"My Friend Yonsama" ....

March 23, 2010

‘My Friend Yonsama’ from the article of Ryu Seong Soo’s interview

Original in Korean: Woman Joongang Feb, 2010 issue.
Extracted by: Elain/byjintoronto.
Translated into English: Suehan/ suehan's byj blog

Hallyu Star Bae Yong Joon’s best friend who has a wide acquaintance, even though it’s unknown, in the entertainment field.

I talked about ‘Yonsama’ first when his name appeared in our conversation. Then, he gave me a hint by saying, “He doesn’t like to be called by that name when I used it in front of him.”, and “If you meet him, make sure to call him by his real name, not his nickname.” He added, “I don’t know how he looks, but basically, he feels the burdensome on the value of his name and he doesn’t like to show off. He was even mad at me by saying, ‘Yo, use my real name when you call me.’ when I called him as Yonsama as a joke over the phone.”

How does ‘a human being’ like Bae Yong Joon appear to him as a friend, not as a Hallyu Star? According to Ryu Seong Soo, he’s an average man in his late thirties who likes human beings and enjoys drinking occasionally. He said, “You would think that he chooses the people whom he wants to meet, doesn’t have good connection with others and never drinks. Am I right? No, you’re absolutely wrong. He likes to go here and there and meet other entertainers even though he wasn’t recognized. Maybe he is somewhere around here (Cheongdamdong). He has a technique that allows him to move around without being recognized, and most people think that he stays at home most time, but it’s not true (laugh)”.

Even to Ryu Seong Soo, his first impression of Bae Yong Joon was of a person who was ‘hard to get close to’ It was difficult for him to get close to BYJ when he approached him because he thought that BYJ couldn’t be good with others. But he saw BYJ’s humble thinking and good personality after he spent time with him, so they developed a relationship as friends.

They call each other in the morning, and go to the valley in the summer sometimes. But he can’t deny that he is careful and nervous because BYJ is a “Hallyu Star” now. He laughed with a joke, “His image shouldn’t be destroyed because of me.”

“Many people asked me about him like they asked Gong Hyeong Jin about Jang Dong Geon.” I’m proud to have a successful friend, but I’m cautious because he is a big top star. I don’t want to hurt his reputation because of my unnecessary talking (laugh)”