While promoting his drama The World They Live In in Yokohama on September 26, Hyun Bin mentioned the topic of crying scenes. He explained that he’d been advised early on that “Your tears should be produced of your own accord. I believe that means you have to become that immersed in the emotions. That’s why from the beginning of my acting career, I’ve never used eye drops to make tears.”

The statement caught my eye not because it’s remarkable for Hyun Bin to think that, but because it makes me super curious to know who HAS had to resort to eye drops. It’s a practice I’ve heard about jokingly but haven’t really heard actors refer to as a serious thing, so now I wonder how common it actually is. (Who else began mentally compiling a list of possibilities when they first read his comment? The first two faces that popped into my mind were Han Ga-in and Yoon-ah. Don’t kill me, SNSD fans!)

Hyun Bin’s last drama was MBC’s Friend, Our Legend, but now he’s busy with Japanese promotions for World. I believe the main reason the drama is drawing belated notice is because his romance with co-star Song Hye-gyo went public after the drama had wrapped in Korea. No doubt his Japanese fans will be watching with eyes focused on the romance between their characters.

Hyun Bin also held a fanmeeting-cum-birthday party in Yokohama on the previous day, September 25. The event was sold out and attended by a crowd of 5,000.