Singapore, 2017 – Hallyu star Lee Dong Wook was in town on September 26 for the grand opening of Gentle Monster’s Southeast Asia flagship store at ION Orchard.

Despite heavy rainfall during the day, it did not dampen the spirits of his faithful fans, who turned up as early as 4pm to stake out their favorite K-drama idol, who was scheduled to appear for a private function hosted by the renowned Korean fashion eye-wear label.

By 6:30pm, fans were treated to a delightful spectacle of local celebrities streaming in, as they were given free reign inside Gentle Monster’s storefront and their exquisite range of sunglasses to try. However, the highlight of this star-studded party was Lee Dong Wook, who was greeted with loud cheers from fans clustering around the shop entrance hoping to catch a glimpse of the elusive star … Clearly, we have missed him since his last visit to Singapore in April this year!

Best known for his recent role as the Grim Reaper in “Goblin”, the actor was noticeably quiet but all smiles as all eyes turned to him. Sporting Gentle Monster’s Salt 01 shades in a stylish gray and yellow wardrobe, he indulged the media and fans with a few poses and a friendly wave before being ushered into a more private “zone”, one of three distinct showrooms in the store that is visually inspired by the store’s name “Sansara”, meaning “cycle of life” in Sanskrit.

When he emerged from the zone about fifteen minutes later, his departure was met with even more enthusiastic cries from fans, who were a little sad to see him leave so soon without an interview (he was kind enough to stop outside the store briefly for fans to take photos of him). His appearance was but for a fleeting moment, but for those who got to see him up close, he was truly a sight to behold.

Written by: Flora Leow