📚 Complete (7 chapters)
📚 Namkook
📚 Slice of life, vinyl store
📚 Bumbling fools in love
📚 Rating: Teen and up
📚 Word count: 24k
Moodboard by femissamelie
Written for Namkook Love Fest Season 2
After running an online vinyl shop for years, Jeongguk and Hoseok finally open an offline store in Itaewon. Jeongguk lives in the moment and doesn't think hard about the future. However, on the very first day at their new store, he figuratively gets struck by the lightning of the unexpected.
[TRANS] Wooyoung’s Records Talk 『Off the record』 FULL (5 parts)
WOOYOUNG'S RECORDS TALK #1
Hello, everyone. It’s been a while. This is 2PM’s Wooyoung.
I’ve been waiting for this moment.
I’ve really missed you.
Q. How do you feel about releasing an album after 5 years and a half?
A. I’m nervous. I’m very happy that I got to release an album and go on a concert tour. I’ve made that album and concert with you all constantly on my mind. Please take your time to enjoy it all.
01. From Here
Q. Please introduce the song.
A. In this album, From Here is a song with the biggest amount of Hip Hop elements. Also, at some point, both in Korea and Japan, I wanted to write song lyrics that would reflect my own stories and my own values that influence the way I look at the world. So, this personal ambition to add at least one such song in every release grew. And in this album, From Here will be that song that contains my personal confession like my own individual diary.
Q. Why did you choose it as the first track in the album?
A. Just like the song’s title says, it sort of means that From Here something begins again. And in the chorus, you can hear the lines “From here, from me” repeated many times. That also means that from this point in time, 2023 June 7th, I begin anew again. Meaning that my own personal music story, activities start from here, from me.
Q. Any behind the scenes of this song’s production process?
A. I got to work on From Here’s track with a composer called RAUDI. It was our first time working together. I was the one to contact them first, asking whether they could send me a beat that would suit me. And it was one of the tracks they sent me, and I somehow wanted to listen to it again and again. I also got to think that I would have a lot of stories to tell to that kind of music. And seeing how I kept on listening to it every day, I thought that for this album, I definitely have to work towards adding a song that would contain my own story.
It was to the point that there was no need to fix anything much. In order to save that basic calm hip hop feeling from the track’s beat, so that the fans would feel it the way I felt it, we kept it intact the way it was, and I just added my own melody and lyrics on top of it.
Q. Any episodes during the recording?
A. I invested a lot of time in working on the title track, so there wasn’t enough time to work properly on any of the B-sides. So… I don’t think I’ve ever done that before… I ended up recording in the studio all by myself. Usually, the composer you work with stays with you in the studio for recording, but I recorded this song all by myself. I only had simple consultation with the Japanese lyricist to help me with my pronunciation. So, this song was produced very fast in a rather minimalist way.
Q. Any episodes while preparing for the tour?
A. At first, I wanted to start my concert with this song. In my own opinion… It has my own personal story, and it could also be the most important story for me, so I thought it should be the first song I introduce to the fans, too. However, as I got more ideas and thoughts about the concert composition, I thought of where else I could find an important starting point. And when I realized that I could start the encore with it, I switched the concert track list.
Q. How do you want everyone to feel when they listen to this song?
A. Rather than carrying some profound message, I wrote this song thinking that perhaps the fans might feel the same. No matter how much I communicate with my fans through my albums or SNS, they can’t really see my actual diary. So, as long as I don’t open my own diary and read it out loud, the only way to convey something I have as a person, or my thoughts when I look back on the days past, is through music. So, I decided to put it into a song, and this song is the result of it. So rather than accepting it with heavy hearts, I hope the fans would comfortably take it as listening to my own little trivial story, thinking like “Ah, this is what Jang Wooyoung’s been thinking over the years,” “This is what he wants to do in the future.”
A. First of all, the base of Off the Record is the new jack swing genre. When I think about new jack swing, it’s a genre with a very distinct dance and image, a distinct colour, so even though I like the music itself, I didn’t want to make into a purely new jack sing song. So, I wondered how I could add a little bit of hip hop into it, how I could add a little bit of dance into it. What I should do to give some retro feel… Therefore, when I fused those three together, I wondered whether I could alter it into something classic. And this is how this title track was made.
Q. Tell us the reason Off the Record, the song released for the first time in 5 years and a half, became the album’s theme.
A. Whenever I’m writing a song, I worry about the same things. For instance, what will feel fresh, what will feel new? But no matter how much I worry, how much I think, now matter how many sleepless nights I spend, at the end of the day, while most of the things I work on are more or less similar, I think the difference lies in my own thoughts and my own colour each song reflects.
So, how can I be the closest to my fans right now? This sincerity that comes straight from my heart, what would be the best way to show it? I focused on this. And the answer was going closer. I thought about things we could talk about when I got closer to them. Our own story. I thought about how I could express this mutual time that belonged to us. So, I reached the keyword of a secret story, and after thinking about it, I didn’t want to do anything too serious. I wanted to use something light, a daily language, and that’s how the phrase “off the record” came to me. And that’s how the keyword “This off the record” came to be. I started from there.
Q. Any behind the scenes of this song’s production process?
A. I ate and slept in the studio for 3 weeks, and went home just to wash up. Like, when I had work in between, I would go home to take a shower and then leave. It really was like that. For about 3 weeks. I don’t think I’ve ever spent that much time at the studio before. Although I like staying at the studio, as time went by, I realized it’s suddenly been 3 weeks.
To be honest, when you’re writing a song, it might take a year or two, but with this pressure and desire to do well… The point is that I didn’t want to compromise, I didn’t want to take the easy way… so the process ended up being like this.
Q. Any episodes during the recording?
A. As far as this song is concerned, there weren’t that many issues. It’s just that the process took over 3 weeks, it took me quite a long time to record the guide for the song. Since it didn’t come out the way I wanted, I kept on recording the song while practicing at the same time. So, the actual recording went smoothly. Since the equipment in the recording studio is way better than in my own studio, it’s clear that I would’ve used the version recorded in the recording studio, but I sometimes use the guide version as well. Because there are times when you can’t emulate the feeling that is recorded in the guide version.
But right before the chorus, there’s this phrase in the song that goes “What do you think?” And I couldn’t get this good feeling for “What do you think?” after the 2nd verse. So that one part in the final song, the “What do you think?” question after the 2nd verse is from my own guide version. Such instances are quite common when you work on music.
Q. How did you try to express this song in dance?
A. I worried a lot, to be honest. Since it’s been such a long while, I felt a bit awkward, too. Wondering, how I should approach this… But it assembled quite well like a puzzle, picking the parts that I liked from various choreography videos. It felt like connecting things, like in Tetris, and we were able to come up with a really decent choreography.
Q. About the Music Video.
A. As far as the music video is concerned, I wanted it to have as little explanations as possible. I wanted to just display me as a person through simple visuals that would make me look good and nice. Just as with the Off the Record’s production process, visually, I just wanted to focus on harmonious stance in the centre of things. Taking this mood as the base, I also wanted it to have me moving a lot, be it the choreography, freestyling, or lip syncing. I just wanted it to be a music video that puts emphasis on the basic things. That’s how we worked on it.
Q. Any episodes while preparing for the tour?
A. As far as this song is concerned, I wasn’t too worried about its performance on stage. The thing is that starting with the jacket photo shoot to the music video, all visual things related to it like the background, outfits, hair and make-up; everything that I could show visually, I was really satisfied with every single element. So, when it came to thinking about how I should present myself visually for Off the Record in a concert, that was really my last concern.
Therefore, with the stylist team we thought about what I should wear on the stage. Because when it comes to a concert, it’s not just about Off the Record, so the question was, how do I show Off the Record without disrupting the flow of the other song, how do I fit them all together. Thus, looking from the concert’s perspective, it was the first time I brought a song with such mood, so I paid a lot attention to it, and it was the hardest part, I think.
Q. How do you want everyone to feel when they listen to this song?
A. I hope that for the fans it will be the kind of music they can listen when they’re on their way to work, when they’re in the middle of working, or when they rest on a weekend and they go somewhere for a walk, go for a drive; basically, when they spend some personal time – I wish they could listen to it comfortably while feeling the rhythm, feeling the summer breeze on their faces, enjoying their free time. I hope it’s the kind of song that allows the fans to find that little bit of freedom in their everyday lives because that’s the kind of groove and bounce I had in mind while making it. I hope the song takes on such a role.
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WOOYOUNG'S RECORDS TALK #3
03. Season 2
Q. Please introduce the song.
A. Season 2 comes with a basic reggae beat, but since the rhythm was used in a very easy and simple way, there’s nothing complicated as far as the genre is concerned. We tried to avoid provoking any like-dislike dispute that would’ve arisen if the genre elements had gotten too heavy. So, to avoid that from happening, I focused on this summer feeling, so the listener would be able to feel more the lyrics and the melody. Like a seaside on a summer night. The breeze you feel in front of the sea. I worked for that kind of feeling.
Q. Any behind the scenes of this song’s production process?
A. One day I was at my studio, and composer Super Changddai’s studio is right next to mine. His door was open and I could hear a certain beat. I really, really liked it and I asked him to send it for me, even if it were just a tiny bit of the beat. Or give me the entire piece. Either way, I pestered him about it.
So, I was listening to it for a few days, and I think it was around 2 weeks in that the song was complete. Whenever I listened to the track, I got to think about this happy significant other, about this loving relationship where both people are on great terms with each other. Like, even if the time goes by, we still like each other, you still make my heart flutter – I was wondering how I could express that kind of feeling. And you know how these days TV series and movies tend to have seasons, right? Hence the word “season” came to me quite naturally, too. Like, season 1 was successful, and now we’re at season 2. You know, you usually get to season 2 only if season 1 goes well, right? And if season 2 is successful, you’ll get to season 3. I thought of this kind of positive effect.
Ah, so let’s say we have this special someone you met last summer, and that summer was season 1. And now that you’ve reached this summer, a year later, you’ve spent all this time really well, and I got the idea that continuously, this summer can be like season 2. I thought that Season 2 was a good keyword and from there, and the song was complete within 1 or 2 hours like vroom.
Q. Any episodes during the recording?
A. I was really ambitious about this song. Compared to my Korean guide version, I actually wasn’t as satisfied with the final recorded version. But when that happens, there’s someone more professional than me nearby, and in this case, there were staff members whose opinion I just had to take into consideration. Back then, Super Changddai said that if I didn’t like it, of course, we could record it again, but first, let’s try and do something about it from the technical perspective. And as we did some tuning and mixing, the final result got better and better. Of course, if the original source is good, the song comes out well. And since I really wanted to show the fans that original feeling I felt while listening to the track, I think the production process was slightly silly. But, well, since the final result still came out the way I wanted… It’s a song that I became comfortable with in the middle of working on it.
Q. Any episodes while preparing for the tour?
A. When you look at the overall stage set for this concert, I think this song is probably the track that influenced the stage setting the most. When I was thinking about its performance, I imagined inviting the fans to my own seaside. I included by favourite colour blue on stage, without it becoming overbearing. I wanted it to resemble the sky that gets reflected on a river or a sea. I aimed for something refreshing, this refreshing summer feeling. So, the image that I had in my mind while making Season 2 was really strong, and the song helped me a lot when I had to come up with the stage image.
Q. How do you want everyone to feel when they listen to this song?
A. I hope that this song feels like a refreshing cold drink or ice-cream on a hot and humid summer day.
A. When it comes to Just Be You, when I was thinking about the fans, I wondered how I could convey the most positive message to them. How I could give them strength. From this, I ended up writing Just Be You. Also, it’s something that the fans often tell me. Either through the SNS or through letters, they often tell me, “Wooyoung, I like you just the way you are.” I think this is exactly what inspired me.
Q. Any behind the scenes of this song’s production process?
A. I wrote this song before enlisting in the military service. I wrote it thinking it’d be nice to include it in an album in the future, to tell such story to my fans. So, it’s a very old song. Hence, in order to not sound old or corny, there were some things that required editing and tweaking. For that, my best friend composer Super Changddai worked a lot on it to make it sound new and fresh.
Q. Any episodes during the recording?
A. Since this is a song for the fans, there is this part in the final verse, where I’m having a give and take with the fans. I say “Are you okay?” and the Hottest go “Yes, I’m OK.” This kind of exchange. Rather than using some other female backing vocalist, I was wondering whether I could find some other interesting element for it. Some kind of element that, later on, we could make into an unforgettable memory. So, I asked RIMA from NiziU for a favour. I know that she’s really good at rapping. That she has a rather unique voice with a certain character. And since there was no way to record Hottest’s voices at the time, I wanted her to stand in for the Hottest role and have this small exchange with me. That was my difficult request.
It must’ve been a hard mission for RIMA, too. Although it was a very small part, she practiced a lot for it. To be honest, it was a bit embarrassing to ask for such a favour when the part was just that. I said “RIMA, your voice is going to substitute for our fans, Hottest. It’s a very important part.”
RIMA worked really hard on it, and musically the song was complete well. And… Then our recording studio engineers, JYP JAPAN and Sony Music staff… All of their voices are in this song. There’s a thing called “chants” or “sing along.” I needed a sing along, so I asked everyone who was there at the time for a favour. Like, “Would you mind doing it together?” They all entered the recording studio, and 7 or 8 people recorded it while constantly changing their positions. I think they must’ve been really flustered, but they gladly agreed to do it.
So, the production process itself was really fun, I received a lot of help from the nice members of staff around me.
Q. Any episodes while preparing for the tour?
A. I made the song while thinking about the fans, but musically, the fans were supposed to hear it for the first time. So, since the fans would be hearing the song for the first time, they would’ve been flustered if I suddenly asked them to jump along. Hence, I decided to make it into a stage where I show what the song is like, by working the most on the choreography as the base of the song’s performance.
Q. What kind of thoughts does this fan-song carry?
A. This song’s lyrics carry the image of someone extremely lovely, who is watching someone they love and find them just as lovely, very cute and pretty. And because their feelings get reflected, it makes one’s heart flutter even more, and both sides give each other strength. So, when the fans feel tired or worn out, frustrated or when they find themselves in a difficult situation, I hope this song gives them at least a little bit of comfort. I hope the song’s message, “you all are enough just the way you are” reaches them.
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WOOYOUNG'S RECORDS TALK #5
5. Kimi no betsu no namae (Your other name)
Q. Please introduce the song.
A. From the musical element’s perspective, I don’t think this song matches the current generation well. However, it is definitely a dance song with a retro feel. Ever since I started working on it, I think I just wanted to make a dance song with this kind of retro vibe. Not a refined composition appropriate for nowadays, but a song that brings back the past vibe. You know, like generational musical. Something that would make you think about generational music with strong retro vibes. I wanted to make that kind of a dance song. So, in a sense, it might not feel fresh, and some might say that it’s not sophisticated, but it’s a song I stubbornly wanted to make.
Q. This song comes with a Japanese title. What kind of thoughts did you want to include there?
A. For someone who dances, after Off the Record, this is like a 2nd title song for me. I always… well, this will apply to many other singers, whenever you release an album after an album, the hardest thing is to come up with what you want to show next by keeping in mind what you’ve already shown. Before you think of what kind of music you want to make, you have to come up with the image you want to show. And when you worry about things like that, especially from a dancer’s perspective, it’s really hard to come up with the kind of dance you want to show, the kind of dance music you want to create. So, from the point of these musical concerns, it’s a song that I rather egoistically pushed forward. There was no way it could’ve become a title track *chuckles* but it felt like it might get some limelight one day; it carries my own K-pop feel. My own ambition.
Q. Any episodes during the recording?
A. I thought I’d be done with the song really easily. I was recording every day, and while working on other songs, I couldn’t schedule recording for this one. So, I ended up working overtime for the editing and tweaking, working overtime with the engineers. I recorded it in between other things. After recording it once, I wasn’t satisfied with the final result, so I re-recorded it. So, this song took some effort to complete.
Q. How did you try to express the song in the choreography?
A. I told my performance directing team, it would be great if it gave off the old-days’ vibe, although I didn’t know exactly which old-days I was talking about… But I just wanted it to have this dance song, this dance idol feel. I put a lot of pressure on them saying it should have this feeling with no compromises or excuses. So, the choreography in the chorus was built in order for it to resemble something from the old days.
Q. How do you want people to feel when they listen to this song?
A. This song might feel a little bit serious, but it’s a song that reminds you of a confession to the person you love. So, just imagine me dance for the first time in a long while, and I hope you receive strength from this song when you need some energy, hope you feel excited and energized.
Message to Hottest
This is a special album, Off the Record, that came out for the first time in a long while. If the songs from this album give you strength in your everyday life, I will be satisfied. In order for you to feel my intentions I will work hard on my activities until the end. I will also try to make the concerts an enjoyable experience for you all. I am always working hard for you all. These sentiments are also present in this album. Enjoy listening to the album*. Bye bye~ Annyeong~
*T/N.: Here he said “work hard,” and the Japanese subs had additional explanatory parentheses: “(Everyone, work hard on listening to the album too).”
The Hardship Era When JYP Ent Almost Went Bankrupt
Original source: The Qoo
Kor-Eng: @Egle0702
Note: The post is written from the Korean perspective of a JYPN fan. The OP’s language is kept as authentic as possible.
------------------------------------
Back then, around 2010
Rain-JYP, Win the Appeal in the “World Tour” Lawsuit
2010-09-09
Singer Rain and Rain's former agency, JYP Entertainment, won a lawsuit claiming compensation for damages related to a performance in North America.
On the 9th, the Seoul High Court judged, "Wellmade StarM is the one responsible for the cancellation of the concert in North America," and "JYP Entertainment and Rain do not have to return the 10 billion won paid in advance."
Rain’s World Tour lawsuit (won after 4 years of trial)...
The American obsession…
And because of many other things JYP Ent had been having a rough time.
For reference, their sales (at the time were:
2009 sales KRW 10.1 billion (down 7% compared to the previous year) Net profit -4.6 billion
2010 sales 21.6 billion net profit 900 million
2011 sales 9.9 billion net profit -2.1 billion
2012 sales 15 billion net profit -9.8 billion
Fuck this shit lol
At that time, Loen invested in JYP, and got JYP’s shares in return.
With the 25.4% of the company’s stock, it immediately became the 2nd largest shareholder.
Back then (around 2013), Loen was owned by SK, but when the laws got revised, Loen was sold to a Hong Kong-based private equity fund.
(Loen was a music distribution company that monopolised the online music distribution market and paid very little to entertainment companies for it, so entertainment companies united and moved their online music rights distribution to KMP Holdings.
Although Loen was the 2nd biggest shareholder in JYP Ent, JYP Ent. also participated into the movement. It was okay when Loen was under SK, because Park Jinyoung is acquainted with the SK Group family, but when it was sold to the Hong Kong-based private equity fund, the confrontation intensified.)
→ Tbh, this is some complicated stuff, so if you’re having a hard time grasping it, might as well skip the part above.
Either way, at the time Loen, which wanted to grow as an entertainment company, opposed JYP Ent’s listing on the stock market and proposed a take over.
Loen: take over, let’s go
JYP Ent: don’t wanna
Loen: take over, let’s go
JYP Ent: don’t wanna
Loen: take over, let’s go
JYP Ent: don’t wanna
After going through it several times, JYP Ent finally succeeded in listing through backdoor listing.
While Loen, as an alternative, acquired Starship Ent (2013 November)
Oh yeah, you’re gonna croak tomorrow~
[Market Insight] Loen sells all JYP Entertainment shares
2014.01.16
They sold all the stocks in their possessions and made a run for it.
However, on the exact same day…
GOT7 debuted.
Just debuted, but the company is on the verge of bankruptcy and they were pretty much poised to end up sitting outside in a street (fuck this shit).
GOT7, to hold a showcase in Japan in collaboration with Sony Music
2014.03.10
At the time when GOT7 (as newcomers) were supposed to get as much push from the company as possible, the company was literally in ruins, and GOT7 got shipped off to Japan within 3 months after their debut. Their first concert was also held in Japan.
Suzy was shooting commercials like crazy. (The vid above is 6 min long, but it’s only the commercials from the first half of the year, you can pretty much tell she filmed every single CF suggestion they received.)
As for 2PM… they just didn’t come back from Japan at all. They were on tour in Japan for 2 years straight (no exaggeration here)
In 2014-2015, they released 2 albums in Korea, while in Japan they had 5 releases during the same period of time.
If it hadn’t been for 2PM, JYP Ent would’ve just evaporated back then. 2PM was the holding pillar that prevented JYP Ent from collapsing.
Park Jinyoung was also trying to do something, so he sold the JYP Ent building that belonged personally to him.
And with that he bought the JYP Ent stocks (currently, Park Jinyoung is the largest shareholder).
FNC Entertainment’s Han Sungho, comparing with the Big 3 entertainment companies… “We’re better off than JYP Ent.”
2015-02-05
That was exactly when FNC was indulging in all that media play going “JYP Ent, get out of my way, I’m in the big 3 now.”
JYP Ent official position: “YG takeover claims are false, looking into the potential to take legal action”
In the midst of all this, Yang Hyunsuk sprinkled this kind of crap trying to raise his stock prices. It’s like, the house was already on fire, and he just fried some popcorn next to it, absolutely infuriating.
Either way, spring comes to those who wait.
In 2015, GOT7 received a good response abroad with Just Right.
Originally, although JYP Ent is a big company, it wasn’t that big on the overseas market.
The company was mostly focused on popularity among the general public, but as they grew step by step with GOT7, Twice and Stray Kids, they reached overseas, too.
What’s more, they also began paying more attention to group fandoms starting with Twice.
These days, they’re quite decent with self-created content, and they squeeze out the fandom money through goods, too… They’ve become a fandom-oriented company.
When Twice hit the Korean jackpot with their legendary Ooh-Aah-Cheer-Up-TT line, and then did insanely well in Japan, the hardships era came to an end.
2015 JYP Ent stock price 3000 won
2023 JYP Ent stock price 73,000 won
Even the man himself must feel like it’s worth living these days. He’s dancing to Hype Boy.
+
Btw, one of 2PM’s comebacks in 2014-2015
Is My House: the legendary male-idol case of climbing back the charts.
Originally back then, they were supposed to have promos for a month. After a relatively long promo, they were planning to go back to Japan, but an MV director called Han Samin flaked on them with the intention to film a Big Bang MV.
Naive Production went “oh poor you” and shot the MV in a hurry.
Eventually, My House had just one week of promos, but it climbed back the charts way later, so there’s a happy ending in that.
That was when the JYP Ent ❤ Naive relationship started.
Right now the fandom attitude [to Naive] is not good, and they’ve also had quite a few mishaps over time, so they don’t have such an all encompassing reach as before but they’re still filming MVs on the Japanese side (mostly for NiziU).
Now I’m really done talking about the times when the world was chewing on JYP Ent.
You might say, isn’t this an omniscient JYP Ent stan perspective?
Well, I have nothing to say for myself because that’s true. At the end of the day, who else would remember all this if not a JYP Ent stan T.T
🚛 Complete (6 chapters)
🚛 Alternative Earth (multiverse), near future, climate change
🚛 Extra Slow Burn Jikook
🚛 Strangers to Lovers
🚛 Rating: M
🚛 Word count: 91k
Written for Jikook Week 2022
All moodboards by femissamelie
Jimin is a talented engineer stuck on a supply road train ploughing across a desert for months with a driver that might be a little bit too good at what he does.
[TRANS] Cosmopolitan November ‘20 - Wooyoung Interview
The Standard of “Adult Sexy” - 2PM’s Wooyoung
Wooyoung said he doesn’t worry about the image he shows anymore. His expression remained clear as he picked his words firmly.
By COSMOPOLITAN 2020.10.27
It hasn’t been long since you’ve been discharged. Even though there’s been a gap in activities, you don’t look like you’ve just been discharged when you’re on shows.
It could be because I didn’t worry much about the hiatus. Usually dancers worry that their bodies will grow stiff if they don’t dance for a long time. But I didn’t worry about that. I thought that I would be using my body in the army anyways, and if I were to learn new ways to move, that would become my dance.
How did it feel to stand in front of the camera again?
Right after I got discharged, my first time in front of the camera was for this entertainment program. It was right when My House popularity wave was on the rise, so I had to spin my head (T/N.: sangmo spin) in my military uniform. I wore a real sangmo when I danced, and it actually started spinning. Haha. Back then I felt… I just marvelled at everything like a person who saw a camera for the first time. And my heart still flutters up to this day. I think I returned from the army well. Haha.
The entertainment world trends have changed a lot while you were on hiatus. These days, there’s no formula that says “If you do this, you’ll succeed.” “Tess hyung” is popular among the young, and it’s often that we see buried songs skyrocket up the charts because of YouTube algorithms. As someone who experienced it first-hand with “My House,” what are your thoughts on it?
That’s also something that I’ve been wondering about, something I wanted to discuss. Actually, it can be thoroughly confusing. I sometimes think I don’t know what I’m supposed to do [about it]. So, I chose to simply continue doing my thing. There’s no use to think about what’s right or wrong, or things like “this is popular now, so I’ve got to do it fast.” Instead of working on potentially popular music or visual creations, I think it’s more important to consistently work on the things I like and the things I can do. Especially these days, when you can’t predict anything.
On the other hand, it seems there are more outlets for entertainment. The music world is fun these days. The audience isn’t enjoying solely the songs and their performances. Their reaction becomes yet another type of content. Even when we look just at the contents about you, there are popular videos like “Intro Master,” or “Saturi compilation.” The popular comments under those videos are also interesting. Wooyoung, have you ever looked up contents about yourself?
Since people were so crazy about “My House,” I’ve looked up the “My House” compilation edit video for monitoring. Ah! I usually watch the variety shows we’d done before. When I watch them, I think “That was so funny back then; It was really hard back then,” stuff like that. Haha.
No matter how much the world of the entertainment changes, I think your mind as a musician remains the same.
That’s right. Just as I’ve mentioned, I don’t get carried along by the wave. Also, (Park) Jinyoung-hyung and Na Hoon-a senior have been in the industry for many years, right? Rather than feeling pressured that I also need to be active for so long, I wish I could naturally work for a long time focusing on the things I like, relying on the will that comes from within.
Is there a song you’d like to experience a resurgence in popularity like “My House?”
The song “Come Back When You Hear This Song” written by Jinyoung-hyung. The choreography is nice, and the classic outfits that follow the “My House” flow were also good.
“My House” syndrome has to continue. You’ve also mentioned that you want to come back with 2PM as soon as possible, is there an image you’re aiming for?
I don’t really think about how we should release a new album these days. Because if I were to do that, I think I would forget what kind of dance I want to dance, and what kind of music I like. Right now, I spend my time focusing on myself, on what I want to sing, and on the feelings related to dancing.
It’s probably related to your saying on a show that your way of life has become clearer, not too long ago.
I think I have faltered enough. There was a time when I was too busy lashing myself, having forgotten when I really like. I think I don’t need to do that anymore.
The fact that you can say so in your early 30s means that you lived through, felt, and experienced a lot at a young age. 2PM members were with you at that time.
Indeed. I managed to go through it thanks to my members. We often say “like a fool,” among us. The members aren’t calculating. I think we’re way past the relationship of work colleagues. So, even if we’re on a hiatus, even on our casual days, we’re still 2PM.
Maybe it’s because of your tough concept, but there’s always been the attribute “masculine beauty” next to 2PM. The perception of masculine beauty has changed over time, so how do you understand masculine beauty yourself?
It’s “a bloke who knows how to live properly.” What I mean is that you have to be able face yourself and judge yourself accordingly. Sometimes he should be able to say “I can’t do that.” Actually, back in the day, I was so desperate trying to present myself well that I would hide the things I didn’t know or wasn’t good at. I think being able to acknowledge your questionable qualities is what makes you an admirable person.
You’re learning a lot about yourself these days. After a recent MBC “I Live Alone” broadcast, the professional loner Dr. Jang has even become a hot topic. Is there something you’ve discovered after living on your own for 8 years?
The less people there are around you, the more you have to come to your senses. The joy of freely living alone is brief. Because when you live alone, it’s really easy to grow into irregular weird habits that eventually destroy your body. Living along gives you the time to face yourself. If you use that time well, you attain maturity; if not, the opposite awaits.
I think you’re spending your time with healthy body and mind.
It might sound weird, but in order to do that, I’ve tried out all sorts of stuff. Haha.
Could you give some Dr. Jang health or living alone tips to Cosmo readers?
Puahaha. It’s nothing special, just be sure you have a glass of warm water when you wake up. Don’t drink cold water. If you savour and drink the warm water slowly, you warm up and your insides relax and feel refreshed, like after eating healthy food. The feeling of emptiness disappears, too.
Just like you tried to get rid of yellow stains from your white shirts, is there anything you’re working on now?
Denim. I’m studying the ways to manage jeans and denim jackets without washing out the colour. Haha.
Have you ever thought about how you’d like your influence to reach people?
I can’t escape the fact that my actions influence someone in one way or the other. Because I am someone under scrutiny of the public eye. There was a time when I didn’t know better, and I thought that I had to be careful no matter what and hide. Right now, I understand the influence that I have better, and I’m more aware of it. In the future, I want to use that influence properly at the right time.
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Credits:
Freelancer editor: Kim Sohee
Photographer: Jung Jieun
Stylist: Lee Hanuk
Hair: Yang Hyungshim at YangYang Salon
Makeup: Kim Doyeon at YangYang Salon
Wooyoung has blazed through life, but he also knows how to be quiet. That’s why he’s smart and strong. Like steel that has been repeatedly heated and cooled down.
You’re attentively monitoring during the shooting, has anything changed since you’ve been discharged from the military? My face hasn’t changed or anything like that. Rather than that, I’m just amazed. I had no idea I would be shooting a pictorial so soon after the discharge.
I suppose there must’ve been so many things you wanted to do. Every time I had some time off in the army, my head felt overwhelming. What should I do next? How should I live? All sorts of thoughts flooded in. In order to not have that time wasted, I transferred those thoughts and worries into written words. At first, there was a lot of embarrassing content, even for me. But it got better after a while. Aside from my future plans, I also looked back on my interpersonal relationships and my way of life. I thought whether I have lived well, whether I haven’t made mistakes when dealing with others.
I can feel your determination. In the army, there are a lot of kids who are younger than me. If I ask them about their worries, they would usually say: “You’ve already achieved everything, you don’t know how we feel.” We might come from a different starting point, but the fear of a beginning is the same. I’m more afraid compared to when I was 17 or 20 and just honestly ran towards my dreams.
You’re 32 now. In your opinion, what privilege does this age give you? Disregarding how you’ve spent your 10s and 20s, I think it gives you the chance to be kinder. You could say that you become mature. You become a better and stronger person when you look back at your past mistakes and experiences. If you add a drop of that 20s spirit into the mix, it’d be even better.
What was Jang Wooyoung like in his 20s? I was busy filling myself up, and then pouring everything out the moment I was full.
You’ve lived hard; after all, your work requires you to keep on showing something to the public. Generally speaking, I could divide my 20s into “before” and “after” by placing the mark on when I was 25. Right after the debut, I really lived and worked hard. Back then, there was a saying “killer schedule,” and the saying wasn’t a lie. I worked hard and was extremely busy, but I’m thankful for it. When else you’d be able to live like that. Compared to my efforts, the popularity achieved was great, I also made money. But once I turned 25; shall I call it adolescence? It was a mess. I wasn’t present in my life. I considered dropping everything and going back to my hometown in Busan.
But that didn’t happen. There’s only one thing that proves my existence; and that was the reason I pulled myself together. “I’m a member of 2PM, I cannot betray 2PM.” From that moment on, the meaning of “let’s live hard” changed. Making sure that I wouldn’t cause harm to others, I had fun, met a lot of people, and decided to learn a lot of things including drawing. Through feeling and experiencing as much as possible, I wanted to awaken the senses within me. I lived hard like crazy.
You expressed those feelings in the song “I like” that’s included in your 2nd solo album, right? 2PM, drawing, piano; you talk about the things you like, and then you say “I’m curious about everything in this world, I want to know, I scoot off.” True. I feel strongly about that song, but every time I listen to it, I can’t help but snort. I wonder whether I really should’ve been that honest with my lyrics. On the other hand, I wonder how hard it must’ve been. I feel sorry for Jang Wooyoung from that time.
What are you curious about these days? Laundry know-how. Haha.
I heard you say you’re into laundry in the video interview just now, too. I’m nurturing my daily life skills. I want to try and deal with things like laundry and cooking on my own, without any help.
Aren’t you curious why 2PM’s “My House” that was released 5 years ago is suddenly riding a new wave of popularity? It’s definitely something we’re thankful for. I think about it this way. 2PM as group never did anything by force. At first, we showed high level performances that could be practically carried out by young men in their early 20s. We danced, sang, and did acrobatic performances. Brimming with energy, we sang straightforward love songs. After that, we toned down on that power a bit. We began telling sad love stories with our eyes in love, and then we arrived at “My House.” Like a natural process of a brat growing into a mature and charismatic lover. I saw a comment that said “I’m sorry, I’ve become your fan just now,” but I’m actually thankful because it feels like these people have recognized the things 2PM have done in our natural flow.
It’s your 13th year since your debut. How does it feel when you hear that someone has just found out about 2PM? It’s only natural that someone doesn’t know us. The general flow of the trend changes really fast. The competition is also fierce, so you need put a lot of effort if you want to appeal to the masses. But then suddenly, we’re back into the spotlight through “My House.” In the middle of a hiatus no less. I think it’s a miracle.
Aside from “My House,” what other song comes to mind if you had to perform it again? I want to try and pour my entire soul into performing “Without U” that was released 10 years ago. I was responsible for the part where I had to make my singing feel like crying out loud, but back in the days I was the only one to lip sync because the situation with my voice go so bad, I even had vocal cord nodules. I’m still very disappointed I couldn’t perform it live.
2PM has reached the top, your skills were also acknowledged. How do you see yourself in the context of Korean music scene? Hmm, I can’t think of anything else than “Korean idols.” Our activities haven’t always been smooth, but I’m proud of it.
I heard that the meaning of your group’s name is the “hottest time of the day.” When was Jang Wooyoung the hottest? There was a concert in Germany in 2013, commemorating the 130th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Germany. We performed together with senior Lee Mija. I was shocked when I saw her rehearsal. It’s already amazing that she’s still actively performing, but I could feel that she’s constantly striving to sing well. At that, I couldn’t help but freeze and promise myself “Jang Wooyoung, pull yourself together, and work hard.”
You’re the type who learns everything first-hand by experiencing it, right? I heard that you sought out senior Choi Baekho after watching his documentary to share your worries about music, even though you’ve never met him before. That was when I was going through that “adolescence” in my 20s. I felt consoled after watching senior Choi Baeho’s documentary, but there were still things I was frustrated about. So, I contacted him because I wanted to know how he managed to endure everything through his long years in the music scene. Here’s what he said during our first meeting: “My songs will keep on getting better with age. Just like the songs I sang in my 40s were more beautiful than the ones I did in my 30s, I’m heading towards being complete.” When I heard that, I felt like someone slapped me.
I think you can already give advice to someone who’s having similar worries. Have you ever experienced that? I have younger friends in Busan. We danced and dreamed of debuting together. It might sound selfish, but ever since my debut, I’ve never told them anything positive or hopeful about this line of work. When I passed the JYP audition, there was one young friend who cried together with me. Even to that friend, I said: “Can’t you please give up? I wish you didn’t suffer as much as me.” Back then it was really hard mentally and physically. Now my thoughts have changed. If you’re desperate and you’re confident that you will enjoy this constant fight with yourself, I would tell them to go for it. But I would like to tell them to come up with a wise approach to this because it’s easy to get tired and give up along the way.
You’re famous for having focused only JYP auditions. Do you still remember when you placed 1st at the 1st open audition? That must’ve been my 6th attempt to audition. Had I failed back then, I would’ve tried again. I sometimes watch the videos from that time, and I both like it and feel regret. Because the me on the screen looks somewhat tired. If I had allowed myself a little bit more freedom, stepped back and looked at the reality, I would’ve been a lot stronger kid.
What do you think you’ve done really well in life? That I’ve never calculated or analysed anything rationally in my relationships. I liked the other person without knowing anything about the world, and I suffered a lot when the relationship ended. I have my regrets, and I’ve also heard that it’s not a good way to approach a relationship, but someone like me just couldn’t help it. That experience made me into what I am today. I don’t regret it.
How important is love in life? If a person is of no. 1 importance, then love is no. 0. It’s a vague concept, I don’t even know if I can express love properly, but I can feel love through people.
It’s your birthday in 3 days, what would you imagine as a perfect gift? When I was serving, our company moved to a new building. The building is big, and the facilities got better. The practice rooms are also great. I wish I had my own personal space there, could be small too, where I could practice dancing all day long without bothering about others. For real.
So, shall we make an appeal? In your opinion, how much did 2PM contribute to JYP’s new company building? A lot, I think. It’s a 9-storey building, so I’d say around 4.5 floors?
