On 7th July 2018, a humid Saturday night, more than 1,400 fans of Korean heartthrob gathered at a hall in the suburbs to spend quality time with their idol, Lee Seung Gi.
The 2-hour fan meet started with Lee mesmerizing the crowd with his debut song 'Because You're My Woman', decked in a suit. Although it's been 14 years since he first came onto the scene as a balladeer, the multi-talented artiste claims "it feels like only 4 years, I can't believe that it's already 14 years. All you fans are here for me, that's why I can be here for 14 years" thereby promising to be around for at least another 34 years. The singer-actor-host is grateful to his fans that "instead of resting, I am so eager to meet all of you. To me, meeting my fans is like taking a break."
The 31-year-old star went on to reveal that during his military stint, not only did he receive letters from Singapore fans, they also sent him snacks, some of which he recognized in his waiting room, lovingly prepared by Airens (name of his fans) as part of their food support to his fan-meet. So far, Lee is the only Korean male artiste who has completed his military service as a member of the Special Forces (13th Special Forces Brigade 'Black Panther'). Members of Republic of Korea Special Forces units are among the most elite operators in the world, who are well trained in all aspects of both conventional and asymmetrical warfare. The singer-actor-host states that the most significant change after his military service is the boost in his confidence level and the improvement in his physical health, which comes in handy for his new drama, Vagabond. Unlike most of Lee's previous works, Vagabond is neither mystical nor magical; instead it is loaded with actions and a heavy script, hardly leaving room for any kissing scene in his 2nd drama collaboration with Bae Suzy (the 1st being Gu Family Book in 2013).
When asked what special power he will like to possess (after his stint as Sun Wu Kong in fantasy drama A Korean Odyssey), "teleport powers, so that I can come to Singapore faster and more often, to meet with my fans, as well as to eat Bak Kut Teh" the sweet-talker commented. Lee further shared that A Korean Odyssey was filmed under extremely cold weather, with temperature ranging from -17 to -20 degree Celsius.
As part of the fan-meet, several lucky fans were picked to go on-stage to interact with the charming thespian. The activities range from re-enacting scenes from A Korean Odyssey to picking his ideal girl, who gets the prized geumganggo (in the form of a bracelet). The fan that won, had apparently flown in from China for this fan-meet, was ecstatic and could not stopped jumping after she hugged him tightly upon reaching the stage. The emcee had to calm the fan and hold her arm down before Lee could wear the drama's love ornament on the winner's wrist.
Due to his harsh army training, Lee is now accustomed to bring his own cooking and coffee-making utensils to his film sets. While he likes to cook for the staff at the sites, he only makes coffee for himself, as a "ceremony" to warm himself up before his shoot. A lucky fan from Taiwan was picked to taste his hand-dripped Americano after he "performed" his coffee-grinding & brewing skills on stage. The lanky celebrity, however stressed that he only "wants to focus on my music and drama, I've no intention of a 2nd career to open a café or restaurant".
When asked to pick his 3 favourite masters in the variety show All the Butlers (also named Master in the House), he chose
(1) Senior actress Youn Yuh-jung; who made the 4 main cast of the show act differently from their usual character
(2) Actor-turned-director Cha In-pyo; who brought up the comic level of the variety series
(3) Former footballer who currently serves as a club ambassador at Manchester United, Park Ji-sung; whom Lee can empathize with, through the many conversations held during their 2 episodes
Lee's favourite game that was played with his 3 co-host, namely actor Lee Sang-yoon, comedian Yang Se-hyung and idol BTOB's Yook Sung-jae; was the water splashing game played in episode 8, when Youn Yuh-jung and the 4 guys stayed over at BTOB's dormitory.
Known for his clean and positive image, which earned him the nickname of "Nation's Little Brother", it has been joked that it should now be changed to "Nation's Boyfriend" after his military service and eventually to "Nation's Husband" when he reaches his 40s. On his favourite job as a singer, actor or host; Lee professes that it's hard to choose "in variety shows, I get to laugh and act in a way beyond my usual manner; in dramas, I get to experience different characters while singing is something I debut in, which is also a way to show my love and warmth to my fans".
The easy-going star has obviously built good relationship with his co-workers, easily seen from the well-wishing clips recorded by his 3 All the Butlers team mates as well as colleagues from A Korean Odyssey, model-turned-actor Cha Seung-won and singer-cum-actor, FT Island's Lee Hong-gi.
When shown a special clip prepared by his Singapore Airens, Lee Seung Gi was especially touched by the international fans project on the trees that were planted in a forest in Seoul. From the clip, he was also reminded of the marriage proposal which took place at his fan-meet in Singapore 6 years ago. The couple is now married with a 2-year old son. His heartfelt words "as I age, I age together with my fans, which is great! It's been 5 years; I had good memories since the last fan-meet, so I'm really happy to see you guys. Now that I have completed my military service, I can spend more time with you. Thank you so much for waiting for me during my 2-years military stint".
He went on to sing 3 of his famous songs; 'Unfinished Story', 'Smile Boy' and 'Let's go on a Vacation' where most fans stood to dance along with, before the 600 VIP fans get their chance to hi-5 the charismatic entertainer.
Special thanks to AC Music Entertainment and Red Spade Entertainment for inviting KpopStarz.com to cover 2018 Lee Seung Gi In Singapore.
Writer: Wang | Photo Credits: AC Music Entertainment and Red Spade Entertainment
