The Many Faces of Lee Seung Gi Part 1
We uncover what goes through the mind of Korea’s ‘Mr. Perfect’
Text & Photos: Lee Wei Lin
Videos: Teng Siew Eng
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What’s not to like about Lee Seung Gi? The dashing all-rounder sings, acts and hosts part-time and plays the nation’s perfect boy-next-door full-time. So squeaky clean is this 26-year-old that Dispatch, a Korean media outlet famed for uncovering celebrity scandals, declared him scandal-free even after following him for extended periods of time.
What lies under that megawatt smile is an IQ that is said to be of over 140 that dissects media questions in the blink of an eye and answers them as tactfully as possible – with a brilliant smile to round it off. xinmsn takes a look at the many faces that Seung Gi showed during the short press conference ahead of his second solo fan meeting in Singapore and takes a guess at what might have gone through the mind under his perfectly-coiffed hair.
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His pearly whites might melt hearts all over the world but which fan can resist this cute little pout of his? In what we call his look of concentration, Seung Gi exhibited this expression of his numerous times throughout the night when his translator explained a particularly tricky question. One such question was with regards to his new backpacking variety show, Backpacking Project 2, in which xinmsn asked which four female idols he would like to travel with if given the opportunity.
In order not to disappoint the nation’s various young female stars, he paused before chuckling, “Frankly speaking, the thought hasn’t really occurred to me. In particular, I’ve never thought of any female idols I’d like to work with and as far as I know, the cast has been confirmed (for the show) and I’m looking forward to working with them.”
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Yet another contemplative look from our multi-hyphenate. This look was shown when questions that were particularly difficult to translate were posed and he and the translator had to work double-time in order to answer the question well. For the record, Seung Gi introduced himself at the start of the press conference in fluent English, save for one grammatical error; though who would remember especially since he flashed his megawatt smile right after?
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Oh, the pearly whites. Seung Gi flashed his toothy grin numerous times throughout the night, especially when his fans cheered for him at any chance that they had. The singer, who has visited Japan thrice this year, expressed his wish to hold a full-fledged concert in South East Asia soon but admitted, “It has not happened yet due to many factors such as logistics and schedule” but declared that he would love to do so in the near future.
He also acknowledged fans from all over who flew in to support him; among those in attendance were those from China, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Thailand.
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As perfect as he may seem, Seung Gi showed a hint of displeasure at one of the questions posed during the press conference. Known for juggling acting, hosting and singing, someone asked if he had a preference for any of the three - a question that has been repeated countless times over the years. “It’s not that I’m doing just one but I do a variety of things. Instead of focusing on the job itself, I prefer to direct my efforts to the emotional part of it,” he deadpanned, seemingly recalling a memorised script.
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This self-satisfied smile reminds us a little of a Cheshire cat – not that he doesn’t deserve to give himself a pat on the back after handling the media like the seasoned celebrity he is. After admitting to his imperfection of “treasuring my new belongings a little too much but getting tired of them easily”, he proclaimed that there is “maybe nothing” (he even said it in English) in terms of bad habits that he is unable to tolerate from his future other half - an answer that provoked a shrill scream from his fans. Our conclusion: good answer.
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Another victory pose for Seung Gi. Rounding up the press conference was a Korean reporter who questioned his string of ‘good person’ roles in his dramas, wondering if he was worried that playing a villain would have a negative impact on his image and popularity. “Not to say that I don’t want to transform my image and not that I have a fear of doing so, but I want to be able to do my best in whatever role that I take up, so there is no particular reason for me carrying on with (having a positive image).”
CR: entertainment xin msn