Allure March 2021 Interview with Hyunjae & Juyeon

Interview with Hyunjae & Juyeon

 

 

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Q: Hyunjae wiped his nails clean (of the nail polish for the photoshoot), while Juyeon left his nails as they are. Have you decided to go like this?

→ Hyunjae: “Oh, you’re right. They said they’d erase the nail polish for us, so I thought we were supposed to”.

→ Juyeon: “It’s my first time doing this kind of thing since I was born. I thought it would be a bit regrettable to erase them right away, so I just left them”.
 


Q: How was it doing a photoshoot with your nails done like that?

→ Juyeon: “Photoshoots are an opportunity to freely try new things, so it was fun. You’re just trying out things one time during these (opportunities).”

→ Hyunjae: “I thought it would just be putting on things like a manicure, but I learned that there are also things like stickers, which are easy (to apply). Besides just dyeing my nails with balsam when I was younger, this is my first time doing something with my nails”.

(*T/N: This is something children also sometimes did for fun. Balsam is like a sap that comes from various plants)

→ Juyeon: “Oh, I also tried that out before. This really is similar to dyeing your nails with balsam” (laughs).

 

Q: I didn’t know you were from the generation that would have tried doing that with balsam. Somehow, I feel warm knowing that”.

→ Hyunjae: “Yes, we’re from the generation of balsam” (laughs).
 


Q: Do you remember the exact date that The Boyz debuted?

→ Juyeon: “Of course. It’s December 6th”.
→ Hyunjae: “In the year of 2017”.
 


Q: There was a time when we met before, exactly on April 4th in 2017. This was before the name “The Boyz” even existed. I was on the scene of the filming for the members’ first profile films. The folder that contains the remaining files for that is named ‘Creker Entertainment’s New Group’.

→ Juyeon: “Wow. I remember meeting you back then. The photos we took back then still haven’t been released up until now. It was only recently that just a few were revealed”.

→ Hyunjae: “Strangely, I think all my memories of that day have vanished as a whole. I can’t remember anything. I think I must have been really nervous”.
 

Q: Officially, today is the first time I’ve done a photoshoot with ‘The Boyz’. But I’ve met Juyeon occasionally at different shoots, so that might be why he feels like someone I know (personally).

→ Juyeon: “That’s right. We met the day <Allure> was doing a photoshoot with Kim Haon. I was scheduled for the shoot after him”.
 


Q: Your attitude of greeting everyone here and there amiably, and talking without hesitation to even the staff you were meeting for the first time stays unchanging.

→ Juyeon: “I tend to look out for and go to the staff I’ll be working together with. Because I’m curious about who I will be working with. The next time we meet, I’ll try to greet them first”.
 


Q: Is Hyunjae the shy type?

→ Hyunjae: “I tend to be very shy in the early stages of meeting someone. Did you feel that as well? I’m really not this kind of person, but I’ve heard that (people’s) first impressions of me is that I look like a cold person. I heard the same thing at another photoshoot recently, so I think I should take more care regarding this”.
 

Q: It’s a given that people will feel shy when meeting for the first time. Anyhow, both of you are very handsome.

→ Hyunjae: “I’m not sure (what to think) about my face. I don’t think it’s a face that has any special characteristics that stand out when you just look at it. I think it’s a face that you get accustomed to once you see it multiple times”.

→ Juyeon: “I think the two of us each have (characteristics) that the other doesn’t. The lines of my face are sharp. But Hyunjae hyung is soft and pretty. His features are like that, and his hands and legs are especially pretty. We look very different but I think we fit well when we’re together as well”.

→ Hyunjae: “Juyeon’s nickname is ‘cat’ because his looks are sleek. I think I look a bit plain. My nickname is also ‘bear’, and fans call me by that nickname as well”.
 


Q: How does it feel, talking about yourself like this? Have you gotten more used to it?

→ Juyeon: “I think I still find it difficult to do interviews. It’s especially hard to talk about what kind of person I am. Rather, it’s easier for me to talk about Hyunjae hyung”.

→ Hyunjae: “I actually think that there aren’t many opportunities for me to talk about what kind of person I am”.
 


Q: It’s been some time since your debut as well. How does it feel?

→ Juyeon: “It was definitely difficult during the time of our debut. I don’t think we were able to really enjoy it. As of now, I think the situation has gotten a lot better, and I can feel that we’ve gotten stronger mentally. We try to do everything while enjoying it”.
 


Q: It wasn’t just all good during the time of your debut?

→ Juyeon: “There’s always a gap between what you find ideal and the reality. (laughs) There was something that we imagined as trainees, and we thought everything would be good when we debuted. In actuality, once we debuted, we saw that it wasn’t all like that. There were many tiring and sad instances as well”.
 


Q: Did it feel like, “I endured the difficult training period for this?”

→ Juyeon: “There were times when we thought that too. (laughs) But I think we’ve found our place now. And we can feel that there are many fans who give us love as well. That’s what gives us the most strength”.

→ Hyunjae: “At the start, I think our confidence and self-esteem were low. It was only recently that I thought it’d be good if we became a bit more confident in ourselves. Because this is my job. I came to think that if I become more dignified and confident, I can also do better at my work”.
 


Q: Since debut, The Boyz have left a record of pictorials and a wide variety of videos that are shared through Youtube. How does it feel when you look at that archive-like record?

→ Juyeon: “It’s only nowadays that I’ve looked at those again, but it already feels like a bit like something new. It’s like immersing yourself in memories. It will probably feel different the next time as well, when more time has passed, right?

→ Hyunjae: “At that time, we also had members in their teens, but now all of us have reached into our 20s. When looking back at the record of those times that we can’t return to, it feels strange. It’s not like all of those moments were happy. There were times when the situation wasn’t good as well. When all those come together as one, they make my heart feel tight. In the future as well, I want us to leave behind even more pictures and videos”.
 

Q: You’ve tried out a wide variety of fashion styles. What were those experiences like?

→ Juyeon: “While trying out new things, erhm… there were also some things that were so-so. (laughs) There were good things too, but I think there were some that weren’t good as well. I have some ‘dark history’ (*aka embarrassing) experiences as well”.

→ Hyunjae: “It was just like looking forward. About two levels forward? (laughs) Because fashion always has to take the lead. While trying out many different styles, I think I came to greatly open my eyes in regards to fashion. If I’m able to make a lot of money in the future, there were clothes that I’d want to buy personally, but I haven’t been able to do that as of yet. Right now, I prefer comfortable clothes like these. I think this suits me”.
 


Q: Are you able to buy expensive clothes now as well?

→ Hyunjae: “Not yet. It’s at the level right now where we’re able to buy and eat all the food we desire, I think?”

→ Juyeon: “We’re at the level where on days that we want to be a little more extravagant, we’ll eat from Shake Shack instead of McDonalds. Haha. Isn’t this enough? There isn’t really any place to wear expensive clothes to, either. Because practicing is our daily life. We like our training outfits the best”.
 


Q: Juyeon is famous for his love for beef tripe. What does Hyunjae like?

→ Hyunjae: “Nowadays, I’m crazy for fried food. I like everything as long as it’s fried”.
 


Q: Does Juyeon think that he is a simple person?

→ Juyeon: “Yes. I’m definitely like that. I’m a very simple person”.
 


Q: What about Hyunjae?

→ Hyunjae: “I’m the type to worry a lot about things at first, but I think I become more simple once I overcome that. It’s clear that I like what I like, and dislike what I dislike”.
 


Q: Under the name of ‘The Boyz’, you’ve released many albums and songs. About where do you think you are (in your career)?

→ Hyunjae: “I heard that there’s something called the ‘369 Rule’. It’s something about how weariness comes with those periods of time. It’s now been three years since our debut. It may be the time when we could lose our strength, but rather, it feels like we’re standing in front of a new beginning. Being able to meet <Road to Kingdom> was significant (for us). I think we were able to improve ourselves another level through that program. We’ve gained the confidence to think that this is the real beginning, starting from now”.

→ Juyeon: “We gained a lot of strength from that program. We were impacted a lot by it. They call it an ‘influx’, and we were able to gain a lot of new fans through the program. It was to the extent that we could feel it (ourselves)”.

→ Hyunjae: “We did a total of five stages during <Road to Kingdom>, and the scale and level of completeness of their direction was the best of what we’d ever done (up to then). It was really amazing. The more we completed creating good stages, the more we wanted to do even better”.
 


Q: I can feel the power behind your voices and gazes. Are your stages from <Road to Kingdom> a source of pride for The Boyz?

→ Juyeon: “We do feel proud of having left behind good performances”.

→ Hyunjae: “It was our first time doing a survival program, but it definitely inspired a desire to win in us. You come to engage in (competition) in order to win. There’s a strange sort of excitement that thrill gives you”.

 

Q: I’m sure you’d experience a surge of adrenaline. Because that’s also a source of self-esteem.

→ Hyunjae: “Winning or losing isn’t the main point, though you do feel that you don’t want to lose. But the most important thing is to think, ‘It doesn’t matter to me either, so let’s just show what we’ve prepared properly’. That’s what the members would say to each other. In <Kingdom>, which we are also participating in this time, our main goal is to do our best with no regrets. The rankings aren’t what’s important. Though coming in last place might put a scratch on our pride” (laughs)
 


Q: I’m sure that’s how you’ll continue going forward from now on. While seeing and hearing good things, while also eating lots of delicious food. It’s good to see that you aren’t very different from the first time I saw you. Where are you going to now?

→ Juyeon: “We have to go to practice now. That is our daily life. At the moment, we have to put our all into our practicing”.


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(translated by @dearhyunjaes)
scans cr. @ RIDIKID

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