26. Kim Jaejoong, According To Kim Jaejoong
"A compassionate person, with a warm heart." (Park Yoochun)
"A perfectionist when it comes to work, but the best at taking care of the people around him." (Kim Junsu)
That is Kim Jaejoong in the eyes of members Park Yoochun and Kim Junsu, with whom he has been like brothers with for close to 10 years. Both said in unison that they were envious of Kim Jaejoong's vast interpersonal relationships.
Kim Junsu said, "When we were in Japan, there was a man I had never seen before sleeping on a bed in our room. When I asked who it was, Jaejoong said that he had seen the man drinking sadly by himself at a pub, so he had a drink with him and took him in for the night. Although it was shocking, it is something that happens often with Jaejoong. When it comes to work he is extremely conscientious and a perfectionist, but over drinks, he is someone who is very open and becomes friends with everyone." Kim Junsu also mentioned that he respected the way Kim Jaejoong meticulously took care of those around him.
"When you start getting to know new people, it becomes difficult to take care of the people you knew before as well. But he manages to show his concern for everyone. Sometimes it's to the extent that I begin to wonder if he has a clone who is helping him send all these messages. Haha."
When drunk and in high spirits, acting cute is just the basics!
In that case, what is "Kim Jaejoong" like in the eyes of Kim Jaejoong?
When being asked to comment on himself, Kim Jaejoong was shy and hesitated for a while before commenting, "He's a decent guy, but his character is a little exhausting." He then went on to say while laughing, "I don't know how to say no to people. It's getting better these days, but I go out of the way to accommodate others, so much so that I'm losing a few years of my life."
He also added that since he puts himself in the other party's shoes so often, that when he is with the other party, it becomes easy to grasp what the person is thinking, or how the person sees him.
When told of the comment made by the people around him such as Park Yoochun and Kim Junsu that he "is overly considerate to the people around him", Kim Jaejoong's reply was," I like people, and I like taking care of people, but it is difficult if you were to do that intentionally. Though I do want to be remembered as a good person, but relationships are always relative. Should the relationship with someone turn sour, I would sever ties even if we used to be very close." He showed a surprisingly strict side of him when it comes to his views on interpersonal relationships.
Kim Jaejoong who "likes people", is also known among the people around him for being good at acting cute. In particular, the extent to which he acts cute increases dramatically once he has a drink. Kim Jaejoong said, "Usually, I don't express myself that much because I find it cheesy, but when I drink, I often tell them members I love them, and even kiss them. Especially since all of us have spent more time doing solo activities, and haven't been able to spend as much time together, I have come to realise how precious they are to me. In October we attended the appointment ceremony as ambassadors of the Korea-Japan Exchange Exhibition, then when to have lunch at a shop serving pig intestine sausage stew, and ended up taking for over three hours," showing his special affection for his members.
Airport Fashion? "I'm the founder"
Kim Jaejoong is known for being a representative fashionista in the entertainment industry.
In particular, "airport fashion", that is popular among artistes, can be said to have begun with Kim Jaejoong and the JYJ members. The photos taken of the members as they appeared casually at the airports while carrying out their overseas activities gathered a fair bit of attention, and that gradually became known as "airport fashion".
