▲ Alexander Lee Eusebio is talking about his experience with much fervor. Photographed by Kim Jung Ik.

Sitting on a chair, it was not difficult to recognize the person approaching with a wide grin on his face. It was not his decent visage or appearance so like those on  television that made him outstanding. That eccentric air of confidence from his step and his two eyes that know no fear were stunning, even from such a distance. With a short greeting word of “Hi!,” The Granite Tower (GT) began the interview with this man full of dreams and wonders.

Alexander Lee Euseibo (’14, Journalism and Mass Communication), formerly known as Alexander of U-KISS, entered Korea University (KU) as a freshman this March. His admission surprised most students, because KU always had a scarce number of entertainers compared with other universities. His unusual appearance and unfamiliar presence could have possibly rendered students to stay at certain distance, but that was not even a problem for Alexander. He successfully blended into the community within a month.

The reason resided in his cultural background and his ambition, no less greater than that of other KU students. His life-long experience abroad and within Korea gave him a base for understanding Korean culture, created a dream for him to pursue, and encouraged him to challenge his limits without fear. From a normal student to K-pop idol, from idol to independent artist, from artist to KU student, he had broken down the wall of impossibility and paved an original path of his own. Hence, here he is, choosing the road not taken and running toward the future with unstoppable fervor.

There had been obstacles, and Alexander often tripped over them. Born in Hong Kong and raised in Macau with a half-Chinese, half-Portuguese father and a Korean mother, Alexander initially had a tough time figuring out his identity. Language barriers and cultural barriers have interfered with his interacting with people, eventually leading to identity loss. “I did not know where I belonged. Am I Korean? Am I Chinese? Or something else?” stated Alexander with an uneasy smile.

Nonetheless, he changed adversity into opportunity. Attending various schools abroad, he came to learn over seven languages. Not only did he acquire knowledge of language, but he became accustomed to a number of cultures. The experience he had became a rigid staircase for him to climb to reach his goal. Most importantly, this ultimately became the watershed that would change the course of his life forever.

“Being from a multicultural family, it really helped me a lot when I was in U-KISS. K-pop was becoming internationalized at that time and thus needed an international personage. I think that’s the main reason my boss chose me,” said Alexander. He explained that his agency boss came to him when he was at a gym and asked him to join his new group, U-KISS. Alexander considered his proposal for a year, but his passion and hope did not allow him to let go of this opportunity.

Alexander portrayed the procedure by which he entered the entertainment industry as something called “fate.” “I just had a day when I went to my mother and said, ‘I have to go to Korea. I feel like I have to go there for something,’ and I knew it was God’s plan,” he claimed when asked about the reason for such an entrance into the world of showbiz. Throughout his life, which definitely was not too smooth, he desired a future in which someday he would inspire others on a bigger stage. His ambition was just too large to be realized in one small particular community.

His days in Korea were not an easy road, either. Continuous culture shock and the language barrier suffocated him often, though he was already used to some of the customs from his mother. Moreover, the consecutive failures of the first two albums surely made things unpleasant for him. However, things began to change with the enormous triumph of the next song “Manmanhanee.” The music soon became a national hit song and it could be heard in every street and on every corner. Most young people always considered Alexander to be the unofficial representative of idol singers from foreign countries.

It was a moment of rejoice and delight at the apex of popularity until Alexander announced he was leaving the group. His sudden decision shocked the industry and fans cried out for him to come back. But his decision had been final. “There was disagreement between my boss and me formerly. In the group, there was no private schedule and no free time. I wanted to do something else but it was not allowed,” he insisted. His status had seemed flawless to others, but he wanted more freedom than reputation or fame.

That became one of the primary reason he made one of the biggest resolutions of his life time, which is attending KU. Having performed on stage for years, Alexander displayed his hope to study more about back stage producing, and directing. Still not giving up his own profession amassed by experience, he crooked his interest with ramification and tried out a step with a brand new starting line. Considering his age and different experience, the new tryout could have been fearsome, but no fright could be found in his merry complexion. His eyes were rather blinking with expectations and hope.

“Try to experience more things,” laughed Alexander with a wide grin. He continued by saying, “Try to do everything without regret. Try everything and do not regret. Come on, you live once.” This response was given when asked for the encouragement of students who are having the same dream as his. However, it seemed like he was speaking to the young Alexander years ago when he was on the crossroad of adversity and opportunity.

▲ A group photograph of U-KISS. Provided by fanpop.com.

▲ An individual pictorial of Alexander when he was in U-KISS. Provided by fanpop.com.