Ben on Bin: Stay safe so you can see him soon
Retail magnate Ben Chan, whose IG teaser, “Your crush, landing soon,” splashed over a background of army fatigues, sent the titas, the ahjummas and noonas of Manila into a tornado of a tizzy, has one advice: “Ladies, stay home and stay safe! For Hyun Bin.”
What?
“Because the sooner we flatten the curve, the sooner we can see Hyun Bin in the flesh,” explains Ben, who confirmed to PeopleAsia in an exclusive last week, “It’s not that we’re getting Hyun Bin. We’ve gotten him already!”
To those living under a rock, Hyun Bin, popularly known as “Capt. Ri” is the hero of the Netflix hit, the Korean drama, Crash Landing on You (CLOY), which was the most watched Netflix show in the Philippines for months, and remains in the Top 10 long after its last episode last February.
According to the PeopleAsia interview with Ben, “The deal involves Hyun Bin appearing in billboards wearing the latest fashion from Bench and a special appearance in Manila.”
But as to when that special appearance would be, Ben said, “Only God can tell. Once it’s safe for everyone to travel, he’s definitely flying to Manila.”
So Ben’s sound advice to those who would like a glimpse of Hyun Bin’s well-chiseled features and broad shoulders, is: “Let’s all flatten the curve first and fly him here.”
Ben said the agreement with the 6’1” Hyun Bin, who was cast as North Korean Capt. Ri Jeong Hyeok in the 16-episode Netflix blockbuster, Crash Landing on You, was signed early this year.
“Negotiations began late last year,” says Ben, who is the chairman of Suyen Corp.
As a marketing man, why does he think Filipino women have a collective crush on Capt. Ri, and why do the men want to be like him?
“Women like him and men want to be like him because Capt. Ri is protective and dependable. He will fight for his woman, even risk his life for her. In these uncertain times due to the pandemic, Filipinas want to know they have someone like him who will look after them, and give them a shoulder to lean on. And the men — I think every gallant Filipino wants to hold up an umbrella to protect the love of his life.”
Hyun Bin wasn’t just play acting when he portrayed an Army officer in CLOY as he enlisted in 2011 in the South Korean Armed Forces where he served for 21 months. Thus, the physique and gallant qualities of a military officer is part of Hyun Bin’s persona.
Aside from of course the fact that even when not in uniform, Hyun Bin or Capt. Ri can carry clothes well — from turtle necks to white polo shirts to trench coats. (Even if he never showed his muscled torso to us during the conservative CLOY, just a portion of one of his scarred broad shoulders, methinks Capt. Ri has a Bench body!)
So there you go, titas, noonas, ahjummas. Your date with your Binnie is all up to you!
Smart guy
Smart Communications, PLDT’s wireless arm, was the first to land Capt. Ri for a TV and online ad that broke yesterday. PLDT chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan himself tweeted last week, “Hyun Bin it is.”
Yesterday, as the Philippines waited with bated breath, Smart Communications unveiled its ad featuring Hyun Bin. Earlier, the giant telco said on Twitter: “The Captain is coming. Watch out for the big RIveal.”
And what a RIvelation it was!
To me, it was RIlly worth the wait, like it was worth waiting for the last episode of CLOY. According to Smart president Al Panlilio, Smart’s prized shoot with Hyun Bin took place in mid-May.
Hyun Bin is reportedly the second highest paid South Korean actor. He is also vying for best actor in the forthcoming Baeksang Arts Awards, an annual awards ceremony that honors outstanding achievements in the South Korean entertainment industry.
According to Panlilio, who spoke via Zoom with HB, the latter didn’t speak much English but was very nice.
“We had a Zoom call with him during the shoot and he was very nice but spoke little English,” Panlilio told me. “He was saying ‘thank you’ and smiling when I said ‘thank you for being our endorser’.”
A Smart guy, Hyun Bin is. For you, I will be Smart, too, and stay safe — so you can cross the border to Manila soon. Till then.
(You may e-mail me at [email protected]. Follow me on Instagram @joanneraeramirez.)
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