"Last Story" will last forever

Jo Hyun-Jae's DVD was released in mid-March 2009. It is called "Last Story", after the Japan Fan Meetings in June 2008 which were billed as such.

The 80-minute DVD documents Jo Hyun-Jae's Japan Fan Meetings in Osaka on June 22 and Tokyo on June 23, as well as the Nogoya Dinner Show on June 27, 2008.

The first 30 minutes are devoted to the Osaka Fan Meeting at NHK Hall. Part 1 features JHJ on stage with the MC and the interpreter, discussing his dramas. Part 2 is after the intermission, when JHJ plays "Wheel of Fortune", "Stone, Paper, Scissors", Q & A, etc. with his fans. Part 3 is the handshaking and photo-taking, check donation and reading of cards. (For details, please see "Diary of a Star-Chaser" Part 2.)

When the credits are rolling, JHJ can be heard singing "Like the wind by your side" against a visual background of the Tokyo Fan Meeting (Part 2). The DVD producers are smart not to show in detail this second fan meeting which follows basically the same format as the Osaka Fan Meeting. (For details, please see "Diary of a Star-Chaser" Part 3.)

Then comes 30 minutes of the Nagoya Dinner Show at the Westin on June 27. In Part 1 JHJ is on stage with the MC (same one as in Osaka, and in the same clothes!) and a different interpreter. He is in a silver-grey suit and a blue shirt and appears very relaxed answering questions and smiles a lot. He then sings "Like the wind by your side". Part 2 is Q & A, followed by JHJ's message to his fans. The encore song is "Words you said to me".

The audio is in Japanese and Korean. (The Japanese MCs and interpreters speak Japanese and JHJ speaks Korean.) But just as at the fan meetings, there is no need to understand the languages to appreciate the emotions and atmosphere of the occasions. Just watching JHJ and hearing his deep baritone is already great value for money.

The next segment "Photography" is the most interesting. It shows behind-the-scenes footage of the shooting of the "Memories" photo album. JHJ is a born model (and I don't mean just his looks) -- every movement, every gesture, every pose, every smile --seemingly effortless and casual, is so expressive and elegant. No wonder the photographer is snapping shot after shot non-stop. And it's a female photographer (could you have guessed?)

There is another "Photography" segment, and this time JHJ is sporting a crew-cut, shooting the KBOOM cover and magazine photos, as well as the big photo series at the entrance of the Photo Exhibition in Osaka in February. But there are a few shots of JHJ in a very tight white shirt with short sleeves that can only be described as "sexy".

This is followed by "Recording" -- JHJ in the studio recording "Words you said to me". This song is obviously very difficult to sing; JHJ got stuck (at the same place) a couple of times.

The last part of the DVD is the August 5 farewell when JHJ entered the army. He was interviewed by the media before he saw his fans for the last time (in two years.) The last shot is of JHJ saluting his fans.