“If the actor can bring a positive emotion to anyone during this time, then it would already have been worth the effort of working on this project since last year. I think we all deserve some things that would make us smile.”—Ben Chan
By Alex Y. Vergara
Ladies, what would you wear should your dream date with Hyun Bin finally come true? Still undecided? But not Hyun, who seems all set to go.
Shedding off Captain Ri’s army uniform, one of the hottest actors on the planet today gave his growing number of Filipino fans an idea what he would wear on casual Fridays or even on a night on the town via two 25-second video teasers recently uploaded on Instagram by Ben Chan, chairman of Suyen Corp., featuring Hyun in the latest RTW fashion from Bench.
Although both teasers didn’t show a single full image of Hyun, glimpses of his signature dimple, jawline and partial profile were more than enough to confirm that it was indeed the Crash Landing on You star who was wearing those cool Bench separates, including a classic pair of jeans, sneakers, denim jacket, T-shirt and sweat shirt emblazoned, respectively, with the words “Captain” and “Feel Good.”
Ben, in his first post four days ago, virtually confirmed the model’s identity: “ATTENTION: It’s the newly enlisted #GlobalBENCHsetter and he’s about to hit your feed real soon.” The caption on his second post, uploaded some four hours ago, was surprisingly a bit more vague: “His stance is more than enough to tug [at] our heartstrings.”
Vague or not, it doesn’t matter, as excited fans lost no time flooding both posts with likes and comments. As of this writing, Ben’s first teaser has already garnered nearly 30,000 views, while his latest titillating fare has been viewed nearly 4,000 times.
In an exclusive report last May 27, PeopleAsia was the first to break the news that Bench, after Ben posted a short video message also on Instagram, “YOUR CRUSH, LANDING SOON,” had indeed signed up Hyun to do a series of commercials and photo shoots for Bench. As part of the deal, Ben also confirmed that the Korean superstar will also be flying to Manila sometime next year for a series of personal appearances.
Negotiations between Bench and Hyun’s management team started sometime last year. When the deal was finalized, a team from Bench flew to Korea earlier this year to do a photo shoot featuring Hyun.
“We knew that Hyun Bin fans had already been anticipating seeing more of him in the Philippines, but we were still overwhelmed with the positive feedback from people from all walks of life when we released our teasers, including from some of our favorite Filipino celebrities, new fans who recently discovered K-drama during the quarantine, and loyal admirers of Hyun Bin who have been very vocal, very convincing, and very excited for us to bring him here. It was because of their persuasive powers that we this project came into reality,” said Ben in an exclusive text message to PeopleAsia.
Asked to comment if all the trouble and hard work in signing up Hyun and working on the project on the eve of a pandemic were worth it, Ben added: “If he can bring a positive emotion to anyone during this time of pandemic, then it would already have been worth the effort of working on this project since last year. I think we deserve some things that would make us smile, right?”
Ben, unlike countless Pinoys who recently discovered and eventually devoured K-dramas during the long lockdown, is no Johnny-come-lately when it comes to the genre. In an earlier interview, he revealed to PeopleAsia that he has been watching Korean telenovelas for years.
“I have been an avid K-drama supporter for so many years, which is why we have signed up the likes of Lee Min Ho, Park Shin Hye and Park Seo Joon, among others,” he said.
Hyun Bin was one of the latest Korean celebrities to catch Ben’s attention for reasons anyone who has seen CLOY would know, he said: “He is charming, endearing and attractive.”
But is it the actor or the character that Ben is drawn to. “His endearing portrayal in CLOY makes it difficult for one who has seen the series not to associate it with his amazing talent as an actor,” he added.
Ben’s admiration for Hyun goes beyond his on-screen persona. Soft-spoken in person, Ben probably also sees a bit of himself in the quiet and unassuming Hyun.
“Credit goes to how good he is in his craft for which he has won numerous acting awards. Described by many as a man of few words, he is also actively engaged in many charitable endeavors. I think he is an ideal man and a great ambassador for Bench,” Ben shared.
“It is difficult not to associate one with the other, especially after reading up on what he is really like as a person. In the series, he is strong and vulnerable, humble and loyal which is also true to what he is in person. One definitely falls in love with both,” he concluded.
