[Male Friend Interview②] WINNER’s KIM JINWOO Says, “Mr. Yang, we want to make a comeback in December too.”

[Male Friend Interview②] WINNER’s KIM JINWOO Says, “Mr. Yang, we want to make a comeback in December too.”

WINNER’s KIM JINWOO revealed that he trained at the Seungri Academy and likes G-DRAGON.

He has created a host of fans by singing “Really really really. I like you”. Now, he is making hearts with his hands as he sings “Love me love me” as the cutest boy of the group. We’ve met with KIM JINWOO, the very definition of a pretty boy. We wanted to go camping, and all the pictures we took of him were like magazine covers thanks to the curiosity and strength in his face.

As part of our “Revealing the charms of celebrities: You can decide when to come but not when to leave” project, we share with you our interview with KIM JINWOO.

*The interview was conducted in a friendly atmosphere as if talking to a friend, and the article is written in a corresponding style.

Continued from [Male Friend Interview ①]

Jeon Hyo Jin (“Jeon”): So all your friends are from YG, and you can’t go to clubs freely. So how do you unwind?

KIM JINWOO (“JINWOO”): I used to play computer games a lot in the past. I get satisfaction from becoming No.1 in games because I couldn’t become No.1 as a singer.

Jeon: You guys were not No.1 all the time, but you did have good songs.

JINWOO: It was the period between “EMPTY” and “REALLY REALLY”. I didn’t have much self-confidence. I second guessed myself, and I felt I wasn’t loved even though I was. I felt left out too. All the members had things to do individually, but I didn’t. It was frustrating.

Jeon: Didn’t you do “The Little Prince”? You tried modern dancing.

JINWOO: It healed me. But I’m not a good dancer. But I was taught that modern dance is about dancing to your natural rhythm. I practiced with dancers from the national modern dancing team. And this changed the way I think about dancing. Dancing to the beat of your own drum is always right. It really helped me in my singing career too.

Jeon: I’m glad that it had a positive effect on you. But feeling left out, it’s inevitable. So you relieved your stress through computer games?

JINWOO: Yeah. I usually hold in my emotions. I really like playing computer games too. But I couldn’t stop thinking about the feeling of being left out and frustration. So I tried to stop thinking about those things and just let thing go.

Jeon: It must have been hard.

JINWOO: I thought to myself, “You will only get stressed if you keep on thinking about it.” Then, I let things go and became relaxed. Then, things started rolling. Offers on doing shows individually came in after “REALLY REALLY”.

Jeon: So you don’t play computer games nowadays?

JINWOO: I spent a fortune on buying game items. I got scammed too. After that, I quit playing games altogether.

Jeon: You shouldn’t start a business then.

JINWOO: I won’t. I get scammed with game items. How am I ever going to run a business without getting conned?

Jeon: Have you ever thought about your future after WINNER?

JINWOO: When I’m done with being a member of an idol group, I want to start acting. I’ve always wanted to become an actor, and that’s how this all began. It’s still my dream. I did get acting lessons when I was training to become a singer. And I did acting now and then on web dramas. I think I’m better suited for movies rather than dramas because, with my personality, I can do better in longer projects.

Jeon: What’s your personality like?

JINWOO: I’m quite and polite.

Jeon: Are you the quietest among WINNER members?

JINWOO: No. I let go when I’m with close friends. So I talk a lot when I’m with the members.

 

JINWOO: We never had a physical fight. We have arguments. We’ve had one on one arguments. Then, the other members try to mediate really rationally. Nothing vague. So HOONY and MINO look as if they are good at arguing, and me and YOON are not (smile).

Jeon: You care for each other and that’s why you fight. Is there a particular fight that you remember?

JINWOO: People say you finish each other’s sentences if you’re really close. I know exactly what this means. We’re like that. HOONY is born in early 1992, and he has friends who are born in 1991, but he still calls me “hyung (the term used by men to refer to male seniors to show affinity)”. Once, I had a fight with HOONY. He was handing something over to me, but he dropped it. I thought he threw it on purpose. I got angry and shouted, “Why did you throw it?” But, the good thing about our team is that we clarify misunderstandings pretty easily. We got talking, and everything was fine afterwards.

Jeon: Are you not disappointed that you’re not the leader even though you’re the oldest?

JINWOO: I like being the youngest (laugh). Leaders have a lot on their shoulders. In YG, you get to be a leader not because of your age but your capability.

Jeon: What does WINNER mean to you?

JINWOO: I can’t live without WINNER. It’s my life. WINNER allowed me to fulfill my potential. It’s my everything.

Jeon: You’ve been with YG the longest among WINNER members. When you were a trainee, you must have seen HOONY and YOON on TV on audition shows.

JINWOO: I watched Super Star K and K Pop Star, but I didn’t know I would be in the same group as HOONY and YOON. YOON was already a star when he joined YG. On TV, he looked as if he was really confident and crooked. I thought he might be rude, but he was really nice and gentle. HOONY is such a good dancer. He used to teach me how to dance until late at night for our monthly evaluations because I can’t dance well. I’m sure all four of us will do well in the future.

Jeon: As you said, WINNER is already doing well. “REALLY REALLY” and “LOVE ME LOVE ME” have become big hits.

JINWOO: I don’t think this is the highest we can get. I’m just enjoying the moment. We all get along, and I don’t get stressed within our team. We haven’t been on a break since we released “REALLY REALLY”. We released new songs in April and August, and I’m hoping that we get to release a new song in December (laugh).

Jeon: The jewel box of YG has been opened. We say the YG jewel box has not been opened yet, when we talk about an YG artist’s long break.

JINWOO: We did have a long break. The jewel box hadn’t been opened for a long time. But, we’re done with mysticism. The jewel box should be open all the time. Jewels don’t shine when they are in closed boxes. Jewel boxes should be kept open. In that sense, I hope that we get to release a new song in December. I truly do!

Jeon: Is this set?

JINWOO: No, it’s my wish (laugh). YOON is making songs even though he is very busy. We don’t have a plan yet, but we want to release new songs as soon as possible. We just want to work hard. We hadn’t been working for a long time, and now we want to work. I want our jewel box to open in December and stay open next year and the year after that too. 

2017. 9. 9.