Like Kim Gura said, he is dangerous. MBC Golden Fishery – Radio Star’s 4th MC spot was a spot that all entertainers wanted, but this spot required much mental strength. That’s why it was so unexpected. It was unexpected of Kyuhyun, the ballad idol and Super Junior’s maknae, who came into the studio last October, singing Sun Sikyun’g ‘You moved Me’. In the beginning, however, he was hesitant to ask critical questions. But after much training from Kim Gura and Yoon Jongshin, the maknae survived for 9 months, and now he holds a strong position in Radio star. ’10 Asia’ met Kyuhyun, the strange idol and bitter idol, with handsome appearance, soulful voice, bright smile and bitter remarks.
Q: Nobody expected you to join Radio Star. How did it happen?
A: Actually, the office didn’t even think of letting me do variety shows. I was an MC of MBC Every1 ‘Super Junior’s Foresight’ but there are many members that do very well in variety shows. But last year, I was on KBS ‘Immortal Song2′, I talked with Kim Gura, who told me that he liked me very much when we filmed SBS ‘Intimate Note’ in 2009. It was amazing to hear him say, “Since then, I.. I’ve thought of that when things like this happened.”
Q: It couldn’t have been easy to have been noticed by Kim Gura. (Laugh)
A: Exactly! Back then, I didn’t think much but because hyung (Kim Gura) had such good memory, he recommended me to Radio Star. But at Radio Star, because I wasn’t on shows that often, didn’t even know who I was (Laugh). But after one problem at Golden Fishery and Heechul’s enlistment, Jongshin hyung also recommended me and even called to the office to ask if I wanted to work together. Even at the office, they wondered why Kyuhyun, but I told them that I wanted to.
Q: As a newbie, weren’t you afraid to jump into the dangerous jungle, Radio Star?
A: That’s why Eunhyuk, who has been doing shows for a while, said, “You rose too high without the middle part.” (laugh) I know that too, but even though it had been 6 years since I debuted, my fans know me, some know me as the kid that sings well and does musicals, but most people don’t know me at all. I wanted to try variety shows.
Q: You must have been torn between passion and pressure when you recorded for the first time wearing the ‘temporary’ sign.
A: Since variety shows are meant to make others laugh, it was a different pressure from my original area. I couldn’t sleep the night before the first recording. I was really nervous during the first recording and felt like I was alive again when it ended. I would be worried about it all week and then the day before the recording I would be nervous again. Plus, I am a shy blood A type, so I checked everyone’s opinions. If all the opinions are 10, then 9.5 was all disses and .5 was indifference. (Laugh).
Q: It must have been even bigger pressure since Radio Star became longer after Knee Drop Guru
got cancelled.
A: It could be misfortune, but fortune at the same time. Radio Star used to film once every 2,3 even 4 weeks but now we have to film every week, so I can learn faster. In a short amount of time, I have heard a lot of disses, but thanks to those, I was able to grow faster.
Q: How did you get used to it?
A: I asked some members that do well in variety shows. Leeteuk told me to dress up as the guests. But, I decided to not listen to his advise (laugh). And Eunhyuk told me to watch variety shows to learn the trends. I decided to watch from ep 1 of Radio Star. But, even in the beginning, Radio Star was a mess (laugh). But as time went, I learned the characteristics of the MC hyungs and as synced to them. I wasn’t there, but I even thought of some comments that I would say in those situations.
Q: How did you feel when Kim Gura left after you got somewhat used to Radio Star?
A: Honestly, Gura hyung is the core of Radio Star, so I thought that the program was going to be cancelled when I was just getting started. Articles said that other hyungs were leaving as well. In the end, the four of us kept going, but it was difficult. Gura hyung’s role was not only the bitter remarks but also the encyclopedia of celebrities. But, the good side is that the guests expect to hear some bitter remarks when they come to Radio Star, so they are more accepting to our actions. We are still alive, but I am still worried. These days, when I see article titles such as ‘Radio Star Rumored to be Cancelled’ or ‘Kyuhyun went too far’, I look back and wonder if I should not do that next week, but if I hear that I have done well, then I do it again.
Q: These days, you get devil wings and even get the bitter remarks. I think there is a reason why you got the Kim Gura’s role even though you are an idol and the new MC.
A: Gookjin hyung is the guy that will wrap things up, Jongshin hyung also says bitter things, but he is more playful, Seyoon hyung isn’t the type to say bitter things to others either, but I must have got it from Kim Gura. In the beginning, I was making the dissing character with a bright smile. Later, the staff even gave me Gura doll and told me to be the mentee of Gura. The role of MCs of Radio Star is not only to attack the guests but to also ask those questions that the audience has been wanting to ask. There are still some people who find it hard, but there are also many that think well of this.
Q: You were known as the bright character with bitter remarks even in Super Junior before Radio Star.
A: I wasn’t on TV very often, and was the type that just watched in the back, so some know this, but most probably didn’t. In the team, I am actually very playful. I usually make fun of members often too. But, I don’t treat them like I would on Radio Star, but just enough. Just playing.
Q: Isn’t Radio Star’s atmosphere similar to that of Super Junior’s when you guys talk or hang around?
A: sometimes.. but our members aren’t that bad.
Q: If you were to rank yourself in bitter remarks, would you be first?
A: Ah, no… He isn’t very known, but Yesung is pretty bad. It has become a habit to just attack each other playfully.
Q: Super Junior is strong in variety shows but you had the dandy, ballad singer image. Weren’t you hesitant to say mean things when you thought of your idol image?
A: I think the reason why I wasn’t on shows before was because there are so many members who are good and because I had the mysterious image. So, in the beginning of Radio Star, I was hesitant and wasn’t sure if it was okay for me to say this. But, because I knew that the audience didn’t want the typical idol but a plafull MC, I tried to as honest. Many times, I thought that I should ask them to edit some parts out, but I never did. I didn’t think that I should be worried about my image when Radio Star is rumored to be cancelled. I didn’t want to make the unique Radio Star become the typical talk show.
Q: It’s not easy for the shy A blood type to ask certain questions to guests that he never met before.
A: Honestly, the comments on the Internet, I can just deal with. But it was hard to deal with the guest’s reactions of me. When Gura hyung does it, it was okay because he had that image, and everybody knew him to be that way. But, when I did it, the guests might think ‘Why is this young person saying those things to me?’ Especially when the I have never met the guests before or the guests are older, there are times when I don’t say certain things. There are certain things that I shouldn’t say in this age so I try to control myself.
Q: When Kim Sook said that you came to her waiting room and said hello many times…
A: I think the most thing to a person is greeting. So, I decided to say hello to the guests before the recordings. I visit every person, but it’s not because I am apologizing for the soon to come rude comments, but because I am hoping that the recording will go great.
Q: When you had that 4th 5th treaty with Yoon Seyoon, I think you gained more character.
A: At that time Seyoon wasn’t doing that well, and I was still not doing well. But, somehow we worked together, and it came out to be very funny. Since then, Seyoon reacted to what i did and I reacted to what he did. So, we eventually created an agreement. I had no place to get between Kookjin, Jongshin and Gura. But, with Seyoon, I was able to fit in more. I am very thankful.
Q: You were also part of Immortal song 2, the opposite of Radio Star.
A: I really wanted to go on Immortal Song 2, ever since it started, but because I was in Taiwan during that time, I joined later. I really wanted to show something different, but because of the situation of the program, I couldn’t show what I wanted for the first 3 weeks. Then, during the 4th week, I tried rock version of ‘Pretend Dance’ and luckily, I placed first and had the chance to sing ballad. Because the stages before weren’t that great, I didn’t want people to think that the main vocal of Super Junior can only do that, I worked very hard for ‘Study of Memories’.
Q: You have done musicals as well. Wasn’t it difficult trying new things?
A: At first, I received harsh criticism as much as when I first started Radio Star. So, I monitored often and discussed with others. Even if it was a harsh criticism, I thought of it as an evaluation and worked hard to fix the problems. When I fixed certain things, I saw a comment that said that I was monitoring and I was startled. And then, when I saw those harsh comments turn into compliments, I was happy.
Q: Five were casted for the role of Frank of ‘Catch me if you can’. Did you do anything to make your version of Frank?
A: The biggest sunbae, Um Kijoon showed the perfection of the role Frank. But, because my acting skills aren’t that great, I just did it as though I was lying. Not like a horrible con artist, but like a liar that the society has made.
Q: You go backpack travelling every year. Last year, you went to Spain. Unlike a world Hallyu idol, you seem to like travelling like typical students.
A: I went oversee’s very often and out of 100 times, I took a tour maybe 3 times. I know the hotels very well. I could even grade them (laugh). I receive a long break about once a year. A week to 10 days, even 2 weeks. Well, never 2 weeks. Of course there are times, when I don’t have schedules for 2 or 3 days, but because having a break for a week is special, I go travelling. I went to Japan, Italy and Spain. I went to Italy and Spain for their wine, because I love wine. I also like to schedule my travel with much detail, so I read about 5 books and figure out the cost for transportation, what to eat… I decide on everything. After a day ends, I would write down exactly what I did and exactly how much I spent. And then, I drink some wine and look out the window. It seems cheesy, but I feel like a part of a movie.
Q: Lee Sooman owns a wine business. Do you talk to him often?
A: He even brought me wine that he hasn’t released yet.I would tell him that it’s too dry and then he would say, ‘Really? I blended this and this. Then, try this one.” Then, I would say that I like that one better and then he would say that this one is cheaper.
Q: Despite the busy schedules of an idol, you seem to have some freedom and hobbies.
A: I am not the type that focuses everything on work. I do everything that I need to do, so even if I have a lot of schedule, I would meet my friends. When I don’t do well on Radio Star, and I try to prepare for the week after, it never works out. It worked better when I was unprepared and just said things. So, I try to work without having too much pressure.
Q: You are trying many different things. What kind of entertainer do you want to be?
A: It is hard to do well with doing one thing. But, it’s not like I think that from doing musicals and shows that I will become things. I just want to do close to perfection with the things that I was given the chance to do. It is interesting to see how the initial reaction of when I joined Super Junior 6 months later, or when I first did musicals and shows, change.
Q: Last, I will ask you Radio Star style. What is 2003 Byrgonu Vintage Wine (the wine Kyuhyun mentioned on Intimate Note on the rolling papers for the members) to you?
A: I haven’t tried it yet, but I can drink it now, and I can drink it later when I have done my job a bit better.
Q: What is dance break to you?
A: The evidence that hard work will come back. I started in 2006 with U. Ballad parts were using in the chorus, so I was always in the back. But I didn’t want to get lazy just because I was in the back, so I practiced the choreography very hard. During Sorry Sorry, Nick Bass said that I would do well if I was taught and during the 4th album, Davin Jameson added me to the dance break. This was really! the sweet gift to the persevered. There isn’t a dance break in our 6th album, but I am the fourth best dancer in the team. Shindong gave me the 3rd space, but was switched with Donghae. Anyways, I have been accepted.
Q: What is Radio Star to you?
A: I feel like I should be ending the show now (laugh). Radio Star is! The program that I was able to finally reveal myself to the audience after 6 years and I am very thankful. From a variety show newbie, I was put into where all the experts were and in the end I was able to upgrade myself and soon became the next variety show star!
Source: 10asia
Translated by Jee (@jeee54) at sup3rjunior.com
Translated by Jee (@jeee54) at sup3rjunior.com
via : kyulineshipper
