Jo Hyun Jae

Happy Halloween, everyone!  Trick or treat?  Here’s our treat for you — the handsomest wizard of them all!

Somehow this pumpkin reminds us of JHJ, or is it the other way round?  

The following Halloween MVs are produced by KK (set to the tune of “Ghostbusters”) –                           

1. color; 2. B & W.  Take your pick.

And this has nothing to do with Halloween, just some Japanese fan’s fancy.  But the pictures are cute, and we’d like to share them with you.

(Credit: We thank the creator of the 1st photo [forgotten where it's from], CarpeDiemJAPAN, and faririn.  MV by KK of www.johyunjae.hk.  Many thanks!) 

“3 Dads/1 Mom” begins its re-run on Japan’s KBS World on November 1.

Jo Hyun-Jae’s Han Soo-Hyun is every woman’s dreamboat (in spite of his stinginess and relentless pursuit of wealth.)

The following video is a TV preview of the drama:

BACK at the discharge (pun intended) — Some of you may not have seen this video on the KOW, so here it is.  This is different from all the other videos of Jo Hyun-Jae’s discharge on June 19 because it picks up where all the others leave off.  This is the aftermath — after the frenzy of JHJ’s first emergence from the camp, his walk along the road lined with excited fans, and his interview by the media.

After he has done his job, JHJ re-joins his “big brother” Mr. Lee, CEO of Star N Hit.  That’s the guy in the long-sleeved white shirt and black trousers with the mop of hair who puts his arm around JHJ’s shoulder at the beginning of the video.  You can almost feel the unspoken love between the two — certainly a deeper relationship than the normal one between artist and manager.  JHJ (who never speaks much) makes a special point of thanking his “big brother” Mr. Lee at the Korea Fan Meeting in July 2008 (they have been together for 7 years then, now 9.) 

For most of this video, you can only see JHJ’s back.  What a straight, strong, slender back, befitting a Sergeant of the Korean Army! 

The last part of the video shows JHJ outside the hall, just before the handshaking with fans.  You see a glowing, smiling JHJ – very different from his recent photos at Seoul Fashion Week.  We marvel then that he could look so fresh, so well after two years in the army, and we wonder why he looks so glum and down at the fashion show.  Two years of hard military training can shape you up, but two months of worry and suffering can break you.  We are sure, however, JHJ has the strength to carry on with his life in due course.

(Credit: ojik on http://johyunjae.com.  Thanks!)

News report from Taiwan (translated into English by wulijohyunjae)

Channel [V] has been showing the romantic drama ”Only You” again since October 18.  When the drama first aired, the two stars Jo Hyun-Jae and Han Chae-Young were judged by viewers as  ”the most compatible lovers on screen”.  HCY’s curvaceous figure earned her the nickname of the Korean Barbie Doll.  During the filming of their kissing scenes, there were many NGs.  Most people thought it was JHJ who deliberately engineered these NGs so he could enjoy more kisses (because most actresses do not like too many NGs in kissing scenes.)  JHJ immediately denied this, and HCY cleared the air by saying it was actually the perfectionist in her who insisted on one take after another so they could achieve the most romantic and beautiful effect.  She said JHJ was too “polite”, so it took some time for him to work himself up.  That’s why HCY kept calling NG!

(Editor’s Note: That famous kissing scene above – their first kiss in Italy – only requires one take.)

The two partners in “Only You”, JHJ and HCY, have known each other for some time since they belong to the same management company.  [Ed: JHJ's old MC Star J.]  And they are both born in 1980, so they are perfectly in tune when they portray the poor girl who dreams of being a chef in Italy and the spoilt rich heir to a commercial empire in their conflicts and bickerings.  Although their cooperation in “Only You” is so good that viewers wish they could be a couple in real life, they frankly admit that they are like brother and sister, so a romantic relationship is impossible.  And now HCY is married and has won several acting prizes, and JHJ is very happy for her personal happiness and professional success.

(Editor’s Note: JHJ’s leading ladies have all gone on to greater heights after partnering him.  Even #2 actress Han Ye-Seul in “Forbidden Love” is now a big star in her own right, as is #3 actor Uhm Tae-Woong in the same drama.  Our JHJ is still biding his time, going about his own way, hearing the music of a different drummer — a “pure actor” indeed!) 

(Credit: www.wowonews.com; htto://blog.naver.com; www.johyunjae.hk.  Thanks!)

A certain JHJ fan used to e-mail us every other day, complaining our photos are not full-size.  Well, here is a life-size, kissable JHJ.  Happy?

What is a friend?  Someone who stands by you through thick and thin.  You don’t have to see each other all the time; in fact, you may not have seen each other for a long time.  But when you meet again, you just pick up where you left off.  And when you need her, she’ll be there.

What is a fan?  I don’t know, since I have never been anyone’s fan before.  Most people would give you the screaming, feet-stomping, whistle-blowing, flourescent-stick-waving version.  But JHJ fans don’t quite fit the mold.

The other day my friend B sent me a link of preparations for Eric’s discharge on Oct.30.  Such detailed instructions and directions for fans!  And special arrangements for the media!  Also, anyone who’s there will get a free photo of Eric.  I must quote B’s remark here: “The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced JHJ is an alien in the entertainment world.  Other artists take so much trouble to publicise themselves, but our JHJ just soldiers on in his quiet way.  He doesn’t even announce the exact date of his discharge, and yet 500 fans turned up from all over the world!”

She went on : “Alien actor of course has alien fans.  Most of us are fans for the first time and do not know anything about fans’ customs, duties, rights, etc.”

But we do know one thing — loyalty — we stand by JHJ.  Someone tells me Korean fans have several changes of heart in a year.  That’s because they simply have too many choices.  Everyday handsome actors and beautiful actresses emerge, younger and more attractive than their elders.  Can we really blame them for switching allegiance?

Talking with B over the phone a few days ago, I wondered why some JHJ fans who “climbed the wall” (Chinese expression meaning “engage in extra-marital relationship”, in this case, branching out) have never quite got out.  Her answer: “Because no one is as good-looking as JHJ!”  Ah, yes!  They look around and find JHJ is still the best!

So, as ahiru says, we are always with you, JHJ!  Now and always!

(Credit: Photo from ahiru of CarpeDiemJAPAN.  Thanks!)

Message left on KOW by SNH on 2010.10.28

THANK YOU from Star N Hit 

Hello!

Thank you all very much for your concern and sincere expressions of sympathy on the passing of Jo Hyun-Jae’s father.  Jo Hyun-Jae has derived a lot of strength from your support and encouragement.

The weather is getting very cold.  Please keep warm and don’t catch cold.

스타엔히트엔터테인먼트에에서 감사의 말씀 드리겠습니다.  
 
안녕하세요

스타엔히트엔터테인먼트에에서 감사의 말씀 드리겠습니다.

지난 조현재님의 부친상에 여러분들께서 진심으로 걱정해주셨던 팬여러분들의 진심어린 마음에 감사드리며 조현재님도 힘을 얻었습니다.

날씨가 많이 추운데 감기조심하시구요 옷 따뜻하게 입고 다니세요^^

 
(Credit: Original message in Korean on http://johyunjae.com; photo from ojik.  Thanks!  English translation by wulijohyunjae.)

Is this what the 2010 Japan Fan Meeting DVD will look like?  This is how it is advertised on amazon.co.jp.

The following shows how it looks on the Official JHJ Japan Fan Club website – from the earliest (1) to the current (2).  Guess we will know when it is released on December 1.

(Credit: http://hyunjaelove.jp; http://jo-hyunjae.com; www.johyunjae.hk.  Thanks!) 

Yet another Japanese magazine has a report on Jo Hyun-Jae.  From their coverage of JHJ, it would seem he is more popular in the Land of the Rising Sun than in his own country.  JHJ’s conquest of Japan (along with other Korean Hallya stars) is really something, considering the two countries’ history.

The magazine

(Credit: Imo of http://club.brokore.com/sodonyo; www.johyunjae.hk.  Thanks!)

Whenever I’m short of material, I write a diary entry.  I was racking my brains on what to write when on the afternoon of October 22 there appeared out of the blue the news of JHJ attending Seoul Fashion Week.  My initial elation was tempered by what I saw in the photos.  Something was not right — that was not JHJ at his best — far from it! 

That vest (or is it a jacket without sleeves?) is so ill-fitting that it’s non-symmetrical (one side higher than the other.)  In a double-breasted vest (or jacket), there should be another button inside (under the one on his left.)  When that is buttoned, the garment will look symmetrical.  This is JHJ’s first public appearance since the Japan Fan Meetings in August, and this is a fashion show.  Shouldn’t he be looking his most fashionable self?

JHJ has impeccable dress sense.  Even in a white T-shirt and jeans, he can look breathtakingly chic.  But here he seems ill at ease.  Is he not used to the cameras?  Does he feel uncomfortable in those clothes?  And he has bags under his eyes.  What has he been doing (when he is not doing anything)?

The photo of him sitting down reminds me of the “Seo Dong Yo TV Special” where JHJ looked like he wished he were somewhere else.  And here he has his arms crossed.  Just the other day someone psychoanalysed me and said sitting with arms crossed like that means I’m shy, reserved, inhibited, and self-protective – guilty as charged.  Is JHJ also like that?

My good friend B and I went over the Seoul Fashion Week photos with a fine-toothed comb and concluded JHJ had somehow lost his sparkle.  He used to look good from whatever angle he is photographed — front, side (left/right), back, top, bottom, even oblique.  But in these photos he is totally out of form.  He looks out of sorts; he seems to want to get away as soon as possible.  And he is not as camera-sensitive as a movie star should be.  But why?

All our questions/doubts/conjectures were answered when news of his father’s death broke that night.  My first reaction was: Oh, poor JHJ!  How could they make him go to that fashion show when his father was dying?  How could they tear him away from his father’s bedside?  How inhumane and cruel is the entertainment industry!

And then in news reports next day we learn JHJ has put his career on hold because he was looking after his seriously ill father.  This explains his long silence and absence from public view.  We all know his father is sick; we just don’t know how sick.  When JHJ was still in the army, there was already a false alarm — that time last December Mr.Jo Sr. managed to pull through.   He must have hung on to see his son discharged.  At least father and son had a few precious months together.  Now it would appear his time has come.

There is nothing more heartbreaking than watching a loved one wasting away.  You feel so helpless since there is nothing you can do.  I still remember so well my father’s last days in a painful long-drawn-out illness over three years.  When the end finally came, it actually felt like a release.  The cliches are true — “Time heals everything.” “Life goes on.”  You just pick up the pieces and move on.

Right now JHJ is of course overwhelmed with sorrow.  I pray he will find his feet again after he has overcome his grief.  I know from his past experiences that he may look soft on the outside but he is really very tough on the inside.  He has tremendous strength of will, resilience, and courage — qualities his father must have instilled in him.  I want to tell him his father will forever live in his heart (as my father lives in mine.)  He may be gone physically, but he is never far away from my thoughts.  The ties of blood are never severed, not even in death.

News reports say JHJ’s father was very proud of his son serving in his country’s military as an ordinary soldier.  JHJ should feel motivated to resume his acting career after an appropriate period of mourning because I’m sure his father was also very proud of his son’s achievement as an actor.  He would have looked forward to actor Jo Hyun-Jae’s new drama and subsequent works. 

The best way to make his father proud is to be the best actor he can be.  We all know what a brilliant actor JHJ is (or we would not be his fans.)  He has obviously not reached his full potential.  My fervent wish is that he would have the opportunity to act in a role and a drama that would showcase his talents.  However good an actor he is, he still needs the vehicle (drama/movie) to display his acting skills.  With a little luck, let us pray JHJ will dazzle us again on the screen (big or small) soon.

(Credit: Names on photos.  Thanks!)

This is a moving tribute from our Contributing Editor prissymom.

FATHER AND SON

THE FATHER

Mr. Jo Sung Ho, I knew you only through your son, Jo Hyun Jae.  I don’t know what you looked like, but if you looked like your son then you must have been a handsome man too.  I didn’t even know that your name was Jo Sung Ho until the news reports about your demise mentioned it.   I knew that you have been sick for a long time due to exposure to Agent Orange, but I didn’t know that you were a veteran of the Vietnam War or that you were a marine in your country’s Armed Forces. 

I didn’t know so many things about you because your famous son has zealously guarded your family’s privacy over the years.  I didn’t know so many things about you and yet I feel a deep sense of gratitude towards you. 

Because of you there is a man named Jo Hyun Jae in this world.  Because of you there is an actor Jo Hyun Jae who has given me (and countless others) so many hours of enjoyment and happiness with his performances in various projects. 

There is a saying in my country “Kung ano ang puno (tree), siya ang bunga (fruit/seed).”  It closely resembles a passage in the Bible (Matthew 7:18): “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.”

We often use this saying when discussing parents (tree) and their children (fruits/seed).  If the parents are bad, the children will likely turn out to be bad; if the parents are good, their kids will generally turn out good. 

Mr. Jo Sung Ho, you must have been a great father to have raised (together with your wife) such a remarkable man like Jo Hyun Jae.  Thank you, Sir, for bringing him into this world and for sharing him with us.  You have every right to be proud of him because he is a man any parent will be very proud to have for a son.

Rest in peace, Mr. Jo Sung Ho. 

THE SON

Jo Hyun Jae, you make me feel so ashamed of myself.  While I was feeling frustrated and complaining over the scant news regarding your comeback project, you were beside yourself with worry over the deteriorating condition of your father. 

The one time you showed up in public after your military discharge but before your Japan fan meetings, I noticed that you looked tired.  I put it down to working hard preparing for your fan meetings.  During the Japan fan meetings, there is a big smile on your face and sparkle in your eyes.  No trace of the worries over your father you must have been feeling even then.   And then, nothing for almost two months.  I admit, for the first time since becoming your fan, I resented you a bit (SNH – a lot!) for your silence.

Knowing what I know about you, I should have guessed that something terribly wrong is going on in your personal life.  I know that your father is seriously ill, so I should have had an inkling that your continued absence and silence had something to do with his condition.  I should have known, I should have had more faith in you ….. I failed you. 

I promise, next time you decide to disappear (for whatever reason and for however long) I will not pepper the various JHJ websites with this comment: “JHJ has gone quiet on us once again… sigh…”.  Because I know that only for your family would you risk your career or risk alienating your fans with your continued absence and silence. 

JHJ, thank you for reminding me, through your actions, that FAMILY should always come first (as wuliJHJ is so fond of reminding me too).  Take care of yourself, and stay strong. 

When you are ready to take on your public life once again, rest assured that your fans will be here waiting for you, ready to give you our unwavering support.