Farewell to Jo Hyun Jae: Seeing him off to join the army (Part 2)

2008.8.5 (Tuesday)

We got up at 6:30 a.m. and had a big buffet breakfast at the hotel coffee shop. We knew we were not going to have lunch until 3 p.m. At 8:30 a.m. the interpreter arrived (Greencup had hired one for the day) and we took a taxi to the assembly point at Seoul Station (very near to our hotel.) We met up with the EVER ladies who had arranged for two big coaches to transport us to the army camp. The coaches had big banners of JHJ on the sides with his photo and words of blessing. Everything was very well organized; I was really impressed. There were a lot of Japanese fans and two from Thailand, plus Greencup (Taiwan) and me (China) which made up the overseas contingent. There was also a young Chinese girl BoBo who was studying in Seoul.

On the bus the EVER ladies provided us with donuts and fruit juice. They are such caring and considerate people! We began our journey at 9:10 a.m. and it took less than an hour to get to the vicinity of the camp. It was a rather remote place on the outskirts of Seoul and even the professional coach drivers had difficulty locating it. We eventually negotiated our way along narrow country roads to reach Camp 306. On the way we passed Camp 506 (not G.P.506, just Camp 506) and there was a collective "Ah...h...h.....!!!"

The most notable thing along the way were the big yellow horizontal banners strung every 300 m. on the freeway by the EVER ladies. Each banner had words of blessing and encouragement (for example, "Please take care of yourself." "Stay healthy." "You have our support forever." "We will wait for you.") These were strung on lamp posts along the freeway where cars could not stop, so the EVER ladies must have worked in the middle of the night when traffic was light. I was so moved when I saw the banners (and there were over 20 of these.) I am sure JHJ would be moved too. To have such dedicated and loyal fans is really a blessing.

We disembarked at 10:30 a.m. and stood under a tree behind several big yellow banners with the same words of blessing and encouragement. On the wall behind us was also hung another yellow banner with the words (addressed to camp members) "Please take care of JHJ!" There was a similar banner on the entrance to the camp. The EVER ladies left nothing to chances. They also distributed JHJ fans (much appreciated in the heat and humidity) and a curious hard foam poster/board (the size of an A4 sheet of paper) which depicted two shoes bound together by an iron chain (with a red heart-shaped lock with the word EVER), one a black army boot and the other a white woman's shoe. The interpreter explained that Korean women used to leave when their men entered the army. So this poster/board meant we're bound to JHJ forever, that we would never desert him, that we would wait for his return from the army which were what the Korean words on it said.

We stood there from 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon, during which time we were scolded several times by a very ferocious Korean woman who was selling bottled water and who obviously thought we were getting in the way. (Actually we were behind her and she was doing good business selling water to JHJ fans.) That's when I learned the Korean word for "Sorry!"

Apart from JHJ, there were many other young Korean men entering Camp 306 today. We saw parents bringing their sons and girlfriends lingering over parting with their boyfriends. There was a Korean family sitting on stools behind us, a father and a mother saying goodbye to their son. There was also a little girl of about 4 or 5, his niece. We were so bored we started to play with the little girl, and then I suddenly had a brainwave. This young man was going into the same camp as JHJ! We asked the interpreter to ask him and the answer was in the affirmative. We asked her to request him to PLEASE take care of our dear Hyun-Jae. His parents must think we were nuts! The young man knew who JHJ was; he used to be in a TV games show. And then I heard him say something in putonghua; it turned out he had been to Beijing several times on business. So I said: "Please take good care of JHJ and I'll treat you to dinner next time you're in Beijing." And Greencup said: "Come to Taipei and I'll treat you too." His parents, I'm sure, were convinced we were a pair of lunatics.

While we were waiting, an EVER lady brought over a SBS reporter to interview the Thai fan standing in front of us. I immediately asked our interpreter to tell the TV man there were fans from China and Taiwan too. This was my greatest contribution on this trip! Greencup was then interviewed, again and again, four times altogether by different TV stations, KBS, YTN, etc. She had become a media star! Only once for me (sorry! I'm shy) but I did say I was from China, loud and clear (so mission accomplished.) I spoke only one sentence: "Mr. JHJ, we'll always be here for you." Like our Hyun-Jae, I am a person of few words. The reporter was still holding the microphone to my face ten seconds after I had finished. He seemed to be expecting more, because Greencup spoke at some length before me.

At noon we were told to move 100 m. up the road to join the CAFE fans. There must have been over 200 fans altogether. It did not make sense for members of the two fan clubs to be standing in two places. We should all be unified behind JHJ. There was a mad dash and jockeying for position. I am not an aggressive person. I was pushed and shoved until I found myself at the end of the line at the farthest point up the road. While I was recovering my breath, I saw all these reporters (sitting on chairs) opposite me. Ha! If reporters were here, JHJ would be positioned to stand opposite them, which meant RIGHT NEXT TO ME! What is that Chinese saying? "If it's yours, it's yours." No need to fight. Ha! Ha! I gestured frantically to Greencup who was socializing with the CAFE Korea master on the other side. She later joined me and I whispered: "We have to hold our position." During the 1 1/2-hour wait our space was invaded several times, but we stood our ground and fought off all attacks.

The CAFE fans were on one side of the road and the EVER fans on the other. The CAFE fans were the ones holding the big square yellow neckerchiefs. We were given these at the Korea fan meeting on July 19. On the neckerchief was written the Korean words for WAITING. After we sang the song from "3 Dads/1 Mom" to JHJ at the fan meeting, we were instructed to hold up the neckerchief so he could see we would be waiting for him to return from the army. I don't know if this is a universal custom, but in the U.S.A. if a member of your family goes off to war or is away for a long time (for whatever reason), you tie a yellow ribbon on your door or on a tree, signifying you are waiting for his/her return. When he/she is back, you remove the yellow ribbon. Greencup and I also brought our yellow neckerchiefs, but when we displayed them, we were told by EVER not to obstruct JHJ's face and the words on the yellow banner we were holding. (We were holding the end section.)

We stood under the unrelenting sun from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. (JHJ was supposed to appear at 12:30 p.m., but every 10 minutes we were told: "Another 10 minutes.") Both Greencup and I brought umbrellas but could not use them. We did not have a third hand -- we had to hold the banner with one hand and the foam poster/board (with the shoes motif) with the other. My face was covered in beads of sweat; my hair was dripping sweat; my T-shirt was completely soaked; and the top of my trousers (around the waist) was all wet. Greencup had a handkerchief but I only had tissue paper which disintegrated on contact with my sweat. I used up the whole packet, so I just let the rivulets of sweat run down my face and body. It must have been over 30 degrees Centigrade, and there was not a cloud in the sky. I had a bottle of water but I dared not drink for fear of having to go to the toilet. I just stood there, baking in the sun. The reporters opposite us were suffering (and probably grumbling) too, but at least they had chairs and water (brought by EVER.) I had nothing to do, so I counted the number of reporters and there were almost 30 of them. So JHJ was news! Good!

All of a sudden we realized we had lost our interpreter. We finally located her squatting under some bushes. This young woman could not take it anymore. And the young girl BoBo looked like she was going to faint. Greencup and I looked at each other; we could read each other's mind. We knew we had to stand there to show the world JHJ fans were people of mettle, and especially his Chinese fans were women of fortitude and forbearance. Endure! Endure! (But softly, softly, to tell the truth -- I've never had such a hard time in my life!)

At 1:30 p.m. there was a commotion at the other end. Screams could be heard. JHJ had finally arrived -- in a van. He got out and walked through the corridor of fans on either side of the road, bowing and waving, stopping just in front of us. He was so close that I could touch him if I stretched out my hand. God! He was so handsome, and so tall (must be over 1.8 m.) but oh, so thin! He was wearing a collarless white T-shirt with the words "Buckaroo Roundup" (a "buckaroo" is a cowboy in Western American lingo) and his signature black baseball cap with the words "REQUIRES CONSTANT SUPERVISION" (great sense of humour!) He apologised for being late because the bottleneck stretch of road leading to the camp was jammed. He thanked everyone present for being there. Then he took off his cap to reveal a crew cut even shorter than the one he sported at the Korea fan meeting. He posed for the cameras; he saluted to the delight of the fans and the reporters. In answer to reporters' questions, he said:

1. He spent last night talking to his parents who were naturally worried about him.

2. He had a good dinner and slept well, even though he slept late.

3. He would fulfill his military duties with honour, work hard in the army, broaden his horizon and his experience in life, and stay healthy.

4. He knew he was older than the average recruit, but he was confident he could get along with them, and he would respect his seniors who might be younger than he.

5. He had talked to other actors who had been in the army, so he knew more or less what to expect.

6. He used to admire other actors who got a great send-off by their fans and worry what would happen in his own case, so he was most grateful to his fans for being there for him.

7. He had no acting plans at the moment but promised to give his best performance in two years' time.

8. He thanked his fans again for their support.

I did not master Korean overnight; the above are from the interpreter's notes. While he was speaking, all the familiar JHJ mannerisms were displayed. He put his hand to his forehead; he rubbed his nose; he bit his lips. No, those were not tears in his eyes, most likely sweat. He was very composed and he smiled more than usual. He also spoke more fluently than usual, but not rehearsed. I was not going to take any photos; I just wanted to "save" the moment on my PC (my brains), but when JHJ turned towards our side and I looked into his big, beautiful eyes, I had to take out my camera and snap a few shots.

Then it was all over and his manager/bodyguard (the burly guy in the orange polo T-shirt) was clearing the way for JHJ's departure. He almost stepped over me who was directly in his path. While I was trying to save my skin, Greencup shook JHJ's hand and the Japanese lady next to her wiped JHJ's face and forehead with a small towel. He did not resist. Like us, he was sweating profusely, so he was probably grateful for the gentle gesture. I just stood there, watching with admiration and envy. I would never dare do something like that, and yet it seemed the most natural thing in the world, like a mother's tender touch. After this, JHJ walked right past me. I had to jump aside to avoid being crushed by the mad crowd (including reporters) rushing after him. Both Greencup and I felt we had had enough; we would leave it to the others to savour these last few moments. I saw JHJ looking back and waving, and I felt my heart twitch. I muttered under my breath: "God bless you!"

It was an hour's ride back to Seoul Station. We did not sit down for lunch at a Korean restaurant until 3 p.m. (right on schedule.) The food was good but I could not finish my portion because I made the mistake of taking a spoonful of the soup which was so hot (as in "spicy") that I almost choked. I coughed so violently that everybody at my table was alarmed. Greencup and I were sitting opposite the two Thai fans. The younger one showed me the video she took which was better than any of the videos I've seen on the web so far. She was perfectly positioned to capture the whole episode from the very beginning when JHJ was walking towards the reporters to the end after he finished speaking. She would be staying in Seoul until Saturday, Aug.9, and would upload the video on Monday, Aug.11. So go to johyunjaethailand, everybody, if you want a faithful and complete record of JHJ's farewell to his fans. (The video is more than 11 minutes long.)

After lunch we went to the church in "Love Letter", the one where Andrea took his vows to be a priest. (EVER had planned a full day of programmes for us.) It was very near to the restaurant, up a slight slope. It was a beautiful church with manicured grounds. I went in and said a prayer for JHJ. Scenes from "Love Letter" flooded into my mind. I made a mental note to watch this drama again (for the N-th time.)

The coach took us back to Seoul Station and we arrived back at our hotel a little after 5 p.m. We almost collapsed when we got to our room. Our clothes were dry by that time, but Greencup and I looked like two cooked lobsters! (very red in the face and around the neck [we were both wearing collarless tops] and, in my case, the lower half of my arms too because my sleeves were 3/4 whereas Greencup was wearing long sleeves.) My skin was starting to itch which meant it was sunburnt. If I had known we would be standing in the sun for hours, I would have brought sunscreen lotion, but the weather forecast said "Hazy". Oh, the sacrifices we made on JHJ's behalf!

Our looks were ruined but we could still salvage our bodies which needed nourishment after such a hard day. So we went to BAEK-JE SAMYETANG again and ordered double-boiled chicken soup with ginseng this time. We felt better after the meal and went back to the hotel to shower. When I came out of the bathroom, I found Greencup lying in bed holding a bottle of ice water to each side of her face. "What are you doing?" "Ice treatment." Ha! Ha! Ha! But it really worked; she looked less red and less puffy the next day. Actually someone at the farewell recommended cucumber (you remember that very funny scene in "3 Dads/1 Mom" of Sun Shing Rok and the baby, both their faces covered with cucumber slices?) But ice water worked just as well. And oh! I must tell you what an elegant lady Greencup is: there were 4 bottles of mineral water in the refrigerator, 2 Evian and 2 local brand. Guess which ones she used for her ice treatment?

When we were lying in bed, utterly exhausted and emotionally drained, Greencup suddenly said: "We didn't cry!" I replied: "How could we? We had no water left in our system. We were sweating so much. We sweated tears!" And then we wondered what JHJ would be doing at that hour. Greencup said life in the army was very hard (she had a son in the army and another one going in soon.) But we found consolation in the fact that JHJ started work young, so he knew how to tough it out. He was also such a good genial fellow so he should have no difficulty adjusting to a life of discipline. I said my prayers and asked God to protect all my loved ones (including JHJ) and give them good health, keep them safe, and let them be happy. I sort of drifted into sleep with my skin hurting but was woken up by the morning call at 5:30 a.m.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

(Originally published on johyunjaeChina)