Jo Hyun Jae

Merry Christmas, everybody!  Wherever you are, whoever you are, as long as you’re a Jo Hyun-Jae fan (or not), we wish you happy holidays!

(Credit: Flash created by Param of CarpeDiemJAPAN.  Photo by ta93 of http://club.brokore/sodonyo.  Thanks!)

Jo Hyun-Jae has just left his fans a Christmas message:

Merry Christmas to you

It has been a long time.

The long-expected leave (suspended due to H1N1) finally becomes reality.  How are you all?

I know you are all concerned about me.  Thankfully I am very well and healthy.  It is so good to be able to enjoy this leave after such a long time.

My family and I are enjoying the delicious home-cooking of my mother.

I have to take care of some overdue business, and I also plan to see my friends.  I feel very busy.

Moreover, how did you know about my leave this time?  I have received so many different kinds of presents from you.  I am very grateful to each and every one of you for having me in your thoughts and always taking care of me.  Thanks to you, I’ll feel even more happiness and joy during the festive season.

Your letters and gifts are a great help to me.  It warms my heart to read letters conscientiously written in Korean, every word, every line – thank you so much!

Merry Christmas to everyone, and all best wishes to you and yours at year end and in the new year.

Wishing you all good health and blessings.

오랜만입니다.
신종인플루엔자때문에 미뤄졌던 휴가를 드디어 받아서 나오게 되었네요! 다들 잘 지내고 계셨나요?
저는 여러분들이 염려해주신 덕분에 건강하게 잘 지내고 있습니다. 오랜만의 휴가라 그런지 정말 좋네요.
가족들과 함께 어머니가 만들어주신 맛있는 집밥도 먹고, 그 동안 밀린 일들도 보고, 친구들도 만날 예정이라 마음이 바쁘네요.
게다가 이번에 휴가 나온 건 어찌 아시고 이것저것 선물들을 많이 챙겨서 보내주셨더군요.
항상 잊지않고 이렇게 챙겨주셔서 감사드립니다. 덕분에 이번 휴가를 몇배로 더 즐겁게 보낼 수 있겠네요.
여러분들이 늘 보내주시는 편지와 선물들에 늘 많은 도움을 받습니다.
정성들여 또박또박 한글로 써주시는 편지들도 많아 보면 무척 흐뭇해지네요.
고맙습니다.
모두들 즐거운 크리스마스 보내시고, 연말연시를 가족, 친구들과 함께 행복하게 보내시길 바랍니다.
건강하시고 행복하세요

(Editor’s note: Our version is from the Official JHJ Fan Club website.  It is slightly different from the versions left on CAFE and EVER.  Does this mean JHJ type each message separately?  He doesn’t know how to COPY and PASTE?  Or is he just doing his part to match the sincerity of his fans?  In any case, we are most grateful!)

***FOR COPYRIGHT REASONS, PLEASE DO NOT COPY, TRANSFER,  OR REPRODUCE PHOTO FROM OFFICIAL JHJ FAN CLUB WEBSITE.***

We have personally asked for permission to use material from the Official JHJ Fan Club website.  And we openly share with ALL JHJ fans.  We do not restrict news to “For Fan Club Members Only”.  We believe ALL JHJ fans have the right to know, not just those who pay membership fees to certain unofficial fan clubs.

On this Christmas Eve, may you be blessed with the joy and peace of the holiday season.  While celebrating Christmas with your loved ones, please say a prayer for Jo Hyun-Jae and his family.  We are so glad JHJ gets to spend Christmas with his family and friends instead of patrolling with his dog at 4 a.m. in the f-r-e-e-z-i-n-g winter of Seoul!

(Credit: http://jo-hyunjae.com; http://gall.dcinside.com; http://yahoo.com.hk;  www.johyunjae.hk.  Videos created by kkisok.  Many thanks!)

See your own message?  All these were sent 10 days ago and Jo Hyun-Jae has already received them.  Maybe he’s even reading yours now.  If they can bring a smile to his face (to know that his fans care), that would mean our Christmas wish has come true.  Your Christmas/New Year greetings come from all over the world — N. America (U.S. and Canada), Europe (England and Portugal), Asia (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore), and Australia.

Our heartfelt thanks to L who performed the monumental task of translating all your messages into Korean as well as correcting my transcript of the Korean messages.  She was so conscientious that she racked her brains over how to translate “Hugs and Kisses” that one of you wrote.  Apparently in Korean they don’t display affection this way.  In the end she consulted an expert who decreed it was OK for foreigners.  This has been an interesting and rewarding experience for us.  We thank all JHJ fans who participated.

Babies are great scene-stealers.  But Jo Hyun-Jae can certainly hold his own in any scene with any baby, as the above photos (from “3 Dads/1 Mom” ) show.  The video is cute too (even without the babies.)  Enjoy!

(Credit: Names on photos and video; www.johyunjae.hk.  Thanks!)

Jo Hyun-Jae will be out tomorrow (Dec.22) on a 10 days/9 nights leave.

Below is the announcement on the Official JHJ Fan Club website on Dec.20 evening:

Hello everybody!  This is Korean staff.

Korea has been consistently very cold for the past week.  Tomorrow may begin to be a little better, so it appears to be lucky.

Here is a piece of news that will make all members very happy:

Hyun-Jae is expected to take his scheduled leave of 9 nights 10 days starting on Tuesday, December 22.

All leaves were cancelled earlier due to H1N1 raised to “Serious” level.  On Dec.11 it was lowered to “Alert” level, which is why Hyun-Jae is allowed to take his leave.

It has been so long since Hyun-Jae had his leave.  Hope he can have a good rest before returning to camp.

Take care of your health.  See you next time.

(Credit: http://jo-hyunjae.com.  Thanks!)

“A jum ma” is Korean for “madam” or “auntie”, a term for a middle-aged woman.  Han Yi-Joon in this delightful video compiled of scenes from “Only You” keeps calling Cha Eun-Jae “ajuma, ajuma”, sometimes playfully, sometimes provocatively, but always affectionately (without even knowing it himself.)  Coming from his mouth, it sounds like “Darling” or “Honey”.  Does he ever call her by her name?  This video is fun!  I’ve watched it many times and still laugh every single time.

(Credit: Video by leemaggie of http://lovecy.ifensi.com.  Thanks!)

This fan meeting in Tokyo on 2005.12.30 is Jo Hyun-Jae’s first in Japan.  The video is nearly 35 minutes long, which is why we’ve scheduled it for Sunday.

You have to watch it at one go, so you can understand what it takes for JHJ to go to Tokyo for ONE NIGHT in the midst of filming “Seo Dong Yo”.

For the sake of those readers who do not understand Chinese, we have translated the transcript in its entirety.

In the car on the way from airport to hotel

01:15  Q:  Been to Japan before?

A: Yes, to shoot a TV drama (“Star’s Echo”).

01:20  Q: How many times?

A: This is the 6th time but the first fan meeting.

01:30  Q: How does it feel to see so many fans at the airport?

A: Very happy.  Didn’t expect them to come to the airport.

01:40  Q: Fan meeting tickets are all sold out.

A: Is that so?

01:46  Q: About the drama you’re currently filming.

A: I come directly after filming “Seo Dong Yo” yesterday.

01:50  Q: Tomorrow you’ll return to Korea to continue filming?

A: Filming has not stopped for one single day.

02:00  Q: Your impression of Japan?

A: Japan is a country I’ve always liked.  Japanese food is very good.

02:10  Q: What kind of Japanese food?

A:  Sashimi and shabu-shabu — I’ve had these many times.  I also like ordinary food like udon.

(“Voice” in car says: Then we’ll have udon for dinner tonight. [Laugh])

02:36  Q: What is your impression of Japanese fans?

A: Very enthusiastic.

02:48  Q: Recent sleep time?

A: Last night 3 hours.  Normal average is 3 hours.  In one week there are at least 3 or 4 days that I have to go without sleep.  Just non-stop filming.  It’s been like that for the last 4 months.  I’ve lost a lot of weight.

03:18  Q: How is your Japanese?

A: I did not learn.  I wanted to but have no time.  Recently I’ve been very busy filming SDY.  Yesterday was whole day shooting.

03:40  Q: This time are you going to address fans in Japanese?

A: Yes.  (JHJ says something in Japanese, but is corrected by the “Voice” in the car.)

03:50  Q: How are you going to spend the New Year?

A: Filming — Christmas was the same, spent at film sets.

04:07  Q: How long will filming last?

A: Till mid-March.  Another 2 1/2 months.

04:20  Q: How do you maintain your strength?

A: Because filming has lasted too long, I’ve lost a lot of weight.  Hope to keep it this way.  I take energy drinks, also ginseng.  I drink anything that’s good for health………But I am still young.

04:50  Arrival at hotel

05:20  Interview in hotel room (JHJ changes into turquoise jacket)

Q: Please talk about how you started acting in “Love Letter”.

A: At first an agent saw me, so I became a model.  Then the director saw me in that advertisement and chose me.

05:55  Q: When did you want to be an actor?

A: When I was a model for commercials, I was already getting ready.  I studied Performing Arts in university.

06:20  Q: You are going to sing in front of everybody, right?

A: I feel a little embarrassed.  Could be no good.  I have no confidence.

06:40  Photo session

07:00  Press conference (JHJ now wearing black jacket with white collar)

07:30  JHJ: Good afternoon.  I am Jo Hyun-Jae.  Thank you for coming here.  I’ll try to answer all your questions.  Feel free to ask anything.

07:45  Q: Please say something about the SBS drama “Seo Dong Yo” that you are currently filming.

A: It’s the story of Seo Dong, the 30th King of Baekje.  He doesn’t know he’s actually a prince, only after he has grown up.  His life is full of difficulties and troubles.

08:30  Q: What does it feel like this time coming to Japan?

A: At the moment I’m busy filming in Korea every day.  I heard my fans are waiting for me, and this time many are participating.  I’ll be very happy to meet everybody.  I’m delighted to be able to see everybody.  I’ve said before that Japan is a very clean country.  The air is good and the weather warm.  Korea is now very cold.  I feel this city is very solid and steady.

09:40  Film shoots (JHJ  is made to raise his hand, turn this way and that.)

10:00  On the way to the meeting hall

In the elevator someone coughs, and then someone asks JHJ: “Are you using throat lozenges?”  His manager replies: “He had some just now.”

10:48  Fans waiting for show to start

11:00  Last minute preparations

11:30  Fan meeting starts (JHJ walks on stage, bows and smiles.)

11:55  JHJ: (in Japanese): Good evening.  I am Jo Hyun-Jae.  Very happy to see everybody.

12:25  Q: Did you learn Japanese?

A: No (MC says his Japanese is very good.)

12:45  Q: There are 1,400 fans here.  How does it feel to have so much support?

A: I can’t express in words my gratitude to so many fans coming here.

13:45  Q: What is your impression of Japan?

A: Japan is a very clean country — streets are clean and people are kind.

14:00  Q: I heard Korea is very cold now.  Do you feel cold in Japan?

A: Korea is especially cold.  Even when I wear a lot of clothes during filming [of SDY], I still feel cold.  As soon as I come to Japan, I start sweating.  Even now when I am wearing so little, I still feel hot.

15:00  Q: Let’s talk about “Love Letter” — everybody is very familiar with this drama.  Please say something about what to look for.

A: All three actors threw themselves completely into this drama; all three of us cooperated whole-heartedly.  It’s about love.  You’ll be moved if you concentrate on watching.

16:15  Q: Please watch these videos.

16:25  Soo Ae comes on — congratulates JHJ on his fan meeting.

17:00  Ji Jin-Hee comes on — says more or less the same things but then starts to promote himself, says he will come next year to see the fans.

18:05  Q: How do you feel about that?

A: Very happy.  I haven’t seen them for a long time.  I’m so busy I didn’t even call.  I’ll call them when I get back to Korea.

18:35  Q: Ji Jin-Hee is supposed to congratulate you but he was really promoting himself to the Japanese fans.  Aren’t your jealous?

A: No, no.

18:58  Q: Is it the first time for Soo Ae and Ji Jin-Hee to play lead?

A: Yes.

19:08  Q: The three of you cooperated closely to make this drama?

A: All three of us are playing lead for the first time, so everybody throws himself/herself into the drama.  The plot is a little sad and there are a lot of crying scenes.  In the second half of the drama, because there are too many crying scenes, we start laughing during filming.  This is what I remember when I think back to the filming.

20:35  JHJ: Sorry.  I keep saying such meaningless things.

(Fans laugh, obviously enjoying it all.)

20:57  Q: I heard you’re very busy how, also that you like to swim, hike, skate, play snooker — looks like you are an all-round athlete.  You still have time to do all these?

A: I haven’t been able to do what I like for a long time.  I just work now.  Can’t help, it’s work every minute.

(MC: Hope you’ll have more time.)

21:48  Q: Now we’ll watch “Love Letter” and carry on our conversation.

(Scene of Andrea and Eun-Ha kissing on beach shown)

22:15  (Fans laugh.  Why?)

22:20  Q: How do you feel now watching this scene?

A: Very embarrassed.  But it was very cold when this scene was shot, so I have a deep impression.

22:45  JHJ’s presents for fans — personal items — 4 caps/hats, jeans, cologne, CD, DVD — so many presents.

23:20  JHJ begins lucky draw

23:55  Fan who wins hat embraces JHJ (after shaking his hand)

MC: Today is handshaking meeting, not embracing meeting.

24:07  JHJ to second winner: This is a cap I wear a lot.

24:20  Fan shakes JHJ’s hand, but then can’t resist embracing him.

24:40  JHJ to third winner: This is my cologne.

24:45  JHJ poses for photos and signs autographs

25:00  JHJ sings

26:30  Q: How does it feel to sing in front of so many Japanese fans?

A: I should have sung better, but I have the ‘flu.  Very sorry.

26:56  Q: That line in the song — “You are the one I cherish most”, also words about being blessed. etc.  Does this reflect your feelings for your fans?

A: I was thinking of this when I was singing.

27:27  Handshaking to begin

JHJ says something to his fans first: I am very grateful you give me this opportunity today.  This will be a beautiful memory for me.  I will continue to work hard, and I hope you will continue to support me.  Thank you very much!

28:35  Handshaking begins (one fan is in a wheelchair.)

29:08  1,400 fans have all had their handshakes with JHJ

29:20  Q:  How does it feel to shake 1,400 fans’ hands?

A: I feel very happy.  I could feel the fans’ support.  I will continue to work hard.  Please continue to support me.

29:54  JHJ to say final words to fans and then goodbye.

30:04  JHJ: I am very grateful so many fans come to today’s handshaking meeting.  I will come again.  Thank you so much, everyone!

30:30  MC: Goodbye to JHJ.  A big hand for JHJ!

30:50  JHJ comes on stage again.

31:05  JHJ goes down to mingle with the fans.

31:50  Then he goes back on stage and says: Thank you very, very much!

End of fan meeting

34:20  JHJ’s last words on video:  So many people take part in the handshaking meeting this time!  It’s so unexpected, and I feel very happy.  I hope there will be another opportunity like this.  I will work hard to make better dramas.  Thank you very much!

(Credit: Chinese translation by ING.  Thanks!)

It’s
hard
when you can’t
do the things
you’d like
to do…..

…..so please take care of yourself,
rest easy,
and [hope your father will] get well soon.

This video is actually called “Cool and Beauty”.  That really hurts my sensibility.  How can you have an adjective and a noun lumped together like that?  (Could be “Cool and beautiful”, if you prefer.)  Who cares?  Well, I do!  Anything connected with Mr. Jo Hyun-Jae must be perfect!

In this video you see all JHJ’s funny poses (We had a post dedicated to these some months ago.)  Who poses like that?  Our JHJ!  And he looks great!

(Many thanks to the creator of this video, whoever you are.)