Jo Hyun Jae

Have you ever wondered how we could come up with our posts everyday? We wonder too. During these lean times when Jo Hyun-Jae is in the army and there is scant news of him and on a day like this when our brains are in hibernation, we can only offer you this gem we found on CarpediemJapan.

Watch this beautiful MV, get hynotized by the music, salivate over Han Yi Joon, and then start on “Only You” AGAIN.

Here are the lyrics to the Crystal Gayle song “When I dream”:

I could have a mansion that is higher than the trees
I could have all the gifts I want and never ask please
I could fly to Paris, it’s at my beck and call
Why do I live my life alone with nothing at all?

But when I dream, I dream of you
Maybe someday you will come true
When I dream, I dream of you
Maybe someday you will come true

I can be the singer or the clown in every room
I can even call someone to take me to the moon
I can put on my makeup and drive the men insane
I can go to bed alone and never know his name

But when I dream, I dream of you
Maybe someday you will come true
When I dream, I dream of you
Maybe someday you will come true

Don’t we ALL dream of JHJ! Maybe someday he will come true?

(Credit: http://blog.naver.com/hyunjae8740; CarpediemJapan. Thanks!)

The next day I learnt to use the FF function on my remote. The first time JHJ appears (in Episode 12?) he brightens up the scene immediately. He’s wearing a sort of pink garment which would look sissy on any man except JHJ. He later appears in yellow and bright red (in the imperial robes of the Crown Prince.) I read somewhere that:
1. When JHJ went for his screen test, the director asked him to put on the costume of the Crown Prince. One look and the director said: “You’ve got the role.” Nobody could look more regal than our JHJ.
2. JHJ’s role is originally very small and his character is supposed to die very soon. But his initial appearance aroused so much interest that the director/scriptwriter had to expand his role, which is why his Crown Prince is still there at the end of the drama — to take possession of his kingdom.
3. The director of “Seo Dong Yo” saw JHJ in “Great Ambition” and it made an impression on him. When he was casting for the role of Seo Dong, he insisted on using JHJ, even though no actor so young has ever had such an important role in a historical drama of such length.
4. Some Korean fans remarked (tongue-in-cheek) that if the Crown Prince really looked like JHJ, Korea would still have the royal family today!

JHJ’s role in “Great Ambition” is very small, but every time he appears, he sucks the oxygen out of the room (in a manner of speaking.) All the other actors and actresses pale in comparison. And JHJ was only 22 then. Enjoy these photos. Next time I’ll tell you more about my favourite scenes in this drama.

 The Crown Prince in his imperial robes The first appearance of the Crown Prince in the drama

The innocent look

The Crown Prince in disgrace (that’s why he lets down his hair)

The Crown Prince in yellow

Near tears (remembering his deceased mother)

Every inch a prince

Someone I love

I do not love someone who comes forth from the dark
I only love someone who emerges from the heart of the woods
In the lonely darkness, suddenly it’s bright, eye-piercing, heart-warming
Sitting in the gloomy forest
Watching golden rays from the sky piercing through the leaves

In this world of dust, how beautiful this is!

I do not love someone who has no tears
I do not love someone whose tears have no love
I only love someone who dissolves into drops of tears
To be happy without tears — that is not joy
Where love is, shouldn’t tears be there too?
Sitting in the tranquil forest
Someone with tears running down her cheeks slowly walks out of the woods

See how beautiful that is!

(Credit: blog.naver.com; cafe.daum.net; club.brokore.com; youtube.com; johyunjae.hk. Thanks!)

I’ll continue with my rundown of JHJ fans. I’m sure all those I’ve met are quaking in their high heels, fearing it will be their turn next. It will take me some time to run through the alphabets.

“C” is a take-charge, hands-on person. She too has her own website. All these “Masters” like to be masters, or rather, mistresses (but it doesn’t sound the same.) I have a mind of my own, and I do not like to be ordered around. But in the JHJ world, your credentials, your education, your experience do not count. The only thing that matters is your length of “fanship” (I think I just coined a word.) Compared to “C”, I’m a kindergartner. She has very definite ideas about how the presents should be wrapped. She’d brought all the wrapping paper, ribbons, labels, cards, etc. These are for JHJ; those are for the fan clubs. She is a perfectionist in her own way (and so am I.) We spent all night wrapping presents before the fan meeting. I thought to myself: “What the heck am I doing?” “C” is a strong personality and the others defer to her, so what can I do? She’s not really a bad sort; she is genuinely devoted to JHJ. She would always stand in the front; she likes to be the centre of attention. I hide at the back (even then I once saw myself on YOUTUBE in a JHJ video and I almost fainted!) So there is no conflict between Big Sister “C” and me. The only thing I don’t like about “C” is: she keeps sending JHJ chocolates. If he becomes “fat”, you know who is to blame!

“D” is somebody I met last year in Korea, another “Master”. She gave me her business card and I wrote to her several months later because I needed her help. I wasn’t sure if she would respond but she did. Since then I’ve met her a couple of times in Seoul. Like all JHJ fans I’ve had the privilege of knowing, “D” is super-efficient and very helpful. The only problem is: we have difficulty in communicating in spoken English (her written English is fine.) Sometimes I cannot understand her and she cannot understand me (even though I speak in simple phrases.) For example, when I use the word “army”, as in “JHJ is now in the army”, she has no clue what I’m talking about. I discover that she uses the word “military”, so “JHJ is now in the military” works. But guess what? We manage to have a very pleasant two-hour lunch and we finally find a way to communicate — in written Chinese! Her Chinese is surprisingly good, so we scribble back and forth, and she gives me some inside information about JHJ.

Korean fans are very respectful and thoughtful; they would never do anything to embarrass or inconvenience their idol. I ask her something about JHJ and “D” says JHJ never mentions this and they would never dream of intruding on his privacy. In my latest meeting with “D”, she reveals some things about Korean fans that really surprise me. Korean fans are very shy, so shy that they do not even let their families know they like JHJ. They have to hide their JHJ souvenirs and only admire them in secret in the privacy of their own bedrooms. Only unmarried fans can take part in events like celebration of JHJ’s birthday because the others have to be with their families. (This year May 9 falls on a Saturday.) I think it’s a good thing they have their priorities right. Family should of course come first. JHJ’s family is the most important thing to him; he has reiterated this several times in the course of interviews.

I have always been most impressed by the way the Korean fans treat their star — with great respect and infinite consideration. JHJ once says that his fans are as shy and low-key as he is, so much so that when they visit him on set, he has no idea they are his fans until someone tells him. They just stand quietly at the back; they do not ask for autographs or to pose for photographs with him. They seem content simply to be in his presence. And of course they send him presents for his birthday, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and every festival and occasion under the sun. Now that he is in the army, they take extra care of him by sending things like skin-care products, toiletries (all brand names), phone cards (so he can call his family and friends), the latest magazines, a basketball (because JHJ says in a message he plays basketball with his camp-mates on weekends), even insect repellent! (among a host of other things.) They really think of everything. I do not need to mention all the snacks and other goodies that are always included for JHJ’s camp-mates. I understand that when a Korean man enters the army, it is a custom for his family to send food and other presents to his fellow soldiers on special occasions. Since JHJ is a star, it is expected that his camp-mates will benefit from the largesse of his fans. A Chinese fan once said to me she could not understand why the Korean fans are doing this; she thinks this is not the function or duty of fans. This is a cultural difference between Chinese and Korean fans, I guess. For my part, I feel very moved whenever I see what the Korean fans have done for JHJ. And I am sure JHJ would be moved too.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

“A” is the very first super JHJ fan that I met. She is very well-known in the JHJ world. She has her own JHJ website and she has uploaded countless JHJ videos on the internet. I had arranged to meet her to deliver my application form for membership (to another fan club. Strange?) We were supposed to meet in front of Mrs.Field’s Cookies in a MTR station. I’d never been in that part of town, so I set off early to make sure I wasn’t late. As it was, I was 15 minutes early and she was 45 minutes late. So there I was, pacing back and forth, scrutinising every cookie with extra care, until I could memorise their price and shape and texture. We’d exchanged 3 or 4 calls and she still hadn’t shown. If it hadn’t been for JHJ, I wouldn’t have suffered this. I’m an on-time freak — I hate people for being late, and especially for blaming it on the traffic. It shows a lack of respect: I’m just not important enough for them to come at the agreed time. I was about to decide I’d been stood up when along came flying this BIG bulk which, before I had time to react, gave me a bear hug and screamed my name. I forgave her at once when she said she went home to get the JHJ magazines to show to me. She did come armed with a whole cache of JHJ goodies. For the next three hours we sat at a restaurant talking about JHJ. The people at the next table must think we’re two crazy women, chatting non-stop and occasionally “screaming” (beneath our breath) whenever we came across a specially handsome picture of him in the magazines “A” brought.

“A” is a really dedicated JHJ super fan. She spends most of her waking moments scouring the internet for news of JHJ. She never sleeps (I know because I shared a hotel room with her in Japan for three nights.) She is tireless in networking in the daytime and posting articles on her website at night. She has a certain childlike quality about her that is very endearing. Her love for JHJ is so overwhelming that she neglects her own health in pursuit of his information. I have to tell her that JHJ cares about his fans and he wouldn’t want her to suffer on his behalf. She is generous to a fault, but she is also sometimes generous with facts and figures. She tells me she is many things that she is not, but she does not know I know. We all live in our dream world, and I do not have the heart to rouse her from her sweet slumber. As long as she is happy, she has a right to indulge herself.

“B” is the one who introduces me to “A”, but now, sadly, they are no longer talking to one another. I don’t know what really happened between them, or their two websites, because I heard two different versions. “B” is very smart, very sharp, very witty, a sensible, no-nonsense person whom I liked before I even saw her. We met at a Korean restaurant (what else?) in another city. I was a little early, and as soon as she sat down, we started blabbing (for three hours.) It is very strange: JHJ fans need no introduction; we recognize each other as soon as we see each other, even without the “red rose”. (You know how strangers in novels rendezvous? They carry a red rose as the emblem.)

“B” is a fast talker; her mind works very rapidly. Good thing I could keep up. It’s fun hearing her talk about JHJ whom she met the year before. Even though I’d read this on her website before, listening to her tell it in person is much more vivid. I envy her so much for having the good fortune to be up close and personal with JHJ. “B” is a warm-hearted person and she is generous with her help where JHJ is concerned. I find that JHJ fans give a lot of their time and energy and even money unstintingly on his behalf. I have never been a fan of anyone’s before, so I don’t know how these things work. But I am quite convinced JHJ fans are more generous and giving than most.

In their different ways, both “A” and “B” love JHJ. In their own way, they are both serving JHJ. I think if they join forces, they can do a lot more for JHJ. I offer to be the bridge, so they can be reconciled, but I am told by “B” that their prejudices are too deep and their views are too divergent. It is a pity that they have gone their separate ways. They choose to be rivals instead of allies. Why is it that JHJ who is so low-profile and placid should inspire such competition and conflict in his fans? I suspect they want to monopolise him for themselves. Not me, though. My motto is: “Sharing is caring.”

(TO BE CONTINUED)