SEOUL – Grieving South Korean film fans packed a Seoul hospital Wednesday to pay their respects after the death of an actor dubbed “Korea’s Hugh Grant”.

Kim Joo-Hyuk, 45, died Monday from head injuries after his Mercedes crashed into an apartment wall and flipped over. No other vehicles were involved, police said.

Kim, whose father was also a famous actor, made his debut in 1999 and quickly gained popularity for his roles in several romantic comedies, earning himself the nickname.

More recently he moved into grittier parts. He was named Best Supporting Actor at the Seoul Film Awards last week for his role in the movie “Confidential Assignment”, in which he played the leader of an organised crime gang from North Korea.

“It is my first time to win a movie award,” Kim said at the ceremony. “It is as if my parents, who are in heaven, are giving me this award.”

Several top celebrities went to pay their respects at a remembrance altar set up in the Seoul hospital where his body was taken.

Large arrangements of white flowers – the colour of mourning in Korea – lined the corridors, which were crowded with media and sobbing fans.

Kim’s death was one of the most searched words on South Korea’s Naver portal on Wednesday.

“He was one of those actors that made me smile. I still can’t believe it,” said one user.

“I thought he would become a veteran actor like his father, it’s very sad. May he rest in peace,” wrote another.

Kim was the 20th most searched terms on China’s Twitter-like Weibo, as overseas fans also grieved his passing.

“Kim Joo-Hyuk was one of the very few South Korean actors I liked, my god,” posted a Chinese commentator.

Five years ago, Selena Gomez was diagnosed with the auto-immune disease lupus.

On NBC’s Today show, the “Bad Liar” singer detailed her painful journey, which included getting a kidney transplant.

“I didn’t realise how much it was affecting my body,” she shared. “I would get fevers, headaches. I would get fatigued. But I always just kept going.”

In 2014 and 2016, she had to cancel tours and check into rehab to deal with anxiety and depression. She also underwent chemotherapy for treatment.

However, the disease had affected her kidneys, and were it not for the transplant, she would have required dialyses.

She had her family tested and none of the members matched.

Roommate and actress Francia Raisa, who was in the dark on her friend’s situation, recounted that Gomez came home “emotional.” “She couldn’t open a water bottle one day. She chucked it and she started crying.”

Gomez said, “She (Raisa) lived with me in this interesting time where my kidneys were just done… The thought of asking somebody to do that was really difficult for me”

After finding out that lupus had caused Gomez to have arthritis, Raisa offered her own kidney without hesitation.

Raisa immediately set to taking the necessary psychological and physical tests in one day, when normally the process would take six months. She was a perfect match, which Gomez described as “unbelievable.”

During the day of the surgery, the singer-songwriter said she wanted them to feel “good,” and they had their hair done in braids and binged on food together.

Raisa said there was fear before the procedure, though she felt calm after. “I had to write a will which was scary because there’s no guarantee that you’ll wake up.”

She shared, “My mom didn’t wanna be there until I woke up. She loves Selena so she was torn.”

After the transplant, Selena had to get a second six-hour surgery when her body reacted negatively; her kidney was turning around in her body.

She recalled feeling pain where her new kidney was. “My teeth were grinding, I was freaking out.”

She has since been recovering and has felt her health restored. “My arthritis went away. My lupus, there’s about a three to five per cent chance it will ever come back. My blood pressure is better. My life, my energy is better.”

“I don’t think what we went through was easy. I don’t think it was fun,” said Gomez in tears. “I hope this inspires people to know that there are good people in the world.”

Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo tied the knot in a private ceremony on Oct 31, but that did not stop photos from leaking onto social media. Fans got more than a glimpse of what was happening at the wedding, almost in real time, under the hashtag #SongSongCouple.

The pair were decked out in fine French fashion for their big day, wearing matching creations from French fashion house Dior. The wedding, held at the luxury Shilla hotel in Seoul, was witnessed by close friends and family.

Hye-kyo wore a long-sleeved white Dior gown with a plunging neck detail, possibly a custom-made variation of a black version from the fashion house’s Fall 2017 couture collection, Apple Daily reported.

Joong-ki, on the other hand, donned a Dior Homme peak lapel tuxedo.

However, it was the bride’s floral bouquet that caught the media’s attention – for its estimated 70,000 HKD (S$12,200) price tag, speculated to cost more than her wedding ring, reported Apple Daily.

The petite bouquet, made of Lily of the Valley flowers, is said to bring luck in love and means ‘the return of happiness’ – pretty apt for the occasion.

However, as the flower is not native to South Korea, it costs at least 7,000 HKD (S$1,200) to import. But if the bouquet was prepared by the hotel, the price could skyrocket to 70,000 HKD (S$12,200), said Apple Daily.

As for Hye-kyo’s diamond-studded wedding band, said to cost 31,000 HKD (S$5,400), it is reportedly a Bee My Love collection design by French luxury jeweller Chaumet.

The couple have rejected sponsorships from companies so it’s likely that they paid for everything out of their own pocket, unlike other sponsored weddings we know.

The Descendants of the Sun stars will reportedly be jetting off to Europe for their honeymoon. Congratulations to the happy couple!

candicec@sph.com.sg