This is an English translation of Jo Hyun-Jae's interview with "Korean TV Drama Magazine" (October 2008 issue) by misa123 first published in EVERjohyunjae on 2009.1.6
Emotional Fan Meeting in Korea Just before Entering the Military!!
On July 19, 2008, Jo Hyun Jae held his final pre-enlistment fan meeting at the auditorium of Seoul's Yonsei University. The theme of the fan meeting was "Wait," and a large number of fans—not only from within Korea but from Japan, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan as well--crowded in to see Jo Hyun Jae with their own eyes just two weeks before he entered the army. As he took the stage sporting a crew cut, loud cheers rose from the crowd, marking the start of an emotional fan meeting where the fans and Jo Hyun Jae seemed to be reassuring each other.
report: Choi Hyo-Jeong
☆ The Opening—Conveying His Feelings for His Fans in Writing
Emotional Fan Meeting in Korea Just before Entering the Military!!
On July 19, 2008, Jo Hyun Jae held his final pre-enlistment fan meeting at the auditorium of Seoul's Yonsei University. The theme of the fan meeting was "Wait," and a large number of fans—not only from within Korea but from Japan, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan as well--crowded in to see Jo Hyun Jae with their own eyes just two weeks before he entered the army. As he took the stage sporting a crew cut, loud cheers rose from the crowd, marking the start of an emotional fan meeting where the fans and Jo Hyun Jae seemed to be reassuring each other.
report: Choi Hyo-Jeong
☆ The Opening—Conveying His Feelings for His Fans in Writing
At 2:15pm, a letter written in Jo Hyun Jae's own handwriting is projected on a large screen, and Jo Hyun Jae's voice can be heard reading the letter from backstage. When he finishes reading his letter, music plays and he appears onstage, microphone in hand. He sings his original song, "Beside You, Like the Wind," which he performed at the June fan meeting in Japan as well. At one point, he forgot the lyrics, and the fans all joined together and sang along. The emcee took the stage and Jo Hyun Jae greeted the fans. “For this many people to turn out despite the rain. . . . Thank you so much.” And a shy smile appeared while he spoke.
☆ Jo Hyun Jae's Letter to His Fans
☆ Jo Hyun Jae's Letter to His Fans
I have written down my thoughts for my fans who always stand by me. Thank you so much! It is because you have always supported me, you have watched all of my performances, and you have showered me with such kind words that I, Jo Hyun Jae, have been able to have a career as an actor, and you make me feel that I can continue to grow as an actor in the future. No matter how many times I thank you, it never seems to be enough. We are in the middle of the enthusiastic summer season right now. I hope that all of you, my fans, will always be smiling like a summer's day. I will try hard to continue to show you nothing but the best that I can be, my best efforts. Thank you.
☆ What I Want to Know About Jo Hyun Jae—Your Answers Please!
☆ What I Want to Know About Jo Hyun Jae—Your Answers Please!
—Do you usually sleep a lot?
**I'm the type who sleeps for a long time once I fall asleep. Sometimes I sleep for about 11 or 12 hours. On average, I’ll sleep about 8–9 hours on my days off and about 3–4 hours when I'm filming.
—How much do you drink?
**If differs depending on the circumstances. If I drank maybe a bottle and a half of shochu I might get drunk. But it changes with the atmosphere. If it's the kind of atmosphere where you can hang out and drink until late at night, sometimes I drink more.
—Why aren't you enlisting as an entertainment soldier?
**At first, I'm planning not to enlist as an entertainment soldier but will try to make it on active duty. When I took the physical as well, I was treated as a candidate for active duty. I was not heavy enough, so they decided I would be in second class. In the first year, I want to lead the life of an active duty soldier, and then in the second year I wouldn't mind being an entertainment soldier.
—Is there anything you want to try to do before you join the army?
**It still doesn't seem real, so I don't know what I should do. But I do want to spend time with my family and close friends and I'd like to go on a trip. I'd like to visit places where I've filmed before—this time by myself. I am pretty fond of mountain climbing, so while we were filming Seo Dong Yo, I used to climb the mountain that we used a lot for locations, so I think it would be nice to try to climb it again by myself this time. Also, I'd like to travel abroad. Until I finish my military service, it will be difficult to go abroad, and I've hardly ever traveled overseas outside of work. There are a lot of places I'd like to visit.
—Is there a present you've received that sticks out in you memory?
**I am very grateful for the fan letters. I have tried to read all of them, but to be honest, I haven't been able to finish all of them yet. I plan to look at all of them. My fans sometimes join together and buy me big presents, like a refrigerator or a treadmill. It gets to the point where I think, "Can I really accept something like this?” I really thank them all.
☆ A Surprise Gift from the Fans
**I'm the type who sleeps for a long time once I fall asleep. Sometimes I sleep for about 11 or 12 hours. On average, I’ll sleep about 8–9 hours on my days off and about 3–4 hours when I'm filming.
—How much do you drink?
**If differs depending on the circumstances. If I drank maybe a bottle and a half of shochu I might get drunk. But it changes with the atmosphere. If it's the kind of atmosphere where you can hang out and drink until late at night, sometimes I drink more.
—Why aren't you enlisting as an entertainment soldier?
**At first, I'm planning not to enlist as an entertainment soldier but will try to make it on active duty. When I took the physical as well, I was treated as a candidate for active duty. I was not heavy enough, so they decided I would be in second class. In the first year, I want to lead the life of an active duty soldier, and then in the second year I wouldn't mind being an entertainment soldier.
—Is there anything you want to try to do before you join the army?
**It still doesn't seem real, so I don't know what I should do. But I do want to spend time with my family and close friends and I'd like to go on a trip. I'd like to visit places where I've filmed before—this time by myself. I am pretty fond of mountain climbing, so while we were filming Seo Dong Yo, I used to climb the mountain that we used a lot for locations, so I think it would be nice to try to climb it again by myself this time. Also, I'd like to travel abroad. Until I finish my military service, it will be difficult to go abroad, and I've hardly ever traveled overseas outside of work. There are a lot of places I'd like to visit.
—Is there a present you've received that sticks out in you memory?
**I am very grateful for the fan letters. I have tried to read all of them, but to be honest, I haven't been able to finish all of them yet. I plan to look at all of them. My fans sometimes join together and buy me big presents, like a refrigerator or a treadmill. It gets to the point where I think, "Can I really accept something like this?” I really thank them all.
☆ A Surprise Gift from the Fans
Jo Hyun Jae's fans had prepared a present for him: a song by 015B, "It's Already Goodbye," which Jo Hyun Jae sang in the 14th episode of Three Daddies with One Mommy (2008, KBS), and a cake with the word “Wait” written on it. Just as the song says, “Goodbye doesn't mean farewell forever. It's a promise that we'll meet again.” Jo Hyun Jae was greatly moved by the heartfelt song from the fans and told them, “You have shown me great affection, even though I still have a lot of things I need to improve and a lot of areas where I need to grow. Thanks to the love you've shown me, I will hang in there no matter what.”
☆ A finale that ends with tears of emotion
At the end, Jo Hyun Jae once again sang the song he opened with, Beside You Like the Wind. His voice was choked with emotion as the tears welled up, and shouts of “Its all right! Its all right!” were heard from the audience. He responded to the fans' enthusiasm with an encore performance, singing his original song, The Words You Said To Me. In closing, he told the audience, “I think this was a meaningful way to spend my time before entering the military. I will do my best to hang in there. I will never forget this feeling of gratitude.”
☆ Although their fans miss them, one young star after another is entering the military— Jo Hyun Jae, we'll be waiting for you for the next two years!!
☆ A finale that ends with tears of emotion
At the end, Jo Hyun Jae once again sang the song he opened with, Beside You Like the Wind. His voice was choked with emotion as the tears welled up, and shouts of “Its all right! Its all right!” were heard from the audience. He responded to the fans' enthusiasm with an encore performance, singing his original song, The Words You Said To Me. In closing, he told the audience, “I think this was a meaningful way to spend my time before entering the military. I will do my best to hang in there. I will never forget this feeling of gratitude.”
☆ Although their fans miss them, one young star after another is entering the military— Jo Hyun Jae, we'll be waiting for you for the next two years!!
Brings back fond memories!
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