2010 JKS Asia Tour in Singapore / Fan Account – Ally [3]

Ally's fan account-- Part 3
by Ally @soompi.com



This was a beautiful little slideshow-cum-video.

“JANG GEUN SUK WAS BORN ON AUGUST 4, 1987”

Then it went on to show photographs of him as a baby, on a cushion/small mattress of red-and-white checks. There were photographs of him over the years, as a toddler and then maybe 1 of him a bit older.

Then clips of him in “Hwang Jin Yi”, “Happy Life”, “Beethoven Virus”, “Hong Gil Dong”, “Itaewon Homicide” [where he said his English lines exquisitely], were shown. I remember the last scene was a particular scene in “Itaewon Homicide” when Sukkie says something in English and he has a particularly bad-boy, devilish… almost evil look on his face.

DJ Ken then asked Sukkie questions about his being an actor and his impressions of the dramas he was in.

[Embarrassingly enough, DJ Ken got the name “Hwang Jin Yi” wrong… he kept calling it “Hong Jin Yi” even though fans were hollering, “HWANG! HWANG Jin Yi”. Not funny. Also he got "Beethoven" wrong. Very not funny!!!]

Sukkie said that in Hwang Jin Yi, he was just 20 years old and he said there were a lot of sunbaes on the show and he actually learned a lot about acting from them. At this point he turned to the interpreter to ask what ‘sunbae’ was in English – the fans called out, “Seniors!”

“Ah, seniors,” said Sukkie agreeably.

Sukkie said that for “Beethoven's Virus”, it was very hard. He had to keep waving his arms about, because he played someone who had to do conducting of an orchestra. His arms ached because of the filming. Very hard, Sukkie said.

DJ Ken asked about the last scene in the slideshow, the one where Sukkie in Itaewon Homicide has a particularly bad-boy, devilish… almost evil look on his face. DJ Ken: “Can you do that naughty look again?”

So Sukkie, very obligingly, actually said that line again, with the same expression on his face!

DJ Ken asked Sukkie whether he was naughty when he was a child.

Sukkie needed an interpreter before he could understand the question, but he answered that yes, when he was little, he was a bit naughty. He’d be making noise while the neighbours had their (afternoon) siesta.

Sukkie: “I’ll go: YAHYAHYAHYAHYAH!” He scrunched up his face really cutely and waved fists in a cute little-boy fashion.
Then, and this is really funny, Sukkie went: “SINGAPORE SINGAPORE SINGAPORE!” in exactly the same tone, and scrunched up his face cutely again and waved his fists.

At least that was what it looked like because I was sitting far behind…

DJ Ken also asked Sukkie to act something from You’re Beautiful. I couldn’t quite catch this, but at first Sukkie said this was a line from one of the earlier scenes with Ko Mi-nam: “Ko Mi-nam, etc. etc.” [Sorry, don’t know the line in Korean].

Then Sukkie told DJ Ken: “Okay, you are Ko Mi-nam.”

DJ Ken: “Me?”

Sukkie: “Just cry.”

DJ Ken: “Cry?!”

Sukkie: “Yes.”

So DJ Ken pretended to cry – I think this is the part when Ko Mi-nam finds out that her mother’s dead and she can no longer see her on this earth. I remember Ko Mi-nam then cried her heart out and Hwang Tae-kyung stumbled upon her.

Sukkie said the lines from that scene and then when DJ Ken went on crying, Sukkie told DJ Ken that, er, can stop crying…

I think the next part was when they brought out 3 small message boards. Each held a maximum of maybe 30 post-its. Apparently, before the show, some staff went round to get fans to write down questions they wanted to ask Sukkie. The staff then stuck the post-its on the message boards. It’s a good idea, BUT unfortunately due to the size of the message boards, obviously the vast majority of fans never got the chance to write down questions.

Now this part was a bit awkward and uncomfortable. I was quite surprised at some of the things, because I thought fans would write nice things. So note to everyone: next time at fan meetings, bring super-colourful ink and write super-nice messages!

When it began, Sukkie was still backstage. DJ Ken was on stage, looking at the post-its.

DJ Ken: “Questions for Jang Keun-suk. Eh, in Korean, I cannot understand… Jang Keun-suk, EH? This one for Hong-gi?!”

Later, Sukkie came out from backstage.

DJ Ken: “Which question?”

Sukkie: “The one with Hong-gi! The one with Hong-gi! I want to see!”

DJ Ken looked at it. “Er…”

Sukkie (reading it out) : “Tell Hong-gi he’s too fat! His pants are too… high?”

DJ Ken: “Tight.”

Sukkie: “Tight! Really? Okay, I will take it back to Korea and give him!” Sukkie then tucked it into the back pocket of his pants.

[I thought that message was a bit mean and not something you should write, even if it’s a joke.]

Sukkie then picked out a post-it at the top of a message board: “Will you marry me?”

The fans whooped.

DJ Ken: “Ooooh…”

Sukkie delivered the punchline, to much laughter: “But below, it says, haha, just kidding.”


DJ Ken: “A lot of messages in Korean. I can’t read.”

Sukkie picked a post-it. He read it out aloud in Korean, then paused, then turned to his interpreter. Then he continued reading it aloud in Korean.

Sukkie: “This says… in Taiwan, I was not on time. That I promised and didn’t keep…? Who wrote this? I want to understand this question. Who wrote this?” He was quite serious and anxious.

Murmurs amongst the fans. It was not a nice message. Translated, it was an accusation. Not good to have at a fan-meeting. Sukkie, why of all post-its…?

Sukkie: “This part, in Korean, it means something wrong.”

More murmurs amongst the fans.

Sukkie , very firmly, and his face was stern and serious: “Okay. I am never not on time. Always on time. And Taiwan, I’m with Taiwan fans. Always with Taiwan fans.” He was intense, so intense… we had a glimpse of the part of Sukkie that doesn’t laugh. The serious, intense… I would say, deeply passionate side.

I can’t remember what happens next, but Sukkie went backstage again. He was going to prepare a special present. DJ Ken told fans to check their mobile phones. Apparently, before the show, a staff member had gone round to collect mobile phone numbers which fans wrote on star-shaped pieces of paper and dropped into a box. However, I can tell you this: the staff member collecting mobile phone numbers didn’t come to my section of the queue. So I suppose the last few hundred fans who queued from 4.15 p.m. onwards didn’t have a chance for this special present.

The special present was really special. Sukkie was backstage and they filmed him so that everything was shown on the projector screens.

Sukkie: “I’m thirsty.” Sukkie held up a can and shook it. “Any oolong tea?”

Sukkie went on about how Singapore was very hot, but where he was… air-con, he said. Cool, like air-con. Then he looked around: “Oolong tea! Thirsty!”

Then suddenly he laughed. “Look at him!”

The camera swooped to where Sukkie was pointing at and showed someone scrambling along the floor on hands and knees… somebody in a suit, but I couldn’t see his face. One of the Korean management staff, I think, but didn’t look like Sukkie’s manager.

Anyway, someone handed Sukkie a fresh can of oolong and he took a long draught from it, in exactly the same way I’ve seen Hwang Tae-kyung drink water in You’re Beautiful.

Then I realised that in You’re Beautiful, sometimes Hwang Tae-kyung’s actions are Sukkie’s real-life actions. It’s not all acting. That boy’s so cool that even when he’s drinking oolong tea from a can, his movements are beautiful, graceful and utterly stylish.

Sukkie pulled a first star-shaped paper from the box filled with mobile phone numbers. Someone handed him a phone and he tried to call the number.

Sukkie (looking into camera): “Oh. Wrong number.” He looked at the star-shaped paper and at the camera. “Sorry, Becky.”

Sukkie then pulled out another star-shaped piece of paper. He dialled the number, murmuring: “Phone… difficult use.” [He meant he was finding it a bit difficult using the mobile phone. Maybe it was Nokia, and he’s used to Korean brands which look, feel and operate differently from Nokia].

But this time the call went through!!!!

The fan was a girl of about average height, with sideswept hair parted on the left, and she couldn’t believe her luck!

DJ Ken: “Come on stage!”

There was a pretty embarrassing moment for the girl, ‘cause she actually went all the way behind the big backstage screen… when she was just supposed to be on stage. Anyway, the staff managed to haul her back and led her to a seat centre-stage…

… and on the big projector screen, Sukkie announced he had a special gift: a big, beautiful bouquet of flowers!

Our fan on stage was overcome with blushes.

Then A.N.JELL’s “AS EVER/STILL” blared out from the sound system.

Sukkie popped out from backstage, singing “I WILL PROMISE YOU…” and the fans sang along loudly. He presented the bouquet to the blushing and delighted fan, knelt before her, singing – and finished off by hugging her. The first hug was a simple hug, the second hug – I think he nearly lifted her off the feet. It was like a burst of happiness. He’s really, really fond of his fans.

[You know, for a guy like him to be willing to open this part of his heart to his fans is really remarkable. So, as a fan, I’m going to love him back too, all the way!]