[INTERVEW] MBLAQ on ODINA Vol.6 Part 3, Individual Interviews , interview

Credit: ___mini via twitter
Scans: http://www.absolutemblaq.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=8479
Translator : mocha @ AbsoluteMBLAQ
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INDIVIDUAL INTERVIEW


Seungho

K-POP world's foremost "Home Electronics & Qualifications" idol
The big-hearted leader who leads the group to the high place

As K-POP world's number one "home electronics idol," please tell us your favorite machine.
Notebook PC. It is handy and can do anything, so I use it regularly the most.

What kind of music do you listen to with your PC and MP3 player?
The ones that I listen to all the time are Eminem's "Won't Come Back Down," MAROON 5, X JAPAN's songs and piano jazz. I repeat them endlessly. When I'm listening to the songs of the first 3, my tension goes up, I'll be in a very happy mood and get energy. And then at the end with jazz I get to calm down and regain my composure.

If a home electronics idol is to give presents to a girl?
I have assembled an original PC and given it out as a present once only. As living in a home that is surrounded by brothers, I don't understand what pretty and cute things are at all. I've done things like asking my buddy's girlfriend what kind of keyboard and mouse is good and trying to attach a cute character. The response was also good. Besides that, I've given cellphone, video player, game console for killing time and so on as presents before.

How about giving flowers as presents?
Never, because I don't know the names of the flowers well. The ones I know are rose, baby's breath, chrysanthemum, cherry blossom and that's about it.

If you are to write lyrics for yourself, what kind of words will you put in?
"Dream." I think that if I go forward with a big dream and hope, even if it doesn't come true, I can reach half of it. Even it's a dream that seems to be impossible realistically, I always persist and try hard to make it come true.

Since when did you have the dream of being a singer?
It was quite late. I majored in acting when I was a student, and besides that I formed a dance team for my hobby. At that time, I came to realize that I like performances that display my all in a short time on stage more than acting. Because of that, when I reached 22 I had my audition for the first time with a feeling of it being the first and last time. When I was a trainee I kept getting scolded only. Even if I tried my best I got scolded, and even if I did well I didn't get praised. Perhaps it has the meaning of "you must always make an effort." I can't forget the words that the team leader of our agency and RAIN sunbaenim gave me just before debut, "Finally your dance became like a dance." I got cheered up a lot, and my feeling of loneliness and hardships until then disappeared in a flash.

You are famous as a qualification mania, too, but it also has something to do with your background of aiming at becoming a singer after 20, doesn't it?
I only got the qualifications that are necessary at a general workplace. The people of our agency also said, "Even if you don't become a singer you can survive, I suppose." I've been wanting qualifications since I was an elementary school student, no, in kindergarten.

What kind of dream do you have now?
I want to reach the top as a singer. I'm always thinking about how to do it, as MBLAQ, as myself, if I can go higher. One day I want to be told, "You are the singer of singers!"

What kind of songs do you sing at karaoke?
I often sing "Chilgap Mountain" that was the favorite trick of my grandfather who has passed away. I heard it when I was a kid, but as being young accordingly I didn't feel people's suffering and sorrow of life. People laugh when I'm singing it in front of them because it's too old, but because it brings back my memory I have to sing it. I've never climbed Chilgap Mountain, though. For other trot songs I often sing "Everybody Cha Cha Cha," too.

How is your dream for marriage?
My dream before was to get married at 20 and become a young father. For now, in my early or mid 30s? Then I'll bring up two boys like they are my friends, and it will be nice if they will become computer programmers for me.

What do you see in your dreams when you are sleeping?
I don't dream much. I do my best in sleeping and can't even wake up fully in the morning. Even if there's an earthquake in the middle of the night, I might not notice it completely.

What do you yourself think is being misunderstood?
It seems that everyone thinks I'm "scary." "Aren't you angry" and so on. It's because I always speak straightly. I can't speak like softly and euphemistically.

When you are seriously angry, how will you be?
I'll be at a loss for what to do. After that I don't know either. I don't have the memory. Well, since I became a singer I've changed a lot, though. Originally I was the type that rarely talks except with my close friends, but it's become so that I talk to people actively.

When you Seungho, who is manly like that, thinks about it, what is a must for friendship between men?
Alcohol? I myself don't dislike alcohol, but I drink when I am off work, meet my friends in a long time, and that's about it. As I'm not near my friends and to my delight I have a lot of work, we can't meet easily.

Frankly, does friendship between a guy and a girl hold true?
It doesn't. A guy and a girl can't be friends. Even if we have friends that we've been close since elementary school, as we grow up we become aware of the opposite sex and start to like them as girls, right? There are also cases in which friends grow into lovers, so the opposite sex is the opposite sex.

(Photo caption) He appeared in his own black top and black bottom and was warming up in light steps while drinking coffee. The black inner v-neck t-shirt he was wearing is his own belongings. Recently v-neck is his favorite. At break time he turned to his notebook PC.

G.O

A love master who is proud of his beautiful voice and diligence*
That true face is a "delicate guy" all-in to the girl who is the one

Speaking of G.O it is twitter! We are very impressed by that diligence, but isn't it difficult to tweet particularly in Japanese?
I'm careful about whether there's anything wrong with my choice of words and sentences. As I can talk with all my fans in real-time on twitter, it's very convenient and I'm happy. I often talk with the members on twitter, too.

Are you also diligent in private?
People around me call me "delicate guy" (laugh).

Is your secret of popularity also something like that?
It's a misunderstanding that people call me a popular guy. The reason is that I said "I have plenty of love experience and the number of girls I've dated is over 20" in a previous interview, but dating friends in lower grades of elementary school, those that are indefinable as love and so on were also included in that. Though I tend to look like I change frequently whenever I date someone...... it's not like that! A love consultation corner was even set up on a program and I had appeared on that 5 times a week, too.

That corner got favorable comments, didn't it?
Whatever I said the only reaction was, "That's absolutely G.O for you!" I also thought about things like if it's a good thing to continue like this.

The truth is?
I'm not a popular guy, and when I have a girlfriend I'm the type that is completely absorbed. No matter I have money or not, I give her lots of presents and give her my all. If anything, maybe it's a bit dangerous type. However, I'm bad at doing events. I can't say signature phrases (for love) easily. Carrying a bouquet under cover to give it to her in surprise is also a bit (difficult), but I want to do things like buying it for her suddenly if I think "it seems to suit her" when I'm walking in the street. For flowers, red roses are good, I suppose.

The girl marrying G.O who is wholehearted like that is enviable.
I want to get married at around 35 years old. I'll have 3 kids, two elder brothers, one younder sister. I hope they will grow up healthily and do what they themselves think they want to do. It's because my family also believed in me and supported me in becoming MBLAQ.

By the way, do you think that friendship between a guy and a girl is possible?
This is hard! Friendship does not hold true between a guy and a girl. I think the environment in which one was brought up is important for friendship with the opposite sex to hold true. For example, I was taught and brought up that men and women are completely different. Since I was a kid, if I got close to a girl in my neighborhood I thought the answer (from my family) was "yes," but because the environment in which I was brought up was different, their answer was "no."

So what is a must for friendship between men?
It's probably obligations. Things like compromise and self-sacrifice at the risk of losing one's life.

Speaking of G.O it is singing. You are the main vocal.
When Jihoon (RAIN) sunbaenim praised me, "You're good at singing," I was very happy.

What are the other compliments that are said and you are happy with?
I think I want to be told "MBLAQ is the best!" anytime. And not only fans', but it will be nice if we become everyone's MBLAQ.

Lately what is the music you have been listening to often?
I often listen to songs of foreign artists, like Bruno Mars and Justin Timberlake. Though I also listen to J-POP, I don't know it well. And yet I'm partial to some songs I listen to. I listen to Mika Nakashima's "Snow Flower" and Yutaka Ozaki's "I Love You" that I sang in the fanmeeting all the time.

What do you sing at karaoke?
I don't go very often, but I like sad songs relatively. Songs like Kim Gun Mo's "Lingering Attachment**." I often sing ballads.

It seems that your friends who go together with you are also happy?
Well, I guess they don't dislike it (laugh). It's because I'm also doing plenty of practice.

When you are writing lyrics, what kind of phrases (do you use)?
I like ballads and sad songs, so when I'm writing lyrics, I wonder if they become sad lyrics. U-m, if I write, I want to venture to write cheerful and light lyrics.

When you dream is it also in the sad ballad style?
I rarely dream, so I'm happy when I dream once in a while. I roughly remember the details. When I was in Japan I didn't dream. Ah, come to think of it I think I've dreamed once, but I've forgotten its details.

What is your favorite home electronics?
Television. When I was in Japan, rather than watching it I left it on to get used to Japanese language. Downtown's*** talk show was funny. And the game console that Seungho gave me recently. Even though all members have it, I'm the only one who didn't. Since then I've been crazy about it all the time.

After your Japan debut what did you discover anew?
There's always meat on the dining menu! They also have it in ramen, and with dishes like pork cutlet curry, beef-don and sukiyaki, most of the menu are mainly meat.

You like meat, don't you! But in Japan there are also a lot of fish dishes.
Actually I don't like fish very much that I eat ramen and pork cutlets unintentionally. Just one bowl of rice is also not enough and I always have another bowl!

(Photo caption) The "attention to detail type" who spent plenty of time before he made a decision for his styling. He's also the type that tells plenty in the interview. During the break time of the photoshoot he bit into his Japanese style fried meat bento. G.O who wears rings regularly even at ordinary times impersonated a rock ring for us.

Mir

The maknae who is the character of being fooled around is his outside face?
A clever avid reader who values practicality

When you are writing the rap of your new song, how do you compose it?
Just now, lyrics of "I've overcome whatever is tough and come to this far, so I want to be acknowledged" is the point when I was writing.

What is the evaluation of your producer RAIN towards you who is that persistent?
When I was practicing "STAY" that is included in our 1st album at the lesson room, Jihoon (RAIN) sunbaenim said to me, "Finally you've become a rapper." I was happy with that phrase.

Have you also sang in karaoke?
I don't go to karaoke. I haven't been to that for years already.

Is that because singing has become your job?
It's not so much as I don't have time. In the nearly 4 years since I was a trainee until now, I haven't even had time to meet my friends, not to mention going to karaoke.

Nothing is more important to a rapper than his speaking, isn't it? You were introduced as a bookworm at the fanmeeting, but which book changed your life?
"Sauve-moi" of Guillaume Musso from France is good.

By the way, does friendship between a guy and a girl hold true?
It does. I myself have had tons of female friends since I was young. I'm also closer to them than my friends of the same sex and they have been my friends for many years, so I can be comfortable with them.

What is the possibility of those female friends developing into your lover?
Totally none.

If you are to give flowers to a girl as a present, what kind of flowers will you give?
I absolutely won't give flowers as a present. I'll give some other presents. For example, something like a purse or a bag.

Giving flowers as a present is too affected?
That's not the reason, but because I think it's not practical, I feel that it's a bit of wasting money.

So in what situation would you give a purse or a bag as a present?
If I think it's cute when I'm walking in the street ordinarily, if I think it seems that my girlfriend wants it, and so on.

By when would you want to get married?
Before my bangs fall off (laugh). I want to get married as soon as possible. As for kids one boy and one girl.

What is the relationship between marriage and your bangs?
My family line has a little bit wide forehead hereditarily for generations. That's why I said as soon as possible.

Do you have other worries?
At this moment the thing that is racking my brain the most is how to do our next album. I always feel the pressure. There is pressure whenever we release a new song, but as we have also put out our first full-length album previously, perhaps I feel so even more.

Since the evaluation of your album was high, hasn't your pressure got lessened as well?
For us that leads to even bigger pressure.

Your schedule is hard, too, isn't it?
Maybe that's why. I often have sleep paralysis when I'm sleeping. We always come home from work being tired, so when I go to bed in a state of being exhausted, it becomes like that.

Isn't it scary?
I've been having sleep paralysis a lot since I was young, so I just don't move at all, and there's also nothing to be afraid of.

So what is in your dreams when you are sleeping?
None.

Speaking of Mir, your "group's role of being fooled around" has been established, but haven't you got pissed by being fooled around too much?
When we are playing together it's fun, so I don't get pissed or anything like that.

Contrarily who is worth playing around with?
Seungho hyung! His reaction when I just started doing something is the funniest (laugh).

MBLAQ with the fooling around, being fooled around relationship also has a strong unity power, but what is a must for friendship between men?
No girls. When there's a girl in a friendship one can't be in his right mind, right? He will be worried about his girlfriend only and become unable to care for his friends.

You stayed in Japan for almost 1 month, but did your impression change?
I came (to Japan) several times before debut, and at that time Japanese fans gave me a strong image of not getting excited in public performances, but when it came to the actual debut, I was surprised to see that they are very passionate.

At the gravure photoshoot we also took some boxer style cuts, didn't we?
But actually I don't watch much boxing. Same for K1 and mixed martial arts. My favorite is American professional wrestling WWE!

Who is your favorite wrestler?
Stone Cold and Undertaker.

What is your favorite home electronics?
Cell phone and game console, iPad. I watch videos with my iPad and use my cell phone for monitoring. And I also use MP3 a lot. Each is responsible for a role.

(Photo caption) A fighting pose of boxing, as well as a pose of eating bread, a photogenic boy who complied for us without a frown. In between interviews he lay in the sofa. It looks like he likes these tops and he requested, "I want to buy them!"

Cheondung

MBLAQ's "pureness" and "cool mind"
A superman who aims to protect the girl he loves!

Cheondung, you are a returnee from the Philippines. Do you have a lot of friends there?
Yes, I do. Although they say "when bodies are drifted apart hearts are drifted apart as well," in my case I feel close to them at any time. Always thinking like that is what friendship is.

Are you the type that contacts your friends diligently?
I rarely contact them, but even if I suddenly contact them after a long time, we can talk with a feeling like we've been seeing each other everyday. That is precious.

What do you think about friendship between a guy and a girl?
I think there are also cases when it holds true, but in reality it may be difficult.

How about Cheondung yourself?
I don't have friends of the opposite sex. I feel embarrassed when I'm with a girl and can't play with her. However, there's only one and I completely bound to her by friendship.

Do you envy Mir who has many female friends?
My friends' female friends are enviable, but his female friends are not, I suppose (laugh).

What do you see in your dreams?
RAIN sunbaenim appears a lot. Before debut 70% of my dreams was sunbaenim. I think it's because I greatly admire him and watched sunbaenim's videos and listened to his songs everyday. Even now sunbaenim appears occasionally. Before sunbaenim was on a far-off stage, but lately my dreams have been changed to things like him instructing me in this and that in a recording room and talking to me about different things. It's very strange. Actually yesterday I had a dream in which he said, "Cheondung, try to do only vocal in your next album." Following that dream it seems that it will become vocal only in my next work.

What is your biggest worry?
I'm always worried about what we should do when MBLAQ becomes independent. Now we have producers and people who help us, but someday we have to show MBLAQ's color with our own effort. I'm always thinking about what we should do at that time.

What actual advice makes you happy?
RAIN sunbaenim praised me with "your gesture is cool" during our activities of "STAY." I also want everyone to say "you're cool" to me. Even "you're cute" is nice, because it sounds good.

The songs you sing in karaoke are of course RAIN's songs?
Yes. My favorite trick is "I'm Coming." The cue that made me consider to become a singer was "It's Raining," and the one that came out next was "I'm Coming." I tried practicing the dance of this song like crazy, but sunbaenim's dance is the most difficult. I still haven't danced it well......

You mentioned "you're cool" not long ago, so it's not that people think so but they just don't say it?
It looks like fans are worried that I'm "weak," but in reality, I'm not as weak as everyone thinks I am (laugh). Despite this I've gained 9kg since I debuted, so wasn't my image changed a lot, I suppose?

If you are to give flowers to a girl as a present?
No matter what flowers they are, I want to give her flowers in my favorite color, but as for flowers there's the language of flowers, right? Since the language of flowers also varies from flower to flower, I think I want to give her flowers as a present after I understand that. Though I give her flowers in my favorite color as a present, it's bad if the language of those flowers is "separation," right (laugh)? If I'm to give her a present, I'll do it in a casual manner in ordinary daily life. I rarely give presents, though.

Speaking of flowers, in the fanmeeting you said "Boys Over Flowers" would be nice if you were to appear on a Japanese drama. If you were to play a role which F4 character would you play?
Jihoo sunbae. His gentle image is good.

For girls what kind of existence do you want to be?
Superman! The song that is in preparation now also has lyrics that say "be like your superman." Superman always protects the girl that he himself loves. That's very nice.

When will such a superman get married?
35 years old or later? But actually I wanted to get married earlier, and that was around the same time when I became an adult. I watched the movie "My Little Bride" and thought that maybe it will be full of happy things if getting married at a young age. However, since I'm already late, in that case maybe getting married much later is also good. As for kids, I thought 3 is good because I myself has 2 sisters, but now two kids. One boy and one girl. I'm thinking that I hope my son will be a soccer player or have a job besides singer.

Why a soccer player?
Because I wanted to be one, but I did it for a few months and gave up. I was aiming to become a midfielder like Park Ji-sung. And I hope my daughter will become a singer like Beyonce.

Do you listen to her songs a lot?
It's always boy groups' songs, including ours, that hang around us only, so I listen to songs of foreign female artists such as Beyonce and Britney Spears with my MP3 player.

What is your favorite home electronics?
Game console. I like "Monster Hunter." And refrigerator. It's because I can cool water and pops in it.

(Photo caption) The number one accessories mania of the group also hand-picked his own accessories on this day. Joon plunged in and said to him who was holding a guitar, "CNBLUE!" (He is a person of) soothing style who watches over other members' photoshooting and interviews on the side.

Joon

Both his gags and chicness are his superb acting!?
A chameleon player who is impossible to predict

He is Joon who went to Korea National University of Arts. So to speak an elite of show business. On the other hand, he is called the guy who changed MBLAQ from chic-dols to gag-dols. Well, which one is the real Joon?

Everyone may think what I do is natural, but to tell you the truth it's all acting. I do it for the programs. Of course, I have studied probably, and I even got into university! I'm not boasting, but the school is a place where everything is the best only. And yet I'm said to be natural and I totally didn't expect it (laugh). Though I do my best with all my effort myself shamelessly I'm called a "muscle pabo"! Because of the programs there are also parts that were deformed, but those are not all. It would be nice if that misunderstanding gets cleared. However, I, who is so good at acting to the point that I make everyone misunderstand, am sure enough a genius, right (laugh)? Sorry for my boastfulness. In short, although everyone thinks what I do is natural, really I'm a genius. Hehehe.

People who understand the talent that God gave you would understand, you know.
When my friends and coworkers praised me that "your aura can be seen when you are acting," I was happy.

Sure enough, people who understand would understand. By the way, you also amused us on "Sesame Player." On the program you were introduced as being able to sleep anywhere?
I've slept in a washroom before, too (laugh).

How is the washroom in Japan?
I was surprised by the water running on the toilet.

What is your favorite home electronics?
Microwave. It's because as long as I have this I can warmly eat things that got cold.

I feel that the dance of MBLAQ's Korean songs is something close to creative dance. Or should I say expressing your emotion with your body...... Is this what you intend to do?
Yes. Actually that's also the thing that we intended to do (laugh).

You majored in dancing in school days, right? It looks like you have many female friends, but do you think that friendship between a guy and a girl holds true?
It does. The reason of that is that I'm like that myself. I have more female friends than guy friends. At school all around me were girls. I can't see them as female. There's also no wall of guys and girls in between each other, so it completely holds as friendship.

What is a must for friendship between men?
Promises. But within MBLAQ we don't even give promises. Why? No particular reason is found.

If you are to give flowers to a girl as a present, what kind of flowers will you give?
I want to give her a lot, each from various kinds. Situation? Every time we meet. I do think that I want to give them to her in daily life.

You are romantic. When will you get married?
In my mid-30s. As for kids an elder sister and a younger brother. It's because I'm like that.

If you get married will you do housework, too?
Perhaps I'm not good at things like washing (laundry/dishes).

What do you expect from your kids?
It's good as long as they live healthily. I wish they are healthy even if they are not good at studying.

Why in your 30s?
For now it will be in 10 years or so.

When you are to see yourself in 10 years?
I'll probably be an actor.

What is your favorite trick for karaoke?
(At this point Cheondung cut in from the side, "MBLAQ's songs!"......) I don't sing those. It's PANIC's "Waiting."

Which song do you listen to often?
TVXQ's "Before U Go." As for Japanese artists, though I only listened to m-flo before, other than that recently I also listen to YUI's "Good Bye Day" a lot.

If you are to write lyrics, what kind of words do you want to include?
They are not phrases or words but are my experiences. I haven't written any lyrics yet, but if I'm to write, I want to write my happy and pleasant experiences into lyrics. It's because I don't want to remember my unhappy and sad experiences.

Not long ago you mentioned "muscle pabo," but even so you have a great body, right? You even revealed your fantastic chest muscles and biceps on the "Kiss Republic" advertisement. Was the photoshoot in which your body is shown difficult?
It's often that I feel quite stressed. It's because my consciousness of "show my spirit" and "I have to show my good parts" come into play......

Do you think about in particular where your own charm point of your body is?
I think maybe rather than my muscles, my overall sexy atmosphere is my charm point.

What is the biggest worry that you have now?
My tanning didn't turn out well and I got some white lines. I don't know how I can get rid of them.

Where are they?
On my back. I've got some lines remained on my back. If I get quite tanned this time, the tone before that will remain in the shape of a line. They are noticeable so what should I do? I also don't know why it's become like this. Not doing it at a specialty place won't do, I suppose. Gotta do something!

(Photo caption) He entered the studio in a black t-shirt and beige cargo pants. It looks like he likes Chupa Chups that when we said "help yourself" and handed him some after the interview, he took about 4 of those joyfully. Is it because he has been doing dancing? He has a very good posture. His acting talent for photoshoot is also number one.

*T/N: Diligence = Contacting and emailing/texting their girlfriends frequently.
**This is the song G.O covered on Yoo Hee Yeol's Sketchbook on 110128.
***"Downtown" is the Japanese comedy duo that hosts the Japanese variety show "Hey! Hey! Hey!"