the original message and bof's translation

before i post the above subject let me write this down first before i forget them. ^^

wasn't able to join much in the celebration for the message of yong joon's message at kob. well, i actually did join in the morning but it was cut short due to work and i had to go out for meeting that lasted until almost 10pm.

but before i left for my meeting, hee, i actually printed the message of yong joon for me to read and read and read while with the bosses.

i love his lengthy message. he's undeniable very different from other actors. he has his own unique style. he can make a simple idea grand. and he thinks not only for himself but who would benefit the greater.

i wonder how long it took him to finish the message. i wonder how many erasures he made to come up with the right message he wants to convey. i wonder if he was able to sleep right after clicking the write button.

i'm so excited about this project though i know that it is still in the planning stage. but i've waited much longer and this will certainly won't be a much longer wait. ^^

having written that, now back to the above subject. ^^

been wanting to post yong joon's original message in hangul from the office but like i keep on telling, my computer at work can't read characters. i can't d/l nor modify the language since we have firewall. darn the firewall! anyway, since i'm now home i'm now going to repost his message after which it will be followed by the translation from BOF.

btw, i'm really thankful that BOF now is trying to communicate with yong joon's overseas family by coming up with english translations of their notices in KOB or JOB. i hope that they can also do this to SJS. ^^

original message of yong joon in kob
postedon 08.19.08
at 3:31 and 3:26am

배용준입니다

안녕하세요 가족 여러분, 배용준입니다.

오늘 날씨가 짖궂긴 했지만 시원한 바람이 상쾌함을 주는 하루가 아니었나 싶습니다.
반면 조금은 차가운 비바람이 계절이 곧 바뀌겠구나 하는 생각을 들게 하더군요.
시간이 벌써 이렇게 흘렀나 싶어 마음이 급해졌습니다. 쉬면서 하고 싶은 일들을 많이 그려놨거든
요. 그래서 제일 먼저 가족 여러분들께 편지를 보냅니다.

먼저, 걱정 끼쳐드려 죄송합니다. 수술은 별 탈 없이 잘 진행이 되었구요.
병원에서 며칠 경과를 보다가 퇴원 후 이렇게 컴퓨터 앞에 앉아 우리 가족들에게 편지를
쓸 수 있을 정도로 빠른 회복 단계를 거치고 있는 중입니다.
앞으로는 심려 끼쳐드리지 않겠다는 약속으로 우리 가족 여러분들에게 감사한 마음을 대신 하고 싶
어요. 여러분들도 건강 조심하셔야 해요.

제가 앞으로 하고 싶은 일들 중, 한가지에 대해 여러분들과 상의를 좀 할까 합니다.

얼마 전, 제가 한국을 소개 하는 책을 쓰고 싶다는 말을 한 적이 있는데요, 혹시 기억하세요? 사진
을 좋아하는 이유도 있지만 무엇보다 한국의 아름다움을 소개하고 싶은 생각이 오래 전부터 들었습
니다.

그러니까, 제가 아시아 가족들에게 사랑 받기 시작하면서부터 많은 가족 분들이 한국에 대해 관심
을 가져 주신 걸로 알고 있어요. 방문도 하시구요. 그런데 그 방문 루트가 드라마 촬영지에 너무 국
한 되는 것이 언젠가부터 안타까웠습니다.
그 중에서도 한국이란 나라에 큰 매력을 느끼시면서도 별 다른 정보가 없어 금새 발을 돌리는 가족
분들이나 관광객들은 더욱 더 붙잡고 싶었습니다. 그리고 말하고 싶었습니다.

“한국이란 곳은 평생을 살고 있는 우리에게도 커다란 감동을 안겨 주는 풍경과 문화와 역사를 지
닌 나라입니다. 카메라를 들고서 곳곳의 아름다움을 좀 더 담아주세요. 이곳이 내가 태어나고 자란
대한민국입니다. 내가 출연한 드라마나 영화에서 그려지는 한국의 진짜 아름다움입니다. ” 라고 말
이죠.

그러면서 내가 먼저 카메라를 들고 여행을 시작하면 어떨까 하는 생각이 들었고, 나의 사진을 통해
조금이나마 한국의 아름다움을 소개하는 책을 내고 싶다는 마음을 가지게 된 것입니다.

그런데 고민이 여기서 끝나진 않았습니다. 여행 루트를 생각하다 보니 너무 유명한 곳, 혹은 내가
가본 몇몇 곳에 치우치게 되더군요. 내가 알지 못하고, 가보지 못한 곳 중에서도 분명 좋은 곳이 있
을 텐데.. 도움을 청할 곳이 마땅치 않았습니다.
그러면서 생각난 것이 우리 가족들이었어요! 이 책을 나 혼자만의 힘이 아닌 우리의 힘으로 함께
만들어 보자는 생각이 들었습니다.

어떠세요? 저한테 말씀해주시겠어요?

여러분께서 여행하신 대한민국 곳곳의 아름다움을 저에게 알려주세요. 사진이나 글, 어
떠한 정보도 좋습니다. 우연히 들른 한 허름한 식당의 시골밥상도 좋습니다. 차를 세우
고 기지개를 펴다 만난 이름 모를 뒷산의 일몰도 좋습니다. 유명한 여행지에서 겪은 재
미난 에피소드도 좋습니다. 평생을 한국에서 함께 살아온 분들도, 우연히 한국을 여행하
다 한국의 진가를 알게 된 분들도 좋습니다.
아직 한국에 대한 궁금증만 가지고 계시다구요? 그것도 좋아요. 한국의 어떤 면이 궁금
한지, 어느 곳에 가보고 싶은지, 무엇이 먹고 싶은지.. 마음껏 제게 아이디어를 제공해
주세요.

여러분의 이야기를 귀 담아 듣고 좋은 책을 만들 수 있는데 최선을 다 해 보도록 할께
요. 외국에 있는 우리 가족들 뿐 아니라 한국에 관심이 있는 사람이면 누구나, 이 책을
보고 한국에 오랫동안 머물고 싶은 생각이 들었으면 좋겠습니다.

저의 카메라와 노트와 펜은 준비가 되어 있습니다. 여러분의 이야기를 듣고 바로 여행가
방을 싸도록 할게요. 우선 얼마간은 webmaster@byj.co.kr로 메일 보내주세요. 조만간
여러분들의 이야기에 귀 기울일 수 있는 공간을 마련해 보도록 하겠습니다.

몇 주전부터 생각했던 이야기를 털어 놓고 나니 마음이 가볍네요. 저는 이제 떨리는 마
음으로 여러분의 이야기를 기다리고 있겠습니다. 저 역시 열심히 공부하고 있을께요.

항상 건강하시고 행복하세요.
사랑합니다.

2008년 8월 19일 새벽 배용준 드림

추신.
글이 한 번에 다 안 올라가서 잠시 잠깐 놀랐습니다.
용량 제한이 있다는 걸 깜박했네요. ^^
보실 때 불편하지 않으셨길 바랄께요.

BOF's translation : The full contents of
Mr. Bae Yong Joon’s message in ‘Talk Box’
posted on KOB 08.19.09

[but it does not include yong joon's cute postscript. click here to read that postscript ^^]

Hello everybody. I hope that you have been doing well.

Even though the weather was unpleasant today, I thought that the cool breeze was
refreshing. The cold rain and wind also seemed to suggest a change of seasons.
I realized that time had passed very quickly and a sense of urgency began to take over. You see, while resting I had made a mental note of all the things I wanted to do. And so I now write this letter to you.

First, I would like to apologize for causing you to worry about me. My surgery was a
success and there were no complications. After spending a few days in the hospital, I am
now recovering from the operation. My recovery has been progressing very quickly and I am now able to sit in front of my computer and write this letter to you. I promise that I will never cause you to worry like this again, and I am very grateful for your support. I hope that you will always take care of your health.

Among the things that I would like to do, there is one idea that I would like to share with you now.

I once mentioned that I would like to create a book that introduces Korea to the reader.
I admit that part of the reason behind my book idea is my love for taking pictures. However, for a while now I have also wanted to exhibit the beauty of Korea.

I understand that many of you in Asia began to show interest in Korea at the time you began to support me. Some of you even visited Korea. However, I have wished for some time that your travel destinations included more sites which are not related to drama filming locations. I wished that there was some way to say the following to you and other tourists who were able to experience some of the greatness of Korea but who then had no choice but to leave the country due to a lack of relevant information:

“Even for Korean citizens who have lived in Korea their whole lives, exposure to Korea’s
natural landscape, culture, and history is a moving experience. Please capture the beauty of Korea with your camera. This is where I was born and where I grew up. This is the beauty of Korea which was shown in the dramas and movies I appeared in.”

This made me think about picking up my camera and starting a journey myself. Then I got the idea of making a book which would share the beauty of Korea through my photographs of the country.

I started to think about places which I would recommend to tourists. But I could only think about famous places and the few sites that I have personally visited. And I know that there are many wonderful places which I have either not visited or do not know about. To make matters worse, I could not find any satisfactory and helpful sources of information. Then I realized that I could try asking you for help! I was wondering what you thought about making the book together with me.

What do you think? Please give me your thoughts.

Please tell me about the various places you have visited in Korea. Any information, whether in the form of a letter or photograph, would be greatly appreciated. Even an old traditional restaurant in the countryside or a sunset you witnessed while stretching outside of your car would be suitable for the book. I would even like to hear about the fun episodes that occurred while you were here in Korea. I would also like to hear from those of you who live in Korea and who have had the opportunity to experience the true value of our country during your journeys.

Perhaps you are curious about Korea and you haven’t actually visited the country. That is
good for the book too. Please tell me which aspects of Korea you would like to know more about, which places you would like to visit, what types of food you would like to eat …

I will use all of my efforts to focus on the creation of this book after listening to all of your ideas. I hope that the book will cause people who are interested in Korea to want to stay in Korea for a long time.

My camera, notebook, and pen are now ready to start the project. As soon as I hear from
you, I will pack my bags. For now, please send your emails to webmaster@byj.co.kr. Later, I will try to set up another method of receiving your ideas.

It feels good to finally write down what I have been thinking about for the past few weeks. I now will wait with great anticipation for your input. I will carefully study everything you send.

Please remain healthy and happy.

Love,

Bae Yong Joon

August 19, 2008