Repost from http://kathysbench.blogspot.com/
To watch the full show, click HERE:
Skipped introduction and summarized many parts--way too long....
MC’s are playacting BOF and MK parts as KHJ enters the Master's room.
MCKangHoDong or MCK lifts up KHJ and places him at his seat and says that KHJ must exercises a lot because he feels much muscle at the lower part of his body.
MCK suddenly shouts at KHJ to welcome him as the one who stands alone now from SS501 and one with statue-like features. MCYoon who is dressed as Jihoo Sunbae says that KHJ also made his acting somewhat statue-like. He acts out one of the famous scenes from BOF in a stone-like fashion. MCK says that is not it,,it was even more so. (This is one variety program where the mc’s are not the most considerate but they are funny.) In a good natured way, KHJ goes along and says it is kind of acting that not everyone can do. KHJ even acts out that famous line “I can go anywhere if I have white sail and wind” when MCK asked KHJ to do the statue-like acting for the audience.
MCK—you are of course aware that you are good looking. Right?
KHJ—yes,,even with just one look (KHJ is pointing at MCY and laughter breaks open. Just as the mc’s start at the offensive, KHJ also attacks back. Haha.)
MCK—objectively speaking….
KHJ—First of all, (still pointing at MCY who is dressed up as himself in BOF) I would not want to switch. So, that means I am better. (MCY stares at KHJ with some playful animosity),
MCK—Since you have betrayed your agency….hmmm,,,since you changed your agency, it has been a long time since you appeared in a variety program. (Woah, these mc’s are starting the program from the offensive side but KHJ laughs.) So, have you been well?
KHJ—yes, I have been well and I have rested well.
MCK—Your boss is Bae YongJoon. When you decided to appear in our program, did Bae tell you anything?
KHJ—no,
MCK-You did not tell him?
KHJ—I did not tell him yet.
MCY—Don’t you think he would still know? I mean our prog is pretty big program.
KHJ—he is silent and looking down.
MCY—are you saying we are small? (I wonder if they planned it all to be offensive to each other…haha)
KHJ—no, (laughter)
MCK—What I hear is that KHJ and BYJ are very close, Putting aside their employer and employee relationship, they go out to drink together. Even in our last interview together, he was one hour late smelling of alcohol.
KHJ—no, I am sure I was past the hangover. ( laughter)
MCY—Do you like to drink?
KHJ—I do like it very much.
MCY—Our staff are leaving for MT (kind of relaxing fun retreat) after this recording. If you just pay 5monwon, you get unlimited alcohol. Do you want to come?
KHJ—no, I don’t think so…(laughter)
MCK—I kind of see that you are bit nervous being here.
KHJ—I was trying to have a relaxed state of mind but I feel like my strength is being sucked out very quickly.
MCK—What type of energy>
KHJ—Mischievous Kiss (laughter)—(KHJ seems to be saying that his energy was sucked out when MCY portrayed MK role as opposite of Baek SeungJO—as a stupid man—notice MCY’s face at @4:37)
MCK praises MCY for doing a good job. Then, MCK asks KHJ why he came to Knee POP Master. You must be busy practicing singing and dancing for your upcoming solo album and also going out to drink, what made you come today? (the whole premise of this variety program is that MCK pretends to be the Master of problem solving and celebrities come to him with a problem—Of course MCK is not a real psychologist but it is very informative and interesting program.)
KHJ—I feel like everything about what is happening and has happened to me is like soap bubble. Whenever I go overseas, thousands of fans come. Of course I feel good…and very thankful..But whenever that happens, I get a feeling of do they really know me? When did they see me? They wave to me and they even come to greet me at the airport. The KHJ I know is a this tiny person (@5:20) yet when the fans come, I feel like they see me as this big person. I get a big sense of burden..
MCK—So, when you say you feel like just a bubble, when do you feel that?
KHJ—I feel that some of the press portray me in a grand way. Such as “10,000 seats sold out”. The reality is that concert was carried out twice for 5000 audience each.
MCblue training (I do not know his name—so he will be referred to as MCB)—I have concert at Hong University and not even 100 people come to see me. (laughter) MCY also said that 5000 is also amazing.
KHJ-They would portray me as the little Yonsama in the news . I actually had a concert with BYJ at the Tokyo Dome and realized what being Hallyu really meant. 50,000 people were there.
MCK—50,000 people came to see BYJ. What was the sound like?
KHJ—Actually there was not as much noise as I thought. The age of much of the audience was older. (laughter; the screen says that BYJ’s fans are older.) Many of the fans were waving their fans. (laughter)
MCK-How did you meet BYJ-ssi? (Before KHJ can answer, MCK stops KHJ and says that he has to cover another story first..about DSP before moving ot BYJ—KHJ’s original agency.) MCK says that DSP raised you, trained you and invested into you. If I ask you what made you make the switch, would you answer me?
KHJ—yes. MCK cannot believe that KHJ will tell the whole truth about his move to a new agency so he decides to ask KHJ another question to verify that KHJ will really tell only the truth. MCK asks KHJ if his appearance is made by GOD only or by a doctor.
KHJ—God gave it to me and a doctor gave it a bit of touch. My nose was hit by a stone while the ‘hyungs’ were breaking the ?cassetts? with stones and one of them hit me instead. So, I patched up my nose and at the same time, lifted it a bit. (laughter)
MCK—I really feel like KHJ is giving us a sign that he is going to tell us everything that we ask him today.
KHJ—I guess I have to…But I am wondering if I am being pulled too much. (laughter and his somewhat nervous gesture @8:00)
So the narrator summarizes why KHJ is there—how can KHJ think that everything about him or his accomplishments feel like bubbles then what are the rest of us?? Let’s find out for sure by learning about how he has lived his life so far.
MC Y Reads KHJ’s grand profile: You all know his profile. MCY also says that KHJ was ranked number 1 in the entire school during his elementary school. He once worried that his grades did not go up any more. Why? Since he is number 1, where else can he go? But this smart boy listened to SuhTAeJi ‘s Ultramania during junior high school 2nd year and started to follow him. He followed him so much that he even dropped out of high school and ran away from home. He became a pretty pauper and started to work and eventually went into DSP as its trainee. He made debut in 2005 with SS501 but did not beat the rival DBXK. He went onto acting and even won the newcomers award. Even though his acting may not have been that good, the rating was always increasing. Regarding DSP, he even said all in jest that he will never leave DSP unless kicked out but he did…He moved to Keyeast and the first acting job through Keyeast was MK, etc….(you can see through the clip what they are talking about)
MCK asks about KHJ being number 1 in elementary school. KHJ says that who would not do well in elementary school. MCY says that MCK was not good. So KHJ says everybody is different. He says that as an elementary student, he hated losing and he felt a pang of pain if he gets one thing wrong. He would get up at 6 in the morning daily with and alarm clock and study before going to school. At 2nd grade, to win prizes, he would read 15 books a day to not to lose his rank. His dream as a young child was to become a scientist to experiment with cells and etc. His parents had nothing to worry about as all teachers would tell his parents that HJ does not have to worry about being accepted to Seoul National University. My parents were so relaxed about me until they were shocked when I was a junior high school student.
MCK asked KHJ about how KHJ’s dream of becoming a scientist changed to being a singer? KHJ talked about listening to Suh TAeJI’s Ultramania with red hair at that time. To KHJ, Suh TaeJI looked and was just amazing and charismatic. He wanted to be SuhTJ. Then, he joined a Catholic church that had a rock band called AKSUS. MCK asked what AKSUS means…KHJ says it means ack-sseu-dah which became AKSUS==which is Korean for : To Yell/Shout.(laughter) At first KHJ learned to play the base because SuhTJ played the base initially also. He studied everything about SuhTJ and he neglected his studies. KHJ says that he did not study because STJ also did not study. (big laughter) KHJ says that he learned everything about STJ that he can see on the outside. He felt that STJ does not look like the type to study so he did not either. KHJ also felt that classroom work seemed like just a lot of lectures and he wanted to show that studying is not everything. He felt that to go to school and to study were sacrilege against STJ’s music. He wanted his rebelliousness to be filled to the brim. (laughter) He did not want to fall below and everything about it was very attractive to him.
MCK—To you it was attractive, but what was it like for your parents?
KHJ—They tried very hard to stop me. They shattered the guitar that I bought with my own money.
MCK—to you parents, they were seeing the rebellion of a son becoming a teenager.
KHJ—The level of my rebelliousness was equivalent to that of a tornado, There were many incidents where my parents had to frequent police stations because of me. I really stressed out my parents a great deal.
MCK—They must have been so very shocked.
KHJ—They would wish on me to have a child like me. (laughter) In a way, it is horrifying. If my son were like me, I probably would have locked him up.
MCK—But you are not the type to stay locked up.
KHJ—no, because I was locked up, only thing I could do was to run away. In a way, that was the end point of the big storm.
MCK at this point asks him what high school he went. He went to Jamsil elementary and junior high school but somehow he ended up going to YoungDong high school which was part of KangNam district—(a very wealthy town). He had misconceptions about that high school…he thought that the KangNam residents were so rich that if he asked for a bus fare, he would get easy money and he also thought that all the students would be driven to school by their private drivers. He could not stand the thought of going there as he was not from such a rich background. So he wore the Youngdong HS uniform and went to Jamsil High School’s first day, participated in its ceremony and even went into the friend’s classroom and insisted that he is suppose to be a student at Jamsil HS. He did that to become a Jamsil student. (Here the MC’s are stunned at what KHJ is capable of doing..he really seems to have the guts to go after what he wants even if it could be extreme….woah!!)
KHJ says that he was kicked out of Jamsil and hardly went to YoungDong HS. So his attendance was really poor and the teacher said that he may be kicked out of HS, So, KHJ decided not to go to school.
MCK says that SuhTJ also dropped out of hs and whether KHJ wanted to emulate STJ.
KHJ –That fact did influence his decision maybe 60%. But when I quit school, I realized that I had nothing to do.
MCK—So what was your day like after you officially dropped out of school?
KHJ—I would get up and eat, (MCK asked if his mother prepare food for him and KHJ says she did not) They did not give me any allowance either. They would yell at me, go out and earn your own food, sehkkiya! (sehkkiya is like calling someone a bastard/son of a,,,,, a form of a curse.) (laughter) (There were two high schools in the town of Jamsil. One day he would go to one high school and wait at the snack store for his friends to come out when the bell rings. If he gets bored with one school, he would bike over to other school in the town. He actually played in the soccer game during the gym time at that high school. (KHJ really had guts and some nerve!!) Then he got a jobs like delivering chicken .
MCK—Woah! From the perspective of the parents, they must have resented Suh TaeJi at that time.
KHJ—yes. Basically my extreme reverence for him increased too much rebellion in me that I went the wrong way. I just copied the surface to the extreme.
MCK—Your rebellion went overboared that you did not even listen to SuhTJ either. You did not return home.
KHJ—yes,,I left home and lived on my own.
MCK—There is a saying that if one leaves home, it is just a hardship.
KHJ—It was an extreme hardship. I have never experienced such a hardship ever. I had no where to go so went to a friend’s house in the town of Shil-Lim-dong. But that day, that friend was reprimanded by his father and KHJ could not go into the house. Instead the friend gave him a blanket and told him to go to the roof top boiler room where it is warm and to sleep there. But it was so noisy in there that I could not sleep. On top of that I was starving and absolutely no money. Until 3 or 4 am, I was going round and round that Shil-Lim-dong. So I went to the town train station and on the way prayed for some food. He prayed that if he gets some food, he will return home. At that time, there was a tented eatery that was still open. So, he went in and ordered about 5 dishes and just ate. As he got full, he started to worry about how to pay for them. But at that very moment, a delivery call came in. He decided to eat very slowly and as soon as the owner was getting ready to leave for the delivery, he ran out and he ran continuously for 20 minutes through the curvy and narrow streets of Shil-Lim dong. Even to these day, if he ever feels cold and hungry, he thinks about that time.
MCK asks KHJ if he ever returned to that tented eatery to repay the owner. KHJ says that he wanted to do that. He thought about becoming successful and taking the staff there and order 50 dishes. But that tented eatery has changed to SoonDae Soup eatery. (haha..I wonder if this is that soondae soup restaurant where he met his first love??? Keke He went there every day for 2 nad half years until the old owner closed it down…remember???) Then, the next day, I returned home. MCY says you kept your promise. So he decided to stay home and find part time jobs where he can really learn something. (his thinking is still quite advanced for such a young age….) So he applied and started to work at a Family Restaurant which was located near the Lotte World and so it was inside the mall.
MCK—So, what did you learn?
KHJ—I learned that life is not easy. I also learned a bit about how to get along with people. For example, I learned that I have to show my best of best to the owner, then little less to the manager and much less to the team leader. (KHJ laughs)
MCK—Were you popular with the customers due to your looks?
KHJ—The owner gave me a nickname. He asked me what I wanted to do with my life and I said a singer. So, he gave me a nickname that starting today, I am called A. The reason is that I must do better than Bi/Rain. (Get it??) (laughter) I worked with great passion. While serving, I would stack up the trays on both hands and go down the steps and people would watch me. I felt that I was really cool. (laughter form the mc’s and MCK says that KHJ has a very competitive side to him.)
KHJ—yes. Whatever I did, I did with diligence and passion. I really hate to lose. However, one Christmas eve, the restaurant had a great business and finished up after midnight and the elevator stops operating after midnight. Due to great business, the food garbage was enormous. Since the elevartor did not work, KHJ had to take the garbage taller than him down was rolling declining levels of the mall . Unfortunately the entire food garbage splashed all over. On that Christmas eve night, he had to pick up the garbage by hand all night long. AT that moment, I asked myself, do I really have to live like this?I I realized that I finally had to take the first step towards what I really wanted to do. (KHJ is seems to be very reflective and analytical. Instead of just getting mad, he seems to have pondered over each incident as if nothing happens in life by chance but that each incident is a opportunity to learn and grow. to realize all that at such a young age, he really had to be so blazingly honest with himself and so brave to make that move even when things are going so stinky…sorry for the pun…no wonder he became a success!)
The, KHJ was able to get into DSP. MCK asks what was the environment like at DSP at that time?
KHJ—DSP make learn to survive. After you get up, you would have to clean up the recording room until 10 and then you would have to run 20 laps around the track. The next day, you have to run 21 laps then 22, 23, even to 40 laps. But you have to do it. At that time, it was the style of Sparta…we had to eat very fast since we are not able to bring in any income. Then we had to go and practice our songs in a very small room the size of that studio room. There were 8 of them and he had no idea what he was even singing as there were 8 people singing in the small room at the same time. (laughter) @23:16 you can see KHJ giving a scenario of what it was like for 8 people to sing in a chaotic way. He says it was so noisy that he could not even hear himself.
MCK says that DSP President is widely known as very scary person. KHJ says yes. But KHJ says that even though the president is scary, he still was able to say what was on his mind. He would ask the president for back up dancers and the Pres would say they are not necessary and that they are additional cost. But KHJ would insist that they need the dancers. Then the Pre would say, That sehkki says what is on his mind. Go ahead and talk, sekkiya…(DSP sounds like a rough training ground—like a military school,,doesn’t it??) So, he treated me nicely and I even called him father. And he referred to me as a son.
MCK—So what was SS501’s strategy? Did you have the confidence to win over DBXK?
KHJ—It was half and half. We just felt that we will go slowly and then make a kill. (laughter)
MCK---so you are saying that SS5 followed the strategy>
KHJ—It could be the strategy, but the entire atmosphere was like that anyway. (laughter) (They did not need the strategy to play,,,it was already being played out that SS5 and DBXK were rivals. ) KHJ says that the audienc/publice created the atmosphere of rivalry to start.
MCK—SS501 makes its first debut on June 8, 2005. How was it??
KHJ—After the first broadcast, I cried. But I didn’t understand why. I thought about it. I think it was the feeling of accomplishment and the flood of the thoughts of the hard training days.
MCK—How did your parents feel about their once rebellious son making the debut?
KHJ—That day, I just went out like any other day..I did not tell them that I will be making the debut on air. Just greeted them goodbye and left. But somehow they found out and came to the debut . I found out through the hyungs who came to congratulate me and they told me that they saw my parents and that they saw them cry quietly in the back.
MCK—You still did not talk about that day with your parents? You did not even ask if they came?
KHJ—no. (he looks as if there is nothing peculiar about that) I just feel very uncomfortable talking about such things. I am not that good at expressing what is on my mind.
MCK-So, today, what kind of son is KHJ?
KHJ—I still am not very expressive. Actually I think I became even more silent and asocial=mooteukteuk. I earned the money and bought for them a car. But what I regret is (all the mc’s are wondering why he regrets giving gift to his parents.) that because I bought the car with cash, I did not get the tax benefit. (laughter). (I noticed that KHJ has a way of providing an emotionally charged situation a comic relief. Perhaps he does it for himself as he does not feel comfortable with such feelings. But it makes other people feel good too ---in a way…)KHJ says that at that time, he only had money for a second hand car. So he took 2500mon won to the dealer and asked for the most expensive car. The dealer brought the black car with a sun roof. He signed for it and paid. Then, he thought about how he is going to give this gift to his parents. He felt so uncomfortable saying to his parents that he wanted to give a gift of a car and to tell them to drive safely and to stay healthy. He felt so uncomfortable that he asked the dealer to deliver the car to his father. Then, due to feelings of embarrassment, he did not go back to the house at all. His mother called him and asked him what this car is. He just told her to take the car and then hang up on her.
MCK—Do you give a lot of spending money to your parents?
KHJ—yes, I do. But I do not give them myself. An automatic deposit system has been set up on a regular basis.
MCY-Why not hire someone like the dealer to go to the house and give it in person?
KHJ—no , because that person can run with the money. (laughter)
MCY—so you are are suspicious by nature.
KHJ—yes. So, I want to do the best but it is hard for me once I am in the front of them.
MCK—I heard that you are preparing a surprise gift for your parents.
KHJ-Yes…
MCK—you cannot tell us here?
KHJ—when is this being broadcast? I bought an apartment.
MCK—for your parents?
KHJ—yes. But it is not completed until October so I should not.
MCK—But why aren’t you telling them?
KHJ—because I am embarrassed. My parents use to live in Jamsil and moved to Sungdo on a lease as their business was not doing well. So I was trying to buy in Jamsil but Jamsil has become expensive. (laughter) So I bought one in Myungdong.
MCY and MCB—They are about the same. Myungdong may be even more expensive,. KHJ says , Really?? MCK tells him that land price usually goes up in Myungdong. KHJ did not seem to know that….(on screen it says that KHJ has a naïve/innocent side to him as well.) KHJ says that he will tell them once the apartment is ready in October and tell them to come in. Talking about such things is just so very embarrassing to me.
MCK—Even among all the idols, you have a particularly handsome face. How were you offered a role in BOF?
KHJ—I was in Japan and BOF production team called and asked me to try out for a Rui role. He had no idea what that was and so for the first time in his entire life, he read a romance manga. When I saw the manga, there were so many stars drawn in the characters’ eyes. (laughter) I could not read it as it was blinding me everytime I turned the page. I was really stressed over it. I wondered whether I had to do it. It is something that I would feel uncomfortable and akward. The DSP president asked me why I don’t want to do it so I said that I will do it and took the audition. The BOF team auditioned me and said that on the outside I pass as Rui but he was sure that they were worried about his first time acting. So he decided to study on his own by analyzing the every aspect of the the manga character. He studies how Rui character laid his hands on the chair at what angle and how he might have spoken. After he saw the first episode, he realized that his acting was strange and starting about 4 episodes, he realized that natural acting is the best kind of acing and he changed his method.
MCK—Were you getting lots of criticism?
KHJ—Oh yes. The kind of criticisms included my hands and feet are clamming up from your role,,why don’t you keep to your singing only…and the person added,,but you do not sing well either. (laughter) (KHJ really knows how to laugh at himself on air---that takes guts for sure.) But as those posts turned slowly to praises, I received much encouragement to do even better.
MCK—I sense in you a tough guy in your character. So this role must have been hard for you.
KHJ—If I hear an actor say on TV that he was so absorbed in his role that it was difficult to get out of it. I used to think it a lie and felt that a person cannot deviate too far from himself even in acting. But I realized that while I was living as YoonJiHoo for that 5 to 6 months, myself as KHJ disappeared . Even my friends who called me at that time felt puzzled by me.
MCK—You must felt the power of the BOF when you went overseas for promotions.
KHJ—yes, but, it was the BOF exporting business team who deserve the credit for exporting the drama so well. (laughter) I felt that on the top was Lee Minho, then the producers and GHS and then I was just tagging along.
MCK also asked about how his popularity was so high that he went to sing at the Asia Olympics. KHJ says that he did feel the popularity by the chanting of the fans calling out hjis name. but one hour later they all quieted down as it was so hot there.
MCK—Why did you say that you would not leave DSP unless kicked out?
KHJ—I said that on Radio Star. At that time, only 5 months remained on my contract and we still had one more album to complete and the group members did not talk at all. That is why I think I said it that way. Then, after the album was completed, we talked. I felt that everything that SS501 can show as a group has been all done. We said that it does not mean that the group has disbanded but that we each need to go out separate ways. So each person found an agency that was suitable to him and left. KHJ says that the DSP president called his out to the hotel bar and asked KHJ what he intends to do—are you going to leave or not? Why are you talking too long? KHJ ended up drinking the whole bottle of alcohol before telling him that,,I would like to try working with someone else. DSP President told him , son, you don’t have to stress over,,you are a man…I will help you if you are having a hard time finding an agency…
MCK mentions that the DSP presidenttook ill at this time KHJ was about to leave DSP. KHJ says that if he did not say he was sorry before the president took ill, he would not have been able to leave the agency. He hopes that if he comes out as number one with his music or drama or whatever and he has a change to say a few words, he would like to first thank the president of DSP and to wish him good health.
MCK—How did you meet BaeYJ>
KHJ—When I thought about moving to another singing agency, there wasn’t anything suitable for me. For an entire month, I could not sleep worrying about my future, Every time browse the internet, the media already talked about where I signed with what fee…I said to myself why don’t they call me and really offer the proposal? (laughter) The, YongJoon hyung called me. I met him before because my manager hyung knew him . Initially I was going to meet with the rep of Keyeast to receive advice for my situation. But on the first meeting, they talked about Keyeast and the second meeting, they gave me their contract and then I just signed up with them. The main reason for signing with Keyeast is that I was looking for an agency that would really support me and also respect my staff of dancer hyungs. Keyeast gave me the best condition .
MCK asked KHJ if BYJ in real life has that bright smile. KHJ says yes but he does not only smile and he has diverse expressions. They talk about opposite sex and BYJ has talked about feeling lonely.
MCK asks about his solo album and what is the strategy. KHJ says that he is not trying to promote but that the quality is really high. It has powerful performance (mc’s are laughing as he is actually promoting his album) and 2-uk-won MV.
MCK—what is your ultimate dream?
KHJ—To be the only one not a number one. Number one is a anxiety provoking as it can fall down in ranks. Buit only one is just you and only you. (the other mc’s really like it.)
Now to the solution for KHJ’s problem: MCK says that KHJ, you are right. You are a bubble. But, like the beer, you are definitely necessary bubble. The life of a beer is the bubbles. Without the bubbles, beer is flat and nobody likes it. Remember that bubbles enhance the star! Do you know who does not have bubbles? He points to his mcblue. MCblue tell them to stop it. (laughter) The show give KHJ a gift and say that KHJ sets up a junior high school with instructors like BaeYJ who would open an acting school and the mysterious SuhTaeJi and BibBang’s Top’s diet method and the motto of the school: we can go anywhere with a white sail and the wind. That it is possible to go anywhere with KHJ instructor. MCK says that KHJ is standing strong as a solo artist and may his only oneness live long and forever.
MC’s are playacting BOF and MK parts as KHJ enters the Master's room.
MCKangHoDong or MCK lifts up KHJ and places him at his seat and says that KHJ must exercises a lot because he feels much muscle at the lower part of his body.
MCK suddenly shouts at KHJ to welcome him as the one who stands alone now from SS501 and one with statue-like features. MCYoon who is dressed as Jihoo Sunbae says that KHJ also made his acting somewhat statue-like. He acts out one of the famous scenes from BOF in a stone-like fashion. MCK says that is not it,,it was even more so. (This is one variety program where the mc’s are not the most considerate but they are funny.) In a good natured way, KHJ goes along and says it is kind of acting that not everyone can do. KHJ even acts out that famous line “I can go anywhere if I have white sail and wind” when MCK asked KHJ to do the statue-like acting for the audience.
MCK—you are of course aware that you are good looking. Right?
KHJ—yes,,even with just one look (KHJ is pointing at MCY and laughter breaks open. Just as the mc’s start at the offensive, KHJ also attacks back. Haha.)
MCK—objectively speaking….
KHJ—First of all, (still pointing at MCY who is dressed up as himself in BOF) I would not want to switch. So, that means I am better. (MCY stares at KHJ with some playful animosity),
MCK—Since you have betrayed your agency….hmmm,,,since you changed your agency, it has been a long time since you appeared in a variety program. (Woah, these mc’s are starting the program from the offensive side but KHJ laughs.) So, have you been well?
KHJ—yes, I have been well and I have rested well.
MCK—Your boss is Bae YongJoon. When you decided to appear in our program, did Bae tell you anything?
KHJ—no,
MCK-You did not tell him?
KHJ—I did not tell him yet.
MCY—Don’t you think he would still know? I mean our prog is pretty big program.
KHJ—he is silent and looking down.
MCY—are you saying we are small? (I wonder if they planned it all to be offensive to each other…haha)
KHJ—no, (laughter)
MCK—What I hear is that KHJ and BYJ are very close, Putting aside their employer and employee relationship, they go out to drink together. Even in our last interview together, he was one hour late smelling of alcohol.
KHJ—no, I am sure I was past the hangover. ( laughter)
MCY—Do you like to drink?
KHJ—I do like it very much.
MCY—Our staff are leaving for MT (kind of relaxing fun retreat) after this recording. If you just pay 5monwon, you get unlimited alcohol. Do you want to come?
KHJ—no, I don’t think so…(laughter)
MCK—I kind of see that you are bit nervous being here.
KHJ—I was trying to have a relaxed state of mind but I feel like my strength is being sucked out very quickly.
MCK—What type of energy>
KHJ—Mischievous Kiss (laughter)—(KHJ seems to be saying that his energy was sucked out when MCY portrayed MK role as opposite of Baek SeungJO—as a stupid man—notice MCY’s face at @4:37)
MCK praises MCY for doing a good job. Then, MCK asks KHJ why he came to Knee POP Master. You must be busy practicing singing and dancing for your upcoming solo album and also going out to drink, what made you come today? (the whole premise of this variety program is that MCK pretends to be the Master of problem solving and celebrities come to him with a problem—Of course MCK is not a real psychologist but it is very informative and interesting program.)
KHJ—I feel like everything about what is happening and has happened to me is like soap bubble. Whenever I go overseas, thousands of fans come. Of course I feel good…and very thankful..But whenever that happens, I get a feeling of do they really know me? When did they see me? They wave to me and they even come to greet me at the airport. The KHJ I know is a this tiny person (@5:20) yet when the fans come, I feel like they see me as this big person. I get a big sense of burden..
MCK—So, when you say you feel like just a bubble, when do you feel that?
KHJ—I feel that some of the press portray me in a grand way. Such as “10,000 seats sold out”. The reality is that concert was carried out twice for 5000 audience each.
MCblue training (I do not know his name—so he will be referred to as MCB)—I have concert at Hong University and not even 100 people come to see me. (laughter) MCY also said that 5000 is also amazing.
KHJ-They would portray me as the little Yonsama in the news . I actually had a concert with BYJ at the Tokyo Dome and realized what being Hallyu really meant. 50,000 people were there.
MCK—50,000 people came to see BYJ. What was the sound like?
KHJ—Actually there was not as much noise as I thought. The age of much of the audience was older. (laughter; the screen says that BYJ’s fans are older.) Many of the fans were waving their fans. (laughter)
MCK-How did you meet BYJ-ssi? (Before KHJ can answer, MCK stops KHJ and says that he has to cover another story first..about DSP before moving ot BYJ—KHJ’s original agency.) MCK says that DSP raised you, trained you and invested into you. If I ask you what made you make the switch, would you answer me?
KHJ—yes. MCK cannot believe that KHJ will tell the whole truth about his move to a new agency so he decides to ask KHJ another question to verify that KHJ will really tell only the truth. MCK asks KHJ if his appearance is made by GOD only or by a doctor.
KHJ—God gave it to me and a doctor gave it a bit of touch. My nose was hit by a stone while the ‘hyungs’ were breaking the ?cassetts? with stones and one of them hit me instead. So, I patched up my nose and at the same time, lifted it a bit. (laughter)
MCK—I really feel like KHJ is giving us a sign that he is going to tell us everything that we ask him today.
KHJ—I guess I have to…But I am wondering if I am being pulled too much. (laughter and his somewhat nervous gesture @8:00)
So the narrator summarizes why KHJ is there—how can KHJ think that everything about him or his accomplishments feel like bubbles then what are the rest of us?? Let’s find out for sure by learning about how he has lived his life so far.
MC Y Reads KHJ’s grand profile: You all know his profile. MCY also says that KHJ was ranked number 1 in the entire school during his elementary school. He once worried that his grades did not go up any more. Why? Since he is number 1, where else can he go? But this smart boy listened to SuhTAeJi ‘s Ultramania during junior high school 2nd year and started to follow him. He followed him so much that he even dropped out of high school and ran away from home. He became a pretty pauper and started to work and eventually went into DSP as its trainee. He made debut in 2005 with SS501 but did not beat the rival DBXK. He went onto acting and even won the newcomers award. Even though his acting may not have been that good, the rating was always increasing. Regarding DSP, he even said all in jest that he will never leave DSP unless kicked out but he did…He moved to Keyeast and the first acting job through Keyeast was MK, etc….(you can see through the clip what they are talking about)
MCK asks about KHJ being number 1 in elementary school. KHJ says that who would not do well in elementary school. MCY says that MCK was not good. So KHJ says everybody is different. He says that as an elementary student, he hated losing and he felt a pang of pain if he gets one thing wrong. He would get up at 6 in the morning daily with and alarm clock and study before going to school. At 2nd grade, to win prizes, he would read 15 books a day to not to lose his rank. His dream as a young child was to become a scientist to experiment with cells and etc. His parents had nothing to worry about as all teachers would tell his parents that HJ does not have to worry about being accepted to Seoul National University. My parents were so relaxed about me until they were shocked when I was a junior high school student.
MCK asked KHJ about how KHJ’s dream of becoming a scientist changed to being a singer? KHJ talked about listening to Suh TAeJI’s Ultramania with red hair at that time. To KHJ, Suh TaeJI looked and was just amazing and charismatic. He wanted to be SuhTJ. Then, he joined a Catholic church that had a rock band called AKSUS. MCK asked what AKSUS means…KHJ says it means ack-sseu-dah which became AKSUS==which is Korean for : To Yell/Shout.(laughter) At first KHJ learned to play the base because SuhTJ played the base initially also. He studied everything about SuhTJ and he neglected his studies. KHJ says that he did not study because STJ also did not study. (big laughter) KHJ says that he learned everything about STJ that he can see on the outside. He felt that STJ does not look like the type to study so he did not either. KHJ also felt that classroom work seemed like just a lot of lectures and he wanted to show that studying is not everything. He felt that to go to school and to study were sacrilege against STJ’s music. He wanted his rebelliousness to be filled to the brim. (laughter) He did not want to fall below and everything about it was very attractive to him.
MCK—To you it was attractive, but what was it like for your parents?
KHJ—They tried very hard to stop me. They shattered the guitar that I bought with my own money.
MCK—to you parents, they were seeing the rebellion of a son becoming a teenager.
KHJ—The level of my rebelliousness was equivalent to that of a tornado, There were many incidents where my parents had to frequent police stations because of me. I really stressed out my parents a great deal.
MCK—They must have been so very shocked.
KHJ—They would wish on me to have a child like me. (laughter) In a way, it is horrifying. If my son were like me, I probably would have locked him up.
MCK—But you are not the type to stay locked up.
KHJ—no, because I was locked up, only thing I could do was to run away. In a way, that was the end point of the big storm.
MCK at this point asks him what high school he went. He went to Jamsil elementary and junior high school but somehow he ended up going to YoungDong high school which was part of KangNam district—(a very wealthy town). He had misconceptions about that high school…he thought that the KangNam residents were so rich that if he asked for a bus fare, he would get easy money and he also thought that all the students would be driven to school by their private drivers. He could not stand the thought of going there as he was not from such a rich background. So he wore the Youngdong HS uniform and went to Jamsil High School’s first day, participated in its ceremony and even went into the friend’s classroom and insisted that he is suppose to be a student at Jamsil HS. He did that to become a Jamsil student. (Here the MC’s are stunned at what KHJ is capable of doing..he really seems to have the guts to go after what he wants even if it could be extreme….woah!!)
KHJ says that he was kicked out of Jamsil and hardly went to YoungDong HS. So his attendance was really poor and the teacher said that he may be kicked out of HS, So, KHJ decided not to go to school.
MCK says that SuhTJ also dropped out of hs and whether KHJ wanted to emulate STJ.
KHJ –That fact did influence his decision maybe 60%. But when I quit school, I realized that I had nothing to do.
MCK—So what was your day like after you officially dropped out of school?
KHJ—I would get up and eat, (MCK asked if his mother prepare food for him and KHJ says she did not) They did not give me any allowance either. They would yell at me, go out and earn your own food, sehkkiya! (sehkkiya is like calling someone a bastard/son of a,,,,, a form of a curse.) (laughter) (There were two high schools in the town of Jamsil. One day he would go to one high school and wait at the snack store for his friends to come out when the bell rings. If he gets bored with one school, he would bike over to other school in the town. He actually played in the soccer game during the gym time at that high school. (KHJ really had guts and some nerve!!) Then he got a jobs like delivering chicken .
MCK—Woah! From the perspective of the parents, they must have resented Suh TaeJi at that time.
KHJ—yes. Basically my extreme reverence for him increased too much rebellion in me that I went the wrong way. I just copied the surface to the extreme.
MCK—Your rebellion went overboared that you did not even listen to SuhTJ either. You did not return home.
KHJ—yes,,I left home and lived on my own.
MCK—There is a saying that if one leaves home, it is just a hardship.
KHJ—It was an extreme hardship. I have never experienced such a hardship ever. I had no where to go so went to a friend’s house in the town of Shil-Lim-dong. But that day, that friend was reprimanded by his father and KHJ could not go into the house. Instead the friend gave him a blanket and told him to go to the roof top boiler room where it is warm and to sleep there. But it was so noisy in there that I could not sleep. On top of that I was starving and absolutely no money. Until 3 or 4 am, I was going round and round that Shil-Lim-dong. So I went to the town train station and on the way prayed for some food. He prayed that if he gets some food, he will return home. At that time, there was a tented eatery that was still open. So, he went in and ordered about 5 dishes and just ate. As he got full, he started to worry about how to pay for them. But at that very moment, a delivery call came in. He decided to eat very slowly and as soon as the owner was getting ready to leave for the delivery, he ran out and he ran continuously for 20 minutes through the curvy and narrow streets of Shil-Lim dong. Even to these day, if he ever feels cold and hungry, he thinks about that time.
MCK asks KHJ if he ever returned to that tented eatery to repay the owner. KHJ says that he wanted to do that. He thought about becoming successful and taking the staff there and order 50 dishes. But that tented eatery has changed to SoonDae Soup eatery. (haha..I wonder if this is that soondae soup restaurant where he met his first love??? Keke He went there every day for 2 nad half years until the old owner closed it down…remember???) Then, the next day, I returned home. MCY says you kept your promise. So he decided to stay home and find part time jobs where he can really learn something. (his thinking is still quite advanced for such a young age….) So he applied and started to work at a Family Restaurant which was located near the Lotte World and so it was inside the mall.
MCK—So, what did you learn?
KHJ—I learned that life is not easy. I also learned a bit about how to get along with people. For example, I learned that I have to show my best of best to the owner, then little less to the manager and much less to the team leader. (KHJ laughs)
MCK—Were you popular with the customers due to your looks?
KHJ—The owner gave me a nickname. He asked me what I wanted to do with my life and I said a singer. So, he gave me a nickname that starting today, I am called A. The reason is that I must do better than Bi/Rain. (Get it??) (laughter) I worked with great passion. While serving, I would stack up the trays on both hands and go down the steps and people would watch me. I felt that I was really cool. (laughter form the mc’s and MCK says that KHJ has a very competitive side to him.)
KHJ—yes. Whatever I did, I did with diligence and passion. I really hate to lose. However, one Christmas eve, the restaurant had a great business and finished up after midnight and the elevator stops operating after midnight. Due to great business, the food garbage was enormous. Since the elevartor did not work, KHJ had to take the garbage taller than him down was rolling declining levels of the mall . Unfortunately the entire food garbage splashed all over. On that Christmas eve night, he had to pick up the garbage by hand all night long. AT that moment, I asked myself, do I really have to live like this?I I realized that I finally had to take the first step towards what I really wanted to do. (KHJ is seems to be very reflective and analytical. Instead of just getting mad, he seems to have pondered over each incident as if nothing happens in life by chance but that each incident is a opportunity to learn and grow. to realize all that at such a young age, he really had to be so blazingly honest with himself and so brave to make that move even when things are going so stinky…sorry for the pun…no wonder he became a success!)
The, KHJ was able to get into DSP. MCK asks what was the environment like at DSP at that time?
KHJ—DSP make learn to survive. After you get up, you would have to clean up the recording room until 10 and then you would have to run 20 laps around the track. The next day, you have to run 21 laps then 22, 23, even to 40 laps. But you have to do it. At that time, it was the style of Sparta…we had to eat very fast since we are not able to bring in any income. Then we had to go and practice our songs in a very small room the size of that studio room. There were 8 of them and he had no idea what he was even singing as there were 8 people singing in the small room at the same time. (laughter) @23:16 you can see KHJ giving a scenario of what it was like for 8 people to sing in a chaotic way. He says it was so noisy that he could not even hear himself.
MCK says that DSP President is widely known as very scary person. KHJ says yes. But KHJ says that even though the president is scary, he still was able to say what was on his mind. He would ask the president for back up dancers and the Pres would say they are not necessary and that they are additional cost. But KHJ would insist that they need the dancers. Then the Pre would say, That sehkki says what is on his mind. Go ahead and talk, sekkiya…(DSP sounds like a rough training ground—like a military school,,doesn’t it??) So, he treated me nicely and I even called him father. And he referred to me as a son.
MCK—So what was SS501’s strategy? Did you have the confidence to win over DBXK?
KHJ—It was half and half. We just felt that we will go slowly and then make a kill. (laughter)
MCK---so you are saying that SS5 followed the strategy>
KHJ—It could be the strategy, but the entire atmosphere was like that anyway. (laughter) (They did not need the strategy to play,,,it was already being played out that SS5 and DBXK were rivals. ) KHJ says that the audienc/publice created the atmosphere of rivalry to start.
MCK—SS501 makes its first debut on June 8, 2005. How was it??
KHJ—After the first broadcast, I cried. But I didn’t understand why. I thought about it. I think it was the feeling of accomplishment and the flood of the thoughts of the hard training days.
MCK—How did your parents feel about their once rebellious son making the debut?
KHJ—That day, I just went out like any other day..I did not tell them that I will be making the debut on air. Just greeted them goodbye and left. But somehow they found out and came to the debut . I found out through the hyungs who came to congratulate me and they told me that they saw my parents and that they saw them cry quietly in the back.
MCK—You still did not talk about that day with your parents? You did not even ask if they came?
KHJ—no. (he looks as if there is nothing peculiar about that) I just feel very uncomfortable talking about such things. I am not that good at expressing what is on my mind.
MCK-So, today, what kind of son is KHJ?
KHJ—I still am not very expressive. Actually I think I became even more silent and asocial=mooteukteuk. I earned the money and bought for them a car. But what I regret is (all the mc’s are wondering why he regrets giving gift to his parents.) that because I bought the car with cash, I did not get the tax benefit. (laughter). (I noticed that KHJ has a way of providing an emotionally charged situation a comic relief. Perhaps he does it for himself as he does not feel comfortable with such feelings. But it makes other people feel good too ---in a way…)KHJ says that at that time, he only had money for a second hand car. So he took 2500mon won to the dealer and asked for the most expensive car. The dealer brought the black car with a sun roof. He signed for it and paid. Then, he thought about how he is going to give this gift to his parents. He felt so uncomfortable saying to his parents that he wanted to give a gift of a car and to tell them to drive safely and to stay healthy. He felt so uncomfortable that he asked the dealer to deliver the car to his father. Then, due to feelings of embarrassment, he did not go back to the house at all. His mother called him and asked him what this car is. He just told her to take the car and then hang up on her.
MCK—Do you give a lot of spending money to your parents?
KHJ—yes, I do. But I do not give them myself. An automatic deposit system has been set up on a regular basis.
MCY-Why not hire someone like the dealer to go to the house and give it in person?
KHJ—no , because that person can run with the money. (laughter)
MCY—so you are are suspicious by nature.
KHJ—yes. So, I want to do the best but it is hard for me once I am in the front of them.
MCK—I heard that you are preparing a surprise gift for your parents.
KHJ-Yes…
MCK—you cannot tell us here?
KHJ—when is this being broadcast? I bought an apartment.
MCK—for your parents?
KHJ—yes. But it is not completed until October so I should not.
MCK—But why aren’t you telling them?
KHJ—because I am embarrassed. My parents use to live in Jamsil and moved to Sungdo on a lease as their business was not doing well. So I was trying to buy in Jamsil but Jamsil has become expensive. (laughter) So I bought one in Myungdong.
MCY and MCB—They are about the same. Myungdong may be even more expensive,. KHJ says , Really?? MCK tells him that land price usually goes up in Myungdong. KHJ did not seem to know that….(on screen it says that KHJ has a naïve/innocent side to him as well.) KHJ says that he will tell them once the apartment is ready in October and tell them to come in. Talking about such things is just so very embarrassing to me.
MCK—Even among all the idols, you have a particularly handsome face. How were you offered a role in BOF?
KHJ—I was in Japan and BOF production team called and asked me to try out for a Rui role. He had no idea what that was and so for the first time in his entire life, he read a romance manga. When I saw the manga, there were so many stars drawn in the characters’ eyes. (laughter) I could not read it as it was blinding me everytime I turned the page. I was really stressed over it. I wondered whether I had to do it. It is something that I would feel uncomfortable and akward. The DSP president asked me why I don’t want to do it so I said that I will do it and took the audition. The BOF team auditioned me and said that on the outside I pass as Rui but he was sure that they were worried about his first time acting. So he decided to study on his own by analyzing the every aspect of the the manga character. He studies how Rui character laid his hands on the chair at what angle and how he might have spoken. After he saw the first episode, he realized that his acting was strange and starting about 4 episodes, he realized that natural acting is the best kind of acing and he changed his method.
MCK—Were you getting lots of criticism?
KHJ—Oh yes. The kind of criticisms included my hands and feet are clamming up from your role,,why don’t you keep to your singing only…and the person added,,but you do not sing well either. (laughter) (KHJ really knows how to laugh at himself on air---that takes guts for sure.) But as those posts turned slowly to praises, I received much encouragement to do even better.
MCK—I sense in you a tough guy in your character. So this role must have been hard for you.
KHJ—If I hear an actor say on TV that he was so absorbed in his role that it was difficult to get out of it. I used to think it a lie and felt that a person cannot deviate too far from himself even in acting. But I realized that while I was living as YoonJiHoo for that 5 to 6 months, myself as KHJ disappeared . Even my friends who called me at that time felt puzzled by me.
MCK—You must felt the power of the BOF when you went overseas for promotions.
KHJ—yes, but, it was the BOF exporting business team who deserve the credit for exporting the drama so well. (laughter) I felt that on the top was Lee Minho, then the producers and GHS and then I was just tagging along.
MCK also asked about how his popularity was so high that he went to sing at the Asia Olympics. KHJ says that he did feel the popularity by the chanting of the fans calling out hjis name. but one hour later they all quieted down as it was so hot there.
MCK—Why did you say that you would not leave DSP unless kicked out?
KHJ—I said that on Radio Star. At that time, only 5 months remained on my contract and we still had one more album to complete and the group members did not talk at all. That is why I think I said it that way. Then, after the album was completed, we talked. I felt that everything that SS501 can show as a group has been all done. We said that it does not mean that the group has disbanded but that we each need to go out separate ways. So each person found an agency that was suitable to him and left. KHJ says that the DSP president called his out to the hotel bar and asked KHJ what he intends to do—are you going to leave or not? Why are you talking too long? KHJ ended up drinking the whole bottle of alcohol before telling him that,,I would like to try working with someone else. DSP President told him , son, you don’t have to stress over,,you are a man…I will help you if you are having a hard time finding an agency…
MCK mentions that the DSP presidenttook ill at this time KHJ was about to leave DSP. KHJ says that if he did not say he was sorry before the president took ill, he would not have been able to leave the agency. He hopes that if he comes out as number one with his music or drama or whatever and he has a change to say a few words, he would like to first thank the president of DSP and to wish him good health.
MCK—How did you meet BaeYJ>
KHJ—When I thought about moving to another singing agency, there wasn’t anything suitable for me. For an entire month, I could not sleep worrying about my future, Every time browse the internet, the media already talked about where I signed with what fee…I said to myself why don’t they call me and really offer the proposal? (laughter) The, YongJoon hyung called me. I met him before because my manager hyung knew him . Initially I was going to meet with the rep of Keyeast to receive advice for my situation. But on the first meeting, they talked about Keyeast and the second meeting, they gave me their contract and then I just signed up with them. The main reason for signing with Keyeast is that I was looking for an agency that would really support me and also respect my staff of dancer hyungs. Keyeast gave me the best condition .
MCK asked KHJ if BYJ in real life has that bright smile. KHJ says yes but he does not only smile and he has diverse expressions. They talk about opposite sex and BYJ has talked about feeling lonely.
MCK asks about his solo album and what is the strategy. KHJ says that he is not trying to promote but that the quality is really high. It has powerful performance (mc’s are laughing as he is actually promoting his album) and 2-uk-won MV.
MCK—what is your ultimate dream?
KHJ—To be the only one not a number one. Number one is a anxiety provoking as it can fall down in ranks. Buit only one is just you and only you. (the other mc’s really like it.)
No comments:
Post a Comment