suddenly all became crazy, clawing and thrusting. Could they be, like me, doing something they never had the chance to do when they were teenagers and were now letting themselves go? How come JHJ with his clean-cut features, gentlemanly manners, upright character, and healthy lifestyle could have this effect on these ladies (me among them)?

With my precious purchases safely in the bag, I entered the hall and sat down to recover my breath. The stage set-up was similar to Osaka’s, except the JHJ banners were a little smaller (due to the size of the stage.) The opening was also different. There was no projection on the screen of JHJ backstage. He just walked onto the stage after the drum-roll, introduced himself, and sang the same opening song which sounded even better the second time I heard it. He was wearing a white suit this time, with a multi-coloured checked shirt (open low, but there was another T-shirt under that), and silver sports shoes, and his hairstyle was a little tousled — which produced a different effect from Osaka’s but equally breathtakingly handsome.

Then the Master of Ceremony (MC) (a different one) and the same interpreter came on stage. The format of the first part was the same as in Osaka, except JHJ looked less animated. He must have been so tired after yesterday’s show. But this MC was very sharp and kept prodding him, so that after a while JHJ was back to his bright, breezy self, especially in the second part.

After the short intermission, JHJ came out in a collarless T-shirt with grey-trimmed collar and short sleeves, white vest, casual black trousers, and white sports shoes. And he looked much fresher and more relaxed. Like yesterday in Osaka, he did the rounds of the hall, beginning with the 1/F balcony and then coming down to the main auditorium. This is the part when fans could have a close encounter with their idol.

The second part was Q & A (questions and answers) and games rolled into one, more compact and faster-moving than yesterday in Osaka. JHJ was very fair: he took care to choose fans from the 1/F balcony and every part of the main auditorium downstairs. One old lady at the back managed to catch JHJ’s attention by waving a colourful shawl. I didn’t understand what she asked JHJ but everybody laughed. And then she started to sing him a song which made him smile. Another lady asked a question which elicited an answer from JHJ that made everybody scream. I asked the Korean girl sitting next to me to translate. Japanese fan: “What is the most precious thing to you?” JHJ’s answer: “You — every one of you! All my fans!” When did he learn to say things like that? I thought he was never very good with words.

In between the Q & A and the games, the MC was saying there were some overseas fans in the audience. Don’t ask me how I knew. I heard the words “Hong Kong” and “Taiwan”, and I saw some people putting up their hands and shouting “Taiwan” (must be Greencup on the other side of the auditorium.) So I put up my hand too and when the MC pointed to me, I stood up and shouted: “Beijing, China!” She asked me if I was in Osaka yesterday and I said “Yes.” Again, don’t ask me how I understood her; I just did.

Came the games part — the MC said something and everybody stood up and looked under their seats. If there was something there, you got to go on stage to receive a gift from JHJ. There were 9 lucky fans altogether. Each of them turned the Wheel of Fortune which determined what prize they got. There were “Seo Dong Yo” and “Only You” DVDs, T-shirts, caps, necklaces, bracelets, etc. Do you know how caring and considerate our Hyun-Jae was? For the ladies who won the DVDs, he not only autographed them but personalized them as well, that is, he wrote their names at the top. For the two luckiest (in my opinion), he put on the necklace and the bracelet for them, also the girl who won the baseball cap. I could only sit and watch with envy.

The show was over in two hours, but the handshaking part took longer because this Tokyo hall could accommodate 2100 people. The set-up was the same as in Osaka — first handshake, then photo with JHJ. While we were waiting and watching the other groups shaking hands and posing with JHJ, I got talking to the Korean girl sitting next to me. She could speak some English and she had a translation gadget with her, so we managed to communicate. She told me she had seen JHJ twice before in Korea, but never for so long and never this close. She asked me what I was going to say to JHJ when I shook his hand, (I didn’t say anything in Osaka), I suddenly had a brainwave. I asked her to teach me how to say in Korean: “Mr. JHJ, please come to China soon.” When it proved too difficult, I asked her to write it down for me in Korean. I told her I was going to show that sentence to JHJ when I shook his hand. Since she would be following me, I asked her to do me a favour and to say to JHJ: “You have a lot of fans in China.”

When it came to our turn, we had to wait for 10 minutes so JHJ could take a break. The Korean girl started counting and suddenly she whispered in my ear: “You’re #5 and I’m #6, which means we’ll be sitting on either side of JHJ!” And she was right! My God, lightning struck twice! Two times lucky for me! I couldn’t believe my good fortune! The Korean girl went on to say: “Why don’t we put our arm in his, just like some of the other women?” I said: “Oh no! I can’t! I dare not!” And she said: “We’ll never get another chance like this. The photo will be our happy memories forever.”

I struggled with myself, and when JHJ came to sit between the two of us, I didn’t know what came over me, but I did put my arm into his (and so did the Korean girl.) Hyun-Jae did not pull away, but some security man came over at once and “scolded” us. So you will see a very red-faced me when the photo comes out. But at least I touched his arm (bare skin and all!), or rather my sleeve did.

The Tokyo Fan Meeting was supposed to be from 3 – 6 p.m. but did not end until 7:30 p.m., again overrun by 1 1/2 hours. I remember thinking: If I were JHJ’s mother, my heart would ache at seeing him so over-worked. I am not his mother, but my heart still ached. JHJ bowed and smiled when he shook each fan’s hand, and he bowed twice when he came to each photo group of 30, and again bowed twice after the photo was taken. He was so polite and well-bred, with perfect manners.

The last part was the second song and the final “Goodbye”. No encores this time. JHJ must be so exhausted. Again part of the proceeds of the show went to charity. JHJ is not only a beautiful face; he also has a beautiful heart! And I am proud to be a JHJ fan!

EPILOGUE

After the Fan Meeting, we went with some Japanese friends to a Korean restaurant. When the meal was almost over, one of them received a call. Their “spy” informed them that JHJ was at another Korean restaurant a stone’s throw away and that he would be leaving in about 10 minutes. We dropped everything and rushed out. We saw the Mercedes-Benz S500 and the chauffeur waiting for JHJ. We stood discreetly at a distance. We were not going to take photos; we didn’t want to disturb him. We just wanted to wave goodbye. After a short time, the chauffeur drove the car 10 feet up the road, and several security men came out onto the pavement. One of them kept us at a distance, so that when JHJ finally came out of the restaurant, he was ushered into the back of the car, shielded by security men. We could not even catch a glimpse of him! But his manager/boss came out later and talked to our Japanese friends who were with the JHJ website in Japan. The Japanese lady told us this man was like a father to JHJ, so he was in good hands, which made me feel better. So this was the end of my dream trip to meet Jo Hyun-Jae in Japan, memories of which will have to last through the next two years when he is in the army.

THE END

(Originally published in JoHyunJaeChina)

Everything! Why do we call our blog “wulijohyunjae”?

In Korean, the word “우리” (wuli) means “our”. wulijohyunjae (our Jo Hyun-Jae) is a platform for us, as Mr. Jo’s fans, to show our continual support for him and share his information and news while he is serving his country.

Mr. Jo’s name in Korean “현재” (Hyun Jae) means “now” or “present”. There is an old English saying:

Yesterday is history
Tomorrow is a mystery
Today is a gift
That’s why it is called the present

present = gift
present = now
Hyun Jae = now = present = gift

Dear Mr. Jo, you are a precious gift to all of us !!!!!

All rights to the above article reserved. Please credit wulijohyunjae@http://jo-hyun-jae.blogspot.com/

In these lonely months when Hyun-Jae is away, we can only entertain ourselves. So here we would like to ask you all — WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT JO HYUN-JAE? Please write in and tell us. English, Chinese, whatever — we can get your comments translated.

To start the ball rolling, here is yours truly’s contribution. Just a doggerel, all for fun.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways:
(Apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning)
I love the way you look
Even the way you smoke
(But please quit smoking)
I love the smile on your face
The way you handle pressure with grace
I love those big beautiful eyes
Those cute lips that never lie
I love the low-key way you talk
The measured way you walk
Going through life one step at a time
Follow you heart and all will be fine
It’s been fun being your fan
Look forward with hope, yes, you can!

Now it’s your turn.

MV “More than words can say” courtesy of Mizutamari.