A Different Corner -- He inspires me

(This is Joy's story)

My first encounter with Jo Hyun Jae started with "Love Letter" last summer. After a strenuous exam I tried to relax my brains with Korean dramas, which I never had time to watch before. I found out that my local library system has quite a collection of Korean drama DVDs (about 160 in total so far). The area where I live has a large Asian population, including a large Korean community. I started with the most popular ones such as "Dae Chang Jin" and "Autumn In My Heart". "Love Letter" happened to be the fourth one I borrowed. I have never heard about this drama or actor Jo Hyun Jae before, but I knew the scriptwriter is the same as "Winter Sonata", "Autumn In My Heart" and "All About Eve".

I was captivated with JHJ from the beginning of the drama. The storyline is not an ordinary love story. The theme relates to faith, religious life and love. This category has always interested me due to my Catholic background and very few dramas ever touch on this. My first impression of JHJ is his beautiful face, to put it more accurately, almost the best-looking actor among all the Korean movie stars. As the storyline progresses, I am more impressed with his acting skills. He brings Andrea to life and his acting skill is so natural that I almost believe JHJ is Andrea. For a newbie in his first leading role at the age of 23, I can only sum it up in one word -- brilliant! JHJ portrays Andrea’s struggle between his desire to become a priest and his love for the girl he grew up with with such profound depth that he makes me cry with him. His eyes are full of purity, sincerity and love. I imagine people with these beautiful eyes must have a beautiful heart inside. I have watched "Love Letter" for a few times already; I just can’t have enough of JHJ. It reminds me of the meaning of life and the true values of Christian faith. In an interview, JHJ said he did not have much acting skills when he shot "Love Letter"; all he did was to execute the role with his sincere heart. His performance really touched my heart and many others.

After this first encounter with JHJ in "Love Letter", my curiosity about this “new” actor drew me to look for more of his dramas. I quickly found out that JHJ also filmed a historical drama called “Seo Dong Yo” with the same director and scriptwriter as "Dae Chang Jin". Luckily for me our local county library just got it a few days ago but I had to drive forty miles to pick it up myself. "Seo Dong Yo" is really a classic drama and a masterpiece; the script is well-written, with twists and turns. The cliffhangers kept me playing the next episode until three or four o’clock in the morning. I had to force myself to catch some sleep. I completed "Seo Dong Yo" in less than a week. This time I fell in love with JHJ. I would rate it to be JHJ’s best work so far. His acting skills are so much more matured than in "Love Letter". His appearance is always appealing and gorgeous, with his princely look no matter what costumes he wears or what roles he plays (potato boy or king). This is the drama I would recommend to all my friends and family. It covers all aspects of life: destiny, love, success, loyalty, integrity, determination, etc. It is such an inspiration; I gain strength and direction from this drama which made me a JHJ fan.

The last TV series my library carries is "Forbidden Love". To be honest, after I played the first few minutes I could not continue because the show is too violent and bloody for me. I concluded that "Forbidden Love" is not my type so I gave it up. After that, I watched "Only You", "Sunshine" and "Three Dads with One Mom" online. Compared to "Love Letter" and "Seo Dong Yo", these dramas are not my favorite but with JHJ’s acting, they are all worth watching. The role JHJ plays in "Three Dads with One Mom" really surprises me. I never thought he could ever be so funny. Many thanks to JHJ for playing this role, even though the ending is confusing, I enjoy most of it and replay it whenever I need to relax. JHJ’s performance here is quite a breakthrough. He tries to play dramatically different characters to drill his acting skills and he shows his potential is unlimited.

After "Three Dads with One Mom" I decided to try "Forbidden Love" again. After a few episodes, I started to like it. This time JHJ plays a cop and secret agent. There are some action scenes where he needs to practice martial arts. He looks so manly, very different from his previous roles. I wish JHJ would act in more Kung Fu movies in the future since there is a big market for these and he will draw more audience.

I wanted to learn more about JHJ as a real person after spending all this time watching him on screen. Fortunately I found a website JHJChina.com with loads of information; photos, MVs, interviews, articles and his messages. As I expected he is beautiful inside and out. He is a person of few words, but his messages are so warmed-hearted: he sounds like an old friend, loving and caring. He is low key, humble and honest. He is always polite and kind, treating his fans with sincerity and respect. I remember his speech at Baeksang Award: he first thanked his fans for their support. This would rarely happen in the western world. JHJ does not take a shortcut to become famous but follows each little step to become the actor he dreams of. Underneath his beautiful smile, it is hard to imagine he grew up in hardship; he dropped out of high school to support his family. He does not take advantage of his appearance but puts his heart and soul into each role he plays. He is a treasure rare to find: once you found him, you will never let go.

It is the first time I ever become a fan of any type. Now it is part of my life to check his news, write him letters, watch his dramas and collect his souvenirs, even make friends with other JHJ fans. I am so thankful for JHJ: when I went through difficult times, his dramas gave me comfort, helped me to pull though and inspired me to be strong. His personal life also taught me how to deal with hardship in life with grace. Living overseas for such a long time, sometimes I feel that I am losing my identity and my roots. I learned so much from him and determined to make a difference in my little world. I wish that more people will get to know JHJ, this wonderful actor. He did make a difference in my life and we need to do the same, to be the light of the world. I pray that God will always watch over him, protect him, guide him and give him strength. JHJ, I love and support you, always.