By: LazerKim We have an update photo from City Conquest as Kim Hyun Joong was spotted boarding that boat from photo above, that seem to me like an escape from the back door sea!! Or trucking down lawless element like smugglers or trying to save his lover from the bad guys!! Oh whatever it is at least we know now Hyun Joong is doing fine filming his drama. We got five days to go from today before we finally take a glimpse of him on October 4th as Hyun Joong shall be attending a big event in Japan together with the other casts of City Conquest. We shall be waiting for that event!!
The other night I was already preparing for today’s article and I thought about writing a bodyguard and his subject, since I thought about Mr. Jeong! As we all know he has been taking care of Kim Hyun Joong from day one that he signed with KeyEast. And to get some background how a personal bodyguard is, I thought about Kevin Costner for Bodyguard and Nicolas Cage for Guarding Tess! So I was trying to look for the movie Bodyguard to watch at YouTube because I forgot how to download movies from Isohunt! And honestly I forgot the leading lady of Kevin Costner, Whitney Houston who passed away in February.
And so instead of watching the movie, it was Whitney’s life and her funeral that I watched! I never thought she was already on her career downfall in 2010, then her world tour was a such an unexpected failure, knowing a big star like Whitney Houston would end up in such an ugly scenes on her performances. I was totally shocked to be watching her concerts in 2010 and the cause of her death was devastating. Oh my what a waste for a big star like her. Whitney Houston died in February 11, this year, that time I was so much engrossed writing about Hyun Joong’s aftermath concert in Yokohama that I did not pay too much attention on Whitney’s death!!
Ever since I got hooked on Korean dramas, I actually lost my interest with the Hollywood stars! Anyway, today’s topic for this article is not about Hollywood nor about the bodyguard which I will reserve for next time, I need to research on the kind of profession. But I would like to talk about life of being a big star, well like Whitney, we can learn something out of her life and connect with our Prince. Don’t worry I don’t mean to compare, but basic lifestyle of an artist and his changes influenced by environment, responsibilities being an artist and fame.
What I want to talk about this time are the changes in Kim Hyun Joong’s lifestyle from the time he started in the lime light with SS501 and the present as he moved in to KeyEast. We can also inject some realities about the influence of fame, how it change an artist it’s either for the better or for the worst. We can probably compare how Kim Hyun Joong was from his past with SS501 and at present being a solo performer, although it’s barely over a year since he started performing solo singer but somehow I could see some bits and pieces of changes in his lifestyle as an artist.
The very first thing that I noticed was his bodyguard Mr. Jeong as in day one as soon as he moved in to KeyEast he was already provided with security on his official activities. As I watched Hyun Joong when he was with DSP there’s only the five members of SS501 and a manager to secure the five members whenever they travel. So I would say from Hyun Joong’s first day at KeyEast he was already taken care of. In one of Hyun Joong interviews I remember he was saying, he’s not used with having a lot of people meeting him at the airport even he was still with his group. Neither he has any idea if the fans at the airport were cheering for him or his members!!
Then in 2010 he came along with his boss Bae Yong Joon in Japan for Smile Project and he was surprised to see such a big crowd of fans at the airport whom he was assuming was the fans of his boss. In Hyun Joong’s interview in Tokyo, he mentioned that he felt so shy to even smile simply because he does not know if the crowd was cheering for him or his boss!! I laughed at his remark!! Watching from the video clip, just by the gesture of his boss may signify endorsing of introducing Hyun Joong to BYJ fans who were at the airport. I did noticed Hyun Joong was a bit awkward that time that he was totally caught unaware by the crowd!! I already spotted Mr. Jeong with Hyun Joong that time as his bodyguard.
The next thing I noticed was his hotel accommodation whenever he travels particularly his guest room that I can compare. When he was with DSP, he’s given a regular single guest room or he’s with one of his members in a twin guest room. As he moved in to KeyEast he was given the suite guest room, well his boss might have the penthouse but Hyun Joong stayed in a suite room next to his boss. In his present status he has to live by hotel room service if he has to eat whenever he travels. Although at this stage I believe he can still dine in the restaurant but that is gonna be a rare chance. Not that he’s being deprive of his liberty to eat his desired meal but mainly for security reasons that in due time he shall have to live within his limits as a star.
Hyun Joong was given the privilege to choose his own staffs to work with him in all his official activities such as dancers, coordinators make-up hairstylist, production assistance, and his manager who is the closest to Hyun Joong other than Mr. Jeong his personal body-guard. As you can notice Hyun Joong had been working with Artmatic dancers and his noonas since his SS501 days. Now they work exclusively for Hyun Joong specially his dancers, that these staffs are provided by KeyEast. Every time Hyun Joong is in his official activities, he has at least three men behind him, Mr. Jeong, his manager and Artmatic captain that shows he is well taken care of in his every official activities.
In another interview during his fan meeting Asia Tour in Singapore I think, he was asked about his gains and losses in his career since he started being a soloist. Hyun Joong said he has more gains than loss, in such a way he has more people helping him to be able to attain his goal. In terms of losses, what he lost was his privacy although he had already accepted that he is bound to lose it to begin with, and this is just natural to any popular artists. To lose their privacy is what stars has to pay in exchange of fame and success.
When Hyun Joong was still with his members he can still freely go out taking for a walk at the neighborhood or go shopping or dine wherever he wants. Now he rarely do so, and take note he can not go out of his apartment by himself. He can go driving in Korea but surely he has somebody tailing at his back, either Mr. Jeong or his manager!! Even he has to drive to Jaksal which is his own restaurant, he has to have somebody with him on the road or being with him in his car while he drives. I would be very surprise if KeyEast would just allow him to go around Seoul by himself, because Hyun Joong is their responsibility whether official or non official activity.
That’s the difference though being with a group and a soloist, although again it depends on his career status on how popular a soloist is. If we compare Hyun Joong’s lifestyle during his days with SS501 and his present status, the difference is way too long in terms of popularity and being a crowd maker. During his days with SS501 he probably can go shopping in a less crowded shopping area. Well maybe he can still do so in Seoul in an exclusive shop that is less crowded, if not I’m sure he can go on-line shopping and that’s too sad, I still believe in going to various shops with a lot of choice, as I can touch and see what I’m buying.
As Hyun Joong matures, he had changed even his fashion trend too, he became more simple yet fashionable. He was saying when he was still with SS501, he kept buying clothes and his favorite are footwear. This time Hyun Joong became more practical, his comfort is more important in what he wears. Even in his shows, he tend to have simple costumes and minimize flashy items. Although accessories remained to be his favorite items. Off cam he tends to wear ordinary clothes that anyone coming from the streets would wear but maintained neat as always and nothing flashy.
Here’s probably gonna be my own way in rating Hyun Joong’s popularity and crowd maker without looking at any popularity record status. His boss being a Korean actor is still very popular in Japan even he was barely seen on public exposure. Hyun Joong said to be able to gained even half of Bae Yong Joon’s popularity is good enough. One time in 2009 I think, Bae Yong Joon was in Japan to promote one of his projects. He was in his hotel getting ready to go out to somewhere. BYJ had at least four or six bodyguards, as he came down from his hotel room to the lobby, a huge crowd of fans were at the front street of the hotel. He and his bodyguard stayed in one corner and think about where they can get through from the crowd.
But there’s no way for BYJ to just walk to the lobby and get in to his car, at the same time there’s no other way to get out from the crowd. And so BYJ and his bodyguards dive over the huge crowd of fans. Do you know what happened next? BYJ quickly got in his car as his six bodyguards walked guarding the car as it gets through the crowd but BYJ opened his car widow and waved at the crowd!! He can’t help it seeing his fans who waited just to take a glimpse of him. From that incident it ended in a stumped and an elder woman was hurt. As soon as BYJ knew about it he took responsible and took care of his fan and paid her hospitalization.
And I can see Hyun Joong doing the same scenario, although it’s just a small crowd of fans at the airport waiting for him, but what if the time comes when a huge crowd of fans same as BYJ come running after Hyun Joong? Well it won’t be long that’s very likely to happen. At this time lucky fans can meet Hyun Joong at the airport seeing him off or welcome him back home and hand-in some goodies and letters which is quite easy for his fans to reach out for him. There will come a time this will be no longer possible. Hyun Joong has gone used to opening his car window as he gets inside he car and wave or nod to his fans before driving off.
At the documentary Hyun Joong was relating a lot of changes in his lifestyle but had gone used to it, however he still wants to live a normal life as much as he can while he can still do it. The more popular he gets the more his private life changes, but it’s part of being star that he embrace wholeheartedly. A producer stated Hyun Joong knows how to handle his fame by taking it in his heart and not in his mind and that he is capable reaching highest height in his career. He may be young at age but very matured in his outlook of life.
Hyun Joong was saying it is important to work hard but it is also important to be prepared to whatever the results of hard work. Whether it may or it may not be what he expects he has to live with it in accepting the results but never to give up. Hyun Joong was never been a quitter, he always a fighter, he just keeps on going and learn from what he experienced. There are many stars who does not stay longer in the lime light simply because they can not handle their fame. After gaining their popularity they tend to become lazy to re-invent something for themselves as artist, they became conceited and arrogant over their gained popularity, they became complacent with their star status instead of nurturing what they have already attained and gained.
As I mentioned earlier about the Hollywood stars getting involved with drugs, this isn’t new anymore, this may be the idea of what Hyun Joong was saying, “it is important to be prepared to whatever the results of hard work.” Some stars could not handle their fame that most of the times they do not notice they are already destroying themselves. Do I see Hyun Joong in that stage of self-destruction in the future? This is what I can say, at the young age of Hyun Joong in his career, for as long he is well guided then I don’t see him as one of those promising artists on downhill. I think his boss can handle him quite well, no matter how independent minded he is, he knows to whom he would listen to.
I was watching Whitney Houston’s story in 2010 and I can’t get over with what I have watched. She totally declined when she did her world tour performance that showed a disgusting show out of a big star like her. I would say it’s a negligence on the part of her producer in allowing her to sign up for those concerts knowing she’s high on drugs. I could see her producer’s greed for money and pushing her to the quick sand during that time. She could not handle herself and her status that made her a star falling star from the sky in such unbearable pain for her.
I think I would rather see an artist gradually improving in due time, than being that good since the start and deteriorating in the end. I have mentioned in my other article that in showbiz there’s such thing as expiration date on artists. Some Hollywood stars tend to stay even they are aging until such time they can no longer carry on and allowed them to be drowning themselves with drugs although not all.
I think it should have been better to retire at certain age before they reached that stage of self-destruction. So that they can still preserve their talent and good image on how people do remember them. I think producers and promoters should also consider the well-being of the stars, instead of taking advantage on how they earn from them.
Whitney ended her life just like that, and it’s so regretful for very talented star even at her age 48, I would just like to think of her in her younger years on how I knew her and her music which I loved so much. I would say Whitney changed her life during her marriage to Bobby Brown whom she fell very much in love with but made her worst in drowning herself with drugs after her divorce with him. There are a lot of stars who can not handle their personal relationships and their career at the same time. This is true in the showbiz world and Hyun Joong is no exception, as he said he can not handle both career and love at the same time.
While watching her video clips of her funeral and prior to it, I thought about what Hyun Joong said about hard work and results. Time change and so people change too. It is good to live life to the fullest but we have our own individual responsibilities to ourselves and to others. Just the same as Hyun Joong planted good seeds, he nurtured what he planted harvest the fruits and share it with others. Until it became his life routine as he nurtures his talent to be worthy of love and support from others, he doesn’t stop and doesn’t change his attitude keeping up his values.
I remember in one of Hyun Joong’s interviews, he related his lay out plan for his career which is quite realistic for an artist and recognizing his expiration date. Although this is too early to say since Hyun Joong is still young, but at least he has plans for his future and he is quite open-minded about being realistic and practical in life.
Hyun Joong being an artist star, as he gets further to the heights of his career status, his lifestyle changes are quite expected to the point of having all the comfort and luxury in life can ever offer in exchange of his deprived privacy. Artists have to live with it, in fact as soon as an artist sign up for his career in showbiz for the first time, he is expected to accept the fact that he is a public figure bound with definite restrictions in keeping a good personal image and is obliged to behave accordingly in public. This is again a showbiz reality. I guess we do not have a problem with that as far as our idol is concern.
Hyun Joong deserves that comfort and luxury of life as his lifestyle changed for the better since he earned hard from his past struggles, and in spite of the blessing he receives, he never forgets to share with other specially the less fortunate.
Lifestyle changes is alright for as long as Kim Hyun Joong keeps his feet firmly on the ground and maintain the good values he’s been keeping and simply being himself will take him all the way to super stardom….
LazerKim here writing
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