By LazerKim: Kim Hyun Joong has a strong man beside him, whom he calls Hyung (big brother) his mentor Bae Yong Joong, as Japanese calls him Yonsama (highest noble title) As everyone knows Bae Yong Joong is the owner of KeyEast which is the official agent of Hyun Joong. I’ve written a few articles about BYJ being the closest person to Hyun Joong as his mentor. What is a mentor? Mentor is a counselor, a person whom you can trust your life with and someone who can guide you. Before the time Hyun Joong had moved in to KeyEast, Bae Yong Joon was the person whom Hyun Joong confides his problems with, specially pertaining his career. Bae Yong Joon was there at Hyun Joong’s side to comfort him during the time he was entangled in a controversy.
Until which time Hyun Joong decided to move in to KeyEast, which I personally was very happy about. Hyun Joong looks up to Bae Yong Joon as his big brother, whom has been taking care of him. I have seen this quite a lot, even though BYJ maintained himself out-of-the-way of Hyun Joong and remained behind the scene. In Japan when Hyun Joong performed his first concert in 2012 at the Yokohama Arena, BYJ was spotted at Ginza together with Hyun Joong.
I was touched by the gesture on how BYJ showed his personal concern to Hyun Joong as a mentor. No one knew BYJ would be in Japan at that time, he did not notify anyone about his short visit, otherwise his fans will surely flocked everywhere. He remained within the shadow that no one noticed his presence. He gave that spot light to Hyun Joong instead. As I mentioned in my article Protege, Hyun Joong is like a toddler who’s just learning to walk, having BYJ at his back to guide him until such time Hyun Joong can walk by himself. Such an amazing guy.
I reviewed some of BYJ’s view clips and I have noticed one familiar scene, it’s at the airport. Every time this guy visits Japan there’s always a big crowd of fans waiting for him to welcome him. As BYJ walk at the airport lobby he would stop, his smiles as always sincere that never change, he would wave to his fans giving them all the chances to take his picture. Watching this I said to myself this scene looks familiar. And so I reviewed Hyun Joong’s last scene at the airport in Japan last January 2012, and there you go, Hyun Joong walking slowly at the airport lobby, as he stopped kept bowing and waving at his fans to welcome him. I smiled at that, Hyun Joong is learning. If you remember, airport scenario has always been a strange scenario for Hyun Joong. Now Hyun Joong is slowly getting use to it and he’s slowly learning on how he can use his charisma spontaneously.
In one talk show, Hyun Joong was asked if he was being influenced by BYJ, and he said he takes advises but BYJ never tried to influence him. Which I believe so, since Hyun Joong is an independent person just like his boss. But somehow, I could see Hyun Joong is slowly acquiring BYJ’s ways, which I think is very natural, specially if they are closely knitted and they are practically like brothers. I don’t see anything wrong with it, because BYJ is really somebody whom Hyun Joong can look up to specially for guidance, which is good. Hyun Joong as a rookie will learn a lot of good things from BYJ being his senior.
I watched another video clip of BYJ at the hotel in Japan, as he and his 10 body guards were on the way to the hotel lobby, his body-guard was informed that there was a huge crowd of fans waiting for BYJ outside the hotel street. His body guards were discussing on which route they will take to prevent from getting through from the crowd. BYJ said, not to worry and so with his 10 body guards they dive through the crowd. Do you know what BYJ did? He got in the car with all his smile roll down the tinted car window and none stop waved and sincerely smiled to at his crowd of fans!! His bodyguards don’t know what to do because they were not expecting BYJ would behaved as such!!!
I’ve seen how BYJ fans love him so much, and so with BYJ, he had proven it for so many times, and so I wouldn’t wonder that until at this time even he’s out of the screen, his fans are still there, his blog site is there and still updated all these years. This is just so much remarkable. Any fans for that matter can feel any celebrity’s sincerity. Well, BYJ has an automatic smile, you know it’s so natural to him.
That’s Hyun Joong and BYJ’s difference, although Hyun Joong’s smile may not be as easy as his boss, but the look in his eyes is something that can let you melt, because Hyun Joong look at you straight in to your soul, if you know what I mean. While BYJ when he smile at you, even you are angry, with his smile which is so contagious, would make you smile back even you’re in a bad mood, maybe this is the easiest way I can describe it.
There are video clips of BYJ that caught my attention, he’s just as playful as Hyun Joong on the set during any filming. BYJ can just laugh at anything, he’s very humorous. While Hyun Joong can make you laugh even he’s not intending to, BYJ would just laugh!! And so I would say no wonder they both get along very well. In so many incident at any filming, BYJ would take an NG simply because he can not control his laughter by just a simple thing that’s funny, he easily laugh. And yes, that’s Hyun Joong’s comment about BYJ he’s a very humorous type of guy, yet mysterious in his own privacy. BYJ may shy away from ambush interview, but he normally grant to a proper video interview.
In one of Bae Yong Joon’s interview, he was saying that celebrities should be considerate to the production staffs. He was saying “if we artists are tired with long nights of filming, so much with the staffs too”. Well, this is true, not because celebs are being treated as VIPs given all the comfort at the set, in any project, the production staffs shares the hard work too. Hyun Joong had maintain his politeness and being friendly with the production staffs both at BOF and Playful Kiss, not to mention his pictorial sessions, as we have seen how he treated the crews equally to his status. I have seen that from BYJ, he treat everyone like his own family. And he calls his fans his family and treat them as such.
I admire both men, and the reason why I write about Bae Yong Joong, it’s because I still want people to remember him from time to time even he rarely be seen on-screen. And for those new fans of Hyun Joong too, who might not have known as to who Bae Yong Joon is. And so from time to time, you’ll read about Bae Yong Joon from me too. His fans had grew up with him, and recently I came to know that many of them are professional writers. And I would think, one factor that Bae Yong Joon had boost his popularity is through these fan writers. And so for the young generation who doesn’t know BYJ can get to know him through the articles written by his fans. As a pioneer of Hallyu Star, he had marked an unforgettable history in the Korean entertainment industry, as he started being the first Korean actor to introduce Korean drama all over the world.
People get to know him better through his fans too, who were active writing about the guy. And the pass it on process!! Maybe similar to what we’re doing here, I do the writing about Hyun Joong and you do the reading, by this way we get closer to the guy. I just knew about the writers a few days ago from a BYJ fan, and so it boost my inspiration better in writing about Hyun Joong. I would like to fill up the internet with many articles about Hyun Joong, so that upcoming new fans would get the easiest way in getting to Hyun Joong better.
Now let’s talk about the fans. Bae Yong Joon started in 1994, meaning he’s been in the entertainment industry for 18 years. Wow!! And his fans loyally had been there for 18 years, active or inactive they are just there. What makes these fans stay that long years, that even a lot of new celebrities had been coming out in that long period, and yet they never shy away from being his fans, why??
This I guess is simple, based on the videos that I have watched not to mention write ups about him, he never change from the time he started in 1994. Ability wise, of course you can hardly compare his first acting project back in time and from his last drama in 2007. But he kept his feet firmly on the ground from the time he started till at present, the lime light and fame had never blinded Bae Yong Joon even he knows where he stand in the entertainment industry or in the business arena. His being modest had never changed, his smiles in 1994 and his smile in 2012 is still the same, his charisma is just as strong as ever.
In one of his visits in Japan, which I assume was not an officially announced visit, he was surprised upon approaching the airport lobby, to see a big crowd of fans waiting for him. He looked surprised but it was obvious he was very touched by his fans gesture that even he was rarely seen on screen and staying inactive within the lime light, his fans haven’t change a bit in meeting him. I would think the only thing that change is their age since they all have grown up with Bae Yong Joon, and yet the love to BYJ is still there.
And so what similarities do we see here from BYJ and Hyun Joong, isn’t it their charisma, modesty, sincerity and love to their fans? Not to mention their extended support to the less fortunate. See for yourself how they treat their fans, that alone can tell you if you’ll stay with them or not. And I would say, mysteriously, there’s an instant bond between Hyun Joong’s fans and BYJ’s fans. And if in case BYJ will appear on-screen again, I would gladly support him. And I will even write about his next drama project. At least by this simple way I could give my share of appreciation for boosting his 100% all out support to Hyun Joong.
As I wrote in my article Dark Moments, I mentioned a period during the time Hyun Joong was preparing his first album, during his rehearsals Bae Yong Joon stayed with Hyun Joong specially when he was already recording, to give moral support since BYJ knows what he’s been getting through, and the guy was all alone to do his first solo album. When everyone seemed to turn their backs from Hyun Joong, BYJ was there to comfort him. I would say Hyun Joong had a low self esteem that time, that he had to fight back and never stop till he can satisfy himself.
BYJ had given the impression of being mysterious to everyone, but I’m sure he shared to his fans too, as they know him very well. There’s a video clip I think it was his birthday, he woke up early morning as his staffs greeted him with a birthday cake. A video was taken while he was brewing coffee without make up and he was just wearing a bath robe and still looks very handsome. He was also seen how he treat his staffs and bodyguards like his friends. Hyun Joong said BYJ is very organize in almost anything and it was from him that he learned to be taking notes and being prompt with his schedules. BYJ has so much self respect just by seeing him the first time his charisma is so overwhelming, while he keeps that killer smile while he talks.
I would like to think Bae Yong Joon had guided Hyun Joong to his drastic maturity and since Hyun Joong was never a self opinionated type guy, that he would rather listens than talk about himself. Hyun Joong is a man of few words when talking about himself without him having the knowledge that he is indeed an interesting person. But come to think of it, at talk shows he’s the apple of the eye of every show host, maybe because of his straight forwardness. The guy is very shy though, speaks gently but he will just surprise you with unexpected response. Remember as he was asked “is it god given or doctor’s creation”. And he calmly responded, “it’s god given but the doctor enhanced it”. He was talking about his nose fixed. Hyun Joong will just surprised you with his bluntness!!
In many of Hyun Joong’s interviews, he had always been asked about Bae Yong Joon, and you would see Hyun Joong would lighten up, as he talks about his boss so casually. And in one of the talk shows Hyun Joong was asked if he’s taking the footsteps of Bae Yong Joon. And he replied “I don’t want to live like BYJ, I can not stay at home for the whole day, I do not want to be mysterious and seclude myself”!! Hyun Joong said, he can stay home for a while but at night time he would definitely be out there with his friends. And that’s one thing BYJ envied about Hyun Joong, his natural free spirit.
Since Hyun Joong is still very young, and a freedom loving person, the guy is just restless who loves to always be on the go. While BYJ would loves reading books and serenity, as I may think BYJ may just be the same young and vibrant when he was as young as Hyun Joong’s age, and had outgrown that life stage. Well, there’s the age gap between them. But once Hyun Joong reached the same age as BYJ, I’m sure his views would change as he age. Well, even now if you ask Hyun Joong how he sees himself in the future, he would gladly tell you he just wants to be an ordinary uncle to his neighborhood kids to buy them ice cream.
Once in our life time, we do meet a certain person at the least expected, to be the once to guide us other than our own family. A person whom we can trust with our own lives with someone we can easily confide our problems, someone we can be our natural selves to share our weakness, and someone who can be a shoulder to cry on, and that’s how Hyun Joong sees his boss as his big brother. In the future Bae Yong Joon has a story to tell about his protege, and in the future Hyun Joong has a story to tell about his mentor.
Is Hyun Joong just lucky to have Bae Yong Joon as his mentor?? Maybe not. For me, they both deserve each other, both made the right choice, having many things in common, both have many similarities, and I think both are bound to cross their roads at the same time for a definite purpose. Two perfect men blessed with beauty inside out with all the richness of life can ever have and share it with everyone in their own different ways but definitely with the same objective.
Kim Hyun Joong have a perfect mentor at present, in the future he will be that mentor to others like himself at present…………… LazerKim here writing.
Photo credits as tagged, thanks.
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