Jo Hyun Jae

This video is a tribute to Jo Hyun-Jae from his Japanese fans, compiled of photos and videos of his Korea Fan Meeting, set to the song “Endless Love”.   Enjoy!

(Credit: Video – CarpeDiemJAPAN/Maki; http://hyunjaeloveJAPAN. Photos – names on photos.  Thanks!)

Yes, Jo Hyun-Jae can sing other songs, not just those on his CD.  Here he is at the Korea Fan Meeting on 2008.07.19 singing “Lucky”.  The second video shows him singing part of his own “Words you said to me.”

(Credit : Names on videos and photos.  Thanks!)

This is the message that Jo Hyun-Jae left for his fans on August 4, 2008, just before he entered the Korean military.  The original is, of course, in Korean.  The English and Chinese translations are by EVERKorea.  We are posting the message here and now because we have not done so before (JHJ entered the army before this blog came into existence) and also because some fans who “discovered” JHJ after that may not have read it before.   

I will come back healthily

Finally, I enlist in the army tomorrow.
It is sad to stay away from family, friends and fans.
But when I come back again, it can be thought that the time is not long.
I really appreciate your big encouragement and support, till now.
I will do my best to military service and will come back healthily.
I will be happy if I receive your letter and if I get your glad welcome after 22 months.
Take care…
Be happy!

다녀오겠습니다!

드디어 내일 입대합니다.
가족과 친구들, 팬 여러분들과 떨어져있을 생각을 하니 많이 아쉽기도 하고 서운하네요.
하지만 갔다오고나서 돌이켜보면 생각보다 짧은 시간이겠죠.
그 동안 격려해주시고 아낌없이 지지해주셔서 정말로 감사드립니다.
군복무 열심히 하고 건강한 모습으로 돌아오겠습니다.
입대하고나서도 여러분이 편지 많이 써주셨으면 좋겠고, 나중에 다시 반갑게 맞아주셨으면 좋겠네요.
여러분 모두 잘 지내시기 바랍니다.
행복하세요!

去去再回来

终于，明天要入伍了。
和家人、朋友们还有粉丝们离别，心里有很多不舍。
但如果去了回来再回头看，觉得也会是很短的时间。
这期间给我毫不吝啬的鼓励和支持，真的非常感谢。
会以努力和健康的样子服完兵役后归来！
在退伍的时候，如果大家给我写很多的信，然后再很高兴地迎接我归来就太好了
请大家也要一切顺利。
要幸福哦！

(Credit: EVERjohyunjae.co.kr.  Names on photos.  Thanks!)

EVERKorea and EVERJapan sent the above Valentine presents to Jo Hyun-Jae.  You can see they are mostly different kinds of chocolates (some same brand as ours – Godiva – JHJ fans think alike!)  There are also various skin products like hand cream and moisturizers.  The Valentine messages from JHJ’s Japanese fans are so beautiful and colourful!

In addition, the last item is a book of photos and messages of EVER’s FRIENDSHIP EVENT, including our Christmas party photos (wearing the EVER T-shirt.)  They also included the photos and postcards from JHJ fans all over the world that we sent to JHJ via EVER.  (Those of your photos and postcards that missed the EVER deadline have been mailed directly to JHJ by us.)

(Credit: EVERjohyunjae.co.kr.  Thanks!)

Happy anniversary to us! 

Last year around this time we did something totally out of character, as a result of which wulijohyunjae was born.  Please see our very first posts “We spent Valentine’s Day with JHJ” (February 18-20, 2009, Category: “Trips as JHJ fans”) and “JHJ Osaka Photo Exhibition – the story in pictures” (February 23-28, 2009, Category: “JHJ photos”.)

Nobody thought we could last, since M and I are both novices as fans and bloggers.  But sustained by our devotion to JHJ and through sheer hard work, we survived (and even thrived!)  We even added “staff” along the way — all volunteers, all dedicated JHJ fans.  We are very grateful for their support and contribution.

My brother Michael who helped me set up this blog (in the old google.blogspot) during my trip to the U.S. in early 2009 told me the other day we’re ranked 1 million something on Alexa.  What’s that?  Alexa Traffic Rank (a measure of a website’s popularity) is calculated using a combination of average daily visitors and page views over the past 3 months.  The site with the highest combination of visitors and pageviews is ranked #1.  One million something?  Is that supposed to be good?  Michael exclaimed: “Do you realize how many millions of websites there are in the world?  Your ranking is very respectable!  Congratulations!”  “Well, thanks!”  We are glad JHJ has so many fans all over the world for us to rank on Alexa.  Who would have thought?

I checked Alexa and discovered (to our surprise) that Thai fans make up 51% of our traffic.  Interesting!  We don’t mean to gloat but we’re very pleased.  When we switched to our present web server in July 2009, the computer guy asked if we wanted to include a feature that would measure the number of daily hits on our blog and I said no need.  Even if M and I were the only two people reading our blog, we would still soldier on.  To be honest, we know there wouldn’t be too many readers.  For one thing, JHJ appeals only to a certain class of fans (no teeny-boppers and the like.)  For another, our blog caters for brains (no silly Oh!…he’s so-o-o-o-o-o…c-u-t-e…sort of stuff.)  Somebody once told me my English is too difficult for the average reader.  That’s the only way I can write, sorry!

In the course of this year, we’ve had our ups and downs.  Any news of JHJ are UPs (more and more forthcoming lately), but we also encountered technical problems and external interference which constitute DOWNs.  We look on the bright side, so we’re looking good.

Our greatest reward, apart from doing what we can for JHJ in our small way, is hearing from our readers, so keep those comments and e-mails coming.  Many thanks for your encouragement and support in the past year!  We will try harder!  (Do we sound like JHJ?  Ha!Ha!)

(Credit: Forever Friends.  Thanks!)

Above is the Chinese New Year card sent to us by our Japanese friend Mizutamari of http://club.brokore.com/sodonyo.   The Japanese, as you know, are very devoted and loyal Jo Hyun-Jae fans and it is our great pleasure to be associated with them. 

Thank you ever so much, Makky!  Happy Chinese New Year to you too!  May you be blessed with happiness, good health, beauty, prosperity, and success in the Year of the Tiger and always!

Any time.

Anywhere,

Any way,

Any reason…..

Only you.

That’s the Valentine card we sent Jo Hyun-Jae.  And here’s the candy that accompanied our love.  We weren’t going to send chocolates; we’re sure JHJ would be glutted with chocolates from his many fans.  But then we happened to come across this limited edition Godiva Chinese New Year gift box.  (This year Valentine’s Day coincides with the first day of the Chinese New Year — Year of the Tiger.)  See the tiger-shaped bites of ganache blanketed in dark chocolate?  Cute, aren’t they?

Happy Chinese New Year in the Year of the Tiger!  The post title is a phonetic translation from the Chinese which means literally: ”Congratulations on becoming ever more prosperous!” (the first in Mandarin, the second in Cantonese.)  That’s what everyone says to each other today.

Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. The festival begins on the first day of the first month in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th (this day is called Lantern Festival.)  This year Chinese New Year’s day coincides with Valentine’s Day.

Left: Chinese New Year fireworks in Hong Kong.  Right: Festive decorations of CNY.

Celebrated in areas with large populations of ethnic Chinese, Chinese New Year is a major holiday for the Chinese and has influence on the new year celebrations of its geographic neighbours, as well as cultures with whom the Chinese have had extensive interaction. These include Korean, Tibetan, Bhutanese, Mongolian, and Vietnamese.  Outside of Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, Chinese New Year is also celebrated in countries with significant Han Chinese populations, such as Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, Thailand, and the Philippines.  In countries such as Australia, Canada, and the United States, although Chinese New Year is not an official holiday, many ethnic Chinese hold large celebrations.

Left: Dragon Dance in Suzhou, China.  Right: CNY celebrations in China.

We sent Jo Hyun-Jae a Chinese New Year card, wishing him a happy, healthy, successful, and prosperous Year of the Tiger.  We wish all JHJ fans the same.

(Credit for photos: China Pictures.org.  We thank the photographers who took these beautiful photos that we found on the internet.  We want to share them with people from all over the world.)

At the Korea Fan Meeting, apart from singing and playing games with his fans, Jo Hyun-Jae also answered a number of questions.

Before the start of the fan meeting, the audience was told:
1.  not to use flash photography when JHJ was singing because he’d forget his lyrics, and
2.  not to record anything (video or audio)
[Well, aren't we glad this was not observed, or we would not have anything!]

Before JHJ came on stage, the MC asked the Korean fans:
1.  youngest fan? — 6 years old, remembered went with grandma to see JHJ
2.  oldest fan? — in her 80s
3.  any male fan? — young man went on stage (It’s Mr. M!)
4.  which part of Korea are fans from? — farthest from Jeju Island, oldest from Pusan.

Conversation between JHJ and MC

MC: This guy is usually very reserved.  Today he is very lively.  (Fans applaud)

JHJ: My fans have always cared about me; they give me a lot of strength.  I wish them happiness and good health.  I’ll work even harder.  The songs I’m singing today are specially prepared for my fans — to show my appreciation.

5 questions
Many questions were earlier submitted by fans and 5 were shortlisted:

Q5.  Do the roles you play affect your life in any way?

A.  In “3 Dads/1 Mom” I have not encountered that kind of role before, but I soon became completely absorbed in it, so even the way I spoke changed — faster than normal.

Q4.  What kind of roles do you want to play?

A.  I’d like to play a hero, a super-hero in the Hollywood tradition, something like “Hancock” [ Will Smith].  Hope I can play somebody like that someday.

Q3.  What are your habits, like sleeping and drinking?

A.  I sleep a lot : the longest I’ve slept is more than 11 hours.  As for drinking, I can drink 1 1/2 bottles of wine.  If I’m relaxed, I can drink more.  Many people become somebody else after drinking, but not me – I just become a little tongue-tied. 

Q2.  What do you want to do before your enlistment?

A.  No definite plans at the moment.  I hope to travel before joining the army on August 5.  I’m probably going to the countryside since going overseas is not allowed.  I’d like to go hiking in those places where ”Seo Dong Yo” was shot.  I’m also going to spend time with my family and friends.

 Q1.  What is your deepest impression of fans?

A.  I remember the smiles on their faces at fan meetings.  I also have to thank those fans who come to visit me on location.  The schedule is so tight that sometimes I don’t even have time to say “Hello”.  I am grateful to them for coming to visit me; I really miss them.

Other impromptu questions that JHJ answered:

Q1.  What’s the difference between Korea Fan Meeting and overseas fan meetings?

A.  Korean fans have been with me for many years.  They always encourage and support me; they are like my family.  Some of them take care of me like my mother.   Korean fans are calmer.  Overseas fans get very excited and enthusiastic when they see me maybe because they don’t have too many opportunities to see me.

Q2.  What kinds of presents have you received from fans?

A.  I’m very glad when fans write to me.  I try to read all my fan mail.  Biggest present ever received?  Refrigerator and treadmill — very happy but also feel a little stressed.

Q3.  Are you really playing the guitar in “3 Dads/1 Mom”?

A.  I was just posing; I can’t play the guitar at all.

Q4.  How do you feel on becoming 30 next year?

A.  I’m finally an adult; I feel my responsibilites are heavier.  As an actor, at 30 I have to demonstrate being a real man.  It’s a long way ahead; I’ll try my best.  It’s very meaningful to spend my last 20 with my fans.

Q5.  How do you envisage you’ll look at 30? 

A.  I don’t think I’ll change very much.  I’ll play a lot of sports and lead a healthy and active life.

JHJ’s question for fans — Which of my works do you like best?

Screams of “Love Letter”, “Seo Dong Yo”. 

The cake (with a little soldier on top) is a present from his fans — to wish him all the best in the military.

Q.  How about saying a few last words?

A.  I thank my fans for supporting me all the time.  Also my obba [older brother] Sang Hoon [Mr. Lee] who has taken care of me for 7 years, and of course my parents, as well as those directors who have given me those roles.  Thank you all very much! 

(Credit: videos by ojik.  Thanks!)

This is the emotional climax of the Korea Fan Meeting.  Near the end Jo Hyun-Jae is singing “Like the wind by your side” when he is suddenly overcome with emotions and cannot go on.  He turns his back to the audience (twice) and tries to get a grip on his emotions.

Many fans scream: “Don’t cry!  Don’t cry!” but some almost cry themselves. That JHJ is able to continue and finish the song shows his professionalism.

This is one of those classic JHJ videos that you would want to return to again and again.  I have seen it N times but can’t help being moved every single time.

Here are the lyrics of the song (translated into English by misa123 of EVERKorea.)

Like the wind by your side (also translated as “Beside you like the wind”)

Just as the white snows of winter melt in the spring
Our parting will be brief;
That yearning will grow, then melt away,
And someday, like a dream, we will meet.

** Be brave because you love me,
Be brave because you miss me;
And before you know, I’ll be by your side.
If you turn around because you miss me,
Don’t forget that I’m the wind
That brushes your cheek.

Every morning when I awake,
I’ll start the day with thoughts of you,
Days will pile up like the snow,
And so our separation will melt away.

** Repeat

Every night, in my dreams,
I’m thankful for having met you.
I’m thankful for the love you gave me, and I bring that with me.
Smile, and don’t worry too much.

** Repeat

(Credit for video: ojik.  Thanks!)