Seoul Entertainment News

Hottest Rising Star Bae Joohyun to Answer All Fans’ Curious Questions!

Young, beautiful, and on unstoppable roll of hit after hit in the entertainment industry, the prodigal daughter of both silver screen and small screen, Bae Joohyun, has finally agreed to sit down with us for a honest, hot-seat interview!

The Sokcho-born actress has just turned 21 earlier this year, but already, she is breaking records after records and setting a new high for young actors all around the country!

After her first role in “Over the Border”, the critically acclaimed war movie directed by Director Choi Yun-Kyum about an orphaned girl who had to take care of her two younger siblings in a Japanese-invasion era, Joohyun had easily gone to win her first ever trophy as The Best New Actress at Baeksang Arts Awards.

And now, just three years after her entry to the entertainment industry, she has bagged a total of four movies and two TV dramas; two of which have given her another string of awards as The Most Popular Actress.

Her latest achievement was from her high-rated medical TV drama “Chasing Hope”, in which she won The Best Couple award with her handsome costar, Park Bogum.

Fans are in love with this beautiful young starlet and are dying to know more about her, so we are here to get the answers to all their curious questions!

Here is our interview with her in our famous hot-seat section! You know there is no beating around the bushes when it comes to the hot seat!

Interviewer: It’s such a pleasure to finally be able to interview you. We have been trying to get you on the show for quite a while but we seemed to keep failing. Mind telling us what’s made you keep us waiting for so long?

Joohyun: [Laughs] Well, I’m truly sorry for that. I have been busy filming back-to-back projects while juggling my college requirements, so I have kept a lot of people waiting, it seems. My bed misses me sorely too, actually, because I’ve only spent three hours with it every night. It’s planning to sue me for abandonment.

Interviewer: [Laughs] Well, well, that is a valid point. I was starting to think that you are afraid to come here because of our notorious reputation for asking blunt, uncensored questions, but I’m glad if it’s not the case.

Joohyun: Oh, trust me. That’s not the case. I love this show. I find the hot-seat section highly amusing, actually.

Interviewer: Ooh, so you are not worried about your own “hot” secrets being dug up?

Joohyun: [Laughs] Well, I don’t have any skeleton hidden under my proverbial basement, so I think I should be alright. I’m a pretty boring, simple girl, you see.

Interviewer: [Shakes head] Boring and simple are definitely not the words anyone will use to describe you, Miss Joohyun. For example, no boring girl would date three of her costars in just three years of her career, wouldn’t you say? You are surely the moving-on quickly type.

Joohyun: Uh oh, so now the skeleton digging begins. [Laughs] I’m sorry to disappoint you and the digging crew though, because those were all just rumors. I have never been in a romantic relationship with any of my costar before.

Interviewer: But you have been photographed being out and cozy with Oh Sehun, Shin Seung Ho, and most recently, Park Bogum at late night dinners. Are you saying those were all just friendly hangouts?

Joohyun: Dinner with coworker can be a friendly hangout, no? I was under the impression that eating together is not strictly restricted to lovers. [Laughs] And I do hang out with my female costars often too. I’m not sure why people only focus on my male costars.

Interviewer: Very clever answers, Miss Joohyun. I see who I’m dealing with now. You are apparently just as quick-witted as your movie and drama roles, aren’t you?

Joohyun: [Smiles] I’m flattered if you think so.

Interviewer: Speaking of roles, what do you have to say about the fact that you only acted in a serious, intense role once in your debut movie “Over the Border” and never did the same again? All your works after that are only romance and they are all similar.

Joohyun: Oh my, I hope you are not insinuating that romance works are worth less than darker stories because that will hurt a lot of people who have worked hard on those. Directors, scriptwriters, and all the other staffs.

Interviewer: Oh! Of course not! I apologize if I come across wrong. What I mean is, some people are saying that you’re only capable of playing the “pretty love interest” of the male protagonists and that is why you haven’t won any more prestigious awards after “Over the Border”. You have only won the popularity awards voted by fans and also the couple awards ever since then.

Joohyun: [Laughs] Ouch, that sounds very ruthless. Awards voted by fans and not by critics matter too, don’t they? After all, what are we actress and actor, if not for our fans’ love? And I’m happy with the couple awards too because it means I manage to show good chemistry with my costars on screen. That’s part of a well done job, for me.

Interviewer: You are right. I suppose it is part of a successful job. And judging by what you have just said, I assume that you are not the type of actress who gets ambitious over prestigious acknowledgement? You seem like you are content with just giving enjoyment to your fans.

Joohyun: That I am. I’m happy giving people what little happiness I can offer from my movies and dramas. God knows we need a lot of happiness in these trying days.

Interviewer: [Laughs] Alright. And what is your take on people who think that you are just a pretty face with no real breadth and depth?

Joohyun: My take on that is that they haven’t watched my work close enough, but it’s okay. I will change their minds one of these days. I will keep on working hard to prove myself and I will show them that my face isn’t my only good quality. [Laughs]

Interviewer: Okay, Joohyun. You have given us great answers so far. One last question though. Is it true that your father is still alive? Your official biodata states that you are an orphan but sources say that your father is still around. In fact, we hear that he has just been caught by authorities for money laundering a month ago. Is it true?

Joohyun: [Silent]

Interviewer: Do you have anything to say about that? Also, is it true that he used to be a producer back in the day? Perhaps your connection with him has brought you to where you are in the film industry now?

Joohyun: My father has absolutely nothing to do with my career. He has left me and my mom since I was two. I haven’t met him since and I don’t know anything about him. As far as I’m concerned, I had one parent – a really great, loving mother – and she had passed. So yes, I would say that I’m an orphan. And I would appreciate it if we don’t talk about this topic ever again because it’s a personal grief. I’m sure you will understand.

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“That piece of .” Joohyun pulled her scarf off of her neck and hurled it across the dressing room, making the innocent piece of fabric take the brunt of her anger as it hit against the sofa in the corner and slid down to the floor.

Krystal Jung, her manager who had been sitting on the said sofa for an hour while waiting for her interview to finish, raised her eyes from the black rim of her glasses and lowered the tablet she was holding.

“I’m glad you manage to hold that curse in until you get off the cameras at least. I was worried you would throttle the man on-screen while watching.”

Joohyun fumed, not really hearing what she said. “Did you see what that weasel tried to do in the end? Bringing up an issue he clearly knows is related to my mother’s death? Low blow, Krystal. Even for entertainment industry’s non-existent standard.”

Joohyun’s face heated up so intensely, she knew that if she were to look in the mirror at the moment, she would appear as deep red as beets.

Anger. Absolute anger. She hadn’t felt such a strong negative emotion in a while.

It was a truly nasty move from the interviewer to bring up her bastard father and play it innocent as if he didn’t know yet about him and what he had done to her family.

As far as Joohyun knew, everybody in the country had known about it because she had been asked about it one too many times during her first year of acting.

Her first ever role in the highly successful “Over the Border” as an orphan had brought spotlight to her real life’s condition as an orphan back then. Joohyun both loved and resented the movie because it shot her name to stardom but it also bared all her sensitive personal stories to public.

And now, three years down the road, she thought that it was finally over but of course, it was brought up again. The constant dig was now starting to feel like a violation not only to herself but also to her deceased mother.

Joohyun felt sick.

“I agree with you, champ.” Krystal took off her glasses and sighed. “But let this be a reminder for you that the entertainment industry has no real low. Whenever you think that you’ve seen the worst of it, something worse will pop out and surprise you.”

Joohyun scoffed but said nothing in return because she knew that it was true. “I’m never going to this show ever again even if that’s true. I don’t care how much money they offer, I’m not doing it.”

She walked over to where Krystal sat and threw herself on the sofa next to her. “I can deal with any rude questions about myself, but I won’t tolerate any more jab at my past that involves my mother. It is way too disrespectful.”

“Sadly, nothing is too disrespectful or too invasive in the entertainment industry. It is messed up, but anything about a celeb’s life is up for public consumption if someone manages to dig it. I’ve told you that over and over. You knew it and you wanted it anyway. You still want it even now, we both know.”

Joohyun groaned and pressed both of her palms onto her face. “I hate when you do your coldhearted but very reasonable talk. How am I supposed to debate you like that?”

Krystal laughed. “Well, on the bright side, you did really well in answering majority of the questions tonight. I think the publicist we hired has done a really good job training you. You responded to all offensive questions with laid-back wits instead of getting defensive. You denied all accusations with logical answers that made people feel stupid for accusing you without directly calling them stupid, too. Very well done.”

Joohyun waved her off, finally feeling slightly better and dropping off her grimace because those were true at least.

It took her three years in the entertainment industry to grasp what it really wanted from women like her, but she finally understood it now and she had decided to use it against itself for her own benefits.

The industry wanted the same contradicting traits the society expected from women.

They wanted a woman who was smart enough to not appear embarrassing, but they also wanted her to not be too smart.

They wanted a woman who was confident enough to seem playful and y, but not too confident to show strong opinions, high standards, and ambitions.

They wanted a woman who was both innocent and ual, as if she wouldn’t understand the unwholesome thoughts they were having about her because she was too wholesome.

All of these were crap, of course, but it was a fairly easy act to put on, at least for Joohyun.

So, when any interviewer asked her if she was content with doing only romance and with winning mediocre Best Couple Award with some men, she would say yes because they wouldn’t like to know that she was so ambitious; that what she really wanted was another meatier role with more essence so she could get the Best Actress award instead.

And when they asked her about possible love interest off-screen, she had to pretend to be clueless that she could cause such ‘misunderstanding’ with all those late night outings with her male costars, because they liked to think that she was ually available but that she wasn’t doing it intentionally and that she was still innocent.

Joohyun knew it all. And she had been playing it to her advantage for the past year.

The industry was toxic, but she was willing to play with its fire because this career was what she wanted for herself.

Because underneath all the terrible things, acting was still the only thing that could breathe life into her and fill her with emotions – feelings – that ran deep into her very soul.

The satisfaction she got from successfully bringing a character to life was unlike any other thing on earth. It sparked her with joy that she didn’t really get quite often ever since her mother’s death.

It was a high that nothing else – not even – could bring for her. And god knew she had had quite a lot of es these past few years; another part of her ‘playing with fire.’

Joohyun wasn’t in a relationship with any of her costar, she hadn’t lied on that part. But it didn’t mean that she wasn’t sleeping with a few of them – when it benefited her.

If there was anything she had learned from her loss three years ago, it was that the world wouldn’t just hand out things she wanted while she sat and waited sweetly.

She had to go out and wrestled what she wanted from the world, unapologetically and shamelessly sometimes.

“It was very smart of you to make it sound as if the interviewer was the one who looked down on your romance work and not yourself. God knows how much you resent them in reality.” Krystal chuckled. “The sly weasel even ended up apologizing for it.”

“Well, I don’t actually resent them.” Joohyun emerged from her internal musings and sighed. “I’m just tired of them because they are all everybody ever gives to me. And w