by Lavender @ lovekimhyunjoong.com
Thanks!
I SAW the STAR!!!!!!
Today is my lucky day,
because I saw our star, or my “pretty boy” as I usually call him.
The actual encounter is very short,
please forgive me my ramblings, skip to the end if it’s boring.
After the Tokyo fan meeting, I went to Seoul and hoped to watch Hyunjoong shooting.
But as I woke up the next day
and a Korean fan emailed me that he left for Jeju island in the morning
and will be back on Saturday.
So I decided to do the tourist thing again, went to Myeongdong,
with stop at the Face Shop to support his new endorsement.
After walking around for several hours I was getting very bored
and started to wonder whether I should go to Jeju.
After I finished watching Playful Kiss episode 14 on MBC (real live on TV),
I felt like going.
Then the Korean fan emailed me and told me where he might be shooting,
I decided to go for a couple days to try my luck. The airfare wasn’t that bad,
and I also found some cheap place to stay too.
So I started packing.
All was done between 12 midnight to 2 AM.
I booked the 10:55 flight on Jinair from Kimpo,
the trip on subway takes an hour, but being the always late type,
I was cutting close leaving the hotel because I was checking my emails.
The Korean fan emailed me that HJ might come back to Seoul today.
I wasn’t too thrilled because I may miss him, or only get to see him at the airport.
Only got to the airport with 35 minutes to spare, but no problem,
didn’t realize Jinair is Korean version of US Southwest, no assigned seat.
I was even able to check in my suitcase less than 30 minutes before the flight.
Saw SS501 airport ambassador banner still hanging,
brought a smile to my face and had to take pictures.
Even if I am going to see only Hyunjoong,
but I miss all 5 of them together.
After I boarded the plane, some song I am not familiar with came on with “SS501” words in it,
I thought that’s kind of strange because I have heard all their songs.
The song was playing repeatedly,
then I realized this must be the song they recorded for the airline.
Also it reminded me the series they did with a fan meeting in Jeju island last year,
they were the flight attendants.
How I wish they were today!
The Jinair flight attendants are nice
but no way near as cute and handsome as our boys.
The flight was only 50 minutes, it was quite full,
and I was the only non- Korean passenger.
They only served cold green tea on the plane.
I started to write my Tokyo fan meeting account,
before I could finish the pre trip, we were going to land.
It’s interesting to see all those little islands down there,
never knew there were so many.
After got off the plane, I went to the information desk and ask where Saees hotel,
the staff circled it on the map for me and told me to take bus 600 outside.
And I was suppose to take bus 100 to the guest house where I stay.
Knowing nothing about Jeju island and only landed my eyes on a Jeju map at the moment,
I marched outside and was going to take bus 100.
But, but a bus was parking right outside 600,
I asked the driver if it goes to Saees hotel, he didn’t say yes,
just took my suitcase and motioned me to get on the bus,
one lady collected 3,900won from me and told me the find a seat.
Earlier I was thinking about going to the parking lot
where Hyunjoong met Hwang Buin in We Got Married, but no time now.
The trip will take 50 minutes.
It’s a scenic drive, totally different feeling from Seoul or Tokyo.
After a week of seeing people mountain people sea, it’s a nice break.
While I was on the bus, I tried to recall some of the scenes from WGM
to see if this is the same road that they took,
but of course it since there are only a few major roads around the island.
The bus arrived at Jumon resort and dropped off passengers at various hotels,
I was getting worried because I didn’t hear Saees name at all.
Then the driver stopped at one hotel and asked the bellboy where Saees is,
I was like “you didn’t know where it is and you told me to get on the bus?!!”
Fortunately the bellboy gave the direction, it’s not part of Jumon resort.
Several minutes later, the bus driver stopped at a parking lot
and told me to get off the bus,
but all I saw was a parking lot and no hotel entrance,
no buildings I could see either.
I was completely lost.
After 30 seconds panic,
I calmed myself down and started walking,
on the other side of parking lot was a small drive way,
then I saw a small building for check in, it’s more like a lounge than a hotel lobby.
And there are some units or more like one story suites behind the lounge.
I walked around a couple times and couldn’t figure out what to do.
Then I saw this guy sitting by the parking lot, I thought he was a hotel staff
so I went over and asked him if the Drama JaKi is shooting here.
He was surprised that I speak English and hesitated, then said “Yes”.
I was very excited, and ask where they will be shooting,
he got quite and said “Don’t know, no.”
His walkie-talkie went off and people were running around,
he looked at me, I then realized that he is actually one of the shooting team!
I kept asking him where, but he said he could not say.
More people were coming to the parking lot
and started to load shooting equipment to the truck.
I was able to talk to a middle-aged staff and he speak decent English,
I told him that I am a fan of KHJ and traveled from US to see him, please let me watch.
He was very kind and told me they were going to shoot some car scene
and it would be hard to watch,
but they will be back after 6 and shoot 3 more scenes at the resort.
He told me to come back then and also pointed some people in charge to me.
I tried to ask them where they would be shooting outside and if I can watch,
but they were quite unfriendly and said ‘No.’
Anyway, now at least I know Hyunjoong is here somewhere.
So I went to the front desk and staff were very nice to me,
they were surprised that a non-Korean from US would come this far.
They confirmed that HJ and crew are staying here,
and the suite HJ stays is an ocean front one cost 630,000 won.
The honeymoon suite joongbo couple stayed is presidential suite
and cost over 1000,000 won a night.
Goong and Boys Over Flowers were also shot here.
The units are hidden from the roads, very private,
and the view and scenery are just wonderful.
I was so happy to find out the Joongbo suite
since it’s really the WGM got me hooked on HJ not BOF.
Will for sure take some pictures later.
While I was standing there, I saw several girls and a guy coming out of one of the unit,
OMG, that’s JSM, the girl played Oh Ha Ni, she was wearing shorts, very cute.
I said hi to them when they walked by, they were a little taken back.
I wanted to take picture but decided against it,
don’t want to push my camera in front of them.
JSM is very bubbly, talking in a loud voice.
I waited to see if HJ was going to come out too but no signs of him.
I went to ask the nice guy where is HJ, he said he should be in the parking area.
So I went to the parking lot,
there were several vans with dark windows, couldn’t tell which one.
But I saw several guys were sitting in one very close to me,
the 2 guys in front were not HJ,
and saw the feet of the one sitting in the back, not sure,
but I didn’t really want to get too close if he was resting.
They will be back anyway and I will see him.
I decided to check in the guest house first and come back later.
The resort staff called a taxi for me, as I just got in the taxi,
the drama crew started to move too, trucks, bus, and vans were all leaving.
I just told the driver to follow them to see where they were going,
so the taxi followed them for a while, actually between their group.
Then the taxi driver drove fast and started to get ahead of them,
I told him “slow, slow”,
but too late, soon we lost them in the rear mirror. Oh, well.
Didn’t realize that the guest house was quite far, almost 10 miles away
and it was hidden away in a residential area,
the road is quite narrow, with brick walls on both side, like the ones in Winder Sonata.
The place was quite hard to find if I took the local bus instead of the airport shuttle.
I told the taxi driver to wait for me while I dropped off my suitcase.
I flew into the guest house
and told the owner I would be back in the evening to do the proper check in.
The owner is a Malaysia lady who speaker fluent English and Korean.
Jumping back into the taxi and off we were going back to Saees!
The return trip didn’t take long,
and I was scanning the roadside to see if any trucks parking along the side,
no, no luck this time.
I got back to Saees resort in 15-20 minutes.
Total fare for the trip: 27,400 won.
The front desk staff again were so nice to me,
they even took out their guest book
to let me take pictures of Hyunjoong’s autograph from his BOF stay.
They also let me roam the ground even the signs state “resort guest only”.
I was able to take pictures of Joongbo honeymoon suite
and the unit he is staying now (outside only of course).
Saw the square bench where they ate ramen noodles in the morning.
The BBQ grill where he grilled meat, the view is fantastic.
There is a Korean-Japanese restaurant on site,
I asked when do they serve dinner, 6 o’clock,
but I was told that there was a group reservation tonight at 7,
guess who, the shooting crew.
But now, it’s no longer secret, so I asked if I could make a reservation,
no problem so I made it for 6:45.
I would be sitting in there when Hyunjoong arrives, ha ha.
Dinner costs 20-50k won, not too bad.
There is also a small café onsite but completely empty,
I couldn’t find the staff so I just wandered off again.
Took more pictures of the area,
including the famous banquet room where Goong and BOF were shot,
also outside where Jihoo gave Jandi back the necklace.
Went back to the café, someone there,
I ordered a cappuccino and sat there.
Then all of sudden, I had the urge to write a letter to Hyunjoong,
but I don’t have any paper with me so I asked the waiter,
he went out and got me a piece of paper.
So I wrote a letter to him in English with some Korean words,
at least I can write his name in Korean without any problem.
I also brought some chocolate that I want to give him.
After I finished the coffee, (it costs 6,000 won, not cheap)
I went back to the lounge to rest.
By then, the two front desk ladies are like good friends,
they also let me use the computer as well.
So I emailed bb and liezle to inform them that I will send updates to them later.
Bb emailed right back and asked me to also write a letter on her behalf.
She wants him to know that he has a lot of Singaporean and international fans who support him.
So I took the liberty to write another letter to him.
As I was writing, a dragonfly flew by,
I wonder if Hyunjoong would freak out if he was here!
I gave the letters to the front desk ladies and asked whether they could pass them to him.
Not only did they give me an envelope
but also a bag so I could put all my stuff in there.
But in the end I still wanted to hand over to him myself.
Now the waiting started.
I must’ve walked around the site 5 times.
The sun started to go down and finally after 6:15pm,
vans started to come in and dropped people off, didn’t see HJ.
So I went to the parking lot and
saw JSM and several other people got off and walked into the resort through a side door.
I waited some more and didn’t see HJ.
Did I miss him again?
Went back to the lounge and asked the front desk, he was already in the suite,
apparently he snuck in through the side door and bypassed the lounge.
Darn, but he would have to eat later, right?
I comforted myself.
The crew started to set up a shooting site in one of the units,
actually right next to the one HJ stays.
Looks like some indoor scenes filming to be done soon.
It was kind of hard to see from outside so I walked to the unit entrance.
They were shooting some entry scene, saw JSM was doing some practices.
She was wearing a read coat and shorts.
I will omit other stuff I saw because I am not sure what they mean,
and I don’t want to cause any wild guesses.
But unfortunately I didn’t see HJ,
he probably only stayed inside the whole time.
By then the crew were used to me, nobody talked to me
but no one stopped me either.
My dinner time, went to the restaurant and saw they set up tables for both inside and outside,
I debated where I should sit.
The staff had started the BBQ grill outside
and the small restaurant has large glass windows so I asked to be seated outside.
The first table they gave me was in the corner,
I didn’t like it and asked to be moved to the middle,
now I could see each table very well.
But the problem was, I was completely ignored, finally got some water.
Believe or not, for almost an hour, no one came to take my orders!
They just let me sit there, but I was not in any hurry
because I didn’t want to finish my dinner before he arrives.
There were a lot of bugs and mosquitoes flying around,
no wonder HJ could kill 10 in one night to protect buin.
At 7:30, the staff got busy and started to put side dishes, drinks and utensils on each table.
They set a big table with 8 nice chairs and 5 smaller tables inside, left only one in the corner.
I thought they might seat him at the big table,
so I asked to be moved inside because it was getting too cold.
After he checked with the manager, I was moved to the table in the corner, perfect.
I think, now I can see everything inside.
Little did I know that what a big mistake it was and how embarrassed I would be later.
At 7:45, lettuce (ssangcho) baskets were put on the table,
I can’t help but thinking about the WGM episode that how HJ pronounced the word
and he ate lettuce and meat separately.
I really want to see.
One guy from the crew came and talked to the restaurant staff,
he was also constantly talking on the phone,
it seemed like he was coordinating the dinner arrangement.
I had the letter and gift with me and walked over to him,
introduced myself and asked him whether he could pass this to HJ, he hesitated,
and I pleaded, so finally he said yes and took the bag.
Then I got greedy,
I told him that I have two SS501 Destination CDs that I want HJ to sign,
I attached a small note toe spell my name and my friend’s.
They can leave it at the front desk I would pick up tomorrow.
He looked very uncomfortable, said ‘No.’
Then he gave the bag back to me said “He is coming soon”,
I was like “So I can give it to him myself”.
Finally I got to order my food, almost everyone else ordered Grilled pork belly,
but the minimum is 2, so I settled on grilled dried red snapper.
And finally I got some tea.
At 8pm, I was given side dishes,
4 of them, kimchi, marinated mushroom, dried small fish
and some green stuff I don’t know the name and I didn’t taste it either.
There are the same thing everyone would be eating including HJ.
More people came into the restaurant in separate groups,
I didn’t want to stare at the entrance so I pretended to be busy studying maps.
Finally my food came, the fish looked good and tasted good too.
It came with clam seaweed soup and steamed rice.
I ate slowly,
I mean really slowly even though I was starving.
All of sudden a big group came in, lots of women except one tall guy,
I looked up, OMG, that’s him!
He looks slightly different from Monday in Tokyo, maybe because of the light.
He still has make up on, hair is the curly kind, but straighter than before.
He was wearing a white shirt and a big dark blue down jacket,
and on his feet he was wearing none other than a pair of white slippers,
the type you would wear inside the house not outside.
This strange boy, I think.
He was apparently in good spirit and said something loud.
He came with Cody noona, the stylist noona, JSM and her staff I assume.
He was pulling a chair and wanted to sit down at the table next to me!
But he stopped and realized there were not enough seats for everyone,
that’s the only empty table left inside.
All of sudden, everyone turned around and looked at me including HJ,
because I was not part of the crew but I was sitting at a table of 4 all by myself.
The stare was quite long and their facial expressions were unforgettable.
I wish there was a hole in the ground so I could hide, I was so embarrassed,
and of course I couldn’t say something in Korean either,
maybe I should’ve said “Miane” and invited them over, why didn’t I think of that.
So after brief discussion, Hyunjoong being the man,
went outside to sit with 3 guys and left the table to the ladies.
My plan to watch him eat up close completely failed
and I feel so guilty that he had to sit outside, especially with all the bugs buzzing around.
Now I’ve got a problem, I had to turn side way to see him,
so I glanced at him only once in a while to make it not so obvious.
I don’t think he realized that he had a “stalker” in house.
He looked completely relaxed, talked to his friends in an animated way,
using his hands to make gestures.
He must be very hungry and ate very fast.
Unfortunately it was dark outside
and I didn’t see him eating meat and lettuce separately.
But I never saw him doing any wrapping so I assume his old habit stands.
He is just so handsome, completely stands out in the crowd,
he looks so skinny and pale, my heart aches, poor boy.
He eats like a little boy, stuffs food in his cheek, adorable.
Too bad I was sitting inside and unable to hear him talk,
his voice was very soft when he replied “Annyeohaeseyo” to me in Tokyo.
But today he is completely relaxed and comfortable, happy to see that.
He doesn’t look exhausted like when he was shooting for BOF.
He ate a second bowl of rice.
He ate too fast I think, maybe it’s the habit due to the tight filming schedule.
He was done in less than 15 minutes, then he just sat at the table talking to others.
After a few minutes, he got up and left with the group.
He didn’t come back inside the restaurant.
I only saw his back, he is taller than most of guys.
Oh, well, that’s my brief encounter with him.
I decided not to take any pictures of him and I didn’t rush out to follow him.
He didn’t know I was there because of him.
I want to be a good fan and not too disturb him,
I remember he is afraid of strangers, I might scare him
if all of sudden this strange woman stops him and speaks English to him.
Just being able to observe him makes me very happy already,
especially seeing him in good spirit with my own eyes
makes all the crazy stuff I did worthwhile.
Initially I thought I would be too excited when I saw him,
but I was able to remain calm and not make a fool out myself.
I wasn’t staring at him with my mouth open, just brief glances in between
eating my own food. Of course I was hoping to get a picture with him, but it’s
probably not the right time and it’s OK. There will be next time.
What about the letter and gift?
I haven’t forgot about it.
Since I didn’t think it’s wise to stop HJ
and Cody noona was sitting 3 feet away from me.
I got up and said “Annyeohaeseyo” to her
then explained that I am a KHJ fan from US,
will she pass my letter and gift to him.
She said yes, so I gave her the bag.
Then I asked her whether HJ could sign 2 SS501 CDs (destination limited edition),
I showed her the note with names and asked her to leave them at the resort.
She said sure.
I was very very happy, said “Komsamnida” to her and went back to finish my dinner.
The staff started to leave in groups,
I happened to walk behind Cody noona,
so I said “Komsamnida” to her again.
Took a taxi to get back to the guest house.
I learned that he is leaving tomorrow morning at 10,
but I do not plan to go to the airport to send him off,
I will be a good tourist tomorrow and do sightseeing.
This is the end of my star encounter.
~~~~~~~~~~
This is a very cute fanaccount, Cool fan, I like (Y)
~~~~~~~~~~~~
ADD!
The guest house is quite far from the airport and the bus only comes every hour, so in order to catch my 10 o’clock I need to get up at 6:45. I am not a morning person and hate to get up early, but somehow I woke up at 6:44. Checked my email before I left the guest house, the Korean fan emailed me that she may know HJ’s shooting site later and I can go with her. Another chance to see him, can’t complain.
The morning air was so fresh and it was still foggy, then sun hung in the sky above the mountains, beautiful scene. This is going to be a good day, I tell myself. The bus was really on time, if I missed it, I would have to take a taxi and it ain’t cheap. The bus ride to the airport was uneventful, passing all the farm lands. Some women were already working in the field, squatting down and using hands to plant or pull something. For them, there’s no Sunday. Watching them reminds me my great aunt who took care of me for several years when I was a child. She is the most generous and kindest person I know, she treated me better than her own children or more like spoiled me. She was always the first one to get up in the morning and did all the house work. She would buy vegetable seeds and planted in their small piece of land, later she would go to the market to sell the vegetables for a few dollars.
It took an hour and half to get to the airport, I was hoping to get on an earlier flight but it was full, so I got an hour to kill. Well, since I forgot to take pictures of the airport when I arrived, now it’s the time. So I marched outside to the parking lot and tried to look for the spot where HJ waited for Hwang Buin. The ladies directing traffic are very pretty and wore nice red uniform, can’t help taking their pictures. So when I figured out the spot, I asked someone to take a picture of me there, he did obligate but I know what he was thinking, is this woman crazy or something why does she want to have a picture taken in an airport parking lot standing next to a trash can. Oh well, ajussi, there are crazy people out there of course, the world needs normal and crazy people to balance things out.
Now it’s time to get some breakfast, there is a food court in the airport and I ordered abalone porridge. I asked for a corner table so I could watch WGM Joongbo honeymoon on my laptop without other people stare at me. No matter how many times I watch it, it’s still funny, the 4D prince. Now I paid very close attention to the surroundings. Oops, the spot I took the picture was not the one he stood, oh, well, didn’t want to go back out, at least it’s within 100 meters, I comfort myself. When they arrived in Saees, they walked through the court yard which is actually not the direct route, but I guess the space is bigger and easy for filming. The porridge didn’t taste that good and it cost 10,000 won, a total rip off. Soon it’s boarding time and got another dose of SS501 singing the Jinair song. Don’t know why they play this nonstop, gotta feel sorry for the crew, I love SS501 dearly, but listening to the same song over 100 times a day would drive me insane.
The plane took off and I looked down, it was still foggy. In my heart, I said anneoyo to Jeju Island and was thankful it gave me a good memory. Then I got sleepy and dozed off till landing. Took me an hour and half to get back. When I checked in the front desk, I quickly checked my email and the Korean fan emailed me the time and location. I asked the staff to call her to check when and where to meet. Shooting would be at Citizen’s Forest Park in Gangnam Gu at 1:30, kind of far from me. She was on her way and told me to hurry, it was already passed one. So I dumped everything in my room and flew out again. Since I would be late, thought about taking a taxi, but in the end I chose to take the subway. It’s OK if I am late and shooting is usually late anyway.
It was warm so I wore a sleeveless top, but when I got outside and realized everyone wore layers and no one I mean no one wore short sleeve clothes, let alone sleeveless. Aren’t they hot? I got a bit self conscious and started to look around to see what other people were wearing in the subway, aigoo, most people wore dark and long sleeves, I really stuck out. Fortunately I brought my cardigan sweater. But it is the same one I wore in Jeju, now I worry the crew might recognize me, this one again. Oh, well, too late now.
It was almost two when I got to the park, but I walked around and around and couldn’t find any filming. Saw people wearing colorful traditional hanbok, there’s a wedding, I got excited since the wedding scene is yet to be filmed. But when I got close I found out it was a real wedding. Odottke. I should call her, but couldn’t find her number, I was sweating. Then miraculously I found it and called her, she told the location. I asked around and it was right behind me, like 50 meters. There were around 40-50 fans standing around, I soon spotted her. I was screaming “Komsamnida” to her because without her email, I would’ve never had the chance in Jeju. She pulled me aside and told me HJ was still in the car. I looked up, the black van was parking on the roadside, Cody noona and the manager were standing outside the door, apparently she was fixing his hair. The fans were waiting patiently and told me no pictures were allowed, I saw some had long lens one but they didn’t take pictures. They just waited to see him getting out of the car and walking to the shooting site, that would be like 15-30 seconds. I got a pretty good spot behind the van and would be able to see him clearly, I took out my not so good camera, the Korean fans said maybe it’s Ok since I am a foreigner. Since he is in the public space and I don’t feel bad taking a few photos if I can. Just a few minutes later, some movement by the van, he is coming out, people started to move around. I zoomed in and started clicking. He wore a black coat, a white shirt and black stripe sweater underneath. Black pants, making his legs looking very I mean very skinny, he really needs to gain some weight. He was holding the script and I saw his lips moving as if he was practicing the lines. He walked very fast with a serious expression, you can see in the photos. I was able to take 5 or 6, only one clear front, how I wish having one of those can take 10 pictures in one second. I was not aware if any Korean fans took pictures, they said encouraging words to him as he walked by. The shooting site was probably about 100 meters from where we stood. Some fans brought their binoculars, well I put mine in ET’s suitcase, darn it.
While waiting for the filming to start, I wanted to show the fans my pictures of the signed CDs, but somehow I couldn’t find it, maybe they were deleted from the camera when I uploaded them to my laptop last night. Oh, well. Then my camera battery died, and my iphone battery died too, how timely. The Korean fans are quite envious and they it’s actually very difficult to get HJ’s autograph and I got two. I felt very lucky and just can’t thank the good fan enough.
The shooting finally started, HJ (BSJ) and JSM (OHN) walked together in the park, BSJ said something to OHN and she screamed and jumped around. BSJ just stood there. They did the same shoot 4-5 times, each time we could hear the scream very well. As I said before, she is loud and for sure she can scream. But I bet I can scream louder than her if HJ (BSJ) said the same thing to me! JSM had to work hard and all HJ needed to do was just standing there, not too bad. During one shoot, a kind Korean fan let me use her binocular, I saw HJ’s facial expression clearly, he was smiling when JSM screamed. I just love love his smile, heart melting!!!!!!!!!!! I was guessing that BSJ was telling OHN that he wanted to go to medical school that’s why she was so happy. But Korean fan told me that he told her that they were going to Jeju for honeymoon.
Then they did a close up shoot for the same scene, again did several takes. In between, they just stood around, Cody noona of course was trying to fix his hair every chance she got. It is really a lot of work for shooting such a short scene. For over an hour of work, we may only see 30 seconds of it on screen. The crew and manager were very strict, walking around to check and making hand gestures to tell fans no photos.
Oh, almost forgot, I was able to thank HJ’s manager personally. When I saw him coming back to the van, I walked up to him and thanked him for dropping of the CDs at the hotel. He didn’t understand much English I can tell, then I said “Jeju do, Saees, SS501 CD”, he was like “Ah.” A Korean fan who speaks English came to help me out. I said Komsamnida to him several times, I was very grateful to get it since I traveled so far to here. He was very polite and acknowledged. I am very thankful that HJ is now under Keyeast, he is in good hands.
After the shooting finished, HJ, Cody noona and manager walked back to the van, fans again lined up to greet him with encouraging words. I didn’t take pictures this time because I COULDN’T, the battery DIED. The next filming site is quite far, 2 hours away, fans were debating whether to go. After discussion, they decided not to go. I wanted to go to Jaksal Chicken restaurant, and the Korean fan I met in Tokyo said OK, so we went there with another 2 fans, they speak English very well. In the car, we were exchanging stories of how we became KHJ fans. It was very fun, I was happy beyond words. I can’t believe that I was able to meet them. They know everything so I asked a lot of questions, sorry I have to keep some to myself and can not share.
When I saw the Jaksal sign, I was so excited and screamed “Jaksal!” It’s at the corner of the streets, not big. Seems some fans were already here, I am sure HJ fans frequent this place a lot. One guy in orange shirt came to greet us, he is one of the 4 HJ chingus working in the restaurant and he speaks good English. He lived in Canada for a while. Other fans told him I am from US to see HJ. He told me he is HJ’s high school friend, the other three were from same elementary school. He and another guy went to Spain with HJ, that’s one went to the soccer game with HJ. I told him that a fan in Morocco was able to spot HJ from the TV and also I saw them playing soccer in HJ’s Spain trip videos. They all seem very nice. We asked when was HJ here last time, he said HJ stopped by last week. But he usually comes very late, now he is busy shooting drama. It’s so good to know that HJ is able to maintain close relationship with his childhood friends.
We ordered various kind of fried chicken, dobotke (not sure about the spelling, you know the famous spicy rice cake HJ can cook). The serving size is huge and we all share. The chicken tastes very good, but soon we forgot about food and just happily chatted away. I was so excited to find out the ones who were with HJ when they got beaten up by the thugs. HJ talked about it in an YYMM episode in 2009 during BOF promotion. These boys sure have grown up to be good now. We swapped stories and gossips. I got to ask him questions when he has time, he is very nice and patient. I told him that I went to Jeju island to see HJ and wrote him a letter in English, I am sure he got the letter, please translate it for him when they meet next time, and please teach HJ English. He said he would try, very cute. I like to take pictures of food so I ask a Korean fan to take them and send to me, but I got a menu flyer as souvenir, and I want the owner’s autograph, am I getting too greedy?
Of course before I leave, I have to have pictures. The orange shirt guy (sorry, haven’t got their names straight yet) got another guy (white shirt) to post pictures with me together, he is the one HJ called during one of WGM episode, I am sure you know what I am talking about, right? I told him he is famous among international fans, he was like, no no, he speaks some English too. How come our boy doesn’t! He is cute, and for sure has been working out, got very nice arms, all muscles, I don’t think those are from frying chickens. Just make sure to drag your buddy there too so he can put some meat on his body (OK, just my inner thoughts, didn’t really say that to him).
Another happy day for me in leaderland. Let me stop here for now, need to go to sleep. Will check my memory again tomorrow to see if I missed anything today. Pictures later.
Thanks!
I SAW the STAR!!!!!!
Today is my lucky day,
because I saw our star, or my “pretty boy” as I usually call him.
The actual encounter is very short,
please forgive me my ramblings, skip to the end if it’s boring.
After the Tokyo fan meeting, I went to Seoul and hoped to watch Hyunjoong shooting.
But as I woke up the next day
and a Korean fan emailed me that he left for Jeju island in the morning
and will be back on Saturday.
So I decided to do the tourist thing again, went to Myeongdong,
with stop at the Face Shop to support his new endorsement.
After walking around for several hours I was getting very bored
and started to wonder whether I should go to Jeju.
After I finished watching Playful Kiss episode 14 on MBC (real live on TV),
I felt like going.
Then the Korean fan emailed me and told me where he might be shooting,
I decided to go for a couple days to try my luck. The airfare wasn’t that bad,
and I also found some cheap place to stay too.
So I started packing.
All was done between 12 midnight to 2 AM.
I booked the 10:55 flight on Jinair from Kimpo,
the trip on subway takes an hour, but being the always late type,
I was cutting close leaving the hotel because I was checking my emails.
The Korean fan emailed me that HJ might come back to Seoul today.
I wasn’t too thrilled because I may miss him, or only get to see him at the airport.
Only got to the airport with 35 minutes to spare, but no problem,
didn’t realize Jinair is Korean version of US Southwest, no assigned seat.
I was even able to check in my suitcase less than 30 minutes before the flight.
Saw SS501 airport ambassador banner still hanging,
brought a smile to my face and had to take pictures.
Even if I am going to see only Hyunjoong,
but I miss all 5 of them together.
After I boarded the plane, some song I am not familiar with came on with “SS501” words in it,
I thought that’s kind of strange because I have heard all their songs.
The song was playing repeatedly,
then I realized this must be the song they recorded for the airline.
Also it reminded me the series they did with a fan meeting in Jeju island last year,
they were the flight attendants.
How I wish they were today!
The Jinair flight attendants are nice
but no way near as cute and handsome as our boys.
The flight was only 50 minutes, it was quite full,
and I was the only non- Korean passenger.
They only served cold green tea on the plane.
I started to write my Tokyo fan meeting account,
before I could finish the pre trip, we were going to land.
It’s interesting to see all those little islands down there,
never knew there were so many.
After got off the plane, I went to the information desk and ask where Saees hotel,
the staff circled it on the map for me and told me to take bus 600 outside.
And I was suppose to take bus 100 to the guest house where I stay.
Knowing nothing about Jeju island and only landed my eyes on a Jeju map at the moment,
I marched outside and was going to take bus 100.
But, but a bus was parking right outside 600,
I asked the driver if it goes to Saees hotel, he didn’t say yes,
just took my suitcase and motioned me to get on the bus,
one lady collected 3,900won from me and told me the find a seat.
Earlier I was thinking about going to the parking lot
where Hyunjoong met Hwang Buin in We Got Married, but no time now.
The trip will take 50 minutes.
It’s a scenic drive, totally different feeling from Seoul or Tokyo.
After a week of seeing people mountain people sea, it’s a nice break.
While I was on the bus, I tried to recall some of the scenes from WGM
to see if this is the same road that they took,
but of course it since there are only a few major roads around the island.
The bus arrived at Jumon resort and dropped off passengers at various hotels,
I was getting worried because I didn’t hear Saees name at all.
Then the driver stopped at one hotel and asked the bellboy where Saees is,
I was like “you didn’t know where it is and you told me to get on the bus?!!”
Fortunately the bellboy gave the direction, it’s not part of Jumon resort.
Several minutes later, the bus driver stopped at a parking lot
and told me to get off the bus,
but all I saw was a parking lot and no hotel entrance,
no buildings I could see either.
I was completely lost.
After 30 seconds panic,
I calmed myself down and started walking,
on the other side of parking lot was a small drive way,
then I saw a small building for check in, it’s more like a lounge than a hotel lobby.
And there are some units or more like one story suites behind the lounge.
I walked around a couple times and couldn’t figure out what to do.
Then I saw this guy sitting by the parking lot, I thought he was a hotel staff
so I went over and asked him if the Drama JaKi is shooting here.
He was surprised that I speak English and hesitated, then said “Yes”.
I was very excited, and ask where they will be shooting,
he got quite and said “Don’t know, no.”
His walkie-talkie went off and people were running around,
he looked at me, I then realized that he is actually one of the shooting team!
I kept asking him where, but he said he could not say.
More people were coming to the parking lot
and started to load shooting equipment to the truck.
I was able to talk to a middle-aged staff and he speak decent English,
I told him that I am a fan of KHJ and traveled from US to see him, please let me watch.
He was very kind and told me they were going to shoot some car scene
and it would be hard to watch,
but they will be back after 6 and shoot 3 more scenes at the resort.
He told me to come back then and also pointed some people in charge to me.
I tried to ask them where they would be shooting outside and if I can watch,
but they were quite unfriendly and said ‘No.’
Anyway, now at least I know Hyunjoong is here somewhere.
So I went to the front desk and staff were very nice to me,
they were surprised that a non-Korean from US would come this far.
They confirmed that HJ and crew are staying here,
and the suite HJ stays is an ocean front one cost 630,000 won.
The honeymoon suite joongbo couple stayed is presidential suite
and cost over 1000,000 won a night.
Goong and Boys Over Flowers were also shot here.
The units are hidden from the roads, very private,
and the view and scenery are just wonderful.
I was so happy to find out the Joongbo suite
since it’s really the WGM got me hooked on HJ not BOF.
Will for sure take some pictures later.
While I was standing there, I saw several girls and a guy coming out of one of the unit,
OMG, that’s JSM, the girl played Oh Ha Ni, she was wearing shorts, very cute.
I said hi to them when they walked by, they were a little taken back.
I wanted to take picture but decided against it,
don’t want to push my camera in front of them.
JSM is very bubbly, talking in a loud voice.
I waited to see if HJ was going to come out too but no signs of him.
I went to ask the nice guy where is HJ, he said he should be in the parking area.
So I went to the parking lot,
there were several vans with dark windows, couldn’t tell which one.
But I saw several guys were sitting in one very close to me,
the 2 guys in front were not HJ,
and saw the feet of the one sitting in the back, not sure,
but I didn’t really want to get too close if he was resting.
They will be back anyway and I will see him.
I decided to check in the guest house first and come back later.
The resort staff called a taxi for me, as I just got in the taxi,
the drama crew started to move too, trucks, bus, and vans were all leaving.
I just told the driver to follow them to see where they were going,
so the taxi followed them for a while, actually between their group.
Then the taxi driver drove fast and started to get ahead of them,
I told him “slow, slow”,
but too late, soon we lost them in the rear mirror. Oh, well.
Didn’t realize that the guest house was quite far, almost 10 miles away
and it was hidden away in a residential area,
the road is quite narrow, with brick walls on both side, like the ones in Winder Sonata.
The place was quite hard to find if I took the local bus instead of the airport shuttle.
I told the taxi driver to wait for me while I dropped off my suitcase.
I flew into the guest house
and told the owner I would be back in the evening to do the proper check in.
The owner is a Malaysia lady who speaker fluent English and Korean.
Jumping back into the taxi and off we were going back to Saees!
The return trip didn’t take long,
and I was scanning the roadside to see if any trucks parking along the side,
no, no luck this time.
I got back to Saees resort in 15-20 minutes.
Total fare for the trip: 27,400 won.
The front desk staff again were so nice to me,
they even took out their guest book
to let me take pictures of Hyunjoong’s autograph from his BOF stay.
They also let me roam the ground even the signs state “resort guest only”.
I was able to take pictures of Joongbo honeymoon suite
and the unit he is staying now (outside only of course).
Saw the square bench where they ate ramen noodles in the morning.
The BBQ grill where he grilled meat, the view is fantastic.
There is a Korean-Japanese restaurant on site,
I asked when do they serve dinner, 6 o’clock,
but I was told that there was a group reservation tonight at 7,
guess who, the shooting crew.
But now, it’s no longer secret, so I asked if I could make a reservation,
no problem so I made it for 6:45.
I would be sitting in there when Hyunjoong arrives, ha ha.
Dinner costs 20-50k won, not too bad.
There is also a small café onsite but completely empty,
I couldn’t find the staff so I just wandered off again.
Took more pictures of the area,
including the famous banquet room where Goong and BOF were shot,
also outside where Jihoo gave Jandi back the necklace.
Went back to the café, someone there,
I ordered a cappuccino and sat there.
Then all of sudden, I had the urge to write a letter to Hyunjoong,
but I don’t have any paper with me so I asked the waiter,
he went out and got me a piece of paper.
So I wrote a letter to him in English with some Korean words,
at least I can write his name in Korean without any problem.
I also brought some chocolate that I want to give him.
After I finished the coffee, (it costs 6,000 won, not cheap)
I went back to the lounge to rest.
By then, the two front desk ladies are like good friends,
they also let me use the computer as well.
So I emailed bb and liezle to inform them that I will send updates to them later.
Bb emailed right back and asked me to also write a letter on her behalf.
She wants him to know that he has a lot of Singaporean and international fans who support him.
So I took the liberty to write another letter to him.
As I was writing, a dragonfly flew by,
I wonder if Hyunjoong would freak out if he was here!
I gave the letters to the front desk ladies and asked whether they could pass them to him.
Not only did they give me an envelope
but also a bag so I could put all my stuff in there.
But in the end I still wanted to hand over to him myself.
Now the waiting started.
I must’ve walked around the site 5 times.
The sun started to go down and finally after 6:15pm,
vans started to come in and dropped people off, didn’t see HJ.
So I went to the parking lot and
saw JSM and several other people got off and walked into the resort through a side door.
I waited some more and didn’t see HJ.
Did I miss him again?
Went back to the lounge and asked the front desk, he was already in the suite,
apparently he snuck in through the side door and bypassed the lounge.
Darn, but he would have to eat later, right?
I comforted myself.
The crew started to set up a shooting site in one of the units,
actually right next to the one HJ stays.
Looks like some indoor scenes filming to be done soon.
It was kind of hard to see from outside so I walked to the unit entrance.
They were shooting some entry scene, saw JSM was doing some practices.
She was wearing a read coat and shorts.
I will omit other stuff I saw because I am not sure what they mean,
and I don’t want to cause any wild guesses.
But unfortunately I didn’t see HJ,
he probably only stayed inside the whole time.
By then the crew were used to me, nobody talked to me
but no one stopped me either.
My dinner time, went to the restaurant and saw they set up tables for both inside and outside,
I debated where I should sit.
The staff had started the BBQ grill outside
and the small restaurant has large glass windows so I asked to be seated outside.
The first table they gave me was in the corner,
I didn’t like it and asked to be moved to the middle,
now I could see each table very well.
But the problem was, I was completely ignored, finally got some water.
Believe or not, for almost an hour, no one came to take my orders!
They just let me sit there, but I was not in any hurry
because I didn’t want to finish my dinner before he arrives.
There were a lot of bugs and mosquitoes flying around,
no wonder HJ could kill 10 in one night to protect buin.
At 7:30, the staff got busy and started to put side dishes, drinks and utensils on each table.
They set a big table with 8 nice chairs and 5 smaller tables inside, left only one in the corner.
I thought they might seat him at the big table,
so I asked to be moved inside because it was getting too cold.
After he checked with the manager, I was moved to the table in the corner, perfect.
I think, now I can see everything inside.
Little did I know that what a big mistake it was and how embarrassed I would be later.
At 7:45, lettuce (ssangcho) baskets were put on the table,
I can’t help but thinking about the WGM episode that how HJ pronounced the word
and he ate lettuce and meat separately.
I really want to see.
One guy from the crew came and talked to the restaurant staff,
he was also constantly talking on the phone,
it seemed like he was coordinating the dinner arrangement.
I had the letter and gift with me and walked over to him,
introduced myself and asked him whether he could pass this to HJ, he hesitated,
and I pleaded, so finally he said yes and took the bag.
Then I got greedy,
I told him that I have two SS501 Destination CDs that I want HJ to sign,
I attached a small note toe spell my name and my friend’s.
They can leave it at the front desk I would pick up tomorrow.
He looked very uncomfortable, said ‘No.’
Then he gave the bag back to me said “He is coming soon”,
I was like “So I can give it to him myself”.
Finally I got to order my food, almost everyone else ordered Grilled pork belly,
but the minimum is 2, so I settled on grilled dried red snapper.
And finally I got some tea.
At 8pm, I was given side dishes,
4 of them, kimchi, marinated mushroom, dried small fish
and some green stuff I don’t know the name and I didn’t taste it either.
There are the same thing everyone would be eating including HJ.
More people came into the restaurant in separate groups,
I didn’t want to stare at the entrance so I pretended to be busy studying maps.
Finally my food came, the fish looked good and tasted good too.
It came with clam seaweed soup and steamed rice.
I ate slowly,
I mean really slowly even though I was starving.
All of sudden a big group came in, lots of women except one tall guy,
I looked up, OMG, that’s him!
He looks slightly different from Monday in Tokyo, maybe because of the light.
He still has make up on, hair is the curly kind, but straighter than before.
He was wearing a white shirt and a big dark blue down jacket,
and on his feet he was wearing none other than a pair of white slippers,
the type you would wear inside the house not outside.
This strange boy, I think.
He was apparently in good spirit and said something loud.
He came with Cody noona, the stylist noona, JSM and her staff I assume.
He was pulling a chair and wanted to sit down at the table next to me!
But he stopped and realized there were not enough seats for everyone,
that’s the only empty table left inside.
All of sudden, everyone turned around and looked at me including HJ,
because I was not part of the crew but I was sitting at a table of 4 all by myself.
The stare was quite long and their facial expressions were unforgettable.
I wish there was a hole in the ground so I could hide, I was so embarrassed,
and of course I couldn’t say something in Korean either,
maybe I should’ve said “Miane” and invited them over, why didn’t I think of that.
So after brief discussion, Hyunjoong being the man,
went outside to sit with 3 guys and left the table to the ladies.
My plan to watch him eat up close completely failed
and I feel so guilty that he had to sit outside, especially with all the bugs buzzing around.
Now I’ve got a problem, I had to turn side way to see him,
so I glanced at him only once in a while to make it not so obvious.
I don’t think he realized that he had a “stalker” in house.
He looked completely relaxed, talked to his friends in an animated way,
using his hands to make gestures.
He must be very hungry and ate very fast.
Unfortunately it was dark outside
and I didn’t see him eating meat and lettuce separately.
But I never saw him doing any wrapping so I assume his old habit stands.
He is just so handsome, completely stands out in the crowd,
he looks so skinny and pale, my heart aches, poor boy.
He eats like a little boy, stuffs food in his cheek, adorable.
Too bad I was sitting inside and unable to hear him talk,
his voice was very soft when he replied “Annyeohaeseyo” to me in Tokyo.
But today he is completely relaxed and comfortable, happy to see that.
He doesn’t look exhausted like when he was shooting for BOF.
He ate a second bowl of rice.
He ate too fast I think, maybe it’s the habit due to the tight filming schedule.
He was done in less than 15 minutes, then he just sat at the table talking to others.
After a few minutes, he got up and left with the group.
He didn’t come back inside the restaurant.
I only saw his back, he is taller than most of guys.
Oh, well, that’s my brief encounter with him.
I decided not to take any pictures of him and I didn’t rush out to follow him.
He didn’t know I was there because of him.
I want to be a good fan and not too disturb him,
I remember he is afraid of strangers, I might scare him
if all of sudden this strange woman stops him and speaks English to him.
Just being able to observe him makes me very happy already,
especially seeing him in good spirit with my own eyes
makes all the crazy stuff I did worthwhile.
Initially I thought I would be too excited when I saw him,
but I was able to remain calm and not make a fool out myself.
I wasn’t staring at him with my mouth open, just brief glances in between
eating my own food. Of course I was hoping to get a picture with him, but it’s
probably not the right time and it’s OK. There will be next time.
What about the letter and gift?
I haven’t forgot about it.
Since I didn’t think it’s wise to stop HJ
and Cody noona was sitting 3 feet away from me.
I got up and said “Annyeohaeseyo” to her
then explained that I am a KHJ fan from US,
will she pass my letter and gift to him.
She said yes, so I gave her the bag.
Then I asked her whether HJ could sign 2 SS501 CDs (destination limited edition),
I showed her the note with names and asked her to leave them at the resort.
She said sure.
I was very very happy, said “Komsamnida” to her and went back to finish my dinner.
The staff started to leave in groups,
I happened to walk behind Cody noona,
so I said “Komsamnida” to her again.
Took a taxi to get back to the guest house.
I learned that he is leaving tomorrow morning at 10,
but I do not plan to go to the airport to send him off,
I will be a good tourist tomorrow and do sightseeing.
This is the end of my star encounter.
~~~~~~~~~~
This is a very cute fanaccount, Cool fan, I like (Y)
~~~~~~~~~~~~
ADD!
The guest house is quite far from the airport and the bus only comes every hour, so in order to catch my 10 o’clock I need to get up at 6:45. I am not a morning person and hate to get up early, but somehow I woke up at 6:44. Checked my email before I left the guest house, the Korean fan emailed me that she may know HJ’s shooting site later and I can go with her. Another chance to see him, can’t complain.
The morning air was so fresh and it was still foggy, then sun hung in the sky above the mountains, beautiful scene. This is going to be a good day, I tell myself. The bus was really on time, if I missed it, I would have to take a taxi and it ain’t cheap. The bus ride to the airport was uneventful, passing all the farm lands. Some women were already working in the field, squatting down and using hands to plant or pull something. For them, there’s no Sunday. Watching them reminds me my great aunt who took care of me for several years when I was a child. She is the most generous and kindest person I know, she treated me better than her own children or more like spoiled me. She was always the first one to get up in the morning and did all the house work. She would buy vegetable seeds and planted in their small piece of land, later she would go to the market to sell the vegetables for a few dollars.
It took an hour and half to get to the airport, I was hoping to get on an earlier flight but it was full, so I got an hour to kill. Well, since I forgot to take pictures of the airport when I arrived, now it’s the time. So I marched outside to the parking lot and tried to look for the spot where HJ waited for Hwang Buin. The ladies directing traffic are very pretty and wore nice red uniform, can’t help taking their pictures. So when I figured out the spot, I asked someone to take a picture of me there, he did obligate but I know what he was thinking, is this woman crazy or something why does she want to have a picture taken in an airport parking lot standing next to a trash can. Oh well, ajussi, there are crazy people out there of course, the world needs normal and crazy people to balance things out.
Now it’s time to get some breakfast, there is a food court in the airport and I ordered abalone porridge. I asked for a corner table so I could watch WGM Joongbo honeymoon on my laptop without other people stare at me. No matter how many times I watch it, it’s still funny, the 4D prince. Now I paid very close attention to the surroundings. Oops, the spot I took the picture was not the one he stood, oh, well, didn’t want to go back out, at least it’s within 100 meters, I comfort myself. When they arrived in Saees, they walked through the court yard which is actually not the direct route, but I guess the space is bigger and easy for filming. The porridge didn’t taste that good and it cost 10,000 won, a total rip off. Soon it’s boarding time and got another dose of SS501 singing the Jinair song. Don’t know why they play this nonstop, gotta feel sorry for the crew, I love SS501 dearly, but listening to the same song over 100 times a day would drive me insane.
The plane took off and I looked down, it was still foggy. In my heart, I said anneoyo to Jeju Island and was thankful it gave me a good memory. Then I got sleepy and dozed off till landing. Took me an hour and half to get back. When I checked in the front desk, I quickly checked my email and the Korean fan emailed me the time and location. I asked the staff to call her to check when and where to meet. Shooting would be at Citizen’s Forest Park in Gangnam Gu at 1:30, kind of far from me. She was on her way and told me to hurry, it was already passed one. So I dumped everything in my room and flew out again. Since I would be late, thought about taking a taxi, but in the end I chose to take the subway. It’s OK if I am late and shooting is usually late anyway.
It was warm so I wore a sleeveless top, but when I got outside and realized everyone wore layers and no one I mean no one wore short sleeve clothes, let alone sleeveless. Aren’t they hot? I got a bit self conscious and started to look around to see what other people were wearing in the subway, aigoo, most people wore dark and long sleeves, I really stuck out. Fortunately I brought my cardigan sweater. But it is the same one I wore in Jeju, now I worry the crew might recognize me, this one again. Oh, well, too late now.
It was almost two when I got to the park, but I walked around and around and couldn’t find any filming. Saw people wearing colorful traditional hanbok, there’s a wedding, I got excited since the wedding scene is yet to be filmed. But when I got close I found out it was a real wedding. Odottke. I should call her, but couldn’t find her number, I was sweating. Then miraculously I found it and called her, she told the location. I asked around and it was right behind me, like 50 meters. There were around 40-50 fans standing around, I soon spotted her. I was screaming “Komsamnida” to her because without her email, I would’ve never had the chance in Jeju. She pulled me aside and told me HJ was still in the car. I looked up, the black van was parking on the roadside, Cody noona and the manager were standing outside the door, apparently she was fixing his hair. The fans were waiting patiently and told me no pictures were allowed, I saw some had long lens one but they didn’t take pictures. They just waited to see him getting out of the car and walking to the shooting site, that would be like 15-30 seconds. I got a pretty good spot behind the van and would be able to see him clearly, I took out my not so good camera, the Korean fans said maybe it’s Ok since I am a foreigner. Since he is in the public space and I don’t feel bad taking a few photos if I can. Just a few minutes later, some movement by the van, he is coming out, people started to move around. I zoomed in and started clicking. He wore a black coat, a white shirt and black stripe sweater underneath. Black pants, making his legs looking very I mean very skinny, he really needs to gain some weight. He was holding the script and I saw his lips moving as if he was practicing the lines. He walked very fast with a serious expression, you can see in the photos. I was able to take 5 or 6, only one clear front, how I wish having one of those can take 10 pictures in one second. I was not aware if any Korean fans took pictures, they said encouraging words to him as he walked by. The shooting site was probably about 100 meters from where we stood. Some fans brought their binoculars, well I put mine in ET’s suitcase, darn it.
While waiting for the filming to start, I wanted to show the fans my pictures of the signed CDs, but somehow I couldn’t find it, maybe they were deleted from the camera when I uploaded them to my laptop last night. Oh, well. Then my camera battery died, and my iphone battery died too, how timely. The Korean fans are quite envious and they it’s actually very difficult to get HJ’s autograph and I got two. I felt very lucky and just can’t thank the good fan enough.
The shooting finally started, HJ (BSJ) and JSM (OHN) walked together in the park, BSJ said something to OHN and she screamed and jumped around. BSJ just stood there. They did the same shoot 4-5 times, each time we could hear the scream very well. As I said before, she is loud and for sure she can scream. But I bet I can scream louder than her if HJ (BSJ) said the same thing to me! JSM had to work hard and all HJ needed to do was just standing there, not too bad. During one shoot, a kind Korean fan let me use her binocular, I saw HJ’s facial expression clearly, he was smiling when JSM screamed. I just love love his smile, heart melting!!!!!!!!!!! I was guessing that BSJ was telling OHN that he wanted to go to medical school that’s why she was so happy. But Korean fan told me that he told her that they were going to Jeju for honeymoon.
Then they did a close up shoot for the same scene, again did several takes. In between, they just stood around, Cody noona of course was trying to fix his hair every chance she got. It is really a lot of work for shooting such a short scene. For over an hour of work, we may only see 30 seconds of it on screen. The crew and manager were very strict, walking around to check and making hand gestures to tell fans no photos.
Oh, almost forgot, I was able to thank HJ’s manager personally. When I saw him coming back to the van, I walked up to him and thanked him for dropping of the CDs at the hotel. He didn’t understand much English I can tell, then I said “Jeju do, Saees, SS501 CD”, he was like “Ah.” A Korean fan who speaks English came to help me out. I said Komsamnida to him several times, I was very grateful to get it since I traveled so far to here. He was very polite and acknowledged. I am very thankful that HJ is now under Keyeast, he is in good hands.
After the shooting finished, HJ, Cody noona and manager walked back to the van, fans again lined up to greet him with encouraging words. I didn’t take pictures this time because I COULDN’T, the battery DIED. The next filming site is quite far, 2 hours away, fans were debating whether to go. After discussion, they decided not to go. I wanted to go to Jaksal Chicken restaurant, and the Korean fan I met in Tokyo said OK, so we went there with another 2 fans, they speak English very well. In the car, we were exchanging stories of how we became KHJ fans. It was very fun, I was happy beyond words. I can’t believe that I was able to meet them. They know everything so I asked a lot of questions, sorry I have to keep some to myself and can not share.
When I saw the Jaksal sign, I was so excited and screamed “Jaksal!” It’s at the corner of the streets, not big. Seems some fans were already here, I am sure HJ fans frequent this place a lot. One guy in orange shirt came to greet us, he is one of the 4 HJ chingus working in the restaurant and he speaks good English. He lived in Canada for a while. Other fans told him I am from US to see HJ. He told me he is HJ’s high school friend, the other three were from same elementary school. He and another guy went to Spain with HJ, that’s one went to the soccer game with HJ. I told him that a fan in Morocco was able to spot HJ from the TV and also I saw them playing soccer in HJ’s Spain trip videos. They all seem very nice. We asked when was HJ here last time, he said HJ stopped by last week. But he usually comes very late, now he is busy shooting drama. It’s so good to know that HJ is able to maintain close relationship with his childhood friends.
We ordered various kind of fried chicken, dobotke (not sure about the spelling, you know the famous spicy rice cake HJ can cook). The serving size is huge and we all share. The chicken tastes very good, but soon we forgot about food and just happily chatted away. I was so excited to find out the ones who were with HJ when they got beaten up by the thugs. HJ talked about it in an YYMM episode in 2009 during BOF promotion. These boys sure have grown up to be good now. We swapped stories and gossips. I got to ask him questions when he has time, he is very nice and patient. I told him that I went to Jeju island to see HJ and wrote him a letter in English, I am sure he got the letter, please translate it for him when they meet next time, and please teach HJ English. He said he would try, very cute. I like to take pictures of food so I ask a Korean fan to take them and send to me, but I got a menu flyer as souvenir, and I want the owner’s autograph, am I getting too greedy?
Of course before I leave, I have to have pictures. The orange shirt guy (sorry, haven’t got their names straight yet) got another guy (white shirt) to post pictures with me together, he is the one HJ called during one of WGM episode, I am sure you know what I am talking about, right? I told him he is famous among international fans, he was like, no no, he speaks some English too. How come our boy doesn’t! He is cute, and for sure has been working out, got very nice arms, all muscles, I don’t think those are from frying chickens. Just make sure to drag your buddy there too so he can put some meat on his body (OK, just my inner thoughts, didn’t really say that to him).
Another happy day for me in leaderland. Let me stop here for now, need to go to sleep. Will check my memory again tomorrow to see if I missed anything today. Pictures later.
