little things speak volume
i've never been a fan of anyone until wuri yong joon, so i've absolutely no idea what's 'normal' in the world of fandom. i don't know if we byj fans do the very same things that other fans do, or we do less, or we do more.and honestly, i'm also not overly interested to know. after all, one korean man is enough to keep me mighty busy, i can't be keeping track of what other people's fans are doing.
and it doesn't really matter if we behave in a manner of a typical fan or not. after all, so long as we're happy doing what we're doing and not causing any harm to anyone else, it's our own lives, our own choices, ya?
but i sometimes think this... we follow wuri yong joon's life on quite a micro level, or at least as micro as the internet, hearsay or whatever media would allow us to. and when we follow his life this closely, surely we would hear about the nice things he's done, the nice things he's said and stuff. so maybe if we were to follow another korean star the way we do wuri yong joon, we would be blown away too?
shrugs. i really don't know.
but i suspect not. hehe, in my own naive and inward-looking bae-world, wuri yong joon is special. surely not every korean actor is like this... and with wuri yong joon, it's more than his looks, his acting talent that grab me.
it's the total package, and particularly the man himself. his entire makeup, his personality, his value system, his approach to life... i like.
now we all know how low-key our man is, and how he doesn't give a lot of interviews, especially in the past. i like to think things are better now. but i do love reading his interviews. and when i can't get enough of his interviews, i also enjoy tremendously interviews or articles where other people talk about wuri yong joon. i guess it's kindda nice to see the yong joon in real life through the eyes of those close to him.
anyhow, i digress. what i've wanted to blog about tonight is about how, other than the big deeds like his generosity in reaching out to help the needy, the little things he does speak volume. it's amazing how many little things i can think of that help compose the image of him in my mind.
of course, the image of him in my head may not be the real or exact or whole him. but surely there're specks of truth, traces of the real him in my make-believe him, no? are you getting all confused by what i'm saying here?
anyway, am just gonna recount some of the little things he's done that i can recall. really, it's these little things that speak so much.
wherever possible, i've tried to dig out the links to the entire stories or postings, but i couldn't find all the links. coz over the past year or so, quilt, soompi and loveyongjoon have all crashed and lost data. and the joonsfamily site also lost some precious postings during its housekeeping exercises.
autograph sessions
let's talk about how he used to be able to hold autograph sessions first. yea, in the past he used to hold such sessions, but i guess it's difficult now. the turnout would be unimaginable. and in the past, the korean fans would be so nice as to even give priority to overseas fans who had travelled all the way to korea for the autograph sessions. but now? hehe, no way! there're just too many of us, overseas fans! but back in those days, it was really warm and sweet and everything nice...
anyhow, i'm sure you've heard about how stars tend to be late for functions and all? and the bigger they are, the later they come? not wuri yong joon. unless he was held up by a prior work commitment, he would nearly always arrive, not just on time, early. and he wouldn't even mind starting early too, so that he could sign more.
and as far as i can remember, there was only once he had to cut short a session, and that was because his back was hurting him or something.
and more often than not, he would offer to extend the sessions so that he could sign for everyone who's turned up. and i've read of occasions when he extended not just once, but twice and ended up signing for hours at a stretch.
you can click here for an example of what the autograph sessions used to be like. also, back in those days, he would even allow foreign fans to take a picture with him, click here to read an example.
and if you're a newbie on my blog, then you might have missed my recommendation of one posting. it's written by a non-fan, describing how wuri yong joon was like at an autograph session. i love this one coz it's sort of impartial. love how she described how wuri yong joon would take time to chat with the fans as each one came up for her turn. hehe, she said he seemed to be writing a novel and not just signing his name! click here to read more.
still on giving autograhs, it was also mentioned here that wuri yong joon was super-nice to fans. the wls scriptwriters revealed that when they were crazy-busy filming wls, so often, he would be interrupted to give autographs. and we're not talking about the occasional one or two fans who happened to chance by. the fans just kept coming.
but the scriptwriters said despite the busy filming schedule, despite his fatigue, not even once did he show displeasure at being approached by the fans. he was just so sweet to the fans!
hyeon's story, 2001
hyeon, one of the founders of quilt, also shared her story when she met wuri yong joon at the airport back in 2001. she had asked him for his autograph and then asked to take a photo with him.
but... she didn't have a camera with her! so she asked him to wait while she rushed to the airport store to buy one.
and he actually waited for her to come back with the camera! and he allowed her to take not just one, but two photos with him! so sweet huh? you can click here to read her own account of events.
baeksang, 2004
then there's the story about the very rich thai fan who had wanted so very much to see him. the story has it that she had tried many times, but kept missing her chance. and finally in march 2004, she made a trip to seoul, hoping to see him.
it was the evening of the baeksang awards and wuri yong joon was nominated for best newcomer for his role in his maiden movie, the untold scandal (and yes,he won!) just before he went to the awards ceremony, he detoured to the hotel she was staying and visited her.
his manager had warned him of the possible gossip that would arise from him, especially since the fan was supposedly in the jewellery business and was very rich. his manager was worried that people might talk and all. but wuri yong joon brushed aside these worries and said those people could talk all they wanted. his conscience was clear.
you can click here to read all about it.
incidentally during the awards ceremony, at that time he hasn't visited japan yet... so some japanese fans had flown over to seoul, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. he even took the trouble to send autographed photos to them!
fan meeting in japan, apr 2004
he was supposed to attend a fan meeting during his first visit to japan. backstage, he appeared abit nervous. and when he finally came on-stage in the darkened auditorium to face his thousands of japanese fans, you know what's the first thing he said?
he asked the crew to switch on the lights in the auditorium so that he could see his family. wow.
click here to read all about that fan meeting.
the image exhibition, seoul, nov 2004
in november 2004, wuri yong joon launched a photo book, the image vol. 1. he had arranged an autograph session at the exhibition hall in lotte hotel in jamsil, seoul. just a one-day event, but he could not stay long enough that day.
so the next day, without informing even his managers, he just drove himself to the exhibition and started an unscheduled surprise autograph session for the fans! if my memory serves me right, he stayed for over three hours that evening,
you can click here and here for more details on this surprise autograph session. lucky fans! and more importantly, wonderful man!
the image exhibition, busan, dec 2004
later, in december 2004, the image exhibition was held in busan. again, he went to grace the event and gave the fans a real treat there with another autograph session. he signed something like 250 books! and it was at this event that he had said those famous words, I'll sign until I have blisters! click here for more 'blistery' tidbits.
click here to read the busan leg of things.
the image exhibition, japan, nov 2004
wuri yong joon was coming down from his room at hotel new otani and some fans were going over to him to shake his hands. but the fans were stopped by the security staff. yong joon, who was walking ahead of them, turned around and told the security staff, "Don't use force on the fans.”
you can click here to read the details.
and you know how some stars would be demanding this and that when they travel to other countries? some would ask for fresh fruits in their rooms everyday, others would ask for M&Ms, or to bathe in evian, or whatever. for wuri yong joon, i've heard he never makes any special request. his only request to the hotel he's staying at is always for the hotel staff to be gentle and nice to his fans. ah, what a nice guy huh?
AS promo tour to taipei, aug 2005
this one i've heard from one of the committee members of the taiwanese fanclub. he was already at the airport leaving taipei for tokyo. the media and the fans were all chasing after him like crazy at the airport. the reporters were all crowding around him, taking photos. most of the fans were behind the reporters.
wuri yong joon actually requested for the media to back away after they had taken enough pictures of him. he said to his manager that he hoped that the last thing he saw before leaving taipei were the faces of his family, not the reporters. so touching!
of course, that didn't happen. the media wouldn't listen. sighs...
and lest you think he's just playing out to the media to see what a great guy he is, nope. he had said that in korean to his manager, and it just so happened that one of the committee members could understand korean and overheard.
AS promo tour to beijing, nov 2005
and at the fan meeting in beijing last november, wuri yong joon didn't want to leave the stage, didn't want to leave the fans, coz he felt the fan meeting was too short. despite his manager calling for him to leave, wuri yong joon stayed put and gave the fans that bit more time. the look of reluctance on his face was so real, so real that even i could feel it from the screen.
click here for more.
capitol tokyu hotel, jul 2006
remember the incident in japan at hotel new otani? after that incident, wuri yong joon had to move hotel, and he had moved to the capitol tokyu hotel. they had been gracious and nice to host him, as not many hotels would have wanted to risk the security to host such a mega-star who could draw such a big crowd.
and coz the hotel was so swift to make arrangements for his move, and how they were able to coordinate his stay such that everything went very smoothly, wuri yong joon held much gratitude for the staff at the hotel. he even made time to pay them a quick visit when he returned to tokyo in july 2006. honestly, not many stars would have taken the trouble.
it was a super-tight schedule for him during that work trip, what with the gosireh opening and the secom CF filming, but he made the effort to pop by nonetheless to convey his thanks personally before the hotel closed for renovation. such a sweet and humble man!
again, you can click here to read the details.
slowing down for the fans
and more recently, when he was filming in jeju in late october and early november, the fans would be waiting for him all day and night. they didn't disturb his work, but merely wanted to see him when he went off in the morning, and when he wrapped up work to return to the hotel.
i guess he knew how much we fans really really really wanted to see him. and each time he walked past the fans, he would deliberately slow down so that fans could see him clearly.
it's as though he was trying to prolong the moment for the fans to see him. if it's at night, the vehicle would even turn on the headlights to shine on him, so that the fans could see him more clearly.
pizza! he ate 'em!
there's one more story that i can remember, but can't seem to find the link anymore. it must have been early 2002, when he was filming wls. there was one evening they were shooting in chuncheon.
one of wuri yong joon's fans had popped by to see them filming and thinking that they would be filming for a long while, she had ordered pizza to be delivered to the filming site. i can't remember exactly how many she had ordered, but it was enough to feed the whole team.
but filming wrapped up earlier than expected, so the team packed up and left before the pizza arrived. but wuri yong joon stayed back to wait. he was just sitting around alone, waiting for the pizza.
then one of the crew or someone came back for whatever reasons, i can't remember now... he was surprised to see that yong joon was still around and asked him why. wuri yong joon said he didn't want to disappoint the fan. coz if the pizza delivery guy came and couldn't find them, then he would probably call up the fan and she would know that they never did receive and eat the pizza. so he stayed back to wait.
and yea, eventually the pizzas arrived and the story went like this, the two men finished all the pizza! haha!
it's really all these little things he does that touch me so. am i being silly here? maybe.
but hee, i do enjoy being silly once in awhile.
posted by bb @ 11/16/2006 02:10:00 AM
21 Comments:
bb: He is such a beautiful man inside as well as outside. Your article about the goodness of his gracious heart made me in tears, truely. Thank you for sharing this wonderful story about him. People should read about him so to know how good he is. Not many or nobody is as good as this man in this day and age when all people are thinking only "me,me,me.."
I read the whole posting with tears in my eyes, this touches me so much. What a beautiful, considerate person he is and I am very very proud to like / love him like crazy, which never ever happened in my life. That picture of him sitting next to the fans on the floor, signing his autograph just like that .. took my breath away.
Thanks a lot for this posting.
Wow bb, this posting took me almost a full hour to finish reading all the linked articles! Those are such heart warming stories about how much love and sacrifice this man gives to his family.
FROM the WLS script writer who described how patient and enduring he was while being consistently interrupted for autographs even though he still has a difficult scene to shoot TO the surprised return to the Image Exhibition staying past closing time to autograph for his family, he's just one sweet and considerate prince who deserves every bit of our love.
bb, this post serves as a great therapy and reminds us of why we love Yong Joon so much despite of the obstacles we overseas fans have to face.
Finally for that pizza episode, are you sure that 2 men can finish the pizzas supposed ordered for a whole crew?! I know guys love pizza, but that much? I can picture how hilarious it was when the 2 guys opened up the pizza box, looked at each other and started, "let's dig in, man!" or "1 down, 19 more to go!". I bet you Yong Joon hasn't touched pizza for a whole year after that!
bb, your so great. im was reading your post quitely (hehe, im usually talkative, especially when my mom is near, sharing to her many10x thing about YJ), and then your last paragraph came. you made me burst to laughter.
and jaime i also bet he didnt have pizza for about... I'll make that 6 months (*^3^)v
mymy
HI bb!
HI Everyone!
Sorry, was MIA for a few and now catching up with things here.
I enjoyed reading this post - it seems we all share the same sentiments about this wonderful man. I've said this before - I don't think I've ever known a celeb to be so thoughtful to his fans/family. He embodies the true spirit of humanity...such a unique quality to possess. No wonder we all LOVE him - he's the "real deal" in my book!! Thanks much for the links - I'm more in awe of what this man does for his fans/family. Truly a beautiful human being!
aloha!
i received an email from gosijo, she said she had some problem publishing her comment earlier, so she's asked me to post this for her:
Unlike many who have shared on this topic, YJ is not the first “star in my life”. In fact, I’m working on an upcoming Quilt posting that will touch on
the subject of the second “star in my life”, when I was only 12 (blushing here) several decades ago.
One thing my post will not get into, though, is my one and only experience meeting him. This was an autograph-signing session backstage, after a concert.
Granted, he was still young (early
twenties) and likely still overwhelmed by his popularity, and possibly also jet-lagged, but all he did was hand out pre-signed postcard-sized pictures.
I don’t even recall seeing him smile. He seemed exhausted and eager to get away. Nothing like what you describe for our dear YJ.
I also think YJ is head and shoulders above the rest in terms of the way he treats his fans.
Thanks a million,
José (gosijo)
yes, byjglobal, he's just something else huh?
again, i'm reminded of a chinese saying 相由心生. i've always believed that it applies so perfectly to wuri yong joon.
literally, this means one's outward appearance comes from one's heart.
it means that how beautiful or not-so-beautiful you look really depends on how good your heart is. by this logic, a person can only look this good if he has a heart that's truly good.
yee, you too? like byjglobal, this posting made you tear?
sorry, sorry, that wasn't my intention at all. honestly, this posting was not even for you. it was more to remind myself why this man is so extra-special.
thanks for reading yet again a long-winded post from me :)
p.s. but believe me! i've already tried to make it seem not-so-long by searching for the right pics to accompany the posting :p
hehe, jaime, good that it took you an hour to finish, coz it took me that long to post this too :p
hehe, the writing wasn't all that hard, but i had to search for the links and also put up the right pics to break the monotony of the posting :)
glad you've enjoyed this one. yea, great therapy after the you-know-what episode :p
hee, mymy, it was probably abit of a déjà vu when he did that pizza la CF :p
hi hi vegas, welcome back :)
thanks for reading this and the links :p
and yes, gosijo! that's precisely it! alot of stars would usually give the excuse of being tired or jetlagged when they show up late, or cancel events, or show up smile-less and stuff...
but not wuri yong joon. you could almost see the genuine smile and the warmth in his eyes when he meets with his fans. and you could see the keen attention and close interest he keeps when he's being interviewed. a true pro with a warm heart :)
p.s. looking forward to your sharing on quilt.
Hi bb.....
Just can't thank you enuff....TQ..TQ..TQ...TQ..TQ..TQ..
TQ..TQ..TQ..TQ..TQ..TQ..TQ..TQ..TQ
Such a long post...n yesterday u said it's just gonna be a short one huh..heee..heee... :p
I know u just can't stop writing about our prince....whatever it is...I really enjoyed it...really...(with both hands on my chest..sounds familiar?? :))
Actually..I have a meeting today at 9:30 am...but I managed to stop by n discover ur lovely post....decided to stop myself from reading it and walked straight into the meeting room...I wanted to keep it as a personal reward...coz I know the meeting will suck really bad....and boy oh boy....I'm so glad I did that....had a terrible time in the meeting n yet I could still smile after reading lovely post about our prince....WHAT SHOULD I DO?? I HAVE FALLEN REALLY-REALLY HARD FOR THIS GUY....IT'S HARD TO FALL FOR SOMEONE THAT U CAN NEVER HAVE...
riesha
hehe, riesha... if this is what i call short, can you imagine when i do long? hee...
the truth is this, i'm not someone who can write concisely :p hehe, when i was in school, i never ever had any problem meeting the minimum word quota. i remember there was once we had to do a 10,000 essay for a particular subject. everyone was groaning. i handed in 16,000 :p
coz i'm the last-minute type of student, i didn't have time to read through and shorten it, you see.. hee...
anyhow, glad you've enjoyed this piece. sorry about your meeting though...
about the following question, WHAT SHOULD I DO?? I HAVE FALLEN REALLY-REALLY HARD FOR THIS GUY....IT'S HARD TO FALL FOR SOMEONE THAT U CAN NEVER HAVE...
err... if i've an answer, i wouldn't be here now :p
Really?......well then...pls write a long one bb...pls..pls...pls...pretty pls....:)
Dun worry about the word quota..there's none.....
Well...about loving him n not being able to have him....i guess i could live with that...at least i'm not the only one with this stupid n crazee feeling huh (i'm singing...."All by..myself....dun wanna be..all by myself....anymore"...wow..i do sound like celine dion :p )
riesha
Thank you thank you bb for sharing this long posting, although I know all these stories, I'm still very moved.
wuri Yong Joon is a very special guy, it's why we all love him so much and I'm very proud to be his fan.
bb, thank you again for this beautiful entry of yours. i actually recommended this link at soompi when i posted gaulsan's post at KOB.
same as you bb, i have zapped by yong joon really really really hard.
hehe, riesha, you're cute :p
but hor... i don't really fancy celion dion much :p
hi hi there camille,
sorry to have made you read through all these old stories... but sometimes, it can be pretty nice to revisit huh?
and yea, to know him is to love him, and to love him is to feel oh-so-proud of him :p
hey there liezle,
thanks for the little 'A&P' :p
be sure not to miss these... touching little stories!
vivarijuni's personal encounter
how not to love him, by gaulsan
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