Jo Hyun Jae

Well, not exactly!  But the MV below is specially made for us by our good friend KK.  Many JHJ fans don’t like the 2004 drama “Sunshine” because of the ending, but we like the way JHJ looks in it.  MV is set to one of our favourite songs, Bette Midler’s “The Wind Beneath My Wings”, and highlights some of our favourite scenes from “Sunshine”.

JHJ in “Sunshine” is the most drop-dead gorgeous pastry chef in the world.  A few years ago a friend of mine in the U.S. was distraught because her son who graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Economics decided to become a pastry chef.  I promptly sent her a DVD of “Sunshine”.  She was not amused and never talked to me again.  People with no sense of humour are not happy people.   Here’s wishing all JHJ fans are happy everyday!

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(Credit: “Sunshine” photo by ahiru of CarpeDiemJAPAN; MV by KK of johyunjae.hk.  Thanks!)

So there’s more. ( Please see our September 15 post “Sunshine revisited (1)” under Category: JHJ drama:”Sunshine”.)

The Japanese fans have staked out every conceivable setting of “Sunshine”, even the most unlikely and unremarkable places.

In each case, scene from drama on left and the real place in Korea on right.

(Credit: http://nifty.com; www.johyunjae.hk. Thanks!)

Jo Hyun-Jae’s Japanese fans love to re-enact scenes from his dramas.  And they are great sleuths!  Somehow they manage to discover the settings of various dramas — where certain scenes are shot.

Look at the following from “Sunshine” and marvel at their ingenuity and persistence.  In each case, left is scene from drama and right is the real thing.

(Credit: http://nifty.com; www.johyunjae.com.hk. Thanks!)

“Rye Seung-Bum [who plays Kim Min Ho] talks non-stop; I could hardly get a word in.”

That was what Jo Hyun-Jae said about the situation on set of the 2004 SBS drama “Sunshine”.

Why is JHJ so quiet?  If the interviewer is an impatient person, he/she will be so frustrated.

“Yes?…..And then…..Why?…..So what’s it like?…..”  After trying many different ways of prompting, I finally got him to open his mouth to speak.

The actor JHJ is a person who answers questions very seriously, including responding to jokes and pranks.

Judging from his appearance, JHJ’s style is obviously different from today’s young people.  What makes him decide to join the cast of  “Sunshine”?

“As soon as I received the script, I immediately read it.  I found it very interesting, so I finished the whole script in one breath.  Song Hye-Kyo, Rye Seung-Bum, and I make a threesome whose relationship is both stable and variable — that’s what makes it interesting.”

JHJ’s role in this drama is a pastry chef who is trained in France before returning to Korea.

In the drama we see the hands handling the knife very skilfully, so we praise him: “Looks very professional.”  JHJ immediately shatters our illusion: “As a matter of fact, those are not my hands”, said with a curious expression on his face.

JHJ did not know how to cook before, but he underwent a lot of practice for this role.  In spite of that, many scenes use a stand-in.  Even then, JHJ finally drew blood last week.*

He was wounded three times in one week, and each time he bled.  First he cut his finger, then his palm was slit by a [broken] wine glass, and finally his knee was hurt when he was riding a motorcycle.

“If you see blood oozing out, you can’t deny you’re bleeding, right?  There’s not much blood; it just happened too often.  Maybe that’s how it became a big deal?” JHJ laughingly said.

Jo Hyun-Jae and Rye Seung-Bum are the same age, and Song Hye-Kyo is a year younger, so the atmosphere on set is very pleasant and agreeable.

Finally, JHJ said very modestly: “Every time I see myself on TV, I still feel I could have done better.”
 

* “Sunshine” was shown from Feb.11 to Apr. 1, 2004, so judging from this, this interview must have taken place around that time.

(Credit: Interview originally appeared on http://blog.k-plaza.com; this English translation is based on the Chinese translation by Bigcat on www.johyunjae.hk.  Photos from SBS and http://blog.naver.com. Thanks!)

Our JHJ fan of the month KK has created a MV for wuliJHJ!  She asks if we have a favourite song, and we do.  So here is Bette Midler’s “The wind beneath my wings”, set against some of our favourite scenes in “Sunshine”. 

We got a little dizzy watching this MV over and over again.  Is it because we’re on cloud nine?  or is it because the picture keeps tilting from left to right, right to left…..?  We’re probably just overjoyed!

The Wind Beneath My Wings

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
It must have been cold there in my shadow,
To never have sunlight on your face.
You were content to let me shine, that’s your way.
You always walked a step behind.

So I was the one with all the glory,
While you were the one with all the strength.
A beautiful face without a name for so long.
A beautiful smile to hide the pain.

Did you ever know that you’re my hero,
And everything I would like to be?
I can fly higher than an eagle,
‘Cause you are the wind beneath my wings.

It might have appeared to go unnoticed,
But I’ve got it all here in my heart.
I want you to know I know the truth, of course I know it.
I would be nothing without you.

Did you ever know that you’re my hero?
You’re everything I wish I could be.
I could fly higher than an eagle,
‘Cause you are the wind beneath my wings.

Did I ever tell you you’re my hero?
You’re everything, everything I wish I could be.
Oh, and I, I could fly higher than an eagle,
‘Cause you are the wind beneath my wings,
‘Cause you are the wind beneath my wings.

Oh, the wind beneath my wings.
You, you, you, you are the wind beneath my wings.
Fly, fly, fly away. You let me fly so high.
Oh, you, you, you, the wind beneath my wings.
Oh, you, you, you, the wind beneath my wings.

Fly, fly, fly high against the sky,
So high I almost touch the sky.
Thank you, thank you,
Thank God for you, the wind beneath my wings.

No matter how many times I’ve seen this segment in “Sunshine”, I still love these kitchen scenes between Jo Hyun-Jae and that cute child actress.  A pity the little girl is not old enough to mend Eun-Sup’s broken heart when her big sister jilted him.  For what?  I still can’t understand.

(Credit: video by KK of johyunjae.hk, set to the song “Red sun, I love you” by the Hong Kong singer George Lam; last photo from cafe.daum.net/nowsguswo. Thanks!)

It’s been a while since we’ve posted anything on “Sunshine”.  This MV features JHJ and the kid sister, and together they radiate a lot of sunshine and fun!  That child actress is really precocious, and her character has the good sense to say she’d marry JHJ, or rather his character Jung Eun-Sup, when she grows up, unlike her big sister who breaks his heart.

And this is our favourite song from the OST of “Sunshine”.

Goodbye

Promise me, a fool like me
Your eyes, the most beautiful eyes in the world
Please don’t ever cry again
You must be happy, wherever you are
You must be happy.

Please forget me who cannot be by your side
And carry on with your life
Except for memories to cherish
I have nothing at all
I cannot forsake anything.

Even if you are gone
I will carry on cherishing you
The last thing I can do
Is to gaze at the shadow of your back in my loneliness
Goodbye, my love, goodbye.

I will try to forget
Even if I keep crying till tears blur my vision
Even if thinking about you makes me suffocate
I will try to endure
I will not change.

I can no longer be by your side
Now I can think about you freely
The only thing I can do now
Is to gaze at the shadow of your back in my loneliness
Goodbye, my love, goodbye.

The only thing I can say to you now
Is to offer a smile before our parting
And then let you go
You must be blessed
You must be blessed.

(English translation of lyrics by wulijohyunjae.)

(Credit: First video by http://cafe.daum.net/ilhjzz.  Second video and Chinese subtitles by Coffee of johyunjae.hk.  Thanks!)

Goodbye

Promise me, a fool like me
Your eyes, the most beautiful eyes in the world
Please don’t ever cry again
You must be happy, wherever you are
You must be happy.

Please forget me who cannot be by your side
And carry on with your life
Except for memories to cherish
I have nothing at all
I cannot forsake anything.

Even if you are gone
I will carry on cherishing you
The last thing I can do
Is to gaze at the shadow of your back in my loneliness
Goodbye, my love, goodbye.

I will try to forget
Even if I keep crying till tears blur my vision
Even if thinking about you makes me suffocate
I will try to endure
I will not change.

I can no longer be by your side
Now I can think about you freely
The only thing I can do now
Is to gaze at the shadow of your back in my loneliness
Goodbye, my love, goodbye.

The only thing I can say to you now
Is to offer a smile before our parting
And then let you go
You must be blessed
You must be blessed.

(Credit: Video by Param of CarpeDiemJAPAN.  Thanks!)

prissymom wants to test if you are a true blue JHJ fan.

Oh my love 

Oh my love for the first time in my life
My eyes are wide open
Oh my lover for the first time in my life
My eyes can see
I see the wind, oh I see the trees.

Everything is clear in my heart
I see the clouds, oh I see the sky
Everything is clear in our world.

Oh my love for the first time in my life
My mind is wide open
Oh my lover for the first time in my life
My mind can feel
I feel sorrow, oh I feel dreams.

Everything is clear in my heart
I feel life, oh I feel love
Everything is clear in our world.

This song sung by the late John Lennon in his “Imagine” album is the background music in one of the scenes in one JHJ drama.

The scene:  JHJ’s character is having dinner with an elegant woman in a fine dining restaurant.  The food and the restaurant look great, JHJ looks as handsome as ever, the woman looks beautiful, and with Lennon’s song playing softly in the background everything looks romantic.  Then the woman gives JHJ’s character a key.  The elegant woman is still talking when JHJ’s character suddenly stands up and runs out of  the restaurant.  How ironic that Lennon’s song is used as background music for this scene, because it is in this scene when JHJ’s character realizes that the one he truly loves is not the woman in front of him.

The key that the elegant woman hands to JHJ’s character is to an apartment which will serve as their love nest.  You would think that a hot-blooded young man like JHJ’s character in this drama would jump at the chance at being with the woman he loves.  But instead, the sordidness of the arrangement serves to wake him up to his true feelings. 

I say the elegant woman’s proposal is sordid because the woman is married.  The apartment will serve as their trysting place whenever the woman’s husband is away on business.  But the sordid proposal is actually JHJ’s character’s idea which he made on the woman’s wedding day at the beginning of the drama.  What a spoiled, selfish young man he was then, thinking only of his feelings and desires.

But due to some circumstances, JHJ’s character ends up spending time with a poor young woman.  Time spent with the poor young woman opens his eyes to the plight of other people who are not as financially well-off as he is.  It also opens his heart to what true love means — making sacrifices for the people you love; continuing to love someone even if you know that that love will never be returned; being there for a friend in his/her time of need; letting go of a loved one because you know that he/she will be happy with another person; forgiving people whom you love who have hurt and disappointed you; and accepting the weaknesses of the people around you and still continue to love them.

Most JHJ fans do not like how the drama ends, but I, for one, love it.  JHJ’s character may not have gotten the girl in the end but he learns a lot in that short but intense period in his life.  At the start of the drama, JHJ’s character is a pampered, selfish young man, but at the end of the drama, his character becomes more mature after being freed from the pains of the past, and more open to the possibilities that life has to offer.  And in that last frolic in the beach he looks oh so breathtakingly handsome in his happiness!

I deliberately did not mention the title of the drama, but if you are a true blue JHJ fan, I am sure you will know what JHJ drama I am talking about!!!

I’ve watched a lot of Korean dramas ever since they first became popular in China in 2003.  I couldn’t even remember some of their titles.  I have a fertile imagination and an ultra-reality attitude.  I also have unique criteria and preference for actors.  But I do not have strict standards for my favourites.  20-something girls chasing after idols is understandable.  Someone like me, no longer in the first flush of youth, doing something like this can only be described as naive and meaningless.  In 2008 when the tide of Korean dramas was receding, I then chose to pursue it, all because I got to know a man called Jo Hyun-Jae.  Just seeing his face for the first time made me think of him day and night.

Good looks is the best weapon of the male lead in Korean dramas.  Jo Hyun-Jae’s good looks is the kind that is incomparable, flawless, and nonpareil.  I am very critical the way I look at people.  I can see through the packaged looks of so-called handsome guys.  What is unusual about JHJ is: What my eyes see are a perfect face and perfect profile, and what my heart feels are his gentleness and tenderness.

I like to see him in formal suits — very smart and dapper.  I like to see him in casual wear — very stylish and sharp.  I like the big watches he always wears on his wrist.  I like the way he wears dress shoes with casual trousers.  I can ignore a lot of handsome men, but I cannot remain unmoved by someone as suffocatingly handsome and as innately sexy as you.

Sometimes I wonder: You do not come from a rich family.  How come you have an aristocratic air that is obviously in-born?  You are Seo Dong: you and the part have become one.  If one goes to a country without any understanding of its customs and culture, one can only get a cursory experience.  If one understands an actor’s special qualities and then watches his works, one will feel doubly moved by something beyond the TV screen.

How far is Korea from me?  What is the distance between you and me?  I don’t care about any of this.  I see all these acting and posturing among TV actors, all these rehashing of roles and manufacturing of news — they leave no room for the imagination.  I sit here on a sunny afternoon, listening to light music, thinking of you, fantasizing about our encounter — romance foretold in an earlier life.

I’ve always hoped you would say more, do more, outside of the TV screen, but you only leave us a few words.  The only exception is on the “Only You” TV Special.  (Please see our 4/21/09 post “‘Only You’ TV Special”.)   I’ve just finished watching “Only You” and was frantically searching for your videos on the internet, trying to find an outlet for my emotions outside of the drama.  Thank God for the genuine and adorable you!  I cannot explain; I can only let my imagination run wild.  I can only say this to you: “No matter how good anyone else is, I never want to wake up from my love for you.”

Every drama of yours has its memorable elements.  In “Love Letter” your clear eyes (clear as water) somehow remind me of the “little dragon lady” in the tombs — totally out of this world.  (Editor’s note: The reference is to the heroine of a popular Chinese novel who is a master in martial arts but who lives in a tomb.)  Sister Esther says in LL: “In this world there is no one who is so suitably dressed in a priest’s robes as well as ordinary clothes.”  Without the priest’s black robes, in an ordinary blue sweater, in that scene by the seaside, your beauty is shockingly breathtaking.  In the drama, your lover is by your side one moment; next moment you are divided by eternity.  One line from the drama says it all: “Next time we see each other, we must be blessed.”

“Sunshine” is a drama that I like very much.  Many people cannot accept the ending, but what I want to say is this: Ji Yeon-Woo who is struggling at the poverty line and Jung  Eun-Sup who is born with a silver spoon in his mouth — both have a seed of pain planted in their hearts, but are afraid to touch it.  They meet and fall in love — let the seeds germinate and grow, see what comes out, so they can eradicate it.  Min-Ho says: “I can accept Yeon-Woo’s past.”  And Eu-Sup plans for Yeon-Woo’s future.  Both are equally qualified to love Yeon-Woo.  Compared to the brave Cinderella Cha Eun-Jae in “Only You”, I like Yeon-Woo more — strong on the outside, soft on the inside.

There are certain scenes in “Sunshine” that deeply impress me:

1.  Eun-Sup holding Yeon-Woo’s hands to teach her how to make a cake

2.  Eun-Sup arranging Yeon-Woo’s hair to put on the violet hairclip

3.  Eun-Sup standing closely behind Yeon-Woo to help her get something from a high cupboard

4.  Eun-Sup standing not far from Yeon-Woo singing to her over a cell phone

5.  Eun-Sup holding Yeon-Woo in his arms and telling her he shouldn’t have let her wait too long

There is a slight scent of warm love in the air.  The scene of that kiss in the guest house is perfectly prepped — the two of them sitting against the wall under the window; ES slowly draws nearer to YW;  YW retreats a little; ES doesn’t give up; uses his injured hand to touch YW’s face; YW does not resist; ES closes his eyes and moves nearer to YW’s lips but touches her nose instead; YW shivers a little but does not move away; ES’s kiss is so tender, so protective!

I’m very glad Song Hye-Kyo is the female lead in “Sunshine”.  She is a good actress and always plays the lead.  The development of the plot and the ending are beyond the actors’ and viewers’ control, but we did agonize, laugh, are sad and happy with the actors, and this is enough.

2009 has quietly arrived; it’s a little closer to our reunion.  Tonight is so cold.  Is it snowing in Seoul?  JHJ, do you feel blessed?  Do you feel the love of your fans?  Time passes; life is flat and ordinary.  I let myself into the surreal world of the TV screen.  Because I got to know you, I’ve shed a lot of happy and impassioned tears.  This world that we live in is still bitterly cold, but at least I can cherish your ice-melting looks.

(Translated from the Chinese article by 阁楼汀雨 published in baiduJHJ.com and edited by wulijohyunjae.)

(Credit for photos: 1st photo – param of carpediemJapan.   “Sunshine” photo from blog.naver.com.  Thanks!)