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SINGAPORE: He once lined the walkway of a church with 200 candles to surprise his girlfriend with a ring to mark 100 days since their first date. But now, Korean star Lee Min-ho may be putting such romantic gestures on hold.
The reason – well, blame it on the little ironies in life – the heartthrob who is every bit as romantic as the lead character he plays in the immensely popular Korean drama "Boys Over Flowers" and pursued by thousands of women, admits that he is now single but has hardly any time for himself, let alone a date!
The 22-year-old star, who saw his popularity soar in the Korean TV drama, has such a huge following in Singapore alone that a public appearance on the island to officiate at a store's opening had to be cancelled due to crowd control issues.
More than a thousand fans showed up at the venue, causing a major human traffic jam at downtown Plaza Singapura where Lee had planned an appearance after jetting in for a whirlwind weekend to meet fans and open an outlet for Korean cosmetics brand Etude House, for which he is the brand ambassador.
Meeting the media later, it was clear that despite his overwhelming fame the good-looking actor has clearly managed to remain grounded.
Looking fresh and wearing a smile that never left his face during the session on Saturday afternoon, it was hard to guess that Lee - decked in a smart pastel-coloured shirt and vest – had stepped off a plane less than three hours earlier.
Unlike the arrogant brat he portrays in "Boys Over Flowers", Lee exudes a surprisingly innocent charm with a demeanor that is very much like your friendly boy next door.
The only exception is this boy-next-door is often the boy-at-home. "I don't go out as often as I used to... because of the attention that I get on the streets," said Lee.
Now that Lee has found fame and fortune with his big break in "Boys Over Flowers" some two years after he went into acting, he remains down-to-earth.
When asked what he most wanted to do if he were as rich as Goo Jun Pyo, the character he plays in "Boys Over Flowers", neither cars nor condo topped the list, but a different "C" word - charity.
"Earlier this year, I had to undergo an operation and was hospitalised," revealed Lee. "While I was at the hospital, I met a lot of people who were sick and had financial difficulties. So if I had the money like Jun Pyo, I would like to help those people with financial difficulties and illness... to provide them with better care."
A heartthrob who has a big heart – it looks like his legion of fans all across Asia is set to grow even more. This is especially since he has his sights set on expanding his career in acting, after a year of travelling around Asia meeting fans and lending his presence to product launches.
The lanky Lee has been the darling of commercials, endorsing products from beer to cosmetics, car accesorries, mobile phones, donuts and restaurants, for the most part of 2009.
While all that is great for his bank account, what of his acting career? "I'm on the look-out for a good production and show my fans a new side of me," said Lee.
As much as he loves portraying Goo Jun Pyo, the 22-year-old actor has marked out his new year resolution – to have a different face in acting.
"My acting career is still young, so each year, I'll like to try new and different roles to improve upon myself," said Lee. - CNA/yb
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