LJS for Ceci (June ‘16) - Part 1
Translation note: Editor is so enamoured. Jongsuk is eloquent as usual. Busy tonight, so actual interview to come tomorrow. :)
The moment that the studio door opened, we were met with a deep and charismatic voice that matched the rainy weather on that day. It was a peculiar moment when you fall in love with his voice even before seeing the person. Although he had collaborated many times with Ceci, this editor was meeting him for the very first time. From the greetings they exchanged, the editor could feel his shy nature. How is it that such boyishness could somehow exist in a 28-year-old man?
In his first interview after returning to Korea, he chose to work with Ceci. When asked, “Why did you choose Ceci?” He replied, “I am partial to Ceci’s particular aura; I want to greet everyone through shooting with Ceci, which fans have always liked.”
Since it is the first photoshoot in a long time, he is especially aware of all the details. The concept of the photoshoot was decided through previous discussions and multiple rounds of adjustments. On the day of the shoot, he got a haircut from his new staff members before coming to the studio. In order to create a new aura, he even personally asked to work with a different set of staff and photographers.
Every time we finished a series of shots, he would monitor the pictures carefully. When the editor asked him to come closer to the monitor to watch, he would simply answer, “I can see clearly even from here”, showing his thoughtfulness in not wanting to get in the way of the work of the editors.
This photoshoot was based on concepts like ‘youngster and man’ and ‘reality and fiction’, which are difficult concepts to grasp, but he manifested the ideas perfectly through his facial expressions and body movement. Halfway through the photoshoot, he came over to the editor who was monitoring the shots and patted her on the shoulders, asking “Is it okay?”
A star who understands the direction of a magazine, captures the particular concept of a photoshoot, and even carefully watches over the production results during the process. It is such a rare sight to see; thus it is not hard to understand why magazine editors keep offering to work with him.
Suddenly, there is a commotion at the studio. Lee Sungkyung had come to visit; she is a friend since his model days and now a colleague in the same company, YG Entertainment. Living near the studio, she decided to drop by to see her friend Lee Jong Suk and also cheer him on. After her brief visit, her positive energy caused the atmosphere in the studio became brighter. Upon restarting the shoot, even Jong Suk, who was shy with the new staff, gradually began to smile more. His genteel smile that appeared from time to time was like a surprise present to each of our staff.
Since he changed his outfits at the speed of light, we were able to finish the photoshoot earlier than expected. After the photoshoot staff departed, all that is left in the small studio was him and the editor, plus one or two close personnel. In this space that felt similar to his dream cafe, we had a conversation like a chat between old friends, our words stretching until night fell outside the windows.
His feelings during the one year of not working, the memories of filming in China for three months, the feeling when he first flipped open the script, the confirmation of his contract with YG just a few days ago… as I write this article, I listen to our interview recording and once again am astounded at how pure he is. His charismatic voice always seem to be telling a story, as if speaking to a girlfriend. If he was your boyfriend, you would probably never want to hang up the phone.
He is really honest enough to give you a shock… I believe this 1.5 hours of recording must be more valuable to fans than any B-cut, but it is a treasure that cannot be shared. Some day in the future, the sweetness of the vanilla latte that I sipped on that day would probably remind me of this day – just like how in Marcel Proust’s ‘Remembrance of Things Past’, the main character recalls the past with a bite of magdalene cake. I would remember how the sun cast its last rays on the windowsill, in a room where we forgot to turn on the lights, the pure moment of losing ourselves in a cup of coffee and the stories we shared.
