Kim Jae Won is drawing attention after revealing that his memorable Catch Catch dance with Choi Yena at the Blue Dragon Series Awards was not planned in advance.
During Yena’s congratulatory performance at the 5th Blue Dragon Series Awards, she moved toward Kim Jae Won while performing Catch Catch. The actor immediately stood up and joined the choreography, creating a moment that looked so natural that many viewers assumed it had been arranged beforehand.
However, Kim Jae Won later explained that his decision to dance was spontaneous.
He said, “First of all, I was just enjoying watching her stage, and the composition was so well done. I thought, ‘Oh, she appeared on Yumi’s Cells? So there’s a chance she comes to me.’”
Kim Jae Won also explained that his experience as an MC on Music Bank and previously doing the challenge with Yena made him feel prepared if she approached him.
He continued, “I’m not really the type to hold myself back. I think the one thing I have is passion, so I wanted to show that passionate side.”
There was one unexpected problem once he started dancing. Kim Jae Won realized that his movements were going in the opposite direction from Yena’s choreography. According to him, Yena quickly noticed and adjusted her own movements to match his instead.
He recalled, “My limbs ended up moving the opposite way from her, but Choi Yena had enough sense to change it and match me instead.”
Kim Jae Won also thanked Kim Go Eun and Shin Hye Sun, who were sitting beside him and reacted enthusiastically to the unexpected dance. When asked whether he felt embarrassed afterward, he answered, “Not at all. It wasn’t embarrassing at all.”
Yena also appeared to appreciate the spontaneous interaction. In a casual message to fans, she spoke about how much thought she puts into her performances and thanked Kim Jae Won, referring to him by the name of his Yumi’s Cells 3 character, Shin Soon Rok.
She wrote, “I always put a lot of thought into giving my all on stage to show Jigumi something new and fresh, and lately it seems like many people recognize that, so I feel like I’m living each day with such gratitude.”
She added, “And I was also so, so touched by Soonrok-ssi who carried the challenge yesterday.”
After learning that the dance was spontaneous, many netizens said they were even more impressed by how naturally Kim Jae Won handled the situation.
Reactions included:
“He’s honestly super likable.”
“He did so well, and it looked so natural that I thought it was pre-planned. If this was a split-second decision, Kim Jae Won really did well.”
“Kim Jae Won is such a likable guy. He’s amazing.”
“People tend to say everything is scripted, but TV production isn’t always as rigidly planned as people think. Sometimes the unexpected moments are the most fun.”
“Kim Jae Won has so much sense. He even thanked the noonas for giving him good reactions.”
“He never made my heart flutter in the drama, but seeing him not hold himself back and dance so passionately made my heart flutter.”
“The more I see him, the more likable his attitude becomes. He has the passion, sense of responsibility, and courtesy you would expect from a rookie.”
“I seriously love seeing introverted people suddenly show this much passion.”
“I really thought they had prepared this in advance. This was cool of him.”
The revelation has made the already popular moment stand out even more, with viewers praising both Kim Jae Won for reacting confidently on the spot and Yena for quickly adjusting the choreography to keep their unexpected Catch Catch dance going smoothly.
