Much ado over Super TV kiss

SHE had no idea she was in the presence of K-pop royalty.
That is, until Taiwanese actress Ivy Chen was advised by colleagues not to touch her co-stars even if they were taking pictures together.
Chen, 29, was astounded to find out about the massive popularity of Super Junior members Siwon and Donghae.
The lucky lass stars in the Taiwanese idol drama Skip.Beat! with the two heart-throbs from the hot K-pop boy band.
The three cast members were in town yesterday to promote the show, currently airing over E City (StarHub Ch 825) on Sundays at 10pm.
Said Chen with a laugh at the press conference: “When a kissing scene with Siwon was added at the last minute, I was worried about what the fans would say or do to me.
“There were so many of them on the film set the day we did the scene, I just had to look up to see the magnitude of his popularity.
“Luckily, there was no backlash after we kissed.
“After I got to meet and spend time with them, I realised that Siwon and Donghae weren’t as ‘scary’ as everyone made them out to be. To think that I really stood far away from them when we were taking photographs together.
“Till now, there have been no threats made on my life post-kiss, so I’m quite relieved. I’m a lucky girl.”
Nervous
Chen – who’s in the star-studded Taiwanese romance flick Love that’s showing in cinemas now – added that she was so nervous about the kissing scene that she refrained from eating for a whole day just to prepare for it.
What she regretted most was not having the chance to brush her teeth before the much-anticipated smooch.
It turned out to be a quick peck on the lips – as part of a dream sequence – and she said that Siwon was a professional who handled himself “in a gentlemanly fashion”.
Apart from promoting Skip.Beat!, Siwon and Donghae are also here to stage their two-night Super Junior concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium today and tomorrow.
On the kiss, Siwon, 25, said: “When I received news last minute that the kissing scene was going to be added in, I was anxious because Ivy is a pretty girl and it’s a nerve-racking thing to kiss a beauty.
“I have to say that Ivy’s fears were unfounded. My fans not only don’t hate on her, they even told me and Donghae to treat her well.”
Based on a popular manga of the same name, Skip.Beat! tells the story of a girl (Chen) who stands by her childhood boyfriend (Donghae) as he struggles for stardom, only to have him betray her once he becomes famous.
To take revenge, she becomes a celebrity herself and is shown the showbiz ropes by a famous peer (Siwon).
A foodie at heart, Siwon was all smiles when he revelled in the memory of eating “bian dang” (Taiwanese bento boxes) almost every day on set.
He said: “I like filming in Taiwan because at different times of the day, bento boxes are delivered to us and we can enjoy our meal.
“In Korea, when we are filming, you are only given one hour for lunch and you have to find your own food wherever you are.”
Donghae, 25, revealed that spending time with his co-stars was like being in a family unit. Siwon, he said, felt like his father while Chen was like his mother.
Said Donghae: “I’m rather cheeky and naughty like a child, so the two of them, being caring people, really looked out for me.”
This article was first published in The New Paper.

Credit: AsiaOne | By: Charlene Chua (for The New Paper)