On a windy and chilly Sunday evening, Jung Hae In visited Beverly Hills as the final U.S. stop of his fan meeting world tour, The 10th Season. Despite the cold weather and the closure of the most commonly used freeway to get to the city, K-drama fans still made their way to the Saban Theatre to see the actor at his first fan meeting in LA.
Although fans were simply excited to see him in person rather than just through a screen like usual, Jung Hae In still put in a lot of effort to prepare special activities and stages. The fan meeting began with a photo gallery review, as fans looked through ten memorable photos of the actor through each era of his career. There were photos from drama sets, personal travels, and even his current fan meeting tour, and the actor shared his thoughts and feelings behind each photo choice as they were displayed on the screen behind him. As the Saban Theatre is a quaint and intimate venue, the view of the actor and the screen were perfectly clear regardless of where your seat was.
The next portion of the show took fans through even more moments down memory lane, as Jung Hae In brought out outfits and props from the dramas he’s been in. Some of these items included a pharmacist’s white coat (from One Spring Night), a military outfit (from D.P. seasons one and two), and a grey long coat (from Something in the Rain). Aside from these outfits, which would need to be returned to the drama sets, the actor also prepared paper airplanes and bandages that reference his time on the drama Snowdrop, and signed each of these items to throw into the crowd as gifts. Referencing his own personal style, he also prepared a plain black baseball cap – his staple airport fashion item – to toss into the audience. This segment of the show wrapped up with a quick rapid fire Q&A with Jung Hae In about his previous works that wittily showed off the actor’s humor and charm when each question yielded the same answer. What was his favorite character to portray, and why? Lim Soo-ho from Snowdrop, because he died. What role did he really have to immerse himself into the most? Lim Soo-ho from Snowdrop, because he died. Which character did he portray that he needed to study the most? Lim Soo-ho from Snowdrop, because he died, and he hasn’t done that in real life before. What was the character that was most difficult to move on from mentally? Lim Soo-ho from Snowdrop, because he died.
Diving deeper into his career in the third segment of the fan meeting, staff brought out a board that had originally been on display in the lobby for fans to choose their favorite drama. Attendees were given the choice between a number of his works, and the top five dramas chosen were While You Were Sleeping, One Spring Night, D.P., Snowdrop, and Something in the Rain. Each of the top five dramas were paired with its most iconic scenes playing on the screen, while Jung Hae In commented about behind the scenes memories or specific reasons he liked the scene. Comments ranged from serious ones mentioning how he had to refrain from drinking water to have more defined abs for While You Were Sleeping, to advising fans not to try what he did as he was getting scolded in One Spring Night.
Already past the hour and a half mark, the night continued on with a game section next. Jung Hae In played the corn hole game, and the winning perk for him was putting on a variety of headbands for a photo time for fans. This lighthearted and fun segment led into a heartfelt and emotional section. While the fan meeting was focused on the actor’s 10-year career, he also wanted to honor his fans. “This is also your tenth anniversary, because you’re the reason I am here,” the segment began. Out of hundreds of letter submissions, the staff chose one for the actor to read on stage that told one fan’s story. As she poured her heart into her letter, sharing her struggles and how she’s learning to take care of herself and how she gets through the hard times by watching Jung Hae In’s dramas, the actor himself was also almost moved to tears, giving her an extra big hug and gift. This was preluded and followed by several more gift bags, signed polaroids, and more that were given out to lucky fans in the audience. To show another of himself, Jung performed four musical numbers as well throughout the evening, serenading the audience with songs such as “Crazy” by Kevin Oh and Primary, which is part of the OST for his drama D.P., Lim Young Woong’s “Grain of Sand,” and Zoo’s “I Will Love You.”
The fan meeting was more than a celebration of Jung Hae In’s career; it was also a celebration of his fans and a way for the actor to pay back all the love he’s received. With countless gift giveaways, unique segments of the show to highlight fond memories, and even a goodbye wave event that had the actor sitting by the exit of the venue to say goodbye to every single person in attendance, the highlight of the event was seeing Jung Hae In’s humble and kind personality truly shine through. With promises to wrap up the rest of his world tour well and resume his acting duties afterwards, the night ended with Jung Hae In making a declaration of love and a request to look forward to his future projects.
Click on the photo below to view our photos from the fan meeting:
