Who’s the real Nam Joo-hyuk?
I’VE attended several South Korean star fanmeets before K-actor Nam Joo-hyuk’s recent one in Kuala Lumpur but none of them have been as boring.
Idon’tknowifitwasduetothestereotypical programme or the fact that emcee Ryan Matjeraie seemed to be trying hard to liven things up; the language barrier also made things difficult.
MaybeitwasNamhimself,whoseemedas stiff as his acting. I mean, that’s what K-drama fans say. I like looking at his handsome face though. Or it could have been the lacklustre reaction from fans as well. The turnout was considerably smaller than most fanmeets, and his fans weren’t as vocal in expressing their love.
And perhaps Nam appeared visibly nervous throughout the event due to that. It would’ve been better if he had let loose. Or was that nervousness his true personality?
The fanmeet, dubbed Nam Joo-hyuk Private Stage (Close-Up), was held at Kenanga Wholesale City.
Nam, 23, who began his career as a runway model during high school, has starred inK-dramassuchas
and
But it was the hit
that catapulted him to international
Nam preparing an activity at the fanmeet.
stardom. Nam had an off-screen romance with its leading lady, Lee Sung-kyung (they’ve broken up now).
and were heavily featured in the fanmeet programme. For example, there was a segment where he gave away some of his props from the two shows. One was a plush toy which he kissed (so cute!) before presenting it to a fan chosen in lucky draw.
Now that segment was original, but the next one, where he and some lucky fans re-enacted some of his dramas’ key romantic scenes, was trite. And it’s usually too cringeworthy because there will always be that awkwardness between the star and fans. The scenes are romantic but these people are practically strangers.
Nevertheless, I was surprised to see national bowler Siti Safiyah Amirah Abdul Rahman as one of the lucky fans who went on stage and hugged Nam.
In answer to fans’ questions, we learnt that Nam related to his character from
the most; he’d love to star in a war movie; and although he looks good in suits (like in Habaek), he prefers casual clothing like sweaters and jeans.
He shared pictures from his Parisian trip and his cabinet full of modelling and acting awards, and a footage of him playing the PlayStation 4 game (he’s a Man U fan). Nam also prepared kimbap (Korean rice rolls) for fans. He had to win some games against selected fans to get ingredients like cucumber.
One game was a staring contest, and if he lost, he would get wasabi as an ingredient. The female fan maintained her composure while Nam’s eyes visibly reddened and teared up. It was a hilarious sight!
Closing the show, Nam read out a heartfelt letter in which he thanked fans for the warm welcome, and promised to work harder to repay their love and support.
“I still can’t believe I have so many fans outside of South Korea. I’m so thankful for your support. If you continue to love me, I’ll be happy to come back and see you.”