JHJ the man and the actor (Part 2)

This is an English translation of Jo Hyun Jae's exclusive interview with KBOOM (October 2008 issue) prior to his military enlistment. Jo Hyun Jae speaks frankly with KBOOM about his acting and his life on the eve of his enlistment in the armed forces. (Translated by misa123 first published in EVERjohyunjae on 2008.9.20)

(Cont. from Part 1)

Q. Are you basically an optimist by nature?
A. Well, I'm not that much of an optimist. But I'm not the type that's always worrying about things either. I'm the type who thinks of ways to turn a situation into a positive. My fans are giving me so much love, so I want to make an effort to let them see me until the end and let them have fun, and I want to become a good actor so that they will not be disappointed. As a result, that is what the fans want too. Oh, at this past fan meeting, there were a lot of people who could not get in and were waiting outside. Perhaps some of those people are reading this interview. I want to tell them how really sorry I am about that and thank them. Please be sure to write that (laughs)!

Q. I heard that you sang songs at the fan meeting. It seems you are very talented. Do you have plans to start a singing career?
A. My singing at the fan meeting was the result of my trying to come up with some way I could give a present to all of my fans, something that would be a more special memory. About two months before the fan meeting, I started practicing the songs "Beside You, Like the Wind" and "The Words You Said" little by little. I was not thinking about starting a career as a singer. I sang these songs with the intention that they could listen to them if they miss me during the two years that I’ll be away in the army.

Q. I understand that a lot of Hyun Jae fans are carrying out charity work.
A. Yes, I have fans who I can boast about and say, "My fans are doing such a fantastic thing!" It's amazing that people who happen to meet on one occasion can organize themselves and do this kind of thing. In that sense, there's a lot that I can learn from my fans.

Q. They say that fans start to resemble the stars they support.
A. Then I must be a great guy (laughs). Come to think of it, a lot of my fans are very low-key. Even when they come to a film location, they don't ask me for autographs or pictures. They're so quiet that nobody even knows they're my fans unless somebody says so. They bring me lots of food—enough for not just me but the staff too—and they quietly drop it off and go home. Now that you mention it, they are a lot like me.

Q. You can't stop saying nice things about your fans, can you!
A. I can't say enough good things about them. If it weren't for my fans, this Jo Hyun Jae you see today would not be here.

Q. I'm sure you go abroad a lot for your work, but do you enjoy traveling?
A. I really enjoy traveling, but my schedule is so packed that it has really been ages since I've been able to take a leisurely trip. I'd like to take a trip overseas with good friends, or even by myself but . . . . . When you travel abroad with a friend, you can talk about the things that you don't get to talk about everyday, and you can reflect on your own life. Even just imagining it can be fun (laughs). One of these days I am definitely going to take the time and go.

(TO BE CONTINUED)