HS: Actually among the Shinhwa members I had the longest training period, but I got scolded the most because I couldn’t dance. So I thought, since I couldn’t dance as well as the others, I had to practise hard at singing everyday, and sing the songs well. During our 2nd album, I sang a solo titled ‘Forever With You’, and I felt, ‘it would be great if I could sing solo like this’. Though it’s natural for idol group members to have their own solo activities now, back then we didn’t even dare to think of it. It’s true, Shinhwa was the first group to do that. If the members were only to function with group activities, that would be too much of a restriction, but of course that would require mutual understanding among the members. Sometimes when a member went on a TV or radio show the other members would get jealous, even when Jinnie took part in Dream Team and shot the Lecaf CF, we were all very troubled. It was the first time something like this happened and the money wasn’t a lot either, so what were we to do? ‘Does Jinnie get to take it all? Do we split it between us?’ In the end we really split it all (laughs). Of course such situations don’t happen anymore. If they must, there would probably be trouble in the case of SNSD with 9 members (laughs). No matter what, we considered our friendship before we started our solo activities. I started off as a DJ and then formed S with Kangta and Lee Jihoon. The idols these days should really thank us for paving the way for solo activities (laughs).
Like what you said, there are many idol group members who have solo activities, and their average age has become younger too. What do you have to say to them?
HS: These days there are many of such solo activities, and it’s quite worrying. Even if they started out together, and no matter how close they become, solo activities will affect the relationship. There will be some who get ahead, and some who lag behind. In such situations, they must be prepared. The ones ahead must look out for the ones behind, and the ones behind cannot get too jealous either. We went through that ourselves too, when Eric became successful as an actor, when Jinnie was very active with Dream Team, when Andy had his sitcom, and they were all doing well. When that happened, it was really good that we showed care and understanding among ourselves.
Actually, living the life of an idol, because you have to abandon regular human relationships, the friendship among the members has become even more important
HS: Yes, especially in my case where the two fellows from S are my only friends beside the Shinhwa members (laughs), I really treasure the members a lot. Whenever I’m free, when I feel like having a drink, the members are people I can call out.
Are you the type who likes drinking?
HS: I don’t particularly like alcohol. Even if it’s expensive, I won’t take strong stuff. But if I don’t go drinking, there isn’t much I can do (laughs). If I’m at home, I only surf the Internet and watch movies, and if I go out, I would go crazy if I spent more than 15 minutes at a coffee shop. So when I go out, I would go drinking, but now that Kangta is serving his military duty, and Jihoon doesn’t really drink, it hasn’t been easy lately.
“I only have one text message today, from Eric”
On ‘Star Golden Bell’, you talked about loneliness
HS: Today I only got one text message. Eric said, “Where are you and what are you doing”. I received it after finishing a live broadcast today, usually in such situations, close friends would say something like “I enjoyed watching your performance”, isn’t it? But that’s the only message I got today. Besides, I don’t even know if he mass-texted everyone the same message (laughs).
When you’re bored, do you initiate text messages to people?
HS: Recently there’s been a lot work, so once I get busy the moment I reach home. When I get bored with nothing to do, I would look through my phone contact list, but I won’t call anyone immediately. And I won’t ask them out of the blue, ‘how are you’. The other party might find it a little too much. I always think that other people would have the same mentality as me.
That’s cautious of you. But compared to that, abandoning your studies overseas for a singing career in Korea, that’s really a surprising move from you.
HS: In fact, I did give up a lot back then. Initially my dream wasn’t to be a singer, but to get into a good college in the US and then get a good job, get married and then fetch my parents over for a comfortable life. But the results are good. When I was studying overseas, I was going through adolescence and feeling homesick, so it was very difficult, and there were bad temptations too. Thinking back now, it was giddying. Of course, there were insecurities as Shinhwa started getting active, because I gave up everything to come back and yet we didn’t get popular immediately. At that time it was either you get as big as H.O.T or Sechskies, or you simply disappear off the radar. Fortunately we moved upwards steadily, and we’re still together now.
In the end you became a member of the longest-running idol group, and also a solo singer who can carry on making the music that you want. Even though your dream wasn’t to be a singer, you don’t seem to have any regrets about it.
HS: Of course, thinking about it now, it’s a lucky and happy thing that I could become a singer, because I’m doing something I like and receiving everyone’s love for it.
Source: 10asia
Chi trans: jojoyu7@shinhwachina
Eng trans: midnightgirl13@absolutshinhwa.wordpress.com
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