A Night With Lee Dong Wook - 6 Times he stole hearts at the Singapore fan meet > SPECIAL

There was nothing grim about meeting the Reaper at the Lee Dong Wook fan meet, appropriately named ‘For My Dear’. An intimate event dedicated to Lee’s fans - a full house of teenage girls, office ladies, boyfriends, moms and dads - not one was spared the actor’s debonair charm. Can we say slay?

The meet was structured simply into segments that covered topics such as Lee’s career and his favourite scenes. But unlike the predictable plot development of many Korean dramas, plot twists and surprises awaited fans at every turn, and no one expected the thrill ride that lasted all of the second half.

If you missed out, we've got you covered so you’ll know what to expect the next time you catch Lee Dong Wook!

1) “I don’t really like taking selcas because I’m not good at them.”
Usually humble about taking photos of himself, Lee prepared a few - just for the fans. A photo of Lee in his recently popular role as the Grim Reaper gave insights on how he applied personal touches in creating the Grim Reaper’s character (i.e. the pin on his lapel - spoiler alert). Other photos included snippets from his time on Superman Returns and his radio show on V Live - another opportunity for him to grow closer to his fans.

2) “The kissing scene (with Sunny after reincarnation) was an ad lib.”
Selected as one of three fan favourites, the scene from Goblin was a rare, happy scene between Sunny and the Grim Reaper. Lee said that he’d asked the production team for a brighter scene, as most of his shared scenes with actress Yoo In Na were full of tears. The ad lib scene consisted of two kisses - the first initiated by the Grim Reaper, and the other by Sunny. Due to NGs, it was a scene that needed to be repeated several times at 5am in the morning, after an all-nighter. Lee also spoke about developing a great friendship with fellow actor Gong Yoo on the set of Goblin, and enjoyed filming scenes that established a friendship between their on-screen characters, the Goblin and the Grim Reaper. Addressing the fans’ all-time favourite scene from Goblin - in which the Grim Reaper meets Sunny for the first time - Lee quipped, “it wasn’t a scene that normally would involve a lot of crying… our noses were red from the cold… I was thinking about every sad moment in my life to cry for that scene.” (Such as when his puppy died, or when he was getting scolded by his mother.)

3) “That scene was shot on my birthday.”
Lee spent the whole of his birthday (after another all-nighter) working on the Grim Reaper’s memorable first scene in Goblin. The Grim Reaper’s lovable character is something that becomes apparent in later scenes, but for a greater contrast, Lee said, “the coldness had to be shown first”.

4) “I probably don’t even cry once a year.”
Lee is known for heart-wrenching, tear-filled scenes so on point the heavens weep - but he revealed that personally, he’s not one for tears. Lee is aware of how expressive his eyes can be, and places importance on chemistry between him and the female actress in a romance drama. “The viewers can tell if I’m just pretending to be in love by watching my eyes”, he said. On his most difficult drama to date, Lee reminisces that his 2008 drama La Dolce Vita (달콤한 인생) was the most challenging. 

5) “I really had fun re-enacting (scenes) with the fans.”
Recording an alarm for a fan (and later, for everyone), taking a photo posing in a heart shape, playing a staring game (and losing), playing the palm-pushing game, one-minute dates, free hugs - it seems there’s nothing Lee won’t do for his adoring fans. Re-enacting romantic scenes with fans (all that skinship!) was part of the ride, and one lucky fan made it home with a bag of onions (no prizes for guessing). Are Singaporean fans weird? “No,” said Lee, “it was really fun - I hope the alarm works!”

6) “I don’t dance anymore - I’m old.”
The actor jokingly declined to dance to TT - a fan favourite at meets - but that didn’t stop him from throwing in a few random moves once or… Twice. He concluded the meet by performing a song from his 2015 drama, Bubble Gum. All fans left rewarded with a hi-touch from Lee Dong Wook, and other lucky fans managed to stay for a group photo! It’s been 6 years since Lee Dong Wook visited Singapore as part of publicity for Scent of a Woman (여인의 향기), but the gentleman dropped hints that another visit is on the menu some time soon -
either by way of a movie or a drama. “I’ll come back any time I’m welcome here,” he added, noting and appreciating the love he receives from fans. And why wouldn’t he be welcome here, now that he’s learnt how to speak Singlish? As the man himself said, “See you again, lah!”

Lee Dong Wook <For My Dear> Singapore Fan Meet was held at the MBS Mastercard Theatres, and made possible by IME SG and Three Angles Production.