In the first episodes of "Triangle," Kim Jaejoong has already impressed audiences with his portrayal of the reckless, violent and yet vulnerable thug Jang Dong Chul. It's an edgy noir role for the actor who has been described as the "prettiest man in Asia."
But as an actor and singer, he is full of surprises. Here are a few more facts you may not know about him.
1. He has some famous and attractive friends. He lived with singer and actor Kim Hyun Joong for a year when they were starting out and the two have remained close. He's also friendly with Ji Sung, his "Protect the Boss" co-star, Jin Yi Han, his "Dr. Jin" co-star and Jang Geun Suk, who is his neighbor. And of course he is close to Junsu and Park Yoochun, who supply the other J and Y in the band JYJ.
2. He has tattoos of Park Yoochun and Kim Junsu's names on his spine. He says they mean a lot to him and he will keep them forever.
In an interview with Esquire magazine he was asked why he got the tattoos.
"We are friends who have and who are realizing the same dreams, friends who suffered from the greatest pains and changed growing up," he said. "So, there's no regret. When I become an old man and when my grandchildren ask what the tattoos are about I won't feel shy sharing the stories."
Jaejoong said he derives strength just from the existence of his fellow JYJ members.
3. Jaejoong has eight sisters and is adopted. His adopted sisters did not know he was adopted when they were young. They babied him and liked to dress him in their clothes. After his biological parents gave him up for adoption, his mother remarried and he has a half-sister who looks like him. He remains close with his adopted sisters.
4. His classmates in school made fun of him when he said his dream was to be a singer. His voice needed work. So he kept practicing. He left home at age 15 to audition for SM Entertainment, working odd jobs just to make ends meet. From 2003 to 2010 he was the lead vocalist with the band TVXQ. Then together with fellow TVXQ members Yoochun and Junsu he formed the group JYJ.
5. He can speed read, which took some effort because he hated to read when he was a child
"I forced myself to develop the habit of reading books," he told Nylon magazine earlier this year. "I became a fast reader at some time. Maybe because of this I am quick to apprehend scripts."
Judging from his performance in "Triangle," he read the first few episode scripts very well.
