Jo Hyun Jae

2005 SBS 10 Big Stars Award ( for “Only You” & “Seo Dong Yo”)

Jo Hyun-Jae’s performance in “Only You” and “Seo Dong You” was so popular and well-received that he was awarded the 2005 SBS Big Star Award for his acting skills.

This award is based on the professional evaluation of a special committee and voting by fans on the web, so it is a great honour to receive this award.

(Source: http：//café.Daum.net/onlyhyunjae)

(Credit:johyunjaeCHINA piggie1103.   Thanks!)

prissymom continues

I think the criticisms that Jo Hyun-Jae is not acting up to par or that he is just coasting along in “3 Dads and 1 Mom” stem from his acting true to his Soo-Hyun (SH) character.  He cannot go around exaggerating his facial expressions or speak in a loud voice or be all over the place with his body movements when he is supposed to be a dignified and respectable fund manager.  As a fund manager his face should not show too much emotion, his movements precise and restrained, and his voice low and well-modulated.  And our JHJ delivers the goods; he is the epitome of an up-and-coming young fund manager.  Even in the company of his friends, he is still a bit formal, not given to raucous behaviour and still maintains his dignity. Even in his moments of stinginess, he is still acting true to the SH character – dignified, poised, restrained and self-assured that stinginess is a positive trait in a person.  Critics mistake his restrained/subdued acting for the portrayal of the SH character as not acting up to par or as bleak and dull.  As I said, the critics judge him too early, not giving our Hyun Jae the opportunity to work his magic on them.

But, of course, as the drama progresses, like an onion, one layer is revealed after another of the SH character.*

1) One layer is the dignified, poised, smart, handsome, young fund manager;

2) next layer is the stingy friend always going on about money, complaining about the cost of everything under the sun;

3) next layer is the fastidious person, more concerned in maintaining cleanliness of his car than the comfort of his friends (remember he wraps Kwang-Hee (Jae Hee/JH) and Kyung-Tae (Shin Sung-Rok/SSR) in newspapers because they are covered in mud after Na-Young (NY)  had her false labor);

4) another layer is the friend who cries (but not loudly unlike SSR’s Kyung-Tae who is howling like a little boy) at his friend’s funeral;

5) another layer would be the man who keeps his emotional distance from other people except his 3 closest friends (we see this in his maintaining physical and emotional distance from Na-Young (NY) and Ha-Seon (HS), always the one reluctant to extend a helping hand to mother and child);

6) next layer is the friend who once he has decided to help would go all out to extend that help (he is at first vehemently against allowing NY and HS to stay in their house, but when he sees what could happen to mother and child he is the one to convince NY to stay with them through reason and forcefulness);

7) then next we see the calculating/ambitious but charming man who tries to attract the attention of a rich girl (pretends to know about art when he doesn’t know anything about it, pretends to be well off by taking rich girl to expensive restaurants when he’s not, complaining to himself all the time about the expense and justifying it as investment for his future, pretending to know how to dance when he clearly does not know how);

8) another layer would be the man who doesn’t know how to express his concern so pretends to be angry instead (remember when NY lost consciousness while still pregnant, he scolds her instead of comforting her);

9) yet another layer would be the man who shows genuine amazement at seeing the actual birth of a child who could be his own child;

10) another layer would be the forceful/decisive man, forcing his friends or NY to follow his decisions because he believes his decisions are always right;

11) then in episode 5 we see the filial son taking care of his sick father (now here we have the explanation for his stinginess and his tendency to keep his distance from other people: his father, his only living relative, cannot even remember him - that must hurt a lot);

12) the jealous man (when they find out that NY spent the night with another man while all 3 dads are left to take care of HS, although he denies he is jealous, saying instead that he is indignant on his dead friend’s behalf);

13) another layer would be the ambitious man willing to be humiliated himself just so he could appease his client for a mistake he made;

14) another layer is the man who finally lost his cool in a supermarket when he almost lost the child whom he has come to love without knowing it, and the man who gets mad at the nurse who keeps poking that child with the hypodermic needle;

15) yet another layer is the man who chooses to be with the child he has come to love than be with his rich client and his daughter to further his ambitions;

16) and then there is the carefree man singing “You Were Born to be Loved” during HS’s birthday;

17) and the sad man who sings the same song at another child’s birthday;

18) another layer would be the man confused by the feelings that he has for his friend’s widow;

19) and lastly the man who finally realizes that being in the company of people he loves and who love him in return is more important than being with people whose only attraction for him is their money.

(* Editor’s Note: The numbering is ours, just so we can keep track of how many layers prissymom could peel off the Han Soo-Hyun onion.  19 layers!  It’s a BIG onion!)

Our JHJ portrays all these layers of his character with so much grace and subtlety, especially that layer of his character that tends to keep people at an emotional distance.  His dramatic scenes go without a hitch, as I expected; after all he is a great dramatic actor.  But in his comic scenes, our Hyun Jae is a revelation!  Despite essaying a serious character, he is able to make me laugh so much even when performing his comic scenes with such a straight and serious face, his dignity and poise still intact, acting true to the SH character.  He could have overacted or exaggerated his acting to make the character more funny but it would have made a caricature of the SH character.  The way our Hyun Jae handles the role is more appealing to me because then we see a supposedly serious individual caught in all those funny situations, making the SH character very human and very real.

It has been my observation while watching other dramas by our Hyun Jae that he is one actor who doesn’t overact.  Even in emotional scenes he doesn’t become overly dramatic – he doesn’t have to cry loudly to convey the feeling of misery or sadness; he doesn’t have to shout so loudly to convey his anger; he doesn’t have to go wild to show that he is losing control of himself; he doesn’t have to exaggerate his facial expressions to show the different feelings that he is supposed to convey.  Our Hyun Jae uses his eyes, his whole face, his voice and his whole body in his acting with so much subtlety that I find most appealing and effective.  He is such a dichotomy – he is a dramatic actor and yet he doesn’t become overly dramatic; he knows when to unleash his emotions but more important is that he knows when to hold it in also.

I am pretty sure that there are still so many layers to Soo-Hyun that I have not pinpointed yet; maybe I will be able to see them the next time I watch the drama.  Oh yes, I am absolutely sure that I will watch this drama again.  Not only because our Hyun Jae is in it but also because the drama leaves such a warm glow in my heart.  When this drama aired in South Korea, it didn’t rate very well**, maybe because of all the negative comments from the critics.***  But when it was aired here in the Philippines, it was among the top 10 shows for the night time block during its entire run.  And that is such a feat because it was aired so late at night when most people would be asleep already.  I even think that Hyun Jae’s Filipino fans increased because of this drama.  I don’t know in what other countries “3 Dads and 1 Mom” (3D1M)  has been shown or will be shown,**** but I do hope that it will rate better and be accepted by a wider audience than it did in S. Korea.

Editor’s Notes:

** 3D1M ratings when it was shown in S. Korea (Source: TNS Media Korea) — First night 2008.4.2 (Episode 1) : 5.4 nationwide; last night 2008.5.22 (Episode 16) : 9.1 ; highest ratings (Episode 3) 14.5 and (Episode 4) 11.9.  SBS’s “On Air” was the ratings winner at that time.  It started airing in early March and was nearing its climax when 3D1M began, so the timing was not propitious for 3D1M.

*** The critics you read, prissymom, (if they wrote in English) obviously did not represent the general Korean TV viewing public.  3D1M was received quite positively in Korea, even if it didn’t win the ratings war.

**** As far as we know, 3D1M has been shown on TV in the following countries (outside of Korea) — Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines………….any more?  Please let us know if 3D1M has been shown in your country not mentioned above.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

(Credit for photos: name on photos.  Thanks!)

2003 SBS “Best New Actor Award” for “First Love”

This video goes something like this:

prissymon continues:

Honestly, when I first read about our JHJ’s role in this drama, my first thought was – compared to his other projects (“SDY”, “Love Letter”, even “Gumiho”), “3 Dads and 1 Mom” (3D1M) will be an easy one for my idol.  I even thought that this will not pose much of an acting challenge for our Hyun Jae who we know is much more used to roles that really test his thespic and physical skills.  But after watching 3D1M the second time,  I realize that the Soo-Hyun character is still an acting challenge for our JHJ, because our JHJ is not a comedian!!! He has a reputation for being a serious dramatic actor, and there he is portraying a supposedly serious and sober character in a comedic way!

But how do you infuse “comicness” into a role that is supposed to be that of a dignified, poised, stingy, career-oriented fund manager?  There lies the challenge for our JHJ and he delivers splendidly (even if some critics say otherwise).  Critics compare his performance in this drama to that of his two other male co-stars, Jae Hee (JH) and Shin Sung-Rok (SSR) and some critics find our Hyun Jae’s acting wanting.  I disagree with these critics the first time I saw 3D1M; I still disagree with them after watching it a second time around.

Sure, SSR’s acting as a dumb cop with a tough exterior but a soft heart is cute and funny.  But how difficult is it for him to portray such a  one-layered character?  That role has been played in so many dramas/movies in the past that it is no longer a challenge for any actor, and on top of that he has the face and the build to portray just such a role.  All throughout the drama he keeps this portrayal of his role, still dumb even when he falls in love with Na-Yong (NY).  I am not saying that he is a bad actor, just that his role doesn’t ask that much from him.  All he has to do is look dumb, smile dumb, move dumb, be all over the place, be loud, etc.  How hard can that be? Any competent actor can play that role effectively.  And when he attempts to be dramatic (when he finds out that Ha-Seon (HS) is not his daughter), he gives a bad performance so that instead of feeling sorry for his character,  I am instead annoyed that a man could be so pathetic.

JH’s portrayal of the comic artist – cool, a player, laidback, stays away from commitments, attached to his dog –  is very cute and on target.  But  not a difficult thing for JH to do since he has had extensive experience in this kind of role.  In most of his past projects, he has portrayed this very role – the funny romantic lead – he has that act down pat.  His voice is irritatingly whiny in scenes where he is supposedly complaining over one thing or another (our Hyun Jae’s character also complains a lot, but his voice never turns whiny at all!!!).  Jae Hee’s character is more layered than SSR’s, because he starts out as a fun-loving, carefree individual but somewhere along the line he becomes a serious comic artist, taking on the role of mediator when Soo-Hyun and Kyung-Tae argue, and he does end up taking care of HS more than the other two dads and the mom because he works at home.

Both JH and SSR tend to exaggerate in their acting — they contort their faces/dilate their pupils to convey their feelings; they are all over the place in their movements; and their voices are loud — but I put it down to the fact that they are the comic relief in this drama and our Hyun Jae the dramatic lead.

Now, our Hyun Jae’s portrayal of the handsome fund manager — he is intelligent, smart, poised, charming when the situation calls for it, but extremely stingy!  Loves money, always harping on about money, how expensive things are, how costly it is to raise a child, very critical of NY’s ineptness as a woman and a mother.  He is the sober, serious and reliable fund manager in front of his colleagues, superiors and clients.  In the company of his friends he is less serious but still maintains his dignity, very vocal about his views about money and marriage.  At first glance, his character comes across as shallow, very manipulative and calculating (taking steps to attract the attention of the daughter of his rich client!).  And it is indeed a credit to our Hyun Jae’s great acting skills that viewers end up disliking his character so much, despite the fact that he is the most handsome of the 3 dads.  Viewers would rather that the dumb cop or the artist playboy end up being the real dad or the one to end up with the mom.  For who would want to have a dad or a husband who is as stingy as SH?  (Moi, moi, moi, if he looks as handsome as our JHJ!!!)

(TO BE CONTINUED)

(Credit for photos: name on photos)

You’ve seen him in black. You’ve seen him in white. Now here he is — in black and white, and grey too.  Enjoy!

(Credit: http:// johyunjae.hk.  Thanks!)

Here’s a card that we sent Jo Hyun-Jae recently.  The pictures say it all.

Jo Hyun-Jae has a huge following in the Philippines.  He is also very popular among Filipinas all over the world.  Our regular subscriber “prissymom” must be one of the most devoted JHJ fans.  She has written the definitive thesis on JHJ’s latest drama “3 Dads & 1 Mom”!  It’s very long, but since she has taken the time and trouble to write this article, the least we can do is extend to her the courtesy of serializing it – in 4 parts.  She has been brooding over this topic for over a year, in her own words: “I have 12 months of negative vibes to purge”, so here is her chance to vent her feelings.

“Three Dads and One Mom” (3D1M, the last JHJ drama before his military enlistment) has been on my mind since it aired in South Korea more than a year ago (April to May 2008).  Some critics pan not just the drama but our Hyun Jae’s acting in this romantic-comedy (rom-com).  Some critics say that the drama is very predictable and that JHJ’s acting is “dull and bleak”.  That, as far as this drama is concerned, our Hyun Jae is just “coasting along”, “just going through the paces”, or “just clocking it in”, and that he is “stiff and camera-conscious”.  In short, not giving the drama his best effort, not performing up to his usual high standard!

One critic even goes so far as to say that our Hyun Jae “has all the ingredients of a strong leading man but lacks the alchemy to really spark”, that he is “blank in the charisma arena” and that he acts like a “well-programmed robot”.   When these critics compare our JHJ’s performance with the other two dads in the drama (Jae Hee/JH and Shin Sung Rok/SSR), our Hyun Jae suffers a lot in those comparisons.  Now, I am not the type of fan who is blind to my idol’s flaws (not that I see any in our Hyun Jae, hahaha, he is just so adorably perfect!!!), but I feel that those derogatory remarks about our Hyun Jae’s acting are unjustified because they are made very early in the series (as early as episodes 1 and 2).  In short, they don’t give our Hyun Jae a chance to work his charm and magic before they make those criticisms.

Of course, like a true diehard JHJ fan I took those criticisms of our Hyun Jae to heart.  I wanted to lash out at these critics, be like some JHJ fans who left comments using very, very, very strong words indeed to defend our idol.  But I didn’t allow my emotions to get the better of me and just left comments using very reasonable words.  After all I realize that people differ in their tastes and opinions; there is just no way for one person (even if that person is our Hyun Jae) to please everyone. Even the best entertainers in the world have their share of detractors, I told myself.  But, despite consoling myself with these thoughts, the derogatory remarks still rankled.  So after more than a year of harboring these negative vibes, I decided to confront it by re-watching our JHJ in 3D1M.  Anyway, here’s my humble take on the drama and our JHJ’s performance…..

First, about the drama – it tackles the issue of sperm donation in a lighthearted and funny way that some critics end up describing it as a no-brainer, a throwaway drama, something that you would not want to go back to after you’ve seen it once.  The first time I watched it I felt pretty much the same way as these critics, but when I watched it a second time I realized that there is more to this drama than meets the eye.  It talks about the different kinds of love: 1) love for one’s friends (the 4 friends who stay good friends through the years despite the differences in their personalities, and the 3 dads stick it out with Na-Yong and Ha-Seon initially because of their love for their dead friend); 2) parental love (3 dads and Na-Yong towards Ha-Seon); 3) filial love (Soo-Hyun’s love and care for his sick father: he may not show much emotion while caring for his dad but his love can be felt in his gentle and patient ministrations for the sick man and the sorrow he feels after his visits); 4) romantic love (Sung-Min for Na-Yong: he begs, cajoles and blackmails his friends for their sperm just to make NY pregnant; only a man in love would do that; 3 dads’ feelings for NY); and 5) finally, learning to love and opening one’s heart to love truly (3 dads toward NY, especially Soo-Hyun who gives up his dream of marrying a rich girl so he could continue to be with NY and HS and of course his 2 best friends).

Love and its many forms may not be the most unique topic in the world.  It has been told and retold countless times in countless dramas and movies all over the world, but in 3D1M it is presented in a hilarious and lighthearted way.  It is so funny and lighthearted that some viewers fail to realize that it has slowly but truly captivated their hearts (those who watch it with an open heart and an open mind anyway.)

The next issue hurled at the drama is its predictability.  It is predictable: the first time I watched it I felt that way; that did not change after I watched it the second time.  Right from the start viewers can predict that Na-Young’s (NY) husband, Sung-Min (SM) will die.  Otherwise, how could there be only 3 dads, right?  We can also predict that mother and baby will end up living with the 3 dads; that the 3 dads will change/mature because of the presence of a baby in their lives;  that the 3 dads will eventually fall in love with the baby first then the mom next; and that the mom will fall in love with one of the 3 dads.  Only 2 things are left for viewers to speculate:

1. Who is Ha-Seon’s (HS) real dad?  Is it Soo-Hyun (played by our Hyun Jae/JHJ), or is it Kwang-Hee (Jae Hee), or is it Kyeong-Tae (Shin Sung-Rok)?  Of course, now we know that HS’s real dad is the dead husband, Sung-Min (SM).  I guess SM’s sp–ms just need some competition to successfully mate with Na-Yong’s egg. The presence of his friends’ sp–ms makes his usually lazy sp–ms aggressive!!!   I must say the writer is very successful in keeping the suspense of who the real dad is until the very end.  I am one of those who predict that the real dad is SH (played by our JHJ) because of the 3 dads he is the one with whom NY will most likely fall in love with because he is the most handsome, the most financially stable, and once his attitude changes (no longer money hungry, that is) his character becomes likable.

2. Who will Na-Yong fall in love with?  Will she fall in love with the stingy/money hungry Soo-Hyun (SH), or with the playboy/artist Kwang-Hee (KH), or with the dumb cop with a tough exterior but with a soft heart Kyung-Tae (KT), or with her nice boss Jung Chan- Young (JCY), played by Joo Sang Wook?  Even before the drama was aired, people were already speculating that NY will end up with JHJ’s character SH because of the 4 guys vying for her love, our JHJ is the biggest star, the one most likely to take on the #1 leading man role.  Of course, now we know that NY indeed falls in love with JHJ/SH, but this is not shown in the series but is just implied by HS in her narration towards the end of the drama when she says that her mother feels happy/smiles a lot whenever “daddy” (the way she calls JHJ/SH as opposed to “appa”-SSR/KT and “papa”-JH/KH) is around.

So with people speculating that NY will end up with JHJ/SH, the writer is faced with a challenge:  how to let the suspense of whom NY will fall in love with last until the end of the drama?  They do this by downplaying JHJ’s role (at least in the early episodes) to divert viewers’ focus on him as NY’s likely love interest in the drama.  The director and the writer employ several methods to do this:

1.  they make his character so unlikeable that viewers would rather have NY end up with the sloppy/messy/not-so-handsome dumb cop or with the playboy comic artist than with the handsome and intelligent but very stingy fund manager that is our JHJ.  He is not just thrifty or money-wise; he is so STINGY that I took to calling him HIS STINGINESS (like addressing a king as HIS HIGHNESS or HIS MAJESTY).  It is only in episode 5 that his stinginess is explained – his father has Alzheimer’s disease so SH has to put him in a facility that could give his father the professional care that he couldn’t provide.  Facilities like that really cost an arm and a leg. So despite his high paying job he still has to be thrifty to the point of being stingy so he could continue to provide for his sick father.

2. our JHJ is given fewer opportunities for interaction in the earlier episodes.  SSR has his mom and colleagues/criminals in the police station to interact with, aside from his 3 close friends, NY and HS.  SSR’s interactions with these people are always funny, giving him the opportunity to flesh out his role of a dumb cop with a tough exterior but with a soft heart in just a few episodes.  JH’s character has his flirty mom, his older editor who has the hots for him, his girlfriends and his dog Milk to interact with aside from his 3 friends, NY and HS.  Like SSR, his interactions with these people are always funny and cute, giving him a chance to fully flesh out his role of an artist playboy in the first few episodes.  While our JHJ has only his 3 friends, NY, his work colleagues/superiors, rich client and rich girl to interact with.  And his interactions in the office or with a client or with the rich girl are always formal, quiet and restrained. After all he has to maintain decorum in an office setting, in the boardroom or in a high-end art gallery. In some of his office scenes he even has to interact with inanimate objects (computer and the plants he buys to make his sp–ms healthy).  He is in some funny situations in some of his office/art gallery scenes but these are very few.  Of course, good actor that our JHJ is, he is able to put flesh into SH in just a few episodes, but the thing is that the SH character has so many layers to it.  The director and the writer deliberately conceal those other layers of SH in the early episodes.

3. the director also shunts our JHJ to one side in the first half of the series.  Whenever the 3 dads appear together onscreen, our JHJ is always on one side (when they are seated), or at the back when they are standing, never taking the center position.  In scenes where the 3 dads appear with NY and HS, he is always positioned the farthest from the 2 females.  His character is relegated to just seconding or agreeing to what the other 2 dads are saying.  It is only at the end of episode 7 that JHJ’s character starts to take charge of the various situations the 3 dads and NY find themselves in.  This is the episode when he is chasing the rich girl Seo-Yeon (RG) to explain why he sold the painting he got as a reward and then he sees NY who has left their house with HS.  He chooses to go after NY and HS instead of the RG.  In the scene in the motel where he is trying to force NY to go back home with him, he is so forceful, so decisive, his acting is so on target that I feel like shouting:  ”Yea, the quintessential leading man, the dramatic actor is finally unleashed!!!!”

(TO BE CONTINUED)

(Credit for photos: name on photos.  Thanks!)

All Chinese know what  “白马王子” is (translated literally, it means “prince on a white horse”.)  The English equivalent would be Prince Charming.  That’s our Jo Hyun-Jae.  Have you ever seen a man looking so pure and innocent in white, even in a plain white shirt (or even a vest)?  Even his back looks beautiful!

(Credit for photos — names on photos.  Thanks!)

Day 4 (August 1, 2009)

As soon as I saw “G” and “H”, I knew we’re not going to the hospitals in “Love Letter”.  They had planned on going there this morning, and these two hospitals are very far away — outside of Seoul.  I don’t relish another long bus ride; I don’t much care for hospitals; and I don’t remember Andrea working in one in “Love Letter.”  “G” and “H” were all dressed up, well, wearing colourful outfits anyway.  “G” told me we’re going to SBS instead of the hospitals.  Even if she had told me beforehand, I would still be wearing my T-shirt and jeans because they’re all I brought.  And in any case, we’re going star-gazing.  Who would look at three ajumas?

But first we went to Star n Hit’s new office which was located on a side street.  There was nobody there, perhaps because it was Saturday.  So off we went to the SBS Ilsan Production Studio in N.W. Seoul (at least it looked like it was in that direction on the metro map.)  “G” told me that at the dinner last night their friend introduced them to Mr. X who invited them to tour the studio.  Mr. X was apparently involved in the production of “Seo Dong Yo”.   I asked “G” if Mr. X knew we’re JHJ fans, and she said she did not tell him.  He’s now working on another project, so there’s no point in bringing up the past.  The past?  Our JHJ is the past?  This is really a major cultural difference between us.  If I ever meet someone who has worked with JHJ, the first thing I’m going to say is I’m a JHJ fan.  “G” also said I should ask for the autographs of the actors Mr. X would introduce us to.  I said I wasn’t interested in anyone except JHJ.  “G” admonished: “Just to be polite.”  Now this is another cultural difference between us.  I don’t see how not showing interest in some actor I’m not interested in makes me impolite.  I believe in good manners, but I do not subscribe to hypocrisy.

We must have passed about 20 metro stations before disembarking at the terminal, and then we took a taxi to the SBS studio.  It was only at this point that “G” said Mr. X was expecting us between 11 a.m. and 12 noon.  I looked at my watch which showed 1:30 p.m.   We’re 1 1/2 hours late!  So much for time management!  Mr. X was waiting for us at the building entrance.  At the gate the guard said Mr. X left instructions to admit two, how come there were three?  I wasn’t about to be left behind.  If I had to ask for autographs, I would.   Mr. X treated us to lunch at the SBS canteen (he’d already eaten) and afterwards to Starbucks coffee at the cafe.

“Two wives”

At 2 p.m. Mr. X brought us to where the drama “Two wives” was being shot.  We watched the shooting of four scenes in domestic settings.  The director was a 30-something man in a T-shirt, jeans, and crocs.  The pace was fast; everyone was well-rehearsed, even though each take had to go through 6 or 7 NGs.  Mr. X introduced us to two actors and three actresses, none of whom I recognized.  I ended up with three autographs (without my asking) and having my picture taken with all of them.  One actor drew a lot of “oohs!’ and “aahs!” from my friends who were scandalized I did not know who Andy was.  “Andy!  Andy!  He’s very famous!  How could you not know him?”  Well, I’m not that much into Korean drama, and there is only one star in my firmament.  This Andy was quite ordinary looking and not tall, and missed his lines several times.  Only later did I find out he was a member of the singing group “Shinhwa”.  Sorry, the only “Shinhwa” member I know is JunJin who acted in “Forbidden Love” (Legend of the Nine-Tailed Fox) with JHJ.

Andy’s autograph

The other actor was younger and taller and much better looking –  attractive enough for me to ask Mr. X his name — Kang Ji Sub, “a rising star”, in his words.  Mr. X asked both Andy and Kang to pose for photos with us and to sign autographs for us.  Mr. X must have been a big shot in SBS or Korean actors are very obliging and gracious.  The three actresses were older — young — and very young.  Mr. X introduced them as “very famous”, “big star”, and “newcomer” — all strangers to me, I’m afraid.  They all willingly posed for photos with us, no airs at all, big star or not.  The young girl we saw earlier in the cafe with a child actor, and she really had very winning looks.  Needless to say, I didn’t catch any of their names.

Kang Ji Sub

Mr. X brought us to the make-up/dressing room where other not-so-big actors did not have to pleasure of being introduced to us.  But Mr X did bring along a very pretty make-up artist who was obviously a favourite of his.  Here we watched Kang Ji Sub change into four different outfits.  He was so busy shooting different scenes, all quite short, apparently.  But in between he posed for a photo with us, and when he had a little time later, Mr. X sat him down and gave him the autograph signing assignment.  Unlike Andy earlier who just scribbled his name, Kang very conscientiously wrote all the words that you see here — 3 times!  Card reads (top to bottom):  SBS “Two wives” / His name Kang Ji Sub / His signature / Date: 09.7.31 / Welcome to Korea (Heart = Love).  He got the date wrong; it should be 09.8.1 and not 09.7.31.  Mr. X said he had been filming non-stop.  All the more why I thought it was so sweet and charming of him to bother with us.  I don’t know whether Kang was disappointed his “fans” were ajumas, but I wish him a great future.

Mr. X also showed us the control room where six people were busily working on those scenes just shot.  Mr. X introduced three of the men but their names immediately slipped my mind.  On the left of the control room was the editing room and on the right the audio.  I was a little surprised we were allowed to stay and watch them work.  Mr. X seemed to know everybody and everybody was very tolerant of our presence because we were his guests.  After three hours at SBS I suggested we make a move.  This was all very interesting but they had nothing to do with JHJ, except most of his dramas, especially the early ones, were made at SBS.  We thanked Mr. X profusely.  He was really so kind and accommodating; he took an afternoon off to show us around.

From SBS we went to the traditional Korean-style houses – “Hanok”.  There was a whole street all lined with these that travel agents take tourists to.  Actually the “hanok” used in “Love Letter” has already been demolished — to make way for new Korean houses built in the traditional style.  There was also a church in the vicinity that appeared in “Love Letter”.  “G” and “H” took their photos — to recreate the scene.

Then we took a taxi to Mapo.  This taxi had no air con, no seatbelt (broken), and no gas!   A first for me!  The driver asked us if he could re-fill his tank after about 30 seconds, as if we had any choice.  The trip took 45 minutes, crossing the Han River to the south, and cost 5 figures.  When I saw the meter jumping (faster than my heart), I felt the same way as the other time with M.  (Please see our 5/5/09 post “Adventures in JHJ country (3)”.)  After we alighted and walked around for ten minutes, I still could not make out where “G” and “H” wanted to go.  They kept saying “Luca, Luca”; gradually it dawned on me that that’s the name of the coffee shop where Andrea and Eun-Ha dated in “Love Letter”.  They had a map or something, downloaded from the internet.  They asked about five different people who pointed us in all directions.  It was getting darker and darker, and I was getting hungrier and hungrier.  We walked around for half an hour, by which time I didn’t care much where Andrea and Eun-Ha dated.  I just wanted my dinner at Oliva!  Finally at 8 p.m. they decided to give up and we hailed a taxi back to where we came from; thankfully the return trip took only 20 minutes and 2/3 of the fare.

“Oliva” is of course the Italian restaurant in “Only You”.  As soon as I saw it, I forgot about my rumbling stomach and aching feet and started snapping.  So many scenes from “Only You” came flooding into my head.  I took pictures of everything; I saw Han Yi-Joon everywhere.  JHJ spent some time in this place; I felt so privileged to be here.   And oh! the pasta was good!

For me, these 5 days/4 nights (we all left on the morning of the 5th day – August 2) are so full and fulfilling.   ”G” and “H” might be disappointed we didn’t go to all twelve places they had planned to visit, but I was very satisfied we covered as much as we did (and quite relieved we didn’t go to the hospitals), with SBS thrown in as an extra bonus.  Following in JHJ’s footsteps is adventurous, exhilarating, educational, gratifying, exhausting, and lots of fun!

(THE END)

(All photos original — Please credit http://jo-hyun-jae.com if you wish to transfer.)

Are you swooning by now?  Take a deep breath.  Sit down.  And start salivating over these gorgeous photos again.

(Credit for photos: names on photos.  Thanks!)