They say that love is all about timing, and I’m so stoked that, just a couple of weeks after falling pretty dang hard for Junho (my Junho k-love post is here!), he has a fan meeting that includes an online option. Meaning, I COULD ATTEND, without having to fly to Korea! 😱 Eeee!!! 🤩😍🤩

What are the chances of that, yes?

So here I am, fresh off the fan meeting, and I have thoughts – and screenshots! – to share. ❤️

How was it?

Well, it was a generally good time for sure, but I will say that, because of covid restrictions and precautions, the fan meeting wasn’t all that it could have been – and you could see that Junho felt it.

Audience dynamics

The live audience appeared to be on the small side, and aside from clappers which they could use to signal their enthusiasm, they were not allowed to shout, or scream, or anything, really. So while all of these would have allowed them to interact with Junho in a normal, pre-covid sort of setting, the restrictions resulted in a very different dynamic altogether.

Even though the live audience was there, Junho had very little to work with, in the way of audience energy and synergy.

I feel that this inevitably affected Junho, both as host and performer. If you’ve ever been a host or a performer, you’d know that it’s hard, when you don’t have much audience energy to work off of.

I think Junho did an admirable job, particularly since he took on the dual roles of host and performer, which I wasn’t expecting.

For context, I have very little experience with fan meetings. The only other fan meeting I’ve been to, is Gong Yoo’s fan meeting in Tokyo, back in 2013. In that fan meeting, there had been a host to run the program, a translator (since this was in Japan), and Gong Yoo himself.

Not here. I’m guessing that this was to reduce possible covid exposure, but Junho did everything himself, and I honestly felt tired for him.

In my own much smaller context, I’ve been a host, and I’ve been a performer, and it’s hard enough doing just one of those things, let alone doing BOTH, and with limited audience energy to work with, on top of that.

What happens then, is that the host &/or performer has to give more of their own energy, in order to at least attempt to make up for the lack of audience energy.

Considering that Junho had just completed a fan meeting the day before, under similar circumstances (and therefore already used up a bunch of personal energy), and considering that he’s an introvert at heart – who does love to feed off audience energy, but who would also need to recharge himself after giving so much of his personal energy – it’s understandable that he looked a little tired, during the fan meeting.

I know I just said it, but I’ll say it again: Junho did an admirable job, given the circumstances.

Junho as host

In my recent deep-dive into many things Junho, I’ve watched him in a good number of videos, and I’ve noticed that he’s quite the natural, when it comes to facilitating things.

As someone who’s facilitated professionally, I personally think that Junho has what it takes to be an excellent and natural facilitator, whether it’s managing a group conversation, or hosting a fan meeting. He seems to instinctively know how to keep things flowing, and how to draw out responses from other people as necessary, which are both keys to being a good facilitator.

The only thing that I think was working against him, I feel, was the set-up, where, due to covid restrictions, the audience was purposefully limited, not only in size, but more importantly, in terms of how and how much, they could respond to him. You just can’t banter with an audience that’s not allowed to talk to you, y’know?

That’s difficult to work with, as a facilitator, and tiring too, like I mentioned earlier.

Junho as performer

Junho’s a consummate performer, of course, and it was a joy to watch him be in his element, singing and dancing for his fans.

At the same time, there are two key things that I think were working against him.

1, it’s a different kettle of fish, commanding the stage by yourself, versus having 5 other group mates to share the stage with. This means that there is literally no break, because you singlehandedly drive the performance forward at all times, versus tag-teaming it with your group mates.

2, Junho’s doing basically everything, this fan meeting. Instead of having the chance to take a breather while the host talks to the audience, he has to shift between being host and performer almost instantaneously, and that’s hard, y’all.

There’s no breathing room to catch your breath and arrange your thoughts, or gather your energy. You just keep going and going, and it’s exhausting – and unfortunately, it does show, a little bit.

Junho just being Junho

What I appreciate in all of this, is that it’s clear that Junho’s aware of all this.

At one point during the fan meeting, he talks about how it had bothered him to realize that this fan meeting would have to be held with so many restrictions.

I feel like the reason he stops to ask, a number of times, whether everyone’s happy &/or enjoying themselves, is because he’s aware of the limitations of the event, and he’s concerned that he’s not giving everyone the best time possible. Ahh, he’s as thoughtful as ever.

To that, I just want to say, “You did well, Junho-sshi. We couldn’t have asked for more, from you. You’ve worked hard. Thank you.” ❤️❤️

What went on during the fan meeting?

Here’s my blow-by-blow account of the fan meeting, so that, if you couldn’t be there, you can at least kind of imagine what it was like? And, if you were there, I hope this works out to be a fun way to relive the moment. 🥰

Photo reel

The fan meeting starts with a cool photo reel of Junho, and here are some screenshots!

Doesn’t he look great? 🤩

Junho performing “Nobody Else”

The lights dim, and the spotlight comes on, on just Junho. And the minute he appears to the audience, Junho launches into a performance of “Nobody Else.” I’m slightly stoked that I actually recognize the song, since I’m a brand new fan of all of a few weeks old. 😁

He’s smooth and impeccable in his delivery, as can be expected of him, but I did feel the relative lack of fizz and pop, from when he has more stage and audience energy to work with.

Still, he looks and sounds great.

Plus, check out his profile, which looks as beautiful as ever! 😍😍

Update:

Here’s a clip of the performance (thanks to Martina, for sharing it with me!)

Greeting the fans

After the performance of “Nobody Else,” Junho stops for a while, just to let everyone soak in the moment (and probably take pictures as well), before he introduces himself, as always, as “2PM’s Lee Junho,” and bows to the audience. Aw.

He also talks about how he wants to make the fan meeting memorable for everyone, but also feels the burden of talking all alone, despite having more than 14 years in the industry.

Still, he asks for everyone’s support, and hopes that everyone will have a good time.

Film The Moment

Basically, this is a celebration of Junho’s acting, with various memorable scenes from his dramas behind each letter. The audience gets to pick the letter that they’d like him to reveal the scene of, and he talks about each scene, as it shows up.

First scene: San and Deok Im

Egad. It’s a scene from The Red Sleeve, which everyone who’s finished the show would recognize, but which is a spoiler for me, since I am still watching the show. 🙈

At this point, I kind of give in to the fact that I will likely come across more than a single spoiler of The Red Sleeve, given that the show was such a success, and with Junho receiving so much praise and recognition for his role as Yi San as well. 😅

After the snippet airs, Junho talks about how he’d found the ending of the show very beautifully depicted, and couldn’t help crying, even though he’d tried not to cry, during the shoot itself. Aw. I love how immersed Junho is, in the role of Yi San. The passion and dedication of a true actor! 🤩

Surprise mission: Junho is given the same lines to deliver again, and he teases that everyone just wants him to cry already, ha. He does a fantastic job of getting into character and delivering the lines though, like the pro that he is – before breaking into a chuckle. Cute!

Update:

Here’s a clip of Junho doing the special mission, many thanks to Martina for sharing it with me!

Second scene: San’s outcry to the King

Ack. Again, it’s a scene that I haven’t watched yet (the agony of always being behind everyone else! 🙈). It’s the scene where the King mistakes San for his father, and San cries out to the King, that he is San, before him.

I have no context for this scene, since I haven’t watched it, but I still marvel at how deep Junho digs, to deliver the scene.

Junho talks about shooting the scene for several hours, and spending those several hours on his knees (yikes), and also, how Lee Deok Hwa, who plays the King, released all his acting skills on him, and made it a very interesting time.

Aw. I like how Junho looks on the positive, learning side of things, even though his knees must have hurt after kneeling for several hours like that.

Plus, he even talks about how he’s looking forward to spending time fishing with Lee Deok Hwa, when the weather turns warmer. Cute!

Third Scene: Junho in action

Ahh! Finally, a scene that I have watched, heh! I loved this action scene, and I loved hearing Junho talk more about it.

He says that he’d told the director that he was keen to do as many of the action scenes himself as possible, but in prepping for the shoot, he hadn’t been able to practice at the action school as much as he wanted to. As a result, he did the training and learned how to use the swords and bows between shoots.

Oh wow, considering his schedule constraints, I think Junho did excellently, in the action scenes! No wonder his action coach was happy to work with him even between shoots.

I do love that Junho says that he enjoyed every shoot of the action scenes – and then jokes that the next time, maybe he’ll get to shoot a gun.

Heh. He’d look cool every which way, I say!

Fourth scene: Good Manager

I haven’t seen Good Manager myself, but it’s the scene where Junho does the TT dance with Nam Goong Min.

Junho talks about how Nam Goong Min really seemed to enjoy the shoot, and how Nam Goong Min had been the one to encourage him to do this dance.

Special mission: Junho is tasked to do the TT dance, pfft!

Junho looks kind of sheepish about it, but dances anyway, and looks super adorable while doing it too!

Junho wraps up the segment, saying that seeing each clip really reminded him of how he felt when he was filming them, and expresses that he’s glad to see how everyone enjoys seeing him act.

Yes. Yes we do, Junho-sshi. Please consider taking on more acting projects! 🤩🤩

Junho’s Balance Game

Ahaha. Turns out, it’s Junho vs. Junho for this segment, where the audience picks their favorite Junho. 😂 HOW DOES ONE PICK A FAVORITE JUNHO, you ask? I have no idea. I’m glad I’m not playing this game. 😁

At this point, though, the hair and wardrobe guys come out to, inexplicably, affix a set of moving cat ears to Junho, and it’s finicky and takes a looonng time. The hairstylist puts on so much hairspray on Junho that I start to worry for Junho’s lungs. 😱

And the whole process takes so long that Junho even asks how much longer it’s going to take – while expressing that he’s not super sure why he has to wear the ears, except for the fact that the fans seem to like ’em.

Aw. Ok, I personally could do without the ears myself, but I have to admit that he does look cute in them. But.. of course he would, right? He can rock just about anything?

Junho teases the audience about finding him cute in these ears, meaning, they’re in trouble for having questionable taste. HA.

Junho vs. Junho

Each round of Junho vs. Junho is introduced, and here are the various pairings:

1. Winking Junho from “Greasy Melo” vs. Ending Fairy Junho from “Make It”

The audience picks Ending Fairy Junho from “Make It,” and so did I, because I didn’t finish Greasy Melo (that was in my pre-Junho-smitten days), and “Make It” lives rent-free in my head.

Surprise mission: Junho is tasked to wink, and he protests that everyone says they didn’t like Winking Junho (ha!). He also confesses that he’s never been very good at winking or giving hearts, but has grown better at it over the years. He does a cute job of the winking anyway. 😍

2. “No Bangs” Junho from Good Manager vs. “With Bangs” Junho from Canvas

The audience is evenly divided, which makes sense to me, because I think Junho looks equally good with or without bangs. In fact, could I pick something in-between, like how he tends to wear his hair now?

With bangs, but not the mop-like bangs; the relatively neater, somewhat parted bangs. I like those on him. 😍

Junho teases that he should maybe have half bangs – like, keep only one side of his hair swept up. Pfft. Silly cute nonsense man. 😍

In the end, Junho himself picks Junho with bangs. I’ll take it! Good choice, Junho-sshi. 😁

3. Shirtless Junho in The Red Sleeve vs. Shirtless Junho in “I’m Your Man.”

Ooh. Both are excellent shirtless Junho’s, as even Junho himself admits. 😁

There are video clips of each one, before the audience votes, and it’s unfairly skewed in favor of “I’m Your Man,” for the simple fact that that clip features Junho dancing, and Junho dancing is ALWAYS going to get a reaction from the fans, y’know?

So, the winner was clearly Shirtless Junho from “I’m Your Man,” though my personal pick would be Shirtless Junho from The Red Sleeve, because I just dig his new maturity, and I love how lean and sculpted he got, for that bath scene. 🤩

Junho performing “Fire”

This song is new to me (remember, I’m a brand new fan and I still don’t know a lot of things! 😅), and I’m impressed at Junho’s ability to hit those high notes. I think he can sing higher than I can! 😛😄

I like that Junho really looks like he’s enjoying this performance. He looks (and sounds!) so in the zone, through the whole song. 🤩

Update:

Here’s a clip of the performance, many thanks to Martina for sharing it with me!

Photo shoot 

We get a bit of a highlight reel of a photoshoot next, and here are some screenshots!

Also, Junho takes some selfies, and talks about how bad he is at taking selfies. And this is also the moment when he talks about preparing for the fan meeting, and realizing that there would be a lot of restrictions in place, and how that made him feel sad and wistful about it.

After that, we see Junho rehearsing in the dance studio, for the fan meeting, and he talks about how he wants the fan meeting to be a time of friendly conversation, where he can show what Junho is like now.

Junho performing “Canvas”

Junho gets a wardrobe change, and now, he’s wearing a cream-colored cozy looking ensemble. It’s not my favorite thing ever, but I dig how snuggly it looks. 😁

I’m not familiar with this song, but again, I like how Junho looks so comfortable performing it, like it’s a welcome, homey space to him.

Plus, he breaks out some dance moves, and it’s always entrancing, to see him dance! 🤩

Update:

Here’s a clip of Junho’s performance, many thanks to Martina, for sharing it with me!

Previously undisclosed photos, courtesy of Junho’s manager

Junho talks some more about how he’s bad at taking pictures, particularly selfies, because he gets too shy (aw!), but his manager does a great job of it, and so, in this segment, we’ll get to see some previously undisclosed photos, taken by Junho’s manager.

Picture 1:

Junho talks about how this was at the first shoot for the cover of 2PM’s comeback album “Must,” and how happy he’d felt, to be with his 2PM mates and managers again. He also mentions how it hadn’t felt awkward at all, even though it had been a long time since they’d all worked together.

He also talks about how he’d gone on to shoot his episode of I Live Alone the next day (episode 397, on Viu here!), the very next day.

I do love how vividly Junho remembers all these details.

Picture 2:

Junho talks about shooting this scene at Changduk Palace, and how it had been a really hot day, and how he was supposed to run gleefully in the palace grounds, after misunderstanding Deok Im’s declaration of adoration, and he wasn’t sure whether he did a good job of it or not.

He also talks about how wearing a hanbok in summer was really hard, because he’s the kind of person who gets hot easily. I so identify! I’m that kind of person too, heh.

Picture 3:

Junho talks about filming this scene, where San has to kneel for forgiveness after killing the tiger, and how he was actually running between the drama shoots, and 2PM’s comeback activities. Dang. That’s a busy schedule!

Also, he talks about the beautiful hanbok, and emphasizes several times (heh) that he’s not talking about how good he looks in the hanbok, please don’t misunderstand. 😁

Picture 4:

Junho talks about how this photo was taken on the day 2PM shot for their “With Me Again” Japan album. He also says that he brought his camera hoping not to miss a moment of his life, but.. he’s still not a good photographer, and ends up mostly taking pictures of his cats. Hee.

Picture 5:

Junho says this photo was taken backstage at MBC Show Music Core, and he also talks about how, during the performance, the camera got reaaally up close to his butt, and how he feels sorry to audiences for it. 😁 Tee hee. He’s so cute.

And then he tells everyone that if they’re going to look up that performance, to maybe not watch it on the subway. 😂

Picture 6:

Junho explains that fans had requested for a photo of a 21st Century item being featured in a sageuk setting, and that’s why he’d taken this photo with his mobile phone.

Aw. I like how Junho actually responds to fan requests like this.

Picture 7:

Junho talks about how this photo was taken on the shooting day for fan content for HOTTEST WEEK “A Confession Room,” and how this is him diligently making a heart. Lol. I like how he’s so diligent, even in making hearts. He has said that he’s not the heart-making type, so I appreciate the effort! ❤️

Picture 8:

Junho talks about how this was shot in September, at the tail end of summer, and how he spent the entire day in the pond, basically, and how the water had gotten cold, later in the day.

Still, he talks about having fun, and he also reveals that during the scene, when Deok Im keeps grabbing onto San and asking if he’s ok, he’s actually laughing, even though he’s not supposed to, and therefore he was trying to hide it as much as possible. He also says that we’d probably be able to spot him laughing, on a rewatch. Heh. Cute!

Picture 9:

Junho talks about how this was in October, for his L’Occitane CF, and how he had a shoot for 2AM’s music video the next day, and how he had a shoot for the skipping stone scene for “The Red Sleeve” the day after that – which is why he remembers hardly sleeping much, during this period.

Picture 10:

Ooh. The bath scene!! Junho talks about how he was in the water all day, and how he thinks of it as a unique experience, since he doesn’t foresee being escorted to a rose petal bath again, ever, in his life.

He also talks about working out and eating well, in preparation for the scene. I hafta say, all that effort really paid off – Junho was magnificent in that scene! 🤩🤩

Surprise mission: Junho needs to successfully play a finger jumprope game, in order to unveil a bonus photo – and despite 2 tries and a very competitive personality, Junho fails the mission. Aw!

But, he reveals the photo anyway:

Junho explains that he’d wanted a picture in front of the palace in the red dragon robe, because he didn’t think that he’d ever have the chance to take such a picture again. And he’d realized only belatedly, that he still had his earmuffs on, heh.

He also talks about how it was so cold, that just removing the earmuffs for a short while, would make his ears go all red. Aw! Poor cold-eared baby! 🥺

Ask Junho anything

Junho reveals a handful of questions that had been gathered from fans before the fan meeting, and proceeds to read them out, deciding to answer them as he goes.

The questions range from, “What is your night and morning routine?” (getting slept on and pawed by his cats, heh), to “How did you feel the night before the fan meeting?” (hoping that he’d be in good condition), to “What’s your favorite thing to hear these days?” (that he’s living diligently).

The nugget of information I personally love the most from this segment, is the fact that Junho always brings some cat treats with him, when he goes to outdoor shoots, so that he can give them to any cats that he meets. Awww! I love that, so much. Isn’t he the cutest cat lover?? 😻😻😻

The other nugget of information that I really liked, is the fact that Junho always warms up before doing anything, and that includes not only a body warm-up, but a voice warm-up too. I’d actually been wondering about that, because he sings and dances, but I’ve only seen footage of him doing stretches before performances. I think it’s great – and professional! – that he makes it a habit to warm up his voice with vocalization exercises, while doing his body warm-ups! 😍

Ah, and last but not least, I liked finding out that when choosing an acting project, it’s most important to Junho that he finds the script interesting. Spoken like a true actor. 😍

Update:

Here’s a video clip of this part, many thanks to Martina for sharing it with me!

Surprise birthday cake!

“Congratulations” starts to play, and someone wheels out a birthday cake, while everyone in the audiences waves birthday placards in unison, as a surprise birthday celebration for Junho. Aw, that’s nice.

Junho teases everyone that it was quite funny from his perspective, because he could see everyone suddenly duck to reach for something underneath their chairs. Ha. Yes, I can see how that would’ve clued him in, that something was up.

Because the audience can’t sing for him, Junho ends up singing himself a birthday song, while everyone claps along, and it’s kind of weird, but y’know, what can you do, with covid restrictions in place, and a fan meeting, where everyone wants to wish you well? I think Junho’s a good sport for singing himself a birthday song, all by his lonesome.

And then he asks to take a picture with everyone, and the cake, like so:

Junho’s wrap-up

After this, Junho starts to wrap up the fan meeting, saying that it’s about time to leave.

He says that he’s about to sing one last song, but before that, he wants to know if everyone had a good time, and everyone claps their wildest, to let him know that they did.

Junho says that he hopes to see everyone soon, when they won’t have to wear masks, and would be able to shout, sing and talk to each other freely. He says he’s sad that they can’t do that now, but he’s glad to be able to just spend time with everyone. He says he wants his fans to smile when they’re happy, and to cry with him when they’re sad.

He sincerely thanks everyone for spending time with him on this day, and making it a very happy moment for him.

Final performances

Haha, Junho says that he’s going to sing one last song, and that turns into FOUR songs! Clearly, he wants to treat his fans to the best. ❤️

Hyper:

Update: 

Here’s a clip of his performance of Hyper from Day 1 of the fan meeting, many thanks to Martina for sharing it with me!

Ride up:

Flashlight:

Fire:

Actual goodbye

It’s finally time for actual goodbyes, and Junho asks again, if everyone had a good time, while shooting finger hearts in every direction. He thanks everyone, both at the venue and also, online, and then asks everyone to stay healthy, so that we can all meet again when covid is over.

He asks everyone to be happy, wishes us all Happy New Year, and says that he hopes we can all do the things that we want to do.

And then he takes his final bow, signing off as 2PM’s Lee Junho – before heart-ing his way off the stage. Heh, for someone who keeps saying that he’s not good at making hearts, he’s sure getting lots of practice! 😁

Finally, he takes out the mic one last time, to ask everyone to get home safely, before he waves and exits the stage.

Closing thoughts

As the livestream ends, it dawns on me that while the fan meeting had been scheduled for one and a half hours, it had actually gone for two and a half hours. Wow. Thank you, Junho-sshi, for spending an extra hour with us.

While I still think Junho deserved so much more, in this fan meeting – ie, more support, and more interaction with his fans – I also think that, ultimately, we all got what we most wanted and needed, from it.

Junho got to spend time with us, his fans, and tell us more about what’s on his heart and mind, and we got to see him, and we got to know him better. Stripping away everything else, those are the most important things in a fan meeting, right?

So, despite what this fan meeting could’ve been, without covid restrictions, I’m still glad for it, and I’m still so grateful, that I got to be a part of it, online.

Thank you for sharing your heart with us, Junho-sshi. All of the love to ya. ❤️