One would not expect to go home with two bags of spring onions after attending a South Korean entertainment event.
But the unexpected happened to Ms Joanne Liew at South Korean actor Lee Dong Wook's fan meet last Saturday night (April 15) at the MasterCard Theatres at Marina Bay Sands.
The nurse was picked to go onstage to re-create an iconic scene from hit K-drama Goblin, in which its two leading men, Lee and Gong Yoo, sashay down a tunnel like runway models with green onions in grocery bags as their accessories.
Ms Liew, 26, says of meeting Lee in person: "I'm very happy, but I don't know what to do with these spring onions. I've watched all of his dramas. He's versatile and funny."
The fan was among the estimated 1,000-strong crowd at the 35-yearold K-drama star's first ticketed fan meet in Singapore, as part of his Asia tour after his much-loved performance as a brooding Grim Reaper in Goblin.
Tailored to his fans, much of the two-hour session was packed with opportunities for the audience to relive the fantasy romance.
Lee, also the star of K-dramas My Girl (2005) and Scent Of A Woman (2011), shared an interesting glimpse of what went on behind the scenes during his most recent production, Goblin (2016).
When he had difficulty turning on the waterworks for a crying scene, he says he thought of his pet dog, which had died. He revealed that the crown brooch pinned on the lapel of the Grim Reaper's black suit was also his idea.
Audiences squealed in delight as they rewatched Goblin's highlights on the big screen - from Lee's passionate kiss with a love interest to the bromance shared with co-star Gong.
Fan-made parodies of Goblin were also screened. The organiser had called for submissions on its Facebook page last month, asking fans to film their take on Lee's work for a chance to take part in a "mystery event" with him at the meet.
The winning clip, chosen by Lee, featured the popular tunnel scene, but with a Singapore twist.
Ardent fan Dian Nadia, 22, had enlisted the help of her family to shoot the two-minute clip at an underpass in MacRitchie last month.
The Nanyang Technological University undergraduate acted alongside her younger sister and aunt, while her mother was the camerawoman. They tweaked the original lines to include Singapore slang.
For her efforts, the linguistic studies major snagged a one- minute date onstage with Lee, during which they had a conversation in simple Korean, took a photo and hugged.
She says: "I couldn't put my thoughts into words during the date. I was at a loss for words. Now I have so many questions that I want to ask him. I still cannot wrap my head around the fact that my video was chosen by him. It still feels surreal that I've spent time with him up close."
